Some good news for poetry fans, you can get Catherine Balavage’s poetry book, What do you think?: A collection of poems, for free until the 27th January 2017. It is free on Amazon Kindle across the world. The book has received good reviews and has reached no 1 in the women’s poetry fiction chart on Amazon. Get your copy of What do you think?: A collection of poems here.
Amazon’s New English Language Literary Prize – The Kindle UK Storyteller Award sounds just the thing to attract aspiring writers
Winning author to receive £20,000 cash prize and be recognised at central London award ceremony this summer
Amazon UK has announced The Kindle Storyteller Award, a new literary prize recognising newly published work in the English language across any genre. The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk between 20th February and 19th May 2017.
Readers will play a significant role in the competition with the award shortlist compiled based on a number of factors that measure customer interest in the titles, followed by an esteemed panel of judges – made up of both Amazon experts and literary authorities – selecting the Kindle Storyteller 2017 winner. The prize will be announced at a central London ceremony in July, with the winning author being rewarded with a cash prize of £20,000 and a marketing campaign to support the book on Amazon.co.uk, as well as the opportunity to have their book translated for international sales. (Source: beginners guide to buying Amazon shares)
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a fast, free and easy way for authors to keep control and publish their books in print and digital to a global audience, and receive up to 70 per cent royalties on their work. On any given day, up to 25 per cent of the Top 100 books on the UK Kindle store are published through KDP.
The Kindle Storyteller prize is open to submissions of new English Language books from all authors and genres, and entries must be submitted using Kindle Direct Publishing. Titles must be previously unpublished and a minimum of 5,000 words with no upper word limit. All books entered into the Prize will be available on Kindle and Fire devices as well as the Kindle reading app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets. Print copies will also available to buy on the Amazon.co.uk store.
Kindle Storyteller opens for entries on 20th of February and titles must be entered into the KDP Select programme for 90 days in order to be considered.
For more information, authors can visit www.amazon.co.uk/storyteller
Crabbie’s are’re doing Burns Night right – with a brand new Scottish menu created especially for the occasion. Scots chef Jacqueline O’Donnell, who appeared on BBC2 show Great British Menu, has helped us to create the perfect three course menu that pairs beautifully with a glass of our finest ginger beer.
Starter; Haggis bon bon with Crabbie’s Ginger beer & beetroot
Serves 4
Oven 180c Gas 5
200gr Good quality haggis
50gr panko bread crumbs
1pk cooked beetroot
100ml Crabbie’s Original alcoholic ginger beer
2 tbsp Apple sauce
1 egg beaten
50gr plain flour
50gr panko breadcrumbs
Chop up haggis and mash whilst raw shape into 12 small bon bon shapes
Roll into flour then coat in beaten egg then roll in the breadcrumbs until coated
Spray an oven tray lightly with oil and place bon bons on pop in oven for 15-20min until golden brown
Meanwhile chop beetroot and put in a blender add the Crabbie’s until a soft puree season with salt & pepper to taste
When serving add a teaspoon of apple sauce just to secure the bon bon on the plate and serve the beetroot puree at the side. You can also serve with a side salad
Main; Duo of Venison Loin on thyme & hawthorn jelly served with Original Crabbie’s, warm red cabbage black pudding & ginger apple salad
Serves 4 Oven 200c Gas 6 Use a stove to oven frying pan
4 x 200gr Venison Loin (You can substitute the venison for Beef fillet)
4tbsp Hawthorn jelly (Redcurrant if you can’t find the Hawthorn)
1 Knorr beef stock pot
100ml Crabbie’s Original alcohholic ginger beer
½ red cabbage finely sliced
2 slice of black pudding
1 pink lady apple finely sliced
1 tsp stem ginger chopped very finely
1 tsp butter
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Sear in a hot pan the 4 pieces of meat season well & place in oven for 8-12 mins depending how pink you like your meat (Venison can get quite dry if cooked well done so try not to go past Medium well, in order to keep the dish moist
Bake the black pudding slices for in the venison pan for only 5 minutes then remove
Add 4tbsp of Crabbie’s to a pot bring to the boil then add the tsp of butter add the red cabbage and cook just until the liquid has gone
Crumble the black pudding into a bowl and mix with the apple and stem ginger
Once the cabbage has no liquid tip into the bowl with the black pudding & apple
Once meat comes out of the oven set aside on a plate and make the sauce in the pan you cooked the meat in remember the handle is HOT!!
Put the pan onto the heat and add left over Crabbie’s whilst pan is really hot, this de glazes the pan and gets all the flavour and bits of meat off the bottom then add the stock pot jelly with 150ml boiling water bring to the boil adding in a sprig of thyme just until its up to the boil allow to reduce slightly to the consistency of a sauce
Spoon a pile of the red cabbage warm salad onto the plate slice the venison and pour sauce over
Enjoy
Pudding; Iced Crabbie’s Cranachan with ginger shortbread thistles
Serves 4. best frozen over night
200ml of fresh custard (You can use shop bought)
100ml whipped double cream
100ml Crabbie’s Raspberry alcoholic ginger beer
1 200gr of frozen raspberries
50gr Pinhead oatmeal
25gr brown sugar
50ml raspberry coulis
Shortbread
100gr plain flour
50gr cornflour
50gr icing sugar
1 tsp finely chopped stem ginger
100gr unsalted butter
Bring to the boil and Reduce the Raspberry Crabbie’s by half then add to the raspberry coulis allow to cool
Fold whipped cream & custard together then add a few raspberries and raspberry coulis folded through to be quite swirly not all of the mix pink (if you do go too far that’s ok!)
Pour mixture into a clingfilm lined bread tin or deep mould terrine and put in the freezer overnight is best
Make shortbread add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until a soft dough roll out to as thick as a £2 coin cut into shapes and bake in an oven 150c for 20-25 allow to cool first
Place pinhead oatmeal & sugar in a hot pan until sugar dissolves and coats the oatmeal allow to cool
Remove cranachan from the freezer and take off clingfilm then roll into the oats until they stick and cover the outside of the cranachan
To serve add a few raspberries to the plate with the shortbread & slice the Iced cranachan
Serve with a full glass of Raspberry Crabbie’s & enjoy!
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Frost loves the From a Mother to Another initiative and is proud to support it again this year.
From a Mother to Another, the initiative from JoJo Maman Bébé, starts collecting again on 22nd Feb 2017. The aim; to reduce the shocking levels of clothing waste that end up in a landfill whilst helping those in need in the UK with distribution via Trussell Trust food banks, and thousands of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon. For full details of how to donate visit http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/FAMTA
JoJo will be collecting good quality outgrown or unwanted baby and children’s clothes in, sizes 0-6 years and children’s shoes. Customers are requested to make up complete outfits, with shoes in a separate bag and donate at one of their 80 stores across the UK and Ireland. Full list of stores can be found here http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/stores.
Nearly a third of the UK’s clothing ends up in landfill, equating to 350,000 tonnes a year. By extending the life of clothes by just three months of active use, carbon and water waste could be reduced by up to 5-10% a year. Sending good quality, little worn hand-me-downs to those in need would mean they are worn by many more children, extending the clothes lifespan.
In the UK the emergency clothing packs will be distributed by some of the Trussell Trust’s 420 Foodbanks. In Lebanon the packs will be distributed by a number of partner charities on the ground. Helen Frank’s from Trussell Trust explains; “I am delighted Trussell Trust Foodbanks will be participating in the From A Mother To Another campaign for the second year running, it is a natural fit to The Trussell Trust’s ‘More Than Food’ approach, which offers additional services to help alleviate poverty in the UK. Over a third of three-day emergency food supplies provided by Trussell Trust foodbanks go to children in crisis. Last year the packs were gratefully received by over 1000 families” 
Laura Tenison, founder & CEO of JoJo, visited refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley on the Lebanese Syrian border in early 2016. Laura explains what she found when visiting the camps; “The situation is dire and has not improved over the last 12 months. The millions of women and children living in makeshift tents are in urgent need of emergency humanitarian aid to help until it is safe to travel home – just a few miles across the border. They left Syria with whatever they could carry. Their children have outgrown their clothes long ago and are often in rags. The gift of a FAMTA pack brings tears of gratitude. Children are dying from the cold, we just had to help.”
JoJo Maman Bébé will cover the extensive costs of checking, sorting, shipping, customs clearance and managing the logistics of delivering the parcels to the partner charities in Lebanon and to the Trussell Trust’s Foodbanks across the UK.
Cute cuddles by Mabel aged nine and a half
Most people have a dog for a pet. Dogs are really cute and cuddly. The owners of the dogs often need to give their dogs lots of attention and take care of them very well. But it’s worth it, because I think the main reason they got their dog is that they could have lots of cute cuddles every day.
And it’s fun to take them for walks which make your dog’s tail wag.
Lots of other animals also need all the cuddles that dogs get. Like hamsters, horses, and many more. I’m writing this at the same time as cuddling my Grandma’s dog Rosie.
The only thing that is the downside to having a dog is the smell, especially when your dog is wet. Also when you take them out you have to pick up their poo in a little black bag.
But having a dog is still great fun and enjoyable.
Now what do you think about getting your own pet?
The average mum will fall ill 324 times over their youngster’s childhood – with colds and bugs passed on to them by their offspring, a study has found.
An endless cycle of sore throats, runny noses, migraines and sickness bugs means the average mum will be left feeling under the weather 18 times a year.
The study of 2,000 parents, found that over the 18 years of their youngster’s childhood, mums will suffer from 54 colds, as well as a total of 108 sore throats or runny noses.
There will also be 36 sickness bugs – two every year – and an annual bout of flu.
On top of that, they can also expect to endure one bout of headlice a year after the critters come home from school on their children’s hair.
And eight in ten of those polled by supplements firm Healthspan say the germs and bugs can usually be traced back to the kids, leaving them suffering days after nursing their children back to health.
Dr Sarah Brewer, GP and Medical Director at Healthspan said: “Mums are often on the front line when it comes to the family’s illnesses and, due to time pressures and putting others first, are often poor at looking after themselves.
“Prevention is key and it’s important for mums to look after themselves by boosting their immunity to help prevent common illnesses as much as possible, and to shrug off respiratory infections quickly with go-to products they can trust to banish colds, such as Healthspan Pelargonium – a traditional herbal medicine that will tackle a cold in 24 hours.”
Sixty-eight per cent of mums said they had been more prone to falling ill since having children, with 39 per cent saying they now constantly feel under the weather in some way.
In fact, the average mum has just 13 days a month where they feel completely fit and healthy.
But 84 per cent of mums feel they are unable to sit back and relax when they are ill, instead having to battle on through, compared to just seven in ten dads.
And 72 per cent of women reckon they cope better than their partner when they are ill.
Mums’ illnesses – per year
Sore throats – 3
Runny stuffed nose – 3
Cold – 3
Flu – 1
Sickness bug – 2
Rash/skin complaint – 2
Migraine – 3
Conjunctivitis – 1
Total – 18
Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JB Wednesday
18th January – Saturday 18th March 2017
This one sounds worth a go to help us through the winter chill. All sound a bit like life – when one keeps getting the timing wrong…
Two hopeful, hapless romantics get drunk, get it on and then get the hell away from each other. In her eyes, he’s a mistake. A mistake who keeps turning up at parties. In his eyes, she’s perfect. He’s short-sighted. An achingly funny romantic catastrophe of good intentions and bad timing that asks, can a one night stand last a lifetime?
Dirty Great Love Story was awarded a Scotsman Fringe First Award for outstanding new writing in 2012 and was shortlisted for both the Holden Street Theatre Award and the Brighton Fringe Award
According to The Independent in 2012, Dirty Great Love Story does exactly what it says on the tin – and they could throw in the adjectives Lovely, Witty, Delicious too. Warmly and fuzzily recommended.
Dirty Great Love Story: Wednesday 18th January – Saturday 18th March 2017 Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2:30pm (75 mins)
Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JB Wednesday
@DirtyGreatLove, @ArtsTheatreLDN, #DirtyGreatLoveStory DirtyGreatLove @DirtyGreatLove www.DirtyGreatLoveStory.co.uk
Richard Marsh and Katie Bonna Pia Furtado Tim Johanson Productions
www.artstheatrewestend.co.uk
Tickets are available from £20 – £45.
Easy Sweet Chilli Steamed Buns
Serves 6
Perfect if you have some left-over turkey or chicken from the Sunday roast.
Ingredients:
– A 400ml can of coconut milk
– Self – raising flour, enough to fill the empty can of coconut milk
– 1 tsp. of baking powder
– A good pinch of salt
– 2 tbsp. of sweet chilli sauce
– 150g of cooked, shredded turkey or chicken
– 1 tsp. of black sesame seeds
– Cooking spray / spray oil
Method:
– Empty the can of coconut milk into a bowl, then fill the empty can with self-raising flour. Add the baking powder and salt and mix well to for a sticky batter.
– In a bamboo steamer, lay 6 cupcake cases around the steamer and spray with oil.
– To make the job easier (and less messy!), spray an ice cream scoop with oil then scoop a tablespoon of dough into the cases. Create a hole in the middle and spoon in a teaspoon of sweet chilli chicken. Scoop another tablespoon of dough over the top and gently press around the edges to seal. Spray the top of the buns with oil and scatter with a few sesame seeds.
– Pop the bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water and cook for 10-15 minutes until risen and fluffy.
– Serve with extra sweet chilli sauce.
Recipe by Nicola Millbank AKA Milly Cookbook. Milly’s debut book, Milly’s Real Food will be published BY Harper Collins in hardback, priced at £20 and released on 4th May 2017. For more information and additional recipes see: http://millycookbook.com/