What's On in Glasgow - Story Fest at St Enoch Centre

We've had a lot of fun lately with story telling, including our adventures with Disney for their Fit to Dance programme. My little ones love stories and story telling, so the Story Fest at St Enoch Centre sounds brilliant (it's just a pity that we're going to be sunning ourselves in Portugal!).

The St Enoch Centre is inviting you and your children to 'Story Fest' during the October holidays.

Story Fest is a 9-day festival dedicated to children's literature running from Saturday 10th to Sunday 18th October with loads of activities from character visits from Dora and The Gruffalo, to creative workshops.

The most exciting event is 'Badger the Mystical Mutt'... Badger is a 6ft dog with a nose for adventure and he takes children on a magical journey involving songs and story telling. Badger is the star of a series of children's books exploring various issues, including bullying.



 Badger v MC Loki Rap Battle
Join Glasgow hip-hop star Darren McGarvey - aka Loki - and create your very own rap... suitable for ages 11-16 years.


Badger the Mystical Mutt runs in the St Enoch Centre on Thursday 15th Oct from 12-1pm and 2-3pm and is suitable for children 5-8 years old.

All events are free, but some are ticketed and must be booked in advance.

I have received a complimentary goody bag, containing an Optical Express voucher in exchange for this post - thank you St Enoch Centre :-)

What's On: Foodies Festival, Edinburgh plus a GIVEAWAY

Next month the Foodies Festival is back at Edinburgh's Inverleith Park on 7th, 8th and 9th August. We had a brilliant time there last year and are super excited to be returning. It was such a fantastic weekend - you can find my previous post here and below is the vlog I created from our weekend antics. This year I'm taking my wee sister Ali & her other half Robin along with us - it's going to be so much fun.

For the 10th Anniversary Celebrations, the event is going to be 50% bigger and there are loads of interesting demos, an extended Producers Market and a huge selection of street food to feast upon...Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Indian, Mexican, French, African...

There are some hands on masterclasses that sound intriguing... bee keeping, oyster shucking and foraging. There is going to be food and drink pairing masterclasses in the new Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre; daily cocktail competitions between local bars to find Edinburgh's Best Mixologist and cake modelling and sugar-craft workshops in the Cake & Bake Theatre. It all sounds brilliant!!

For the kids there are Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Children's Cookery Theatre where they can learn to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs (all children under 12 years old go free when accompanied by an adult).

There is also a Chilli Eating Competition that I'm sure Rick will be up for.. can he win the Chilli Eating Crown?

And guess what? I have three pair of tickets up for grabs!! All you need to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't win the tickets, then you can buy yours online at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111.

Competition runs 15th July to 29th July.
There will be three winners; picked at random.
Each prize is one pair of tickets; no cash alternative available.
Thanks to @LanyardMedia for providing this prize

What's On: Festival of Museums, Glasgow

The Festival of Museums takes place this weekend on the 15th - 17th May. The programme has over 100 events across the country, many taking place as part of the Museums at Night initiative and many events are one-off too. There is plenty happening in Glasgow if you are looking for something for the weekend...

The Great Big Museum Bus Tour is a hop-on, hop-off tour of Glasgow's must-see museums including the Burrell Collection, Scotland Street School Museum and Riverside Museum. Each museum will be showcasing a different traditional craft with inspiring practical demonstrations (Sat 16th May from 11am onwards).

Past Times Weekend - Auld Kirk museum in Kirkintilloch are taking guests back in time at their Family Fun Day on Sunday 17th May, 12 noon to 4pm. There will be craft activities - making and decorating swords and crowns - plus face painting, medieval weaponry and birds of prey.

The event that takes my fancy is the Reid Building Tour - Glasgow's most daring new architectural work. The one hour guided tour will explore the architectural concepts behind the building (Saturday 16th from 3pm, advance booking required).

I'm also intrigued by The Museum of Light at Paisley Museum (Saturday 16th May, 7pm to midnight) where there are a wide range of activities running from 'painting with light' to scientific demonstrations and a viewing of the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn through the telescopes in Coats Observatory.

What are your plans this weekend?

Sarah x

{Love Scotch Lamb Food Festival}

At the weekend the kids and I headed to SWG3 on Eastvale Place, Glasgow for the Scotch Lamb Street Food Festival.

The aim of the festival was to showcase the versatility of lamb and inspire the guests, journalists and bloggers, with some exotic lamb dishes.

Pop-up dining pioneers 'The Street Food Cartel' were serving a special menu from four of their most popular street kitchen stalls...

Scoop Silver Bullet
Braised neck fillet of lamb, ras el hanout, pomegranate & sultana cous cous

Antojito Cantina
Barbacoa lamb in soft tacos with sour cream, guacamole & pico di gallo

Pad BKK
Lamb massaman curry with jasmine rice, Thai prawn crackers, crispy shallots, peanuts & herbs

So La Ti Dough
Lamb shoulder slow roasted in the wood fired oven with vine tomatoes, rosemary and garlic. Focaccia baked to order.



The food was amazing. I tried the first three of the dishes, not having enough room to even attempt the last one unfortunately! The kids had the braised lamb and they thoroughly enjoyed it - they weren't keen on the pomegranates though. My son had some of the lamb from my taco and the littlest just had a plain tortilla wrap. All the lamb was melt in the mouth, and the flavours were brilliant. Lamb isn't something I would normally cook, although we did take part in a Love Scotch Lamb recipe challenge the other month and we cooked two lamb recipes here in the Glasgow Mummy kitchen. But the lamb here was just so tender compared with the lamb I cooked at home. I obviously need to practice! Thankfully we were given away a cookbook so I can read up and perfect my skills!

We also enjoyed some smoothies. I had coconut and oreo cookie. It was divine!

The kids were given a free apron :-)

Littlest in her princess dress!

My son doing his own vlog!!

#selfie

I didn't get to enjoy the cookery demos as the kids weren't happy to stand for that long - it may have been better if there were seats available - and as such they were a bit noisy so I whisked them away as I didn't want to disrupt the demo for the rest of the guests. There was a children's area with colouring in sheets and pencils but I think this could have benefited from more activities and things to do to keep little ones amused.

All in all it was an enjoyable experience and I have certainly been inspired to use lamb more.

{What's On Edinburgh - Foodies Festival}

No plans for the weekend yet? Well, get yourself over to Inverleith Park in Edinburgh for the UK's biggest food and drink festival, Foodies Festival.

I'm looking forward to meeting Gillian, Nichola and Linsey from Three Sisters Bake. I'm a big fan of their new cook book and have been meaning to get along to their cafe or to one of their events for ages now! And maybe I could nominate myself as a tester for the cocktail making competition ;-)

Here's the blurb on the event:

"This year the festival welcomes top chefs from across Scotland including British Chef of the Year and MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Adam Handling, originally from Dundee and now head chef at The Caxton Grill in London. Adam is joined by fellow finalist Scott Davies of The Adamson in St Andrews, Celebrity MasterChef favourite Russell Grant, Great British Menu contestant Jacqueline O’Donnell and Three Sisters Bake - Gillian, Nichola and Linsey.  The festival will also serve up Edinburgh's top chefs Mark Greenaway who recently appeared on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, Michelin star Jeff Bland of the Balmoral Hotel, TV Chef Tony Singh, The Pompadour by Galvin Head Chef Craig Sandle and Café St Honore’s Neil Forbes; who will cook their favourite summer recipes in the Chefs Theatre for home cooks to recreate at home. 

Exciting new features for 2014 include a spectacular Chocolate, Cake & Bake Theatre, hosted by Great British Bake Off star Glenn Cosby and steampunk baker Emilly Ladybird who will bake her famous absinthe fairy cakes alongside other pastry chefs, chocolatiers, bakers and sugarcraft experts. These masterclasses are complemented by the new Chocolate, Baking and Preserves Village for those who enjoy home baking, with a selection of stalls selling baking essentials and the latest gadgets. There is also a brand new outdoor BBQ Arena for lovers of al fresco dining. This purpose built BBQ stage will feature hourly BBQ cooking demonstrations and invites the audience to take part in BBQ challenges, meat-eating competitions and spectators can even learn how to make a ‘BBQ cake’!

For the adventurous, a Chilli Eating Challenge takes place at 5pm daily, when those brave-or-foolish enough are invited to try and break the current record of 13 varieties of chillies eaten in one sitting. This event attracts a huge crowd, who cheer on their friends and family to lift the chilli-eating crown. 

Returning favourites include the Drinks Theatre, where regular masterclasses and demonstrations offer visitors the chance to taste and learn about wine, champagne, sherry, ales, gin and cocktails with experts including TV regular Charles Metcalfe, beer expert Melissa Cole and wine writer Brian Elliott. There is also a daily cocktail making competition to find Scotland's best cocktail, judged by an audience of Foodies visitors. 

After its successful introduction to the festival in 2012, visitors can enjoy an extended Street Food Avenue, offering a huge selection of award winning hot and cold food from around the world including hog roasts, Vietnamese buns, exotic meats, tapas, churros, burritos, Moroccan tagines, South American prime beef, Jamaican and Thai street food. A new Feasting Tent at the heart of the festival becomes the social hub, where visitors can relax and enjoy their treats at long banqueting tables in the company of chefs, friends and family.

After a day of feasting, visitors can relax at the Champagne, Gin and Pimms tents with deck chairs and picnic rugs, or escape to the White Isle at the Ibiza Riot Bar with live DJs, giant beanbags, hanging chairs and hammocks with an exotic cocktail in hand. The entertainment stage features live music acts and fringe performers including Michelle McManus and Edinburgh's Got Talent winner Saskia Eng throughout the day until 8pm.

For little foodies a Children’s Cookery Theatre hosts “Around the World” themed cookery classes. These workshops help children find their taste buds and teach them basic cooking skills."

Opening Times
Friday 8th Aug, 11am - 8pm
Saturday 9th August, 10am - 8pm
Sunday 10th August, 10am - 7pm

Tickets are available at www.foodiesfestival.com

{Children's Theatre - Cat in the Hat - A Review}

The kids & I were thrilled to be invited to The National Theatre's 'The Cat in the Hat' at the Pleasance Courtyard for the Edinburgh Fringe festival. The iconic Dr Seuss book was adapted for the stage by Katie Mitchell and was directed by Lillie Collier and Paul Taylor-Mills.

The show is pitched as a vivid introduction to the theatre for children from the age of three, so it was perfect for my little ones at age 3 and 5 years. It's the first time I've taken them to the theatre & they loved it.

My son was giggling hysterically & even I was laughing out loud too. Definitely the sign of a good show! The Cat in the Hat, played by Ashley Bates, was brilliant. His facial expressions throughout were hilarious & you just couldn't help but chuckle!

I also loved that the production very much looks like the original book. It's been extremely well put together. There were also a few interactive moments with the audience throughout the show, but I don't want to give too much away!!

The show lasted approximately 45 minutes & so it was the ideal length for the youngsters. It's definitely worh checking out.

Cat in the Hat 

Pleasance One

Pleasance Courtyard

Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ

30th July - 25th August, 12.05pm

Tickets are £12.50

We received three complimentary tickets for the show in exchange for an honest review. Opinions as always are my own.

Photographs by Garry Lake

{A Day at the races}

I'm all for trying new things, so when I was offered the chance to go to Hamilton Park Racecourse for their Ginger Grouse Festival of Food & Drink Raceday I jumped at the chance. I've never been to a racecourse before. Plus James Martin was demonstrating at various slots throughout the day... of course I was in!!

I had zero clue what to wear... the weather wasn't looking all that brilliant and so I decided on my M&S denim skater dress teamed with brown leather knee high boots, and my North Face Parka just in case.

I jumped in the car and hit the road... my new car doesn't have sat nav but I roughly knew which direction to go in thankfully. The Racecourse was really easy to find though with plenty signposts from the major routes and the parking was well organised too. I've found in the past that events like this can sometimes be a bit stressful in that respect. Just as I walked up to the gate, Laura from Life as an Hourglass also arrived who I had invited to join me. Perfect timing!

Putting green for the kids

Luckily I was wearing my warm jacket as it started to rain :-(

I didn't have the kids, so it was a chance to relax & enjoy the afternoon; plus it was an excuse to take a break from all the painting I had been doing!! After a quick wander to suss out what was what and a quick peek at James who was busy with his first demo, we had a delicious hog roast roll with apple sauce & crackling. Mmmmm!! Was very good indeed!!

I also bought some Oreo cookie fudge from the Inverness Fudge stand - yum!

There was a champagne tasting in the Parade Ring Marquee which we of course didn't want to miss, so after soaking up some of the atmosphere at the track we headed back for some fizz!

This was followed swiftly by James. He was highly amusing & I thoroughly enjoyed his demo, plus we had front row seats! We didn't get to taste anything though which was a bit disappointing - the lamb he prepared looked amazing as did the beer battered fish and tartare sauce. We did get a chance for a quick pic though!

There weren't as many kids kicking about as I had imagined, as the event had been advertised as a family fun day. There seemed to be plenty to keep children occupied for a few hours. Inside one of the tents we spotted face painting. There were also a few swings, a bucking bronco, crazy golf & a bouncy castle, plus an intriguing inflatable maze of some sort. I think that my kids, aged 3 and 4.5 years, might have been a bit more difficult to keep entertained as they're a bit young/too small for some of the attractions - one for older kids I reckon. I also doubt they'd have sat through the James Martin demo... just as well I was on my own!

The inflatable maze

With it being my first time at the races I didn't know what to expect, but the atmosphere was great. It was certainly something different to do of a weekend. Although I think it probably would have been more exciting if we'd had the slightest clue about what was going on and if we'd risked placing a bet! I was more interested in James and the food!!

There are quite a few upcoming events at Hamilton Park Racecourse over the summer months including Ladies Night on Saturday 2nd August that's worth checking out. Have a peek at their website for more.

Laura and I received complimentary tickets for the event in exchange for an honest review. Opinions, as always, are my own.