munchiesandmunchkins, Author at Munchies and Munchkins

Easter Afternoon Tea At Park Plaza Cardiff

April 2, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Afternoon tea for me always makes me think of Alice In Wonderland and the Mad Hatters party. Mounds of cakes, tea cups and smiles.

Today was all of the above. We spent a very enjoyable two hours at the Park Plaza Cardiff sampling their new Easter afternoon tea.

First up let me tell you what’s included:

We made a rather big and possibly silly decision to take a 3 year old for afternoon tea at a posh hotel BUT it was all good. Not only did Izzy think it was pretty amazing that she got a whole stand of food just for her..and that we weren’t limiting her intake of cakes or jam but she behaved impeccably.

Apart from sticking her fingers into the cream.. and the jam and to scoop the marshmallows out of her hot choc of course but hey she is only 3 after all. Her hot chocolate which they gave her in place of tea/coffee was amazing..full of marshmallows which she loved and it even looked like it and a smile on the side 🙂

In fact I heard two elderly ladies discussing that polite, pretty little girl and how good she was and I did that little smile when you know you shouldn’t be listening but you are so proud you can’t help it.

Izzy doesn’t often get one on one attention these days with a demanding little sis who hasn’t got very good health right now so it was nice to spend a day just enjoying her and her funny little personality. Nice to not hear me telling her to watch her crumbs because Chloe is allergic and to just listen to her random chatter.

Anyway back to the food. Ah the food. This was our second visit to Park Plaza – our first for afternoon tea and I was wowed. I’ve had a fair few afternoon teas and this is high up there amongst the best.

Each tea is prepared fresh to order so you can expect a short wait but you can start enjoying your tea/coffee or champagne in the meantime.

I love that the tea is served in a proper tea pot with a tea strainer and they instruct you on how long to leave it before removing depending on what strength you like. My tea was perfect. I had four cups!

We had four varieties of sandwiches – we opted out of the salmon and instead had an extra ham with a delicious mustard.
Each sandwich was fresh, without that slightly crisp texture bread can get when left out for more than 10 minutes. There we several different types of breads and they also cater for allergies and we were asked before being served if we had any special requirements – a major plus in my book.

The scones and hot cross buns were clearly freshly baked and the jam, clotted cream and butter were lovely additions. In fact the hot cross bun was one of my favourite parts.

A nothing thing I really enjoyed which I didn’t expect to was the lemon jelly topped with meringue. I imagine the meringue would be too sweet for my taste and the jelly too sharp but it was neither of those things. The meringue was caramelly ( I made that word up ) and the jelly had subtle lemon flavour but was not at all sharp. In fact it was incredible. Just the right size too. Delicious.

The cupcakes and macarons looked and tasted amazing.. I shared some of Izzys but there was no way we could finish all of ours too so they thoughtfully provided boxes for us to package it up to take home. Looking forward to enjoying them with a cuppa this afternoon.

The Easter afternoon tea is only available for the month of April so I would highly recommended making a booking soon. It was busy there yesterday so definitely check for availability in advance. Also the staff are incredibly friendly and seem to enjoy serving children so don’t be afraid to take your little ones with you.

*We were provided with our afternoon tea free of charge for the purpose of this review.

Sisters ..18 Months On

April 1, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

I should warn you now ..this is pretty much just a visual post. If photos of incredibly cute and occasionally stroppy sisters bore you then look away. It’s really just for me to look back on in years to come but it’s also an update for those of you who like to know how we are doing. For now it’s just a few pics, next week I’ll share with you how we are doing as a family and how we manage to get through each day with two totally beautiful yet clever and demanding little girls.

I will share one thing with you now.. I have a feeling these two are going to be thick as thieves. We are in for trouble in the teenage years!

Making The Most Of Our Home. Part 1

March 31, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

I think whatever home you live in there is always a little part of you that wants a bigger home, a better garden ..a jacuzzi bath..an en suite or in our case just an upstairs bathroom sure you can move although it’s not always possible for various reasons but for the most part you need to just re embrace your home,

There are so many ways to transform a home and we are making a lot of changes over the next few months in order to make our living space less cluttered..more comfortable and ultimately a place in which we can relax at the end of the day.

Our home is fairly small, not teeny but the kitchen is small ( major bugbear of mine) and the bedrooms aren’t particularly spacious. This means storage is a big focus of ours when it comes to making changes. I’m very lucky in that I have a very ‘handy’ man who has found a hundred and one ways to create new hoarding spaces for us.

So far we have a cupboard built into the wood panelling in our bathroom – perfect place to store my stocks of bubble bath, moisturisers and oils that I just seem to accumulate. He’s built a huge floor to ceiling fitted wardrobe/cupboard in Chloe’s bedroom which fits all of my clothes as well as most of the two girls and our shoes with some space at the top for secret gifts/things which need to be kept out of little hands.

He’s now working on a similar project in our bedroom – one wall now has a shelving unit which he has made look pretty incredible with some gorgeous patterned wallpaper and the other wall is going to be an open closet for all of his clothes with a mirror attached to the side..

Ooh and we have a new ottoman bed which is already full but our house is starting to feel so different. A house which is a little less cluttered feels calmer and I’m naturally starting to declutter as we sort things out. Large bags of clothes that haven’t been worn for more than a year have found their ways to the charity shops. Baby clothes passed on to friends and relatives.

I’ll be sharing lots of photos of our home as we complete projects. I’m quite excited. There’s a lot of change. Bursts of colour where there were once pale walls..art..photos..memories. Coming up soon will be our conservatory renovation, kitchen makeover and a feature wall created upstairs.

I’m a bit in love with our new tiles:

You can find lots of storage tips and ideas from other bloggers on the Safe Store website including some from me 🙂

Do you have any inventive ideas for storage? Toy storage ideas would be especially welcome here!

* This post is in collaboration with Safe Store.

Sykes Cottages Holiday Review – Llanbister

March 31, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

In February on a rather gloomy and extremely cold morning we set off for Llanbister, a small village in mid Wales that until about a month previously I’d never even heard of. We were heading to a holiday cottage let on a 600 acre working farm literally in the middle of nowhere.

When we pulled up this was all we could see:

There wasn’t another building or person in site. There was no internet signal, not even any mobile phone signal ( O2 at least) ..no landline. Not a sound. At first it was ever so slightly eery and I felt a bit out there but within minutes I felt safe and peaceful. There was a sense of calm in the air that I haven’t felt in a while. In fact the last time I felt like that was when we stayed in The Gambia about 6 years ago. In a village with no electric or hot water let alone wifi. That same sense of isolation from the harsher world we live in.

Anyway enough of the deep stuff.

Back to our cottage:

The ground floor is open plan with a spacious kitchen and wonderfully cosy lounge area with a log fire. The kitchen has everything you need from utensils to pots/pans and all the mod cons including microwave – although no dishwasher. Not an issue for me but for some it could be I guess.

It does however have a separate utility building which has both a washing machine AND a dryer which I find a necessity when away with small children.

While we are talking about the outbuildings..I have to share with you one of our favourite parts…THE HOT TUB:

It was amazing sitting in one of the barn type buildings with the door wide open onto the very cool yet sunshiney mornings tucked into our warm, bubbly giant bath as Izzy called it. We didn’t keep the girls in for too long but they were fascinated by it and it was an amazing daily treat. There was also the gym and then the games room which housed a pool table and ping pong table – we didn’t use these as the girls are still a bit too small but ideal for older children or as a hangout for teens.

Inside the lounge/kitchen area there are book shelves and DVD collections as well as board games and even a cupboard full of toys for small children. My girls were enthralled by NEW ( to them ) toys to play with. They also provided a travel cot for Chloe and a highchair which saved having to overload the car!

In fact pretty much every detail had been well thought out. There was cake to welcome us, beautiful bedding, toiletries and towels in every room. Our double room had an ensuite with shower, there was a separate bathroom with shower as well as a cloakroom toilet downstairs. I can only really pick out two flaws in the whole cottage. 1. There was no bath – I LOVE a good soak in the bath but you know there is a hot tub so swings and roundabouts as they say and secondly I think it would be an idea to have a fire guard for when toddlers are staying. We made a make shift guard using chairs but I think this would be a good addition to any property with a fire. Otherwise it was a seriously pretty home. It had lots of modern touches yet still held it’s charm. It stole my heart a little.

Outside the property there are a million places to walk and hike or just amble. Right outside there is a swing set which Izzy adored and I think staying there in the summer would be just amazing. Barbecues outside the cottage, late night strolls in the calm fields and a dip in the hot tub with a glass of wine – bliss.

The property is owned by a hard working family who are incredibly friendly and were more than happy to let us have a nose at their newborn calves and lambs. I even got to cuddle one of their very new lambs which was pretty sweet. We all got incredibly mucky but had so much fun together. It was lovely to see the girls away from TV channels and noisy toys and just get into the great outdoors.

Ooh I almost forgot the beds! They were so incredibly comfy.. Now if only Chloe had actually let us sleep. There’s always next time.

Sykes Cottages have a million ( ok maybe not that many ) properties to choose from and they are helpful, friendly and eager to make sure you get the right one for you.

I highly recommend them as a company – their customer service is superb and also White Walls Llanbister as a choice of cottage for a totally calm and special holiday experience.

*Our stay at Whitewalls was free of charge for the purpose of a review.

Allergy Friendly Truffle Style Sweets

March 30, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

I made a batch of these rather tasty muffins for Chloe a few days ago and after filling 6 muffin cases there was about a tablespoon of mixture leftover. I could have just eaten it as raw mixture but I thought I would make some experimental truffle type sweets for her to eat as a calorie laden snack ( she needs to gain some weight) or occasional treat. I simple rolled the mixture into four small balls and rolled onto a plate which had a mixture of raw cacao powder and icing sugar on it to coat. AND they tasted so good. Well you know maybe not like a proper truffle but for multiple allergy type food..it was good. I’ve since made a second batch of the mixture just to make these sweets. It makes around 30.

150g Dove Gluten free SR flour
100g caster sugar
1 small mashed banana
1.5 tsp of vanilla paste or extract
75ml water
15 ml of coconut milk
6 tbsp of melted coconut oil

Mix together the sugar, oil and vanilla in a high speed stand mixer – I advise this because coconut oil solidifies quickly so you need to move fairly fast. Add your mashed banana, flour, water and coconut milk. Blend until smooth but still slightly firm.

To coat:

4 tbsp of icing sugar
3 tbsp of cacao powder

6 tbsp of Shredded coconut

Roll into balls then roll in the coating of choice and onto greaseproof paper then chill until firm. Enjoy.

I prefer them rolled in coconut but Chloe prefers the texture of the cacao/icing sugar. If you have a suitable dark chocolate you could try melting it and dipping the balls into it. I imagine this would taste pretty good!

These are dairy free, gluten free, soya free, egg free and vegan.

Justin & Friends: Mr Tumble’s Circus Arena Tour

March 30, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Roll up, roll up.. Mr T is coming to a town near you with his Justin & Friends Circus Show.

If you have a child aged between ummmm 0-7ish?? Then you will certainly have heard of the King Of CBeebies Mr Tumble. We have seen him live at a few festivals over the years and the man puts on an incredible show.

Here’s a little info about the new tour:

Come and join in the excitement of this arena spectacular with Mr Tumble – as well as a host of other Tumbles from Something Special, including Aunt Polly and Grandad Tumble! See Cat Sandion and Swashbuckle presenter Gem, in their first CBeebies Live! show, along with the adventurous Andy Day!

But uh‑oh! Mr Tumble’s Circus is delayed en route! The CBeebies mega‑stars with the help of Gigglebiz favourites, including Keith Fitt, Dina Lady, Gale Force and Arthur Sleep – must swing into action and save the day! In doing so, they discover that they too have some pretty amazing talents as well!

But with Robert The Robot insisting that everyone do their chores and Little Monster just wanting to cause mayhem and mischief… Will Justin and the CBeebies stars help get Mr Tumble’s Circus to town on time?

Book your tickets now for CBeebies Live! Justin & Friends: Mr Tumble’s Circus. It’s going to be one of the greatest shows this Easter, with unicyclists, tumblers, jugglers and lots of interactive fun!

You can book your tickets here: Justin & Friends Circus Show.

Depressed Or Self Obsessed?

March 29, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 11 Comments

I’m not normally one for jumping in on hot topics in the news. Normally because I avoid a lot of it. I find the news awfully sad most of the time and I have enough sadness in me right now. Selfish? Perhaps.. Self obsessed? I hope not.

Sometimes news items are right there in your face though and I’ve thought a lot about the poor families of the victims from the German Wings plane crash this week. I’ve thought long and hard about the state of mind of the co pilot and I’ve spent the most time thinking about his family. About how they are coping right now. Because whatever happened or however it happened they are grieving too. Grieving for a son, brother, cousin, friend. Having to read every sordid detail of his life and to feel the ultimate pressure of knowing your child ( he will always be a child to his parents) caused the death of so many. How hard this time must be for them.

Depression headlines have been splashed across newspapers in a tawdry, mindless way. Mental health is being talked about. In the worst possible way.

A few minutes ago I saw this from an abomination of a woman that I find it hard to give any time or thought to:

But I had to talk about this. How dare she? A woman who could be considered the ultimate in self obsessed. How dare she belittle an illness which is so incredibly crippling it kills so many and so often. How can an educated woman say the words Get a grip to people who would give ANYTHING in the world to snap out of this illness.

I am far from self obsessed. I am depressed. I hate myself most days but K.Hopkins I hate you more. I hate you for spoiling an hour I had decided in which I was going to just relax. To be me. Not mum or employee or partner. I sat down with my kindle under a blanket and decided to just chill out. I find this so hard to do. Because of my illness. You ruined it and I doubt very much you realise the impact of your tweet today. For every ant sized step forward in mental health awareness there is an elephant step back. You are the elephant. Go back to the circus your life has become and leave everybody else alone.

Allergy Friendly Muffins

March 28, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 5 Comments

I’m just starting to get to grips with this new style of baking.. I miss my normal flours which work in the way I’m used to. The rich butters which give so much flavour and being able to just toss in ingredients whenever I fancy but I have to try and make food and especially snacks more appealing for Chloe. Yesterday we had a bad day with her health wise and a massive lack of sleep and I was grouchy and frustrated so I used that negative energy to create this delicious cakes for her.

Chloe Coconutty Cakes

150g Dove Gluten free SR flour
100g caster sugar
1 small mashed banana
1.5 tsp of vanilla paste or extract
75ml water
15 ml of coconut milk
6 tbsp of melted coconut oil

Place into muffin cases and bake for approximately 15 mins or until golden and spring back when pressed lightly on top.

When slightly cooler, dust lightly with icing sugar or Cocoa powder mix of both.

This made 6 decent size muffins with a large spoonful or so leftover. Its quite a firm mixture so I used it to make cocoa dusted truffles..more on that to come.

This recipe is Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free and Soy Free. It’s also actually pretty tasty too! Chloe demolished hers in record time and considering her appetite is pretty shocking right now that’s brilliant.

I’ve popped one in the freezer just to see if it freezes well and I’ll keep you posted on that.

Easter Gift Guide

March 27, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

I loved Easter as a child. Big shiny eggs, bright yellow bunnies and ALL the chocolate. As a large family with not a great deal of money it was a big treat to have a huge chocolate egg all to yourself – ok it probably wasn’t huge in fact I’m sure it was mostly a Buttons egg ( my personal favourite anyway ) but I loved it.

Now that I’ve got a child with lots of allergies I realise that Easter can’t just be chocolate related so there are some other options here too. Hope you find something you like:

Elizabeth Shaw

Elizabeth Shaw have some really gorgeous eggs this year. From the whiskey collection to the zesty one which is just dreamy.

Green & Blacks

Green & Blacks are my fail safe go to chocolates. There isn’t one flavour that I don’t enjoy and although normally I love darker chocolate, I’m a huge fan of their milk chocolate with sea salt. This large collection would make a great gift for a family of chocolate lovers:

Lindt:

Nothing marks the start of Easter like the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny. This delightful character has long been a firm seasonal favourite and comes in many varieties and sizes to provide an Easter treat for one or an enchanting gift to share. They have also introduced a Lindt Gold Bunny Storybook
A perfect gift to bring home the magic of Easter – The enchanting Lindt Gold Bunny Storybook (125g, £6.49) brings the Gold Bunny to life in an engaging and interactive story. This new gift also contains a selection of 15 Lindt milk chocolate treats to enjoy with storytime:

I’ve also discovered a slight weakness for this…

Whittard:

Whittard have some incredible chocolate options this Easter from single origin chocolate bars to hot chocolate flakes and even chocolate tea! The Uganda 80% dark chocolate is amazing and I’ve managed to stretch it out for at least ummm a week because you really do only need a little at a time.

Fudge Kitchen

How about some fudge instead of chocolate? You don’t get much better than the Fudge Kitchen. These are absolutely incredible. These are delightful. Two sinfully rich and creamy Chocolate Classic, two indulgent Double Trouble Chocolate and two delightfully fruity Lemon Tart hand-decorated fudge. Sublime fusions of the sweet creaminess of fudge infused with natural ingredients for a truly remarkable taste sensation.

So maybe you can’t eat chocolate or just don’t like it .. Do such people exist??

Well here are some ideas starting with a few for children:

Vivid Toys have some gorgeous bunny options from the Peter Rabbit range which I can personally vouch for as we have several of them. They are well made, super cute and an ideal gift for children who can’t eat chocs.

We love these adorable 6” cuddly versions of Peter Rabbit, Lily Bobtail, Benjamin Bunny and new addition, Cotton-tail, will appeal to fans old and new (RRP £6.99 each). With silky soft fur, these soft toys are perfect for little ones to cuddle up to and take with them on their travels.

Lindt have this soft, snuggly version of their famous gold bunny just be sure to the remove the chocolate bunnies hidden inside for anyone with allergies:

Whittard also have this gorgeous set of Alice in Wonderland treats including this pretty cup which comes with free chocolate eggs 🙂

Lindemans have some great bottles of wine which could be paired with your Easter Meal or enjoyed alongside chocolate ..or just in the bath!

Roast Lamb, a traditional Easter dish, can be served with a fruity glass of Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon. This oak-aged wine has a deep flavour, and the fruity undertones accompany the warm flavours of roasted meat.

Ely Chocolate Gin

Gin plus chocolate – perhaps not the most immediately obvious combination, but well worth a closer look.

This is a very aromatic product that is drunk first with the nose. The rich, warm, scent of the dark chocolate is enjoyed before the glass is even lifted. On tasting, the drinker experiences a very balanced hit of both gin and chocolate – neither vying for supremacy, neither overwhelming the other, but both working together to create a warming and very enjoyable whole.YUM.

There are also a lot of fun activities going on around Easter, our girls at the perfect age for joining Easter Egg trails ( although Chloe can’t eat them ) One in particular we definitely plan to join in with is this one:

Over a quarter of a million Cadbury Eggheads are being delivered to National Trust properties ahead of the annual Cadbury Eggsplorers Easter Egg Trails taking place over 3rd-6th April.

National Trust staff have taken delivery of 21.5 tonnes of chocolate eggs for the event. With thousands of eggs to store, staff have been getting creative about where to conceal the eggs so no one finds them before Easter. Temporary locations include inside of grandfather clocks, pianos, vases and bookcases.

The 250,000+ Eggheads are now ready and waiting for families to unleash their inner explorer at these adventurous trails taking place across the country. Now in its eighth year, over 300 properties are taking part and with 680,000 people getting involved last year, the National Trust is expecting a huge turnout, especially if the sun makes an appearance!

*Some of these products were gifted for the purpose of this feature.

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Slow Cooker Sundried Tomato, Rosemary and Green Olive Bread

March 27, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

This is the third in a series of guest posts by fellow food bloggers. This post is written by Lucy who is pretty famous for making some awesome slow cooker recipes. I love my slow cooker so I will certainly be trying this amazing looking bread. You can find Lucy over at Baking Queen 74 And also on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Over to Lucy:

Making bread can be quite labour intensive I find, especially if you’re busy, with lots of things to be doing and a never-ending to-do list. Oddly, this is when I like to use my slow cooker to make bread even more SLOWLY!

Even though it takes longer, I find making bread in the slow cooker great because it doesn’t require as much attention and won’t burn quickly. Then you can get on with other things on your list, proud in the knowledge you have baked your own bread! Perfect if you have little people around demanding attention, emails to attend to or household jobs to be getting on with.

This tasty bread is great for lunch, served with some salad and cheese, or would also be a lovely side for a slow cooked stew. It didn’t last long at all in my house, even though it makes a large loaf.

Note that I made this loaf in a large slow cooker (5.7 litre). If you only have a 3.5 litre slow cooker I would either halve the quantities or split the dough in half and bake two smaller loaves one after the other. The second batch could prove in the fridge while the first batch cooks, so you would only need to bake the second one on high.

Recipe:

• 480 g strong white bread flour
• 1 sachet dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 280 ml tepid water
• 7-8 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 10-12 green pitted olives, quartered
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped
• A little olive oil to drizzle on top
• Coarse sea salt to scatter on top
• 2 more sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped, to scatter on top

Method:

1. Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt on one side and the yeast on the other.
2. Add the olives, sundried tomatoes and rosemary then slowly add the water and mix to form a sticky dough.

3.Remove from the bowl and knead for ten minutes on a floured surface until elastic and smooth.
4. Place the dough on oiled baking paper in the slow cooker pot.
5. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers, then drizzle over the oil, sprinkle on the salt and extra sprigs of rosemary.

6 Place the lid on the slow cooker, with a tea towel under the lid to stop water dripping onto the bread.
7 Turn on low for an hour to prove until doubled in size.

8 Switch to high for 1-2 hours until baked and sounds hollow when tapped. If necessary you can turn the bread over half way through so that top and bottom are equally brown and crusty.

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