Milky days and milky ways

From my childhood days I remember the times when I was poorly with a cold, and my Mum would always offer me a cup of hot milk with honey to sooth that sore throat. These days the advice in media ranges from Yes, the warm milk is great for sore throats and for helping to sleep to No, it's all old wives' tale. We belong to the first camp of warm milk drinkers. Both my younger son and husband often request a cup of warm milk with honey before bedtime.
And if you ask them, they will swear it makes them feel better when they are unwell. Just a couple of weeks ago my little man had a middle ear infection, and though he had no appetite and didn't fancy eating anything, he drank hot milk with honey.

I confess I don't often drink milk in its pure form, but I love a good cup of latte, the milkier the better. We have a decent Italian coffee machine (though temperamental as many Italians, it brews a great cup of coffee), and I am always generous with a frothy milk when I make a cup of latte.
In summer my men enjoy a milkshake with berries.
I'm glad none of us have issues with dairy, as we use milk extensively, and it would have been a difficult adjustment not to use it in our meals. I have tried most non-dairy milk products, and they just don't appeal to me.
Every morning my husband has a bowl of granola or muesli, and out comes the big bottle of milk from the fridge. If I fancy a bit of porridge for breakfast, like today, I also cook it with milk.

When I was reading about farmers who work with Cravendale milk, it made me think about my own grandmother. Baba Zhenya (as we used to call her) held cows, and treated them with great love and care. She lived in a remote village in the south of Russia, and I remember how every evening she would go out of the house to meet her cows returning from the pastures, herded by the end of the day back home.
I remember the smell of the fresh hay in the barn and the warm breath of cows, their big soulful eyes and sandpapery tongues. A townie, I wasn't very enthusiastic about the fresh warm milk, and preferred the cold milk from the fridge.
My grandma made her own cottage cheese and other dairy products, and she would ride in a little two-wheel horse-drawn carriage called brichka, selling the milk and dairy products to the other villagers. Her dairy products were much admired and appreciated, and people always asked her if she had more milk to sell.

My grandma is long gone, and those milky days are just a distant memory.

I have a huge respect for the dairy farmers, theirs is not an easy life. With the milk prices going down, it's not a surprise that you hear about farmers' protests. I am totally on the side of the farmers. The milk shouldn't cost less than bottled water.
I am happy to pay more for the milk and support the British farmers.
Cravendale is produced by 3,200 British farmers who are part owners of Arla Foods. I hope these farmers stand up for themselves and get their fair share.

Cravendale milk is pure and tasty. It is delicious cold or hot, on its own or with a little bit of honey. Great in coffee or tea, it is a versatile ingredient in cooking a huge variety of dishes.
Often referred to as the milk-drinkers' milk, it is a good product to start a day with, or even end the day with.
How do you enjoy your milk? Warm, cold, with cookies or bread with honey?

Disclosure: I received a few vouchers to purchase Cravendale milk. All opinions and stories are mine.

This post is an entry for BritMums #MilkDrinkersMilk Linky Challenge, sponsored by Cravendale 

Bend it like Epic Straws

You have probably seen the promotional bottles of Cravendale milk with the Epic Straws labels on them and were wondering what is it all about.

Each 2L bottle comes with a secret code. Once you have collected 10 codes, you can get one of three Epic Straws sets: The Cereal Snaffler, The Secret Slurper and The Bottle Burglar.

Don't know what it is with boys and straws, but apparently everythig tastes much better if you sip it with a straw.

We received two sets of straws called The Secret Slurper. First we followed the instructions and assembled the milk delivery system for "milk pilfering".

Then we opened the second kit and started adding bits and pieces, so that our Secret Slurper turned into a Slurp-Factor.

Here is my delighted slurper Eddie, admiring our construction.

We have received two sets of green Epic straws, thanks to Cravendale and BritMums, and we have also started collecting codes for the other two colourful sets.

Home to a Latte

I always do a list before going on holidays.
I just have to write it due to the fact that I'm a bit scatter-brained plus often sleep-deprived and if I don't do it, there will always be something that I have forgotten to take. In fact I tend to forget something even if it is on the list, like this year, I managed to leave our toothbrushes at home, and we had to buy the new set when we arrived to our holiday destination. I know I have packed them carefully, and confess I still haven't found them since we came back.
So, making lists is not a salvation but a great help nevertheless.

I haven't travelled abroad in the last couple of years, but I still take my passport with me, just in case.

Half of the things I take with us, is never used, as I am going away, ready for any eventuality, including all sorts of antiseptic wipes, creams, liquid etc, plus medication in case anyone got a fever, upset stomach, diarrhea, insect bites etc etc As my older son is having big sleeping problems and is on medication to help him with his sleep, that med is on top of my list. If he doesn't sleep, nobody will have a chance to have a rest.

Wash all the clothes in advance and iron as much as possible, even if it has to go in the suitcase folded. Take clothes for both cold and rainy days and - hopefully - the days of sunshine as well.

This summer we were lucky to catch the only week of sunshine, and our stay in Cornwall coincided with a lovely weather.

Place a big grocery order online for a delivery to a cottage where we stay. The place we go to is lovely, but it is a small village in the middle of nowhere, and there are no shops, unless you are prepared to travel. There are cafes but my guys are rather fussy, and I prefer to cook our food when we stay in the cottage. Of course, we have treats as well, like lots of ice cream and local chocolate.

Don't forget the sunblock cream.

Take kids' favourite toys and books with you. Elmer the elephant has been travelling with us for a number of years.

Have a good look in the fridge and eat all the perishables. Leave a bottle of long term milk in the fridge.

We drink lots of milk in this house. My guys love the milkshakes. Eddie drinks milk like a thirsty calf, gulping enthusiastically.
And of course, my husband and I love our lattes.
I had a giggle when I read the post on BritMums about coming home to a proper cuppa, because for me tea with milk is not a proper cuppa. I can drink tea with milk, if the tea is quite indifferent in taste, but I would rather not disguise the taste of tea with milk, given a choice. Give me a cup of Earl Grey with a slice of lemon any time.
But coffee is a different matter. That has to be very milky for me.

Not knowing if I'd be able to shop on the way back from our trip to Cornwall, I prepared a big size Cravendale bottle to sit in the fridge and wait patiently for our arrival. As it happened, we stopped only once at a small Costa on the way to grab a coffee and use the facilities before jumping back in the car, as it was Friday & the day of the Olympic opening ceremony, and we were trying to escape the floods of cars moving in the direction of London. So, I might as well pat myself on the head for being wise and buying milk in advance.

This little post is my entry for the Come Home to a Cuppa Linky Challenge on BritMums sponsored by Cravendale.

Mahna Mahna! The Muppets love Cravendale

Cravendale and The Muppets have joined forces to provide some fab stickers that are specially designed to turn a Cravendale milk bottle into some of your favourite characters from The Muppets.

It is not easy being green, but in the style of Kermit the Frog and his friends, your favourite Muppets moments will be brought to life on your breakfast table with the specially designed stickers that fit perfectly on bottles of Cravendale.

Cravendale is giving away four free stickers sets featuring our favourite characters from the movie as well as exclusive downloads of more Muppets on TheMilkMatters.co.uk

There are aslo VIP tickets for the new The MUppets movie to be won by fans who share photographs of their Muppet Cravendale bottles at facebook.com/cravendale

Happy stickering!

What are you waiting for? Go and claim your stickers!

Many thanks to BritMums for the stickers!

Drinking milk is much more fun if it comes from the Kermit bottle.