A Visit to Folkestone - a Perfect English Seaside Town

We had an action-packed summer this year, but I managed to squeeze in a couple of days at the seaside just for me and Ruby.  With her dad working during the week, it was the ideal opportunity to jump on the train and head of for an adventure, just the two of us.

It was a rather spur of the moment trip, I booked a great deal at a hotel I knew nothing about, hurriedly looked up train times on the way to the station and had no plans or idea of what we'd find or do when we got there.

But sometimes those are the best kinds of trips.

The journey was seamless.  It's only one hour from St Pancras so actually perfectly doable for a day trip or a quick weekend getaway.  Our hotel was just 15 minutes walk away from the station, and very easy to find.

We struck gold with The Burlington Hotel.  A grand, Victorian building full of interesting stained glass and nooks to explore.  Set in it's own beautifully maintained grounds it's just a stone's throw from the sea front.  Owned by a small, independent hotel chain, you really notice the personal touch, customer care and attention to detail.  Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, from recommending a good fish and chip shop, to gladly minding our bags while we went shopping after checking out.  They happily brought me trays of tea and let me sit in their gorgeous lounge bar when I had to complete some last-minute work, letting me use their free wifi even though I'd already officially checked out.

Although much of the building retains it's original Victorian grandeur, the rooms have all been recently refurbished and we were delighted with our fresh, modern double room and huge ensuite bathroom.  You'll find all the facilities you'd expect from a three star hotel in the room including tea and coffee making, large flat screen TV, desk, phone and hairdryer.

We got a great deal through Amazon Local, but typically you'd pay around £60 for a double room with breakfast if you book online.

Breakfast is served in the Bay Tree basement restaurant, and they are proud of their local Kent suppliers who between them deliver a fabulous full English.

I was really impressed with this hotel, and will certainly be going back for another stay.  I think they've got everything spot on.

Despite no forward planning, we easily found loads to do in Folkestone.  It's a lovely seaside town - not quite yet as achingly cool as other coastal towns like Hastings or Brighton, but definitely on the up and certainly not a tacky kiss-me-quick resort like so many in the UK.

The hip Creative Quarter is worth a wander around, mooching in the small galleries, the boutiques and craft shops and the independent cafes and bars.

The harbour is picturesque and a pleasant place to watch the small fishing boats bobbing in the tide, and maybe pick up some fresh catches from the seafood huts.  The Harbour Arm has recently been regenerated and is open at weekends (until the end of October) selling street food and offering live music and events.  It's also worth popping into the small fishing museum at the docks to see a collection of local photos and artefacts about the industry.

Folkestone is blessed with 3 beaches to please all tastes.  For those wanting a bit of bucket and space action, head down to Sunny Sands just beyond the harbour.  The arches provide a shelter or windbreak should the great British weather turn and great hide and seek locations, and the sand is wonderful for building castles.

Further west there is a shingle beach where you'll find pretty pastel coloured beach huts, and there's also Mermaid beach by the Lower Leas Coastal Path which has a play area (sadly we missed the annual Mermaid Festival this year).  Pop up the cliff to the Mermaid cafe and bar for delicious salads, milkshakes and freshly baked cakes - lovely but pricey.

The Coastal Path is a delight to explore, with formal, bold planting using huge statement plants such as artichokes and agapanthus.  You'll find an outdoor amphitheatre which is sometimes used for live events, brilliant play equipment (the pirate ship and climbing nets were a favourite) and the historic old toll house.  This entire area came about because of a landslide some 300 years ago, and some enterprising earl turned it into a toll road as it provided a much more direct route to the harbour.  The Victorains developed it with planting and paths and installed several sets of steps and lifts to connect it to the grand hotels above.  The Metropole Steps have since been replaced but for those of you who are fit, you can take the 150 stairs to the top.  The rest might want to take the Leas Lift funicular railway.

Folkestone is a town steeped in history, and it's visible everywhere.  In particular their wartime connections are remembered with many monuments and sculptures.  Remembrance Road is currently adorned with hundreds of knitted and crocheted poppies and serves as a poignant reminder of the hundreds of thousands of men who marched this route to the harbour before setting off to fight in the trenches across the Channel in World War 1.

There are many contemporary art installations to be found around the town but by far the most moving was the sound installation by Christian Boltanski called The Whispers.  Arranged around four benches in a crescent shape, looking out to sea and the headland of France beyond, visitors sitting on the benches activate a speaker below.  Sit and contemplate, while listening to transcripts of postcards and letters between soldiers and their sweethearts from the Great War.  It was hauntingly beautiful.

We had such a short visit to the town and I'm sure there's much more to explore.  It was a pleasure to visit and I hope to be able to get back before the end of October to visit the Harbour Arm.  I know where we'll be booking into though!

ReUse for Good - how to help good causes with things you might throw away with ZERO WASTE WEEK

Those of us of a certain age will remember the annual Blue Peter appeals for silver milk bottle tops, raising cash for charities.

Well, nowadays there's tonnes of ingenious ways to donate your unwanted items, help support a good cause and divert those items from going into landfill.  We all know that you can donate items to charity shops, but some items aren't suitable for re-sale through these types of outlets and would ultimately end up in their refuse, actually costing them money.

To celebrate Zero Waste Week, I've rounded up a few suggestions for you, but please feel free to share links or add more ideas in the comments below.

BRAS

Many of us wouldn't consider donating underwear to a charity shop (even though many do sell gently worn bras - I don't know of any that re-sell worn knickers though).

There are several organisations that accept both new, (we've all got some lurking in the back of the drawer from when we bought the wrong size!) or lightly worn bras.

If you're in the UK, you can donate to Smalls for All who donate gently worn bras, and new donated pants to women and children in Africa who need it most. Lack of underwear is only is it a health and hygiene problem for many poor African communities, as women often only own one pair of tattered pants or have none at all, but underwear is also seen as a status symbol and offers a degree of security. Women who can afford underwear tend to be seen as having someone who cares for them – a husband, brother or father. They are not on their own so they are not seen as vulnerable.

If you're in the US you can donate them to Free The Girls who provide an opportunity for sex trafficking survivors to build their own business selling second-hand clothing while going to school, establishing a house, and caring for their families.

Image credit: Free the Girls

TINS OF PAINT

Finished the decorating and have paint leftover?  Perhaps you're clearing out the shed or garage and wondering what to do with your opened pots of paint.  It can be incredibly toxic so shouldn't be thrown out with your household waste. Many local councils will accept it at the tidy tips, but why not donate it to Community Repaint?

Community RePaint collects reusable, leftover paint from both households and those in the trade and re-distribute it to individuals, families, communities and charities in need, improving the wellbeing of people and the appearance of places across the UK.  There are over 80 schemes around the country, and if there's not one near you there's a free letter template for you to suggest one to your local council.

OLD MAGAZINES

A few crafty folk might turn them into other arty items, but most of us will put these in the recycling bin once we've finished reading them.  Why not contact your local surgery, dentist or hospital to see if they'd like them for their waiting rooms.  You could make a lot of anxious people feel more comfortable with a nice magazine to flick through and you'd extend the use of the mags for a bit longer.

GLASSES AND SPECTACLES

Image Credit: Vision Aid Overseas

Vision Aid Overseas is the main charity collecting old glasses.  Some are re-used - vintage and retro glasses are sold to specialist shops, while others are recycled to raise funds for their eye care programs in developing countries.  Most opticians have donation bins.

WALKING BOOTS AND OUTDOOR GEAR

If you've splashed out on new boots and waterproofs this year, you can donate your old ones to Gift Your Gear, an independent UK initiative who provide outdoor clothing and equipment to UK community organisations, youth groups and charities working with young people in the outdoors.  They have 57 drop-off points throughout the UK or you can send by post.  They accept clean, reusable (without needing repair) boots, waterproofs, fleeces, kids outdoor clothing, hats and scarves.

They do not accept socks, tents, cooking equipments, pots and pans, rucksacks and sleeping bags.  Of course, those collecting for the refugee crisis are currently in need of these items and you can find your local Calaid collection point online to donate these types of items as well as warm men's clothing, sturdy shoes and waterproofs.  Storage is short, so keep an eye on the current list of what's needed. 

Image credit: Calaid

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Some school PTAs host second-hand sales of uniform - check with your school.  I have found that our school welcomed donations of underwear, socks, tights and dresses/trousers for younger aged children.  They keep a small stock of clean clothes for any little accidents that happen in school.

TOYS 

Many towns have organisations who run toy libraries, loaning out toys to families and carers.  They welcome donations of clean, good quality toys, children's books and puzzles.  Check online to find your nearest one.

PLANT POTS

According to a recent survey by Which, the average household has 39 plastic plant pots languishing in their sheds and greenhouses, yet they can't be recycled with the normal waste.  You could donate to community garden schemes such as Octopus Communities in North London or local schools instead.

Image credit: Which

OLD BLANKETS AND TOWELS

Animal shelter and rescue charities are always grateful for old blankets and towels.  They may not be good enough for the charity shop, but they can be used as animal bedding.

USED PRINTER CARTRIDGES

Many, many charities and fundraising groups now collect used toner and ink cartridges to raise money for their organisations.  From large, international household names, to local schools and playgroups.  Check online to see if your favourite charity recycles them, and often you can apply for freepost envelopes to send them off to.  The cartridges are refilled and reused.

I hope these ideas have inspired you to rethink your 'rubbish'.  See what you can donate to be re-sued and help out a good cause.  Do you have any other suggestions?

Check out what the other Zero Waste Ambassadors have been up to as well.

The Rubbish Diet finds a greener way to join in with GBBO
Westy Writes takes on disposable coffee cups
Can't Swing A Cat takes a long hard look at herself and asks if she's green enough
Make Do and Mend has a fab tutorial on how to make fabric shopping bags

The perfect summer's day #Justrefresh

The late summer days need to be seized, we need to inject as much colour into our lives as possible before the leaves start falling and the skies turn grey. Ocean Spray are on hand to help brighten up our days, and inspire us to capture and celebrate those special moments we encounter with our family.

Sometimes the perfect summer memories are created with just the right blend of careful planning, with some spontaneous moments thrown in.

Take this glorious summer's walk we had a few weeks back.  Armed with little more than some warmer clothes in case the weather changed, some tasty Ocean Spray juice cartons and snacks in the bag and an OS map to save us getting hideously lost, we headed off to find an idyllic English Country field.

Following the footpaths, it was obvious that some of these routes had not been trodden in quite some time.  The tangle of brambles and overgrown foliage provided ample opportunity for swashbuckling our way through, cutting a swathe through the undergrowth.  Parts looked like fairytale lands, secret hidden worlds where nymphs and fairies must surely hide.

But sometimes, when taking the path less travelled, it's best to get a lift. Daddy's broad shoulders took the weight and lifted her high above the golden grasses, alive with the chirrup of crickets.

Discovering the perfect golden cornfield, it proved to be the ideal spot to stop for refreshment break.  Nibbling on a piece of corn, Ruby noticed how the stalk was hollow, just like a drinking straw.  Given that the harvested stalks are also called straw, we pondered whether this was the origin of straws as we know them.

The next field along had been cut, infact the combine harvester was just finishing up the last corner, gathering the wheat, so we picked up a stray stem, gave it a quick rinse through with water and tried it out.  It was perfect!  

It was such an unexpected discovery, and one that we'll always remember making together as a family.  These are the types of little moments that made our summer so colourful. It was the ideal countryside drinking straw to enjoy our refreshing Ocean Spray juice through. 

Packed with vitamin C but with less sugar, Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Juice has only 20 calories per 250ml, so it's the perfect way to rehydrate on a summer day.  Full of juicy flavour, it's a real hit with our family.

After all that adventuring it was time to return home for a snack of yoghurt-covered Craisins and another refreshing drink - it's thirsty work this exploring!

I'm working with BritMums and Ocean Spray highlighting the everyday moments of colour that give each of us a little lift, just like Ocean Spray adds colour to our day and delights us all year round. I have been compensated for my time. All editorial and opinions are my own. Visit OceanSpray for more information. 

Smart Storage and Space Saving Solutions for Bathrooms

I wanted our new bathroom to be clear and tidy.  My inspiration was the sleek hotel bathrooms we'd stayed at recently.  Having a place for everything means it's so much easier to keep tidy, with essential toiletries out of sight, yet we're much more organised and able to find everything in an instant.

However, I didn't want it to be too clinical.  I still wanted to be able to display my treasures.

Shelving

With no available surface areas in our refurbished bathroom, shelves were the obvious choice to be able to display trinkets and keep items to hand.

I struggled to find shelves the same colour wood as the units we'd build in, but thankfully found these high gloss coloured floating shelves in Homebase.  I opted for dark grey to match our colour scheme, but they're also available in a range of wood effects and colours from scarlet red to lime green.

Being floating shelves, they give smart, sleek and modern lines. I've displayed my collection of vintage bottles holding my bubble bath and salts. I've also added a fresh pot plant and a citrus lime cut-work lantern also from Homebase to tie in with my scheme.

Sliding Bath Storage Panel

About 15 years ago I said someone should invent one of these.  There's so much wasted space under your bath and for small bathrooms that's space you should be using.  I knew I should have patented it at the time because of course now someone makes them.

This two door sliding panel is made by Croydex and we purchased it from Plumbworld.  Each end is lockable making it the ideal place to keep your dangerous cleaning products and bleach out of reach from small hands - not to mention keeping your expensive bubble bath safe!

Now we have somewhere to hide away all those unsightly spare loo rolls, bottles of cleaning products and the everyday bubble bath and shampoo you don't necessarily want out on display to the world.  It's the best thing we've installed in our new bathroom and if you're looking for extra space I recommend you simply change your bath panel to one of these - you'd be amazed how much space there is under there.

Sink Vanity Units

We didn't like the look of some of the built in bathroom furniture - some of them looked more like kitchen units with worktops.  We finally settled on this hanging sink unit from IKEA, which has two generous drawers beneath.  Perfect for storing spare towels, as well as your everyday face-care.  It has a divider in the top drawer so you can have his-n-her space.

I've added these storage pots, also from IKEA and it's made my daily skin-care routine so much simpler.  I love having everything on hand but out of sight. There's also a good range of perspex drawer organisers for cosmetics and toiletries currently on sale at TK Maxx.

Tall Wall Cabinets

If space is at a premium, go upwards.  We selected this matching tall unit to go with our vanity.  Although fairly slimline, it's amazing how much extra storage it's afforded us.  I arranged the internal shelves to accommodate a laundry bin in the bottom, to keep all the dirty washing out of sight.  Our bathroom fitter installed our shaver socket inside the cupboard so we can keep all our electricals out of view when on charge.  Visitors don't need to see my epilator now do they?

Above, there's another five generous shelves which I've loaded with baskets and filled with our ridiculous amount of toiletries.  The plastic baskets make it easy to reach anything, and items don't lurk at the back never to be seen again.  Our old bathroom was so chaotic we could never find anything and it often meant buying more on the weekly shop just because I never knew if I was running out of shampoo or toothpaste.  When I unpacked all our boxes after the bathroom was finished, I discovered I had 11 cans of deodorant!  Now we can easily see what needs replenishing - although I suspect nothing will need to be bought for quite a while!

Mirrored Cabinets

Everyone has a mirror over the sink, so it may as well be a mirrored cabinet that you can use for storage.  This tall, slimline cabinet is also from IKEA, and now houses our toothbrushes, medicine, first aid items and various lotions and potions.  As it's so tall, it's perfect for keeping tablets and medicines out of kid's reach, but it's narrow enough to fit comfortably over the sink.

What are your top bathroom storage solutions?

Disclosure: Homebase provided me with a voucher for some finishing touches.

Marmite and Manchego Bread

This recipe was inspired by some recent car boot finds.  I got chatting to a lovely lady who lived in rural Cambridgeshire.  Her Victorian home had long had a large fish pond in the garden, but a few years back they filled it in so she could build an art studio in the garden.  It transpired that the previous occupants of the house had used the pond as their waste disposal, lobbing in discarded bottles, and when doing the building work she unearthed umpteen old glass bottles.

She kept many of the interesting ones, unusual Victorian glass and bottles from local breweries, displaying them in her studio, but at the car boot she was keen to get rid of some of the more common ones.

I picked out quite a few - for only 10 pence each I could hardly refuse.  I was drawn to the old Marmite bottles, being a fan myself of the black stuff, and she also let me have this old wooden bread board for 10p too.

I love Marmite - I've even made chocolate marmite lollies before now. Bread and marmite go together naturally for me - whether spread on hot buttered toast, or in an old-school sandwich, so I experimented and came up with this recipe which includes Marmite in the dough.  The toasted cheesy topping finishes off the bread nicely.  You could use any hard cheese, but Manchego is a personal favourite - plus I'm not gonna lie, I quite like the alliteration.

The recipe would work equally well with white flour, but I'm trying to steer clear of white bread at the moment, plus I was keen to use up this gorgeous flour I picked up on my travels.  It gave the finished loaf a lovely smokey, nutty finish.

I made this using my Kitchenaid with a dough hook, but you could equally knead by hand, and I guess it would work in a bread machine too.

If I'm honest, the bread didn't rise as much as I'd hoped, but it wasn't a warm day.  It was also a heavier texture than I'd liked but I suspect this was because of the rye flour.  I'm sure Paul Hollywood would have scowled at me. I'll try it next time with some plain brown flour, or perhaps mix some white into my rye flour.  Whatever the texture, the taste was incredible, and that's what counts!  And the smell- Oh my word the SMELL!

Because the dough is so dark, you have to hold your nerve to let it cook.  It seems like it's browning too quickly, but give it the time to cook through.

Ingredients for one small loaf:

275g strong bread flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
175ml warm water
1 large tbsp Marmite
2 tbsp vegetable oil
30g Manchego cheese (grated)

Stir the flour, sugar, salt and yeast together in a bowl until combined.

Dissolve the Marmite in the water (you may need to use slightly hotter water than you'd usually use for bread-making to ensure it all dissolves, and then allow to cool before adding it to the yeast mixture).

Add the Marmitey water and oil, and mix on a low speed for about 2-3 minutes.

Scrape down the bowl and dough hook and cover the bowl with a clean towel for 15 minutes.

Next, turn the machine to knead and knead for 5-6 minutes.

Scrape down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Form into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave for 1 1/2 hours.

Gently remove from bowl, re-shape into a ball and place onto a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper.

Cover with a large bowl, lightly greased and leave to prove for a further 45mins-1hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 230 degrees c.

Before placing in the oven, score a large cross on the top, cutting down 1 cm deep.

Cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 and cook for a further 12-15 minutes.  In the final 5 minutes, remove from oven, generously sprinkle the cheese on top before returning it to melt and bubble the cheese.

The loaf should feel light and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Linking up with the Mummy Mishaps' Great Blogger Bake Off over at Jo's Kitchen this week.

Chemical-free cleaning with the Hoover Dual Head Steam Jet Mop

I'll admit, as far as electric steam mops were concerned, I was in the whats-wrong-with-how-it's-always-been-let's-not-over-complicate-things-and-make-it-electronic camp.  However, after recently house-sitting for my parents and trying theirs out I was amazed at how much cleaner a steam mop gets the floors over a traditional mop and bucket, and I'm won over on the fact that you can get things so clean without the use of any harmful chemicals.

I recently went along to Hoover's launch of their upcoming new cleaning gadgets and was offered the 1700w Dual Head Steam Jet Mop to trail on a loan basis and I was keen to put it to the test at home.

I've tried it out on a variety of surfaces including wood, ceramic tiles and vinyl tiles.  It also works on carpets but alas we don't have any carpets to try it on so that option hasn't been tested by me.

Hoover claim that the steam jet mop kills 99% of all germs and bacteria including Staphylococcus Aureus; Salmonella Enteritidis; Candida Albicans; Aspergillus Niger, so as well as getting your floors sparklingly clean, you can rest assured that they're hygienically safe too - great if you have young children crawling around. The fact that the steam mop uses water alone to produce the steam and there's no added detergents or chemicals is also ideal for anyone with allergies or those wanting to reduce the amount of toxins they use around the home.

The unit was simple and intuitive to assemble from the box - I even did it with no instructions!  The upright handle is removable which is great if you're short on storage space.

This mop is lightweight - weighing just over 3kg and certainly feels less cumbersome than lugging around a bucket full of hot water and a mop.  Plus you only need to glide it over the floor, not keep lifting, rinsing and squeezing out like you do with a normal mop.  It takes up less space than a traditional mop and bucket for storage too - although being electrical obviously I can't just chuck it outside like I do with my current non-electric mop!

Filling the reservoir was simple, the large screw cap opens to give plenty of room to fill straight from the tap without the need for water jugs or funnels.

It's more sanitary and hygienic as you simply remove the velcro pads and pop them in the washing machine meaning you're starting each time with a clean mop rather than just spreading the muck and germs around that might be lingering on your traditional mop-head.

It's super-comfortable to use and feels like less strain on my back than my old mop.  The twist and steer technology and flat back cleaning gives brilliant manoeuvrability allowing you to get under low furniture and cupboards easily.

I was concerned about mopping my bathroom, given that most bathrooms won't have an electric socket to plug in, but it's 8 meter reach meant there was no problem cleaning the bathroom floor from the socket on the landing.

The 'dual head' refers to the large area mop, used with interchangeable mop pads, and then with a simple press with your foot on a pedal, the mop section releases to give you a powerful scrubbing brush.  Together with the steam jets, the brush is great for getting ground-in dirt such as dried on muddy footprints or pet paw marks.

My only issues would be that the brush does tend to leave the floor rather wetter than the mop, and you have to go back over it to wipe away the dirty water and although the brush is a triangular shape allowing good access to corners, the main mop is rectangular, making tackling corners tricky.  Other mops I've used also feature pads which 'wrap around' more, giving something of a 'bumper' to the mop, preventing knocks and bashes and also giving a certain element of cleaning up the skirting and around the bottom of basin pedestals, toilet cisterns etc.

Overall though, I'm very impressed with the Dual Head Steam mop.  I was amazed (and a little embarrassed) and how filthy the pad was after mopping my hall floor, especially as I'd 'cleaned' it the day before!  Check out the difference in colour on the used and unused pads below.

The Hoover model leaves the floors drier that other brands I've tried, great for busy family households as you can walk on them much quicker.  It also seemed to lift out a lot more grime than other models I've tried.

I liked the 'upright parking' feature, no worrying about having to lean it on something or it falling over if you're taking a break.  The water capacity of 0.7 litres was plenty to clean my floors and it heated up to steam almost instantly from filling.

It's simple and intuitive to assemble and use, and the push button and handle are comfortable to hold.

But most of all, I love that it gets my floors so clean without any harsh chemicals at all.

I'm sold on steam mops now and sad to return this product after my loan.  I don't want to go back to my smelly old mop and bucket, so it's time to invest!  Do you have a steam mop?  Have I convinced you to try one?

Pass around the world to win great prizes

Coming from the home of the Bedford Blues, we are a family of rugby lovers, chasers of the egg shaped ball.  My dad used to play professionally, he's still a season ticket holder attending as many matches as he can at their home ground, with my brothers and nephews also getting to as many games as possible.

There's a really fun competition currently running with Allianz to celebrate their partnership with Saracens called 'Pass Around The World' where YOU can be involved and win great prizes like a £150 Ticketmaster voucher, or even lunch with the Saracens team.

All you need to do is upload a short clip of you passing the rugby ball and it will be included in a video montage - you could be receiving or passing the ball to the likes of Owen Farrell, Lewis Hamilton or the Bayern Munich Football team.

Why not get down the park or out in the garden with the kids and make your quick video?  It's a great way to keep the kids active during the summer holidays and encourage them to play sport.

Here is a brief run-down of what you need to do, but full details and terms and conditions are on the website:

• Get Mobile Ready: Remember to turn your phone side ways to film your pass.
• 
  
• Film Your Pass: The ball must come in from the left and out through the right. What you do in-between is up to you.
• 
  
• Upload: Make sure your video is no more than 10 seconds long and is under 30MBs. Upload it on our website and share it with your friends!
• 
  
• WIN: all entries will be submitted into a prize draw (terms and conditions apply, please visit www.passaroundtheworld.com for more information.) 

Here's my attempt!

Where will your pass go?  Go on, give it a try!

This post is in association with Allianz.