Author: Scottish Mum

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The Sausage Softie Is Sooo Under Rated – Online Shopping At It’s Best

Sausage-Buttie

Getting meat through the post seems second nature to me nowadays.  Look backwards a few years and I’d never have done it as I liked to see what comes home in my shopping basket.

As much as I like Tesco and Asda home shopping, I’m never comfortable with the fresh produce that can arrive as it is usually not the ones I’d have picked for myself.  All us picky shoppers will know exactly what I mean.  I tend to scour the backs of the shelves for the longest dated items etc.

I’ve been getting my meat from Andrew Gordon for a fair while now, and recently, he decided to help those of us who either don’t like to go shopping, or just haven’t the time to do it for ourselves.  He has a new website that delivers across the whole of the UK and I’m now used to a delivery of meat arriving on my doorstep.

I really like the chicken and mince packs as he often has deals on offer that keep the prices down and allow for bulk buying and freezing for another day.

The biggest draw for me is that I know when the box is packed, that I am always going to get the best produce and never have to worry about whether it’s short dated or poor quality.  I know it’s the best and I know that he can trace the meat back to the source which helps me to persuade my youngest child that he isn’t eating horse (some news items just never go away).

Meat Delivery

Sausages are usually good value and are a good size.   I split two sausages in half per child.  My kids like them and really get stuck in.   As it’s my kids, there is loads of ketchup – so much so, it’s oozed out the side of eldests sausage butty in the picture!!!!   There’s no sides, tatties, chips or anything else needed and simply a bun and some veg for a full meal.   That’s my kind of cooking.

Sausage Buttie 2

We had a fresh delivery today and I really do need to post a fair few more recipes very soon.

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Featured Guest Post: Clothes for the Great Outdoors: My new season wish list

Featured Guest Post by Katie Belle

Before I became a mum, I pretty much used to go into hibernation once temperatures started falling, rushing from home to work and back home again, where I’d put the fire on and remain put, unless of course I managed to find a restaurant or bar with a cosy fire.

But, once my little ones arrived, staying indoors for any length of time became a big no no – they need fresh air and space to run, otherwise we all go a little crazy and they can’t get to sleep in the evening.

So, that famous quote by adventurer Ranulph Fiennes that there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing, has certainly been taken to heart in our household. I always make sure the kids have everything they need to enjoy themselves whatever the weather, whether that’s snow boots or wellies, rain coats or mittens. It’s usually me who is wearing something not warm enough for the season. So, as we enter a new year, I’ve decided to invest in a few pieces to take me from winter through to spring.

great-outdoors

For rainy days

I used to think wellies for just for little ones. But I’ve become slightly addicted to my glossy green Hunters. They sit by the door, so they’re the first thing I pull on, I have to admit whether it’s raining or not. They are, a bit like me, starting to look their age. So I’m going to treat myself, and my feet, to a new pair. The tartan detailing on this pair from Barbour is patriotic and on-trend all at the same time.

Cross body bag

Now that my two are getting older, there’s no need to carry all the paraphernalia needed for babies. But mums still need some essentials, money when the ice-cream van inevitably arrives outside the park entrance, sticking plasters for grazed knees and water for sunny days. I’m determined not to carry around a huge tote anymore so I’ll be buying a cross body bag that will keep my hands free for pushing my children on the swings while keeping everything safe and to hand. This one from Voodoo is in a cute shape, with skull-print lining and it will add a pop of colour to any outfit.

The must-have knit

A chunky-knit cardigan is probably one of the most hard working items in your wardrobe. You can wear it under your winter coat when the mercury levels plummet, with a gilet when it starts to warm up and as a cover up over your floral dress or shorts when summer arrives. I love this plum cable knit by Soft Grey for La Redoute, which ticks the double-breasted trend for spring and summer, while keeping me cosy for winter.

A new coat

I’m still snuggled up in my woolly winter coat at the moment. But give it a couple of months and spring might start to spring and a lighter-weight cover-up will be needed, so I don’t get too hot keeping up with my two, but which protects me from showers. Trench coats never go out of style so I know I’ll get seasons upon seasons out of this one from Nasty Gal. Its slouchy shape and khaki colour give it a bit of an edge so it’s perfect dressed down for a didn’t-try-too-hard weekend look.

Boyfriend jeans

My wardrobe has been full of skinnies – in all different hues – over the past few seasons. But silhouettes are becoming much more relaxed for spring and summer. So, I’m going to be investing in a pair of boyfriend jeans that I can wear with trainers for daytime or turned up a little and worn with heels and a blazer for a casual night out with the girls. This pair by Spice Girl-turned-designer Victoria Beckham are a bit pricey, but they’re the perfect shape. I like the fact they’re mid, rather than low-rise, to keep any residual baby tummy firmly in its place.

They’re all pieces that are stylish but casual enough to wear out and about with my little ones, so we make the most of the great outdoors together, whatever the weather.

———————————————————–

Some great items.  I’m not sure I’ll ever wear a pair of Victoria Beckham jeans, but I do like the cross body bag from Voodoo.

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Prize Draw: Win an iPad Air. Closes 6th February 2014

Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to do up a few rooms in my house on a budget and not dip into the savings at Christmas.

The only stipulation was that the blog had to pay for it.  I managed to do up my lounge in 2012 and I’ve finally got enough to do mini makeovers for the kids rooms this year.

I set up a separate account that the blog money goes into, which also makes it easy for me at the end of the year to know how much to declare to the ever present tax man.  It’s not a huge amount, but it does help out with some lovely little extras that I’d not buy otherwise.

loungefinishedview2

Lloyds Bank have launched a new Facebook app called “Year I Make It Happen.”

The app is available for people to choose a goal for 2014, which you can share with all of your Facebook friends. There are 3 sections to choose from Home, Life and Money and cover many goals such as “Do up the house”, “Buy a new car” or “Save for a rainy day.”  After choosing your goal, you will be given some handy online tools to help you make your goals come true.

It’s quite simple to enter.  Just leave a comment here so that I know you have entered and head on over to the App “Year I Make It Happen.” to pledge your own goal.  These two options are mandatory to enter.

The entry will be by Rafflecopter as entries are logged for a random generation of the winner.

You may also Tweet about the giveaway every day, but you will need to log it in the Rafflecopter Widget for it to count as an additional entry.

The prize will be a fabulous iPad air 16gb (Wifi only) and will be sent out by first class recorded.  If the widget doesn’t show up in this post, simply click the link to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summary of The Rules

  • Open to UK Mainland Entrants only.
  • 1 Winners will win 1 iPad air 16gb (Wifi only) .
  • The prize will be sent to you.
  • The winner will be notified within 7 days of the giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, a new winner will be drawn.
  • The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter random generator.
  • The Scottish Mum Blog and Lloyds Bank reserves the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time.
  • Each entry method entitles you to the corresponding number of entries in 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 iPad air 16gb (Wifi only).
  • The prize draw ends at midnight on the 6th Feb 2014.

Full Terms and Conditions are Found Here

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Simple Home Made Roast Potatoes Recipe

I like lots of recipes to be quite simple and for my roast potatoes, I usually use this basic method to make mine and sometimes just throw some extra spices or citrussy flavours into it.  Everyone has their own roast potatoes recipes so this is just a guide to making the basic potatoes without any fanfare or fancy cooking.

Anyone can make roast potatoes without a deep fat fryer and I prefer mine done in the oven to how my mum used to make them.  I made roasties for new years day and to be honest, if I’d known when I was younger, how easy they were to make, I’d probably never have bought pre-made ones back then.

Lesley S Smith

Simple Home Made Roast Potatoes Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 5 kg Potatoes For Roasting Peeled and Chopped into Quarters
  • 100 g Goose Fat
  • Salt

Method
 

  1. Par boil potatoes for 5 - 10 minutes with a little salt in boiling water.
  2. Line a tray with foil and put the goosefat into the oven to melt.
  3. When the potatoes are ready, pop them into the tray of melted goosefat and pop them in the oven at around 200 - 220C for 10 minutes. Don't turn them over at this point or they may smush up.
  4. Take them out of the oven, turn the potatoes over to coat the goosefat over all the potatoes and put them back in the oven for a further 30 minutes.
  5. Take them out again, give them a shake and then return them to the oven for another 10 minutes. If you like them as crispy as we do, then just keep them in for a little longer.

 

 

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Scots Independence – Who Cares!!

Well, if David Cameron is anything to go by, he does.

Somehow, I can’t quite believe that.

I’m a heathen, or is that an atheist?  I’m never quite sure what to call myself, but I believe in very little in the way of religion, nor of politics.

At the moment, independence and religion are on a fairly even keel for me.  I can neither see the point, nor follow the arguments and reasons for either, yet, I am headed to the yes group.

Scottish Flag

It’s quite simple really.

  • My vote matters absolutely not in the decisions of which party rule the UK.  Scotland’s vote rarely seems to make any more than ripples in a very big pond.
  • We’re already pretty much devolved to such an extent that I see little “joining of the nations” as it is.  Our heath, education and legal systems are very different.  From my point of view, we’re paying for everything twice as it is, so why not cut out one share of the pie in Westminster.
  • It “looks” very like a group of people who were born wealthy are making all the decisions for a public, whose lives they cannot hope to actually comprehend.

But, this is not about political parties is it?  It’s about independence from the rest of our wee UK.

Only, it is about political parties and always will be.  With a government I believed in, I might have been more inclined to support the “better together” campaign.   Alex Salmond reminds me of Neil Kinnock somehow.  I can’t explain why, but the imperfection of the Scottish First Minister and his ruling style draws me into a highly irrational comfort zone.

I don’t care about history, and the shock scare tactics increasingly make me dislike the no campaign, so to be honest, it’s Cameron and Clegg and their cronies who actually pushed me to see the yes side favourably.  I’ve heard people say that we’ll get invaded, be undefended, have higher prices, may have to leave the EU, there might need to be a border set up to keep us out of England and more…….

I care about how much money they take from me and how much it leaves our family to live on.  I care about the support for our elderly, infirm and disabled – and how they are treated.  I care about how education and health works.  If our systems were all aligned, I might see it differently and most of us are going to have our own private reasons for why we choose the yes or the no campaigns.

I just wish I had a clear-cut vision and understanding of it all.  Making a guess based on others guesses just doesn’t fit my logical brain.

I think it’s a mistake for Cameron to turn down the invitation to debate with Salmond.  It comes across as if he has something to hide.

Whatever happens in the referendum on independence on the 18th September this year is just something we’ll have to live with.  In the meantime, I’ll keep my totally selfish and narrow-minded reasons for which side of the fence I’ll eventually fall on limited to my social networks, as I really have no idea what I am talking about.

I suspect few people do.

 

 

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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.