For all of you who are avid followers of our blog we have something new and exciting for you… check out our new Homeware And Lifestyle News page on our website: www.ulsterweavers.com/homeware-and-lifestyle-news/

You will still be able to read all our old blog posts here but for the latest information, great offers and homeware news our new page is the place to go. Hope to see you all there!

Easter is on its way.  It’s the time of year for indulging in our favourite chocolate eggs, hot cross buns and steaming cups of tea, and maybe even making an egg hunt for the kids. It is also the time of year that tells us winter is over… and that is reason enough to celebrate!

There are so many different activities you can do over Easter. Egg painting for one, keeps the kids happy and away from chocolate for a short time! Once the eggs have dried you can keep them cosy and warm with our gorgeous egg cosies. We have shaped egg cosies in different animal designs – Bunnies, Chicks and Owls to name but a few and they all come in very handy packs of 4.

After an exciting morning of egg decorating and Easter egg hunting you may be ready for a steaming cup of tea and some relaxation time. So have our tea cosies at the ready to keep your tea pots toastie warm.

With the onset of spring and the thought of the dreaded spring clean looming, why not jazz it up with our funky, shaped aprons to make you feel that little bit more glamorous as you clean. Our gorgeous floral PVC aprons will help keep you clean and dry.  If you’re doing a massive spring clean you might be thinking of re-decorating or updating your style – why not share your tips with us…? We’d love to hear about any great home improvement ideas you may have.

As it’s almost Easter we thought we’d share a classic, favourite recipe with you that kids will love.

Easter Chocolate Krispie Chick Recipe

Ingredients:

For egg:  175g Milk Chocolate  (add a little extra for decorating)

50g Rice Krispies

To Decorate:

2x50g Mini egg bags

2x White Chocolate Buttons

250g White chocolate (melted)

50g Golden Marzipan

Method:

• Break chocolate into pieces; melt in bowl over pan of boiling water. Stir until smooth and take off heat. Stir into the Rice Krispies.
• Put ½ mix into each egg mould, the put in fridge for no more than 5 minutes.
• Carefully take the rice krispie mix out of the moulds and stick together with melted chocolate. Leave to set.
• For the eyes of your Krispie Chick, paint chocolate circles onto the white chocolate buttons and stick onto egg with melted chocolate.
• Spoon melted white chocolate into a pipping bag and decorate wings and a beak onto the chick.
• For the chicks feet roll marzipan onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and cut out feet, big enough for the egg to sit on. Place the chick on top of feet.

Enjoy!

It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday so get the kids involved, kitted out with their PVC aprons and chef hats and start baking! We’ve found a couple of recipes you could try to help ensure your mum can put her feet up for the day and get pampered.

Baked Dippy Eggs (simple recipe, ideal for kids to make):

Ingredients:

1 Large slice of ham

8 Small spinach leaves

8 Cherry tomatoes

4 Eggs

Cheese

4 slices of toast

Method:

• Ask a grown up helper to switch on the oven to 180c/gas mark 4.

• Cut ham & spinach into strips and share between the ramekins.

• Squash the cherry tomatoes into a bowl using your fingers. Add a small amount to each ramekin dish.

• Break the eggs one at a time into a separate bowl (scoop out any shell) and then tip carefully into the dish on top of the spinach and ham. Repeat with the 3 other eggs.

• Grate and sprinkle a little bit of cheese on top of the egg.

• Put in oven for 15-18 minutes (get a grown up to help).

• While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread and butter. Then cut into soldiers.

• Serve in bed with orange juice.

Or why not spoil your mum with this delicious recipe of Rhubarb and Ginger Muffins (for those of you who are slightly more advanced in the baking department!):

Ingredients:

350g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

325g brown sugar

½ lemon

250ml Milk

Zest 1 orange

2 pieces stem ginger

1 large egg

100g butter (plus 1 melted tbs)

300g rhubarb

Method:

•  Pre-heat oven to 180°c/350°f/gas mark 4.

• Line muffin tray with muffin cases.

• In a large bowl place flour, baking powder, salt and 225g brown sugar. Mix and make a hole in the centre.

• Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the milk.

• Place orange zest, 1 stem of finely chopped ginger, 1 egg, 100g melted butter and milk into a bowl and beat thoroughly. Then fold in the chopped rhubarb.

• Spoon mixture into cases (about 12) and fill to the top.

• In small bowl place remaining 100g sugar, extra tbs of melted butter and the rest of the finely chopped ginger, mix and sprinkle over the top.

• Bake for 25 mins.

Enjoy!

We receive lots lovely comments from our customers thanking us for our service or letting us know what they think about our products. From time to time we get some that really make us laugh so we thought we’d share a few of the best with you…

Bliss Apron

“The apron was sent very quickly and she loved it. Her comments were “it’s actually the nicest apron I have ever seen. It’s so lovely in fact that it would make a great dress! (If it had a back of course- a bum hanging out is never a good look!)”.”

Oven gauntlets

“These (I ordered 2 so that neither hand needs to feel deprived or dangerously exposed) certainly provide the jolly splash of colour I hoped for. I like the individual glove rather than single strip mitts design, and indeed appreciate the long gauntlet, as opposed to glove length. Safe, fit for purpose, fulfilling all the padding Health and Safety etc., etc. of oven glovvery.” 

Rooster Bag Saver

“It’s a thing for keeping plastic bags in and that’s exactly what it does, and I like chickens and it has chickens on it, happiness.”

PVC Bag

“I thought you had failed when Mattie the Postman went straight by earlier. Then there was a knock on the door & your parcel, as promised, was delivered by van within the two days.  Now Madam can have her birthday present in a lovely Ulster Weavers bag tomorrow.  Many thanks; you have just saved my life.”

It’s always good to know our products can spread so much joy (and relief in some cases!) so next time you buy something from our website, whether it be a linen tea towel or a cotton apron, drop us your comments and put a smile on our faces. You never know, if we receive enough comments we could make this a regular feature and spread the happiness!

It’s that time of year again when dogs arrive in their thousands to show off their tricks, obedience and presentation. Owners bring their dogs from as far as Canada, Chilli and Thailand, for a chance to take part in the World’s most renowned dog show.

For the last few years running the Golden Retriever has maintained its position as the best represented breed of the show. Entries for the 2012 show have shown a big increase in the Japanese Akita Inu and the biggest decrease with the Irish Water Dog. This year has been the highest entry of dogs to Crufts with a massive 28,000 dogs heading to the NEC in Birmingham on the 8^th-11^th March.

For all those dog lovers out there who will be avidly watching Crufts and wishing they had the time to train their dog that well or groom their dog so beautifully. We have a few treats that may just cheer you up.

The perfect accessory to help you wash your dog in the bath, try our Dog and Bone PVC apron, this will help keep you dry even when your dog needs to have a good shake.  Or if you just love the design you can complete your set with the Dog and Bone tea towel and PVC bags, helping you carry your doggy treats.

Or if you’re a fan of the Dachshund who won the Crufts Junior Warrent Competition last year then you will love our new range ‘Hot Dogs’ with a range from cotton aprons to Linen Tea Towels to tea cosies.

This month Ulster Weavers are celebrating their 3^rd year of trading on the internet. It has been a busy but great 3 years, and here’s too many more! This Monday 5th March we will be launching a half price sale to celebrate our birthday, so keep an eye out for lots of aprons, tea towels and bags etc. at www.ulsterweavers.com/sale. Miss it, miss out!!!

2012 Is proving to be the year for celebrations. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was 5^th January 2012, although officially being celebrated on the first weekend of June (2-5^th June). Check out our official Jubilee Traditional and Contemporary range of tea towels, bags, double oven gloves, bone china mugs and aprons. Will you be celebrating in style with a street party with all your neighbours? Or how about a summer garden party/BBQ party? Our Jubilee apron and tea towel range would be perfect to brighten up the table and keep you free from any spillages from the BBQ. Ulster Weavers bunting will be perfect to decorate your outdoor gazebos during your BBQ’S or picnics.

Then later on in the summer between 27^th July – 12^th August the UK will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and 29^th August – 9^th September we will be hosting the Paralympics in London. Go online to Ulster Weavers and see our full range of official Olympic and Paralympics goodies. If you were lucky enough to win or buy tickets for some of the games why not turn up in style with a cotton bag from one of our many Olympic ranges.

Why not try this yummy cupcake recipe to help celebrate our 3^rd Birthday, and have it perfected in time for you Jubilee party:

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 100g butter , at room temperature
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• a few drops vanilla essence
• 200g white chocolate , melted
• 200g dark chocolate , melted
• silver balls , to decorate

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs and flour. Divide the mix into 2 and add the cocoa to one half and the vanilla to the other. Add a drop of milk to the chocolate mix if it is too stiff.
2. Spoon into mini muffin tins lined with paper cases, making some chocolate and some vanilla. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.
3. Dip the vanilla cakes in dark chocolate and the chocolate ones in white chocolate. Decorate with buttons or sprinkles.

Enjoy!

Today is ‘Time for a Cuppa Day’ which is an annual fundraising event for Dementia UK.

The special day aims to raise as much money as possible to support the work of the charity and it encourages everyone from across the country to get involved.

The organisation relies completely on voluntary donations so they are asking Britain to help them make a difference to carers’ lives by taking time out for a cuppa to raise funds.

It gives everyone affected by dementia the opportunity to break down barriers and talk about the illness over a piping hot cup of tea.

What do you have to do? Simply invite the family and friends round; put the kettle on and have a good old chinwag over some homemade cakes.

Nothing quite beats a scrumptious cuppa and rest assured that the pot can stay lovely and hot with one of our tea cosies. So even if you do end up gossiping for hours on end, your brews will remain toasty!

If you are thinking about putting on some nibbles for your guests to eat, why not grab one of our aprons and practice your culinary skills by baking some delicious treats?

Everyone loves dunking a biscuit or two in a piping hot brew, so why not carry out your favourite pastime and raise money at the same time, perfect!

Besides, tea parties are becoming all the range as of late and are ideal for friends and family to gather together in one room and do what as a society females do best – natter.

Check out our vast array of delightful bone china mugs which are great to use as your ‘fancy’ tableware and we have some gorgeous cake tins so if there are any leftover cakes, you can store them safely for another day.

Also, carry all the brews at the tea party like a true domestic goddess with a pretty tray and cover the table with our beautiful table runners, napkins and coasters.

Gingham Red Cotton Apron

Today is National Wear Red Day!

In association with the British Heart Foundation, everyone across the UK is being urged to get involved to raise money for the life-saving work the charity does.

There are numerous ways that Brits can help for example by wearing red clothing but if you have already got up, got dressed and gone to work then fret not, there are still tasks that you can carry out to raise vital funds.

Why not put a swear box in the office for the day? Every time someone curses and turns the air blue, they have to put 50p in the box. Or fill a jar with lots of red sweets and ask people to guess the number in the jar for a £1 donation?

The whole family can get involved by painting the children’s face red with face paint, and you can get baking in the kitchen to make up scrumptious delicious red treats!

It may be too late to purchase something in time to wear today but next year, when practising your culinary skills in the home, dress from head to toe in red with Ulster Weavers’ Plain Red Collection. This is great to add a splash of bright colour into the home with vivid homeware accessories of kitchen tea towels etc.

We also have the fabulous Jan Constantine Gingham Red design which comes complete with coordinating apron, double oven glove, tea cosies, tea towel, gauntlet and pot mitt. It has a gorgeous cute heart on it with a pretty rose inside.

And Jan Constantine’s ‘Love’ collection is ideal as it has a heart on it which ties in great with the British Heart Foundation. Plus we’ve got a new Love messenger bag in stock now as part of the range which is just perfect.

So why not get involved by baking red heart cookies or cupcakes and sell them to your family, friends, or kid’s school class to raise money. Any amount that is raised will go a long way but don’t forget to wear one of our aprons to protect your clothing from any stains.

This week is National Chip Week!

It seems that the British just can’t get enough of the tasty potato food and so Chip Week is calling on all chip lovers across the nation to celebrate chips in all formats.

There is everything from crinkly, wedges, chunky and straight chips so whatever is your favourite, there isn’t any excuses to not getting involved.

Here are some fun facts about chips to sink your teeth into;

• Around 200 million chip meals are sold in fish and chip shops each year.
• Nearly 60% of the chips prepared in the home are oven baked; over a third is fried and 3% are microwaved.
• The most popular day of the week Brits eat chips is Friday.
• 87% of Britons love chips
• In just one year Britain eats nearly three billion meals containing chips. 

There are numerous ways to cook chips, so grab your aprons and try some of these recipe ideas!

Chocolate Chip Cookie

A chip shop in Birmingham has reinvented a biscuit favourite by making chocolate chip cookies with actual chips. *Personally here at Ulster Weavers, we just enjoy the traditional chocolate ones!*

Spicy Wedges with Avocado Dip

This is perfect as a starter meal to tantalise the taste buds but not fill your belly up too much!

Egg, Chips and Beans

This is a classic meal which has been cooked for generations but is timeless due to its simplicity and the fact that it is just delicious.

Steak, Chips and Vegetables

Again, this is a definitive British mealtime that will whet the appetite of any man. And girls, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! Finish the dish with some peppercorn sauce for the piste de resistance.

Remember that chips can be dangerous though because how hot they can become. You need to be especially careful when you are deep-fat frying or cooking with oil because it can catch fire easily; so use some kitchen tea towels when carrying the plates to avoid hands getting burnt.

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, otherwise called Pancake Day.

Although there are many ways to get the whole family involved, there are some top tips to carry out to avoid any kitchen disasters and flops.

So grab your aprons and get tossing those pancakes!

You can still become immersed in the culinary showdown even if you have any allergies with gluten-free flour and ingredients.

But do you know why we celebrate Shrove Tuesday?

Well first of all, it is the last day before the period of Lent which is a time of abstinence of giving things up.

Therefore, the day is a tradition for Brits to have the last chance of indulging themselves and to use up foods that aren’t allowed in Lent such as eggs and butter.

And it is named Shrove Tuesday because the word derives from the old word ‘shrive’ which means to confess. In the Middle Ages people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before Lent began.

There is no single way to make pancakes and you can include everything from sugar, lemon, jam and chocolate, to ham and cheese.

But popular toppings include;

- Ice cream

- Golden syrup

- Strawberry jam

For specific recipes, there are numerous websites available but Ulster Weavers advice is to just go with the flow because practice makes perfect!

If you are making pancakes for the very first time, just remember to mix the flour and salt first into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre to break the eggs into. Add the small quantities of milk and water gradually and continue whisking until the batter is smooth.

Why not make the flipping of the pancakes a competition with the kids to see who can toss the highest? Just be careful as not to get any stuck to the ceiling!

And another tip is that pancakes are best eaten as soon as possible before they go rubbery.