Grandsreads Ginger wine and traditional lemonade.

I was sent all four flavours of Gran Stead's, I can tell you that the Traditional Still Lemonade is a trip back in time and the Ginger  wine will have you sending Dug the dog to farm warn warn them that little Timmy has fallen down the well. Refreshing and tangy it hits the spot.

And then there the wild one....
We call this “lemonade with attitude!”

Our newest drink combines the refreshingly zesty flavour of Sicilian lemons with just enough ginger to give it a gentle hum of spice. It’s a fusion of our two other drinks, Gran Stead’s Ginger Wine and Gran Stead’s Traditional Still Lemonade. We spent a lot of time trying out various combinations, consulting our customers all the way. We believe our new drink is unique and we hope you love it as much as we do.


Naturally, it’s absolutely free of artificial colourings or flavourings.

What’s in it?
Simply water, Sicilian lemon juice*, sugar and ginger
(* contains a trace of sulphur dioxide – this is added in Sicily to help it keep its fresh, lemony colour)


It’s gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Once opened, it will keep in the fridge for four days.

 Gran Stead's Non-Alcoholic Ginger Winehowever,  Fiery and sweet the perfect drink to match Mr T's personality ( I am joking rfeally . Mr T is a pussy cat reallly) !!

Gran Stead's say its an invigorating, alcohol-free drink made in Sussex from natural ingredients. The historic recipe is over 150 years old.
This hearty concoction, prepared with exotic spices and years of know-how, is simply brimming with character. 
Rich, smooth and vibrant, Gran Stead’s Ginger has broad appeal and won’t leave you gasping for water. 
That’s because the heat is expertly balanced with a welcome hint of sweetness. 

Christiana Stead was born in 1898 in a small country village called Middleton-in-Teesdale in the North of England. Her ginger wine recipe - now over 150 years old - uses all natural ingredients and the result is a mellow, versatile drink for all seasons.

We liked it so much we bought the business”

In 1994, Len and Dot Knox bought the recipe for their favourite drink. They began preparing Gran Stead’s Ginger Wine from home and selling it at craft fairs. As word spread and demand grew, they moved on to farmers markets and began to build a list of stockists.

The business was given a marvellous start by the hard work of Len and Dot and we’re delighted to say that fifteen years later it continues to grow. Today it’s  their son Chris and daughter-in-law Rosemary, who take care of the day to day running of the business and production has moved to a local farm. Sadly Dot passed away in 2008 but Len is still an important member of the family team and you may well know him, as he is often out and about offering tastings as he continues to spread the word about his beloved Gran Stead’s Ginger Wine.

http://gransteadsginger.co.uk/stockists.html

There are some wonderful recipes on their website , so please do take a look there drinks are a very pleasant alternative to wine.

Forgiveness ... Do you? would you?

A conservation reared itself today which made me upset and think back to a conservation I had with an old boss.


Working in a schools its hard nigh on  impossible to get time off only for deaths ,family emergencies etc.

So a few years ago when my Nan died I had to arrange the funeral, family matters made it impossible for my mother to do this. So I went to my boss at the time and asked for time off to arrange the funeral and to grieve . Her response to this was NO you get one day off for the funeral and have to be back in work the next day. My Nan lived over 250 miles away in Kent , so I had to arrange the funeral for half term, leaving my Nan in the morgue as a connivance to my boss at the time.

So can I forgive my old boss for this in away No its always there but I can respect the qualities she did have , even if humanity at the time was not one of them.

So could you forgive a situation like this, we all make mistakes don't we but our some mistakes too big to forgive for?

Munchy Seeds review

Pack a Munchy Picnic!

This balmy sunny weather is the perfect excuse to be eating outdoors with friends and family, 

enjoying delicious British picnic food, barbecues, al fresco dining or festival food.  Whatever 

your summer eating occasion, Munchy Seeds have spent all their working hours carefully 

blending and gently roasting premium quality seeds which make an ideal healthy addition to 

pack for your picnic feast! 


Even though its nearly Autumn we can still enjoy those Indian summers we will be having!.

Seeds are an excellent natural source of essential vitamins, minerals, oils and fibre too so enjoy 

them as a healthy snack or sprinkle them on just about everything from jazzing up summer 

salads, to using them in baking cakes, flapjacks or muffins. The best, classic picnics are lengthy, 

sociable affairs, so seeds are great to graze on through the afternoon too.... 

There are seven moreish varieties to choose from, some are deliciously sweet, some are 

savoury and some are sizzling hot.  All are free from artificial colourings and preservatives and 

pack a punch with masses of crunch, flavour and goodness.  

The Munchy Seeds range includes Omega, Pumpkin, Chilli, Vanilla, Munchy Granola, Original 

Mix, plus the delicious new Choccy Seeds. 

Omega Mix – Savoury roasted 7 seed blend (pumpkin, sunflower, 

sesame, linseed, flax, hulled hemp and rape seeds) 

Pumpkin Mix – Savoury roasted 3 seed blend (pumpkin, sunflower 

and sesame seeds) 

Chilli Mix – Hot savoury roasted 3 seed blend (Apricot kernels, 

Pumpkin and sunflower seeds) 

Vanilla – Sweet roasted pumpkin seeds dusted in vanilla icing sugar 

Munchy Granola –Roasted oats, seeds, sultanas and orange zest drizzled with honey and maple 

syrup. 

I particularly like the Vanilla Munchy seeds and also the Pumpkin mix which I added to my Moroccan cous cous.

Relax with Wilkinson at Bath time

When you have had a hard day at school working with children and a space hopper has smacked you in the head for the 100th time you know you need to relax when you get home. I have a lovely bathroom , though I was feeling it was a little hotel bathrrom like if you know what I mean. A few little touches make all the differance, so the lovely people over a Wilkonsons sent me some products to jazz up my bath time. And they didn't send me a space hopper which I was most grateful for.

Back in the mists of time I had taken Wilkinsons Skinology range on holiday obviously the products were not there for the amazing Cornish view but to mantain if you have spotty spotty skin.

There are many products within this range and I have to admit I am impressed with the product. My son tested these products as he's getting to that spotty age, I have to admit Wilkinsons was a place I just used to run into and just grab my cleaning products. Though I can see now a great deal of thought has gone into the look of their products and , making sure they actually deliver . So my son is looking less spotty and rather happy bit odd for a child that has just turned into a teenager.

J relaxing with the cottage cat on holiday.

So when we got back off holiday and the summer holidays had ended boooooooooo and I was back at school getting smacked in the head by space hopper and embarrassed by 7 year old by being told that their ipad 2 had told hem our bones turn to fossils when you die, I really need to relax. So if I wasn't busy comping with my cat.

A bath sign! this is just £5.00 from Wilkinsons!

I love this it transform my bathroom from something that looks like a  hotel bathroom to something that is individual to my personality. Also there was a bath pillow to relax with ....

So I will definitely be heading off to Wilkinson for more bathroom items and other products to accent my home. Thank you Wilkinson for brightening my bath time. You can't find all these items over at Wilkinson's except my cat wearing a tea cosy

(I was sent the Wilkinson Products for review, the space hopper was provided by my place of work )

Birimingham Sea Life Centre review and giveaway.

I was very pleased to be invited to go Birimhgham Sea Life centre, i have been to many aquarium around the world so I was interested to go to a local world. First impressions was that it was a very busy attraction which is a good sign!.

A busy Sea Life Centre

The star attraction were  the Hammerhead Sharks and turtles ( though one turtle was away and the other was asleep, famous people can be fickle.) we found all the attractions fascinating to watch,. . Another highlight was the rock pool where you can hold crabs and starfish if you are brave enough. 

J getting interactive with the rockpool.

An informative Sea Life staff member giving an interactive talk on rockpools.

I’d also recommend the walk-through underwater tank. It’s like being in a submarine. Huge turtles, manta rays and leopard sharks swim just above your head – quite unforgettable.

A Moray eel wouldn't want to get on his bad side!.

Nemo ie the Clown Fish.

Negatives.I would like the Jellyfish to have a better looking tank, my son J commented on it and it was his fear that it might get bored.


Overall, I’d recommend it. But as it’s not cheap, it’ll be a while before we go again. However, the wide variety of species, seen at close quarters makes it a memorable experience for all age groups.


However you can buy a Merlin pass as well that lets you enter all the Sea Life Centre and attractions such as Alton Towers as well all year.

Yes it can be quite expensive to go round , I would recommend it as part of your day out as it is not a day out in itself you will probably be there 2 and half hours maximum. There are always plenty of 2 for 1 vouchers around.

There is also a 4d cinema show there showcasing scenes from Happy Feet , probably a bit scary for really young centre but gentle enough fun .

Throughout the Birmingham Sealife Centre there is a emphasis on sustainable fishing. You can take a takwaway card with tips on how you can reduce your impact on fish in general ( including tips on eating sustainable fish). Its good that they do this and if you can catch the young ( No pun intended it's a good thing!.)

Sustainable fishing

Visit http://www.visitsealife.com/  and then come back here and tell me your favourite sea creature. The prize is a family pass to a Sea Life Centre. just in time for half term that's one day sorted.

Ends 19th October



( I was given a family pass for the purpose of this review and opinions are entirely my own)