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

“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”

According to the words of Shakespeare above, cackle up a witch’s brew and gruesome recipe this Halloween with the eerie formula of bats, frogs and toes.

But how about brewing something a little tastier?

Don your PVC aprons and have fun cooking at this spooky time of year with the help of Ulster Weavers and our frightening homeware.  Stir up some scary spiders or yucky snacks and amuse the kids with ghastly but edible treats.

Get the whole family involved with our cute kids aprons and get messy in the kitchen. Perfect your culinary skills by decorating biscuits, creepy cookies and menacing cupcakes. And go wild with your imagination to include all the iconic Halloween symbols such as werewolves, black cats, bats witches, ghosts and skeletons.

Whether you are a baking beginner or a cuisine expert, try cooking up a storm with chocolate cobwebs and nutty toffee apples. And it isn’t just food that you can turn grim- get inventive and create Halloween drinks and cocktails that will leave a sour taste in your mouth.

From bloody brews, wicked whiskey and murderous martinis, have fun this weekend and ensure things definitely go bump in the night!

So grab one of our aprons for children and a black adult apron and try out some of the recipes below!

Starter: Pumpkin Soup

This is great for everyone including vegetarians and it can feed the entire family! It is a perfect in season food and only takes 30 minutes to prepare.

Recipe 

Main Course: Haunted Pizza 

It is really easy to make a haunted pizza as you can decorate it with whatever toppings you want!

From ghost-shaped ham pieces to creepy cheese, personalise it to your favourite foods with sweets and jellies as a special treat. 

(Image Courtesy of Foodies and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence)

Dessert: Toffee Apple Crumble

This vegetarian dish takes less than half an hour to prepare and is the icing on the cake after a Halloween three-course meal.

Serve with lashings of creepy custard!

Recipe

Image Courtesy of ginnerobot and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence.

From the 17^th October 2011 the week is dedicated to getting Britons into the kitchen to cook and bake!

It has been said that baking makes people happy which is probably why recent figures show that there has been a surge in the number of people baking.

Baking with children is great family fun and the delicious smells that spread throughout the house and pure heaven.

Another reason to encourage Brits to bake is that it is far healthier to make your own food as well as cheaper, which during such difficult economic times is essential.  A hand-made recipe that is bursting with goodness will make a tasty and hearty meal to share with all the family.

Join in the activity and bake at work, school or at home this week and rest assured if you have never done it before, or if you are an expert, there are hundreds of recipes to try for all culinary skill levels.

Why not club all the office colleagues together and bake cakes to raise cash for charity? Or simply inspire the kids to keep them occupied during the Christmas holidays?

Get involved in National Baking Week and don some cute PVC aprons. No matter how messy the kitchen gets with flour, eggs or chocolate your outfit will remain clean and immaculate. So have fun mixing, kneading, mashing, decorating, beating and stirring and let the kids take part by wearing their very own childrens aprons.

We have a wide variety of aprons with just about every style you can think of from the very plain to the shapeliest retro designs, all with matching coordinates. Check out the vast array of designs available at Ulster Weavers.

Master Chef Cotton Apron

Cakes PVC Apron

Cakes Child's PVC Apron

Whether you prefer eating them scrambled, poached, fried or boiled; get involved in British Egg Week with Ulster Weavers egg cosies.

From 10^th- 16^th October, the week is dedicated to everything that is great about British Lion eggs.

Eggs are one of nature’s most versatile and nutritious foods, so if you want something quick and tasty to snack on, or a fully impressive meal, make sure you include eggs.

Egg yolks and whole chicken eggs are very popular in cooking for its significant amount of protein content. They can be eaten raw but it is not recommended due to rising health issues but fundamentally, one can create fresh healthy meals by using eggs on a tight budget.

Incorporate eggs into your dinner and tea by making eggy bread, egg curried rice and egg bubble and squeak for the whole family. Practise your culinary skills by cooking up some macaroni egg and broccoli cheese, souffleed baked potatoes and stir fried thai noodles. And instead of ordering a takeaway pizza, bake your own ham and egg pizza!

For breakfast time, liven up the morning with good ole’ runny egg soldiers, or egg on toast. If you are feeling adventurous, try egg and chive pate or just a simple egg salad sandwich.

We have some adorable egg cosies that come with a mixture of matching tea cosies and waffle weave tea towels; they are a perfect way to let the kids have some fun before school. Choose from cat and chicken shaped cosies, or beehives and owls to make eating an enjoyable experience in the morning.

There is a vast array of designs available to suit all tastes from bunny and strawberry to spotty pig and flower pot. Have fun eating the childhood favourite and dunk your bread strips into the runny yummy egg yolk- it is simply eggcellent!

So bring some excitement into the family breakfast time this British Egg Week and try making a new egg recipe each day with the help of Ulster Weavers… that’ll be all yolks!

Spotty Pig Shaped Egg Cosies

Chicken Shaped Egg Cosies

Beehive Egg Cosies