Roast dinners – those two simple words are the magic of food, be it memories of childhood roasts cooked by your Mum, to venturing out as a student on the hunt for the best pub serving a roast. There are no rules when it comes to roast dinners, (well apart from crispy roast potatoes!) why should there be?! Be it for one or twenty the principles of a roast are the same, creating a meal that can be enjoyed without rush or fuss and leaves you with more than just a full stomach.

Lots of people ask if I bother cooking a roast dinner for ‘just’ the two of us. I have to admit to being baffled by this, gathering together as a family isn’t defined by size, plus roast dinners are one of the easiest and simplest meals to pull together. Be it on a lazy Sunday when the only interaction with the outside world is greeting the Ocado delivery guy as he brings the week’s supplies or if it’s all gloom and doom outside with terrible weather and you just know that hump day cam be only be cured with a roast dinner. I’ve teamed up with Aunt Bessie’s and Mumsnet over the next few months to share how Aunt Bessie’s crispy homestyle roast potatoes take all the work out of a roast dinner whilst leaving all the best bits… like taste and comfort.

Aunt Bessie’s Roasties are rated by Mumsnet (check out the Mumsnet badge on the packet) with over 75% saying they would recommend them. They’re super convenient, no more part boiling; 25 minutes in the oven and they’re done! I’ve learnt that Aunt Bessie’s Roasties are also vegetarian and gluten free – perfect for families with differing dietary needs.

I originally began this sentence with ‘I cheated with roast in the bag and Aunt Bessie’s crispy homestyle roast potatoes’ but then I realised. Making life easier for yourself isn’t cheating, it’s life. I’ve nearly always had a bag of Aunt Bessie’s crispy homestyle roast potatoes for the last few years in the freezer, and I pair them with lots of meals – from roast dinners, to sausages to a steak pie, they’re crispy texture means that Boo will always eat them and is always doing what I like the call the ‘leftovers lurk’ whereby she’ll wind herself round me like a purring cat to see if there’s anymore left!

Our roast this week was a simple, speedy affair; a roast in the bag chicken, Aunt Bessie’s crispy homestyle roast potatoes, mixed veg, yorkshire puddings and a big jug of gravy. From pre heating the oven to sitting down at the table it took less than two hours and whilst I boast a micro crowd of one, it was a sure fire hit.

My top tip for getting the most out of a chicken for single parent families is not to be put off by cooking big bird that is far too big for one adult and one/two/three children. I’ve embraced the joys of casseroles and once Boo is in bed I sit with the radio on listening either to Radio 4 or Kisstory (because hey, I like to mix it up, ha!) and pick the chicken and I’m always amazed at just how much meet the humble chicken has.

Roasts aren’t always about what’s on your plate but who is sat at the table, whether I’ve just got back from a week away travelling for the blog or a day enjoying the delights of writers’ block, Aunt Bessie’s have all the taste and absolutely no fuss meaning I can spend my time doing the important stuff: shameless selfies and dance offs with Boo in the kitchen…

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. A fee has been received for this post.

Halloween has Boo’s name all over it… literally! It’s not surprising that it’s one of her favourite times of the year; with us hosting a party each Halloween for the past five years. This year with Boo now six and a bonafide Halloween expert me and Party Pieces teamed up to let Boo bring you her very own Halloween edit. Armed with a very large cup of tea (for me!) I settled down with Boo a few weeks ago and browsed the Party Pieces Halloween range online. Boo pretty much had free reign and there was only a life size pop up coffin that I had to say no to! After nearly two hours of items making their way into the shopping cart and and then being removed – only to be added again a few moments later (wonder where she gets her indecisiveness from)

You can imagine the excitement when a few days later the biggest box of Halloween treats arrived; all of them fitting in with Boo’s theme: black and orange. I love how she kept it simple and timeless and her choices prove what I’ve always thought… Young children don’t want or need to be scared at Halloween, for them it’s all about the fun of trick or treating and an excuse for a party!

Check out our haul video over on YouTube that with a link to every single item featured…

Boo was the belle of the Halloween ball and invited a handful of her closest friends over for a super early Halloween tea party. I’m a big fan of keeping it simple when it comes to parties – yes I love all the decorations and the little touches but when it comes to the actual party what really matters is how much fun the children have. I always find that less is more when it comes to prep and you really can over do it as adult when trying to second guess what float’s the spooky boat of room full of six year olds. Try not to overthink it and opt for effortless fun and I guarantee your party will be talk of the playground for all the right reasons.

I’m super impressed with Boo’s choices for party decorations: the inflatable Boo was always going to happen and hoped to tie the theme of black and orange together really well…

All this talk of effortless is all good and well until you realise that you’re chief entertainer for a couple of hours – this Pumpkin Wonderball was great; I was concerned it was  a little small but it had plenty of layers (10+) and once they understood the concept it was  the perfect cheats to pass the parcel. My one tip is that the top orange layer is ridiculously thick so don’t worry that they’re over shredding, it’s absolutely fine.

After a few more games and the customary run round the garden, it was food time. I decided that as Boo was hosting, the culinary delights should be directed her so say hello to mini sausage rolls and plenty of cake. I’m all for healthy eating but there’s definitely a time and a place for treats and that was our chalkboard table. The themed tableware by Ginger Ray stood up to the frenzy of hands and it’s really good that you can mix the more expensive pieces with the core colour collection from Party Pieces.

No party is complete without party bags and if I’m honest this is where Boo really comes into her own. It was lovely to watch her pick out what went in each bag with such care, the halloween goodie bag bumper pack was great and I was also surprised to discover that you can buy bulk bags of sweets at Party Pieces, and as you imagine it didn’t take long for the 1kg bag of jelly beans to disappear!

Boo’s halloween party was a roaring success and as a someone who loves to throw parties I’m really proud of her halloween party edit. It would appear that I have competition in the party department; what can I say… like Mummy like Boo!

Disclosure: Boo’s halloween edit was supplied by Party Pieces.

I love me a beach – there’s something so cliché yet never old about walking along the beach with the water lapping at your feet. My latest trip to Tunisia saw me stay in four hotels over seven nights with three having their own private beaches. It was lovely to take a walk early morning before we set off on our adventures for the day.

I’ve talked about not discovering the beach at the Ramada Plaza Tunis until my last day, but those few hours on the beach were heaven. I’d spent time thinking before the trip as to how to respect the culture of Tunisia whilst poolside and on the beach. Miss Tunica sent me the Mondello Maxi Tunic in black diamond, but what makes Miss Tunica a real game changer in the beachwear sector is the offering of the modesty slip dresses which are available to buy separately. Whilst the simplicity of the tunic speaks style in a big way, the detailing around the neckline elevates this from any old to the one.

Travelling across the globe is great for being exposed to be different cultures and customs, including differing levels of dressing modestly. I think it’s important to research and respect the culture of the country you are visiting. Tunisia is typical of many North African and Middle Eastern countries where by you can wear swimsuits and bikinis yet a cultural awareness of when it’s deemed appropriate is advised.

The Miss Tunica tunic and slip dress are perfect for Middle Eastern destinations – it was comfy, stylish and I felt comfortable and respectful on the beach. I would have easily chosen to wear both items to dinner, as the slip dress takes it beyond beachwear and transforms it into a holiday staple that can be worn time and time again in any setting.

Disclosure: I was sent both the tunic dress and the slip dress.