I admit, there have been times over the last 7 years that this has been a far more daunting proposition.

Actually, now that our oldest 5 are all teenagers, and they can even help wrangle the two pre-schoolers, we really didn't even flinch at the prospect of taking them out.

In fact when we got the opportunity to review our local JD Wetherspoon and their new American and International dishes we jumped about with unbridled excitement (we don't get to take them all out much unless we're on holiday or it's someone's birthday).

Our eldest was working, so it was lunch for 8. I was pleased to discover he was happy to come with us had he not been working, as it is his 'local' and where he goes to drink with his friends.

I rang in the morning to ask if I needed to book, and they assured me we could just turn up. It wasn't too far, so we walked (my partner and I could enjoy a refreshing beverage with our meal).


When we got there it was 1.30pm and still incredibly busy, so we found 2 tables next to each other and landed. At this point we were a bit daunted by the prospect of eating at two small tables and wished we'd been able to book.


Luckily we only had to wait 5 minutes before 2 bigger tables became free, and we were able to push them together and settle - and practice our loveliest photo faces (or daftest as it turned out).

Just for giggles we told the teenagers that we were secret shoppers and would be rating our experience. I think it went to their heads and they arranged the scoring during the meal.....results at the bottom of the page....

L to R ~Child 5, Child 2, Child 1, Child 4, Child 3, Child 6

The menus are really clear and well-laid out, and everyone easily found something they liked. All the vegetarian options are clearly labelled as such, and there's lots of choice. The children's menu is great because it doesn't just include 'kids food', it has child-sized portions of real adult meals too. 



I asked our older ones to take a photo of me and this is the best they managed!


Plates were cleared away swiftly but we did have quite a wait before they brought out pudding.


The desserts were something everyone was excited about. Our second youngest (wearing the bright ginger hair and grey t-shirt) had seen an ice cream sundae on the TV and has wanted to have one ever since, so he was pretty much over the moon.
  
 
Obviously his little brother had to have one too. Neither of them managed to finish it, but fortunately Mum and Dad were on hand to help.


Everyone enjoyed their meals, the food was lovely and every speck was eaten. No-one misbehaved, no-one started wandering about. I only had to supervise 3 toilet visits (and they were lovely and clean). We had a really, really lovely time.

I felt really comfortable and relaxed throughout the whole meal. The staff were all lovely, the pub was incredibly friendly and no-one cared we had so many young people with us. The clientele was so mixed that the children just slotted right in. It was really busy but never frantic or feeling cramped, and the service was great. I do wish we'd been able to book because we were such a big party, but that was pretty much the only downside to the whole meal.

Our entire meal with drinks cost around £90, which will make most families wince, but for 6 adults and 2 children it works out very reasonably indeed. I couldn't have asked for more, and I really do think it won't be too long before we are back.

It also happens that today it is exactly seven years since my partner and I got together and we started our journey to becoming one big family, so this was a very fitting celebration - with photo's we'll treasure forever (especially on their 18th birthdays when we get to embarrass them unremittingly!).


The scoring - exactly as written...

Child 1
Sweet Chilli Egg Noodles (V) - Very nice, quite small 4/5
Pancakes - Very nice too - Ice cream melted quickly
Any other comments - I'd come here again definitely
Child 5
An adult Classic Hot Dog and chips shared with his brother - Eleventy/5
Child 6
An adult Classic Hot Dog and chips shared with his brother - 16/5
Child 2
Tennessee Chicken Burger served with chips and beer-battered onion rings - A burger so delicious that if it were a person I'd marry it.
Waffle Sundae - The pudding was nice also
Any other comments - Not really
Child 3
Chicken Breast Burger and chips - Pretty nice 4/5
Hot Fudge Cake - Pretty nice 4/5
Any other comments - I think it's very nice and the meals are very reasonable
Child 4
Mexican Vegetable Burger and chips - Very tasty 4/5
Cheesecake - Not very cheesey 2/5
Any other comments - It's nice that Tom's mates (our oldest) are in here and talking to other people who are having a drink, like that old lady doing her shopping.
Dad
Full Rack of Ribs with coleslaw, beer-battered onion rings and chips - Nice, excellent value for money
Strawberry Sundae leftovers - Very nice
Lavazza Filter Coffee - Fantastic
Any other comments - I think we've all had a great time, everyone seemed to enjoy it
Mum
Mexican Vegetable Burger - Very tasty, lovely crispy chips 4/5
Chocolate Sundae leftovers - Delicious. The brownie pieces are gorgeous and chewy. 5/5
Lavazza Filter Coffee - Ooooh yes
Any other comments - Everyone's full and happy, it's a win for me.

2 portions Garlic Ciabatta Bread - Overall vote - Delicious!
2 portions Beer-Battered Onion Rings - Overall vote - Crispy and delicious!

Overall score - #Win #Pwned (translation - very good)

Special K is 30 years old this year, and they have challenged bloggers to look at how they've changed in the last 30 years since 1983, so this is my entry for the Britmums/Special K "How I've changed Linky Challenge"


That's me, with my brother and sister, aged about 10 or 11. My sister is the serious and sensible one and I'm the one who looks like I'm a foot too tall for my trousers! White socks were all you could get back then and hair had to be brushed until it was as close to an afro as humanly possible. I don't need to tell you that brown was all the rage and a patterned carpet hid the crumbs.....

1983 was a big year for me. It was the year I started Secondary School. School wasn't my favourite place that year, it's very hard being 11. I turned 12 in the November and I remember having a party for some friends at my house, but we were all very grown up and didn't play games. My Grandparents took me out to a 'restaurant' for my tea at the weekend, and it was an incredibly special occasion because it was the first time I'd ever been out for a meal. Looking back, what I thought was a posh hotel in the countryside was in fact just a large pub in the outskirts of Derby, but I still grin whenever I get the opportunity to go past.

I was about 25 when I first tried Special K, and I've eaten it ever since. My little boys think it's Mummy's special breakfast and it's called 'K', and they also love it. I was genuinely intrigued by the new recipe because I hate it when gimmicky things devalue something you like, but I didn't need to worry. It is really tasty. 


New 3 Grain Recipe Special K is made with wholegrain flakes of rice, wheat and barley, so it now contains more fibre plus all the other wholegrain goodness you'd expect. The taste is different, you can clearly taste the wheat and barley, and it has a more bran-type taste. It's very nice, and has had the thumbs up from me and my lot.


So this is me now, with two of my sons, my oldest child at 19, and my youngest at 3. The way I've changed most over the last 30 years is that I am no longer someone's child, but I'm very definitely someone's Mum! (And I don't possess any white socks....)

This is  our first review as official The Toadstool Toy Testers. The parcel that arrived was beautiful and very intriguing...


And inside it just got better...


My lot had absolutely no idea what on Earth this was going to be, but as soon as I saw it I knew it was just perfect. 2 x 250 piece packs of Plus Plus Mini.


Plus Plus is a hollow plastic building medium in a similar vein as Lego with interlocking pieces, but every single piece is exactly the same size and shape, thus giving the name Plus Plus. Once opened I just put it on the table and let them get on with it....

 


We were stunned at how good the little ones were, and how they took to it straightaway. Even our 3 year old thinks it's brilliant and is enjoying separating different colours and making his own models and pictures.

Concentrating hard!

Plus Plus is brilliant for fidgets and people who can't only do one thing and be at peace.It's very therapeutic, it's easy to get the hang of and start making really quite complex designs, and the sense of achievement is very rewarding.


It's very rare to find something which actually interests the little boys as much as the teenagers and also as much as the adults - this fits the bill beautifully.






Plus Plus is brilliant for imagination and design, problem-solving, manipulative skills and basics like learning colours and talking about 2d and 3d shapes. It has been a very good tool for getting all of my family playing together and talking. Plus Plus Mini is suitable for children aged 3+, and is recommended up to 12, but we think it's absolutely great anywhere beyond that. ALL of the teenagers have played with it, as have I and anyone who has visited. 



 

(Dr Who lands at the Great Wall of China)

We love it so much and it's so versatile that I even used it to make the penguins for my prize winning Wonderworld DKL competition entry.




Plus Plus Mini currently retails for £9.50 ~ 250 pieces and £5 ~ 100 pieces.  It is excellent value for money because it will last for as long as we don't lose it under the furniture. We've already had many hours of fun and we've barely even started. We very definitely give Plus Plus Mini a 5/5

Recently Walkers asked us if we were interested in trying a brand new snack - Hoops and Crosses

 The parcel that arrived was beautifully thought out and presented.


And inside the box a lovely booklet explaining about Hoops and Crosses - They are different from previous snacks because they are made from wholegrains, which provide more fibre, protein and trace elements than refined grains. They also have no artificial colours or preservatives and are a baked snack, so they contain less saturated fat than fried snacks and crisps, and in fact each bag has only 85 calories. Inside, holding the bag of snacks, was a very welcome surprise - Monty the Monkey!


Hoops and crosses are available in three flavours – roast beef, salt and vinegar and prawn cocktail - all of which are vegetarian (something which is becoming increasingly rare in the snack world). We got to try my personal favourite - Roast Beef.


These are exactly the sort of snack that my family love, and are ideal for the children's lunches. I allow my lot 1 bag of snacks or crisps each day if they wish, and as they all take a packed lunch to school, that is when most are eaten. Hoops and Crosses reminded us of Monster Munch or Space Raiders, but have a more interesting and varied texture.



Everyone felt they were tasty, and were something they'd like to have in their lunchbox, even Daddy really likes them and he doesn't ever usually enjoy non-potato snacks!

After the success of our Healthy Snack Chat we have turned our attention to main meals, and the lovely people at Pyrex are supporting us in this.

ET Speaks From Home, In The Playroom, RedRoseMummy and I will be cooking some easy main meals that anyone can prepare (even us!), and hopefully giving you a few tips along the way.


Toad-in-the-hole. 

A real classic and a family favourite, perfect for adapting to meat-eater or vegetarian. When we have a full house of 9 I make 1 veggie one and 1 with regular sausages. I find this an easy way to ensure my children eat the protein they need to build and repair their bodies.

The Pyrex Impressions Ceramic Square Roaster is perfect for this dish because it absorbs and retains the heat really well. It's essential with Yorkshire Pudding batter that as soon as it starts cooking, you don't allow it to start cooling until it's cooked through, or it will just sink.
It is also a truly beautiful dish, which is exactly what you want from oven-to-tableware.

 
The Roaster is really durable and can be used in the oven up to 250degrees, in the microwave, dishwasher and even in the freezer. Because it is ceramic it has non-stick properties, again making it perfect for toad-in-the-hole


This is my favourite Toad-In-The-Hole Recipe as it has a little something extra, for a basic result miss out the optional ingredients, or add some different hidden veg of your own ~ halved button mushrooms or cubes of butternut squash also work really well.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
6 Sausages (or 8 chipolata sausages)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 Red Onion cut into 6 wedges (optional)
175g plain flour
2 medium eggs
300ml milk
2 teaspoons of  wholegrain mustard (optional)
1 1/2teaspoons of dried thyme (optional)
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200degreesC (400F/Gas Mark 6). While the oven is warming put the vegetable wedges and sausages into the roaster and place in the oven for around 15 minutes until the sausages are starting to brown.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl, make a well in the centre and drop in the eggs. Adding a little milk at a time beat the mixture until it is a smooth batter. Stir in the mustard, thyme and seasonings.
3.Take the roaster out of the oven and pour in the batter, making sure all the sausages don't get washed over to one side! Return immediately to the oven and cook for around 35-40 minutes until the batter is risen and cooked through.


With this ceramic roaster the toad-in-the-hole shouldn't stick at all, which makes for a lovely crispy base,  really easy serving and far less time washing up!


Vegetables

To accompany I used the Pyrex in a way I've never used this type of product before. I used it to steam my veg with 2 teaspoons of water. I'd never have considered this and I'm not really sure why because it's ideal. My old plastic microwave bowls are all stained and need cling film over the top, this is definitely far better and does a beautiful job.


I used the 4-in-1 Plus Standard Rectangular Dish With Lid, which is one of my favourite items from the range because it really is multi-talented. It is oven to tableware and leftovers can be frozen and then defrosted and reheated using the microwave or conventional oven without needing an array of different pots and pans.


 It is just as durable as the Roaster, although obviously the lid cannot be used in a conventional oven.

Basic Bakewell Style Tart

For dessert I made one of the easiest and most basic of puddings which I grew up with. It's basically a  Bakewell tart, but I choose not to use almonds because I hate them!

I made dessert in the Pyrex Classic Cake Dish With Handles, which is absolutely perfect for any sort of tart. Again it is fine in the microwave or dishwasher and conventional oven, and when you serve your dish you can use a knife to cut without damaging the glass.


Ingredients
Approximately 250g shortcrust pastry - buy or make your own using 1/2 fat to flour ratio, and a little water or milk to bind.
2 Eggs - weighed in the shell (approx 120g)
Butter - the same weight as the egg
Sugar - the same weight as the egg
Self Raising Flour - the same weight as the egg
1/2 small jar of jam in a flavour of your choice

Instructions
1. Roll out the pastry and line the Cake Dish
2. Spread the jam over the pastry in the base of the dish
3. In a clean bowl cream together the butter and sugar

4. Add the egg to the mix
5. Slowly add the flour and mix until you have a smooth batter
6. Pour the batter over the jammy pastry - start at the edges so that the jam doesn't all move to the sides.
7. Cook for around 25-35 minutes until the sponge springs back when you press it gently with your finger.



If you want a real Bakewell style looking pud then ice the sponge white and then pipe a coloured grid on the top. Using a skewer draw across the grid, in between the lines, which will drag the colour into the white and give the right finish. I didn't ice ours as we ate it with custard.

Pyrex is a trademark of Corning Inc, used by permission.