The Best Bits of Christmas 2014!

We can't quite believe there is only just over a week left of January 2015! 2015.. How did that happen? We hope you have all had a brilliant month and year so far. We thought we'd take some time to reflect upon our rather busy Christmas, and all the great things that happened in December 2014!

Our very festive and alternative Christmas tree went up at the beginning of December, starting the month off with a festive feel!

We visited Downing Street to support and encourage Small Business Saturday! We had great fun meeting fellow small business owners and George Osbourne and Karen Brady! Go Small Businesses in 2015!

We had a slightly madder than usual Friday on the 28th of November, Black Friday! Where we broke records with the amount of orders and postal bags, here's some of the team with a few of them! 

With one week to go until the big day, December the 18th was a slightly sleepy one! 

Our Ellie Ellie staff drinks and secret Santa was the perfect way to end the Christmas season with all the team! With plenty of nibbles and bucks fizz of course!

We hope you had a brilliant Christmas! Here's to a great 2015! 

Last Minute Christmas Ideas

Christmas Day is fast approaching and it's now time to get the last bits and pieces ready for Christmas Day! There are so many great ways to prepare some last minute treats that the kids can happily nibble on without the need to snack on chocolate all day. We've found some rather scrumptious Christmas treats which are easy to make and delicious to eat!

These strawberries turn into Santas with some whipped cream!

Use a marshmallow to turn these cookies into melted snowmen!

Little reindeer's made from a simple chocolate dipped marshmallow and pretzel for ears!

A nibble of a cheesecake with strawberries on top for Santas hats!

What Christmas treats will you make this year?

Christmas Jumper Day!

Hello everybody! As the countdown to Christmas begins the Ellie Ellie team got into the festive spirit to don their Christmas jumpers for Save The Children!

Last Friday, the 12th of December was Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save The Children, and didn't we look a festive bunch!

As we count down to Christmas, we hope you are having a great festive time!

Christmas Shortbread!

We got into the kitchen in October to make up some Chrismassy shortbread and to try our new Christmas Cookie Cutters set, which includes 6 festive shapes. The results were delicious, shortbread is so easy to make and the recipe uses ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen!

We used:
- 150g plain flour
- 100g margarine
- 50g caster sugar

The simple method:

- Preheat your oven to 160c, gas mark 6
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl, soften the butter first to make this easier!
- Gradually mix in the flour, and using your hands, knead the mix together into a smooth ball
- Roll out your mix onto a floured surface to about half a cm thick, and cut out your shapes
- Place onto a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes
- Wait to cool before icing, or sprinkle with icing sugar

The Christmas shapes were so easy to cut using these cutters, and looked so delicious when they came out of the oven.

Our icing skills could probably be improved! 

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Christmas Day Breakfast!

Christmas is fast approaching (ok, we know it is still the beginning of December but we're excited), and there is no better way to start Christmas Day than with a special breakfast with all the family.

We've been thinking about the different kinds of breakfast we would like to have on Christmas Day, and the only conclusion we came to was that it has to be something different and absolutely delicious! 

Salmon and scrabbled eggs is a favourite for Christmas Day, and is very simple to make with the added ingredient of the salmon to make it extra special!

We made some delicious egg breakfast muffins earlier in the year which are so simple to make. All you need is some eggs, chopped garlic, skimmed milk and parmesan cheese. Plus any other ingredients you would like to put in them, such as mushrooms, spinach, ham, peppers, sweetcorn, bacon, brocoli or peas. 

Method: 

1. Simply preheat your oven to 200c/400F or gas mark 6 and chop all your chosen veg or meat in pieces

2. Fry all your vegetables (and bacon if that is what you have chosen) and add the garlic 

3. Once everything has softened, remove from the heat and set aside

4. Whisk together the eggs, milk and half the parmesan and then add your vegetables

5. Grease a muffin tray with butter and divide your mixture between the tray

6. Sprinkle with your remaining parmesan and bake for 15 minutes until the muffins are puffed and golden!

You could also make these up on Christmas Eve ready to heat up on Christmas morning for all the family! 

Family Fun this Christmas!

Christmas is such a great time to spend with your family and friends, now December has begun, the lead up to Christmas has truly started. Spending time with the family and doing lots of festive things is just the thing to get everybody excited for Christmas. 

We've compiled a list of our favourite things to do this Christmas (we are a bit in love with Christmas at Ellie Ellie, can you tell?), whether with friends or family or the kids, they are bound to get you in the Christmas spirit.

1. Watch your favourite Christmas film to get into the festive spirit

2. Make your grandparents Christmas cards, ready to send

3. Bake and decorate Christmas biscuits

4. Make your own Christmas decorations

5. Listen to Christmas carols

6. Write your Christmas cards

7. Decorate your Christmas tree

8. Write your Christmas list to Father Christmas

9. Make some gingerbread biscuits

10. Make a wreath for you front door

11. Go and look at the Christmas lights on neighbours houses

12. Have a family board game night - make it festive with mulled wine

13. Roast marshmallows over a fire

14. Read a Christmas book

15. Make paper snowflakes

16. Sing Christmas carols

17. Write a Christmas story

18. Go ice skating 

19. Have dinner by candlelight

20. Draw a Christmas picture to display on the fridge

21. Learn to say Happy Christmas in different languages

22. Build your own snowman

23. Prepare you milk and cookies for Father Christmas

24. Share a favourite memory of the past year 

The Countdown to Christmas is on!

There is only a couple of days left until December kicks off (how fast has the time gone), and everybody starts to tuck into their advent calendar. If you are after something a bit different this December to the shop bought chocolate filled advent calendar we've got some great ideas which are perfect for the lead up to Christmas for a family. 

You could fill this envelope calendar with positive messages for your wife/husband or partner to open every morning! Everybody needs inspiration in the morning! 

This advent calendar could be filled with little treats for the kids, little festive chocolates, a happy message or a pack of cards for them to play with. 

These matchboxes are a great idea for the lead up to Christmas, you could fill them with something different every day for a fun surprise.  

This peg idea is easy to do and would look very festive in your kitchen this Christmas, simply pin a little gift, message or sweets to the peg everyday!

A great Christmas decoration as well as an advent calendar, place little boxes of treats on the tree for the family to open everyday, when you get to Christmas day, you will still have a lovely festive tree for decoration! 

Which one is your favourite?

Mature your Christmas Cake

Now it may seem very early to start thinking about Christmas Cake, but the earlier you start your cake, the longer it has to mature as you feed it with brandy, whisky or rum.

The Christmas fruit cake is a favourite on family's dining tables for Christmas Day, topped with icing or left to show the fruit cake it is a scrumptious addition to any Christmas meal. We've found a simple recipe for your cake this year, but start cooking your cake early so that you can feed it regularly for an even better taste!

Our set of Christmas Cake decorations are a great way to finish off your Christmas Cake! 

Christmas Cake Recipe!