Pretty Tasty Gluten-Free!

If you have been searching high and low for tasty gluten-free baked goods, then search no longer as the perfect spot has just opened in Dublin’s city centre. 

Antoinette’s Bakery is the brainchild of Sinead Vaughan, who has been developing her own gluten-free recipes for some time now.  There are six people employed in the bakery/coffee shop – three of whom are bakers. 

The staff are warm, friendly and informative and one girl explains how each cake requires a slightly different mix of flour in order to give it a light and airy texture.  She invites us to try the chocolate brownie and we have to agree that it is impossible to identify it as a gluten-free product.  It is light, moist and chocolaty with a soft, smooth texture – no graininess or grittiness that might sometimes be associated with this type of product. 

Being coeliac herself, the staff member states that she has never before had so much choice in baked goods – Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, Lemon Drizzle Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cupcakes, Mince Pies, Christmas Pudding, the list goes on!  There are also delicious looking Soda Breads on display as well as several products that are Dairy, Egg and Sugar Free. 

The entire shop is gluten-free – staff aren't even allowed to bring in lunch that might contain gluten, lest it contaminates anything in the kitchen.

The whole store screams sustainability, but in a pretty tea-shop fashion – the décor is pink and floral with compostable coffee cups to takeaway coffee.  The coffee is sourced from a company called Mojo in Wexford and it’s delicious and great value (€2 for an Americano).

Antoinette’s is taking orders for cakes on an ongoing basis and for Christmas products up to December 16^th.

Check out Antoinette’s Bakery, 6 Kevin Street Lower, Dublin 8, Twitter @Antoinettesbake and facebook.com/antoinettesbakery.

Lakrids - A Danish Love Affair

Having worked hard on my fitness over the last few months, I felt it important to keep to my healthy eating plan.  Not so easy with the season that’s in it, dinners, lunches, drinks….  So when my husband brought home a very classy advent calendar, I was torn.  Should I open it and eat what was inside?  The smooth black box with a gold band advertising ’24 Little Black Secrets’ was very much aimed at an adult market, so I didn't want to open it in case I couldn't stop at just one sweet.
I resisted until Saturday, the 7^th December, at which point I opened up the box for December 1^st.  The sweets were AMAZING!  Small chocolate balls, covering a small piece of delicious liquorice.  The chocolate was the best I have ever eaten – and I have eaten a lot of chocolate!  It melts at just the right rate and all of the flavours invade your whole mouth.  After the chocolate melts, you’re left with a delicious piece of liquorice to chew. 

I quickly finished the two pieces and opened the box for December 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and 7^th.  Each sweet was as delicious as the last and there was also a jar of liquorice syrup to use on day 6.  

I was a little confused about how to use the syrup, however, on looking at the inside of the numbers, there was a message or an instruction to follow for each day, including a link to a website that outlined recipes for the syrup. 

There were tasks such as posting liquorice inspired photos on Instagram and seeing them posted on the FB page for Lakrids by Johan Bülow.  Other tasks involved writing slogans and suggesting interesting things to do with the liquorice syrup.  The level of thought that had gone into planning this level of customer interaction on social media platforms was impressive.  I was immediately drawn in and it was an excellent way to increase consumer contact.  As I was a little behind on the tasks, I didn't interact immediately, but I did tweet about what a fantastic product it was, putting a liquorice-loving friend on to the secret I’d discovered. 

I had to admit I was hooked.  Obsessing about the flavours and the varieties available, I worked through the 8^th to the 10^th of December, eating the sweets for each date and making myself walk away without trying to open any other dates.  I was impressed with my willpower.

However, last night, my husband arrived home with a tube containing three 160g jars of Lakrids by Johan Bülow. 

I don’t know whether my screams were of delight or fear – I could happily munch my way through the three jars without help from anyone else.  There was a jar of Christmas Chocolate Coated sweets – Liquorice pieces in Belgian White Chocolate and rolled in edible gold stardust – a jar of Belgian Chocolate Coated sweets – Liquorice in Belgian Milk Chocolate, rolled in cocoa – and a jar of White Chocolate & Passion Coated sweets – Liquorice in Belgian White Chocolate & Passion Fruit.  Having tried one of each, I couldn’t decide which my favourite was, so I went back and ate two more of each type! 

On reading the story behind the brand on their website, it is clear that there is huge passion behind the product and a great team working hard to make it the success it is.  It is a very upmarket, elegant brand and this comes through in everything the company does – its packaging, design, marketing and in the outlets to which it sells.  You won’t find this product in supermarkets; Lakrids by Johan Bülow is only available in high end stores and in their own stores.  In this way, they can ensure that the same passion with which the product was created by Johan initially can filter through to the end user at every interaction.

The product is also extremely high quality – only the very best ingredients are used to create the unique taste.  Lakrids by Johan Bülow use gluten-free flour to create their liquorice, which is great news given the high numbers of people who are gluten intolerant or coeliac.

I am a fan of healthy food and I try not to eat too many sweets or desserts, however, when I do treat myself I believe it should be worth it.  The product should be high quality and I like to know exactly what I’m eating.  With Lakrids by Johan Bülow, you get just this.  It is a great product that is really worth treating yourself for.

I've decided that these sweets would make a fantastic Christmas present for my family and friends in Ireland where they are not yet available and I know that once they taste them, I will be inundated with requests to replenish their supply in the New Year!

Lakrids by Johan Bülow are available in Denmark – in Copenhagen Airport, at Magasin Kogens Nytorv, Lyngby, Odense and in Tivoli Gardens.  They are also in the UK in Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Masons in London aswell as in Chelsea Market Basket in New York.

You can buy online at http://liquorice.nu/.  Beware – you too might get hooked!

Delightful Dentistry!

I've just had the most pleasant experience at the dentist!  Granted, I wasn't being treated, but it was my two-year old son so it could have been very different.

Having registered in Denmark, we were automatically put into the Healthcare system.  We were all called for various health checks and our two-year old was called to visit the dentist.  I was surprised as he was so young, given that in Ireland children are not seen until much later.

Childhood dentists are something with which I’m very familiar.  Two years ago, I noticed a chip in my five-year old daughter’s tooth.  It turned out to be an advanced cavity, of which she had four.  We were devastated.  We eat well and clean our children’s teeth, how could this have happened? 

I brought her to the HSE dentist, who ordinarily doesn't see children until they are eight years old.  I was told that we should leave the cavities to develop until such a time as they needed to be removed, at which time we could have the extractions done free of charge in St James’ Hospital, under general anaesthetic. 

I was horrified.  We will allow children to damage their teeth to such an extent as to need extractions before we will intervene on the public system?  Luckily, we were in a position to avail of a private dentist, but we hoped to claim back some of the treatment cost from our Health Insurer.  This turned out not to be possible.  There is an obvious hole in the healthcare system when it comes to paediatric dentistry. 

We visited Castleknock Orthodontics, who had a wonderful Paediatric Dentist at the time (she has since joined Crumlin Hospital to treat patients there).  My daughter was made to feel welcome and comfortable before any treatment was attempted.  In order to treat her four cavities, she would need two extractions - as the cavities were too advanced to treat – one filling and the other cavity was in her front milk tooth that would soon fall out.  Ironically, the waiting list for our dentist to take a place in a private hospital to carry out the extractions was so long that we were better going to St James’ Hospital on the public system.

I remember the morning we travelled there by bus.  My daughter was nervous, but not overwhelmingly so.  We arrived into the hospital, where there was already a queue of parents with their children.  During the time we waited, patients were being brought into the treatment room very quickly, with no child in there longer than four or five minutes.  The doctors and nurses were well used to performing these extractions and made the children feel very comfortable.  But what was shocking to me was the numbers of children being treated.  There must have been about thirty children being treated that morning.

On discussing this with our dentist, she recalled a two-year old patient on which twenty extractions had to be carried out – every single tooth that the child had was so decayed that they could not be saved.

So what is wrong with our dental system?  Firstly, not seeing children until they are eight years old is too late.  Bad practices have had so long to develop that it is almost impossible to correct any damage done.  In countries such as the US and Denmark, children are seen from birth, in order to educate children and parents, therefore reducing the need for treatment.  People’s teeth are so good in these countries and it makes such a huge difference to their appearance.  Have you seen the clever Colgate campaign? http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2013/01/colgate-dental-floss-ad-campaign.html

Secondly, the education for parents regarding care of their children’s teeth is almost non-existent.  Every now and again there might be a poster outlining a key point with regard to teeth care, but nothing substantial.

I learned so much about teeth care through our experience with my daughter –

Cavities develop at the rate of about 1mm per year – in our case, the dentist could tell that the damage had occurred to my daughter’s molars at about eighteen months.  It was done by falling asleep with a bottle.  Leaving a coating of milk on teeth overnight is as bad as sucking a hard sweet through the whole night!  She also loved raisins, which are notorious for damaging teeth.

Toothpaste with a fluoride count of less than 1450ppm (parts per million) will not be effective in cleaning and protecting teeth – this information is written in small print on the back of the toothpaste tube.

Children should not be allowed to brush their own teeth up to the age of eight.  It’s OK to allow them to brush their teeth, but then lay them down with their head on your lap (it’s easier to see into their mouths this way) and gently brush all faces of their teeth.  Lift their lips out of the way to get to their molars.

There appears to be a complete lack of focus on children’s teeth which is leading to misunderstandings, even within the dental profession.  When my daughter was one, I brought her along to my own checkup.  I expressed concern that it was difficult to clean her teeth as she didn't enjoy having it done and cried a lot when I tried.  I was told that it was not important to clean her teeth very well, that it was more important not to turn her off brushing.  My experiences since then have shown me that although it is important that children enjoy brushing, it is more important that their teeth are cleaned properly, especially in the evening.  Small children do not like having their teeth brushed, so laying them down to do it may make it easier. 

Playing games and telling stories about ‘who can we see inside your mouth’ may also help. 

Let them have their own brush that they can chew and wave about, but also have a brush that you can use to clean properly.

Here in Denmark, entering the dentist’s office was like going into a nursery.  Everyone smiled and chatted to my son and there were toys everywhere.  Everything was focused on helping the child feel at ease and he played and sat on my knee during the entire process, right up until he was handed a bag of small toys and stickers to take away with him!  We were given lots of practical advice about his teeth and my son got to choose a new toothbrush to take away with him. 

It really gives you food for thought, when you imagine the HSE clinics in Dublin, with mildew on the walls, staff trying their best to be happy and help people in pretty poor working conditions….

These are a few of my favourite foods.....

I decided to revisit my healthy eating phase having visited my sister-in-law in Cornwall and eaten my weight in Pasties, Chips and Cream Teas!  Nice as it was to let go for a week, my body did not thank me upon my return…  My tongue was sore and cracked and I felt tired and sapped of all energy. 

Being vegetarian, I’ve always loved vegetables (which comes in handy!) and I love fruit, seeds, nuts, pulses and other weird and wonderful things that some people find strange.  However, it has to taste good.  Having cut down on refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, I feel much better and have more energy.

Try this sundried tomato pesto http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sun-dried-tomato-pesto/ - fabby and really easy to make once you gather the ingredients.

Sourcing ingredients doesn't have to be expensive.  Aldi and Lidl offer a fantastic selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, upon which they pride themselves.  Their meat and fish is Irish, and allows people to eat Free Range/Organic/Line Caught produce rather than the cheaper, farmed alternatives that are detrimental to animal and human health.  Lidl have a staff policy of taking offsale anything ‘that you would not buy yourself’.  This gives a very high standard of quality produce available to consumers, at a very reasonable price.  
Cooking from scratch is now easier than ever - I find online programmes/apps and books fantastic for quick and easy meals.  Jamie Oliver’s recipes are excellent – they’re simple, tasty and they always work!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/books/jamie-s-15-minute-meals

Give batch cooking a go at the weekend (or when the kids are napping) and freeze in single portions for use when time is sparse.  This means that there's always a healthy home-cooked meal available.  

My all-time favourite recipe books are from the Avoca kitchen.  Real food that tastes amazing - try the broccoli salad with feta,cherry tomatoes and hazelnuts.....Their books are available here - http://avoca.ie/home/products/?mid=17&__pg_pg=1&__pg_ps=12. 

Although I like healthy foods, I LOVE desserts and like to make sure that I bake as often as possible to make sure I know what's going into the treats we eat.  Try to use the best possible ingredients when baking.  It doesn’t have to be expensive, however, as Aldi and Lidl carry baking ranges that provide lots of store cupboard elements to create fantastic home baked goods.  The only problem is that sometimes availability is an issue so the same products aren't always available.  More specialised ingredients are often on special offer in healthfood stores, such as Nature’s Way or Holland and Barrett.  

My favourite cake to back is Red Velvet - light and airy, it gives just the right amount of chocolate without being too rich.  The best Red Velvet Cake recipe is available from JoyofBaking.com, but I generally cut the sugar down by about half - http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html.
The icing here is delicious and colours easily if necessary, but I find that the kids don’t like it as much as grownups, so I use Betty Crocker (readymade) Vanilla Icing 450g – covers & fills an 8” cake or 32 cupcakes, also available in Chocolate and Chocolate Fudge.  The Chocolate Fudge is a little heavy, so it’s only for diehard chocolate fans :)

Apologies for the lack of photos, hopefully I can update with photos later....
Would love your suggestions and comments on your favourite foods :)

Death and Social Media

People have always held a fascination for death – think of your grandmother reading the obituaries every day or people rubbernecking at the scene of an accident.  However, never more than today have people’s lives been more accessible to us to investigate.  No longer is it kept to the wake for people to reminisce with their friends and family about the last days and minutes of their loved one’s life. 

At the click of a button or the swipe of a screen we can see everything that the person has done up to the point at which they died.  Social media displays photos and messages to and from the person and may even include photos related to their death. 

This was never as apparent as this week with the death of Paul Walker.  Huffpost today published photos of the car after the crash m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4372431?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003 and we previously saw photos of Paul standing at the Porsche moments before he left in it with his friend Roger Rodas.  Doing a quick search of Twitter for ‘Paul Walker’, his profile appears at the top of the results.  

It’s almost eerie that we can view photos and opinions from people posthumously, especially in an edited fashion as appears on Facebook.  Who doesn't examine every photo they’re tagged in online to ensure they appear in the best light to all of their contacts online?  People often ‘check in’ to venues before they order a drink or search for their friends!  In this way, the life we create for ourselves on Facebook is often the very best of us, our happy memories and pretty pictures.  That’s what makes viewing a profile posthumously so strange.  It’s almost as if the person is still there, alive, happy, smiling and enjoying life.  In some regards, it’s nice to see people at their best, but does it make it all the harder to let go?

However, nothing could have prepared us for the case of the twenty-three year old charged with the violent murder of a seventeen year old girl in the UK, of which he produced his own photographic evidence -http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516804/Georgia-Williams-murder-Jamie-Reynolds-admits-killing-girl-strangling-her.html.  Having wooed her and been rebuked, he then lured her to his home with the promise of producing pictures for a modelling portfolio.  After taking some photos, he then strangled her and continued to take photos post-mortem.  He has pleaded guilty to the murder, saving the family the distress of a trial, and the post-mortem photos taken by the accused will be shown only to the judge when he hands down the sentence.

How has social media and information accessibility influenced the way in which we conduct ourselves when in public?  The case in Slane on 20 August really proved how easily photos are shared in social media, a point reiterated by the fifth grade teacher who has posted a photo on Facebook to prove how quickly photos are shared and manipulated - http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/a-fifth-grade-teacher-wanted-to-show-her-students-what-happe.

Inappropriate and violent behaviour has been around since the beginning of humanity, but social media has made it easier for like-minded people to connect and share sometimes dangerous images and ideas that would otherwise only be shared if they met in person.  

The Magical World of Tivoli

Tivoli Gardens

 

 

 

Tivoli Gardens is a must-see in Copenhagen.  Open from March to September, it also opens for Halloween and Christmas.  We visited on the last weekend of the Halloween Season with a seven and two-year old.  The excitement was building even as we approached the entrance, beautifully decked out with pumpkins all along the main thoroughfare. 

 

 

 

 

Staff were warm and friendly and the girl at the entrance explained about the ticket options, which are quite complicated.  We could have paid entrance only and paid for the rides as we went around, or got a multi-ride ticket for each of us, which entitled us to ride on anything we wished.  We opted for the multi-ride tickets for everyone, including the 2 year-old.  There are height restrictions on some of the rides, but there were still plenty of activities for the two-year old, including carousels a play area and the most beautiful ride depicting the many works of the Danish legend Hans Christian Anderson.

 

 

  

 
 
 
 
Anderson, who was born in Odense in 1805, wrote wonderful tales that all children are familiar with, either through modern cartoons or books.  ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Princess and the Pea’, ‘The Little Matchstick Girl’…  His first published piece was a poem, ‘The Dying Child’, published in 1827 and he produced over 160 fairytales in his 70 years.  I still remember the being transported to another world through his exquisite writing – his descriptive pieces in ‘The Tinderbox’ and ‘The Little Matchstick Girl’ still connect with me today.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I downloaded ‘The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Anderson’ - translated into English by Marte Hvam Hult – on Amazon Kindle.  Hvam Hult writes that she tries to keep the translation as close to the original writings as possible.  My daughter loves the tales and is often not satisfied with only one bedtime story! 

"Most of the people who will walk after me will be children, so make the beat keep time with little steps."^[25]   - Anderson, planning music to accompany his funeral.

The minimum height for children on most rides is 100cm and if they are under 120cm they must be accompanied by a person over 14 years.  On some more adventurous rides, anyone under 120cm is prohibited from riding. 

My seven year-old is theme park crazy and she would have tried everything, had she been tall enough – including this ride!  There were some more adventurous rides that she could take, including a rollercoaster.  She delighted in taking me along on the rollercoaster, laughing uproariously as I screamed in terror!

 

 

 

 

 

The whole park was decorated in Halloween-themed autumnal colours, with fantastic displays of many varieties of pumpkins and chilli plants everywhere.  The whole park had a magical atmosphere – it was Halloween brought to life, without being tacky or over the top.  Families enjoyed the festivities whilst enjoying Hot Chocolate, Irish Coffees and Mulled Cider. 

 

 

 

 

There are also plenty of baked goods to sample.  The stands offered themed cakes to take in all the spookiness of the season!

 

 

 

 

 

The park looks spectacular by night and as it gets dark around 4pm, even the little ones get to appreciate it.

 

Tivoli has just opened for the Christmas season and looks spectacular from the street.  We have a visit planned in two weeks’ time and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!

 http://www.tivoligardens.com/

 

Glucose-Frutose Syrup

We’re all the time becoming more and more educated about what we put in our bodies.  Sugar is a big enemy at the moment and is high on government agendas. 

Glucose/Fructose or High Fructose Corn Syrup, in the US, is on the list of substances to avoid.  It’s a sugar first produced from corn as a result of an overproduction in the crop, and has been linked to diabetes and obesity.  Many food companies use it in their products.  It can be found in cheaper jams, marmalades and ice-cream, for example.

Why then, do so many of our trusted household brands use this product so much? 

It’s cheaper than traditional table sugar, however, the price gap is closing.  It does also provide many other benefits for the food manufacturers – better browning in baked goods, smoother texture for ice-cream and sweets and thickening for condiments.  However, some research shows that it’s more difficult for our bodies to metabolise and therefore presents a higher risk of obesity and diabetes than natural sugar.  There is ongoing research into the effects, however, with differing results.  See http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=extension_families_pubs for more information.

To avoid confusion, I generally go by the rule of thumb that if it isn’t something that you would have in your store cupboard at home to cook with, you are safest avoiding it.

Take a look at http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/06/17/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sugar/ for more information on sugar.

In the Saddle - Copenhagen

Katie Melua sang about bicycles in Beijing, but she should take a trip to Copenhagen!  There are bicycles everywhere.  Kids cycling with parents, professionals sauntering along toward the office, friends cycling together and serious cyclists peddling furiously.  Parents even bring their young babies to daycare in front-facing trailers attached to bikes instead of buggies. 

They’re an amazing invention and make much more sense to me then a trailer attached to the rear of the bike, where you have no idea what is going on with the kids.  The part that the baby sits into is a comfortable seat and the child is strapped in, with a waterproof structure zipped over them.  Most of the bikes I’ve seen seat two kids.

My daughter was in her element cycling on the cycle lanes that run alongside almost every road in Copenhagen.  They suit three bikes abreast, to allow for overtaking, and have their own sets of traffic signals.  As there are a lot of bridges in Copenhagen, there are a lot of steps and every set of steps comes with a special ramp for cyclists to bring their bikes up and down the steps.  Genius!

I would recommend hiring bikes from any bike shop, all over Copenhagen.  For example, Baisikeli advertise Standard or Cargo Bikes (which have a large carrier section on front, which can be used carry other people!) for rental of as little as 6 hours (80kr/300kr), right up to 4 weeks (810kr/4000kr) – www.baisikeli.dk. 

If you’re planning to do a lot of travelling around the city with kids, it’s a lovely way to see everything and the older kids will love the cycling.  Be aware of safety, however, and make sure that everyone uses helmets (not as popular in Copenhagen as in Ireland) and is aware of traffic around them.  If you’re cycling slowly, keep in to the curb to allow others to pass as Danes don’t like to be held up by inexperienced cyclists!

There are free bicycle courses offered in Inner Norrebro between 2^nd March and 29^th June and 3^rd August and 26^th October, every Saturday 10 – 12 and 11 -1pm.  More information is available through email: cykelkursus_nor@rodekors.dk.

 

I, for one, am delighted to move to a city that will encourage me to keep up my new found enthusiasm for keeping fit and I can’t wait to try out a bike that brings me somewhere, rather than the stationary one I’ve used in spinning class!

The Best Christmas Pudding Ever!

Well, it’s that time of year again. - time to steam the plum pudding and put it away until Christmas day! 

My very favourite recipe for pudding comes from Avoca.  It’s fool proof and delicious – everyone who tastes it agrees that it is the best Christmas pudding they’ve had. 

I shop around for my ingredients, using Aldi and Lidl to get as much as possible at the best value before going to Dunnes or Tesco for the rest.  I actually had to go to the Health Store for the currants, as they were in short supply in supermarkets!

The recipe below makes one 6 pint pudding or several smaller puddings.  If cooking one large pudding, steaming it overnight for about 8 hours is advised.  Smaller puddings take between 4 and 5 hours. 

To steam the pudding, make sure that the pudding bowl is sealed using greaseproof paper, doubled and folded over the top of the bowl, secured with twine and held in place with either a lid (which comes with a plastic pudding bowl) or foil paper if the bowl is ceramic.  Put a plate face down on the base of a pot large enough to accommodate the pudding bowl, and put the filled and sealed pudding bowl on top.  Fill the pot three-quarters of the way to the top of the pudding bowl with boiling water, put the lid on the pot and place on a very low heat or in a very low oven for the required amount of time (advised above), making sure to top up the water as necessary.  The steam will cook the pudding and the water should be bubbling slightly throughout the entire cooking process.

When the required time has elapsed, remove the pudding from the heat, allow to cool, pour the whiskey over the top and re-cover with fresh greaseproof paper secured with twine and sealed with lid/foil paper.  The pudding should be stored in a cool, dry atmosphere until Christmas day when it can be steamed once again for 1-2 hours to reheat.

 

Thanks Avoca for the wonderful recipe!

 

Christmas Pudding

450g Sultanas

450g Currants

450g Raisins

110g Glace Cherries (halved)

450g Brown Sugar

275g Breadcrumbs

2 Teaspoons Mixed Spice

1 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg

225g Nibbed Almonds

110g Chopped Mixed Peel

350g Butter, Melted

6 Eggs

Grated Zest & Juice of 2 Oranges

1 Small Can Guinness

A Little Milk (optional)

After Cooking

2 Tablespoons Whiskey

 

Method

Wash the fruit

Mix the dry ingredients together with the fruit

Mix in the wet ingredients and the orange zest

Cover and leave to sit overnight in the fridge before steaming as per instructions above.

CPM Ireland Creativity

There must be something in the tap water supplying the CPM Ireland office…

‘Data Management Administrator’ and ‘Group Business Account Manager’ are hardly job titles that evoke images of writers, artists or musicians, however Carl Finnegan and Anthony White are working hard 9-5 to fund their real passions. 

Work just finished on the film ‘The Two Gallants’, which Carl produced, directed and co-wrote with his partner Darren McGrath.  The story takes inspiration from Joyce’s Dubliners and is based in modern-day post Celtic-Tiger Dublin, illustrating the hardships suffered by the two main characters through the economic crash.

Carl and Darren fundraised creatively to finance the project, hosting events such as table quizzes and using an online donation forum www.Fundrazr.com, which offered perks to donators like ‘getting a first peek’ at the movie and ‘being a producer’, for instance.  The film launches this week. 

More information can be found at their website http://twogallantsfilm.co.nf. 

Anthony, meanwhile, has been working hard with his band ‘The Rattling Kind’, an indie rock take on traditional Irish music.  The band was a natural step for Anthony, in which he plays percussion.  He has always been passionate about his Irish culture and coaches hurling and camogie teams at his local GAA club. 

The four-piece group featured on The Saturday Night Show on 26 Oct - http://youtu.be/9htZqVzbYsM and now have over 2000 followers on their FaceBook page.  Their debut EP ‘Rise Up’ has just overtaken One Direction in the download charts and is a fantastic accolade to over three years of hard graft.  For now, Anthony tells me that they are focused on becoming more well known for their original music, which shouldn’t be difficult given that two of their songs will be featured on the new series of Love Hate. 

Check out their page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The Rattling-Kind.

Alan Peyton, MD, CPM Ireland, is very proud of everything that his employees have achieved saying ‘It's very easy in business to see your employees only in terms of the job they do for the company, but of course everyone has interests and passions outside of work and it is great to see what Carl and Anthony have achieved whilst still doing the day job to a high standard.  Although CPM is not strictly speaking a "creative" company, on a daily basis people in our business are being creative about how they solve problems and get their jobs done.  I'm really proud of what Carl and Anthony have achieved and wish them continued success.”

Every business needs an amount of creativity to help develop and grow, and companies constantly strive to engage and harness this creativity. 

Allowing people the freedom to express their ideas and be taken seriously, no matter their position in the company, is very important.  It is one of the key drivers in the ‘Best Places to Work’ criteria for developing a great company culture, which in turn helps companies thrive – http://www.thegreatworkplaceonline.com/Intro-to-The-Great-Workplace.pdf. 

It’s no wonder that CPM are so delighted to have such a creative bunch on board!

North Dublin Mammy Hangout

Ironically, just as we're leaving Dublin to move to Copenhagen, I've found the perfect place to drink coffee with my toddler in tow! 

Being a stay-at-home mammy with an almost two-year old makes it difficult to drink coffee in peace when out and about.   The last venture we took to a café ended in a split lip and tears – and the child was upset too!

That’s why I was delighted to see two enterprising women opening a café to overcome this very challenge.  Having driven the length and breadth of Killester on  a dreary September morning, my heavily pregnant friend and I were relieved to find Monkey’s Play Café in the Sports and Recreation Building off Middle Third (just opposite Killester Dart Station).  Co-owner Emma, who lost a beautiful retail outlet on Clarendon Street to the recession, has made cute signs to guide weary travellers to the welcoming venue.  On arrival, we were greeted with tonnes of beautiful toys for my little one to lose himself in, and a fabulous Espresso Machine to placate my friend and I!  Emma explains that we should sign ourselves in, paying €6 for Cormac, but that entry fee guarantees our return at any point in the day, facilitating school pickups for older siblings.  The café is aimed at under five-year olds, however, older children are welcome to potter about with their younger counterparts, or to sit with the mammies playing on Tablets or phones, should they so wish.  Mums must stay with their children, but can stay all day if that suits them.  As well as good coffee – Cappuccino, Americano, Latte – and tea, Emma and co-owner Celine, herself a former airhostess, provide cakes from a company called ‘Let’s Eat Cake’ who source homemade produce and sell them on to retailers like Emma and Celine. There is also a selection of goodies for the kids such as raisins and fruit pouches, which my little one enjoyed raiding!  We shared a very enjoyable couple of hours without having to worry about the child being bored or injured, and will definitely be back - especially since Emma offers free entry to anyone who provides a homemade cake!  First-timers get a complimentary coffee or tea on paying for their child.

 

Contact Details - Little Monkeys Play Cafe, Hadden Park, Nuns Walks, Middle Third, Killester, Dublin5

Phone: 085 743 6407

Email: info@littlemonkeysplaycafe.ie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlemonkeysplaycafe

Fitness

So I’ve decided to get fit!  Where to start?    Having never been into fitness, I was worried that it would be difficult.  Let’s be honest, I wouldn’t know one end of a treadmill from the other, never having darkened the door of any of the many gyms that have popped up around the country following our new-born obsession with fitness.  But I had made a resolution.  We’re moving to Denmark soon and before we leave on our big adventure, I wanted to tone up.  I had done the weight loss and was eating healthy foods, but there were always ‘wobbly bits’ that no amount of healthy eating could shift.  I found a class on Facebook that friends of mine had tried and decided it might be a safe place to start.

I went to speak with Alan Connor of BodyTransformations, who helped me to decide on the correct exercises that would help target the areas I wanted.

BodyTransformations is a small gym in the middle of Baldoyle Industrial Estate.  Founded by Alan’s wife Kelley and a friend, Richie Carrick, they also employ 4 other trainers, all of whom are certified in Personal Training and training in specific exercise types, such as TRX and KettleBells.  These qualifications can be obtained with Image Fitness Training College in locations all over Ireland (www.imageft.ie).

In BodyTransformations, for €50 per month, you can attend any number of classes you want with the Trainer you have chosen.  There is a varied timetable of classes – from 630am to 10pm - to accommodate every type of lifestyle and working life.

The clientele is varied, from young women to older men, and everything in between.  There are a few healthy fitness fanatics, but not so many as to feel uncomfortable as a newcomer. 

Upon entering the gym, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you were going to get an easy ride.  Everyone is jovial, chatting about the weekend, and the trainers engage in lots of banter with their clients.  This is exactly what makes it attractive to people, Alan says, everyone helps you feel welcome.  The 400 strong client group is testament to this.  You can be at any age or fitness level, because you control the difficulty of exercise.  He goes on to say that they notice an improvement of fitness levels of between 50 and 60% in new clients, within the first two weeks.  Fantastic I thought, sign me up!

I walked nervously into the gym, but resolved to give it my best effort.  And, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it!  The first exercise I was trying was TRX.  Not having a clue, I looked around to get guidance on the exercise.  The trainers were always on hand, and other more experienced clients were also there to help out.

TRX is exercise completed using straps suspended from bars.  There are hand/footholds attached to the straps, which hang about 3 feet from the ground.  You place your hands or feet, depending on the exercise, into the strap and carry out exercises like push ups and sit ups.  The exercise develops your ‘core’ muscles around your abdomen as well as upper body strength, as you are using your suspended body weight.

The trainers give you three exercises to complete using the straps, each lasting 40 seconds, before changing to body-strength exercises like Jumping Jacks, Tuck Jumps (make sure your pelvic floor is strong for this one ladies J) and ‘The Plank’ – lying face down, parallel to the floor with only your toes and forearms actually touching the floor.  Sounds easy?!  Try holding this position for a minute using your bum and tummy muscles to hold you perfectly straight, without dropping to the floor….  Now lift one leg…  Without dropping to the floor, put that leg down and lift the other….  Still think it’s easy?!!  Alan explains that these exercises are called “peripheral heart flow exercises”, put simply exercising your upper body followed by your lower body to pump blood up and down, therefore burning more body fat.  Now that’s what we’re talking about!

 

After these exercises, it’s back to the first three exercises on TRX and then back to the ‘fat burning’ exercises before changing to Kettlebells.  Anyone with kids will understand how difficult it is to hold a 10kg weight and lift it up and down and up and down and up and down repeatedly whilst the said weight screams in delight ‘Again Mammy, again!!’.  Although the Kettlebell doesn’t scream at you, the trainers do – ‘Faster, harder, stronger….  Think about yourself dancing around the Christmas tree in your bikini!’  Whilst the guys probably don’t find that last statement too motivational (unless they enjoy dressing in a bikini) the message is clear – don’t think you’re getting an easy ride here. 

The Kettlebell is a weight, shaped a little like a mini buoy that you might see floating in Dublin Bay if you look out from Howth or Ringsend, with a handle on top.  You do exercises like the ‘Front Swing’, using both hands to swing the Kettlebell out in front of you and back again as many times as possible in the 40 seconds.  Exercising the Triceps is extremely challenging – using both hands to put the Kellebell behind your head and lift it up and down repeatedly.  However, this is one of my favourite, as I’m anxious to rid myself of those dreaded ‘Bingo Wings’! 

The same routine applies as with TRX, with three exercises for the Bell, before the ‘fat burners’ repeating the three exercises and the ‘fat burners’ before changing to the other equipment.  Sometimes you spend the class moving between TRX and Kettlebells and sometimes there are Bars thrown in.

The Bars are the weights you see bodybuilders lifting, either in the gym, if you’ve ever been, or if like me, you’ve never darkened the door of a gym, ‘on the telly’ as Brendan Gleeson says in I Went Down!  You attach weights on either end and perform exercises whilst holding them ether out in front of you or over your shoulders, on the soft part of your neck. 

You do similar exercises on the Bars as with the Bells, such as squats (standing on the floor, knees shoulder-width apart, keeping your back straight and bending your knees until your bum is close to the floor, straightening up and repeating).  It’s about adding extra weight to exercises to make your body work harder.  As you continue to attend classes, you will find yourself adding extra weight to increase the intensity of the workout.  It should never become easy - even seasoned gym attendees find themselves crawling out of a class!

 

I’ve also attended the Spinning classes, where people exercise madly on stationary bikes, turning the resistance up as if cycling up mountains, standing up on the bike while continuing to pedal, sitting down again, standing up again, and sitting down again….  One word – Killer!!  This is mixed up with exercises on the KettleBell and the old reliable ‘fat burners’! 

 

By the end of a session, people are dripping with sweat, unable to speak.  That’s how you know you’ve worked hard.

 

BodyTransformations also run a six-week programme to encourage a complete lifestyle change.  Anyone is welcome to partake in the programme.  Alan tells me that the oldest client was 70 years of age.  Perhaps you want to lose weight and feel better, or maybe you just want to tone and strengthen.  The habits you learn here are habits that last a lifetime.  Retraining yourself to eat fresh, raw ingredients, rather than relying on processed food, can be difficult.  Everyone is busy, finding time to cook can be tricky and sometimes expensive. 

To get the desired results, Alan recommends doing 4 sessions per week and maintaining a healthy diet.  Check them out on www.bodytransformationsstudio.ie. 

 

Fiona O’Brien is an Irish freelance Writer, Broadcaster and Journalist based in Copenhagen.  Her current projects include pieces on Family, Food and Relocation along with Radio broadcasts and topical news stories from Denmark.

Update

Police sources have confirmed that the bomb scare in Christianhavn this afternoon was a hoax.  Following investigations into the suitcase, police have now confirmed that there was no explosive device contained within.

Breaking News

Downtown Copenhagen was unusually busy this afternoon.  A large area around Christianhavn was cordoned off with access for Emergency Services only.  The cordon ran around the area between Strandgade and Overgaden neden Vandet.   A police source said that a suitcase was found and was suspected to contain an explosive device.  The Politi Bomb Disposal Unit and Fireservices are in attendance.