Tidy the Toys

I've had a real bee in my bonnet lately about clutter. Like most parents of small children we are facing Plasticgeddon; the slow obliteration of our living spaces by the garish plastic army of giant melody (if you can call it that) making toys my children are accumulating. I mean, I know they should have toys to play with but why the hell do they have to be so bright and so big and why oh why do people - Grandparents especially - think it so hilarious to bring over yet another oversized plastic monstrosity to displace your own, carefully and aesthetically chosen furniture?

For example, it was with great excitement last year that I began planning and designing my little girl's bedroom. Having been in a neutral nursery since birth (as we hadn't found out the gender of our baby before arrival) and because she had to make way for the new addition, it was time to embark upon the creation of a our little girl's Utopia. When it was finished, I was thrilled. The vintage bed we had bought in France had been restored and painted with the finest Farrow and Ball had to offer, heart shaped lavender bags in pink hung from door knobs and a wooden dolls house took pride of place. It was Pintrest eat your heart out, no joke, until the plastic pink castle went in and the pink plastic baby bath and the pink kitchen and the giant Peppa Pig teddy bear and the Baby doll pram and so on and on and on...

Don't get me wrong, I don't want her to be deprived of the things that make her happy but I am now literally running out of space in her room to put any more toys and, well, Christmas is coming and we all know what that means...more toys. So I'm trying, kind of, to fight back without blowing the budget on some suitable ways to contain the plastic. Here are a couple of things I've found recently to help:

Red fabric storage boxes from IKEA:

These were a bargain at £2.50 and they are a decent size. I was quite sceptical upon purchase that they would look any good, especially because they are so cheap, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was also quite impressed with how many toys they held and the fact that they were quite robust and easy for the kids to pull out so that they could get to their games. They are certainly an improvement on just piles of toys.



White Cube Shelves from Amazon:

I needed somewhere in my little one's room to store some of her books and other ornaments and wanted something that looked quite cool. These were a more expensive storage solution, coming in at around £33 but I was really pleased at how good they looked once up and might invest in some more.


So, although my home doesn't resemble a show home (how I wish) I guess it resembles most normal houses, you know, the ones where people actually live and, if I am able late at night to have somewhere to pack the toys away that provides me with a few minutes of calm, personal space, then that's great.

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Extra Tasty Yorkshire Puddings

There's nothing more satisfying than serving up a hearty roast dinner for your family on a Sunday (or any other day of the week for that matter) and I've been experimenting recently on that old classic - the Yorkshire Pudding. Here's my herby take on this little beauty...

Ingredients:

• 4oz plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 6 fluid ounces of milk
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Half a tablespoon of very finely chopped rosemary or thyme

Method:

1. Place a little olive oil into the bottom of a 12 hole baking tray and place into a preheated oven (gas mark 7)
2. Create a well in your flour and crack your eggs into the middle
3. Add a little milk and mix into a smooth paste
4. Add the rest of the milk and beat to make light and frothy
5. Mix in your seasoning and herbs before dividing the mixture evenly between the 12 holes in your preheated baking tray
6. Place back into your  hot oven and cook for 15 - 20 minutes until fully risen and golden brown
7. Serve hot with your Sunday roast

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Afternoon Tea Scones

Talking of afternoon tea (see previous post) and inspired by the beautiful recipes I've been salivating over on the Anecdotes and Applecores blog, made me think of this recipe, which has to be the easiest and cheapest scone recipe ever. It makes delicious scones which I often add different bits and bobs to.

Ingredients:

8oz flour
3oz butter
1/4 pint of milk

Why not try adding some chopped almonds or pistachios along with some chopped glace cherries or how about the grated zest of one orange and try serving with orange curd and clotted cream instead of jam.

Method:

Preheat your oven to gas mark 7
Rub the butter and four together to create a fine breadcrumb like mixture
Stir in any additional ingredients such as your dried fruit
Mix in the milk and combine until a ball of dough forms
Gently kneed for one to two minutes
Roll out until the dough is about 1inch thick then use a biscuit cutter to cut out your rounds
Place your rounds on a lined baking tray, brush with a little milk and then bake in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes until golden on top

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