Much thanks to Galloway Cheddar for our hamper of goodies to try.

There were so many things from the box to consider trying, that we didn’t know what to do first.  We had wraps, haggis, macaroni, cheese, potatoes, oat cakes and even some spices.  In the end, the kids decided to opt for a good old macaroni cheese with the huge block of Galloway Cheddar.  There was even a good sized dish, which was perfect for a macaroni cheese dish big enough for all six of us.

We even planned a haggis, neeps and tatties meal, which will be posted in a recipe in a week or two.

Galloway Cheddar is a medium strength coloured cheddar, which is matured for a few months, to give it the family appeal.  It’s sold exclusively in Scotland, and produced in Scotland with 100% Scottish milk, and is also suitable for vegetarians.

Galloway Promotion

Step One

Upload your receipt.

Galloway have launched a promotion, which offers a free family meal with every pack, in the form of £5 cash back, which shoppers can claim by spending a minimum of £10 on a shop, which must include a promotional pack of Galloway Cheddar.

Your £5 will be sent in a Galloway branded wallet, with some tasty £5 family recipe ideas included.

Step Two

Share a photo of your own family mealtime at home – which must include a pack of Galloway Cheddar in the image.  You could instantly win one of 10,000 Galloway branded serving dishes.  The quality of our serving dish is well worth having.  Ours will certainly see a lot of use in my kitchen.

We must be a fairly traditional family.  We tend to eat most of our meals at the table, with only a very few meals eaten on our laps in front of the TV.  It wasn’t ever deliberately planned to work out this way, it just evolved and has stuck as simply the way that we eat our food.

I have to say, that our block of cheddar has been highly appreciated as an addition to toasted sandwiches, extra topping on pizza, and for one child, simply to eat in small chunks when he’s hungry.

There’s a reason the teen below offered to grate the cheddar !!!!!!  Needless to say, it wasn’t to “help” mum make the tea.  A fair few chunks went by way of his belly while he grated very slowly.

We had to to make two dishes of macaroni, as the youngest won’t eat anything with spices or with tomatoes.  There was a small dish just for him.

The rest of us ate our macaroni straight from the Galloway Cheddar serving dish, which I made with sauteed onions and a couple of cloves of crushed garlic.  It was how my mother in law made macaroni cheese, and we all loved it, so I stick to how she used to make it.

I cheat with my white sauce.  I simply heat milk with a knob of butter on the hob until it’s almost at boiling point.  Then I simply thicken with some cornflour mixed with milk to make a paste.  When my sauce is thick enough, I simply take it off the heat and stir in the cheese, a handful at a time, until it’s competely melted.

I add my garlic and sauteed onions to the finished sauce before pouring it into the serving dish with the pre-cooked macaroni.  To put it in the oven, I just sprinkle over some more cheese, place on tomatoes, and put it in the oven until the cheese has melted.

What would you do with yours?

The Chop Sizzle Wow Cookbook was released in October this year.  I received a copy of this highly pictoral cookbook, which has 50 quick and easy Italian recipes from The Silver Spoon.

Each recipe is illustrated step by step, in hand drawn style, which will appeal to young cooks as well as those of us who are winding our way up the table of 1 – 100.

The chapters are broken down into:

• Appetizers.
• Pasta
• Mains
• Desserts
• Baking

We like the pasta dishes the best, as my kids would live on pasta, day in, day out.  I make so many soups, that the change was quite nice for them.  We’re planning the Raspberry Semifreddo as one to try over the Christmas holidays.

Some of the recipes are a little involved, so may well need some adult help, and plenty supervision with the heat aspect, but it is fun to attempt.  Any reason to get kids active in the kitchen is a good one.

The illustrations by Brazilian illustrator and artist Adriano Rampazzo – a recent graduate of London’s Central St Martin’s art college.  I do think this would make a fabulous Christmas present.

It’s available directly from Phaidon for £12.95

It’s that time of year again folks.  Yes, I am mentioning the C Word.  Christmas that is.

Some will groan at the thought, but I’m pretty well organised this year.  I have to be, with three kids and two adults with dementia to sort out.

Thanks to the lovely folks at Beano, who’ve sent us this year’s version.  I’ve read it, and it’s been quickly squirreled away as a present for Xmas morning.

I don’t know if it’s a Scottish thing, or if it’s a while island of Britain thing, but growing up, my friends and I all received the Beano at Christmas.

Xmas morning wouldn’t be the same, without Dennis the Menace, The Bash Street Kids and Roger the Dodger.  They get up to the things that the rest of us in real life can’t.

Two of my kids have caught my bug, as they often take their yearly annuals to the dinner table, to keep them busy.  Smartphones are not allowed during the Xmas meal here, so reading is a good second best for my boys.

The Beano have launched an event this year, which will see the Beano characters setting up home at the London St Pancras International Station.

They’ll be there for thirteen weeks, beginning this month, and let visitors and travellers step into the world of the Beano.    It’s nice to see a traditionally British Annual race back up the charts, so feel free to join in the hashtag on Twitter #BackTheBeano.

This year’s annual, The Beano Annual, 2015, is available for £7.99 from Hatchards St Pancras, WH Smith’s, Waterstones, supermarkets, Argos, Amazon, and all good bookshops.  You can’t miss it.

With a cheeky visit online, I spotted it at ASDA for £4, so keep an eye out for the offers.

We were recently sent some Chad Valley Toys to review as part of their  #100daysofplay which started this summer, and encouraged parents up and down the country to share fun playtime ideas on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We’re a wee bit late to the party, but better late than never.

Christmas is coming up fast, and there are always good reasons to check out good toys for our kids.  I’d like to see 100 days of play increased to 365 days, as every child should have a day of play, every day, so I’ll be interested to see where the future of the campaign lies.  You can see how the summer one shaped up on the Chad Valley social media platforms.

The current campaign is “Time to Play.”

Play is great and it helps stimulate our children’s imaginations.

Chad Valley says:

Experts have proven that just 15 minutes open play a day can make an enormous difference to the development of your child; sparking curiosity and originality.  With over 300 toys to choose from – everything from brilliant infant and pre-school toys for babies and toddlers, to fun packed toys for boys and girls, there’s lots of fun for every child!  We’ve also developed free stories and play ideas, to help inspire you and your little ones.

• Chad Valley on Facebook
• Chad Valley on Twitter

Middler is really a wee toot in a big body, so we go through a fair amount of toys that are built for the hands of little ones.  Some brands can hold their own and others struggle with big hands which play with toys that are made for little ones.

The sheer size of the package was enough to send middler into cloud nine.  There was no way to make him wait after school, so it was eagerly opened.

His eyes popped when he saw the fire engine.  That’s understandable as he is vehicle daft, and particularly diggers, tractors, fire engines and police cars.  This was the perfect toy for him.  Unfortunately, the space hopper was just too small for us, so it has gone to a good home, with a lovely wee girl who will enjoy it immensely for her birthday in a couple of weeks.

The fire engine has had some tlc almost daily since our package arrived, which is always nice to see.

Thank you very much Chad Valley, and my sincerest apologies for such a late response from the Scottish Mum House.