Moooo.. A Discover Dairy Prize Draw
Have you ever visited a farm with your children? Do they know where milk comes from?
The British Nutrition Foundation recently found out that a third (29 %) of primary school children think that cheese comes from plants, and one in five (21%) had never visited a farm!
A separate 2013 study showed that less than half of 18-24 year olds knew it was possible to visit a farm, compared to eight out of ten over 65s – clearly showing that whilst the older generation are very familiar with country life, some younger people don’t have the same connection to where their food comes from.
DairyCo has created www.thisisdairyfarming.com, to help people understand a bit more about cows and where dairy products come from. Fronted by TV presenter Adam Henson, the site is packed full of fun films that show you where milk comes from, that cows have friends, and that you probably can’t keep a cow in your garden. They’ve also got a youtube moovie channel and you can keep up with all the moos on twitter @thisisdairy #Discoverdairy.
DairyCo is even giving you the opportunity to win £15 worth of shopping vouchers to spend on Great British Dairy produce! Simply answer this question for me…Do cows sleep standing up?*
Leave your answer in the comments.
*Clue.. It’s explained in the YouTube video below.
The Life of Cows:
This prize draw will run until Thursday 15th August 2013 at midday-a winner will be chosen at random and the prize sent directly from Discover Dairy.
Jamie Oliver Lasagne Recipe – Ministry Of Food
Today I am sharing with you my favourite Jamie Oliver lasagne recipe. I have LOTS of recipe books.. I mean lots and I love them, I read them as you would a normal book and sometimes it can take me a year to first try a recipe from a book but that doesn’t make it any less useful to me.
I had this for Christmas about 6 years ago and it’s been well used, so much so in fact that I was ever so slightly embarrassed showing it to Jamie Oliver to get signed at last years Big Festival. Splashes of tomato and olive oil along with post it notes on my favourite recipes but hey I’m sure he prefers them to be used.
Anyway the idea of the Ministry of Food book is that you learn a recipe and then pass it on, all of the meals are simple enough to make yet taste amazing. I have decided while I am having this temporary lull in creating my own recipes to share some of my favourites from the book with you as really that’s what it’s all about. If you are looking for a good basic recipe book to purchase I can’t recommend it enough.
To start here is my ultimate favourite recipe from this book, lasagne , there is something special about this lasagne. I’m not sure if its the combination of the two meats plus bacon or the creme fraiche and parmesan but it is seriously good.
Jamie’s lasagne
You will need:
2 rashers of streaky bacon diced
2 medium onions diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 carrots diced
2 sticks of celery diced
olive oil
2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano
500g good quality minced beef or pork or half of each ( which is the best way )
2 tins of chopped tomatoes (400g)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
a small bunch of fresh basil
50g Parmesan cheese
To make the lasagne:
250g lasagne sheets -I’ve used fresh, homemade and dried all with great results
1 x 500ml tub of creme fraiche
100g Parmesan cheese
1 large tomato
Place a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2tbsp of olive oil, diced bacon and oregano and cook stirring occasionally until bacon is golden brown. Add all of your diced veg to the pan an cook for around 7-8 mins stirring regularly, by now your veg should be starting to colour and soften. Add all of your minced meat and chopped tomatoes then add 1/2 a tin of water ( the book says 1 tin but I find it makes the sauce too thin and watery) add salt and pepper.
Remove the leaves from your bunch of basil and place in fridge for later, chop the stalks finely and add to sauce. Bring to boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to gas mark 5. Remove sauce from heat and add 50g of Parmesan as well as tearing in your large basil leaves keeping any smaller ones for decoration later.
If using dry lasagne sheets place some boiling after in a pan to blanch them for a minute or so before use, if using fresh there is no need. Make sure to drain afterwards to get rid of excess water.
Layering:
Start with a layer of bolognese the your lasagne sheets then a third of creme fraiche, seasoning and a third of Parmesan and repeat twice more. On the top layer decorate with sliced tomatoes and basil leaves before drizzling with olive oil.
Cover with foil and bake in oven for approx 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve with salad and garlic bread. Sublime.
I’ve cooked and eaten a lot of different lasagnes and aside from an incredible one I had in Milan in 2008 which will probably never be beaten this is the best. Definitely one to try and worth the extra effort. I’ve made this for so many people and I’ve never had a bad reaction – in fact everyone asks for more.
More favourites coming soon including chicken and leek stroganoff and vanilla cheesecake.
I miss cooking
Firstly let me apologise for the lack of foodie content on the blog lately. I know a lot of your subscribe just for the foodie stuff and well I’m sorry. I miss cooking, I miss hours in my kitchen. If I get a day when I feel like cooking I go overboard but those days are few and far between lately.
Between the morning sickness which has decided to reappear..the extreme tiredness and just the general crappiness of this pregnancy I just have no energy or inclination to do anything.
If I do cook then I rarely feel like eating it. I can’t believe that in my pregnancy with Izzy at this stage I was making hoards of lasagnes/shepherds pie and curries to freeze for that first manic month of having a newborn. This time around I can’t see that happening. I may have to stock up on takeaway menus instead.
Why does this feel like such a big deal? I feel as though I’ve lost my identity a bit. Cooking is such a huge part of who I am.
For my foodie readers I’m planning to share a few of my favourite recipes with you that I haven’t made recently so you can look forward to that over the next few weeks and maybe it will inspire me to get back in the kitchen.
To everyone else ..sorry for yet another moan. Any tips to brighten my mood?
Camp Bestival 2013 Photo Diary
So many of you loved the photo diary we posted last year as a teaser to our main review that I thought I would do it again while I gather my thoughts and start to work out how much I can tell you in one blog review!
Here is a taster of OUR Camp Bestival:
Our view on arrival:
Our Tipi Tent:
Exploring:
It got cold in the evenings!
Bubbles..
Playtime:
Meeting funny people:
Food and drink:
Carousel time:
The highlight of the festival..Tumble time:
Waiting…
The crowd…
The man..
The joy..
The end..
WE LOVE YOU TUMBLE.
There will be many more photos and tales in my full review coming up soon…
* we were provided with a free family ticket for Camp Bestival.
The School Holiday Juggle – A Guest Post
This guest post is by Liz , Mum of 2 girls aged 5 and 3 who is trying to make it work with her business www.rubyandginger.co.uk . You can chat to her on twitter @rubyandginger or over on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/RubyandGINGER
So here I am the middle of school holidays doing ‘the big juggle’, you know the spreadsheet with the colour codes telling you where your children should be and where you need to collect them from and who in fact is responsible on the days when everyone thinks it is you except for you.
When you look at the Tetris like print out it looks not so much of a holiday but a military timetable
So as someone experiencing this in full force for the first time this summer -I’ve always had a childminder in previous years but she has gone term time only! (how dare she!)
So here a few things I have learnt along the way trying balance work and having fun:
1) People volunteer to have a 5 year old much more readily than a ‘lively’ 3 year old J no idea why!
2) Good old fashioned bartering is the way forward “you have my 2 children for 3 hours and I will have your 1 for 6” is how I’m working today
3) Accept every offer of help you can, it’s like the days of a newborn you think you can manage and will be fine but then wish you had accepted that offer of a friend taking them off for tea when trying to finish a report in time to meet a deadline
4) 6 weeks seems like forever but actually the days fill up really quickly and now I haven’t got enough days to see everyone
5) Last but by no means least make sure the children get some downtime and have a break too, after learning the hard way last week that filling every day with stuff to do come the end of the week all they want to do is nothing so from now on we have at least one day a week where we are staying at home just mooching and relaxing.
Hope you muddle through the juggle , see you on the other side!
Woop Woop the day has come
It’s here.. The day has arrived! It’s Camp Bestival time. We are so excited.
Can’t wait to see you all there having a ball…
Safe journey to all those travelling today.
For those of you who aren’t going there will be a lovely guest post over the weekend from the very lovely Liz of Ruby&Ginger so be sure to check it out.
See you soon. X
Keep your cool by the pool
You know when you are on holiday and you see those mums who are totally put together even when they are trying to control 3 young children by the pool. It’s just looks effortless..stylish. I normally see this perfect woman in her huge designer shades.. wide brimmed hat, gorgeous swimsuit and heels ( by the pool!) whilst I am rummaging at the bottom of the baby changing bag which is acting as my handbag to find my £5 sunglasses with sticky fingerprints across the lenses amongst the squished up cheese puffs, dry wet wipes and a million nappy sacks – it makes me feel so good about myself. NOT.
My holiday style (if you am call it that) is definitely comfort over high fashion..
I can probably narrow my poolside/beach essentials down to 5 things:
* Sunglasses – to hide my sunken..forgot to remove last nights mascara badger eyes
* huge bag – I seem to need so much stuff these days
* kaftan/sarong – they hide a multitude of sins
* comfy outdoor footwear – these Zuuk’s by Hi-Tec are great for getting you to and from the pool. They’re lightweight and comfortable too, so easy to throw in your flight bag.
They have to be flat and they have to be super comfortable or I just don’t see the point
* a big floppy hat – stops me getting headaches in the sunshine, saves me having to do much with my hair and stops my hair getting fried.
So those are my super glamorous must haves..what are yours?
Maybe next year will see a new improved stylish me on my hols but I think probably not.
*this is a featured post
Mammy…what you doing?
In my post about Toddler Tantrums I promised an update on my very nearly 2yr old toddler so here it is. The good, the bad and the funny.
Let’s start with the good because luckily there is a lot of it!
Eating:
Izzy will still eat pretty much anything, she has quite exotic tastebuds but is also quite happy with a jacket potato with cheese and beans or some Dairylea Dunkers. There isn’t much that she won’t try. She loves lasagne, oranges, bananas, marmite, olives and garlic. She still has some formula (growing up milk) for bed and at breakfast but we are planning to stop that by September. It’s only 8oz a day so I’m not worried about it. She has started enjoying drinking cows milk now also which is good. We still don’t let her eat anything sweet after 4pm – I know I know I’m a mean mammy and she rarely has chocolate and still no sweets. She is still too young in my opinion and while I can control her diet a little then I will – everyone has different feelings on this including my family who tease me about it all the time ( all in good humour luckily) I would rather give her a slice of homemade cake than a chocolate bar or a bag of Haribo. She does however love ice lollies and homemade sorbet! On the odd occasion that she has eaten sweet treats later in the day we always have problems getting her to sleep so I’m happy to avoid this as long as possible.
Sleeping:
We are still doing pretty well with sleep. Yes. Thanks for that Isabelle. She sleeps 7pm -7.30am ish 95% of the time. She also has a nap at about 12-1.30 every day which I’m also grateful for. If she naps much later she is harder to get to sleep at night – which makes sense and when unwell routine goes out the window but we still do pretty much the same thing as we have done since 12months. She has her supper (toast or porridge) while watching In the Night Garden or reading a book. Then she brushes her teeth, nappy change and to bed with some milk. She also has her snuggly toy and her dummy which now do not leave her cot so they are her sleep cues. We have kissed and cuddles say goodnight, turn on her monitor and leave her to to it. She generally drops off to sleep within 15 mins. She loves going to sleep and will ask to go to bed quite often – on a recent family meal out at about 7.30 she was clearly getting worn out and kept putting her hands on her face and saying sleep please. I know we are lucky with her sleep patterns and I really hope this continues.
Talking:
I can’t believe I ever worried about what Izzy could or couldn’t say. Her speech has come on in leaps and bounds in the past month and I can only say if you are worried about your little one then just give them time as it seems everyone does it at different stages.
Some of her current sentences:
Mammy/Daddy..what you doing? – this is whenever you are not giving her your full attention. If I’m writing or cooking she will cock her head and say this in the cutest voice.
Mamm..poo..potty – I’ll explain more on this further in as we have just started potty training but its pretty self explanatory yes?
See you soon – she says goodbye then see you soon whenever someone gets up to leave.
Drink..of water? – she still loves water so we only do juice when she’s constipated and asks for water ALL day long.
Sticker me – she is a huge fan of sticker books, she had one as a gift from her grandma and one in my Britmums goodie bag and they keep her occupied for agessss. It’s sounds very cute when she walks up to you and says Sticker me.
She knows the words for everything or so it seems and will mimic a lot so we have to be careful what we say. She can say all her colours (although not always matching the right colour to word) her favourite is yellow. Everything is yellow.
The funny stuff:
She makes us laugh all day long, she has a naturally cheeky manner and will smile at her dad before saying Dad.. Where’s your bum?
She can count to 10 but always misses 7 and 8. She really enjoys counting and will line things up to count 1..2..3..4..5..6..9..10. It’s funny as she knows she is missing the numbers and pauses after 6.
We have a weird ornamental statue thingy which she has decided is Grandma ( it looks nothing like my OH’s mum) and she will wave at it say hi Grandma then laugh loudly as if she knows its funny and cheeky – this is especially amusing when her grandma is here.
When my OH is eating his cereal she literally will not move from his side practically drooling until he shares.
Whenever she sees something new or exciting she will say Woweeee in such a funny way. What a drama queen.
Her favourite film is Lady and the Tramp she asks for this whenever I say what do you want to watch by saying the doggy film ..she loves the We are Siamese song and will howl along with the dogs in the Pound scene asking myself and OH to join in too.
The bad:
She can strop as I explained in my tantrums post .. She is stubborn and if she wants something she will let you know. We ignore this and it doesn’t last long at all but while it does it ain’t pretty.
At the moment that is it for the bad – which makes me very happy. It can all change in a minute and we are so close to the terrible twos so watch this space.
Potty training:
I’d never planned to potty train before 2 .. It’s still so young but I don’t want two children in nappies and she has started becoming more aware of when she goes so its happening naturally. We aren’t rushing in we are just getting her used to the idea of a potty and to tell us when she needs to go. We have now had two occasions of her telling us she needs a poo before she does it and then going on her potty which we have made a huge fuss of. We have had plenty of other occasions of her saying she needs a poo just after or while she is doing it but we know it will take time. We are using a Potette plus travel potty which is pretty awesome and we tend to adapt it to use on the toilet seat which Izzy prefers – I think it makes her feel like a big girl. I will keep you posted on how it goes. For now September is our target for no daytime nappies at home.
Clothes – Izzy is tall with no chub left but shes not at allskinny..still hardly any hair but its getting there. She wears mostly 2-3yr clothes with some 18-24 thrown in. She is a size 7 shoe and weighs about 27lb.
Izzy loves –
*both sets of grandparents and her cousins/aunts and uncles
*dogs and horses
*Mr Tumble and In the Night Garden
*water/sand play and swimming
*crayons and stickers
*music and dancing
*having her snuggly and dummy at bedtime
*lady and the tramp and Shrek
*babies and dolls
*eating
*counting
*hiding
Izzy hates –
*dirty feet and hands- fine while she’s playing or eating but afterwards she’s like clean me now.
*nappy changes
*waiting
*sharing the yellow and red car at soft play
*being kept awake longer than she wants to
I can’t pretend the past 5 months have been easy. Having a far from straightforward pregnancy whilst parenting a toddler is hard, thankfully my OH and also Izzy herself have made it easier for me – my OH by doing SO much and Izzy by being an absolute joy most of the time. It can’t be fun when she wants to play with her mammy and mammy is too worn out but she cuddles me and is so loving I am such a lucky woman.
Silent Sunday
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