Talking about shopping

In my normal slightly absent minded way, I’ve forgotten to highlight our latest new, exciting development on wots4supper and that’s our new shopping  ideas page. We love it and hope you will too, basically we've pulled together some sites that we love and let’s face it – waste time looking at! We think they're really good and are sure you'll like them with Christmas just around the corner.

Christmas confessions......

Am I the only one who HATES it when the supermarkets change their ‘seasonal aisle’ to Santa’s Christmas Food Grotto? In fact I’ve been a bit late to post this as our supermarket has been all decked out with their Christmas nuts for about 5 weeks....how do they judge when to put things out? Do they wait until they see 75% of the population with a tan and think ‘Ha... can’t have them too happy and relaxed after their summer hols, lets increase the pressure and get more money out of them ....time for the Christmas lines!’

I studiously avoid going down said aisle as it a) makes me feel cross that I’m being manipulated by the supermarkets into thinking about Christmas in September and b) makes me manic as I think I’m going to forget something, and I have too much choice ....'should we have Roses or Quality Street or Heroes' c) I worry that their going to run out of stuff by the time I buy it (which they have on occasion because I’ve purposefully left it late – I can tell you that increased the worry the next year). They obviously have very clever marketing departments that know how to push the buttons of most shoppers, either that or I’m super gullible and their perfect customer!

I always leave it late to buy Advent calendars – I can’t really see the relevance of Bratz dolls and chocolate treats to the nativity but hey I’m sure there’s a connection there somewhere. One year I left it so late we ended up with a ‘Proper’ Advent calendar, that just had pictures of the three kings, lambs and shepherds behind the doors. As parents we thought it was wonderful and it gave us a little flash back to the good old days but we had a job to persuade the kids, even at the ages of 18, 16 and 12!

I have this year broken my cardinal rule and ventured into the Christmas Food vortex in September, but only to buy a couple of boxes of Turkish Delight. A favourite of mine and my youngest. We have however already polished off one of the boxes I bought, so I can see a return visit for some more before they sell out....supermarket Christmas sale 1- Indignant Grumpy shopper 0

Empty Nesters

I know that I'm the last of this current years Empty Nester's, and actually my nest isn't quite empty. I still have one little chick, although being a teenager and having just reached 6 foot I just know he'll cringe if he finds out I've referred to him as a small fluffy cuddly thing....

My 2 eldest are about to disappear for the new term at Uni, and although their particular uni starts very late the time in the lead up has been very well spent preparing for Freshers Week. The curse of the new Student Mum! Our first born is entering her last year at Uni now so we're quite familiar with the whole routine of last minute dashing around to buy those student necessities - I think a new pair of winter boots came high on the list of priorities and I'm not talking sensible thermal wellie-like affairs. These boots will be impossible to walk on in the snow and the ice.....but what do I know? The big difference for us all is that she is very kindly taking her next in line sibling with her.....with strict instructions to keep a subtle eye on him but nor to embarrass him in public.

We've been going through food and meals and what to eat, and what not to eat too much of and hoping that at least some of it has sunk in. He's at an advantage because he's in catered accommodation which means access to breakfast and cooked suppers 5 nights out of 7. He has the express intention of going to his sisters to make sure he has 7 out of 7, but I know she has other ideas. Just wondering how I preside over sibling bickering from 200 miles away....

Anyway, they're both armed with student cook book ,and every kitchen utensil know to man (pizza cutter was high on his list - I use a knife!) and a large stash of vitamin tablets which I hope will see them through to Christmas break!

Happy cooking