Life

Marie Louise McConville: Afternoon tea treat a perfect opportunity to enjoy some child-free "me" time

Afternoon Tea - the perfect treat for Marie Louise to enjoy some tasty "me" time
Afternoon Tea - the perfect treat for Marie Louise to enjoy some tasty "me" time Afternoon Tea - the perfect treat for Marie Louise to enjoy some tasty "me" time

There's no doubt about it - sometimes life becomes a bit much and you have to hit the pause button.

There are times we lose sight of what's important because we are too busy rushing here and rushing there and getting this done and getting that done and it can be hectic.

Personally, for me, I don't know whether it's down to the fact that I have become disorganised, maybe there are not enough hours in the day or it's just that I'm getting older and it's taking me longer to do things.

All I know is, these past two-and-a-half-years have flown by and sometimes I forget to stop, breath, smile and just take it all in.

I'm told it can be good to switch off now and again but with two small children, finding mummy time can be a difficult job.

The thing is, I adore being a mummy and all the fun (and stress) that comes with it but people are always telling me that I need to find time for "me" but even though I like the thought of that, I feel guilty straightaway.

But recently I decided to attempt to step off the mummy treadmill just for a little while and do something for me.

So, given that it was my lovely friend Anne's birthday (ssh, we'll not say which one), I decided to make her birthday treat, something we would both enjoy (selfish?).

I threw caution to the wind and booked us a lovely afternoon tea at La Mon Hotel and Country Club.

Now, in the past, in my pre-mummy days, I have enjoyed many afternoon tea treats at different venues, some better than others, but as I was trying to be adventurous, I decided to book somewhere I had never tried before.

So, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, after frantic attempts by both of us to get out of the house in one piece with clean, straightened hair and make-up on, off we went to have some "us" time.

I have to say, it was initially very strange to be driving without any car seats in the back but that didn't prevent me glancing in the rear view mirror quite regularly to check on the kids, only to discover that they weren't there. Cue my heart breaking.

On arriving at the La Mon, we were giggling excitedly like two silly teenagers as we were guided through to the beautiful restaurant.

Next, the staff arrived with some gorgeous chocolate-dipped strawberries on a little board with which said Happy Birthday on it, especially for Anne, which I thought was a lovely gesture.

Then, it was time for the "main course". A mouth-watering selection of fresh sandwiches, cute scones with butter, cream and jam and then an array of colourful sweet treats arranged on a really pretty stand.

I have to say, I've never had a nicer cuppa and we gossiped and laughed and joked and giggled as we munched our way through first the sandwiches and then the scones.

Soon, it was time to try the chocolate slices, carrot cake, more chocolate-dipped strawberries, a lemon meringue treat and a gorgeous panna cotta and raspberry creation, which ended the whole thing off nicely.

There was tea in abundance and just a lovely atmosphere, mostly thanks to the outstanding staff who had such a wonderful eye for detail.

I have to admit, it was great to have some "me" time and though I did have pangs of guilt, I also felt relaxed and managed to de-stress just a little.

All too soon it was over and it was time to head back but not before I managed to cover my new top with squirts of strawberry, which happened when I got a little too excited but hey - I'm used to food all over me.

As we exited and cleared the bill, a lovely member of staff asked if we wished for them to pack up the remaining treats we hadn't touched so we could bring them home.

It really was a bit embarrassing when I had to inform him that there actually wasn't anything left, that we had completely demolished everything.

Ah well, who knows when we'll get out again, we had to make the most of it - and we did.

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Competition

Finally, June has arrived in all it’s glory so you know what that means - it’s time to say thank you to our dads for all the lifts and loans.

Father's Day falls on Sunday, June 18 this year and if you are struggling to find that certain special gift, fear not, as Asda has it covered.

From providing a taxi service to teaching us how to ride a bike and from fixing broken toys to tinkering with broken down cars, our dads, step-dads, granddads or that special man in our lives, makes a big difference.

And Asda has a wide range of quality gifts for any budget to make your Dad feel like a hero this Father’s Day.

With BBQs, cool gadgets, mugs and stylish options from George on offer, you can show your Dad how special he is with a great gift.

To find out more about Asda’s range of Father’s Day gifts search online at www.asda.com or check out any of Asda’s 16 stores across Northern Ireland.

I have three Asda £50 gift vouchers to give away to three lucky readers.

If you fancy winning a voucher, simply email your name, address and telephone number – along with the answer to the question below – to competitions@irishnews.com

Closing date for entries is Tuesday, June 6, 2017

(Q) What date does Father’s Day fall on this year?

Normal Irish News Rules Apply

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What's Hot?

Heroine - If you're in search of some action this weekend, check out the new Wonder Woman movie at the cinema. Telling the story of an Amazon princess, who, after leaving her island home becomes one of the world's greatest heroic figures, the film stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine.

Sweet - Marks and Spencer have launched a delicious range of sweet and savoury snacks this summer, great for picnics, afternoon teas and drinks parties. I particularly love the Prosecco Jellies (£3), which include Prosecco, Peach Bellini and Raspberry Bellini flavoured jellies. Yum.

Cool - If you're heading off on holiday, don't forget to pack a revitalising ELEMIS spritz. These new multi-purpose toning misters will instantly refresh your skin and also work as an anti-inflammatory. A suitcase must-have.

So Not!

Split - Celeb couple, Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor have announced their split after 17 years of marriage. The couple have two children.

Missing out - I was really disappointed that the choir from St Patrick's Primary School, Drumgreenagh didn't make it through to the Britain's Got Talent final. I thought the choir did a brilliant job and I loved the song choice. They are winners in my book.

Loss - Tributes have been paid to former Blue Peter presenter John Noakes, who died this week at the age of 83.

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Competition

The winners of the KORRES competition are Julie McAleese, from Carnlough, Siobhan McCaffrey, from Newry, and Aoife Ni Chaiside, from Maghera

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Easy Peasy Recipe

This week’s Easy Peasy Recipe is Fruity Springtime Charlotte

You will need:

500g summer fruit (raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)

4 tbsp demerara sugar

7 slices of a cinnamon and raisin loaf

25g softened butter

crème fraîche to serve

To Make:

Heat oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7.

Pour around 3/4 of the berries into a baking dish.

Add the rest of the berries to a blender and whizz to make a puree.

Pour the puree over the other berries in the baking dish and add 2 tbsp of sugar.

Butter the loaf slices and cut into triangles.

Cover the top of the fruit with the bread slices and scatter the remaining sugar.

Cover with foil and bake for 10 mins.

Uncover the dish and bake for a further five minutes.

Serve with a few spoonfuls of crème fraîche.

Do you have an Easy Peasy recipe you would like to share?

Are you the queen of quiches, magnificent at muffins or can you turn out some nice scones?

If so, then we want to hear from you.

You can send your name, address, contact number and recipe (plus photo if possible) to:

Easy Peasy Recipes,

Marie Louise McConville,

Irish News

113-117 Donegall Street,

Belfast,

BT1 2GE

or

m.mcconville@irishnews.com