Author: Scottish Mum

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Soup Maker Recipe: Cream of Potato and Leek Soup 1.6 Litres

Potato and leek soup is so simple to make that it’s in the pot and cooking in just a few minutes in the soup maker.  I rarely bother with exotic spices and herbs for basic vegetable soups and as this one has cream in it, it isn’t suitable for freezing.  Leave out the cream and add water as a substitute if you plan to freeze.

Lesley S Smith

Soup Maker Recipes: Cream of Potato and Leek Soup

4.50 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Servings: 4 - 6
Course: Soup
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g Potatoes Peeled and Chopped
  • 200 g Leek Chopped
  • 100 g Onion Chopped
  • pinch Salt
  • pinch Pepper
  • 100 ml Fresh Cream
  • 700 ml Boiling Water Or fill soupmaker up to 1600ml mark on kettle.
  • 1 Vegetable Stock Cube Crumbled

Method
 

  1. Pop all the ingredients into the kettle. Set to smooth setting.
  2. Simmer for 21 minutes in the kettle. If you make the soup manually, you will have to blend it after cooking.
  3. Serve with fresh bread and parsley.

 

 

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A Lovely Big Thank You & A Happy New Year

Thank You

I think it’s about time I thanked my readers.  I know a lot of you read on your phones or by e-mail as I send out the full post by mail and don’t make you come to my blog to read.

I’m into my 5th year of blogging and I never expected to still be blogging after all this time.

I see a lot of you coming from Twitter, and I love the fact that Google seems to enjoy our blogs and sends plenty of visitors.

I also have to thank the PR’s and SEO’s and business owners who get in touch, send us some lovely products to review, or sponsor some posts.

I’ve been a lucky mum with my blog and I have had some lovely writing assignments which came from simply blogging.

I wish you all the best New Year that you can possibly all have, and I look forward to another year of blogging from the Scottish Mum home.

An Old Doric Poem to wish you the best for New Year

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Scottish Raspberry Trifle Recipe With Jelly Fluff (No Custard)

I really dislike custard so it’s just as well that this old family recipe is free of custard and uses a completely different method of replacing custard with something much more fluffy, light and yummy.

My mum is a second world war baby and the pudding dish we use instead of custard has several names.  You might come across it called any of these:

  • Milk Jelly.
  • Jelly Fluff.
  • Evaporated Milk Jelly.
  • Jelly Mousse.
  • Carnation Milk Jelly.
  • Jelly Whip.

It sets much faster than regular jelly so be prepared when you’re making your puddings with it.    You can make it without whizzing it in the mixer and it will look like a cloudy jelly – but for adding to trifle, it works much better with the air bubbles to make it much lighter and fluffier.

Trifle with custard to me is just not trifle.    I made the mistake with this Christmas trifle, of letting a child add the hundreds and thousands so it’s a bit heavy handed in the middle with  nothing around the outside.  We didn’t care as it tasted amazing.  It’s quick and easy to make and no e-numbers anywhere.  You could use fresh fruit, but for speed, I used tinned.

I use a fairly large bowl for this recipe as it makes more than you realise.  If you only have a smaller bowl, you could make a couple of small individual trifles in glasses as well.

Lesley S Smith

Scottish Raspberry Trifle Recipe with Jelly Fluff (No Custard)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings: 10
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tin Raspberries
  • 1 tin Sliced Peaches
  • 3 Raspberry Jellies
  • 400 g Double or Whipping Cream
  • 1 tin Approx 400g Evaporated Milk
  • 6 - 8 Sponge Fingers
  • Hundreds and Thousands

Method
 

Jelly
  1. The first step is simply to get your bowl out and pop the sponge fingers in the bottom. Drain the tin of raspberries and peaches and pop them in with the sponge fingers.
  2. Melt 2 Jellies in the microwave with three tablespoons of water. When they are fully melted, make it up to just under two pints of cold water and mix it well in. If you want a stiffer jelly, just use a little less water. Pour the jelly into the bowl with the fruit and sponge fingers. Let it set for a couple of hours. If you want it ready faster, you could pop it in the freezer for half an hour.
Jelly Fluff
  1. When your jelly is set, get ready for your jelly fluff. Add a tin of evaporated milk (I used light evaporated milk for this years trifle) to a mixer and put it on low for a few minutes. You can do this by hand, but the jelly fluff just won't be so fluffy.
  2. Melt one jelly with a tablespoon of water in a jug in the microwave while the mixer is going and then add it to the evaporated milk in the mixer. Turn the mixer up and whizz until it is light and fluffy in the bowl. Leave it for around 10 minutes before pouring it onto your jelly. If it gets a little too thick, just whizz it for a minute.
  3. Once the jelly fluff is set, it is simply a case of whipping up your cream, spreading it on the top and popping some decoration on the top.

 

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Simple 2 Egg Tomato Omelette Recipe

Omelettes in this house have arisen due to my mother who has been very ill for the last month or so.  There was very little she could eat, but she managed to hold down omelettes.

Big omelettes or ones full of cheese and vegetables were just to heavy for her, but this light omelette with a little tomato was perfect, and have been a staple in our house ever since.  If the kids are eating anything too heavy or is too meat based, she now won’t eat it and a quick omelette gets whipped up.

An omelette is pretty tasty and really quick to put together.  It’s perfect for breakfast, a light lunch or just a snack at any time of day.   We can add almost anything we want to them, so don’t feel restricted to just adding some tomatoes like we did.  A grating of cheese would be popular for many people too.

Here it is to share for you all, our 2 egg tomato omelette recipe.   A little butter does nobody any harm in moderation, so don’t be tempted to scrimp unless you can’t take dairy.  The effect simply doesn’t work, nor taste so well done with any other oil, so we’ve learned to stick to butter for her.

Lesley S Smith

Simple 2 Egg Tomato Omelette

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Lunch
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Eggs
  • knob Butter
  • pinch Salt
  • 4 Cherry Tomatoes

Method
 

  1. Put a knob of butter into a pan the size you want your omelette to be. I use a fairly small pan for a 2 egg omelette. Heat the butter until it is slightly bubbling and then turn down the heat to the lowest setting. There should be just enough butter to have a coating. In the past I didn't use quite enough and it turned more into scrambled eggs.
  2. Break 2 eggs into a container and use a fork to beat them together.
  3. Pour the beaten egg into the pan and move it around until the bottom of the pan is covered. Allow it to slowly cook on low for a few minutes until the centre begins to cook. If you use a spatula to slightly push the bottom of the omelette around, it should not stick to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a pinch of salt around the surface of the egg.
  4. When the centre begins to look as if it is cooking, it looks as if it is setting. Place chopped tomatoes on one half of the omelette to allow it to be folded over more easily.
  5. By this stage, you should be able to lift up your pan, shake it slightly and it should move around in the pan. Let it cook for a couple more minutes until you take a lifter and fold one half of the omelette over upon itself. I use a fork in one hand and the lifter in the other to get it more even.
  6. Cooking for a further minute, turn it over and cook until the surface on both sides is a golden brown colour.
  7. Serve.

 

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Review: Sports Socks that DON’T Fall Down

Little grippers are the sports socks that don’t fall down.  Thanks to a special material in the top, they stay up – all the time.

Little Grippers 1

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve watched football matches with my kids and the kids seem to spend as much time pulling their socks up as they do running around.

They have a special elasticated ankle support with micro venting and an elasticated foot support.   The size is on the front of the sock which makes it easy to find a match in the never-ending single sock cycle that ends up with us trying madly to find a whole pair of anything.

Little Grippers 4

The special section at the top which keeps the socks up feels quite rubbery to the touch, yet manages to go on easily enough.

Little Grippers 5

I didn’t think they would have my boys size at first, as the name little grippers sounded like it was just for little children, but the size medium fits a youth shoe size 3-6, while a large fits an adults size 7-11, so they make little grippers to suit everyone.

Little Grippers 2

Little grippers come in White, Black, Navy, Red, and Royal Blue – so they fit almost any football or sports kit going.  They’ve been fabulous for my kids training sessions and I took red and black pairs as they match the kids of the teams my kids play for and are great for training sessions.

There are special orders for Amber and Bottle Green, and hopefully they’ll have more colours in the future.

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Giveaway: Battroborg Battle Arena – Ends 16th January 2014

Colonel Clubber vs Scaldor

Battroborg Arena

Tomy sent us the Battroborg Battle Arena to review and have also offered one as a giveaway.  I tried to persuade two of the kids to open ours and play with it, but they’re adamant that they want to give it to their brother for Christmas from them, so we sneakily took it out of it’s box very carefully to have a quick play before putting it away again for the 25th.

The Battroborgs are a new robot gaming technology.  That means they move by using remote controls and lets the kids control what happens in the ring.  It’s much more exciting than just pretending by using your hands to move the actual robots about.

There are three different game modes which allow for head to head battle, a programme where players can battle a self activated robot, or a tag mode where a robot chases other robots.   Kids can get their friends involved too and play up to 20 robots with the radio controlled technology.

The online preview for the Battroborg is here:

Mum had a wee try and although it took me a while to get used to the nunchaku controllers, it is really really good.  The robots mimic our moves and makes it really feel like we are part of the action.  The boys were undecided whether they really should keep it for Xmas of just set it all up fully to use now, but they were very disciplined and put it away again afterwards.

The Battroborg Arena pack up for the giveaway worth £69.99 consists of:

  •     2 Robots
  •     2 Nunchaku Motion Controllers
  •     Arena with ropes
  •     4 Training Drones
  •     2 Sticker Sheets
  •     2 Face Sheets
  •     Instruction Sheet

 THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rules

  • Open to UK Mainland Entrants only.
  • 1 Winners will win a Battroborg Arena Pack worth £69.99.
  • The prize will be sent to your home address.
  • Winners will be notified within 3 days of giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, new winner will be drawn.
  • The winners will be chosen by Rafflecopter random generator.
  • Tomy and the Scottish Mum Blog reserves the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time.
  • Each entry method entitles you to one entry into the draw.
  • You may tweet daily. Each tweet counts as a rafflecopter entry, only if you enter it into the rafflecopter widget daily.
  • The prize will be for one person to receive one Battroborg Arena.
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Sponsored: Ten Most Important Family Values To Cherish At Christmas

Although there’s no denying that Christmas and presents are inextricably linked, there’s a lot more to the festive season than the simple giving of gifts.

Family reunions, houses full to bursting and the pressures of putting on a perfect Christmas celebration can become overwhelming, meaning that you need your family around you and working with you more than ever.

Christmas 570

So if you’re drowning under a sea of wrapping paper or panicking about your Christmas card list, here’s a reminder of what’s really important with a list of the ten most important family values to cherish this Christmas time.

1. Patience

When you’re dealing with over excited children and imminently arriving guests, the quality that you’ll appreciate the most in your family is patience. Having them understand that they’ll have to wait a little while for Mum or Dad’s attention will help the day go a lot more smoothly.

2. Tolerance

Like patience, tolerance is one of the most invaluable qualities a family can display on big occasions. This can be especially important when dealing with relatives from different generations whose views and opinions may differ considerably from yours.

3. Generosity

Just like in Sainsbury’s Christmas in a Day film, the spirit of generosity is an integral part of a good Christmas day. Giving thoughtful gifts and even giving up your home for a few hours so that your friends and family can enjoy the festivities are what Christmas is all about.

Just watch the video to see exactly what we mean.

4. Helpfulness

Instilling helpfulness into your kids may not be easy, but if you succeed even a little it can make your life at Christmas, and throughout the year, a lot easier.

So before all of the guests arrive try to explain to your family that a little bit of help with the preparation and the tidying up will be much appreciated.

5. Cleanliness

Though it’s always difficult to keep things clean when you’ve got a house full of people, cleaning as you go will help you to fell more in control and a lot calmer.

To help make your life easier why not invest in some good quality cleaning products now so that you’ve got all of the tools you need when Christmas rolls around.

6. Appreciation

After all of the time and effort that you’ll put in to creating the perfect Christmas, a bit of appreciation will certainly go a long way. Even the smallest thank you will make it feel like all of you hard work has been worthwhile.

7. Table manners

Though table manners aren’t as important as they once were, if you’re going to be at a relative’s house this year, knowing that your brood are properly trained will be a load off of your mind.

If you’re hosting the festive feast, use it as an opportunity to teach your kids about the finer points of getting the table ready.

8. Good manners

Good manners are no less important away from the dining table, especially if you’re visiting long lost relatives. If your kids are lacking in the manners department, now’s the time for a quick refresher course.

9. Flexibility

With so much going on, plans will inevitably change and not everything will work out as it should. Having a family that understands that will make a huge difference to you and to the atmosphere on the day.

10. Fun

Last but by no means least, having a family with a well-developed sense of fun will make your Christmas go with a bang and ensure that everyone has a day to remember on the 25th December.

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How To Cook Turkey Safely at Christmas

Roast Turkey Chestnut Stuffing

 

A family full of retching green faced, doubled over misery is just what we don’t want after a slap up xmas day meal, so here are my tips for cooking turkey.

Turkey is just like poultry isn’t it?  Basing an opinion on that, we know that we need to handle how to cook turkey carefully.

Our single best friend when it comes to using Turkey has got to be our thermometers.  If we add stuffing to the bird, it becomes even more essential.

In the Scottish Mum house, we always use stuffing as it’s sort of a family tradition and we use regular stuffling with sausage meat.  It makes the turkey more dense and does mean it will take longer to cook.

To be perfectly safe, we should be cooking our stuffing separetely, but we just do it how my mother and grandmother before her cooked food.  We don’t use frozen turkeys, but if you do, make sure they are completely defrosted.  It is dangerous to cook a turkey that is still partly frozen.

Roasting

      • Treat turkey like chicken when you are preparing it.   Keep surfaces scrupulously clean and do not use the same utensils for other purposes before a thorough cleaning.
      • A pre-heated oven set at 325 degrees F is our favourite way to go.
      • We baste our turkey with some fat and bacon, encase it in tin foil and put our turkey breast side down to begin cooking.   Foil can add to the cooking time but we like to keep our turkey quite pale until the last half hour of cooking.  A tinfoil covering isn’t necessary, but it can help you choose the end colour of your bird at the table.
      • I’ll say it again, use your thermometer.  About half an hour before the end of cooking time, we remove our turkey, turn it the right way up and leave the foil open at the top to brown it the way we prefer it.  We also take the juices off at this point to make the gravy for our meal.

Internal Temperature When Cooked

The internal temperature of a cooked turkey should be 165 degrees F.   It’s important to make sure the stuffing is also at this temperature.  While the legs or wings, or even the breast at the thickest part of the turkey have have reached 165, the stuffing might not have.  It means a little bit of extra care when you take the temperature of your bird and check the cavity with the stuffing as well as the thickest part of the bird.

If the stuffing doesn’t reach 165 degrees, there may still be bacteria that could be harmful to the eater.  I’d never buy a turkey that has been frozen and contains stuffing.  I know there would be cooking rules, but I’d not feel comfortable unless I know exactly the weight of the turkey without stuffing and the weight with it.

If you have to use stuffing in the bird and not cook it separately, try to follow these guidelines to keep you safe.

Use Quickly

Do not keep stuffing sitting around for days on end.  If you make fresh, use it as soon as you can.  Check the instructions on the pack of ingredients for the manufacturers recommendations.  If you do pre-prepare, store the mix in the fridge.

Stuff The Turkey Very Loosely

Stuffing should be moist and not bone dry.  In Scotland, we’d call the dry stuffing skirlie and it has a completely different texture to the stuffing we use in a turkey.  Don’t pack the cavity tightly with stuffing as it needs room for the heat to permeate and it works better with moist stuffing.  Don’t cook stuffing in a turkey if you plan to fry, grill or microwave it.  It’s a roast turkey deal only.

FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS WHEN COOKING TURKEY

Can I shout this loud enough…..  I’ll presume anyone reading this for guidance has bought their turkey from a retailer.  If someone has the skill, knowledge and availability of killing a turkey to cook, they’re going to know the rules to cook by.

DO NOT REMOVE stuffing from a turkey in the oven until it has reached the 165 degrees F temperature.

Rest, Rest, Rest

We rest our turkey for about 20 minutes, with tin foil covering it before we carve and remove the stuffing.  It adds to and improves the flavour.

Storing After Cooking

Don’t leave more than 2 hours between cooking and putting the leftovers in the fridge.  We use our turkey for up to 2 days after it has been cooked.  There is never any left after that, but if you have excess, you could leave it 3 or 4 days, though I’d not be comfortable personally at the 4 days afterwards.  There is also the option to freeze, but remember, that reheated leftovers also need to be cooked to the 165 degrees to make sure any bacteria are obliterated.

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An Old Fashioned Christmas with Board Games

Writing about my passion for children to not play games like Grand Theft Auto is something that I am likely to repeat over and over. There seems to be less time made for many children in a family capacity these days, but we’ve kept up a game tradition as we’ve taken caravan holidays with our kids which always involves a game around the table in the chilly evenings.

I have great memories of my Christmas mornings before the onslaught of electronic gadgets and I used to look forward to the new game each year.  It would be nice to spend a bit of time as a family to recreate the effect and feeling for more simple things that we do at the moment.

What would you rather do?  Is it a good idea to encourage our laziness in front of the telly after a slump inducing feast while the kids blip, zip and bop with bleep bleep bleeps on their gaming machines or mobile phones?   I know how easy it is to not find the time to spend quality time with our kids and I think we all suffer to some extent from it as our kids grow older.

I have heard my kids utter the “boring” word on occasion when we think about playing games, so we make up our own rules to make things more interesting.   No matter how our board games go, the aftermath of a sore loser pales into insignificance against an interrupted electronic gamer who throws a tantrum at the thought of having to stop playing to do anything else.

I enjoy spending the time with my kids on games.  I suspect more parents would enjoy them if they actually made time to play.   I really do like it when one of mine comes into the family room with a game in hand and chivvying his dad to get up off the couch and play a game with him.  The initial sigh is ear shattering, but after 5 – 10 minutes there is usually some laughing, talking and positive interaction.

We were asked if we’d like to try some new games as part of a return to traditional family life and we have to thank John Lewis for sending us some lovely board games to try out on a games night.  Our games sessions have been over several nights and have seen the kids learn some new things that they’d never played before.

Littlest is a Cluedo expert as he’d played it many times at a club he goes to, but we managed to lose the doggie and spent the first half hour tracking it down.  We did have a go at some semblance of the rules, but we ended up just playing littlests rules which kept him happy, and I suspect a bit of cheating made it in there too.

Cluedo 1

We received the Hasbro Vintage Cluedo The box is lovely and won’t get dog-eared over time like the regular cardboard games.  It’s a lovely game for 2 – 6 players and is modelled on the 1949 version of the game.

Cluedo 2

Spending lots of time playing dominos in the caravan, we missed the set that got lost in transit.  I suspect we left it in the van when we traded it in and I hadn’t got round to replacing the set as it was the set that belonged to my grandfather.  It was nice to revisit some of our old favourites from the van when it’s raining and miserable outside and it does play better with the bigger table in the kitchen.  I don’t know why we’d never played it at home before, but the set just lived in the caravan.

Dominoes

My kids are big fans of The Cube, so a game based on the games has given them hours of entertainment already.  They can manage this alone and just love it.

The Cube 1

Backgammon is a game that I had never played and we’ve had a go at trying to play properly.  I think we need to sit and read the rules better, but we did get the general gist of it.

Backgammon

Playing cards just never go amiss and it makes a change from the usual UNO that we’ve played a lot recently.  My boys have taken an interest in poker recently as the man plays once a week in a local league and although I was keen to keep that out of the scottish mum house, they really do enjoy playing it round the table, so who am I to complain?

Pack of Cards

We’re all having a lovely time with the games and when they do play board games, they’re interacting, talking, laughing, sometimes sulking if they lose, but it’s a great break from the gaming and online world that so many of our kids seem to slip into at very young ages.

Board Games

 

 

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Giveaway: Castle MacLellan Hamper – Ends 13th December 2013

pate4

We’ve been sent some lovely pates to try.  They are unusual, tasty and the kids just seem to enjoy them.  Castle MacLellan is a Scottish company based in Dumfries and Galloway. It has recently undergone a brand refresh to emphasise its strong connections with local suppliers and has updated the website and launched a new range of recipes and new packaging for the pates.

We tried our pates, and I have to admit to my favourite being the Chicken Liver with Scottish Heather Honey.  Two of my boys are working through the Smoked Salmon with Lemon Juice and Horseradish.  We like pate here, so it’s been a popular trial.

Pate3

Castle MacLellan is different from the regular food supplier as it is owned by the Kavli Trust and supports good causes in the UK and abroad.

The Kavli Trust was set up by the Kavli family in 1962 to carry forward the philanthropic work of the founders. The Kavli Trust has donated funds to many worthwhile causes. The Kavli Trust owns the Kavli Group, which provides the funds for its humanitarian work.  Part of the profits from the Kavli group is reinvested in strengthening and developing the groups operations, while the remainder is donated to good causes in research, culture and humanitarian work.

Grants from the trust have been risen substantially in recent years. NOK 25 million (about £2.5 million) was distributed in 2012 for humanitarian, research and culture projects.

The Kavli Trust also helps support research in important social areas which can benefit humanity by helping prevent and combat serious illnesses and damage caused by modern lifestyles.

I think we can all agree that Castle MacLellan and the Kavli Trust are very unusual in what they do with their profits.

I have some fabulous Castle MacLellan Pates that will come in a hamper just for you.

In the giveaway, there will be:

Castle MacLellan Christmas range:

Pate 1

  • Chicken Pâté  with Brandy
  • Duck Pâté with Port
  • Smoked Salmon Terrine

Castle MacLellan core range:

  • Chicken Liver Pâté with Scottish heather honey
  • Oven Roasted Mushroom Pâté  with garlic and thyme
  • Rannoch Smoked Duck Pâté  with Bramley apple jelly
  • Luxury Orkney Crab Terrine with lemon juice and Galloway mustard
  • Scottish Smoked Salmon Pâté with lemon juice and horseradish

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rules

  1. Open to UK Mainland Entrants only.
  2. The prize will be delivered to you and you must give us your address to send it to you.
  3. Winners will be notified within 3 days of giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, a new winner will be drawn.
  4. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter random generator.
  5. Castle MacLellan reserves the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time.
  6. Each entry method entitles you to one entry into the draw.
  7. You may tweet daily.  Each tweet counts as a rafflecopter entry, only if you enter it into the rafflecopter widget daily.
  8. The prize will be for one Castle MacLellan Pate Hamper.
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Where Do You Hide Your Christmas Presents?

Tesco Hudl

Tots 100 are hosting a competition that asks “Where do you hide your Christmas Presents?

“This post is my entry into the Hudl Christmas cheer competition on the Tots100”.

My boys are growing older with each passing year and they have begun the hunt for presents around the house.  I used to keep them in the loft until Xmas eve, but I can no longer do that as they stay awake all night and would hear us taking them down.

Last year, we stored them in our caravan which meant that the boys couldn’t see where our presents were, but it was a bit of a logistical nightmare getting them retrieved from storage and home for xmas day.  This year, with the kids being finished school on the 20th, it means that the presents have to stay in the house as there would be no way I would have alone time when storage is open to get them home.

At the moment, I have some stashed under the stairs and others I have had to make a list in my phone to say what I have stashed where.  Some are in the computer room, with a few others in a box under the gerbils cage.  I had to remove a few from my wardrobe as the kids found those and I went in to see wrapped pressies with ends torn off 🙁  They get more resourceful in their searching year by year.  Two of my boys are getting new phones so they are in the kitchen cupboard inside cereal packets on the highest shelves.  I’m running out of ideas for where to put them, so will watch the entries with interest.

The winner will receive. 

  • £150 blinkbox vouchers
  • £65 Google Play vouchers
  • Philips Bluetooth stereo headphones
  • Hudl micro USB power charger
  • Hudl 2m micro-HDMI to HDMI cable
  • Hudl 7” leather case and stand
  • Samsung smart Blu-Ray/DVD player

Four lucky runners up will win a Samsung smart Blu-Ray/DVD player, a £30 blinkbox voucher and a £25 Google Play voucher.

You can also tweet your entry using the hashtag #hudlxmascheer

Sadly, the Hudl is out of stock at the time of my writing this post, but as I am looking to buy one for a present, I am hoping they come back online very soon.

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Review: Ben 10 Omniverse 2 X-Box Game

My boys really are x-box fanatics.  If they could get away with it, they’d probably spend more time on the x-box than they would doing absolutely anything else at all in their lives.

The Ben 10 Omniverse 2 X-box game is the latest instalment of the franchise that sees Ben and his Omnitrix alien forms battle new galactic threats.   In this version, Azmuth and Omnitrix enter the Incursean’s Intergalactic warship to try and stop Emperor Mileous.

Littlest has had a few plays with the game after being sent a review copy, and it seems to be hiding in amongst the favourite game pile to go back to over the school holidays.

Ben 10 x-box

The general consensus here is that this game is slightly easier than the last one we had.  That’s a welcome finding as they found Alien Destruction quite difficult.  Middler is getting an x-box for his Christmas so this will go perfectly for him to enjoy and potter with while he learns how to use it.

It’s a classic version of kids using Ben’s powers to run around and fight aliens and with some lovely puzzles in the  middle.

I did get slightly confused as our version has a 7 on the front, yet inside it carries a PG and a 12 + rating.   The review copies perhaps go to lots of different countries and perhaps that’s the reason for what looks like several ratings, though the version on Amazon is rated a 12.

photo

The game is fast moving and has kept littlest amused over the last couple of wet, windy and miserable days.  I can see it being used a lot over winter with 3 boys to all work through it.  Would I have bought this.  I suspect the answer is yes for middler who is just entering the world of console gaming at the age of 12.  I’d prefer it to be a little cheaper, but we do get good value with three children to share the games around.