Charlotte's Cupcake Corner

Prague - perfect place to meet up with my faaaaaaraway bestest buddy

2017-10-02T02:48:00.001-07:00

Miffy Moments

2017-03-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Spring has definitely made a few appearances here in Derbyshire. We've had a few gloriously sunny days where the gorgeous shot of yellow daffodils brightens your day no end.

We've been out to feed newborn lambs and I've already been asked when Easter Bunny visits!

We had a bit of a change around at half term so we had an empty room for a night. What better excuse for some indoor camping?

Apparently, the tent was a bit smelly! They also fell asleep long before midnight so completely missed out on their stash of midnight treats! Back to school brought World Book Day, so an after school craft session making a Miffy mask and matching carrot...

One Miffy outfit later - courtesy of H&M - and off to school we go, swiftly followed by tears as a confidence crisis hit. Least she had her favourite bunny to cuddle. When I collected her from school she was all smiles. We dashed to the shops to use the book voucher and she keenly dived into her new book.

This post follows the sad news that Dick Bruna, Miffy's creator, has passed away. Not before selling 85million copies of his little square books, ideal for small hands. We will be eternally grateful for his imagination in creating such a sweet little bunny. His stories certainly prompted a love of reading from a young age and I really hope that continues.

Miffy lights available here

https://www.miffyshop.co.uk/product/582d80f1882ef23a0b8b4568/miffy-string-fairy-lights-classicred

The Gallery Café, Ashbourne, Derbyshire

2017-02-14T09:26:00.003-08:00

Right in the middle of Ashbourne town centre, you'll find The Gallery Café house in a lovely, bright & spacious upstairs space. The walls are decorated with beautiful art work from various artists, there are greetings cards and gifts available to purchase too.

The café has twice won Derbyshire's best café awards and it's easy to see why. There's a fantastic menu to choose from, lovely warm soups, delicious and healthy salads, generous sandwiches as well as a brilliamt brunch menu that includes pancakes with bacon and maple syrup or blueberry pancakes with syrup. The menu is clearly marked with GF so it's really easy for coeliacs to order from the menu.

Apparently they're going to trial a glutenfree version of their pancake dishes soon, which would be great. The café is also a stockist for Friedmans Glutenfree bread so if you choose the soup or sandwich option, you'll be pleased to know it will be served in a great glutenfree roll with delicious homemade potato salad and green salad topped with amaranth.

The staff are all super friendly and offered to adjust the menu for little ones, anything can be served as a half portion and even if it's not on the menu, they suggested simple child friendly sandwich options for us. Mark pointed out the fantastic collection of children's books and crayons that they have available which helped the grown ups enjoy an extra coffee and hot chocolate!

So we enjoyed a child's glutenfree cheese roll, a regular portion of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, a regular open sandwich with masses of smoked salmon, cream cheese, fresh chives and plenty of fresh salads & I enjoyed a warm beetroot, spinach, goats cheese, walnut and balsamic salad. All of these were absolutely delicious.

Perhaps the best bit of all is the fact that ALL of their freshly baked cakes are gluten free. So we had a free choice of flapjacks, brownie, lemon drizzle, chocolate, orange & almond, chocolate cake, apple and cinnamon freshly baked cakes! Spoilt for choice.

What I love about his café is how spacious it is being arranged over two floors with large tables for a family of four. They are very welcoming as far as children are concerned. Most of all, the food that is offered here is always made freshly to order just for you.

The bread they use is also available for glutenfree customers to order in for themselves to take home, so it's a great way of getting a good quality bread on your doorstep.

We all enjoyed a lovely, leisurely lunch here today. If you visit, I sincerely hope you do too.

Happy half-term from Ashbourne!

What's this madness? 10 degrees the week before Christmas

2016-12-17T07:27:00.001-08:00

Yes it IS the 17th of December, so it shouldn't really be 11 degrees outside but it is. Not that I'm complaining, I hate the cold weather and the heating in my kitchen is broken at the moment so I hope the mild weather carries on a bit longer. The only problem is I don't think it feels as if Christmas is only a week away, there's hardly been any frost let alone snow...

Anyway, I'm sure Winter will hit us in its own time and I'll be hoping to fast forward directly to Spring! I've had quite a few new tulip bulbs planted out. We have a resident squirrel who at first I was quite fond of. However I'm sure he has something to do with the fact that less than half of the bulbs ever show up, so I'm less keen on the little pest now! We'll be keeping a keen eye on one set of tulip bulbs though...

We received a very special delivery of some Miffy tulip bulbs. The character Miffy is the famous white bunny who is the subject of a huge series of childrens story books, written by Dick Bruna 60 years ago. The author himself is from the Netherlands hence the connection with tulips!

Apparently this perfect Miffy "red" has taken 15 years of cross-fertilisation & patient cultivation to develop. They are hoping to have the variety widely available for sale in 2017/18, so we're lucky to have some this early, as only 2500 exist.

We chose a Sunday morning to plant them up in a safe pot which we can keep an eye on. My youngest still loves gardening. She learnt to love picking peas from her Grandad and was amazed when a blueberry bush we bought last year actually GREW fruit - so was I!

Little one loves the fact that the instructions featured Miffy explaining what to do!

Some of these special bulbs have been planted in the famous Kerkenhof Gardens in the Netherlands. The gardens are open in 2017 from 23rd March to 21st May. A trip to them has been on my dream travel list for a couple of years, ever since watching a feature by Rachel de Thame. I didn't know until recently, that there is also a Miffy garden within the park! Not sure I'll get there next year, so maybe I should plan ahead for 2018 - it doesn't look like the Miffy fan is going to outgrow her obsession anytime soon 😀

https://keukenhof.nl/en/#

http://www.miffyshop.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKEAiA4dPCBRCM4dqhlv2R1R8SJABom9pHDRji2U5YDfEj4xXWJKUWxxfsPwBtdok-2ycfyUEMFxoCeHvw_wcB

Twice As Nice Bakery

2016-12-08T13:46:00.001-08:00

Having followed this 100% bakery on Twitter for ages, I finally got round to making a special trip to visit them.

The café is situated in Newcastle-under-Lyme so it's almost an hour away from Ashbourne but it was worth it. Twice as nice has a small grocery store, even stocking Coori pasta, Voakes pies as found in Selfridges. There's a wide range of take out food and the café has two small tables so you choose to eat in.

My special guest was the youngest gluten-freer in our family and she chose a cheese sandwich.

I had a goats cheese, grated carrot salad and peppers sandwich. Both were desktop made on a small loaf of very tasty bread. The flour used for the bread contains millet flour, which I've not used before.

I then went for a vanilla doughnut, it was SO airy, it seemed to melt in my mouth. I wish they came in giant sizes as I honestly think I could eat about five of them!

We selected a chocolate and stout cake, and a brownie to take home and they were delicious too. Laura has developed all the recipes herself and has won several awards over the past year. I noticed that many of the menu items were also dairy free and some were vegan too.

I got a bit lost trying to find the café so we didn't have very long to enjoy the surroundings but I'd say it was a perfect spot if you need a safe gluten-free lunch and ideal place to order freshly baked bread and grab an afternoon treat.

http://twiceasnicebakery.co.uk

Perhaps the perfect holiday...

2016-08-27T07:40:00.001-07:00

The one time that being coeliac bothers me the most is when planning and going on holiday. This year is the first time I've had to factor in travelling with a gluten-free child too. Previously, I've always taken a few snack bars for me in case of extended trips out, but this time I took a whole heap of Glutenfree food so that there was little chance of her feeling left out. I took some Doves Flour and xanthum gum to make pancakes a couple of times, Scahr chocolix bars & chocolate fingers to pack as treats if cafés had no gf desserts, a packet of Natures Path O's cereal, Prewetts chocolate biscuits, Pink Panther wafer biscuits, Delicious Alchemy brownie mix, Sweet Pea Pantry flapjack mix, Grass Roots Bakery bread roll mix, Venchii chocolate spread and Meridian Peanut Butter and I packed toaster bags! I'm not exactly known for packing light but even I have to admit that I thought I'd gone a bit OTT! Bet I'm not alone though, sure there are other parents of kids with allergies who do the same...?

So now you're probably wondering how I managed to fit in any clothes or other holiday essentials? Well, we were taking our car, which despite being a large 4x4, it was jam packed! Our destination was Jersey. I've been curious about Jersey for years and very excited to discover the island.

Previously, the definition of luxury on holiday might have been about the stunning sea-view, or a super special hotel with butler service, maybe a safari where the host fills quails eggs with bath oil. This time, luxury means a little playground right outside a self-catering apartment, an English speaking kids channel on TV, a kids bedroom that stays dark in the morning & a pool within throwing distance. All of this courtesy of Les Ormes. A spacious apartment, not particularly stylish but all the mod-cons including a washer-dryer. This meant that I could sun worship as soon as I woke up, kids could play instantly & hubbie could relax until he was ready to join us. They have lots of extra activities that you can book as well as an indoor pool, a FunZone indoor play area, and sports clinic on site. I managed to book into a last minute Pilates lesson with Sonja which felt great.

https://www.lesormesjersey.co.uk

The other benefit of travelling to Jersey with gluten-free travellers is that just up the road there was a Waitrose and a Marks & Spencer. Perfect for stocking up on gluten-free bread, quiche, beer etc. Also just up the road we found a farm shop that had a considerable gf range including products from a nearby gf bakery.

http://classicfarmshop.com

Now don't get me wrong, one of the pleasures of being on holiday is discovering new foods and eating out & Jersey restaurants were fantastic. Here are a few highlights;

Seafish Café, St Aubin

http://www.seafishcafe.com

A fantastic upmarket fish and chip restaurant with a wealth of other seafood options and the warmest welcome. Typical fish and chips was available Gluten-free & in mini portions. My favourite was the asparagus & crab starter, closely followed by a red mullet, chorizo, butter bean special

The teeny harbour at Rozel Bay is a beautiful spot. Our girls loved dipping their toes in the sea after dinner and we made a return trip to build sandcastles on the beach the following day. It's a great small beach for families as there's a little stone wall at the side where you can pop your bags and keep them sand-free.

As well as The Navigator which is open for lunch and dinner, there's a cafe called The Hungry Man & Rozel's tea-room which looks unimposing from outside but has a lovely sun terrace and a huge selection of gluten-free food.

Navigator, Rozel Bay

https://navigatorjersey.com/about-2/

Caramelised fig with the starter was a nice touch & my sea bass dish was really delicious.

Rozel Bay tea room

http://www.rozelbaytearoom.co.uk/all-day-breakfasts/

Gluten-free scones, a sausage & egg sandwich and a brownie were quickly devoured here after an early start for a stunning boat ride.

Portlet Bay Café

http://www.porteletbaycafe.com

Think this little bay was my absolute favourite. You have to park at the top near a pub and walk down 130 steps. Walk along the beach a short while and you'll see a wooden building that houses a pizza cafe. Usually they have Glutenfree pizza bases, but not suitable for coeliacs due to cross-contamination. I knew this in advance and was expecting to order a salad, but was relying on the pizza option for our gluten sensitive child. They had run out. I thought we were going to have to climb the 130 steps straight away and it was boiling. We ordered a drink to cool down & then I asked if little one could have a little pick and mix plate of various pizza toppings and salad bits & bobs. She was SO good about not getting a pizza and we had a lovely evening. We watched the kids walk down to the beach after they'd finished eating and joined them for a play before catching the sunset.

El Tico

http://www.elticojersey.com/home

Driving along the west coast, we were running a bit late for lunch when we drove straight past this place. We decided to turn around and I'm so glad we did. El Tico is beach side café, the ceiling is decorated with surfboards, there's loads of outdoor seating, and a very varied menu. Little one chose grilled chicken and chips and I had a huge and really tasty salad. The rest of the family had desserts whilst I sipped a large glass of super chilled wine - perfect pit stop.

We did plenty of self-catered breakfasts and lunches and the occasional evening meal if the kids seemed too tired. Jersey has a fabulous selection of family friendly restaurants and we found them all to be very approachable in terms of allergies. We treated ourselves to a couple of very special eating out experiences for our last couple of days on the island.

Mark Jordan At The Beach

http://www.markjordanatthebeach.com/location

This is right on the beach although our table was by the entrance so we didn't really appreciate the view on this occasion. This didn't matter though as we ate the most delicious food of our whole trip & one of my favourite desserts ever!

I enjoyed an ox tongue and scallops with minted peas starter, a perfectly cooked pink lamb, tomato, garlic and onion dish with dauphinoise potatoes and then fantastic desserts. Mine was a soufflé with passion fruit ice-cream, perfect! The service here was exemplary and makes me wish we'd made time to experience The Atlantic Hotel - maybe next time!

Longueville Manor

http://www.longuevillemanor.com

After experiencing the most relaxing spa session ever - I actually felt my body momentarily drop off asleep during a facial and why i didn't give into it rather than snap back awake, I'll never know - the family joined me at Longueville Manor Hotel. We had pre-ordered afternoon tea, specifying that we needed gluten-free. The hotel which has 30 rooms appeared smaller than I'd imagined. The grounds were so peaceful and calming. There is a tranquil garden, tennis courts, a huge kitchen garden and a lovely, small swimming pool, with comfortable sun loungers in various corners.

There's also a lake with a tree swing that our girls adored! As well as a small climbing frame with a slide hidden amongst trees. If I were visiting without children, I am sure the attentive service and private feel to this hotel would be my first choice. I'm not sure that the atmosphere is best for allowing children to let their hair down and enjoy being kids. In fairness, the hotel's brochure describes making children feel very welcome, they can even stay for free, with babysitting to dedicated menus, from interconnecting rooms to kid's DVDs, they do their utmost to make younger guests feel at home, but I heard parents telling kids to shhhhh - which I do enough of at home! Anyway back to the afternoon tea...knowing that our youngest wouldn't eat the grown-up sandwiches she enjoyed a plain choice. We all thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon tea, the Glutenfree scones were delicious, the jam they were served with was a superior quality choice. I loved the fact that the gf version was very similar to their regular tea with only one little pastry substituted. Chocolate pavé, raspberry macaron, summer berries macaron & a panecotta cake. A very special occasion indeed.

I loved the seaside cottages around Jersey that reminded me of Cornish fishing villages as well as the gorgeous homes that reminded me of mini French chateaux! Place names such as Bonne Nuit, house names such as Le Bon Coin, Le petit chatelet.

Jersey gardeners LOVE hydrangeas, they are everywhere! They're used alongside roads instead of hedges, used on grassy verges, in every colour you could imagine.

(Photo https://www.lamarewineestate.com )

Little roadside honesty boxes with stalls selling garden flowers, jersey royals, free range eggs, chutney and veggies were very common.

If you decide to visit Jersey, I'd highly recommend booking a Seafari trip before you travel. Our girls said this was their favourite activity and I have to agree with them. A fantastic & exciting way to see the coast.

https://www.jerseyseafaris.com

Le Mare Wine Estate & chocolate room, the small Jersey Lavender farm, Durrell wildlife park with a baby bear and Gorillas were our other highlights. We also enjoyed a pony trek with Le Claire Riding School which was a lovely way to spend an hour. There are so many other tourist attractions though that I think we'll have make a return visit.

https://www.lamarewineestate.com

http://www.jerseylavender.co.uk

https://www.durrell.org/wildlife/

https://www.facebook.com/Le-Claire-Riding-Stables-528067930566242/

We had fantastic weather, stayed on GMT which keeps life simple with kids! We all enjoyed the French influence, fantastic food, gorgeous scenery and sunsets and made some really special family memories. Now, if anyone would like to invite us back we'll be with you in a jiffy!

Thanks Jersey!

Other practical info;

- If you choose to travel by ferry, Condor ferries offer soup & jacket potatoes as gluten-free options

- Our satnav didn't work in Jersey, cue initial panic over using an actual map! However, excellent 3G/4G coverage so google maps to the rescue

- many of the cafés and restaurants featured are small, you would be best to book in advance

PS let me know if you follow in our footsteps?! X

Peak National Park - a glorious dog walk

2016-07-17T16:11:00.001-07:00

“Gateway to Heaven”

If you'd like to jump straight to placing your vote, this link will take you straight there, it only takes ONE click. Every vote generates a charitable donation from Gala Bingo to The Mayhew Dog Charity

THANK YOU!

https://new.galabingo.com/happy-hub#dogwalks

Well, I'm setting off from Ashbourne which describes itself as the Gateway to Dovedale. If it's summer season the town adorns itself with 8 miles of bunting which looks fantastic. Several town centre pubs & cafés are doggy-friendly notably The George & Dragon who offer dog treats & The Flower Café who welcome pooches inside & newly opened Artisan Café who promise a gluten-free friendly menu. This morning, I've promised Mansell, our black lab, a great walk as the sun has just appeared. Dovedale promises dramatic limestone ravine scenery, impressive rock outcrops, rare wild flowers and tranquility, let's see…

We start at the Dovedale car park which is in Staffordshire. There is a toilet block & a refreshment shack that has plenty of choice. (The ice creams here have no gluten containing ingredients.)

As soon as you set off, you can hear the soothing sound of the water flowing past from the river Dove - I'm immediately relaxed. Once he's over his initial craziness, I let him off the lead. The advice here is that dogs must be “under close control” so he ambles off along the path in front of me & has direct access to the shallow river water.

Near the start of the walk is a National Trust kiosk. The volunteer was very knowledgable; he showed me a book full of dog walks in the Peak District, various maps & guide sheets, gave me a free dog lead too. He told me that he keeps wondering if he ought to retire but each time a family says “see you next year”, it makes him think twice!

You'll soon arrive at the famous Stepping Stones across the river. Our dog loves racing across these & bouncing about in the river afterwards. Look out for fossils clearly visible under your feet. Once across you could choose to climb up Thorpe Cloud – the triangular shaped hill – fantastic views await you if you do. This is a very popular spot for picnics. If you have children with you, bravery & mountaineering certificates are available from the kiosk!

We continued to follow the river, seeing “two little ducks” and ducklings along the way. Look out for dippers, white fronted birds the size of a thrush who bob up and down on branches over the river. Swallows were swooping over our heads. I didn't spot one but the river is home to brown trout. The terrain becomes a bit rockier & then the steps up to Lovers Leap hit you: 120 up and 59 down - or thereabouts! No sign of the heartbroken woman but a great outlook once you reach the top.

Further along, look high up on the hillside on your right and you'll see Reynard’s Cave, I nearly missed it but saw someone dashing through the natural rock arch to the cave behind it. Also look out for the money tree trunk lying next to the path.

Spot the fallen tree trunks that lie right across the river and you'll soon arrive at the boardwalk, which helps you get through the narrowest part of the dale, known as the Straits. The landscape either side, with its dramatic limestone rock faces known as Pickering Tor, really makes you feel like you’re escaping…

Ilam Rock if often used by climbers, I spotted a brave, lone rock-climber. You can access a footbridge to get a closer inspection of the rock finger. A little further along are Dove Holes; two awesome shallow caves with large open access, our dog was excited to rush in exploring. A little grey wagtail was singing its heart out into the cave which sounded beautiful.

The landscape opens up a little now & you'll be treated to flora & fauna. I spotted a large skipper butterfly landing on a wood cranesbill and lambs all over the vast hills. We then arrived at Viators Bridge, Milldale. A tiny hamlet with toilet facilities, a cute “hole-in-the-wall” shop called Polly’s; selling pasties, soup, cake, drinks, ice-creams as well as plasters & hay-fever relief! Not much in the way of gluten-free snacks but the lady said she tried gluten-free cakes but they didn't sell very well. I’d packed a ball, so I sat down by the duck pond and Mansell had the time of his life jumping in to retrieve his ball several times over.

Take a short stroll around Milldale and admire the dry stone walls, the limestone cottages, their gardens & vegetable patches. Set off up the steep hill just past Polly’s. This part of the walk is less traveled. Due to the ascent you may well start with an “eyes down” approach, but stop to turn around and see how far you've climbed, on a clear day the view will reward you. Unfortunately, we got caught in a shower, but we were entertained by a Goldfinch family flitting across the path just steps ahead of us and chirping merrily.

I spotted a glimpse of the church and knew we'd soon be arriving at Alstonfield. I admired the wildflower meadow in St Peter’s churchyard, with 13 wildflowers, including Oxlips brought by a Vicar in the 1830s. I got a fright as a man suddenly appeared round the corner. Turns out Friday is clock-winding-day & on a fine day he’s rewarded with extensive views from the top of the church. Stroll further admiring the beautiful homes & gardens until you reach the village green & The George pub – with 3 pretty outside areas, a quarry tiled bar, welcoming log fire & a watering bowl waiting for your four legged friend. Emily recommended a glass of picpoul de pinet for me, you could have one of their hand-pumped real ales. I think Mansell is looking at my glass wondering why I didn't order the venison burger that just caught his eye! Well, after such an easy to navigate & stunning walk with the perfect companion, a little treat was in order...

If you have a little more time, then I would highly recommend exploring a little further to Tissington - featured in the recent series of “Britain’s Best Villages”. Bassetwood Farm and tea-room is idyllic, be sure to visit Edward & Vintage sweet shop where little doggie Neddie will welcome you in. There's a traditional Butchers shop and a little doggie tells me that The Bluebell Inn are often very generous with offcuts of ham!

NEW bottersnikes and gumbles on CBBC

2016-07-12T15:43:00.001-07:00

What an exciting Saturday morning we had this weekend. We were invited along to the launch of a brand new CBBC kids TV programme; Bottersnikes and Gumbles.

Bottersnikes & Gumbles - the award-winning kids’ CGI animation show - premieres on CBBC on 25 July 2016, airing at 6pm every week day.

The series brings to screen the much-loved 1970s classic children’s books by Australian author S.A. Wakefield and illustrated by Desmond Digby.

Each episode features the charming adventures of the loveable Gumbles as they endure timeless battles against the evil Bottersnikes in a forgotten valley of abandoned junk.

Harry Potter star and BAFTA winning Miriam Margolyes voices ‘Weathersnike’, one of the nasty Bottersnikes – whilst fellow Harry Potter and Hollyoaks actor, Jeff Rawle, voices Happi, a wise old Gumble.

Proving this is no ordinary CGI show, Bottersnikes & Gumbles has already picked up this year’s Pulcinella Award for Best Kids TV Series at the prestigious international animation festival ‘Cartoons on the Bay’ in Venice.

My youngest loved the two episodes that we got to watch. The stories are set in a far away forgotten valley, heaped with long abandoned junk, a timeless battle rages between good and evil… and also between squashy and scaly, happy and grumpy, clever and wily… cute and plain old ugly. This is the land of Bottersnikes and Gumbles.

We were treated to two funny episodes that saw all the kids giggling and clapping. The children were then invited to play various games. They were given some colouring to do and encouraged to display their creations on an animation machine. They all got some tattoos and masks too.

We chatted to the actors after refreshments and found out that they recorded their voices well over a year ago. Unlike some animated films, the process for this film involved the actors recording together so Jeff Rawle said it had a great team atmosphere. I passed on a compliment from a friend to Kathryn Drysdale who plays Bounce & Merri and we talked about the audition process for various roles and how looking younger than your age can sometimes go against you for certain roles.

We sat down to natter with Akiya Henry who plays Willi & Jolli. (She's on the left in the stripy dress) As well as major theatre roles, Akiya is also in the exciting animation Bing Bunny for Cbeebies and Titty Walker in Swallows and Amazons. Several kids had already had a sneaky chuckle at her character's name being Willi so we decided she'd be a favourite character for the "rude factor" alone! Akiya confirmed that they were provided with a little character synopsis prior to the recording so she could imagine the characteristics Willi would display. I saw her chatting to a young boy earlier and when his Mother explained that this *lady* spoke the words uttered by Willi he recoiled at the thought and hid behind his Mum! He had assumed that Willi was a boy gumble, so the actor must be a man. Not so - Akiya said she liked the character being hard to define in terms of gender - how relevant to today. When quizzed about how to select the right voice in terms of pitch, Akiya explained that as Willi's character breakdown paints a picture of Willi-gumble always looking up to Tink, she effected her voice to adopt a Tink-inflection. She said this was easy when spending time in the studio with Jason Callender who plays Tink. Jason also plays Dexter Harris on the 4 O’clockclub, aired on CBBC.

My daughter is about to step onto a big stage at the grand age of 5 years old - we've been persevering with drama club in order to help her overcome her shyness. Her question was how could she be more brave; Akiya confessed that when she was young, she was very shy indeed. Her top tip for children is when you're about to perform, think about where would be your favourite place to be performing your lines. Akiya told us that sometimes she imagines she's in a fairy tale and she's in a big castle and is just saying her lines to her friends. Hope that will help with the massive stage fright I'm predicting on Saturday!

Before we parted, I told Akiya that I couldn't let her go without addressing the kids TV programme that seems to have amassed a cult following: Bing Bunny. Akiya plays Amma and I asked her, did she realise how massively popular it had become, and just how "into it" parents were?! There are various threads of Mumsnet and even between my friends on Twitter, the intricacies from various episodes and questions that adult viewers told me to ask, had me giggling away! Why one character can't keep trousers on, why when Bing pee'd his pants that became "it's a Bing thing". I told her that Mums & Dads wondered who Bings parents were, and how come he never calls anyone Mummy or Daddy? Well the answer is that in a child's world, they see a "responsible adult". In fact as we chatted, we realised that some little ones may well spend more time with a grandparent, nursery nurse or other carer than with Mum or Dad.

As we left, we were given a goodie bag which included a revised copy of the Bottersnikes and Gumbles story, which we've already raced through two chapters of.

Roll on July 25th though, as I have a rather impatient little girl who keeps telling me she wants to watch Buttersnikes and Gumbles! Hope your little ones enjoy the new show. I'd love to hear what they think x

Gluten free offerings at Hack Wood Farm

2016-01-14T07:24:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

Think I just can just about get away with saying that still. I'll be honest, I do not seem to fair well over New Year...but slightly longer days already and a bit of sunshine today, so all is well. Hope you're off to a decent start yourself.

I have driven past a sign for Hack Wood farm shop countless times, but have always been en route to somewhere, until today...

Forgiving the pot hole drive (they're waiting to have it resurfaced) and after the crazy amount of rain recently, the parking was very muddy. No matter.

From

The initial approach it doesn't look like there'll be much to see, but just around the corner is a great courtyard, must be lovely in summer.

Great range of fresh vegetables and fruit outside

Then you open an in imposing stable door and you're in for a surprise! A considerable butchers counter is waiting for you.

Complete with Glutenfree sausages (usually) and a range of Glutenfree pies by Voakes

The rest of the farm shop has a few Glutenfree products including a local range of flavoured chocolate buttons by www.bittersweetchocolates.co.uk

...and biscuits and traybake style cakes

Nice to see a free from gluten biscuit range made with butter and no vegetable oils

They also stock Thornleys GF sauce mixes which I haven't seen in other local

Farm shops.

They have two types of Doves Farm GF flour, but do not stock any gluten free bread

Then if you look around the corner, there's a huge space dedicated to a cafe area. Some great signs of coeliacs being catered for judging by the menus.

And a special deal for the over 60's and ginger aficionados are even catered for 😉

Even four legged friends are catered for!

I spoke to the lady who made the GF chocolate brownie and she reassured me that clean equipment is used and hands washed etc so they seemed aware of cross contamination risk. My only point of hesitation would be the gluten packed cakes being right next to the brownies and them not being covered or protected from accidental crumbs - not sure what you think about that? Also, whether a separate serving slice would be used or not? If you are a coeliac, then it would be safer to have it protected from other baked goods.

There were little wrapped biscuits available too

I came home with a great selection of foods and would love to go back for a return visit and enjoy the menu in the café. They even have a leaflet describing a 3mile circular walk from the farm shop...maybe once the threat of snow has disappeared.

So spread the word, a great farm shop, the origins of which go back more than 200 years. Certainly adapting to modern times, thank you for catering for coeliacs.

http://www.hackwoodfarm.com/

Miffy - memories in the making

2015-09-27T14:37:00.001-07:00

Hello, nice of you to stop by, if you're looking to enter the Miffy giveaway competition, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this post and leave your details - good luck!

I'm chuffed to bits to be able to offer someone else the chance to win their own "sensory Miffy". Our youngest has always been fond of bunnies. When she was a teeny baby, Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit was on her wall. Her next favourite rabbit was Boo from Belle and Boo fame, such beautiful illustrations.

http://belleandboo.com Then when she was a little tot, I bought her first Miffy and there's been no going back ever since! She has her absolute favourite Miffy, the same one goes to bed with her every night and gets a bit grubby every now and again!

Her Miffy family seems to be constantly growing, she has six now! They regularly make an appearance at the breakfast table, in fact Miffy pretty much goes wherever she's needed!

She would probably say that the highlight of her year was attending the Miffy charity film premiere in London as she got to meet "real" Miffy. In fact, she was so enamoured after her meet and greet, that we had to return to the back of the queue and wait in line all over again for a second cuddle!

It was lovely to see cartoon Miffy up on the big screen.

The great news is Miffy’s Adventures: Big and Small launches on Tiny Pop on 2 October 2015, at 7pm and will consist of seven minute long episodes which see Miffy and her friends exploring the exciting world around her. I know one little lady who will definitely be watching! Will you?

She turned 5 this summer and I planned a mini bedroom makeover - Miffy style of course!

Her face was a picture when she saw her new room.

I used some leftover scraps of fabric for little cushions. Luckily I found some a Miffy prints at a London market and popped them into IKEA frames. I spotted a run of bunting at a bargain price due to a little tear but once it's up in the wall you can't tell. We already had the little IKEA cots and had placed an order for Miffy cot blankets with Jane Foster last year.

Once it was all put together I think it looked fab, and it made the birthday girl very happy indeed! Lucky little one

Vintage books upcycled into bunting available here

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/130492382/snuffy-buntingbanner?ref=hp_mod_rf

From time to time, jane foster creates Miffy cushions and blankets, her Etsy shop is here

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Janefoster?ref=s2-header-shopname

Similar clip it panels by IXXI are available here

http://www.dotmaison.com/abcwithmiffy_p_76991.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products&gclid=CjwKEAjwp56wBRDThOSZ3vqGzmESJABjNaj9_7XjVK3nw7zE43j-thpGtA7pmAP_nsTNir0LdER97RoCwXLw_wcB

If you'd like to win a sensory Miffy, simply add a comment below and let me know who it's for, hope you win & enjoy the new TV programme!

Paris with my poppet

2015-09-18T03:16:00.001-07:00

I have a massive soft spot for Paris. Well who doesn't, surely? My first ever visit was when I was about 15. I was staying with family friends in Holland, and we took the train. Actually, we *didn't* take the train that we were booked onto because - naive, inexperienced traveller that I was at that time - my teenage self didn't realise that I needed to bring my passport along - oops. Anyway I had the perfect introduction to Paris including the Eiffel Tower from lovely Lyliane. Aged eighteen I went to work as a teaching assistant and as the group travelled to various destinations, we passed through Paris. I was too love-sick to join them as they went out clubbing, preferring instead to go to bed and pine after my boyfriend! I also lived in Paris for six months whilst studying. I was meant to join a videoconferencing firm as a French/English salesperson but the technological descriptions were too much in English, let alone in French. So I joined the super efficient Nicole on the administration front. They were brave leaving me on phone duty, the first few messages that I tried to relay were far from clear!

I've returned for little city breaks several times, one of the most memorable being for my 40th birthday with my sisters, we had a super busy itinerary & now that kids and jobs are in our lives, it was so special to have 3 full days together. They made the trip so special for me.

So two years on & I decided to take our eldest daughter. I think I was more excited than her to be honest, but the moment she saw the Eiffel Tower from our bedroom window was fantastic!

Anyway, the point of this blog is to bring you news about gluten free finds isn't it, so down to business...

http://www.helmutnewcake.com/

First stop was a Friday afternoon pick me up. This new addition to Helmut Newcake is more like a patisserie shop with a small counter for a couple of guests. We chose an amazing chocolate eclair & warm chocolate fondant, both were really good. I found out later that the chocolate cream in the eclair was also dairy free

http://chambelland.com

Our next Glutenfree stop was across the other side of town. Chambelland has seats inside and a couple outside if you want to eat in & serves sandwiches, soups, along with hot drinks and fresh lemonade. They sell a few Glutenfree products such as a flour blend, cookbooks, jams. Their sandwich bread was novel. It seemed to be cooked in a very wide and relatively flat tin so they cut the bread horizontally across rather than vertically down. Avoids the issue of bread that doesn't rise too much, and no crumbly slices. I thought the bread in my sandwich was really tasty, it was covered with poppy seeds. My daughter took one bite and refused to eat any more. Luckily she loved her brownie & my raspberry tart was quite nice too.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=169897883041047

Unfortunately the place we had chosen for dinner was still closed for summer holidays but it's worth mentioning here as Broceliande is one of the best “creperie” in Paris, located in the village of Montmartre. So a perfect place for a casual dinner and walk afterwards by the artist area and the Sacré-Coeur.

On our last day, we were booked in for brunch at Helmut Newcake, rue bichat. However, my travel companion was so exhausted that she slept in so late that the timings didn't work out. I thought we'd pop there before catching Eurostar back, as I'd need a bit of caffeine & cake by then. When we arrived, the coffee machine was broken, zut! I was peckish as I'd not scoffed *another* crêpe Nutella, unlike a certain little person. From her perspective the trip was very much fuelled by crêpes, chocolat et orangina!

(Above: not Glutenfree, but you're not missing out on anything, I watched someone pay 5euro for cold churros that had been sat there for who knows how long!)

Back to brunch; by the time we arrived, their set brunch was finished and on a Sunday that is all they offer - apart from all their lovely cakes. The host was very lovely and offered us a bread basket - all of which were absolutely delicious and gluten eating child ate them happily. They also made a special plate of ham and salad for me - which wasn't an option on any menu but it was perfect. This branch of Helmut Newcake has plenty of quirky seating, the staff are really friendly and they had lots of patisserie to choose from. I took a slice of cheesecake for the train journey.

Since I returned home, I've discovered (via Twitter) http://because-gustave.com

They've shared a bunch of other places that I hadn't heard of.

http://www.maisonbon.com/

Paris seems to have more dedicated glutenfree places than London now, so I'm going to have to do a return trip, now...who's up for that? Xx

Marsh Green Farm Shop Ashover nr Chesterfield

2015-04-09T05:36:00.001-07:00

On our way to Hardwick Hall, we made an impromptu stop at Marsh Green Farm Shop. I've driven past a handful of times and as we share our surname, it's always caught my eye, but ive never had time to investigate previously.

Well, what a find. There is a gluten free section & many other gluten free items dotted around the shop.

New products of interest were sweet nothings which are in fact by Jacksons Bakery of Chesterfield. I seem to remember meeting the owner of Jacksons at a Food & Drink Awards ceremony & telling him about my new gluten free cake venture. We compared his cost to make one gluten cupcake with my costs to hand make one gluten free cupcake & I figured I wouldn't be in business too long! Their concept is gluten free and lower sugar. I look forward to tasting one later.

Great selection of crisps & gluten free sausages at the weekend (we just missed those)

The menu has masses of options for gluten free diners and they use a brand of gf bread that ive seen for sale at other farm shops, which is a tasty one.

Even spotted Glutenfree pizza bases too

I ordered an omelette as I failed to satisfy my addiction to eggs this morning, looks great doesn't it?

So if, like me, you were wondering whether to pop in or not, I definitely recommend you do!

Sugar free fiasco

2015-03-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

Hello there! It's been while hasn't it? So lovely of you to pop by again afterI've abandoned the blog for so long - thanks 😀
It's the good old "sugar free" debacle that has dragged me back here. A couple of weeks ago, I got my knickers in quite a twist about it, after I saw a tweet from Red Magazine.

I've been trying out a few flapjack recipes for the family, trying to get one that tastes like our old version of a flapjack but has the nutritional value of a far healthier version - which all of us thought was closer to rabbit food! The tweet links to a list of recipes from Davina's latest book. The name of the flapjack recipe being specifically "sugar free flapjack"

Sugar free? Ooh this could be interesting - I thought so j clicked on the link...only to find the following recipe come up:

Now, whilst none of these ingredients are called "sugar" my limited food knowledge told me that combining the dates and honey, I figured there were 400g of sugary ingredients in this bowl of so called "curb your sugar cravings goodness" - right!

My original family flapjack recipe looked like this

I think it came out of a Sainsburys magazine, so this "healthier" version had more sugary stuff than my original treat!

Now I took issue with this for two reasons

1) the recipe is NOT sugar free, it is refined sugar free & that should be clarified

2) I spend a lot of my time trying to learn about food, nutrition, diets, additives, goodness, brain food etc etc. So I consider myself an interested party and to an extent somewhat informed. However, there are times when I am totally baffled by opposing advice, conflicting opinions, the complexity of trying to do the right thing for your family. I therefore feel passionately that this specific kind of misinformation is very irresponsible and confusing for people who are trying to do the right thing. I tweeted to this effect (although only in 140 characters!) and received the following repsonse from Davina herself

I'm afraid to say that this made me even more mad! I have not purchased the book. I have no intention of going entirely sugar free - rightly or wrongly - who bloody knows?!

But I cannot see the sense in choosing an exceptionally high in sugar recipe if you are starting a path to reduce your sugar intake! I am led to believe that she may not have actually written a large part of this book herself. Yet her tweet sounded as though she was emphatically behind the concept. I wish she or Red magazine would have admitted that the title of the recipe was misleading at least.

In case it's of interest to anyone, this is my latest flapjack recipe, having reduced the fat and sugar considerably. Made in the usual method, with Glutenfree oats. We all love these flapjacks, maybe you will too...

2015-03-19T02:23:00.000-07:00

Well hello there, it's been a while hasn't it? Really nice of you to stop by, considering the total lack of blog posts recently

It's the good old sugar free debacle that has dragged me back here. About two weeks ago, I got my knickers in quite a twist about it, after I saw a tweet by Red Magazine, offering a sugar free flapjack recipe.

2015-02-03T08:28:00.001-08:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My favourites from Udis

2014-01-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well, how perfectly timed - Udis sent me a massive cool-bag of goodies. There was quite a bit of chatter on twitter about this brand so I was very much looking forward to trying their brand new treats.

These crisps were my favourite, a really great texture of alternative grains, quietly tasty to begin with but then they pack a real punch, as the spice develops, and I found them really spicy!
A close second come these very welcome bagels. I wasn't sure if I'd like a cinnamon bagel, and had never eaten a "normal" bagel before my diagnosis. However, I have to tell you that these are gorgeous. I even sliced one in half and popped it in the freezer and left it untouched until Christmas Day breakfast-time. I drowned mine in strawberry jam & it was delicious.

Also, Udis brought me my first 2013 mince pie. I'd been rather spoilt for mince pies last year & I think their frangipane topping still remains my favourite. These were very pleasant though with plenty of double cream - ooh I could just eat another one now!

Thank you so much Udis. I wish one of my local

Supermarkets stocked your brand, I don't live near a Tesco so I don't shop there & haven't seen these items at any of my three nearest supermarkets. I would definitely purchase the crisps and bagels again. Personally, I don't tend to eat snacks such as the pop-tarts and found their pastry a little crumbly or perhaps powdery. I was discouraged from trying the muffins due to the number of unusual "chemically-sounding" ingredients - someone brought that to my attention & I couldn't get passed it!

Each to their own though, sure others have listed those as favourites.

I'm just pleased that more brands are emerging and are prepared to launch products such as bagels and pop-tarts, makes a very nice change. I think the challenge will be resisting some of these treats and continuing to try to eat healthily as coeliacs!

Udi's special delivery

2013-10-25T13:13:00.001-07:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I just had to share this photo with you straight away. On my way back from school this afternoon, I was given a rather lovely special delivery.

Udi's have sent me heaps of new Gluten free products to try out. Can you believe it, this includes Glutenfree pop tarts? Yes, pop tarts! I never tried a normal pop tart & didn't dream someone would ever make a gluten free mass produced version. How times have changed, even since I was diagnosed, which is only about 5 years ago.

Well, I have to go and help eldest darling knock up an Autumn collage (her choice) apparently, I've got to draw a table - not my forté so don't hold your breath!

Ill be back to let you know which Udi's goodies to seek out, they're stocked in Tesco nationwide apparently

Have a great weekend, and be sure to seek out their stand if you're heading to the Allergy show in Liverpool over the weekend.

Bye for now x

It's been a while!

2013-09-29T14:29:00.004-07:00

I know! I hope you're sitting down because I just logged into this dusty blog and I AM a bit rusty, I have to admit.

Yes, it really has been over 3 years since I last blogged. I've enjoyed tweeting with fabulous people all sharing their Glutenfree tips and have shared a few recipes in multiple 140characters at a time.

Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things & be able to bring you one or two interesting recipes, tips, shortcuts, hidden gems and join in the latest news & reviews.

I look forward to chatting again,
Until then, eat well & enjoy!
Charlotte x

Spring has sprung

2010-04-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well, we have leaping lambs in the fields next to our garden, it's staying much lighter in the evenings - which brings much confusion & frustration over bedtime for a 4yr old - and we've had at least one sunny day, so it's official spring has sprung.

There's something about baking along with the seasons too, or rather decorating I suppose. These spring & Easter themed cupcakes brightened our days at Cupcake Corner, and luckily the days of lots of very keen shoppers at the Coeliac's Food Fair. Brownies flew off the table and sold out in the first hour! Thank Goodness for my wonderful nephew Matt who helped me to set up and then stayed a while longer and helped serve the first rush of hungry cupcake fans!

This week, I'm busy preparing for Thursday's Childrens' Spring workshop (still a couple of places left) so more cute bunnies, daffodils, spikey grass and very moreish mini eggs. Opening a bag of mini eggs has proved lethal, I kept polishing them off and having to send out for more supplies! As a result, I am now appearing very clearly pregnant! This baby is going to have such a sweet tooth, I must resist all these goodies a bit more!

Well, I hope you are enjoying a few rays of sunshine wherever you are, and that Spring brings you a burst of energy to start afresh

love Charlotte x

Childrens' Spring Cupcake Worshop

2010-03-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

CUPCAKE CORNER AND RUDD MONCRIEFF
invite you to an exclusive
CHILDRENS' SPRING CUPCAKE MASTERCLASS
At The Old Vicarage, Shirley, Nr Ashbourne, Derbyshire
On Thursday, 15th April 2010
Time 10:30am-3pm
Spring Cupcake Masterclass Workshop
Art and Craft
Flower arranging
Outdoor fun and games
£30 for each child (to include childcare & lunch)
Discount for siblings
(Please bring Wellingtons and Waterproofs)
For bookings please contact:-
TEL: 01335 360183/07973 264017
WWW.RUDDMONCRIEFF.COM.

Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery is Coeliac UK Food Champion

2010-03-04T01:54:00.000-08:00

Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery is now food ambassador for Coeliac UK and he LOVES our gluten free cupcakes, when he tasted a selection, this is what he thought "I have to say I am very impressed, the packaging, colours and style is great and as for the cakes...they are very good indeed, seriously good in fact. Your ideas sound very exciting" Read the Coeliac UK announcement details just here

http://bit.ly/9mvApp

Little Jonny's christening cupcakes

2010-02-23T03:37:00.000-08:00

A small family gathering deserved some special cupcakes for a little boy called Jonny. Grandad brought his three little grand-daughters to collect these, and their name all began with "J" too, so they had little pink "J"s on their own cupcakes. Lovely!

Nutty Macaroon Cookies

2010-02-23T03:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I picked up a very excited little girl from pre-school yesterday, after a busy week off on half-term, she was thrilled to be back with her friends & teachers. So happy, that instead of the usual post-school lull, we had such a lovely mood, that we decided to bake together.

Nutty Macaroon Cookies, these were very easy to make, even with a 4 yr old, who was remarkably helpful for a change, having got to the stage where she can attempt to read parts of the recipe! I might try some of these at the forthcoming coeliac fair, although I'm not sure how in advance I could make them, as I can't do everything last minute.

Look pretty don't they?

Roll Up, Roll Up, Coeliac Gluten Free Food Fair

2010-02-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Come and taste delicious gluten free cupcakes in a wide selection of flavours, gorgeously chewy chocolate brownies, and beautiful powder pink macaroons with white chocolate ganache. No need to wait to order a whole giftbox or a party stand, you can purchase any of the above in whatever quantity you fancy.
Stop by early before I sell out, and be sure to say Hi!
Saturday, 20 March 2010 11:10

Location:Cricket Grounds, Pentagon Island, Derby

2010-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of blogspots, what a crazy start to 2010. Trapped at home for about 9 days due to the snow, but actually loved the excuse to stop in and spoil Rosie with lots extra attention!

Another good thing about being stuck at home, was that I had a chance to get my teeth into perfecting a gluten free brownie recipe. I tried about 12 different variations, and then opted for my preferred version which I have tweaked to perfection. They have a crispy top, and are so moist and chewy, the perfect brownie consistency. As usual, they are made using my neighbouring farm's fresh free range eggs, as well as fairtrade sugar & cocoa.

My hubbie has declared that it's the best cake on Cupcake Corner's menu, no less! And I have to say, that it is the best brownie I've eaten, even in my gluten eating days. So, if you'd like to taste them for yourself, they are available at £1.90 each, with a minimum order of 6.

Now busy preparing for Valentines Day orders, helping a lovely wine bar & cafe put on the first local "Cupcake Afternoon Tea", and lots more plans ahead.

I hope your year has started positively, I'd love to hear from you if you like the look of the Brownie?