Rosie Scribble

Win a Crock-Pot slow cooker

If you are enjoying the latest trend in slow cooking, or you are keen to try it out, then you could be in with a chance of winning this Cook and Carry model from Crock-Pot UK.

I’ve previously tried out a slower cooker from Crock-Pot so I can happily recommend the range.

All you need to do to enter is answer this simple multiple-choice question:

Which of the following celebrities regularly produces recipes for the BBC food blog?

a) Will Young

b) James Martin

c) Barack Obama

(There’s a hint over on this slow cooking recipe if you really need one).

• Simply enter by leaving a comment with the correct answer.
• The competition closes at midnight on Friday 7 October 2011.
• The winner will be selected at random and announced on this blog on Saturday 8 October  2011.
• One entry per person, UK residents only (apologies but these things are heavy to post).
• The prize is a Cook and Carry Crock-Pot slow cooker RRP £44.99
• Responsibility for sending out the prize lies with Crock-Pot UK.

I have not received a payment to run this competition. I’m running it because it’s Friday, it’s sunny and I’m in a good mood.

You might also be interested in Crock-Pot’s own competition, which it is running on its Facebook page. Crock-Pot is on the hunt for the nation’s most passionate cook with the launch of Crocktober – a competition inviting members of the public to create a mouth-watering slow cooker recipe for their chance to win up to £3,500 worth of prizes.

Any recipe that can be cooked in a slow cooker can be submitted. A panel of judges will be looking for creativity, speed of preparation, value for money and, of course, how flavoursome the dish is. For full details and to enter, visit www.facebook.com/CrockPotUk.

The one where I exercise in full view of the locals

I have to admit to being a little unsure when I first saw a chest press in our local park. Along with a running machine, exercise bikes, sit up benches, and, in fact, an entire outdoor gym, these things have appeared overnight, all luminous green and not what you expect to see on a leisurely stroll.

But they gave proved surprisingly popular with the locals and are in constant use.

I knew immediately that I wouldn’t be seen using gym equipment in full view of the locals, but wandering through the park this afternoon after school I found myself strangely lured in.

Before I knew it I was peddling away, and so was IJ. Appearances can be deceptive because this outdoor metal gym is actually incredibly good.

Is it a possible solution to the nation’s obesity problem? I'd say yes. Is it a great way of getting families exercising together? I'd say yes to that too.

On first glance I thought they were an eye sore and out of place in an otherwise natural space, but I’ve changed my mind having tried them out. Now I'd like to see more of them.

They are produced by The Great Outdoor Gym Company. This isn’t a sponsored post, but credit where credit’s due.

What do you think? Does your local park have exercise equipment? Would you give them a try if it did?

How to save money on your laundry bills

I’m guessing that over the course of a year I spend at least £100 on washing powder. We are a very small family unit so the average family is likely to spend a lot more.

This week I discovered something that will reduce my laundry bill substantially. It’s the Ecoegg – an ingenious alternative to washing powder. It’s a clever gadget that you place in the drum of your washing machine each time you put on a wash instead of washing powder.

But does it work? Amazingly it does. I’ve tried it on white, darks and bed linen and each wash has come out perfectly clean. It has proved to be as good as, of not better than, my usual washing powder.

The Ecoegg contains two types of cleaning pellets  - tourmaline pellets that weaken the adhesive forces between the dirt and the fabric, and mineral pellets which naturally ionize the oxygen molecules in the water then penetrate deep into the fabric lifting away the dirt and grime.

I am incredibly impressed with it. The Ecoegg is available in a range of different sizes. I’m trying out the value pack which costs £19.99 (plus P&P) and lasts for approximately 720 washes – the equivalent to about three years’ worth of washing for the average family. This particular Ecoegg can be refilled and comes with ten refill packs.

It has altered the way I do my laundry and I won’t be buying washing powder again.

Some facts about the Ecoegg that are worthy of note:

• It contains no harsh chemicals, petrochemicals, optimisers, bleaches or ammonias
• It is 100% hypoallergenic and has been presented with an Allergy Friendly Product Award by Allergy UK
• It softens as well as washes eliminating the need for fabric conditioner
• It eliminates unnecessary packaging and is reusable for many years to come
• It is manufactured from polypropylene which is 100% recyclable
• It can be used to wash delicates and at temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius
• It does not leave any residue as with powdered detergent so there is no need for a rinse cycle
• All customers are offered a 30-day money back guarantee if they are not happy with the Ecoegg’s standard of performance.

The Ecoegg can be ordered from www.ecoeggonline.com. We received our Ecoegg free of charge to review and I highly recommend it.

The Photo Gallery: Home

Home can mean different things to different people –

The place where they grew up.

The place where they fit in.

Or simply a physical property.

For me, home is wherever she is.

This week's Photo Gallery theme is: Home. Visit Tara's for the rest of this week's entries.

On posties and PR

Bless our local postman. He’s a friendly chap, out in all weathers and always cheerful. And as he delivered three parcels to my door this morning he suddenly decided to come over all paternal and draw attention to my obvious out-of-control spending habit.

I’d reacted with excitement on seeing the parcels. “Are they for me?” I asked.

I sensed a note of disapproval in his reply, “Well if you do insist on buying so much stuff.”

For a brief moment I was taken back to the days when my father would sit me down to discuss my credit card bill, so I quickly explained to the postman that I did not order any of these items, they were review products sent to me by PRs for a blog I wrote.

He shook his head, obviously disappointed with my reply. It was clearly an elaborate excuse to cover-up an out of control spending habit; an excuse I had used before and would no doubt use again.

I was a lost cause.

As he wandered off still tutting to himself I knew exactly what he was thinking: I’ve lied to the postman, which is a really really bad idea at this time of year.

As I told my daughter only yesterday: Santa is watching.

Photo credit.