When I posted my 4 Ingredient, 5 Minute Ice Cream recipe post the other day, I actually wanted to show you my Bread and Butter Pudding, but it hadn't gone entirely to plan....

I watched the video, got my ingredients, and had 2 willing assistants....

We cut the Brioche into lovely triangles and arranged it nicely in the pan...


 We made the custard - the boys stirred the cold ingredients, I took over when it was hot...


Cooked it, shared it out, added some ice cream and started to eat it....


And then my partner said "You can't taste the marmalade"....."Ah, yeah".

This is a post for Duerr's - the Manchester based, 132 year old, family-owned  preserves makers....It kind of needs to feature the marmalade....


So yesterday, I did it all over again, and there were no complaints. In fact it's a lovely pudding and it doesn't take long to make, and it was unanimously agreed that with the marmalade was definitely better....

Writing about my Lego memories and our European holiday to Legoland in Denmark really has made me pine to go away. Thankfully we went to my partner's parent's house for a few days over Easter (in the fantastic snow!), and towards the end of the Summer holidays (when I broke my leg) or else we'd not have left the house this year as our Summer holiday plans were all scuppered when my partner developed Meningitis in July.

Easter Snow!

Our European Trip took loads of organising and was quite stressful. We split up the trip as it was almost exactly 24 hours drive to get to Legoland, which meant taking our huge tent up and down a couple of times, so it was a lovely treat to stay in the Family Hostel in Legoland and relax!

We're really keen to take the children away again before they all leave for Uni, it could be the last big family holiday, so it would be a lovely thing to do.

Groningen, The Netherlands

We all loved The Netherlands and want to go back. Our campsite in Groningen was lovely, but we were restricted with location because we were 'on the way', so we were a long way from the nearest large towns - and there wasn't much there for the children to do. There wasn't even a cafe in our local village, so we had to drive to have a bite to eat without cooking in the tent - and it's my holiday too! This time we'd be able to choose where we went without restriction, and I'd love to take the children to Amsterdam.

5 of our lot at the campsite in Groningen 2011, while Dad hogs the swing!

I went to Amsterdam when I was pregnant with my no.3 and had an amazing time. The Netherlands is so flat that you can walk all day without tiring, and Amsterdam is absolutely laden with loads of amazing places to go and things to see. My highlight of the trip was the Anne Frank House, which was just stunning. I read her diary as a child several times and actually being inside the house took your breath away. I think it's an important education for my children, and even the younger 2 are perfectly able to understand her story now.

There's a lovely Al Fresco Holidays family camping parc only 18 miles from Amsterdam in Wassenaar. It's handy for Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the Efteling Theme Park, which is one of the most popular in Holland. Even the camping parc has it's own rides and attractions and loads to entertain all of the kids, plus food and theatre, and we could cheat and get a mobile home for us all for only a few Euros more and save the effort of taking and erecting our tents!

One of the things we've really missed this year is the seaside. If we stayed in Wassenaar then it's only 3 miles from the beach, and the climate is incredibly similar to back home, so we should be able to get some proper sandcastle time in - wearing jumpers and wellies naturally!

I think it's got to be done. I need to start looking at booking ferries....

I was delighted when I was contacted by Furniture Plus and asked if I was interested in reviewing something from their range, especially when they offered to send me a mirror.

When our eldest went to University last month we had a big reshuffle of bedrooms. Previously I had a preeners bedroom between me and the bathroom, and just inside the door was a huge mirror. They've moved downstairs now and selfishly taken their mirror with them, so I've had to peer at myself in a tiny round bathroom mirror.








Children do love mirrors.... I think we'd get good value out of it as a toy, but after 20 minutes of laughing, trying to hide and pulling faces at himself I took it away and it's now in my room!

Furniture Plus are a  family-run business in the Wirral with over 40 years experience. They sell solid Oak and Pine furniture and pride themselves on Customer Service and Satisfaction. I believe this to be true because the gentleman I dealt with couldn't have been more lovely and helpful, and kept me very well-informed about when my mirror was due to arrive, and should have arrived.

My mirror has an RRP of £159 and is currently on offer at only £59. I'm really pleased with it and I'd definitely buy at that price - even on a whim, which is unusual for me! It's proper furniture, not 'flat pack' and it'll last forever. My son will still be looking at himself in this mirror when he's a man.

Whoever said young people don't have that political spark any more hasn't met mine, and nor have they met a young lady who emailed me last week and has persistently emailed me since.

I get emails from strangers all of the time, but last week I got one that was a bit different. I was emailed by a young lady from Bury who asked me to help her raise awareness of Bury Council's plans regarding their library.

Bury Library first opened it's doors in 1901, and is housed in a magnificent old building right in the centre of town. This is a great location and that's probably why the Council have decided to alter the use of around two thirds of the library to house sculptures.

5 of our children in 2009 on the 'Mousetrap' at Burrs Park, Bury ~ Part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail

The brilliant Irwell Sculpture Trail starts in Bacup, passes through Bury and ends in Salford Quays and features over 70 different sculptures from some amazing artists. Bury Council want to try and bring more tourism into Bury Town Centre by creating a Sculpture Gallery which will be part of the trail. The place they've chosen to create the Sculpture Gallery is within the library. In order to do this they need to squeeze the current library into around one third of the space, strengthen the floor and move in the sculptures.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that this will have a detrimental effect on individuals and groups who use the library. You simply can't store the same amount of books and other materials in one third of the space, Children's story time is going to be a far more cramped affair and all of the library users will lose a lot of the somewhat limited space that they already have. People will also lose their jobs.

I'm a big fan of libraries, I don't take my children anything like as often as I should, but that's because I'm able to use the internet and computers at home. We use the school library to borrow story books and do our research online. That puts me in a fortunate position, I don't need the library at the moment, but plenty of people do.

Libraries don't only offer books, they have CD's, DVD's, maps and all manner of documents. They have local council and tourist information. They have free access to computers and the internet. They're really important if we want to ensure that every member of our community has equal chance to achieve their potential. They're about inclusion for some of the most deprived members of our society.

I have 1 child at University and 2 about to go to College. They need libraries, and if they choose a college some distance away then it'll be far easier to go and collect books at a local library. Parents with children who don't have a school library need the town library. Any adult who wants to read books benefits from a library. Lets be honest, a lot of older people rely heavily on libraries not only for the actual books, but also for the reason to go out and the company and interaction it offers. There is a very successful Knit And Natter group who meet once a week at the library, without available space they'll have to meet elsewhere. Libraries are for everyone.
 
Sculpture is great, but rather than spending £100,000 installing it into the library and placing tourism over local people, can't they just put it in the library garden or the existing Art Museum?

A lot of people feel very strongly about this -

The young woman who spoke to me has started a website with updates and information - Save Bury Library
There is a Facebook community
There is a Petition to Mike Connolly of Bury Council - If they get 300 signatures then it has to be debated.

Oh my. I've been missing out. This is amazing. The taste is one that you rarely find anywhere and only usually get with incredibly expensive ice cream. The Duerr's jam gives a perfect flavour that is really full of strawberries, but doesn't completely overpower the vanilla. It's absolutely delicious and immediately I started looking at everything else in my cupboard to see what other flavours I can make. I can't believe it was that easy. I can't believe I missed out all this time!

I've got Raspberry jam ice cream setting in the freezer for tea......

Although my blog is mainly about my huge brood of children, occasionally I get to play with or enjoy something special. Here are a few of my favourite gift reviews from the past year....

Ozeri sell loads of functional items that are also beautiful to look at. I've been lucky enough to review a handful of their things now and while a frying pan may not make an excellent gift, their double-walled thermo glasses are gorgeous. We reviewed 2 sets, so hot toddy's will be no problem in my house this year...


Bunches.co.uk sell gorgeous flowers that keep for a good 10 days and received a gorgeous bouquet when I broke my leg. This year they're also selling hampers, which can be delivered anywhere in the UK on a day of your choice. Prices for flowers start at £11.99 and hampers start at £19.99


You can hardly mention flowers without moving on to candles. These candles from Potters Crouch  are very beautiful and the scents are amazing.Candles cost £8.50 each and burn for 50 hours.


Personalised gifts can be brilliant for capturing those funny or important moments from your year and there's such a huge array nowadays that you can pretty much get your own photo's printed on anything.
 

I love beautiful kitchen equipment and one of my very favourites is my Pyrex Slow Cooker. Slow cookers can save you hours in the kitchen and are generally not a cheap item, so receiving one as a gift is actually a really nice thing. If you do buy kitchen equipment always buy something else too - or you might give the impression you want your other half in the kitchen cooking all the time!


Arthur Price have all kinds of interesting and classic gifts. We reviewed their Remember range for Remembrance Day this year and I'm incredibly impressed with their automatic umbrella. The quality is excellent and it's very pretty.


I always appreciate home made gifts and encourage my children to spend time making things for their Grandparents for Christmas. I'm not incredibly crafty, so I prefer to make edible gifts. In previous years we've made Fudge and Peppermints and recently I gave a Chocolate Cheesecake to the very lovely lady who has been picking my son up from school while my leg has been broken.
 

Yesterday I launched a Rafflecopter Lego giveaway. I know that not everyone likes Rafflecopter, so I'm being extra nice and have created a blog treasure hunt where I will give away 3 more Lego sets. There will be 2 winners.



The winners will be chosen at random (using a random number generator) from all the entrants listed with the highest number of correct answers. There are no trick answers, it's all straightforward.

All answers can be found on the Lego related pages on this blog.

1. Who didn't buckle up the child in his vehicle?
2. What was reviewed in the second ever post on The Brick Castle?
3. How many people from our family went to Legoland?
4. How many people are wearing glasses in the photo at the Chima 4D movie?
5. Who was adamant the minifigures all stayed in position on our table to watch the Lego Batman movie?
6. What is my 1st extra rule for how to survive a horror movie.
7.What is Lego set 70001 called?
8. What is the name of our Lego Minion?

Please DO NOT comment with the answers on this post - they will be removed and won't count as an entry. Email your answers to me ~ thebrickcastle@gmail.com with Lego Competition as a subject title before midnight 14th December.


Terms And Conditions - UK Entrants only please.
Competition entries will not be accepted after midnight 14th December.
The draw will be held and winners informed by email within 48 hours. Please respond promptly and I will endeavour to get your Lego to you before Christmas.
The draw will be by means of an online random number generator. Everyone with the highest number of correct answers will be designated a number and will be entered into the final draw.
In the unlikely event that the prize becomes unavailable (lightening strike, flood etc), then I reserve the right to replace it with a prize of equal or greater value. 
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Blogger. We hereby release Blogger of any liability.

If you have any additional questions - feel free to send an email to thebrickcastle@gmail.com with Competition Query in the subject line. Thank you for reading.

Teenagers are, in a lot of ways, much easier to buy for because they've an opinion on everything and aren't at all reserved about telling you exactly what they do and don't like! Unfortunately though, once they have every pair of jeans, hilarious T-shirt, CD, DVD and game that they'll ever need, you can be left a bit stuck - especially for smaller gifts.


Non-fiction books are brilliant for teens. Whether it's the Miley Cyrus or Mighty Boosh Annual, Basic Car Maintenance or my personal favourites - cook books....two that we reviewed which really interested my teens were The Burger and Classic Baking. Team it up with a little frying pan or cupcake stand and piping bags and you've got an afternoon's entertainment while they gain confidence and learn a skill.


IWOOT - or I Want One Of Those - is a great website for stockingfillers for teens. I've used it for years now and although barely anything I've ever bought still survives intact, it's given us hours of hilarity and moments of cool...we reviewed the Retro Calculator at £6.49.


When I was a teenager I spent a huge percentage of my money on films and developing of photographs. Now teenagers don't have to - but it doesn't make their photo's any less interesting or important. Posterfriend is a great way to display photographs taken directly from Facebook - you can even select your friend's (or child's) photo's. Loads of sizes and layouts available, prices start at only £12.


Cable And Cotton lights are perfect for adding a personal touch and making a room look like your own. Teenagers spend more time by choice in their bedrooms than at any other age, so it needs to be a pleasant place to be. You choose the colours, and let the lights set the mood. Currently £25.90 for a string of 20 lights.



 Katamino is a great game for teenagers. Highly competitive, but you can play on your own and build your skills. It gets your brain active but is ridiculously quick to get to grips with. It's not cheap, but it'll last forever and makes a very beautiful gift. Currently £25.


Plus Plus is a 2D and 3D building medium consisting of ++ shaped plastic blocks. It's actually very relaxing and full of creativity. Whenever my teens are stressed and snappy I try and remember to bring it out and put it on the table, and it's moments before someone picks it up and starts making something. Prices start at £5 for 100 piece boxes.


Music is important to a huge percentage of teenagers. You could always encourage any latent ability and secure your own luxury retirement by investing in the most ridiculously loud instrument you can think of and raising the next Noel Gallagher or John Lennon.

 Our favourite Orchard Toys puzzle was Who's In Space, and our game of the year is an easy choice, which is surprising because we play them a lot, but it's the newest one and it just grabbed everyone's enthusiasm. Christmas Surprises delights even our 15 year olds! Currently £9.50 and exclusive to Tesco.