In the quieter month of February, after the beauty of frosty leaves on trees has worn off, and it’s still too chilly to spend too long outdoors, we find ourselves at home more than usual. We are often left with a spare day or two wondering what to do, now that the excitement of the cosy festive period has been and gone and we’ve binge watched our way through Netflix. So we find this is the perfect time of year to start getting organised ready for spring. And we like to start with our pantries and storage cupboards!
Now, the prospect of this may not have you jumping from your seat…we get that this task may not be top of your list, or even one you think you need to do. But one quick peek in your cupboards may have you realising that there’s unopened jars of chutney, half-eaten bags of nuts, and a tin of biscuits, all left over from the continuous snacking season of Christmas.
We’ve got a few tips and products to help you declutter and get ready for the warmer months…
Declutter and clean!
First things first, empty it all out! You never know what hidden gems you’re going to find hiding on your shelves until you take it all out. Some store cupboard items lose their effect if they’ve been hanging about too long; out of date baking powder generally doesn’t do its job when it’s past its ‘best before’ date, and dried herbs and spices only have a shelf life of 2-3 years until they lose their strength in flavour (and some would argue even that’s too long!)
Treat it like a belated new year cleanse and clear out as much as you can. Use up those warming winter items like tins of soup, before they get shoved to the back of the cupboard again until autumn. Before you begin to refill your shelves, wipe them down with the wonderful surface spray from Greenscents and make your cupboards smell fresh and clean. Their sustainable range of cleaning products are effective but also kind to the environment. And with scents made from organic essential oils, they’ll leave your kitchen with a natural but fresh aroma.
Restock for spring
In spring, we find ourselves reaching for lighter, fresher foods. Our pantry products will help build the basis of your spring and summer recipes. Norfolk-made products from Yare Valley Oils help to create simple, but flavoursome dishes. Stock up on jars of their pesto sauce, salad dressing or infused oils so you can easily whip up easy salads and pasta dishes.
We can deliver fresh pantry products to your home, from local free range eggs, to fresh bread from Barkers Bakery. We even stock cakes and sweeter bakery products too, if you want to add a little treat into your order!
Get your pantry organised and receive regular orders from Plumbs’ Dairy, to ensure you’re never missing out on those cupboard essentials! Click here to place your order today!
Christmas is just around the corner and we want to help get you prepared for this magical period! Food is a big part of the Christmas experience, so we want to make it easier for you by delivering straight to your door. We work with local suppliers to ensure that you have the best ingredients to use in your Christmas meal. We’re going to talk you through some of our favourite products to help make your Christmas extra special…
The main dish
Whatever your choice of meat to serve for the Christmas meal, we have you covered. We offer a variety of size turkeys to cater for up to 17 people, so you’ll have plenty left over for turkey sandwiches! We also work with Broadland Hams in Norfolk, to bring you locally sourced gammon joints, sausages and bacon.
Something sweet
There’s always an excuse to nibble on something sweet over the Christmas period. A mince pie served with a cup of tea is great for a morning, afternoon or evening snack. We work with Barkers Bakery in Cambridge, so we can deliver freshly baked mince pies to your doorstep. Order plenty, because once you taste these freshly baked pies, you’ll find yourself wanting to reach for more!
With so much to do, it’s easy to spend a lot of time in the kitchen on Christmas Day. Take a shortcut where you can, and order your dessert from LillyPuds. Made from natural ingredients, these Great Taste award-winning puddings taste like they’ve been baked at home. There’s plenty to choose from, such as their Traditional Christmas Pudding, Saucy Zingy Ginger Pudding or Sticky Toffee Pudding. Their whole range of puddings are vegetarian, but we also stock their vegan and gluten-free puddings too, so you can ensure you’ve catered for everyone.
Add extra flavour to your vegetables
Yare Valley’s versatile range of oils, sauces and dressings are made just a stone’s throw away in Norfolk. Their tasty products have won awards for their flavouring, and once you’ve tasted or cooked with their oils, you’ll understand why. We recommend roasting your potatoes or vegetables in their rapeseed oil, not only will you get a delicious, crispy potato, but you can add an extra layer of flavour when using their Garlic & Rosemary infused oil. This is a great alternative if you’re cooking for vegetarians, but still want to get that same crispiness on your potatoes. Their range of products expands to horseradish, the perfect accompaniment to both meat and vegetarian mains.
Top up your essentials
With all the luxury food that we indulge in over the Christmas period, it’s easier to forget that we still need to keep topped up with the essentials, which tend to get used quicker with more people around the house and visitors. That’s why we run deliveries in time for Christmas and New Year, so you won’t have to worry about running out of everyday items such as milk, butter, tea, coffee and bread.
Order with Plumbs’ Dairy this Christmas and support your local milkman, whilst getting the best locally sourced produce. Make sure you place your order by Friday 2nd December to guarantee Christmas delivery. Fill in your order form and leave out for your roundsmen to take. If you didn’t get one, you can download a form here.
It’s spooky season! Even if you’re not a fan of Halloween, there’s a lot of fun to be had around this time of year, for both adults and kids alike! Netflix is filled with horror films that are sure to make you jump out of your seat. But if you’re not wanting a spine-chilling experience, we’ve opted for some softer activities, so you’ll still be able to sleep at night. We’ve shared some simple and cost-effective Halloween activities that will be sure to entertain both you and the kids this October!
Time to dress up!
If you’ll be celebrating Halloween this October, then a costume is a must! If you’re not a natural seamstress and you don’t want to splash out on expensive costumes, it’s time to think outside of the box and let your kids create their own outfits. That could mean something as simple as painting their faces as pumpkins or skeletons, creating a pointy hat out of black paper for a witchy look, or wrapping themselves in toilet paper to become zombies…and let’s not forget the classic bedsheet ghost. And although Halloween is stereotypically spooky, that’s not to say your costume has to be… there’s always the option to dress up as a cute cat or bunny!
Pumpkin crazy golf
Pumpkin carving is a Halloween favourite, and most of us have had a go at designing and carving out a frightening face. But once the pumpkin has been carved, the fun is usually over, and the pumpkin is left to sit there until it gets thrown away. This year, why not turn your pumpkins into putting holes and make a pumpkin crazy golf course in your own home. You’ll just need to make the mouth wider than usual to make sure the golf balls will easily fit through. This activity works particularly well if you’re entertaining a few kids, the more pumpkins, the bigger the golf course!
Ghost paper chains
A simple and fun activity to get your home ready for Halloween… ghost paper chains! If you’ve ever made snowflake chains at Christmas, then you’ll already know the steps needed to craft your own spooky decorations. All you’ll need is white A4 paper, scissors and some sellotape. Fold the paper into zigzags and cut out ghost shapes; once unfolded, you’ll end up with a row of ghostly figures!
Apple bobbing
This game is great for parties; it’s cheap and easy, and is a Halloween classic! All you’ll need is a large tub or bucket filled with water, and plenty of apples. If you’ve not played it before, the idea is for each player to try and grab an apple out with their teeth, no hands allowed! Finish the game off by letting each player decorate their winning apple. They can create their own toffee apple or dip it in melted chocolate and cover it in sprinkles!
We’d love to hear if you tried any of our activities or games this Halloween, or if you have your own that you want to share with us!
It’s almost time to say goodbye to the scorching summer as we begin to see the first signs of autumn. Chillier mornings, darker evenings, and the need to put on a thick jumper for the first time in a while. But the changing season is not all bad, and perhaps you are more than ready to say goodbye to the sweltering summer days we’ve had this year. We’ve rounded up a list of our essential products to ease you into autumn, helping you to keep cosy and enjoy this wonderful season.
Keep your home cosy
Colder mornings and evenings may have you reaching to put on the heating or even light the first fire of the season. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace to warm your home, we can keep you stocked up, making sure you never run out of fuel. From kiln dried logs, to our smokeless fuel, we can help keep your home toasty, whilst you enjoy the satisfying crackle of an open fire. Is it too early to roast some chestnuts? Browse our full range of fireplace products here.
Start your day right
Getting out of your warm and comfortable bed can be hard in the mornings, especially when you know you’re going to be faced with a chilling air as soon as you leave it. So what’s better to tempt you out of bed than the smell of fresh coffee, sure to warm and wake you up and give you the kick you may need on these colder mornings. We work with Suffolk-based coffee roasters, Butterworth & Sons, to bring you the tastiest coffee in a variety of blends. View our selection of ground coffee here; and if you prefer to wake up with a cup of tea, we stock a range of Butterworth & Sons tea bags too!
Autumn birds
You may not be spending as much time in your garden once the weather cools down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy it from the inside. Autumn and winter welcomes a wonderful array of birds to your garden, such as blue tits, starlings and robins. Hang a bird feeder in your garden and watch from the warm as it attracts these beautiful birds, who you can spend countless hours observing. Purchase a feeder, or top up one you already have with our range of bird food here.
Indulge in comforting food
Like we said, the colder months are not all bad. They’re a perfect excuse to enjoy an evening at home, with family or friends, indulging in some tasty treats. It’s the season for port and cheese; and crackers and a delicious chutney are the perfect accompaniment. We stock a range of Bay Tree’s award winning chutneys, with flavours such as Spicy Tomato & Caramelised Onion and Spiced Apple & Onion. Shop the full range of these delicious chutneys here.
Order your Plumbs’ essentials ready for autumn, and we will deliver them straight to your door! Register with us today by clicking here, to make your order.
Dairy Diary publish a new cookbook every year, which we sell to our customers. To ensure that these books closely reflect people’s needs Dairy Diary would love to hear your thoughts on a few ideas for future cookbooks.
Please complete the short online survey below, which is being run by Dairy Diary and their research partner, Step Beyond. It should only take a few minutes and is very interesting!
As a thank you, Dairy Diary will enter you into a prize draw for a £50 M&S Gift Card.
Please complete the survey by midnight on Tuesday 23rd August.
Thank you very much indeed for your help!
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90477860/07333ee44f4a
With the summer holidays in full swing, it can be hard to think of new ways to entertain your kids each day. When you’ve exhausted going to the local park, you may start looking for activities that you can do at home. We’re going to talk you through some of our favourite, simple homemade activities that you can do with your kids this summer!
Cool down in the summer heat
With temperatures reaching over 30 degrees this summer, we’ve found ourselves reaching for icy refreshments to cool ourselves down. Although it’s very easy to pop to the local shop to buy ice lollies, the costs can start adding up, especially when you’re buying them for the whole family.
Making your own lollies is easy, and can be a fun way for kids to get creative with flavourings. First you’ll need to find a mould; these can be purchased ready-made online or in any homeware shops, or you can make your own using small plastic cups. For a simple lolly, fill it with your favourite juice, pop a wooden stick in each mould, and place in the freezer. Experiment with mixing flavours, or create a rainbow lolly by filling the moulds a quarter way with one flavour juice, pop them in the freezer until it begins to solidify, then fill with another flavour, and repeat this process until the moulds are full.
Or why not try making your own lemonade, and create a tasty and refreshing alternative to the shop-bought version. It can be made using 3 household ingredients – lemons, sugar and water. Your kids will be able to get involved with juicing the lemons whilst assistance may be needed to create the sugar syrup, which needs to be heated in a saucepan. Set up an old fashioned lemonade stall for your neighbours and passers-by, who may also appreciate a cool refreshment on a hot summer’s day!
Let your creative juices flow
If your kids have a creative streak, or just want an excuse to play around (and maybe you do too!), homemade air dry clay can be fun to experiment with. It’s made from store cupboard ingredients – baking soda, corn flour, and water. You can add food colouring to the mix to give the clay a bright, bold colour; or leave it white, and decorate your creations with paint once the clay has dried. Let yours and your kids’ imaginations run wild by making make-believe creatives, family figurines, or even more practical household items like trinket bowls and mugs!
Making and baking
We love activities that involve food, not only do kids love getting their hands dirty, but they get to learn some essential skills and feed themselves! Baking cupcakes is of course a favourite activity, especially getting to decorate the cakes (and eating them!). But when you want to create a less sugary snack, savoury baking can be simple too – cheese straws using shop bought pastry is an easy recipe for kids to do themselves (with a little assistance!).
Fruit salads are another great option that encourages kids to get creative with putting together different ingredients whilst encouraging them to eat healthily. Our fruit boxes are great for giving you a selection of fresh fruit to use!
What are your favourite summer activities to do at home? Show us your favourite creations, or share your top tips for entertaining kids this summer!
Early sunrises, long days and the sun shining through our windows can only mean one thing; summer is finally here. And with the arrival of the warm weather, you may have already found yourself spending more time outside. With the smell of barbeques in the air, it’s time to get your garden ready for days and evenings spent outside, family parties and somewhere for you to unwind and relax. We’re going to tell you our top tips for a healthy garden this summer…
Improve your lawn health
Our lawns can go through a lot; drastically changing weather conditions, being trampled on and kicked about during games of football and pesky weeds trying to take over. Having grass is not a low maintenance option, it requires regular attention and care and we often neglect it in the colder months. So if your lawn is starting to look a bit patchy, or it’s recovering from a cold winter or lots of use, you may need to spend a bit of time getting it back to its former self. We recommend sprinkling over some grass seeds to encourage extra growth, then topping it with our Premium Grade Topsoil to protect the seeds as they sprout. You’ll find that your lawn will soon return to a luscious full and healthy green.
Or for those less damaged lawns that may have dried out from the sun and need a little bit of help to bring back the colour, our Organic Fine Grade Lawn Dressing is a simple fix. Not only will it provide your lawn with a nutrient-rich feed, but it’ll also help to encourage new growth and protect it against hard wear and drought. With the unpredictable British summer, it’s best to make sure you get your garden ready for all weather conditions!
Revamp your garden
Perhaps you want to give your garden a bit of a revamp this summer? Do you have flower beds that are overgrown with weeds, or want to spend some time giving your garden a transformation? Adding flower bed surrounds to your garden will help to add some shape and definition to your lawn. You may choose to fill them with flowers, or more low maintenance ornamental trees or shrubs.
Top your flower beds with a layer of our Ornamental Bark Mulch; this not only works as a decorative way to cover soil, but also helps to improve the health of your garden. The mulch is an excellent way to fight away weeds; by covering soil, it deprives weeds of light, stopping them from growing. The mulch can also be used as an alternative for paving stones, by using it to carve out a pathway through your garden.
Bring birds to your garden
Whether your garden is a small terrace, a balcony, or even a large green space, it’s wonderful to be accompanied by the sound of birds singing, turning your outdoor space into a tranquil haven. Encourage birds into your garden by filling it with our feeders, ready-filled with peanuts or seeds so all you have to do is find a place to hang them. Or if you already have feeders that you need to refill, we supply a range of wild bird food, from sunflower seeds, peanut kernels to wild bird mixes; with options to order small bags and large sacks of different food.
So save yourself from having to make the trip to get all your gardening essentials and order directly from us, and we can deliver them straight to your door! Click here to browse our full range of garden products and make your next Plumbs’ order.
This June, the country will come together to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne as the Queen of England!
Over the bank holiday weekend, the streets will come alive as friends, families and neighbours join together in their celebrations, turning front gardens, pavements and roads into a communal space for parties.
After the streets are decorated with union jack bunting and front lawns are filled with garden seating and tables; you may be looking for ideas for traditional British food to serve at your party. We’ve put together a list of British classics that are great for gatherings…
Pimm’s O Clock!
Pimm’s is a classic British drink that will help to kick off any party; the perfect refreshing accompaniment for a hot summer’s day. Serve it up in big jugs so the guests can help themselves and add fresh fruit from our fruit boxes to complete the drink!
For those wanting a non-alcoholic beverage, our James White juices are a fruity, healthy alternative that will satisfy both adults and children!
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is quintessentially British, a tradition that’s been enjoyed around the country for nearly 200 years. So the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee feels like the perfect occasion to enjoy this tasty treat that most of us so rarely indulge in.
Fill a serving stand or platters with light and airy homemade Victoria Sponges, cut into bite size pieces, and freshly baked scones, topped with our Dorset clotted cream and scrumptious jam from The Bay Tree. Or for those who are not bakers, Barkers Bakery produces delicious cakes in a range of flavours, including lemon, carrot and chocolate.
Finger sandwiches are another afternoon tea essential that guests can pick at throughout the party. We love the classic fillings; egg and cress, ham and cheese, smoked salmon and cream cheese and cheese and pickle. Get creative with your fillings and provide a mix of options that cater to your guests’ food preferences and dietary requirements. Our bloomers from Barkers Bakery will create a lovely base for your sandwiches, ready to be filled with ingredients of your choice!
Then of course, you’ll need the star of the afternoon tea; the cups of tea! Get out your finest mugs (or even a Jubilee one, if you have one!), and fill your teapots with our Butterworth & Son Suffolk Gold Blend tea bags. Top up your tea with a splash of our freshly delivered milk (make sure you order extra milk if you’re expecting plenty of guests!)
Summer Salads
When preparing food for big groups of people, having a selection of salads is a great way to cater for lighter eaters and provide a healthy and fresh option for a summer’s day. Dress fresh leaves from our salad boxes with Yare Valley Oils Honey & Mustard Dressing. Order our vegetable boxes so you can make your own potato salad and coleslaw; two summer salad classics!
With less than a month to go, start planning your Platinum Jubilee street party and book your food order with Plumbs’ Dairy, so we can make sure you have fresh produce delivered straight to your door! Click here to view our full range of products.
Easter is soon approaching, and with balancing work with the school holidays and family get-togethers, there can be a lot to prepare for. With the first signs of spring having already made an appearance, we’re hoping for warmer days, easter egg hunts in the gardens, and the start of al fresco dining over the bank holiday weekend.
So get ready for Easter and stock up on store cupboard essentials… You may want to order some treats for the break too!
School break
If you’ve got little ones in the house over the Easter school break, you may want to stock up on essentials to keep them fed! It’s always surprising how quickly food seems to disappear from the cupboards when there’s lots of hungry bellies in the house!
Bread, milk and eggs are always top of our list when we think about store cupboard essentials. But we can also deliver fresh fruit boxes to your door too, to balance out all the Easter eggs! Our fruit juices are great to keep the kids hydrated, especially as we begin to see slightly warmer days.
Family get-togethers
Cooking for friends or family on Easter Sunday? A traditional lamb roast may well be on the menu and our vegetable boxes can provide all the veg you need to complete the meal. You can also order extra potatoes from us if you’re expecting quite a few guests and need a little bit more!
Or if you fancy giving yourself a bit of time to enjoy the Easter break too, our scrumptious readily prepared meals and sides by Fieldgoods can take the pressure off and let you relax. From Chicken and Leek Pie, Lamb and Apricot Tagine, to Beef Bourguignon, there’s something for every palate! We also stock a range of vegetarian options too, such as the Aubergine Parmigiana, which we love to accompany with a fresh salad from our salad boxes. You can complete the meal with one of their heavenly desserts… Sticky Toffee Pudding or Melt in the middle Chocolate Brownie, you’ll find them hard to resist!
Hot cross buns and other sweet treats
What’s Easter without a hot cross bun? We work with Barkers Bakery to provide you with freshly made buns, perfect for breakfast on Easter weekend or even as an accompaniment to a cup of tea. Why not try the Suffolk Gold Blend Tea Bags for a taste of a local brew! For those who are more coffee drinkers, we stock a variety of blends too.
If you’re looking for things to do over the break, baking can be a lovely way to keep kids entertained, and our free-range eggs and organic milk can help to make delicious tasting cakes! Or if you want to enjoy the treat without the work, you can order freshly baked cakes from Barkers Bakery too.
So indulge this Easter with good quality, local food, and celebrate a much deserved break and a start to another wonderful spring. You can browse through our full range of products here.
As the sun starts to reappear and provide some much needed sunshine, and the trees begin to blossom, we’re excited to see the first signs of spring arriving! Here at Plumbs’ Dairy, we can’t wait for warmer, longer days and more time spent outside enjoying the beautiful countryside.
So as the season begins to change, it may also be time to review your regular order at Plumbs’ by adding some seasonal items to your delivery. If you’re new to Plumbs’ or already a customer, keep reading to find out about some of our favourite products for spring!
Fresh, spring recipes
With the darker, colder days behind us, we start to welcome lighter mornings and evenings. And with that, we say goodbye to the comforting winter meals that kept us warm and full over the past few months, and we begin to serve lighter, healthy spring dishes.
It’s this time of year when we love our salad boxes the most, as we reintroduce fresh, healthy salads to our dinner plates. We enjoy serving them as a simple side dish to pan fried fish, or grilled chicken or steak. You can also get creative and spruce up your salads with homemade dressings (we love to make a honey and mustard dressing using Stour Valley Apiaries’ Runny Honey). Or for those who want an easier option, simply drizzle over Yare Valley’s ready made Honey & Mustard Dressing for a quick spring dish.
Bring wildlife into your garden
We don’t seem to be the only ones enjoying the lighter mornings, as many of us wake to the sounds of birds singing outside our windows each morning. It can be wonderful to watch different birds flock to your garden, so why not feed them a treat with our range of wild bird food. Recycled seed feeders, wild bird mix and sunflower seeds are just some of the products we offer. By feeding the garden birds, you’re not only attracting beautiful wildlife to your garden, but you’re helping maintain their population too!
Green fingers!
If spending time in the garden is your thing, you may be getting ready to get green fingered! We work with Field Compost LTD to deliver garden products straight to your door, so you can cut out trips to the garden centre and spend more time enjoying your garden. From soils for healthy growth to lawn dressing to give your grass a rejuvenating feed, we’ve got you covered!
For those that grow their own vegetables – whether it’s a vegetable patch in your garden or at the allotments – spring is the time to start sowing! Our growbags and vegetable planting topsoil will help to give your patches a nutritious start for this year’s grow. View the full range of garden products here.
So get ready for spring and browse our full online list of products on our website now! We’re happy to help and advise on the best products for your order so get in touch if you’d like to find out more about the products and services we offer!