Event Diary 16-22 NOV

Library today, 9.30-11.30am. Soulla’s Saturday Morning Library.  Story and songs for children. Library books for children and adults. American Academy Junior School. €1 per child. Soulla: 99801141.

Theatre today, 4pm. Alice’s Wonderland by Little Muse Theatre. Written by Catherine Beger and directed by Torkild Lindebjerg. Theatre Scala. Admission adults €7, children €5.

Charity today, 7pm onwards. ‘They Think They Are Stars’ Extravaganza, organised by The Golden Hearts Charity in support of the Cyprus Kidney Association, Larnaca, who contribute to the Kidney Dialysis Unit of Larnaca. Laxia Palace, Protaras. Admission €10 including a meal. 99050649 / 99392258 / 99111450.

Theatre Sunday, 10.30am. Children’s (Greek) theatre ‘Bouki Boo, The Elf of the Forest’.  Performed by The Children's stage of Skala Theater, written by the educator Eleni Artemiou Photiadou and directed by Monica Meleki. Skala Theater.

Dance Sunday, 11am. Dance from around the world with ‘Rithmos’ Dance Association as part of the CTO’s ‘Musical Sundays’ programme. Seafront Stage, Phoinikoudes. Admission free

Exercise Wednesday, 10.30am – 11.15am. Mama & Me, mother and baby exercise class. Wow Action Park. €5 for the class or €8 for the class, tea/coffee and the play area. Angela: 97610998.

Talk Wednesday, 8pm-9.30pm. Pampering to Purpose - Women on the Edge of Evolution’ with Heleniq Argyrou (M.A.), organised by the Larnaca Parents Network. Zogonos Holistic Health Centre. Admission free.

Cinema Wednesday, 8pm. Le Captial, directed by Costas Gavras. Screened by the Larnaca Famagusta Cinema Society. Refreshments available to enjoy during the film. Admission €3 members, €5 non-members. 99434793

Pottery Thursday, 7pm-10pm. Women’s pottery painting evening with refreshments. Splash ‘O’ Colour. Prices dependant on item, and start from €7.50. Leoni: 99095148.

Cyprus’ natural medicine cabinet

Cyherbia educating on the benefits and uses of local herbs

With children now firmly settled back in school, Cyherbia Herb Gardens and Maze has been giving schools, scout groups and clubs the opportunity to learn about plants in a fun, experimental way through its educational visits, as well as offering advice on how herbs can help us fend off the viruses that are around the corner as winter approaches.

Cyherbia park - in the Larnaca village of Avgorou - took 10 years to create by qualified herbalist Miranda Tringis, who wanted to make products with the island’s many abundant herbs - such as lavender and thyme. As she explains, it’s her passion for herbs and their immense benefits that drove her to share this knowledge with others, and thus Cyherbia was born: “We can regain our health and stay strong and free from illnesses if we would just incorporate herbs in our everyday diet. Very often a simple herbal tea taken every day can be all it takes to heal ailments such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, menstrual problems etc. Education is paramount to get healthy and stay healthy.”

The premises consist of a landscaped herb garden (with nine themed gardens), a woodland area (with local trees and shrubs), and the island’s only maze - which totals 2000 square metres. There is also a distillation room where visitors can watch (and smell!) how plant essences are extracted, and a tearoom that offers the opportunity to enjoy a herbal tea whilst gaining advice from Miranda on what to use for natural healing. The tearoom also doubles as a shop which sells the freshly prepared herbal products such as essential oils, soaps and teas, amongst others.

Since its inception, the gardens have grown in popularity and expanded to include public visits in 2012, events, cookery workshops and the educational visits. The visits - approved by the Ministry of Education - have been running for a year now in English and Greek and Miranda is pleased with their success: “The feedback we've had from teachers and children has been very positive. For many kids it was the first time they've ever been in a maze, and they really enjoy it. It is also encouraging to see children discover that herbal tea actually tastes very nice and is good for your health, which we hope will get the new generation opting for natural, healthy drinks and foods”.

The educational programme consists of various assignments where the children are given a clipboard with worksheets and sent out to discover herbs in a hands-on way. An herbal tea break follows and thereafter the children are faced with challenges in the Sanctuary Woodland and a treasure hunt in the maze.

Miranda has also given various talks on how to use herbs medicinally, including a talk on herbs for children’s healthcare that she gave to the Larnaca Parents Network earlier this year. And with children back at school and bringing home all sorts of bugs, Miranda has some good advice on how to deal with less serious illnesses naturally: “It is important to nip a cold in the bud before it becomes an infection. Give your child herbal tea at the very onset of a cold - elder and/or chamomile for sinus colds; peppermint, ginger or ironwort for a sore throat, and add local honey to sweeten. Let your child drink as many teas a day as possible. At bedtime, put a couple of drops of eucalyptus or rosemary essential oil in a burner in the child’s room to aid easy breathing.’’

Cyherbia is open Wednesday-Friday 9.30am-1.00pm and 10.00am-3pm on weekends. Admission is €5 euros for adults, €3 for children and under-fives are free. Contact Miranda Tringis for more details on 99915443, or email: miranda@cyherbia.com.

Chocolate,Banana & Hazelnut Bread and Butter Pudding

Anyone watching the calories turn away now!!! I was looking through recipes for bread and butter pudding and found this delectable version of this classic dessert where someone decided to take it quite a few steps further, in the direction of dessert heaven!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 Brioche loaf, crusts removed and reserved, remainder into cubes (an ordinary bread loaf will do too)
50g chopped hazelnuts
200g chocolate and hazelnut spread
2 bananas, sliced
125g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
400ml whole milk
400ml whipping cream
7 eggs
75g sugar
Butter for greasing

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a large baking dish with butter.
Bake the reserved brioche crusts in the oven until golden-brown. Remove the crusts from the oven and crumble into breadcrumbs. Mix the breadcrumbs and chopped nuts together in a bowl. Set aside.
Use 50g/2oz of the chocolate and hazelnut spread to spread the reserved brioche cubes and place them into the baking dish.
Add the banana slices and chocolate and mix until well combined.
Heat the remaining chocolate and hazelnut spread, milk and cream in a saucepan, stirring continuously until well combined.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk in the cream mixture until well combined.
Pour the chocolate custard over the bread mixture and set aside for 30 minutes, pressing the bread into the custard occasionally.
Bake the pudding in the oven for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the breadcrumb mixture and bake for a further 25 minutes, or until golden-brown and the custard has just set.
Remove the pudding from the oven and set aside to stand for at least 10 minutes.

Androulla xxx

Enjoy!

LPN Monthly Competition November

Each Month we'll be giving you the opportunity to win something Special from one of our members. The competitions are open to all, and the answer will be found somewhere within our Website www.larnacaparentsnetwork.com  a great place to find out about local activities, happening events and local news…

This Month's Question: 

Sponsored by Little Muse Theatre 

Q:What Animal is Alice balancing on top of her doll ?

Special Note: Answers should be submitted with your name in the comment section below :0) Best of luck!

Answer below and get the chance to Win a Family Ticket to see Alice in December.

Winner will be announced at the End of the Month on the Website & on facebook.

The Colours of The Celestial City - Family Concert