Our Bank Holiday BBQ - the etiquette of last minute alfresco dining

An unexpected sunny Bank Holiday Weekend has seen many of us Brits hosting a last minute, impromptu barbecue or picnic, making the most of the late summer alfresco dining opportunity. We were no exception. We decided to dust off the barbecue and gather the family to enjoy vegan burgers, sweetcorn, chips and dips and salads in the sunshine. A lovely way to spend the day with good food and good company before the kids go back to school next week.

Sainsbury's have been looking into the nation's attitudes to alfresco dining and have asked 2000 people about their outdoor dining habits. The results found that 90% of those asked consider themselves to be good guests at friends' and family barbecues. 45% would never muscle in on the barbecue cooking uninvited, 35% will top up drinks for other guests and 32% consider dressing up as a top attribute for attending a summer event. However, 60% of those asked said that they enjoyed the relaxed attitude that comes with picnicking and barbecues, suggesting that fun wins out over formality and we are happy to throw out the etiquette rule book. We definitely enjoy kicking back and having fun with our food!

There are of course some annoyances associated with eating outdoors. Worrying about the unpredictable British Weather (78%), not having enough seating (69%), not knowing how many people to cater for (63%) and the fear of animals or seagulls stealing the food (60%) are among the top peeves when it comes to hosting a BBQ. Although for us it was the wasps, which were our biggest annoyance, sending the kids running for safety several times with the black and yellow buzzers chasing after them! A definite downside of being outdoors.

The other concern that seems to affect us when dining alfresco is how to fit all the guests, the bowls and plates of food and the condiments around the table. Sainsbury's have coined the term "Table Squish" to describe the act of squeezing everything in, likening it to a game of Tetris. We definitely filled our space to full capacity and ended up using foldable chairs alongside our garden furniture to fit us all in. But it all adds to the fun of the occasion. For me, laughter, family and delicious vegan food are the perfect ingredients for a successful family barbecue. With some help from Sainsbury's who stock a great range of food for hosting the perfect vegan barbecue (including their meat free frozen burgers and brilliant vegan cheese range, which are absolute must-haves) we definitely enjoyed a relaxed, informal lunch out of doors.

You can find out more about Sainsbury's at www.sainsburys.co.uk.

We Brits Love Our Curry! Celebrating National Curry Week with Sainsbury's

In celebration of National Curry Week (10th – 16th October), Sainsbury’s have commissioned a survey to reveal how the nation’s love of Indian cuisine has evolved since its introduction to the UK.

Curry first came to Britain in the 18th century, and over the years our nation has fully embraced Indian cuisine establishing it as a firm national favourite. Up until the 1980s, many of the options on offer were just anglicised versions of a select few Indian dishes, but a demand for more authentic, flavoursome, diverse and exotic cuisine has developed over the decades. Sainsbury's has been meeting this demand, reviewing and testing recipes and ideas to create authentic products with passion.

When it comes to grocery shopping, our choice of spices has evolved too. Alongside store cupboard favourites such as chilli, ginger, paprika and cumin, we are now opting for more exotic ingredients when it comes to cooking curry. Sainsbury’s has reported that sales of garam masala are up by nearly a quarter (24%) whilst cumin and coriander seed are dramatically increasing in popularity. Sales of turmeric are up 9%. 37% of Brits are also willing to spend up to three hours in the kitchen perfecting the mix of spices for the best possible flavour for a home cooked curry.

THE NATION’S CURRY HABITS

•             The nation selected Tikka Masala and Korma as their favourite dishes

•             The Welsh opted for hot Madras as their favourite dish

•             The UK chose naan breads over rice as their favourite side dish

•             The majority of the UK like hot curry but Londoners prefer milder recipes

•             Brits will spend a huge £30,331 on curry in their lifetime

•             43% of Brits would opt for a ready meal over a takeaway for convenience and value 

•             Nearly half of us say we would eat curry any night of the week - it's not just a weekend meal

Sainsbury’s first introduced classic Indian ingredients, such as curry powder and mango chutney, in 1920, representing a revolutionary addition to supermarket shopping for the time. Their first Indian ready meals were introduced to customers in 1989. Over 20 years on, Sainsbury’s stocks a range of 50 prepared Indian dishes and accompaniments, selling more than £61m of Indian food per annum. 

The Sainsbury's range of Indian ready meals is continually evolved to suit the changing preferences of their customers. They have recently enhanced their range of vegetarian side dishes including By Sainsbury's Sweet Potato and Red Onion Bhajis, By Sainsbury's Tadka Daal and Taste the Difference Crispy Beetroot and Chilli Samosas.

To find out more about Sainsbury’s variety of spices and new Indian inspired ready meals or to see the full list of ready meals, visit www.sainsburys.com.

Halloween Costumes from Sainsbury's - Safer and Spookier than Ever!

This year, Sainsbury's are proud to confirm that all their children's dressing up outfits meet the British nightwear flammability standard, which has the highest level of testing available. This is an industry leading decision, ensuring that costumes are regarded as clothing and not as toys when it comes to fire safety. As parents, we can be confident that our little trick or treaters are safer in their costumes this Halloween. Although everyone should still obviously take care around naked flames, knowing that the Halloween costumes are so much safer this year is very reassuring.

As well as being safer, the Sainsbury's costumes are super spooky and include outfits for all the family, including the dog! From zombies, to witches to vampires, there is a great range to choose from. Whether your little monsters want to be a spine-tingling skeleton or an enchanted witch, there is a costume that will be just the thing for parties, discos and trick or treating.

Sainsbury's sent Freddy a Mummified Monster Zombie Costume complete with top, trousers and mask. The comfortably cut, long sleeved suit has jagged cut hems and added pieces of fabric to give a spooky mummified look to the costume. A cut out section on the front of the top reveals a gruesome lenticular panel featuring a 3D image of dripping blood, ribs, bugs, eyeballs and guts and the fabric design includes oozing goo, seeping blood and bugs printed onto a bandage effect background. The hooded mask has a skeleton style face with cut out eye holes and bandage detail. The top has velcro fastenings down the back, making it easy to put on and take off. It is a really creepy and very effective design.

Freddy absolutely loved his new zombie outfit. He particularly loved the front panel with the spooky open rib effect. Gruesome but great! The attention to detail is excellent and Freddy looked like an extra from a horror film, jumping around trying to scare us. He will look fantastic at his school Halloween disco this year.

The costume is good quality made from 100% polyester fabric, which has a nice sheen finish, and it also has the plastic panel insert and additional fabric detailing. The sizing is good and the fit is comfy.

It is available in ages 3 to 12, priced from £10 and available in store or online. It is hand wash only.

Sainsbury's also suggest that to keep children extra safe this year, that we use LED tealights instead of candles for our Jack O' Lanterns and Halloween decorations.

Find the Tu Clothing Halloween Fancy Dress range online or in store at Sainsbury's.

Mobile by Sainsbury's for Affordable Bundles and Double Nectar Points

We received a lovely surprise through the post from Sainsbury's to celebrate the launch of Mobile by Sainsbury's, their new mobile network service in partnership with Vodafone.  A beautiful wicker basket packed with some lovely goodies and a PAYG Blackberry Curve mobile phone was delivered to our door.  

The PAYG 30 day bundles are designed for people who use their phone everyday and provide call time, texts and data usage. You just pick the package that best suits your needs. I think the £10 bundle would be a great introductory plan for Kizzy to have with her first mobile phone.

     £10 Bundle: 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 250MB of data
     £15 Bundle: 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of data
£20 Bundle: 800 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data

Sainsbury's new competitive Pay-As-You-Go price plan has the bonus of offering double Nectar Points on groceries and fuel when purchasing one of their bundles.  This can add up to £180 worth of Nectar Points a year for a family of four!  (If they each switch to the £10 bundle, link their mobile numbers to the household Nectar card and spend the UK weekly average on food and fuel per week.)  £180 of Nectar Points can be exchanged for a spa day, a family day out or even for eighteen DVDs!

The bundles are affordable, very simple and designed for families to keep things easy with no nasty surprises at the end of the month.  You know exactly what you're paying for. If your bundle runs out, you pay 10p per text, 20p per min for UK calls and 50p a day for 25MB data.  

For customers that want a simple price plan to use infrequently there is also the option of the basic price plan with calls at 8p per minute, 4p per text and a data price of 50p per day (for up to 25MB). It also offers double Nectar points on the value of top-ups.

Whatever price plan is chosen, you will be able to top up your Mobile by Sainsbury’s balance for as little as £5.  You can conveniently top up at your local Sainsbury's store when doing your weekly shop.

Mobile by Sainsbury’s also provides a handy ‘Borrow a Pound’ service. This offers customers £1 worth of credit for those unforeseen situations where you need to make an urgent or emergency call. The credit used, and a 10p fee, will be deducted from the next top-up.  This is reassuring when you have young teenagers who go out on their own and could end up out of credit.

Mobile by Sainsbury’s SIM cards will be available in all Sainsbury’s stores with over 250 of those stores stocking a range of handsets. Sainsbury’s is also trialling dedicated in-store phone shops in six stores. A range of handsets will be available in store, ranging from the affordable Nokia 100 at £12 to the Samsung Galaxy Fame Android smartphone at £115.

A combination of the simple price plans, double Nectar points, a reliable network, highly competitive rates and the convenience of topping up handsets on the weekly grocery shop will help make customers lives easier.

Find out more at www.mobilebysainsburys.co.uk

Healthy Lunch Box Treats

Sainsbury's Healthy Fruity Snacks For Kids

My children return to school tomorrow.  The summer holidays have gone in a flash and I'm now preparing myself for the routine of the school run, uniforms and packed lunches.  Thankfully, a much appreciated delivery from Sainsbury's will help me out with the organisation of packed lunches.

We received a really cute pink owl design lunchbox which Kizzy has fallen in love with.  It is a good size with insulated walls, a sturdy handle and zip.  Perfect for school.   

Kizzy was even more delighted when she saw what was inside!  Sainsbury's have a range of healthy, satisfying fruit based snacks and smoothies designed for children, which will provide them with energy to keep up with the demands of the new term.  They are a great alternative to unhealthy snacks like biscuits and sweets.

Kizzy loves anything fruity and she was delighted to discover the mini packs of Raisins and Blueberries and Bite Sized Apricots.  A perfectly sized portion of dried fruit to add a sweet but healthy treat to her lunchbox. The Strawberry Fruity Flakes and the Yogurt Coated Raisins are also delicious snacks packed with taste, offering a twist on traditional dried fruits.  The fun characters on the packaging will appeal to younger children, encouraging them to try them.  Who said healthy can't be fun??

The Smoothies in Orange and Mango or Apple and Blackcurrant are naturally sweet and come in a convenient pouch with a screw top.  Not only will they be perfect in a lunchbox, they are also great for travelling, offering a healthy solution to hunger pangs!  Freddy loved them and enjoyed slurping them from the pouch.

The Smoothies cost £2.59 for a pack of five and the Fruit Mini Bags are 38p each from Sainsbury's.