Category Archives: Blog

Family friendly Jan-Feb 2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by alison

On the look out for family fun

Read on to find out about the exciting family events for January and February, bought to us by our friends at Family Friendly North West.

Free family activities at IWM North

IWM North, The Quays, Manchester

Every Saturday and Sunday throughout January 2015

FREE entry, all ages

Discover this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme Keeping The Memory Alive by decorating a fabric square with your favourite memory, to add to IWM North’s patchwork Memories quilt.

Join in with storytelling every weekend at:

10.30am: Hear about a group of shapes who learn to get along despite their differences.

1.30pm: Meet Nancy and hear her tales of life in the Land Army in the Second World War. Learn about her wartime experiences away from home and making new friends, especially with a timid horse called Rufus.

For more information please visit iwm.org.uk

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

The Lowry, Salford

Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th January 2015

Tickets: £15.00

Suitable for ages 3+

The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be?

Following a smash-hit West End season, the tea-guzzling tiger is back on the road in this delightful family show, packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos!

A stunning stage adaptation of Judith Kerr’s much loved picture book. This is the classic tale of teatime mayhem!

For more information and to book visit thelowry.com

or call 0843 208 6000

Siberia Big Saturday at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum, Oxford Rd

Saturday 24th January 2015, 11am – 4pm

Drop-in, FREE*, suitable for all ages

Visit the Museum’s Siberia: At the Edge of the World exhibition.

Discover more about the culture and unique nature of this vast, mysterious land; one and a half times bigger than Europe. Enjoy activities for all the family, from traditional music and arts to a guided tour of the exhibition. Meet curators and see objects from the Museum’s stores.

If you can’t wait until the Museum opens at 10am, you can come along to the Museum’s Early Opening for Early Birds – enjoy self-led tours of the Siberia: At the Edge of the World exhibition, object handling and craft activities. (Just the temporary exhibition will be open at 9am – you can explore the rest of the Museum from 10am).

Suitable for families with children under 5s and their older siblings.

For more information visit museum.manchester.ac.uk

I Believe in Unicorns

The Lowry, Salford

Thursday 19th – Sunday 22nd February 2015

Tickets: £15.00

Captivating theatre this half-term!

Tomas didn’t like books or stories. Stories were just for “Little Snotties”.

He was happier clambering in the mountains like a goat or tobogganing with his Dad. That was until the Unicorn Lady came to town and reeled him in with her irresistible magic tales.

But then disaster struck and put everything that mattered most in Tomas’s life in terrible danger….I Believe in Unicorns is a spellbinding and moving story by one of our greatest storytellers.

For more information and to book visit thelowry.com

or call 0843 208 6000

The Cat In The Hat

Palace Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester

Tuesday 7th – Wednesday 8th April 2015

Tickets: £11.90 – £13.90

Suitable for ages 3+

From the moment his tall, red and white striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that The Cat in the Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met.

With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mum find when she gets home?

Based on the much loved book by Dr Seuss, The Cat in the Hat is a lively and engaging first theatre experience for young children aged 3+.

For more information and to book visit atgtickets.com/manchester or call 0844 871 3019

Alison x (your 4Manchester Women Editor)

Blueberry cheesecake cupcakes

Posted on September 19, 2013 by alison

A recipe for delicate gorgeousness in a cupcake

We’ve gone for a delicate fruity cupcake recipe today for day 4 of National Cupcake Week (16th – 22nd Septmeber 2013)

It’s a little bit of heaven in bun case!

This recipe is a firm favourite with Alice from Alice’s Vintage Pantry, and they can be found regularly on her delicious afternoon tea tables.

Over to you Alice ……

The delicious combination of a cream cheese frosting and soft blueberries makes this one of our all-time favourite cupcakes.

We are asked to make these again and again, and they pop up in many of our vintage afternoon tea parties.

They look and taste amazing.

Originally featured in Sainsburys magazine the recipe is fairly simple and never fails!

Ingredients

50g caster sugar
200g blueberries
175g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten with a couple of drops of vanilla extract in
175g self raising flour, sieved
2 tbsp milk

For the topping

175g butter
250g cream cheese (at room temp)
350g icing sugar (sieved)

Method

Preheat oven to 190c, gas mark 5.

Put caster sugar and 100ml water in a small pan and heat until sugar dissolves.

Bring to the boil and add blueberries (keep 36 back for decoration).

Heat for 1 minute then remove and cool in a sieve over a bowl.

Continue to heat the syrup and boil for 3 minutes then leave to cool.

Then whisk the butter on its own in the mixer until is really soft.

Add in the sugar and mix until pale and fluffy (I normally do it for about 5 minutes).

Add the eggs whilst mixing on a slow speed.

Sieve flour on top of mixture and put the milk in.

Mix slowly until the flour is combined.

Add the softened blueberries and mix by hand until fairly evenly distributed.

Bake for about 20 minutes until risen and lightly golden (may take a couple of minutes more).

Cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing

Whisk together butter and cream cheese until smooth, then whisk in icing sugar until smooth.

Add one table spoon of the blueberry syrup and chill in fridge.

When the cakes are cool (and they have to be really cooled), pipe the icing on top using a large piping bag with a large star nozzle.

Add two or three blueberries to each.

Enjoy!

Alice x

Photographs: Alice’s Vintage Pantry

Other articles by Alice

Sticky toffee cupcake with salted caramel cream

Chocolate & chilli cupcake recipe

Introducing National Cupcake Week – top tips for baking the perfect cupcake

Creating the perfect vintage afternoon tea

Bake the perfect sponge cake

Baking with kids

How to pack a healthy lunch box

Auntie Eva’s Parkin recipe

Keeping Christmas cakes simple

Easy Valentine heart biscuits

Mini strawberry shortcake recipe

Getting kids to eat breakfast

Posted on September 18, 2013 by alison

Banishing breakfast breakdown with Creamline

As the kids go back to school, giving them a good breakfast before getting them out of the door on time can be a serious test of patience.

Anything that makes the process a bit easier is a godsend. Couple it with a home delivery service from your local milk man and it’s all the ingredients you need for a brilliant breakfast.

We’ve got some expert hints and tips for busting breakfast stress on the blog today from family run Manchester dairy Creamline, with a cracking competition to get breakfasts back on the menu!

Over to you Creamline ……

In the dash to get out of the door on a school day, mornings can mean mayhem for families.

Worryingly, the British Nutrition Foundation reported that this means that some 8% of primary children miss out on the most important meal of the day.

This figure increased to nearly a quarter (24%) of 11-to-14-year-olds and almost a third (32%) of 14-to-16-year-olds.

Family run dairy Creamline has launched an online delivery service creamline.co.uk to help Manchester families banish breakfast stress.

You can order store cupboard essentials – from milk, yoghurt and eggs, to juices, bread and jam and many other morning must-haves – by 9pm in the evening for delivery the next morning.

Rob Purvis, joint MD at Creamline and father of five, shares his tips on finding time to give your child a healthy breakfast to kick-start the day:

If you can, lay out what you’ll need for the next day the evening before. Whether that’s school clothes or laying the breakfast table complete with variety packs of cereal, it can save precious minutes in the morning rush.

Kids can change their mind a hundred times about what they want for breakfast! Reducing the number of options on offer can make decision making much easier and speedier. An either/or choice works well.

If you really haven’t got time for a sit-down breakfast, then milk-based drinks are packed with calcium and healthy fats. Top up with a handful of dried fruit for kids to nibble in the car.

For children who are old enough to do it safely, turn getting their own breakfast ready into a treat and add a star to their chart for helping out.

Topping up your weekly shop with an online order of convenience essentials will stop that sinking feeling when you open the fridge only to find it devoid of milk!

Turn getting dressed for school into a race -a healthy dose of sibling rivalry will get your little ones competing to be the quickest, freeing up more time for brekkie.

Competition Time

Win a pair of places on celebrity chef’s Saturday Cookshop!

With breakfast taken care of, there’s time to shake up your family dinner routine …… and Creamline can help!

To celebrate the launch of its new 24/7 online ordering service, Creamline Dairies have teamed up with celebrity chef Nigel Brown, to offer a pair of places on Nigel’s sought after Saturday Cookshop cookery course for one lucky winner and a friend.

The one day course takes place at Nigel’s beautiful Barton Upon Humber kitchen studio, where whether you’re a klutz in the kitchen or a keen chef, you will brush up your culinary skills and create a delicious dish to take home at the end of the day.

Your experience voucher will also include a delicious lunch whipped up by Nigel himself.

All we want to know is what you had for breakfast this morning.

Me? I had toast with my mother-in-law’s plum jam and a nice cup of tea.

Pop it in the comments box below – but only one comment per person please.

So don’t be shy – what was on your breakfast menu!

Good luck!

Alison x (your 4Manchester Women Editor)

Photographs: Creamline Dairies

This blog is produced in collaboration with our friends at Creamline Dairies. We occasionally publish blogs funded by commercial partners.

By taking part in this competition you are agreeing to 4Manchester Womens Terms & Conditions for competitions and prize draws.

Competition closing date: 9pm Friday 4th October 2013.

Please include a * in your answer if you don’t want to receive updates from Creamline Dairies. Please note that the prize does not include travel or accommodation. Voucher valid until May 2014

The winner will be the first name selected at random from all respondents. No purchase necessary. No cash alternative. The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Closing date is 9pm Friday 4th October 2013. The winner will be notified immediately. Only one entry per person. UK entries only. No automated entries. Supporting ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions, loquax and Competitions Time. If you are the lucky winner, your contact details will be forwarded to the providers of the prize, strictly for the purpose of fulfilling the prize and not for any other purpose.

Please note: Should you be notified as the winner, and you do not respond within 2 days of our notification, we reserve the right to re-draw the winner.

Previous competition winners (last 6 months)

Favourite wine – win tickets to see The Three Wine Men (10th March 2013). Winners Petra Hora, Julie Fisher, Ruth Houlihan.

Real Nappy Week – win a selection of real nappies (16th April 2013). Winner Sarah Fisher.

Stylish Summer Homes – win Next home goodies (6th June 2013). Winner Ann Calland.

Lady Boys of Bangkok – win tickets (8th June 2013). Winners Rachel Fisher, Catherine Anderson.

The Cruise Show – win tickets (14th July 2013). Winners Kathy Cakebread, Karen Mckend, Claire Kelly.

Sushi Making Masterclass – win a sushi making kit (30th July 2013). Winner Sarah Plant.

Cocktails & Dreams – win a cocktail making masterclass at Lock 91 (29th August 2013). Winner Nicola Robinson.

Creative Stitches & Hobbycraft Show – win tickets (1st September 2013). Winners Claire Jackson, Pauline Rendell, Joanna Arthur, Fran Morgan, Liz Ferguson, Michelle Smith, Dil Price, Pam Gregory, Linda Weatherley

Getting kids festival ready

Posted on July 17, 2013 by alison

Family festivalling with your little rock ‘n’ rollers

Festivals aren’t just for teens – lots of parents take their little ones along with them when they head out for festival fun in a field, and if you’ve been pondering taking the plunge and doing some family festivalling, you’ll want to read this feature to make sure you are extra prepared.

Of course, some festivals are more suited to families than others, and in Manchester we are lucky to have the fantastic Just So (August 16th-18th) on our doorstep at Rode Hall Parkland, Cheshire.

Billed as a ‘magical weekend of creative adventures’, the fun at this festival centres around magic, craft and music.

It’s becoming far easier to find child friendly festivals further afield too, with treats like Solfest (Cumbria, August 23rd-25th) and Shambala (Market Harborough, Northamptonshire, August 22nd-25th), and lots of mainstream festivals increasingly catering for families and planning lots of child-friendly areas, activities, workshops and entertainment.

Whether you intend on turning festival fun into a day trip or braving a camper van or family tent experience, there are some absolute must-haves that you’ll need to pack:

Small ears are extra delicate, so be sure to pack some children’s headphones or ear plugs to help protect them. It’s sensible to stay away from the speakers and the main throng of the crowd too, as this will help keep you all safely together.

Wellies and waterproofs are festival essentials for all, Muddy Puddles stock a stunning range of children’s wellies and kid’s waterproof jackets that are pretty as well as practical.

Even if the weather stays fine, festivals can be dirty places, so make sure you pack lots of wet wipes and don’t forget sunscreen, hats and lots of drinks.

Festival food now ranges from the more traditional noodles through to trendy street food, so you can be hopeful you’ll find something for all of the family. That said, queuing for food is not a child-friendly activity, so it’s best to pack some favourite snacks just in case the foods on the menu, or waiting times, aren’t accommodating.

A final golden tip: It’s unlikely that you’ll be heading to heavily crowded areas with kids in tow but with lots of people around it’s still wise to have a plan in case you do become separated.

Write your number on their arm, agree meeting points with older children and other family members and be realistic about what you can and can’t see and where you are standing. At the bigger festivals crowds tend to get herded around and you don’t want to be caught in the middle!

The last thing to say is – have fun!