Visiting the Fairies at The Trentham Estate

The children had an inset day on Friday, so to make the most of this, we visited The Trentham Estate just outside Stoke on Trent, we had never been before but my mum has often told me about when she used to go with her parents years ago.

The beautiful grounds were once landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, so called because of his great capabilities, the huge man-made lake which was made from the River Trent is full of wildlife and surrounded by many different species of trees which makes this a perfect spot for bird watching.

We started our visit with lunch at the Italian Garden Tea Room, some hot chocolates warmed us up and then we all had some fabulous food, the cottage pie and soup being particular highlights and the view over the lake whilst we ate was wonderful. After lunch, we headed out to walk around the lake and spot the fairies

This wonderful dandelion sculpture was the perfect place to start, my daughter loves dandelions and is forever searching them out in the summer to blow the clocks and see the time, the seeds on these ones even look like little fairies.

We were given a sheet with the fairy names and locations, to help us find them all, so as we walked round it was great for the children to be able to spot them, some are more hidden than others. They all had their own names and characters and they were well spaced out around the estate.

Next to the estate is the Monkey Forest and you walk past part of the fence whilst circling the lake, we kept our eyes pealed but weren't able to see any monkeys, this may have been as the Monkey Forest was not open yet, we have added it as another place to visit on our list. As we carried on round the lake, we stopped for snacks at the cafe at the other end of the lake, we sat outside and watched the birds as they came to feed, there were so many different ones and it was a welcome stop on our long walk.

Further round, we came across a little train track which takes you down by the river, a great way to have a seat and take it all in. We had so much fun spotting the fairies in their different locations and although the light wasn't great, it did make for some fantastic pictures of them, this one sat on top of the ticket booth looked so stunning and the fairy on the lake was mine and my daughters favourite.

After we'd walked round the lake, we stopped in the gardens and what remains of the old house, this was dismantled some time ago and if what does remain is anything to go by, it would have been a stunning house, the crumbling remains are beautiful and it is so sad that it has fallen into such disrepair.

Next to the house and the tea rooms where we started, is the play area, with several different playgrounds, sandpits and a barefoot walk, there is so much to do and there is no doubting that you could spend a whole day at Trentham. Finally, we headed through the maze, the view from the top of the viewing tower was fantastic. As we walked back down we spotted the last fairy on our list, I loved this one she looked so carefree.

We had such a wonderful time at Trentham, with so much to do in the area I think we'll make a weekend of it at some point and definitely visit again when it's warmer, a picnic on the lakeside would be wonderful.

Whether you are local or visiting the area I can highly recommend this beautiful estate to come and spend a day, see some history, art and wildlife all in one place.

Summer Fun with Panda Drinks - Review

We were recently sent some Panda Drinks and summer fun goodies to test out, a great treat for the kids including a book of things to do.

We took the drinks on a picnic, my son will only drink water and even those these are clear and look like water he is no fool and wouldn't even give them a go. My daughter who is a little more adventurous loved them, I had a try and they are a nice blackcurrant flavour.

Using some of the goodies we were sent we played football in at the park, tried to skip in the garden and used the chalk to drawer round our feet and write our names on the wall outside.

The booklet had some timeless classics for us to try like tig, a favourite for my son and his school friends and then more recently, with autumn arriving, conkers. My daughter loved giving skipping a go although at three she did struggle a little.

They are the perfect size bottle for packed lunches and picnics and great size for little hands to hold on to.

My only gripe with these drinks is they contain Acesulfame K, I really don't like artificial sweeteners and prefer a bit of sugar so if this could be changed they'd be on my shopping list.

NB: We were sent the panda drinks and summer fun goodies, all opinions and words are my own.

A Relaxing Afternoon at Clumber Park

Saturday saw our first ever experience of A&E with my son falling off his scooter and cutting open his chin, it was a sobering experience and it seemed the only person traumatised by it was me.

So on Sunday we decided to take a picnic up to Clumber Park, find a space to kick a ball about and just chill for a few hours.

It's a National Trust park and only costs £6.50 per car to get in, there is lots to see and do and plenty of space to relax.

To start we played football and frisby, or if you are my three year old daughter crispy, then we went down to the lake to look at the ducks on the grass....

Off exploring the reeds and trying to spot fish, we saw two huge carp (or at least I think that's what they were) and lots of baby geese and swans....

Off to explore the woodland, the sun was shining through the leaves and we saw so many different trees, I really loved the church it was beautiful surrounded by rhododendrons....

The lake is beautiful, the magnificent colours of the rhododendrons surrounding the lake and house were stunning.....

We then played on the woodland park, had an ice cream and bought some rhubarb from the park gardens.

It was a lovely day and just what we needed after the rather awful day before.

Linking up to Country Kids on Coombe Mill and Magic Moments with The Olivers Madhouse

Yumbox Review

My son has been having a packed lunch for the last few years and it is something I enjoy making for him, what I don’t enjoy as much, is washing all the containers out each evening.

So, imagine my joy when I saw a bento style box that was not only air tight but also spill proof and was coming to the UK! The Yumbox is currently available in the USA and Australia but from June/July will be here.

Silicone lid and compartments

This isn’t just a lunch box though, it is a convenient and easy way to deliver a healthy, balanced and nutritious lunch. Each compartment is labelled with a fun picture of a different food group, not only does this enable the maker of the lunch box to easily see what to include, it also helps your child understand the importance of a balanced diet.

Being compact and spill proof (with it's special silicone lined lid) it also makes a great picnic box, whether you are in the garden, at the park or the beach it is a great way to transport a packed lunch with everything contained in one place. One thing I find when taking a picnic for young children, is that getting their food to them quickly is a must, they are usually so excited about where we are, they just want to get on and play. With the Yumbox, there is no need for separate plates or passing around of food to everyone.

I'm happy to say that this box is not just for children, I have been using it to take my lunch to work in. It does what it says, it is airtight and even apple packed the night before is still fresh. I have taken hummus and strawberries in the box together and the fruit hasn’t been tainted by the strong smelling garlic.

A few people have been put off by the price but for something so versatile I think it is well worth the money and I have already placed an order for one in the first shipment in June, more for the picnic aspect of the box than anything.

Whether it is a coincidence or that she is a growing girl, my daughter has eaten everything she's been given since she has been using the box. I think the fact it is her favourite colour helps, the one time I tried to give her just the tray she was pretty upset and I had to put it in the box.

Reading some of the reviews on Amazon I did notice a few people said there wasn’t much room for food and that their older children didn’t find it filling enough, however, for my six year old I can fit exactly the same amount of food in this as I could in his normal lunch box.

This type of lunchbox is also kinder to the environment, as you are cutting down on waste, I haven’t ever sent plastic bags, clingfilm, or tin foil for his lunch anyway but definitely won't have to now :)

I am hoping the box will last a long time but as it has been myself and my daughter using it and it has not been chucked about the place by a six year old boy, I cannot comment on its durability as much as I would like. I am informed that it has been stress tested by the manufacturer and a fellow blogger has thrown hers down the stairs (not on purpose) and it survived, so hopefully it will do the trick.

One of my favourite things about these boxes are it allows you to see everything at a glance and is a fun way to store lunch, the fun element I think is important no matter how old you are, no one wants a mess of badly presented and squashed food!

I have tried to find something wrong with the Yumbox but I can't, I really love it and so does my daughter. My son is looking forward to getting his too and for now I will just use their's when they aren't looking.

If you like what you see they are now available to pre order from the Yumbox website and will be available properly from July.

Picnic in the Park and Getting Back in Touch with Nature

Last week we went to Rushcliffe Country Park for my husbands birthday, we took a BBQ and went with loads of friends. As it was another scorcher of a day we decided to go back just the four of us and have a picnic and a walk around.

It is a huge space with lots of areas for picnics and lots to see and do for the children, we found this gorgeous little area to eat in with benches and a very hungry caterpillar as well as some little huts made out of trees.

We then went for a walk around the woods, it's a really lovely ladybird spotting walk where you can spot loads of little painted ladybirds, the woods are lovely and perfect for den building. Which I believe they do over in the school holidays with the park rangers.

The flowers and wildlife are in abundance and we all had fun looking at the pretty flowers and lichen on the trees.

Finally and in the cool of the woods again we found the sensory garden, a really lovely area where scrap and household items had been turned into fun instruments and games for children.

Can you move the spoons across?

These old pipes cut at different lengths made a great sound!

Old steel bars made a wonderful sound too!

Fun game for children and adults alike

How does a fly see the world?

Clip Clop i'm a horse.

Can you tell the shape?

Can you hear me mother?

Old plastic pipes make a great sound too.

We will definitely be back here time and time again, with plenty of parking, a fabulous huge park, toilets on site and plenty of space for picnics and games it is a a great place to get out into the country side and for kids to get in touch with nature.

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Goats Cheese, Asparagus and Pancetta Quiche Recipe

I love quiche, especially this one. I have been making it for the last few years as a sort of celebration of Asparagus coming into season.

Goats cheese, pancetta and asparagus go together so well and all compliment each other in this wonderfully light quiche. It goes perfect with a nice salad or as part of a picnic with a nice cold glass of Cidre Bouche!

Ingredients:

250g Shortcrust Pastry (if your feeling lazy you could use a ready made case)
250g Creme Fraiche
85g Goats Cheese Chevre Style as apposed to soft.
3 x Eggs (2 yolks and 1 whole, save the yolks for some yummy meringues)
1 tablespoon Snipped Chives
140g Pancetta or Thick Sliced Bacon
250g Bunch of Asparagus

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200c. Roll out the pastry until it is the thickness of a £1 coin. Use to line a fluted pastry tin. If you have a rectangular tin this is best but if not a round is fine. Press the pastry into the corners and trim off the extra pastry. Lightly prick the base all over with a fork and chill for about 15 mins.

 
Line with parchment and add some baking beans (if you don't have any you can use uncooked rice) and bake for 8 minutes, take out of the oven and remove the beans/parchment and put back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the pastry turns golden and crisp.

2. To prepare the filling, first cook the asparagus for two minutes, either in a steamer or in a pan of boiling water. Cook the pancetta over a medium heat in a dry frying pan until crisp, drain off the fat or place on a piece of kitchen towel.

3. Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add the pancetta.

Add the egg to a bowl

Add the creme fraiche

Crumble in the goats cheese

Add the chives

Add the pancetta

4. Pour into the pastry case and then place the asparagus on the top.

Place the asparagus on top

5. Bake for 20 minutes until set around the edges and then turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven for an hour. If you are short of time then turn the oven down to 150c and cook for a further 20-25 minutes until the quiche is set with just a slight wobble in the middle.

Serve with a salad and a cold glass of cider.