What is Le Goûter...? The French art of the after school snack...

What is  'Le Goûter'?

Simply put, it's afternoon tea in France- but it's a little bit more specific that that.

To begin with, Le Goûter is a tradition for children. It's roots are in the idea of an 'after school snack' - usually taken around 4 or 4.30 pm, it's a little something to tide children over until supper (which they wouldn't normally eat until much later - 8pm maybe, with mum and dad).

Typically it's something sweet - a pastry, tart, baguette with chocolate spread (or chocolate cubes - have you ever broken up a bar of chocolate and eaten it in a bit of baguette - its delicious!) or perhaps some kind of bread and jam.

So, to celebrate and highlight the art of Le Goûter..  we're going to start a little baking series and try out some recipes with the help of a few of the Moulin Roty animals.

We'll try some classics (look out for madeleines!) and some healthy options (sugar free, oaty little treats) and we'll share our recipes on the blog ...

Bon Appetit!

Five Favourite Pancakes for Children - chosen by the Moulin Roty animals!

It's pancake day coming up so we thought we'd turn our attention to... PANCAKES!

We've asked a few of the animals to share their favourite recipes with you...

 

Jeanne Goose has selected a savoury pancake (she loves sweetcorn) .  Click here

for the recipe from Little Grazers.

 

As one of the youngest Moulin Roty creatures, the little Pachat's kitten has chosen a recipe from Annabel Karmel for  Baby's First Pancakes - recipe here.

 

Leopald bear has chosen a bear! The Recipe is here at Little Inspiration

 

Pierette the goat  likes to keep things simple and has selected a recipe with blueberries - no weighing required, just a cup! Click here for the recipe for One Cup Pancakes

 

Being rather a grand gentleman, Mr Wolf has chosen something fancy - Mini pancakes with nutella, strawberries and banana... click here for the recipe

HAPPY PANCAKE DAY 

for Tuesday 9th February!

Bonjour Zig & Zag - brand new for February 2016

Midwinter. And although some of the Moulin Roty creatures are still fast asleep in hibernation (think bears, hedgehogs...) for the rest of us it's a very exciting time of year because January sees the launch of our annual catalogue - and a brand new range of toys!

Meet Zig & Zag - a new nursery collection themed around the adventures of two little dogs, Zadig and Zao, along with their friends Zacky the sheep and Zephyr the horse.

The fabrics used are very tactile and very Moulin Roty, we’ve used predominantly a palette of vibrant greens, oranges & blues & blended these with a whole host of different fabrics & textures to create a beautiful & innovative nursery collection.

The Zig & Zag collection is launching initially with just over 30 products, to include soft toys, rattles, comforters, slippers, back packs & various musical & activity toys.

Look out for the collection hitting the shops in the UK late February / early March.  Let us know when you spot it - we'd love to know what you think.

A vibrant new Facebook page - with daily content, news and photos

2016 is seeing some exciting changes to the Moulin Roty UK social media channels. After a couple of years of quiet contemplation with a little bit of posting here and there, this year we're making some changes and getting BUSY.

The main focus for activity will be our new look look Facebook page - so please click here to head over and 'like' our page if you'd like to see a bit of Moulin Roty pop up in your timeline...

There will be lots of stories and photos to make you smile - and if you have any Moulin Roty photos you'd like to share, we would love to hear from you.

Welcoming Mademoiselle and Ribambelle...

Say bonjour to 'MADEMOISELLE & RIBAMBELLE' - a charming new nursery collection themed around ballet & dance.

This soft, elegant collection blends velvet, soft boa fur, sequinned cotton plain with flower & dotty patterns, linen, tuile & sequinned jersey fabric. Colours are pastel pink, grey and a rich steely blue.

There's a variety of lovely characters including rabbits, an otter, an owl & a mouse amongst many soft toys, rattles, comforters, slippers, musicals and activity toys.

Bonjour Les Cousins du Moulin

Say 'Bonjour' to a gorgeous new addition to the Moulin Roty family - Les Cousins du Moulin.

The Cousins are a bright and quirky range of farm animals - duck, hen, donkey, cow, sheep - and not forgetting the activity cabbage.

There are rattles, comforters, squeakers, soft toys and activity toys available - each one with a personality of its own.

The colour pallet is vibrant - purples and pinks meet lime green and and a beautiful rich 'mallard' blue.

Much of the range is now available to buy at Cottontails Baby, and here are a few images to give you a flavour of the range...

A Grand Family Easter Egg Trail

The Grand Family animals had a marvelous Easter Egg hunt over the bank holiday weekend. Obviously the whole thing was organised by Sylvain - it's very much a rabbit's job to arrange such things - and lots of the other animals had a great time hunting out the hidden eggs....

  

Sylvain rabbit - Easter Egg Trail organiser

 

Queuing to take part 

Pretty eggs were hidden all over the garden

Nini mouse thinks she spots one...

 Yes! Here it is

Jeanne goose finds another

Apolline mole unearths another

Amedee duck spots one in the pond

And Nini mouse climbs a tree to final the final egg!