A teacher from Cheshire has set herself the sweet challenge of baking a Victoria sponge cake every single day for a whole year.

Cath Webb plans to put her culinary skills to the test by cooking up a storm over the 12 months and giving each cake away to someone needy- simply to put a smile on their face.

The 46-year-old was reportedly inspired to start the baking adventure after she made a cake for a friend who had been diagnosed with cancer, and saw the overwhelming reaction.

Ever since, she has put the power of doing good deeds to force and made an array of Victoria cakes with a variety of jam fillings for a plethora of local people including her own family, hospital staff and the homeless.

Despite the time-consuming challenge of washing up, cooking and cooling, the mother-of-three has recorded a diary of every single entry. But the domestic goddess admits that her husband was sceptical at first, and was moaning how much it would cost in ingredients.

She is due to complete the challenge on her birthday on 6^th April in which she would have baked 366 cakes. 

And the total amount of recipes used included;

- 1098 eggs

- 160lb of flour

- 292 packs of butter

- 160lb of sugar

- 183 pots of jam

- 74 bottles of vanilla essence

- 12 pints of milk

- Two packets of icing/ vanilla bean sugar

Let’s hope the woman protected her clothing from all that baking with Ulster weavers.com delightful ranges of aprons!

We have a cute homeware range called Victoria which is one of Ulster Weavers designs and it would be perfect to cook Victoria sponge cakes in. The collection includes matching co-ordinates of oven glove, apron, pot mitt, gauntlet, cake tins, tea and kitchen cosies and more.

And after all that hard work, we think Mrs Webb definitely deserves her hubby to put the kettle on and give her a nice cup of tea in one of our gorgeous Ulster weavers china mugs!

This week is Farmhouse Breakfast Week 2012, an annual campaign that aims to raise awareness of the importance of starting the day with a healthy balanced breakfast.

Run by HGCA, the cereals and oilseeds division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), this is the 13^th year that the event has been run.

Everyone from food producers to retailers and shoppers are being encouraged to get involved with the campaign and eat a healthy brekky!

There is a vast array of products available in the UK for Brits to eat at breakfast time that are full of nourishment and are good for you. Skipping meals may seem like the logical thing to do if you want to lose weight but all you are doing is missing out on valuable vitamins and minerals.

We all know that by eating a meal before we leave for work or school can give us the energy we need to face the day ahead but according to the NHS, there is some evidence to suggest that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. 

The top five healthy breakfasts according to professionals in the industry include;

- Porridge with semi-skimmed milk and dried fruits

- Muesli, fresh fruit and low-fat yoghurt

- Wholegrain breakfast cereal with semi-skimmed milk

- Boiled egg with wholemeal toast and low-fat spread

- Grilled mushrooms and tomatoes on a wholegrain bagel

So when you cook up a healthy breakfast next week, make yourself a piping hot pot of tea and keep it nice and warm with our fabulous tea and kitchen cosies.

We have a plethora of homeware ranges available which are perfect for the themed week including our ‘Farmyard’ collection which consists of everything from apron, tea towels and bags; to cake tins, water bottles and tea cosy etc.

Check out Ulster weavers.com today and purchase some gorgeous homeware to use during Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

It is a bizarre dedicated event, especially with it being winter time, but this Sunday is National Hat Day.

Whether your head is suffering from the harsh cold weather and in need of a great solution, or simply your little ones enjoy fancy dress, get involved on Hat Day with the help of Ulster weavers.com.

Why not devote the day to spending quality time with the family baking cakes, sweets and cookies in the kitchen. The kids can dress up and act like a professional cook in one of our cute children’s chef hats.

We have a vast array of child’s hats to choose from to suit all ages and genders and you can even start getting excited for the London 2012 Games with our mascot themed Olympic child hats.

Dress the little ones up in matching aprons to avoid any nasty spills going on brand new clothing they were given for Christmas; and have fun stirring, mixing, decorating and baking lots of scrumptious food this weekend.

Please be cautious though of any hot plates coming out of the oven when the kids are running around in the kitchen. Cover any scalding tableware with tea towels to ensure no fingers get burnt.

And after everyone has had fun pretending to be a chef wearing special hats, wash the delicious grub down with a piping hot cup of tea with the help of Ulster weavers china mugs.

Better still, all the children’s chef hats are only £5.50 so you can join in National Hat Day for a bargain!

Home Sweet Home Child's Chef Hat

Treasure Island Child's Chef Hat

Mandeville Child's Chef Hat

So, all the guests have devoured a scrumptious starter and main course Christmas dinner but what about dessert? No matter how much you have eaten or how full you are, every Brit always finds room to have some afters.

Ulster weavers.com have done some digging and found out what the traditional British Christmas sweets are in the third and final part of our Christmas cook help guide. They include Christmas pudding/cake, chocolate Yule log, Tiramisu, sherry trifle, mince pies and cheesecake.

Dependent on which dessert you are going to make, be organised and take into account if it needs to be set or defrosted for a number of hours for example jelly. The majority of puddings also require a certain amount of alcohol included such as Baileys, whiskey, red wine or brandy. Be cautious if you are driving on Christmas Day if the desserts have alcohol in the ingredients, so check the packaging before eating.

Why not ease the strain on your cooking load by asking some of the relatives to bring the desserts? Each one can bring a different pudding so there is plenty of choice for everyone and it will save the purse strings by balancing the costs out.

Ask all the guests beforehand if they have any special dietary requirement because some desserts can include items such as gelatine which vegetarians do not eat, or some may be allergic to.

There is no better time than Christmas to bake sweets, so don’t take any shortcuts and make the pies fresh with your own hands. A lot of desserts can be frozen so if you can, try to make them the night before and store them over night to save yourself some valuable cooking time.

A top tip is to bear in mind thawing times; just as you put the turkey in the oven when you begin cooking, take the desserts out of the freezer. Finish the meal off with a piping hot cup of tea or hot chocolate in Ulster weavers china mugs. 

The main course is one of the most important dishes of a Christmas dinner because it is what everyone looks forward to eating.

When compared to a Sports Day, it is the main event athletes work hard for and it usually attracts the largest crowd of spectators.

Many people argue that a Christmas dinner is not that different to a Sunday roast and that the main ingredients include the meat/fish, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings.

The last thing any budding chef wants is to be half way through serving the main course to realise that the carrots have not been put on, or that you completely forgot to make the sauces. So here is Ulster weavers Christmas cook help guide to cook the perfect Christmas main course.

Traditionally, a Christmas dinner includes;

- Turkey (other favourites include duck or chicken)

- Stuffing

- Roast potatoes

- Pigs in blanket

- Brussels sprouts

- Carrots

- Parsnips

- Sauces usually consist of gravy, cranberry sauce and bread sauce.

Got all the ingredients? Check!

Now for timing… please find below a list of all the food in order to make everything so nothing is left burnt or undercooked.

- Turkey (The length of time to cook the meat is dependent on the size of the turkey. Take it out of the freezer the night before to defrost and preheat the oven to 180C. Calculate the cooking time with the methodology of 20 minutes per 450g, plus an extra 20 minutes.)

- Potatoes (Peel and wash the potatoes and then boil them until soft. Then glaze them with olive oil and cook them in the oven for at least 45 minutes/one hour.)

- Pigs in blankets (Whether you are purchasing them ready-made from the shop, or making them yourself by wrapping bacon around sausages, they only need little oven time. Around 30 minutes/45 minutes will suffice.)

- Vegetables (All vegetables only take around 15/20 minutes to cook.)

- Stuffing (Dependent on how crunchy you like your stuffing, it only requires 15 minutes to cook.)

- Sauces (Can be prepared either the night before, before you start or right at the end. They do not need to be cooked, so if you have a spare amount of time whilst the potatoes are cooking why not prepare them then.)

So don your aprons and cook up a master piece this Christmas and serve with our festive themed tea towels!

With Christmas just around the corner, Brits around the country will be flocking to the supermarkets to stock up on lots of scrumptious food.

From turkey and stuffing to Yorkshire puddings and cheesecake, freezers will be stuffed full of delicious cuisine to feast on over the festive holiday.

If this is the first time you have the responsibility of cooking Christmas Day dinner, rest assured everything will go smoothly with Ulster Weavers.com Christmas cook help guide.

And the first blog in our expert handbook is Starters. The starter course is just as important as the main course because it is the leading dish the guests will eat. It will inform everyone how successful the rest of the meal will be and give them a taster of what is to come.

So kick the Christmas dinner off with a bang, don some gorgeous aprons and impress the family with some tantalising starters!

Traditional starter dishes include prawn cocktail, melon, soup, fish pie or salmon but the possibilities are endless in what you can choose. If there is a certain dish that has been cooked in your family year-on-year, which has been passed down the generations, then why not add a modern twist to it?

Cheese and spinach baked mushrooms is a lovely alternative for vegetarians or goat’s cheese and onion tart is an easy dish to make and is a doddle to assemble. The top tip is to be organised so before you even begin your starters, put the turkey in the oven first because it takes up to four hours to roast.

Prawn cocktail is the ideal dish to start an elegant Christmas dinner and if you want to challenge your culinary skills, don’t just buy it from the shop, make the sauce yourself.

Showcase your fantastic cookery talents and remember that presentation is key; so serve the starters with Ulster Weavers tea towels.

Tomorrow is Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day!

It is a dedicated day in the UK for people to take the opportunity and share their special gifts with friends and family.

Everybody has at least one ability they truly excel at, so what is your one-off talent? Can you do lots of kick-ups with a football in a certain amount of time? Can you lick your own elbow? Do you have a really good singing voice? Here at Ulster Weavers we’d like to think our one of a kind gift is to create gorgeous homeware and textiles.

If your talent is baking and cooking, and you consider yourself a bit of a whiz in the kitchen, use the devoted day to practice your culinary skills. Don one of our beautiful PVC aprons and start brewing up a storm with lots of scrumptious cupcakes and desserts. Cooking takes time and effort so spend the day locked in the kitchen making hearty stews and homely bread.

And the children can get involved too if you want with our cute kids aprons ranges. It is an appropriate time to pass on your expert tips and advice and hand over any family secret recipes to the next generation to enjoy.

Share your knowledge of kneading, mixing, grilling and sautéing and spread the wisdom to the little ones for something they will always remember they gained from you. But take note that the day is mainly about you and expressing your talents, so go back to basics and rekindle your enthusiasm for cooking with the help of Ulster Weavers excellent homeware ranges.

British Cats PVC Apron

Cakes Child's PVC Apron

Twitter Cotton Apron

This week is National School Meals Week!

Run by the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), the theme of the week is to promote the benefits of a healthy school meal.

From 7^th-11^th November parents, pupils, teachers and governors are being encouraged to endorse healthy school meals. And what better way to encourage children to eat healthily than give them some cute kids aprons and let them go wild in the kitchen?

The LACA and ParentPay survey revealed that 97% of parents want children to learn to cook at school; so don some homeware and get them practicing today with wholesome and nourishing recipes.

The poll of 10,000 parents shows that 89% are satisfied with their child’s school meals but that 80% would like more information about what their children are eating for lunch. This indicates that the majority of parents have become more nutritionally savvy and eager to keep tabs on their little one’s diet.

Sarah Teather, Minister of State (Children and Families) said: “Healthy school meals help make sure that pupils are well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and concentrate and learn in school.”

Give your kid their 5-a-day in fruit and veg and show them how to cook healthily with Ulster Weavers aprons.

Educating pupils about the importance of a balanced diet is key to avoid childhood obesity and the saying goes that you learn things best by doing it yourself. Let the kids get their hands dirty and have fun cooking dishes from different countries.

Enhance youngsters’ cooking skills by showing them how to make salads and cook vegetables and how to use knifes safely. Learning about healthy lifestyles can be interesting and creative with quizzes and cooking demonstrations- just make sure you protect the clothing with quality PVC aprons.

Jack Child's PVC Apron

Patchwork Cats Child's PVC Apron

Mandeville Child's Cotton Apron

Bonfire Night is the perfect excuse to get all the family round and have fun watching firework displays and roasting marshmallows over a blazing fire.

Entertain the kids with sizzling sparklers and cosy comfort food to keep warm on a cold autumn evening. Many town local events take place with carnival rides and food stalls of candy floss and hot dogs, but you can create the same exciting atmosphere in the comfort of your own home by cooking up some flaring sausages, sticky jacket potatoes and cheesy bonfire bread.

Whilst watching the night sky light up in bursting colours this Guy Fawkes Night, stuff your face with delicious grub of honey roasted ribs and wash it down with a piping mug of hot chocolate or mulled cider.

Chestnut stuffed mushrooms make a brilliant starter dish as well as carrot and coriander soup; and you can finish it off with some warm toffee apple crumble dessert.

The most traditional recipe is of course marshmallows for the children to cook over the glowing fire but why not make your own this year with the help of Ulster Weavers and our fabulous PVC Aprons and homeware?

The marshmallow recipe from Rachel Allen only takes 30 minutes to prepare but it does take over two hours to cook, so planning is required. It makes over 35 marshmallows though, so get the whole family involved with the baking with our cute kids aprons.

Ingredients needed:

• 2 x 7g sachets powdered gelatine
• 450g/1lb caster sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp. icing sugar
• 2 tbsp. corn flour

The cooking instructions can be found here!

And it isn’t just our aprons that can help you when cooking on Bonfire Night; make sure you wear some quality oven gloves and gauntlets when carrying the hot food out of the oven.

Our tea towels are great to protect your hands if the plates are scorching and Ulster Weavers door stops are perfect to hold the doors open when the kids are running in and out of the house during such blustery winds!

Bird House Door Stop

My Garden PVC Apron

Easy As Pie Cotton Tea Towel

November is officially World Vegan Month!

Animal Aid launched the dedicated commemoration five years ago and fundamentally it means to not eat any animal products at all. The Vegan Society explains that it is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose.

Kelly Slade, Vegan month co-ordinator, said “Vegan is definitely the new veggie for those who care about animals, their health or the future of the planet. And with high street shops and supermarkets now stocking a wide variety of vegan foods, there’s no reason not to give it a go.”

Vegans choose not to eat anything which is taken from animals such as cows’ milk and cheese, meat or fish, honey or eggs. So why not try veganism for one month, don your aprons and cook with the help of Ulster Weavers homeware.

Vegans can enjoy all kinds of foods including; curries, pizza, casseroles, burritos, chocolate cake/chip cookies, lasagne, soups, risottos, spicy bean chilli, stir fries, cupcakes, pies, sausage and mash, stews, toad in the hole, pasta, quiche, pancakes, tortilla wraps, jacket potatoes, cannelloni, spicy potato wedges, fruit crumble and custard, salads, shortbread, spring rolls, Panini and spaghetti Bolognese.

Ulster Weavers can help you cook vegan recipes as well as advice what beverages to drink. Some drinks are not suitable for vegans according to the Vegan Society, such as some alcoholic drinks like beer, wine and cider, as they use animal-derived substances. 

The majority of non-alcoholic drinks are suitable but watch out for ingredients that consist of gelatine, shellac and the non-vegan colouring cochineal/E120.

Have fun and try something different this November but make sure you wear our gorgeous aprons to protect your clothing when cooking!

Vegetables Jacquard Cotton Tea Towel

Olive Oil Label Cotton Apron

Master Chef Cotton Apron