AD | Christmas has arrived at @thelexiconbracknell AD | Christmas has arrived at @thelexiconbracknell and there’s so much to entertain the whole family whilst you do your Christmas shopping! 

Visit The Lexicon Glow Room for a magical light experience that will dazzle you with 20,000 LEDs. It feels like the room goes on forever! Then, take a dip in the Light Pool, a magical ball pool with golden balls to be found and prizes to be won!

If that wasn’t all, have a photo in the giant Christmas bauble ‘sparkling selfie station’ and follow the Twinkle Trail, spotting baubles in shop windows to collect the clues and enter to win fabulous prizes this Christmas. Plus, share your sparkling selfie station pictures, tagging #thelexiconbracknell or email them to marketing@thelexiconbracknell.com and you will automatically be entered in a competition for the chance to win a restaurant gift card too. 

There are also special performances from local choirs, bands and singers and even the chance to meet Bluey, Hey Duggee and Chase from Paw Patrol! You can be sure that a trip to The Lexicon will have something for everyone over the festive season this year. We loved our visit to The Lexicon last weekend and know we’ll be back again before Christmas!

Find out more on @thelexiconbracknell website.

#TheLexiconBracknell #Merry&Bright
AD - Press Trip | What a lovely evening that was! AD - Press Trip | What a lovely evening that was! We had our first Glow Marwell experience tonight - and we loved it. It may even be the best light trail we have been to.

We spent well over two hours at @marwellzoo, enjoying the light installations, indulging in the food stalls and cafe, toasting marshmallows and even meeting Father Christmas! 

Glow Marwell was such a nice way to kick off the festive season - and it’s on all the way through December! If you’re looking for a really nice festive activity the whole family can enjoy, this could definitely be it!
AD | Are you looking for gifts for the grandparent AD | Are you looking for gifts for the grandparents this year? @famileo_uk is a wonderful gift, giving the recipient a personalised gazette of family news regularly throughout the year - and it costs from just £5.99 a month. 

Multiple family members can use the same subscription, all posting messages to be added to one gazette - and sharing the cost of the subscription too! It’s great for parents, siblings and children to all share their news with grandparents each week, fortnight or month. 

We’ve been sending my dad Family gazettes for a while now and he absolutely loves them. It means we tell him all the little things that are happening and not just the big news you remember to mention in phone calls. The children get to upload their own messages to their grandad and it’s definitely made them feel closer, building a stronger relationship despite living far apart.

Find out more about Family over on the blog - link in bio - and buy a subscription for your nearest and dearest this Christmas. It’s a gift they will definitely love to receive.
Two weeks of Fred & George! I won’t be doing the Two weeks of Fred & George! I won’t be doing these updates every week but I like having somewhere to put all these photos!

They’re now three months old, super loving and happy, making biscuits and purring constantly.

They stay in ‘their’ room overnight but explore the house during the day, getting more confident as time passes. They even got to the point of relaxing on the sofa with us last night.

Fred & George are now very much part of our family and I can’t imagine them not being there now - even at 7am when they’re miaowing at the door for breakfast!
AD | Stuck for screen-free entertainment that your AD | Stuck for screen-free entertainment that your kids will love? Claim your FREE Banjo Robinson activity pack today!
 
Reading for pleasure is a key indicator of a child’s future success, but if your child doesn’t love to read, what can you do? We know it’s not always easy keeping kids entertained and away from screens, so we’ve partnered with the award-winning @banjorobinson to gift you a FREE activity pack, worth £9.99.

Here’s a little look at the Banjo Robinson subscription - Troy loves it! Travelling to world with Banjo is so much fun! You can read our full review over on the blog and claim your free activity pack too - link in profile.
A whole week of Fred & George. We weren’t meant A whole week of Fred & George.

We weren’t meant to get more cats just yet but sometimes the universe sends you things when you don’t expect them.

These little guys needed a home and a family to love them. And we had a home and a lot of love to give. We still miss Leia but this pair are definitely helping make me feel whole again.

They are both used to us now, and love us. They’re less nervous, give us cuddles and let us pick them up. They’re still living in our spare room but starting to explore the rest of the house under supervision. 

They play fight constant. Love toys, especially a crinkly feather thing on a string attached to a stick, and love being up high. They are an awesome pair and we are so glad to have them.

Thank you @millbrook_rspca @rspca_official for trusting us with ‘Lonestar and Starfish’. We could not love them more. 

#catsofinstagram #catstagram #catsofig #catsofinsta #catlovers #adoptdontshop #rspcarescuecat #kittensofinstagram #kittens_of_instagram
[AD - Press Trip] I’ve just finished writing abo [AD - Press Trip] I’ve just finished writing about our half term break at @pottersresort and it’s over on the blog if you want to go have a read.

I wanted to put some of my favourite photos on the grid too as the kids did so many fun activities - they had THE best time. 

Giant swing, segways, climbing, archery, laser clays… there was so much to do that we couldn’t fit it all in - we need another trip!
And there ends our October half term - well, apart And there ends our October half term - well, apart from Troy who has a bonus week off!

This half term has been pretty lovely. Troy had his school residential the first weekend and then we had a really lovely few days in Norfolk before heading home and picking up two new members of our family - Fred and George. 11 week old rescue kittens who have pretty much stolen our hearts.

It’s been so nice to have a chunk of quality time with this pair and now I’m looking forward to the Christmas holidays. These two are the best company and I really do live for the school holidays. 

How has your half term been?
[AD - Press Trip] We’ve loved spending half term [AD - Press Trip] We’ve loved spending half term at @pottersresort in Norfolk. With great food, an action packed schedule of entertainment and activities plus everything included in the price of your break - even drinks - it’s a fantastic way to holiday as a family, giving quality time together in the nicest of surroundings. 
I’ll write a full review soon but for now here’s a little Reel  of our trip.
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Collaborative posts · October 1, 2017

An Introduction to Organic Dairy with Arla | AD

*This is a paid post

I admit, I’ve always been the last person to buy organic. When I started being in control of my own food shop I didn’t have the money to be fussy – I just picked the cheapest option. Then as our finances got better but we became time poor instead – with two children, work and a home – I’d generally choose products there were on offer or good value, making quick decisions during the grocery shop to have the whole process over as quick as possible.

When it comes to milk although we drink a lot of it as a family I have always just picked up whatever colour we needed – blue, green or red – and I haven’t ever taken the time to think about it more than that. But, last week Arla invited me to spend the day on one of their organic dairy farms in West Sussex to find out exactly where their milk comes from.

An Introduction to Organic Dairy with Arla

In all honesty I expected this trip to the farm to be just like any other trip to the farm with the children or school but it was different as this farm was purely a dairy farm so just had cows on it. There were more cows than I had ever seen but they were in large fields with plenty of space to roam around and only segregated by their age or time in life. There were calves in one field that were a few weeks old but already quite big, another field held cows that were heavily pregnant and we even saw a calf moments after birth which was pretty incredible.

An Introduction to Organic Dairy with Arla

The cows all spend as much time as possible outside and are truly free-range. The only come inside if their health is at risk – if the weather is at it’s worst, for example. But, milk can be free-range without being organic and I know I definitely found all the labels confusing before visiting the farm. But I learnt that free-range is purely about grazing time but organic cows graze outdoors on grass and clover where no artificial fertilisers or herbicides’ are used, instead, relying on crop rotation, cultivation and the right mix of crop varieties. The science behind it is incredible and I had no idea so much planning went into producing milk – something I take for granted that I can always grab a pint or two when I need it from the supermarket.

We were shown the milking room at the farm and where milk is stored ready for Arla to collect it. I was impressed that Arla takes all the milk that each of their farms produce and it isn’t capped at a certain amount – the whole process is focused on limiting waste and getting as much, high quality milk into circulation as possible.

Organic farms spend years, generations even, creating fields that have the right mix of grass, clover and other vegetation perfect for the cows. I had no idea so much went into making good quality milk but if you make sure a cow is healthy, happy and fed the right things then it means that the milk they produce will be not just free-range but as natural as possible too.

An Introduction to Organic Dairy with Arla

We finished our trip to the farm with a cooking demonstration where we were shown ways to use Arla Free Range Organic Milk at home. This was eye opening for me because other than in hot drinks and on cereal I don’t use a lot of milk and so it was great to learn more about milk and what a versatile product it is. The chef made us Sussex Smokey Scotch Eggs and Vanilla Creme Brûlée which were both so full of flavour and the perfect filling lunch.

An Introduction to Organic Dairy with Arla

Over the course of the day on the farm I learnt that when you choose organic, you choose products that have been produced by working with the environment rather than against it and to a high level of animal welfare. It means that when I reach for the organic milk in the future rather than standard milk it will be a choice that is better for the animals – letting them graze outside for longer and helping to preserve the land they graze on.

When shopping for milk in the future I’ll be looking for the Soil Association organic symbol and from this month, Arla Organic Farm Milk has become Arla Organic Free Range Milk making sure that we know every pint we see on the shelf comes from cows that are grazed outside whenever possible and under the best of conditions.

I didn’t know anything about free-range organic milk before visiting the farm but now, seeing how happy the cows were and how well looked after they were it really has made me think more about the split second choices I make when I’m doing the food shop. Not just about milk but about vegetables and meat too. It’s so nice to know exactly where our food is coming from.

Here are the recipes we were shown on the day if you’d like to try them for yourself:

RECIPE: SUSSEX SMOKEY SCOTCH EGGS

INGREDIENTS:

General purpose:

  • 4 medium organic eggs
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil plus oil for deep frying
  • Season with salt and pepper

For the Scotch Egg casing:

  • 1-pint Arla Organic Free Range Milk
  • 1⁄2 grated nutmeg
  • 250g natural Smoked Haddock
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 200g potatoes for mashing
  • 1 bunch of Dill – finely chopped
  • 100g High Weald Smoked Cheddar chopped or grated (or other smoked cheese)

For the roux:

  • 1 banana Shallots
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 1⁄2 leek
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 1⁄2 carrot
  • 3oz butter
  • 3oz plain flour

For the Pané (breadcrumbs):

  • 300g flour
  • 1 med organic egg
  • 200ml Arla Organic Free Range Milk
  • 300g or 1 packet of breadcrumbs

RECIPE

  1. Boil seasoned water and then add the eggs, turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes for a soft-boiled egg, chill in cold water and put aside
  1. Add the smoked haddock, nutmeg and bay leaf to the milk and then sous vide in a water bath for 25mins at 45 degrees celsius. – if not using a water bath place the ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 5 mins
  1. Remove haddock from milk and save both for later
  1. Peel and chop 200g of potato and boil for 15-20 mins, once cooked gently mash
  1. Meanwhile, finely dice shallots, garlic, leek, celery and carrot. Sauté in oil for 10-15 mins or until golden brown, season with salt and pepper to taste
  1. Once finished, add the milk from the poached haddock to the pan and simmer for 3 mins.
  1. In a large sauce pan add the butter and gently melt, to this add the flour and mix together to form a paste
  1. Add the milk mixture and cook gently for 3 mins stirring continuously
  1. Then add the mashed potato and cheese, once thoroughly mixed together leave to chill
  1. Flake in the cooked haddock, add to the chilled mixture along with the chopped dill
  1. Peel the boiled eggs and dust in seasoned flour
  1. When the casing mixture is cool separate into 4 portions and wrap around each egg enclosing it completely, chill for at least one hour to ensure it keeps its shape
  1. In the meantime, prepare your station to breadcrumb the eggs
  1. You will need three shallow trays, one for the seasoned flour, one for the beaten egg and one for the breadcrumbs Ideally, it would help if you had an extra pair of hands when doing pane, but if you are alone, I suggest that you use one hand for the flour and beaten egg and milk mixture and the other for the breadcrumbs
  1. First, take the encased eggs one by one and put it in the seasoned flour, making sure that it is well coated
  1. Shake off any excess flour and pass the food into the beaten egg, again making sure it is well coated
  1. Shake off any excess and finally pass the food onto the breadcrumbs, again making sure it’s well coated
  1. Tap the food firmly to ensure that the breadcrumbs are well attached and remove from the crumbs onto a clean plate or tray
  2. Now deep fry the completed scotch eggs at 160°C until golden brown

RECIPE: VANILLA CRÈME BRÛLÉE

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200ml double cream
  • 100ml Arla Organic Free Range Milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 50g sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod

RECIPE

  1. Preheat the water bath to 80°C – if not using a water bath preheat the oven to 140C/120C fan
  1. Warm the milk, cream and vanilla together in a small saucepan to 60°C
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thoroughly combined
  1. Slowly whisk the warm cream and milk into the egg mixture
  1. Pour into individual shallow jars and screw on the lids very tightly
  1. Place the jars in the water bath to cook for 60 minutes then remove from the water with tongs and chill them on ice
  1. Alternatively place in oven for
  1. 20-22 mins until just set
  1. Once set, sprinkle the surface with sugar and Brûlée with a blowtorch
  2. Allow the sugar to set for 5 minutes before serving

In: Collaborative posts

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Comments

  1. Ali says

    October 1, 2017 at 11:51 am

    Totally love a CRÈME BRÛLÉE!!
    Never made it so will bookmark this for when I’m feeling adventurous x

    Reply
  2. Mel says

    October 1, 2017 at 11:57 am

    I was exactly the same as you re. milk. I’d just pick the colour I was after. That’s what Dan was saying, isn’t it? Milk is a 2-second decision! Now, it’s organic milk all the way when I’m doing the shopping, and whatever is cheapest when my husband is in charge of the food shop.

    Reply
  3. Chloe (Sorry About The Mess) says

    October 1, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    I didn’t used to understand the point of buying organic, and now I always buy organic where I can.

    Reply
  4. Rachel @Coffee, Cake, Kids says

    October 1, 2017 at 1:01 pm

    That’s really interesting. We use an incredible amount of milk, sometimes up to 8 pints a day (cereal, hot drinks and we all drink a lot of milk and make things like rice pudding) so I’ve always been guilty of buying the cheapest option. This has made me think a little about it now.

    Reply
  5. Sian says

    October 1, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    The creme brule looks delicious. We are very lucky to have a dairy in our village and the cows roam free on the moors. I love knowing exactly where our milk comes from.

    Reply
  6. Laura - Dear Bear and Beany says

    October 3, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    I’ve never really thought about it either and this has opened my eyes. My dad’s best friend has a dairy farm and we spent so much of our childhood there. But as an adult its not something that I’ve considered x

    Reply

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Me & Mine {September 2017}

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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