Are you having a dilemma about eating that bacon butty this morning? Hesitate no more.
• Thank you to my dear friend Sian for sending this to me. A true warrior.
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Love food, hate waste? This fantastic new app can save you £££s
When I was growing up, my mum was brilliant at making elastic food - you know, making it stretch as far as possible. That’s a play on words, by the way. She did three jobs to add to my dad’s income to make ends meet to feed me and my three brothers – and she was damn sure not a morsel went to waste.
The most loathed phrase in our household was: ‘Eat it or you’ll be having it for breakfast.’ And believe me, cold, rubbery liver was no substitute for cornflakes, so we cleaned our plates even if it took us until bedtime.
That philosophy has stayed with me now that I’m a dad. I plan meals in advance so that I can make meals that are as elastic as my mother’s (though not as chewy as that dried out liver).
And I’m blessed with three children that eat everything that is put in front of them, even though I haven’t yet had to threaten them with having it for breakfast.
Yep, in our family, we love food, and hate waste. And if you do, too, help is at hand.
According to a press release I’ve just been sent, the organisation Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW) has launched an app for both iPhone and Android, to enable families to play their meals and save money.
The free app offers a host of features including:
- ‘My kitchen’ – store details of all the foods you’ve got at home in your fridge, freezer and cupboards. Add ‘use by’ reminders so you don’t waste food
- Portion planner and a meal planning diary
- 100s of great recipes (with new ones regularly added) with simple, step-by-step instructions
- A feast of helpful tips and ideas from LFHW
- Keep a record of your own creations by adding your recipes to a ‘My cookbook’ section
- Rate and share recipes
- Portion planner and a meal planner diary
- ‘Shopping list’ not only tracks everything you need for your planned meals, but also alerts you if you have duplicates of any ingredients. Instantly ‘unpack’ your food purchases into your virtual kitchen
The updated app also offers a ‘My profile’ area where users can record what they’ve cooked, culinary ‘achievements’, and, the chance to opt for connecting via Facebook or Twitter with friends and family who also use the app.
“This all-new app, which is free to download and use, builds on the knowledge and expertise LFHW has gained over the years,” said LFHW’s Emma Marsh.
“In the UK, we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food every year, much of which could have been eaten. This good food and drink costs us around £12bn a year, and the average household could save up to £50 a month by making the most of the food they buy.
“Wasting less food is not only good for our pockets, but it’s also good for the environment, helping to save energy and water, and reducing our carbon footprint,” she added. “By making all this information available via the new free app, we want to make it even easier for people to get the most from the food they buy.”
Smartphone users can download the app from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store.
Sounds good to me.
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Fancy a break WITH the kids? Try a Luxury Family Holiday in the UK
Our family holiday last year was a bit of a disaster. We drove to Brittany in France, in a Volvo overflowing with kids and cases, negotiating delay after delay, until after almost a day’s travelling we reached our shabby caravan park destination, where most of the ‘entertainment’ was either expensive or closed and which ended in our immobile home being burgled.
Relaxing it was not! So this year, we’re staying put and having kids holidays in the UK instead.
Luxury Family Hotels provides UK holidays for parents and children in ‘a stylish home from home’ alongside efficient, heartfelt service.
“All our hotels offer family breaks which are more than just a seriously comfy bed for the night and a decent dinner; they are also places to stay awhile and retreat from the pressures of normal life – an experience to relish with your family beside you,” says their website.
For youngsters between three months and eight years, Luxury Family Hotels offers complimentary Ofsted registered and expertly run Dens, as well as babysitting and listening services, high tea, baby equipment and toys and games galore.For older kids there are a host of local activities on offer and within the hotels, the opportunity to absorb themselves in classic family movies, the latest video games or to team up for more traditional pastimes such as pool and table football.Anyway, pictures speak louder than words, so check out these UK luxury family holiday delights. They beat a French caravan park any day, eh?
Oh, and if you have pre-school children, you might like to take advantage of the fact that mid-week and term time UK breaks are even cheaper!
• This is a sponsored post
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Everything you could possibly ever want to know about shutters!
There’s a first time for everything and one such first time has arrived, right here, right now. For this is the first time I have ever written about shutters. We are nothing if not versatile here in Reluctant Housedad Towers.
Probably like your good self, I didn’t know anything an awful lot about shutters, but I do now.
So what’s so great about shutters?
Shutters can reduce your heating costs
Closing shutters at dusk to help insulate windows and dramatically reduce heating bills. That’s what a BBC Edinburgh report said!
They’re healthier
No, they don’t contain fruit and veg, but they are easier to clean than traditional blinds and curtains. Curtains are a haven for dust mites but they can’t penetrate hardwood shutters. Just give them a wipe down every now and then.
Kerb appeal
Window shutters should be considered an investment as well as giving your windows a contemporary and crisp revamp. Certainly for Victorian and Edwardian style home owners, potential purchasers will be looking for signs that your home is not only well maintained but in vogue and window shutters are a must for these properties.
Versatility
Because window shutters are custom made to the millimetre, they are perfect for awkward shaped windows such as circles, arches, gables and abnormally large window apertures.
Shutters aid silence
The timber properties of interior shutters act as a natural noise barrier. When the panels and louvres are fully closed the shutters create a timber barrier which acts like a secondary glaze, in aiding noise reduction.
Indoor shutters offer security and privacy
You can angle the slats so that you can see out but nosy neighbours can’t see in.
So there you go. Everything you could possibly want to know about the glory of shutters. Education is a beautiful thing.
• Shutterly Fabulous is the only full ‘measure and install’ company selling unique interiors product. The company oversees all aspects of the design, measure, manufacture and installation of your interior window shutters, made to a specification and unique design.
www.shutterlyfabulous.com
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