Review: The Not So Ugly Sisters at Waterside Arts

We were invited to the opening night of The Not So Ugly Sisters in exchange for this review.

The Not So Ugly Sisters is the Cinderella story told from the point of view of her (not so ugly, but actually quite pretty) sisters. It’s fun, it’s glitzy, the songs are catchy; and aside from it being a really great show, it’s also very thought provoking.

The Not So Ugly Sisters at Waterside Arts

Set in their hair salon, sisters Dolly (Daisy Ann Fletcher) and Barb (Lucy Rafton) are dealing with the fallout from the forthcoming royal wedding between their sister, Cindy and her future husband, Prince Smarming. The sisters talk, sing and dance their way through childhood tales, recounting the usual fallings out between sisters and best friends. They talk about how they all pulled together to get though the death of their mother and the time they all met the Prince at the ball and how that all went down.

There are broken hearts and broken friendships to mend along the way. This traditional Cinderella story is flipped to show the other side of the tale and it is really interesting. It really makes you think about trolling, cancel culture and how stories can be manipulated to make people out to be different to how they really are. Of course the sisters are not ugly, nor were they mean to Cinderella, and there is a happy ending, so happy that I might have shed a tear or two.

The Not So Ugly Sisters at Waterside Arts

Aimed at families with children aged 5+, this 55 minute long show is long enough to tell the story; but not too long that little ones would lose interest. My 11 year old was completely rapt from start to finish. The story moves at a good pace, with upbeat and catchy songs making a regular appearance. The finale is a Christmas song we all know and love, and we are all encouraged to sing along in our seats.

With it being a family show, younger family members are encouraged to wear pyjamas to the early evening performances; with pre-bookable packs of milk and cookies also available (there’s a well-stocked bar for older family members who aren’t driving).

The Not So Ugly Sisters at Waterside Arts

It has been so long since we darkened the door of a theatre; I’d almost forgotten how magical it could be. It was a fabulous way to kick off our festive season. There’s nothing quite like a Christmas show to get you in the mood for mince pies and festive magic. If you’ve not yet booked tickets to see a Christmas show; then tickets to see The Not So Ugly Sisters should be top of your Christmas list!

The Not So Ugly Sisters at Waterside Arts runs from 24th November 2021 to Saturday 1st January 2022.

There are also some BSL and Relaxed Performances which might be useful to know about.

Saturday 11th Dec at 11:00- BSL interpreted and relaxed performance.
Saturday 18th Dec at 11:00- BSL interpreted performance.

40 of the Best Christmas Books for Adults

Most years, as the calendar flips over to December, I dust down my copy of A Christmas Carol and re-read it. Just like most people have favourite Christmas films, it’s totally normal to have favourite Christmas books too. I’ve picked out 40 of the best Christmas books for adults this year for you to enjoy.

In my list of festive books for adults to read this season, some are comforting reads best enjoyed by the fire, some are spooky tales full of ghosts and some are Christmas classics, pure and simple.

From Christmas classics, to action and adventure; Christmas romance, and festive mysteries, and Christmas story collections, there’s bound to be something on this list for you to enjoy during this festive season.

40 of the Best Christmas Books for Adults

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40 of the Best Christmas Books for Adults

Christmas Classics

A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Box of Delights by John Masefield
The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern
The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Festive Action and Adventure

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Whiteout by Ken Follet
Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome

If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my list of 25 Christmas Books for Kids!

40 of the Best Christmas Books for Adults

Christmas: 12 favourite festive cakes and bakes

I was chatting about baking to a mum in the playground yesterday, we discovered a shared love of fairly unusual continental recipes, the kind Paul and Pru would give to Bake Off contestants to try and baffle them into submission. It got me thinking about some of my favourite things I’ve baked and blogged, so I thought I’d choose 12 of our favourite festive cakes, bakes and makes and give them another airing.

I promise you they’re all easy, I lack the patience, time and skill to do anything too fancy and time consuming; but they’re all delicious.

Mincemeat Flapjack

One of the most enduring and classic flavours of Christmas is mincemeat. Mince pies are an undeniable Christmas classic, but I’ve been throwing mincemeat into cakes and vol au vents for a few years now. It’s too good an ingredient just to use in little pies. So I baked a hearty batch of mincemeat flapjack and they all but disappeared in an afternoon. They’re simple, they’re filling and most of all, they’re delicious.

Lebkuchen Cake

Traditionally a moreish soft biscuit, I decided to attempt a German Lebkuchen Cake with considerable success. The recipe is easier than it looks to make and the results are truly scrumptious. It’s one of our favourite festive cakes!

Danish Butter Cookies

Because to me, and other children of the 80’s, Danish Butter Cookies are forever linked to Christmas, it’s at this time of year I tend to make them the most. A batch of cookies neatly wrapped in brown paper, or in a decorative bag or box make a lovely little edible gift for someone.

Joulutorttu

Traditionally Joulutorttu are made with puff pastry and a special Finnish prune jam. However I made mine with a Christmas preserve, but it does need a good firm set jam. Try plum or prune conserve for authenticity. They look a bit tricky to make, but it’s ready-roll puff pastry and jam and a bit of arty twisting of the pastry.

Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices

I like to make a big batch of these chocolate dipped candied orange slices at Christmas and give little bags of them as presents for people. They’re also a really nice treat to take away on holiday to nibble with a nice glass of good red wine in the evening.

Mincemeat Filo Rolls

I do love mince pies, but sadly the pastry doesn’t love me. Instead of the usual shortcrust pastry pies, I make these alternative mince pies, with filo pastry and in the style of a spring roll. These Mincemeat Filo Rolls were really, really lovely.

Mulled Cider Jellies

Sometimes, and this is not very often, I mull too much cider and I’ll have some left. Sure, I could heat it up again later, but I fancied making something different with it. I thought I’d make some Mulled Cider Jellies. It turns out they make a really interesting, different and delicious festive dessert. You could make them just as well with apple juice if you’re serving them to children or people who don’t drink alcohol. It’s a very pretty dessert and just a bit different.

Christmas Pudding Ice Cream

This is an incredibly easy dessert, imagine a rich vanilla ice cream topped with Courvoisier soaked festive fruits. It’s utterly delicious, you can whip it up the night before, or make it up to a month ahead of the big day. It is delicious, incredibly simple and uses only four ingredients. I think we’ve found a winner!

Sticky Ginger Sponge Cake with Cinnamon Frosting

I love a bit of ginger cake and at this time of year it’s a lovely warming bake to make for the family. It’s sticky and spicy and you can dress it up for Christmas, or dress it down for every day cake eating if you prefer. This sticky ginger sponge cake with cinnamon frosting is special enough to serve for an occasion, or you could glitz it up a bit more and serve it as an alternative Christmas cake. It’s about as easy as can be.

Cranberry and Pomegranate Jelly

Puddings at Christmas time can be a bit on the heavy side. All that booze soaked fruit and extra thick cream can get a bit much; plus if you’re feeding the whole family, Christmas pudding is not a universally popular choice. What is always, always popular is jelly. This is a jelly that everyone in the family can enjoy – cranberry and pomegranate jelly!

Peppermint Bark Buttons

Homemade treats make for really lovely gifts at Christmas. These Peppermint Bark Buttons are really fun to make and they’re delicious too.

Cinnamon & Raisin Shortbread

I originally created this shortbread recipe in 2013 in celebration of the Great British Bake Off; it’s been a favourite ever since. Cinnamon and raisin are a great combination and this lovely crumbly shortbread is a great bake all year round.

So that’s my little round up of my 12 of our favourite festive cakes, bakes and makes. What are your favourite favourite festive cakes, bakes or makes?

12 of our favourite festive cakes, bakes and makes

40 Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas for Toddlers

Putting together Christmas stockings is one of my favourite things about Christmas, and it’s something I put a fair amount of effort into each year. It can be hard at times to come up with Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas, so I’ve come up with 40 suggestions for stocking stuffers for toddlers.

Each Christmas Eve, we hang our stockings by the fire, and come Christmas morning, they’ve been magically filled with goodies and for some reason, left at the end of our beds.

Christmas morning always begins with a coffee in bed, whilst we all open out stockings and begin the day with a handful of chocolate coins, or several slices of a chocolate orange.

40 Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas for Toddlers

This tried and tested tradition can be a bit of a brain ache to put together. Finding just the right amount of small items to stuff your stocking with is a task not everyone relishes. I’ve put together a list of Christmas stocking filler idea for toddlers, which should help you, or Father Christmas with this festive task.

40 Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas for Toddlers

Christmas socks
A set of flash cards
A Kinder egg
A Christmas book
Bath toys, like ducks or a baby shark
A small duplo set
Noisemakers or small instruments like bells
Chunky markers or crayons
A keepsake Christmas tree decoration
A new toothbrush
A bag of chocolate coins
Satsuma
Hot chocolate stirrer
Stickers
Bath crayons
Expandable flannel
A small cuddly toy
Wooden name letters for their bedroom door
A spinning top
Wiggly worm clutching toy
Paint set
Playdoh pots
Toy vehicles
Silly headband or hat (antlers or similar)
New cup or water bottle
Their favourite snack
Gingerbread man
A light up ball
Bubbles
Finger puppets
Lanka kade wooden animal figures
Bubble bath
A little game, like Pop Up Pirate
Candy canes
Some warm gloves
Stacking cups
Glow in the dark stars
Paint brushes, or some brush paints
Wooden bead sets to practice their threading
A push along toy

Stuffing a stocking on Christmas Eve is one of the parts of Christmas I look forward to the most. Have I missed anything off this list? If so, please comment below with your Christmas stocking filler ideas.

40 Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas for Toddlers

Christmas Recipe: Danish Butter Cookies

I grew up in the 1980’s and you could always tell when Christmas was coming by the appearance of a blue tin of Danish Butter Cookies on top of the fridge. They were simple but incredibly moreish and they were to us at least, an exotic festive treat.

A few years ago, I started making my own Danish Butter Cookies with my son. They are incredibly easy to make and they are a nice predictable bake, meaning that they never fail. I’m pretty good at cake baking, but for some reason my kitchen confidence always leaves me when it comes to biscuits and cookies. Perhaps the dependability of the recipe is why I make them so often.

Christmas Recipe: Danish Butter Biscuits

Danish Butter cookies

Ingredients:
375g butter, room temperature
250g caster sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
500g plain flour
Milk (entirely optional)

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix in thoroughly.

Beat in the plain flour, I tend to do this in batches so the kitchen doesn’t get covered in a flour cloud. Once it’s all mixed in, you need to decide if your mixture is loose enough to pipe, or if it needs letting down a bit. If it’s a bit stiff, add a couple of tablespoons of milk and beat the mixture again.

Heat the oven to 180° and line some large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you’re choosing to pipe your cookies, select a wide piping nozzle and put in your piping bag. I prefer to use disposable piping bags and a Wilton 1M nozzle, but you use whatever you’re comfortable with.

Carefully pipe circles of the biscuit dough onto your parchment paper. I used a knife to help poke them into shape as my piping was a bit rusty. Once you’ve piped a tray (leaving room for them to spread a little), put them in the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes. You don’t really want them to get brown, because like shortbread, these Danish Butter Cookies are supposed to be pale and interesting.

Christmas Recipe: Danish Butter Biscuits

Once you’ve removed them from the oven, leave on a cooling rack until they are properly cool. Resist the urge to eat them all, especially if you’ve baked them as gifts for Christmas.

These Danish butter cookies should keep in an airtight tin for a week or so, should you be able to resist them for that long!

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Danish Butter Cookies

Crafts: How to make a Christmas Button Wreath

If you’re looking for a simple but quite beautiful Christmas craft, then this is probably it. These lovely Christmas button wreath decorations are really simple to make and look great hanging on a tree. Not to mention, if you’re making them with the kids, then it’s excellent for their fine motor skills!

A few years ago I made a selection of button Christmas decorations, and each year when I hang them on the tree, I continue to be impressed by them. They’re so simple to make, but look really quite cool.

I have billions of buttons, so one quiet afternoon, I decided to try my hand at a simple Christmas button wreath decoration. I thought it would look pretty good on the tree and I was not wrong. They really are simple to make and you can make it as colourful or traditional as you want. Here’s how I made mine.

How to make a Christmas button wreath

You will need:
70-100 buttons in whatever colours you want
A length of craft or jewellery wire
Wire cutters (optional)
Ribbon for a bow and for hanging

Making your Christmas button wreath –

Start off by cutting a length of wire approximately 25cm long. Put a little bend in one end to stop the buttons slipping off.

Next you can start threading the buttons onto the wire. I did this in red-green-white order, but you can use whatever colours in whatever order you want. My Christmas colour palette is very traditional, but yours can be as colourful as you like.

Once you’re threaded your buttons onto the wire and you’re happy with how they look (I tried to put the smaller buttons at each end and the larger ones in the middle), it’s time to tie it off.

Take both ends of the wire and twist them together so the buttons can no longer slip off. Twist them together tightly, you may need to snip off the excess wire with your wire cutters. If you can, tuck the ends under and between the buttons so they are out of the way.

Gently pull the wire and buttons into a circle shape to make the wreath, this shouldn’t take very much effort at all.

Next take a length of ribbon and tie it around the top of the wreath, tucking in the ends of the twisted wire. Tie the ends of the ribbon with a firm knot to make a hanging loop. Take another length of ribbon and tie a nice bow at the top of the wreath. It should now be ready to hang on your tree.

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Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

About 15 years ago I had my first slice of chocolate stout cake in a café in Didsbury. It was probably the best cake I’d ever eaten and I once I started baking regularly, I wanted to make one for myself.

I’ve baked this cake many times now, each time with a different stout or porter. It’s such a rich, delicious cake and really very simple to make. After going to this year’s Didsbury Beer Festival, I was reminded how good the Dunham Massey Chocolate Cherry Dark Mild was and I knew I needed to bake this with it.

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

A bottle of the Dunham Massey Chocolate Cherry Dark Mild usually has 500ml of stout in it, which is enough for two cakes, so I often double up the recipe and bake two cakes. Un-frosted, they keep quite well, though that’s never really an issue in my greedy house.

Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

250ml Stout or porter, I used Dunham Massey Chocolate Cherry Dark Mild
250g Butter
75g Cocoa powder
400g Caster sugar
150g Sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
275g plain flour
3 teaspoons of Bicarbonate of soda

For the frosting
250g Cream cheese
150g Icing sugar
2 tsp Cornflour
125ml Double cream

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

How to make a Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease and line a 9 inch cake tin.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add your stout or porter. Add the cocoa powder and sugar and whist gently until the sugar dissolves.

In a mixing bowl, beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the pan and finally whisk in the flour and the bicarbonate of soda.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 50 minutes to an hour. As the batter is quite wet, I tend to leave it in the cooling oven for 15 minutes to stop the cake shocking and sinking in the middle. If it does sink a little in the middle, it’s not a disaster, it’s just a tasty dent you can fill with the frosting! Once you’ve removed the cake from the over, leave it to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack.

When the cake is completely cool, it’s time to make your frosting. In a clean bowl, whip the cream cheese until it is smooth, sift the icing sugar through a fine sieve and do the same with the cornflour; then beat to combine with the cream cheese.

In a separate bowl, whip your double cream until it is thick and then fold it through the cream cheese mixture. Spread it thickly over the top of your cake, which should look like a dark pint of stout with a rich creamy head.

If I’d thought it through at the time, I would have also decorated the cake with chocolate dipped fresh cherries; but maybe that’s one for the summer when they’re in season.

This cake works really well with all kinds of stouts and porters; so pick your favourite and give it a whirl!

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

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Christmas Scavenger Hunt Activity + FREE Printable

Christmas is coming, and at this time of year my thoughts turn to what we can do to make the build up to the big day more exciting. Obviously there’s the annual trip to see Father Christmas. We also write him a nice letter with a wish list of things we’d like to find under the tree, and we usually go on a Christmas light trail somewhere. There’s often a visit to a pantomime or other Christmas show, a carol service at our local church and buying and decorating our Christmas tree.

In our house, we love a scavenger hunt, so it made sense for us to make one to do one weekend together. I’ve made it available for you to download and print out for free too, just click the link and print it off!

Download your Christmas Scavenger Hunt Activity Sheet here!

You could make a competition out of it. Whoever scores the most points wins a little prize. It’s a lovely thing to do while you’re out and about with the family. There are 30 things you need to spot and tick off; you might see many of them in a shopping centre, or perhaps a walk around your neighbourhood. If you don’t fancy leaving the house, pop a Christmas film on and see how many you can spot.

Download your FREE Christmas Scavenger Hunt Activity Sheet here!

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Christmas Scavenger Hunt Activity + FREE Printable

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A letter to my son, on his 11th birthday

Darling boy,

Today you are 11 years old. It is 11 years since I first met you and held you in my arms. You were a determined little chap even then. In your first 24 hours, you lay on my chest and you lifted your head up to look at me. All the books said you shouldn’t be able to do that yet, but you’d not read the book, or any of the other parenting manuals, so you’ve never really followed the suggested timeline of things. You’ve always written your own pages, developed at your own pace and done your growing up on your own terms. I hope you know that I admire you hugely for that.

A letter to my son, on his 11th birthday

As I write this, you are almost as tall as me and soon you will be the one reaching for things in hard to reach kitchen cupboards for me. You are as stubborn as a field of mules and push back harder than a bulldozer, I suspect your teenage years will be both colourful and challenging. I only hope that I am able to support you as you grow and you know that whatever life throws at you, good or bad, that I will be there to help you through the bad times and cheer wildly all of your successes.

I write you a letter like this every year, and what a year it has been. The coronavirus has meant that for at least half of the last 12 months we have been in some kind of lockdown or reduced social circumstances. You’ve handled this beautifully, you’ve understood why you couldn’t see friends, have a 10th birthday party; why we ate Christmas dinner outside while it snowed and why so many of our usual days out and fun things had more or less stopped. Like many, you have railed against the injustice of missing out on meeting up with your friends, but you’ve been great at making the best of things, and that’s all I could ever ask of you.

Purezza Manchester - Vegan pizza in the NQ

In the last 12 months we have finally (finally!) got a diagnosis of dyspraxia for you. This explains all kinds of things about you and the many ways you are unique and wonderful and challenging and amazing. Yes, life will always hold some struggles for you, but I hope you know that your brain difference can be a kind of superpower for you. You are brilliant and you see the world in the kinds of colourful and exciting ways that I can only dream of. Along with the challenges which face you, you are blessed with enormous gifts and people admire you.

Yes, people really do admire you. They love your kindness and sense of humour, your capacity for caring for others. They love your enthusiasm for life; your ability to chat to anyone who will listen to you about whatever your topic of the day is. You’re an only child, but you can get along with pretty much anyone and you have no problems sharing or anything like that. In fact you’re incredibly generous with your things and always save me some of your sweets or whatever treats you have. You have a kind and generous soul and I hope people don’t take advantage of that or you.

Today you are 11. I know time marches on, but I can’t quite believe my tiny baby is a strapping lad on the verge of secondary school. The next 12 months will see lots of changes coming your way. It’ll all be alright, secondary school will be brilliant for you and I hope they will help you be the best that you can be.

World Book Day: Enjoying World of Walliams bedding

I’m so glad that we are able to give you a birthday party this year. I am so glad the whole family can gather for a meal to celebrate your 11 years in this planet. I’m so glad I’ve known you all this time; I can honestly say that it has been nothing short of a privilege to watch you grow and to have you in my life.

Happy birthday to my best boy. I love you to the moon and the stars and the planets and back!

Mama xx

A letter to my son, on his 11th birthday

Book Review: Where are you from? By SJ Penni

We were sent Where are you from? By SJ Penni for review. All images and opinions are our own.

The days and weeks following England’s Euro 2020 defeat over the summer threw the spotlight onto racism in football and in wider society. After missing penalties in the final, footballers, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho were targeted with racist abuse.

Living a little over a mile away from the Marcus Rashford mural which was vandalised, it hit quite close to home. Marcus is a local and national footballing hero who did not deserve the hate directed at him. It did shine a light on the subject of racism and at home we had many discussions about it, and this was also mirrored in school. It was one of those teachable moments we all try and find for our kids, and it was an opportunity to raise awareness and do better as a society.

Book Review: Where are you from? By SJ Penni

Black History Month happens every October, and in school up and down the land, children learn about some of the notable people in black history. My son did a short project on Marcus Rashford, who is perhaps just about sneaking into the history books now.

Where are you from? By SJ Penni is a great place to start learning about black history. This book celebrates some of the stories that are not generally taught in schools; from black Tudors and black Romans to black soldiers in WW1 and Queen Victoria’s adopted daughter, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.

The book is colourfully illustrated by the author’s brother Julian D Penni. It includes a section of key moments in British black history; as well as whole pages dedicated to a selection of famous, and not so well known people in black history. From WW1 soldier and professional footballer, Walter Tull to Crimean War nurse, Mary Seacole.

The book also tells the story of the Rochdale Millworkers, who stood up against slavery in the cotton trade. There’s a rundown on the Windrush Generation, which is very topical at the moment, and there are some interesting activities you can do to explore the topic further.

Book Review: Where are you from? By SJ Penni

Where are you from? is attractively laid out, with boxes with extra facts in on each page. The writing is informative and engaging and my 11 year old thought it was “really good” and a good read. I think he learned a thing or two about black history, me too if I’m honest.

It’s a perfect book for celebrating black history for children during Black History Month and year round. Black history is all our history and if you want to explore the topic more with your children, this book is a great springboard into the subject.

Where are you from? By SJ Penni is available in paperback from Amazon and other bookshops priced at £12.99.

40 of the Best Christmas Books for Adults

Christmas Classics

Festive Action and Adventure

Christmas Romance

Festive Mysteries

Seasonal Story Collections

40 Christmas Stocking Filler Ideas for Toddlers

Danish Butter cookies

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How to make a Christmas button wreath

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Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

How to make a Chocolate Cherry Porter Cake

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