The Walled Garden at Clumber Park

A few weekends ago we went camping at Clumber Park, it is a great place to escape to and not far from where we live.  Included in the camping fee is entry in to the walled garden, we have been in there once before and it is a beautiful place to explore, full of colours which change through the seasons.

This visit did not disappoint, with Dahlias as big as your head, lots of fruit, veg and plenty of insects and wildlife to see too, it was a colourful delight

The greenhouses are the first stop, they tell the history of the gardens and how they were used, from back in the 1800s, up to the present day, it is an interesting look back into how some things have changed but it also shows that really a lot remains the same.

One of my favourite spots is the potting shed, with rows and rows of pots, I loved to imagine how many hands they have passed through, how many seedlings they have grown and how many of the plants there today they have been home to.

There is currently a trail about fruit and vegetables from around the world and where they originate from, it was interesting to see where things came form and sometimes places you don't really think of. The kids always love a quiz and it got them running round like Challenge Anneka, trying to find all of the blow up globes with the answers on, dotted around the gardens.

With so many other plants and flowers to spot and try and guess what they were it was a lovely way to spend an hour.

If you are visiting Clumber any time, then I can highly recommend stopping by for a look round, the walled garden is a wonderful place to sit and reflect.

A Great Sprout Alternative

I love sprouts, they are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals and I could eat them with every roast. But my family are not so keen, my son will eat brussels but only one or two, so when I was asked to tryFlower Sprouts I was intrigued to see whether I could get the whole family to give them a go, by incorporating them into every day meals.

First of all what is a Flower Sprout? 

"The inspiration behind the idea for flower sprouts came from a desire to create a Brussels sprout with a more subtle flavourwhich was versatile and looked great. The result - a brand new vegetable which looks a little like a tiny cabbage with green frilly leaves and streaks of purple. Just 100g of Flower Sprouts® contain double the amount of vitamin B6 the vitamin that helps us use and store energy from the food we eat and twice the amount of vitamin C than standard Brussels sprouts."

Well we've tried them in many variations, steamed with a roast dinner, with meatballs and pasta which was one of the recipes from Flower Sprouts.

And probably one of my favourites was as a smoothie, this is a super way to get all the vitamins in one go, whizzed up with some coconut water, banana, a handful of spinach, some cacao, almond butter and a squeeze of agave syrup it is a suitably yummy way to enjoy flower sprouts.

For me, I really enjoyed eating the Flower Sprouts in every form, when cooked they have a wonderfully soft texture, a mix between kale and a sprout, they have a subtle taste and are easy to eat.

My son tried one and said it was excellent, my husband, the veggie hater, tried one raw and said he thought they were better that way than cooked and my daughter tried a bit of one and didn't want anymore. But she is four and still at a slightly fussy stage in her diet, she tried it though and we will persevere to get her to eat them.

There are some wonderful recipes on the Flower Sprouts website and I will be buying more to try with them, I buy normal sprouts even though the rest of the family aren't too keen. Usually if I have them on my plate they will give them another try.

Certainly with the festivities of Christmas these wonderful little veggies make the perfect and pretty alternative to Brussels sprouts. With them looking like flowers they are sure to be a hit with children who don't like the look of normal sprouts. There is certainly place for all types of sprouts on my dinner table though.

NB: This is a collaborative review post, all words and opinions are my own.

Southwell Ploughing Match 2015

A few weeks ago, we headed over to the Southwell Ploughing Match, it has grown since we last went and we spent at least 6 hours wandering round the many stalls tents and exhibits. It was a great day out, that also allowed us to show the children what farming was like many years ago and now.  As well as how important farming is to Britain and how we need to support local producers with a fair price for the extremely hard work that goes into farming.

The ploughing itself took place early on in the morning, so first of all, we went to the fields to watch this. With lots of different machinery, from horse drawn ploughs, through to the first motorised models and to the modern machines of today, it was a wonderful look into how far we'd come.

Afterwards, we grabbed some food from one of the many wonderful food stalls in the farmers market area, for lunch, we chose our favourite farm shop which is Maxeys and grabbed a few of their wonderful burgers. As well as a few beers from a local brewery's stall, later on in the day we bought some cakes from All Mine Cakes and some raw milk from Milky Business, both fabulous local businesses. 

After finishing our burgers and beers, we headed to watch the digger dancing, a great opportunity for the children to sit down as well as to watch an absolutely wonderful spectacle. Six diggers all doing acrobatics, it was brilliant and a great thing to be able to watch.

Next up, we went and looked at some of the many other stalls around the site, my son had a go at archery. It was great to be able to try something new out, especially something like archery when we are in Robin Hood County.

We next went to the craft and produce tent, there were amazing flowers, vegetables, drawings and displays of all sorts. The scarecrows were particularly cute, as were the animals made from vegetables, the winner being a rather creative and oober cute elephant made out of cabbage, red onions and beetroot.

And where would a farming related show be without some some wonderful animals. To be able to get up close and personal with some of the finest specimens of cows and sheep was a great experience for the children, you don't realise how big cows are either until you're up that close.

We had an absolutely amazing day and the children both got something from the craft tent to take home. As well as seeing how faming works, we got to meet many wonderful makers, from milk to cakes and toys to farming.

We will definitely be back next year and if you are local and I can highly recommend it.

Beautiful Beetroot Brownies

One sure fire way of getting everyone to eat fruit or veg in this house is to hide it and make it taste like something else.

So when I saw some gorgeous local beetroot the other day I knew I had to get some and make some yummy beetroot brownies.

Ingredients:

250g Dark Chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
250g Unsalted Butter
250g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
150g Self Raising Flour
250g Beetroot, boiled until tender, peeled and grated ( I use a food processor with the grater attachment)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a baking tin of approximately 20 x 30 x 3cm and line the bottom with baking paper.

2. Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes then place them in a heatproof bowl. Melt over a pan of hot water (bain marie) stirring occasionally until completely melted.

Love melted chocolate and butter so pretty

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until mixed, you can use a handheld whisk but I tend to use a balloon whisk, then beat in the melted chocolate and butter until smooth. 

4. Gently fold in the flour and beetroot -don't overmix or it will make the brownies tough.

Beetroot is just a gorgeous colour

5. Pour the mixture into tin and smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. A knife or skewer pushed into the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Don't be tempted to overcook them! Remove the tin from the oven and leave on wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.

Best served warm with cream

This recipe is a winner and the children and my husband always ask for more plus it turns the cream a pretty purple colour so whats not to like, dare you try it on your family?

Linking up to recipe of the week over on A Mummy Too blog