All about me

I’m a mum of two, I work from home and in my spare time I’m an enthusiastic foodie.  We live in the Home Counties and I’m very happily married to a handsome pilot.  We have two teenagers:

#1: our oldest son,  Sam (AKA The Mad Scientist) is 16, sings like an angel, strums a mean guitar, reads books faster than that bloke off Criminal Minds, has a wit sharper than a razor, is the only tidy person in the whole house and always smells nice too – all fan mail gratefully received.

#2 son, Charlie: our very own Death Wish Child is a skater boy extraordinaire.  He also has the voice of an angel, along with a nose for trouble and an eye for the ladies, an aversion to fruit and veg and an amazing ability to ingest his own body weight in chocolate at one sitting.

.

Follow @EnglishMum

And me? I am an excessive twitterer (tweeter?), a bit blonde, a bit of a nerd, a bit sweary, an occasional hysteric and the most unsporty person on the planet (I was the one round the back of the bike sheds having a fag during PE) and, apart from a small group of my very close and adored friends, am rather unsociable (I like my own company – possibly a throwback from hours spent fielding in the sea during childhood beach cricket games: ‘go deep!  No, deeper!’).  I can jabber for England, can’t walk in heels (it’s something to do with the leg/body ratio) and can be lured anywhere with something pink and sparkly or anything that smells nice. I have a crippling inability to self-edit and a love of beaches (it’s the smell and the sand-between-the-toes) and lip balm. Yup, I think that’s about it.

I’ve just been shortlisted in Red Magazine’s Red’s Hot Women Awards!!

I also write for readyforten.com, Netmums, Ask Jeeves and travel blog havealovelytime.com

Here’s what I think about love, sisterhood and friendship, and here are seven things you didn’t know about me.

As a family, we’re mad on travelling and love to explore new places (as long as there’s something to eat).  I am a member of the Gatwick Airport Passenger Panel, which aims to improve the experience of all travellers moving through the airport.  I represent family travellers on the panel.

After several years living in Ireland, we’re now back home in Hertfordshire and share English Towers with an evil white cat called Ninja.

Something to say? Leave a comment or fill in the contact form.  All mail gratefully received.   Don’t be shy!

Becky

xx

Other places I pop up on the interwebz:

On sainsburys.co.uk: listed in the 20 Fantastic Family Food Blogs, 27th January 2012:

http://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/moneymatters/articles/carandtravel_exp_opin_20-fantastic-family-food-blogs.shtml

On the Britmums blog: a Christmas cookie tree, 5th December 2011:

http://www.britmumsblog.com/2011/12/guest-post-a-christmas-cookie-tree-by-english-mum/

On Parentdish: the best Christmas tips from the UK’s top food bloggers:

http://www.parentdish.co.uk/christmas/best-christmas-tips-from-uk-top-12-food-bloggers/

On the Netmums blog, counting down to Christmas with a few dos and don’ts, 14th November 2011:

http://netmumsblog.com/2011/11/14/countdown-to-christmas-day-1-food/

On the Channel 4 website – listed as one of the best family food blogs (thanks guys!):

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/cooking-with-kids/best-family-food-blogs

On the Tesco Magazine website, talking about Tesco Mum of the Year Awards 2012 (I’m an official blogger) and debating the toddler/teenager connection, 18th August 2011:

http://www.tescomagazine.com/real-life/mum-of-the-year/blog/the-toddlerteenager-connection.html

On the Netmums blog, talking about guilt-free travelling with children, 4th August 2011:

http://www.netmums.com/blog?be_id=119

In Tesco Magazine, talking about our all-inclusive trip to Mexico, 12th July 2011

http://www.tescomagazine.com/travel/holidays/all-inclusive-holidays.html

Article: ‘Why I started blogging’ on netmums.com, 4th July 2011

http://www.netmums.com/blog?be_id=103

On Tesco’s Real Food website, 26th May 2011:

http://www.tescorealfoodchallenge.com/blog/english-mum

Ten amazing family activities in Dubai, Have a Lovely Time, 20th May 2011

http://www.havealovelytime.com/2011/05/ten-amazing-things-to-do-in-dubai.html

Top Five Food Blogs for Parents.  Baby Budgeting, 22nd April 2011

http://babybudgeting.co.uk/top-5-food-blogs-for-parents/

Article: ‘Taking it easy before flying long haul with a park and fly deal’.  Have a Lovely Time, 25th March 2011

http://www.havealovelytime.com/2011/03/taking-it-easy-before-flying-long-haul-gatwicks-sofitel.html

Guest post on the British Mummy Bloggers’ Blog, 10 Tips for Fabulous Food Blogging, 22nd February 2011

http://www.bmbblog.co.uk/2011/02/guest-post-english-mums-10-tips-for-fabulous-food-blogging.html

Guest post on NetMums.com blog, The Real(istic) Foodie Parent, 25th January 2011

http://www.netmums.com/blog?be_id=78

Sutro Digital, Ten Mummy Bloggers to Follow, 28th December 2010

http://www.sutrodigital.com/727/blogs/ten-mummy-bloggers-to-follow.html

Guest post on Yeo Valley Blog, 23rd December 2010

http://blog.yeovalleyorganic.co.uk/a-yeo-valley-year/

Guest post on The Anti-Room: Saturday Dish: Breakfast Muffins, 27th November 2010:

http://theantiroom.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/saturday-dish-5-breakfast-muffins/

Guest post on Curious Wines Blog: Lamb Shanks Braised in Carmenere with Tomato and Olives, 22nd October 2010:

http://www.curiouswines.ie/blog/2010/10/lamb-shanks-braised-in-carmenere-with-tomato-olives/

‘My Foodie Girl Crushes.  Icklebabe.com, 26th September 2010:

http://www.icklebabe.com/blog/index.php/2010/09/my-foodie-girl-crush/

Article: Five Things to do in Cologne. Have a Lovely Time, 13th September 2010:

http://www.havealovelytime.com/2010/09/five-things-to-do-in-cologne.html

Review of Gamescom 2010 and  interviews with Shannon Loftis, co-creator of Xbox Kinect, Peter Molyneux creator of Fable III and Brian Jarrard, team leader on Halo: Reach, Boob.ie 21st August 2010:

http://boob.ie/2010/08/gamescom-2010/

Twenty family activity and travel sites packed with summer fun: Have a Lovely Time, August 2010

http://www.havealovelytime.com/2010/08/familysites.html

Guest post on Baby Budgeting: The Budget Birthday Cupcake, 3rd May 2010:

http://babybudgeting.co.uk/2010/05/the-budget-birthday-cupcake/

Agadir travel review for Have a Lovely Time, 27th April 2010:

http://www.havealovelytime.com/2010/04/morocco-with-teens-and-tweens.html

ShelterBox News: Bloggers Raise Money for Shelterbox, 8th April 2010:

http://www.shelterbox.org/news.php?id=296

Kidstart: An invitation to dinner: global dinner party in aid of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, 5th March 2010:

http://www.kidstart.co.uk/livingwithkids/post/2010/03/05/An-invitation-to-dinner.aspx

Mmmmmmmcake (140 character Twitter reviews), 28th Feb 2010:

http://mmmmmmcake.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/devil’s-food-cake-with-chocolate-fudge-icing-by-englishmum/

Guest ‘Friday Five’ cookbook review at The Foodie Gift Hunter, 2nd October 2009

http://thefoodiegifthunter.co.uk/?p=490

Guest Post on Curious Wines Blog: Butternut squash risotto recipe and wine review, 29th June 2009:

http://www.curiouswines.ie/blog/2009/06/butternut-squash-risotto-nz-whites/

CheapEats.ie: Recipes on Irish Food Blogs (raspberry meringue pie) 1st April 2009:

http://www.cheapeats.ie/2009/04/01/recipes-on-irish-food-blogs/

SourGrapes.ie:  Matching wine with Irish Blog Awards Foodie Nominees 27th January 2009:

http://www.sourgrapes.ie/2009/01/27/matching-wine-with-irish-blog-awards-foodie-nominees/

Travel reviews and recipes for HaveALovelyTime.com:

http://www.havealovelytime.com/englishmum/

Beaut.ie: Blogger Love 9th October 2008:

http://beaut.ie/blog/?p=6381

SourGrapes.ie: Matching wine with Irish Food Blogs (Elderflower Champagne)  26th August 2008:

http://www.sourgrapes.ie/2008/08/26/matching-wine-with-irish-food-blogs/

PHOTO CREDITS:

Kidstart.co.uk/LivingWithKids: Lay a little egg for me, 1st July 2010:

http://www.kidstart.co.uk/livingwithkids/post/2010/07/01/Chickens.aspx

The Examiner, 15th September 2009:

http://www.examiner.com/x-1911-Dallas-Pet-Scene-Examiner~y2009m9d15-PETA-wants-prison-to-become-chicken-sancutary

My celebrity fans: