The big Christmas gift guide - pressies for mums

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Debenhams Flowers

So every year I do these gift guides, and half the time I’m thinking about the boys, or about what my Mum would like, or what would be wonderful for Mr English, but as I’m searching, I often see something and think ‘ooh, I like that’. I started to note them down, just so I could write a Christmas list, and here they are, my ‘that will do nicely’ list for Christmas 2013, interspersed with some lovely things that I’ve been sent.

Don’t forget flowers if you’re considering Christmas pressies for mums. I adore receiving flowers. Debenhams sent me these absolutely beautiful Christmas flowers called ‘Cinnamon Spice‘. They had soft, velvety red roses, cute gerberas, bright red berries, lots of beautiful-smelling red roses and the festive addition of some cinnamon sticks too. The flowers smelt divine and lasted for ages. (£29.99). If you use this discount code: XMASBLOG, you’ll get £5 off all Christmas gifts too (expires 21.12.13).

Harrods wine hamperThere’s nothing quite as lush as a Harrods Hamper. This beauty is £100 and contains six decent bottles including a nice Rioja, a Cape Coral Mourvedre Rosé, Emiliana Novas Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and a lovely Chardonnay - the gift that really does keep on giving. Find the Harrods hamper selection here.

Asda olive oil setAsda have got some lovely foodie gifts this year. I especially liked this Extra Special olive oil set with Toscano extra virgin olive oil and a ceramic olive oil decanter. It’s just £6 too.

I’ve really enjoyed Tom Kerridge’s TV series Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food and would really like to eat at the Hand and Flowers, which is actually quite near us. I’ll settle for the book that accompanies the series for now, though. I’d also like Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger. I adored The Time Traveler’s Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, but missed this one for some reason.

Lyra on tartan rugFor the home, I’m loving tartan at the moment (inspired, of course, by my lovely friend Erica up in Edinburgh). Buyakilt.com have all sorts of beautiful tartan rugs (as well as scarves and even kilts if you fancy going the whole nine yards). The pupster has got quite fond of our lovely soft Jacob tartan rug (they call it a rug but it’s perfect as a sofa throw - it washes beautifully on a cool wash) ad there are all sorts of lovely colours to choose from.

Yankee Christmas memoriesI love candles and I’m very spoilt as lovely Yankee Candle always send me their new ones to try. My favourite this Christmas is Merry Marshmallow which will fill your home with the delicious, warm sweet smell of baking, even if you can’t be bothered to actually bake! I’d also like the more traditional Christmas Memories scent as well please, Santa!

RevitaliftL’Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Renew is hands down the best moisturiser I’ve ever used - it’s non-greasy and sinks in really easily. It also seems to give a really nice base for make-up, plus I like the smell. Winner winner chicken dinner.

Redken Body Full is a godsend if you have fine hair. When I had my hair cut recently my stylist used it and my hair felt amazing. WANT! (By the way check out the shop I’ve linked to here - it’s owned by a friend of mine from school).

The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook - part 3: Brunch and Baking

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The Ultimate Cookbook - Part 3 - front cover

So following on from my first post about the Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook, the Sunday Lunch edition, and last weekend’s Quick Eats, this weekend I’m really excited that Brunch and Baking are on the menu.

Being rather late weekend risers, we’re big fans of brunch in this household. Leafing through the recipes (once again, I got a little early sneak peek), I was delighted to see such diverse brunch dishes as classic eggs Benedict from Le Caprice, and fresh and funky fried eggs with radicchio and torn bread from lovely Aussie Bill Granger.

Obviously I’m a huge baking fan, and Mary Berry’s beautiful whole orange spice cake is one that I’ll be bookmarking for some lazy Saturday afternoon baking very shortly. But for me, it had to be a rather amazing recipe by one of my biggest culinary girl crushes, the Sunday Times’ own gorgeous Gizzi Erskine. Gizzi’s millionaire’s shortbread has the clever addition of rosemary in the caramel. The boys initially turned up their noses, but as the caramel bubbled on the stove, and the delicious sweet, herbal scent filled the house, everyone was strangely drawn towards the kitchen to have a taste.

Because I’m lazy, I made the shortbread in the KitchenAid, which took about two seconds (I’ll be using this recipe next time I bake shortbread), but the whole recipe represents everything I love about cooking: pressing soft dough crumbs into the baking tin, melting chocolate and stirring sweet, bubbling caramel. The very best form of kitchen therapy.

The finished article, with its buttery shortbread, thick caramel and crisp chocolate top, is a bit of revelation, with the rosemary adding a rounded edge which is the perfect foil to the sweetness. Deeeelicious.

Gizzi Erskine rosemary millionaire's shortbread

 

Get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook: Brunch & Baking this weekend, the third in a four-part series.

Featuring a selection of the finest recipes of the celebrity chef era, The Ultimate Cookbook is part of The Incredible Edibles Food Series dedicated to food and dining.

The final edition in the series is Dinner Party next Sunday.

Visit thesundaytimes.co.uk to subscribe and to find out more details about exclusive Times+ chef events, hosted at some of the country’s best restaurants.

Review: Sage by Heston Blumenthal Control Grip All in One

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The making of the birthday double chocolate cheesecake happily coincided with me being sent a rather fabulous new gadget to review. Sage by Heston Blumenthal is a new range of really good quality kitchen appliances that have been developed with a great deal of thought. There are some stonking gadgets in the range, from The Dual Boiler, an incredible (and stunning) espresso machine (costing over £1000 and with its own coffee expert to help you install and set it up) through mixers and ice cream machines (featured in last night’s Gadget Show if you were watching) right down to kettles and toasters.

Heston Sage

My Control Grip All in One feels very solid and looks a tiny bit like a Magimix, but has a main power ‘stick’ like a stick blender, which then fits into lots of other accessories like the food processor with shredding and slicing discs, potato masher (which is AMAZING) and whisk, as well as the traditional blender. It’s been well thought out and everything fits onto a main base (with an extra long cord) so you can keep it on your worktop and no longer have to rummage around every time you want to use a bit of the kit.

Bizarrely the only thing that doesn’t fit is the whisk which, in my opinion is the only bit that lets the side down, being a bit on the flimsy side - a surprise when everything else is so well made. No matter, as it doesn’t fit on the base it will no doubt end up languishing in a drawer anyway.

The double food processing blades (and the slicing and grating discs) are all good quality and VERY sharp and made short work of reducing a pack of chocolate digestives into rubble. It’s not quiet, but then it’s not horribly noisy either and it was easy to wash and reassemble, the power pack popping easily out of the top of the processor jug so it can be washed.

Best bits:

  • lots of power settings, making it easy to go gently, or really rack up the power when you need it
  • Everything fits on the base so is easily at hand
  • Good quality, heavy-feeling attachments

Worst bit:

  • that ridiculous whisk

The verdict: not cheap at £129.99 but really well made and covers all the bases.

Guest post: being healthy and active over winter

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Winter can be dull, depressing and make you want to hibernate for the whole season. Another way to beat winter is to live healthily over the season by eating right and doing some exercise to release those endorphins. So whether you are a casual walker or a serious hiker here are some tips:

If you’re heading off on a winter hike, you need to make sure you’re properly prepared. That means everything from the appropriate clothing to the snacks you put in your rucksack. Taking the time to prepare well allows you to really enjoy your walk and make it a success.

So, what clothing do you need? For winter, a good base layer helps, as it will keep you warm, whilst also wicking away any moisture, which is particularly important if you’re embarking on a strenuous walk. Next, choose practical women’s trousers that are good for walking like these trousers from Cotton Traders – chinos, or light cotton trousers are ideal, as they move with you and are comfortable to walk in. You could pack some waterproof trousers to pull over the top if the rain gets bad, but cotton will dry out quickly if you’re just caught in a light shower. Add layers to the top – t-shirts, long-sleeved tops, fleeces and a waterproof coat so that you can adapt to changes in temperature. There are a variety of waterproof jackets to suit your styles available, and of course, get a sturdy, comfortable pair of boots and some thick socks to protect your feet.

What other equipment will help? It depends on the sort of walk you’re doing and whether you’re going alone or with a group, but walkers usually never leave the house without:

Map or route card – unless you’re going on a pre-marked walk, always take an Ordnance Survey map that covers the area, or a book that outlines the walk and the steps you need to take. That way, you know where you’re going, and you can find a route back if you get lost. The more adventurous may also want to take a compass in case you decide to go off the beaten track. If however you decide to just pop to the park with the dog, maybe take a different route in the park that you have never used.

Food and drink – you need enough to keep you going for the duration of your walk. An energy or sugary snack will boost your energy, and you’ll need water so that you don’t get dehydrated. For a longer walk, you might want to pack a lunch and a flask of tea or coffee so that you can find a good view, sit on a bench and enjoy a rest.

Phone – if the weather turns suddenly, or you fall and you’re on your own, just in case you may need to call for help. Charge your phone before you leave and let someone know where you’re going if you’re heading out on your own.

Walking is fantastic winter exercise and is completely free, so it’s the ideal pursuit for the winter months. Make sure you’re properly clothed – including comfortable women’s trousers, tops and jackets – and be active this winter to help you stay healthy.

WIN a Christmas hamper from Farmer’s Choice! - now closed

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Farmers ChoiceIt’s an expensive old business, Christmas. This is why I love it when people like the lovely chaps at Farmer’s Choice give me fab stuff to give away. This Christmas, they are offering you the chance to win a really amazing Farmers Choice Christmas hamper to give away, stuffed with all sorts of lovely stuff, including a huge 2kg beef topside, smoked salmon, lamb, streaky bacon, a gammon joint and loads more, worth £84.

To be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is take a look at the Farmers Choice Christmas dinner page and let me know what, for you, is the best part of Christmas dinner. Remember if you’re a first time commenter on English Mum, your comment won’t show up straight away.

There are also a couple of ways to increase your chances of winning: for one bonus entry, just like Farmers Choice on Facebook. Leave a separate comment to confirm that you’ve done so and this will be counted as an extra entry.

For a further bonus entry, follow @FarmersChoiceUK on Twitter. Leave a separate comment to confirm that you’ve done so and this will be counted as an extra entry. Usual English Mum competition rules apply. This giveaway ends at midnight on 15th December 2013. Winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

**This competition is now closed - winner to be announced shortly!**

The figgy Christmas pudding 2013. Make a wish!

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Christmas pudding

You know me, I pop up all over the interwebs, and at the moment you can find me chatting about Stir Up Sunday on the Yeo Valley website. Funnily enough, my recipe is the same as theirs in that you’ll need to start a little prep the day before, as the fruit benefits from an overnight soak, but if you don’t have time (or you’ve only just read this bit and were all ready to go), don’t worry - just give it as long as you have. Now, if you need information, hints, tips, ingredient notes and a step by step guide to making Christmas pudding, please just click here.

This is my updated recipe for 2013. This year, I’m going back more to how Christmas Pudding used to be, with loads of figs, currants and sultanas, and moving away from the more modern apricot and cherry additions.

I was chatting to our lovely friend (and wine expert) Tom Forrest from Vinopolis on Twitter about what booze to use, and he had some really lovely suggestions. I’m a huge fan of Pedro Ximenez and Tom recommends a Pedro from the English Whisky Company (£18) or an Aussie Brown Brothers Muscat Liqueur (about £12). You can also be more traditional and just use brandy, obviously.

Figgy Christmas Pudding

250g dried figs, finely chopped

100g sultanas

100g raisins

50g prunes, finely chopped

1 lemon
100ml black tea

1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half

100ml Pedro Ximenez or other booze

3 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp black treacle

1 Bramley apple, grated

100g self raising flour (or rice flour for gluten free)

100g fresh white breadcrumbs (or again, ground almonds if you need to keep the recipe gluten free)

150g veggie suet

150g dark muscovado sugar

25g almonds, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

So on to the recipe then:

1. Weigh out the dried fruit, then have a good pick through and get rid of any stems, they’re yucky if you crunch on them. I let them fall through my fingers into the bowl a handful at a time. With the larger dried fruit, make sure they’re stoneless and snip them into small pieces.

2. Finely grate the lemon zest, then juice it as well. Add the zest and juice to the fruit then brew up the tea (one tea bag is fine for that amount of water) and pour it over the fruit, along with the rum. Add in the cinnamon stick and stir it all up. Cover with a plate and leave the whole shooting match to steep (make sure it’s not a metal bowl) overnight, stirring occasionally if you remember.

3. The next day, weigh out all the dry ingredients and combine them in a huge bowl. Don’t forget the spices! The muscovado sugar can be a bit lumpy so you might need to sift it to break up any lumps.

4. Take the steeped fruit and remove the cinnamon stick pieces. Add the eggs (give them a quick mix with a fork first), honey, treacle and grated apple (leave the peel on).

5. Stir well, then you can add all that into the dry ingredients. Give it a really good stir (get everyone to take a turn to stir and make a wish).

6. Now butter a big basin (3 pint/1.7 litre) or two smaller ones and bung in your mixture, pressing it down well and filling as near to the top as you can.

7. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper, bigger than the top of the basin/s, then add a layer of foil. Tie the two layers tightly just under the basin rim with string, leaving lots of excess to make a handle. Now there is some weird way to loop the excess string underneath the basin to make a handle, but I’ve never managed it as I didn’t pay attention at Brownies. If you want to be extra sure no liquid gets in, add another layer of foil and tie again. Or you can use a basin with a lid, or tie it in a muslin, or use one of those special circular moulds.

And that’s it, you’ve made a Christmas pudding! Pause here a minute to give yourself a quick round of applause.

To steam it, you can use a steamer if you’re posh, but I haven’t got one so I just use a huge saucepan and balance the basin inside it on a circular metal pastry cutter so it isn’t sitting on the bottom of the pan. This will also stop it burning if you inadvertently let it boil dry. Add boiling water about halfway up the basin and put the lid on the saucepan. Steam for 5 hours, making sure you go back every so often to top up the boiling water.

I rewrap it with fresh greaseproof paper and foil, but you don’t have to. Keep it somewhere cool until Christmas day when it’ll need to steam for about another 2.5 to 3 hours (don’t worry if it gets a bit longer, it won’t ruin it). Or you could *gasp* just microwave it on Christmas day. Much easier, but not really traditional!

On Christmas day, just warm some booze gently, then at the last minute, pour it over the pud and set it alight. A splash of rum or a bit more of that Pedro and a tablespoon of icing sugar in some whipped cream (Yeo Valley Organic of course) would make a welcome addition.

English Mum Christmas

 

The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook - part 2: Quick Eats

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The Ultimate Cookbook - Part 2 - front cover

So following on from my first post about the Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook, the Sunday Lunch edition, this weekend it’s all about fast, fabulous Quick Eats. Once again, I got a little sneaky peak of the recipes and there are some absolute crackers in there. Just because you’re time pressed or busy, it doesn’t mean that you can’t eat well. I was delighted to see Nigella’s wonderful lemon linguine featuring - it’s a family favourite here, often served simply with some peppery watercress salad for a satisfyingly quick supper. We keep grated parmesan in the freezer, which is really convenient and means that we avoid that awful moment when you reach for the block of cheese in the fridge and discover it’s gone a pretty shade of blue.

Yotam Ottolenghi has a delicious Jerusalem artichoke soup - a great choice for a quick and easy meal, this soup contains egg and yoghurt and I’m dying to give it a go. Eventually though, as we love a bit of spice, we decided to cook Ken Hom’s Sichuan prawns in chilli sauce. I couldn’t find any chilli bean sauce locally, so used our favourite spicy chilli sauce. It’s such an easy recipe - the hardest thing is chopping up a couple of cloves of garlic. The sauce is rich, spicy and zingy. I served ours simply with some buttered noodles and fresh green salad. Delicious, healthy, fresh and simple. Who needs ready meals?

Ken Hom Sichuan chilli prawns sma

 

Get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook: Quick Eats this weekend, the second in a four-part series. Featuring a selection of the finest recipes of the celebrity chef era, The Ultimate Cookbook is part of The Incredible Edibles Food Series dedicated to food and dining.

Upcoming editions in the series are Brunch & Baking on Sunday December 1 and Dinner Party on Sunday December 8.

Visit thesundaytimes.co.uk to subscribe and to find out more details about exclusive Times+ chef events, hosted at some of the country’s best restaurants.

The big Christmas gift guide: fab pressies for foodies (and winos!)

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Hugh Johnson

So here we go with another Christmas gift guide then. They proved so popular that I thought I’d resurrect them and tell you about all the lovely stuff I’ve discovered that will be just perfect for your foodie loved one’s stocking.

First up from Octopus is Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2014 (£11.99). The best selling annual wine guide is back for another year and is indespensible if you’re a wine lover.

Seed & Bean

Organic Seed & Bean’s organic chocolates are really special, 100% ethical and handmade in the UK. The mini bars would make perfect stocking fillers for a food lover, while the hampers are beautiful.

The Glenrothes

A really special single malt whisky is a fabulous foodie present. Seek out The Macallan Amber for its smooth toffee apple and cinnamon flavours (available at specialist whisky retailers including The Whisky Shop) or The Glenrothes Select Reserve (around £38) for a touch of citrus and hints of spice - plus I think the bottle is amazing (available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda and whisky specialists).

Blue Nun Gold Edition

Remember Blue Nun? Well now it has released a sparkling limited edition wine, with little flecks of 22 carat gold leaf suspended in it! It’s also available in teeny tiny little bottles that would make cute stocking fillers. I had a taste and it’s exactly as I remember - it’s medium, so if you’re not a fan I think it would be amazing as a party cocktail with a good spritz of lime or maybe a splash of cherry liqueur. Yum. The full size bottle of Blue Nun Sparkling Gold is available to buy exclusively online from Drinks Direct or The Drink Shop for around £10. Or you can buy the little baby bottles from ASDA for £2.25.

Fluffypuffpuffs

Lovely Louisa Cefaz makes the most amazing artisan marshmallow in some amazing flavours (I can testify that the white chocolate peanut butter flavour is to die for). Find Louisa’s amazing creations at: FluffyPuffPuffs.

Kings Fine Foods

 

Kings Fine Food specialise in luxury hampers stuffed with all sorts of really special products (I’m a huge fan of the Amedei Tuscan chocolate that they sell). Hampers start from £49.99 right up to £249.99 and there’s also a gift wrapping service. If anyone wants to buy me a pressie, I’d like to try their very delicious sounding Visciolata Del Cardinale cherry infused wine, thank you please.

English Mum Christmas

Hell and hilarity: the first month with our new puppy

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Lyra asleep

So I guess we’ve now had Lyra for about a month - I think we got her on 26th October. And whereas before we were barely functioning and bleary eyed, things have really settled down. My Disreputable Dad and his wife are thinking of getting a puppy and I think I probably put them off with my tales of piddles on the carpet and early mornings, but honestly, I’m really feeling like we’ve made progress.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you HAVE to be firm. It upset me when I popped her in her crate so that I could get on with something, but after a while she settles and especially if she’s got a chew or a kong with a few bits of cheese in, she’s mostly happy in there for an hour while I crack on with cleaning or whatever. In the evening, she wanders into the crate and settles down without even being asked.

We’re still working on ear and nose biting. It’s not in anger, more in a licky, excited ‘I LOVE YOU WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN I MISSED YOU! kind of way…

Welcome home Charlie

House training is bloody hard, and there’s nothing you can do except watch the pup like a hawk and take her out a lot. She’s a clever girl and very eager to please so she’s starting to pick up on the fact that if she ‘goes’ in the garden, she gets cuddles and treats, but in the house she gets ignored and people get all huffy and stomp around with bowls of water and sponges. We’re three days since our last accident, so we’re definitely getting there!

I’ve started on recall training. I’ve been using a long training lead and calling her back to me, giving her loads of praise and treats, but I’ve been told it’s best to move it on as soon as possible. There’s a small area of woods near where I live and I had a good look round to make sure it was pretty well enclosed. I grabbed a bag full of the smelliest most yummy treats and took a big deep breath and let her off the lead. She had a bit of a wander and came back to me every time I called. The I panicked and put her back on the lead. Still, it’s a start.

But the good stuff, oh the good stuff is magic. Charlie was away at Vans Warped Tour this weekend and Sam was at his girlfriend’s, and she was wonderful company - we wandered through the woods, snuggled on the sofa and even watched X Factor together (I may have used the sentence ‘yes, I just said that to the dog’ in response to someone on Twitter). She’s already learned that if someone’s eating, she’s not allowed to have any (she sits very close to me and grumbles), and when you tell her off (her favourite naughty trick is bringing me a filthy welly and dropping it next to me on the sofa) she goes all silly and bouncy and occasionally answers back. She really is delightful, even when she’s being a massive pain.

Here’s my view from last night. Whippet bum, eh? Delightful.

Lyra bum

 

Guest post: 12 days of Christmas markets

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Book early to avoid disappointment - always a good plan for holiday, restaurants, hotels, shows or Christmas shopping! There, I said it; summer is still a fresh memory and despite Halloween, Bonfire Night and maybe a few other strategic reminders on the autumn/winter calendar, it is Christmas that is rushing towards us.

Maybe the shopping isn’t always the most enjoyable component, but contrary to the influence of American culture, the Christmas Market is a European import that is finding popularity in the run up to “the holidays”.

Here are 12 days of Christmas markets to fill the winter days and fill the Christmas stockings - in no particular order and with no connections particularly to the traditional song in which nobody can remember what my true love gave to me before those “five gold rings”!

12. Leeds

This “Christkindelmarkt” starts quite early – 8th November – when the city’s Millennium Square will be transformed into a winter village – and ends 18th December.

11. Winchester

Inspired by very traditional German markets and now recognised as one of the best in Europe. Browse from 21st November to 22nd December.

10. Birmingham

Paying tribute to Frankfurt and the largest on that theme outside Germany and Austria this 13th anniversary event runs right up until 22nd December from 14th November.

9. Manchester

A series of markets rather than just one – eight different sites across the city – some in a German style, another with a French theme and you have from 15th November through to 22nd December to book an extended stay and sample them all.

8. Edinburgh

The market is part of a prolonged themed November/December – and into January (5th) you can also stay for Hogmanay and see in 2014 up to Twelfth Night.

7. Portsmouth Christmas Festival

At the historic dockyards and with a particular Victorian theme – this market is part of a one weekend only festival (Friday 29th November to Sunday 1st December).

6. Isle Of Wight

A newcomer on the scene, this event features an ice rink – and a heated garden. You have the whole of December up to 23rd to sample the Christmas spirit.

5. Canterbury

This is quite a small affair –with 14 stalls (or rather, “chalets”) but with the Cathedral and medieval influences; a lovely place to visit for other reasons beyond the 28th November – 15th December dates.

4. Swansea

Venturing out of England, Swansea is providing another wonderland experience with 240 market stalls along its waterfront; the tongue-twisting “Waterfront Winterland”. Dates are 15th November to 5th January 2014.

3. Belfast

If you’re in Northern Ireland, the Belfast Christmas Market event lasts from 16th November up until 22nd December.

2. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

London can be very Christmassy with its Dickensian influence and you can be “walking in a winter wonderland” in Hyde Park from the end of November (22nd) into January (5th) next year.

1. Bath

Always rated as one of the best in the UK, this event runs for the first half of December, until the 15th – so plenty of time to get the presents wrapped and then put your feet up.

So there is a wide choice of activities here in the UK over the November and December months. If you fancy travelling overseas to get your fix of the Christmas spirit, there are loads of European Christmas markets, including Brussels, Bern, Paris and Dusseldorf. Alternatively at any time of the year, Christmas is in full swing permanently at the Bronners Christmas Wonderland, which I visited in a rather warm August and still have a reminder each year:

Bronners

By Jeff West.

Hogwarts at Christmas: The Warner Bros Studio Tour London

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The Great Hall

So this week I took my lovely friend Glam C to the sneak preview of the brand new Hogwarts at Christmas event at The Warner Bros Studio Tour just near me at the Leavesden Studios.

As you know, I’ve visited the tour before (click here for my top ten tips for visiting the tour) but this time was extra special as everything has been decorated for Christmas.

I’m not going to give you too many spoilers, but Hogwarts in the snow is breathtaking, especially with the time lapse day to night lighting. Look for the teeny footprints. NOT flattering taking pictures lit from behind but hey ho…

With beautiful, snowy Hogwarts

Ooh, and we bumped into Amanda Holden too (rubbish photo - it was a bit dark), who is lovely.

With Amanda Holden

Originally Friday 15th November to Monday 6th January 2014, Hogwarts in the Snow has now been extended due to popular demand and runs until 12th January. Warner Bros tell me they’re nearly sold out so if you want to go, BOOK NOW!

Win £200 to spend online at Zalando this Christmas (ended)

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Silver candle holder

I’d like this pretty silver candle holder, to add a bit of twinkle to our Christmas table.

I’ve just started to have a look online to get ahead with the Christmas shopping. The trouble is, all I seem to see are things that I’d really like myself!

I’m a huge fan of Zalando - you can get all your shopping done without moving from the sofa and they’ve got everything from gorgeous designer clothes to really original stuff for the house (including lots of lovely things for Christmas).

They’re also, I’m rather proud to say, big fans of English Mum and they’ve given me a fabulous £200 to give away for one of my lucky readers to spend online at Zalando.co.uk.

Sadly, I’m not allowed to win, so, dear Santa, if you’re reading, I’ve been a really good girl this year and if you could see your way to filling my stocking with any of these lovely things, I’d be very grateful.

MICHAEL Michael Kors clutch

…and this gorgeous MICHAEL by Michael Kors leather clutch - perfect for Christmas parties…

To enter, just comment and tell me what you’d like to buy and who it’s for - don’t worry, you can spend it all on yourself if you want, you have my permission. The winner will be chosen at random and usual English Mum competition rules apply.

This giveaway ends at 9am next Friday, 22nd November 2013. Remember if you’re a first-time visitor to English mum your comment won’t appear until it’s approved. Good luck!

and this silky soft AM Design WOLF throw to keep my tootsies toasty.

and this silky soft AM Design WOLF throw to keep my tootsies toasty.

English Mum Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

******THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - CONGRATULATIONS TO MELISSA MANNING WHO WON THE £200 VOUCHER! THANKS FOR YOUR ENTRIES******

The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook - part 1: Sunday lunch

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The Ultimate Cookbook - Part 1 - front coverHow many recipes do you think you use on a regular basis? Ten? Twenty? If you’re anything like me, you probably have your favourites that you cook week after week, interspersed with a bit of experimental stuff from magazines or cookbooks.

Happily, The Sunday Times has been hard at work to help us shake things up a bit, seeking out the absolute best recipes around, created by our favourite celebrity chefs and some of the UK’s most popular restaurants too. Over the next four weeksends, you’ll be able to recreate some of these spectacular dishes and hopefully add a few of them to your own repertoire. The series kicks off this weekend (Sunday 17th November) with my favourite meal of the week: Sunday Lunch, and I’ve been lucky enough to get a sneaky peek at the fabulous recipes coming up, including Heston Blumenthal’s incredible triple cooked chips (easier than you think) and Rick Stein’s simple but sensational roasted monkfish.

For me, though, there was one recipe I really wanted to try: Simon Hopkinson’s seminal roast chicken. I adore Simon Hopkinson’s cooking, and his cookbook, ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories’ was voted the most useful cookery book of all time. I went all out on an absolutely beautiful free range beauty of a chicken and set to work. The recipe differs from my own in that he starts his chicken off in a very hot oven for 15 minutes (liberally smothered in a frankly obscene amount of butter) and the result was, as my children were delighted to point out, much better than mine. The chicken was moist and fragrant and the juices good enough to be used as gravy, with no need for any further messing about. Utterly delicious and with enough leftovers for another meal too.

Simon Hopkinson's roast chicken

I’ll be cooking it again this Sunday, and maybe even following it up with Raymond Blanc’s chocolate fondant. Oh yes, that’s in there too.

Get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook: Sunday Lunch this weekend, the first in a four-part series. Featuring a selection of the finest recipes of the celebrity chef era, The Ultimate Cookbook is part of The Incredible Edibles Food Series dedicated to food and dining.

Upcoming editions in the series are Quick Eats on Sunday November 24, Brunch & Baking on Sunday December 1 and Dinner Party on Sunday December 8.

Visit thesundaytimes.co.uk to subscribe and to find out more details about exclusive Times+ chef events, hosted at some of the country’s best restaurants.

Energy saving at home: top tips for families from E.ON

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Energy bills have been in the news a lot recently. With two massive teenagers who are probably single handedly the biggest drain on the National Grid for several miles around, I really worry about energy use.

Our actions can reduce our energy expenditure and costs, but suppliers can help too. E.ON wants to actively encourage consumers to save energy by reducing consumption. It might sound strange that a company wants to sell less of its product, but when more people are doing their bit to have a positive effect on the planet it’s refreshing to find a major corporation who thinks along the same lines.

E.ON has launched a special online tool to help its customers work out how you could make savings and there is a wealth of energy saving information on their website for customers who manage their account online, to help you see how you use energy and where you could make positive changes. Their Saving Energy Toolkit lets customers track the amount of energy they use and compare it against the figures for other customers in their area – great if you want to see how you measure up against your neighbours!

You can even compare your own figures with those of similar homes to see how you stack up. I was especially interested in the ‘vampire devices’ section showing those devices guilty of sucking loads of energy.

We’re guilty of having lots of devices and chargers plugged in to one extension lead. I was interested to see that this can be a massive drain on energy even when the connected device is fully charged. I’ve now vowed to charge my phone during the day when I can keep an eye on it, rather than plug it in to charge overnight. And talking of night time, I’m going to have a walk round looking for tell-tale lights showing things on standby that can be switched off.

I’ll also be making sure all those Xboxes, TVs and laptops are switched off to. Which means a trip into teenage bedroom territory. If I’m not back in ten minutes, send in a search party…

 

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The Lean on Turkey challenge: turkey and chestnut pilaf

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Turkey and chestnut pilaf small

If you’re a regular reader, I’m sure you’ll have seen these Lean on Turkey challenges before. I’ve done quite a few and I’m delighted that the campaign recently won ‘Best Use of Digital’ at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride Awards. The campaign supports British turkey farmers to show you how versatile, healthy and tasty turkey can be. Of course it’s not just for Christmas, but it’s getting to that time of year and Christmas isn’t Christmas without turkey. The challenge this time was to come up with a creative way to use turkey leftovers.

This pilaf recipe is based on one I use quite a lot, with the addition of some lovely Christmassy spices and some festive chestnuts. Bart do a lovely mix that’s all ready to go called ‘Pilau’ which is perfect for this, but if you can’t find it, try 1tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp turmeric and a couple of cloves (don’t forget to fish them out before you serve). It’s a really easy, tasty one pot wonder. I do hope you’ll give it a go.

Turkey and chestnut pilaf

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion, finely chopped

Generous pinch of salt

3 tsp Bart pilau spice

1 or 2 bay leaves

Leftover roast turkey, shredded

Chestnuts 200g vacuum packed (reserve a couple for garnish)

1 litre chicken stock (or leftover gravy, diluted)

300g brown or white Basmati rice, well rinsed

To garnish: crumbled chestnuts and a handful of fresh coriander or parsley

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and gently fry the onion until translucent, adding in the salt at this stage. Add in the spice and bay leaves and cook gently - you’ll start to get a whiff of the lovely aromas. Throw in the turkey and chestnuts and stir gently until everything is coated in the spices.

Take out the bay leaves and add in the rice and chicken stock (I use a generous amount as we like our pilaf with a bit of ‘sauce’. If you like your rice drier, keep to about 750ml stock). Stir well and cover. Turn the heat right down and leave to cook for about 30 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Try not to keep lifting the lid as you want to keep all the steam inside. Fork the pilaf through to fluff up the rice, then keep it covered until you’re ready to serve. Throw in a handful of frozen peas if you like, for added colour and freshness.

Just before serving, sprinkle over the reserved chestnuts and coriander.

My shopping list:

From the store cupboard:

Salt, bay leaves, stock cube

Purchased:

1 onion, 28p

Bart Pilau spice mix: £4.00 (obviously you’ll get to reuse this)

Chestnuts 200g vacuum packed £2.25

Brown Basmati rice, well rinsed (1kg bag) £2.99

Fresh coriander: 95p

From the freezer:

Frozen peas

Total: £10.19 (slightly over but you can obviously use the rice and spice mix for many more meals)

Cooking time: About 40 minutes including prep and baking time.

For more information on the Lean on Turkey campaign, head to leanonturkey.co.uk

 

 

Review: Prezzo’s Christmas menus

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Prezzo ChristmasThis week, we were invited to our local Prezzo to try out the new Christmas menus. We pop in to Prezzo every so often for pizzas and salads, but I hadn’t really considered it particularly for Christmas. Someone on Twitter even suggested turkey pizza when I mentioned I was going to Prezzo to try their Christmas menus!

Happily I was completely wrong. The place was absolutely buzzing - our local restaurant is housed in the town’s old Post Office building and it’s got a lovely industrial feel to it, with a huge oven at the centre of the open kitchen. It was lovely inside - all warm and sparkly, with candles, an open fire and a gentle buzz of conversation. We were shown to a lovely big table by the fire and got stuck in to the menus (and a very nice bottle of Barbera d’Asti).

There are three menus for Christmas:

The Classic (3 courses for £16.95)

This menu only offers a few choices and you’ll find most things are on the normal Prezzo menu anyway. We tried the bruschetta starter, which was a really generous portion of flatbread, topped with loads of yellow and red cherry tomato quarters, red onion, fresh basil leaves and a generous drizzle of pesto. It was really fresh and tasty.

Mains include pizzas, pastas and a Caesar salad and desserts include Charlie’s favourite chocolate profiteroles, filled with chocolate cream and generously drizzled with vanilla sauce. The choux pastry was light, the filling generous and the vanilla cream sauce REALLY yummy.

Prezzo king prawnsThe Premium (three courses for £19.95)

This menu has more choice. We ordered one of each of the starters and had an absolutely fantastic time sharing and dipping. The king prawns served in a rich, garlicky tomato sauce with a generous touch of chilli are utterly delicious, and we ended up dipping the crispy calamari in there too. Yum. The pane con cipolla - garlic bread smothered with sweet sour balsamic onions and mozzarella is like a huge pizza - perfect for sharing (and scoffing with those delicious king prawns).

Mains are varied and tasty: we ordered the VIP tre gusti pizza - a massive pizza piled with pepperoni, chicken, pancetta and mozzarella. Charlie found the amount of fresh rosemary a bit overwhelming and ended up picking it all off - apart from that it was spot on. We were also tempted by the pene al zafferano (chicken with red chilli, spinach and garlic in saffron sauce) and the fusilli Gorgonzola with chicken, pancetta, and veg in a creamy sauce. The king prawn risotto looked great too.

Desserts on this menu are nothing short of fabulous. We fought over the sticky toffee pudding - a huge slab of the most delicious, sticky softness, and the white chocolate bombe (mascarpone ice cream covered in white chocolate with raspberry sauce) was lush.

The Signature (four courses and a glass of Prosecco for £24.95)

This menu starts off with a small tray of marinated olives and a glass of fizz. Starters include the most delicious, crispy, soft centred crab cakes (you only get two - we could have eaten ten) and gorgeous gnocchi stuffed with Gorgonzola and walnuts in a tasty, herby tomato sauce.

The mains were the star of the show: panciotti (little pasta parcels similar to ravioli) stuffed with scallop and prawns in a dill sauce, the most deliciously savoury wild boar tortelli in a creamy tomato sauce (slightly let down by being a bit gristly in places but otherwise meaty and satisfying), and a tender roasted duck leg served on a big plate of potatoes and vegetables with tomatoes and a touch of chilli. The pollo al funghi - a plate of chargrilled chicken with mushrooms and spinach - wasn’t particularly generous, but the marsala sauce was delicious and it’s served with lovely rosemary potatoes for mopping it all up.

Desserts on the signature menu include the white chocolate bombe again and a perfec, rich chocolate orange cheesecake with a crunchy chocolate topping, served with a big dollop of mascarpone.

Service was attentive and friendly, even though the place was busy. We walked out absolutely stuffed (I couldn’t even manage a calzone mince pie and I was really looking forward to it) and imbued with Christmas spirit. And it’s only November!

Our verdict? Splash out and go for the Signature menu. The choices are more varied and the dishes are really special. Christmas menus are available now. Click here to have a look at the menus.

Thank you to lovely Prezzo for inviting us xx

Conditional Love by Cathy Bramley

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Conditional Love

I’ll start this review by saying that I know Cathy Bramley. We’ve worked together on various bits and bobs and I have enormous respect for her. Saying that, when she sent me a copy of her book (with a gorgeous personalised note inside) I wasn’t hugely looking forward to reading it.

This sounds terrible, but it’s only because it’s just so far away from anything I would normally read. I’m more a murder/crime novel kind of girl. Val McDermid is my literary poster lady, so this one, listed as a romantic comedy, was a bit out of my comfort zone.

Happily though, I’d only read a few pages when I set off for our cruise, so I popped it into my suitcase. It turned out to be perfect by-the-pool reading and I quickly found that I had enormous affection for Sophie Stone - the slightly lacking in confidence heroine of the piece. I found myself cheering her on, urging her not to make bad decisions and rushing out of the pool to find out what she was up to next.

I won’t ruin the story, but there’s a mystery inheritance, a couple of fellas (one who tempted me to throw the book into the pool in frustration), a nightmare Mum, a missing Dad and some fabulous friends. Of course there’s a lovely happy ending, which is as it should be too. Do pick it up if you see it, it’s full of fun, with a smattering of self discovery, a sprinkling of family secrets and a big dollop of love. I adored it.

Cathy Bramley 1

 

Win a weekend or night away in a Holiday Inn hotel - just by tweeting!

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What’s your favourite holiday photograph? I have so many. This one, of Mr English on the deck of the Celebrity Infinity as it set sail from La Rochelle…

Mr English

Or this lovely one of all of us during our visit to Aquatica on the SeaWorld trip:

Holiday Inn hotels are running a lovely social media competition all based around your holiday memories. The competition is in two parts:

The first part is being run by ten hotels on twitter who are asking their followers to submit their best family or childhood holiday images to Twitter. You can do this by tweeting the Holiday Inn hotels… any of the following:

Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury - @HIBloomsbury

Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park - @HIRegentsPark

Holiday Inn London Mayfair - @HILondonMayfair

Holiday Inn London Heathrow M4, Jct. 4 - @HIHeathrowM4J4

Holiday Inn London Gatwick Airport - @HIGatwickHotel

Holiday Inn Edinburgh - @HI_Edinburgh

Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport - @HIGlasgowAirprt

Holiday Inn York - @HolidayInnYork1

Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum - @HIKensington

Holiday Inn Bristol Filton - @HIBristolFilton

…with your image, using the hashtag #himemories. The winner will receive a free weekend stay in that hotel.

The second part is being run by the 49 other Holiday Inn hotels. Followers can win a free night in any of these hotels by submitting a tweet describing their best family or childhood holiday memory in a tweet, again using the hashtag #himemories.

This is a brand new competition so GET TWEETING THEM NOW! You have a really good change of bagging yourself a lovely weekend or night in a fabulous hotel. Good luck!

EMFT

 

Beautiful Barcelona!

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One of my favourite days on the Disney Magic was, unbelievably, the day we got off. We were dreading it as we had to disembark pretty early and our flight from Barcelona back to the UK wasn’t until 7pm. I had no idea what to do or where to go.

Happily, it turned out that our lovely friends Drew and David are huge Barcelona fans and have been to the area loads of times. They offered to show us around for the day, avoiding the tourist traps and it turned out to be such an incredible day, we just can’t wait to go back and spend longer in this amazing city.

We were dropped off by our coach right by the enormous ‘El Peix’ fish sculpture just at the Port Olimpic, and took a leisurely walk along Barceloneta Beach. It was ridiculously scorchio and although we were dressed in jeans, we rolled them up and had a paddle (well, you just have to). Our bimble along the beach led us to the rather awe inspiring Port Cable Car, or to give it its full title: the Transbordador Aeri del Port, which was slightly intimidating, but took us waaaay up above Barcelona. The views are incredible - we could even see the little tiny Disney Magic docked in the port to our left!

Barceloneta beach from the Port Cable Car

The cable car takes you up to the most beautiful gardens, with dancing fountains and more amazing views of the city. The hotel here is called the Miramar and we’d absolutely love to come back and stay here, it looks stunning. Here we are, standing outside the hotel:

Hotel Miramar, Barcelona

After that, Dave and Drew had promised us a special treat. We took a gentle walk from the Miramar Gardens and couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw this, through a little gap in a fence:

Two perfect squares of shimmering Listerine water, with barely a soul about. You might recognise these pools, officially the Piscines Municipals de Montjuïc, from Kylie’s ‘Slow’ video. They really are stunning and apart from a few locals they were practically empty. We hadn’t brought any swimming stuff but the boys stripped off and swam in their boxers - I have to say, I was mighty jealous as it was really steaming hot. What a beautiful experience, though, even if I could only dip my toes in the water! The pools are only open for a short time during the summer, but at €6 for entry, they’re a total bargain and again have a stunning view over the city. Just gorgeous and one of my favourite memories from the day.

After a couple of hours swimming and lazing, we decided to head back into the city for a well deserved G&T. We walked through the beautiful Joan Maragall Gardens - an absolutely lush oasis - you just wouldn’t believe they were so near a bustling city - they were completely empty too. The Albéniz Palace is in the gardens and there are amazing waterfalls and features dotted all around it:

Waterfall in the Joan Maragall Gardens

The meandering walk eventually took us around to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, from which steps (and some escalators) lead right back down to the city centre. The waterfalls on the way down are spectacular:

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya waterfalls

Following Dave and Drew, we headed into the city to the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and into the huge Arenas shopping centre, which used to be the bullring in the centre of Barcelona. The old facade hides a new, glossy shopping centre, and trying not to look at several floors of shops, we whizzed up in a glass lift right to the top of the building, which is encircled by the most amazing terrace packed full of restaurants, bars and cafés. We ended our day with goldfish bowl sized glasses of gin and tonic, made perfect with the addition of a scoop of lemon sorbet.

Heaven. I can’t wait to go back.

Buckets of G&T

James’ birthday double chocolate cheesecake

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Chocolate cheesecake This week, one of Charlie’s best buddies, James, turns 16. They’ve known each other forever, well, since they started school, and James just feels like one of the family, basically. He had a Halloween party yesterday (his poor Mum) and they also went up to Wembley to watch the Jags vs 49ers American football game too (which was amazing, apparently - ‘apart from the streaker. Legend’).

I promised to make him a double chocolate cheesecake (we class the chocolate in the digestives as the second chocolate - probably slightly tenuous, but hey), and even though it’s not officially his birthday yet, we let him blow out the candle. We’re good like that.

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

100g salted butter

300g pack of dark chocolate digestives

500g cream cheese

100g icing sugar

200ml whipping cream

200g good quality dark chocolate

Cream cheese and icing sugar

 

So warm the butter in a small saucepan until it’s just melted and in the meantime whizz up the digestives, or if you don’t have a processor, just put them in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin. Stir the butter into the biscuits then press into the bottom of a springform tin (you’ll never get the bugger out otherwise) and leave to cool.

Now, melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), turning the pan off once the water boils. Put the cream cheese in a bowl, beat it until smooth then beat in the icing sugar.

Now, and this is important, you must wait for the chocolate to cool back to room temperature. Wait until it feels the same temperature as your finger when you dip it in. While you’re waiting, whip the cream.

Add the cooled chocolate to the cream cheese and icing sugar. Stir it in until the colour is uniform, then fold in the cream gently with a metal spoon so you don’t lose all the air you’ve incorporated. Smooth the mixture over the prepared base.

And that’s it. Just let it set in the fridge. I decorated mine with a bit of melted chocolate (excuse the rubbish photo - there was a bit of hilarity), but you can add whatever topping you like: grated chocolate, maltesers, raspberries, even a cheeky layer of chocolate ganache.

Happy birthday James. Sweet 16! xx

Chocolate cheesecake