Tag: cooking

Cakes, Children, Families, Family Life, Food, Kid Bloggers, Memories, Messy play, Toys

Pizza Making And Doughnut Decorating At The Num Noms Series 5 Launch

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Pizza Making And Doughnut Decorating At The Num Noms Series 5 Launch

We kicked off our half term in a pretty spectacular way when we headed off to the Good Housekeeping Institute to celebrate the launch of the Num Noms Series 5.

For those of you that haven yet heard of Num Noms(where have you been) they are a range of collectibles that have been made to look and smell like food. They come in a whole range of different forms from lip glosses to nail polishes and so much more.

We were introduced to these cute little characters a while ago now and all three of my youngest have been really taken with them.

As we arrived at the Good Housekeeping Institute the celebrations were already starting and the entrance was covered with pretty balloons and we were welcomed with lots of friendly faces and so much for busy fingers to do!

The kids got stuck in straight away and loved seeing the new additions to an already great range. The most popular addition for my lot is definitely the lip glosses and they spent ages creating their own flavour.

It wasn’t long before we took to our seats and the event kicked off with an introduction from Nickelodeon’s Nigel Clarke. The first part of the day was pizza making, as the ingredients were being past round a room full to the brim with children I was more than a little anxious about how this would go, but the children were thoroughly engaged and enjoyed every minute of making their very own creations.

While their pizzas were cooking away they got the chance to make up some fruit kebabs which was pretty similar to the way Num Noms can be stacked and arranged which makes them a great for keeping little fingers occupied.

It really was a day full of experiencing, making and tasting different foods in different ways and I think one of the highlights of the day was hopping on a push bike that had a smoothie maker attached and cycling away to make our very own fruit smoothies.

Izzy however was a little preoccupied by the fact that Chloe Medows and Chloe Chloe Lewis from ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ were there and took half the afternoon plucking up the courage to ask for a selfie with them!

The last activity of the day though probably brought a bigger smile to my face than it did to the kids – doughnut decorating.

The kids were presented with two huge ring doughnuts each that they were then given free reign to decorate as they wished. Covered with all kinds of sweets and fab Num Nom stickers they all looked incredible.

After such an immense day the children were knocked off their feet again by taking home a goodie bag full to the brim with Num Noms goodies that they couldn’t resist opening on the train which made for a pretty messy journey home!

I know that mine were ecstatic about the new Series 5 and if you have a lover of collectables like me then check them out ‘here‘.

Baking, Cakes, Diet, Families, Family Life, Food, Healthy Eating, Learning, Recipes

Spiced Apple And Blackcurrant Cupcakes With Fruit Shoot

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Spiced Apple And Blackcurrant Cupcakes With Fruit Shoot

During the summer I was challenged by Fruit Shoot to get out and about andtake part in some foraging with the little ones.

It was a great way to get the kids active and let them see how readily available fresh food packed with goodness really is.

Fruit Shoot has really taken this on board when creating their juices which are packed with real fruit, no flavours, no colouring and plenty of added vitamins.

They are really passionate about getting kids to eat well and with this in mind they created a fantastic hamper full of goodies to grow, bake and create lots of tasty, fruity recipes at home which they kingly sent to me.

The recipe that really stood out for me was the spiced apple and blackcurrant cupcakes that was devised by recipe creator-Holly Bell.

The one minor problem that we had was that there was a distinct lack of blackcurrants here so we had a little change around and substituted them for blackberries instead which worked pretty well.

Oscar had a great time getting his hands dirty and cooking up a storm.

I love getting the little ones involved in the whole process of cooking and with the addition of the blackberries it was the perfect time to recall our foraging trip.

If you fancy having a go yourself then I have left the recipe for you below, I would love to see how you get on.

Spiced Apple And Berry Cupcakes

  • 175ml oil
  • 180g muscavado sugar
  • 170g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 large eggs
  • 160g grated apple
  • 1/2tsp ground ginger
  • 150g of backcurrants or blackberries

Preheat the oven to 180C/has mark 4 and line a 12 hope cupcake tin with large cupcake or muffin cases.

Once the oven has preheated mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until there aren’t any lumps or traces of egg yolk visible. Pay particular attention to the sugar as it can sit in lumps.

Stir through the berries carefully, spoon into cases evenly and bake for 20-25 mins until well risen and a toothpick comes out of the middle of the cupcake clean.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Baking, Cakes, Children, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Families, Family Life, Food, Recipes, Reviews

Making Snack Time Healthy With Sweetpea Pantry

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Making Snack Time Healthy With Sweetpea Pantry

We are all back into the swing of things as far as the school run goes here and all the good intentions of wholesome packed lunches and after school snacks have been wavering a little.

The kids are coming home with untouched food in their pack lunches and with the stress of trying to juggle everything after school we have been reaching for the crisps and biscuits a little to often of late.

What I need is something that takes as little time to prepare as possible, is healthy and nutritious but appealing to the kids.

This is a big wish list but luckily enough our favourite baking mixes Sweetpea Pantry have come to our rescue with their scrumptious carrot cupcake mix and their super-duper brownie mix.

We are big fans of their ginger giggles biscuit mix and the playful pizza dough mix already and were eager to try out these new additions.

For me it’s really important to get the children involved in the whole process of preparing their food as I strongly believe this goes a long way to make them more inclined to try new things and gives them a real sense of achievement.

The preparation of both these mixes was so quick and easy – in fact the whole process is complete in less than 30 mins.

There was the addition of few simple store cupboard ingredients such as oil, honey and eggs all mixed together with the packet mix that is then transferred into cake cases or tins, baked for around 15 mins and is then ready to eat.

Each mix is packed full of nutritious ingredients and yummy whole grains whilst leaving all the nasty refined sugars and artificial colours and flavourings out.

The super chocolatey brownies where a great hit after school when the kids are crying out for something sweet really quickly.

The cupcakes were moist and fruity and the perfect size for packed lunch boxes.

These mixes are so easy to tuck away in the cupboard and just grab as and when you need them so what is not to love.

*collaborated post

Children, Diet, Education, Families, Family Life, Food, Learning

Learning To Cook With Jamie Oliver’s Hotpoint Teaching Kitchen

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Learning To Cook With Jamie Oliver’s Hotpoint Teaching Kitchen

How many of you cook your evening meal from scratch every night?

I would hazard a guess that it won’t be many of you and as research from Jamie’s Ministry Of Food shows this sadly the case for many of us.

In fact a huge 1 in 5 adults rely on takeaways and convenience food due to a lack of knowledge in cooking skills and a whopping 1 in 10 have never cooked from scratch.

For me one of my favourite lessons at school was home economics and was actually the only A I got at GCSE.

It was an outlet away from the more academic subjects that I never thrived in and it certainly gave me a great knowledge of food preparation and nutrition that has always stayed with me.

Sadly in many schools this is not on the timetable at all now and 7 in 10 people feel the rise in takeaways and convience food has been greatly affected by this.

This makes for a vicious cycle of parents then not having the knowledge to pass down to their children creating a nation with little knowledge on food at all.

I was shocked to find that 1 in 5 can’t boil an egg, a quarter struggle to cook rice and a third of the people asked lack the skills to correctly cut an onion.

For these reasons Jamie’s Ministry Of Food has got together with Hotpoint to create a fantastic teaching kitchen that is setting up in the towns where obesity and diet related illnesses are at a high.

I was asked along to have a lesson at the truck earlier this week in Selhurst, South London.

I arrived in the car park of Crystal Palace Football Club which seemed like a pretty strange place to be learning to cook.

The truck was nothing liked I expected and was in fact a spectacularly kitted out set up with high tech appliances from Hopoint and plenty of natural light to make for a fantastic area to learn new skills.


Although I would say I’m a pretty confident cook my repertoire has become pretty limited due to cooking for a large family with limited time.

To be honest the majority of my meals are prepared from scratch but I’m a bit of a one pot fan and I was hoping this lesson would open my eyes to creating something new for the family.

Any nerves I had about starting the session were soon quashed when the super friendly chefs introduced themselves and started the afternoon.

Our mission was to prepare a beautiful dish of salmon teriyaki from scratch which is one of my favourite meals but something I’ve not tried to create mysel.

Each step was shown to us and then as we went through the process ourselves there was plenty of experts on hand to help out at any stage.


I learned some great tips on food wastage and an entirely new way to cook rice that I will be trying out at home!



Children as young as 7 can go along to take part and I think this would be the perfect way to introduce little ones to the exciting world of cooking and sparking off something that could turn into a real passion for them.

The truck is in Selhurst until 16th June and you can book your slot HERE for free.

It is then moving onto Bristol, Middlesborough, Sunderland and Liverpool.

There is then an exciting opportunity for one community to win the chance to have the truck come to your town.

All you need to do is post a picture on social media showing members of your local community such as a youth group or scout troop holding wooden spoons.

Simply let them know the name of your town and why they are deserving and is the hashtag #cookforchange.

I would love to know if you decide to visit the truck and if you do what you think!

Allergies, Allergy Free, Baking, Children, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Families, Family Life, Food

Celebrating National Pizza Day With Sweetpea Pantry

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Celebrating National Pizza Day With Sweetpea Pantry

Who doesn’t like pizza would be an easier question to ask than who does.
Pizza is the the most popular choice when it comes to takeaways with pepperoni coming in as the top choice; and if you thought pizza was a relatively new thing you would be very far from the truth as the first ever pizzeria was opened in Italy way back in 1738!

There are a whole variety of toppings available now and as a family we love evenings of making up our own combinations.

It is the perfect meal to allow everyone to get hands on and pick the things they they really like.

To celebrate National Pizza Day I have joined up with the lovely people at Sweetpea Pantry who challenged us to create on own pizza using their fab Playful Pizza Dough Mix.

A while ago we were lucky enough to try out their Ginger Giggles Biscuit Mix and were more than impressed with the child friendly mixes that are easy to prepare, healthy and great fun.

The Playful Pizza Mix lived up to what I expected and created the perfect base to make our creation.


I decided to steer away from the norm and create a sweet pizza but keeping  sugar to a minimum with a few products that are low in sugar but still taste good.

Take a look and see if it is something you fancy giving a try, it would actually be the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Heart Pizza

  • Pack of Playful Pizza Dough
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 50g dairy free milk choc chips
  • 50g dairy free white choc chips
  • 300g Jim Jams reduced sugar hazelnut spread
  • 50g freedom vegetarian mini marshmallows
  • Handful of raspberries
  1. Mix the dough according to the instructions.
  2. Once ready take one of the three dough balls and create a heart shape leaving a slight lip around the edge to create the crust.
  3. Prick the dough with a fork and cook for 10 mins.
  4. Take out and allow to cool slightly.
  5. Next take the hazelnut spread and cover the base.
  6. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips first, followed by the marshmallows and finally add a few raspberries to the very top.
  7. Place under the grill until the marshmallows have slightly toasted and the chocolate has melted slightly.

Let me know if you give this a try as I would love to know what you think!

Cakes, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Food

Christmas Microwave Mug Cake

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Christmas Microwave Mug Cake


Christmas is a hugely busy time for all of us with shopping to do, family to visit and lots of other fun celebrations going on it can sometimes leave us with very little time to get things done.

I’m always trying to find ways to maximise my time, especially in the kitchen!

One of my saviours in the kitchen is the microwave and I think that microwaves in the UK are a much used kitchen appliance.

They don’t just have to be used just for boring tasks such as defrosting or reheating though. 

One of my favourite things to make is a super simple mug cake, and I have come up with a lovely festive fruit one just in time for Christmas that tastes great and saves hours compared to a traditional baked cake.

Christmas Microwave Mug Cake


Makes two large mug cakes.

  • 150g self raising flour
  • 100g sugar
  • 60ml oil
  • 4tbsp golden syrup
  • 4tbsp dried mixed fruit
  • 3tbsp flaked almonds
  • 1/2tsp all spice
  1. Steep the fruit in boiling water for five minutes.
  2. Once the fruit is nicely plumped mix together with the sugar, oil, syrup, and nuts.
  3. Lastly mix in the flour and spice.
  4. Lightly grease two large mugs and separate the ingredients between them.
  5. Place in the microwave on high for two mins.
  6. Allow to cool slightly and serve. They would taste great with some thick custard or double cream.

    *collaborated post  

    Baking, Diet, Families, Family Life, Food, Large Families, Uncategorized

    Energy Saving Cooking With Ian Cumming And Smart Energy GB

    by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Energy Saving Cooking With Ian Cumming And Smart Energy GB

    As you can imagine a family of seven run up pretty high energy bills.  With lights being left on, gaming devices flashing away and the washing machine on constantly our house is using up energy at a rapid rate for a large part of the day.

    The problem is until the shock of the bill comes in, as a family we do very little to conserve this energy and this in turn has a detrimental effect on the environment as well as our pockets!

    When I was asked along by Smart Energy GB to take a look at their new smart meter and try some recipes that had been deviced by Ian Cumming from ‘Great British Bake Off’ to save energy I was extremely excited to see how it would all work.

    All across the country there is a huge roll out of these smart meters that allows all the information on your gas and electricity usage go directly to your provider making your bill more accurate and cutting out the need to have your meter read from home.  In addition to this you have an in-home display that allows you to see in pounds and pence exactly how your energy is being used.

    For me seeing the money racking up in front of my eyes would make me way more aware of everything I was spending day to day and make me find ways to cut the costs.

    In our house the cooking is solely down to me and I have to admit although I am very thrifty when it comes to the food shopping the amount of money it costs to cook the meals has never really entered my head.

    I was lucky enough to be able to sample some wonderful dishes that had been created in an eco friendly way by the lovely Ian Cumming.

    Ian served up a succulent chicken and lemon tagine that was cooked in a slow cooker which uses less energy than a light bulb, a scrumptious Scottish salmon macaroni cheese that was cooked under the grill rather than in the oven and using pasta that was cooked simply by covering once the water was at boiling point and left to soften from the heat that has been retained, a to die for elderflower, honey and blueberry cheesecake that used no enery at all and some super tasty feta and spinach buns that I gave a go at making myself.


    All of these recipes were super easy to make and could save you a lot of money in the long term.

    If you would like to check them out then take a look at this video to find out more.

    I came away from the afternoon with a full belly and full mind of all these ideas that I couldn’t wait to put into practice.

    Children, Chocolate, Families, Family Life, Festivals, Food, Picnics, Recipes

    Gooey Chocolate BBQ Cones

    by thejoyoffive3 Comments on Gooey Chocolate BBQ Cones


    We had our first experience of camping at a festival this weekend and I really wanted to try out some tasty treats that were easy to prepare with limited space but we’re still a little bit special.

    We had decided that disposable BBQs were going to be our best friend as we could quickly prepare the food and throw everything away when we were done.

    The whole family has a sweet tooth so something sticky and chocolaty would be the perfect treat.  Take a look at these yummy cones if this is the kind of thing that takes your fancy too!

    Gooey Chocolate BBQ Cones

    Makes 10

    • Pack 10 waffle cones
    • 200g milk chocolate
    • Large pack of marshmallows
    • 120g cadburys nibbles
    • Punnet of strawberries
    1. Break chocolate into pieces, cut marshmallows into half and quarter the strawberries.
    2. Take out the cones and equally divide the chocolate, marshmallows, nibbles and strawberries between each of them.
    3. Wrap the cones separately in tin foil and place on the BBQ when it is just warm at the end of your main cooking.
    4. Leave to warm through for around 10mins, remove and serve.  They would be perfect with a big blob of vanilla ice cream.

    Baking, Families, Family Life, Food

    Kitchen Equipment Galore With Kenwood And DeLonghi 

    by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Kitchen Equipment Galore With Kenwood And DeLonghi 

    A few weeks ago I was asked along to the Kenwood and DeLonghi press preview.

    I am a sucker for kitchen gadgets and live off copious amounts of coffee so this was right up my street!

    Upon arriving at the venue in West London I was greeted by rooms full of super enthusiastic people all ready to show what off these great new gadgets could do.

    My first stop was to see Simon from Pasta Remoli.  We had met before whilst I was doing a review for his wonderful restaurant and I knew that he would be full of passion whilst demonstrating how to make georgous, fresh pasta using the Kenwoods Chef Sense food processor.


    I was initially really taken with the wonderful colours they came in that would look wonderful on any kitchen worktop.

    The food processor comes with a huge array of attachments including the pasta maker that Simon was demonstrating.



    He made sheets of perfect pasta with ease  that were then turned in to the tastiest tortellini I’ve tried.

    From here I sampled some healthy smoothies and delicious ice cream, all of which took minutes to make.

    The whole range of Kenwood applicances were easy to use and more than pleasing on the eye.  The food processor has been firmly placed on top of my Christmas list.


    From here I was taken on a real coffee journey  from roasting my own beans to enjoying the finished product with a slice of cake.


    My eyes were opened up to what an intricate process it takes to get that cup of coffee we all grab to start our day.

    We have been looking at coffee machines for a while now and after being introduced by DeLonghi’s new super machine any other will have a lot of living up to!


    All of their machines produce fabulous coffee in a few easy steps, even for a technophobe like me.

    The top of range machine has the best feature I have seen before though.  A downloadable app can be set up so that you can have your own truly personalised coffee at the touch of your iPad screen.

    Think back to the ‘teas made’ era and here you have the much improved version.


    I came home with my head buzzing with new ideas and a huge lists of gadgets I would love to try out in the future.

    Allergy Free, Dairy Free, Diet, Egg Free, Family Life, Food, Healthy Eating, Nut Free, Recipes

    Sticky Asian Salmon

    by thejoyoffive4 Comments on Sticky Asian Salmon

    Along with most people after the indulgences of Christmas, New Year is the perfect time to get healthy eating regimes back on track.  In my experience as a personal trainer most people fall off the wagon due to unrealistic goals and being to strict with themselves.

    The word diet immediately puts fear into people’s heads and food plans that are not suited to your personal choice means that they stop before they even really begin.

    I am a food lover and find that if I keep my meals flavoursome and varied I am much more likely to stick to them.

    A favourite in this house is my sticky Asian salmon that we serve with rice noodles and stir fry veg but is equally as yummy with rice or simply on its own.

    Sticky Asian Salmon

    • 3tbsp runny honey
    • 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
    • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
    • Thumb sized amount of grated ginger
    • 2tbsp soy sauce
    • Half a side of salmon
    1. Line a baking tray with enough foil to sit the salmon on and cover over the top.
    2. Mix together all the above ingredients and cover the salmon
    3. Leave to marinade in the fridge for 30 mins or overnight if you can
    4. Cover and place in a preheated oven 180 C/gas mark 6 for 20 mins
    5. Cook uncovered for a further 5 mins and then serve