tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6088618856701591612024-02-19T22:31:39.309+00:00The Cotswold CamperDiscovering the Cotswolds and beyond by foot, by bike, by canoe and campervan.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-64457695064265328722015-09-08T08:11:00.000+01:002015-09-08T08:11:00.204+01:00The Sherborne Estate, Gloucestershire<b>A lovely circular walk with some added extras!</b><br />
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The Sherborne Estate is cut in half by the section of A40 that runs from Cheltenham to Oxford. It is about 18 miles to the east of Cheltenham and about a mile from the A40. On one side of the road you have <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lodge-park-and-sherborne-estate/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lodge Park</a>, now owned by the National Trust and on the other is the main part of the estate, car parking, the village of Sherborne and the walk I am talking about here.<br />
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Sherborne House was built for Thomas Dutton after he bought the manor of Sherborne in 1551. Elizabeth 1 stayed at the house in 1592. In 1624-40 John 'Crump' Dutton acquired land 2 miles south-west of the village to create a deer park. He had Lodge Park built as a grandstand to watch deer being coursed by greyhounds and to fuel his passion for gambling, baqueting and entertaining.<br />
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It became the National Trust's first restoration project in 1998 and relied on archaeological evidence to return the building to its former glory. It is situated two and a half miles from Sherborne village and the wider Sherborne estate, the other side of the A40.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ewe Pen Barn Car Park</td></tr>
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The three marked estate walks all begin from Ewe Pen Barn car park. There is plenty of parking here and the National Trust ask for a donation of £1.00. It is worth mentioning that there are no toilet facilities here.<br />
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Before you begin your walk, you may want to go into the barn where you will find some useful information about the estate.</div>
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We have been walking here for several years, since our children were quite small. It is popular with families because the walks are not too long. We tend to follow the circular family trail which is about 3 miles long. Along the route there are two rope swings to find, a see-saw, several climbing structures and also some sculptures to spot. You will need to look for these (in the case of the rope swings, just listen for the squeals from other children!) because they are not all immediately visible from the path.<br />
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The walk begins through open farmland before descending into woodland for a short while. Here you will find two sculptures along the route. It emerges from the woodland onto the road that passes through the village of Sherborne (please be aware that there is no gate or stile at this point so nothing to prevent eager children or dogs from running out into the road).<br />
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You then walk for about half a mile along the pavement, passing some beautiful old Cotswold stone houses, former workers cottages and estate buildings, until you come to the village church and then the war memorial. This section provides some lovely views of the river Windrush. Here the walk turns a sharp right, heading almost back on itself, through a gate in a high wall.<br />
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At this point you might want to make the short detour, by continuing along the road, to the Sherborne Village Shop & Tearooms which are definitely worth the very short detour from the route. The shop sells ice creams and sweets for weary travellers (!). There are three tables inside if you are unlucky enough to have bad weather but plenty of tables in the pretty garden to the front. There is also a toilet at this point. The food here is simple but delicious and it is well worth a stop. It can't be a coincidence that all of our walks here seem to fall over lunchtime! The owners are incredibly friendly and welcoming and are very popular with the round brown spaniel because they have a stash of doggy biscuits that they offer to well-behaved dogs!<br />
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Resuming the walk, you will follow a field boundary for a few hundred metres. A glance to your right will reveal the back of Sherborne House. The walk then turns right into more woodland along a well-trodden path. It is in these woods that you will find the swings, see-saw and climbing structures and also the ice-house that once stored ice for the occupants of Sherborne House.<br />
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You will pass through the woods before entering more open farmland. As you continue you will see the buildings of Ewe Pen Barn car park ahead of you.<br />
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If you are looking for an easy to follow, short. circular walk through some varied Cotswold countryside with the opportunity for extending it with a nice lunch or cooling drink and an ice-cream then this could be the one for you.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com2Sherborne, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 3DW, UK51.831173199999988 -1.755490900000040751.821360699999985 -1.7756609000000407 51.84098569999999 -1.7353209000000407tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-38831118976530196442015-09-05T10:26:00.000+01:002015-09-05T10:26:00.237+01:00Making Halloumi Cheese at Home<b>Great Fun & Very Easy</b><br />
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Whenever we camp we have a tradition of starting our meal with griddled Halloumi cheese - sometimes we serve it with a side salad, occasionally it is on skewers, often it is just griddled and served with a squeeze of lemon juice or some sweet chilli sauce. I find it a really useful thing to have in the fridge for impromptu trips because it has such a long shelf life. It does have to be refrigerated or kept in a cool bag with ice blocks but that doesn't really pose too much of a problem.</div>
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The other day, our love of 'the squeaky cheese' as my kids called it when they were younger, got me thinking. Is it possible to make Halloumi cheese at home? It turns out it is not only possible but really very simple. It is also great fun and it will leave you feeling like a slightly mad professor as the milk reacts with the rennet, turning the milk into jelly which then turns into cheese!<br />
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I should say that it probably works out more expensive to make Halloumi at home in small batches than it does to buy it from the supermarket, but where is the fun in that? Also, if you make it yourself you know what has gone into it (no added preservatives for instance) and you will feel unbearably smug when you serve it up!</div>
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The one thing to remember when you make cheese at home is that everything you use must be very very clean. For the most part this just means pouring boiling water over utensils and muslin cloth before you use them. That is about as complicated as it gets.<br />
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Before I get started, I should mention that, until you actually get to the point of cooking your cheese, it will look very unappealing and you will start to question your efforts and your sanity - have faith, it will all be worth it!</div>
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So, here goes with the recipe.........</div>
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<b>INGREDIENTS</b></div>
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<b>Halloumi Cheese</b></div>
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2L Whole Milk (can be pasteurised but mustn't be homogenised - it needs to have a layer of cream at the top like milk used to)</div>
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2 tsp Rennet (available in vegetarian or animal-based versions from good supermarkets and Lakeland Ltd)</div>
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1 tsp salt (or to taste)</div>
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Dried herbs (optional - we like mint and oregano)</div>
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1/2 L Whey (left over from the cheese making process)</div>
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1/2 L Boiling water</div>
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100g Salt</div>
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<b>METHOD</b></div>
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In a wide-bottomed pan gradually brink the milk up to 32-36C. I use a meat thermometer for this part.<br />
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Add the rennet and stir gently. Cover the pan with a tea towel and leave it alone for an hour. It will set like a jelly - amazing! The 'jelly' is called curds.<br />
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Cut the curds into 1 inch cubes with a knife by making a grid pattern.</div>
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Leave it for another half an hour to settle. The curds will come away from the watery whey and you will feel like a genius!</div>
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Next, bring the entire mixture up to 38C over a gentle heat over a period of about half an hour.</div>
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The next step is to scoop the curds into a perforated container such as a sieve lined with muslin. Make sure you have another container underneath to collect the whey. At this point, add any herbs you want to use, sprinkling them in as you go, along with some salt.<br />
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Leave it all to drain for about an hour (longer won't hurt).<br />
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Now you will need to poach the curds. Heat the whey to 85C in a large saucepan or deep frying pan. Add 1 tablespoon of salt.<br />
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Turn the curds out and cut them into slices about 2in thick (please don't measure them though - it isn't that critical).<br />
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Once the whey is at 85C, add the curd slices and watch and wait. When they rise to the top of the liquid, they are ready. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them back into your draining container (sieve). At this stage, I use a plastic takeaway tray into which we have poked some drainage holes because it is rectangular and so it creates a block of halloumi that is easier to slice.<br />
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It will feel very wobbly at this stage but it will firm up as it cools down. Make sure you pack the soft cheese in and squash it down a bit.<br />
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Once cool and firm, it is ready to cook.<br />
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Put a little oil in to a hot pan and fry slices of the cheese for a couple of minutes on each side until it is brown. Alternatively, cook it over a hot griddle pan or a BBQ. Sometimes, if I can be bothered, I lightly coat the cheese slices in seasoned flour before frying them as this makes them a little crispier, giving you both crunch and squeak in each mouthful!<br />
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<b>Brining the Cheese</b><br />
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If you want your cheese to last for longer, you will need to brine it. It will then keep for about a month in the fridge. Just add the 1/2L of the whey to 1/2 L of boiling water and 100g salt. Stir to make sure the salt has dissolved and then leave to cool. Pour the cooled brine over the cheese and keep it immersed in an airtight container in the fridge.<br />
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Best served with a large glass of chilled white wine!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-79864832169640348472015-09-02T10:49:00.000+01:002015-09-04T10:36:13.842+01:00Bon-fire Cooking System - The Mobile Bonfire!<b>My New Toy!!</b><br />
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In June I finally got around to spending some money I had been given for my birthday the previous November by my very generous in-laws and my sister-in-law who lives in Jakarta and has no time for shopping but always sends much more money than she should to make up for it!<br />
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I nearly spent the money in February on a wood fired camping stove but, for a variety of reasons, decided against it at the last minute. Since then I have pondered other options.<br />
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I should say, at this point, that my desire to acquire camping stoves, BBQ's and other food-related paraphernalia is something of a standing joke in our house. My husband doesn't appreciate why we need so many cooking options but then I don't fully understand why he needs so many golf clubs!<br />
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We have been finding an increasing number of campsites that allow either campfires or firepits in recent years and, whenever we could, we have taken advantage of this and very much enjoyed the social experience of sitting around a fire and also the 'back to basics' element of cooking over one.<br />
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So, I decided it would be nice to have a firepit of our own to play with. A quick Google search reveals that there are very many different types of firepit available to purchase online. Many are intended to be used at home but a few are portable enough to be considered by campers.<br />
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I knew I wanted a portable firepit that I could use with a grill on top as a BBQ and I also wanted to be able to use it with a tripod from which I could hang a cooking pot and a kettle. I wanted something well made so that it would last many years but it was very important that the whole lot was easy to transport.<br />
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After doing my research, reading lots of reviews and talking to one or two owners, I settled on the Danish made Bon-fire Cooking Set. There are various UK suppliers who offer different combinations of parts at various prices so, if you are interested, it is important to think carefully about what accessories you might want and then shop around for the best deal available.<br />
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I bought a raised firepit, a 175cm tripod with hanging chains and grill, a solid hanging 'frying pan' for cooking smaller items that might slip through a grill or for frying something like an egg, a 6 litre cooking pot that hangs from the tripod and, finally, a kettle that can either be hung from the tripod or placed directly onto the grill.<br />
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So, what are the advantages of the Bon-fire cooking system:-<br />
<ul>
<li>It is really solid and well made</li>
<li>The tripod breaks down into shorter lengths to make storage easier</li>
<li>The various parts mean you can build a set, over time if you prefer, that will meet your specific needs. You don't have to buy something you don't want simply because it forms part of a set.</li>
<li>It is really fun and sociable to use - far more so than a gas stove! You never see campers sitting around their Campingaz stove, strumming a guitar and singing songs!</li>
<li>The different accessories make it a very versatile cooking set - you can fry, grill, make curries and casseroles and even boil water. You can even buy a popcorn accessory!</li>
<li>The height of the grill, cooking pot and kettle above the flames can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the chains, giving greater control over cooking temperatures.</li>
<li>The tripod can be used independently (i.e without the firepit) over a campfire if preferred.</li>
<li>Most campsites (even those that do not allow campfires) are happy for you to use a raised firepit because they do not cause any damage to the grass and the fire is contained.</li>
<li>Protective covers/carry bags can be bought separately for most of the pieces.</li>
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And the disadvantages:-</div>
<ul>
<li>It isn't cheap but it will last.</li>
<li>The raised firepit is a perfect height for cooking but the legs are fiddly to fit. Some sort of integrated, folding leg would be an improvement.</li>
<li>It is fairly large - definitely not for backpackers!</li>
<li>The manufacturers do not make a carry bag for the 175cm tripod, only for the 140cm tripod. Had I realised this I may well have gone for the smaller one because a carry bag would be very useful. I have emailed the Danish owners to ask about this and they replied very promptly, in perfect English, that they would look into it - so I am keeping my fingers crossed!</li>
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I am delighted with my set and I am looking forward to using it more and getting better at controlling the fire and the temperature. There is no doubt that, just like cooking on a charcoal BBQ, it is a skill that takes practice to learn. That having been said I managed to cook a whole piece of sirloin of beef on my first attempt and it was delicious! The important thing is to be aware of the heat and move things around if they are cooking too fast. It is also a good idea to have a hotter part and a cooler part of the fire. This is easily achieved by having more or less charcoal or wood in one area of the firepit. That way you can give a piece of meat an initial sear over high temperature before moving it to the side where it is cooler to finish cooking more slowly.<br />
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As with all open fires, it goes without saying that you should keep children and animals away from them and always keep a bucket of water close by just in case. The very first time we used ours we were all sitting around the roaring fire, the stars were twinkling above us and we were sipping hot chocolate and thinking that life doesn't get any better than this when we became aware of a truly unpleasant smell. In the darkness, the chubby brown spaniel had crept under the firepit which was just the right height above the ground for her! She was apparently oblivious to the smell of singed fur but the rest of us were not! You have been warned...!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-2624493935287258342015-08-30T08:32:00.000+01:002015-08-30T08:32:00.516+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 8 & 9<b>The Town of Annecy</b><br />
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As we drove around the shores of lake Annecy the day before to get to our campsite, our first impressions were that it felt very different to lake Thunersee. Firstly, it lacked the 'real' mountains of Switzerland and also felt busier, more cosmopolitan, more developed. None of these were complaints, just observations. Lake Annecy is beautiful and very popular with tourists from all over Europe and rightly so.<br />
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Annecy is an alpine town in the Rhone-Alps region in Southeastern France, where the river Thiou meets Lac d'Annecy on its' northern tip. It is 22 miles south of Geneva. It is known for its Vieille Ville, or old town, with cobbled streets, winding canals and pastel-painted houses swathed in geraniums. Overlooking the city, the mediaeval turreted Chateau d'Annecy, once home to the counts of Geneva, now contains a museum.<br />
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The lake is brilliantly turquoise, overlooked by wooded mountains. With such a breathtaking backdrop it is hardly surprising that everyone seems to be outdoors - sitting in pavement cafes, mountain-gazing along the lake shore, swimming in the lake or cycling around it.<br />
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We woke on our first full day to glorious sunshine and what promised to be a lovely day. I shuffled off to get some baguettes and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast of French bread, meats and cheeses outside in the morning sunshine.<br />
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We had decided to go into Annecy to explore the mediaeval streets and waterways that make up the historic old town area. We had two options for transport. A short walk back to the main road to the bus stop where buses went hourly into Annecy of hire a bike from the campsite and use the traffic free cycle path that goes all around the lake. Unfortunately, we had left it a little too late to hire a bike that day so we set off for the bus stop. If we had been staying for longer than three nights in this region we would have bought our bikes with us because the opportunities for cycling are great and it is clearly very popular. As well as the cycle path around the lake there are many trails up in the hills and forest areas to explore.<br />
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The bus took us on the 15 minute journey into the old town of Annecy. It turned out to be market day so the little cobbled streets were even busier than usual, crammed with stalls selling fresh produce, cheeses, meats, fresh seafood, artisan breads, that looked amazing.<br />
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The old town is full of lovely little shops and restaurants, all with outdoor seating, protected from the fierce sun by colourful umbrellas and canopies. We had wonderful savoury crepes for lunch at one of these pavement cafes.<br />
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We managed to spend the whole day wondering round, dipping in and out of shops, exploring the waterfront area and eating wonderful French ice creams. The lake was busy with boat trips, small pleasure boats, swimmers, paddle boarders, windsurfers and little sailing dinghies. We could have spent hours just sitting watching all of the activity.<br />
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After a hot day exploring, we happily boarded the bus and went back to the campsite for a cooling swim in the lake before a BBQ, too much wine, some rather competitive rounds of 'Grab a Pig' and bed!<br />
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What a difference a day makes.......!<br />
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We woke the following morning to some very unwelcome and heavy rain. A quick chat with the campsite staff confirmed that it was likely to stay for most of the day. Not too surprisingly, that meant that there were some bikes available to hire. Somewhat more surprising was the fact that my lovely husband decided to hire them! So that is how we found ourselves a little while later pedalling along a fairly deserted cycle path through puddles with rain plastering our hair to our heads and thinking that there must be other ways to pass the time on wet days!<br />
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The cycle path really does hug the lake shore and it is almost entirely flat which is great if you lack any physical fitness or stamina. The views all along are wonderful and there are lots of little cafes to stop at if you need re-fuelling. It was about 6 miles from the campsite to the centre of Annecy. I can't pretend that it wouldn't have been nicer in the sunshine but I have to say that we all really enjoyed our very wet ride.<br />
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By the time we reached the town the rain had eased and we spent a few hours wandering the streets again. With the market gone the town had a completely different feel to it too. It rained on and off while we were there but, as we set off to cycle back the heavens really did open and the journey home was something of a feat of endurance. Nothing that a mug of hot chocolate couldn't put right though!<br />
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We liked Annecy and the immediate area and wished we were staying a bit longer. It has certainly left us feeling that we may visit this beautiful region of France again one day.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-70364024802832284482015-08-27T08:31:00.000+01:002015-08-27T08:31:00.293+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 7<b>The Drive From Interlaken to Annecy</b><br />
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Day 7 dawned and the sun was shining on us. It had rained for most of the day before and intermittently during the night so our day shelter that we use for cooking, eating and keeping dry if necessary was wet. Fortunately things warmed up quite quickly and we were able to pack up quickly to get on the road by 8.30am.<br />
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Our journey to the next site was 160 miles through some stunning scenery. Briefly, the route took us from Interlaken to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. From here we continued south-west to Lausanne and then followed the edge of Lake Geneva and the Jura National Park for most of the way into Geneva. At Geneva we turned due south and continued over the Swiss border into France and down to Annecy. We took the journey slowly, stopped a couple of times for a break and arrived at our campsite early afternoon.<br />
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We had chosen to stay at the <a href="http://www.campinglesolitaire.com/en/home.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Solitaire du Lac Campsite</a> just outside St Jorioz. St Jorioz is about 6 miles from the town of Annecy and is located on the lake shore. I had chosen this site after doing a lot of research on the internet. It was one of a very few sites that provided direct access to the lake for swimming and boat launching which was something we wanted. It also had direct access to the traffic-free cycle path that goes all of the way around the lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Entrance to Solitaire du Lac</td></tr>
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The site was full during our stay and initial impressions were that everything was a bit squashed in. Having said that, our pitch was more than adequate (the pitch was allocated to us with no option to choose one when we booked). It had good shade from mature trees and was clearly marked out. We also had an electric hook-up. The whole site is on level ground which makes pitching very simple.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitches arranged between trees for shade</td></tr>
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The Reception also serves as a little shop which was open until 9pm each night and sold soft drinks, wine and beer, ice creams, sweets and, in the morning, bread and pastries. There was a supermarket about 5 minutes drive away too.<br />
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Takeaway food is also offered every evening by a lovely man who cooks homemade pizzas from a converted Citroen van. They were made to order and were very good.<br />
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Solitaire du Lac offered free WiFi in the vicinity of the Reception if required.<br />
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The pitches are located about 100m from the lake edge. The site owners have kept the area immediately adjacent to the lake as a grassy area for ball games, sun-bathing and so on. There was a small children's play area here but it looked as though it could do with some repair.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Play area with the lake just visible through the trees</td></tr>
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Lake Annecy itself is beautiful. The campsite has a couple of 'beach' areas providing easy access to the water for swimming or boating. The lake bottom is sandy and it is shallow for quite a long way out, making it ideal for children.<br />
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The temperature was in the early 30's by the time we had pitched up so we went off for a dip - very nice it was too!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the 'beach' areas</td></tr>
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We liked this site because of it's location (and pizzas!) but we did find it to be a bit cramped and we were not too keen on the toilet/shower arrangements which were completely uni-sex. Also, and it is a small point, the toilet cubicles did not have their own supply of toilet paper. Instead there were dispensers located at the entrances so you had to estimate the quantity of paper you required in advance! Towards the end of the day the dispensers often ran out and were not re-filled until the morning, meaning you also needed to take your own supply with you just in case. Maybe I am just being picky.<br />
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The toilet/shower block was large and also provided several clothes washing sinks, a covered area for washing dishes, a laundry room and disabled facilities. Adjacent to the block was a motorhome service point for water and taps for drinking water too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of the campsite</td></tr>
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After a BBQ, some wine and a few rounds of Bananagrams we were ready to retire for the night with plans to head off into Annecy the next day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-75770442978759904842015-08-24T12:39:00.000+01:002015-08-25T11:07:07.120+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 6<b>A Trip Around Lake Thunersee to Spiez</b><br />
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On our last full day in Switzerland we decided to make use of our free travel pass and head into the town of Interlaken (literally meaning 'between lakes' because on one side is Lake Thunersee and on the other side of town is Lake Brienzersee).<br />
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With the option of a free bus or a free boat trip, we chose the latter and headed off to the little jetty situated in the grounds of the adjoining <a href="http://www.hotel-neuhaus.ch/?langue=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hotel Neuhaus</a>.<br />
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The boats run hourly from here and the trip into Interlaken takes about 30 minutes. Passengers using their free travel pass into Interlaken sit downstairs while paying passengers travelling around the lake are allowed upstairs into first class. We hadn't realised this and attempted to go upstairs for the better views - we only made it to stair 5 before we were politely intercepted!<br />
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The boat takes you into Interlaken right next to the train station. From here we traveled by double-decker train to the town of Spiez, a journey around the lake of about half an hour. For most of the trip the railway line follows the lake giving wonderful views.<br />
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Nestled between hills and vineyards and dominated by a magnificent castle, Spiez is a lovely destination. Above the lake the Niederhorn Range stretches as far as the Bernese Alps and forms a beauftiful panorama.<br />
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Spiez offers an outdoor pool and lake swimming cove. You can take a cruise on Lake Thunersee from the little harbour or, as we did, just stroll along the lake promenade. There are also no shortage of hiking and biking trails for the more energetic, fishing, windsurfing and sailing are also all available.<br />
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The station in Spiez is set up on a hill outside of the old town and harbour areas so it does involve a pleasant walk down and a rather less pleasant walk back up again!<br />
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The town is situated on the lake with a very pretty harbour surrounded by restaurants with flower-decked terraces. The very attractive, small, mediaeval castle with a thousand year old castle-church is open to the public.<br />
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The harbour area was bustling with activity and is a great place for watching the comings and goings of little boats. The lake really does dominate this area of Switzerland and it well used by both individuals and the big lake steamers for transporting people from one town or village to another.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The weather was kind to us and we returned to Manor Farm Camping ready for our last dip in the lake before our journey the next day to Annecy in France.....</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-2878237066353553842015-08-22T10:29:00.000+01:002015-08-22T10:29:01.621+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 5<b>Day 5 - To the Top of Europe!</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the Ice Palace</td></tr>
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OK, so this was the big one, this was the main reason I wanted to go back to Switzerland. The town of Interlaken is dominated by three mountains, the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau. The Jungfrau is the highest of them all and it can be accessed by a funicular railway that passes through a 4 mile tunnel carved through the Monch and the north face of the Eiger.<br />
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There is no doubt about it, this is an expensive trip. This is the reason that we had to watch the weather forecast like hawks and get up at the crack of dawn on our chosen day to make the most of our day to justify the cost.<br />
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Our journey began by bus from our campsite. This was the only part of the trip that was entirely free! We caught an early bus into Interlaken where we caught the first train from Interlaken Ost and journeyed to Lauterbrunnen. The journey was very pretty as we climbed up through the Lauterbrunnen Valley with mountains on both sides to a height of 2,686 ft. From Lauterbrunnen we boarded another train that took us up to Kleine Scheidegg, at 6,770ft. The train passes through the attractive village of Wengen before reaching its' destination. At Kleine Scheidegg we swapped trains again for the incredible ride up inside the mountains to the top of the Jungfrau. Despite the exorbitant price of the tickets there is no guarantee of a seat on the train. When we went it was very busy and we had to stand for the final 45 minute ride in fairly cramped conditions. In recognition of our suffering, the Swiss ticket collector gave us a voucher for a free cup of tea!!<br />
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The final train ride takes about 45 minutes, passing through the Monch and the Eiger. It stops twice inside the Eiger for passengers to get off and take photographs from vast viewing windows that are set inside the north face of the Eiger. The views over the glacier are breathtaking. The station inside the Eiger was completed in 1903 but it wasn't until 1938 that the North face of the Eiger was finally conquered.<br />
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The train finally arrives at the Jungfraujoch Station at a height of 11,333ft. There is a complete underground complex here with restaurants, an ice palace, a museum tour with information about the creation of the railway and an outside ski, toboggan and zip-wire area. There is also an opportunity to visit the highest Lindt chocolate shop in the world if you feel so inclined! Once you are at the top you can go out onto the snow-covered plateau for wonderful views over the mountains.<br />
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The only thing left to do after all of this is to take the lift to the Sphinx (11,723ft) for the highest panoramic view of the surrounding lakes and mountains. This really is the top of Europe. If you are bothered by heights you will struggle with this bit but the rest of the trip is fine. My husband decided to sit this part out! I gave it a go and I was fine for the most part. The only section I had to concede defeat on was the walkway that goes around the outside of the Sphinx. It is made of open mesh grating bolted to the sheer rock face and it moves as you walk around it! I made it half way round before my legs stopped working!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sphinx viewing tower just visible</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the walkway of terror on the right hand side of the picture!</td></tr>
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The children loved the outside 'play area' where, for a small additional cost, they could toboggan, ski and go on the highest zip-wire in Europe. My daughter opted for the zip-wire and my son kept his feet firmly on the ground with a bit of tobogganing. We sat in the sunshine and watched!<br />
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We all enjoyed the ice palace - everything apart from the handrails (which are there to stop you breaking your neck as you walk around) is carved from ice and it is all very beautiful.<br />
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The total journey time for the return trip, allowing time to visit all there is to see and do at the top, is around 6-7 hours. It is a long and tiring day but one that you will never forget.<br />
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All of the guide books tell you to take warm clothing, sun cream, hat, scarf and gloves. Having said that the teenage boy spent the day in shorts and a t-shirt and complained of being too hot! To that list I would add camera (obviously) and binoculars if you own any. I would also add painkillers - the altitude may not agree with you (it didn't agree with me and I spent the rest of the evening with a splitting headache). You may also want to take some food and drink with you for a picnic in the snow.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-20541892527951553412015-08-18T10:38:00.000+01:002015-08-18T10:38:00.532+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 3 & 4<strong>Day 3 & 4 - Pottering Around</strong> <strong>Manor Farm Camping</strong><br />
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We spent the next two days familiarising ourselves with the campsite, stocking up on some food for the week to come, swimming in the lake, reading, messing around with the inflatable canoe and generally relaxing.<br />
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The first thing to say about Switzerland is that it is expensive! We knew this and were prepared for it but it still took us by surprise just how expensive everything was. A pizza in the on-site restaurant (and it was a very nice pizza) was around £18.00! A bottle of wine that might be £5.00 at home will cost you about £10.00. Don't let that put you off visiting this beautiful country but do go prepared for it. I took quite a lot of (non-perishable) food with me and for the first few nights we ate very simply but cheaply (and it gave me an excuse to do an M&S shop before we left!)<br />
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During our stay we did treat ourselves to a meal at the Landhaus Restaurant on the campsite. The restaurant is typically Swiss in appearance but the food was predominantly Italian. We just had pizzas and they were very good. In warm weather there is a lovely terrace to sit on and look out over the lake too.<br />
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When we arrived at the campsite we were told that the weather in the previous fortnight had been glorious - very high temperatures and not a hint of rain. With a wry smile the nice man in reception told us that was all about to change! The weather we experienced for the 7 days we were there was, we were told, much more typical of this mountainous region - warm sunny mornings followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening. The advice we were given was to get up early and visit the sights in the morning - this went down well with the teenagers as you might imagine!<br />
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As part of the tourist tax that you pay when you stay in Switzerland (this is incorporated into your campsite or hotel price) you receive a free travel pass for the immediate area. For us, this meant that travel by bus or boat into Interlaken, the nearest town, was completely free. Before we left home we had read that most Swiss people use public transport and leave their cars at home because the transport system is so well integrated and this was our experience too. Unlike in the UK, the bus, boat, train, cable car and funicular railway timetables are coordinated to make your journey quicker and easier. We didn't need to move the van from our pitch during our stay which was great.<br />
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Manor Farm Camping provided us with everything we wanted for our first two days in Switzerland. We all enjoyed the crazy golf (especially as we had never seen a 37 hole version before) and we spent a lot of time either swimming in the lake or paddling around in our kayak. We had decided against trying to transport our sit-on-top kayaks so we took the inflatable <a href="http://www.sevylor-europe.com/UK/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sevylor kayak</a> instead to save space and weight. The Sevylor is only intended for two people but most of the time one of us straddled the back of the kayak while the fourth person was towed behind! Needless to say, progress was slow! This was the first time we had used the inflatable although we had blown it up at home to make sure we didn't look like idiots on the site. The kayak inflates very quickly and easily with a hand pump and is really very easy to paddle.<br />
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It was a shame we had rain on most days and I was very glad that we had a selection of campervan games to play. Our favourites are Grab a Pig (a ridiculously silly game that is even funnier if the adult players have been drinking!), Bananagrams (like Scrabble but without the tedium of waiting for someone else to go) and card games (we never go anywhere without a pack of cards).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our favourite rainy day campervan games</td></tr>
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After two days of relaxation we felt ready to see some sights. The one I had been looking forward to most (and the main reason we had chosen Switzerland as a destination in the first place) was the climb, by mountain railway to the top of the Jungfrau mountain, via a 4 mile tunnel through the north face of the Eiger, by mountain railway...........Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-159747777890626532015-08-14T09:43:00.000+01:002015-08-14T09:43:00.668+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 2<b>DAY 2 - Reims, France to Interlaken, Switzerland</b><br />
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The sun shone for us, a hot shower and breakfast set us up nicely for another day of driving, and we were ready to drive from the fairly flat countryside of this part of France into the alpine landscape of the Bernese Oberland.<br />
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We had roughly 380 miles to do but our reward was to be a lakeside pitch in the shadow of the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau mountains at <a href="http://www.manorfarm.ch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Manor Farm Camping</a> in Interlaken. <br />
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I stayed at this site as a seven-year-old (which was quite a long time ago!) so it was partly for sentimental reasons that I booked it this time. I remember thinking Switzerland was the most beautiful place I had ever seen (to be fair I didn't get out much as a seven year old) and I wanted my kids to experience it too.<br />
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We had a pretty good journey through the flat, Champagne producing areas of France, across the border into Switzerland. We had pre-purchased a Swiss vignette for 40 Swiss Francs (they don't have the Euro in Switzerland) which allowed us to drive straight through the border without stopping. The vignette is required for driving on all class 1 & 2 roads throughout Switzerland. It is valid for 1 year and has to be displayed on the windscreen of your vehicle. We were glad we had bought one in advance because all of the vehicles without one were directed into a very long queue to buy one!<br />
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We arrived at Manor Farm Camping around 4pm and were welcomed, in perfect English, by a very helpful member of the reception team who provided us with a lot of information and also 4 free passes for local public transport, by bus or boat, into Interlaken.<br />
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Manor Farm Camping is located on the shores of Lake Thunersee. One half of the campsite in on the lake side of the road that runs all around the lake. The other half of the site is located away from the lake but access can be gained to all of the facilities and the lake shore via an underpass, making it safe for children.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach & lake at Manor Farm Camping</td></tr>
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The site has a very well run shop that remains open until 9pm every night. The toilet and shower facilities were superb and cleaned regularly and there is also a lovely restaurant, the Landhaus, specialising in Italian food, on-site. Their pizzas were to die for! There is also a lovely 37 hole (!) crazy golf on site.<br />
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Like a lot of continental campsites, the pitches can be a little on the small side and also fairly higgledy-piggledy. Having said that, our pitch was more than generous and we were very pleased with our choice. Booking some way in advance does mean that you have a choice of pitches. I did it all by email and was sent a map of the site and a list of available pitches. We chose one very close to the lake shore with a small inlet behind the pitch, allowing for easy launching of our inflatable canoe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our pitch and our own private canoe launch!</td></tr>
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The situation on the lake is what really makes this campsite special in this area. The lake bed is gravel and the water was perfect for swimming. Many campers spent their whole holiday pottering about in or on the water. Quite a few campers had bought some very impressive looking inflatable dinghies with outboard motors with them to play with too.<br />
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So, we pitched-up, changed for swimming and went straight in to the water to cool down after our long drive.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Thunersee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling off after a long and very hot drive!</td></tr>
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Later, as the sun went down, we opened a bottle of wine and sat on the lake shore before heading back to the van for supper and our first night in it on foreign soil, dreaming of adventures to come!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-18255761420440063152015-08-13T09:45:00.003+01:002015-08-13T09:45:22.856+01:00Masons Farm Campsite in North Yorkshire<b>A Post-GCSE Road Trip</b><br />
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I actually thought long and hard about whether to bother writing this review (and according to the man I married I rarely think like that about anything!) because there have been so many reviews about this particular site that yet another one might become a little tedious. However, since it was one of the nicest sites we have ever stayed on in a truly beautiful part of the country, I decided to go for it.<br />
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My son finished his GCSE's this summer and was rewarded with 10 weeks off school! As my daughter was still in school for 4 of these weeks, my son and I decided to take a little road trip up north, accompanied by the fat brown spaniel.<br />
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<a href="http://www.masonscampsite.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Masons Farm Campsite</a> is situated in Appletreewick in the Yorkshire Dales. The nearest town of any significance is Grassington if you are struggling to find it on the map. It is also very close to the little village of Rylstone, where the original 'Calender Girls' stripped off for their famous alternative Women's Institute calender.<br />
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I had been aware of the campsite for quite some time because it has been so thoroughly reviewed by other well-published camping writers and on many camping websites. Thanks to all of these reviews, we knew we were in for a treat. What we weren't prepared for was just how much of a treat it would be.<br />
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Due to its' popularity you do have to book well in advance during the main season. I had left it rather late because I was watching the weather forecast and, as a result, was only able to book for two of the four nights we wanted. My forecast-watching did pay off though because we had glorious weather while we were there in late June.<br />
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The site is easy to find, my sat-nav took us straight there. It is located in the tiny hamlet of Appletreewick on the banks of the river Wharfe. The camping field is completely flat and surrounded by dry-stone walling. There are electric hook-ups available to those that want them. It is a simple site but this does not mean basic. The toilet and shower facilities are housed in a converted outbuilding and are warm, clean and more than adequate. You are even entertained throughout your ablutions by piped in birdsong (it took teenage boy the whole two days we were there to work out that it wasn't real birdsong - doesn't bode well for the GCSE results!!) The campsite Reception is housed in a converted Airstream caravan which is also home to a surprisingly well-stocked little shop.<br />
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Masons Farm allow the use of firepits BUT, and it is a big but, you are not allowed to take your own! Apparently the Yorkshire Dales National Park authorities will only permit the use of firepits of a certain design so this means hiring one from the campsite. I only mention this so that you don't make the mistake I did and take up valuable packing space with an enormous firepit that you won't be allowed to use when you get there!<br />
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The site has branched out into the glamping business and they have a small number of yurts, a couple of vintage campervans and an Airstream caravan for hire. Sadly, but perhaps understandably, these units have been given the prime spots alongside the river. A minor detail though and not one to spoil your stay here.<br />
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A short walk away from the site are two very nice looking Yorkshire pubs that both serve food, the <a href="http://www.craven-cruckbarn.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Craven Arms</a> and <a href="http://www.the-new-inn-appletreewick.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The New Inn</a>. We didn't eat at either on this visit because we were too busy playing with our huge firepit that I was determined to get value for money from. Both pubs looked very inviting though and it is good to have another option if you don't want to cook or the weather turns and you fancy a roaring log fire and someone else's culinary efforts.<br />
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This section of the river Wharfe is lovely and relatively shallow, making it great fun for kids to play in safely. There is a little island they can wade out to too. It really is like something from an Enid Blyton story.<br />
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We walked from the campsite, along the river, into nearby Burnsall. This is a short walk that mainly follows the river with the occasional short deviation through some fields with livestock. Here you will find a lovely riverside pub, the <a href="http://www.redlion.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Red Lion</a>, a couple of tea rooms and a little shop. The walk continues into Grassington but we were distracted by the cheesy chips and home-pressed orange juice at the pub and stayed longer than we planned, meaning we only had time to waddle back to the campsite.<br />
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As you approach the village the footpath widens out beside the river to a very large grassy picnic area. There are toilets and a wide shingle 'beach'. Children were playing in the river in inflatable dinghies and fishing with nets. On a nice day it would be a lovely place to spend time.<br />
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We really enjoyed our short stay in this part of Yorkshire and we will definitely return in the near future because there is so much to see and do here.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-7791517974874495522015-08-10T09:45:00.000+01:002015-08-10T09:45:06.267+01:00Our First European Road Trip - Day 1<b>DAY 1 - Gloucestershire to Reims, France</b><br />
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We have been planning our very first European road trip in Denzel for some time now and departure day finally dawned. Having spent a full two days packing and loading (and re-loading) the van we were ready to set off. There is no doubt about it, the prospect of 18 days away from home in a VW campervan with four people really does focus your mind on what is really essential equipment and what is not.<br />
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Our plan was to spend two days driving through France into Switzerland where we would be staying in the Bernese Oberland region, just outside Interlaken. We had 6 nights there before heading off back in to France to Lake Annecy for a further 3 nights. After this we were bound for St Simeon, a small village about 20 miles from Paris, where we were booked in to a cottage for 7 nights. This might sound like 'cheating', but we decided to treat ourselves to an extra level of comfort at the end of our holiday in case we weren't talking to each other by then.<br />
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With some sadness, we made the decision to leave Milly the chubby brown spaniel behind for this adventure. Throughout the holiday, however, we were surprised by the number of British campers who had taken their dogs with them. Certainly the regulations around pet passports were eased in 2014 so we might consider it another time.<br />
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Our total journey time from home to Reims was around 10 hours but not all of this was driving. We left home at 7.15am and made the Eurotunnel terminal by 11.00am having had one short stop for chocolate and toilets (not in that order!). We had hoped we might be able to board an earlier train as ours was not departing until 1.10pm but we were out of luck. My daughter was delighted as this gave her two hours of browsing time in the duty-free shop - my son showed considerable less enthusiasm for this unexpected development.<br />
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Passage through the tunnel was straightforward and very efficient. We had completed the advance check-in on-line so the whole process took under 5 minutes when we arrived at the terminal. As we were in the van we went into the carriages with all the other campervans, motorhomes and coaches. The journey time through the tunnel is 30 minutes during which you can get out and stretch your legs and use the toilet (although judging from my daughters description of the toilet you might prefer to use the ones in the terminal building before you leave).<br />
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If you have never driven in Europe before and are perhaps a little anxious about the prospect I would say don't be. The French motorways are quiet (probably due to the cost of the tolls) and well sign-posted. A sat-nav equipped for Europe really helps as does having a front seat passenger because the toll machines are on the 'wrong side' for right-hand drive vehicles. All of the French towns we drove through were quiet too so the driving really wasn't stressful at all (having said that I wouldn't want to drive through the middle of Paris!)<br />
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So, we arrived in Calais at 2.40pm French time and set off for Reims where we were booked into a <a href="http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-0428-novotel-reims-tinqueux/index.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Novotel</a> for the night. We had given serious thought to a campsite for one night but decided against it as we did not want to completely unload the van just for one night.<br />
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The trip to Reims was very straightforward and uneventful. For the best part of 145 miles we were on one road, the A26, only turning off about 2 miles from our hotel. This section of our journey did cost us €32.50 in tolls though! So although it was a lovely fast road it came at a price. We stopped at one of the roadside 'Aires' to use the toilet and have a late picnic lunch. This is one aspect of driving in France that we really appreciate and wish that us Brits would replicate. Their roads are dotted with regular 'Aires'. Some are well equipped with a shop, cafe, petrol station and so on, but many are just parking areas with toilet facilities and picnic benches set amongst the trees. You might find a small children's play area too. They are free to use, the toilets are usually very clean and they are great for a quick pit stop.<br />
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We arrived at the <a href="http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-0428-novotel-reims-tinqueux/index.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Novotel</a> outside Reims just before 6pm. I had found this hotel on TripAdvisor and it was apparent that it was used by a lot of Brits as a stop-over after a day of journeying from the channel ports. We paid €125 for four of us and this included a breakfast. I have to say that the hotel did not disappoint. It was easy to find, clean, bright and friendly. The rooms were a good size with nice en-suite facilities. The restaurant was excellent and fairly reasonably priced although there were several other eating options within easy walking distance to cater for all tastes and budgets. But the highlight was discovering a lovely terrace, positioned to catch the evening sun, complete with an outdoor swimming pool and surrounded by a vast grassy area with table tennis, two boules areas and a small play area for little ones - very unexpected. The rooms were comfortable and we slept like logs. Breakfast was buffet-style and was very good indeed. Overall, we felt ready for another long drive to reach our first campsite........<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-74104355055975860012015-06-27T15:35:00.000+01:002015-06-27T15:35:00.104+01:00Marinated Rump Steak - Another BBQ spectacular<br />
<strong>STEAK SLICE WITH GARLIC, LEMON AND THYME</strong><br />
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This wonderful, straightforward recipe comes from Nigella Lawson. It is one I have used on many occasions, both at home and when camping, because it is incredibly simple, very quick to prepare and it always tastes amazing.<br />
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Unlike most other BBQ recipes that require you to marinate the meat in advance, this recipe calls for the just-cooked meat to be placed into a marinade while it rests. Somehow the hot meat seems to absorb more of the flavour this way.<br />
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If you make it away from home, the marinade can be made in advance and taken with you in a screw top jar to make it even easier. Having said that, it will only take about 5 minutes to put together wherever you are.<br />
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The only things you will need with you are a sharp knife, a chopping board and a BBQ or griddle pan.<br />
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The recipe serves 2-4 depending on how hungry/greedy you are, what else you are having with it and whether you own a rather demanding, fat brown spaniel!<br />
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<strong>INGREDIENTS</strong><br />
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1 x 2.5cm thick piece of rump steak (about 600g)<br />
5 stalks of thyme<br />
2 cloves of garlic<br />
80ml extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil<br />
Zest and juice of half a lemon<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
Pepper<br />
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<strong>METHOD</strong><br />
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Light your BBQ or pre-heat a ridged griddle pan over your camping stove (or your hob at home).<br />
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Remove the fat from around the edge of the steak and brush with oil to help prevent it from sticking.<br />
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Slap the steak on the BBQ/Griddle pan and cook it for 3 minutes on each side. If you want to be cheffy you can then rotate it through 90 degrees and give it another minute on each side to get lovely criss-cross griddle marks. Try not to over-cook it because it will continue to cook as it rests in the marinade.<br />
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While the steak is cooking, mix the oil and lemon juice together. Bash up the garlic and the thyme a little with whatever you have to hand and add them to the oil and lemon mixture along with the salt and some pepper.<br />
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Put this marinade mix into a shallow dish that is large enough to fit the steak once it is cooked.<br />
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After cooking, add the steak to the marinade and leave it for 4 minutes before turning it over for another four.<br />
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Remove it from the marinade (by which time it will be beautifully rested) and slice it thinly on the diagonal.<br />
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We like to eat this as it is with new potatoes and salad or stuffed into a nice crusty baguette with anything else that takes your fancy (salad, fried onions, horseradish sauce etc) alongside a nice glass of wine.<br />
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In the photo below my steak was thinner than the recipe states. Unfortunately I had already consumed a couple of glasses of wine after a very hot day on the beach and I forgot to take that into account and cooked it for too long. Not surprisingly, it was overdone (although the rotund spaniel didn't seem to mind!)<br />
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Happy days!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-61305049245152517442015-06-20T16:22:00.000+01:002015-06-20T16:22:00.048+01:00A Day Trip to Brean Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our nearest bit of coastline that has anything even vaguely approaching a sandy beach is to be found on the North Somerset coast between Weston-Super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. These towns both offer a fairly traditional British seaside experience of amusement arcades, donkey rides, candy floss and fish and chips by the sea (all of which my kids love!)<br />
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However, if we just fancy a day by the sea, a stretch of sandy beach on which to play cricket or boules, throw a frisbee, fly a kite or build sandcastles and a spot of walking with some amazing views, then we head for Brean Down.<br />
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Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, standing 318 feet high and extending 1.5 miles into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. On the Burnham-on-Sea side of the promontory is Brean Down beach. It is owned and managed by the <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brean-down/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Trust</a>.<br />
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If you choose to make the climb to the top of Brean Down the path is an obvious set of zig-zagging steps all the way to the top. This is the quickest route but the steepest. If you have pushchairs, bikes or mobility scooters there is also a wide, fairly steep Tarmac path all the way to the top.<br />
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Once on the top, the path forms a loop all around the promontory and a full circuit will take about two hours at a leisurely speed.<br />
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There are examples of Brean’s military past all over the down. This gun platform is one example of the important part Brean Down has played in defending the Bristol Channel over the years.</div>
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Palmerston Fort was built at the far end of the down to defend the country against a possible Napoleonic invasion. The fort is now a ruin, but you can still wander around the buildings and imagine what life must have been like living and working on the down.<br />
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In the Second World War, bomber planes practised flying around Brean and the Somerset coast.<br />
This large concrete arrow is on the top of the down. It used to be painted white and was used to direct planes to their practice ranges.<br />
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Soldiers trained on the six Lewis Guns mounted in gun emplacements here in the Second World War. They practised by shooting at targets in the bay at Weston-Super-Mare.<br />
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If military history isn't your thing you may be more interested in the flora and fauna on the down. The southern slopes of the down have three rare plants, they are the white rock rose, dwarf sedge and Somerset hair grass. In high summer, this almost unique vegetation community in Britain has an almost Mediterranean appearance.<br />
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In May, the north side of Brean Down is covered in a dazzling carpet of bluebells, which makes it a great time to visit and see this spectacular sight.<br />
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The slopes also play host to a herd of wild goats who seem quite at home on the steep cliffs, munching away on vegetation.<br />
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The down is also haven for bird watchers, so bring your binoculars. It's a sanctuary for breeding peregrine falcons. A link on the National Trust website will take you to an up-to-date list of bird sightings on the down.<br />
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The beach is mainly sand with some mud flats when the tide is right out. There are a few rock pools to investigate too. It is such a wide bay that it doesn't feel crowded at all and there is plenty of room for games.<br />
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There is ample parking here too. The National Trust have a car park that is free for members and operates a pay and display for non-members. There is also a private pay and display car park right at the far end of the road, adjacent to the cafes. However, one of the things we particularly like at Brean is that you can drive onto the beach and park right on the sand (for a fee). If you do this there is no need to lug vast amounts of picnic gear for what can seem like miles only to realise you have left the sandwiches behind!<br />
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There are two cafes, one National Trust and the other private, there are toilets and a National Trust gift shop that sells the usual beach toys and also some very nice ice cream!<br />
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<strong>DOG OWNERS PLEASE NOTE: According to a fairly small sign that you could easily miss they lose, on average, one dog a month over the cliffs - so please keep your dog on a lead if you make the climb to the top (the same goes for small children, obviously!)</strong><br />
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<strong>Getting There</strong><br />
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<strong>Address</strong>: Brean, North Somerset, TA8 2RS<br />
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<strong>OS Grid Ref</strong>: 182:ST290590<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0Brean, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset TA8, UK51.2931129 -3.010445699999991151.2533989 -3.0911266999999913 51.332826899999993 -2.9297646999999909tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-73514269484362061192015-06-12T16:22:00.000+01:002015-06-12T22:25:21.914+01:00Cheat's Frittata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This recipe came about after we over-indulged one night at the mobile fish and chip van that came visiting a site we were staying on. I was left with some chips that non of us could finish and I didn't want them to go to the barrel-shaped brown spaniel so I wrapped them and popped them in the cool box for the next day, thinking I might try to make something delicious for dinner (I get brilliant ideas like that after several glasses of wine!!)<br />
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The following evening the challenge was on to make a whole new meal out of my cold and rather unpromising looking chips. All I could think of was to try a frittata and I am pleased to report that it worked a treat. We all felt it was tastier than one made either from scratch or from left over boiled potatoes.<br />
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I tend to make mine fairly plain because we often serve it alongside something from the BBQ. If you want it to be more of a main meal you can always add other ingredients such a ham, bacon, vegetables on so on.<br />
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I can confirm that the Frittata passes the fat brown spaniel taste test too!<br />
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<strong>CHEAT'S FRITTATA RECIPE - Serves 4</strong><br />
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<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
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2 tbsp oil<br />
400g left-over chips, chopped into bite-size pieces<br />
4 eggs, beaten<br />
4 spring onions, chopped fairly finely<br />
25g Cheddar cheese, grated<br />
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<strong>Method</strong><br />
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Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with the oil and add the chips. Cook for a few minutes, turning to heat the chips through.<br />
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Whisk the eggs and add the spring onions and some seasoning.<br />
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Lower the heat under the chips and pour in the egg mix. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cook for around 8 minutes until the egg mix is almost set.<br />
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While this is happening, if you have a grill, light it and let it heat up. Pop the frittata under the grill to brown the top. This is more for appearance than taste so, if you don't have a grill, don't worry because it will still taste delicious.<br />
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Serve with tomato ketchup or brown sauce. Lovely with sausages for breakfast too!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-49049609078087581882015-06-06T07:45:00.000+01:002015-06-07T08:09:39.197+01:00A Visit to May Hill in Gloucestershire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you live in Gloucestershire or Herefordshire or travel regularly up and down the M5, you will be familiar with this distinctive hill with a clump of trees on the top that you can see everywhere – next time you are on the M5 heading north for Gloucester take a look to your left! You can't miss it.<br />
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We have lived in The Cotswolds for 12 years now and, I am ashamed to say, we have only just visited and climbed to the top. What a view! Now that we know what we have been missing in the last 12 years we will be back again very soon I think. We have always gone beyond May Hill and into the Forest of Dean, an area that we love, but May Hill is definitely worth a special trip.<br />
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The hill itself has been managed by the <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/may-hill/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Trust</a> since 1988. Bizarrely, the only bit they don't own is the clump of trees on the top! These belong to the locals.<br />
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The summit and surrounding area of May Hill consists of a wide expanse of open grassland, bracken and gorse with boggy areas and pools (we know all about the boggy pools because the fat brown Spaniel hurled herself into one, emerging sometime later a slightly different shade of brown and smelling like a cross between Billingsgate fish market and an over ripe Camembert! As you can imagine, the return journey in Denzel was a joy!). <br />
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The hill is capped by a clump of pine trees, planted in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is now the location of annual May Day celebrations.<br />
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Covering 30 hectares, this area of bracken and trees (mainly birch, oak and crab apple) is still allowed to be grazed by the commoners' ponies, pigs and occasionally sheep!<br />
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There are beautiful views to the north and west across Herefordshire and south to the river Severn. On a clear day you can see beyond into Wales and the Black Mountains.<br />
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If you visit and opt for a straight climb to the top it is about a mile uphill before the ground levels out onto the open grassland at the top. Alternatively there is a well-marked <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356405055927/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">circular route</a> on the National Trust website, along with other information. This route is approximately 3 miles which takes in the climb to the top, the open grassland and then a return via the woods of the Huntley estate. <br />
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The top of the hill is the perfect place for picnics, ball games and kite flying so why not make a day of it?<br />
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If the picnic idea is all too much for you, there are two local pubs that offer good food within a short drive of the hill. <a href="http://www.glasshouselodges.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Glasshouse Inn</a>, May Hill, Longhope (please note: they don't allow children under 14 into the Inn!) or <a href="http://www.yewtreeinn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Yew Tree Inn</a> in Clifford's Mesne.<br />
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<strong>GETTING THERE</strong><br />
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May Hill is signposted off the A40 Gloucester to Ross-on-Wye road, 1 mile west of Huntley and 3 miles from J3 of the M50. Passing the Yew Tree Inn, continue up the hill for about half a mile. There is roadside parking (no reserved disabled parking) available for a number of cars.<br />
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If you need information about reaching May Hill by public transport, click on the link to the National trust website where you should find everything you need.<br />
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Map reference: SO695215<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com3May Hill, Longhope, Gloucestershire GL17, UK51.8892222 -2.443805500000053126.3671877 -43.752399500000053 77.4112567 38.864788499999946tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-58380270816720484402015-05-30T14:10:00.000+01:002015-05-30T14:10:00.361+01:00An Ancient Burial Mound - Belas Knap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Belas Knap (pronounced locally as Bella Snap) is a Neolithic long barrow, or burial mound, situated on Cleeve Hill, in between Cheltenham and Winchcombe in The Cotswolds. It is a scheduled ancient monument in the care of English Heritage but it is managed by Gloucestershire County Council and it is well worth the short walk to visit it if you find yourself in the area. The fact that it is completely free to visit is an added bonus.<br />
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If you are walking The Cotswold Way you will walk right past Belas Knap. Might be a nice spot to stop for a picnic or a snack. If you decide to visit especially to see the long barrow you might like to make a day of it and drive a little further into Winchcombe to either potter around the shops or visit Sudeley Castle, once home to Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. <br />
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The barrow is about 178 feet (54 m) long, about 60 feet (18 m) wide and nearly 14 feet (4.3 m) in height.<br />
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What appears to be the main entrance to the barrow, with intricate dry-stone walling and large limestone jambs and lintels is, in fact, a false one. The actual burial chambers are down the long East and West sides of the barrow and at its Southern foot. There are four burial chambers, two on opposite sides near the middle, one at the South-East angle and one at the South end. These are formed of upright stone slabs, linked by dry-stone walling and originally had corbelled roofs (in the interests of not crushing curious visitors to death the roofs have been replaced with concrete ones!).<sup> </sup><br />
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The barrow was excavated between 1863-1865 when the skeletal remains of five children, aged between 6 months and 8 years, the skull of a young adult male, horse and pig bones and fragments of pottery and serrated flint blade were found among the rubble blocking the 'false entrance'. The passages leading to the chambers were roughly blocked with stones and clay. The lintels and much of the dry walling were rebuilt on the original lines in 1863-65, when the barrow was first explored. <br />
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Further excavations were carried out in from 1928-1931, the walling was secured, three of the chambers were covered and the contour of the mound was restored. <br />
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Excavations in 1963 found the remains of 38 human skeletons, together with animal bones, flint implements and pottery of the end of the Neolithic period (New Stone Age), circa 2000 BC. These burials, however, occurred over a long period of time and it may be that none date to the time when the mound was built.<br />
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The easiest way to access the barrow is via a well-marked footpath path from the narrow and steep Charlton Abbots road, South of Winchcombe. There is a lay-by on the left, with a signpost pointing up through the trees to the right. There is a steep climb for the first stretch of the footpath, affording views of Winchcombe, until the rounded hill top is reached. This walk takes approximately 15-20 minutes. <br />
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As you climb uphill make sure to look back and admire the view. Reaching above the tree line you will get a lovely view of Sudeley Castle.<br />
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There are a few stiles and kissing gates to negotiate and the walk there is mostly uphill. If you are walking with a dog you may have to keep it on a lead as there are often sheep grazing in the fields on the approach to the barrow. We have visited many times over the years and my kids still enjoy it.<br />
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If you like your ghost stories there is quite a lot of information to be found on the internet about 'sightings' at Belas Knap. A number of visitors also report taking photographs which are then found to have strange orbs of light on them. We have been many times and, sadly, cannot report any such 'supernatural' experience. We did once take some dowsing rods up there for a bit of fun and they responded very strangely when we were on top of the barrow!! Maybe we were detecting the ancient ley lines after all......!<br />
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The mound is situated at Ordnance Survey grid reference <b>SP 021 254</b>. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-89553456426518637752015-05-25T08:41:00.004+01:002015-05-26T14:39:02.597+01:00Buying Denzel.......!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Denzel is the name we have given to our VW T5 campervan conversion because he is big, black and beautiful (just like his namesake, Denzel Washington!) My daughter loathes the name but, in the absence of any better ideas, he is for now, at least, called Denzel. Any other witty and amusing (but not rude!) names suggested by readers will all be considered and may even result in a name change!<br />
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We started looking into the whole idea of buying a campervan in February 2014. A friend of ours has a VW T4 which he has partially converted himself because he is good at that sort of stuff. We are not good at that stuff, so we had to look around for a company to do a conversion for us. A quick search of the Internet showed us that there are many companies out there offering this service so we narrowed down a few that were relatively local to us, whose websites impressed us and who seemed to offer the sort of conversion we had in mind. <br />
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We made the decision early on that we wanted a VW conversion because we had read a lot of articles that convinced us that, while they are more expensive to purchase, they retain their value well, have a better build quality and a superior drive, more like a large family car than a builders van. Most of these companies have links with VW dealerships and will happily source a vehicle for you. Often they are able to negotiate a better price because of the volume of used VW T5's they buy and they know what to look out for. This was the route that we took. <br />
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We decided that we wanted a long-wheel base, automatic, diesel with a tailgate, rather than barn-style doors. We wanted it to be no more that three years old. What we didn't realise was that this was going to dramatically reduce the pool of vehicles to choose from. Apparently only 5% of VW T5's are automatic transmission and the vast majority are fitted with barn doors because that is what the builders who buy them want as it is easier to access the rear of the vehicle if parked in a street with a car behind you (the tailgate requires greater clearance at the rear). <br />
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We chose to use a company called <a href="http://www.camperking.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Camperking</a> for our conversion. Before we went ahead, however, we took advantage of their 'try before you buy' offer. We hired one of their conversions for three nights and had a lovely long weekend in the Brecon Beacons. The cost of this hire was later taken off our final bill and it was definitely worth doing because it gave us a much clearer idea of what we did and didn't want. If you are thinking of buying a campervan I would definitely suggest that you hire one first to make sure that it really is for you. I would say that this is particularly important if you fancy a vintage van as they are very different to anything else you have probably driven - it might save a costly mistake.<br />
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It took about 4 weeks for Camperking, to source a van that matched our criteria. Unfortunately it was black and I rejected it immediately because I didn't want to drive around in something that looked like an undertakers vehicle! With considerable patience, Camperking continued searching until they found vehicle number two. This was also black and I said 'no' again! A few more weeks passed before the third vehicle was found that ticked all our boxes and was in good condition - it was also black! At this point the lovely people at Camperking suggested that, once we had added some optional extras to the van, it would look nothing like a hearse and so we took a leap of faith and agreed to go ahead.<br />
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Once we had the van, the next step was to choose the internal layout and other 'extras' that we wanted. We read a lot, listened to other owners and took advice from the staff at Camperking, all of whom use camper vans regularly (perk of the job I guess!). We also went to a couple of VW shows to talk to other owners and have a look at the huge range of vans and layouts there are out there. In the end we settled on Camperking's Grand Trek model which has, as standard:-<br />
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<li>Full pop top roof with adult rated upper bed system</li>
<li>Rock n Roll bed - the layout we went for gave us a wider than usual bed at the expense of some cupboard space - we think it was a choice worth making because we do get a good night's sleep without feeling restricted in any way</li>
<li>Double front swivel bench seat or single swivel captains chair</li>
<li> Hob/Grill and sink unit</li>
<li>Waeco 50 litre Fridge unit</li>
<li>Twin coffee tables</li>
<li>Internal Touch LED lighting system</li>
<li>Power management system 12v and 240v</li>
<li>Water gauge and battery level indicators</li>
<li>Auxiliary 12v fuse board for future upgrades</li>
<li>Double 240-volt sockets</li>
<li>Additional 12-volt sockets</li>
<li>16 Amp battery charger unit built in</li>
<li>On board fresh water tank with electric pump (20 litres)</li>
<li>Gas cupboard, isolation taps and testing point unit</li>
<li>Multiple storage lockers</li>
<li>Rear boot space for storage</li>
<li>Full size spare wheel</li>
<li>12 month warranty</li>
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We opted for the single swivel captains chair up front instead of the double seat. Our experience with a double seat when we hired the trial van showed us that the double seats are much more difficult to swivel to face the rear of the vehicle. A further disadvantage of a double seat is that you cannot walk from the front of the van into the cabin area. Instead you have to get out of the front and enter the cabin of the van via the sliding door (unless you are prepared to clamber over the seats each time). We are so pleased that we went for this option because it makes the cabin feel very spacious and, especially if it is raining, you don't have to keep opening and closing doors.<br />
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Having taken a lot of advice we also opted for:-<br />
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<li>An Eberspacher central heating system - this is brilliant, keeping the van at whatever temperature you set all night. Year-round camping is now possible!</li>
<li>Solar power - we have one panel on the roof and even in the UK it keeps the lights, 12v system and fridge going without electric hook up. This opens up more camping options including a spot of wild camping.</li>
<li>We had a Sat Nav installed that included a parking camera. This has proved very useful because the van is quite long and there is no rear-view mirror, only door mirrors.</li>
<li>Tow bar and parking sensors</li>
<li>Exterior styling package that included alloys and sidebars. This was very frivolous but it made a huge difference to how the van looked, reassuring me that it didn't look like a hearse!</li>
<li> Rear mounted cycle rack.</li>
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We are very pleased with our van. We have had to adjust to being much tidier and more organised because we have less space than we do with our Outwell Montana 6-berth tent with front extension. However, the joy of driving onto a pitch, popping the top and putting the kettle on whilst watching people wrestling with huge swathes of canvas in the rain cannot be matched! When the holiday is over we just drop the top and drive away. <br />
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In the winter months the kids sleep 'up top'. I bought a cheap memory foam mattress topper from Argos that I cut to size (really easy with a pair of scissors) to provide a permanent mattress on top of the unpadded upper bed. Both of them can sleep comfortably up there. We have found that pillows tend to fall down in the night so I bought some fabric netting and some velcro and made a barrier that sticks to the lining on the bed area and keeps the pillows in place. When they need to come down in the morning, it simply peels back. Being made of netting it doesn't stop any heat from rising in winter and it also serves as a 'bug barrier' in summer. During the warmer months we plan to boot them out into a tent (they don't know that yet!). I used some left-over netting and two magnetic strips to make a doggy barrier to keep the fat little spaniel inside when necessary! <br />
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We sleep downstairs and find the bed to be really comfortable. If we are not taking too much stuff with us we take our <a href="http://www.duvalay.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Duvalays </a>which provide a memory foam mattress with a duvet attached. They are wonderful things but they do take up a lot of room. Otherwise, we use our sleeping bags and get a perfectly good night's sleep.<br />
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One of the 'features' of our van layout was a Porta Potti-sized cupboard under the bed. Obviously you don't have to have a toilet under your bed if you don't fancy it (it does feel a bit like the Middle Ages I'll admit!) but we have taken the option and I, for one, am glad we did. It turns out that enjoying large amounts of wine and having a bladder the size of a field mouse is not a good combination and I have never enjoyed trekking over a campsite in the middle of the night to use the toilets!<br />
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So, now that we have had the van for a little while, is there anything we would change? There are one of two things that niggle a little:-<br />
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<li>We really wanted a layout that allowed both front seats to swivel. Camperking could only offer this if we had chosen their short-wheel-base layout and installed it into our Long-wheel-base van. We did think seriously about this but this layout meant we had to have a narrower bed and we decided it was not a compromise worth making. It was frustrating to have to make that choice though and both seats swivelling would be my choice if we did this again and found a company that could offer both the wider bed and the swivel.</li>
<li>The cupboard housing the gas bottle is located in the boot area. If you are on a journey and you stop and fancy a hot drink you have to empty the boot to gain access to the cupboard to turn the gas on. Not the end of the world I know but it would be nice if there was a solution. Other conversion companies may have found a solution, unfortunately we didn't think of this when we were at the looking stage.</li>
<li>The position of our LED lights means that we cannot sit in the front seat at night and read. Obviously when you go looking at vans you look in daylight. We should have thought about that and given more thought to lighting positions.</li>
<li>We have two small tables each with a pole that slots into a connection in the floor of the van. They are perfect for use inside the van but cannot be used outside. With hindsight I think a table that can be used inside or out would have made more sense and would have cut down on packing as I take an additional table for outside eating.</li>
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The features that we are really pleased with are:-<br />
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<li>The tailgate rather than 'barn doors' - If it is chucking it down when you are loading/unloading the van the tailgate offers protection from the elements.</li>
<li>The solar panel - it is great to be able to go off-grid for days at a time and it keeps the cost down on sites too because we don't need electric hook-up. We haven't done any wild camping yet but we do fancy heading up to Scotland sometime to give it a go. Even with our unpredictable weather the solar panel seems to work well.</li>
<li>The Eberspacher heater - it runs off the diesel, is completely silent once it gets going and keeps the van at whatever temperature you choose all night long. The freedom to go away in the depths of winter is worth the cost of the heater we think.</li>
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We find that we use the van as much for days out as we do for going away. We love packing up a picnic, driving off somewhere nice, popping the top and getting the kettle on. It was a fairly big expense and we did think long and hard about it but we are very glad that we took the plunge. So, go on, give it a go....!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-66967735614752682012015-05-24T07:55:00.000+01:002015-05-24T07:55:00.518+01:00The Best Ever Beef Burger Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qox0pDYgqYWBISekQkor0ESjepiQM_Y2rMeohvyKfZCFq8_ejSCGcFoVKVU8cwudNmHGG8u0uKp4LCYi7dXlHpl_Scnu0CDIsszMwfXfX7pAFPs0PZ5Fs_5bSRI7F8J-pvyZvawgc8c/s1600/image5+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qox0pDYgqYWBISekQkor0ESjepiQM_Y2rMeohvyKfZCFq8_ejSCGcFoVKVU8cwudNmHGG8u0uKp4LCYi7dXlHpl_Scnu0CDIsszMwfXfX7pAFPs0PZ5Fs_5bSRI7F8J-pvyZvawgc8c/s400/image5+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I know that is quite a claim for a burger recipe and there will, undoubtedly, be many people who disagree with me but, for my family, this is the best recipe for beef burgers that we have ever tried. Give it a go and see what you think. If you have a better one, I'd love to hear about it. They can easily be made on site but they also freeze very well so you could make them before you go, freeze them and then let them defrost slowly in your fridge/coolbox ready for Day 2 or 3 of your latest adventure! I'm not sure the photograph really does it justice - I was in a hurry to eat it so I didn't spend as much time as I could have fiddling around with it first!<br />
<br />
<strong>BURGER RECIPE - Makes 8 </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
2lbs of quality minced beef<br />
1 egg yolk, beaten<br />
40g dry breadcrumbs - shop bought or take a small ziplock bag of homemade ones with you<br />
3tbsp milk<br />
3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce<br />
2 cloves of garlic, minced<br />
1/2 onion, grated or finely chopped<br />
1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning *<br />
<br />
<strong>Method</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix together well. Divide roughly into 8 and shape into burgers. If possible, put them somewhere cool for half an hour to an hour to firm up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZGycqmG7uhxdV3DY7VPDu9iQ7c0MjA1OlEwCb0yvgQjw0ZmPXnSL4-kugeV6Oz8vwy5rAnVwIZa3qjOI8GR_J6DXNQyp8Cm3nnXy5u1h4vvt8pTV2zm5hoEfnOREg7tZ9sogyuxfs70/s1600/image6+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZGycqmG7uhxdV3DY7VPDu9iQ7c0MjA1OlEwCb0yvgQjw0ZmPXnSL4-kugeV6Oz8vwy5rAnVwIZa3qjOI8GR_J6DXNQyp8Cm3nnXy5u1h4vvt8pTV2zm5hoEfnOREg7tZ9sogyuxfs70/s400/image6+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Cook over a BBQ or in a frying pan for 4-5 minutes each side. Check that they are cooked through by cutting into one. <br />
<br />
Serve in a bun loaded with your favourite burger toppings. I always add a slice of cheese to the burger and leave it for a minute on the BBQ or under the grill to melt. We like our burgers with shredded lettuce, red onion, gherkins and a good dollop of mayo and ketchup.<br />
<br />
* Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is made by US company McCormick & Company and produced in Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay area. It has been made there since 1939. It was originally created as a seasoning for crab but it can be used for much more than just seafood. The mix includes mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger. I buy it online and I always have some in the cupboard. I first came across it in a Nigella Lawson cookbook where she used it with squid.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-70194864171216659192015-05-22T07:47:00.000+01:002015-05-22T14:13:50.096+01:00Easiest Fruit Cake Ever.......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RNWDjTc8RclK0jUwdGhtJSl1AxZsYjbPF9zlr3lLtvOYc-0MoFGgZo1iABKHiiqjFo7an4yoBOGlzJYFka7sWA9sp-Unp-jtmMLt1Wi4NoIAqegAPibklAPPspEOKECxBi5FRWum_XE/s1600/Cake+&+Tea+Close+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RNWDjTc8RclK0jUwdGhtJSl1AxZsYjbPF9zlr3lLtvOYc-0MoFGgZo1iABKHiiqjFo7an4yoBOGlzJYFka7sWA9sp-Unp-jtmMLt1Wi4NoIAqegAPibklAPPspEOKECxBi5FRWum_XE/s400/Cake+&+Tea+Close+Up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This fabulous little recipe comes from Sue Lawrence in her book 'Eating In'.<br />
<br />
If I know in advance that we are going camping I always try to make a cake to take so we have something nice to have with a cup of tea when we arrive (or something nice to eat in the campervan in a traffic jam on the M5!) Fruit cakes are ideal for this because they keep so well. This is a really easy recipe, made with condensed milk to help keep it moist. The recipe has no butter in it so it is nice to cut it into slices and serve with a smear of butter on top.<br />
<br />
<strong>EASIEST FRUIT CAKE RECIPE - Serves 8-10</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
<br />
700g/1lb 9oz mixed dried fruit<br />
Juice & zest of a lemon<br />
150g/5 1/2oz self-raising flour<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 x 400g can of condensed milk<br />
1 tspn mixed spice<br />
<br />
<strong>Method</strong><br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 150c/300f/Gas 2 and line a 23cm/9inch loose-based cake tin with baking parchment.<br />
<br />
Place the fruit in a pan with 125ml/4 fl oz cold water, the lemon juice and zest.<br />
<br />
Bring slowly to the boil over a low heat, stirring all the time.<br />
<br />
Leave to bubble for a minute then remove from the heat.<br />
<br />
Cover and leave to cool until barely tepid.<br />
<br />
Once it has cooled, add the flour, spice, egg and milk and stir well. Tip into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-v7tUWqDT1npoZLgnYUsi86_G96Y3iMt_N0hVqkP2H2OF10-rPe79uPWo15NY1mTKJXCjfkzWhRks4vIiVzO-xgvhaVZuWUIHMzesPjY089zllsukQH11OeC-Fv8djgd4irk0isylng/s1600/image9+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-v7tUWqDT1npoZLgnYUsi86_G96Y3iMt_N0hVqkP2H2OF10-rPe79uPWo15NY1mTKJXCjfkzWhRks4vIiVzO-xgvhaVZuWUIHMzesPjY089zllsukQH11OeC-Fv8djgd4irk0isylng/s400/image9+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, covering loosely with foil after an hour to prevent the fruit from burning. It is ready when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.<br />
<br />
Remove to a wire rack and let it cool completely in the tin before turning it out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH25y6UEzP0x8k1mq5ECq0G7qBI2HVq-iBg6nmYMSXS-CHaVRCtIi5xlJZra3pO_UVneIirCaCQIsJKGoKhyNYE9vdyvDLVqH49AUknjkEdfDeJa1aKVac76YDuGRwAcArcdDwyoCRamo/s1600/image8+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH25y6UEzP0x8k1mq5ECq0G7qBI2HVq-iBg6nmYMSXS-CHaVRCtIi5xlJZra3pO_UVneIirCaCQIsJKGoKhyNYE9vdyvDLVqH49AUknjkEdfDeJa1aKVac76YDuGRwAcArcdDwyoCRamo/s400/image8+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
I transport mine to the campsite in a cake tin but you can just wrap it in foil of clingfilm.<br />
<br />
Serve with a cup of tea!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ei82Br5RGcDHvzb9q6C71kQ5bX1Nq0UwQoKRMw5typtP5JllV0wf9fDdVG17SzcAbHVBHrMqKW-DTzUaHPVc74YXaI2VNTZNKpRaCg0uJiGrZOdVL2l3iS2RvrQ4hBKhDitU5tcqP2M/s1600/Cake+&+Tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ei82Br5RGcDHvzb9q6C71kQ5bX1Nq0UwQoKRMw5typtP5JllV0wf9fDdVG17SzcAbHVBHrMqKW-DTzUaHPVc74YXaI2VNTZNKpRaCg0uJiGrZOdVL2l3iS2RvrQ4hBKhDitU5tcqP2M/s400/Cake+&+Tea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-29073286302713197382015-05-18T07:41:00.000+01:002015-05-18T07:41:00.415+01:00Cocktails as the sun goes down...... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyQcIJ2Ei2sVFJm-jSWBhLNgjDxDFn6DLvO_wUSedVoai1SKjs_KpoNNkG53baUI_zyPZzUXADzEnGyi_4xGK0BUYn89QjRgWyTTUj2Vs7oAbArWn7U2gTgQXZFVkIK0wr8_U_oqZNFs/s1600/image1+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyQcIJ2Ei2sVFJm-jSWBhLNgjDxDFn6DLvO_wUSedVoai1SKjs_KpoNNkG53baUI_zyPZzUXADzEnGyi_4xGK0BUYn89QjRgWyTTUj2Vs7oAbArWn7U2gTgQXZFVkIK0wr8_U_oqZNFs/s400/image1+(2).jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Usually when we go camping it is a bit of a rough and ready affair. We like fairly basic sites, we love campfires and toasting marshmallows, we swim in rivers and we wear some truly appalling, mis-matched outfits. But we are happy!<br />
<br />
Occasionally, however, it is rather nice to treat yourself to a bit of luxury on your adventure. A few years ago I bought myself a wonderful camping book, <a href="http://www.martindorey.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Campervan Cookbook by Martin Dorey</a>. I bought the book long before we had a campervan because it is filled with wonderful, practical recipes and stuff about camping and being outdoors. In his book, Mr Dorey has a small section on camping cocktails. This was something of an epiphany for me because I had never thought about making a cocktail on a campsite. Our tipple of choice had, until then, always been a bottle of wine or a beer. <br />
<br />
Over time I have put together a small, portable cocktail kit. I spent a bit of time searching out recipes, trying them out and narrowing them down to a small number of very nice cocktails that only require a few ingredients. However much you like cocktails you do have to be realistic about what you can take with you on a trip. All of the recipes are 'chuck it all together and give it a good shake' recipes. If you have ice, be very smug and add it if you like. If you don't have access to ice, try to make sure the ingredients are chilled when you make your cocktail - after the first one you will forget all about the absence of ice anyway!<br />
<br />
My kit comprises:-<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>a selection of spirits decanted into small, clean bottles </li>
<li>a jam jar 'shaker'</li>
<li>a small medicine measuring cup</li>
<li>some homemade laminated recipe cards held together with a cable tie</li>
<li>a tin to put it all in</li>
</ul>
<br />
When we go away, I make sure I also take a lemon and lime and some mixers. Remember, you don't have to take every ingredient for every recipe. We often decide on a couple before we go and just take the stuff we need for them.<br />
<br />
<br />
Our favourite cocktail recipes are:-<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: lime; color: lime;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: lime; font-family: inherit;"><strong>Tequila Sunrise</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: lime;"></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufkVPnS8YedqsccSxbYlz1riOTK2a45xn-axO9BJXAvwwWNzgGoupniTOee7BlnDyweaZwtr-kF-03CM8uWqViCRxk-54YCjqERrZnYjxV7vEOiwKs4W20RCS4kkBkKW6ErHllA2pAe8/s1600/Tequila+Sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufkVPnS8YedqsccSxbYlz1riOTK2a45xn-axO9BJXAvwwWNzgGoupniTOee7BlnDyweaZwtr-kF-03CM8uWqViCRxk-54YCjqERrZnYjxV7vEOiwKs4W20RCS4kkBkKW6ErHllA2pAe8/s320/Tequila+Sunrise.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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With one of these in your hands you'll feel as if you are on a Mexican beach - even if you are on a campsite in North Yorkshire! Miss out the Tequila and the kids can join in too.</div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><strong>Ingredients</strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: lime;"><strong></strong></span> </div>
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: lime;"><strong><span style="color: black;">3 parts Tequila</span></strong></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: lime;"><strong><span style="color: black;">6 parts Orange Juice</span></strong></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: lime;"><strong><span style="color: black;">1 part Grenadine (add last, don't stir, let it sink to the bottom)*</span></strong></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
* Grenadine is basically a pomegranate flavoured sugar syrup. You can buy it in most decent supermarkets or off-licences but it is full of rubbish such as corn syrup and additives/preservatives. It is so easy (and cheap) to make your own at home that it seems crazy not to if you plan to drink a lot of these cocktails (and why wouldn't you?). Just mix equal quantities of sugar and pure pomegranate juice together in a clean air-tight jar and shake for a few days until the sugar has all dissolved. That's it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EYIelvsdUqiX2GE6qBWTpJC47EbZD3Df7G0gYvKZitj11uArFOh2Vx8Op6xFIW5mLuXHO92iJkTIFKIipZgGwCvcqNrW7p4RYVRuT81fmge-CWLhmJQayzw2vhoILZuCzkFOOxp2_L0/s1600/Grenadine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EYIelvsdUqiX2GE6qBWTpJC47EbZD3Df7G0gYvKZitj11uArFOh2Vx8Op6xFIW5mLuXHO92iJkTIFKIipZgGwCvcqNrW7p4RYVRuT81fmge-CWLhmJQayzw2vhoILZuCzkFOOxp2_L0/s320/Grenadine.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="color: orange;">Cosmopolitan</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: orange;"></span></strong> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yXJahIQZ5VNRzhfJJZeohrLRRg2x8zCeHZCx5UxtyzsyQACraLB7Or7H-UCsfwjYJOLyWAY2IddT03tEt-dR04nIXlYvKkpISHQKAY-2akLNFEtnKmyzNoqeQhFT3H8CYhNlvBuU7MI/s1600/cosmopolitan-cocktail%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yXJahIQZ5VNRzhfJJZeohrLRRg2x8zCeHZCx5UxtyzsyQACraLB7Or7H-UCsfwjYJOLyWAY2IddT03tEt-dR04nIXlYvKkpISHQKAY-2akLNFEtnKmyzNoqeQhFT3H8CYhNlvBuU7MI/s320/cosmopolitan-cocktail%5B1%5D.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
This cocktail has been around since the 1980's but it didn't really find fame until it featured in 'Sex and the City'<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><strong>Ingredients</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: orange;"></span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>1.5 parts Vodka</strong></span></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>1 part Cointreau</strong></span></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>1 part Cranberry juice</strong></span></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Dash lime juice</strong></span></li>
</ul>
Just shake together in your jam jar and enjoy!<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: magenta;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: magenta;">Woo Woo</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: magenta;"></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduPhdMWch6_xakRdCzKGp11yxdp8yRydMjQaI4yF_NT3GMGJsWUFhqHPz-aiI7AMXarSTpTC6qplRhHsG4PH1S-kfzij9UkyctjYXddz8UIjyVtLUrOL3RmRijprm-f3MtQztk5naXGw/s1600/Woo_Woo%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduPhdMWch6_xakRdCzKGp11yxdp8yRydMjQaI4yF_NT3GMGJsWUFhqHPz-aiI7AMXarSTpTC6qplRhHsG4PH1S-kfzij9UkyctjYXddz8UIjyVtLUrOL3RmRijprm-f3MtQztk5naXGw/s320/Woo_Woo%5B1%5D.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This one is very popular, I haven't found anyone who didn't like it yet!<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: magenta;">Ingredients</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: magenta;"></span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black;"><strong>1 part Vodka</strong></span></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><strong>1 part Peach Schnapps</strong></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><strong>4 parts Cranberry Juice</strong></li>
</ul>
If you are feeling particularly decadent you can add a slice of peach and claim the drink as one of your five-a-day! Drink five of them and pat yourself on the back for meeting Government guidelines! Again, miss out the vodka for the kids!<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">Bellini</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;"></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIOQp5O8C_3uTsor1hoYGT2EzgP1R3Nlb8YF-7zdlsj1VCj7XRE4kPPQfMA4HuewUUUacwHsd47Ysa1NIDOjk-icgx1ClU-aMPRNB8Uo7_flMOlvbkcOj6LWCLQhU2GWDSAURyh4fytE/s1600/BelliniBottegaw_0%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIOQp5O8C_3uTsor1hoYGT2EzgP1R3Nlb8YF-7zdlsj1VCj7XRE4kPPQfMA4HuewUUUacwHsd47Ysa1NIDOjk-icgx1ClU-aMPRNB8Uo7_flMOlvbkcOj6LWCLQhU2GWDSAURyh4fytE/s320/BelliniBottegaw_0%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">A few years ago, I was lucky enough to spend a short time in Venice. I loved the city very much and it was there that I had my first ever Bellini, swiftly followed by my second, third and fourth.....! I don't think this recipe is totally authentic because the ones I drank had a layer of peach puree in the bottom. For me, on a campsite, that is a step too far!</span><br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">Ingredients</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;"></span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black;"><strong>1 part Peach Schnapps</strong></span></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><span style="color: black;"><strong>1 part sparkling white wine or Prosecco</strong></span></li>
</ul>
Mix together - you can jazz it up with a splash of your homemade Grenadine for a stronger colour if you like.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: purple;">Sea Breeze</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: purple;"></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BE4ancAf7hBUBn3GqRqpJEavJfefUr5lzzoJZ7VmG_iY9yFIHkL9QJwZ2cRNxRXsp3P0FD1y896EitVKtpnTphhLh3yBhz5vsyy2VIbndxVgwQWq394DpREmQm_SHr_N0uRNzgBa4hA/s1600/CirocSeaBreeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BE4ancAf7hBUBn3GqRqpJEavJfefUr5lzzoJZ7VmG_iY9yFIHkL9QJwZ2cRNxRXsp3P0FD1y896EitVKtpnTphhLh3yBhz5vsyy2VIbndxVgwQWq394DpREmQm_SHr_N0uRNzgBa4hA/s320/CirocSeaBreeze.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;"></span></strong><br />
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<br /></div>
This is a lovely long cocktail that makes a very refreshing drink.<br />
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</div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">Ingredients</span></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong><span style="color: purple;"></span></strong> </div>
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><strong>1 part Vodka</strong></span></div>
<strong>
</strong></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong>3 parts Cranberry Juice</strong></div>
<strong>
</strong></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong>1 part Grapefruit Juice</strong></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you swap the Grapefruit for Pineapple Juice you will have yourself a Hawaiian Sea Breeze instead.</div>
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</div>
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<strong><span style="color: red;"></span></strong> </div>
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<strong><span style="color: red;">Mojito</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: red;"></span></strong> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32ENQonKTP7qTUJevOY8JahuUAcSCbk2cr41lqMVqYK-3PL9-ykWHrpb19Cs0gC5a63cJlN69OSLRy2xyMwmMX-1dX795gPNChnVKcwUcqMYUePrwVsG29ZDUFxhBtNP4SukxzCStWmg/s1600/Skinny-Mojito-newest%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32ENQonKTP7qTUJevOY8JahuUAcSCbk2cr41lqMVqYK-3PL9-ykWHrpb19Cs0gC5a63cJlN69OSLRy2xyMwmMX-1dX795gPNChnVKcwUcqMYUePrwVsG29ZDUFxhBtNP4SukxzCStWmg/s320/Skinny-Mojito-newest%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This drink originally hails from Cuba. Apparently it was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway. You will fond more complicated recipes but this one is a little more straightforward for us campers.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><strong>Ingredients</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: red;"></span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black;"><strong>1 part rum</strong></span></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><strong>3 parts Soda Water</strong></li>
<strong>
</strong>
<li><strong>Squeeze fresh Lime Juice</strong></li>
</ul>
Mix, recline, sip & enjoy!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;"><strong>Shirley Temple Mocktail</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: lime;"></span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLhlIPyKUuhUIjsU8rYu5IcWnkEdOXOl10byrDIEcIzTWuSbjRDwXx7sKF5DsqxnBvOrVN7Nn2DcCk6ngai2FLar9pP9b_6XCY081A2fw9W3OKn-hVydfi_axyWSgA34FOWVEmMO6T8g/s1600/Shirley+Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLhlIPyKUuhUIjsU8rYu5IcWnkEdOXOl10byrDIEcIzTWuSbjRDwXx7sKF5DsqxnBvOrVN7Nn2DcCk6ngai2FLar9pP9b_6XCY081A2fw9W3OKn-hVydfi_axyWSgA34FOWVEmMO6T8g/s320/Shirley+Temple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
If you find yourself camping with children, pregnant women or teetotallers it is handy to have a mocktail recipe up your sleeve so they don't feel left out of the party. This one should do the trick without you having to take extra ingredients with you.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: lime;">Ingredients</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: lime;"></span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black;">1-2 parts Grenadine</span></li>
<li>Can of 7-Up or Ginger Ale (whichever you prefer) </li>
</ul>
<br />
Sip and be terribly smug that you won't have a headache in the morning!<br />
<br />
<br />
The table below is my 'at a glance' cocktail planner for quick packing! Fingers crossed for some sun this Summer!<br />
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<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-insideh: 1.0pt solid red; mso-border-insidev: 1.0pt solid red; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: 1pt solid red; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: red red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Tequila Sunrise</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: red red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Cosmopolitan</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: red red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Woo Woo</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: red red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #9900cc; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Bellini</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: red red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Sea Breeze</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: red red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #ffc000; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Mojito</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6699ff; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Tequila<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p>Y</o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #92d050; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Vodka</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Cointreau</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Peach Schnapps</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #ffc000; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Rum</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Prosecco/Sparkling White Wine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #66ffff; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Grenadine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Soda Water</span><span style="font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #9900cc; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Orange Juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Cranberry Juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p>Y</o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: lime; font-family: "Hurry Up";">Grapefruit Juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Hurry Up"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Y</span></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) red red rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; mso-border-left-alt: solid red 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid red 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Hurry Up";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong><span style="color: lime;"></span></strong><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-47038889142246697042015-05-17T08:42:00.000+01:002015-05-17T14:32:45.169+01:00Re-Wind Solar Radio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW_T_M5vYtv2zKoogsqkiNiAW97GZUVPximC1zl4SVHldjGdhy8cTQg9r7XTubg_G0sDOcmOBguPeg6kZjzwgHcSlGfOuQ9eLzD4HRDLwHd73xJPGE8jnYcncnYvMl5iUj7SGs5qLSzQ/s1600/image3+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW_T_M5vYtv2zKoogsqkiNiAW97GZUVPximC1zl4SVHldjGdhy8cTQg9r7XTubg_G0sDOcmOBguPeg6kZjzwgHcSlGfOuQ9eLzD4HRDLwHd73xJPGE8jnYcncnYvMl5iUj7SGs5qLSzQ/s320/image3+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My husband is notoriously difficult to buy presents for and every time his birthday or Christmas comes around it is a hit and miss affair. He isn't very good at hiding his thoughts either, which can make for a very depressing present opening session. It is doubly frustrating because, every year, at least two months before the big day, I start asking for some ideas in order to avoid the disappointed puppy look on the day! To date, he hasn't given me a single, sensible idea.<br />
<br />
Last year I bought him a solar-powered, wind-up radio as a little extra. It cost me just under £15.00 and, to be honest, I didn't have great expectations of it. <br />
<br />
I'll explain why I bought it. In 1997 we were camping in the southern Dordogne in late August. Early one morning, I toddled off to the little shop on site to buy our morning baguette. As I was paying, the owner said, in very hesitant English, something about Princess Diana and hospitals. I wasn't sure what he was saying so I wandered back to our tent pondering on why he would mention Princess Diana at 7.30am. I mentioned it to 'he who is rarely obeyed' and we decided that something pretty big must have happened. Little did we know that we would spend most of that day sitting in the car trying to tune the radio into the BBC World Service to listen to one of the biggest news stories ever while worrying about flattening the car battery. We even had lunch in the car, listening as the full, sad story broke.<br />
<br />
Move forward to 2014 and my present-buying dilemma. I remembered our frustration at having to sit in the car just to listen to the radio and decided that a nice little portable radio might be a nice thing to have next to us as we sit in our recliners watching the world go by. My husband never has a day without a newspaper if he can avoid it but it is not always easy hundreds of miles from home. Listening to the news on the radio is one solution.<br />
<br />
I bought the <a href="http://re-wind.co.uk/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Re-Wind radio </a>after reading reviews on Amazon. There are several makes of solar-powered, wind-up radios on the market so, if you are tempted, have a look around. Some also have a built in torch and alarm clock settings but I wasn't too bothered by these features. The model I bought is a simple FM/AM radio that can be powered by solar energy, by cranking the wind-up handle or via a USB port before you leave home. We leave it on the dashboard of the campervan when we are not driving and have found that it charges continuously, even on a fairly grey day. The manufacturers claim that 1 minute of winding will give 20 minutes of listening, and with 5 hours of charging under sunlight you will get 30 minutes of radio time. Fully charged they claim 7 hours of radio use. We haven't tested these claims out but we can say that it hasn't died on us yet in the middle of listening! We bought ours for camping but I can see it would be just as useful in the garden, at the allotment, on the riverbank or at work.<br />
<br />
What do we like about it then?:-<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>it is really compact (130x73x41mm plus 33mm antenna)</li>
<li>it's lightweight (203g)</li>
<li>it is very portable</li>
<li>it doesn't require batteries </li>
<li>it charges up well in all levels of sunshine (or lack of..!)</li>
<li>it has a soft, non-slip rubberised casing</li>
<li>it feels well made</li>
<li>it is good value for money at £14.95</li>
<li>the sound quality is pretty good</li>
<li>it is straightforward to use and to tune</li>
<li>even someone with restricted mobility would probably be able to use this radio because there are no tiny, fiddly buttons or knobs to turn</li>
</ul>
<br />
Any negatives? We can't think of any really. It you are as blind as a bat you may need to put your glasses on when you are tuning it because it is a small radio. My husband wears glasses for up-close stuff and he manages it with no problems though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBDkmHkeDQRznaggciiKecoddT86_IjT57S4TkvhtMzeblsBWENuB01MvBCFGkKkCwh6ysbNhm0QfujTBgfhATuOiP0FxhdFHYDfDQJ6LiJrztiXQx3uz69RiOZxwawjfladF_Tz4rCM/s1600/image4+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBDkmHkeDQRznaggciiKecoddT86_IjT57S4TkvhtMzeblsBWENuB01MvBCFGkKkCwh6ysbNhm0QfujTBgfhATuOiP0FxhdFHYDfDQJ6LiJrztiXQx3uz69RiOZxwawjfladF_Tz4rCM/s400/image4+(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-90076344951230175442015-05-15T06:30:00.000+01:002015-05-15T06:30:00.327+01:00The J-Pillow - a great little travel pillow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3yLP1J2LtzGH0QQVXx92dgH0_GfHy6BIuHzhbbzaIDgQopzJwUMeNn_ueROlD2fCDvsLPa6JOlno4T_NOSODG-Cj8xk3IUMbsDQi1d8sI5-Xz1FZemhL2qtAmZEhEshSBX-rZPpemk8/s1600/1348667424-7689%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3yLP1J2LtzGH0QQVXx92dgH0_GfHy6BIuHzhbbzaIDgQopzJwUMeNn_ueROlD2fCDvsLPa6JOlno4T_NOSODG-Cj8xk3IUMbsDQi1d8sI5-Xz1FZemhL2qtAmZEhEshSBX-rZPpemk8/s400/1348667424-7689%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
I first came across the <a href="http://www.jpillow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">J-Pillow</a> when I was searching for travel pillows on Amazon. We had just recently completed a long drive in Denzel the campervan and both kids had fallen asleep in the back on the way home. They woke up with very stiff necks and I used that as an excuse for a spot of Internet shopping!<br />
<br />
A quick search will bring up many different types of travel pillow. I looked at them all and read many reviews before settling on the J-Pillow. I paid £15 for mine but I did notice that they varied considerably in price depending on what colour you wanted and where you got it from. I was impressed by the number of very positive reviews so I took a chance and bought one pillow to try out. We were so impressed we have since bought two more (one for each passenger - not for the driver!)<br />
<br />
The J-Pillow looks as if it shouldn't be comfortable. It even comes with a diagram showing you how to use it because it is not immediately intuitive. It does, however, cradle your head providing support where it is needed and stopping your head from falling forward. We have all used one now and we are all agreed that it is very comfortable. I suffer from an old whiplash injury that requires fairly regular treatment from a Chiropractor. I always sleep with an orthopaedic pillow because, if I don't, I will suffer for several days with neck pain and stiffness. Prior to discovering the J-Pillow I would do everything I could to stay awake on long journeys because I knew I would be in pain afterwards if I did - now I don't have to worry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpO4PW7xegVq-KMUMEuBxMvjbvldZbgiNqTThSccQCH41heqrbdHMI7hRYFOa4G_rkYD_qJC3a2u4ATnzIro1sw0AS7NzDfR4ej5BgcxMjisJ-lJAVG-rT9YApvIo54QELOmRD1fE_9B0/s1600/51lXKevAMcL%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpO4PW7xegVq-KMUMEuBxMvjbvldZbgiNqTThSccQCH41heqrbdHMI7hRYFOa4G_rkYD_qJC3a2u4ATnzIro1sw0AS7NzDfR4ej5BgcxMjisJ-lJAVG-rT9YApvIo54QELOmRD1fE_9B0/s400/51lXKevAMcL%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Here's what the inventor has to say about the product - <span style="color: #333333;">'How does the J-Pillow work?</span>.......Unlike anything else on the market, the J-Pillow is specially designed to cradle your head from the side, keeping it elevated and supported. At the same time, the<span mce_style="color: #579d1c;" style="color: #579d1c;"><strong> </strong><span style="color: black;">J-Pillow</span></span> slots in under your chin to support your head from the front as well. This revolutionary design stops your head from falling forward, which often happens when you nod off. The result just could be the best sleep you'll ever have sitting up.'<br />
<br />
Why do I like it?:-<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>It is very comfortable with lovely soft fabric</li>
<li>It squishes down quite small so it can be stuffed into a small space if required - great for travelling by aeroplane or backpacking</li>
<li>It is an award-winning British invention</li>
</ul>
<div>
What don't I like?:-</div>
<ul>
<li>I can't think of anything</li>
</ul>
<br />
So, if you do a lot of travelling and you find it difficult getting comfortable this could be the pillow for you.<br />
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-35039638681330491662015-05-12T07:44:00.000+01:002015-05-12T07:44:00.272+01:00Spatchcocked Chicken on the BBQThis is another favourite camping recipe in our family. It is one that I often prepare before we leave (I often have a couple prepared and in the freezer, we like it so much!) but it can just as easily be made at the campsite. We like it as a change from the ubiquitous bangers and burgers which we love to eat but sometimes it is nice to have a change.<br />
<br />
Whether you make this on site or at home before you leave you will need to prepare one element of it in advance - the chicken seasoning rub. I make up a jam jar of this every so often and I always have some in the cupboard. I use it for a lot of things at home but I think it works particularly well on chicken.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<strong>Chicken Seasoning Mix</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<ul>
<li>2 tbsp Herbes de Provence mix</li>
<li>1 tbsp paprika (hot, mild or smoked - your choice)</li>
<li>1 tbsp sea salt (I use Maldon, but use whatever you have to hand)</li>
<li>1 tbsp cracked black pepper</li>
<li>1 tbsp English mustard powder</li>
<li>2 tsp garlic powder</li>
<li>1 tsp onion powder</li>
</ul>
I simply bung all of these into my mini food processor and blitz for about a minute. I don't mind the odd lump of peppercorn but, if you want it finer, keep going for longer. You can do this in a mortar and pestle but I am too lazy to bother.<br />
<br />
Store in a screw top jar. Slap it over roast chicken along with some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and you will think you are in deepest Provence.<br />
<br />
This recipe is my variation of a recipe that appears in a lovely book about preserving food called 'Preserved' by Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton.<br />
<br />
So, you have made your chicken seasoning mix and it is ready to go. Onto the rest of the recipe.<br />
<br />
<strong>Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, Onion, Herbs and Seasoning</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<ul>
<li>1 chicken (the size will depend upon the surface area of your BBQ - don't buy a huge chicken if you only have a little one!)</li>
<li>1 tbsp Chicken Seasoning Mix</li>
<li>1 tbsp good quality oil (Rapeseed is my choice)</li>
<li>Zest and juice of half a lemon</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, sliced</li>
<li>1 onion, sliced (optional)</li>
<li>Some fresh mixed herbs - whatever you have to hand - I like a mix of Thyme, Rosemary and a couple of Bay leaves</li>
</ul>
First you need to spatchcock your chicken because it will cook more quickly and evenly on a barbecue this way. This is really easy to do but, if you don't want to tackle it, just ask your butcher to do it for you. Firstly, remove any string that is keeping the chicken together. Then turn your chicken breast side down on the chopping board and, starting at it's bottom, cut up either side of the backbone and remove it. I use poultry shears because I find it easier but a good pair of kitchen scissors will do the job too.<br />
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<br />
Once the backbone is removed, turn the chicken over and press down, with the heel of your hand, in the middle of the two breasts to flatten it. Et voila!! You have a spatchcocked chicken.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfE3jGwOnFQiKByKoeTcUTod7NNYv1up5Pj5T9JeKQKTroz1Hxya-JEg4I9niZTyTAsz8dzCJ4MuolASLrDC5IembTXNaBZpFsR5Clhaz2wshkPCxBlZz6bJlXP0liviLojL0GIiuugRg/s1600/D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfE3jGwOnFQiKByKoeTcUTod7NNYv1up5Pj5T9JeKQKTroz1Hxya-JEg4I9niZTyTAsz8dzCJ4MuolASLrDC5IembTXNaBZpFsR5Clhaz2wshkPCxBlZz6bJlXP0liviLojL0GIiuugRg/s320/D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Next, you need to bash together the garlic, herbs & lemon jest with the lemon juice and the oil. At home I use my mini food processor, on site I either use a mortar and pestle if I have one or I just chop the garlic, herbs and lemon zest on a board, tip into a spare jam jar and add the oil and lemon juice before giving it all a good shake.<br />
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<br />
This mix needs to be poured over the chicken, making sure that the skin is covered.<br />
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<br />
<br />
The last thing to do is to sprinkle over the chicken seasoning, the onion if you are using it, and leave it all to marinate somewhere cool. <br />
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<br />
When I make this in advance I put the chicken in a vacuum bag and use my vacuum sealer to keep it fresh. It will happily keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or I often freeze it.<br />
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<br />
<br />
When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out and brush off any onion that is clinging to it. Put it on the BBQ for about 10-12 minutes each side, turning once or twice. If you like you can fry the onions in a pan alongside the chicken on the BBQ if there is room or fire up a camping stove.<br />
<br />
Serve with salad, maybe some new potatoes or garlic bread and a very large glass of your favourite tipple. Bloody lovely!!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-11862096619891115682015-05-10T10:49:00.001+01:002015-05-10T10:49:42.194+01:00Camping Drop Scone Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bNXRiZNxTmOoEnCJD-rVUun3QoRVrK6VdNnZkP59hQQ3h6T8MUzqTTv9n10vNvDqINn3SkPNoW9VJS-86DNeE25r3y-wa9hJOVLZ5DUnO1egF2bBPrJt7HOXg-wkFST6xmo3fl4xOrI/s1600/!cid_584663C4-04E2-4A07-8471-1A001648BF98.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bNXRiZNxTmOoEnCJD-rVUun3QoRVrK6VdNnZkP59hQQ3h6T8MUzqTTv9n10vNvDqINn3SkPNoW9VJS-86DNeE25r3y-wa9hJOVLZ5DUnO1egF2bBPrJt7HOXg-wkFST6xmo3fl4xOrI/s400/!cid_584663C4-04E2-4A07-8471-1A001648BF98.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
When I was a kid we used to make these little drop scones on a Sunday afternoon. We would have them with butter and jam, maple syrup or, occasionally, clotted cream and jam. They are really quick and easy to make and are perfect to make when camping. I take a zip-lock bag with the dry ingredients weighed out and mixed already with me. All I have to do on site is mix in the wet ingredients. <br />
<br />
<strong>CAMPING DROP SCONES</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
115g Plain Flour<br />
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar<br />
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda<br />
Pinch of Salt<br />
1 tsp Caster Sugar<br />
1 Beaten Egg<br />
1/4 pnt Milk<br />
A knob of butter<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Method</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Mix the first 5 (dry) ingredients together and store in a zip-lock bag and take with you.<br />
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<br />
<br />
When the urge comes upon you, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients (best done in a bowl but can be done, at a push, in the zip-lock bag if you don't have a bowl or can't be bothered to wash up afterwards!) and whisk in the egg and the milk, making a smooth batter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxetp1nGzg9_lfTqFIp4O85JBgpxRlahJ5ReX60YUu5iC8HZPi8jV1VyMwqtFNJ4GSOcS5lNb8JeD43Tw_f7xZ2XkaWUwYCSuTo-uhblqCuNHvMwsxipaKPJ2ZUflRiexf_jPo6cLGKc/s1600/Scone+Collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxetp1nGzg9_lfTqFIp4O85JBgpxRlahJ5ReX60YUu5iC8HZPi8jV1VyMwqtFNJ4GSOcS5lNb8JeD43Tw_f7xZ2XkaWUwYCSuTo-uhblqCuNHvMwsxipaKPJ2ZUflRiexf_jPo6cLGKc/s400/Scone+Collage+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Lightly butter a flat griddle or frying pan and heat it up over a medium heat. Drop (hence their name) dollops of the batter onto the griddle. After a minute or two, little bubbles will start to appear on the surface. When they do, flip them over for another 1-2 minutes.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Serve with butter and jam, clotted cream and jam, fresh strawberries, maple syrup or anything else that takes your fancy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIr11jPs6d2zKQLPPAAkXK1n58zWBwYYVpiW7FhyyI2kSnXKynTExJ6T3AIlUlGU6lALNfMF439NBejGm2-3jHYykdh6B_8Hsw9P0onO_KJZ3WwXAy-Nwx8AzH5hHczqPGiLJKhhnqSs/s1600/Scone+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIr11jPs6d2zKQLPPAAkXK1n58zWBwYYVpiW7FhyyI2kSnXKynTExJ6T3AIlUlGU6lALNfMF439NBejGm2-3jHYykdh6B_8Hsw9P0onO_KJZ3WwXAy-Nwx8AzH5hHczqPGiLJKhhnqSs/s400/Scone+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
If you have any left over mix we can confirm that fat brown spaniels like them too - particularly with strawberry jam!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13770294843470234811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608861885670159161.post-81260073529911319702015-05-09T17:47:00.000+01:002015-05-09T17:47:21.489+01:00The Stol Chair - truly portable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hz1cyEdWmFBjmNoPhRFZJNNv1uPRCaJ3Lnegt_oFTaLMi0xFa_oQvn_Kni3-vbU52oESGj_i6Javtipf8fIBKn9T0DDLxnFaWGdLx81In_UEOtfaMi0ZPBuL7e7jVKYWts4lntXfzzQ/s1600/image2+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hz1cyEdWmFBjmNoPhRFZJNNv1uPRCaJ3Lnegt_oFTaLMi0xFa_oQvn_Kni3-vbU52oESGj_i6Javtipf8fIBKn9T0DDLxnFaWGdLx81In_UEOtfaMi0ZPBuL7e7jVKYWts4lntXfzzQ/s320/image2+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We bought four of these Stol chairs from Swedish company Ergolife last year to replace some rather tired, old, folding beach chairs that we had.<br />
<br />
I was drawn to them because this unique, ergonomic chair has been developed for situations where your back does not have appropriate support. It is easy to use and gives you a comfortable, portable seat wherever you go. I find it increasingly difficult to sit on the ground without some sort of back support so picnics, trips to the beach, festivals and outdoor concerts of other sporting events were becoming less and less appealing.<br />
<br />
The chair has smooth slats, made from natural birch wood, that are positioned to ensure lower and upper back support. It can be used on hard or soft surfaces and is as comfortable on a bench or rock as it is on the ground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYPBphyQCkdPeoEVxRa9l9c8F76cjzow5QSPe4yHDBhlcMm4NgDixI0NX5vbCnE-q5CcBoM622e_gWnm342ujNoBA81GWSYprZLiamWhivWUWgbwWokHOHlvF-9KJdieiiC8MHrHK14o/s1600/Stol+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYPBphyQCkdPeoEVxRa9l9c8F76cjzow5QSPe4yHDBhlcMm4NgDixI0NX5vbCnE-q5CcBoM622e_gWnm342ujNoBA81GWSYprZLiamWhivWUWgbwWokHOHlvF-9KJdieiiC8MHrHK14o/s400/Stol+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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What I like about the chair is:-<br />
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<ul>
<li>it is easy to use and gives you a comfortable, portable seat</li>
<li>it appears to be well designed and well made and should last for years</li>
<li>it offers good support whatever size and shape you are</li>
<li>they are small enough to keep in the boot of your car</li>
<li>they roll up into a drawstring bag that is 40cm long by 10cm diameter. They weigh 985g.</li>
<li>they look good!</li>
</ul>
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The negatives:-<br />
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<ul>
<li>if you sit on a wet surface you may get a wet bum because the slats have gaps between them</li>
<li>they aren't cheap at between £25-£30 each</li>
<li>they take a few goes to find the perfect sitting position. You have to shuffle back as far as possible. Not really a negative but worth a mention.</li>
</ul>
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In summary, if you are looking for a lightweight, portable and versatile chair that folds down into a compact size, you might find these hard to beat.<br />
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If you want to see a selection of ridiculously slim and attractive Swedish people enjoying their Stol chairs, take a look at the YouTube link below. If you want to see some overweight, pale Brits using theirs you will have to wait until I've filmed us!!<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mITlroIIXag/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mITlroIIXag?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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