Review: Brewers Fayre

I used to love Brewers Fayre when I was living at home, we used to have one on the doorstep (and conveniently one that my sister went on to get a job at).  We moved to Sheffield and visited a couple but they gradually got taken over by another company until there are none left.
  When FrankPR asked us to try out their new Autumn menu I was, initially, disappointed at the thought of having to turn down such a great offer but then remembered we were off to Chesterfield at the weekend for Ben's Birthday and they have a lovely Brewers Fayre, Lock Keeper, which sits near the Chesterfield Canal and is only a short walk from the bus stop.

So presents opened we set off for Chesterfield, Ben had no idea what we were doing so we headed off for a little walk along the canal path before turning round and making our way to the Brewers Fayre, which is conveniently sited next door to the Premier Inn if you ever stay there.

Camping Adventures ..... 2 kids, 2 adults .... The Star @ Cotton - pub (a review)

The Star at Cotton was our local pub to the campsite (ok it was the only pub within walking distance).  They are a family-friendly, traditional 16th century pub and restaurant with a contemporary twist situated near Alton Towers and on the very edge of the Peak District. you could tell it has been recently re-furbished to a very high standard and looked lovely and welcoming both inside and out.   The service we received was friendly and quick and the toilet facilities lovely and clean.

Camping Adventures ..... 2 kids, 2 adults .... no car - an eating challenge

I'm back - did you miss me?  :)

If you read my packing checklist you'll realise we went away this week, just for 2 nights, in a tent - with no electric hook up - by train.

Now I knew food was going to be our biggest issue.  Obviously we can't carry too much and we have to
facilities to keep anything cold.
We took with us a single ring camping stove and a frying pan.   No we didn't take any gas, we figured just to save a bit more room on space we'd buy some there.

I'll explain a little more about the location of the campsite in another post but it is basically in  the middle of nowhere.
The 'shop' is open for a couple of hours am and pm.   You have to get a bus to anywhere which run approximately every 2 hours until 4pm then switch and change frequently.  You may end up 4-5 miles away (or further) with nothing to do and no way of getting back until 8 or 9pm.
There is 1 pub in walking distance, The Star Inn.  No takeaways, cafes or fast food vans.  Not even a corner shop.

How to be a bad mummy - part 2b - feed them the wrong breakfasts.

After last weeks Bad Mummy moment when I found out I feed my kids the wrong dinners (see here), lets see how I fare when it comes to breakfast.  You can't go wrong there can you?  I mean there aren't THAT many options to fail at ..... right?

weird connections 1

Do you get those moments when something really little will trigger a memory?  songs are a big one for me, I can instantly be transported to my Auntie's old farmhouse if I hear "I saw the sign" or eat chocolate wheetos, play me "build me up buttercup" and I am in Sporties (my university 'club'), whilst "Sk8er Boi" reminds me of working in Boots.  Walking through crisp autumn leaves remind me of walking to the local November 5th firework display as a child.  Balls of wool .... well they remind me of the time I was very sick while in year 4 at primary school.

This weeks strange moment ...... cold roast potatoes.  I opened the fridge and there they were, right were I
left them after dinner, and wow.  I was transported straight back to Christmas/ Boxing Day.  Weird right?  I mean I must eat cold roasties all the time why should they remind me of Christmas?

Do you have any strange connections?

Meal Planning and Shopping w/b 8th November 2013

To start this week I did a large inventory of what was in the fridge/ freezer/ cupboards and tried to base my weeks meals around this as much as possible.  There have been a few bits I had to buy but I managed to keep this to less then £20.  Milk seems to be the most expense this week as we are drinking a lot more hot drinks with the current weather.

If you've been following my food shopping highs and lows you'll know my husband is very picky.  This stretches to the fact that unless we are having 'family meals' he will not be told what to eat on what day.  There is no point me telling him what to cook for the kids on certain days as history has shown he does not stick to it.

So my new meal plan format is as below (in no particular order).  If he chooses to have something different that he has found in the house (e.g. toasties) that's fair enough so long as it doesn't involve having to buy anything more.