Review: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
So yesterday we took a very exciting trip up to London’s Haymarket to see a preview of the new Disney film, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
My children aren’t city-dwellers by heart, and the moaning started almost as soon as we got on the train:
‘Dude, turn that crap down, I can hear it through your headphones’
‘It’s better than what you’re listening to, douche’
Ad nauseam all the way to Euston. It only got worse when we got on the tube, where #1 sat next to a woman while quite obviously holding the sleeve of his hoody up against his nose (‘she smelt well bad’) and both of them spent half the time in barely-disguised sniggering at the more outlandishly dressed city-dwellers (‘that bloke’s wearing a dress!’).
Anyhoo, after a quick saunter around Leicester Square (which also ‘smells well bad’ apparently), we eventually got to the cinema where a large queue of normal people AND several people we recognised was forming. Oh, and who’s this chap, everyone was taking his picture, but I just couldn’t place him?:
(Thank you to Laura for pointing out that this is, in fact Charlie Boorman, and that I am an arse).
I could barely disguise my delight at being ticked off the guest list by a door-person (I took a sneaky peak – it said ‘blogger’) and once in, we were suddenly blinded by the light of a million paparazzi flashbulbs and found the star of the film, Jay Baruchel, being interviewed RIGHT NEXT TO US!
Inside the cinema, we were treated to free popcorn and water (this impressed the brevren no end) , then an amazing magic show before Jay himself introduced the film. Oh, and apparently the loos were nice as #2 went about ten times.
The film was really amazing – great special effects and tons of action from start to finish. Nic Cage is just an absolute legend and mesmerising onscreen, and lovely Jay is funny and appealing as the initially bumbling sorcerer’s apprentice (look out for the scene with the run-away mops and buckets). #2 declared it ‘the best film I’ve ever seen’.
Special thanks to lovely Liz at Livingwithkids and Grace at Disney. Mwah! xx
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is released on August 11th.
The International Travel Photographer of the Year awards 2010
Poras Chaudhary, India
Daisy Gillardini, Switzerland
Courtney Krawec, Australia
So here’s one for my lovely photography-mad friend, Tara Cain, and her absolutely fantastic ‘Gallery‘ contributors: The 2010 International Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are now open for business!
The competition is open to anyone, anywhere – whether you’re a professional photographer, or just an enthusiastic amateur, and whether you’re 4 or seventy four!
There are some utterly amazing prizes to be won, from worldwide travel to software and for new and emerging photographers there’s even the chance of bursaries and representation by professional photographic agencies.
All the previous winners of the TPOTY awards can be seen in the Winners’ Galleries on www.tpoty.com, and in the ‘Journey’ series of books from Travel Photographer of the Year.
Full details of the awards categories, entry fees, bursaries and all the information about how to enter can be found on www.tpoty.com. Entries close on October 9th 2010 and the results will be announced in December. Images can be uploaded online or entrants can submit prints.
And to whet your appetite, I’ve got the latest in the Journey series of books, containing entries and winners from 2007, 2008 and 2009, worth £25.00 to give away! It’s a really beautiful, 29cm x 29cm heavyweight hardback book filled with gorgeous, glossy images. Just leave a comment to be entered into the draw.
So what are you waiting for? Grab that camera!
Review: ‘Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief’
My kids were both huge fans of the Percy Jackson books. My oldest, the Mad Professor in particular had read, nay devoured, and loved all the books, and was adamant he wouldn’t like the film, so when we got the review copy I didn’t hold out much hope.
But do you know what? It was fabulous.
There aren’t many PG films these days packed with such adventure and excitement – there were enough scary bits to have us all hiding behind our cushions, and enough thrills and spills to keep even our resident cynic entertained (unsurpisingly, it’s from the same director as Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone). Add in a cracking cross-country road trip, the odd sword fight, a trip to the underworld and some jaw-dropping special effects and you’ll see why we were so impressed.
Percy Jackson (Logan Lehrman) is a cool enough teenager to impress even my jaded teens, and his funky protector: half goat, half human Grover (played by the fabulous Brandon T Jackson) had us laughing out loud. Bring in a love interest in the form of Annabeth, daughter of Athena and kick-ass swordswoman to boot (Alexandra Daddario), and you’ve got enough to keep most kids interested. Oh and there’s Sean Bean for us big girls too!
Other highlights include a chilling performance by Uma Thurman as Medusa, and Steve Coogan as a fantastically evil Hades.
We loved it, giving it an all-round English Towers thumbs up and a pretty darned impressive 8/10.
Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief is out today on Blu-ray and DVD.
Win a Marc Jacobs handbag with AlexandAlexa!
My lovely friend and fellow Disney blogger, the wonderful and fragrant Alice from DulwichDivorcee.com, has a rather beautiful designer handbag. It is one of her most treasured possessions (I suspect that she sleeps with it) and I have often considered knocking her over the head with something, swiping it and running off how lovely it would be to own such a beautiful, expensive item of my own….
Imagine my delight, then, when the gorgeous folk at luxury children’s wear boutique AlexandAlexa.com gave me the nod that they were teaming up with the shopping portal Farfetch.com to give away this utterly gorgeous Marc Jacobs ‘Leola Hobo’ bag worth a stonking £440.00. It’s made of the softest, tan leather (just right for keeping under your pillow – or in fact using as a pillow). The lucky winner will also win a £300 spending spree at AlexandAlexa.com where they can indulge their little darlings in gorgeous designer children’s wear by the likes of Ralph Lauren, Chloé and of course Little Marc Jacobs (so they can co-ordinate perfectly with your bag!
And what do you have to do to be in with a chance to win this life-changing arm candy? Why, nothing more taxing than clicking here, or on one of the ads, filling in your name and email address and crossing your fingers.
The competition is open until June 6th. I’m just really really hoping that I’m still allowed to enter…
Review: Tana’s Kitchen Secrets
Maybe it’s because spring is finally in the air (or maybe its just publishers’ deadlines), but there seems to have been a little flurry of new cookbooks published recently (and a few more to come, I gather).
This one’s completely different to the Canteen cook book, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less worthy of a spot on your kitchen shelf. Firstly, it looks very nice and is rather chunky too. I love a new book and this one appeals on many levels: the print is attractive and clear (with cute little tags giving extra information on every recipe), the photos are stunning (incidentally, they’re by photographer Laura Hynd who also did the photography for Rose Prince’s ‘The New English Table’, which I adore) and the ingredients are simple, seasonal and accessible.
This is a great book to learn the basics – there are some excellent confidence-building lessons here: bread making, buying fish, baking great cakes, making family roast dinners, simple stews and some great desserts. I’d recommend Tana’s Kitchen Secrets as the perfect gift for maybe a student, someone just moving into their first home, or for a new family keen to expand their repertoire.
However, if you’re a bit more confident in the kitchen, don’t overlook it, there are some fabulous ideas for that ’what shall I cook tonight’ moment and some wonderful dinner party dishes (the chocolate cheesecake was easy to make and disappeared in seconds!).
Tana’s Kitchen Secrets is out now, priced £19.99 (£10.00 on Amazon at the moment!), but my lovely mates at Octopus Books have given me two copies to give away. Just leave a comment and let me know what your family’s favourite easy supper is, and one of these beautiful books could be winging its way to you (see how good I am to you?).
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This competition is now closed – the lucky winners, as chosen by Octopus Books, were Insomniac Mummy and Emma@NotSuchAYummyMummy – congrats!!
Review: ‘Canteen: Great British Food’
Every so often a cookbook drops onto my doormat with a request for a review. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t (I’m picky like that). Recently, I’ve had some absolute crackers though, and this new one from Cass Titcombe, Patrick Clayton-Malone and Dominic Lake, the brains behind the wondrous Canteen restaurants, it’s just fabulous.
First off, it looks and feels really lovely. It’s got a kind of old-fashionedy brown paper cover, which is soft and tactile, and is full of wonderful, quirky pictures (check out the stuffed animals dotted about too).
The recipes themselves are classically British, with more than a touch of nostalgia. Flick through the lovely grainy pages and you’ll find proper, wholesome grub: Slow Roast Pork Belly with Apples, Steak and Kidney Pie (the pies in the book are particularly good), and awesome desserts: Apple Brandy Syllabub and Blackcurrant Jelly with Ice Cream particularly caught my eye. There’s also a really good cakes and biscuits chapter, and some really useful basics, including pastries and sauces, plus a piccalilli recipe that I can’t wait to try (I know, I know, but Hubby loves it).
Canteen: Great British Food is out now priced £16.99, but it just so happens that I have one of these covetable tomes to give away. If you’d like to win it, just leave a comment and tell me your favourite nostalgic food. The winner will be picked by my wondrous BFF, the gorgeous Jen, who is both an amazing cook and mad as a sack of badgers (no, I know the second bit isn’t exactly a desirable qualification for a competition judge, but it’s still true).
PS: I’m over at Baby Budgeting today doing a little sneaky guest posting on budget birthday cupcakes.
ENTRIES FOR THIS COMPETITION ARE NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS TO LOLA!!
Review: ‘Eat Me!: The Stupendous, Self-Raising World of Cupcakes & Bakes According to Cookie Girl
Well firstly, I’m a bit cross. This ‘Cookie Girl’ has just gone and written the book that I was always meant to write, goshdarnit.
Seriously, if you’re a bit of a cupcake afficionado like my good self, Eat Me!: The Stupendous, Self-raising World of Cupcakes and Bakes According to Cookie Girl
The story behind the book is just as unique as the book itself. Turns out, Xanthe Milton started her cupcake career by selling her wares door to door in West London dressed in the kind of Alice in Wonderland/Nell Gwynne costume that must have had the fellas wanting more than her cupcakes. She really does make baking sexy. And I love Xanthe’s writing too, it’s difficult not to admire someone who pours so much love into every pink-iced morsel:
“…when making cupcakes for a wedding, it is essential to think thoughts of love, future happiness and prosperity for the bride and groom… never bake out of a sense of obligation or when feeling sad or stressed. No good will come of it – the milk will sour and the butter will go rancid”
So far, I’ve made about three of the recipes. I particularly loved the Pistachio Lime Cupcakes and the little lemon biscuits (for sheer quirkiness, though, check out the Jack Daniels Cupcakes!) and the book delivers on the quality of the recipes as well. It’s a win/win. Rush out and buy it now.
EAT ME! The Stupendous, Self-Raising World of Cupcakes & Bakes According to Cookie Girl by Xanthe Milton is out now, Published by Ebury Press, priced at £15.00.
In which my mojo returns and I make ganache with Green & Black’s
So as you know, I kinda lost my blogging mojo.
It all started to really bug me. I mean, what am I exactly? A foodie blogger? In which case, should I concentrate on food, and not talk so much arse? Or am I a ‘mummy blogger’ (how I hate the term)? A foodie mummy blogger? A foodie blogger who’s also a mummy? A doggy blogger? A foodie doggy mummy blogger? A blogging mummy foodie… er… dogger?
I think I’m kind of ‘none of the above’, really. I’m a blogger who happens to be a mother of two ridiculously fantastic and hilariously funny boys of whom I’m immensely proud. And I’m a foodie. But I’m also a wife, a very occasional journalist (One article this year so far, count it: one.), and a daughter of quite the most spectacularly mental parents you could wish for. I write about food, yes, and I write about kids, but then I write about all sorts of old rubbish besides those two things and an awful lot more besides: greyhounds, chickens, ‘bollocks’ pies, sexual gymnastics…
So I decided I wouldn’t pigeonhole myself. I would let my verbal vomit run free. I would practice ‘no holds barred’ blogging – ‘blogging sans frontieres’, if you would. And do you know what? My mojo came back.
The return of the missing mojo was also partly due to the lovely chaps at Green & Black’s sending me a mahoosive parcel of chocolate. I mean, whose mojo could remain missing when surrounded by about ten different flavours of the most fabulous chocolate in the world?
And seeing as we’ve got the ginormous Cupcake Challenge in the offing, I thought I’d say a few words about chocolate and a few more about ganache:
A few words about chocolate
Chocolate, especially decent chocolate like Green and Black’s needs gentle treatment. That means that melting it in the microwave is a bit of a no no in my book, as the microwave can create hotspots and burn the chocolate or turn it grainy. The best way is to place it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl, and when the water starts to bubble, just turn it off and allow the chocolate to melt gently. I’m a bit anal, but I don’t like to stir until it’s completely melted:
Furthermore, there’s no point in bunging in a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (as nice as it is) – you need something good quality with a high cocoa content, and for cooking, good cocoa butter content will make for easier melting. I tried Green and Black’s Milk Cook’s Chocolate (one of many in my stash) and was really pleased with the result: melted easily? Check. Nice milky taste? Check. No hint of graininess? Check. Furthermore, each little square weighs exactly 5g. Magic!
A few more about ganache:
There’s some kind of ridiculous snobbery about ganache. I mean, just because it’s got a poncy French name it doesn’t mean it has to be poncy itself: it’s just cream and chocolate for goodness’ sake. If you make it runny you can pour it over things as a glaze, or if you make it stiffer you can make truffles, you can chill it and whip it and then pipe it on things too, but it’s still just chocolate and cream.
Anyhoo, so just whisk your cream into your melted chocolate until you get the required consistency (as above), then pour or spread over your cake as required. For piping, bung it in the fridge, then give it a whisk before filling your piping bag.
Et voila. Ganache. Magnifique, n’est-ce pas?
(Oh and these little beauties are red velvet cupcakes, taken from an awesomely, beautiful new book called ‘Eat Me’ by Xanthe Milton which is due to be published on Mar 4th – and guess who’s getting a review copy?!)
Walt Disney Pictures’ Bedtime Stories reviewed by #2 (the Death Wish Child)
So we’re all feeling a bit celeb here at English Towers since we got appointed as Disney Blu-ray Ambassadors and *gasp* the new Blu-ray player arrived (poor Bernard the postie hasn’t been the same since - being mobbed at the doorstep by an over-enthusiastic gang of Englishers must be very disturbing).
We’ve had a movie-watching frenzy and, in the interests of research (all for you, dearest reader), watched some rather fab movies. Here’s the Death Wish One to tell you all about Bedtime Stories:
Bedtime stories By #2 (The the Death Wish Child) aged 11 and 1 month.
Bedtime Stories is about Skeeter [Adam Sandler]. Skeeter was born into a family who owned a motel. Skeeter’s Dad was forced to sell the motel to Mr Nottingham [Richard Griffiths] because otherwise he’d go bankrupt. Mr Nottingham promised that if Skeeter showed any talent he would be the manager of the new hotel.
Years later, Skeeter is the hotel handyman. He has to look after his niece and nephew and discovers that when he makes up a bedtime story, what they say happens in real life.
This was an amazing film with twists like how when Skeeter said something in the story it wouldn’t happen, but when the kids said something it would happen. My favourite part was when it rained gum balls (at least it didn’t rain the other sort). My favourite thing was easily Bugsy the hamster with the huge eyeballs (I know again with the balls) and my favourite person was Russell Brand (Mr Coconut Bra). I highly recommend this film for all ages. It was the best film I’ve seen in absolutely ages.
Hope to be writing more reviews soon,
#2
xx
This review is brought to you by English Towers (always up for a freebie) and the ‘Think Parents’ network:
