Learning made fun

Donate Your Baby Blanket - In Conjunction With Dettol

I was asked by Dettol to help with their campaign to donate baby blankets to help less fortunate babies. 

The Dettol Baby Blanket campaign video explains it all .

Rachel Stevens is supporting the campaign and is calling out to mums, dads and parents to donate a blanket to the Dettol Baby Blanket Donation charity campaign to help babies in need. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of bacteria on baby blankets whilst highlighting the shortage of baby blankets available to infants born to families in need.

Once collected the baby blankets will be hygienically washed with Dettol Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser, an additive that kills 99.9% of bacteria even in temperatures as low as 15°C, before being re-distributed to families.

Dettol has also pledged to donate £1 for every blanket donated to Sparks – a children’s medical research charity.

Rachel said “I’ve got all my mummy friends donating their blankets and I’m trying to get as many people involved as possible. It’s a brilliant campaign in itself but now I’m a mum I am even more aware of how much washing there is to do. With Dettol Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser I get to do loads of quick washes at low temperatures and I know that things will be hygienically clean and germ free.”

Please send your baby blanket to:

FREEPOST RTKJ-YSGS-SSHR
The Hay Loft
Balcombe Place Stables
Balcombe
RH17 6AZ

Please tweet to @DettolBlanket on Twitter with the #sharethememories hash tag.

Dettol sent me 2 products to review, a Dettol Hand Wash and some Dettol Cleansing Surface Wipes. Both products were easy to use. Obviously it is impossible for me to tell if they really do kill 99.9% of bacteria on hands and surfaces, as I have no way of testing this but as they claim they do it must have been tested.

 

Schwartz Flavour Shots - A Review

I was lucky enough to be sent some Flavour Pots and Perfect Shakes from Schwartz to review.

Schwartz had extended its innovative Flavour Shots range with three new varieties and were looking for bloggers to review them. I had previously reviewed Schwartz 2in1 range however I did prefer these Flavour Pots.

The three new Flavour Pots I was sent to try were: Spanish Paella, Italian Creamy Herb Tagliatelle and Indian Spicy Jalfrezi Curry. The Flavour Pots are delicious pots packed full of herbs, spices and seasonings infused in oil to create the perfect base.

The recipes were really easy to follow and in 3 easy steps we had a delicious meal. I'm not a great cook and am always on the look out for quick healthy meals. These were also a success with my family who found them better than the meals we usually have! I have bought some of the other flavours in the range and will make sure that there are some in stock in our cupboards for whenever a quick easy meal is called for. I prefer them to the usual cook in sauces as they seem more natural and healthier.

All of the recipes contain no hydrogenated fat, artificial colours, added preservatives or MSG. Packaged in unique 52g, single use pots, that deliver a recipe for four, the range is priced at £1.39 and available at all major retailers nationwide.

The existing Flavour Shots range also includes:
• Thai Red Curry
• Indian Mild Masala Curry
• Mexican Fajitas
• Chinese Sweet & Sour
• Spanish Smoked Paprika Chicken

Flavour Shots is the latest in an extensive line of innovative product launches from Schwartz which has included Recipe Inspirations and Grill Mates.

I was also sent three new Perfect Shake herb & spice blends to try from Schwartz. They were:

Perfect Shake Pasta – a blend of tomato, oregano and basil. Ideal in tomato based pasta sauces and Bolognese for adding Italian flair.

Perfect Shake Spanish – a seasoning blend of smoked paprika and red and green bell peppers.

Perfect Shake Chips – a sweet and spicy blend of paprika, onion and garlic.

The herb and spice blends in the Schwartz Perfect Shake range can be used in sauces, marinades or sprinkled on to chicken, meat, fish or vegetables to easily add flavour. There are 27 varieties in the Perfect Shake Range.  Although this is great for choice I do get a bit confused when there is so much choice and tend to stick what I always use. Whilst I did use the Perfect Shakes I wasn’t overly struck with them and unlike the Flavour Shots I would not buy them.

The Schwartz Perfect Shake range is available in all major supermarkets . RRP £1.63 - £1.82.

For more information about the range and further mealtime inspiration, visit www.schwartz.co.uk or join the conversation at https://www.facebook.com/SchwartzCookingClub and Twitter at @SchwartzCooking

Sketch Restaurant Marketing Misled Me

I used to love going to Sketch restaurant in London. My son had his 21st birthday celebration there, we had been to a private party and for supper too. However, in September the restaurant was shown to be misleading and not interested at all in customer care - not what you would expect from a supposed top restaurant.

I am on Sketch's mailing list and in September got sent an offer for London Fashion Week. Sketch had partnered with Josh Wood, a hair stylist, to offer guests a dry-style blow dry and a file and polish together with a Sketch breakfast for £25. I thought this would be a great mother/daughter bonding session to have before Emily, my daughter, went back to University.

In hindsight I should have been wary right from the beginning, as when I phoned to book the receptionist knew nothing about it, despite the offer starting in 3 days time! My details were taken and I was to receive a confirmation email which 2 days later I had to chase up.

On the email poster, breakfast was descibed as 'Tea/coffee, juices, viennoiseries, fresh fruit salad and muesli." There was a picture of a lady having her hair blowdried and nails varnished with a tray beside her showing breakfast as described.

Emily and I turned up excited for our fun morning. We had our hair blow dried and nails done, which although was fun was a bit of a disaster. I made it clear that my hair is curly so shouldn't be blow dried straight but it was! After leaving and being in the rain for 1 minute it looked really naff! The varnish on our nails had chipped by the end of the day too but we enjoyed the experience.

My biggest problem was with the breakfast. We were allowed tea, coffee or juice (not tea or coffee and juice as described) and mini viennoiseries, fresh fruit salad or muesli ( not all 3 as described and shown in the photo.) My tea and mini viennoiseries were lovely as was Emily's juice and fruit salad but we felt misled.

Over the course of the next week I sent 2 emails to Sketch but both were ignored. I then posted on Twitter and received a response asking me to privately message my complaint. I was then told Management were looking into it and would respond - despite chasing it up a few times, it's now 3 months later and I'm still waiting for a reply!

I have come to the following conclusion. Sketch deliberately misled me with their marketing material and really couldn't care less about customer disatisfaction. All I was after was a response - a sorry would have been welcome but being ignored wasn't!

I wanted to warn others to beware of any Sketch offers. Check everything even though it appears clear. The experience has certainly put me off visiting Sketch again. Emily had thought about doing her 21st there but we have now thought again. Any restaurant that is not interested in its customers views isn't worth visiting to my mind.

 

Castello Cheese and Wine Pairing For Christmas

In July I went to a event which paired Castello Cheese with wine. It highlighted how cheese wasn't just for the cheese board and could be used in various canapes. Chef Ronnie Murray, Group Head Pastry chef at Hix restaurants, was there as he had created some great canapes from the Castello cheese range. Matt Day, a top London Sommelier, was there too to suggest wine pairings that complemented the cheese.

The Castello cheeses there were: Pineapple Halo, Jersey White, Creamy White, Creamy Blue, Danish Blue and Danish Blue Extra Creamy. More about the range of cheeses can be found on the Castello website.

The dishes on offer for us to try were:

• Giant Olives stuffed with whipped Castello Jersey White and smoked Marcona almonds.
• Smoked salmon on soda bread with Castello Jersey White.
• Castello Pineapple Halo and pineapple on sticks.
• Variety of Castello cheese straws.
• Baked leek tart with Castello Jersey Blue.
• Lyme Bay on Scallops with Castello Danish Blue Potatoes and bacon.
• Ground rib steak burger with Castello Danish Blue.
• Wild strawberry and Castello Pineapple Halo cheesecake.
• Mulled wine tart tatin with Castello Creamy Blue.
• Mince pies with Castello Danish Blue ice cream.

 All of the above dishes were paired to certain wines. Some of the pairings can be seen here.

The recipes seem really easy to make. The Mince pies with Castello Danish Blue ice cream takes 30 minutes to prepare, 12 minutes cooking time and makes 12.

Ingredients:
For the pastry: 225g cold butter, diced
350g plain flour
100g golden caster sugar
1 small egg
Icing sugar, to dust
Jar of traditional mincemeat
Pinch of salt

For the ice cream: 200g Castello Danish Blue
Good quality vanilla ice cream

How to Make:
1. To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball and knead it briefly
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line your patty tin by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole and then spoon the mincemeat into the pies
3. Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal. Bake for 12 minutes, until golden
4. For the cheats blue cheese ice cream, put the Castello Danish Blue into the freezer for 3 hours until frozen. Put your shop bought ice cream into a mixing bowl and let it melt for 5 minutes. When soft and malleable, grate on the finest side of a cheese grater the blue cheese and start working it into the ice cream with a baking spatula until the cheese is running evenly through the vanilla ice cream
5. Transfer into a freezer friendly dish or Tupperware box and refreeze over night
6. Spoon on top of the mince pies just before serving Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

If you want to know how to make any of the others let me know and I'll post the recipies. My favourite cheese was the Pineapple Halo. I'm not a great blue cheese fan but I still had fun trying all the canapes and pairing them with the correct wines.

Harry Potter - A Module at Durham University. Really!

Guest post by Emily Sherr, my 20 year old daughter, who is at Durham University studying Education with History,

I have just finished my second year at Durham University studying Education with History. This year, as part of my course, I was able to undertake a module entitled ‘Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion’. This module was created 3 years ago by Dr Martin Richardson and has received great media attention.

Durham is possibly the perfect place for a module such as this to be held as it is often described as Hogwarts with its beautiful architecture and ancient traditions such as formal dinners and gowns. The module is undoubtedly enjoyable and was so from the start when we were ‘sorted’ into houses in the Great Hall in the Castle.

The content of the module is ultimately about Harry Potter; the themes that emerge in the series such a love, death, prejudice and guilt, as well as asking questions such as is Harry Potter real and is he a good citizen. The series also provides an opportunity for us, and our society, to learn from the wizarding world. This is true of the education system and the module provides the opportunity to examine our own schooling through Hogwarts by looking at everyday school issue such as bullying, prejudice and friendship. This is especially beneficial for children who are able to relate to Harry and deal with their own hardships through the books.

The best thing about the module for me is the freedom it provides and the scope for pursuing your own interests within the module. If you were interested in philosophy, you could take a philosophical approach, and the same is true for religion, education (I compared Albus Dumbledore with Thomas Arnold, the famous headmaster of Rugby School in the early nineteenth century) and any other field.

I have learnt a lot more from the module than I ever expected, and despite what many think, it is not a module that teaches you about Harry Potter as if it were an English module. It allows us to think about our own society and see the series as more than mere light reading or entertainment. There is so much to learn from the books, films and the general hype surrounding Harry Potter. It truly is remarkable how great an effect one writer and one series has had on the world at large.

Durham is the first and only British University to offer a module on Harry Potter but used, taught, and understood in the correct way it can be highly beneficial, interesting and fulfilling. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying the module this year and would highly recommend it to others.

Schwartz2in1 “What's for Dinner Tonight” Challenge

This post is an entry for BritMums ‘What’s for Dinner Tonight?’ sponsored by Schwartz.

I was lucky enough to receive 2 samples from the Schwartz 2in1 range. These were:

• Mediterranean Chicken Pasta and Cheesy Crumb Topping: A blend of herbs and spices for chicken pasta with a cheesy topping

• Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken + Crispy Roast Potatoes: Roast chicken seasoning, with garlic and thyme, accompanied by a special seasoning to create perfect Crispy Roast Potatoes

You can find out more about the new 2in1 mixes here.

First I used the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta and Cheesy Crumb Topping. Instead of using this with chicken and peppers, I used tinned tuna and tinned sweetcorn as suggested as an alternative on the packet. This was a very quick and easy to follow recipe. The ingredients I used were:

1 sachet Schwartz 2in1 Mediterranean Chicken Pasta + Cheesy Crumb Topping, 
180g tin tuna, drained
200g tin sweetcorn, drained
150ml water
400g tin chopped tomatoes
200g pasta, cooked and drained
75g Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions …
1. Pre-heat grill to a medium-high heat.
2. Mix Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Recipe Mix with water and add to the pan with the tuna, sweetcorn and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the pasta and heat through for 1-2 mins.
3. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle with the Garlic & Herb Crumb Topping, then the cheese.
4. Place under the grill for 4-5 mins until golden.

This was an easy meal to make, which my whole family enjoyed. It would have gone well with a salad. The tuna pasta was creamy and contrasted well with the crumb to top. Tuna pasta is a favourite meal in my house and this was quicker to prepare than my usual recipe, where I layer pasta, tuna and cheese.  

 

 

 

A few days later I tried the Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken with the following ingredients:

Schwartz 2 in 1 Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken Seasoning
1 x 1.6kg (3.5lb) whole chicken - I used chicken pieces instead
2 tbs oil 

For the Crispy Roast Potatoes I used:
Schwartz 2in1 Crispy Roast Potato Seasoning
3 tbs oil 1kg (2.2lb) roasting potatoes, peeled

Directions …
1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C, 375°F, Gas Mark 5.
2. Place the chicken on a roasting tray and score the breasts and legs.
3. Mix the oil and Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken Seasoning together and brush over the chicken. Cover with foil and place into the oven.
4. After 35 mins add the oil for the potatoes to a separate roasting tray, place in the oven to pre-heat for around 10 mins. Meanwhile, cut potatoes into 5cm (2”) chunks, and par-boil for 8 mins. Drain, return to pan and sprinkle with the Crispy Roast Potato Seasoning.
5. Carefully remove pre-heated roasting tray from the oven. Place potatoes onto it, gently shake to coat in the oil and return to the oven. Remove the foil from the chicken and cook both for a further 45 mins, until potatoes are crispy, chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.

This was also a quick and easy to make recipe. It was tasty although personally I prefer fresh herbs to dried herbs on chicken. The roast potatoes seasoning did not really work - perhaps I did something wrong but the coating ended up mainly on the baking tray rather than the potatoes! Frozen roast potatoes were considered a better choice by my family.

Other products in the Schwartz 2in1 range are:

• Chicken Tikka + Mint & Cucumber Raita
• Garlic & Herb Crunchy Chicken Bites + Cheese & Chive Dip
• Southern-Style Crunchy Chicken Bites + BBQ Dip

I always use Schwartz herbs and the 2in1 range did provide a welcome change for mealtimes.

Tea India - A Review Updated

Last year I was delighted to receive some teabags to sample and review from a new range of tea from Tea India. Tea India had launched some Indian tea blends, which were available in the UK. Last week I was lucky enough to receive some more teabags to sample with some biscuits to accompany them.

Tea India is a premium tea range, offering three authentic Chais and a black tea blend which have been created using the finest ingredients and more than 70 years tea blending experience.

Tea India’s three Chai blends combine unique flavours, local tastes and family history to remain true to the integral Indian tradition of Chai. Packed with flavour, the range comprises Vanilla Chai, Masala Chai and Cardamom Chai, featuring an exotic, aromatic flavour for all occasions.

Toy Fair 2013 - A 'Toy' That Bothers Me!

Yesterday I went to the 60th Toy Fair at Olympia. I've been every year for the last 20 years to meet my suppliers and see what is new in the puppets and instrument market for Musical Minis. Whilst it is always lovely to see the companies we buy from and have a little chat, for the last few years there has been little to be excited over. Unfortunately, this year was the same!

Looking at the toys as a whole, there was nothing that inspired me or I felt may become a new craze. I walked around the 'New Toy' section and just saw games my children played with that had been revamped and redesigned.

There was one 'toy' there that was there last year too and as far as I'm aware I don't think it has taken off. It bothered me last year and again this year so I thought I'd see what you think. It is called Magic Choc and comprises of milk, white and dark Belgian chocolate. The idea is to mold the chocolate into various shapes which you then can eat. The chocolate doesn't need heating and can be squished into the shape of animals, birds, monsters or whatever you fancy making. What do you think?

Tea India - A Review

I was delighted to receive some teabags to sample and review from a new range of tea from Tea India. Tea India has launched some Indian tea blends, which are now available in the UK.

Tea India have been inspired by the fusion of tradition with the vibrancy of modern India. The range includes a premium Black Tea and three authentic chai flavours, Masala, Vanilla and Cardamom Chai. These bold flavours have been inspired to create the vibrancy of the bazaars where enterprising chai wallahs would serve them in steaming glasses to busy shoppers.

I was sent a pack of Cardamom Chai teabags, which has been awarded a 1 Star Gold rating in the Great Taste Awards. In addition I received  a pack of Tea India's Black Tea teabags, which has won a 2 Star Gold rating in the Great Taste Awards. The Great Taste Awards, which I must admit I had never heard of, is organised by the Guild of Fine Food, and is the acknowledged benchmark for speciality food and drink.

Magic Magnetic Balls Cube Puzzle - A Review

I was lucky enough to be selected to write a review on the Magic Magnetic Balls Cube Puzzle from Paramount Zone.

The Puzzle arrived but unfortunately the metal tin it is packaged in was dented. I think it would have helped to wrap the tin in bubblewrap. The cube is made up of 216 silver magnetic balls. The first thing I did was open up the tin and separate the cube into one long line of the 216 balls. The line was 105 cm long. I'm still unsure as to why I actually did this as ever since I've been trying to put it back into a cube!

It is great to pull the balls apart and can relieve stress - although trying to put them back into a cube is in itself stressful! It is an interesting concept as each tiny silver ball has its own North and South magnetic poles and each ball seems to attract and repel each other.

You don't have to create a cube there are many other shapes that can be made. Unfortunately, so far, I haven't had much luck making any although my family have made a few interesting shapes. It is a shame the Puzzle doesn't come with instructions or a guide as to what shapes can be made. However, there are instructions and videos on the internet.

The siver balls are very little so this definately is not suitable for young children - the suggested age is 14+. This is an ideal stocking filler for teenagers and adults. It costs £9.99 and can be bought on the internet from Paramount Zone.