Reading Libraries - Families Online

Christmas Shortbread
Shop-bought shortbread is but a pale imitation of this home-made version.
The ground rice gives it a lovely texture and would make a delicious gift for
a lucky teacher.
150g plain flour
25g ground rice or semolina
100g butter
50g caster sugar
Greased 20cm shallow tin
1. Sieve flour and ground rice into large mixing bowl.
2. Cut butter into small pieces and add. Rub into flour
with your fingertips until mixture looks like
breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar and squeeze the mixture into a
ball using the heat from your hands.
4. Press the mixture into the tin and smooth flat with
back of a spoon. Press a pattern around the edge
using fork prongs and cut into 8 equal pieces.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 150°C / Gas mark 2 until
golden. Leave for a few minutes until cool enough then
cut across it again before lifting out onto wire rack to
finish cooling.
6. Keeps in an airtight tin or sealed gift bag for up to
10 days. Alternatively can be made ahead of time
and frozen.
Gift Wrapping Ideas
Turn you home-made goodies into a really special gift
by presenting them in these inexpensive gift bags
from Lakeland, £2.49 for 30. Or make your own
using squares of tissue paper or cellophane.
Put some home-made treats in the centre,
gather the edges and tie at the top with a
length of parcel ribbon about 20cm long.
Hold the ribbon between your thumb and the
blade of some closed scissors. Pull it firmly to
create ribbon curls. For a prettier effect two
contrasting colour squares can be used to
wrap the gift. Children can decorate the bags
with small stickers.
Elite Childcare Agency specialises in
the recruiting and placement of nannies
and babysitters for families across
Berkshire and South Oxfordshire.
Having a Christmas party? Who’s going
to look after the children? The solution
- a babysitter or mobile creche.
TEL 0118 901 8747
Email: jenny@elitechildcareagency.co.uk
www.elitechildcareagency.co.uk
More recipes and craft ideas at - www.familiestvw.co.uk/thingstodo
Christmas Fun
this Christmas
Make your own gift tags
1. Draw Christmassy shapes such as a holly leaf, Christmas tree or star shape on
card using a white wax crayon or candle.
2. Brush bright paint over the card.
3. When dry cut out the shape.
4. Either make a hole with a hole punch and thread ribbon through or stick
ribbon to back.
A Rudolph
decoration for
the tree
Little ones will love
making these
Rudolph hanging
decorations using
their hands and feet. If you
don’t have the googly eyes
just draw on some suitably
reindeer-like ones.
1. Trace around your child’s foot
and both hands using brown
paper or back of a large
envelope.
2.Glue the hands as antlers to
the top of the footprint.
3. Glue a red paper nose and
googly eyes to the reindeer.
4. Allow to dry, punch a
hole in the top of the
head and hang with
thread, string or
ribbon.
For the Lakeland products mentioned please visit
www.lakeland.co.uk or pop into the Lakeland shop
in The Oracle, Reading.
Thames Valley West
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