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Mackie’s, now sell chocolate. Yes, they do. Not just lush ice-cream. (Review)

In the past, Mackie’s has always stuck in my mind as the king of ice-creams around here, with the creamy, silky texture.  My mother is very ice-cream picky, and she could always tell if I tried to substitute with something else, if the shop had sold out of her favourite brand.

Mackies Chocolate 2

On Twitter, I was chatting with someone, who said Mackie’s sold chocolate, and from there, Mackie’s got in touch and sent me some samples to try.

Considering it’s Mackie’s, and it’s chocolate, there was no way I would say no to that.  They didn’t ask me to review, but the chocolate tasted so good, how could I not?

It was impressive to find that the ingredients are all natural, and GM-free, and my samples came in the following flavours.

  • Traditional Milk (My favourite)
  • Honeycomb Milk (Kids favourite)
  • Dark Mint Chocolate (Really really good.  I don’t usually like dark chocolate, but I liked this)
  • Dark Chocolate (I didn’t taste this, but I’m told it was lovely)

The chocolate is every bit as good as the ice-cream.  I put a bar of the Honeycomb Milk on my mum’s tray at night, as she often likes a square or two of chocolate if she wakes up during the night. When I took her up a coffee in the morning, all I could see was the empty wrapper…….  The Milk Chocolate was melt in the mouth good and creamy.  Just how I like it.

I can just imagine brownies, or chocolate tiffin, or melted chocolate with strawberries.

Mackie’s are even building a chocolate factory in Aberdeenshire, and that’s one place I am going to enjoy visiting when the time comes, next year, I think.

I saw the farm where Mackie’s make products on the news last night, with their impressive new solar farm, that will export power back into the national grid.

There are new flavours in the pipline, which might even include salted caramel and white chocolate.

Their Aberdeenshire farm has over 500 Jersey and Holstein cows and also produce crisps made from potatoes they grow in Scotland.  Mackie’s seems to be a brand worth a watching for me.

Once a chocoholic, always a chocoholic…

And if there’s none in the shops near you, they sell online too.

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New Naturelly Brilliant: Jelly Juice (Review)

Ok, I have to admit to being initially hesitant, as jelly and juice don’t quite seem to go well together, but when our samples arrived, I decided to try it for myself.

Jelly Juice 2 Medium

In the past, I’ve tried children’s juices that only make me thirsty, but I didn’t find that with these samples.  I’d buy these again, especially for visiting younger children, and I do think that around 36 to 37 calories per drink, it’s easy to persuade myself that this was a good option.

Jelly Juice 3 Small

Let’s go deeper.

The juices are gelatine free, they have no added sugar or sweeteners and have added vitamins A, C & E.   They also state that they are free from wheat, dairy, nuts and bees, for those of you for whom that matters.

We tried three flavours of Naturelly Jelly Juice.

  • Summer Fruits
  • Apple & Blackcurrant
  • Tropical Fruits

I prefer the tropical fruits, and my eldest quite liked the summer fruits.  He liked how it slides down your throat without having to break it up.  No chew jelly as it were.

For added interest, I put some in a small glass and gave kids a spoon to taste, and they actually liked it like that.  With a little yoghurt in the bottom and some chocolate shaved over the top, or some fruit on the bottom and squirty cream on the top, it could even make for a lovely and refreshing low calorie dessert, but also getting some much needed fluids into children who struggle with fluid intake.

Jelly Juice Constrained

Food choices are always what we make of them.  When one of my boys was younger and ill, I could have used something like this to slide over his throat when he had tonsillitis, not to mention being a great packed lunch staple.

Suitable from age 2+, I think these are worth a try.  I just wish I’d seen them when my kids were very little.

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My Solution to Pathetic Broadband – Hello 4GEE Mobile Wifi (Osprey 2)

Update:  Inserting the sim on Osprey 2.

This seems to trouble some people.  I can only show you how mine is inserted.  Locate the little cover with the sim image on the side and gently pull it open.   With the sticker on the back of the Osprey, I’ve taken a picture of which way to put in the sim.  If your Osprey is sitting with the EE logo on the top, contacts will face up, and if it’s sitting with the smooth back of the Osprey upwards, it’s the EE sticker on the sim on the top.  Hope this helps a bit.   Your sim needs to be exactly in the middle, so pop it in gently so that you can remove it if you miss the centre slot.  When it slides in easily, use your nail, or a pin to push it in until it feels like it’s clicked.

IMG_1968 IMG_1967

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Our broadband is dire.  I don’t like to shout too loudly, as some of my neighbours have it even worse than we do, but if there’s more than one person hooked up to the WiFi, there’s no hope of EE3getting much of anything done.

At times, our speed isn’t much more than the old dial-up.  To make matters worse, if the broadband goes down, there have been no 3G or 4G connections to fall back on with a phone.  I’d tried 3, Vodafone and O2, but at least with O2, we get calls.  We couldn’t even get that with Vodafone.

I know some of you probably think we live out in the sticks, but although we’re a village on the outskirts, we’re still actually classed as being in Aberdeen, and not the Shire.  Yes, that’s right, we’re in a City and the broadband needs a good talking to.

We’ve been promised faster internet for years, but after an extended slo-mo outage, I decided to get myself a hold of one of the EE Mobile WiFi units.  To be honest, I expected very little from it, as our trials for other networks have been so poor.  I switched it on, fully expecting it to have to go back, then I sat it on a window ledge, and what do you know – I got three bars of 4G!  I think my neighbour heard me whooop…
EE Osprey 2 2

I can’t move it around too much, as there only seems to be a few spots where the signal is this good, but I can join it, just like any other hub.

I’ve seen the reviews that said the unit was quite large.  I don’t know what they’re reviewing, but I don’t find it large at all.

There is a mini version of the Osprey 2, but that does not allow you to charge a phone if you’re out and about.  I can see my youngest wanting a mini for Xmas though.

As for the data plans…  I do find them slightly on the expensive side, so I’ll be restricting my useage on the gadget, but it’s finally reassuring to know, that when my internet dies totally, I can still actually use my phone to get online….or turn off automatic updates on my computer, to save data.

Anyway, you can choose pay as you go, or sign up for monthly payments.  If you’re using it a lot, then monthly would be the way to go.  This is the first time I’ve tried a mobile WiFi gadget in my house, and there isn’t an alternative.  I’m just happy to see a light flashing anywhere, on any gadget that connects to the internet.

Easily pleased aren’t I?  Perhaps I should just get a life outside the internet….

EE Osprey 2 1

In the box:

  • EE4GEE Osprey 2 Unit.
  • Quick start guide.
  • Top up card.
  • Sim card.
  • Little carry pouch.
  • Charging cable.

Disappointingly, the cable is ultra short and there is no plug.  I found that a bit inconvenient.

For surfing the web, I have to say, it is much preferable to our BT Broadband at present.

In Use

I’ve popped it in my bedroom, where I’ll use it to check mail, surf a few web pages, social media, and some low data hungry things.  Our WiFi doesn’t work well up there, even with a booster, so moving onto this for the evenings will make me very happy indeed.  Now, I’ve just got to work out how long I can make my original 6GB of WiFi last for.

With one machine under our belts, I doubt I would actually swap this pay as you go sim for a monthly one, as the units are free on a monthly package.  If I decided to tie myself down to a monthly payment, I’d simply get them to send me a new unit too.  Possibly the mini as a Christmas present.  It would be the same price overall.

Surfing on 4G is very much faster than with our broadband.  I went for a walk, popped the Osprey into my pocket with my phone and was able to download messages and read the news on a local park bench when I stopped for a breather.  It’s the first time ever, that I’ve had any connection in our village.  I doubt I will do without this gadget in future, unless O2 get their finger out and give us 4G too.

Littlest is simply thinking about having WiFi on his travels.  When we go away in the van, we tend to get zero signal wherever we go for data, but some people have been mentioning finding EE signals, so if we get WiFi in a place where our phones pick up nothing, I might just kiss the boots of whoever invented these little magic gadgets.  We can connect up to 10 devices to these units, so they’re quite versatile.  I just wish the data was cheaper.

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Review: Trespass Zachariah Jacket – Limone

One of my boys has been looking for a yellow jacket for quite some time now. He’s used a high vis vest in the past when he’s on his bike in winter, but he has wanted a nice bright jacket that’s both windproof and waterproof.  One that isn’t too bulky, and means he can wear layers underneath.

Trespass offered me the chance to pick an item from their outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment website.  When I spotted this jacket, I knew immediately, that it was the one I wanted.

I chose the Limone coloured, Zachariah Trespass Jacket.

My kids are all outdoor fanatics, so good jackets are actually quite high on my list of priorities, to keep the wind and the rain out, especially in the cold weather.  The beauty of the Zachariah Jacket, is that it will do for both summer and winter.

Image Courtesy of Tresspass.com
Image Courtesy of Tresspass.com

My oldest son would have loved the navy version, but it was too tempting to tick the bright yellow jacket box for my middle boy.

Trespass Zachariah 3

It has something called the tres-tex membrane, which allows the jacket to be Waterproof, Windproof and has a Water Repellant Zip. Taped Seams stop the water from coming in, yet, it’s also breathable.

The jacket is part of the technical performance range, and has some extras that my cyclist will be pretty chuffed with.

  • Adjustable Zip Off Hood
  • Venting
  • Snow Seal System
  • Zipped Pockets
  • Glasses Pocket
  • Phone Pocket
  • Adjustable Cuffs

The jacket is for one of my teens who is growing like a weed, but as it’s going to be part of his birthday present, one of my other boys stepped in to model it for him.

Trespass Zachariah 2

In fact, I actually think my other two boys were more than just a little bit envious of the nice bright colour, and the fabulous quality of the jacket.  Even the man was suitably impressed, wondering if he should get one for himself, but in navy.

Zachariah 4 Glare

My model for the day, was highly amused by the opening side vents, that allow air to circulate freely.  It’s the first time he’s seen anything like that, and the phone pocket is on the sleeve, beside the cuff, which makes it easy for access too.

I ordered the extra small (xs) from the Men’s range, which will fit my middle child perfectly, who is thirteen and quite slender.  It’s a tad long in the sleeves for my model, but as his brother has longer arms, it’ll be fine.

I can see this getting much love and attention from my boy when he gets his hands on it.

He already has a pair of bright yellow salopettes, which he adores, so this will complete his outfit for when it snows.

Salopettes for the legs, and a thinner jacket on top, one that can be layered, is perfect for sledging in the winter months.

I’m going to enjoy seeing his face when he opens this parcel….

Thank you Trespass.

 

 

 

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Preview Review: The Crackin Egg Co

They think eggs rule, and they wouldn’t be far wrong.  The Crackin Egg Co have taken the idea of hard boiling eggs and added a protective coating to lock in the goodness, and they’re ready to eat.

We tested the sour cream and chive and the salt and black pepper eggs, that are high in protein, rich in omega 3 and only 77 calories each.

the-crackin-egg-3

My first question was the one about eggs being high in cholesterol.  Thankfully, the Crackin Egg Co have an answer for that.

Yes it’s true, eggs are high in cholesterol with a medium egg containing just over half of our RDA, but it’s not all bad. We need cholesterol in our diets to help us produce the acids that help to properly digest fat and keep our cells functioning properly. Too much of anything is a bad thing, but it has been proven that eggs do not adversely affect cholesterol levels in our blood. In fact, eating eggs actually helps to raise the level of good, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and turns the bad, LDL (high-density lipoprotein) from small particles to large. This means fat is mobilised around our bodies more effectively and the bad cholesterol becomes benign. How nice of those cracking little eggs to look out for us.

Where To Keep The Eggs

These are the end of eggs that need to be kept in the fridge.  The special coating means that Crackin Eggs can be kept anywhere, as long as it’s under 20 Degrees C.

the-crackin-egg-2

How To Eat

Our eggs are simply peel and eat, so they’re perfect for lunchboxes.

Our Eggs

The kids were well impressed with my little egg cup that had my name on it.  I suspect if it was an option to buy those egg cups, there could be a nice little run on them.

the-crackin-egg

Where To Get Them

They won’t be on supermarket shelves until June 2015, so keep an eye out for these and for the bright yellow six packs of boiled eggs that would be perfect for school lunch bags.

the-crackin-egg-6-pack

Contact Crackin Eggs

On their new website, or on Twitter. @CrackinEggCo

Thanks to The Crackin Egg Co for our boiled egg samples.

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Looking for something to do in Scotland this weekend? Festival of Museums Events until 17th May 2015

Finding out about our own heritage and background are important to many of us Scots, and although we are taught much of it in schools, I’ve found that my own children’s experience of our local heritage is much weakened in comparison to what my generation learned as children. #FOM2015 Feather Quill Souvenir

As a family, we’ve visited several of the National Trust sites as members for a few years, but now that our boys are older, we’re limited in how often they want to come with us.  Where they haven’t lost interest is in museums, and everywhere we go, my youngest tends to drag us after him.

This weekend is a festival of Scotland’s culture, with much more besides.

#FOM2015 Horrible Histories souvenirIn a way, it’s a good kick-start to talking about our own family roots, wherever we come from.

There are events going on up and down Scotland this weekend, so head on over to the programme to find out if there’s something special for you, or even pick up a souvenir or two.

 

Fraserburgh, Museum of Scottish Lighthouses – Travel Through Time event.

Lighthouse-Museum-Dalek

My kids would have loved this when they were younger.  Actually, I’m not sure kids ever get too old for this.

If ours had all been at home this weekend, I suspect we’d have been taking a trip to Fraserburgh tomorrow afternoon.  Read what the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses has to say about their event.

Watch out for low-flying police boxes!

Our museum has been taken over by Daleks and we need your help to save the museum – and the planet – from extermination! Grab your longest scarf and come along dressed as your favourite Doctor Who character to learn some cool facts about our genuine 1970s Dalek and Doctor Who in general.

Go selfie crazy, fill our Facebook page with Dalek ‘likes’, and win a prize for the best costume! Then drift back in time, meet a lighthouse keeper in his lighthouse, and find out what it was like to live and work at Kinnaird Head. Perhaps you can offer him a sonic screwdriver to fix the light…

Other Events

The annual Festival of Muesums is a nationwide programme of cultural events taking place this weekend.

#FOM2015 A history of scotland, neil oliver

Some of those who are taking part are:

  • Glasgow – School of Art & the Glasgow Style City Walking Tour
  • Dundee – McManus Gallery – Meet a Polar Explorer
  • Edinburgh – Anatomical Museum – A Scandal in Surgeon’s Hall
  • Aberdeen – Zoology Museum

Aberdeen – Tonight – 16th May – Zoology Museum

This is in my neck of the woods.  They will celebrate all things Egyptology with real life desert animals like snakes, scorpions and meerkats.  There will be gruesome tales and the chance to be painted like a pharoah or dress like an Egyptian.

About the Festival of Museums and Museums Galleries, Scotland

Joanne Orr, the chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland said.

‘Festival of Museums is about igniting imaginations while celebrating Scotland’s wealth of culture.  There is a packed programme this year with lots of extraordinary, surprising and exciting events over three fun-filled days.  So come and see what Scotland’s museums and galleries have in store for you.’

See The Whole Programme

Visit the festival of museums to find out more about what’s on for the rest of this weekend.

Dinosaur Skeleton Souvenir

About the Museums Galleries, Scotland

The museums Galleries, Scotland, are the National Development Body for Scotland’s museums and galleries.  The festival is aimed at all ages and interests, to showcase Scotland’s wide culture.   To find out more, visit their website at www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/about-us

Thank you to the Festival of Museums for the lovely Books and small gifts used as images in this post.

 

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5 Things For Grownups To Do In The Evenings

The days are getting longer and the evenings are lighter, but not yet terribly warm.  With the May holiday weekend on our doorstep, I know that many of us wonder what we can do in the evenings when we’ve put our kids to bed.  Before my blogging days, I used to find the evenings quite frustrating, either spending them reading or watching TV, then suddenly, my evening became awash with new people and friends on the Internet and lots of things to occupy my time.

Having a reasonable Internet connection does make a difference to anything we do, and although ours is not good by today’s standards, it’s positively lightening in comparison to the dial up I had to suffer just a few years ago.  Perhaps, one day, superfast will make it around here.

With kids, we usually end up stuck to the house, unless we can find good babysitters, or a willing relative or two, but it’s just not that easy to sort out, especially at short notice.

I’ve had a look around the Internet for things that look interesting and fun, as an alternative to reading and watching TV.

1 – Scrapbooking

I know some of my readers are well into scrapbooking and it’s something we’ve only just begun to do.  For us, it’s more usually called an adoption story book, but it’s scrapbooking all the same, where we plan to end up with a pictoral trail of my kids journey through life, from birth and adoption, right through to adulthood.  My boys aren’t exactly the most interested in preparing things, so I do plan to get all the pictures and information together so that they can decide for themselves how to put it into simple formats.

Scrapbooking

There are plenty of online websites dedicated to scrapbooking and tips to do it well, so it’s easy enough to find good information to get started.  You don’t need to spend a fortune either, as images glued to sheets of paper put into a plastic wallet does fine on a budget.

2 – Start Your Own Blog

Have you ever fancied trying your hand at blogging?  If you have, you’ve nothing to lose by giving it a go.  We were all new at one point and we all started out with zero readers or followers.  It takes time to build up an audience and most of my readers come through search engines these days, but I do have a nice group of loyal followers who’ve stuck with me over the years.  I love having them around and as a busy sandwich carer of children and elders with dementia, it’s often a lifeline that has kept me sane.

If you want to blog, pick what your favourite thing is.  You might be in the throws of parenting, you might like food, you might even get an interest in scrapbooking and take it further.  Whatever you choose to start off with, make it something you enjoy, so that you can sustain it over the long term.  Your blog will grow and evolve over time.  There are free options on WordPress and Blogger, so you can start off on the cheap while you decide if blogging is for you.  If you’re sure, and you want to fully own and control your content, then simply buy a domain and some webspace and install your chosen blogging software.

3 – Make Christmas Presents

Yes, I really did mention the C word so early in the year.  To make your presents takes time, and you could always use make birthday presents too. We tend to make most of the presents we give to other people at Christmas time, especially for teachers as it saves me a fortune and they appreciate getting something made specifically for them.

The gifts  might not be perfect, but they mean something to the people receiving them.

Pendants Pink and  Purple

Last years presents were mainly jewellery for friends, family and teachers.  We made them from resin and used leather and silver as chains for most pendants made for family, with cheaper options for teachers.  You can find out how we made them here.

4 – Make Your Own Games or Crafts

The options are endless with this.  We can make our own versions of most games, but some that I do quite like are the DIY instructions for nifty things on one of the bigger bingo sites.

Bingo Ball

Known as bingo crafts, these are really easy to do at home.  With some glitter, glue and buttons, you can make some lovely items.  They’re easy and fun to do, from Bingo Ball Jewellery, a Bingo Snow Globe, Personalised Bingo Cards, or even make a Bingo Hamper for picnics.

5 – Get Meal Planning

Seriously..  This is one activity that I really need to get to grips with.  I know it can save money by not having waste food in the house and you have the benefit of knowing exactly what you want to order from the shops every week.  We’d all like to spend less money at the tills, and planning is one of the few ways to do this sensibly.

Netmums have some great meal planning downloads, including a six week meal planner you can download and use at home. I’ve just finally downloaded mine, so I need to be moving with this.  One of my goals this year is to reduce my monthly food spending by around £50.  I am hoping that meal planning will see me though with it.

This is a sponsored post.

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Review: Wicked On Tour – Aberdeen until 30th May 2015 #wickedontour #wickeduk #HMT

When our family rocked up to watch the Wicked musical at His Majesty’s Theatre (HMT) in Aberdeen, I wondered if I was the only person in the world who had no idea what would happen.

Voices in the lounge chatted over the bits they liked best and who their favourite characters were.  One lady had even seen it somewhere like Australia I think.

Anyway, when it began, I was actually very pleasantly surprised.

If you don’t know the story, it’s about the ‘prequel’ story of two witches.  The Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West who become unlikely friends.  Obviously, it helps if you know a little about the Wizard of Oz, so that you ‘get’ the little references splattered through, but it does stand alone with a very surprising ending. 🙂

Wicked UK Tour_Emily Tierney and Aashleigh Gray_Photo Matt Crockett_0766_RT

Emily Tierney, the actress playing Glinda was really very funny with her cute and dippy role, playing the ultra popular and chic good witch with impeccable taste in fashion.

The stand out performance for me was Ashleigh Gray, a fellow Scot, who plays the believably geeky and very green Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz).  When she sang ‘Defying Gravity,’ I had goosebumps, prickles and shivers down my spine.  It was that good.  Elphaba was the perfectly dour and distrusting opposite of the bubbly Glinda, and it was amazing how well they acted together.

Wicked UK Tour_Ashleigh Gray (Elphaba)_Photo Matt Crockett_0880_sm_RT

The supporting cast was fantastic, and like the true professionals they are, when there was a wee blip with a bed failing to wheel out for one scene, the two witches improvised so beautifully that I missed it all completely until my husband mentioned it afterwards.

Wicked UK & Ireland Tour_Credit Matt Crockett_5046_Kickline

I also have to mention Carina Gillespie who plays Nessarose for her voice, as singing so well from a seated position must be incredibly difficult, yet she managed to stun with comfortable ease.

At first, I thought it would appeal to girls more than boys as it certainly had a lot of girlie scenes, but there were plenty of boys in the audience who all seemed to enjoy the show.  My youngest came out of there wanting to be the leading man Fiyero, played by Samuel Edwards.

Have a wee peek at the official UK Tour trailer.

The musical has been running for around a decade and a slew of awards world-wide.

The story starts with the two future witches meeting at sorcery school, with lots of opportunities for amazing costumes, lights and staging.  I’m told that it’s a massive production and that we get the full west end effect that rarely happens with touring productions.  It showed.  Glittering, dazzling and absolutely mesmerising.

From where I sat in the stalls, there was a standing ovation from many in the audience for the performance.  I do have to say that it’s one of very few shows I have ever been to where that’s happened.

To sum it all up, all I can say is “Toss, Toss.’  If you want to know what that means, I’m afraid you’re going to have to go and see it for yourself 🙂

When

It’s on at HMT in Aberdeen until 30th May 2015.
Details are here.
Recommended for ages 7+.

Where Does The Tour Go Next

If you want to find out more about Wicked On Tour, visit the website for other venues and dates.

Twitter

Use the hashtags #WickedOnTour or #WickedUK to find out more, or sneak a peek on their Twitter account, @WickedUK
For the Aberdeen Box Office, @apawhatson

I am really pleased we managed to see the show, and would like to thank the Wicked on Tour team for providing us the opportunity to be there.

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Review: Tefal Actifry for Ideal World TV Shopping

I’ve wanted a Tefal Actifry for a long time, but had never got round to buying one.  When the Ideal World TV Shopping Channel gave me the opportunity to try one, there was no way I could resist at all.  Everyone from people going to Weight Watchers to grannies kept talking about them and they sat on the shelves of one of our local shops, just tempting me to try it.Tegal Actifry Express XL 2 255

I was sent the Tefal Actifry Express XL which states it can cook for 6 people, which I thought would fit us perfectly as a family of 6.

The Official Stats

  • Cooks 1kg of chips in less than 30 minutes – up to 30% faster than the original Actifry 1kg!
  • Cooks with one spoonful of oil for six portions of chips.
  • Can be used for Curries, Stir Fries, Casseroles and more.
  • Automatic Stirring.
  • Easy Clean.
  • Cooks food from frozen.
  • Dishwasher safe parts.

Scottish Mum Thoughts

Chips

I’ve made a fair few things in mine now.  I haven’t tried casserole or curry yet as I suspect the portion for six wouldn’t be enough for my family.  I have three strapping lads, two of whom eat portions that would fear you and are still like bean poles.  The man is the same.  The rest of us eat regular sized portions.

I’ve found that 1kg of chips in the fryer are simply not enough for us all, but 2kg are too much.  The 1.5kg mark for chips would have been perfect.  Saying that, if your family all eat regular sized portions, or the kids are younger, you could feed six easily from 1kg of cooked chips.  I used oil with the chopped up potatoes, but when I used frozen chips with a light sunflower oil coating, I didn’t bother adding any oil to the pan at all.

I tried and failed miserably to peel, chop, dry and cook potatoes from fresh.  Not that it’s an issue, as frozen chips are cheaper to buy and cooked much more consistently for me.  A definite winner that way.  I’ve learned that for our crispy chips, I need to do two rounds of chips, but I find ours are ready around the fifteen to eighteen minute mark for around 1kg.  I put those in the oven until the second lot are done.

Sausages

Complete success, no matter what I did.  Again, my machine cooked more quickly than the manual stated.  I’m beginning to know my machine now and what to expect from it, but keep an eye out on your first few tries, as it doesn’t take long to go from perfectly done to very well overcooked.  The sausages were not planned at all.  My youngest went into the shop to buy a couple of sweeties and he came out with a pack of Richmonds.

Actifry Express XL 12

I didn’t bother to add any oil to sausages. I figured there would be enough coming out of the meat, though I did prick each sausage a couple of times with a fork to stop them bursting.

There was a fair amount of fat left in the fryer to get rid of afterwards but much simpler than using my oven grill pan and faffing about with the rack and tin foil etc.

Chicken & Vegetables

I have to say, the jury is out on my first attempt with chicken.  Not because of the chicken, but the one gripe I have about the machine, is the stirring paddle that moves the food about.  It’s a little difficult to clean with some foods.  I very unthoughtfully put full chicken breasts into the base of the fryer and set it to go.

These are very large chicken breasts from my local butcher, so I don’t know if those make a difference, but they were too big for the machine and I ended up having to chop them up before putting them back in.

When we’d finished eating, I tried to clean the machine, which is dead easy for the pan and the lid, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get the chicken fat off the plastic paddle.  I tried scrubbing, boiling water, put it in the dishwasher, and it still had a layer on it.  In the end, I took Ajax and a scourer to it which worked.  Perhaps I should have added oil for the chicken….

The base of the pan is a dream to clean.  I can’t help wishing the paddle was made of the same stuff, but it’s a small gripe.

Actifry Express XL 18 FFG Stir Fry

I threw in some vegetables after the chicken was cooked and finished those in the Actifry as there were only four of us for supper that night.  If we’d been a full compliment of six, I suspect I’d have had to transfer to my cast iron pan to finish off.  The joys of having strapping lads to feed I suppose.

Summary

Great machine.  Takes up more room than I expected, but it’s sturdy and robust and pretty reliable in cooking terms.  Chicken nuggets will be our next try.  There is room for improvement though, and I’d like a slightly larger output for my family, so I suspect the 2 in 1 Dual Layer Actifry would have been the better option for us, but I’m not complaining.

If I were only feeding a few of us, I might never see a need to use a frying pan again, but given that I don’t own a deep fat fryer at all, this is a very nice addition to my kitchen.

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Review: Silvercrest Rice Cooker

I bought this.  £9.99 from Lidl as an impulse buy.  I know I’m beginning to use gadgets more than my cooker, but that’s not always a bad thing as I’m a carer for multiple persons as well as trying to earn a small crust now and again.

I love rice, I absolutely do, but I hate, and I mean H. A. T. E cooking the stuff.  I’ve tried steaming it, using expensive bags and double boilers, but they all mean my weak wrists struggle to lift, drain and rinse enough rice for six people in one go.  I often end up overcooking it too.  I know other people pretend it’s hip and call it sticky rice when they overcook theirs, but I don’t like sticky rice, uh uh, not at all.

After another cooker top explosion of rice water boiling over, I saw this little machine and took a chance on it.  I have to say, the little Silvercrest does a fab job for me.  It’s out a couple of times a week and cooks rice perfectly every time and gives my poor wrists and cooker top a rest.  It’s the perfect amount of rice for six people and just a little left over if anyone wants seconds.

Cooked Rice

The rice cooker comes with a little scoop to choose the correct amount of rice, and the bowl has marks for the perfect amount of water.  With the little serving spoon, it’s been £9.99 well spent for me.  Actually, the time it saves in cleaning my cooker tops alone is worth it.

Silvercrest

I guess it depends how many people you cook for.  If I were cooking for two, I might not think it was a huge time saver, but with six, it’s one of those things that I am finding it harder and harder to live without in my kitchen.

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Madeira Wine Cake Recipe

I used to think that Madeira Cake was made with Madeira wine, the same way that liqueurs are often substituted in recipes.  It took a long time for me to realise that the Madeira Wine came in as the perfect accompaniment to a crumbly sponge cake.  I’d be tempted to use almost any sponge cake recipe for use as a Madeira cake, with the addition of some lemon for that citrusy taste to give the cake a tangy flavour.

Here, I’ve used a basic sponge cake recipe.

The accompaniment for sponge cake, to counteract crumbly dry texture, is always a sweet white wine.

Madeira wine from the Madeira Islands is particularly good for this, but choose a sweet variety to accompany cake for afternoon tea.

Unusually, Madeira wine is fortified (made by adding the Madeira spirit) and the flavour is created by heating the wine up to high temperatures and keeping those constant for a good period of time, which also helps to keep the wine for a long time when it’s opened.

Here is my Madeira Cake Recipe Using a Basic Sponge 

Madeira Sponge Cake Slices

Ingredients

  • 250g Caster Sugar
  • 250g Butter
  • 250g Self-Raising Flour
  • 4 Eggs
  • Grated Rind of 1 Lemon

Method

  1. Set the oven to a moderate temperature.  Around 160-170 C.
  2. Mix (cream) the sugar and butter together in a mixer or bowl until smooth.
  3. Add in the eggs and mix until smooth.
  4. Fold in the sifted flour until you have a cake mix texture without lumps and bumps, then fold in the grated lemon rind.
  5. Put the mixture into a loaf tin or two depending on the size.
  6. Bake for up to 35 minutes.  To find out if your cake is fully cooked, use a barbeque skewer to pierce the cake, and if it comes out clean, it’s fully cooked.  Adding a spray or two of cake release to the tins helps with removing your cake once it’s cooked.
  7. When your cake is cool, and I mean cool, slice it in the same way you would a loaf of bread.  If you slice it hot, the cake may crumble into tiny pieces.
  8. Serve and enjoy with a glass of Madeira Wine.  Tesco have a great selection of sweet white wines.

Written for Tesco.

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Which Wine To Choose For Which Dishes

This infographic is posted in collaboration with Roberson Wine.

Do you know which wines go with which foods?  I know I don’t.  As someone who only rarely drinks it, I find myself in a dilemma quite often if we have people over for a meal, and I have no idea which wines to make a choice from.

When Roberson Wine contacted me and offered an infographic that shows me exactly what would go well with fish, beef, chicken and even chocolate, I knew it would be handy for me to keep long term, as a reminder.

The Easter holidays are coming up, and we can get good weather at this time of year, even in Scotland, which is perfect for the first barbeques of the season.

I found this quite interesting.  I hope you do too.

Roberson Wine Food Pairing_Final