A Relaxing Mid Week Break at Darwin Forest - Review

It is no secret that we love to be in the countrside, that we love to be at one with nature and out enjoying the fresh air.

So when we were invited for a mid week break at Darwin Forest in one of their Classic Vogue lodges I am not sure who was more excited, me or the children.

Sat in the beautiful Peak District between two of my favourite towns, Bakewell and Matlock, it is a wonderful location and with plenty to see and do in the area it is the ideal base to explore this wonderful part of the country.

Since you can't get into the lodge until 4pm we first headed to Bakewell, it is a stunning town full of wonderful independent shops, cafes and of course Bakewell Puddings. We spent the day there, eating chips by the river, looking in the shops and playing on the park.

The children were rather impatient to get to our home for the week, perhaps my biggest mistake was showing them everything that was on offer at Darwin Forest.

On arrival we were greeted by a friendly receptionist who gave us our key and explained where our lodge was, we drove around looking for our lodge and it was just so quiet and peaceful, the trees all beautiful with their changing leaves and colours.

We eventually found our lodge and it sat there looking all inviting in the cold and wet, with just a single light making the lounge glow a warm orange, it was super toasty and warm when we got inside and just what we needed on what wasn't the best autumn day.

With a modern kitchen/diner, lounge, bedrooms and its own veranda, it was such a lovely place to call home for the week.

I bought all of our luggage in and set about making tea, the kitchen was well equipped and had everything we needed for our stay, including dish clothes, tea towels, dishwasher tablets and washing liquid. So you don't need to worry about bringing anything really other than your food and maybe some tinfoil and cling film.

We had a picnic tea and sat in the toasty warm lodge looking out through the warmly lit trees, it was wonderful and with the log effect fire it felt so snug.

Our beds were comfy and warm and we all slept soundly, even though the rain fell through the night and into Tuesday, but not to fear, the rain did not stop play.

With a swimming pool on site we headed there first thing, as did a lot of other people, however it wasn't too busy and we had a good swim about. We drove that morning not really knowing how far it was to walk in the rain, but to be honest everything is within easy walking distance and wasn't too much effort being relatively flat.

Photo courtesy of Darwin Forest

After lunch we headed to the soft play centre, fortunately the children are still both of an age where they enjoy soft play and they made friends and had a great time. As a single parent this sort of thing is great, it means I can grab a hot cup of coffee and sit and read for a short time whilst they enjoy themselves.

It is a big soft play area and so the children didn't get board at any point, they also offer a good selection of food, perfect for hungry tummies. There is a charge of £3.50 per child, but for a few hours of fun this isn't too expensive and is about what we'd normally pay.

Wednesday saw the sun shine bright, sending down a gorgeous golden glow from the leaves above. So we headed out into the woods on the woodland walk and to find the trim track. We spotted a few rabbits, plenty of birds and an absolute abundance of fungi along the woodland floor. The golden leaves carpeting the floor made this a wonderful time of the year to be visiting, wrapping up warm in layers of jumpers.

After our walk we headed to the mini golf course for a quick game, it only cost a £5 and was a great way to spend an hour and for the first time ever I got a hole in one, a complete fluke I'm sure. Afterwards we popped to the park, whilst it was dry we made the most of it.

Since the children had enjoyed it so much the day before, we headed for another few hours at the soft play, it gave them time to blow off steam and me a few hours just to relax, since I was on holiday too.

Afterwards we walked back through the woods to get changed so we could head back out for some tea. I thought it would be nice not to have to cook for one of the evenings so I booked us in at The Foresters restaurant on site, it has a good varied menu including some classics like chilli, pie and pizza. They even have a take away menu, perfect if you don't fancy cooking but would like to eat back in your lodge.

After we'd finished eating there was time to pop into the games room which is just next door, it has pool tables, air hockey and some other arcade games. I got to teach the kids the pleasure that is pool, although not particularly easy with a little 5 year old and an ' I don't need you to show me how' 8 year old, but we had fun and afterwards we wandered back through the woods, listening to the owls hoot.

Once back in the warm cabin we watched The Great British Bake Off, it has been a bit of a guilty pleasure for the children the past few weeks and we haven't watched the last one yet, although we know who won.

On Thursday we had a slow morning doing some Halloween crafts and the children played outside, later that day we headed out so my son could have an archery lesson. We'd had a look at the list of activities before we arrived and my son really liked the idea of archery, so I booked him in for a session when we arrived.

I was a little worried about how he'd get on but I needn't of, he was a pro and Dan the instructor was really patient. It looked like everyone was having so much fun and almost instantly I regretted not booking myself on the course too. The session cost £12 and I feel this was worth it, my son had so much fun and it was definitely the highlight of his week.

With everything from bikes to hire, archery, a swimming pool, gym, tennis, woodland walks and the soft play, there really is something to do in all weathers. This makes Darwin Forest the perfect all year round location. I didn't use the car all week and it felt like I had actually had a break, I loved being able to walk everywhere, it made everything so much more relaxed. The lodges are all well equipped and some even come with hot tubs, this would definitely be the icing on the cake and I am already planning our return visit.

After a wonderful week we finished it off with a trip to Matlock and Matlock Bath, both great towns in different ways. Whether you love vintage and antiques or arcades and a walk down the river with some chips, they are both wonderful little towns.

*We received a midweek break at Darwin Forest to form this review, all words and pictures unless otherwise stated are my own.

Gluten Free Creme Egg Brownie

I have been trying to eat less wheat and gluten in my diet, it doesn't agree with me and makes me feel lethargic and to be honest not that great. I do however love cake so have been trying hard to find recipes for gluten free cakes that taste great, are easy to make and will also be eaten by family too.

These brownies are great on their own but with the addition of creme eggs make the perfect easter treat, pretty certain the addition of anything else chocolate related would be great.

Ingredients:

225g Unsalted Butter
225g Dark Chocolate (70% minimum)
3 Medium eggs
200g Caster Sugar ( I use golden)
1tsp Vanilla Essence
175g Ground Almonds
Creme Eggs, mixture of full size and mini or just full size if you prefer, cut in half.

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 170°C, line a 23cm square baking tin with tin foil or baking parchment.

2. Break up the chocolate and cut the butter into small squares, place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat until melted, set aside to cool a little.

3. Whilst the chocolate mixture cools, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence together until it is smooth and creamy in texture, you can use a hand whisk for this.

4. Once whisked, slowly pour the chocolate into the egg mixture and keep stirring, you can use a spatular to do this, folding in the chocolate and egg until combined.

5. Fold in the ground almonds until completely combined and then pour into the lined baking tin.

6. Place the creme eggs equally over the top of the brownie, best to think about how you are going to be cutting it up into pieces.

7 Place in the centre of the oven for around 25-30 minutes, it should be set on top and a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle should come out with a little of the mixture attached to it. It will continue to cook in the tin and you want it nice and gooey so don't leave until it is too dry.

8. Using the tin foil you should be able to lift out of the tin without too much effort, whilst it is still warm use a knife to cut into squares.

These gooey and tasty brownies make the perfect treat and are great for any creme egg lovers, served warm with a scoop of ice cream or simply with a cup of tea.

Please note the ingredients I used were all checked to be gluten free, please ensure you do the same.

Easy Peasy Treacle Sponge Pudding

I'm useless at steaming puddings and I have used the Be-Ro recipe book to try a microwave treacle pudding but it just goes dry and horrible, so this recipe is not only easy to make but tastes great.

First of all, you need to make a basic Victoria sponge to go on top of the golden syrup:

100g Self Raising Flour
100g Caster Sugar
100g Stork Margarine
2 Eggs

For this recipe I just bung it all in the food processor and blend until smooth and thoroughly mixed through.

Next in an oven proof dish add some golden syrup, for this square dish I used about 3 heaped tablespoons but make sure you have a good amount of golden syrup on the bottom of the dish.

Then add the Victoria sponge mixture onto the top of the golden syrup and spread gently until all of the golden syrup is covered.

Place in the oven (on 160c) for about 20-25 minutes, you can either check this is cooked with by pressing lightly on the cake and it should bounce back or you can use a skewer or cake tester to check it comes out clean.

What you have then is a gorgeous soft and moist sponge pudding, serve with cream or custard or whatever you prefer.

This all went in one sitting as everyone loves it so much, lots of hot warm oozing golden syrup is always a treat.

Next time jam maybe?

Choc Chip Cherry Crumble

My current go to pudding is a choc chip cherry crumble.

Invented as an emergency pudding this delicious and simple pudding is now a firm favourite.

Using either frozen or tinned cherries (frozen are better in my opinion) this is an easy store cupboard pudding.

Ingredients:
150g frozen cherries or a tin of cherries (drained)
100g self raising flour
50g sugar
20g dark chocolate
50g butter or stork margarine if you'd prefer
1 tbsp cherry brandy (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 160c

1. Place the cherries and cherry brandy (if using) in an oven proof dish.

2. Place flour, sugar and chocolate in a food processor and blitz together until the chocolate is well chopped add the butter/margerine and mix again until it resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively if you don't have a mixer/blender then mix the butter and flour together with your fingers to make breadcrumbs and then add the sugar and chop the chocolate up and add that and stir until well mixed.

4. Place the crumble top on the cherries and spread evenly. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top and place in the oven for about 20 mins or until golden brown on top.

5. Serve with cream or custard.

You don't have to include the cherry brandy, I personally think it adds a little zing and it isn't enough alcohol to really make it alcoholic.

This week I am linking up to Recipe of the Week over on A Mummy Too blog.

Mini Blackberry Crumble

I have found that if my son helps make something or has had some involvement in it, he eats it no questions asked.

The other week he had helped my mum pick some blackberries from their garden so as a quick pudding I made some mini blackberry crumbles.

These are quick because I always have some crumble mix in the freezer, a good tip is to just make an extra batch when making a large one, perfect for quick or emergency puddings.

Add a handful of frozen blackberries into a ramekin, top with the crumble mix, add a sprinkle of sugar and bake until the top is golden and voila....

For children I advise removing from the ramekin as it will be hot, serve with a dollop of ice cream or some cream and away you go.

I would love to hear what quick and easy puddings you have that are a mini person favourite.

Favourite Recipe Friday - Sunken Chocolate Dessert Cakes

If I haven't catered for pudding and one is called for this is my go to dessert, all of the ingredients are in my cupboards or fridge, it looks impressive and is super tasty with a spoon of ice cream.

Ingredients: Serves 4

125g Unsalted Butter
150 Dark Chocolate
3 Eggs
30g Plain Flour
115g Caster Sugar
Some extra butter and sugar for the ramekins

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c. Melt the extra butter and grease four ramekins, coat lightly with the extra sugar to stop it sticking to the ramekin (Tip: I place a teaspoon of sugar in and shake with my hand covering the ramekin, it usually covers the whole of the inside and just tip any excess out).

Put the chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl and melt, either over a saucepan of hot water or in the microwave and leave to cool slightly.

 

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl using electric beaters until the mixture is pale in colour and thick.

Sift the flour into the egg mixture, then whisk in the flour.  

Once combined whisk in the melted chocolate and butter mixture until everything is mixed together.

 

 

Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins and place on a baking tray.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until set and firm to touch. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto plates. If they don't want to come out then run a knife round the edge of the ramekin to loosen. Or if you prefer you could serve in the ramekins themselves but as long as you have greased and sugared them up enough they should be fine!

 

Serve warm with ice cream and enjoy!