Enjoy a treat this Easter

Spring is just around the corner now and we are almost at Easter. With the end of Lenten abstinence, we can now turn our attention to the wealth of traditional Easter food treats that are waiting to be enjoyed – guilt-free.

One popular tried and tested Easter treat is the hot crossed bun, traditionally served on Good Friday.

This sweet and spicy treat is great toasted and served with butter. There are some luxury hot cross buns to be had. Asda’s offering got the ‘thumbs up’ from Good Housekeeping.

All the major supermarkets sell hot cross buns. Marks and Spencer luxury hot cross buns are also up there.

If you would like to have a go at making your own hot cross buns there are loads of recipes out there. The BBC website has this or this one. 

Paul Hollywood is hot right now. Why not give his recipe for hot cross buns a try? You can find it here.
 
Another traditional food served at Easter is the Simnel Cake. It is a fruit cake with a marzipan topping decorated with marzipan balls representing Jesus and the apostles. Traditionally served on the middle Sunday of Lent when the 40-day fasting rule was relaxed, Simnel cake is served toasted at Easter. Later, the cake was given by serving girls to their mums when they visited home on Mothering Sunday.

Again, there is a plethora of recipes for Simnel cake online. These two, one from Delia Smith the other from TV’s Paul Hollywood again, are as good as they get.

As well as buns and cakes there are also plenty of chocolate treats to enjoy at this time of year. Make ours a Cadbury’s Cream Egg.

It is also becoming popular to serve a special Sunday lunch at Easter. Usually, this might be ham or lamb. If you are stuck for ideas visit the BBC website for inspiration.

Finally, make the most of the improving weather to get out and about. If you are house hunting pay a visit to one of our show homes for inspiration. We look forward to meeting you.

Larkfleet Homes nominated for community work

Fabulous news. Our colleagues at Larkfleet Homes have been shortlisted to win a Better Society Award for philanthropy. We’re very excited for them and really pleased that the work which Allison Homes and Larkfleet do in the communities where we have developments has received national recognition.

Larkfleet was nominated for its Community Fund, which was set up to help communities in the areas where we and they are building. The fund supports charitable projects that enhance or develop a local community. It is part of our commitment to supporting the existing communities within which we and Larkfleet Homes are developing new homes. It also underlines our aim of helping the integration of our new developments within those communities. Any charitable cause or community project that operates within ten miles (16 kilometres) of any Allison Homes or Larkfleet Homes development can apply for grants of between £250 and £5,000 awarded quarterly.

The fund has welcomed applications from groups that promote the environment, support residents or bring communities together. In the most recent funding round grants were awarded to each of seven projects that have made a positive impact within their communities.

• Thorney Parish Council, for a zip-wire, trampolines, outdoor gym and swings for the older children of Thorney.
• Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust received a grant of £1,450 to provide wood-working equipment for retiree volunteers to produce signage for interpretation and education.
• Donnington Parish Council received a grant of £475 towards a garden shed, tools, a bird table, compost, plants and decking to form herb and wild flower beds.
• Families First Peterborough CIC received a grant of £1,000 to fund an arts and crafts workshop for young people /adults who are Care Leavers.
• Sawtry and District Bowling Club received a grant of £1,045 to provide two ramps to improve access to the bowling green and club house.
• Moulton Chapel Youth & Community Centre, to build a playground including inclusive play equipment for children of all abilities.
• Somerset Sight Limited received a grant of £5,000 to reduce isolation and loneliness by providing six additional outings for 12 sight impaired adults per outing.

The fund is open for applications on the Allison Homes website here.

In the meantime, we’re got our fingers crossed for Larkfleet Homes. The winners will be announced at an the awards ceremony on 24 May. We hope they win!

Moving to an Allison home? Now's the time to treat yourself to a new bed

March is National Bed Month. Organised by the Sleep Council, the month-long awareness campaign is designed to highlight how old beds are bad for us and that we should consider replacing our beds if they are seven years old or older.

If you’re moving into a new Allison Homes property, now’s the time to think about buying a new bed.

The Sleep Council’s sleep advisor Lisa Artis said: “We spend one third of our lives in bed so it’s essential it’s comfortable and supportive. This year, as part of National Bed Month, we are raising awareness of the importance of replacing your bed, ideally every seven years, and why old beds are bad for you”.

According to Lisa your current bed might not look worn out, but it won’t offer the same comfort and support as it did when you first bought it. Sleep Council research shows that sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress can rob you of up to an hour’s sleep per night so investing in your bed is essential to a restful night.

You may not realise it but an uncomfortable, unsupportive bed makes a difference to how well you sleep. According to research into replacing an uncomfortable bed, a new bed was associated with an increase of 42 minutes sleep – who wouldn’t want that?

And according to other research a 10-year old bed will have deteriorated by as much as 70 per cent from its new state. Not only that; Ohio State University experts report that a typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites inside it.

The National Bed Federation recommends that we should think about replacing our beds every seven years. There are a number of health reasons for this.

We lose up to half a pint (284ml) or more of fluid each night – which our beds have to absorb. We aslo shed around 1.3oz (10gm) of skin per week – that’s over 1lb (520g) in a year – much of into our beds. This combination of a warm, moist environment and a ready food source (those skin scales) makes our beds an ideal habitat for dust mites.

According to the Medical Entomology Centre, Cambridge, just two micrograms per gram (mcg/g) of dust mite allergen can cause hypersensitivity in asthma sufferers, while 10 mcg/g can pose a serious health risk. Around one in five aged mattresses can contain between two and 10mcg/g of the dust mite allergen and one in 20 has above 10mcg/g.

Four out of every five adults (80 per cent) will experience back pain at some stage in their life. A US study comparing sleep experience on a new mattress compared with mattresses five years and older found that participants with high back pain reported 63 per cent improvement in back discomfort.

Here is sleep guru Lisa’s advice on beds:

• Choose a reputable dealer with knowledgeable staff and do ‘try before you buy’.
• Remember, you get what you pay for, so spend as much as you can afford: every £100 spent will cost less than four pence a night over seven years.
• If you buy online, check the reviews and makes sure the seller offers secure credit card transactions, clear delivery prices and a returns policy.
• Stick to reputable brands such as National Bed Federation approved members – look for the NBF logo and its tick of approval.

Have a look at Pinterest  and Houzz for some ideas on new beds and design ideas for your bedroom.

Things to do in the garden in March

Although the weathermen like to start Meteorological Spring on 1 March, true Spring is still a couple of weeks away - 21 March to be exact.

Hopefully we’ve seen the last of the snow. The days are lengthening. Bulbs such as snow drops and early daffodils have emerged and are blooming.

The weather is starting to warm up, prompting life into dormant plants. Now that Spring is just around the corner, it’s time to catch up on some of those jobs in the garden so that things don’t run away with you when the growing season begins in earnest.

Here a few tips on what you should taking on now:

• Start preparing seed beds and sowing seeds
• Cut back winter shrubs
• Protect new shoots from slugs
• Trim lawn edges
• Mow the lawn on dry days as required
• Hoe beds regularly and mulch weeds to keep them under control
• Prune bush and climbing roses

If you are into growing your own veg there are lots of things you could be doing in the garden now that the days are getting longer, dryer and warmer.

• Cultivate and prepare seed beds
• Plant onions, shallots and garlic
• Chit early and main crop potatoes
• Sow seeds outdoors in mild areas for veg such as broad beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, summer cabbage – but only if the weather is suitable

For more gardening tips and details of what to grow visit the Royal Horticultural Society website.

Need inspiration? Visit a trade show

Are you thinking about renovating your house this spring but you’re getting stuck for inspiration? Why not have a day out and visit a trade show? You may find a wealth of inspiring ideas, help and advice all together in one place.

The Homebuilding and Renovating Show is held at different venues up and down the country throughout the year.

The next show is scheduled to take place at the NEC in Birmingham later this month.

Self-build specialists, renovation experts and leading brands are all under one roof. You can discover the latest DIY tools and products, understand how to maximise your budget or seek an architect's opinion for your project, whether it’s a small plot or big build, or you’re simply looking to redecorate a couple of rooms.

Whether you’re mid-way through a project or don’t know where to start, you will be able to swap months of scouring the internet for face-to-face consultations, specialist masterclasses and hundreds of product ideas.

You will find architects, builders, planning experts and designers on hand to offer you the latest tips and advice.

If you are intending to visit the show, which takes place 22-25 March, visit the website to plan your day out.

Happy birthday Larkfleet

Today (2 March 2018) is the 20th ‘birthday’ of what is now The Larkfleet Group of Companies, parent company of Allison Homes.

Larkfleet Limited, the first company in the group, was registered at Companies House on 2 March 1998 by current chief executive Karl Hick.


Today The Larkfleet Group of Companies is an award-winning housebuilding and development business employing more than 100 people and turning over more than £80 million per year.

As well as home-buyers, the group's customers include local authorities, housing associations and solar farm developers.

The group has a particular focus on sustainable development.

Karl Hick said: “We aim to achieve environmental best practice and sustainability in the projects we deliver for customers and also in our own business operations.

“Our investment in research and development will benefit future generations. Our current R&D projects could revolutionise the construction industry with innovative techniques for low-cost building and technologies which will permit house building in areas prone to flooding.

“Wherever possible we place contracts with local suppliers and employ local people. We support local communities through our Larkfleet Homes Community Fund, by working with local schools and charities and by sponsoring business awards which celebrate the achievements of local companies.”

Larkfleet is a major supporter of training initiatives and is a sponsor of the Greater Peterborough University Technical College.

The company’s ‘corporate mission' is “to produce high quality sustainable developments using innovative technology and construction methods, delivered to exceed our customers' expectations”.

The group will shortly be announcing a series of events and activities to mark its 20 years in business.

Ideas for Mother's Day from Allison Homes

Next Sunday – 11 March  – is Mother’s Day in the UK. It’s that special time of year when we all remember our mum. If they are around we give them flowers and chocolates, pamper them a bit. Perhaps we’ll take them out for a slap up meal.

Young families will make a fuss of mum, with handmade gifts and cards coming home in school bags.

It’s a bit of a moveable feast as it falls in the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter. It was originally the day that Christians visited their ‘mother’ church.  In our secular society it has become synonymous with celebrations honouring motherhood held on different days around the world.

It was also the day that girls in service were given the day off to travel home to their families. Unsurprisingly, Mother’s Day as we as celebrate it today in the UK is an American idea.

The World Wide Web is littered with websites offering ideas for gifts for that special mum. Here are a few of our favourites to give you some inspiration. And don’t forget – if you’re thinking about going out for a special meal, now’s the time to think about booking your tables before they run out of room at the inn.

• There is a whole range of gift options here. 
• Pinterest is always good for some original and creative ideas. 
• This newspaper ‘Top 10' list has some ‘classy’ ideas to impress mum.
• Expect ‘Cosmo’ to be right on trend with some special gifts.

If you can’t find anything in any of the lists above, department stores like John Lewis  and Marks & Spencer  are always great sources of inspiration.

Failing that, you could pay a visit to one of our show homes!

Whatever you do this Mother’s Day, the Allison Homes team wishes you and your family all the best.