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  • 🍪 Soft & Gooey Mini Egg Cookies – Our Favourite Easter Bake 🐣💐

    🍪 Soft & Gooey Mini Egg Cookies – Our Favourite Easter Bake 🐣💐

    Every Easter, our kitchen starts to smell like pure happiness — that mix of butter, sugar, and melting chocolate means one thing: Mini Egg Cookies are back.This recipe has become a bit of a spring tradition for us. The first batch never makes it to the cooling rack because the moment those cookies come out of the oven, still warm and soft in the middle, we can’t resist breaking one open. The pastel colours of the Mini Eggs peek through the golden dough, and the centres stay deliciously gooey — it’s comfort and nostalgia in every bite.

    💕 Why You’ll Love These Cookies
    They’re simple to make — no fancy mixers, no tricky steps — just classic, homely baking. Yet they look like something from a bakery window. The mix of white and dark chocolate chunks gives a lovely balance of sweet and rich, while the crushed Mini Eggs bring that irresistible Easter crunch and colour.
    Whether you’re baking with little ones, creating gifts for friends, or just enjoying a quiet weekend bake (our favourite kind of self-care), these cookies are joyful, a little messy, and absolutely delicious.

    🧺 Ingredients
    • 175g softened butter
    • 200g light brown soft sugar
    • 100g golden caster sugar
    • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
    • 1 large egg
    • 250g plain flour
    • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
    • Pinch of sea salt
    • 50g white chocolate, chopped
    • 100g dark chocolate, chopped
    • 100g Mini Eggs, lightly crushed (save a few large pieces for decorating)

    🥣 Method

    • Preheat & prepare: Heat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and line two baking trays with parchment.
      Tip: If your kitchen is cool, leave the butter out a little longer — soft butter makes all the difference for that light, fluffy texture at the start.
    • Cream the base: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, both sugars, and vanilla extract until pale and creamy. You can use a hand‑held whisk, but mixing by hand works just as well (and makes your kitchen smell heavenly).
    • Add the egg: Crack in your egg, then mix again until smooth and glossy.
    • Form the dough: Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and a pinch of salt. Fold gently until everything comes together — it should feel thick and a little sticky.
    • Add the magic: Stir through the white and dark chocolate chunks and about half of your crushed Mini Eggs. Save the bigger, prettier pieces to press on top later — they’ll make the cookies look beautiful when baked.
    • Shape & chill: Scoop out golf ball‑sized mounds of dough and place them on the trays (4–6 per tray so they have room to spread). For that perfect chunky bakery-style cookie, chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
    • Bake to perfection: Bake for 15–18 minutes, swapping trays halfway through. You want the edges golden and just set, but the middles still soft and pale. That’s the secret to the gooey texture.
    • Cool & serve: Leave the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes to finish setting, then move them to a cooling rack. It’s honestly worth waiting a few minutes before biting in — but if a little melted chocolate ends up on your fingers, that’s part of the fun.

    🌷 A Few Baking Notes
    • If you prefer crispy cookies, add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
    • Freeze‑ahead tip: shape the dough balls, place them on a tray to freeze, then store in a container for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes to the time.
    • They make a lovely homemade gift — stack a few, tie them up in a clear bag with ribbon, and add a little Easter tag.

    💬 Final Thoughts
    Sometimes the simplest bakes are the most special. These cookies don’t just taste amazing; they bring everyone into the kitchen — chatting, laughing, stealing bits of dough when they think no one’s looking.
    So pour yourself a cuppa, pop on a playlist, and bake a tray. When that first batch comes out warm and golden, you’ll understand why these have become our Easter tradition.
    🐣💐 Happy baking from our kitchen to yours.

    MiniEggCookies #EasterBakes #HomeBaking #CookieRecipe #SpringTreats #UKBakers #BakingTok #LCLivingKitchen

    Links – small commission paid

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  • The merits of a Fitbit

    The merits of a Fitbit

    Rapidly approaching a milestone birthday rather faster than I would have hoped … clue it’s not 21… I’m determined to hit the gym with a vengeance and look as good as possible in those milestone photographs. Some may call that vanity but there is a deeper more important reason it .. the creaks and pains are there and I’m determined to hit my next decade running …maybe not marathon worthy but certainly better than a leisurely stroll..

    Although I have been a regular gym goer for many years I have kind of lost my confidence a little when it comes to a programme. I have used personal trainers in the past and they gave me confidence but I didn’t want to have the expense and I also have a very knowledgable boyfriend who can help me with technique . The whole thing seemed a little overwhelming .. the answer to my conundrum came in the form of the ai trainer in my Fitbit

    I have had fitbits for absolutely years .. initially starting with the little clip on one but a few years ago Lance bought me a Fitbit versa 2 and I have found it really useful for tracking my steps etc . I subscribe to the Fitbit premium which is £79.99 a year – about 22p a day. Fitbit premium offers advanced sleep analysis with detailed sleep score breakdown, monthly sleep profile, and tailored suggestions, instead of just a basic score.

    Daily Readiness or “Readiness Score” that tells you whether to push hard, do light activity, or rest based on recent activity, sleep quality, and heart rate variability

    Extra health metrics such as more detailed skin temperature trends, stress metrics, and manual blood glucose logging in the app, giving a fuller picture of recovery and wellbeing.

    These are all really handy stats to know and gives you an overview as to how you are doing but it’s the ai trainer I am absolutely loving as it has given me custom built programme in minutes . Fitbit already has all my stats such as age, weight and my health stats so it really was as simple as telling it what my goals are, whether you prefer to work out in the gym or at home, prefer machines or free weights and what weaknesses my ageing body has .. tender back, weak knees .. slightly dodgy wrists – I’m doomed 😂 .and hey presto in minutes it designs a custom built programme. This is a sample of one of the weights programmes , it suggests a weight and number of repetitions but you can manually alter these if you find them too heavy or light .

    Once you have done the sets you simply mark them as done and then it automatically logs it to your history . You get a post workout summary which compares to previous workouts so you can see how you are improving .. There is a chat option if you have any questions you want answering and if there is anything you like particularly or don’t like you just chat and it can change the programme accordingly, for example I’m not a fan of cable machines so I told it and the plan was altered accordingly.

    The ai coach plans your schedule for the week and provides you with an after workout summary.

    So I’m in to the second week of the trainer and I’m finding it so useful, it’s motivating and stops you having to think about what you need to do, it takes away the hard work

    As well as the above the Fitbit premium also has a workout library where it has loads of different workouts if you want to do your exercise at home. You just choose the type of workout you want, the length and the library has something for you .

    As well as physical fitness it also has your mental wellbeing accounted for with a selection of meditations again which can be selected by type . I find the sleep ones particularly good as I have a very busy mind and find it hard to switch off.

    The rest of the family have Apple Watches but I can’t be swayed . The Fitbit stays charged much longer than an Apple Watch and I find it much much easier to navigate. In addition the customer service is great . Whilst on holiday the screen on the Fitbit stopped working and I contacted them and they went through troubleshooting which didn’t work and they simply replaced it free of charge and sent direct to my home. I couldn’t have asked for any more

    The only I had to change was the strap. I’m not a great fan of the plastic/rubber style straps so I changed it for a more blingy type leather strap from Amazon which dresses it up a little bit.

    Being a bit of a clumsy clot I also got a set of screen protector which were cheap as chips but stops the screen smashing or getting scratched, it’s sillicone i think not hard plastic and pops on easily and does the job

    A bedside charger was something I have just invested in as well and it works really well for me and looks neater.

    I honestly can’t find a negative thing to say about this smartwatch, I love the look, the functions and the ease to use .. a 10/10 for me.

    Link for the silicone screen protector

    If you want to see my progress with the the trainer I will update in a couple of weeks as to how I’m getting on !

    Carolyn 25.03.2026

    Links below in case you want further information on anything Ive mentioned

    Link for fitbit sense https://amzn.to/4rMhDDv

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    Link for blingy watch strap https://amzn.to/4uKUqUG

    I may get paid a very small amount if you purchase.

  • A night at The Lowry Theatre, Salford

    A night at The Lowry Theatre, Salford

    By nature Lance and I are home birds but we make one exception.. and that’s a night at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester . We are going for a lovely meal followed by the RSC Production of “The Constant Wife” starring Strictly winner and former Eastenders actress Kara Tointon.

    The Lowry is a registered charity a non-profit organisation which only gets 6% of their income from public funding and as well as the theatre productions offers an art gallery and also workshops and a strong educational programme

    The theatre is easy to get too by metro or if you are a little further afield like us there is plenty of

    Parking with the onsite car park – we usually pay for this by the app rather than queuing on the way out . We are Lowry members which costs £40 and is an absolute bargain – for this you get priority booking , 2-4-1 tickets on most opening nights (which means the cost pays for itself on its first booking! ) and you also get 10% off in the restaurant and also the gift shop

    The Lowry Theatre

    We normally go and dine in the restaurant first as the quality of the food and the ambience are excellent and as they are geared towards pre theatre dining there is none of the panic of .. “are we going to get our food in time ?” Like when you book an ordinary restaurant

    The restaurant itself is inside the Lowry theatre and has fabulous views of the water front and also views of MUFC Old Trafford ground , which could be a disadvantage if you are a Liverpool supporter 😂

    The restaurant

    The restaurant is very relaxed and informal and serves modern British menus with locally sourced ingredients. The menus are seasonal , so change 4 times a year – we had the Spring menu. The staff are fabulous , especially Rob and are attentive, knowledgable and unobtrusive

    The Spring menu

    You can choose from either two or three courses and there are vegetarian options . The pricing is very reasonable – it is £32 for two course or £38 for three and as mentioned before there is 10% off for Lowry members – the tables can be booked online and prepaid at the time of booking the tickets or just direct on their website at a later date – really simple to do

    For the starters I chose the Port of Lancaster smokehouse smoked salmon parfait and Lance chose the roasted parsnip and sorrel soup . Mine was absolutely delicious, the parfait was really fresh tasting with little pops of egg Caviar whilst Lance said his soup was hearty and delicious served with a chunk of fresh bread not as nice as the one I make at home he stated .. though that could have been a diplomatic comment 😂

    Smoked salmon parfait
    Roast Parsnip & sorrel soup

    For the main course we both chose the same Garlic & Herb Cumbrian chicken breast potato pave, parsnip purée, spring greens, golden beetroot, red wine jus – this was delicious . I’ve 👎🏼 had golden beetroot before but it’s lovely – actually has the taste and textures of pears, the chicken was cooked to perfection , really well seasoned and not overpowered by the herbs or garlic and the parsnip puree is sweet creamy and just yum

    Cumbrian chicken

    Feeling rather full what we particularly like about The Lowry restaurant is the option to have you dessert in the interval – it saves the queues at the refreshment stand and it’s ready at your table when you return. It gives you the option to let the first two course digest and really appreciate the sweet treats .. This is Lances favourite part of the evening I think 😂

    I decided to have the sticky toffee pudding with plant based ice cream and it was the perfect combination of sweetness and stickiness – and Lance agreed with the spoonful I let him taste !

    Sticky toffee pudding with plant based ice cream

    Lance decided upon the Basque cheesecake with sea buckthorne curd and bee pollen tuile . The curd is similar to lemon curd but made with sea berries so a little richer . Lance said is was perfect . Not too heavy not too light and went perfect with the cup of tea we also had !

    Basque Cheesecake

    So now to the show!

    The Constant Wife

    1927. Constance is a very unhappy woman. “Nonsense” says her mother “she eats well, sleeps well, dresses well and she’s losing weight. No woman can be unhappy in those circumstances.” Constance is the perfect wife and mother, and her husband is as devoted to her as he is to his mistress, who just happens to be her best friend. This is a Royal Shakespeare Company Production and is in connection the cruise company Cunard where it being performed in May upon its Queen Mary cruise from New York to Southampton.

    The play starts with Mrs Culver (Sara Crowe – whom showing my age I remember from the Philadelphia cheese advert !) and her daughter Martha Culver (excellently played by Amy Vicary-Smith) discussing where it not to tell Constance Middleton (Kara Tointon) that her husband John Middleton (Tim Delap) is having an affair with her best friend Marie-Louise Durham (played in this performance by Jocasta King) . Martha a modern forthright unmarried young women is all for transparency and feels her sister should know the truth about what a cad her husband is whilst Mrs Culver believes that what her daughter doesn’t know won’t hurt her as she has a wonderful life as it is . As the plot unfolds it turns out that Constance has known about her husbands affair for a year having walked in on the couple unbeknownst to them whilst returning early from a trip taking her daughter to boarding school . Rather than confronting the couple immediately we witness the despair and internal wrangling as she experiences she encounters whilst deciding what do – her only confident being the loyal butler Bentley (brilliantly played by Philip Rahm) who it appears is harbouring a secret of his own.

    Constance

    When her sister invites Constance to go into the interior design business with her she after slight hesitation agrees and starts to plan her future her husband blissfully ignorant of what she has discovered

    The re-emergence of one of Constance’s old flame Bernard Kersal (Alex Mugnaioni) who is still desperately in love with her provides a welcome distraction for Constance and is welcomed by her husband as it gives him plenty of time for philandering!

    The affair is revealed when Mortimer Durham (played by Jules Brown) the husband of Marie-Louise finds a cigarette case belonging to the errant husband under the pillow on his wife’s bed and confronts the couple in front of the whole cast .To the incredulity of everyone Constance covers up the infidelity and the husband leaves feeling embarrassed and apologetic at his behaviour !

    What unravels is a story and examination of a marriage, what really goes on behind closed doors and whether forgiveness really is sweeter than revenge? I don’t want to spoil the end apart from justice is served and would highly recommend you catch the production when it tours near you.

    Tokay is as Lance says reminiscent of the old “Play for today” , a gentle farce with more than a few double entendres . The set and costumes are divine, Music specially written by Jamie Cullum , acting is top notch and it’s a brilliantly casted show. We left the theatre a little lighter and with a spring in our step – a thoroughly enjoyable evening with the best company .. who could want anymore ?

    set photo credits to the constant wife website

    Links:

    The Lowry theatre https://thelowry.com

    The Constant wife https://constantwife.com