Category Archives: Life & Style

LeapFrog’s Smart Sizzling BBQ Grill gets 10/10 from our tester: by Annie Clarke

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Every so often the Frost Magazine review team get a real belter of a toy to review and fortunately we have several testers of a certain age. This time Miss Delilah drew the lucky straw. And this reviewer is a very popular Grandma.

 

 

Once it was all up and running (not a difficult job) in she pitched, loving it from the first get-go. Everything was accessible, and designed to fit hands from two to five years of age. It’s vibrant colours and replication of the sounds of BBQ cooking made her feel it was familiar, and at the same time, grown up.

LeapFrog’s Smart Sizzling BBQ Grill comes with eight pieces of food, from an aubergine and steak through to prawns, mushrooms and even peppers. The colourful and friendly toy features accessories for cooking and a light-up grill. Great for playtime and learning, because LeapFrog Smart Sizzling BBQ Grill will teach children from 2-5 years food names, numbers & colours.

Children can set different grilling temperatures, hear fun cooking sounds or jam along to the music and sing-along songs.

Delilah placed a piece of food on the interactive pretend skewer and the BBQ told her what the food was and the  colour. 

As luck would have it over this Bank Holiday, the weather has been splendid so both the LeapFrog BBQ and daddy’s have been busy out on the decking, preparing feasts so she felt really important.

The grill even knows if the heat is too high and asks to have the dial turned to a lower number, whilst also saying safety phrases. Delilah pressed the fun ‘ignition’ button for grilling suggestions,  melodies, phrases and sound effects.

If the Smart Sizzling BBQ Grill is making you hungry for more, then take a look at the recipe inspiration from best-selling family food and nutrition author, Annabel Karmel. These  inviting recipes all use ingredients that feature in the LeapFrog Smart Sizzling BBQ Grill.

With three to choose from; BBQ Beef Fajitas, Super Sizzling BBQ Salmon and Zingy Pineapple Salad Boats,  (the last was one Delilah’s dad tried, successfully) you can be sure that the whole family will be eating well this late  summer.

The LeapFrog Smart Sizzling BBQ Grill will be one sure way to fire up kids’ imaginations as they ‘cook’ alongside mum or dad during a fun weekend BBQ or family celebration.

This would be great even for a Christmas present, because it’s small but robust enough to have in the house, as you can see from the photos, and very much a pro-active toy. Good stuff.

RRP £49.99
Available from: Argos, Amazon, Smyths and more

Recipes available here:

SISTER SCRIBES: KIRSTEN HESKETH WRITING ON THE RUN

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I’m writing this a service station halfway up the M6 – en route to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where I am singing on Saturday with the Rock Choir. (I know!)

To be fair, this particular writing session was prompted and necessitated by the email I received when I pulled into Sandbach services and turned my phone back on. Had I remembered that my latest Sister Scribe missive was due like now …?

But I got me to thinking about how I love writing out and about. I do a lot of it. Part of this is due to sharing a home with teens and a newly retired husband. I love them all to distraction – but without the luxury of my own dedicated writing lair, distraction is often the operative word. It can be really hard to concentrate on my WIP when the children are on holiday and demanding my attention and hubbie wants to involve me in his plans. Far easier to decamp to a convenient coffee shop and give myself over totally to my project.

Sister Scribes write cafe-style

And what a buzz it is. I love it all – being amongst – but not with – people who demand and expect nothing of me, the background chatter, people watching, coffee and CAKE. Best of all, I find, is writing in a café with other writers. That really is the crème de la crème. For me, this happens most often during the school holidays – not just because it is when I need most to escape – but because so many of my writing buddies are teachers. We have our favourite venue – Coppa Club in Sonning – and our favourite table; the big round one in the corner with ample plugs for everyone. This particular table is in hot demand – and we used to amuse ourselves with elaborate plots for how we might secure it (you could tell what genre we were writing by our suggestions!) Then we worked out we could just book it in advance!

I asked a couple of my fellow writers what they most like about these writing sessions. For writer and poet Becci Fearnley, author of Octopus Medicine, it is all about the support. ‘I would probably get more writing done at home,’ she admits, ‘but discussing my progress, sharing in triumph and failure and even just the quiet company of people who understand you are all very much needed in the life of a writer. Writing can be a lonely business and we all need allies.’ Claire Dyer, author of The Last Day and The Perfect Affair agrees, although for her, the background noise can be an issue. (Note to cafes; sometimes the ‘background’ music can be very insistent). ‘I do enjoy the camaraderie of writing with others,’ she says. ‘There’s something collegiate and nurturing about it – and the coffee and breakfasts are scrummy.’

I think that’s it. Writing in cafes with other writers nourishes body, soul and our creative output. More than once, a brief discussion on something I didn’t even really know I was struggling with has been magically solved by a ‘chance’ comment, a plot hole closed or a character developed. Sometimes we muse that advances are being eroded and waistlines expanded, but – hey – everyone knows that you have to suffer for your art, don’t they?

And today, once skinny latte and a toasted sandwich later, my article is complete, and I am ready to hit the motorway again. I’ll proof it in another service station somewhere south of Glasgow and then hit the road for the final push to Edinburgh.

Newby Teas and Matthew Williamson Collaborate to Create Pure Hedonism reviewed by Dr Kathleen Thompson

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‘Cuppa anyone?’ Considering we English claim tea as an integral part of our culture, we frequently sell ourselves short. ‘Builder’s tea’ really doesn’t count.  There are so many different varieties, which can be blended in many different ways.  Even the time of year when the leaves are plucked matters, with first flush tea, consisting of the youngest, most tender part of the plants, has a special flavour, reflected in the cost.

Like a good wine, a great tea can command a very high price and the taste and numerous health benefit claims of different teas are appreciated in tea-growing countries such as India and China, where tea-houses will offer you an incredible number of varieties and blends depending on your taste and needs.

In the UK we have been palmed off with cheap tea bags for too long. A good friend, who grew up on a Tea Plantation in Assam told me that these are often filled with tea dust, left over after processing the decent stuff. Is that all you’re worth?

You can get a very nice quality tea without paying the earth – just as you don’t necessarily have to splash out on a Château Lafitte to enjoy a good red.

So why not pop that supermarket special offer back on the shelf where it belongs, and head to the Newby website?

They have a large range of teas – green, black, flowering and many others, including caffeine-free such as rooibos.

Newby have just announced a collaboration with Matthew Williamson who has designed some beautiful tea caddies, available on the website. Each caddy design containing a different, quality tea and they make a really special gift.

Williamson comments, “Newby is such a wonderful heritage brand. They epitomise luxury in every sense of the word and do things with passion and flair. I’ve loved the process from start to finish of creating this collection, including learning so much more about the history of tea and visiting their amazing Chitra Collection for inspiration.”

Newby is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, committed to improving the lives and environment of tea workers and making tea production better, fairer and more environmentally sustainable. It’s substantially owned by the N Sethia Foundation, a UK registered charity which has supported medical research, youth activities and disaster relief management.

So not only will you give your body and mind a treat, but you will be helping many people, and even the future of tea itself with every cup of Newby’s.

 

 

Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co,uk

THEATRE REVIEW: Macbeth at Temple Church, London – Paul Vates

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‘The lighting’s good, isn’t it?’

 

 

I couldn’t wait to see this production. Two years ago I sat in the same church and was riveted by the same company’s Richard III. My fault – it could only be a let down in comparison. The same atmosphere welcomes us, though. It is exciting and different to be inside a church which is a theatrical venue. The same promenade stage, with audience down the two sides. To be so close to the action, to be part of it.

 

Sadly not. I spent the evening feeling I was being performed at.

 

Antic Disposition’s directors – Ben Horslen and John Riseboro – have set the play in Victorian times. The costumes give an air of patriarchal control and a squeezed sense of formality and restriction. Then Macbeth enters – completely the opposite – promising so much more. He prowls the stage, looking for answers, mumbling and growling like a caged bear.

 

Harry Anton plays the part. All rugged, macho and looking like he’s just stepped off the set of Poldark. Well, hello, Macbeth!! Ding Dong! But he’s dour and lacklustre. [Blast.] Lady Macbeth, however, played by Helen Millar, has a shining presence – a brilliant beacon of light in a dark production, even when dressed completely in black for the first half. Once she is Queen, she then dresses in the brightest of blood red. This is in itself a shock to the eyes, as all costumes are black or the darkest of greys and browns.

 

The use of the witches is clever. Throughout, they are also the house servants of the Macbeths – always on hand to assist or hinder as the play requires. Louise Templeton, Bryony Tebbutt and Robyn Holdaway excel by their underplaying and choreography, subtly manipulating the characters around them. The rest of the cast – Chris Courtenay, Nathan Hamilton, Robert Bradley, Peter Collis and Andrew Hislop – come across as ‘actors in a Shakespeare play’ – there is the usual shouting and finger pointing, seemingly placing emotion before meaning.

 

 

Overall, I found too many of the actors annoyingly hard to hear as they fought the acoustics. Much of the staging was, surprisingly, quite unimaginative and dull. Static and filmic. Monologues were done to no one in particular, even though the eager audience was sitting there, right in front of them. Macbeth’s solo musings were slow and monotone. Two-dimensional. But I want action, power and a crispness of performance – I want my Macbeth to be enigmatic, not contemplative.

 

I want the actors to take a risk and use the environment they find themselves in. Instead, they play this version inwardly and safe. I want danger, all I got was contemplation. No doubt, as the run settles into the space, the pace will pick up, the actors will relax and the drama will increase. I realise I come across as grumpy and, excepting Max Bialystock, no one ever sets out to do a bad stage production, but Shakespeare is so often performed and comparisons abound. And everyone has an opinion. One gent in the queue for the interval toilets could genuinely only muster, ‘The lighting’s good, isn’t it?’

 

Ouch.

 

 

 

 

Photographer    Scott Rylander

Directors           Ben Horslen and John Risebero

Producer           Antic Disposition

Designer           John Risebero

Composer         James Burrows

Performances   Until 7th September – Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm

Matinees: Saturday at 3pm

Venue               Temple Church, London EC4Y 7BB

Nearest Tubes  Temple or Blackfriars (Circle and District lines)

Tickets              Box Office 0333 666 3366 or online at www.anticdisposition.co.uk

Price                 £25 – £40

Running Time   2 hours 15 (including an interval)

Twitter              @anticdispo

 

 

 

 

 

Windfalls by Kelly Myers Reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke

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Windfalls is the beautiful magical land where fairies live.

The fairies live in their own little mushroom homes which they keep immaculate and sleep on a fresh bed of petals each night. Each fairy is assigned to an apprentice upon finishing school, some jobs just like us humans, teaching and carpentry and other not so much, dust collecting and wing repairs.

The fairies are kind, helpful and gentle beings. However not every fairy is happy with their way of life. Chyme and Emmaline are sisters but are completely opposite, Chyme is the perfect fairy she is helpful, smart and generous, Emmaline however is not what one would call your perfect fairy, she is resentful of her sister, she skips school and loves to cause trouble.

They are forced to put their differences aside, A threat looms in the shadows. Can Chyme and Emmaline save their village from a mutual enemy? A glorious and magical escape to the land of Windfalls. A beautiful story of sisterhood, teamwork, bravery and determination.

Available on Amazon.co.uk 

Natalie Jayne Peeke. The Bookworm mother.

SISTER SCRIBES: JANE CABLE CATCHES UP WITH TAKE FOUR WRITERS’ LUCY AND ANGELA

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Carrying on with our catch up with last year’s Take Four Writers, today it’s the turn of Lucy Coleman and Angela Petch.

Lucy:

This year has flown by and I can’t believe it’s August already – eight months since the last of Jane Cable’s series: ‘Take Four Writers’. As we all catch up, I suspect the main theme running through our updates will be that there are never enough hours in the day. But a writer’s life is never dull, and we are blessed!

Writing as Lucy Coleman, by the end of 2019 I will have had two new books out this year with Aria Fiction, the second of which is ‘Magic Under the Mistletoe’ due out on 5 September. Set in the hamlet of Porthkerry, near Cardiff, it begins in a snowstorm. It was inspired by the heavy snowfall in December 2017, which turned much of the UK into a winter wonderland.

A new publishing contract with Boldwood Books will see the first of six novels published over the next two years, beginning with the release of ‘A Springtime to Remember’ in December 2019. The story is set in Versailles, a place that is very dear to my heart.

I’ve also recently returned to blogging and my monthly feature ‘The Happiness Factor’ covers tips on motivation and generally surviving the ups and downs of a busy life. Also fun things – interior design tips, home spa pampering, the aesthetics of your workspace if you work from home, and my best buys. A treat doesn’t need to break the bank, but it can lift the spirits.

I don’t ‘endorse’ products, but share things I’ve purchased which make me smile, or have helped me. One of my best buys recently was a back brace I wear when typing, which has taken away my spells of backache!

If you get a moment, do drop by my website https://linnbhalton.co.uk/the-happiness-factor-blog/ and check it out.

Angela:

The Tuscan Secret was published by Bookouture on June 26th, after rigorous editing. At first I panicked at the structural changes suggested. I had written this book originally in 2012 and had to reacquaint myself with the story. But then I settled and began to enjoy the challenge. Today my editor told me it has sold just shy of 10,000. I could never have imagined that figure as a self-published author. (There’s also been a knock-on sales increase of my other books).

This week I sent my first draft to my editor of the second commissioned Tuscan novel, and the editorial roundabout will again whir into action. Hopefully, what I learned from the first round will ease the process.

Downsides:

  • I’m at least half a stone heavier from spending many hours sitting in front of my laptop.
  • I am developing bad posture.
  • My hubby says my head’s in another world half the time. (It is!)

Positives:

  • I’m loving what I’m doing. There was never enough time to concentrate on my writing before. It’s fun to live in a “what-if” world.
  • I have made great new friends in the writing community.
  • I’m gaining self-belief.
  • Far from being escapist, I firmly believe that writing helps me connect more with the world.

We all know that very few authors make a mint. It would be great to have more pennies and pounds in my bank account… but money is not the only measure of happiness. Connecting with readers (even with those who give less than shining reviews) makes all those hours of being hunched over my writing; all those hours of my head feeling it’s going to burst, my eyes squinty and itching — all worth it. Hand on heart.

 

SISTER SCRIBES: JANE CABLE CATCHES UP WITH TAKE FOUR WRITERS’ JACKIE AND CLAIRE

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Everyone loved our Take Four Writers’ articles last year so I thought it would be really interesting to catch up with them. Writers lives have ups and downs, and in 2018 we shared them all. Here’s what Jackie Baldwin and Claire Dyer have been up to since – news from Lucy and Angela tomorrow.

Jackie:

Hello everyone,

This year, a big thrill has been seeing copies of ‘Perfect Dead’ in The Works shops. It never gets old going seeing my book in the wild. I stroll past ‘casually’ whilst giving it an intense stare.

2019 has been dominated by writing my third DI Farrell book, ‘Avenge the Dead.’ This is the first time I’ve had a book published with the title I originally chose! I finished the first draft in seven months this time so I’m getting quicker with each book. The plot revolves around the Criminal Bar in Dumfries where I used to practice as a solicitor so I’m drawing on personal experience in some respects but the plot and characters are wholly fictional. Honestly!

In addition to writing and the day job I’m also in the process of moving closer to Edinburgh. We’ve found a house but it needs quite a bit doing to it so trying to organise all that has been a challenge. Hopefully, we’ll be installed before my first grandchild arrives in October!

I’ve completed my structural edit for Avenge the Dead. This is probably the stage that I most enjoy where you can fix errant plot lines and even insert new characters or subplots if the mood takes you. Currently I’m working on the Line Edit which is a complete nightmare. For example, you mention the word out three times on one page and need to change two of them.

Recently, I’ve realised that writing books is a lot like having babies. You have your baby and fall madly in love, forgetting the pain. You think it would be a great idea to have another baby. You get into the labour ward and yell, ‘WHAT was I thinking?’ And repeat…

Claire:

It’s a well-known fact that the writing life is not a simple one, and it’s easy to lose hope and/or struggle with doubt and this year I’ve been battling with both these things!

However, with the help of my amazing writer support network I am back on track. I have completed a rewrite, edited another novel and started a new one.

I’ve also celebrated my son’s wedding, am working on the draft manuscript of a poetry collection due for publication in 2021 and am planning a holiday to the ever-wonderful Kalkan in Turkey.

I also have my husband’s wise words to fall back on when things get tough. He’s not a writer, and has learnt from living with one that he has to tread carefully, and part of this is to remind me gently now and again that it all depends on the lens.

Yes, writing and getting published is a challenge, BUT I have had three novels and two poetry books published, with another on the way; I have a wonderful group of writer friends, I curate a monthly poetry night in Reading and I spend my days doing what I love. Moreover, my son’s wedding went well (see picture) and I still have writer-hope; it’s small and fragile but, using the right lens I can see it sitting next to my laptop, its bright eyes shining.

 

A Taste of Heaven by Dr Kathleen Thompson

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I love working as a correspondent for Frost Magazine and sampling and reviewing Opies Foods products is always a pleasure.

The 140 year old company is based in Kent, the garden of England, and this is no coincidence. Local fruits and vegetables have inspired many Opie products, which range from traditional, but top-quality favourites, such as cocktail cherries and various pickles, including gherkins, cornichons and onions, and even green peppercorns, to some very modern twists on bottled fruits.  They also have an organic range, and many of their fruits and vegetables are sourced in the UK.

As I stared at the jars of Peaches with Courvoisier and Black Cherries with Luxado Kirsch, which I’d been sent to review, my creative juices (and digestive juices) began to flow. But how to enjoy them best? A generous helping accompanied with ice-cream is always the easiest option – and totally delicious, but I was feeling adventurous. My kids’ expressions morphed from excited anticipation to raw dread as I picked up my ancient recipe book, and pleas of ‘we just want them with ice-cream, Mum’ and ‘step away from the oven’ made me question whether they trusted my culinary skills.

Naturally I ignored them and continued leafing through the recipes.

Clafoutis – of course – this French desert was just made for these delicious fruit preserves. So, oven warming nicely, I teetered on the kitchen stool and found some flour at the back of a top cupboard shelf, a little milk, butter, sugar (not too much, I planned to substitute with the yummy cognac- and kirsch-infused syrups from the fruits) and now I just needed some vanilla extract. I was sure I had some. On my knees I reached to the dark recesses of the corner unit and grabbed a handful of small bottles – cochineal (crikey that must be old), almond essence and, yes, vanilla extract.

I emerged, smiling, to be greeted by insolent and miserable stares, but I ploughed on. The batter was made in a jiff with the help of my blender (top tip) and I poured half into each of two buttered flan dishes. I sliced the peaches and arranged them on the batter of one,  put the black cherries on the other.  Around half an hour in the oven (190degC) and I was delighted with the results. Two very professional deserts  – the fruits looked and tasted amazing and the cognac and kirsh-infused syrup gave the clafoutis a really special taste – simply heaven. Even the kids were impressed.

If you want more recipes (from professional chefs) check out the Opies Foods website, where you can also read about their quite unique range of products. These make great gifts for anyone (including yourself, of course). The two fruit preserves I used in my clafoutis are available at Tesco.

Something else you may want to consider is putting some Opies Mixed Fruits With Prosecco into the bottom of a glass, and adding more … of course … prosecco – it makes a very impressive drink for a special occasion.

Photos provided by Splat Marketing

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk