I can hardly believe that Christmas is just around the corner. If you are anything like me, you will have friends and family visiting for nearly two weeks solid. I thought I would put some hints and tips together, to help you along the way.

1. Remember Allergies And Vegetarians

It is so easy to forget to cater for your friends that don't or aren't able to eat the same food as you. Make sure that you have some vegetarian alternatives and don't forget any friends with allergies. Tesco sent me a fantastic cake mix from there free from range along with some other goodies so that I could make sure everyone was catered for at my party.

Here is a look at the packaging so you can see what is in it.



It was so simple to use that little man helped me bake it.


Once cooked I cooled it in the fridge and then cut around the jumper. I then made some butter cream up (mine was to cater for a gluten free friend as I used butter.) and then covered the cake in it. Finally I decorated the cake with the sprinkles and chocolate in the kit. (I made the chocolate reindeer on grease proofed paper and transferred onto the cake when set, just incase I went wrong.)



The best thing was that it tasted really good and everyone was able to enjoy it. Little man made sure that he was trying it after baking it.



2. Use your freezer

It is so hard to work out how much everyone will eat and it is often less than you think. Keep some sausage rolls and mini cakes in the freezer that can be quickly made up if it looks like you are going to need more food. This saves waste and gives you piece of mind, if extra guests arrive.

3. Drinks

If you have children coming then individual bottled drinks are the way to go. It may be slightly more expensive that squash and glasses but spillages will be reduced. Don't forget to get some soft drinks in for the adults too. Not everyone wants to drink mulled wine at lunchtime so remember to get some adult soft drinks too.

4. Christmas Music

Set up a playlist before the party. It doesn't all have to be Christmas songs, but make sure it is appropriate. In the summer we let the boys sort the music out and I was running to turn off the explicit Gansta rap song they had accidentally pressed. I have also made the mistake of putting on a Christmas CD before thinking it would be fine and it was the most depressing set of Christmas songs you could have imagined!

5. Prepare as much as you can in advance

The last thing you want to do at a party is spend your time hidden away in the kitchen. Prepare as much as you can in advance and don't worry about using some pre prepared food from the supermarkets. Your guests will be more interested in spending time with you rather than Michelin starred canapes. These cheese and marmite sausage rolls are great to make ahead of time, and for dessert, you can't go wrong with these raspberry brulee. If you are looking for cute cupcakes then how about these penguins or polar bears?


So it leaves me to wish all my family and friends a very Merry Christmas. I will be around on social media over the next few weeks but will be spending lots of time with my nearest and dearest. Thanks for reading this year and here's to a wonderful 2018.


Thanks to Tesco who provided me with a hamper full of goodies for hosting a party in exchange for this post.

And the countdown is now officially on. Christmas is next week! I have one more day at work and the boys finish school on Tuesday afternoon. We have loads planned and I am looking forward to having some time to do things. (I hope!)

We really wanted to finish decorating the lounge in time for Christmas and to be honest it was looking very unlikely. However, whilst we still need some side tables, we are nearly there as our mirror finally arrived this week. I am loving the new look of our lounge and will be sharing some more photos next year.



So on with the meal planning....

Monday: Scrambled egg and corizo bagels

Tuesday: Cottage Pie that I batch cooked a few weeks ago.

Wednesday: We are off to 4 Kingdoms Adventure Park so will eat there and maybe pasta when we come home.

Thursday: Salmon with potatoes and veg.

Friday: Baked potatoes and chili.

Saturday: It;s our university Christmas dinner so we wont need much at all.

Sunday: My sister has kindly offered to cook curry.

Consulatant Dietician Helen Bond warns how you can easily pile on the pounds over the festive season with all the fat laden party food. Infact the average person gains between .5-2.5kg over the Christmas period. Luckily she has some top tips to help us all enjoy Christmas in a healthier way.

Raspberry Cheesecake With Raspberry And Mint Coulis

• 1/2 teaspoon of sunflower oil
• 175g reduced fat disgestive biscuits
• 3tbsp runny honey
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 200g low fat cream cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 level tbsp SPLENDA®
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 150g raspberries

For The Raspberry And Mint Coulis


• 375g raspberries
• 6 mint leaves finely chopped
• 2tbsp water
• 4 tbsp SPLENDA® granulated

Again tougher stains might need a couple of goes. I was impressed that the chocolate and gravy stains disappeared almost immediately. The red wine was slightly more stubborn, but the stain eraser made light work of it. Personally I think it is a much better option that throwing white wine on it and hoping for the best!

The dirty water gets sucked through to the bottom of the machine. It is quite satisfying watching the difference in colour!


I don't really have anything bad to say about the BISSELL Stain Eraser. It is lightweight, portable, easy to use and works. I don't like to be a sceptic (but I am) so I also tried it out on an off cut from our own carpet. Having just had a new one fitted in the lounge, I didn't really fancy using the Stain Eraser on there without having tested it first. I shouldn't have worried as it cleaned it and there was no bleaching.

So if you are having a large family gathering this Christmas, maybe the Stain Eraser should go on your Christmas list. From Eggnog to glitter and glue, the Stain Eraser will be there on hand to tackle those stains of Christmas.

It has been another busy week this week with the boys school plays and drama shows in full swing. Little man took on the very important role of Santa No 1 in his school play and beamed from ear to ear as his bossed his elves and fairies around. Middle man impressed all of us with his portrayal of Willie Wonker. Mainly as we had no seen or heard him practice once! He had also missed the previous week to run a cross country race, so all in all we were extremely impressed with him. Equally impressive, is big man's ability to guess how many sweets were in the jar at the PTA Christmas fayre. He may be beaming from ear to ear but our dentist may not!



This week, it is Christmas parties galore, karate grading and I am taking 2 hours to myself to go and make a Christmas wreath. We still seem to have a lot of food left over from last week so I am hoping that this weeks shop will be slightly less that the last two which have both been over £100. I thought meal planning would help me save money!

So lets get to what we are having in this weeks meal plan:

Monday: Sausage and mash

Tuesday: Coronation chicken sandwich with the left over chicken from our roast.

Wednesday: Filled pasta and a tomato sauce

Thursday: Quiche and salad

Friday: Rogan Josh left over and frozen from this weeks spicery box

Saturday: Chicken Kiev

Sunday: Roast beef with Yorkshire puddings


Wish me luck with remembering everything I have to do this week!

One of the lovely things about being a blogger, is that you randomly get sent gifts through the post. This weeks gift was a box of Spanish persimon. Unfortunately, when I cut them open it appears that they may have been bumped around in delivery a bit, but it seemed a shame to waste them. I therefore thought I would make a chutney, perfect with cheese and biscuits and great for the forthcoming party season.


I decided to opt for a mixture of demerera and white sugar to give it more of a Christmas vibe. If you don't like your chutney too spicy, maybe add a little less chili.The persimon don't break down as much as mango would, so the smaller you chop them the better.

Spanish Persimon Chutney

• 4 large Spanish Persimon 
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1tsp cumin seeds

I currently feel like I am running towards Christmas and about to trip up. Christmas with children is a juggling act, and I am trying not to drop all of my balls. There are Christmas parties, Christingles, Chistmas jumpers and goodness knows what else I need to try and remember over the coming weeks.

This Saturday saw the school Christmas fayre and I had a winning moment. Yes, I managed to distract my kids so they didn't see the teddy tombola. Result! It is bad enough that little man has a giant Rudolph at the end of his bed at the moment (thanks to my sister) and we really don't need any more large soft animals.


Saturday afternoon, saw big man's delayed Birthday celebrations. We had Pop Up Arcade visit for a gaming party at home. On the basis that I had booked them over the internet and knew no one that had used them, I was just pleased they turned up. The fact that the girl running the party was fantastic and the kids all enjoyed themselves made it an added bonus.

Big man opted for a nice and easy sweet filled cake which I will be sharing with you soon.



So this week, is slightly quieter. Woo hoo! But what are we eating?

Monday: My husband is away and we are visiting the dentist. On the basis that I still travel miles to the dentist in the hope that I may see Marti Pellow there again, we are stopping off at McDonalds on the way home.

Tuesday: Lasagne that I made and froze when I was batch cooking a few weeks back.

Wednesday: Chicken tray bake. I had a free sample of a Dolmio sauce in my online delivery a few weeks back so I give this a try.

Thursday: Pork and apple burgers with chips

Friday: My husband and I will have lamb rogan josh. My sister bought me a curry club subscription for my birthday and I love it. So far everything we have made has tasted fantastic. The boys can have something out of the freezer.

Saturday: Scrambled egg and chorizo for lunch. Pasta for tea for those that need it. (Little man has a party and I may be out.)

Sunday: Roast chicken