A tea time treat from New Zealand - recipe 1

A recipe all the way from New Zealand - a favourite that Karen passed to me when we lived in New Plymouth. Absolutely delicious and just the thing for freezing winter weather! Fabulously calorific .... and the first in a future series of shared special recipes

Karen's Ginger Oaty Crunch
150g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 and half cups rolled oats
3/4 cup flour (wholemeal is more healthy!)
1 and half teaspoons baking powder
1 and half teaspoons ground ginger

Ginger Icing:
4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons icing sugar
4 teaspoons golden syrup
2 teaspoons ground ginger


Preheat the oven to 180 c. Melt the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar. Remove from the heat. Mix in a bowl the coconut, rolled oats, flour, baking powder and ginger. Stir into the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Press into a greased tin 20 x 30 cm. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Mark into squares whilst still warm. To make the ginger icing: Melt all the ingredients together and beat. Pour over the cold biscuit base. Makes about 12 large or 24 small squares.

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White Cloud news; take a look at the beginning of a new look website; Wool Pillows have had a makeover first and by this time next week we hope the Wool duvets page will also look crisp, clean and smarter. Don't forget, we also have a Winter 15% discount on Magniwool Underblankets ....

Pounds for Penguins!

Regular readers of the White Cloud blog will be delighted to know that over £350 was donated to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust during 2009. Take a look at www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz for a lot more detail, but the Yellow Eyed Penguin is unique to New Zealand, not only that, it is a land based penguin which makes it different from most other penguins. It inhabits the coastal forests of southern New Zealand, an area where many of the White Cloud products are manufactured. In 1990/1991 this little bird was perhaps the rarest penguin in the world with only 150 pairs left because of land based predators. Their future is still uncertain but "every little bit helps" and we donate £1 every time a pillow is sold. Please keep buying lovely White Cloud wool pillows!

Don't forget to take a look at our Special Offers- a selection of wool blankets and a few sheepskins, even some duvet covers. These are genuine bargains; the result of a recent annual stocktake.

We are considering an enormous re-brand this year- almost six years on and we feel established and confident enough to tackle a significant rebrand which will bring all of our products into a cohesive White Cloud Range- this will involve new packaging for almost everything and will start with an updated website. From small beginnings this has grown to be a brand with big potential and we aim to continue to specialise in New Zealand made products. New Zealand has an enviable reputation for quality and ingenuity; something we want the White Cloud range to reflect. Maybe you know of some special products that we haven't yet considered? We'd love to hear from you ....

Woolly Winter Warmth and unusual transport arrangments!

Take a moment to look at our Winter Seasonal Offer on the White Cloud website- a 15% discount on Magniwool Underblankets. A gorgeous thick warm wool underblanket is our number one top suggestion for this time of year; it warms your bed, it keeps you cosy and it cuts down on electric heating bills- all that and improved energy and wellbeing at the same time!

Running a business in a rural part of Gloucestershire was less than idyllic last week! The snow just didn't go away and then when it started to go to slush, even the ancient family Landrover was slipping and sliding... nevertheless we were very pleased that we managed to send every single Order/parcel out on time. Our exceptional Parcelforce driver, Matt, truly put duty first and managed to rendezvous with us every day, without fail.

A recent stocktake has given us an opportunity of selling at a discounted price, a limited selection of lovely warm wool blankets that have been used in photo shoots or come back from Shows/Events- a genuine chance to grab a bargain.

January 2010 - the first blog of the year

Welcome to the first blog of 2010. We aim to be much more diligent with the blog this year, it is something our customers seem to like so we will be aiming for a tone that is light hearted, informative and fun to read.

Everyone has been affected by the arctic weather- despite being up a half-mile rural private lane we didn't let the snow hamper delivery arrangements ... see the attached photo depicting our unconventional method of transporting parcels! It involved a bumpy drive to rendezvous with Parcelforce at the end of the road ...

News for 2010: We would like to do much more with the New Zealand Skincare Range- from March we will have deliveries of more stock and will be creating a new Gift Box containing a selection of lovely essential skincreams- all for £19.50. The Gift Box for Christmas proved an unexpected hit- we wrapped the parcels like "Christmas Puddings" in wool and sent out almost 80!

Also arriving in March will be Yoga Sheepskins- specially made for us in New Zealand, these are much bigger than conventional sheepskins, a denser wool and will be in the region of £75 - £85. The initial order is for 15, so if this interests you, please do let us know and we will reserve one for you.

Do take a look at our Winter Warmth Clearance Page- following the annual stocktake, this is a unique chance to grab yourself a bargain! Be quick, once sold, gone forever ...

With our very best wishes for 2010 -

Caroline