I’m recording another show for BBC Oxford there and guess who is top of my list to interview, yep, Rolf Harris himself.  Last year I had the privilege of interviewing Martin Fry of ABC, one of my teenage heroes and yes I do have all their albums and I know all the words.  So when I found he was giving interviews but was only doing four of them I thought I had no chance.  It’s amazing what doors open when you’re with the BBC, even if it is local radio, I got one of the slots.

The others were ITN, Sky News and Festivents, all the interviewees were under the age of 25 and had never worshipped Martin Fry in the way an oldie like me did, they all asked the same questions….What’s it like being back together in the band again? Martin looked positively bored but charmingly answered them without getting too animated.  When it came to my turn I introduced myself and explained that I didn’t want to talk about the band or reforming but I’d like to talk about food.

For a minute I thought he was going to throw me out of the press tent, especially when he asked if I was serious, but I stuck to my guns and got the longest interview of any of the other journos from him. Martin changed totally, became animated and obviously I’d struck a chord with a favourite subject of his, food and feeding his family.  The interview is attached to click on it and see what you think.

It made my weekend and I’m really hoping I can repeat the honour with Rolf Harris, what do you think?

Martin Fry interviewed by Beverley Glock at Camp Bestival

Over the years there have been other storms in teacups about glitter.  Some websites have stated that the ‘glitter is not edible and is suitable for use on parts of the cake that will not be eaten’, ie cake decorations that lay on the cake and can be removed. However, everyone who has ever used this stuff knows that no matter what you do it transfers.

So we talked to the manufacturer, I’ve had lots of conversations with the lovely people at Edable Art over the years and I’ve seen toxicology reports from them as they’ve always been open and honest and I’ve satisfied myself that their glitter is ‘foodsafe’.  I’ve had conversations with local trading standards chaps, David Gravy at Aylesbury is very aware of the cookery school and has been actively involved with us for the last 11 years of trading and is incredibly helpful.  We were advised to market the glitter as ‘foodsafe’ not ‘edible’, when we have new staff and cookery leaders join we make sure that they know not to call the glitter edible.

However, as of Monday last week, this all changed – way before it hit the newspapers. Audrey, one of the team, did her regular check up with the FSA, there was a bulletin about just this, so she called Edable Art who were right on the ball and said that they knew all about the new guidelines and were putting together a Declaration of Compliance which they’d send us.  In the meantime he was very pleased to let us know that Edable Art glitter is fully compliant with the FSA Guidelines on Edible and Non-Toxic Glitters and Dusts (April 2012). This is the only glitter Splat Cooking sell.

If you have any queries please do call Splat Cooking on 0870 766 8290

When my children were little there were a number of toddler classes that I just couldn’t cope with, the ones that left me feeling like I needed to take myself out and have myself shot as I was so desperately bored.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved being at home with my children when they were little, my favourite age was between 6 months and 2 years, when they’re discovering the world and you are honoured to experience that with them.  Toddlers are amazingly good company, every new experience and discovery is unique and wonderful but some classes are just downright boring, and if I was bored stupid and dreaded having to go back, then how did my child feel?

Some classes were brilliant, I thoroughly loved them and looked forward to going every week so did my children.

Things about toddler classes i couldn’t bear:  puppets (omg I hate puppets, why can’t the people running the class just talk to the children like normal human beings), singing daft songs when it isn’t a singing or musical class – why? Oh why? I have the most awful singing voice that can clear a room in seconds, so I totally hated being told to ‘sing up’ – seriously?  You want all the other Mums to run for the hills?

Class leaders talking down the children in silly voices – when you laugh you get told off (or evicted, been there, done that), it’s just too funny when the toddlers are looking at the lady and asking if there is something wrong with her voice for her to talk like that.

So the Splat Cooking toddler cookery classes have none of this.  The focus is on food and cooking, each session is linked to a story book, such as The Magic Porridge Pot (Oaty lollies), The Gruffalo (mice bread rolls), Pizza Kittens (pizza) and each session begins with a story, then the children put aprons on, wash hands and make the recipe of the week with the help from their parents/carers.  Once the goodies are cooking there are related activities and colouring sheets to do as well as tasting ingredients and talking about the texture and flavour, it may be mango – dried, fresh, tinned, juice or bread – identifying different breads and trying different breads made with different grains.

They have this amazing lady who is qualified in sign language and is starting the classes off with a few words of signing to help the children who’s speech isn’t that great, I think this is such a great idea.

The classes launch on Thursday 3 May at Ballinger War Memorial Hall in Ballinger Common near Great Missenden, the classes last from 9.30-11am – as these are new they’re hoping for lots of feedback from the initial parents as it’s early days and they want to make sure that the classes are brilliant so initially 90 mins but they may reduce the time depending on  how the first few run, better to finish early than over run.  The classes are bookable termly in advance – they need to know how many children at each week to buy ingredients and food to taste and budget for aprons and recipe folders and utensils.

I’ll be there for the first couple to launch them then the amazing ladies at  Splat Cooking will take over with their wealth of experience.  So if you have a toddler and want to have a go at cooking, book now, before the spaces fill up.

Burying someone in sand scars me to death after you hear the horror stories of children being buried and killed when the sides of the sand collapse and suffocate them so although they’ve done it it’s been very shallow sand and usually feet only.  Paranoid mothers.

Camping out in the wild, does cub and guide camp count?  Or Camp Bestival? Or the back garden?

Building a den – in the back garden with blankets and clothes horse or Wendover Woods in the proper wild. Flying kites – always take them to France and hit the beach with them, need to get bigger ones this year.

Small boy will only apples if he can pick them straight off the tree – can be a bit of a pain that.  Stream damming in Hutton Le Hole – how to waste a whole day – perfect.

Watch the sun wake up – they did this lots when they were little and we were on holiday, Dads meet on the beach with toddlers that were awake from 5am so they didn’t wake everyone else up, sure you’ve been there but not sure this is really what they meant.

Catching crabs in rock pools – I’m an expert crab catcher, so good that when we’re on the Ile de Re I’m usually surrounded by children as they’ve ditched their parents to go over to where the ‘crab lady’ is as I’m sooo good at catching them, bit embarsssing really.

Bringing up butterflies – I think we still have the kit somewhere, done this at least 3 times and planting, cooking and eating is one of the things we do at Cooking Club, and of course they’ve cooked on a real campfire – well, at cubs and guides def.  So we’re up to 37 how many have you done?

The 50 things to do before you’re 11 and three-quarters

1. Climb a tree

2. Roll down a really big hill

3. Camp out in the wild

4. Build a den

5. Skim a stone

6. Run around in the rain

7. Fly a kite

8. Catch a fish with a net

9. Eat an apple straight from a tree

10. Play conkers

11. Throw some snow

12. Hunt for treasure on the beach

13. Make a mud pie

14. Dam a stream

15. Go sledging

16. Bury someone in the sand

17. Set up a snail race

18. Balance on a fallen tree

19. Swing on a rope swing

20. Make a mud slide

21. Eat blackberries growing in the wild

22. Take a look inside a tree

23. Visit an island

24. Feel like you’re flying in the wind

25. Make a grass trumpet

26. Hunt for fossils and bones

27. Watch the sun wake up

28. Climb a huge hill

29. Get behind a waterfall

30. Feed a bird from your hand

31. Hunt for bugs

32. Find some frogspawn

33. Catch a butterfly in a net

34. Track wild animals

35. Discover what’s in a pond

36. Call an owl

37. Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool

38. Bring up a butterfly

39. Catch a crab

40. Go on a nature walk at night

41. Plant it, grow it, eat it

42. Go wild swimming

43. Go rafting

44. Light a fire without matches

45. Find your way with a map and compass

46. Try bouldering

47. Cook on a campfire

48. Try abseiling

49. Find a geocache

50. Canoe down a river

SOURCE: National Trust.

Read More https://www.50things.org.uk/parents-area.aspx

I’m really excited, come and see me at Foodies Festival in Hampton Court Palace on 5, 6 and 7 May, I’ll be in the Chef’s Theatre as MC for the event and we’ll have the APP on iPads on our stand for you have have a look at.  The Splat Cooking team are also running the Kids Cookery Theatre with lots of hands on cooking workshops

I’m really proud to say that I’m one of Bellaverde’s Celebrity Mums and have one of my favourite family recipes up on their website.  My Chicken Fajitas with Homemade Tortillas and Guacamole is a firm family favourite and it’s great to encourage the children to make the tortillas themselves as they are just so much better than the ones in the packets, just make sure that an adult does the heat work.

You can substitute the chicken for beef or pork if you wish or remove the chicken and add in extra mushrooms for a vegetarian version.  The recipe is up in the recipe section of my website and you can check out the other fab recipes from the other Celebrity Mums, Nadia Sawalha and Sophie Conran too on Bellaverde’s website

Beverley Glock's Chicken and Bellaverde broccoli fajitas

Click on the link above for the interview

Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Day, it falls the day before Ash Wednesday and can be between the beginning of February and mid March depending on when Easter falls.

Pancake Day’s proper name is Shrove Tuesday and this is the night before the beginning of Lent. Traditionally an evening when families used up flour and eggs to mark the beginning of the fasting period before Easter.  This year Shrove Tuesday falls on 21 February.

Pancakes are a flat, thin batter cake cooked in a hot frying pan – hence the name ‘pan-cake’.  They are cooked on one side then flipped (or tossed if you’re feeling brave) to cook the other side.  They can be sweet or savoury and can be eaten at any time of day and not just on Shrove Tuesday.

I associate Pancake Day with longer days, more sunshine and spring flowers breaking through.  My childhood memories are of spending two weeks persuading my Mum to cook pancakes for Pancake Day, helping her mix up the batter and seeing if I could eat the pancakes faster than she could make them.  In the winter months pancakes are a standard Sunday breakfast in our house – what do you like on yours?  Lemon and sugar?  Maple syrup?  Freshly squeezed orange juice? Nutella?  Grand Marnier? Ham and cheese?  My vote is for lemon and sugar.

Pancake races take place all over Britain, this is one those classic British traditions like the Pantomime, Boxing Day Dips and Morris Men, slightly mad but lots of fun (I know Morris Men aren’t mad and there are amazing traditions to their dances, I love them so please no letters!).

The pancake race originates in a place called Olney in Buckinghamshire; the story goes that a housewife was cooking when she heard the shriven bell at church calling for the start of the service.  Not wanting to be late she dashed out of the house still holding her frying pan.  Olney has held a Pancake Day race since 1445.  In other parts of Britain men dress up in aprons and bonnets and run whilst tossing a pancake in a frying pan.  They have to toss the pancake at least once at the beginning and end of the race and the first across the line wins.

for inspiration please try some of my pancake recipes:

Basic Pancake mix

Blueberry Pancakes

Chocolate Banana Pancakes

Orange and Fig Pancakes

Drop Scones

The books was more suitable for Liz so Liz took it away to play with it and you read her review here, it’s fabulous, so thank you lovely ladies, I’m very proud and ever so thrilled that you like it and have found it useful.

I’m working on putting some more recipes up on the site so check back in a day or so and you’ll be able to try some out to tempt you to buy the book.

raspberry biscuits-2

500 Baby and Toddler Foods