All Fools Day

April Fools day is celebrated on the 1st of April every year. On this day alone you have the freedom to play a prank on someone without worrying about the repercussions as it's All Fools Day (as long as your prank is before 12pm). 

The type of prank you choose to play is entirely up to you. For example, in Italy, France and Germany, the people follow the traditional prank of taping pictures of fish onto each others back. Back in the olden days, they used to wrap a real fish in paper!

Over the recent years the media has got involved and has fooled the nation year on year with fake news stories, videos and pictures. 

Here are some of my favourites:

• Swiss Spaghetti Harvest (1957) 

• Left-Handed Whopper (1998)

Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.). However, the left-handed whopper had "all condiments rotated 180 degrees, thereby redistributing the weight of the sandwich so that the bulk of the condiments will skew to the left, thereby reducing the amount of lettuce and other toppings from spilling out the right side of the burger." The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, "many others requested their own 'right handed' version."

• Flying Penguins (2008)

For more media stunts, go to http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/

Pranks Ideas:

For your very own prank ideas, check out our Pinterest page 

and the following websites: http://aprilfoolzone.com/ , http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/11169/april-fools-day-pranks

    

Happy April Fools!

- The Chatty Pig     

Happy Easter! from The Chatty Pig

Yes, it's that time of year again when daffodils begin to blossom, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping away... it's Easter time of course!! Out with the old, in with the new (and of course let's not forget the chocolate).

Now Easter is traditionally associated with the religious celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, but it is also celebrated with chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies. But what about pigs? Why is it an Easter bunny and not Easter piglet? According to the legends, the rabbit carries coloured eggs and other sweet treats to children to  initiate Easter celebrations, and so from this legend games such as, the Easter Hunt and the concept of chocolate eggs came to exist.

Now you can celebrate Easter the traditional way as you're used to, but for those that wish to do something a little bit different this year, why not try some of the following suggestions.



1. Instead of the traditional chocolate eggs, give Percy the Pig a try. This little fellow is also made up of white chocolate and real raspberries (that's what gives him that pink tint) with hand made red, blue and white shorts to finish.

Or why not try this pig trio: mother pig and two piglets, made up of white, dark and milk chocolates?







2. This pink ping shaped basket to store the chocolate Easter eggs is another great idea!







3. Decorating your own eggs? Why not do an Easter range and make up some little yellow chick, pink pigs and bunnies?



4. Send your Easter cards with pigs on them! Can't find any? Make your own. It's very simple. Or send pig themed Easter cards from this website. 

5. A bit of fun but this is my favourite option - The Singing Pig - check him out right here 

Hope you like my ideas but if you do need more pig-spiration then go our pinterest page

Happy Easter everybody!!!

- The Chatty Pig

Mother's Day Treat

Mother's Day is just around the corner, have you got that special gift?
Cards, flowers, chocolates, her favourite perfume are some of the most common gifts bought for Mothers on their special day. Why not surprise her and cook her a gorgeous meal?

I suggest this tasty Fisherman's Pie.

The recipe is very simple to follow and with succulent ingredients such as, salmon, prawns and cod, you really can't go wrong. Now the pork scratchings are optional, so it's up to whether you use them, but they do give this pie that little bit of extra 'umph'.

Happy cooking and Bon apetit!

Fisherman’s Pie with Pork Scratchings

Ingredients:

·         260g cod fillet (boneless and skinless)

·         300g salmon fillet (boneless and skinless)

·         80g king prawns

·         500g mashed potato

·         40g mature cheddar cheese (grated)

·         Handful of breadcrumbs

·         1 packet of Freshers Foods pork scratchings

·         1 pint milk

·         60g butter

·         30g flour

·         Parsley (chopped finely)

·         1 Lemon (chopped in half)

·         Salt and black pepper

Method:

·         Cut the salmon and cod into bite-size chunks and place into a lightly buttered pie dish together with the prawns, cover with the milk and a squeeze of lemon and cook gently for about five minutes.

·         Strain the cooking liquor and retain, leaving the fish in the pie dish.

·         Melt the butter in a clean saucepan, add the flour and cook until it turns to a pale biscuit colour.

·         Stir in the cooking liquor bit by bit until you have a smooth sauce to pour over the fish. Add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper before spooning the mashed potato on top.

·         Crunch the packet of Freshers pork scratchings in the bag and mix the contents with the breadcrumbs. Scatter the breadcrumb/ pork scratching mix over the top of the potato and then scatter on the grated cheese. Place the dish in a preheated (180C) oven for about 30 minutes, until the topping has turned golden brown and juices from the pie are dribbling down the sides of the dish.

For more lovely ideas, check out our Pinterest board Mothers Day 

- The Chatty Pig

National Pig Day 1st March

National Pig Day is an annual event held on 1^st March. It is widely popular in United States, celebrated for 40 years now, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t get involved as well. In the US the National Pig day is celebrated with parties and parades in zoos, nursing homes and at sports events.

So how can you celebrate the day of the Pig?

Well you can choose to appreciate the pig by ‘giving them a break’ or in other words not eating pork that day, or you could appreciate the pig offerings i.e. indulging in all things pork made – ribs, bacon, ham, pork scratchings…etc.

Here are some ideas for you to get involved in:

• Cook up a roast! Or anything made from pork. So that’s home made sausage rolls, bacon sandwiches, BBQ pork ribs etc. Here’s a link to some great pork based recipes that are healthy and tasty http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/pork/ and if you do decide to make a pork roast have a look at my blog post http://thechattypig.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/perfect-christmas-day-recipe.html for the Jamie Oliver inspired recipe

• Or why not just buy some tasty pork snacks such as, pork scratchings, bacon jerky, pork crackling, pork crunch...I could go on and on. Why don’t you have a look the Freshers Foods website for a range of tasty pork treats! www.freshersfoods.co.uk 

• Fancy giving the pig a break but still want to put your chef hat on this Pig’s day, then why not try some pig inspired dishes such as, a cake or biscuits in the shape of piglets. Check out Freshers Foods Pinterest board for more creative ideas!

• Wear your hair in ‘pig tails’ or get crafty and make some piglet puppets or buy yourself a pig mug? It still counts! The Disney shop have some nice Piglet mugs that would be very suitable for the occasion!

You can do as much or as little as you like, but do something even if it is just sending a friend a National Pig ecard (yes, they do exist). You can personalise and send one from www.care2.com/send/catpigday1.html 

And if the National Pig day still doesn’t tickle your fancy, the 1^st of March is also known as Share A Smile and Peanut Butter Lovers day, so smile away, eat peanut butter (or not) and do something piggy this year!

Mmmm, Pig Pancakes!

Why not be a little creative this year on Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday, actually) and cut and shape your pancakes into happy pigs?

Here are some design ideas to inspire you. Or course it's entirely up to you what toppings to use. Why not try blueberries for the eyes, if you're going for a healthy option, or perhaps chocolate buttons if you fancy treating yourself?

Either way make sure you make a pancake this Tuesday and enjoy!!

I found that the BBC Good Food website had a range of pancake recipes to suit all individual needs. From easy options to gluten-free, you will find all you need right here.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/occasions/pancake-day/

Making Valentine's Day a LOT easier

Will it be a Spa Day or a candlelit dinner at a restaurant? West End show and a night at a luxury five star hotel? Perhaps even a city break to the most romantic places on earth, such as Venice, Paris or Rome?

Choosing the right Valentine's Day gift can be difficult and extremely expensive! Whether you celebrate Lovers day or not, you can still make a sweet and romantic gesture in no time at all and at a very reasonable price. And that would be the gift of Breakfast in Bed! But this is no ordinary breakfast in bed. It's an extremely quick and simple solution that will be truly appreciated - because they will never know it took you seconds to whip it up. Yes, seconds!

So what's the secret?  The answer is easy - Freshers Bacon Jerky. 

If you've never heard of Bacon Jerky before (where have you been?) it's a totally unique ready-to-eat meat snack made from 100% sweet cured bacon, available in two delicious flavours: Original & BBQ. It truly is a tasty snack to munch on at work, at home, before the gym (it's very high in protein) and just anytime anywhere. But it can also be used to make super fast bacon sandwiches that take seconds, literally. So here's how:





Super Fast Bacon Sandwich
To make 1 sandwich you will need:
- 1 packet of Freshers Bacon Jerky (Original or BBQ flavour)
- 2 pieces of bread (white or brown, it's up to you)
- Butter (optional)
- Ketchup/BBQ/Brown Sauce (optional)
- Microwave
- 2 plates

Method:

1. Just like making an ordinary bacon sandwich, butter both pieces of bread (if you're using butter) and place onto a plate. 
2. Next open the Freshers Bacon Jerky packet and tip the jerky onto another plate and place the plate into the microwave on FULL POWER for 20 seconds. Just count to 20 in your head, no point setting the timer. 
3. Take the bacon jerky out of the microwave and if you're happy with it, transfer onto the bread. If you would like it more crispy, spin it in the microwave for another 10 seconds. 
4. Add sauce onto the sandwich (if you wish) and Enjoy!!

The best thing for me about cooking up bacon jerky is that you can enjoy a hot sandwich anytime anywhere (provided you have a microwave of course). No more cold sandwiches at work and no more waiting around for ages for the grill to heat up etc. 

And if you fancy impressing that special someone with Breakfast in Bed on Valentine's Day then this is the quickest and easiest option. But best of all, for you lot that wake up on 14th of February without realising what day it is and receive a gift from your partner, feeling awkward and embarrassed for forgetting to get a gift for them, this is your solution. And it really does work.

Stock up on Bacon Jerky now and never find yourself feeling guilty, hungry or embarrassed again. You can find Freshers Bacon Jerky in Asda and Tesco hung up on clip strips, usually in the crisps and snacks aisles, as well as beer aisles. Or you can get the from Freshers Foods online shop www.freshersfoods.co.uk/shop

Don't knock it until you've tried it.


Lots of love,


- The Chatty Pig 

New Year's Resolutions 2013

First of all, Happy New Year! Hope your holidays were great.

Another year, another set of New Years Resolutions - typical really, same old every year. Setting yourself targets and resolutions to follow may be the easy part, but from experience I know that sticking to them is a completely different ball game altogether! That does not however mean that we just abandon our resolutions before we have even started, no, that's not the solution at all. What we do is we get help, and what better way to get help if not through the amazing technology we have these days (also known as smartphones and apps). 

So here's a list of the top rated and tested apps that will help you achieve your New Year's goals:

1. Fitness/Health

Most popular resolution (after making more time to see family and friends) is to get fit and healthy. This is when most people join the gym, sign up to a weight-loss programme and/or follow a strict diet plan. Now the problem is that, unless you are 100% determined and strict with yourself, you will probably abandon these resolutions after a month or two, so downloading an app or two could really help.

• To work out for free in the comfort of your own home when it's wet and groggy outside and you've not got the willpower to drag yourself to the gym, get the Work Out – Davina Fitness app for FREE! This app is great as it allows you to choose between different workouts (Cardio Tone, Running Fit and Sculpt Workouts), and it also includes a Goal Planner and videos of all the exercises. 

• Fancy something a little less intense? The All-In YOGA: 300 Pose is the perfect app for a gentle workout and at only £0.69 it's a bargain!

• To make sure you're eating healthy foot and staying on top of your calorie count, the My Fitness Pal Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker is a great FREE app to help you along the way. All you have to do is enter what you eat each day and the app calculates how many cals you have consumed and how many you have left for the day. It's pretty accurate as you can enter which brand you were eating! Most importantly, it let's set yourself goal weight in mind to achieve.

• For new recipe ideas and inspiration, I found that Cookbook is the perfect app. It's FREE and it allows you to browse through thousands of recipes, colourful images and share your own creations too. 

2. Time Management/Organisation

Whether you wish to improve your organisation and time management for personal needs (finance, bills, family) or for work (meetings, schedules). The following apps will definitely do the trick!

• To help you budget and make that pay check last the whole month Mint.com Personal Finance app is the perfect solution FREE of charge. With this app you will be able to see how much money goes out and on what, helping you to budget and cut out the unnecessary costs. 

• BillMinder app is an alternative app for budgeting that also reminds you of bill deadlines, this way you will never forget and be caught out by surprise! This extra feature costs £1.49.

• Want to be super organised and never miss a deadline, a birthday or a bill again? Well then get yourself the ultimate organisation app Things. It does cost £6.99 but it has all the possible features you will need and it is very easy to use. My favourite bit is the Someday feature which allows you to enter jobs that you know you need to do but that aren't urgent at the moment. The best part of this app is that all your schedules and plans are synced with The Cloud which means you will always be able to access this app, at home from PC or at work on the phone. AMAZING. 

• Do you sometimes get a great idea for a work project or for a surprise party you are planning, at the wrong time? Well EverNote is the best app for jotting down quick thoughts, sharing ideas with friends and colleagues. It's FREE so why not give it a try?

• The ultimate app for self-employed! Time Management has never been easier with this FREE app 30/30. All you have to do is enter the tasks you wish to achieve that day and set the time limits. The app acts like a timer and an organiser and let's you know when to move on to the next task or have a break. Never fall behind schedule again!

3. Learning Languages / Holiday Planning

May be your New Year's Resolution isn't fitness or organisation orientated but instead you wish to learn a new language or simply plan your next holiday away. 

Here are some apps to help you learn the basics. They include pronunciation, flashcards, pictures and essential phrases:

• To learn Italian Italian FREE 24/7 Language Learning is a good app to get you started. 
• To learn Spanish, why don't you try Learn Spanish. It's FREE and simple to use. 
• To learn French French FREE 24/7 Language Learning  is a good app.

• For the BEST and ESSENTIAL foreign phrasebook Trip Lingo is your FREE app that includes all the lingo you will need for when you're on holiday (Languages included French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish).

4. New Hobby? Photography perhaps?

Do you sometimes wish you took more pictures to treasure those special memories? Here are the best FREE apps for photography:

• Instagram is the ultimate social app that allows you to share pictures with your friends! Don't forget to follow us (Freshers Foods) 
• Vintique is a great app for editing your photos and making them look dated and interesting. Give it a go!
• PicArts is the MUST-HAVE photography app. You can edit the colours of your pictures, add cool effects and transform your pictures into collages instantly! 
• Pinterest is a great app for sharing your favourite pics that tell a story. Have a look at our Pinterest page for inspiration 

Stuck for inspiration for your New Year's Resolutions? This website is great for generating interesting and meaningful ideas. Have a go: http://moninavelarde.com/newyears/

- The Chatty Pig (freshersfoods.com)