When I heard about Ecover’s ‘Message In Our Bottle’ campaign I was more than happy to support it. Ecover is already a name I associate with environmentally friendly and ethical products, so taking their campaign further with the aim of producing  fully sustainable and recyclable plastic is truly commendable.

Cleaning the seas, one bottle at a time. Visit The-Splash for more information and to read our pledge.

Ecover have also produced this brilliant and informative infographic, to add it to your own webpage and further promote this wonderful initiative click here.

The Festival was held on the 8-9th June in Bakewell town centre, I went along on the Saturday to see what was happening.

Bakewell is always a busy town on a weekend boasting good weather, it’s position in the peaks plus it’s pudding fame make it popular with tourists and locals alike, so it was no surprise that I arrived to find the town very very busy!

However I soon spotted signs of the Festival when my daughter saw two people collecting money for charity dressed in Venetian finery, she even sneaked into a photo with them

Several of the main streets were lined with stalls selling everything from cakes and aprons to vintage homeware. Although the sheer volume of people made a few stalls difficult to see, they were all beautifully presented and appealing. My daughter bought a biscuit from this stunning stall from Nina Holden.

There was also several venues holding workshops and talks, although I must admit to being a little confused as to the location of everything. However after meeting Stacie Stewart I hightailed to Stacie’s talk in the main Festival Tent.

Stacie gave out several great tips and managed to pull together a beautiful White Chocolate Gateau despite the heat (her chocolate embellishments just wouldn’t set).

At the same time as I was watching Stacie my daughter was busy having a Tea Party with the Mad Hatter and Alice! This was located a little walk away from the main town and seemingly suffered slightly for it as my daughter had Alice and the Mad Hatter virtually to herself! She absolutely loved all the attention having dressed up as Alice herself for the occasion.

Although I have to admit to being slightly disappointed about one aspect of the children’s activities. Firstly their workshops were supposed to be prebooked which I hadn’t realised (bad Mummy) but even though they had plenty of space they would not let my daughter join in but I can understand this and should have realised in advance. However they were also running a costume competition, it turned out that my daughter had been the only child to dress up, hurrah she wins!! No…. unfortunately not, we were told that the organisers hadn’t got themselves ‘organised’. They could see she was dressed up but said they ‘might’ do the competition the next day?? As we weren’t going to be there that wasn’t much consolation to my little girl. But saying that, Alice and the Mad Hatter were wonderful and my daughter had an absolutely wonderful time despite this slight disappointment.

Final Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed my day out at the first ever Bakewell Baking Festival and so did my daughter. I think allowing children to visit for free was a wonderful family friendly idea!

I did find the locations being set about the town a little confusing as I wasn’t always completely clear what was part of the festival and what wasn’t. However I am not known for my sense of direction, so that could well just be me

I think for the first year it was incredibly ambitious and ran very well. I for one am very excited to see how it evolves over the next couple of years. I can see it turning into a well renowned Festival in a beautiful location. Keep your eyes peeled for it’s return in 2014!!

Find Out More

To find out more information about this and future Bakewell Baking Festivals visit the Festival website at www.bakewellbakingfestival.co.uk.

I’m always conscious of living in a temperamental climate and that any minute Spring/Summer might disappear for another year and we’ll have snow in August (I really hope that is an exaggeration!) So as soon as Mr Sun is out we try and get out into the countryside if we can.

I love Canal paths, they’re usually flush with wildlife and yet developed enough to be an easy track to plod along.We visited one near Cromford in Derbyshire yesterday and had a wonderful day. Mr Dog enjoyed nearly getting into the water (I think he’s secretly a bit scared of getting wet).

It was also an excuse to show off my latest purchase, a gorgeous Purple Satchel Bag by Zatchels. I’ve lusted after this beauty for quite sometime and finally ordered one last month. Due to their birthday sale it did take quite a few weeks to arrive (all Zatchels are made to order to your specification). It was well worth the wait the quality is second to none and I’m thoroughly pleased. The only problem now is that I’m now drooling over all their other designs. This is the 11.5″ version which I think makes it a perfect handbag although you can’t fit a huge amount in, I still managed a phone, wallet, keys and a camera with a little tetris style organisation

My daughter’s bedroom has been on my to-do list for quite some time, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to launch in and get creative.

We start with a perfectly ordinary child’s bedroom. The brief:

To turn this into an Alice in Wonderland haven!

Now for the big reveal….

My daughter loves her room and more importantly it cost very little.

The biggest tip to redecorating on a budget is to get creative and get stuck in, don’t buy anything ready made, alter and adjust, revive and reuse and you can change a surprising amount. Here’s how we completed this room.

Furniture

Stop! Don’t buy new furniture, paint your old! In my case I actually reused paint I found in my cellar so it cost me nothing at all. Many of us have pots of paint lying about in cellars and garages, even if you don’t have enough in one tin mix a few together and make your own custom paint.

I did buy these wonderful giant plastic buttons from a local market stall, they cost £5.20 in total. I removed the old drawer handles and super-glued the buttons on top, fabulous one off buttons!

Total Cost = £5.20

Curtains

I replaced the curtains for the bargain price of £5.59 from Argos the special offer on them has unfortunately ended, but even at their standard price of £13.99 they are a good deal. Admittedly they aren’t terribly thick, but linings can be bought at a later date if you require them. As they are a deep red I don’t feel I need them.

To stick to our theme I cut up some long strips of red and white craft felt and made Roses. These were then stitched to the curtains by hand. I spent just a few pounds on the felt, you could also use old clothes, sheets, whatever is available. Appliqueing is another cheap way to add interest to otherwise boring curtains.

Total Cost = £8.59

Bedding

Brand new bedding to match your new room can be costly. Instead consider making a cover or blanket that can be thrown over your old bedding.

You don’t even need to be accomplished at sewing. I grabbed an old flat flannel sheet (instantly the perfect size for your bed!) out of the linen cupboard to make my cover. I then appliqued hearts, Qs and a Queen to make a giant playing card I bought small pieces of flannel fabric for my applique.

Total Cost = £3

Lamp

A feature lamp can really add to the overall theme of a room, but I wanted one that was inexpensive and child friendly. I found this wonderful battery operated lamp on Amazon for just £4.68 + £2.99 P&P. It can also be bought on eBay. Of course it may not last long, but we think it’s great (especially for the price!) Remember to check sites like eBay and Amazon for deals, especially items coming direct from manufacturers in China.

Total Cost = £7.67

Storage

Storage will instantly tidy up a room while adding to the overall feel. I spent just £12 at Tesco to receive this whimsical house themed box (I’m sure Alice is stuck inside there as we speak). I even had it delivered to my local store to avoid P&P charges.

I then handed my husband several old shoe boxes, some glue and newspaper and challenged him to papier mache giant books to hold bits and bobs, I think he did really well! As this was made out of old cardboard and newspaper it was free! The teeny tiny mushrooms were made by my children over a year ago and I just thought they looked good

Total Cost = £12

Decoration & Accessories

Those finishing touches that finish a room need not cost the earth. Make your own or do as I did and ask family and friends if they have anything they no longer need.

The giant playing cards that adorn my daughter’s wall are in fact left over pieces from a Yarn Bombing project for the Olympics and Derby Feste. They were made by gluing felt pieces together.

The wonderful pictures in their ornate frames are actually print outs, put on the wall with blue tack. They were made by my sister in law for a party and had been sitting in her garage ever since. Unless you look closely you really could believe the frames were real.

The sign post…another fake printed out on simple paper! The great thing about these decorations is they are not precious around little hands.

My biggest expense was the giant flowers. I spent £4.99 for my massive Calla Lilly which came from Home Bargains. The extra flowers came from Wilkinsons where they were on offer at 3 for £3.

Total Cost = £7.99

Clock

I also bought a clock for £4 from Wilkinsons. This is intended for a child to paint (and is a great idea) but in our case my husband painted a Cheshire cat onto the face

Total Cost

Furniture = £5.20

Curtains = £8.59

Bed Cover = £3

Lamp = £7.67

Storage = £12

Accessories = £7.99

Clock = £4

Grand Total = £48.45

Check out the Money Supermarket Pinterest board to see what others spent their £50 on.

After watching the recent Hobbit film we decided on a Lord of the Rings or Tolkien theme. Both cakes were mini cakes (so they could be eaten quickly and therefore keep their freshness).

I chose to make a Hobbit Hole, the cake was baked in a pudding basin and carved to give the shape. I was really quite pleased with it

My husband (the ambitious fellow that he is) chose to make Minas Tirith, it was constructed of multiple layers of mini brownie cakes, then covered in icing.

We put the photos onto our personal facebook pages and let our friends and family vote for a winner. The results crowned…..

My Hobbit Hole victorious!

It was a hilarious way to spend a weekend and basically a free activity as we had everything we needed in our cupboards.

So if you find yourself slipping into boredom one weekend how about challenging a friend or family member to your very own cake off or bake off. You can even do a challenge with a group of friends, or perhaps in aid of charity. Not forgetting that it doesn’t matter who wins as everyone gets to eat cake!!

The premise was simple, audience members were asked to tweet in puns (cow, dairy or ice cream inspired) of musicals or recording artists. These would then be improvised into the show to the hilarity of all.

The artist in charge of our amusement was the severely talented Abandoman, winner of many comedy awards. How one man’s brain can work so quickly to bend a song or rap on the spot amazes me. In fact it’s impossible to describe, so I recorded a couple of videos to show you all.

In this first video some of the audience suggestions for band names were written onto a flip pad, these were worked into a rap suggesting new flavour names to Ben & Jerry. One of my suggestions ‘Graze Against The Machine’ was chosen for inclusion, along with my friend’s ‘Moo Moo Dolls’ we felt very proud

In this next video the audience were asked to shout out fun activities for a cows day out. Those people with funny suggestions (like zorbing) were then pulled on stage and dressed as cows to dance along.

Finally the night ended with a song about an after show party. One member of the audience had particularly inspired Abandoman with on the spot renditions of Cher songs, so we were all invited (jokingly) to attend a party at his house (Rich’s House).

For more information on the humorous and delicious happenings at Ben & Jerry’s take a look at their facebook page www.facebook.com/benjerryuk

Also worth a mention is their current campaign to raise standards of care for cows across Europe, more information can be found at www.happycows.eu

The house was wonderful, largely because it retained the sense of being a family home. No areas were taped off and you could walk around freely just as the family had. There were volunteers keeping an eye on things but they were all very friendly, easy to chat too and willing to give out interesting facts about the Kipling’s lives and the surrounding areas. Their genuine enthusiasm made the visit all the more enjoyable.

This is the entrance with the cafe on the left and the house at the end of the path. Rudyard and his wife Carrie fell in love with the house the first time they saw it and he is reputed to have said ‘That’s She! The Only She! Make an honest woman of her – quick!’ When they found Bateman’s he was already a world-famous writer and this house with its mullioned windows and oak beams was to give him the sanctuary he was looking for. There is still a garage with his Rolls Royce, walled gardens and an apple orchard.

Before we looked around the house we visited the cafe for coffee and cake. I didn’t take any photos in there but was most impressed by both the food and service. I had a delicious gluten free cake and later for lunch some homemade leek and potato soup with a gluten free roll.

A few more photos of the interior:

This last one shows a corner of Rudyard’s study where his secretary sat at the typewriter as he sat at the desk on the left. He had wooden blocks added to his chair legs so that he could still see out of the window while sitting.

My last two pictures are of the guest bedroom and a mouse on the staircase!

I apologise for the above if you are not a fan of fictional pirate(ism) or if indeed you are a fictional pirate and you can see my obvious pirate lingo fails  The sillyness does make sense I assure you.

I was recently sent a packet of brand new Walkers Baked Hoops & Crosses in Roast Beef flavour to test out. It came nestled in the arms of a cuddly monkey, who was swiftly commandeered by my littlest Monkey who is currently somewhat pirate obsessed. So these yummy new snacks were eaten in the gardens of a Regency Townhouse by a Monkey cuddling Pirate

Walkers say they created these snacks because they understand that kids can be little monkeys when it comes to snacks in their lounchboxes. New Walkers Baked Hoops & Crosses are intended to be a great-tasting, low-fat and fun way for kids to boost their wholegrain intake.

My little pirate devoured these snacks so fast I didn’t get much of a chance to try them out myself, however I was informed (at the point of a foam sword!) that they were so delicious we had to buy some more. Here’s the all important info:

• Each Bag contains just 85 calories, so they are a fairly guilt free treat. Plus they are baked not fried!
• They are made from Wholegrains and have no artificial colours or preservatives.
• They come in three flavours, all of which are suitable for vegetarians (Roast Beef, Prawn Cocktail and Salt & Vinegar).

Taste

We only tried out the Roast Beef flavour, but they were really quite yummy. They had a strong flavour but I wouldn’t call it overpowering. They were crispy and non greasy and enjoyed by all the family.

Would I buy them again?

As I have already that’s a resounding yes! I’m quite happy to give them to my kids as a slightly healthier alternative to traditional crisps as an afternoon snack. Also not to be forgotten, they are a fun shape!

Plus my children inform me that Land Lubbers and Pirates alike are actually allowed to eat them

Jack’s recipe can be found on her website http://agirlcalledjack.com. I changed this to use a tin of chickpeas and also left out the flour, making the burgers gluten free as well as inexpensive.

I was very pleased with how easy they were to make and when fried in a little oil they didn’t fall to pieces.

I admit I haven’t worked out the exact cost but four burgers were made from one tin of chickpeas, one carrot and one onion so it cannot have cost too much. I added potatoes and cabbage and had a really delicious meal.

The Thatched Cottage Pendant is worth £50 and is part of our Heritage range which has been featured in many magazines, websites and arts festivals.

To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous prize all you have to do is ‘Like’ our Facebook page and then fill in your details on the competition page (so I know who you are )

Click here to be taken straight to competition page to Like us!

Rules: