Food served from 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm Monday to Friday and from 12pm to 9pm on weekends
A country pub haven, yet only 5 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Basingstoke town centre, the Millstone is set within a conservation area near to the historical Basing house ruins.
Children’s Playground next door. Unsure if Baby changing facilities are available.
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe.
Baby Changing facilities are available in the Disabled toilet
Seating is on benches and generally not comfortable for breastfeeding
Fast and healthy food
If you sit at the tables near the entrance, there is enough parking for pushchairs next to the tables at the back
If you are pressed for time (evening feeds, etc.) you can check out your local Wagamama’s menu on the iPhone or iPad Wagamama application or check online in advance. The Mobile Applications allow you to place your order so it is ready when you arrive. You can also order takeaway using this option.
Excellent air con, so if it’s hot outside, this is a great place to be!
Baby Changing facilities in Disabled toilets, with cover for babies to lie on
Children’s menu available
Parking in car park is very small. Alternative parking is available at the football ground which is 3 mins walk away, however, you will need your pushchair as it’s too far to carry the car seat from.
Dyson hand dryers (it’s the little things that count!)
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe.
Treasure baskets have been used for decades by parents and childcare workers for teaching babies about different sensory items. Babies learn through touching, tasting, smelling, hearing and seeing. As babies get older, they may start to combine objects too, for example, they may use a wooden spoon to bang on a bowl. As babies will put these things into their mouths to learn about them, you must ensure there are no parts that are too small for the age of your baby. Treasure baskets are really good for babies who are not yet on the move, because it offers a wide variety of items to explore safely within reach.
Physically, your child will be developing control of their arms and their arm strength. They will also be developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as they are holding and moving items around.
How to use your treasure basket
Babies will need to be alert and there is enough time for them to be able to explore so don’t rush them. Sit them where they are comfortable and put the basket down near them. Sit close to them so you can deal with any issues but not so close that you are interfering, after all we want them to explore themselves. Don’t interrupt unless they want your attention or need your help. Check the contents of the basket regularly and remove any damaged items. Clean regularly, some items can be sterilised if you prefer. Remember your child is learning and so it’s important to almost leave them to it. They may play with very few items but this is because their concentration level is much higher than normal and they may be focussed on trying to do something specific.
When to begin using a treasure basket
Babies of all ages can use and appreciate a treasure basket, however it will need to contain items that are appropriate to their age. Babies that can’t sit could be placed on their tummy to explore items placed around them. Babies that can sit can be sat with the basket in front of them so they can reach for it themselves.
Ideas of items to put into a treasure basket
Toothbrush
Spiral toast rack
Corks
Loofah
Lemon squeezer
Large wooden dice
Small rolling pin
Curtain rings
Leaves
Scent bags
Old keys
Funnell
Jar tops
Mirror
Metal bowl
Baby spoons / forks
Tea strainer
Leather purse
Tennis ball
Bath plug
Wooden spoon
Rubber ducks
Soft ball
Hair comb
Greaseproof paper
Tin foil
Rattles
Wooden dolly pegs
Bobbins / cotton reels
Feathers
Pastry brush
Soft baby brush
Mini bean bags
Napkin rings
Silicone spoon
Wool
Wooden egg cup
Ribbons
Old remote control or mobile phone
Grass
Shoe brush
House painting brush
Rocks
Seashells
Musical instruments
Wooden massager with roller balls
Beaded necklaces / bracelets
Bells
Hair rollers
Acorns
Kitchen roll tubes
Rubber glove
Whisk
Dish cloth
Laminated photos
Pine cones
Sponge
An old CD
Fluffy flannel
Cotton wool
Various different materials – silk, chiffon, net curtain
Various sizes cardboard boxes
Felt – either pieces or shapes made from felt
Empty bottles – what can you do with them?
You could also use margarine tubs or empty baby food jars and fill with assorted things but you must ensure they are sealed completely shut.
Wet items – water with food colouring, water with glitter, water with sequins, water with buttons, ice cubes.
These items will need to be checked regularly to ensure the lids are still shut firmly and not damaged.
Food treasure baskets
For a fresh idea for lunch/snack times you could do a treasure basket with foods. You could use a tupperware box and select different textures of food to put inside. This could be good for fussy eaters too as they are able to select things they want to try and eat. You could use:
Bread – a variety of types
Breadsticks
Rice cakes
Apples
Grapes
Different coloured cheeses
Raisins
Dried fruit
Banana
Citrus fruits
Biscuits
Cooked meats
Pretzels
Biscuits
Colour baskets
You could also have baskets filled with all different colours. You could create a basket full of red, green or blue items. Younger children will greatly enjoy contrasting objects so black and white would be great for young babies. Older children may really enjoy a large rainbow of colours.
Making scent bags
Babies will love smelling all different things. You could make scent bags of your own by buying organza bags or if you are able to sew, make little bags yourself and fill them with different herbs, wood shavings, lavender, potpourri or spices. You could also use essential oils and soak a drop or two onto hankies.
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe.
Tot Cross Buns is a cookery class for children aged from 2 years old. The business is the brain child of Allison Woolford, a Basingstoke mum who is passionate about cooking and wants to pass on this passion to children – giving them confidence with food and encouraging them to try new tastes and have fun in the kitchen with mum and dad, granny or grandad.
Allison says:
‘I am a home cook for my husband and little girl, Lilly. I believe every child should have fun cooking, tasting and exploring food. I have many happy memories cooking with my Dad from a young age, giving me the inspiration for Tot Cross Buns.” Classes are educational and fun! I also have Kerry Marsay on the team who is also a home cook with a passion in baking, she has spent many an hour baking and cooking with her two children.
Fun and Relaxed
At Tot Cross Buns we aim to introduce children to food through taste, smell and touch all in a fun and relaxed environment. They’ll be cooking healthy recipes (some treats too!), which have all been tried and tested, and will involve the children every step of the way – and there will be no washing up to worry about!
Food Related Activity
The classes will involve cooking anything from muffins and scones to pizza and quiche and while they’re cooking there will be a fun food related activity. This could be anything from exploring textures and tastes to planting seeds.
Course Details and Prices
With just 8 children per class the environment is relaxed and friendly – and above all fun. The courses run for 6/7 weeks in line with the school term times and and cost £56.00. Sessions will last 45 minutes, though you should allow an hour, and children will be able to take home their goodies to share with friends and family, if they last that long! We run classes most days of the week here is our current list:
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe.
Those of you who have been reading NorthHantsMum for a while, will know how much I LOVE our slow cookers and how useful they are to cook healthy and cheap meals for my family.
Over the past few years I’ve put together a list of slow cooker recipes that I use regularly and have emailed them out to readers.
I’ve now taken this a step further and consolidated them into a “booklet”.
If you would like a copy of my slow cooker recipe booklet, which is great for someone who is starting out with using their slow cooker, please email me at NorthHantsMum@gmail.com.
However, please remember that NHM is my hobby, so it might take me a while to email it across to you.
Hope you find your slow cookers and the booklet useful!
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Google+,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!
I was slightly sceptical about whether it actually worked but then I saw a work colleague with kilner jars on her desk and she said they were fantastic. She makes all her lunches for work on a Sunday, keeps them in the fridge and the salads are still in great condition by the following Friday.
As regular NHM readers know I’m always looking out for any short cut’s that will make my life a bit easier so I knew I had to try this.
It’s also pretty widely known that Mr NHM literally takes a step back when the word “salad” is used in any context ;-).
I don’t know if it’s his northern blood but he categorically refuses to eat anything remotely salad like. Combine this with a child who has suddenly developed a “fussy food streak” and the only person I’m making any salads for is myself.
I don’t have the time or inclination to spend every evening making only myself a salad…. until I tried the kilner jar method!
Honestly, it’s fantastic!
I did what my colleague suggested and made up 4 kilner jars for the week on a Sunday and put them in the fridge. I also made up a kilner jar with cous cous and raisins and stored this in the fridge. It took me about 15 minutes of time to make the 5 jars but I was doing them at the same time as cooking another meal.
I was expecting the salad and cous cous to be soggy by the time I used them but they weren’t, it was as if I’d just prepared them!
I have no idea whether it’s because the jars are air tight but they are MILES better than using tupperware or lock and lock’s.
I bought my kilner jars from The Range as they were the cheapest I could find.
The pictures in this post are from one of the recipes in the original “10 Mason Jar Lunches” post, “Chicken Taco mason jar salad”, and I adapted it to what I had in the fridge and the equivalent to the US products.
I used, rocket and watercress chopped up, then grapes and blueberries, then a chopped tomato, some sweetcorn, some cucumber and finely chopped radishes and topped off with some black beans (not in the picture as I got distracted!).
I made the sauce from mild salsa mixed with creme fraiche when I needed it as I’d decided not to put it in the jar because I’m still a bit sceptical about whether the sauces will keep. I’m definitely going to try it next time though.
When I needed the salad, I dumped it all out into my bowl, topped with the sauce and it was DELICIOUS!
I highly recommend using kilner jars for storing food like salads and cous cous. Now I’m sold I’m going to try it on LOADS of other different foods and will report back soon! :-D.
Let me know if you have any good “kilner jar” recipes as I’d love to expand my current repertoire.
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Google+,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!
This isn’t a paid review (none of the reviews on NHM are!). I spent the money on this service knowing that I would be feeding my family and sharing my views on the service with you.
Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and take the hit for your blog :-D.
I keep seeing details about lots of Recipe Delivery companies and have been meaning to try a few of them out for a couple of years.
Mr NHM is quite fussy with his food so it’s always a challenge to find something healthy that he will eat. Miss NHM has also started being quite fussy, so I’ve been finding it quite frustrating finding something that we will all eat.
I finally got around to getting things sorted over the Easter holidays. We all had a week off work and school and had loads of fun activities planned.
Gousto worked out really well, because it meant I didn’t have to think about what meals we were eating in the evening, so I could really enjoy our time off and days out.
I’d been keeping an eye out for leaflets with discount codes that you can cash in on your first and second shop.
Starting the Service
I logged onto the website and signed up using the gift code that I had. You can choose which day you want your meals delivered to you. We chose ours to be delivered on a Wednesday, so that I didn’t have to worry too much about our meals towards the end of the week.
There are 12 recipes that you can choose from for each box, so I had a look through and it was a tough choice what to pick! I chose three meals for four people. The website also shows you which are the quickest recipes to cook, which has the lowest calories and which is the most popular.
You can choose to have portions for two or four people and can also choose to have a vegetarian box. The website shows you the price for each portion as it’s cheaper if you choose a box for four people.
You can also choose to have your boxes weekly, fortnightly or monthly and you can choose to have either two meals, three meals or four meals in each box. It is cheaper the more meals and the more portions that you have in your box.
On our delivery day a lovely big box arrived on our doorstep! It was SOOO exciting! Just like Christmas :-D.
I took everything out of the box. I cannot tell you how excited I was. I clearly need to get out more! lol.
All of the meat and chilled products were packaged very carefully in an ice bag:
Ice bag for the meat and fishReusable Ice PacksHerbs, stock and extras
I loved that the condiments came in their own little pots:
The Meals
The first thing I cooked was Tamarind-Glazed cod & coconut noodles. It sounds really fancy but it was actually pretty straightforward. However, it took me a while to work out that all of the ingredients had to be doubled because I was cooking for 4 and the recipe cards are written for two!
The finished product even looked like the pictures on the instruction card! 😀
I wanted to include a fish dish as we don’t eat enough fish in our house and I was a bit concerned that this wouldn’t go down very well. But everyone loved it so that was a huge relief. It’s quite a sweet dish, despite not having any sugar in, which I wasn’t expecting.
The Second Meal I cooked was Herby Cumberland Sausage Cassoulet.
This was hugely popular and really easy to make.
I realised at this point that at the bottom of the recipe card, it includes how long it will take to cook each meal, how many of your 5 a day are included and the calorie, fat and protein per person of each portion. I thought that was pretty cool.
The third meal I cooked was Barbecue Pork Steaks with mixed salad.
The sauce for the pork chops was really yummy and I was really impressed that this also looked like the pictures of the cooked meal on the recipe cards.
I was actually surprised at how much of a hit each of these meals were, despite Mr NHM telling me off for including salad with his pork and for putting in the corriander in the cod soup!
Everyone ate everything and they both commented on how similar the finished products were to the recipe card pictures.
Tips
You get to keep the recipe cards so you can recreate the meals again. I’ve already cooked the sausage cassoulet again with vegetarian sausages and it was a huge hit again.
You get to keep all of the packaging so Miss NHM used the box (as it suggested!) to make a house and we kept the ice packaging for use in our ice box.
It’s quite easy to stop and start the service. You just change the options on the website at any time you like.
Final Thoughts
If I was made of money I would ALWAYS use Gousto. It was a fantastic service and I loved that it was all organic and I didn’t have to think about any preparation as all ingredients come in the box and the recipe cards tell you exactly what to do.
It was a huge weight off my mind, especially during the holiday, not having to worry about our meals for a couple of days and I found the recipes really easy to cook.
I’m definitely going to see if my budget stretches to me using the service when I know we have a frantically busy week and my mind will be on other things that won’t include what is for dinner that evening. I also plan to use the service during the next school holidays that we have off but are staying at home as it was such a luxury not having to worry about meal planning or preparation.
If you would like to try out the Gousto recipe delivery and receive a £25 discount, you can enter code “LOUIS118348” in the promotion box at checkout.
If you do use this service, let me know what you think!
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Google+,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!
Someone told me a couple of years ago (Hi Laura!) that you could do lasagna in your slow cooker .
I was bit sceptical but have been wanting to try it for ages and finally got around to it a few weeks ago.
We loved it so much, that we have had it twice in the past month! Which possibly explains why I’m not losing any weight at the moment! lol.
Top Tip: Slow Cooker Lasagna
I used my slow cooker to batch cook a basic bolognese sauce. I use:
chopped tomatoes
chopped onion
finely chopped carrots, peppers and apple (lots of hidden veg and you can’t taste them)
loads of garlic
minced beef
beef stock
tomato puree
oregano
and sometimes passata if it’s in the cupboard.
I chuck it all in the slow cooker and let it cook for 8 hours.
I make a huge batch and then freeze it and use it as a base for pasta and sauce, chilli (chuck in some mild chilli and red kidney beans for 30 mins when reheating) and now for lasagna.
This sauce is very versatile!
Steps
Layer your stuff. For my first layer I put in the bolognese sauce.
Then I break up the lasagna sheets to cover the sauce.
Then I add the cheese sauce (Make a rue, with butter and flour, add milk very slowly and keep stirring constantly and then boil so the sauce thickens. Add some grated cheese once sauce has thickened. You don’t need to use much cheese).
Then I add another layer of bolognese sauce.
You can add a layer of spinach here too if you want to add some more veg.
Depending on how much “stuff” I have available, I will keep doing the layers until I’ve run out!
However, the last two layers on the top are always the lasagna sheets topped with the cheese sauce and some grated cheese.
Then wack your slow cooker on low for 4 hours.
I actually switched mine off after 3.5 hours last time because I could smell that it was cooked (it smells YUMMY!).
Then serve!
We have ours with salad. (when I say “we”, I obviously mean me and Miss NHM as Mr NHM’s is still northern and refuses to eat salads :-D).
I often end up storing what’s left in the fridge and ensure that when I re-heat the lasagna it’s boiling hot, so no risk of food poisoning.
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Google+,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!
I’ve been looking for a healthy lolly recipe for a while and stumbled across this one via The Green Parent website.
They are very cheap to make and much better for you than shop bought lolly’s. They are also suitable for dairy intolerant peeps.
Ingredients:
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 6 tablespoons of honey (we used agave nectar as it’s the only thing I had in)
• 4-6 large strawberries (we skipped the strawberries as we don’t have any at the moment!)
• 2 cups of frozen summer berries
Method:
1. Throw all ingredients into a blender, mix until smooth.
2. Pour into popsicle/lolly cases.
3. Freeze for 4-6 hours.
Serves: 12-18 Cost: Approximately £2
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum on Twitter, Google+,Facebook Page, Facebook Profile, LinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!
I still use the recipe menu planning tool, MealBoard, but what I’ve done now is structure our meals into the following categories:
Monday: “Meat free” Monday
Tuesday: chicken (often a slow cooker dish)
Wednesday: fish
Thursday: red meat (often a slow cooker dish)
Friday: Fun!
Saturday: more complex dishes/Leftovers (depending on what is happening that day)
Sunday: Roast or Slow cooker
I’ve stored all of our recipes under each “Day” so anything vegetarian is now on a Monday.
It means, I don’t really have to think too much about what we are eating and whether we have variety in our diets.
It also means, when I’m feeling slovenly, that we can freezer dive and still have variety!
For example, on “fish Wednesday’s” we have fish cakes for emergency meals if I haven’t remembered to take the fish out of the freezer. But did you know, it’s actually safe to cook the majority of fish directly from the freezer? I found this out via Regal Fish, the fish delivery company that we use.
On Friday’s we have a “fun” meal. I’ve started something recently called “poor man’s chinese”. It’s something I’ve picked up from my Mum as she used to do something similar because my sister was an incredibly fussy eater and we hardly had any money, so Mum had to be creative.
I get a few extra bits, like some prawn crackers, spring rolls (the basic ones in Sainsburys are a bargain!) and I do some egg fried rice and a chinese dish like chicken in black bean sauce or sweet and sour sauce.
We put out a few dips like sweet chilli sauce or hoisin sauce, with some cucumber and put it all on the table and everyone helps themselves. I also have vegetarian chicken nuggets (oxymoron, I know) for dipping. Miss NHM really enjoys this as it gives her control over what she’s eating and she has to try a bit of all of it. It’s also not too expensive to do.
We have also had “poor man’s Indian”. I make a basic curry, get some cheap Naan breads, put out some dishes of dessicated coconut, mashed up bananas and some raisins and we help ourselves.
We’ve also been known to make our own pizza’s on a Friday night and do “poor man’s Nando’s”. I also love Mexican so will sometimes do fajitas or enchiladas.
Either way, Friday night is a family meal that we have at the table. We try to eat dinner at the table as much as possible but Friday night is “fun” night for dinner so we always eat at the table.
How do you meal plan and keep the variety and interest in meals for your family?
