Kitchen gadgets fall into one of two categories in my home. Either they are relegated to the back of the drawer, or they become indispensable, and I am pretty sure that this 3 in 1 Avocado tool will become the latter.
Made of high-quality stainless steel this will split, pit and extract the flesh in a speedily efficient manner.
I tasted my first Avocado Pear, as it was called back then, in 1978, and was immediately addicted, though I could never have dreamed of smashed Avocado on toast becoming a thing.
Avocados are on the menu most weeks in the Rowan kitchen, but it can be a bit of a faff.
Sharp knife to split the pear or remove the skin, thumb to remove the stone, washing of said thumb, and spoon to scoop out the flesh. I have become used to this necessary process, so far so messy, (especially if the Avocado is very ripe.) until I discovered the 3 in 1 Avocado kitchen utensil.
Being ergonomic and well balanced makes it comfortable to grip, and at the risk of sounding geeky, a joy to use.
The sharp edge of the slicing blade makes short work of the Avocado whilst the small teeth of the pitter remove the stone quickly, easily and safely with a simple twist.
Finally, the spoon which is integrated into the blade, is contoured to fit the shape of the fruit and easily and thoroughly separates the flesh from the skin.
This would be a great Father’s Day gift, stocking filler or token wedding present perhaps.
It is the tool that I didn’t know that I needed until now, but wouldn’t be without.
Now in its eighth year, the festival is a unique forum for lively discussion, thought-provoking ideas, and political debate. Last year, Katherine Rundell said ‘the speakers are spectacular, they are such a range of brilliant and original thinkers’, while Marlon James described the festival as having ‘the foremost names … a lot of those really big and really important conversations happen here’.
The 2023 programme featured: Zadie Smith, Tom Holland, Mary Beard, Maggie O’Farrell, Peter Frankopan, Marlon James, Simon Schama, General David Petraeus, Katherine Rundell, Alex Younger, Emily Maitlis, Daniel Finkelstein, Tristram Hunt, Nick Laird, David Lammy, Justine Picardie and Tom Crewe.
Cliveden Literary Festival is run by a committee of authors and historians – Andrew Roberts, Natalie Livingstone, Catherine Ostler and Simon Sebag Montefiore – drawing on Cliveden House’s unique history as a literary salon frequented by writers and thinkers including Alexander Pope, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift and Sir Winston Churchill.
Tickets will go on sale in July 2024. Please sign up to the Cliveden Literary Festival newsletter and follow on Twitter and Instagram to be notified when tickets go on sale.
Visitors to Cliveden Literary Festival will also have the opportunity to explore the beautiful National Trust gardens and enjoy scenic walks down to the River Thames.
Cliveden House, operated by the Iconic Luxury Hotel group, has been awarded a Forbes Travel Guide Star Award, and Condé Nast Johansens Award for Excellence.
Since more and more of us are working from home, it is very easy to turn the home into the office. These candles reverse that process, transforming the home office, or any room for that matter, into a comforting evocative space.
I have always loved candles, and not just at Christmas, but I have found that they can often be a little disappointing. There are those that have a sharp acrid scent that can make one’s eyes water and others where one is in danger of burning nostril hair, as one needs to get so close to the flame to smell anything.
Having recently converted our guest bedroom into a relaxing reading space, I was keen to find a candle that would scent the room, but not overpower it. I also wanted a candle with scents for men, rather than the more flowery offerings that are more frequently available.
I was intrigued by Society’s claim to provide the scent of popular places to evoke happy memories and moods, as the cornerstone of their new candle range. I bought a candle called Bookshop, and whilst I would be hard pressed to describe the scent of a bookshop, I would definitely want it to smell like this.
The candles are stylish and elegant, presented in reusable brown glass with wooden wicks, whilst the aroma is long lasting and effortlessly relaxing. The cruelty-free candles are crafted from a blend of ethically sourced fragrance oils, premium vegan soy wax (so no toxins or chemicals) and wood wick to provide a clean, soot-free burn of 40+ hours. The mixture is then hand poured into a reusable glass.
I was so addicted to mine, that I was soon considering ordering a replacement. Which is when I discovered The Barbershop and Fireplace, both of which smell just as you think they would.
Candles cost £22.00 and would make the perfect Father’s Day gift or indeed at any time of the year. Stocking fillers this Christmas for sure.
The Barbershop is evocative, and smells of sandal wood and aftershave, whilst Fireplace has a suggestion of open fire smoke, whilst not been as overpowering as the real thing. It is certainly the nearest that I have come across, to capturing the essence of the open fire.
Just look at the design of the sippy cup. See how easy and comfortable it is for little fingers to grip. And the lid doesn’t drip, honestly. No wonder it has sold 15 million cups worldwide as toddlers can sip away without finding their bibs or T Shirts soggy. Additionally, as it is so good, why would they toss it over their shoulder? Quite.
So, let’s have a closer look at the Sippy Cup: see the weighted straw that moves with the liquid? So, no matter how your toddler tilts the cup, and we all know they DO tilt it all is fine. Just imagine the delight of no messy sipping while son or daughter toddles about exploring, and getting up to mischief. And no soaking T shirt to make them feel uncomfortable.
But why on earth doesn’t it leak? Well, listen carefully because ‘There is a unique two-way valve,’ as I explained to my grandson as we packed to board a bus, to his great excitement. ‘No soggy tops, it says. So I say not need for frustrated tossing of the cup over the windmill – deal? So let’s pop it in the ‘going out’ bag and see if everything stays dry.’ Readers, it did and my grandson think’s I am a magician. What’s more the deal is in place.
Let’s continue with our examination of this parent and toddler friendly sipping cup with its easy-grip handles – a design feature I noticed immediately. These handles make it a breeze for little hands to hold and navigate. This thoughtful design encourages self-sufficient drinking; fostering independence while minimising frustration for both toddlers and grown-ups. Did you get that? Minimising frustration for both toddlers and adults. And it did, truly.
We even gave it a go on a broom-broom bus. All went well because the simple flip-top lid on sippy cup makes ‘on-the-go’ hydration hassle-free. It’s easy to open, easy to close – a boon on a bus with Anma because, though it starts ‘exciting’ it then becomes boring. So, for Anma to bring out a leak free cup, one which is easy to open, and close, makes it all rather wonderful again as he sipped from time to time, looking out of the window seeing cars, lorries, even a tractor. Soon we were at the town bus stop, and off down the aisle he toddled, swinging the cup by the handle, not leaking a drop.
But there’s more: the base is microwave-safe for warming drinks, and the top-rack dishwasher-safe feature ensures quick and efficient cleaning, so when feeling ragged at the end of the day, as Anma undoubtedly was, just bung it in, and Bob’s yer Uncle.
It is thankfully free from harmful chemicals. It is BPA, Phthalates, and PVC-free, made from PP and silicone with a steel weighted ball. Finally the base of the sippy cup is a parenting marvel. Not only is it microwave-safe, but it also fits the spout and training cup lid for every age and stage. It’s like having a cup that grows with your child.
You see what I mean? If only the B.Box Sippy Cup had been around years ago, perhaps I wouldn’t have these lines that seem to multiply with every day.
The b.box 240ml Sippy Cup costs £16.99 from Amazon
When young, I went many times with my family to Cornwall for summer hols, and there was always the inevitable paddling in rock pools. There we kids were with our skirts tucked in our knickers holding a bamboo with a net on the end staring at a crab. It usually crunched up, or so it seemed to us. Dad would gently pick it up, explain how it lived inside its shell. We’d look at its legs – so many of them – and we would squeal, feeling it could give us all a pinch. And why not, when it had been picked up by a giant, and lots of small giants were oohing and ahhing, and squealing. Dad would replace it gently, and we would look in others.
No matter how gentle we were, good grief, they must have been fed up. It was their home, after all. Author Jennifer Bell obviously had similar thoughts, because in Ouch! a crab tells its story for the first time and if only crabs could read it would be top of the Crab Summer Reading Bestseller list, just as it will be with all the children who read Ouch!. Perhaps they would even wish they hadn’t carelessly thrown their crab back into the water, willy nilly.
Trust me, there will be a lot of interaction as children bellow “OUCH!”, along with the crab every time he’s tossed away, wham bam splash to become tangled in seaweed, or land upside down, rendering him helpless. I confess reading Ouch! transported me back to those days, and am so glad Bell wrote this book. It is extraordinarily evocative and brings alive the long summer rock pool experiences, all of which will hopefully not only encourage small children to respect the crab but empathise with all living creatures.
Children’s author Jennifer Bell has done crabs a good turn, really she has. She is the Champion of the Crabs as is her equally talented illustrator. Though this is not the first Jennifer Bell book…
Jennifer Bell’s two books about Jem, a young Cornish adventurer have been delighting youngsters in their homes and primary schools since the first was published in 2016 but Ouch! is their equal on so many levels.
By training, Bell was a nurse and co-founded a pottery, by inclination she’s a gardener of riverside land in Cornwall and a writer. She has always written – plays for school friends, stories long and short, poetry and verse and has been a frequent attender at literary weekends. Retirement has given her the opportunity to write when she can’t garden, and enjoy planting seeds in another way – producing books for children.
Jane Leitch the illustrator of the glorious images lives on the edge of Dartmoor, Devon, the area where she grew up. This environment is her inspiration – to capture the essence of nature and daily life in rural Devon, as well as on the West Country coast. Her paintings are sought after, and are in collections throughout the UK, Europe, the United States, Australia and the Far East. She exhibits in the annual Delamore Arts event near Ivybridge in Devon, biannually in Devon Open Studios with the Gidleigh painters, and at numerous nationwide exhibitions.
So, back to Ouch! What do I think? I implore you to read it to as many children as possible. It has pace and compassion. It is relatable. It is lovely.
Both Jane and Jennifer have given us permission to use these images fromOuch! which is available to purchase online from both Amazon, and Waterstones and the main distributors are Bookvault/Great British Bookshop. Always look in good bookshops as they will usually order it if they haven’t it in stock.
There my kids are again: sitting in front of their screens, their faces bathed in the flickering lights of colourful videos. Frenetic and yet,… empty.
I’m working because I must. I’m tidying or washing up or sorting laundry. I’m unable to follow what they see.
Somewhere in the next room I hear the inane chorus of fast-food “content” being funnelled into the eyes and ears of my little ones and I wither in guilt.
What withers me more, however, are the moments when my kids ask me about the wars and tragedies that they hear about – things they’ve heard in the playground or have caught on the nightly news. Sometimes I have to catch myself from talking about the dire state of the world over the dinner table, in case they hear. And they do.
Is this the world as they see it? Either dumbed-down nonsense or an overbearing sense of hopelessness? Because that seems to be the world they’re presented with.
It occurred to me that we should be doing better. So I set out to make it happen.
I’ve been putting together stage shows for nearly 30 years – most of those for family audiences. I’ve scripted, cast, produced and toured theatres, streets and schools. So, when the pandemic hit and work dried up, I set myself to thinking what kind of screen-based kids show I wanted to make.
Many ideas came and went, funding popped up and dropped away and nothing much seemed to come together until, one day, in 2023, I was talking to a producer friend when I happened to muse “why aren’t there any news programmes just talking about all the good stuff that’s happening?”
My friend jumped at this.
“YOU should make it!!” he said.
I blinked. Then frowned. Then smiled.
“Okay.”
Within a month I’d created a pitch document and commissioned two new puppets.
By the end of the year, my partner and I had shot a full pilot and started gathering audience feedback. It was universally positive.
“Al and Kai’s Faboo News” was off the starting blocks and now it’s running.
A cross between The Muppets and News At Ten, Al and Kai’s Faboo News is a frantic and 25 minutes of News Stories, Activities, Facts, Jokes and Shadow Puppet Storytelling – wrapped up in Muppet-esque Comedy.
Puppets Al and Kai explore news stories about science, the environment and people doing positive things in the world. They then use these stories as inspiration for exploring our planet and our people to show child viewers that there’s so much more to planet earth than they see and hear elsewhere.
Since screens first invaded our world, parents have shared their child entertainment duties. The BBC began programming TV for child audiences from the very start, seeking to educate and entertain.
Today, however, Kids TV is in the doldrums, with fewer and fewer original programmes and far less focus on quality and education in the shows themselves. More and more, kids find their entertainment online.
We aim to take our place in this online sphere and show that Kids Content doesn’t need to be “fast food” – it can be something more.
Now, when I find myself doing housework when the kids get back from school, I find my little ones asking to watch Al and Kai, because they want to learn more about the world.
We want to make more, however. We want to keep this running and running far into the future so kids across the world get to see that things aren’t quite as bad as they fear.
We’re looking for parents, just like us, who want to promote healthier, more positive and enriching TV for their children to enjoy. We’re looking for people to join the Faboo Crew and help bring this show to life for longer.
Kids TV doesn’t need to be Fast Food and it doesn’t need to be negative.
Air Fryers are the new ‘must have’ aren’t they? I admit to having resisted them until very recently, when a colleague made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, but now I’m a convert. They really do produce tasty food quickly, and, importantly, use less oil. In my incessant battle with a waistline bent on emulating Mr Blobby, this has to be a plus.
But air fryer meals have just become even easier thanks to the brainchild of Noel Davis, a British food manufacturer and distributor with over 30 years’ experience. He spotted the one thing missing in the Air Fryer landscape, and that’s Ready Meals. Yes, the Air Fryer cooks meals quickly, but how great to just take a bag from freezer to fryer, and 15 minutes later have a delicious meal on your plate? One which tastes just as good as if you’d spent hours peeling potatoes and battering fish or chicken.
Noel’s company, MJ’s Diner, majors on chip shop favourites and ‘fake-aways’ – cheaper, healthier and less-calorific versions of takeaway meals. Did you realise that 30-50% of people in the UK admit to having takeaways up to 4 x per week, according to surveys1,2? I must admit I was shocked. Did you also know that one portion of takeaway chicken katsu and chips comes in at around 1150 calories – this is serious news for both waistlines and arteries.
In contrast, MJ’s Diner Katsu Chicken Curry With Chips has less than half those calories and with just 15 minutes total preparation time its’s actually quicker and easier than grabbing a takeaway. Even without an air fryer, you can bung it in the oven for 30 minutes.
But of course the million dollar question is – does MJ’s Diner taste good? A resounding YES. You can see in the photo below the freshly cooked Fish Fillet With Chips, a generous fillet of soft flaky fish, crispy batter and chips which I can confirm taste as good as they look.
However the acid test is my grandchildren – they’re delightful, but quick to vote with their feet if grandma’s evening meal doesn’t come up to scratch. I tried the Chicken Goujons With Chips and the Beef Meatballs With Chips And Gravy this evening and they demanded ‘seconds’, which is a first. Did I tell them it wasn’t actually my cooking? Absolutely not – I just basked in the unaccustomed glory and will continue to make frequent trips to my local Farmfoods for more supplies.
So where can you get these wonderful (grand)mother’s helpers? Besides Farmfoods, MJ’s Diner air fryer-ready meals are available at Poundland, Oops Food Clearance in St Helens, and over 300 independent retailers nationwide. Many of the meals cost £2.49 – significantly cheaper than any takeaway, and the Battered Fish Fillet With Chips is just £1.99. What are you waiting for?
By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.
The winner of the highly anticipated Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award, and £1,000 prize, is Stig Abell for Death Under a Little Sky published by Hemlock Press (HarperCollins).
The gripping crime debut from the Times Radio journalist features London detective Jake Jackson, who discovers that murder lurks even in the most idyllic English locations when a village treasure hunt turns deadly. Bestselling crime authors have heaped praise on the debut including Lee Child, who described it as “truly excellent,” Ann Cleeves who found it “totally immersive” and Vaseem Khan who described it as “beautifully written.”
Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers who sponsors the award, said: “It was an incredibly strong shortlist for the judging panel this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all nominated titles. Stig Abell’s debut clinched the top spot. It offers a different slant to the usual detective mysteries, and I was compelled to finish the book and get to the end, which I didn’t guess. His mesmerising prose and deft plot made Death Under a Little Sky unputdownable.”
The eDunnit Award for the best e-book goes to Laura Lippman for Prom Mom, published by Faber & Faber. The acclaimed Baltimore author is a two-time CrimeFest eDunnit Award winner for Wild Lake (2017) and Sunburn (2019) and has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Edgar awards. Prom Mom tells the story of Amber Glass, desperately trying to get away from her tabloid past but compulsively drawn back to the prom date who destroyed everything. The LA Times described it as “one of Lippman’s most seductively mesmerising novels.”
Winner of the H.R.F Keating Award for best biographical or critical book on crime fiction is The Secret Life of John Le Carré by Adam Sisman, published by Profile Books.
A Financial Times and Spectator Book of the Year, it’s been praised for providing new insights into the author who created George Smiley, revealing a hidden perspective on the life and work of the spy-turned-author.
The Last Laugh Award goes to Mick Herron for The Secret Hours, published by Baskerville. Herron is a multiple CrimeFest Award winner; he received the 2023 CrimeFest Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama for Slow Horses; the 2022 CrimeFest Last Laugh Award for Slough House; and the 2018 CrimeFest Last Laugh Award for Spook Street. Praised as ‘pure class,’ by Ian Rankin, The Secret Hours was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. The mesmerising espionage thriller is dripping in wry wit and unexpected twists, as a parliamentary inquiry into the intelligence services turns lethal.
Best Crime Novel for Young Adults, aged 12-16, is awarded to Elizabeth Wein for Stateless, which features a group of young pilots who face intrigue and sabotage in a race around Europe in this thrilling murder mystery, from the bestselling author of Code Name Verity. Stateless was praised by the Guardian for its, “intriguing, page-turning plot.”
Best Crime Novel for Children, aged 8-12, goes to J.T. Williams for The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison published by Farshore. It’s the second book in the middle grade mystery series that’s inspired by real Black British historical figures, which sees two resourceful amateur sleuths become embroiled in a deadly conspiracy stalking the streets of eighteenth-century London.
Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, praised the series as a “must read” and The Observer praised its “atmospheric setting.”
The Thalia Proctor Memorial Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama goes for the second year running to Slow Horses (season 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron. Produced by See-Saw, shown on Apple TV+, the drama, which follows a dysfunctional and disgraced team of MI5 agents, stars Gary Oldman. The award is named in honour of Thalia, a CrimeFest team member and a much-loved figure in the world of crime fiction, and is decided by public vote.
Adrian Muller, Co-host of CrimeFest, said: “Crime fiction is recognised as the biggest selling and most influential genre in publishing. As ever, this year’s nominees reflect the genre’s power, reach and popularity, and it was a hotly contested shortlist. We congratulate all 2024 winners, and would especially like to thank Specsavers for their on-going support in celebrating new talent, with the Debut Award. We’re especially proud too to be one of the few genre awards that recognise children’s and Young Adult authors. They do a vital job in enticing children and young people into reading, offering much-needed escapism, connection, and adventure.”
Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is the biggest crime fiction convention in the UK, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors attending over four days [9-12 May]. 2024 featured guests include the author behind the international hit Murdle – G.T. Karber; Diamond Dagger winners James Lee Burke and Lynda La Plante; the acclaimed American author Laura Lippman; and the seminal Scottish author, Denise Mina. The line up also features Ajay Chowdhury, Cathy Ace, Janice Hallett, Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan, Holly Jackson, Kate Ellis, Ruth Dudley Edwards, and Martin Edwards.
CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. Established in 2008, it follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.
All category winners will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.
