Simple Cake Decorating

My son and I weren't too impressed with the party cakes on offer at Morrisons as they are all quite pricey when you only need enough for a few people. So instead we got the basic cake and he chose some things to decorate it:

I did the initial divide with icing and then it was my son's turn to do some decorating:

Guest Post: Trying Morrisons Supermarket

A guest post from the lovely Paula:

"When we first moved to the UK 12 years ago and began searching for what would become our Supermarket of choice, I'd always been impressed with Morrisons. The spectacular fresh produce display, the tempting bakery, the skilled butchers and a deli that wouldn't be out of place on a posh high street! But, at the time, it was out of our price range. So we settled on Asda. 

However, after reading Becky's posts and especially her Instagram photos of the fabulous food she'd been sampling:

with the promise that Morrisons was now cheaper, we decided to give it a try.  We went into our local branch, Sutton-In-Ashfield, which is on my way home from work.  We'd picked a perfect time - it was quiet and mostly child-free - but unlike most other supermarkets at this time, the shelves weren't empty with pallets of stock laying around.  

Market Street is my favourite part and I could resist stocking up on several bags of fruit at £1 each! I love how they keep their produce moist and appealing.  And such a selection!  

As we are both working parents and our lads are both studying for A levels, we do have to rely on ready meals a few times a week. We picked some Chinese ones, good portions and a very competitive price.  We also treated ourselves to a family meal of £6 which we can't wait to try - at that price, it doesn't have to be a weekend treat!

We also managed to fine Galtee White Pudding - an Irish staple that we've never found in the UK before and along with some eggs and Granary bread, that's what the boss and I had for dinner.  Followed by Bramley apple pie with no soggy bottom in sight!

The girl on the till explained about the Payback Bonus and we got out first coupon so we'll definitely be going back for our family shop in the coming weeks to get our £10 off our bumper shop at the end of the month! And 10p off every litre of petrol so it's win/win!"

Supermarket Review: #MorrisonsMum Morrisons Price Cuts

Sponsored Post

I was very lucky to be selected as one of BritMums Morrisons Mums and Dads. We were all sent £80 of vouchers to go and check out the new price cuts at Morrisons. I regularly shop at my local store as I happen to work almost next door but have to admit its been a while since I did a full weekly shop there. They are brilliant for their fresh meat, bakery and greengrocery so I set off with a plan for a weekend of BBQs and picnics and plenty of reusable bags to pack it in! 

The new prices are all signed with great big yellow signs so its easy to spot them on the shelves. There were also plenty of other tempting offers especially for fruit and veg:

I have to admit I got a wee bit carried away and bought far more than I would normally get but some of it is things that we will be using over the next week or so. Here are a few of the things we enjoyed over the bank holiday weekend:

Sunday Review: Asda and Morrisons Cafes

Being the disorganised person I am I've had to sample both the Asda and Morrisons cafes in Kendal during the last month. I have to admit they were a big contrast and I will only be choosing to eat in one of them again! Coffee is fine in both but hot meals were a different matter.


So first up Asda, my initial impression was that the menu looked good and the hot food on display appeared delicious. There was a small menu on the way in that gave the children's options as well as the main menu. The food on offer was child friendly with a choice of potato accompaniment and vegetable plus a drink but this was not fruit juice.


On ordering I was told that the adult food was served immediately but children's food was cooked to order. This is really not an ideal combination as your hungry child has to watch you eat whilst waiting for theirs. The fact that my food had been sitting on the hot food counter meant that it didn't taste as good as it having been cooked fresh. 


Why they don't have children's food ready to go and adult done fresh I don't know as that would be a better way round or do both the same. Basically not impressed and will only go for coffee and cake in future.


Next up Morrisons, the cafe was larger than at Asda and had several large menus on the way in. As it was Sunday lunch time there was a long queue but the Morrisons' solution to this is to have a Hot Food Order point at the entrance. 


My children again had a choice of kiddie friendly food with options on potato accompaniment and peas or beans. The meal came with a Capri Sun drink, a Freddo chocolate bar, fruit snack pack and an activity pack. (There were also a couple of adult meals offered as half portions for kids with no extras). As soon as they had been handed the Freddo and activity park my children headed off for a table and were quite happy waiting for me to finish queuing to pay. 


The food was all cooked to order so there was quite a wait but the children managed to eat their chocolate bars as a starter and drew in their activity books. The freshly cooked food tasted better than being prepared in advance. We all enjoyed our meal though the kids didn't want their fruit snack packs (safely taken home for another day). My daughter even managed to get a member of staff to provide her with a glass of tap water.


So on the whole I would go back to Morrisons but not Asda for a hot meal. It was healthier, nicer and if you don't go on a Sunday lunch time it's probably not too long a wait!

Saturday Review: Morrisons New Season Cider with raspberry

I was perusing the cider aisle in my local Morrisons tonight when this cider caught my eye, the special offer of 2 for £3 may have had something to do with it, and it looked a bit different. I duly purchased my two bottles and brought them home and placed them in the fridge.

To quote the blurb on the label:

This is the latest in a range of 2009 vintage ciders developed from an exclusive partnership between Morrisons and H. Weston & Sons Ltd.

The first I sampled over ice as I hadn't had long enough to chill it. It was a lovely looking cider with the raspberry juice turning it pink. The aroma was more raspberry than apple and it tasted a lovely combination of the two fruits. I am a dry cider drinker and this was nicely on the drier end of the scale.

I think I may well be stocking up on this for my birthday celebrations next month! At 2 units of alcohol a bottle (4% by volume) it isn't as potent as many of Weston's ciders but it was very refreshing.


If anyone else wants me to review their ciders please let me know!