Truly Scrumptious - It's Pancake Day!

And it's one of the ways I wooed or is it wowed by husband when I first met him.  I was living in a shared house in London and making pancakes (both sweet and savoury) for everyone in the house when he popped in to visit a friend.  He's never asked me to make them again so maybe not.

But for a while when we were houseparents in a boarding house, he did use to make them for everyone.  I think his record was 120 in a sitting!

So whether you want to make from scratch, buy a mix or even buy them ready made, there's no excuse not to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.  And of course, make sure you're well protected in an apron.  If you don't already have one then get one of ours here.  Choose from appliqued designs or personalise your own.  

They're perfect for Mother's Day gifts too.

And if you're going to have a go yourself, here's a simple recipe from BBC Good Food magazine.

You will need:

• 100g plain flour
• 1 large egg
• 300ml milk
• oil or melted butter, for frying

Directions:
1. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre with the back of a spoon then break in the egg and pour in half the milk. Whisk together, gradually incorporating the flour to make a smooth thick batter. Beat thoroughly to remove any lumps, then stir in the rest of the milk.

2. Heat a little oil or butter in a medium frying pan, then tip off the excess into a bowl. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan, tilting the pan as you pour, until the batter thinly coats the base. Cook over a moderate heat for 30 seconds to one minute until golden brown on the underside. 

3. Flip over the pancake with a palette knife, and cook the other side until it is golden brown. Slide the pancake out of the pan on to a plate, heat a little more oil or butter and cook the remaining pancakes one at a time in the same way.

Happy flipping!

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Stress free kids' parties

I loved this article by Natalie Trice and had to share it with you.

When I read Martha Stewart describing birthday parties being like road trips: getting there is half the fun. I laughed as I learned this the hard way when I planned a surprise circus party for my son. There were going to be clowns and acrobats flying through a big top whilst guests ate candy floss and had their faces painted. On paper it was perfect but when I told the birthday boy he burst into tears and whispered he didn’t want a circus party.  The thing is, whilst social media bragging and peer pressure have upped the party stakes, if we go back to basics, all that matters is the birthday boy or girl has fun and feels special.  Whether you rub your hands in delight at the thought of planning a party or reach for the wine bottle in despair, you can successfully keep a bunch of over-excited revelers, high on sugar, happy and entertained for two hours, you just need a PLAN.

ALL ABOUT THE THEME: Go with a theme your child likes, trust me on this. If they’re mad about Minecraft, how about a junk making party? Rock ‘n’ roll parties with instruments and a stage are great for budding musicians, a cupcake decorating party is cute and a treasure hunt for pirates will keep children entertained for ages.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Whilst parties at home keep costs down, going for a Church hall, leisure centre, pizza restaurant or bowling alley often means leaving the washing up and mess for someone else; BOOK IT!

GUEST LIST: Whist it might be ‘PC’ to ask the entire class, extended family and Brownie pack, things will spiral out of control. Most children won’t think about putting noses out of joints they just want the people they like at their party – end of.

KEEP THEM BUSY: You can guarantee one irritating delightful guest will say your party was ‘rubbish’. Book an entertainer, have a disco, organise a karaoke competition and have a plan B, that way they will be busy from start to finish and too tired to complain when they are collected.

FAB FOOD: Be imaginative with food; ‘flying saucers’ (mini-bagels) and ‘moon rocks’ (rice crispy cakes) are loved by astronauts and telescope wraps are perfect for pirates. It you stick with pizzas and sandwiches make them star and heart-shaped and put out big bowls of snacks and fruit too, but no nuts.

INVITE EXTRA HELP: Some parents read party as ‘kid free shopping time’. However, be smart, ask some of them along, give them snacks and fizz and you’ll have a team of waitresses, peace keepers, toilet monitors and DJs for free.

A PIECE OF CAKE: Whether you make it or buy it, cake is key. Once the candles have been blown out don’t just slice it up and squish it into party bags, serve it as dessert. If it is too good to share, pop fairy cakes into the party bags and keep it for later.

PARTY BAGS: Speaking of party bags, not giving them out is pretty much social suicide. Funky, bright cellophane bags can be filled with pots of Play Doh, toy dinosaurs, hair clips or mini books and tied with a ribbon attached to a glitter filled balloon. If you want to do something a bit different, a cool alternative is a lucky dip, where each child picks a present and cupcake as they leave, simple but effective.

Finally, charge up your camera, relax and try to enjoy the party and smiles because these days don’t last forever.

P.S. If you hire a female entertainer who dresses up as Spiderman at tea time be prepared for the kids to talk, and the Dads to look!

Natalie Trice is a freelance journalist, writer and award-nominated blogger, she knows a thing or two about PR and social media too. She’s also a Mummy to two small boys, wife to Oliver and an owner of a cat and a dog. When she isn't writing or networking on Facebook, Natalie is an avid shopper, coffee drinker and collector of handbags and shoes. www.passionateaboutwords.co.uk

I guess my tenuous link of the day would be our great character inspired T-shirts which complement most themes - pirates, cops, knights, spacemen, cowboys and indians, witches and firemen.  You can check them out here. 

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Great Escapes - Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo

It's half term in Wales and where better to take the kids in Spring than to a farm where they can see all the newborn lambs.  

What started out as a small dairy farm near Tenby, Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo has become recognised as the Best Family Day Out in Wales, where you can not only find donkeys, chickens, horses and other traditional farmyard animals, .....

..... but also zebra, ostrich, camel, lemurs, meerkats and giraffes amongst others in their less traditional zoo!

And when you've had a go at milking a full size plastic cow!, you can burn off some energy in their adventure playground and vintage funfair.

With activities inside and out, there's something to do, even when it's raining.  Kids can enjoy Carousel Woods, Pirates Adventure, Pedal Tractors, Big Dig or Follystone Racetrack. Rides include Dodgems, Waltzers, Helter Skelter, Golden Gallopers and many more.

And probably something you wouldn't expect to see in rural West Wales on a farm - penguins!!  But such is the diversification of this impressive attraction that last year they opened Penguin Coast where you can see the birds play both above and below water.

Nothing tenuous about the link today as we have lots of farmyard animals you can choose from as well as zoo animals too.  We even have a pirate.  Check them out in our clothing range here. 

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Trivial Pursuits - Pom Pom making

Another thing I got up to last weekend when friends came to visit with their kids was a marathon pom pom making session.  Overhearing their mum explain that she would show them how to make them the traditional way using cardboard I couldn't resist the urge to leap in and introduce them to the amazing time-saving pom pom maker that had Kirsty Allsop so giddy when she discovered them on her last C4 series.

However, there are several ways to make your pom pom, so here are some YouTube clips using cardboard, special machines or just your hand, as well as my own visual tutorial for making multiple mini pompoms 

which I discovered when making bootees to complement my moptop hats which you can see here and buy from our website.  

Just using your hand .....

... or cardboard ...

... or a special machine ...

Enjoy!

And of course, let us see how you get on or which method you prefer, or indeed, if you have a method of your own.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Something for the weekend - Lego

I know the world seems to have gone Lego mad with the release of Lego - the Movie, and I hadn't been surprised that my 7-year old nephew seems to have more boxes of the little bricks than I thought possible.  However  I was amazed to discover that my husband's cousin who is quite a bit older proved a huge hit with Freddie when he showed him a picture of his completed Tower Bridge (sadly the cousin isn't Becks, who also revealed his love of Lego recently).

My experience is limited to the traditional coloured bricks which were all square or rectangular.  I had moved on before the shaped pieces came in that intrigued and gripped my younger sister and there were only basic people who had removable hair that you could replace with a helmet if they were a fireman!

So I had no idea about architectural bricks and I had assumed that in order to complete one of these amazing buildings you had to buy a kit, but apparently not.  At least not if you are Duncan Titmarsh who traded in his job as a kitchen fitter to become the only professional lego builder in Britain to be recognised by the Danish company.

His change of career came about five years ago and he is now the director of Bright Bricks.  He admits : ‘It was hard at first to make the change, and my family and close friends thought I was mad.  But I’m thrilled that I made the change when I did as it’s something that I enjoy doing every day.’

My nephew would be in awe of his warehouse with its massive array of organised trays and compartments where Duncan  spends up to eight hours a day in the warehouse building a variety of designs.

He said: ‘I love the variety in my work; you just don’t know what you’re going to be doing each day.'  As he is commissioned to do different projects, ‘Each day is different and until people send in their photographs and designs - I don’t know what I’ll be working on.  I love to see the work when it’s finished and the recognition and response I receive from people is fantastic.'

There are lots of different buildings to have a go at.  Some are very reasonably priced so within everyone's price range.  And there is clearly a collector's market as some, such as the Taj Mahal and Statue of Liberty are no longer available.  You can still get Sydney Opera House or Grand Emporium if you're looking for something on a grand scale.

And if you're tempted to have a go at building Tower Bridge yourself, take a quick look at the kit before it's assembled.  There are 4300 pieces!  And read what others who have made this had to say:

Took me about four hours just to count pieces and sort them into separate "sections"  ... took about 20 hours over a period of five days. ... Loved it - Great addition to my city but right now have to find a place to put it somewhere in my house. 

It always amazes me that someone somewhere figured this out. Someone figured that if you put this series of legos on top of these other legos - you get room for another layer which will ultimately create a pattern that looks like a stone wall!

And can I find a tenuous link today?  Well I guess the closest I can come up with is one of my own kits, albeit a knitting kit, which you can buy here .....

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Out and About - Farmer Palmers

For most of you it's half term and even if the sun's not shining today, at least the weather finally looks as though it's improving.  But, whatever the weather, Farmer Palmers Farm Park, Poole is an ideal family day out. You’ll get close to all sorts of farm animals, learn about them and have fun doing it. Plus, every day join in with the constantly changing, hands-on children’s farm Activities and Demonstrations.

To add to your adventure their Award Winning Farm Attraction has a real Farmer Palmer! There are lots of events and offers for the Autumn/Winter. Children can explore the play areas, whoosh down slides, pedal tractors, scramble through straw tunnels and much more! And there's even an indoor soft play area.

The farm has been in the family for three generations and, by diversifying and opening the Park (run by brother and sister Phillip and Sandra Palmer) they have ensured its survival.  They are proud to have won both national and local awards for their attraction and service because, as they say, 'we understand that family time is precious in this busy world.  Here at Farmer Palmer's we encourage children to explore, learn and gain confidence in the fresh air, in a relaxed, fun atmosphere.  It is so rewarding to see happy children's faces having fun during their family day out.'

You can watch cows being milked and have a go at feeding some of the animals yourself too.

As well as cows, they have pigs, ponies, alpacas, ducks, goats, lambs, deer and donkeys. They even have an owl called Alan.  

And for the grown ups, there's somewhere to relax with a delicious coffee in the warm Hen House Restaurant!  And if you don't fancy a spot of lunch, you can at least indulge in a slice of Dawn's cake! 

And because we can't resist a link, check out our hats and tops with great farm animals on them too.

 

  

www.cobwebknits.co.uk