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The 50 Books Every Child Should Read By Age 16

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top children's books, top children book characters, top children's books, best, children's, books, readingFor World Book Day we have the Top 50 books every child should read. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has topped the list of 50 books which every child should read by the age of 16.

The study of 2,000 reading enthusiasts was created to determine the ultimate list of the top 50 books that should be on every child’s reading list, encouraging bedtime reading for British families.

The research, commissioned by Sainsbury’s to celebrate World Book Day, found C.S. Lewis’ adventures in Narnia are no less thrilling today – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe finished third in the list of 50 books, while Winnie the Pooh and Black Beauty rounded off the top five.

The research also surveyed parents of children aged under 16 and found a good story really is timeless, results showed – six in ten parents still like to read stories to their children that their own parents once read to them as a little one.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that 72 per cent of parents said bedtime reading is one of the most key bonding experiences with their child.

Tony Robinson, actor, comedian and author, who worked with Sainsbury’s on the campaign, added: “The response from parents and the lengths they go to in bringing these stories to their children as vividly as possible is amazing.

“It shows that the power of make believe is so important in the development of a child and a key role in parents bonding with their young ones.”

To celebrate the nation’s week of reading, Sainsbury’s is encouraging children to read more by exploring the world of books and dress up as their favourite fictional characters. Sainsburys.co.uk will be hosting in-store ‘Make Believe’ events nationwide, to support the nation’s reading week complete with reading corners and activities to encourage children to read more and inspire parents to get involved.

 

The 50 Books Every Child Should Read By Age 16

1. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl
2. Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll
3.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis
4.Winnie-the-Pooh – A. A. Milne
5. Black Beauty- Anna Sewell
6.James and The Giant Peach- Roald Dahl
7.The BFG-Roald Dahl
8. A Bear Called Paddington- Michael Bond
9. Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
12. Matilda- Roald Dahl
13. The Railway – E. Nesbit
14. Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens
15.Five on a Treasure Island- Enid Blyton
16.The Wind in the Willows- Kenneth Grahame
17. The Very Hungry Caterpillar- Eric Carle
18. The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
19. Charlotte’s Web- EB White
20. The Tale of Peter Rabbit- Beatrix Potter
21. Watership Down- Richard Adams
22.The Hobbit -J.R.Tolken
23.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling
24.Lord of the Flies- William Golding
25.The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ Sue Townsend
26. Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
27.The Cat in the Hat- Dr Seuss
28. The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson-Burnett
29.The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank
30. The Twits – Roald Dahl
31. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz- L. Frank Baum
32. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
33. Anne of Green Gables- L.M.Montgomery
34.The Tiger Who Came to Tea- Judith Kerr
35.Green Eggs and Ham: Green Back Book – Dr Seuss
36.The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
37. Bambi- Felix Selten
38.Tom’s Midnight Garden- Phillipa Pearce
39.Little House on the Prairie- Laura Ingalls Wilder
40.Funny Bones- Janet and Allan Ahlberg
41. Where The Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak
42.Carrie’s War- Nina Bawden
43.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
44.The Magician’s Nephew- C.S. Lewis
45. The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman
46. The Story of Doctor Dolittle- Hugh Lofting
47.The Story of Tracy Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson
48.The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
49.Curious George- H.A.Ray
50.Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

 

Top 20 Best-Loved Children Book Characters

1. Paddington Bear

2. Winnie the Pooh

3. The Hungry Caterpillar

4. Postman Pat

5. Thomas the Tank Engine

6. The Gruffalo

7. Harry Potter

8. Cinderella

9. Mr Men

10. Peter Rabbit

11. Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

12. Peter Pan

13. The BFG

14. Alice in Wonderland

15. Noddy

16. Willy Wonka

17. Matilda

18. Mog the Cat

19. Toad from Wind in the Willows

20. Pinocchio

 

 

Sainsbury’s Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Champagne Review

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We have been reviewing a lot of champagne here at Frost Magazine. It is a pretty awesome job made even better when you get a bottle of really good stuff to review. Enter Sainsbury’s Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Champagne. A crisp, dry, delicious, delicate and floral champagne made solely from the chardonnay grape. It comes from family producer Duval-Leroy. It is an excellent champagne, with good breadth, freshness and a dry finish. It is also very well balanced. 

 

Sainsbury's Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV review

 

This bottle may be Sainsbury’s own brand but it is just as good as the expensive brands. Really stunning.

 

All champagne comes from the champagne region in France because it creates the best sparkling wines in the world. It is blessed with a unique combinations of conditions. If it comes from somewhere else, it isn’t champagne. Prosecco comes from Italy, Cava from Spain. You probably already knew that, but worth noting.

 

£22.50 from Sainsbury’s.

 

Put Fairtrade First: Great Products With A Clear Conscience

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We have tried a range of Fairtrade products from Sainsbury’s and brought you a selection. Their fairtrade chocolate is amazing and the English Breakfast tea is a personal favourite of Frost editor, Catherine. Get your hands on some of the selection below.

This Fairtrade Fortnight (24th February – 9th March), enjoy a selection of treats and everyday essentials from Sainsbury’s, the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade products. With over 800 Fairtrade products now available in store, £1 in every £4 spent on Fairtrade in the UK is spent in Sainsbury’s.

As part of Sainsbury’s commitment to Fairtrade, all of its bananas, sugar, own label tea, ground and roast coffee and Taste the Difference South African wines are Fairtrade certified, more than any other major UK supermarket. Sainsbury’s is committed to ensuring farmers get a fair price for what they grow and can invest in communities in developing countries such as Kenya or Columbia.

 

Everyday essentials

Sainsbury’s Fairtrade loose Bananas 

 

fairtrade bananas

 £0.68/kg  Sainsbury’s was the first major supermarket to sell 100% Fairtrade bananas back in 2007, and nowadays sells an incredible 650 million Fairtrade bananas a year – that’s 1,200 every minute. Sainsbury’s Fairtrade bananas are sourced from farmers in Central and South America, the Caribbean and West Africa where Fairtrade premiums are crucial to many smallholders.

Great bananas to eat with a clear conscious.

 
Taste the Difference English Breakfast Teafairtrade english breakfast tea £2.14/ 80 tea bags Britons drink around 165 million cups of tea a day, so it’s refreshing to know that your everyday cuppa is supporting the communities in which it was grown. This Fairtrade tea is made from selected leaves from India, Rwanda and Tanzania. Sainsbury’s is the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade products and all its own-label teas are now Fairtrade – including speciality teas. 

 A personal favourite of Frost editor, Catherine

 
by Sainsbury’s Original House Blend Coffee
 

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£2.29/227g 		All Sainsbury’s own label roast and ground coffee has been 100% Fairtrade since 2009. Sainsbury’s coffee is sourced from across Africa and South America where Fairtrade premiums are now benefiting thousands of farmers, their families and communities in these countries every year.

 

Great coffee.

 

Tasty treats

Taste the Difference Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc 2013

fairtrade wine

 £6.99/75cl 

 

 

 

 100% of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference South African wine is now Fairtrade, and this fantastic zesty wine was awarded a silver trophy at the prestigious IWC awards in 2013. 

This elegantly balanced wine is made with exceptional care to preserve the flavours of crisp lemon and lime, green pepper, gooseberry and tropical fruit notes. It’s made for Sainsbury’s at the famous Boekenhoutskloof Winery, which dates back to 1776, from carefully selected grapes harvested from the best vineyards in Malmesbury, Wellington, Robertson and Franschhoek. The fresh and intensely fruity flavours are particularly good with lightly spiced dishes.

 

A brilliant wine.
 Taste the Difference Belgian Fairtrade Milk Chocolate

fairtrade chocolate

  £1.40/100g Sainsbury’s offers a great range of Fairtrade Taste the Difference chocolate, helping to improve the livelihoods of thousands of cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and the Dominican Republic.

Made for Sainsbury’s in Belgium, this luxurious milk chocolate is smooth and creamy without being too sweet, and melts in the mouth with a delicious caramel flavour.

 

 

Enjoy Sainsbury’s fairtrade products on their own, or try making these Fairtrade Banoffee Tarts at home

 

Banoffee Tarts Recipe

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A crisp pastry base filled with smooth, sweet caramel, and topped with bananas and cream…Naughty but so nice.

Serves 10

Preparation 40 minutes

Cooking 20 minutes, plus 45 minutes chilling time

Ready 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

180g Sainsbury’s British plain flour

120g unsalted English butter by Sainsbury’s, cold from the fridge, cubed

3 tablespoons Sainsbury’s Fairtrade caster sugar

1 medium British free-range Woodland egg yolk by Sainsbury’s, mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

75g smooth dark chocolate by Sainsbury’s, melted

½ x 397g tin Carnation caramel

2 small Fairtrade bananas by Sainsbury’s, sliced

200ml fresh British double cream by Sainsbury’s

¼ teaspoon Fairtrade ground cinnamon by Sainsbury’s

2 teaspoons Sainsbury’s cocoa powder

 

Method

1.       Sift the flour into a large bowl. Lightly rub in the butter with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then the egg yolk and water mixture, and use a round-bladed knife to bring everything together.

2.       Use your hands to form a dough, handling it as little as possible. (Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor to save time.) Wrap the dough in cling film, then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

3.       Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C fan, gas 6. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 0.5cm, then cut into 6 pieces. Line 6 individual 10.5cm tart tins with the pastry and chill in the fridge again for 20 minutes.

4.       Line the pastry cases with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake ‘blind’ for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 2 minutes, or until golden.

5.       Pour or brush the melted chocolate around the inside of the tart cases and allow it to harden for 5 minutes in the fridge. Divide the caramel evenly into the pastry cases and top with the banana slices. Whisk the double cream until it forms stiff peaks, then spoon on top of the tarts. Dust with the cinnamon and cocoa powder and serve.

 

Cook’s tip:

This is delicious served with half-fat crème fraîche by Sainsbury’s.

 

Frost’s Top 10 Brands to Trust for a Stress Free Christmas

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Christmas is a stressful time of year. We’ve all had a Christmas where it ended in tears because the food wasn’t right or a present broke right out of the box. Unfortunately most companies can’t be relied upon. Revenues and profits are the main consideration. After the sale has been made most brands will consider the relationship with the customer over. But there is a small minority of companies who buck this trend and put the customer experience above all else. Brands which can be relied upon at this important time of year. So here is Frosts independent guide to the brands we believe can be trusted for a stress free Christmas

ipadmini

Top Electronic Brand – Apple

No one was ever disappointed to get any Apple product for a present. You can also almost guarantee it will work right out of the box with minimal stress and frustration and provide an amazing Christmas experience. If on the off chance something does go wrong, Apple is excellent at sorting out any problems you have. The company prides itself on the ‘user experience’ and this definitely comes across. The company’s products are always a joy to use. Of course the downside is the cost which can be exorbitant. However this year you can get an iPad mini for £219 from John Lewis (another one of our top ten brands) http://www.johnlewis.com/electricals/ipad-tablet-pcs/apple-ipad-mini/ipad-mini/c8000030510

It’s an incredible product and experience but the mini is still by no means cheap. For a cheaper alternative why not try these amazing Bluetooth headphones we reviewed earlier this year. https://www.frostmagazine.com/2013/10/groovez-bths800-bluetooth-headphones-by-stk/

photo 2 (2)

Available from Amazon for £36.71

Top Online Shopping Brand – Amazon

The online shopping giant has always been reliable and easy to use. Although its not as relatively cheap to the highstreet and other online competitors as it was a few years ago, it’s still unbeaten for choice and reliability.Amazon has always prided its users and has always put there experience before profits. In fact the company still barely makes a profit despite turning over hundreds of billions of dollars every year. If you buy from Amazon you can be fairly sure your items will arrive quickly and as described. And if by any chance anything does go wrong in our experience Amazon has always issued a refund. This is definitely a company which takes some of the stress out of Christmas. In second place is notonthehighstreet.com which offers products from small boutique companies. There’s a really nice feel to the website and it can be a great place to find a personal gift at a reasonable price.

Also check out shuffle hub a great new way to shop online. Shuffle Hub scans major websites and randomly shows you a small selection of products. If you don’t like what you see you can just hit the shuffle button. You can filter it by gender, cost, item type etc Definitely worth a look. We love it.

sainsburys

Top Supermarket – Sainsbury’s

Of the major supermarkets Sainsbury’s is the one we are trusting with our Christmas this year. The supermarket has been getting better and better recently. The produce and suppliers can be trusted and the food in our experience is of better quality than most peers.

The experience in the stores is warm and even the infernal self scanners are better than in most competitors. The staff are all friendly and seem to be enjoying their jobs. By contrast I think Tesco has really taken its eye off the ball recently. Both price and quality are not as good as they once were and shopping in the store is stressful. A close second in the top supermarket department is Morrisons who offer some great Christmas produce. https://www.frostmagazine.com/2012/11/morrisons-christmas-showcase-event-what-food-to-buy-for-christmas/

Top Highstreet Retailer – John Lewis

John Lewis is as reliable as they come. The company has always put a tremendous focus on looking after customers. Shopping in the stores has always been easy and there are loads of good ideas for Christmas presents. On some items you will pay more but if your clever you can often avoid this. Remember John Lewis has a policy of never knowingly being undersold. It’s worth using for the same items you might have bought from another store anyway (like the iPad mini above) because of the great customer after care.

pandora2Top Jeweler – Pandora

We’ve visited Pandora’s new flag ship store on Oxford Street and it was a great experience. The company is best known for its charm bracelets. You buy a bracelet and then add to it throughout the year on memorable occasions. It’s a great present to give wives and girlfriends. It’s personal, its jewelry and its fun. Better still it takes the stress out of buying presents in the future since you can just keep adding more charms. The company has a great range of products which it is constantly updating and prices vary. The products are well made and in our experience can be trusted.

Top Chocolate – Divine

Chocolate is an important indulgence at Christmas. Ditch the multi national brands and go for Divine chocolate. In our opinion there chocolate is more intense and simply better than the majority of their rivals. They offer a big range of products from hot chocolate to mini thins. All tastes great.

winahamper

Top Drink – Disaronno

We at Frost can’t get enough of this delicious Amaretto. We love it and in our experience there aren’t many who don’t. Definitely worth having some around for Christmas. Here’s our Disaronno cocktail guide.

https://www.frostmagazine.com/2013/04/disaronno-cocktail-recipes-and-drink-review/

Top Whiskey – Chivas Regal

We have been given our fair share of Chivas over the years, their 21 Year Old Royal Salute being a particular favourite.

Top Clothing Brand – Burberry

They are as far way from the tarnishing of their image when their unique and patented (though possibly not for long) plaid became synonymous with chavs  and every market stall was selling a knocked-off version than it is possible to be. In the past few years they have had the best of Britain fronting their ad campaigns and their clothes have left all negative stereotypes behind. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Burberry rises again and become our top clothing brand of the year, Sienna Miller fronts their ‘kisses’ marketing activity for Autumn/Winter with fiancee/baby daddy Tom Sturridge.

Top TV Shopping – QVC

QVC has to win for this. They have grown enormously in the past few years and now everyone has got in on the act. They even have top designers and personalities designing for them. Giles Deacon recently did a jewelery range for them and they sell the most beautiful Lulu Guinness bags. You can also buy everything you want from QVC on their excellent website. From beauty products, home decor and fashion: QVC has it all.

 

BBC Dragons’ Den star Kirsty Henshaw takes on the UKs top selling ready meals

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BBC Dragons’ Den star Kirsty Henshaw takes on the UKs top selling ready meals with a new range launching in Sainsbury’s, July 2012

Working mum Kirsty Henshaw, 26, shot to fame when her allergen-free dessert range – inspired by her food intolerant son, Jake – won over Dragons’ Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne in 2010.

Today, Kirsty is taking on the UKs top selling ready meals, introducing her range of healthier, irresistibly delicious and naturally nutritious chilled everyday meals.

The new range is super-charged with goodness; each meal is lovingly made up of nutrient-rich ingredients such as quinoa, aduki beans, brown rice and lentils to help you live life to the full.

Kirsty has created natural food swaps to provide healthier alternatives, and uses brown rice instead of white and sweet potato instead of white potato mash. Sugar has been replaced with natural Agave syrup for fewer calories. The meals are also free from wheat, dairy, lactose and nuts so they are suitable for everyone.

Kirsty adds: “A lot of ready meals on the market appear healthy however they are often packed with high levels of saturated fat, sugar or artificial flavours.”

“This new range is about providing people with something that is genuinely healthy as an alternative, and most importantly the meals taste fabulous!”

The meals have a low ‘green light’ for saturated fat and sugar content and have been designed to give a happy balance between salt levels and taste, they use natural sea salt and will at most register an ‘amber light’. At least one portion of your five day is provided for and the meals are low in calories (ranging from 276 to 420 for a Chicken Tikka Masala).

Kirsty’s chilled everyday meals will be available to purchase at Sainsbury’s nationwide from July 2012; the range includes:

ü Moroccan Vegetables with Brown Rice and Quinoa

ü Sausage with Onion Gravy and Carrot, Sweet Potato & Potato Mash

ü Chicken Tikka Masala with Brown Rice

ü Cottage Pie with British Beef mince and topped with Sweet Potato, Carrot & Potato Mash

The kirstys.co.uk website, which Kirsty has designed with her father, Darren a nutritionist and homeopath who runs health shop Aphrodite in Penwortham Lancs.

X Factor’s Louis Walsh Joins Humane Society International Campaign To End Animal Testing

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X Factor’s Louis Walsh Joins Humane Society International Campaign To End Animal Testing for Cosmetics

Star adds name to charity’s 142,000-strong petition

X Factor judge and music manager Louis Walsh is the latest celebrity to speak out against testing cosmetics on animals as part of Humane Society International’s star-studded CrueltyFree2013 campaign.

Louis joins stars such as Leona Lewis, Sir Roger Moore, Ke$ha, Ricky Gervais, Melanie C, Dame Judi Dench and Mary McCartney in signing HSI’s petition to ban the sale of animal-tested cosmetics in Europe. More than 142,000 consumers have also signed the petition. With a ban in place, any cosmetics tested on animals after 2013 would be banned from EU shop shelves.

Louis Walsh said:

“Animal testing is the ugly face of the beauty industry and I want it to stop, now! Animals deserve our respect and compassion, and as they can’t speak up for themselves I’m speaking up for them by signing Humane Society International’s CrueltyFree2013 petition for an end to animal-tested cosmetics. Let’s take the cruelty out of beauty.”

Animal testing for cosmetics is banned across the UK and European Union, but ingredients can still be tested on animals in other countries such as Brazil, China, Canada and the United States and then sold in EU shops. Animals can have chemicals forced down their throat, dripped in their eyes and applied to their skin. Sometimes pregnant females and their unborn babies are exposed to cosmetic chemicals.

A ban on selling these animal-tested cosmetics is due to come into force in March 2013 and would act as a major financial incentive for companies to kick their animal testing habit. However, the European Commission is now considering a proposal that would give cosmetic companies a loophole to continue profiting from animal suffering.

Troy Seidle, director of research & toxicology for HSI/Europe, said:

“It is shameful that in laboratories around the world animals are still suffering to produce new lipsticks and face creams sold in Europe’s shops. So we’re delighted that Louis Walsh has joined Humane Society International in calling for an end to the cruelty. Caring consumers have waited long enough, they want shop shelves to be cruelty-free by 2013 so it’s time for EU policy-makers to honour their pledge.”

HSI supports the international Leaping Bunny cruelty-free standard. Companies that carry the Leaping Bunny logo are subject to independent audits to guarantee no animal testing, and include Urban Decay, Montagne Jeunesse, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and the Co-operative. To shop cruelty-free, download our Leaping Bunny Compassionate Shopping Guide<http://www.leapingbunny.org/images/globalguide.pdf>.

To join Louis and sign the CrueltyFree2013 petition, go to

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