I Love Cake: Fun

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I first saw the concept of 'cake pops' on The Crazy Kitchen well over a year ago now and, while I was incredibly impressed with the inventiveness and finished result, I am just too messy a cook when it comes to presentation to even contemplate making them like that. Hats off to Helen, but I hate getting gloopy hands!

Then I saw that one of my other blogging friends had been given a cake pop maker for Christmas and, because I like kitchen gadgets, I instantly wanted one despite there being none in the shops due to it's popularity. Fast forward a few months and the desire reared its head again, yet again there were none. But yesterday I managed to pop into Lakeland and buy myself one for the sum of £19.99.

The recipe given in the booklet that comes with the maker is incredibly simple!

Ingredients:

  • 125g softened butter
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 125g self raising flour
  • 2tbsp milk (although I only used 1tbsp)

  1. Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  2. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
  3. Sift the flour in and mix, add some milk to make it smoother and beat well.
  4. Put a heaped teaspoon of mix into each well on the cake pop maker, close the lid and cook for four-five minutes until the cakes have risen, are firm and golden brown.

Then to assemble them, I dug a small hold into the underside of the ball and put a small amount of chocolate into the hole before pushing the stick in. This helps hold them in place. We dipped them in melted candy melts and then into a variety of sprinkles, marshmallows and fudge pieces.

This is where I wished I'd used chocolate rather than candy melts: they're too thick to dip and coat. I'd also not dip into the sprinkles, I'd pour them on.

However, they tasted very yummy and have gone down really well with The Boy and his friends this afternoon.

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A Day Out With Thomas At Dean Forest Railway (Review)

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And so it came to pass that The Boy turned three years old and developed, as so many little boys before him, a fascination with a certain blue steam engine. Thomas the Tank Engine became a regular fixture in the household and the entire family could often be heard to sing, "They're 2, they're 4, they'r 6, they're 8; shunting trucks and hauling freight" amongst cries of, "Mummy, you got the words wrong again!"

Does that describe anyone else's house?

The Boy loves Thomas. There's something about the gentle stories, narrator's voice and animation (yes he prefers the newer version) that really gels with him.

Which is why I had to take him to see Thomas the Tank Engine when it recently came to Dean Forest Railway near Lydney, in the Forest of Dean.

We didn't tell him where we were going, but the minute we drove into the car park and he saw the sign for Thomas, he was jumping up and down in his car seat. The Dean Forest Railway is set in the middle of a wooded valley and it's quite sheltered from the wind with many trees around the area. It all adds to the vintage feel of the engines and carriages sat on the sidings, all hinting to a bygone era. In the reception courtyard there is a vintage ride-on merry-go-round, a small steam engine run by a group of enthusiasts from nearby Newport, and a view of the sidings. This leads onto a really comprehensive gift shop with everything you could ever want to buy branded with Thomas the Tank Engine (of varying prices) and a quiet room with puzzles, DVDs playing, Thomas construction, etc.

Crossing through this area onto the lower platform meant that we got to see Thomas chug in and excite many little boys and girls, before having an engineer's certificate from the Fat Controller himself, Sir Topham Hatt. We then had an hour or so in which to explore the rest of the platform, have faces painted, enjoy the cafe (in an old train!) or read the Thomas book that we'd been given.

Dean Forest Railway
There were two journeys that we could have gone on, one leading down to Lydney Junction or one up to Park End. We went on the one to Park End which actually started off by racing the steam train going to Lydney Junction. It got everyone excited and geared up for the ensuing journey which took forty minutes in total (round trip). I'd forgotten how hot it can get on the old trains!

Back at Norchard station we had the opportunity to go on a brake van pulled by Thomas, and watch Diesel and Thomas waiting in the station. It was a really good day and The Boy loved seeing the real Thomas, a must for every little fan.

There is currently a selection of dates left on the Thomas Days Out tour around Britain, prices vary depending upon the location. Dean Forest Railway have provisional dates for next year's tour in May and August 2013, it's possible to sign up for the newsletter to receive up-to-date information.

We received free entry into the event with complimentary tickets. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Red Hot World Buffet (Review)

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We were recently invited to review the menu at the Red Hot World Buffet in Cardiff. As we're fans of eating out, and I personally feel that a buffet is my favourite ever meal (seriously! What more could you ever want to eat when there's such variety available?), I was very keen to try it out. I'd heard great things from the children in school about it, and I'll admit that put me off slightly; if it's a favourite with children, is it just a more elaborate fast food joint?

'No' is the answer.

We went into the 270 cover Cardiff restaurant at midday on Saturday, it was busy but there were still plenty of tables. Seated quickly at a clean and tidy table with plenty of cutlery and glassware, The Boy was given a clean highchair (take note Frankie & Benny's!) and we perused the paper placemat which explained the system to us. Our waitress was over within five minutes to take our drinks orders (which arrived within another five minutes) and was very pleasant and friendly.

I went up first to check out the system, and got way-laid by all the sights, sounds and smells! Then when I'd worked out where everything was, I took The Boy to choose his food, closely followed by Mr. TBaM in third place.

There are a variety of food stations, 95% of which are self service: salads (many of which are Mediterranean inspired), Italian pizzas and pasta (with a chef cooking risotto to order while you wait), Spanish, traditional British, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Tex Mex, Sushi, and probably a few more which I've forgotten. In the evenings, there are more dishes available.

There is a huge desserts station with the most beautifully prepared tiny sweets, tarts, mousses and cakes. The Boy's face lit up when he saw the vast array of traditional and adventurous ice-creams!

Each dish is well prepared, cooked and presented, as well as being incredibly tasty. When I looked at the menu online beforehand, I was sceptical. "How on Earth can that many dishes be cooked to a high standard, be tasty and not stand around for a long time waiting to be served?"

Easily. The serving dishes are not deep so the food at the bottom hasn't congealed waiting to be eaten, bacteria isn't breeding and the food doesn't get dried out. Additionally some of the dishes (risotto and stir-fry) are cooked freshly. I counted at least ten chefs behind the food stations with another five constantly monitoring the cleanliness of the serving dishes, replenishing platters and wiping up any spillages.

And so to the food that we ate.

  • The Boy had pizza, some salad bits, bread, cheese and chips.
  • I had a plate of salad, pizza and a few wedges. I also had a quesadilla (the hottest thing I've ever tasted!) and the most delicious little mango and cheese tartlets. I went back for more!
  • Mr. TBaM went spicy and had Indian, Chinese and some Tex Mex.
  • The Boy and I shared some of the puddings together, as well as him having a bowl of ice-cream. Each portion was small, one or two bites, but that was more than enough.

The main thing that struck me was that despite it being billed as an 'all you can eat' buffet, and both of us going back for a little more to test that theory, there wasn't wastage and it wasn't excessive. Slices of pizzas, for example, were thin but alongside the other things that on your plate, that was enough. It also means that the restaurant aren't wasting food with people leaving excessive amounts of food.

Mr. TBaM took The Boy up to the toilets on the first floor and this was the only criticism of the restaurant. For somewhere that has over 250 covers, three urinals and two cubicles aren't really enough for a restaurant of that size. However, it was clean and tidy. We've taken to shouting, "Don't touch a thing!" to The Boy in public toilets but that wasn't necessary.

As for anything else wrong with the place, I tried to find something, I really did! If anyone has read my Frankie & Benny's review, they'll know I'm not afraid of pointing out the awfulness of somewhere, but I couldn't at Red Hot World Buffet. I watched the table of three adults and one toddler leave next to us and it was a mess. Within two minutes it had been stripped of debris, thoroughly cleaned, seats and floor swept, and the table relaid with a new family sat down. I can't fault the staff at all. And I can't fault the food. It was some of the tastiest I've had in a while.

I always moan to my mum that I can't find anywhere in Cardiff to take The Boy. Everywhere is unfriendly to pushchairs, children or vegetarians. It's also expensive. But not at Red Hot World Buffet. At £9.99 for a Saturday lunchtime buffet, it's comparable to the other well-known restaurants, especially if you include a dessert into that. We paid £2.65 for a pint of soft drink which is a good price.

In total the meal came to £27.93 for three of us. Children under ten eat for half price but in this instance The Boy wasn't charged for his food. I can't see anything on Red Hot World Buffet site which indicates toddlers are free (often places put them down as eating from a parent's plate) so it might just have been a fluke on this occasion. I think that's a really good price, especially as we paid £10 more for food (which wasn't as tasty) the next day in another restaurant.

So, golden question: Would I go again if paying for it? YES!

Red Hot World Buffet invited us to try their food with a complimentary meal; all opinions are our own.

Chocolates by Genevie (Review)

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I get offered quite a few things to review, mostly toys or household/kitchen items, and the vast majority of them I'm happy to accept. Some of them are completely off course for our family which contains a three year old boy, but mostly they fit really well. Especially chocolate!

When I was asked to review a new line of chocolates by a new start up business, "we are a small family business dedicated to making chocolate that is second to none", I was more than happy to do so because I feel it's important to support the independent businesses. I also love chocolate and it's got to be a pretty grotty chocolate to not have me impressed.

The pretty box of chocolates from Chocolate By Genevie arrived in the post. Admittedly they were a smaller box than I expected, but I decided that it was quality not quantity that was important.

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I liked the look of the white chocolate one and bit in. To discover a filling which I couldn't put my finger on. I wasn't even that impressed with the quality of the white chocolate to be honest.

It's at this point that I searched the box for the description card, to no avail. This I found a little disturbing. In this day and age when there are so many of the population with allergies, it's really important to disclose which of the chocolates have nuts or other ingredients in. (I didn't realise until today when I read another review that there is also no use-by date.)

However, I plodded on with the pot luck situation of the chocolates and quickly discovered that in all honesty I couldn't work out any flavours other than praline and possibly a bit of nut. Very disappointing indeed for a box of chocolates which cost £8.99. On that note, it works out to be more than £1 a chocolate. £1 per chocolate! Having reviewed several boxes of chocolates for Hotel Chocolat, I can safely say that these are more expensive and a far lower quality. In fact, they were reminiscent of a supermarket box of truffles.

I had this box to review back in July, so why has it taken me so long to review them? Because I didn't know what to say. I felt bad for this small, home-grown business which was investing in bloggers to promote their brand. The company had offered me a box for a competition as well, but having tasted them I wasn't really keen to endorse them and have been hanging back on writing this review.

What's made me write it tonight? This post here.

It transpires that a few other bloggers who'd been sent this box of chocolates were sufficiently concerned about the lack of product descriptions, ingredients and use-by date, and did some investigations. I'll leave you to read them. Nonetheless, the original 'about me' description of the company (which I quoted above) has been changed. Instead of reading: "Everything from making the chocolates to finishing the boxes is done by hand making sure you receive a product which is both unique and special; we are a small family business dedicated to making chocolate that is second to none" it now says "We have… finally found a small Belgium supplier who makes chocolates that are just divine – all of our chocolates are produced in Belgium by chocolatiers who excel in the art of chocolate. We are a small family business dedicated to sourcing and supplying chocolate that is second to none."

Now as far as I can see, that's a completely different claim. That means that the Genevie who told me that she handmade the chocolates herself (with her family taste-testing and boxing them) doesn't actually do that. And that indeed this family buy them in and repackage them to sell on their site over in the UK.

I'm one of those rare people that don't like Belgian chocolates. I don't like the nutty tastes, I don't like the texture of the chocolates. If I'd known it was a box of Belgian chocolates, I'd have said no.

I have genuinely been toying with my review for the past month. Finding out that the company involved appear to be misleading people as to their origins annoys me. I don't like being lied to.

Regardless of the honesty of the company, would I recommend these chocolates? Well to me, they are standard Belgian chocolates with indeteminable flavours, in fairly attractive but indistinctive packaging, which work out at £1 a chocolate. So, no I wouldn't.

As for the competition promoting the company? Are you having a laugh?

I was sent these chocolates for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and probably unbiased, but I'm still cross about being lied to.

Review: 3 In 1 USB Cable

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It might be fairly obvious to the regular reader that we've got a fair amount of technology in this family. With me being an ICT co-ordinator and my husband a software developer, we like our gadgets.

The industry is starting to normalise the connections between devices but they do tend to fall into one of three types: USB, mini-USB and micro-USB. Then of course chuck in the Apple devices and you've got an awful lots of cables needed to upload data to a computer.

That's where I normally shout at my husband because I don't like the cables getting muddled, or indeed having eleventy billion of them.

So this is why I really like this little gizmo I was sent to review:

USB adapter
This is the Innergie 3 in 1 USB cable and adaptor. And it miraculously can link the iPod, dSLR camera, digital camera, Samsung Galaxy S3, Nokia Lumia and Panasonic video camera to our laptop. Not all at the same time I hasten to add!

Contained within this short cable is a normal USB point on one end and a variety of connectors that are slotted into each other for space saving efficiency.

USB adaptor

I can't tell you the last time I hooked out any cable other than this one to use! The 'magic cable' has an RRP of £19.99 and is available from a variety of online stores.

For more information visit the Innergie site or their Facebook page.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review. My enthusiastic opinion is honest and unbiased.

Monday 27th August 2012 – 'The Wa-ympic Torch' (240/366)

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Tonight we went into Cardiff Bay to see the Paralympic Torch reaching the beacon for Wales and being lit. We arrived at 7pm, splashed around for a bit, found out that they weren't lighting it until gone 9pm and came home again. Reclothed in dry clothes and The Boy's splashproof suit, we went back out again (it's only 5 minutes from us) andreparked the car. Unfortunately, they didn't light the flame until 10pm which was way too late for little ones. However, The Boy did brilliantly and cheered hugely when Simon Weston was the last torch bearer in Wales. The Boy really enjoyed himself and did superbly.

Country Kids: In The City

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The very title of this post is an oxymoron, but as I live on the outskirts of Cardiff it's very difficult to ignore all that it has to offer. I also know that Coombe Mill's intention with this linky is to encourage outdoor play away from electrical devices. So I'm going with it.

The weather's been relatively sunny this weekend but I can feel the turn in the air; it's been less of a t-shirts and shorts weekend, and more of a trousers and cardigan time. It also feels like we haven't done very much over the weekend, but having gallivanted around the country for the past few weeks it's been nice to just stop and relax.

On Saturday we took The Boy over to Roath Park so he could practise his scooting and bike-riding. Unforunately he was a lazy monkey and wouldn't ride properly which resulted in him being removed from said bike and mummy getting cross with him. He had a fantastic time on the longest slide in the city anyway, and while he started out cautiously he soon built up his confidence!

He was also fascinated by the listening funnels (don't know what they're really called) on the climbing frame, and the cargo net which six months ago would have given him a challenge proved too easy now.

On Sunday we popped over to Cardiff Bay to have dinner at Pizza Express and then give The Boy a chance to scoot around. He is so confident on it and really loves going as fast as he can. I know given time he'll be the same on his bike. We also taught him how to use the brake on his scooter because at the moment he does this funny little galloping hop to stop. It was fantastic to see the sheer exhilaration on The Boy's face as he steamed past the couples and families walking along, and a sense of pride came over me when I saw them smiling at his enjoyment.

And no trip to Cardiff Bay is complete without a turn on the carousel.

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Giveaway: Tanatomicals Instant & Self Tan Mousse

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Ok so it's coming up to the end of August and I certainly don't have a tan.

Does anyone?

At the end of July it was looking like I'd get one, but then clouds came and laughed at me, and I remain my normal lily white. Problem is that I like to wear cropped trousers in the 'Summer' and so I'm resorting to the old faithful of fake tan!

One I've tried before and was quite impressed with because of the delicate results (i.e. non-fake looking) and really decent price (£6.99) is Tanatomicals Instant & Self Tan Mousse (available from Superdrug at the current reduced price of £3.49). The natural results are combined with a fresh tropical fragrance, and as it's quick and easy to apply, it's perfect for balmy Summer evenings. Each product in the Tanatomicals range is ph balanced with moisturisers, including aloe vera, to ensure a streak-free finish.

fake tan

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