Giveaway #677 : Win an award-winning Bshirt for breastfeeding mums - closed - winner Helen Stratton

When a press release landed in my inbox recently for ethical breastfeeding clothing brand The Bshirt and their award-winning ‘Lift The Flap’ tops, I felt all nostalgic. I absolutely respect every mum's choice to breast or bottle feed their baby, but I have to say, those precious moments of absolute intimacy and special bonding with a newborn (and not-so-newborn, as I kept going for well over a year each time) remain some of my favourite memories of each of the Madhouse kids. That said, breastfeeding in public is always tricky, which is why The Bshirt looks so fantastic - the perfect combination of funky and functional.

The Bshirt is delighted to announce the launch of their award-winning ‘Lift The Flap’ tops on innovative shopping destination site for mums, NINERY. The online portal dedicated to providing mums and mums-to-be with must have clothing and accessories is a hub of ideas and inspiration. Brimming with unique fashion forward finds, The Bshirt joins leading brands and will be available from April 2018.

Stylish and empowering, The Bshirt can be worn on its own or as a vest top under clothes, to help make breastfeeding even more fashionable. Co-founded by two Devon based mumpreneurs, the Bshirt ‘Lift the Flap’ range of breastfeeding tops are all made from organic cotton, feeling super soft and easy to wear.

Co-founders Lisa and Philippa commented ahead of the launch: “We are huge fans of NINERY and are thrilled about the first Bshirt collection launching on the site this spring. The Bshirt is so much more than just a top, helping new mums to breastfeed with confidence by empowering women to breastfeed wearing their favourite fashions. The launch is an exciting step for us to be able share our breastfeed with confidence message with even more mums.”

NINERY founder, Penny Harrison said: "I am so thrilled that our customers can now find the Bshirt collection for sale at NINERY. I've been keen to work with Philippa and Lisa right from the beginning as their brilliant Lift the Flap top is exactly the kind of product I had in mind when creating the concept of my marketplace site.”

Penny continued: “I am passionate about bringing together lots of independent, stylish brands for mums and mums-to-be all at one contemporary shopping site, so women don't have to spend hours trawling online. I hope that as many mums as possible can discover exciting breastfeeding fashion options at NINERY and we're really proud that the Bshirt is joining us on our journey."

A social venture launched in March 2017, Bshirt co-founders Lisa and Philippa are passionate about improving breastfeeding rates in the UK and enabling women to breastfeed confidently for as long as they wish. The UK currently has some of the worst breastfeeding rates in the world and both the NHS and Unicef list embarrassment at feeding in public as a major barrier to breastfeeding.

The Bshirt has seen amazing results from customer surveys, with 83% of saying they feel more confident feeding in front of others while wearing their Bshirts. The team is also thrilled to have just been announced as a Gold winner in the MadeForMums Awards 2018, within the Breastfeeding accessory category.

Browse the full range available and find your perfect outfit pairings for any occasion this season,ninerystore.com. To find out more information on The Bshirt and wider collection, visit www.thebshirt.co.uk.

Bshirt, Lift the Flap, £25.39 (Two for £41.39) including delivery

Available in sizes 8 – 18

Colours - white/ black/ grey/ navy / plum

I am delighted to have a Bshirt to give away to one lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. (I'll send the winner's email over to the company to arrange size/colour choices.) Fill in your entries via the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 28/4/18

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after 28 days, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. The winners' personal contact information will be passed on to the PR / Brand responsible and used only for delivery of their prize. 

You may also like to enter my other giveaways :

Giveaway #676 : Win 2 x Sheep And Wolves on dvd - closing date 25/4

Giveaway #675 : Win a pair of Dotty Fish soft sole shoes - closing date 24/4 #dottyfish #softsolemovement

What's Cooking at The Madhouse? menu plan 2018 week #16

This will be a weird week as I'm going back to work, but I'm also going to be busy looking after the visiting Norwegian delegation, which means two meals out with them in the evenings. I'll be dashing home in between the conference/workshops and the evening events to sort out the kids' homework and food, but they'll be on simple dishes that they can reheat for themselves. Lunches will be back to school canteen or fending for themselves at home. Then once we get back into routine, it's the school holidays ! No complaints here though :)

Saturday

lunch - The Madhouse grandparents are over for the day so I'm not sure what I'm cooking yet - I might go with the usual roast dinner a day early or we might even take them out somewhere for our traditional Saturday fast food

dinner - spaghetti bolognese

Sunday

lunch - Sunday roast or possibly a meal out (fast food or a cheap family-friendly restaurant) depending on what we did yesterday

dinner - for some reason, as I write this plan, I have a craving for bacon sandwiches - I'm sure the kids won't complain ! I might make them slightly healthier by doing BLTs or I may just listen to the kids and add just ketchup or brown sauce !

Monday 

dinner - I'll be dashing in and out again for the welcome meal with the Norwegians so I'll cook up something simple like beefburgers, rice & Chinese veg

Tuesday 

dinner - After a reception at the town hall, I'll be home in time to cook - but the kids will probably be starving so a quick option is needed. Meatballs, couscous and ratatouille should fit the bill nicely (and they can even have it with spaghetti instead if they prefer). 

Wednesday 

lunch - the kids will be fending for themselves - there's a big tin of ravioli in the cupboard or they can fridge-graze instead, if there are leftovers (which there should be, if I've planned well enough)

dinner - an evening off so time for some proper cooking - chicken breast with baby potatoes and green beans

Thursday 

dinner - I'm out fine dining with the Norwegians but the kids will have to make do with a frozen pizza or something simple like a pouch of microwavable rice, sweetcorn or baked beans and hot dog sausages

Friday  

 dinner - back to normal, the Norwegians will have left ... but the in laws may be arriving for the month-anniversary church service of Madhouse Daddy's funeral tomorrow (which they wanted to drive up for) ... so I'll go for a joker day - could be leftovers, could be takeaway, could be cheesy veg & bacon bake if it's just us

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Join in with the weekly meal plan bloghop !

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up with The Meal Planing Linky with The Organised Life Project and Katykicker.com

#readcookeat recipe : Pan-fried fish with bacon (A Tangled Web)

While menu-planning last week, I decided to have a browse through my bookmarked recipes and came across a dish that I'd noted down from Mike Martin's most recent Sgt. Windflower mystery, A Tangled Web. (Click through for my review.) Sgt. Windflower is a man who likes his food, so I've already recreated many recipes from his tales, including Newfoundland Raisin Molasses Bread, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake, Triple Layer Vegetarian Lasagne and Pea Soup with Dough Boys. He adores cheesecake but also eats a lot of fish dishes, and that is what I came back to this time.

p118 "I'm a bit groggy but feel a lot better smelling that delicious fish. What's the ETE?"

Sheila laughed. "The estimated time of eating will be after you get a shave and cleaned up."

"I'm on it, Ma'am."

Half an hour later, Windflower was sitting at the kitchen table as Sheila scooped mashed potatoes on his plate along with string beans. She laid a piece of the halibut alongside the potatoes and poured a little sauce over top of everything. The fish was browned nicely on top and there were small pieces of meat sprinkled in the sauce. Windflower took a taste of the fish along with a small piece of meat. "This is delicious. What's the meat?"

"It's prosciutto," said Sheila. "It's the packaged stuff. I bet it would be so much better with fresh ham. I wasn't sure how this recipe for pan-fried halibut but work out, but I think it's okay."

"This is pretty darned good," said Windflower. "Garlic mash too," he added as he tried a forkful of potatoes. "Perfect."

I had a quick look on google but this doesn't seem to be a specific recipe, so I used it as more of a loose inspiration for my own creation. I didn't have prosciutto to hand so I used bacon lardons instead, but I wanted to move away from the basic Fried Fish with Scrunchions type dish that I'd already recreated. I opted for the addition of leeks and cream to make a rich sauce for topping the fish.

Pan-fried fish with bacon

ingredients :

fillets of halibut or any other white fish 

a knob of butter

salt, garlic pepper

2 leeks

150g bacon lardons (or prosciutto)

20cl light crème fraîche

Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the fish. Sgt. Windflower used halibut but I opted for whiting as it was on offer in the supermarket.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, fry the bacon lardons until they release some fat, then add the leeks. If using prosciutto, you may have to add a little butter. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft and starting to separate into rings.

Add the cream and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

Serve the fish and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Sgt. Windflower ate his with garlic mash but we opted for the end of a bag of duchess potatoes from the freezer. I also skipped the string beans as I'd already added lots of leeks.

If your kids aren't keen on fish, this is a great way of disguising it. If you are a fish lover, go easy on the sauce so that it doesn't drown the flavour though. It's a quick and simple but indulgent dish, perfect for a busy midweek meal. 

Adding to the #readcookeat linky over at Chez Maximka.

Moj Moj review - So soft, so cute ... so moj ! #MojMoj

An intriguing parcel arrived at The Madhouse this week, screaming "Pick me !" and hinting at the new collectibles inside : So soft, so cute ... so moj ! 

Inside we found four Moj Moj Mystery Packs and a bag of sweeties (in a matching stripey bag) nestling in some pretty rainbow-hued crinkly shredded plastic.

The packaging is really pretty, with its pastel palette of pinks, blues and yellows and stripey or polka dot designs. This also gave us our first sneak peek at what would be hiding inside - the Moj Mojs are apparently a collection of ultra cute, mainly animal, characters. Time to go and meet them !

Inside each mystery pack, we found two Moj Moj characters in plastic bags, as well as a collector's guide, which was what we looked at first. The first Moj Moj series, named "😀" moves away from the typical numbered series and introduces family groups to collect, which include Adventure Seekers, Party Animals, Couch Potatoes, Happy Campers, Sun Bathers and Day Dreamers. It features an assortment of limited-edition, rare and ultra-rare must-have Moj Moj characters from puppies to pandas and seals to starfish, which are apparently designed to bring emoji’s to life.

Here are the ones that we discovered - they are all very cute (Juliette's favourite is the panda) and they reminded her a bit of Num Noms and Tsum Tsums because they can be stacked.

They are made of a soft, slightly sticky, almost slime-like material that can be squashed, prodded and stretched to your heart's content before springing back to its initial shape. Juliette was intrigued to know if they were scented, like Num Noms, but they just have a slightly chemical, plasticky smell.

There are already almost a hundred Moj Moj to collect in series one and if your children love cute collectibles along the lines of Num Noms, they won’t be able to resist buying, trading and squeezing these cute, colorful characters. Moj Moj is available from @EntertainerToys and Mystery Packs containing two Moj Moj retail at £4, which is a little pricey for what you get, but well within pocket money prices.  

for more information : https://mojmoj.mgae.com/

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.

Giveaway #676 : Win 2 x Sheep And Wolves on dvd - closed - winners Claire Bbdiva Butler & Daisy Craydon

From the producers of The Snow Queen 2 comes SHEEP AND WOLVES, a fun, animated

adventure featuring the English-language voices of TOM FELTON (Harry Potter 1-8), RUBY

ROSE (Pitch Perfect 3), JIM CUMMINGS (Winnie the Pooh) and CHINA ANNE MCCLAIN (Black Lightening).

In a magical faraway land, in a picturesque village nestled among green meadows and rolling

hills, lives a flock of carefree sheep. But their idyllic and stress-free solitude is interrupted when a pack of wolves sets up camp in a nearby ravine.

When the wolves’ retiring pack leader Magra (CUMMINGS) announces that his future successor must prove his worth by defeating their rivals, the powerful and blood-thirsty Ragear steps forward. The only wolf brave enough to challenge him is Grey (FELTON), the pack’s favourite but a hopeless goofball who must prove his worth by overcoming his fears. However, after taking a magical potion to boost his courage, he is suddenly turned into... a ram! Will Grey find his way back to his pack and his girlfriend Bianca (ROSE)?

This was a big hit with the Madhouse kids. It's not hugely original, featuring the same old same old story of an underdog (underwolf?) turning into an unlikely hero and coming out on top despite the odds - think along the lines of The Lion King, Alpha & Omega, Happy Feet, Kung Fu Panda, Finding Nemo and many more - but it has a few life lessons and a lot of laughs along the way, making it perfect light-hearted family viewing.

Genre: Animation, Family

Language: English

Runtime: 81 minutes

RRP: £9.99

Cat no: TRL398

I have two copies of the DVD to give away to lucky Madhouse Family Reviews readers. Fill in your entries via the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 25/4/18

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after 28 days, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. The winners' personal contact information will be passed on to the PR / Brand responsible and used only for delivery of their prize. 

You may also like to enter my other giveaways :

Giveaway #674 : Win The Story of the First World War For Children - closing date 10/4

Giveaway #675 : Win a pair of Dotty Fish soft sole shoes - closing date 24/4 #dottyfish #softsolemovement

Madhouse diaries : Sowing the seeds of love

Yesterday marked the one month anniversary of Madhouse Daddy's death. People keep telling us that we're coping incredibly well. I don't know if we are or not, but our way of dealing with things is to keep on keeping on, filling our days with activities and trips out so that we can keep our minds off things and make new happy memories.

I haven't made any huge changes around the house but we've dejunked certain areas and given them new purposes that better maximise the space. This area next to the kitchen sink, for example, has been transformed into a little growing area for Pierre. He's already filled some pots with herb and tomato seeds and we found a little "magic bean" sowing kit, which contained a bean with a heart on it. In theory, according to the picture, it should grow a plant with a heart on the leaf - I admit, I'm very dubious ! It's keeping Pierre busy though and he conscientiously waters all his little pots every day after school.

We're still taking the dogs out for walks after dinner and, as an added bonus, it's much quieter at this time of day so we can let them off their leads for a run around the field. In the middle of the afternoon, there are big groups of kids running around and generally several large rottweiler type dogs, so we usually rush through keeping our two on their leads. 

Pierre always has great fun charging up the big hill in the middle of the field - this is actually the remains of a world war II bunker and you can see parts of the concrete poking out.

What goes up must come down but it's not so easy getting back down to ground level ! 

We changed things around a bit this weekend and went to a local pizza restaurant for Saturday lunch instead of heading to a fast food joint.

The pizzas were enormous but they also do take away pizzas so I asked for a doggy bag and we brought the leftovers home in a box.

When we were ordering, I'd spotted a sharing dessert that I thought looked fun, so I put in a sneaky request at the end without the kids knowing. Their face was a picture ! It includes six scoops of ice cream, two mini chocolate brownies, a chopped up banana and whipped cream, along with chocolate sprinkles, hot chocolate sauce and three biscuits stuck in the top. There may well have been more - I can't remember ! 

It is supposed be for two or three people but we didn't even manage to finish it with all four of us giving it our best shot !

This weekend was the annual Wine & Regional Food Fayre so we headed down for a quick look. The kids were drooling at all the food stands and trying all the free samples of cheese, smoked sausage and cake, so we ended up buying some cured sausages and some traditional cakes from Brittany.

It was breezy but sunny so we headed down to the beach for a quick stroll along the prom. The beach huts have just been installed, which is a sure sign that the summer season is on the way.

After a quick play in the sand and a chomp on a sausage, we headed to the bus stop. Sophie offered to give Pierre a shoulder carry but he always hangs on to her forehead for dear life so she can barely see where's she's going !

Book review : The Generation Game - Sophie Duffy

Philippa, the central character of Sophie Duffy's The Generation Game, was born in 1965, just a few years before me, so it was a real nostalgic trip down memory lane for me as I read about her early years. From foodie treats such as Fray Bentos meat pies to a quarter of sherbert lemons, and iconic TV shows including Blue Peter, Top of the Pops (with Pan's People) and Doctor Who, all the classic memories of my own suburban British childhood were there. The host of supporting characters, from Mr Sugar the kind and aptly-named sweet shop owner, Wink the feisty but poorly neighbour with her talking parrot Captain and the smooth-talking second hand car salesman Bernie, are all people I could vaguely relate to as real-life figures from my own distant past (even down to the talking parrot - unbelievably I used to know two talking parrots, one at my best friend's house and one outside a local pub - do people even have talking parrots these days ?!). As she grows up through the eighties and nineties, experimenting with dodgy hair and makeup, Babycham and student friends with newly-found, right-on political views, I could still relate to her memories and experiences.

The Generation Game is about more than a rose-tinted look at life in Britain during my formative years though. As well as referring to a popular TV show, the title hints at a darker, more poignant aspect of Philippa's life - the complex and often complicated relationships between the generations, be it a mother in eternal mourning for her son (and Philippa's friend) who died at the age of seven, an absent father or a child abandoned by her mother. Philippa doesn't have the classic mum-dad-two-point-two-kids family unit that was the norm back in the seventies, but her dysfunctional group of friends and relatives actually functions very well, providing her with the love and stability that she needs to thrive. Nothing can replace the absence of a mother though, particularly in those scary and complicated days when a young girl or even grown woman has to come to terms with transitioning from a daughter to a mother herself, and Philippa's doomed relationships, dodgy decisions and heartache add a poignant, grittier edge to the amusing anecdotes going on as a backdrop.

I love the way a time capsule à la Blue Peter manages to bring together all the different threads and generations, finally giving much-needed answers and closure and allowing Philippa to find her happily-ever-after ending. It's a satisfying, uplifting and heart-warming novel with a cast of endearing characters and numerous throwbacks to my own past that made me smile. As the great Brucie would have said himself, Nice to read you - to read you, nice !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £8.99

• Paperback: 322 pages
• Publisher: Legend Press (5 April 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1787198545
• ISBN-13: 978-1787198548
• Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.8 cm

Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

Giveaway #675 : Win a pair of Dotty Fish soft sole shoes - closed - winner Ana Nowell #dottyfish #softsolemovement

Baby footwear brand Dotty Fish have been working with The London Podiatry Centre, one of the most advanced podiatric clinics in the world. They looked closely at the effects of soft-soled footwear on a child who is learning to walk and taking those crucial first steps.

Dotty Fish have always been passionate about baby foot health and are keen to get the message out to parents on the benefits of wearing soft sole shoes. “We want to give people the information needed to make an informed choice when buying footwear for young children. We want to create a movement, one that looks at what is best for babies’ feet.” explains Helen Chapman, founder of Dotty Fish

The London Podiatry Centre has one of the most advanced dedicated podiatric gait facilities anywhere in the world and have a wealth of information when it comes to foot health especially paediatric foot health. This is the first time they have ever worked with a baby shoe brand to analyse a child taking those early steps wearing a soft sole baby shoe. “We are an evidence-based clinic and we use very advanced technology to help us determine if something helps biomechanically” explained Ron McCulloch, Consultant Podiatric Surgeon and Director at The London Podiatry Centre. “So far the results have been encouraging”.

For many years there has been a perception that a baby’s first shoe should be a structured shoe that will help keep them steady on their feet, but this is a misconception. Dotty Fish and The London Podiatry Centre hope to re-educate parents about the right kind of footwear they should be choosing for their children. In fact, the very best thing for a baby learning to walk and a toddler who is new to walking is to have bare feet but this isn’t always practical in the artificial, modern world we live in. The next best thing is to have an extremely lightweight flexible shoe with a thin, non-slip sole that protects a baby’s delicate foot and prevents slipping. This type of shoe will still give them all the benefits of walking barefoot whilst protecting their feet and allowing them to feel the floor beneath them.

“We want to educate parents and childcare professionals on why soft soled shoes are better for developing feet. The anatomy of a baby or toddler’s foot is different from an adult and we need to take this into account when buying those first few pairs of shoes,” explains Helen. “A baby’s foot doubles in size between birth and the age of 4 years. By their first birthday their foot is almost half the size it will be as an adult. Babies have 22 partially developed bones in their feet that are mostly cartilage while adults have 26 bones. This rapid growth and development needs to be kept in mind when choosing which shoes to buy.”

Shoes for young babies and children need to be:

Flexible so feet can move naturally

Lightweight allowing for natural ankle, knee and hip movement

Wide around the toes to allow the feet to spread when standing

Thin soled so children’s toes can grip the floor in the same way as if they were barefoot

A snug fit so they don’t come off but without restricting movement or growth

Made from a breathable material as babies’ feet sweat 2-3 times more than adults’ do

To find out more about the #softsolemovement, head over to :

https://www.facebook.com/dottyfishltd

https://twitter.com/dottyfishltd

https://www.instagram.com/dottyfish/

Dotty Fish have kindly offered to send a pair of their gorgeous soft sole shoes (you even get to choose the design) to one lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. Fill in your entries via the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 24/4/18

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after 28 days, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray ! Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. The winners' personal contact information will be passed on to the PR / Brand responsible and used only for delivery of their prize. 

You may also like to enter my other giveaways :

Giveaway #673 : Win 3 x Thunderbirds dvds - closing date 7/4

Giveaway #674 : Win The Story of the First World War For Children - closing date 10/4

What's Cooking at The Madhouse? menu plan 2018 week #15

The kids seem to be game for trying some of the less exotic sounding globe-cooking recipes that I have bookmarked, so I'll be going with a mix of old family favourites and as-yet-untried dishes this week, as well as a few #readcookeat recipes for good measure.

Saturday

lunch - The traditional fast food visit - Juliette's choice this week (I'm guessing KFC or Burger King)

dinner - we've been invited to dinner (again !)

Sunday

lunch - Sunday lunch - chicken is generally everyone's favourite so I'll probably go with that

dinner - chicken & veg soup with the leftovers

Monday 

lunch - chilli con carne with rice

dinner - lamb & apricot tagine with couscous

Tuesday 

lunch - smoked sausages, peppers, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes etc with rice

dinner - leftovers or frozen pizza

Wednesday 

lunch - chicken cordon bleu with potato balls and baked beans

dinner - spaghetti carbonara

Thursday 

lunch - pan-fried fish with prosciutto, garlic mash & green beans

dinner - mac & cheese (with king prawns for those who want them)

Friday  

lunch - sausages & lentils

 dinner -  leftovers or wraps

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Join in with the weekly meal plan bloghop !

Linking up with The Meal Planing Linky with The Organised Life Project and Katykicker.com

#readcookeat recipe : Shashlik kebabs (Soviet Milk)

I recently read a novella from Pereine Press, Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena (click through to read my review), which focuses on three generations of women in Latvia under Soviet rule. Living under a totalitarian regime, all aspects of life are hard, so food is depicted as frequently scarce and generally basic, but there are nevertheless several foodie references that piqued my interest.

p12 We would then head for an Aloja Street café and eat solyanka soup and kupati sausages, and she would add caffeine from an ampoule to her coffee.

Solyanka soup sounds like it would be a great candidate for the #KitchenClearout linky as it is a real throw-in-whatever-you've-got recipe, containing everything from cured meats and sausages to olives, capers, pickles, cabbage, carrots and sour cream. The idea of adding pickles to soup intrigued me and I told Madhouse Daddy that we'd be having a "strange-sounding Russian soup" for dinner very soon, but sadly, it was never to be. I definitely want to give this recipe a try but I'm breaking the Madhouse kids into the whole idea of globe-cooking gently at the moment so it will have to wait for a while.

p32 There Serafima would pray to the Mother of God for a baby. She often came to visit us, always bringing a treat : cabbage-stuffed pirogi, vareniki dumplings, meat patties or borscht.

One thing I've noticed about globe-cooking is that recipes often can't be restricted to one country because culinary traditions and influences have no respect for borders. Borscht and pirogi are both things that I tried in Poland. Click here if you want my recipe for Cheese, Onion & Potato or Cabbage & Pork Pierogi.

Other dishes sound vaguely reminiscent of British retro food that wouldn't have been out of place in a 1970's UK dinner party :

p45 The year 1977 was giving way to 1978. On festive tables, you would be sure to find potato salad and sausage, and Sovetskoye shampanskoye - Soviet champagne.

p55 A glass of warm milk and over it a freshly formed skin. Milk soup. Fruit jelly in milk. Those were my worst trials at school.

p86 Once my grandmother came to visit us and I was left in her care for the evening. She was making a buberts - a sweet concoction of beaten egg, cream of wheat and milk floating in cranberry sauce.

p92 My grandmother had prepared tasty treats for the trip, while two evenings in a row, my step-grandfather took us to the dining car. There you could get not only chicken Kiev but also stroganoff and shashlik and kupaty sausages.

I'd never heard of Shashlik so I went to investigate and discovered that it means "skewered meat" and is, to all intents and purposes, what we frequently buy in French supermarkets over the summer months for cooking on the barbecue : chunks of meat (traditionally lamb but often now also beef or pork) threaded onto a skewer with alternating pieces of meat, fat, and vegetables, such as red/green pepper, onion, mushroom and tomato. I had some pork in the freezer and some veggies in the fridge so this sounded perfect. I decided to go for plain meat, as the kids would be eating it, but the BBC Food website has a great-sounding Hairy Bikers' Shashlik kebabs with sour cream dip and plum sauce recipe, that includes a marinade using wine, vinegar and spices.

Shashlik kebabs

ingredients :

cubes of pork

wedges of onion

chunks of green/red pepper

mushrooms, halved

drizzle of olive oil

sprinkle of paprika

To serve :

sour cream

dill

Thread cubes of alternating meat and veggies onto metal or wooden skewers.

Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over a little paprika.

I cooked them indoors on the Optigrill but they would be great on the barbecue too.

Serve with sour cream mixed with dill and the accompaniment of your choice - I opted for rice mixed with vegetables but summer options like potato salad and tomato salad would work well too.

Linking up with the #readcookeat challenge over at Chez Maximka.

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ! ***

Fancy trying some more Russian cuisine? How about these? :

Beef Stroganoff with Toasted Buckwheat

Horseradish Beetroot Salad

Kissel

Zakouskis