Summer Fashions for Kids from House of Fraser

With the promise of some consistent warmer weather now a strong reality, my mind has turned to revamping the kids' summer wardrobes. Freddy has grown so much since last year and many of his shorts and t-shirts have already been handed down to his nephew Ted, leaving him in need of some key pieces to see him through the summer months.

House of Fraser offered Freddy the chance to try something from their kids clothing range, so it was the ideal opportunity to get him ready for his summer holidays with some stylish new clothes.

House of Fraser is synonymous with quality and they sell a great range of top brand kids' clothing both in store and online. The website is user friendly and has filters so you can shop by size, colour or brand or simply browse the range. 

Freddy likes casual clothes that are easy to wear and that will withstand the demands of his active, fun loving and physical nature, so his chosen outfit reflects his personality perfectly. 

We were really impressed when we found the Howick Junior Boys Comic Baseball Jacket at the bargain price of £18.00 (down from £45.00). It is a great little jacket for cooler days or for the evenings that looks really smart on. The body is a wool blend and the sleeves and lining are a silky feel polyester fabric. It has popper fastenings down the front and has coloured elastic trim cuffs and matching collar. Freddy loved it as it is lightweight, casual and sporty. It was a great online find!

Everyone needs a pair of good quality denim shorts - they are a summer staple and we love the Polarn O. Pyret soft, blue denim knee length shorts. They have five pocket styling with trim detailing on the waistband, one belt loop and on a back and front pocket. They are a relaxed fit with pre-bent knees for comfort and a popper and zip fastening. The waistband is adjustable with buttonhole elastic for a really good fit. At £23.00 these are a good quality pair of shorts that are super comfy and very stylish.

The Benetton Boys Striped Tee is a lovely, soft 100% cotton t-shirt featuring the Benetton logo. It is a great fit and is well made. At just £8.90 this is a good value top that looks really nice on. It comes in a variety of colours and designs, but we thought the striped, grey marl design was really stylish. The Benetton brand is designed for safety and comes with an eco safe certification meaning it contains no allergenic or carcinogenic dyesuffs, and no phthalates, formaldehyde or heavy metals.

We all thought Freddy looked great in his summer outfit and we are now looking forward to what we hope is a long, lovely British summer!

My Love for Le Creuset

When I was a teenager I had a 'bottom drawer' filled with household items that I planned to one day use in my own future home.  I loved homewares and really longed for my own kitchen where I would have free reign over the cooking and baking.  Eventually, I got to use my bottom drawer goodies, and my pride and joy was, without doubt, my three piece Le Creuset pan set.

The hazelnut brown enamelled cast iron Le Creuset cookware came all the way from France, where, back in the 1980's, they were much cheaper than here in the UK. I bought the three different sized pans with their separate matching lids on a day trip to Boulogne. My Le Creuset buy turned out to be an even bigger bargain than I had originally thought. In addition to the pans, my parents and I had a trolley full of wines, beer, cheese, chocolate, baguettes and all the other continental delights we had crossed the channel for. It was only when I got home and looked closely at our receipt that I realised that the cashier had only taken for the lids and not for the pans themselves. Being back in another country and not fluent in their language, I felt that phoning the hypermarche to explain their error was not really an option, so I pushed aside my buyer's guilt and enjoyed my absolute bargain.

Over the years the Le Creuset range and its accessibility has grown.  Stainless steel toughened non-stick pans, bakeware, stoneware and ceramics have joined the cast iron cookware. The innovation , quality and performance of Le Creuset has put it at the forefront of cookware brands for over 100 years and it remains a favourite of professionals worldwide.

I love the range of colours available: Cerise, Coastal Blue, Cassis, Volcanic, Teal, Almond, Soleil, Cotton, Kiwi, Marseille Blue and Satin Black.  They offer so much choice when it comes to matching your kitchen decor or making a bold culinary statement.

The new cast iron Signature Casseroles from Le Creuset are absolutely gorgeous.  They come in round and shallow, with sizes from 20cm to 30cm diameter.  Prices range from £79.20 to £210.  In my ideal kitchen I would have a set of these casseroles in Satin Black ready to cook up some wonderful vegetarian delights.  I love that they are stylishly designed while still retaining a homely, traditional, farmhouse quality.

Le Creuset is such an iconic brand and the products last for years.  They aren't cheap but you are paying for their timeless design, quality and durability.

Unfortunately I don't have my pans anymore.  At some point in my late 20's when we moved house, we made the decision to buy a new lightweight, non-stick, fancy looking saucepan set and gave away my cast iron Le Creuset.  I wince when I think of what a bad decision this was.  That replacement set of pans have been replaced ten times over, but I bet my Le Creuset pans would still be cooking up a storm had I have kept them.  I do however, still have a cast iron rectangular Le Creuset oven dish that is over 20 years old and is still going strong!  I use it for lasagne and vegetarian shepherd's pie and love being able to serve my food from it.

You can see the Le Creuset collection of products at House of Fraser where you can currently claim a free 18cm stoneware dish if you buy a Signature cast iron casserole plus you can find some homeware items on sale too.



This post has been written in collaboration with House of Fraser but I retain all editorial control.