Remember, remember the fifth of November...

"Remember, remember the fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason, why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot."

I vividly remember writing these verses, as handwriting practice, when I was a child and learning all about Guy Fawkes, who plotted to blow up the English Parliament of his day, and was put to death, as a result. 

One year, my brother and I made a lopsided 'Guy' but of course, the only thing I used to really think about on November the fifth was not so much Guy Fawkes, his religion, politics or Gunpowder Plot, but fireworks! 

The fun of fireworks in the back garden!

'Bonfire Night' was one of the highlights of my childhood! I loved the lighting of the bonfire and the makeshift fireworks display that my Dad would fire off in the back garden. Of course they didn't always work properly, but there was still something magical about them.

It being chilly, in November, in this little part of the globe, winter warmers were required, both during and after our little displays.

Tomato soup was a family favourite, along with hot dogs. 

These days, the politics behind the Gunpowder Plot are largely forgotten and my tastes have, shall we say... (ahem) matured! Mulled wine would go down very nicely, but as I am still breastfeeding, I'll be giving that one a miss. 

So, I think that this year, I'll be looking at sampling some of the following:

Well, soup is still an option!

Soup of the month - hope it sticks around!

I love tomato, but these days I also love butternut soup. Being no Nigella, I'm reluctant to make my own, but often find that many soups are made with wheat or cream or are canned (I avoid canned food, due to the rash it causes on my face). Recently however, I tracked down this soup, by Covent Garden, which I think will hit all the right buttons for me.

Failing that, this Morrocan Tagine, by Clive's Pies, would be a delicious and hearty alternative. The gentle spices in this tagine, are just right for warming one up, on a cold autumnal night.

A hearty alternative to soup.

Bangers are still definitely an option too!

These days, I love The Black Farmer's sausages, or even The Black Farmer's Daughters. They are gluten and dairy free and taste great! They're not soya free, but don't seem to affect me, for some reason. I also love Rankin's, but those are soya free. Other sausages I like are by Jamie, Jimmy's farm and Debbie and Andrew - all available at major supermarkets.

Black Farmer's are yummy!

As for a gluten and a dairy free bread roll, to go with my banger, Warburton's work for me - all be they a little bit on the dry and crumbly side!

Should I opt for a burger, Laverstock Park Farm make some gorgeous organic Buffalo burgers! These will be sandwiched neatly, within an Antoinette Saville gluten free bread roll. Both of these products can be obtained from Waitrose. 

For a side, I would love some sweet potato fries. Even I can bake these!

An ideal dessert would be a lovely baked apple, made with dairy free margarine, rather than butter and packed with a few dates. These would be great accompanied by a splodge of custard - made with coconut milk, Bird's custard powder and a generous helping of golden syrup! Either that, or some Bessant and Drury dairy free vanilla ice cream.

Topping off the evening for me, would be a mug of hot chocolate! My current fave is made with hazelnut milk, that' been heated, then mixed with Green and Black's cocoa powder and half a teaspoon of sugar. If I can get hold, of it a splurt of Soyatoo 'cream,' on the top, would really help it go down nicely. Failing that, a few gluten free marshmallows might do the trick!

One for Baby and one for me!

Now that's my ideal menu, but since The Hub and Baby have very different tastes to mine, I'll probably just end up with a few bangers and some hot chocolate! 

Now let's just hope Baby enjoys the fireworks too!

What about you? What food will you be having?

Of course whatever you do, stay safe (see below)!! If you'd like to see the animated version of this guide please visit Bonfire-Night-Safety.co.uk.If you'd like a free printable version of this cheat sheet to use as a teaching aid, visit the child development resource PDF