Quick and Easy last minute Easter ideas

With everything else going on in the world right now I think many of us are a little behind in our Easter preparation of at least it's taken a bit of a back burner. Yet we still want our children to have a magical time and a sense of normality in a world that doesn't feel normal right now.

If you have felt exhausted and taken too much on here are a few simple ideas on getting that Easter spirit back into your home.


1. Bake easy easter Biscuits - baking is often a hit with kids of all ages and making Easter biscuits is a fun activity, as well as a tasty one and children, love to decorate them.

Here is a super easy recipe

100g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
100g wholemeal flour (you can also just use plain flour)
50g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
50g caster sugar
2/3 tbsp milk or soya milk

Sprinkles and icing for decorating

1. Preheat over to 180 degrees/ gas mark 4
2. In a mixing bowl rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cocoa powder, sugar and mix all together. Add the milk slowly and mix together. You should have a cookie dough consistency that you can roll into a ball.
3. Roll the dough out into 3mm thickness and get some shapers and start pressing away.
4. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 10-12 minutes.
5. Decorate as you wish.

2. Homemade Hot Cross Buns - You could also have a go at making your own Hot Cross buns as it's getting harder to get to the shops. I've not made any as of yet (but plan too) so here is the easiest recipe I have found online so far - Hot Cross Buns

3.  Easter Bread - if your kids are no fans of Hot Cross Buns, as is my eldest who doesn't like reasons than an Easter inspired Challah bread could go down a treat. 

4. Blow and Decorate Eggs - this one is a favourite tradition and my mother had me blowing and decorating eggs when I was a young girl and it's super easy to do. The BBC show you how step by step. 

5. Spring Chicks Easter egg craft - I came across this one recently and it's just so sweet and I know I will be making them with my boys this Easter.

6. Paper Crafts with Canon Creative Park - Canon creative park is completely free to use and offers up a bunch of fun paper crafts to do with kids - I would like to point out that some are tricker than others but we enjoyed the easy Rabbit tutorial.

7. Easter Cone Animals - again another super easy papercraft this time from Twinkle, which is offering some free print outs during this extended time at home. 

8. Spring Chicks Easter egg craft - I came across this one recently and it's just so sweet and I know I will be making them with my boys this Easter.

9. Pop to your local store for Easter Eggs - there is still time to pop a few Easter eggs in with your essential food shop during lockdown. There are some fantastic ones out there including a lovely range from my favourite Belgian Chocolate company Guylian. 

How the older generation can stay social during the virus outbreak

*This post contains affiliate links 

It is without a doubt a strange and stressful time for all, we are all adjusting to this new reality of restricted movement, social distancing and not being able to spend as much time with our loved ones and that, of course, can lead to things like loneliness especially with the older generation.

I can't wait for my kids to hug their grandmother again and for me to have a proper conversation over coffee with my mother. Luckily however she shares her home with my older brother which means she has company which gives me a lot of peace of mind otherwise she would be on her own.

I'm made me think about how important it is to still stay social at any age, especially when you're over 50 and so I thought I would share a few ways we can do that and encourage our old family members to get involved.

A lot of people in their mid-40's upwards are very social media savvy and will already be using things like Facebook, Twitter and the like but if not here are a few more ideas.

Pick up the phone

I probably speak to my mother at least twice a day at the moment and it's those simple small ways to keeping in touch that really helps. I can see if she needs anything or share my worries and concerns and visa-versa. With most landlines and mobile phone contracts offering free minutes, now is the time to use them.

Use messenger services such as Whatsapp

Whatsapp is a great tool for keeping in touch with loved ones and it's easy for all ages to get a grasp of and is a bit of an all-in-one communication tool as you can use it to messenger, send photos, do video calls and even do free calls overseas, plus it's free to download. Other options for multi-facetime or video calls is Zoom and Skype. Doing a video call once or twice a week to loved ones can be a huge morale booster, especially for grandparents who are missing their grandkids.

Go for a walk

If your family members are fit and well and are not in a vulnerable group then they can still take advantage of the 1hr fitness time to go for a walk and get some fresh air, of course sticking to the guidelines of either being on their own or only with the members of their household and remembering social distancing rules. Staying fit and active is proven to lift your mood.

Take up some hobbies

We can all be using this time to enjoy the things we love such as reading a good book, learning how to cook a new dish, challenging ourselves with puzzles or things like Suduko or perhaps getting into gardening. Anything that is keeping your mind and body moving is a positive way to feel more social despite social distancing. You can also share what you're getting up to with friends on Facebook and other platforms you use and share your tips or gain some advice from others.

Lend a pet

Pet's can be a great comforter in times like these and maybe you have an older dog who just enjoys relaxing and short walks that you could lend to a family member who is isolated. Not only are pets emotionally supportive but keep us active and give a sense of purpose.

Go on a virtual date

As they say, life doesn't stop at 50 and many people at this age are still very socially active, enjoying eating out, meeting up with friends, going on dates and this can all be a massive adjustment for that to suddenly stop. So if you are over 50s dating then why not go on a virtual date and meet up with either your girlfriends doing a facetime with a nice meal or enjoying a quiz or maybe meeting someone new and trying to gain a new connection in these strange times, once again keeping it virtual and strickly social distancing.

The right support for loneliness

If you are concerned about an isolated family member, neighbour or friend during this time then make sure they have the right contact details to get in touch with the right support such as Age UK which helps to tackle loneliness in the UK and offers a check-in and chat service

We are all learning to adapt to this new normal, which will pass at some point but until then, even though we cannot be close to all of the ones we love right now there are still plenty of ways to stay in touch, stay social and let them know you care.

How well do you know your coffee?

*This blog post contains affiliate links 

A good cup of coffee is a bit like a glass of fine wine, a lot goes into the process from bean to cup and different types can make a huge difference when it comes to taste, strength and overall drinking experience. Being a coffee drinker myself, I love learning more about this process and I'm proud to say I've drunk some of the rarest coffee in the world - Saint Helena Coffee from the Island of St Helena which I visited by cargo ship over a decade ago and was able to visit one of the coffee plantations on this small island.

That experience alone opened my eyes to the journey that coffee takes and since then I have been keen to learn more and after my trip to St Helena, I also spent time working as a Barista. So how well do you know your coffee? I thought I would break down some of the basics and I hope you learn something new from this post.

So here is my Guide to Arabica & Robusta Coffee Beans with Halo Coffee. Firstly there are 3 main types of coffee beans, they are Robusta, Liberica and Arabica and each type of bean has a slightly different flavour and qualities to them. As a quick rundown, Liberica is a lower yield type of coffee, Robusta contains more caffeine than the other two and a slightly stronger taste while Arabica has a smoother taste and makes up 80% of coffee production.

I thought I would focus on the Robusta and Arabica and what makes them so special as well as their differences. 

Robusta - due to it's higher caffeine taste it has a more bitter taste but has a higher yield, is easier to grow and is cheaper to produce which is why it's sometimes added to a coffee blend as produces aim to make their products cheaper and with a bigger profit margin. Robusta is found mainly in instant coffee and espresso blends. 

Arabica - tend to have a sweeter and smoother taste but has a lower yield and the Arabica trees take several years to come to maturity, unlike the Robusta which makes the Arabica bean more pricey in comparison. When going for Arabica coffee it's always worth opting for higher quality for the best drinking experience and it's the slightly lower caffeine content, in my opinion, is a good thing as that's what gives it a sweeter taste.

Arabica tends to be a more premium coffee while Robusta is often used for instant coffee although some are blended together with very pleasant results and that's the main thing, personal preference, everyone's personal preference is different so whatever kind of coffee you enjoy that's the main thing. For some, they prefer to opt for an espresso each morning and Halo Coffee does a fantastic range of compostable and biodegradable coffee pods. 

Going Ape for these plant-based snacks

This post is part of the Ape snacks x Mumsnet partnership

As a family we are always trying to make small, healthy changes to our daily lives, one's the kids will approve of that are easy to implement and sustain. While I am vegetarian, not vegan, I do try and bring as many plant-based meals and treats into our daily lives as I can and with such tasty snacks such as the new Ape Puffs which come in three different flavours, including Really Cheesy which has recently been awarded the Mumsnet Rated badge.

We spend a lot of time outdoors so taking food with us is key for helping keep those hangry moments to a minimum, as well as being the more budget-friendly option for a family day out. I always put together a well-balanced pack with some water, fresh fruit, maybe a sandwich or two and some treats such as a pack of crisps or cereal bar - this will usually keep us going for a few hours and the same can be said when it's raining outside and we decided to have a bit of an indoor picnic to switch things up and keep boredom at bay. If we can keep things as natural and wholesome as possible the better, although of course, we do allow for the odd treat too because moderation is good too.

Now we have tried a variety of plant-based snacks before and while some have been amazing others have fallen short, mainly on taste or texture and I find kids are often the best critics because they don't hold back when it comes to what they do and do not like. So I am glad to report that these Ape Puffs are BIG on flavour and they really have got it right, in fact, their Really Cheesy flavour has recently been awarded the Mumsnet Rated badge, creating the perfect tasty on the go snack for all the family. What's even better is that these puffs are baked not fried, are of course vegan-friendly, gluten-free, contain nothing artificial and in a recent test of 135 testers, 83% said they would recommend the Ape Puffs range.

But it doesn't stop there - they are also a very ethically minded business and have undertaken the mammoth tasks to offset their entire carbon footprint to become one of the few food companies that is Carbon neutral. They also support 1% for the Planet which means they donate 1% of sales revenue to good causes so these Vegan Society approved snacks really are a win-win all round.

As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day and being a freelancing busy mum of two active boys means that while we are trying to do as much as we can for the planet in terms of what we eat and our daily lifestyle, I also have to be practical. We have already long switched to reusable water bottles, coffee mugs, shampoo bars, bamboo toothbrushes and the like so when I can get ethically-minded snacks easily to add to the kids packed lunches, it makes life a whole lot easier.