Review: Ed's Easy Diner, Cardiff

Ed's Easy Diner in St. David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff.  A little bit of Americana here in the UK, although Ed's started in Soho, London over 25 years ago.  Its interior lures you with shiny chrome and a red and white colour scheme.

There are neon lights a plenty, a retro jukebox from which you can select your favourite 50's classic (and the money goes to charity) and the chance to blow the diet and indulge in comfort food as pleasing to families as I suspect it is to students suffering from the night before.

Leaving aside the risk that listening to "Tell Laura I Love Her" might dampen your enthusiasm for giant portions burgers and steaming hot fries, the atmosphere when we went (a Saturday lunchtime) was buzzing. Incidentally why do so many of the 1950's classic love songs involve dying horribly in accidents?  Just a thought.

I may be hiding in this picture somewhere

What I love about Ed's is that is does not pretend to be something it is not.  Aside from a nod to 'gluten free' and a small selection of salads,  this is food to expand the waistband and reassure you that ice cream does indeed solve many of life's little problems.

The staff (clearly unaffected by the more mournful ballads) were cheerful and upbeat.  There was a queue outside and a fast turnover.

Drinks arrived swiftly (diet coke, sparkling water, lemonade and milk) in generous sized glasses, whilst the kids were kept occupied by the obligatory kids menu / puzzle sheet.

The kids menu differs from the others we have tried (for example, Prezzo and Carluccio's) in that menu choices are priced individually.  A Junior Burger, Puppy Dog (junior hotdog) or Chicken Tenders are £4.45 and come served with a choice of Fries or Salad.  Desserts are Junior Sundaes (two scoops of ice cream with a choice of sauce) at £1.95 or there are junior milkshakes (£2.05) or a choice of soft drink and milk.  This is slightly more expensive in that drinks are not included but the main and dessert comes to a pretty average £6.40.

Caitlin had the Chicken Tenders and Ieuan chose the Puppy Dog.  Both dishes arrived piping hot with generous portions.

Ignoring the fact that Dr. Ranj would probably have palpitations if such a meal were a regular occurrence, the kids dug in.

The Husband chose the monthly special burger - a Cajun Burger (regular at 5oz) at £6.95 with an extra order of classic fries - £2.95, onion rings at £3.45 and coleslaw - £1.

In his usual style, this was made short work of.  The quality of the burger was perfectly acceptable and a step above the standard burgers served by other well known fast food restaurants. The salad garnish was fresh and the cajun mayo was well spiced.

I had the Pulled Pork Sub Plate - £10.95 - BBQ pulled pork in a large sub roll, chunky fries, BBQ sauce and coleslaw.  The roll was smothered in cheese sauce.

This was absolutely delicious.  The pulled pork melted in the mouth and the onion rings are deliciously sweet.  I could have done with marginally less cheese sauce but the BBQ sauce was tangy and the coleslaw fresh.

On to desserts.  Ieuan has a passion for chocolate brownies so he had an adult size portion of Brownie Points (chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and Hershey's Chocolate Sauce) - £4.65, whilst Caitlin and I had a strawberry Junior Sundae each (£1.95) and the Husband had his favourite, pancakes with maple syrup and ice cream at £4.95.

Obviously I couldn't leave Ieuan to eat all this unsupervised and I can report that the brownie was moist and gooey and just the right temperature.

The ice cream and strawberry sauce were good quality and did not have a synthetic taste.

The Husband reports that his pancakes were hot, tasty and went down a treat.

We had a great time at Ed's Easy Diner.  It's a fun dining experience, ideal to give the kids an occasional treat.  The place was clean and the staff were lovely.  One small comment, there are no toilets (you know me by now!) on the premises, however, a quick scoot back out into the shopping centre and round the corner brings you to the public toilets which were, on this occasion, full of young girls preparing themselves to see One Direction later in the evening.  Ieuan was most impressed by this.  We would certainly visit Ed's again although I really hope someone has told Laura he loves her by then.

Further information can be found at www.edseasydiner.com.  We visited as guests of Ed but the opinions in this review are our own.

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3 Summer Travel Essentials For Your Handbag & Competition

Here are 3 small, but incredibly useful additions to your summer holiday medicine kit.  They are all ideally sized to throw in your handbag as you rush out of the door after the kids on summer day trips too.

First up is a product to soothe your headache - Arkopharma’s Migrastick .

Arkopharma's Migrastick

This is an all-natural alternative to conventional painkillers which uses 100% pure and natural essential oils to help relieve pain caused by headaches and migraines. Simply roll over temples, forehead or nape of neck using circular massage movements.

The Migrastick with its roller ball

I was a little sceptical, I admit but it has a refreshing smell and is surprisingly cooling and long-lasting when applied to the temples.  I think it would certainly help soothe a brewing headache when you are miles away from a pharmacy.

A note of warning though,  you cannot use this product is you are pregnant, breast-feeding or if you suffer from epilepsy.  And, it's not for use on children under the age of 12.

Migrastick is small enough to have on you at all times. It’s also reasonably priced at £6.29 and is available from Boots, Holland & Barrett and selected independent pharmacies and health stores nationwide.

If you suffer from traveller's tummy or are feeling a bit nauseous from too much sun, try The Ginger People’s new Gin Gins CARAMEL – Tasty ginger and caramel sweets. They contain a massive 30% ginger per sweet.

Working mainly in the digestive tract, ginger helps to boost digestive fluids and neutralize acids, making it an effective alternative to anti-nausea medication, without the possible unpleasant side effects. These are ideal travel sweets to keep in the car's glove compartment to calm wobbly tummies without having to break out the travel sickness pills.

Gin Gins from The Ginger People

They taste like a zingy, ginger, more chewy version of Werther's Originals and certainly have a kick to them. The ginger may also help mums to be fighting morning sickness. Gin Gins Caramel costs £1.55 for a 31g box and is available from Holland & Barrett stores nationwide.

Finally there is Zap-It!  I don't know about you but mosquitoes and midges seem to love biting me in the hot weather. They have a way of putting a real dampener on things when you’re outside, with their dive-bombing and blood-sucking antics. So whether you’re back-packing through South America, camping at a festival, out for a run or just barbecuing in your back garden (guess which one I do the most of!), Zap-It! is a handy gadget in your armory against those big, angry red bites. It can be used as and when required by all the family, but not on babies less than 2 years of age.

Zap-It! will stop the itching and reduce the swelling of the bite (but note: it will not remove toxins or infection).  You simply place the flat end of the gadget on to the bite on your skin, hold the Zap-It! between your first 2 fingers and squeeze the button with your thumb.  Press the button quickly, 5 times or more as soon as possible after being bitten for fast relief.  The Zap-It! will also work through light fabrics.

Each Zap-It! will relieve up to 1,000 bites - enough for many years of bites or itches! It is available in different colours from selected health stores, pharmacies, garden centres, all Asda shops and Superdrug, and retails at £5.95. Zap-It! is also available online from Amazon or www.ecobrands.co.uk.

I have 3 Zap-It's to give away.  Just complete the rafflecopter widget in the usual way! The giveaway ends at 11:59 on 12th June 2015.  UK entries only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*PR samples were received for this post.

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Ever been bullied for bringing your kids up vegetarian?

I've written before about the difficulty of fitting in with the various school playground cliques.

You can be ostracized for the strangest of reasons.

For instance,  a friend of mine, "P" found herself roundly criticized for being vegetarian.

Even more 'scandalous' was the fact that "P" was bringing her son up to be vegetarian.

Source:  popsugar.com

On an unseasonably hot afternoon at a children's party at our local playcentre (all echoing hall, dank toilets and uninspired menu choices - actually, make that one menu choice, one hot dog sausage in an unbuttered white roll), matters came to a head when the little boy in question said, quite reasonably, that he could not eat the sausage.

Nobody had thought to ask about 'special dietary requirements'.

"P" was not actually with her son at the time, having dropped him off and left him in the care of a group of women she considered to be her friends.

Despite the fact that there was a bowl of fruit on the counter, any item of which would have been suitable to stave off the poor child's hunger pangs, the mums in question later roundly berated "P" for her inconvenient food choices and told her "there was nothing her little boy could eat".  

This was said in a way which implied that raising a child to be vegetarian was likely to stunt their growth as well as cause untold problems for others at children's outings and parties.

The fact that "P"'s little boy had left the party hungry and had probably been made to feel, at the very least, different, totally escaped them.

This was the beginning of the end of "P"'s friendship with this particular group of women.

Actually, I think the real reason they found fault with her was that "P" was bright, bubbly and outgoing.

One of the kind of people who bring sunshine into a room.  

Petty though this incident is, it shows, I think, that some people will go to any lengths to isolate those who threaten them - a measure, doubtless, of their own insecurities and low self -esteem.

And for the record,  it is safe to bring up children as vegetarian or vegan, provided you make sure that their diets contain the necessary nutrients.

You can find advice from the NHS here.

Have you ever been excluded for the way you feed your kids?  

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Ever dumped a friend because you didn't feel their equal?

In the often challenging world of female friendships, there are times when, even though you have a lot in common with another woman, and you are, on the face of it, friends, you just don't feel like you measure up.

To use the well worn cliche, it's not them, it's you.

I have (or rather had) a friend.  I'll call her "B".

A couple of years older than me, she had held a high ranking position in the HR department of a manufacturing firm. I, at the time was Marketing Director of a law firm but, nevertheless, there was no comparison in the authority our roles carried.

She was eventually made redundant but reinvented her working life by becoming CEO of a new Welsh company.

Whilst I left work to become a stay-at-home mum, she became a single parent, giving birth to a little boy in her late forties.

But, unlike me, "B" returned to work and continues to build her professional reputation whilst juggling all the challenges that single motherhood throws at her.

This she does with spirit and a certain amount of "gung-ho-ness" that makes me feel like I have no 'coping equipment'.

For a while we met up regularly.

We would go out for meals and discuss our children - who all played well together.

During school holidays, we would take the children on outings.  I would invariably forget something basic - like plasters or a change of clothes for the kids, whilst "B" would have everything prepared - medication, clothing changes, food, snacks, you name it, she had thought of it and, thoughtfully, provided it.

We even had a week's holiday together one summer which seemed, on the face of it, to go smoothly and to be enjoyed by us all.

Just occasionally though, I would sense her frustration with me.

I am quite quiet, occasionally lack confidence and am rubbish in large groups.

I always preferred to organize events rather than network at them.

"B" could walk in anywhere, from business conferences to shops or the restaurants we ate at and take charge.

She had a way of getting others to do her bidding whilst remaining charming and confident at all times.

I began to feel 'lesser'.

If was as if she unwittingly held up a mirror to my imperfections, reminding me of all those social quirks and inadequacies I had fought so hard to quash (or hide) in my often wobbly climb in my marketing profession.

So, being rather cowardly, I stopped calling.

Weeks drifted into months and now it is almost a year. I know that I should call but I can't quite bring myself to do it.

I figure that friendships should not feel 'forced' or make you feel as if you don't quite measure up.

The irony is that these thoughts are in my head and have never been expressed by "B".

My kids often ask after her and her little boy and I'm hard pressed to know what to say to them.

I think the story also highlights what happens when you give up work to become a stay-at-home mum.

The effect it has on your confidence and sense of self-worth may well affect more than your immediate relationships with your partner and family, but impact upon your wider circle of friends as well.

It is like watching the ripples from a stone thrown into a lake getting bigger and bigger.

I know I should pick up the phone and have an honest chat but I will have to be in a stronger place than I am right now before I do.

Have you ever experienced this?

Perhaps you have found friends mysteriously avoiding you and wondered why?

I'd love to hear your stories.

Like what you've read?  Why not join me on the Mother Distracted Facebook page, tweet me on @lindahobbis or follow me on Instagram.

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Over 50? Should you really be shopping in here?

There are some shops I find it difficult to go into.  Not least because the level of background music makes my ears rattle, nor because the staff are all young enough to be my child, no it's the happy clappy, we love 'yoof' type marketing that puts me off.

The Over 50's Still Enjoy Shopping You Know!

You know the type of place - lurid pinks, greens and yellows, signage that looks like it's written by my 5 year old and the inclusion of those teeny tiny packets of sweets, mints and bonbons. There are acres of things that dissolve in a bath plus enough lip balm to keep an Olympic bob-sledding team kissable.  It seems to be the law that 80% of all merchandise for the under 12's features a badly printed graphic of One Direction (with a big X through Zayn).

But when you stop and think about it, whose money are the kids spending?  That's right.  Ours - unless the 'Saturday job' has returned (little chance of that thanks to zero hours contracts and 'flexible working') and the kids are spending their pocket money or birthday gift cards.

And, ask yourself this question - which age group of women have the highest levels of disposable income?

In a recent piece about the election, the Daily Mail identified "Boomer Woman", that is women born between the years of 1945 to 1965 (I was born in 1964).  Her profile makes interesting reading.  For instance she has "high disposable income, little debt. She is likely to be mortgage-free or equity-rich, having bought property in the 1980s or before. She has the highest value of assets, disposable income and consumer expenditure of any age category."

So, with a few notable exceptions of House of Fraser (and its champion, Mary Portas), Debenhams and John Lewis, I cannot for the life of me understand why the High Street does not better reflect the needs of shoppers like me.

Some of the retailers I grew up with seem simply not to know how to treat women my age, viewing us as happiest with tea, scones and a Lakeland catalogue.  Now that is certainly one aspect (and yes I love a Lakeland catalogue), but it does not mean that I have left my love of clothes somewhere in the past with what's left of my oestrogen and am ready for prints that would give Picasso a headache and enough elastic to launch a small missile into space.

There are signs, though, that the High Street is beginning to wake up.  I am cheered by the appearance of plus size ranges in many stores.  That is one market segment just crying out for love and the recognition that fabulous clothing is not the prerequisite of the skinny fashionista.

But it is time to recognise that 'Boomer Woman" is heartily fed up of being ignored.  Hey retailers - how about some fashion love for us?  Let's have some chic, understated stores, subtle lighting, gentle music and well trained staff.  Let's have a bit of research into how we live our lives and some ranges that don't scream "over fifty" but rather, to adopt the French concept "woman of a certain age who is comfortable in her own skin".

Get to know us.  Heck, some of us have only recently had kids and are a long way off becoming grandparents. Many of us are fitter, sharper and savvier than our younger counterparts.  We love a bargain.  But most of all we love value.

And no, we don't need any bloody lipbalm or baby tins of mints.

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She's 19, I'm 51. Let's talk make-up.

The 51 year old says to the 19 year old ....

- Why DO you use so much?

- Don't you know your skin is probably the best it will ever be so why do you insist on covering every millimetre of it?

- Why do you all use fake tan, even in winter?

- How come you can all do that amazing cat eye, eyeliner thing

- Where on earth do you find the money?

- Are you sure you are going to all this effort for you - and not because your partner thinks you should look a certain way?

- Do you really need powder?

- What's with the eyebrows.  Sometimes they're so heavy they're the main focus of your entire face.

- False eyelashes - how on earth do you get them off?

- How many of you are really going to festivals in those floral headbands?

- Don't you know that changing your nail varnish daily is probably wrecking your nails?

- Do you know how lucky you are to wear red lipstick without it bleeding into your lip lines?

- Do you really need an arsenal of make-up brushes?

- How many mascaras do you really need - don't they all do the same thing?

- You probably don't need toner.  Or facial mist.  

- Do you realise that in many jobs you'll be taken more seriously if you wear a little less makeup?

- Do you know that sleeping in makeup will create extra laundry and give you spots?

The 19 year old says to the 51 year old .....

- I love playing and experimenting with make up, being able to lift and change your face just by applying it in the right way is fascinating. 

- Just because you've got married doesn't mean you have to stop wearing make up and experimenting with it.

- Light and well applied make up can make an older women look ten years younger.

- Make up is fun, experiment with colours, there are so many! 

- In work make up is my war paint. Being so young means it's hard to get people to take you seriously. 

- Well applied make up, a thick skin and a hard attitude go hand in hand in being taken seriously.

- If older women think younger women are pretty without make up/don't need make up or should wear less make up then why do I get so many older women asking what products I'm wearing and what techniques do I use?

- When you have a career and a family I understand you're busy but time out for yourself is important for looking after yourself. Even just taking five minutes to paint your nails can relax you. 

- I wish I had your experience and your attitude so people would take me seriously with or without make up. 

- You don't have to spend a lot of money, or put on a lot of make up to look different.

- We use lotions and potions to get our skin to stay as young for as long as possible. 

- Sleeping in your make up once after a long day in work or a hectic night out won't ruin my skin forever.

- Make up makes me feel confident, I don't wear it for anyone else but me.

- Embrace us young un's as we are, we like our make up now but maybe when we get to where you are now we'll have a completely different view. We'll have to wait and see.

About:

Ffion Davies is a nineteen year old soon to be university undergraduate. She is a blogger, feminist and tea enthusiast who spends most of her free time in her bedroom creating content. Her purpose in life is to encourage, inspire and motivate women and girls all over the world to stand together.  Ffion blogs at www.asouthwalesblog.com.

Linda Hobbis is the 51 year old writer of this blog who remembers a time when she was equally feisty and a flag waver for female independence.  Today she spends most of her time wrestling with a recalcitrant 5 year old with a vegetable phobia and trying to understand the philosophy behind My Little Pony.  Her make-up routine has sadly never progressed much further than Rimmel's gold eyeshadow and Heather Shimmer lipstick.

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I'm Going To BritMums Live 2015!

Yes I'm going for the first time and I can't wait to meet many of the bloggers I've 'met' through Social Media. So, joining in with the "The I’m Going to BritMums Live 2015 Meme",  here are my answers.

Ieuan and I

Name:  Linda Hobbis

Blog:  www.motherdistracted.co.uk

Mine is a parenting / lifestyle blog aimed at midlife mums and women late to motherhood (as I was at 43 and 45).  My husband, Mat, and I live with Caitlin (7) and Ieuan (5) just outside Cardiff in a village called Dinas Powys.

Twitter ID:  @lindahobbis

Height:  5ft 6"

I'm afraid I haven't managed to go metric yet.  I am used to decimalization now though.

Hair:  Brown / blonde.  Actually nobody has seen my real hair colour for years.  It used to be the glorious red my son's is.

Eyes:  Green.

Is this your first blogging conference?

I attended BlogOnCymru earlier this year which was great fun, particularly as it involved wine and cake.  I like a conference with wine and cake.

Are you attending both days?

I am.  There is so much to learn about blogging and so many aspects to it.  It is definitely not, as I once naively thought, "keeping a bit of a diary".

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2015?

Meeting some of the lovely bloggers I chat to on Social Media and particularly bloggers in my age group. I'm particularly looking forward to talking to the Post40 Bloggers and any midlife mums like myself.

What are you wearing?

I'd like to say something at the cutting edge of fashion with an inspired use of detailing and the kind of high heels they prefer at Cannes.  Obviously this means I will be wearing my leggings and shoes I can walk in. Plus something in black, in case I need to hide.

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2015?

A bit more direction for the coming year's blogging.  There has been a lot of talk lately amongst bloggers about whether blogs have a natural sell by date and how to keep things fresh.  That's something I'd like to learn more about.

Do you have any tips to pass on to others who may not have been before?

I'm a newbie so I will be wandering about looking slightly awkward - well, for the first 5 minutes anyway!

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Silent Sunday / My Sunday Photo - 31/05/2015

At the playground, National Trust Dyffryn Gardens

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More Family Fun At National Trust Dyffryn Gardens

Making full use of our National Trust Family Membership, we returned to one of my favourite places, Dyffryn Gardens, with my sister and her friend Anil in tow.  It was a gorgeous afternoon and the gardens are in full bloom and resplendent with blossom.

My Sister Sarah and I

Add caption

Obviously we had Spiderman with us, fully equipped with woolly gloves suitable for a warm end of May day!

A wedding was being held in the Pompeii Garden ( a Civil Ceremony) and the sweet sounds of harp music were drifting across the gardens.  It would have been cheeky to photograph the bride but she was a vision in sweeping, sparkling lace.  We looked on rather enviously at the wedding guests enjoying a glass of bubbly in the beautiful surroundings.

We then took shelter from the sun in the house itself. You can find out more about its history here

The commissioned stained glass window features Queen Elizabeth 1, fascinating to Caitlin Elizabeth and she was given her middle name in honor of the great Queen (and her paternal grandmother).

There are some fabulous marble fireplaces, some of the detail of which I have tried to capture.

Then it was off to the coffee shop for coffee and an enormous slice of Victoria Sponge (light, fluffy and with just the right amount of jam and cream) and an intensive session of supervising the kids in the play area.

Well, sometimes you just have to, don't you?

Further information about National Trust Dyffryn Gardens can be found at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyffryn-gardens.

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