|
|
|
Hello,
Can you believe a third of 2008 has gone already? What a relief we've
got the winter behind us and we can look forward to warmer times ahead.
The daffodils have had a bumper crop and the grass is definitely
growing which is good news for eggs because all this extra
chlorophyll in your chicken's diet will give their yolks a
glorious deep colour.
The clocks went forward
and all of a sudden it's light in the morning and in the evening,
which makes you wonder why
they bother to put them back in the first place. Anyway the extra
daylight hours are great for chickens too and if they have had a
break from laying over winter, or not even started yet, they will
soon feel the urge. Chickens that are already laying will become
more regular and pretty soon you should be enjoying an egg a day from
each hen.
Easter
Omlet celebrated Easter with a huge easter egg hunt – apologies
if you couldn't get through on the phone but when there's chocolate
hidden about the office the customer service team are not to be
distracted. In fact Jan is convinced that there are still several
eggs to be found in difficult to reach places.
Sport
Relief
Will,
Simon, James
Robinson, Helen, and Els didn't need to feel guilty about eating masses of
Easter eggs because the week before they took part in Sport Relief .
The conditions for the run were much worse than expected, but they
were not beaten; they fought through wind, rain and mud to conquer
the course. Instead of spending a lazy Sunday morning in bed, eating
boiled eggs and keeping cosy, the group ran a total of 27 miles in an
hour. They raised over £300 which Comic Relief will use in
their valuable work in the UK and abroad. A big 'well
done' to them and to any of you that participated in money raising
activities. Maybe next year we should organise a huge egg and spoon
race?
Chickens
to help us survive in the future!
The eglu is one of the main exhibits in the Science Museum's summer
eggcibition called the 'Science of Survival'. The exhibition is set to
be one of the most eggciting and thought provoking family attractions
of the year, exploring how we will survive on a changing planet.
Through interactive games and tasks you can discover innovative ways to
find water, design a new superfood, create your personal eco-vehicle
and build a sustainable neighbourhood before seeing it come to life in
2050 the Future City. A green eglu is displayed in the 'eating'
section, as an example of the way food production may change in the
future. So, a pat on the back to all you Eglu owners – you're 42
years ahead of time! The exhibition will be running until November 2nd
– don't forget to wear your Omlet T-Shirt and jet pack when you
go.
Winner
of the Cryptic Crossword
Thank you to all
those that had a go at cracking the cryptic crossword we published in
the February newsletter. You clever-clogs have given James a run for
his money and your chicken related intelligence has been highly
commended by the Omlet team. Congratulations to Poet who
was the first to answer the crossword correctly, you will be
receiving a £20 voucher to spend in the Omlet shop shortly.
The
second place winners were Nicola Howarth and Paula Murray, who will
both be receiving a £10 Omlet voucher. (Unfortunately we do
not
sell crossword books!) Well done to Alan Rowe, Susan Bromiley and
Nicola Flood for your correct entries too, you haven't won prizes
this time but why not have a go at this issue's competition?
Spot
the Difference!
The
cryptic crossword obviously wasn't challenging enough so Omlet's
resident brainbox Dr Egghead has decided to set a new puzzle in this
month's Newsletter. A classic game of Spot the Difference will test
all your visual powers of deduction. There are nine differences
between the two spring scene photos. The
first person to correctly tell us all of these will win the
beautiful, blue chicken doorstop featured in the picture, available
in the Omlet shop for £30. There will also be a couple of
runner-up prizes up for grabs, so what are you waiting for? Email
your answers to stephanie@omlet.co.uk. Good luck and any correct
entries also featuring a picture of you
going cross eyed will get a bonus prize.
The Omlet Team
P.S. We will be exhibiting in the Grand Designs Live London
show again this year. For those who havn't been before it is a
brilliant day out for anyone interested in home, garden, design and
shopping. The show will be running from 3rd - 11th May at the
London ExCel, and the Eglu will be in the Garden section on stand G105. For more info
and to buy tickets visit their website and we hope to see you there!
The Omlet team do Sports Relief!
|
Daffodils put a Spring in this chicken's step
This is what happens when you feed your chickens Smarties.
The eglu is being eggcibited in the Science Museum
Poet was first to crack the Cryptic Crossword Competition
The new spot the difference competition - this is the original picture...
and this one has been altered by our team of top eggspionage agents. Can you spy the nine differences?
|
|
Star
Photos |
|
With rumours that the waiting list for an eglu is getting longer customers are advised to book early.
A rare photo proving that chickens
are used to train sheep dogs.
In fact chickens like nothing more than acting
like Seargent Double Yolker.
And they haven't even laid an egg yet! Getting an eglu and chickens for your birthday is very eggciting.
|
Barbara's Weekly Diary!
The
price of feed
I
got a bit of a
surprise yesterday when I noticed that the price of a bag of layers
meal at my local feed merchant has gone up and I keep hearing farming
friends bemoaning the cost of feeding their birds and animals.
After
having to spend a bit more than normal at the checkout, I decided to
try and find out what has caused this rise in prices. It turns out
that there seem to be two distinct causes: There has been a huge boom
in demand for wheat which has left wheat stocks at a 30 year low, and
this has been combined with severe weather destroying crops or
causing the producers to bring in far lower harvests than usual.
In
the last year, there has been a drought in Canada, higher than usual
temperatures in Australia, bad weather in the Black Sea area of
Europe, and flooding and droughts in China, and this has had a really
bad impact on the wheat growing industry. This has caused a knock-on
effect for farming as wheat makes up a good
part of animal feeds, and if it costs more to feed an animals, their meat and eggs will cost more for consumers to buy as a
result. The same applies to our daily bread, which has also gone up
in price as wheat as an ingredient becomes more expensive.
Now
this got me thinking about how the price rise affects me. Would this
mean that it would soon become too expensive for me to keep on
feeding my hens? Well, no actually. My maths isn’t good
–
everyone knows that – but when you consider that a
£14 bag of
layers pellets lasts two hens around 10 weeks, this means that it
still costs a mere 70p a week
to feed a hen. That’s
pretty………..”cheep”,
really, isn’t
it! When you supplement their diet with fresh grass in the garden and
realise how much they are also saving you on your electricity bills
as you no longer need to use the lawnmower so often, chickens really
are low budget pets, and if they are also providing you with rent in
the form of eggs, they’re saving you money on your weekly
grocery
bill. Aren’t they wonderful!
Barbara is always
on hand to answer your questions about chickens - just pop her an email
to barbara@omlet.co.uk
You can see more
photos if you click this link: gallery
In
all her time on duty no criminal had reacted
this literally when she
shouted 'freeze'
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom's
Recipe of the Week
|
|
Chickens to
me are
about one thing. Eggs. And I do love my eggs! Boiled, poached,
scrambled or fried, as long as I can eat them it doesn't bother me.
Eggs are the culmination of millions of years of evolutionary
perfection and represent the gold standard of sustainable food
production. Chicken food and kitchen scraps go in, eggs and wonderful
fertiliser come out and so the whole process can start again.
Barbara, on the
other hand sees them more as pets and dotes on them constantly. She loves those little critters with
all her heart...I sometimes
think she favours them over me, goodness knows why.
I once caught her feeding them bits from my vegetable garden! I
don’t
mind the odd lettuce leaf, but my prized strawberries? The cheek of
it. They do, however, occasionally get a bowl of
‘Tom’s secret
recipe chicken chow', guaranteed to perk them up and get them laying
again if they have gone through a moult or are just a bit under the
weather. I would share it with you now but I'm thinking of entering
it as a business idea on the next series of Dragon's Den.
Barbara
insists on
collecting the eggs ( she seems to think she has a more gentle touch)
and we use them all the time, whether it be bacon and egg tarts or
lightly poached, served on bagels with a sprinkle of grated cheddar
for breakfast, I couldn’t live without them. The sunshine
orange
yolk dripping down my chin, they are simply the most delicious thing
in the world.
We
give many away to
neighbours, family and friends, but with six chickens laying up to
six eggs a day I've been roped into coming up with some eggy recipes.
Tom's cooks up another treat with the eggs from his own chickens. His favourite carrot and banana
cake...
|
Here is a favourite -
Carrot and Banana Cake.......
250g self raising flour
250g sugar
2 tsp bicarbonate
of soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1 1/2 ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp
ground ginger
330g grated carrot
3 medium bananas
2 extra
large eggs (our girls lay whoppers)!!
1 egg white
1.
Preheat oven to 180C
2. In a bowl, mix together the first 6
ingredients (dry)
3. Mash the bananas and mix with the eggs, add
the carrot.
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until well
integrated.
5. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin, lined with baking
parchment. My tin is 22cm x 11cm x 8cm deep.
6. Bake for 1
hour/1 hour 10mins or until a skewer
inserted comes out clean.
7.
Leave to cool slightly on a wire tray then remove from
tin and enjoy!
Extra good with a dollop of creme fraiche! So good, in fact,
a piece of this keeps Barbara quiet for a while.
...tastes perfect with a nice
cuppa!
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eglu Owner of the Week
|
|
Anne-Marie
Ortu
About You:
Your
occupation: Owner/Director
of a conference venue
finding agency.
Where
and with
who do you live? Wellesbourne, Warwickshire with my husband
of
nine years Marc, four hens and a tank of tropical fish.
What
time do you get up in the morning? 7- 7.30am.
What
sort of shoes are your wearing? If I am not in pink Crocs I'm
in
knee length black boots or my wellies.
What's
your favourite smell? Chopped coriander mmmmm...
What's
your greatest extravagance? Holidays.
Do you have a
hobby or a hidden talent? Gardening – I love
pottering in the
greenhouse at 7am on a Sunday with the chooks for company.
Who
would play
you in a movie of your life? Whoopi Goldberg.
What
song do you
most like driving to? Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf.
What's
the
naughtiest thing you've ever done? Completed spoof enquiry
forms
(with my accomplice Trickster O’Kane) while attending a sales
exhibition and sent them to work colleagues –some even made
it onto
the company database eg – Miss Ellie Fant from Hull
Zoological
Society, Mr G Raff require a meeting room with a 4m ceiling height,
Phil Yapants from The Incontinence Society, Mr P Bear from One
Hundred Acre Wood.
About your
chickens.
What are your chickens
called? Tallulah (Bluebelle), Fifi (Amber Star), Toyah and
Hazel (ex battery hens).
How
many eggs do you get a week and what’s your favourite way of
preparing them? Between 21 – 28, soft boiled with
loads of
soldiers.
Do
you get lots of double yolkers?
Occasionally – normally find them in the ones I give to
family and
friends :-(
Do
you bake more cakes now you have your own chickens?
Oh yes – come on a hen party and try my banana and walnut
loaf.
What
do your chickens like more than anything else in the world? Grapes.
What's
been the most surprising thing about keeping chickens? How
attached you get to them and how different each chicken is - they
have really diverse characters
Can
you imagine life without chickens ever again?
Never!
Anne- Marie runs
hen parties regularly and she was recently filmed by ITV for an
upcoming news programme, so keep an eye out for her on the telly.
Meanwhile, if you would like to attend a hen party to learn the ins and
outs of keeping chickens and without getting in a
flap, have a look at our list of courses, available all over the
country here, they are great fun.
Would
you like to be egluowner of the week?
Each week we will be featuring an
eglu owner of the week. If you would like to be featured then
please email johannes@omlet.co.uk or you can fill out the form online here.
Photos will increase your chances!
|
Anne-Marie loves her pink crocs almost
as much as her chickens
Eglu sweet Eglu
There were two in the dustbath and the
little one said roll over, roll over...
They started work on the great escape
|
|
Lots of
fantastic new products in the Omlet shop!
Here is just a small selection, go
online to see the full range.
|
|
Pretty and proud, but this one won't
peck
|
French
Green Chicken Doorstop
This retro chicken doorstop is utterly charming. Hand Made
from
tough, water-resistant oil cloth, it's just the thing to hold open a
kitchen door or simply display wherever you choose. A strong chicken,
weighing around 2.5lb.
Order
now for just £30
|
|
A
friendly rabbit to brighten your day!
|
Orange Rabbit Cushion
If
you miss your friendly pet rabbits while asleep, this funky, soft
cushion will make the perfect alternative. Unlike real rabbits, he
won't get bored of being cuddled, which is lucky as you may not be able
to resist stroking his smooth coat. Also ideal for displaying, as the
striking, orange colour will add individuality to any room. This rabbit
will make a lovely companion for both children and adults.
Order
now for just £5
|
|
"R.E.S.P.E.C.T, this cosy looks
great on me..."
|
Egg Cosies - Pack of Four
Give
your eggs some TLC
with these cute, hand-knitted cosies! Perfect for keeping them warm and
snuggly, or just to give them the style and sophistication they
deserve. The cream and yellow tones are sure to bring out the natural
colour in your little beauties as they're designed to look like the
inside of a boiled egg, and the style suits all shapes and sizes.
Choose this pack of four to avoid all future wardrobe dramas and give
your eggs a little respect!
Order
now for just
£8.50
|
|
It turned out belly dancing was a
great eggsercise
|
Silicone Egg Holder and Chicken Egg Timer
A funny looking pair that will make breakfast time a breeze...
The first contraption may look a bit bizarre, blue, jellified, with two
long, dangling arms, but don't panic! The alien looking creature is a
life-saver when it comes to cooking and serving your eggs. Simply
secure your egg in the holder, clip the hands together, place in a pan
of boiling water until cooked, sit on your plate and unclip the arms to
enjoy your boiled egg. No need for an egg cup, and its stretchy arms
will defend your soliders from the enemies.
A friendly face always makes counting down the minutes much more
bearable, so waiting for your egg to cook won't be such a chore with
this mechanical chicken timer. Use to time from a minute to an hour and
her chirpy call will let you know when your food is ready.
Silicone
Egg Holder - Order now for £4.50
Chicken
Egg Timer - Order
Now for £5
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where are you from?
|
|
www.omlet.co.uk
info@omlet.co.uk
0845 450 2056
|
www.omlet.us
info@omlet.us
1-86-OMLET-USA
|
If
you would like to be removed from our mailing list then please click here
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Call: 0845
450 2056
|
Omlet,
Wardington House, Wardington
Nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 1SD
|
|
|
|
|
