This April Why Not…?

Melt down your surplus chocolate. What do you mean, you didn’t know that there was such a thing? At this time of year, especially if you have small children, you many have a glut of Easter eggs in your house. When my children were younger, we melted these down and stirred in cornflakes or rice krispies to make chocolate crispy cakes. Melted chocolate is also ideal for spreading on sponge cakes or plain digestive biscuits to turn them into chocolate digestives.  For a ‘healthier’ option, place pieces of fruit on skewers and dip them in melted chocolate – yummy!

Take a walk along the prom. It may not be warm enough to sit on the beach or take in a dip in the sea as yet, but you can still enjoy the sea air by taking a walk along some of our great British seafronts. I love to have a stroll at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, which has a substantial prom overlooking a large expanse of sandy beach, two piers (one with amusements and one with a bowling alley) and various seaside attractions to enjoy. Other great seafronts to go for a walk include Herne Bay (Kent), Eastbourne (East Sussex), Bournemouth (Dorset) and Bridlington (Yorkshire).

Visit an outdoor gym. I’m really not a fan of gyms – an onslaught of Lycra, one-upmanship and sweaty bodies – but I think outdoor gyms are a great idea. Many parks now have small outdoor gyms with various items of exercise equipment, which are fun and easy to use, combining a workout with fresh air.

Make a chicken & vegetable pasta bake. Chop about 350g lean chicken breast, brown in olive oil together with a little garlic, a small finely chopped onion, a thinly-sliced courgette and a chopped pepper (any colour). Stir in a can/carton of chopped tomatoes with basil (including juice) and add some extra herbs if desired. Meanwhile, cook about 200g fusilli pasta in boiling water until tender. Combine the chicken and veg mixture with the pasta in an ovenproof dish. Stir in a jar of creamy cook-in sauce (such as Creamy Mushroom Chicken Tonight or Tesco White Wine and Cream Sauce), and top with a little grated cheese and fresh breadcrumbs. Cook at 200C, Gas 6 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. This makes plenty for 4 (though we often serve 5 out of it) and is a tasty, filling meal.

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March Blog Review

With double-figure temperatures and sunshine one day and snow blizzards and freezing temperatures virtually the next, March has certainly been a right old mixture weather-wise. It’s been rather a mixed bag on my blog too – hopefully providing something for everyone.

I’ve had quite a lot to say about Travelodge this month, sharing my experience of stays and offering tips to help your stay go smoothly. Travelodges are basically cheap and cheerful (although occasionally lacking the cheerful), but let’s face it, you get what you pay for and they do make very handy stopover points without breaking the bank.

Following the horsemeat scandal, the focus has been on buying British meat, so I was pleased to hear that Tesco are aiming to stock more meat from British producers, as recent visits to the supermarket chain had revealed a huge selection of meat from all over Europe. We really should be supporting our own British farmers. At least fresh meat tends to be clearly labelled with the country of origin, whereas frozen meat does not always display where it is from with any clarity. New government guidelines really do need to be introduced for frozen food packaging.

Other topics that I felt strongly about this month included high cathedral admission charges (I feel that these buildings should be free and accessible to all) and self-serve checkouts (I’m really not a fan). Some responses to the cathedral charge post suggested that those of you who were tourists interested in viewing the architecture, did not mind paying a fee, but it seems agreed that those wanting to visit for some quiet reflection or to light a candle quite rightly did not expect to pay a high admission charge. Suggestions for aiming charges at tourists only include asking visitors to pay for audio or guided tours, photography permits, information leaflets and booklets or to enter special exhibition areas. No doubt the debate will continue.

I’m really hoping that April will see the weather become much more settled and definitely warmer. With the start of the school holidays in reach, I’m now looking at places to visit to keep the kids amused. Many attractions are reopening after their winter break, so hopefully you’ll get to visit a few.

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Easter Holiday Fun – Outdoor Museums

Now that spring has arrived (nominally at least) and the school Easter holidays are about to start, many visitor attractions will be opening their doors following their winter closure. Even attractions that remained open during the winter months tend to increase their opening hours and available facilities once we get into spring.

With warmer, drier weather, it’s a great time to get the kids out and about and make good use of their energy. If you enjoy museums, but don’t want to be stuck indoors, then why not visit some of the outdoor museums around the country?

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, West Sussex, (7 miles north of Chichester on A286, adults from £10.40, children from £5.70, family from £29.50 (higher charges if agreeing to Gift Aid). This is a great rural location, with plenty of space for the kids to run around (50 acres), with over 50 buildings that have been rescued from various locations around the South East and rebuilt for visitors to enjoy. We particularly loved the Tudor kitchen, where we literally got a taste of some interesting Tudor fayre and enjoyed having a picnic lunch overlooking the lake, which we supplemented with hot drinks and cake from the café. It makes a really great day out.

East Anglia Transport Museum, Lowestoft, (at Carlton Colville, 3 miles outside Lowestoft), adults £7.50, children £5.50, with tickets valid for 1 year if you consent to Gift Aid. What’s great about this little museum is not only do you get to see the exhibits, you get to ride on them too (included in admission price). It’s great fun riding the trams, trolleybuses and light railway, as well as wandering round the recreated street complete with shop fronts. This is a great place to take the grandparents too for a bit of nostalgia.

Other places to try:

Museum of Kent Life, Maidstone, Kent, combines historic buildings with farm animals and children’s’ play areas, also hosts a number of special events.

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham, a recreation of a small rural town, with a selection of shops, farm, mine etc – lots to do!

There’ll be some more Easter Holiday outing ideas coming next week.

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DS Games – Vampire Moon, The Mystery Of The Hidden Sun

Vampire stories have become increasingly popular over recent years, with this Transylvania-based DS game following the trend.

News reporter, Emily Davis, sets out to solve a mystery, but as with many games of this type, I tend to skim the story and get down to the business of actual game play.

Once again, the game consists of hidden object levels, putting a few of the objects to minimal use along the way. The hidden object scenes are quite average, although you do need to find some notes and jewels in addition to the listed objects.

There are a few minigames, but these are quite basic and easy to complete. I found the labyrinth games the easiest I’ve solved and there is a game that just involves rubbing your stylus over the screen, to reveal symbols – like the old ‘magic drawing’ books I had as a child.

Although I would only rate this as an ‘average’ game, there is still some enjoyment to be had from it.

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Spring’s Body Beautiful

With the weather (hopefully) getting warmer, we’ll soon start to ditch the jumpers, thick tights, skirts and warm trousers in favour of lighter t-shirts, skirts and cropped trousers, exposing a bit more flesh in the process - though this may get delayed a bit this year.

At this point panic may set in. Have you neglected your skin somewhat during the winter months whilst it has been covered with heavy layers of clothing, resulting in dull, dry skin? Now’s the time to embark on a spring rescue regime for your body.

Get that skin toned for Spring

To slough off dead skin cells creating softer, brighter skin, treat yourself to a gentle body scrub such as Simple Kind To Skin Exfoliating Body Wash or Radox Spa Radiant Shower Scrub with fig and neroli oil, which smells gorgeous. Or you can make your own by mixing together sugar and olive oil to form a paste, massage onto dry areas and rinse well. If you like you can add a few drops of a scented oil to make it more interesting.

If you find body scrubs a bit too harsh, then buy a brightening body wash such as Dove Silk Glow Nourishing Body Wash, which softens and conditions skin, leaving it ‘glowing’.

After showering/bathing apply an effective body moisturiser – some target specific problems at the same time as moisturising. I recommend Nivea Firming Body Lotion Q10 Plus, which ‘promises’ that it ‘’firms skin in two weeks”, and Dove Firming Lotion that boasts ‘improved skin elasticity within 24 hours”, both of which are easily absorbed, whilst toning and moisturising your skin.  I tend to swap between the two and feel that my skin really benefits from their use.

For stubborn dry patches use Simple Derma Intensive Cream which claims to improve dry skin patches in just four days. When I applied this to a stubborn area of dry skin on my foot, it really made a difference, where other products had failed to help.

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Supermarket Cafés

You may have occasionally popped into the café of your local supermarket when doing your weekly shop, but we often use these handy eating-places at other times too.

When making a long journey, we often look up an out-of-town supermarket restaurant to stop for a meal break as opposed to using a service station, or eat in them when staying at a Travelodge or on a self-catering holiday.

Here’s a rundown of the main supermarket cafés.

Morrisons Definitely the best for value and choice in my opinion. A great menu covering breakfasts, snacks, sandwiches, salads and hot meals – all very reasonably priced. What I really like about Morrisons cafés is that you can order light meals such as egg on toast (£1.69 for two eggs and two slices of toast) all day, whereas some of its competitors stop selling these items at the end of breakfast (11-11.30). Opening hours are convenient with branches staying open until 7-8pm making it possible to go there for an evening meal. The cold food section is one of the best on offer, with sandwich trays including a little side salad and mini bag of crisps, and cream teas consisting of two small sandwiches, a cream scone or egg custard tarts and a pot of tea for a little over £2. And what else do Morrisons have that other restaurants don’t? A tray rack. A handy device fitted under the table to deposit your tray, instead of wandering around aimlessly deciding what to do with it.

Sainsburys I’ve had some very mixed experiences of Sainsburys restaurants, ranging from dire (Stanway, Colchester) to really great (Milton Keynes), but then I’ve visited a fair few. Most branches seem to close about 7pm, so you can have an early evening meal, with some tasty hot dishes on offer, my favourite being their Tikka Masala. I also love their cheese scones (when available) but find their sandwiches and toasties somewhat dearer than in other supermarket cafés, although their hot drinks are quite reasonable.

Tesco Great for breakfasts, (you can order individual items very cheaply) and light lunches (delicious, hearty soups with roll and croutons for around £2.25), but not an option for an evening meal as most branches seem to close by 6pm. I find their hot food menu a little boring anyway, so tend to pop in just for lighter meals and snacks.

Asda I’ve had very limited experience of Asda cafés, with the couple of odd occasions that I’ve visited not being very memorable. Fair selection, reasonable prices, but nothing that makes me want to go back.

What are your experiences of supermarket cafés? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

March’s Random Thoughts

It’s amazing how many of us seem to talk to machines. Cashpoints, self-service tills, and car park pay stations – how often do you talk to (or hear others talk to) any of these? I’m very polite, I usually say ‘thank you’ to them.

Random thoughts - random picture

Have you noticed how many garments that you buy need buttons stitched back on or seams repaired after only a couple of wears? And I’m not just talking about budget brands either.

Why do some people find it necessary to use a jumbo-sized umbrella (large enough to house a small family) whilst walking along a crowded high street, virtually slaying fellow pedestrians in their wake? Smaller umbrellas are available, greatly reducing the risk to the general public.

“One hundred Humphries soft as silk,

Out on the search for your Unigate milk,

Get extra pintas or you’ll be without.

Watch out watch out, watch out, watch out,

There’s a Humphrey about!”

Sorry I have these momentary lapses of nostalgia, this one courtesy of Unigate milk. I feel better for that now.

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