Burts Bees

Hello everyone!

I don't normally review make up or beauty goods but... I have been trying out these products from @burtsbeesuk and I must say, I'm totally sold.

Where possible, I like to use organic or natural products on my hair and skin. From sea salt scrubs to face masks, I've tried and tested lots of products to keep my skin soft. I spend a lot of time outside so my skin takes a bit of a battering.

The products are 100% natural so safe to use on my self and my children who have very sensitive skin. The stick boasts 4hr hydration which is most definitely lives upto, no more sore lips and the balm in the tin has a lovely peppermint tingly feeling!

 It's proper nutrition for your skin and you can feel the benefits almost immediately. My lips feel so much better, the winters winds and having the heating on had taken their toll. I've also used them on my children for cold sores, sore lips from the cold winds. They have really helped soothe their sore skin. I have even tried a little bit on my daughters eczema and it's kept it from chapping whilst out and about this winter.

The balms go on really smoothly and you don't end up with that tacky sticky and shiny look on your lips. No nasty chemical tastes either. It just feels lovely!

I really need to try the handcreams. What with having a new baby and sorting the garden, I'm constantly washing my hands, they really need the help!

But which one to chose....

@burtsbees @burtsbeesuk #lipbalm #nutrition #health #bee #beeswax #burtsbees

Easter and New Life

Happy Easter!

This Easter weekend we are spent time together as a family. Having welcomed a new life into our family just seven weeks ago, new life is something we are very aware of.

I took this picture of these happy lambs on a day trip to the beautiful Isle of Wight this week. I thought it was a perfect picture to capture the essence of Easter time in the countryside.

With the cows calving at Paradise Farm, lambs frolicking in the fields locally and eggs hatching in my daughters class, new lives are starting all around us!

I hope you have had a wonderful Easter weekend!

XxP&TxX

Cadburys Egg Hunt

This Easter, the National Trust is hosting over 250 Cadbury Egg Hunts for adventurous families to explore this Easter.

As you have seen in previous blogs, we are fortunate enough to live close to the stunning Kingston Lacy House and Gardens so of course, we had to take part !

It was a really wonderful activity for the whole family! My children loved looking for the clues dotted around the stunning woodland walk. The children were given a lovely booklet each to work their way through on the hunt, Each clue had a lovely arranged scene to touch or wonderfully painted egg and an activity from their booklet that got their imaginations soaring.

We were able to explore the woodlands more than we would usually, partly because we were unsure how Annie our two year old would manage the walk with her little legs, but we need not have worried! With a little encouragement and a bit of time on Daddys shoulders she managed it, the promise of a new clue spurring her on!

The children won a wonderful chocolate prize at the end, three delicious Cadburys Bunnys.

We had a wonderful day and look forward to exploring the amazing woodlands here again very soon! 

XxP&TxX

Greedy Pigs

This weekends stroll about Kingston Lacy introduced us to their Bracken management team!

I know very little about Pigs truth be told. But living near the New Forest, my basic knowledge of Pannage is enough to realise the reason these beauties are in use ! I learnt some interesting information whilst reading up on it too.

Pannage involves releasing numbers of pigs into woodland areas in order that they feed on fallen acorns , chestnuts or other nuts. Historically , releasing their pigs was privilege granted to local people whilst providing a service. Excessive amounts of these nuts on the woodland floor can be poisonous to grazing ponies and cattle.

Pigs are also used in conservation to reduce the bracken growth, whilst also causing soil disturbance, which promotes natural regeneration of the woodland floor whilst fertilizing the ground at the same time!

The main target for the pigs within woodlands are Brambles, Nettles ,Bracken and in some areas, Rhododendron.

Pigs can provide an environmentally friendly solution to vegetation clearance, compared to machinery, being far less labour intensive and minimising damage to the surrounding area including pollution from heavy machinery.

To stop Pigs causing damage to the woodland floor through rooting, rings are placed through their noses and removed once Pannage has been completed.

Tamworths , Gloucester Old Spot and British Saddlebacks are the most commonly used as they are known for being hardy , good foragers and have some resistance to sunburn.

Have a great week!

XxP&TxX

Wild Garlic and Cheese Scones ! 

Over the weekend, we found a rather large amount of Wild Garlic. It is particularly strong smelling at the moment. Before Wild Garlic flowers it is at its best for cooking with. My daughter picked a large leaf which we brought home to decide what to do with it !

I fancied some cheese scones and thought what better combination than Wild Garlic and strong cheddar cheese.

The recipe for these :

8oz Self Raising Flour

2oz Butter

5 floz Milk

pinch of salt

tblspoon finely chopped Wild Garlic

Grated Cheddar Cheese to taste

1 beaten egg for egg wash

My simple , if not clumsy, method is to quite literally mix all together and form into a dough. Pinch out a small ball of dough and place on a greased tray. Lightly press the dough to squash ever so slightly . 

Using a pastry brush, wash the beaten egg over the top of the scones and sprinkle a bit of grated cheese over each one. 

This is not a very 'Delia' method , but it is food mixer friendly and makes super quick effective scones ! 

The official taste test has taken place, and its a thumbs up !

Now the ongoing debate of pronounciation.... ScOWNs or SCONs ??

XxP&TxX

Hello Spring!

With the first day of spring arriving, its a good reminder of the wilderness that is my garden!

Although I love gardening, my garden is a bit of a challenge. The soil quality is very poor, a combination of very ashy ground one end and heavy dense clay the other. This makes for rather difficult planning when it comes to planting.

Through trial and error, I have found hardy plants such as Camelia and Rhododendron grow really well in this strange combination. As do my Roses luckily as they are one of my absolute favourites.

Recently I have been inspired by the programme The Edible Garden with Alys Fowler . Her aim is to avoid all shop-bought fruit and vegetables and live off her own, home-grown produce.Her fruit and vegetables are grown amongst the flowers and shrubs in her terraced garden.

 Whilst I am under no illusion my gardening skills are not up to her standards, the principal of growing my own food from scratch is certainly appealing. I have been successful with runner beans, tomatoes and potatoes in recent years . Even the rogue brambles in my more *ahem* 'organic' parts of the garden have produced some sizable blackberries ! 

My aim is to make most of my borders and tubs this year and attempt to grow a wider variety of produce. With plenty of surrounding villages having Honesty stalls ,my local Stewarts Garden Centres and the lovely plants for sale at Kingston Lacy NT being very close by, I should be able to gather up some good quality seed and strong plants to help me on my way. 

Watch this space !

XxP&TxX

#alysf #ediblegarden #gardener #giveitago #homegrown #produce #patterjackandtweed #organic 

 Eggy Heads

Today was a bit of a duvet day for myself and my little brood .With my eldest off school feeling under the weather, we reached for the colouring books, pens and family films.

As spring is approaching rapidly, plans for our garden have started . New borders, fruit and vegetable growing and seed purchasing! 

Whilst looking through different options for flowers and vegetables to grow in our somewhat poor quality soil, I stumbled across an old familiar. Cress Seeds! 

I remember growing cress at school and home when I was little and eating the classic egg and cress sandwiches ! I thought it would be a brilliant activity to do with my daughters age 4 & 2. Simple, but effective and with fast results which is the key with children. 

We decided to use egg shells to house our cress seeds so that it could become crazy hair ! Thanks to a little help from Cbeebies and a certain black rabbit cartoon, Eggy Heads began!

My children were able to see step by step what it takes to prepare a surface for the seeds to grow, the right placement and nourishment needed to allow the seeds to grow. This little project will soon extend to the garden where they can prepare seed trays and plant flowers and vegetables this spring and summer. 

With cress seed being mere pence, why not give this lovely activity a go your selves? I would love to see your pictures !

XxP&TxX

Mere Park Creamery

As a Mum to a child with a dairy intolerance, I have found it difficult to substitute some dairy products with success . Soya milk just does not make a milkshake as nicely as cows milk in my opinion ! 

I was bought some of Mere Park Creamerys Ewes Milk to try and I was really impressed!

I will admit, I was dubious at first. As a child , I would accompany my dad in the milking parlour, perched on a stool in charge of the radio. I knew the cows that produced the milk the farm produced. When I realised a year or so ago ,both my daughters were dairy intolerant I was stumped. But what will they eat?

I have tried various dairy replacement products including some very strange textured yoghurts and various brands of soya milk and have not found many of them very appealing personally ! 

I tried the Ewes Milk myself first to see whether I thought it would go down well with my children. Although I don’t think anything of drinking cows milk or cooking with goats cheese , I have never tried Ewes Milk ! I was super impressed !

The creaminess of the milk rivals any gold top cows milk I have tried. The top of the milk had that cream layer that you only get with good quality milk or from the glass bottles the milkman delivers! It’s a lovely smooth milk with no strange taste or lingering after taste. I made porridge for my youngest daughters breakfast and it came out perfectly. I tried it in a small milkshake for both my daughters. Their silent drinking and promptly empty glasses spoke volumes! I even made myself one and it was amazing!

I am fortunate in the fact my eldest daughter is now much better with dairy and my youngest seems to be improving steadily, but, this is definitely a product that I will buy out of choice, not just necessity !

XxP&TxX

**Photo credit to Mere Park Farm**  

Rydale Boots.

If you have followed my blog or know me in person, you will be well aware of my love of boots. I quite literally wear boots all year round in all weathers. I have quite a collection for various temperatures, terrains and even some to match certain jackets. It has gotten that bad!

This past Christmas I asked for yet another pair of boots and had my eye on a particular pair of Rydale boots, the Malham Classic Legacy Boot.

I wanted a Boot that I could wear year round and for all occasions. Something that would serve me well on the school run as a busy mum of three, something strong enough to withstand the terrain on the farm and in the forest with the family and also wear day to day with a pair of nice jeans and a jacket. A tough role to fill!

First of all, opening the box you get hit with that gorgeous new leather smell which I absolutely love. They are lovely soft leather with beautiful amber stitching that stands out against the chocolate brown of the leather. The three bands across the leg of the boot make it aesthetically beautiful as well as giving it a lovely tactile surface. 

The leg of the boot is padded giving it a lovely shape and a very comfortable fit, even on wider calves.

I have worn them every single day I have owned them and with a quick wipe over with a damp shammy, they still look wonderful with a few added creases as is the beauty with real leather. 

This winter saw temperatures drop as low as -7 here which really put the warmth and grip of the Malham Boots to the test. With the icy path ways and snow on the ground at one point, I never felt warmer! No need for boot liners. The grip on the soles is fantastic, a perfect deep tread keeping a good even grip on the slipperiest of terrain. 

What I love most about these boots is that they can be part of a smart country style outfit as well as being worn for practical wear. They really are so durable in terms of style without losing their practicality. For this shoot, I teamed them up with a pair of skinny jeans and a classic Rydale rugby shirt for a comfortable day to day outfit.

I cannot recommend the Malham Classic Boot highly enough. I feel they are going to be a permanent fixture for a long time to come! 

XxP&TxX