Wednesday 23 September 2015

autumn equinox - thermos to the rescue

the first day of autumn.

crisp blue skies, crunchy fallen leaves, conkers, apples, and blackberries.

or if you live in the North East of England it would appear that actually what you get is grey skies, Lots of rain, mist, fog, damp, wind, cold feet, and soggy socks....... (oh and spiders, so many spiders.)

also you get a rather grumpy teenager who has an extremely heavy bag and a long walk to school, and is in need of a little comfort by lunchtime.

The 6th form common room serves a variety of hot food and drinks, but the teenager can't eat the food as none of it is gluten free and despite my best efforts she doesn't like tea........

I asked her what she would actually like to have at school, and the answer was quite definitive.

Soup, or soup, or soup, or soup, or hot chocolate.

so a flask then.
we have several flasks already, but they were all proving to have something wrong with them;
too big, too small, too leaky, doesn't keep anything hot, too untrendy..........

teenagers really are quite fussy.....

anyway I think we have the solution.


thermos travel mug. this one is bright red, it hasn't leaked, it keeps the soup hot enough it's nice to drink out of (although for thick soup it's better to take the lid off and use it more like a cup than a travel cup) and because it's steel it doesn't have any glass in like the ones we used to take on picnics when we were children and then find that it had smashed on the way and there was glass Everywhere.....

on the one chance I've had to use it it kept my tea nice and warm, it fit in the cup holder of the car neatly and I didn't spill tea everywhere when I drove J to the station at a horribly early time of the morning, always a bonus! ( I didn't need to use the little hook provided on the lid for my teabag, as I always make my tea in a teapot and then pour it in, but it's cute if you like that kind of thing, and you're not sceptical of teabags with strings......)

apparently it will also keep drinks cold for 9 hours without the outside of the flask sweating, can't vouch for this yet, but should we ever go anywhere hot ever again I'll test it out.

thermos kindly provided me with this product, they have a range of designs (all BPA free) in a back to school range, designed for younger children through to university students in need off coffee to keep them awake.

oh and if you have any great soup recipes do let me know, so far there has been a lot of carrots.

27 comments:

  1. That Thermos mug looks far more inviting and far less intimidating that those school books!
    xo, Ellen.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds perfect for school, though I can't believe they don't do hot chocolate already, I think that's a clear business opportunity for your daughter she could set up a stall and make a fortune. Homemade chicken soup is always our favourite, that or tomato soup - but it has to be Heinz!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very nice. I think sending soup to school is a great idea. I make a soup for dinner about once a week with a lot leftover, deliberate lunches for my husband to take to work. He has a similar Thermos product and has been happy with it. I love soup and could eat it every day myself!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MasterM uses those Thermos mugs when he goes on safari. Apparently they are perfect for hot coffee when you get up before dawn to track leopards.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do they still do those retro tartan ones? They'd be perfect for the Bay City Rollers comeback! No, my 17 year old daughter had never heard of them either! X

    ReplyDelete
  6. Perfect for school and soup, and a nice colour. I have a few flasks which I use one is floral and one is stripped.
    Rosezeeta.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a lovely idea. I know what you mean about heavy bags, my eldest could hardly lift his this morning. A flask of something hot is always a good thing to have though isn't it. You have reminded me that it's time to start making soup again. CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. We have two of these thermos flasks - they are really wonderful and keep drinks piping hot for hours...always make coffee in them when ever we go anywhere....dont put them in the dishwasher though....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm beginning to think we might need two of them! do you find the coffee taints them so they make everything smell of coffee? I haven't tried it yet.

      Delete
  9. Now I think it a brilliant idea to take soup in one of these flasks ...

    If mushroom soup is a favourite this is a good one to make, the video is good to watch
    http://lowcarbdiabetic.forumotion.co.uk/t1572-how-to-make-a-cream-of-mushroom-soup?highlight=mushroom+soup

    I also know of a great cauliflower recipe idea here
    http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/creamy-cauliflower-soup-low-carb.html

    Hope you don't mind the links - but the recipe ideas taste good

    Happy Thursday Wishes

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for the recipes, I love mushroom soup, sadly no-one else does. Although that does of course mean more for me!

      Delete
  10. How very comforting. I used to take a flask of soup to school with me, and it was inexpressibly comforting to open it at lunchtime. I am very fussy about travel mugs/cups/flasks too, so I can understand the long search for a suitable one. X

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is not just the North East of England that has that sort of weather - the North West seems to delight in the grey skies too! We love soup in our household with our favorites being leek and potato, thick farmhouse veg, spicy tomato and roast butternut - yum yum. Think we might have to indulge ourselves this weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yum, your soups sounds delicious, perfect for your grey skies xxx I think leeky potato is one of our favourites too! I just never remember to buy leeks. waiting patiently for the tiny ones in the garden to grow a bit more, at the moment I'd need 20 of them for one pan of soup......

      Delete
  12. Soup in a flask, I can't think of anything better for these Autumn days. I have umpteen flasks hidden away in cupboards for every occasion. I can sympathise with the lack of anything gluten free to eat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. taking gluten free food with you is sometimes the only way..... x

      Delete
  13. Looks like a great thermos mug! I'd completely forgotten about the old thermos containers -- we had our share of broken ones that would rattle when we shook them LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thermos to the rescue! It looks just the thing for a teenager to take soup to school. You could buy a soup cook book to get ideas. I love leek and stilton soup - don't worry about not liking blue cheese as it just makes the soup nice and creamy. Carrot and orange is tasty too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pea soup and lentil soup are my favorite these days.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a good idea. It never occurs to me to take soup for lunch for some reason, it's always just a sandwich. That thermos is brilliant. x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh bless her - and what a brilliant idea. I love the colour by the way - my favourite.

    I know what you mean about the spiders by the way, where do they all come from?!

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's what I need. We always have soup in our picnics at this time of year and ordinary flasks don't quite do it. Trying to get the soup in in the first place is, well, interesting and usually results in most of it ending up on the work surface! Good soup recipes? Lentil made with a potato, onion and paprika, Courgette and Brie, Broccoli and Blue Cheese, Cauliflower and Horseradish, Leek and Potato, Celeriac, Mushroom with lots of Garlic and Parsley......can you tell I make lots of soup!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You can't beat soup. When we used to walk before my husbands knees fell to bits we always took soup and cold sausages. And a thermos like that is just what you need.
    My girl has taken to sixth form. This morning she got up before I stuck my head in her room. That has NEVER happened before. She was up, showered and ready before me. It's great.
    We also have spiders in the house, the cats are loving it..... I'm not as I'm the one who has to catch and remove them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ooooh lovely, I used to take soup to the library at uni. I haven't made soup in ages but it is definitely feeling like the right weather for it now x

    ReplyDelete
  21. Well you've convinced me ... I'm eating soup as I type this (split green pea) and although this hasn't been kept warm in a flask my soup often is and it's rarely hot enough when I get it.

    ReplyDelete

thanks for visiting, I love to read your comments, and I'll reply if I can see your email, or here in the comment box.