By Kate Hodges
12th April 2023
EVENT, RECIPE, DO LAVER LOVERS
Friday is Laverbread Day! A new celebration of the Welsh seaweed delicacy! Free, fresh food and the seaside are two of our favourite things, so combining them is about as good as it gets. If you’re in Wales, join the real-life party in Angle. Expect laver walks, an eating contest, and a male voice choir.
If you can’t make it, take advantage of the spring weather to leap around some rocks near you and forage for the vitamin-packed seaweed. Find laverbread recipes here.
Or try hunting for other useful seaweeds. Find out more here and our recipes for seaweed and citrus cordial and seaweed and chocolate cookies here, or find a guide and great suggestions for recipes here. You’ll find tide-tables here, and some further starter recipes here (how gorgeous does that Cannelloni bean salad with marinated alaria look?).
However, you don’t have to eat your finds. There are so many beautiful types of seaweed, from delicate red blooms to thick brown ribbons. In Victorian times, it was fashionable to collect them. You might like to make a mobile, or why not try pressing your favourites? There’s a guide here and we love this dinky art book made from a seashell. Alternatively, why not try making a whistle out of bladder wrack (you KNOW you want to try that!)?
If you have dry hands, try popping the bubbles of the bladderwrack and rubbing the oil into your hands – it’s a great natural moisturiser – try this recipe for a home-made calming face cream.
EVENT THIS IS PLANET EARTH
Edinburgh’s EarthFest is a chance to find out more about our fantastic planet, the animals that love it here and how we can take care of it. Held at the National Museum of Scotland, you might build your own dinosaur skeleton from giant bones, create a sustainable utopia with Lego, watch a show about two best friends who find themselves stuck in a barrel, or learn about animal intelligence. Satuday and Sunday. Free. Show ticketed.
EVENT AND MAKE SUN FUN
Vaisakhi falls on Friday 14 April and is the Hindu and Sikh solar new year, as well as a spring harvest festival for many Indians. Find out more about it here and Vaisakhi recipes – including sweet kesar phirni – here. There’s also a huge Vaisakhi party on April 22 in Trafalgar Square, London. The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is also in full swing; find out more about it here, join the fun at a Mosque near you, as buildings across the country open their doors to everyone for the Taste Ramadan festival, or try these Ramadan-inspired crafts (we love the moon phase story reels and star-shaped crayons.
EVENT EYES ON THE SKIES
Tonight is the International Day of Human Space Flight, celebrating the beginning of the space era for mankind. Find out about the day and find resources here. Get a closer connection to fellow humans in space by watching the ISS pass overhead – this tracker will tell you when it’s next due to fly over your town. The space station moves in a continuous, straight line, and is visible when the sky is clear.
DO BOOTY TIME
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: boot sales are starting to pitch up again across the UK! We love a good boot – they’re green, save you tons of money, and are a great way to spend a weekend morning together. Find one near you here. They’re also, of course, a great way to get rid of any junk and old kids gear and clothes. There are helpful guides to selling your bits and bobs here and here and an insightful and funny piece about the world of car booting here. If you’re looking specifically for baby equipment, the legendary NCT Nearly New Sales are musts for penny-watching parents – we have snagged some incredible bargains at them over the years! Find one near you here
WHAT WE’RE EATING Five quick and cheap family midweek meals
You’ve just got in the door and everyone’s hungry and you’re not sure what to cook tonight for family dinner. Never fear… here is our failsafe selection of midweek meals that are quick, easy, cheap and super nutritious. These great ideas are compiled by our writers to offer plenty of variety and flavour, whilst also being really simple to prepare, meaning that you can drop through the door and have dinner on the table in under half an hour in most cases. Find the recipes here
WHAT WE’RE READING Spring-clean your life! 20 ways to discard the emotional baggage that’s holding you back
“From creating a proper support network to practising saying no, experts suggest their best tips for a healthier, happier life” Read more here
