Visit the Cork farm with five acres filled with 100,000 sunflowers

Chill out by pre-making healthy and tasty freezer meals — loads of recipes and tips in this new Make & Freeze book

Aoife Lucey and Aoibhinn Matthews having fun in the blooming sunflowers at Joe’s Farm in Killeagh, East Cork, which opens this weekend for sunflower picking. East Cork based Joe’s Farm Crisps are hosting sunflower picking on specific days throughout July and August in aid of the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland. Picture: Dan Linehan

Dinnertime can be frantic for families, as exhausted parents rush to get food on the table for hungry children. Imagine the difference it would make if there were meals ready and waiting in the freezer.

Make & Freeze is a new cookbook by Lou Robbie, a Galway-based professional cook and mother of two, whose family-friendly recipes have helped her build a following of 913,000 people on Instagram.

Make & Freeze

The book contains more than 100 recipes designed to be made in advance and stored in the freezer for those days when there isn’t the time or energy to make food from scratch.

You’ll find breakfast dishes like school morning pancakes, lunchbox options including blueberry and ricotta muffins, and dinners such as chickpea and squash curry, as well as ideas for snacks, tips on how to use your freezer best, and handy meal plans.

• Make & Freeze is available from €17.99

Baby Boo hooded towel

Swaddle with care

This organic cotton hooded towel from babyboo.ie is perfect for swaddling your little one after they get out of the bath or swimming pool.

Made from 100% certified organic cotton, the towel is soft, thick, and super absorbent.

The hood ensures that babies retain body heat after coming out of the water.

It costs €30 or €40 — if you want it to be embroidered with the baby’s name.

It comes in white, navy blue, grey, or lemon yellow, and can be ordered directly from babyboo.ie

Summer savings

Boots’ Parenting Club is offering significant savings to parents and parents-to-be this summer. 

From now until August 12, members can avail of 20% off selected baby products and earn eight points for every €1 they spend. These points can then be used to make further savings on future purchases.

Cheaper prices aren’t the only perk offered to members of Boots’ Parenting Club. They also gain access to special promotions and member-only events, receive a weekly email containing advice tailored to their child’s developmental stage, and enjoy free gifts at key milestones in their child’s life.

• Visit boots.ie/parenting-club or inquire at your nearest Boots store.

Dreamer Sylvia Leahy with her bear Beryl at Spraoi Studios, Waterford City. Picture: Patrick Browne

Spraoi in the streets

Seeking free entertainment for all the family this August bank holiday weekend? Look no further than Waterford City, which will host its annual Spraoi International Street Arts Festival.

Taking place from August 1- 3, Spraoi will transform the city into a giant stage, where artists from around the world will perform in over 130 events.

They will include the likes of the acrobatic Cikada Circus, the Teenage Kicks concert showcasing young local musicians, and a puppet show about a giant baby and the two nannies who try to stop him from misbehaving.

The Spraoi parade, which takes place at dusk on Sunday, is the climax of the weekend and one of the festival’s unmissable events. It will feature 200 costumed performers, floats, music, lights, and special effects, followed by a fireworks extravaganza in the skies above Waterford.

• Visit spraoi.com for the full lineup.

Farmyard flowers

Farmer Joe Burns is inviting families to visit his farm in Killeagh, East Cork, to pick sunflowers this summer. He has planted five acres with more than 100,000 flowers, and they are now in full bloom.

Upon arrival at the farm, you will be greeted by Joe, who will guide you through the fields, helping you select your flowers. He will also point out the farm’s various walking trails, Instagram-worthy photo opportunities, and on-site cafe and shop.

The cost is €30 per carload of people, which includes one bunch of sunflowers. No booking is required.

All you have to do is show up on the days and times the farm is open.

These vary, but are advertised a week in advance on Joe’s Farm Crisps’s Instagram page.