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