Are you the next Home Baker of the Year?

The Ideal Home Show is launching a nationwide search for the UK’s next home Baker of the Year.

If you love baking and want to share your passion, the Ideal home Show are looking for entrants to their Baker of the Year competition.

To enter, all you need to do is send in your all-time favourite home baking recipe, with a picture of your baked masterpiece and an explanation about why you think it’s a winner. Recipes can be anything from brand new ideas, or variations on traditional classics. It may be your take on how to make a Victoria sponge that’s as light as a feather, the secret behind your winning chocolate brownies, or a family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation.

The first 100 entries will receive a pair of tickets to the Ideal Home Show and the chance to attend a champagne reception at the Ideal Home Show on 25th March 2010. A panel of expert judges will select the five best recipes to be put forward for the live bake-off final at the Ideal Home Show, on 30th March 2010.

The winner of the bake-off challenge will receive a chance to be published in Ideal Home Show’s official recipe book to be launched at the show in 2011, as well as a cake decorating course with Baketique chef Mychelle in her London-based kitchen, a VIP one night stay for two at Hotel Rafayel, London, including dinner for two and a spa treatment in the hotel’s beauty spa.

Entry deadline is 10th March 2010 and is open to anyone over the age of 16. You can submit your entry online at www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/home_baker or email: homebakeroftheyear@stuart-higgins.com

Sophie Conran

If you are keen to learn more about spring bulbs and how to display them in your home, you may be interested to know that on 24th February 2010 The International Flower Bulb Centre is hosting a spring bulb design workshop with home design expert Sophie Conran.

Sophie will take a small group through how she uses potted spring bulbs, such as narcissi, hyacinths, lily of the valley and muscari in her home, and will demonstrate some display ideas for Mother’s Day, Easter and spring. Sophie will demonstrate how to use different containers and combinations of bulbs to create some stunning displays, and you will get the chance to pot up some bulbs in a container of your own or in a container provided.

The workshops will be at 11.30am and 2pm on Wednesday 24th February at Clifton Nurseries, Clifton Villas, W9 2PH.

To join Sophie for a glass of bubbly, a cupcake and some great advice on using spring bulbs contact The International Flower Bulb Centre on 0207 244 1950 to reserve a place – tickets £10 per person.

Luxury cupcake specialists LOLA’s Kitchen have teamed up with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity to develop a cupcake especially for the Kiss it Better appeal – a national campaign to raise money to fund research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.

Lola's Kitchen Kiss it Better cupcake

The Kiss it Better cupcake was designed by former patient of Great Ormond Street Hospital, four year old Jessica, and boasts a fluffy vanilla sponge bursting with chunky chocolate chips, heavenly butter cream icing sprinkled with miniature Smarties™ and topped with a piece of Cadbury’s chocolate Flake™.

Victoria Jossel and Romy Lewis, founders of LOLA’s Kitchen said, ‘Spending time with Jessica at the bakery was an absolute joy, she is a wonderful and brave young girl and we were super impressed with her creativity when she was choosing the ingredients and sprinkles for her cupcake. The Kiss It Better appeal for childhood cancer is an amazing cause and we are delighted to help in any way we can.’

LOLA’s Kiss It Better cupcake is on sale now until March 29th 2010, at the LOLA’s cupcake bar in Selfridges London, Harrods and the LOLA’s Kitchen website. Priced at £2 each, 30% of the retail price from the charity cupcake will go straight to support the Kiss It Better appeal.

To find out more about the Kiss it Better appeal and how you can lend your support, visit www.gosh.org/kissitbetter

The new W+W

Created by the Roca innovation laboratory together with the designers Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, W+W is a truly exciting new product from Roca.

Highlighting its commitment to design and innovation, Roca has created W+W, an all-in-one washbasin and WC designed to maximise space and conserve water.

This groundbreaking idea incorporates Roca’s new ‘water-reuse’ technology – using waste water from the basin to fill the WC cistern. This reduces water usage by up to 25% compared to a standard 6/3 litre dual-flush WC.

A relatively simple yet innovative design means that the basin has two wastes, one that goes to the main waste outlet as normal and one that goes to be recycled by being stored in the cistern ready for the next flush.

When the grey water is selected to be reused, it automatically passes through a double filtration system, which filters particle debris as well as chemically treating the grey water in order to eliminate bacteria and odours.

Once the water has been filtered and treated, it is then stored in the grey water reservoir and used to fill the cistern as required.

This clever water-saving idea is sure to catch on, as we become increasingly aware of the need to cut back on the amount of water households use.

The W+W will be available to buy in the UK from January 2010, for approximately £2,645. This price reflects the groundbreaking nature of the product and its sleek design. However, it is likely that in the near future similar products will become available at a more affordable price.

Research reveals, a clean and tidy home can add £5,000 to house price

As the UK property market begins to show signs of recovery and more houses go up for sale, new research among Britain’s leading estate agents and buyers reveal that a clean house is guaranteed to sell more quickly and for the top asking price.

The survey, conducted among 200 leading estate agents and over 2,000 UK adults, proves that sellers quite literally need to clean up their act if they’re to get their asking price.

Of those that visited houses in a dirty or messy condition almost half (45%) were totally put off buying the property and one in four (40%) would knock £5,000 off the asking price, according to research from the makers of Domestos 24HR.

The main reason for buyers reducing their offer would be a bad smell (86%), a filthy, unhygienic bathroom (67%) and a messy kitchen with dirty dishes still left in the sink (64%).

Of the estate agents quizzed more than half (61%) said that a dirty, badly kept house would not get its asking price, with one in ten claiming that mess can result in a loss of between £5,000 and £10,000 from the final offer.

The message is clearly getting through to house sellers, with 76% of them making it a priority to give the house a thorough clean and tidy before showing it to buyers.

Sarah Beeny, property expert and founder of property website Tepilo says, ‘You don’t have to spend loads of cash on expensive changes to your property; often concentrating on the little things will have the biggest impact. I have seen thousands of properties over the years which fail to achieve a good price because they were quite simply dirty and smelly. It’s such a simple one, spend a bit of time cleaning and reap the monetary rewards.’

For more advice on how to get the best price for your home, read Sarah Beeny’s top five tips on how to increase the value of your home

Build your own Pudsey

Following the success of last year’s campaign, Build-A-Bear Workshop is once again teaming up with BBC Children in Need to give you the opportunity to make your very own Pudsey Bear

Carrie Green, Partnership Manager at BBC Children in Need comments, ‘We are delighted to work with Build-A-Bear Workshop again after the success of last year. Children are at the heart of our charity and it’s wonderful for kids and adults alike to be able to make their very own Pudsey Bear.’

So, if you fancy making a Pudsey Bear this year, gather a few friends, take a trip to your nearest store and have fun getting creative. New this year, you can make your bear extra special by dressing Pudsey in a t-shirt with an all new BBC Children in Need design and a fabulous pair of mini boxer shorts.

£5 from the sale of each Pudsey Bear will go directly to the BBC Children in Need Appeal and an additional £1 from the sale of both the t-shirt and boxers will also be donated to the charity.

Find your nearest Build-A-Bear Workshop store by visiting their website www.buildabear.co.uk

We went along to the Business Design Centre, London, on Wednesday for the first day of the Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair.

The throngs of visitors prove just how popular this event is, and it’s easy to see why anyone who loves Christmas would want to pay a visit. With hundreds of stalls full of pretty decorations, stacks of gift inspiration and festive food, there’s everything you need for the picture perfect Christmas.

So if you are planing to start your Christmas shopping this weekend or you just want to get into the Christmas spirit, a trip to the fair is a great way to pass a few hours.

Tickets are from £15 on the door. For more information visit www.countrylivingfair.com/xmas/

Farmhouse Breakfast Week

A photography competition to find the best breakfast views enjoyed across the country has just been announced by the organisers of Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

All you have to do is send in a photo of your best breakfast view, including your breakfast. It could be a favourite breakfast in the garden, a tasty breakfast on holiday, or somewhere more unusual.

The competition is being held as part of the celebrations for Farmhouse Breakfast Week (24th-30th January 2010) and the winner will receive kitchenware up to the value of £150.

Entry forms are available to download online at www.farmhousebreakfast.com, or you can call HGCA on 024 7647 8735 to request an entry form.

Entries must be received by 4th December 2009

Don’t forget your photo must include your breakfast and the view!

Take steps to prevent your boiler breaking down

As the clocks go back and the cold spell continues British Gas warns that the nation isn’t taking the right precautions to prevent its boilers breaking down.

British Gas today announced that this year’s Boiler Breakdown Day – the day that it expects to receive a record number of emergency calls due to boiler failure – will be next Monday 26th October 2009.

As the clocks go back this weekend and the nights are getting colder, next week will feel like the first week of winter for many people. This will prompt households to put their boiler to the test for the first time in months, and to discover your boiler no longer works at this stage wouldn’t be ideal.

Twelve million people experienced a boiler breakdown last year, with 110,000 of these happening during Boiler Breakdown week alone. Yet 43 per cent of these householders still state they won’t be taking any action to prevent it happening again. To stir the nation into taking preventative steps this year, British Gas has teamed up with architect and presenter of The Home Show, George Clarke to encourage people to get their boiler serviced and to remember to switch it on a few times before a predicted cold spell.

Read George Clarke’s and British Gas’ tips on how to keep your home ticking over this winter here

Protect your home from crime

As this is National Home Security Week and the clocks are going back this weekend – officially signaling the start of British wintertime – now is the ideal time to review the security of your property.

With 744,000* household burglaries taking place annually it’s important to make sure that preventative measures are in place to avoid becoming a victim of burglary.

As the shortened days give potential burglars an extended cover of darkness in which to commit break-ins now especially, is the ideal time to assess your home security and make any necessary changes.

Head of MORE TH>N Home Insurance, Annette Lepper commented, ‘Being burgled is an extremely distressing experience, so it’s important to be safe and look to prevent situations that can aid a break-in. I would urge all homeowners to take the time to regularly review the security of their property – and of course check that their contents insurance is comprehensive and up-to-date.’

MORE TH>N have the following tips to help prevent burglary:

• Front and back doors must be secure: if replacing locks, choose those that conform to British Standard 3621 or with a minimum of five levers – the better the lock the harder it will be for an intruder to make their way in.
• Consider fixing a chain or bar to your front and rear doors, if you don’t already have them.
• Solid timber doors are the safest, as oppose to weak hollow-core doors.
• It’s of utmost importance to lock all doors and windows when going out – even if just popping round to the corner shop – if there is no forced entry, your home insurer will be unlikely to pay out.
• You should also lock doors when you’re in the home, especially at night.
• Don’t leave keys in shelves or on tables near the door – burglars will often reach through the letterbox.
• Around a third of burglars get in through the windows; if you don’t already have window locks, think about fitting them – especially for windows that are easily accessible or close to ground level.
• Never leave a spare set of keys outside, burglars know all the hiding spots, instead, leave keys with a trusted friend.
• Lock your side gate to prevent easy access to the back of your house where burglars will be out of sight from the street.
• Make sure you have a lock on garden sheds, particularly if they contain garden tools as these could aid a burglars entry to the property.
• Outdoor lighting can give burglars less places to hide, the best to use is high-efficiency and low energy lighting.
• ‘Beware of the dog!’ The thought of a barking dog can be enough to put off burglars, even if you don’t own one, think about putting up a ‘Beware’ sign.
• Intruder alarms can be a good way of protecting your home, ensure that they are always activated when the home is unoccupied.
• Make sure your home contents insurance is up-to-date, and that you’re insured for the correct amount. Many insurers require a notification of high-value items in the home.

For further information on MORE TH>N Home Insurance, please phone 0800 300 660 or go to www.morethan.com/home

*The England and Wales British Crime Survey 2008/2009