The Stone Earth Pan by Ozeri review

A few months ago i was contacted by the fab homeware brand Ozeri and asked if i would like to try out one of their products! I jumped at the chance and as i absolutely Love cooking, i settled on the:
20cm (8 inch) Stone Earth Pan:

The packaging is neat and looks very professional, which i was very impressed by, as well as the fact the pan includes a Limited Lifetime Warranty!

The pan is a lovely grey in colour and the inside has a granite-look which actually matches our kitchen  worktops! It must have been meant to be..

The pan has 100% PFOA-free  stone-derived non-stick coating which is fabulous as it allows you to use less butter/oil for your cooking an therefore, allows you to make healthier choices.
It even includes a neon-green separator to stop your pan from getting scratched whilst stacked in the cupboard! Fantastic idea and a big thumbs up from me for this!

The main recipe I decided to use the pan for is the family classic - Eggy Bread!
It is quick and simple to make, a timeless breakfast dish and the tastiness all depends on the crunch of it from frying so I thought it was the perfect test of the pan's suitability for me.

Eggy bread Recipe: Serves 2
6 slices Warburtons toastie half-loaf
2 large eggs
Dash of milk
Salt & Pepper seasoning

Firstly, I prepared the pan as stated in the instructions; remove all tags & labels and clean with a soft cloth or sponge. Use a tiny amount of oil to create a thin layer on the surface of the pan and use a paper towel to wipe away excess oil.
I then testing out the pan's 'frying ability' with both butter and sunflower oil to see how each compared.

Butter:
Firstly I put it a medium sized dab of butter and allowed it to melt on a medium-high heat, it took around 30 seconds. Next I beat the eggs and added a dash of milk and seasoning into a shallow bowl big enough to enable me to dip the bread slices into. I coated each size of the bread gently by dipping it into the mixture using my fingers and then placed them into the frying pan (leaving it on the heat). It didn't begin to sizzle but I do find that butter does not always distribute evenly around the pan and has a gentler way of cooking (no spitting!). I flipped them after around 3 minutes as they had begun to brown and allowed around 3 minutes on the other side. I then proceeded to flip the bread back and forth every 10-15 seconds for around 1 minute.

Verdict:
When tasting these we found them not to be as crunchy as usually with a slight buttery taste. They were still quite soft and although cooked, not all the way through but still good enough to gobble down!

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Sunflower Oil:
I put in a small teaspoon of oil and tipped the pan to distribute it evenly and left it to stand for around 30 seconds on a medium-high heat - I used the mixture from before. When placing the pieces of bread in the pan this time it began to lightly sizzle and it was such a lovely sound! These cooked more quickly than others and only took around 1.5 minutes, I still flipped the bread back and forth for around 1 minute, gently pressing it down with a spatula to get maximum crunch!
Verdict: These tasted absolutely divine! The perfect amount of brown and crunch with a slightly soft centre and very satisfying!

After cooking and experimenting I can conclude that this pan is brilliant for my needs and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it for dished such as Eggy bread, fried sausages and hash browns. In conclusion, it seems to be the perfect breakfast pan! I did try it out for omelettes and pancakes but found it a little heavy for the flipping and also better when using an oil base, so I personally would still to this pan for general frying and lightly cooked foods.
I Love the pan and it gets an outing from the cupboard atleast twice a week, the design is gorgeous and it looks so much more expensive than it is at only £24.99 on AmazonUK!
It also comes in other sizes; 26cm & 30cm versions.

• Durable Scratch-Resistant Stone-Derived Coating
• Comfortable Silicone Handle
• Completely Eco-Friendly
• Easy To Clean

The above are the claims on the front of the box and I conclude all of them to be true!

It is scratch resistant so far and I have used it around 10 times. The handle gives you good grip making the pan easy to lift and is very comfortable in your hands. The Eco-friendly bit is my favourite part and it definitely looks as if it is and the quality also contributes to this claim! It has been very easy to clean by simply rinsing it with warm water and wiping dry with a soft tea-towel of paper-towel. It is a fantastic product that I think should be a part of everyone's kitchen!

Thankyou so much to the people at Ozeri that allowed me to try out this product!

*this product was gifted to me through a company and no payment was received for this post. All opinions are my own

Sandwell Valley Country Park

Living in the city of Tipton, you wouldn't expect there to be much to do when the weather and you fancy going for a day out.. but in actual fact, there is quite a lot to keep you occupied!

One of our favourite places to go is Sandwell Valley, near the city-centre of West Bromwich. We usually opt for walking but there is a car park and also a bus stop very near the entrance.

Our first stop is always the duck pond! There is a small corner shop opposite the entrance where you can buy a loaf of bread ( I always opt for a Kingsmill white) and we head to see all the lovely duckies who flock towards the feeding platform to enjoy the food we bring. We were lucky enough to see some little ducklings last week too!

There is a large children's play park down a slope to the right of the main path and they have created one for smaller children/toddlers to the left so there is something for all ages.

They also now have a Go-Ape style adventure climbing attraction for children that is well worth taking a look at!

Next we opted for the Farm, Activity centre and Gardens but for this you will need to pay a small fee of £2 per adult. In the cafe inside, do the nicest cake I think I have Ever tasted and a bargain at £2.50 for a large slice and a coffee! The mister had a Bacon & Sausage sandwich & coffee and the total for both of us was only around £6.50. Absolutely bargain.

We saw so many lovely animals in the farmyard.. They had beautiful donkeys and baby piglets as well as chickens, ducks, rabbits and ponies. It looks so brilliant to take children to but as we're not entirely grown up yet we absolutely loved it.

We found a hedge-maze too which I don't think i've done one of since i was around 5 years old, so we had great fun making our way through that and as per, the mister decided to jump out and scare me.. Boo! Surrounding this are beautiful gardens filled with both flowers and plants. They actually grow a large number of salad, vegetables and fruit which they sell at the shop there so it looks excellent for fresh product and at great prices too - i'll definitely be keeping them in mind for the future. I was fascinated to find out they grew Bananas and Melons in heated greenhouses - i'm desperate to try one!

Back outside in the main park there was actually a school sports day going on for their last day of term but that is a rare occasion! There is a large patch of grass once you walk down the steps to the bottom section which is the perfect picnic spot and for taking footballs, a frisbee and other outdoor toys. There is a nature trail which leads out of the park and eventually to a little pond named 'Sot's Hole' and then again, eventually to a RSPB sanctuary but we decided to leave that for another day due to the 27 degree heat. It does look a  beautiful walk though and you pass fields with horses in which always come over to say 'Hello!'.

 

There are other activities for teenagers and adults too such as Mini Golf which is a favourite! 9 holes of fun for only £1.75 per person! It was nearly empty the day we chose to go so we spent around an hour 'perfecting our skills'. Next to that is a Tennis/Sports court where you can hire rackets/play tennis with your own gear and it can also be used for football. Lastly there is a Pitch 'N' Putt course which costs a respectable £4.50 per person (you can bring your own clubs if you wish) but if not it will cost £1 per person to hire them out plus a £5 deposit which you get back on return of the clubs. But still fab for the guys to have some 'man time'!

Overall it is just such a fabulous place to spend a day. There are acres of beautiful scenery and you don't even have to spend any money if you don't want to as it is free to get in. Just ensure you take a drink with you! There is always an ice cream van on site for your sweet fix too ladies! It is perfect for both couples and families of all ages with a wide variety of activities, lovely eating facilities and a friendly atmosphere.

Angie.x