Lemon  Drizzle  Cake  Recipe

Ingredients

175g of Butter

175g of Caster Sugar

175g of Self-raising  Flour

1 teaspoon of Baking powder

3 Eggs

Grated rind of an unwaxed lemon (use a fine grater and be careful not to get any white bits in!)

For Lemon Drizzle

100g of Sugar

1 juice of a Lemon

Method

Mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer till smooth and creamy.  Add the grated lemon rind

Separate the eggs add in the yolks to the mixture and mix again for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs till white and stiff. 

Fold in the whisked egg whites into the mixture and empty into a greased baking tin.

Bake at 180C for 40 mins. 

Remove from the oven once baked and prepare the drizzle by mixing in a bowl 100g of granulated sugar with the juice. 

While the cake is still hot use a fork to make holes on the surface then immediately add the drizzle. Once the cake has cooled and is ready to eat the drizzle would have formed a faint white coating over the cake

Frejon Recipe

Sunday Me-Day

Origami is mainly associated with ancient Japan, but folded paper art can be found in many ancient civilizations.  It is an art form that involves folding paper to create different figures and shapes.  It ranges from the simple classic paper plane to much more elaborate elements such as modular dragons.

The word Origami is composed of two words 'Oru' which means fold and 'kami' which means paper. There are many variants of origami such as Kirigami, Modular Origami, strip folding etc. Although you can find Origami paper in specialized stores any kind of flat material which can be folded, could be used such as leaves, cardboard and foil to name a few. 

Origami is an art form that is beneficial to anyone who practices it,  It is mentally and physically stimulating.  It can be a really fun challenge to try out with family and has some great advantages, in particular for children.

Here are just a few reasons why kids should try out origami:

• It helps to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. 
• Origami encourages concentration because it requires attention and mental effort to fold the paper in the correct order and thus achieve the desired figure. This encourages a child to concentrate for a period of time with a repetitive activity and thus builds a habit of paying attention to a task.
• Helps stimulate and challenge short-term memory.  Following simple origami instructions, requires a repetitive process and lots of trial and error, this helps to memorize the process and to eventually make the origami figure without the need for instructions thus reinforcing children’s memory.
• Helps develop patience. Origami folding instructions are not always easy and usually aren’t easy to replicate at the first try. Children will have to practice and be consistent and patient to achieve their goals.
• Boosts emotional satisfaction. A child will always feel satisfied with having made something with their own hands, the pleasure of getting something done by themselves is beneficial and makes Origami very productive.
• Fosters the imagination. Once a child understands the process of folding they can go on to create their own paper figures obtaining a real incentive to be creative.
• Folding paper can be very relaxing and therapeutic.
• Encourages Determination and effort. To achieve the desired figure, precision work must be done and the child has to make an effort if he wants to achieve the goal.
• Boosts learning. It helps children understand spatial concepts such as up, down, front and back and develops logical and mathematical thinking.

Check out social media platforms for "how to" videos and lots of origami resources.

These troubling times have made it even more apparent how important it is to look after ourselves. A lot of us are working from home and spending more time than we should in front of computer screens and getting less fresh air.

Try to set aside a few hours every couple of days to focus on self-care. Self-care does not always have to be at great expense and certainly does not always involve a visit to a Spa.

Here are a few things we can do to relax at home.

Find a quiet calming space, ideally one where you are unlikely to be interrupted (for those of us with young children that is sometimes nowhere!).

Turn off phones, minimise distractions and dress comfortably. Practice deep breathing techniques - Do this while standing up with your eyes closed. Put both hands on your tummy and keep your shoulders relaxed.  Take a deep breath through your nose then breathe out through mouth.  You should feel your tummy rising and falling with each breath.  It may help to count each breath to help clear and focus your mind.

Try to find activities that relax you, like colouring, reading, listening to relaxing music, baking, sewing or even watching a movie.

A relaxing bath is a fantastic opportunity for some self-care and there are numerous products on the market to make the experience more relaxing. Hair wash day is an ideal opportunity to do this - you can have a relaxing soak while the conditioner is on. 

If you don't like baths or indeed don't have one then a long shower using shower melts can create a spa like atmosphere.  Shower melts (these are literally bath bombs for showers) can be made from a simple recipe and placed on the shower floor.

Taking time out for relaxation and self-care is an important part of looking after our mental health.  It should not be ignored and in the long term has beneficial effects on our overall health and wellbeing.