You say potato peelings? I say tasty snack!!

Potato Peeling Snacks

You know when you peel potatoes, what do you do with the peelings?? Dump them in the bin by any chance? Why not try using them to make your children a really tasty alternative to crisps. Trust me, your little bundles will devour them!!

What you need:

2 large white potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes
1-2 tbsps oil (olive or sunflower)

What you need to do:

When your next making mash potato with a sunday roast or on top of a cottage pie, save the peelings and follow this!

Preheat the oven to about 200-250oC

Wash and peel the potatoes, I find its better to use a knife as you tend to get a bit more of the potato flesh with the skin to add a soft with crunchy texture.

Put the peelings on a large tray and spinkle with oil. Toss the skins really well in the oil so they are well coated and then spread out evenly on the tray and cook for about 25 minutes in a hot oven between 200 and 250oC

The crisps will be ready when they are golden and crispy. Take out and drain on a paper towel. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt and serve in a big bowl for all to share!


ALTERNATIVE FLAVOURS:
Before cooking the crisps you can toss through some chilli power, mixed herbs, a veg or chicken powered stock cube, curry powder or paprika .... the choices are endless!!

Happy snacking!

Let them drink!!

Some fab ideas for healthy drinks at partys or just as a daytime treat!

Tropical Fruit Punch

What you will need:

425g canned sliced mango in natural juice

3 cups (750ml) tropical fruit juice

300g finely chopped pineapple

250g finely chopped strawberries

2 tbsps finely shredded fresh mint

1 tbsp caster sugar

3 cups (750ml) ginger ale

What to do:

Strain the mango over a small bowl, reserving the juice

Chop the mango slices finely

Combine mango and reserved juice in a large bowl with the tropical fruit juice

Stir in the remaining ingredients

Refrigerate the punch for 2 hours before serving, add ice if wanted.

Jungle Slush

What you will need:

12 kiwi fruit (approx 1kg)
3 1/2 cups ice cubes
3 cups (750ml) chilled kiwi mix fruit juice

What to do:

Peel kiwifruit, quarter lengthways, remove the core and as many seeds as possible
Just before serving, blend the kiwifruit, icecubes and juice until almost smooth, pour the slush into glasses to serve

Watermelon Raspberry Juice

What you will need:

4kg watermelon
3 1/2 cups (875ml) chilled lemonade
1/2 cup (125ml) raspberry cordial
12 mini whisks (one per child) (optional)

What to do:

Remove the skin and seeds from the melon, chop the flesh coarsley.
Push the flesh through a juice extractor or blend until mushy
strain the juice into a large jug and stir in the lemonade and cordial
Just before serving add a small whik to each glass to use as a stirrer as the juice will separate on standing!

Chocolate Malted Milk Milkshake

What you will need:

1/3 cup (40g) malted milk powder (Horlicks is a good choice)
1/3 cup (80ml) chocolate flavoured ice cream topping sauce
1 cup (250ml) chocolate ice cream
2 1/2 cups (625ml) milk
Ice cubes to serve


What to do:

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and serve over ice

Strawberry Milkshake

What you will need:

250g strawberries, chopped
2 cups (500ml) milk
2 scoops strawberry ice-cream
1/2 cups (125ml) strawberry flavoured ice-cream topping sauce

What to do:

Blend or process all ingredients together until smooth, serve over ice if wanted

For the more sophistocated palate: Strawberry Ice Punch

What you will need:

250g Strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
pink food colouring
1 egg white, beaten lightly
1 litre (4 cups) chilled apple and strawberry juice
1 litre (4 cups) chilled mineral water
1 litre (4 cups) chilled lemonade

What to do:

Place one strawberry slice into each hole of a 12 hole ice cube tray. Fill with water, freeze
Combine sugar and a few drops of food colouring in a plastic bag and rub together until sugar in coloured pink
Place pink sugar on a saucer and place egg white on another saucer
Dip the rim of each glass into the beaten egg white and then into the sugar (you can use just water instead of egg white if you would prefer)
Just before serving, combine the juice, mineral water and lemonade in a large serving bowl, tint pink with a few drops of colouring. Ass strawberries and strawberry ice cubes, serve

UK Food Events for July 2011

Waterloo Quarter Food Festival
30 June to 31 July 2011
In and around Lower Marsh, London SE1
A trip to Waterloo in July promises to be a real taste explosion as the area’s many restaurants, pubs and shops throw open their doors in a month-long celebration of food and drink.  Visitors can expect a tasty line-up of free events, demonstrations and exclusive offers as well as evening food fair on 30 June. Entry: Free

www.waterlooquarter.org/foodfestival


 

Mortimer Country Food Fair
Saturday 9 July 2011
Manor Farm Barns, BRAMPTON BRYAN, Herefordshire, SY7 0DH
Fourth annual Mortimer Country Food Fair.  Over 50 exhibitors, purpose-built demonstration kitchen, children’s activities, outstanding selection of local food, drinks and crafts producers headlined by best-selling, Herefordshire author John Lewis-Stempel with this year’s theme: Wild Food.  Great day out on the borders of Herefordshire and Shropshire where England meets Wales! Entry:£1.00 + free carparking
www.mortimercountryfoodfair.co.uk


Isle of Man Queenie Festival
1-3 July 2011
Port St Mary, Port Erin, Gansey, Isle of Man
The Manx Queenie - otherwise known as a queen scallop - is a real delicacy, trumpeted to the skies at this particular food event. There's masses on including fishing tours, seafood BBQs, sailing lessons, live music and lots of activities centred around the beach and a demonstration from Henrietta Green.
www.queeniefestival.com

 

The Hampshire Food Festival
Friday 1 - Sunday 31 July 2011
Over 80 different events held at numerous venues across Hampshire
July is jam-packed with over 80 delicious events held in celebration of the fantastic food and drink grown, reared and produced in Hampshire! Join farm tours, walks, open days, cookery and producer workshops; watch cookery demonstrations by Hampshire and celebrity chefs; visit country shows and indulge in Festival menus.
 www.hampshirefare.co.uk/food-festival



Sheffield Food Festival
4-10 July 2011
Various locations across the city, including Sheffield city centre, S1 2HH.
A celebration of all things food and drink in Sheffield, with cooking demonstrations, tutored tastings, urban farm and picnics, and much more. Most events are free. Some ticketed events, check website for details.
www.sheffieldfoodfestival.co.uk





Jane Grigson Trust and Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery Memorial Lecture
Friday 8 July 2011
St Catherine's College, Oxford
The Jane Grigson Trust and the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2011 announce that Memorial Lecture will be given on Friday, 8 July at St Catherine's College, Oxford. The lecturer is Richard Wrangham,  Professor of anthropology at Harvard University, and author of "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human." This celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Symposium, whose theme this year is "Celebrations", and also the 20th anniversary of the Jane Grigson Trust.  Tickets for the lecture and drinks reception after are £10 or free for those who also book to attend the Symposium's Friday evening dinner (£60 including wine) at St Catherine's, supervised by Shaun Hill of the Walnut Tree Inn.
http://www.oxfordsymposium.org.uk/

 

Get Active Wandsworth Festival
Saturday 9 – Sunday 24 July 9 2011
Tooting Common, London
The Get Active Wandsworth Festival is the perfect opportunity to find out about local sports clubs, organisations and community groups and gives you the chance to participate in a variety of sporting activities. Last year over 1,600 people took part throughout the two weeks, Matthew Wells - a Team GB rower - became the first festival ambassador and Mandeville the London 2012 Paralympic mascot attended the Get Active Day. This year the event will be even bigger and better and will include a small selection of FoodLovers Approved stalls selling great local and regional produce to eat on site.

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/active
 

World Peashooting Championships
Saturday 9 July 2010
The Village Green, Witcham, Cambridgeshire
Try your target skills at the World Peahsooting Championships in Witcham. You can buy your peashooter and peas there (although why not make your own?) and practice before trying to hit the 12" target 12 feet away. There's a BBQ, stalls and traditional family entertainment to keep everyone else occupied while you shoot. Entry on the day: Price £2 (£1 for juniors).
www.witcham.org.uk

Chilli Fest
Saturday 9th - Sunday 10th July 2011
Shoreham by the Sea
Chilli Fest (UK) will be held over 2 days giving people the chance to taste and enjoy all wonders of hot chilli products from all over the world. The event will host a variety of independent chilli traders & growers selling products including chilli plants & seeds, sauces, salsas and jellies, with tastings & eating in abundance. Entry: Free.
www.chillifest.net


Dorset Seafood Fetival
Saturday 9th  & Sunday 10th July
Weymouth Harbouside, Weymouth, Dorset
The Dorset Seafood Festival 2011 is one of the largest in the UK .  Combining celebrity demonstrations with 100 stalls selling a wide range of seafood dishes, the event attracted 50,000 visitors in 2010. This year’s line up includes: Mat Follas, John Wright, Lesley Waters and Ed Baines, Shaun Rankin and Giles Thompson.
www.dorsetseafood.co.uk



Brogdale Farms Cherry Festival
9-10 July 2011
Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent
Brogdale Farms Cherry Festival is great fun for all the family. The National Fruit Collection holds over 320 different varieties of Cherry. The Cherries with their difference in colour, shape and texture will leave crowds enchanted. You can also enjoy a live band, a summer bar, cooking demonstrations, horticultural talks, static falconry Display, Gun Dog display, children’s activities, miniature railway, BBQ, orchard tractor trailer tours & walks, horse drawn tours, archery, a craft market and more. Entry: £8.00 Adult £4.00 Child £20.00 Family
www.brogdalecollections.co.uk/fruit-festivals

 
6th Leigh Food Festival & Classic Car Display
Saturday 16th July 2011
Leigh Village Hall, Chetnone Road, Leigh, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 6HR
Tasting and buying of the best food from local producers, including Alweston Jam and Chutney Empire, Bridfish, Brokewood Farm, Dorset Blue Cheese and Soup Company, Easy Beans, Filbert Bees, Fudges, Leakers Bakery, Longmeadow Organic Vegetables, Olivesetal, Reads Coffee Roasters, Sauces of Choice, Scrumptious Secrets, Sherborne Castle Estate Wines, and Somerset Cider Brandy Co. Barbecued Hamburgers & Sausages, Refreshments, Ice cream, Beer and Cider will be here! Entertainment includes children’s activities, cookery demonstrations and Musical Entertainment. Entry: Adults £2, Children under 15 free.


Glynde Food & English Wine Festival
Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th July 2011

The Glynde Food & English Wine Festival is a celebration of the best food and English wine producers from Sussex and surrounding counties. The festival is set in the beautiful grounds of Glynde Place, a 16th century country house in the heart of the South Downs.
Entry Fee: Adults £8.50 or £7 online; OAPs - £7.50 or £6 online; Students - £6 or £5 online; Children under 12 are free
www.glyndefoodfestival.co.uk


 

Pylewell Park Food & Drink Festival
Saturday 23 - Sunday 24 July 2011
Pylewell Park, Lymington, Hampshire
The Food & Drink Festival will take place within the stunning grounds of Pylewell Park in the New Forest. There will be a FoodLovers Approved area, an International Food-to-go arena, cookery demonstrations and theatre from celebrity chefs, horticultural and garden displays and a varied production of performing arts, both contemporary and classical.
www.newforestfoodfairs.co.uk



National Cherry Day
Saturday 16th July 2011
Celebrate National Cherry Day on 16th July in association with CherryAid - FoodLoversBritain.com's campaign to save the British Cherry. There will be lots of activities and events going on around the country.
Let us know if you have a Cherry-themed event or idea by contacting office@foodloversbritain.com or 020 8969 0083. Click here for more information...



Oundle Food Festival
Saturday 16th July 2011
National Cherry Day: 40 stallholders in the Market Place from 08.30am, amid musicians and dancers to create a fun, lively atmosphere. Fabulous  cookery demonstrations with an emphasis throughout the Festival on showing that high quality produce can not only lower the environmental impact but also lower your food bills.
www.oundlefoodfestival.co.uk


 

Gloucester Quays Food Festival 2011
22nd, 23rd and 24th July 2011
Gloucester Quays, Saint Ann Way, Gloucester  GL1 5SH
Gloucester Quays hosts a unique Food Festival this summer
with celebrity chefs Gino D’Acampo and James Martin showing off
their culinary skills live in the Cookery Theatre Saturday (Gino)
and Sunday (James).  The 3-day Festival centres around a Great Taste
Market with speciality food producers and fresh local produce. There’s
an arts and crafts fair, a masterclass cookery workshop, plus
live music and entertainment throughout the weekend. Entry: The festival is FREE. A £5 (plus 95p booking fee) is applicable for the Live Cookery Theatre on Saturday for Gino D’Acampo and Sunday for James Martin.
www.gloucesterquaysfoodfestival.co.uk


 


Heston Blumenthal and British Airways Food Protege Competition
Deadline - 27 July 2011
Michelin-star restaurant owner and chef Heston Blumenthal is searching for an up and coming chef to mentor on an exclusive project with British Airways. With support from Heston, the successful candidate will produce a bold British menu to serve millions of customers on board British Airways’ flights in the run up to and over the Olympic Games. Prospective candidates can apply until 27 July 2011 through the BA Great Britons Programme. Clcik on the link below for further details and an application form
www.ba.com/greatbritons
 

 

International Cheese Awards
Wednesday 27th July 2011 (Public show day)
Dorfold Park, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 8LD
At this year’s International Cheese Awards you can taste the very finest cheeses from all over the world, and then watch our special guests celebrity chefs James Martin (Saturday Kitchen) and Gino D’Acampo (This Morning) prepare their favourite cheese dishes on our live stage.  A great family day out, as part of the Nantwich & South Cheshire Show you will also see superb cattle, sheep and poultry being judged, great horses being tested, beautiful displays of flowers, fruit and vegetables, as well as the latest in modern machinery. Entry: Advanced tickets- Adults £13,£9 OAPs, Junior £4 (under 5s are free), Family Ticket: 2 Adults & 3 Children £35. On the day- Adults £18, £13 OAPs, Junior £7 (under 5s are free).

www.internationalcheeseawards.co.uk


The Big Cheese
Friday 29th - Sunday 31st July 2011
Owain Glyndwr Playing Fields, Crescent Road, Caerphilly, CF83
The town of Caerphilly comes to life as people of all ages come to The Big Cheese - an extravaganza of street entertainers, living history encampments, music, dance, traditional funfair, folk dancing, falconry, fire eating, minstrels, troubadours and much more. Admission is FREE - to find out more visit:
www.caerphilly.gov.uk/bigcheese

 

Fast Food Baby: Feeding the next generation

How has something as essential and natural as feeding our children become so difficult and fraught with problems? It’s not surprising that parents are faced with such a tough job, what with so many confusing and conflicting messages about what and how to feed our children, not to mention being faced with endless varieties of plastic packaged foods that lure us with five-a-day or 100% fruit slogans. My thoughts and feelings on this subject were reinforced by watching BBC Three programme Fast Food Baby. 

Saying that “if they don’t eat what’s on offer, they don’t get anything else, and they’re not going to starve” isn't an easy philosophy to adhere to, especially when there are so many emotional and psychological triggers involved with feeding a small child, particularly one who’s been very ill early on in life.

Even without a catalyst like an illness, feeding can still be so riddled with anxiety and guilt. At Some classes often  parents readily admit to caving into their toddlers demands or control over food simply because they want them to eat something, or not wake in the night hungry or be grumpy later on. I also understand and sympathise with this dilemma struggling over mealtimes. Incidentally there’s some great advice and support at The Infant and Toddler forum.

There is a wide range of issues that can’t simply be resolved with a quick-fix rule. A child surviving on bread and yoghurt due to severe reflux can suffer real anxiety when faced with new or different foods. This needs a more sensitive approach, but there can be a resolution. Messy play and food exploration can help, according to Dr Catherine Dendy, a clinical psychologist and feeding expert who worked on Fast Food Baby. During the programme a little boy, called Michael, was followed who had suffered with meningitis. With him something interesting happened.

During the classes it was discovered that Michael enjoyed raw beetroot! The family also learnt the importance of involving their son in food and mealtime preparation and making it fun, so that Michael became more familiar with the new foods that were later presented on his plate and accepted them more readily. From an 18-month-old who drank a lot of milk and enjoyed fish, chips and sips of coke, Michael’s food repertoire quickly expanded to include vegetable soups, dried fruit, parsnip, cucumber and bananas, and broccoli became a firm favourite!

So how do we address the balance and make sure we are all providing the next generation with the foundations for a healthy balanced life? Try some of these tips and let me know how you get on or what works for you and your children in the comments section below.

Top tips for parents from Dr Catherine Dendy and Lucy Thomas of Mange Tout

• Don’t force a child to eat a meal that they don’t like. This will make them like it even less! Instead, take the time to talk about and explore the components of the meal away from the table.
• Prepare a child for what’s to come on their plate. Children are suspicious if they don’t know what they’re eating; even if they are told how good it is for them.
• Never ask a child to eat, try or taste anything. Get them to explore the food by asking them to kiss, lick or crunch it instead. You are not tricking your child, merely asking them to engage with food in a more interesting way. If you ask your children who can do the loudest crunch in their celery they are more likely to bite it than if you say “here try some celery it’s really good for you!”
• Involve a child in the whole process. Take them shopping and touch the produce and explain where it comes from.
• Let them help you cook and be really involved.
• Get a little messy. Let them squash a tomato or squeeze an orange while you are cooking.
• A good way to explore vegetables that are disliked is to explore them raw and cooked. Many children do not enjoy the pungent smell of cauliflower, especially if overcooked, but small crunchy raw florets with hummus or a dip are delicious and very palatable.
• If you’re weaning your baby, a baby’s taste buds develop and change at an alarming rate and are most receptive between the ages of seven and twelve months. Keeping a baby’s food bland for too long can result in shocked reactions to stronger flavours.
• For children over three years introduce reward charts for enjoying five-a-day. Younger children will enjoy an immediate reward of a sticker on their top for participating. You can download a free chart from the Taste for Life website.
• Children and babies are great imitators, so set a good example! Remember that enthusiasm is key. If you would like to see how it’s done, watch this clip.

Sloppy Dinners? Tell me what you think about school dinners ....

 

So I was looking through some helpful website to do with childrens school lunches and I came across information from the directgov.com. Have a read and see how much you agree with and how much our schools are failing our childrens basic need to eat nutritious meals.

Your child could qualify for free lunches or milk, or be given free fruit and vegetables at school. Local authorities must provide free lunches for eligible pupils, paid-for meals where requested and good facilities and supervision so pupils can eat safely.

School lunches

All food provided by local authorities must meet national nutritional standards. These ensure that children are provided with a healthy, balanced diet. The new standards, introduced in September 2006, require the following:

• high-quality meat, poultry or oily fish regularly available
• at least two portions of fruit and vegetables with every meal
• bread, other cereals and potatoes regularly available

Additionally, there are controls on the following foods:

• deep-fried food limited to no more than two portions per week
• fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate and other confectioneries removed from school meals and vending machines.

Further standards for food other than lunch were introduced in September 2007.

If the school's budget includes an amount for lunches and refreshments it is the governors' responsibility to provide free and paid-for meals facilities and to meet the nutritional standards.

• Find further information about nutritional standards in schools Opens new window

Free school lunches

Parents do not have to pay for school lunches if they receive any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
• Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Children who receive any of the qualifying benefits listed above in their own right are also eligible to receive free school meals. All pupils who do not qualify for free school lunches must be charged the same amount for the same quantity of the same item.

• Income Support (money, tax and benefits section)

• Jobseeker's Allowance (money, tax and benefits section)

• Tax credits (money, tax and benefits section)

Apply for free school lunches

The local authority that maintains the school that your child attends is responsible for providing free school lunches. You can apply for free school lunches by following the link below and entering the details of where your child goes to school. You will be taken to the local authority website where you can find out more and/or apply online.

• Apply for free school lunches Opens new window

Packed lunches

To help you pack a healthy balanced lunch for your child, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the School Food Trust (SFT) have produced a list of tips and suggestions.

• Contact the Food Standards Agency

• Find tips for a healthier lunchbox from the FSA Opens new window

• Find tips for a healthier lunchbox from the SFT Opens new window

Milk

Local authorities are not obliged to provide milk to pupils, but if they choose to do so, it must be free to those pupils who qualify for free lunches. Where schools choose to provide milk for pupils, the duty to provide free milk to eligible pupils is transferred to the governing bodies of former grant-maintained schools and grant-maintained special schools.
European Community subsidy rules allow local authorities and schools to offer nursery and primary school pupils a maximum of 250 ml of subsidised milk a day. Under the Welfare Food Scheme, run by the Department of Health, under fives are eligible for free school milk. Claims should be made through your local authority.

Free fruit and vegetables in school

The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is a national government programme which gives all children aged four to six in infant, primary and special local authority maintained schools a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day.
If your child's school has chosen to take part in the scheme, your child will be given a free piece of fruit or vegetable at school each day.

I WOULD BE REALLY INTRIGED TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THESE GUIDELINES, DO YOU THINK THAT ALL CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SCHOOL LUNCHES REALLY ARE BECOMING MORE HEALTHY WITH A LIMIT ON THE UNHEALTHY FOODS? DO YOU INSIST THAT YOUR CHILD HAS PACKED LUNCHES SO YOU CAN MONITOR WHAT THEY EAT? WHAT ABOUT MILK, SHOULD ALL SCHOOLS PROVIDE MILK?

I have my views but would love to hear from you first so please get in touch!!

Life is like a baked alaska

The baked alaska has always puzzled me. I have always wondered how it is possible for the arctic to meet the equatorial in complete harmony without utter disaster. I sometimes wonder if us parents are living much like a baked alaska, in a hot pressure cooker environment, expectant by others to succeed in everything, anticipated to be all things to all people, mother, father, cook, councellor, referee, pot washer, nurse, plumber, handyman, taxi, maid, waiter, receptionist, personal shopper, bread winner, dog walker ..... the list continues. We have no time off, we work 24/7, we do night shifts and dont get paid for it!! So this can leave us feeling the arctic coldness inside, that feeling of lost identity, no time for ourselves and our hobbies, we burn ourselves out and as such the baked alaska fails and the middle begins to melt.

So I wondered how do we make the baked alaska feeling, a harmonious affair? How do we actually pull it off being all things to all people? Well my answer is simple, dont cook it too long, make sure you are covered in all areas, give yourself adequate time and allow yourself time to cool down! Is this possible? Well from my experience im not entirely convinced, maybe im just old fashioned for my young(ish) years and believe that children should come first and that once the responsibility has been placed upon you as a parent, your life must take a back seat .... I can hear the gasp of disapproval, but hear me out. I was bought up in a very traditional family, I was one of the lucky ones, I had a mum and dad who were together as man and wife throughout, and still to this day, of my very exsistance. Our family worked because my mum stayed at home and did the children thing and my dad went off to work (and boy does he work)!! Because of what I have experienced as a child has taught me that the old fashioned way of bringing up a family is actually the most effective as there is always a family member with the child and not a child minder or nursery while the mother and father both work. As a child, my mum worked every profession, there wasnt and still isnt anything she couldnt do, she would turn her hand at anything, have the patience of a saint and a heart big enough to love a small continient. She would drag herself out of her sick bed to make sure we were happy, always putting us first and herself bottom of the pile. I will add at this point that I have 2 younger sisters and a younger brother all of us within 18 months of the other, my mum is the absolute definition of the worlds best mum!! So we ran about, screamed, shouted, laughed and fought and as we got older we bitched, hair pulled and stole each others clothes and yet our mother never changed, she would toil and endeavour from day to day effortlessly, serving to our every needs and looking after my dad's needs in the evenings too. From ironing at twelve at night to welcoming all the village kids into our home, she never stopped, and we never stopped to realise that our mum, the lady who never moaned, always had time for everyone and would give her last breath for her children was indeed actually a person. A person with desires, feelings and pride. A person prepared to sacrifice everything that she would ever want or like to do for the love of her children. So although I believe that a family does work with the more traditional arrangement, is this really a good basis for the perfect baked alaska? Answer. Probably not.

I have a friend who would do nothing else but work, not directly for her children, but indirectly. She is less maternal than my own mother, but a good mother all the same. She is a firm believer that if we give our children everything and allow them every opportunity then they will succeed. So she works all hours, while her 2 small children are in nursery and when she gets home, she puts them to bed and begins the housework. Her children are happy, or so she thinks, but still feels guilt ridden with the lack of balance. She loves her job and the money it brings, but she loves her children too. How do you make a compromise to do the right thing for everybody? Our society is so quick to judge our situation, you can almost hear the whispers of dissaproval from bystanders, all in their very own situation but so evidently unaware they are spitting cruel venom.

Then there is Elaine, she is from an under priviledged family setting, living in council accomodation with her partner since her school days. She has three children, 2, 5 and 7. As you see her walking down the street pushing a buggy with her children following behind, dressed in less than fashionable clothes, with her hair scraped back in a ponytail (the croydan facelift I believe they call it), and numerous rings and tattoos covering her skin, you would most probably begin to create a picture of this lady that couldnt be more further from the truth. Elaine is a part time mother, her older two children attend school and the younger one a pre-school, during these times she works as a check out girl in a supermarket and a cleaner for a local school, once the children are at home, so is she, being a mum, taking them out, laughing, meeting with other mums and children and when her children are in bed after the family meal, she does some housework, but spreads it across her week. She wants and needs for nothing, she has happiness, some of her own free time and independance, time spent with her children and partner and a rare understanding with her children of respect and mutual acceptance. Is this the baked alaska of parenthood and life? Has Elaine got her life balanced without really trying too hard? Does she even realise that she is making her very own perfect baked alaska?

I am still baffled by the number of people, women usually, who pass judgement on other families and the way they run, but these people are more than likely suffering from an unbalanced life themselves, making them negatively respond to others in a desperate bid to soothe their own inperfections. We all have different priorities with different reasons for this, im certain that all parents have the children at the heart of the family, however they run the day to day business. Even if the arctic centre starts to melt, the children are held tight in the core centre, protected and safe and with decisions based on the good for them.

A perfect baked alaska will never work when made with all consuming selfishness, there has to be give and take (and that includes with your partner!!) But alongside that there must also be work, play and time for yourself. Dont be too hard on yourself, life takes twists and turns that we are blindly expected to travel and guide our family through and sometimes we slip off the path, sometimes families separate, are forced into strict budget or fall short of the extended families expectancy of us, but just remember that its only you and your family which will know what to do for the best and how to survive the rough and the smooth.

Home made kiddy activities

There is loads you can do to entertain your children, and now its summer and the weather is picking up, you can get outside and do all sorts of fun and stimulating games. It not only gets your child active but also gets the whole family and friends involved.


So when bordem strikes, be prepared and get creative!!


These are some of my tried and tested games and activities that I have played with my children.


1. Making vegetable people - get a selection of fruit and veg and some cocktail sticks and help your kids to make funny creatures, aliens, robots or fairies

2. Make a robot. Keep a stash in the shed of all useable washed out yoghurt pots, washed out plastic milk bottles, coloured tin foil wrappers, food boxes and anything else your child could use to create a wonderful creation. Let them go wild with their imagination and stick/cellotape together all their bits and bobs to make anything they desire!

Tommy, his homemade robot called .... Robot!

3. Create a face mask. Again using old useable and breathable packaging stick and glue and get artistic

4. Home-made sailing boats. Create a boat fir for the river and let your children race them down the river or in a pond (PLEASE MAKE SURE CHILDREN ARE ASSISTED BY A CAPABLE ADULT NEAR WATER!) Tommy, George and I made a wonderful (or so they thought) boat made from plastic take-away boxes and some imagination. The boys both chose a  minature toy man to set sail in their boat, and the excitment they showed in anticipating wether their boat would sail was fantastic!!

Yes really the duck was interested!!

5.  Water balloon catch. (Or if you dont have a balloon to hand use a plastic food bag tied tight). So this game didnt last long before one of my children was howling due to getting soaked, but give it a go anyway, im pretty sure kids love this game in the hot weather!

Simply fill a balloon (or food bag) with water and then use it as a ball and play catch around a circle. You can have as many or as little people playing as you like and you can add in more balloons for extra added suprise!

6. Bucket balancing act. All children can have a go at this no matter their age, just make sure you adjust the bucket size according to the child. At the start line, place a half filled bucket of water on the childs head, when you say go, the children have to see how far they can get before the bucket falls off their head and the water soaks them! The furthest to the finish line is the winner.

7. Waterfalls. Poke holes in empty useable containers all of different sizes and with different hole sizes if possible, let the children choose one each and then guess which will empty first when filled with water.

8. Toddler water splash. Lay a bin liner or useable plastic sheet on the lawn and throw on it a couple of cup fulls of water. Your toddler will have endless fun slipping, splashing and sliding about.

9. Fill the bucket race. You can have 2 players or more for this game. Place empty buckets at one end of the lawn (one per child) and then one big bucket of water at the other end of the lawn. Each child is given a plastic cup and when you say go the children have to run, fill up their cup with water, then run back to their empty bucket and start filling it up. It is the child who fills the bucket first who will win.

There is so much to do that isnt going to cost a fortune so get out there and have a go!!