A couple of weeks ago I was invited down to the Vegetarian Society Cookery School in Altrincham for the launch of the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark. Our day was spent participating on the Vegan Toolkit Workshop - one of several courses on offer at the Cookery School.



I've been Vegetarian for 32 years and I've spent most of that a keen cook for a large family, so I didn't know how much I'd learn on the Vegan Toolkit Workshop. In fact I learned plenty and all in a really friendly, relaxed atmosphere - despite the fact that the 8 of us cooked (and ate) over 20 dishes in only 6 hours!

Last weekend we spent a full day as guests in Blackpool as part of the Blackpool Has It All campaign with Visit Blackpool, Merlins Entertainments and Blackpool Pleasure Beach. We rode on the trams and reviewed 3 of the seafront attractions - Sandcastle Water Park, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE.


We're very familiar with SEA LIFE Manchester, we've visited many times, but SEA LIFE Blackpool is different. Whereas Manchester have Turtles and Octopus and more Tropical creatures, Blackpool have more Sharks, Jellyfish and Rainforest creatures. (Click on any image to make it bigger).

Word Has It! is a game for 2 to 4 players aged 7+. The aim of the game is to build a longer word than your opponents during the time limit of only 40 seconds. Your word has to start with a given letter and be on the theme shown on the card. It's fast, it's fun, but it's quite tricky!
Packaging is brilliant, with barely any plastic, only 2 bags to hold the letter pieces in transit. Everything stores inside the box afterwards with no dismantling.

I'm vegetarian, so I don't often review meat, but when my partner fancies it, I'll accept on his behalf. Mor Sausages did interest him because they promise more than your average sausage, and he was very keen to try them.


Mor have 4 varieties of sausage, each with some more surprising ingredients such as beetroot, chickpeas and super green veg. They are gluten-free and much lower in fat than regular sausages, with pulses such as rice or lentils, plus herbs and spices inspired by foods from around the world.

Milton are well known by every parent as a company who make sterilising equipment for babies, but it doesn't stop when your child is 12 months, they have products for every member of the family. Milton can clean everything from your patio tables and paddling pool, to your hands before you eat...


We've been sent a 500ml 3in1 Antibacterial Surface Spray, 30 Antibacterial Surface Wipes and 100ml Antibacterial Hand Gel to review. We've used Milton before and I've never found it lacking. The products are all inexpensive and can mean the difference between a great weekend and a sore one.

Ready Brek has been around for the last 80 years - giving our children enough slow-burning energy every morning to see them through until lunch. We're Going On a bear Hunt may be only 28, but Michael Rosen's classic story has also become something of an institution.


Both Ready Brek and Bear Hunt are committed to keeping children healthy, active and enjoying the outdoors - and they make a great team. New Ready Brek packs have a Bear Hunt Guide on the back, with games and activities for your very own bear hunt.


Each pack also includes a delicious recipe, there are 3 to collect and they are really easy to make with your children, nutritionally balanced and energy boosting to keep your adventurers going for hours.

Digital Kids Show will be back at Event City in Manchester from 18th-20th November and we'll be there again! My boys love all things digital, so they were in their element. Just about anything tech, gadget, game or internet which is child-safe and kid-related is represented at the show...


We had a really full day last year and in April I posted my full review of the 2016 Digital Kids Show, so if you want to get a better idea of what's there, take a look. Scalextric, Anki Overdive, Magformers, Virtual Reality (including Oculus Rift), board games, beta games, retro games, parkour, inflatables - there was so much to 'do', Digital Kids Show is fantastically hands-on.

We loved The LEGO Batman Movie, that tongue-in-cheek humour and dry wit is hilarious, and the kids laugh for more obvious reasons. A great mix of lightweight storyline and pathos which leaves everyone in a good buddy mood.


We first saw The LEGO Batman Movie in London and then we were given a digital download code to 'buy and keep' so that we could watch it again. I can honestly say I enjoyed it almost as much the second time.

Treetop Nets has recently opened at Heaton Park in Manchester and we were invited along to review. Treetops Nets is exactly what it sounds like, an aerial adventure completely encased in nets. Visitors aged 3+ can bounce, run, jump and slide in complete safety without the need for a harness.


There are only 4 attractions like this in the whole country and Treetops Nets is the biggest, with over 2000m2 of giant trampolines, walkways, slides and tunnels all made out of netting, suspended between the trees and rising up to 12m off the ground..


Stunningly you can barely see it from outside, so we missed it and went into the park, when in fact it's just to the side of the St Margaret's (play area) car park.

The last few weeks have been full of heartbreaking events that have left the entire country stunned. In 4 weeks we've had 2 terrorist attacks and the horrific fire in London. We also had a General Election and have been left with the fallout from a minority government scrambling to maintain power. It's like the plagues descended and the UK is a bit of a mess.

I have had my own moments of despair over the last month, mainly wondering when it was we stopped caring for other people? When did humanity fail? Why would humans treat other humans so badly?

It's easy to become despondent and fearful for the future when things like this happen, but take the advice you will give your children. Most people are good, look for the helpers.

As events have unfolded it became astoundingly evident that people have realised we have the power to help. Using only our brains and what we had to hand, the most amazing things have happened.