#SaveourSausage - An Evening with Paul Rankin

I am a very fussy person when it comes to sausages, so I was most intrigued when last week, Squiggle and I received an invitation to go and meet with Celebrity Chef Paul Rankin at the Great John Street Hotel in Manchester as he launched his new Rankin Selection Irish Family Sausages.

Michelin star Paul Rankin regularly appears on TV and is a personal favourite of mine from his time on Saturday Morning kitchen and the infamous three egg omelette challenge. Well he is now launching his own range of traditional Irish sausages in an attempt to bring back family meal times. He is currently touring Britain and Ireland with his Rankin Challenge where he just asks that you compare his sausages against the current market leader, see which you prefer and let him know.

Which was what our evening was all about. We were given an introduction to Paul and learnt how he has been working with artisan Irish food producer, Finnebrogue, to create a better quality sausage.

The evening was full of fun and laughter, we started off with a canape reception with sausage rolls and sausages in lovely sweet chilli sauce and then shown through to the dining room. We played a game of Silly Sausage where Paul tested our knowledge on the humble banger and I'm pleased to say I was part of the winning team. Squiggle was invited to go and choose our prizes, a choice of a Paul Rankin frying pan or an all day breakfast made out of sweets, he surprised us all by going for the frying pan!

We were then served a plate of bangers and mash with an onion gravy, I must admit I was wary, I've had bad experiences with sausages in the past but I needn't have worried. The sausages were lovely, there was no "bad bits" in them which I have found with the current market leader.

Paul said that he prefers to fry his sausages for 20 minutes, I personally prefer not to stand in front of a cooker for this length of time and admit I do mine in the oven.  I noticed such a difference when I cooked these sausages at home. Firstly they didn't explode ( there is no need to prick them ), secondly there was no excess fat in the pan when I cooked them and thirdly they taste so much better than other sausages that I have tried.

Rankin Selection Irish Family Sausages are now on sale in Asda at an introductory price of £1.75 (£2.00 RRP)  for a pack of 8

I was invited to this event by Tots100 and was given a goody bag and a packet of sausages in exchange for this review. 

A Day Out - Liverpool Pirate Festival 2015

Last weekend I ventured to Liverpool with my mum and Squiggle, dressed as pirates, with hats and swords in tow, for the annual Pirate Festival.
Based at The Albert Dock, the weekend was full of pirates, cannons, music and stories.

Visitors are encouraged to go along in fancy dress and well ...... we couldn't resist.

My mum is a dab hand at sewing, so she made a cute little skeleton pirate themed costume for Squiggle.

Mum and me put together our own ensemble, but after looking at some of the costumes the actors and other visitors wore, we are going full on pirate next year. Watch this space.

The line up of entertainment was slightly different on both days, we visited on Saturday so were lucky enough to see Swashbuckle's Cook and Line do a show. They read/acted out a story to the youngsters which was full of noise and water pistols. It was good to see the adults joining in too with a few shouts of argh argh and aye aye Captain! They really entertained the crowd and got us in the mood for a day of pirate antics!

In the afternoon we took part in the pirate parade, which went around The Albert Dock and incorporated a story of the Pirates vs The Kings Navy. Trying to explain to Squiggle why The Kings Navy was after us got confusing especially as I'm trying to teach him right from wrong. Of course pirates are baddies, but we were dressed as pirates and therefore on this occasion we were the "goodies" or were we just good as being bad??? confused? - I was!

Anyway, we followed the pirate marching band and had the first encounter with The Kings Navy, gunpowder, cannons and smoke filled the air as they "attacked" us.

We continued into the court yard and was met by another crew of pirates and The Kings Navy, a sword fight followed, a pretty maid was kidnapped and a full on war declared.

The battle took place a short while later as the pirate ship The Schooner Vilma took on The Kings Navy, cannons and guns were fired from each of the vessels, land cannons were fired. The noise and atmosphere was amazing. Visitors were on the side of the dock cheering and booing as the boats went past and jumping out of their skin everytime a cannon went off.

I won't spoil it by telling you the end but the good guys won, or should that be the bad guys?*

* See what I meant about it being confusing! 

Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival

Yesterday was the annual day trip out to see the Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival. We've been going nearly every year since 2009 to see what wacky and wonderful creations the good people of Kettlewell have created.

The festival started back in 1994 as a fund raising event for the school and was so successful it has continued every year, being held for about 9 days in August and attracting thousands of visitors from all over.

The walk round Kettlewell usually only lasts about an hour or two depending on pace, pub stops, ice cream stops and tea break and my family likes to partake in all of these! It's a gentle wander around a small village and is quite suitable for push chair users.

There is a trail sheet available for adults (£1) or children (50p) and the idea is to follow the clues and look out for the letters which at the end will spell out a word relating to the trail sheet which this year was musicals and Roald Dahl stories. There is a daily prize for the winners of the adults and children's which is drawn at random.

Alongside the themed scarecrows are also a whole host of other scarecrows which are tucked away in hidden corners or made into giant landscaped scenes for all to see.

Here are a selection of my favourite photos from the day.

The Magic Roundabout

Let's go fly a kite

Please can I have my ball back?

Gru and The Minions

The old woman who lived in a shoe

Oh Dave!

Haworth 1940's weekend

Nestled in the heart of Bronte Country in West Yorkshire is a small village named Haworth. It is known the world over for it's connection to The Bronte Sisters, and its railway has been used as a backdrop to many programmes and films, most notably The Railway Children.


Once a year it hosts a special 1940's weekend. Locals and visitors all dress up in 1940's clothes and enjoy a wide range of nostalgic events. This year was the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and people didn't fail to make an impression.

The streets were full of army cadets, home guards, RAF pilots and bombers, along with land girls and pin up girls with curls and furs. There were evacuees and spivs along with pinstripe suited gangsters.

The streets were alive with parades and music, the shops and bars came alive with everybody complementing each other and stopping to pose for photographs for the tourists and visitors.

There was plenty to see and do from browsing the pop up stalls selling memorabilia, to taking afternoon tea and maybe having a jig at one of the tea dances. There were various displays and parades throughout the weekend.

Although I was there, I wasn't fully able to enjoy the whole experience because I was there for a joint hen and stag party with the sole aim of getting everybody very tipsy, however a friend was able to take some lovely photographs and I have his permission to share them with you on my blog.

*Photographs courtesy of Shaun White

Annie Get Your Gun!

Those lovely people at ShowFilmFirst.com invited me to a night out at the Manchester Opera House to see the new production of Irving Berlin's - Annie Get Your Gun, starring Jason Donovan as Frank Butler, Emma Williams as Annie Oakley and Norman Pace as Buffalo Bill!

The story revolves around the legendary Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and two sharp shooters, Frank Butler and Annie Oakley, fighting against each other to be the top shooter and against their love for one and other.

Filled with all of the classic songs, There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything You Can Do, The Girl That I Marry, You Can't Get A Man With A Gun, and many more.

I last saw Jason Donovan in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat many years ago and thought he was very good, sadly Jason's voice wasn't the strongest in this production and at times he was drowned out with the ensemble. Emma Williams can certainly hold a note as demonstrated in Anything You Can Do, you could hear the audience gasp for air as she continued to sing " any note you can sing, I can sing longer" and she certainly could sing it longer!


I thought Norman Pace was virtually unrecognisable as Buffalo Bill with his beard, and should have had a little more stage presence but alas the musical isn't really about him is it?!

The songs were certainly foot tapping and surprisingly I knew a lot more than I realised, however I did think There's No Business Like Show Business was slightly overused, it was used in the opening number, then a couple of reprisals in the first half, then again in the second, before using it in the finishing song so much so that I woke up singing it the next morning.

The main stage layout is of the circus tent with the orchestra sitting on stage, the different acts of the musical are announced along with the location and then it's all hands on deck as the layout is changed to accommodate the location. Lighting and boxes are used to depict the train scene and the boat scene, boxes are stacked to depict the hotel's doorway and Annie Oakley's dressing room all whilst the circus tent is in the background.

Given that the show is in it's first week, I have to say I did quite enjoy it, but it wouldn't have been something I would have voluntarily paid to watch given that the tickets ranged up to £45.

*I was invited to see the show for free, I was not asked to write a review but have done so of my own free will.

20th Century Boy - The Musical

20th Century Boy - The Musical

This afternoon I took my mum to The Manchester Opera House as a birthday treat to watch 20th Century Boy - The Musical.
Back in the 1970's she was a big fan of Marc Bolan and T.Rex, and I was excited to learn there was a musical inspired by his life currently on tour.

We took our seats in the stalls, Row T, and waited, despite the late booking, we managed to get aisle seats with a very good view. The Opera House isn't that big so even if you are on the last row, you will still get a good view*

The light's went out and 20th Century Boy blasted through the speakers, everybody cheered!

The opening scene was set in the current time and featured Marc's son Rolan Bolan sitting and listening to his dad's music, when Gloria Jones, his mum, walks in and does the usual parent thing of telling him to turn it down. He proceeds to complain that this is the only way he can feel close to his dad. His mum disagrees and says he should visit where his dad grew up and meet the people who knew him, and so the journey begins.

The musical is a foot tapping, tear jerking, heart stopping journey through Marc Bolan's life, as told by his family, friends and Gloria Jones. It is a mixture of current events as his son tries to find out who his dad really was with flashbacks to Marc's younger days, progressing through his life from a school boy to just starting out with Tyrannosaurus Rex and eventually making it big with T Rex, to the bitter sad end.

It features all the hits, I Love To Boogie, Metal Guru, Get It On, Ride A White Swan, Hot Love and many many more.


I would recommend glamming up, taking your feather boa and being prepared to dance and sing along in this wonderful portrayal of a young star who was taken from us far too soon!


*Unless a large person, wearing a large hat sits in front of you