Testing, testing.... OXO gravy/fat separator

OXO, which in the past year has launched products aimed at babies and tots, has brought out a range of kitchen tools to make Christmas a doddle for busy parents.
The new OXO range includes:

• a stainless-steel flour sifter, around £12, which is perfect for a keen baker and is child friendly too if you want to involve your child in making some yummy cakes
• a Y stainless-steel, soft-grip peeler, around £5, perfect for peeling not only potatoes but carrots and parsnips
• a digital instant read thermometer, around £15 - a nifty gagdet you can insert into your turkey and easily read the digital display. The storage sleeve includes readings for recommended internal cooking temperatures - great for added peace of mind
• a pro masher, around £15, which will make mashing potatoes easy peasy. It also features silicone side wipers - handy for mixing
• a six-piece measuring spoon set, around £5 - essential for precision cooking and baking, it also features bright colour-coded numbers so your little ones can have a go!
• silicone locking tongs, from around £10 for 9in size, a useful piece of kit to handle hot food, unless you have asbestos hands!
• a medium spatula, around £7, Rudolph red and heat resistant up to 600F/315C, so it won't melt, warp or discolour
• a gravy/fat separator, from £10 for 2-cup size - an ingenious piece of kit that can easily cut the fat for superior Christmas gravy!

 My partner and I tested the versatile gravy/fat separator to make two family favourites: curried chicken pieces, and lamb and spinach curry. While cooking the meat for these dishes you always get heaps of fat, which we previously tackled by using a needless syringe - a slow, greasy and offputting process!

The OXO separator, which comes with a strainer and a stopper, worked a treat - shaped like a jug, it makes it easier to pour in meat juices and dispose of unwanted fat. The fat rises and stays at the top, while the delicious gravy settles at the bottom. Easy to assemble and disassemble, it was much easier to clean too!

If you are impressed by this kitchen tool range, click here to check out the award-winning OXO Good Grips range, launched in 1990, which offers over 200 stylish and practical tools for the home. For stockist details visit www.oxouk.com or call 0114 290 1455.

Happy Halloween

Carved pumpkin and Halloween candle

We are not celebrating Halloween - perhaps my daughter is too young to be excited about it and in previous years she was scared of masks! That said we'll see what happens when I collect her from school, where they do celebrate all sort of festivals and traditions.

When we were living in Rugby, we did carve pumpkins and put them in the porch so children living in the street knew they were welcome to ring the bell and collect sweets, but Michela got really scared and she has just about stopped having issues with masks.

This has been tricky as many children's workshops or activities at children's centres revolve around making masks.... Now she really likes them and we make them very often, so if your little one shares her previous fears, don't worry... it's just a phase.

Testing, testing... Comfort fabric conditioner + colour fashion tips

As mentioned in a previous post, my daughter started school in September. Between uniform kits and after-school clothes, the washing pile has doubled up. So when I was sent two samples of Comfort fabric conditioner (one for brights and one for whites), I thought it was very timely indeed.

I have now used up the bottle for brights (most of my daughter's clothes are very colourful) and I can confirm it makes garments feel soft and leaves a lovely, lingering fragrance. Comfort Bright Colours is suitable for use on all colours, from pastels through to deeper shades, and even stripes and patterns. I washed a few sets of stripey sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases too and I couldn't stop sniffing my pillowcase - there is no greater pleasure than clean and soft bedlinen that smells fresh. I haven't noticed any fading so far, which is great news as repeated washes can take their toll on textiles. 

I haven't used up the Comfort Bright Whites fabric conditioner, but I must admit it has surpassed my expectations. After just one wash, my partner's t-shirts and my smalls came out dazzling white. Apparently, this is thanks to the Pro-White formula, which counteracts yellow or grey tones that can cause dulling and discolouration. The only thing that slightly surprised me is that the conditioner's colour is purple, like the Bright Colours version.

Pricewise, Comfort fabric conditioners are around £1 more than a supermarket's own conditioner but are more concentrated, have a longer-lasting fragrance and an eco-friendly bottle (redesigned to cut down packaging). Available nationwide, Comfort fabric conditioners (Whites and Brights) retail at £2.25 for 750ml (21 washes) and £3.88 for 1.5l (42 washes).

Colour Confidence tips from Colour Me Beautiful

Comfort has teamed up with colour image consultants Colour Me Beautiful to offer women fashion advice to suit all complexions and hair shades. I'm a DEEP, what type are you?

• If you have light blonde hair, fair pale skin and very light coloured eyes, you are a LIGHT.  Your eyelashes and brows may need to be tinted to stand out. Your overall look is light and delicate.      Always wear white or a light colour near your face – darker colours will create shadows. Strong colours will overwhelm you, so keep these to the bottom half if you can. When wearing a medium to dark shade, always add a light contrasting colour, this can be in the form of jewellery or scarf

• If you have dark hair, and dark eyes – and whether your skin is light or dark, you are a DEEP.  Your eyebrows will be dark and defined. You will look good in strong, richer colours (deep purples, damson, teal, emerald green for example). If you like pastel shades, wear them as a contrast with darker colours.   Wear white with dark shades – you look great in strong contrasts. In the summer, wear the brighter colours in your palette near your face and forget about taupes or beiges. Use accessories to lift a head-to-toe colour if this is a look you like.

• If you have red-tones to your hair, from strawberry blonde to auburn, with green, brown or blue eyes, you are WARM. You will most likely have freckles! Your overall look is warm and golden so choose colours with a yellow undertone (e.g. daffodil shades, terracotta, khaki, lime green, turquoise and for neutrals warm greys, creams and browns). You can wear your colours either tone-on-tone, or contrasting. Wear white together with warm tones to keep you glowing. If you wear navies and greys, make sure you combine them with warm golden shades. Banish any blue-based pinks in your wardrobe and make-up bag. Make the most of your fabulous hair colour with good conditioning and a current hairstyle.

• With rosy skin tone, grey, ash, salt and pepper, or platinum tones to your hair and blue or grey eyes, your colouring is COOL. Make the most of your striking elegant colouring – pinks and blues are your best friends. Ban anything with a yellow undertone from your wardrobe – and make-up bag too. Contrast your darker shades with brighter, lighter colours. Wear white with cool blues to stay looking fresh all summer long. Brown and beiges should not feature in your wardrobe.

• Do you have dark hair, and piercing blue, green or topaz eyes?  If so, you are a CLEAR.  If you are dark-skinned, you will have a strong contrast between the white of your eye and the iris. Vibrant colours are perfect for you. Your striking appearance is best matched with clear, bright and jewel-like tones, in particular near your face. Avoid wearing pale colours by your face, unless you can contrast it with a stronger, brighter one. Wear White always with brights for super-flattering contrast. Mix your colours in a dramatic contrasting way for impact. Just don’t wear dark colours on their own. Go for bold colours in your accessories.

• If your eye colour is blended or muted, and if your hair is mousy or highlighted you are a SOFT.  You will have a medium skin tone. Blend colours together rather than wear clothes with high contrast. Choose colours from the same colour family for a blended look. Lift darker shades with colours one or two tones lighter. Wear white with medium tones to avoid unflattering contrasts. Go for tone-on-tone accessories. Add highlights to mousy hair to lift your look. Go for textured or matt fabrics – nothing shiny or light-reflecting.

Mid-life crisis or a touch of Shirley Valentine?

Brit Mums: parent bloggers united

After seeing the poster of SJP's new movie I Don't Know How She Does It, I posted a discussion called How do you do it? on Brit Mums's forum, looking for tongue-in-cheek and genuine time-saving tips.

My contribution was: "I work from home, do charity work and look after a four year old. I tend to be minimalist with housework and personal grooming. For instance, why shaving my legs when I’m not wearing a skirt or I can wear cover-up thights? Why wearing full makeup if not any? It only makes me look older. Housewise: clean laundry and dishes get precedence on dusting (I have a few old pieces of furniture – it’s amazing how dust improves patina)."

Here are the frank, funny and very useful time-saving tips I got:
Troubles Mum: "Housework in our house is seen as optional. As long as the basics are done and we don’t get food poisoning, then all good. And I haven't ironed a full garment for about five years at least. No-one has ever really noticed."

Jo: " Get a breadmaker (with a timer), a dishwasher, and a coffee maker (with timer) – that way you can have your breakfast ready for you when you wake up, and clean plates and cups to eat/drink from – oh and the house smells good too Now if only we had a washing machine with a timer that hung itself out on the line too…"

Ellen Arnison: "Not sure if it’s totally relevant, but here’s how I got out of the house to work yesterday morning: http://bundance.blogspot.com/2011/09/working-mums-snap-crackle-and-pop.html." Read this and be glad if you have just one child, are working from home or are a full-time parent!
 

Me as Shirley Valentine

As I was collating my fellow bloggers' time-saving tips, my inbox was buzzing with emails from life coaches offering me to ditch my boring, surely unchallenging everyday life and live the dream. I suppose it's partly my fault for subscribing to inspirational newsletters, but they did hit a chord.

In the past weeks, I have been mulling on my professional and family life and wondered why I feel trapped. I work from home, I have a flexible work life, lovely daughter and partner, plus I'm out of renting and enjoying my new home. Where did this negativity come from?

I can blame Eat, Pray, Love and even escapism classic Shirley Valentine for putting ideas into my weary head, but perhaps it's also he realisation that I'm too old/busy/tired for certain things, like going to clubs (I still love dancing though), travelling around the world or simply having a night out without childcare complications.


One of the seductive life coaches' emails revealed that there are heaps of women in my shoes, even younger and with better career prospects (so obviously, they must be stuck in a well-paid job they loathe). So I ask myself: Am I going through an early middle-life crisis or is it a touch of Shirley Valentine?

Go on, be Shirley... download and paste your face in the blank spot!

Testing, testing... Green People's Children's Bath and Shower Citrus and Aloe Vera

I tried Green People's products before (see here), and was delighted to be able to test a gorgeously smelling wash called Children's Bath & Shower Citrus & Aloe Vera. The  200ml tube retails at £7.75, which is more expensive than your usual supermarket bath/shower wash, but again, as with other Green People products, a little will go a long way. 

The fragrance is irresistibly zesty, containing essences of ylang ylang and mandarin, and the composition is free from nasty chemicals that tend to irritate delicate children's skin (SLS/SLES, Parabens, phthalates, artificial fragrances...). 

As your child transition from toddlerhood to preschool and then school, you might well think that they have outgrown baby products. However, I find that my daughter's skin is still sensitive and some 'grown-up' products do cause rashes. Of course, if a child is prone to eczema or psoriasis, you have to be careful when choosing any product that gets in contact with their skin - pure, organic products are then the best choice. Another thing to bear in mind is that the Children's Bath & Shower Citrus & Aloe Vera is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Personally I'm not a loyal brand buyer so I either buy a baby wash (a bit bland and my daughter is starting to dislike products aimed at babies), a really mild family bath/shower product or opt for an organic option. To be honest, I buy products according to promotions - cost for me is an issue, but it doesn't mean I'd buy a brand I don't trust qualitywise just because it's cheaper.

Book giveaway: The Eco-Friendly Home, worth £14.99

Win The EcoFriendly Home!

Win The Eco-Friendly Home, worth £14.99!
I have a copy of this insightful book to give away to a lucky reader (you might want it for yourself or to give as a present). All you need to do is leave a comment using your blog name or online profile on my 1930s house blog (click here) Competition closes on 30 October 2011 and is open to UK mainland only. Only one entry per household please.

PS. If you are into DIY and female, there's a Haynes manual for us ladies... Tips on those niggling jobs and a few 'man' jokes thrown in! Click here for more info.

Testing, testing.... tinyme school labels

tinyme school label offer - save over 50% on labels

I was one of the lucky bloggers invited to test tinyme labels. I was offered tinyme's basic mixed pack, which has three label options with a mind-boggling choice of 90 different design and colours. The pack contains 48 Standard Vinyl Name Labels (51.5mm x 24mm);  48 Iron-On Clothing Labels (51.5mm x 24mm) and 24 Large Vinyl Name Labels (104mm x 24mm). Basically you stick the vinyl labels and iron on the others. The result was pretty cute  (I won't upload a photo as it has my daughter's full name).

Michela chose the label's design and went for pink/purple with a butterfly and dragonfly motifs. The labels arrived pretty quickly, before the mentioned 10 working days. As I ordered them quite late, I thought they wouldn't arrive in time for the first day of school but they did! The labels are made to order, so this is pretty good service.

I ordered my sample before the massive promotion you can see in the photo above, but the value of my order was already discounted from £41.97 to £25.99. This didn't include postage and handling, which are charged per order value. So if the order value is up to £24.99 you pay £2.99, £5.99 for higher orders.

Sticking the labels
With my iron in my right hand and a piece of baking paper on the iron-on label, I pressed down for the indicated time and nearly melt the first label. The instructions specify hot iron, but I don't advise using the max setting. I reduced the heat and doubled up the baking paper, which meant it took a tiny bit longer but the label was OK and stuck to the fabric.

I used vinyl labels for shoes, book bag and Michela's rucksack. She is in reception so she doesn't have as much kit as older children.


Durability
One week on and one machine load for uniforms, I can say the iron-on labels washed well (I wash at 30 or 40 degrees). The label inside a pair of sock was slightly wrinkly but it could have the spin cycle, I use a powerful one to minimise drying time. The vinyl labels really stuck well to the inside of her shoes, sweat didn't dislodge them. I will update this post later in the school year to let you know what happens.

Value for money - you get what you pay for!
I am a school label virgin because I used my partner's old sewing-on labels at preschool (by some coincidence, they share the same initials and obviously the surname). This old-fashioned type is still on sale but made with more modern materials. The design is pretty basic, you have a white label with the name in a colour or you have a background colour with the name in white. The cheapest deal online was £11.99 for 30 regular vinyl labels, 30 small vinyl labels and 30 Navy iron-on labels. Iron-on labels only come in white with navy print. Shipping delivery for this order would be £1.99.

Aside the basic design, which won't be a hit for a little girl who loves colours and patterns, the limit of 19 characters and space means I would have had to chop her name. I suppose I could have used her initials, but then her dad's old labels could have done well for another year. Also you get less labels numberwise - this makes a difference for iron-on labels as you use more of those.

STOP PRESS There is a great promotion running at tinyme, which means that if you haven't got your school labels sorted yet, you get a great deal - 150 premium labels for £23.99. If you want to find out more, just click here! Browse this site for other cute kids products such as height charts, wall decor, personalised books... and much more.

Creativity, cupcakes and civic pride

Last Saturday I attended a women writer's day at the Creative Salon, part of the Cambridge Art Salon, a "public space for nurturing art". Click here for an article in the local press.  Amazingly I recognised two women who were there, Sue from Sookio, whom I briefly spotted at a TedxGranta event in February and local entrepreneur Sue Flay who runs The Secluded Tea Party events. Sue brought some mesmerising chocolate cherry cupcakes and a decadent chocolate cake, which we scoffed at the end of the day after a champagne toast.

Fire and Knives

There was plenty of time of pure writing but what really made my day were the two talks. The writer who was supposed to give us a talk about her new book wasn't well we had two surprise guest speakers, which really engaged our small group of nine women. The first speaker was Shelley Davies, who discussed self-publishing in the virtual age and how it worked miracles for writers who were fobbed off by traditional publishing firms but were subsequently offered book deals when their ebooks proved popular. The second speaker was Tim Hayward, a writer and photographer, and the new owner of Fitzbillies, a renown cafe/patisserie in central Cambridge. Fitzbillies closed down in February but Tim and his partner bought it, restored it and re-opened it in August. Tim also publishes a food quarterly magazine, called Fire & Knives. He gave us a thrilling account on how he became a food writer and how he recently managed to secure a book deal. He mentioned the word luck a few times, but it was obvious that he worked hard for years at building his own career. After the talks we had some quiet time for writing, then we closed with a champagne toast. I cycled back home full of cake, creative ideas and three revised chapters of my alchemical novel. As far as I know one other member blogged about the day (if anybody else wrote about it, I'm happy to display a link) - read poet Shaista's post on the Creative Salon's writing day by clicking here.

On Wednesday it was my birthday and Michela's first day at school. My treat was lunch at Seven Days, an authentic Chinese restaurant in Regent Street that was recommended to me by a Chinese researcher whom I met at the Grad Pad. I had their excellent pork and prawn dumpling, followed by stir-fried duck and jellyfish. I drank prune tea, which came in a pretty bottle. I took a photo of it and might upload it at some point.

On Thursday I went to the Love Cambridge's AGM, where I heard great things about Cambridge's retail scene and overall appeal as tourist destination (here is the civic pride bit). Most members come from the retail, entertainment and hospitality sectors so I was a fish out of water but somehow I was asked to leave a couple of business cards. I spoke to very interesting people, including the Mayoress, a cabinet maker, two women running a marketing company with a cute tree frog logo and various other members. The event was held at the Royal Cambridge Hotel and there was a buffet at the end. I cycled back through an eerily deserted central Cambridge.

The new-recipe Fitzbillies' bun

I conclude with a photo of a Fitzbillies' bun, which was a lovely treat but seemed to have inspired mixed opinions at Agenda magazine. Having read the review and found out that the recipe doesn't include nasty fats, I now wonder if they will ever make those lovely lardy cakes I used to buy before Fitzbillies shut down.

Social media and relationship marketing for dummies

 Here is a brief, off-the-top-of my-head reflection on social media and relationship marketing, which I found among my drafts. I welcome comments.

A selection of social media tools

From wikipedia (click this para to read the full definition): "Relationship Marketing was first defined as a form of marketing developed from direct response marketing campaigns which emphasizes customer retention and satisfaction, rather than a dominant focus on sales transactions".

This concept has been carried over to the online arena, where relationships with potential customers are even more sophisticated and go beyond old demographic approaches. Take a hit TV show, whatever the target audience was in terms of age, gender, education or income, the reality is that the show is successful because it has broad appeal - which proves that interests and hobbies do trascend class, age and gender.

Brands are now keen for bloggers to feature their products and services. They are busy launching websites where they offer information, support and tools to build virtual communities that will generate sales and new customers. Welcome to relationship marketing!

Brands are also invading Facebook and Twitter to create a buzz around their products. There is no virtual space where a brand fears to tread - although, apparently, LinkedIn doesn't generate sales, despite the large amount of fake discussions.

So whether you have a degree or basic education, you are sophisticated or down to earth, you are working class or middle class, you are a Sun or Guardian reader, you are bound to find a website through which you can interact with like-minded individuals while being targeted as a consumer.

The market for consumer goods is mind-boggingly complex... take crisps: you get the down to earth crisp, the fun crisp, the sophisticated hand cooked crisp, the oriental or unusual flavoured crisp, the retro crisp (salt and shake).

School blues - yes, literally

Michela getting some mouse practice in time for school

My daughter is starting school in September and I have been rushing around to buy clothes and shoes in the right colours - blue and white. Most supermarkets and children's stores sell clothing in black, white and grey, which doesn't help.


Apparently I left it a bit late for black shoes as I went two weeks ago and the choice was limited to say the least. All the good stuff had gone and I was lucky to find something in Primark that was the right size and colour. The pinafores, tees,  jeans and white socks were bought in Sainsbury's, while the leggings came from Primark. Having received a massive bag of clothes from my brother, I wasn't going to spend a lot of money on school clothes, especially since the colour is a bit boyish.

It's quite a challenge to find blue trousers for girls, I had to buy jeans and a pair of gym pants from the boy's area. Luckily I got a few bits with the school logo from the school fete earlier in the summer, the second-hand uniform stall was a fab idea!

I'm told Asda is very good and very reasonable, I didn't manage to get that way this time but I will check it out when I do.