Flipping great Pancake Day events

Posted on February 16, 2012 by chris.pullon

Pancake Day in upon us again! We love Pancake Day so have a section of the site dedicated to it

With this blog post we thought we’d take a look at some of the ways that Pancake Day is celebrated across the country, beginning with Chippenham’s annual Pancake Race. Starting at Chippenham Town hall at 11am on Tuesday, all you need to take is a pan, a pancake (they can also be purchased at the event) and a steely determination to have fun!

Not to be outdone, London is also hosting its own versions of the Chippenham races with no fewer than 4 races taking place. Viewlondon.co.uk have written an excellent write up of the events that you can see here.  With the Olympics just around the corner this might be your last chance to show off your sprinting skills, just remember to leave you pan at home if you make the 100 metres final!

For those in the North West, The Jungle in Warrington might have the perfect event for you. As well as being an award winning play centre, The Jungle  is hosting a free pancake decoration and eating event at 11am, 1pm and 4pm. Pop along for some family fun.

If you’re heading abroad this pancake day then you may be able to sample how Shrove Tuesday is treated in other countries, for example:

  • In Brazil it’s carnival time, with elaborate fashion and street processions
  • Iceland has Sprengidagur (Bursting Day) on which salted meats and peas are eaten instead of pancakes
  • Poland has an altogether different take, with celebrations happening the previous Thursday – known locally as Fat Thursday

Wherever you are this Pancake Day, we hope you eat lots and have a great time!

 

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One-pot cooking for cold evenings

Posted on February 14, 2012 by chris.pullon

It’s cold outside so we thought you might enjoy some tasty one-pot meals to warm you up, fill your bellies and not break the bank!

This Mexican beef chilli is a classic that is guaranteed to be a hot favourite in your household. You can spice your evening up with sombreros, jalapeños and a piñata to turn dinner time into party time!

Another favourite of ours is cottage pie, but it can sometimes do with a little lift. Simon Rimmer seems to have thought the same as us, creating this fabulous looking Chinese duck cottage pie. As you can see, it’s easy to prepare and will breathe life into a household staple.

If we’re ever in doubt then we like to ask ‘What would Delia do?’ Well, when making a one-pot meal Delia would do a very quick moussaka. If you’re a veggie then you can swap out the lamb mince for veggie mince and it will still be very tasty – just be careful that the cheese is veggie too!

To get started with one-pot cooking, try the IKEA casserole dish with lid

 

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Cool ways to save money

Posted on December 12, 2011 by chris.pullon

STRALA Pendant Lamp

Winter has finally arrived. The days are getting shorter, the temperature is dropping, and it won’t be long before ‘the wrong kind of snow’ causes the UK to come to its annual standstill. You may not enjoy the cold, but it can certainly save you money. In fact, taking full advantage of your freezer is one of the easiest ways to save the pennies in the kitchen.

Did you know that the average household in the UK wastes an average of £420 worth of food annually? In fact, we throw away about 25% of the food that we buy. To help you reduce waste and save those precious pounds, here are some really useful tips for making the most out of your freezer:

No limit: Most people underestimate the amount of time you can safely store frozen food. As a rule of thumb, food stored constantly below 0˚C will always be safe to eat. Also, aside from a couple of exceptions such as eggs and tinned products, you can freeze almost any food. So that steak that’s been hiding at the back of the freezer for the past year is fine.

Bulk buy: Buying food in bulk often works out cheaper than buying individual servings. Keep an eye out for 2 for 1 offers in the supermarket and store the extra food in the freezer.

Bulk cook: Next time you cook a delicious meal, make a large batch of it and store whatever you don’t eat in the freezer for another day. It’s a great way to save both time and money.

Freeze it before it’s too late: Racing against the clock to finish the milk before its expiry date? Eating chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner because you’ve bought too much? If you know you’re not going to be able to finish the food before its use by date, just stick in the freezer and have it another time.

Stock up: A full freezer is more energy efficient that an empty one as it doesn’t have to work as hard to stay cool. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go out and buy lots of food to fill it up. Try using bottles of tap water or even scrunched up newspaper to fill the empty space. This could really help save money on your energy bills.

Defrost: More frost than food in the freezer? Defrosting your freezer regularly helps it to run more efficiently, saving energy and freeing up space for more food.

Need a new freezer? Why not check out our stylish and energy efficient fridges & freezers?

 

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Kitchen Advent-ures with the Kids

Posted on December 6, 2011 by chris.pullon

For kids, one of the most exciting things about the countdown to Christmas is running to the kitchen each morning and opening a new window on their advent calendar. With Christmas just around the corner, now is the perfect time to transform your kitchen into a winter wonderland. As we count down the days to Christmas, here are 25 great ideas that you and your kids can use to bring in the festive season.

  1. Decorate the windows with instant snow in a can to create that wintery look.
  2. How about decorating a small Christmas tree in the kitchen? Our tree decorations are guaranteed to create the perfect Christmas mood.
  3. Looking for a way to display your Christmas cards? Hang them on a line of ribbon with some decorative pegs.
  4. For the budding Picasso in the family, why not hand-paint some ceramic plates with pictures of Rudolph or Santa? You could then use the plates on Christmas Day.
  5. Try making your own Christmas crackers to make sure your Christmas goes off with a bang.
  6. Bake some delicious Christmas cookies. The kids will love making shapes with our SNÖDRIVA pastry cutters.
  7. A tablecloth designed with felt pens and stencils is an excellent way to add a personal touch to the Christmas table.
  8. Bring some colour to the kitchen by painting your own flowerpots and filling them with poinsettias.
  9. Nothing says Christmas like tinsel. You could use it to decorate the kitchen.
  10. A great way of setting the perfect Christmas table is by designing your own centrepiece. You could use flowers, baubles or even candy canes.
  11. Bake some mince pies to eat on Christmas Day…but don’t forget to save some for me!
  12. It wouldn’t be Christmas without the Christmas pudding. Delia Smith has a great recipe that you could try.
  13. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could try making your own holly wreath and hanging it on the kitchen door.
  14. Use some white pipe cleaners and glitter to make beautiful snowflakes and hang them in the kitchen window.
  15. Why not create your own quiz to play after the Christmas meal? It’s a great way of involving even the grumpiest of relatives.
  16. Make some personalised Christmas cards with the kids. The kitchen is the perfect place to get messy with glitter and glue.
  17. Snow cones are delicious and simple to make. All you need is crushed ice and juice.
  18. Hide some treats around the kitchen and let the kids try to find them.
  19. Let the kids design place names for the Christmas table. Make it extra exciting by letting them choose who sits next to whom.
  20. Try making some snazzy Christmas hats out of coloured tissue paper.
  21. Why not make your own Christmas nativity scene with finger puppet characters?
  22. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree…Make a playlist of your favourite Christmas anthems and sing along whilst you’re preparing the Christmas lunch.
  23. Do you have an advent calendar hanging on the fridge? You could compliment it with some Christmas themed fridge magnets.
  24. Create a festive atmosphere in the kitchen with our gorgeous Christmas lights.
  25. Christmas is the perfect time for drinking eggnog and mulled wine. Avoid ring stains on wooden tables by designing your own drinks coasters.

 

For more Christmas ideas and inspiration, check out the Winter Holiday section of our website.

 

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Dishwasher Infographic

Posted on September 30, 2011 by admin

Great information on the exciting world of dishwashers! (click image to view full-size):

An exciting dishwasher infographic

The Dishwasher Infographic

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Student Kitchen Essentials

Posted on September 21, 2011 by ben.bale

Off to university? Waving goodbye to your student kids? Either way you’re probably worried about the terrors that lurk in the average student kitchen. From living on noodles for months on end to only owning one spoon;  everyone knows at least one univeristy kitchen story that would make ‘The Young Ones’ reach for the bleach.

student kitchen

So to keep you away from months of noodles and claims that pizza boxes work perfectly well as plates, here are some of our tips to surviving university kitchens.

Better than ketchup - There’s no doubt that tomato sauce is a staple student food, it goes on everything! That being said, a Thai sweet chilli sauce will spice things up a bit and as you’re using less, will last a lot longer.

Better than noodles - Far from their image of only being eaten by vegetarians, lentils work as a great ‘go to’ accompaniment for anything from Moroccan chicken to fish, sausages, anything. Throw them in with a sauce and enjoy. Plus they’re super-healthy so your Mum will be happy.

Better than beans - Everyone knows that baked beans are cheap and cheerful. For that reason they’re often the one thing you can ensure is in every student kitchen. So how do you make baked beans tastier? Tabasco sauce is a good way to add a kick. Also, a bit of brown sugar & bacon will turn your beans into a very tasty snack!

So what about the tools of the trade? Top chefs will often have thousands of different ways to chop, crush, grate, etc. However, here are three ways to ‘double up’ on some of your essentials.

A tin opener doubles as… a bottle opener. Never buy a bottle opener and tin opener separately, most tin openers will have a bottle opener on the other end and at a push could also be used to stir soup, although we wouldn’t recommend that!

A large wok doubles as…a sauce pan and frying pan. This one is a great money saver. Wok’s might not be the best option, but at a push they’re as useful for cooking a stew as they are for a fry up!

Two final money saving tips:

Chances are that most student kitchens are used by a lot of people. But yet everyone is just cooking for one. Save money buying bulk and cooking for everyone, if there are ten of you, you’re cooking one big meal and getting nine other meals scott free!

Even if you do find yourself living on your own, you can still save money here by cooking more and then freezing extras for future meals, cook once, eat lots!

 

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Complete Kitchen Attire

Posted on August 26, 2011 by chris.pullon

You have all the ingredients, you’ve splashed out on fancy equipment and there’s only one more thing you need to turn you into the next super chef – a chef’s outfit.

Here’s a quick guide to point you in the right direction.

Make sure everyone knows you are the head chef with this Tallboy hat. You may need to duck when you walk through the kitchen door but there’s plenty of space to place an ice pack if things get a little heated!

Consider making your little ones your assistants with these fetching skull caps!

Next the chef’s jacket! Available in a range of sizes (and also for men) these jackets definitely look the part. Made to commercial specifications you will command instant respect so that you can boss people around a-la Gordon Ramsay. Do they look good? YES CHEF!!

If you’re worried that you look a little too much like a pro and you don’t really want to have to wash your white jacket after each use then you’ll need a good quality apron. The IKEA GUNSTIG will shield you from blobs and splashes and has a loop to hang tongs and spatulas from.

So, now you’re set, I’ll have the lobster thermidor please!

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Summer Cocktail Ideas

Posted on August 15, 2011 by chris.pullon

As its summer you may be feeling the urge to have a bit of fun with your alcoholic drinks creating cocktails. If you feel like having a party with a difference this summer here are some extravagant drink stories to get your creative juices flowing!

World’s strongest Cocktail

Invented in the 1800s by a street worker who was running a bootleg drinks shack, the “Aunt Roberta” was responsible for 34 deaths in the two years it was sold.The ‘Aunt Roberta’ ingredients were:

  • Three shots of vodka
  • Two shots of absinthe
  • One shot of brandy
  • One and a half shots of gin
  • One shot of blackberry liqueur

This fiery cocktail has eight and a half shots in it but apparently tastes quite good because of the blackberry liqueur, although we certainly don’t suggest you try more than a sip!

You could probably just about make 2 Aunt Robertas with this lot!

World’s most expensive cocktail

In 2007 a Christmas cocktail was launched at a London A-list hang-out.

Named “Flawless”, at £35,000 for a glass it’s not going to be something we try any time soon! Ingredients in the costly cocktail consisted of a large measure of Louis XII cognac, half a bottle of Cristal Rose champagne, some brown sugar, angostura bitters and a few flakes of 24-carat edible gold leaf.

The real extravagance is left till then end – the 11-carat white diamond ring, which can be found at the bottom of the glass.

World’s Strongest (and Strangest!) Beer

BrewDog Brewery of Scotland has recently created the most bizarre beer in the world.  The beers bottle is a taxidermied animal. Not only is this beer stuffed inside of squirrels and other creatures, but it also contains 55% alcohol, making it the world’s strongest beer! (Normal beer contains about 5% alcohol.)  It costs $750 for just one bottle of this crazy beer!

Only 12 bottles of this beer, called The End of History, were created and they all sold out within one day.

World’s Largest Cocktail

The record for history’s largest cocktail belongs to British Lord Admiral Edward Russell. In 1694, he threw an officer’s party that employed a garden’s fountain as the punch bowl.

The concoction? A mixture that included 250 gallons of brandy, 125 gallons of Malaga wine, 1,400 pounds of sugar, 2,500 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and 5 pounds of nutmeg.

A series of bartenders actually paddled around in a small wooden canoe, filling up guests’ cups. Not only that, but they had to work in 15-minute shifts to avoid being overcome by the fumes and falling overboard!

The party continued nonstop for a full week, pausing only briefly during rainstorms to erect a silk canopy over the punch to keep it from getting watered down. In fact, the festivities didn’t end until the fountain had been drunk completely dry.

While we don’t suggest you try and get through a fountain’s worth, some nice cocktail party advice can be found on the main site.

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Kitchen summer holiday activities

Posted on July 11, 2011 by chris.pullon

School summer holidays have arrived for some lucky kids and are fast approaching for the rest of the UK. If you’re scratching your head for activities to keep the children entertained this summer then look no further!

Keep cool. A simple, fun and tasty thing to do is make your own ice lollies. This can make lollies cheaper, more healthy and tastier than those from the supermarket or ice cream van. Simply fill your lolly moulds, such as the MOLNFRI, with your favourite juices and leave to set in the freezer. To add an educational element, see this solids and liquids experiment game for kids aged 8-9 .

An all-time classic, the cress head never fails to raise a smile. From decorating the egg shell or yoghurt pot through to eating the cress at the end, a cress head will provide lots of fun and very happy memories.

If you have a budding Andrew Lloyd Webber  in your clan or your eldest is showing the signs of being a new Shakespeare, why  not write sit with them to write a new play? For additional actors then bring in characters from the kitchen. For starters, how about Terry the toaster,  Mike Rowave and Sidney the sink? If none of those hit the spot then we’re sure your little ones could do a lot better!

For more ideas to keep kids entertained, see our top 10 kitchen table activities for kids

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Wimbledon family fun

Posted on June 23, 2011 by chris.pullon

The covers are off, the ball boys have been trained and the grass has been freshly cut. It’s Wimbledon! To celebrate, here are some ideas to enjoy the tennis season with your friends and family.

New balls please! These sports cupcakes will taste great and they look even better. A perfect snack in between sets.

 

If you’re rushed off your feet and want to taste Wimbledon on the go, then Tesco have created a strawberries and cream sandwich. We’ll leave you to make up your mind on this one!

 

Create your own Wimbledon tournament at home with a table tennis kit. If you’ve got plenty of space in a spare room, garage or garden then why not splash out on a full size one? For smaller spaces there are plenty of miniature kits to fit on a kitchen table, they’re still plenty of fun – just make sure you set them up away from any sharp objects or hot pans and ovens etc…

 

Now, we’ve mentioned the Tesco sandwich but if that simply will not do, then get deuce-y with an ace portion of fresh strawberries and cream. Simply slice the strawberries, lob them in a bowl and serve with lashings of cream. Game, set and match!

 

 

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