The Museum of Childhood - Chinese New Year 2019

Last month marked Chinese New Year – The year of the Pig, and as my Grandad hailed from Hong Kong, we are always keen to encourage the girls to embrace their heritage, so my Mum and I took them to The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

As a celebration the museum had teamed up with Mothers Bridge of Love Charity and the Chinese Association of Tower Hamlets to put on a free celebratory day with lots of fun activities taking place throughout the day on the ground floor of the museum.

With mandatory Lion dancing, martial arts and tai chi performances as well as a number of arts and crafts activities available as well as the usual attractions of the museum, it made for a really great couple of hours out with the girls, on a particularly mild February Saturday.

The girls particularly enjoyed the arts and crafts area which included making their own red envelope for ‘lucky money’ and colouring in masks with lots of other children from the area. 

Chinese masks at The Museum of Childhood

There was a stall at the entrance to the museum selling various nik naks such as dragons on a stick and some slightly more expensive items – these cost £1 each so didn’t break the bank.

Bridget's £1 dragon from The Museum of Childhood

Bridget was enthralled by the various folk dancing shows and both the girls loved the dragon dancing too.

Unfortunately, as there was a massive queue to get in we missed out on the fan dance which was participatory for the children, so that was a shame, but it was lovely to see so many people engaged by the event. We queued for about 20-25 minutes.

If you haven’t visited the Museum of Childhood with your children, it is a must visit place in London for a variety of reasons.

Aside from the fact there are lots of things to do for the children, it will also be a walk down memory lane for you too. I absolutely adore the historical side to the museum and seeing not just toys, games and the like from my era of growing up in the eighties and nineties, but from my Mum and Dad’s in the sixties and even my Nan’s in the forties. It’s fascinating and the children stay engaged as it is all toy related. 

Bridget and Beatrice finding the Chinese toys at The Museum of Childhood

Who else remembers that Teapot House from the 1980's? (The Museum of Childhood)

And it's not just displays of old toys either, there are things like historical prams, highchairs and baby related products too, as well as children’s clothing through the ages, which ticked the box for my Mum and made her incredibly nostalgic. 

The girls loved the doll's houses and dressing up in historical attire although unfortunately the lady who was organising this, was so bombarded we didn't get the chance to find out from which era the outfits came from. 

Fancy dress at The Museum of Childhood

Beatrice has recently become interested in Sylvanian Families and they were a big hit at Christmas and her birthday so imagine her delight at seeing a range of them on display.

Beatrice admiring the Sylvanian Families at The Museum of Childhood

The arts and crafts area is a mainstay for the museum too, which is a good little interactive activity to keep the children occupied – I had to drag mine away, despite it being packed, as they can never get enough of colouring in and the like, even though they do it daily at home!

There is a Lego and Duplo play station for children too and the Pirate play area is just fab. As well as a variety of pirate’s hats and accessories to try out, there is also an excellent pirate ship, treasure chest to explore and a few learning Q&A type areas for slightly older children. Once again, I had to drag my children away. 

Pirate Bridget at The Museum of Childhood

Beatrice steering the pirate ship at The Museum of Childhood

My treasures finding treasure at The Museum of Childhood

Bridget on the pirate ship at The Museum of Childhood

We ended our Chinese New Year day out with dim sum in Gerrard Street, Chinatown and enjoyed some more dragon dancing as well as the fabulous and pretty lanterns that adorn the area every year for Chinese New Year. 

Me with the girls at Gerrard Street, Chinatown for Chinese New Year, 2019

My Mum with the girls at Gerrard Street, Chinatown

Bridget with the Lion dancer at Gerrard St, Chinatown

The Museum of Childhood is a great museum and one I’ve enjoyed since my own childhood. It’s perfect for a family day out on either a dry or a rainy day, and if you visit on a bright day and it doesn’t take up too many hours – you’re not far from wonderful Victoria Park which is, in my opinion one of the best parks in London for small children.

Entrance to the museum is free, but works on a donation basis, and they do a variety of groups for storytelling during the week and even at the weekend which are also free. This was our first visit with both of the girls; and I’ll be sure to return soon.

Chicken Souvlaki

Greek food is without a doubt my favourite and I’ve made a variation of souvlaki for more than ten years; adapting and tweaking along the way.

Happily, my children and Glen also love Greek food and chicken or pork souvlaki with couscous, Greek Salad, pitta and tzatziki have become a favourite weekend meal.

My souvlaki game went up a notch when I discovered and begun incorporating the ‘ladolemono’ – which essentially means brushing the cooked meat with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing before serving, which is frankly a game-changer.

When you marinate the meat, try to do so for at least a couple of hours, or overnight if you can, it does make a difference.

You can cook souvlaki on the BBQ – but at this time of the year, I cook them under a grill. The below serves four people. 

Chicken Souvlaki

Here’s how:

600g chicken breast
1 lemon juice and thrown in the body
7 cloves garlic
1.5 tbsp oregano
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tbsp. rosemary
Salt & pepper
250ml glass dry white wine
250ml olive oil
For the ladolemono
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch of sea salt

Peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half and then place into a bowl for the marinade with the olive oil, white wine and the lemon juice. Pop the two halves of the lemon into the bag too.

Now cut the chicken into pieces – as equal as you can get them and throw into the bowl.

Now add the oregano, cinnamon, paprika and rosemary and then season generously with salt and black pepper.

Use a spoon or your hands to move the chicken all around and ensure it all gets a good coating. Now cover with clingfilm and place into the fridge.

If using wooden skewers, ensure to stand them in water so they are fully immersed for a good hour before cooking.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken in the marinade from the fridge, and place each piece of chicken onto the skewers, pack them quite close together.

Place the chicken skewers under a hot grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes, and then carefully turn them around and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, make up the ladolemono – just combine the olive oil and the lemon juice in a small bowl or cup and add a pinch of salt.

Once the chicken is cooked and out of the grill, give it a brush of the ladolemono – using a pastry brush, on both sides before serving. Enjoy!

Here are a few other Greek recipes I’ve shared on here that you might like to try;

Pastitsio – the Greek Lasagna
Moussaka
Briam
Greek Chicken Traybake
Gemistes – Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
Prawn Saganaki
Feta and Spinach Open Tart
Greek Chicken One Pot

Apple and Blackberry Pie

As it’s British Pie Week and I’ve already shared a savoury pie recipe this week – my Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie, I thought it only fair to share this delicious Apple and Blackberry Pie for something sweet, yet tart.

This is a pot pie, in that it just uses a puff pastry lid, but as it’s all cooked in the same pan, it’s minimal effort required which it makes it perfect for throwing together when you have a busy family life like we do. Again, I make no apologies for using shop bought puff pastry – but sweet shortcrust would work beautifully here too.

We love it with lashings of custard or ice cream and it’s very popular with both Bridget and Beatrice – but then I’ve yet to find the pudding they don’t enjoy. 

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Here’s how:

• 3 Bramley apples
• Punnet of blackberries
• Juice of 1 whole lemon
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 sheet ready-made Puff Pastry – I used the Lidl one here

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180⁰.

I use a cast iron dish which can be used on the hob and in the oven for simplicity and less faff, so begin by melting the butter in this dish on a low heat on the hob.

Whilst the butter is melting, peel the apples and chop and throw into the pan with the washed blackberries.

Squeeze over the lemon juice, and the vanilla and add all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar to the pan. 

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Use a wooden spoon to gently move things around and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until you can see the fruit has begun to soften, and the apple has taken on the colour of the blackberries.

Remove from the pan and set aside for a minute.

Now gently place the pastry over the dish, crimping as you go, and then trimming away the excess. This pie for me is always quite rustic, so I don’t spend too much time on the crimping but if you are interested in different ways to do that BBC Good Food has a good section and there are tons of tutorials on Youtube too.

Make a couple of small incisions in the pastry, to allow the steam to escape during cooking.

Now beat the egg in a small bowl or cup and then coat the pastry all over with a brush.

Finally scatter over the remaining caster sugar and then place into the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Serve with your choice of custard, ice cream or lashings of cream – enjoy!

When they come into season, gooseberries are fantastic in a pie and one of my earlier posts back in 2011 was for this Sweet Gooseberry Pie - I still use this recipe today. 

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

In honour of British Pie Week I wanted to share a favourite pie recipe from our family that usually makes the most of the leftover roast chicken from a Sunday dinner.

You can use any vegetable you like – I’ve used leeks, peas and carrots here, but I’ve thrown in sweetcorn, broccoli and cauliflower before now and they all work well. 

Using up leftover meat is a win, win, as it makes it a speedier dinner whilst avoiding food waste. I have no shame in ALWAYS buying shop bought pastry - I sadly don't have a Kitchenaid or otherwise, nor the time to knock it up by hand. 

The gravy is a rich and unctuous one with a hint of creaminess from milk, but mostly made with chicken stock, so you needn't feel too guilty. 

Serve with a heap of vegetables, and your choice of buttery mash potato or chips – don’t go all healthy, if you’re having pie, you may as well go the whole hog. 

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

Here’s how:

• 250-300g cooked chicken,
• 3 rashers smoked bacon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 100ml milk
• 300ml chicken stock 
• 2 leeks
• 1 large carrot
• 1 cup peas
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Black pepper & Sea salt
• 1 sheet ready prepared shortcrust pastry (Jus Rol or a supermarket brand is fine)
• 1 sheet ready prepared puff pastry
• 1 egg

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180◦.

Roughly chop the chicken and set aside for now.

Slice the leeks, and peel and dice the carrot and set aside with the peas.

Now chop the bacon into small pieces and add to a pan to fry in their own fat. If not enough fat is present, add a little of the butter.

While the bacon is cooking make up your chicken stock (unless you are using fresh – in which case remove it from the fridge), and measure out the milk.

Grab a whisk so you have it ready for making the sauce.

Once the bacon is cooked off, use a slotted spoon to remove it and place into a bowl for now.

Add the leeks to the pan and allow to soften well – cook for a good 4-5 minutes until soft.

Now add the carrots and allow to cook for a further minute. Using the slotted spoon again, remove the vegetables from the pan and place into the bowl with the bacon.

Add the remaining butter to the pan, which as it’s hot should melt pretty quickly. Add the flour to make a roux and immediately begin whisking to prevent a lumpy sauce.

Once it resembles a thick paste, then firstly add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until the paste takes on the liquid and it becomes one.

Once all of the milk has been added, do the same with the stock, whisking all the time.

Now add the mustard powder, and season, still whisking as you go. Go gentle on the salt as bacon and the stock will have salt, but be generous with the black pepper to flavour.

Grate over some nutmeg to taste – I like a lot.

Now use a wooden spoon to continue stirring and allow the sauce to cook out for five minutes or until it has become thick and glossy.

Once the sauce has achieved the required consistency, return the bacon, leeks and carrots to the pan, with the peas and the chicken and stir well to coat everything. Now add the dried thyme and after a couple of minutes, taste to judge if you need any further seasoning.

Once happy allow to cook for a further few minutes, then remove from the heat.

Now generously grease the pie dish all over and simply lay the shortcrust pastry down pressing into the folds of the dish so it hangs over.

Spoon in the pie filling into the centre and evenly distribute in the pie plate. 

Beat the egg and use a pastry brush to coat all around the edge of the pie crust.

Now simply place the puff pastry sheet over the top of the shortcrust pastry – it will overlap quite a bit. Now use your thumb and press down on the pastry edge to crimp, placing a thumb mark down all the way round, one after the other. 

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

Once crimped, then carefully trim away the excess pastry. If you’re feeling creative, you can roll this back out and cut into a pretty shape or the words Pie.

Brush all over with the egg wash and make a couple of small incisions in the pastry – ensuring you cut right through, to make sure the steam can escape and doesn’t leave you with soggy pastry.

Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

Here are a few more of our family's favourite pie recipes;

Beef and Lentil Filo Pie

Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie

Steak and Ale Pot Pie

Cheese and Vegetable Pie

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

These ‘gemistes’ are an updated version of my previously posted Stuffed Tomatoes from way back in 2015.

This version is a closer substitute to those you might enjoy whilst holidaying in various Greek Isles. But I’ve added a bit of a cheat to make it slightly more accessible and quicker to get to the table, an ideal midweek meal when work, school and extra-curricular commitments can make cooking a bit of a last priority.

These ones are enriched with a quick Greek tomato sauce - but unlike the original recipe (or 100’s of recipes I found) I have used ready-cooked Microwave rice, to speed things up. So instead of the sauce cooking the rice from scratch, it merely enriches and flavours.

The result is stunning. This is a fabulous vegetarian and vegan option and we have enjoyed as a Meatfree Monday meal a few times recently. If you’re making a meze of different dishes you can also make with smaller tomatoes so they’re not quite as filling.

I’ve just used mint as that’s the closest flavouring to those from my beloved Kerkyra (Corfu) and I think it adds a lovely freshness, but you can try dill or parsley too. Also for the sauce, this is a very basic one but if you want to play around and add any further flavourings that would work too - adding celery, olives or dried chilli to the base for example, or a glug of balsamic or red wine vinegar.

I like to serve with just salad.

The below serves 4 adults but if there are just the two, believe me they make a great lunchbox for the following day - hot or cold.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Here’s how;

• X4 beef tomatoes
• 1 packet microwave rice
• 1 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 courgette
• 1 red pepper 
• 1 yellow pepper
• Handful mint leaves
• Olive oil 

For the sauce;

• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch salt
• Pinch sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato puree 
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Now slice off the top off each of the beef tomatoes carefully, as you want this to act as the ‘lid’.

Now carefully use a knife to cut free the internal flesh of the tomato, then use a tablespoon to carefully scoop it all out and set aside in a bowl. Once you are left with four tomato ‘shells’. Add a little salt to help remove some of the retained moisture and turn upside down to drain further while you prepare everything else.

Firstly dice the two onions and add to two separate pans on a medium heat with generous glugs of olive oil.

Mince the garlic cloves and divide between the two pans.

For the tomato sauce, add to one of the pans the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, pinch of salt and sugar, oregano and some black pepper to taste. Allow to cook away for ten minutes then take off of the heat.

In the meantime, dice the courgette and chop the peppers and add to the other pan. Now roughly chop the leftover tomato flesh and also add to the pan. Don’t let this combination dry out - if needed add a little extra olive oil to keep the contents moist - the rice will soak up any oil so don’t worry about it being too wet. Season well at this point.

Give a good stir and then add the microwave rice direct from the packet. Give it a good stir to ensure the rice gets a good coating. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce too and stir well.

Now remove from the heat and turn the tomatoes back up the right way and place into an oven-proof dish.

Load the rice and vegetable mixture into each of the tomatoes until they are quite full.

Now add a generously heaped tablespoon full of the sauce to the top of each of the tomatoes and then place the ‘lid’ on top.

Drizzle each of the tomatoes with a little olive oil on the outside and then finally place a large sheet of foil loosely over the tomatoes and place into the oven for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and if you require the tomatoes to be slightly more well done, remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Otherwise allow to stand for a couple of minutes and then serve with your choice of salad. Enjoy!

Marsh Farm, Essex

Last weekend, as part of Beatrice's second birthday celebrations, we headed to nearby Marsh Farm, in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex to join them for one of their character days. The day in question was Peppa Pig aka Beatrice's bestie.

Having never ventured here before, we were greatly impressed by the value for money presented here; unfortunately it was bitter cold (sorry Beatrice for your winter birthday) so we only stayed for a few hours but we packed plenty in. In fact we never even made it to a few of the included activities.

Set over a huge piece of land, Marsh Farm has something for all children under ten and mine were enthralled despite the cold weather.

First up we enjoyed the Peppa Pig meet and greet - the staff and Peppa herself, were very friendly and happy for the children to have a photo alone with Peppa and then one with all the family. They even had a member of staff designated to take family snaps, which I thought was a nice touch. Beatrice was utterly delighted meeting her hero, and whilst Bridget is four and considers herself a little too grown up for Peppa Pig, she was excited too.

Bridget and Beatrice meeting Peppa Pig at Marsh Farm

Peppa Pig at Marsh Farm

Bridget and Beatrice waiting to see Peppa Pig at Marsh Farm

Straight from here we went to the fairground rides, of which there was a just a couple geared towards small children; the classic cups and saucers ride and a carousel. Both Bridget and Beatrice love the rides and so were very happy as you can see. I thought it was great that these were inclusive of the entrance price too - not like some other places I've visited, such as The Hop Farm in Kent, where everything is an additional cost.

My baby Beatrice enjoying her 2nd birthday at Marsh Farm

Bridget at Marsh Farm

Next on our agenda was a visit to the indoor barn animals and we were thrilled to see some baby lambs and piglets cuddled up to their mummas. Super cute. 

Piglets at Marsh Farm

Baby lamb at Marsh Farm

There was also some interestingly attired Shetland ponies with multi-coloured hair - Bridget was impressed and said it reminded her of Shimmer & Shine. Indoors there were also ferrets, guinea pigs and some rabbits. Each keeping the girls more than interested.

Shetland pony, Sparkle at Marsh Farm

The adventure playground is of excellent quality and there really is a section for all ages covered, it's set over a wide area with lots of different climbing apparatus and slides etc. 

By the time we'd done all of this, we were freezing and so headed to the Indoor Soft Play Barn which handily has a restaurant and coffee shop attached. This was a great opportunity for the girls to run around and warm up, with Glen following hot on their heels, whilst I enjoyed a lovely hot chocolate.

We went for the tractor ride next; which seems to be a standard at these types of places, and whilst it was good, it was a very short ride compared to Barleylands (also in Essex) or Willows Activity Farm (in nearby Hertfordshire) which we visited at Christmas time. We did get to ride swiftly through muddy puddles, spot some interesting birds and look out for other wildlife whilst waving at various dog-walkers but we we just on the tractor ride for less than five minutes.

We then had a walk around the Animal Trail spotting some giant rabbits, a number of birds, poultry and ducks and even alpacas and llamas. Apparently in the summer you can do llama walking which sounds fun (although not for me!). It did mention on the website about an Animal Trail book where you collect stickers throughout the trail, but we never got given one, so maybe this is just in the summer too. Nevertheless the girls really enjoyed spotting all of the animals.

The girls had a go on the mini tractor park and the bouncy pillows - massive bouncy castle-esque creations and were just delighted with everything. 

We also enjoyed the jewel hunting which we did on the way out. It's a huge sandy area with colourful glass jewels which the children collect. Equipped with buckets and spades, I can imagine spending hours here with my two as they love any kind of treasure hunt, but by this point we really were freezing and so it was a quick ten minute dash.

Beatrice Jewel Hunting at Marsh Farm

Bridget Jewel Hunting at March Farm

Unfortunately, the cold prevented us having a game of crazy golf, or attempting the huge chicken and egg maze and we didn't even find the aviary or the den-building area. Again, it looks like in the summer months there is a huge array of additional activities, from goat-racing, educational pet shows and interactive entertainment; so we'll definitely be looking to do a return visit in the summer months - we had a great time with what was available anyway. Family time is so precious and especially celebrating Beatrice's birthday just the four of us.

Happy family time for Beatrice's second birthday at Marsh Farm

The price of tickets if you purchase in advance of visiting is £12.50 for the character event, and everything mentioned is included in that price, which I think is excellent value for money. Under two's go free but we just missed out on that. 

Marsh Farm is an ideal day out with toddlers and pre-schoolers as there is so much to do and I'd advise bringing a picnic once the weather warms up if you're planning a visit and making a real day of it. We'll definitely be back soon.

Patatas Bravas - Roast Potato with Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is a tapas staple and relies on a fiery heat in the sauce and I can guarantee once you try it, you'll want to make it again. 

I've experimented with a few variations but this is the best received and is mostly based on the recipe from Rick Stein's Spain book but with the addition of roasted red peppers which also gives a sweetness to balance out the heat. It's incredibly moreish.

As part of a group of tapas dishes, the below will serve 4-6 people. The sauce freezes well so make a big batch and keep it as a stand by dish.

After our recent trip to Madrid, we have a hankering for Spanish food so expect a few more Spanish inspired recipes coming up. This is a completely vegetarian recipe and just omit the aioli or garlic mayonnaise to keep it vegan. 

Patatas Bravas

Here's how:

For the roast potatoes

• 1/2kg white potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 white onion
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 tbsp water

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into approximately 1.5-2 cm cubes and ensure you dry them off. 

Now pour the olive oil into a baking tin or dish and throw into the oven to heat through for a few minutes. 

Now pour in the potatoes, scatter about to cover in the oil, season generously and throw in the garlic cloves and cook for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

While the potatoes roast, this is plenty of time to make the sauce.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, drizzle in the oil and add the dried chilli and paprika first.

Now finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to gently saute. 

Roughly chop the pepper and add to the pan with the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, water and bay leaf. 

Stir well and season to taste, with a pinch of sugar too. 

Allow to cook for at least fifteen minutes, until it's bubbling away. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before blitzing it with whatever tool you have (I use a Nutribullet so always have to cool a bit). 

Now once the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce is blended, return the sauce to the pan to gently back through and arrange the potatoes in a ceramic tapas dish, or your choice of serving dish. Then spoon over the sauce - this doesn't need to look precise, it's a very rustic dish. Finish with a spoonful of aioli and serve. 

Tip: If you haven't time to make aioli and are unable to buy any; simply mince a garlic clove and stir through 3 tbsp of mayonnaise with 1/3 tsp paprika instead.