At this time of year everyone is talking about foraging for fruits and picking apples to make delicious crumbles and fruit pies with their kids, and I’m all up over here making fruit liquors with the kids like mum of the year.
Here’s the thing – I’ve never had an issue with my alcohol around my children. I think as adults we can be trusted to have a bit of a tipple without getting absolutely wasted around our children, if anything to see your parents drinking in a healthy manner is a good thing in my mind. It teaches children that mummy and daddy can share a bottle of wine without taking it too far, and a healthy appreciation of a nice drink isn’t a bad thing. Adam is a wine merchant by profession, so alcohol is something that has been common place in our home, yet both of us drink a surprisingly small amount, perhaps one glass of wine a week if that.
So, back to my original point: while everyone else is making crumble, me and the children are making liquors for Christmas hampers and they think it is fabulous!
Last week we made a rather delicious rum pot that I was told about on instagram by a reader, it is insanely easy to do but come Christmas is makes the BEST syrupy liquor to drink or pour on ice cream.
The idea is that you forage for seasonal fruits as the seasons go on – strawberries in June/July, progressing through to damsons and blackberries by September/October. Every time you gather new fruit, you add it to the pot with a jolly good layer of sugar, covering the new layer completely and adding rum to top it off. The drink gets more and more syrupy as time goes on because of the sugar and fructose in the fruit… yummy!
Unfortunately, we missed most of the seasons so I confess to a little bit of cheating and we bought to product at the supermarket, but that didn’t diminish the fun Edith had layering the fruit, sugar and eventually pouring over the rum.
Here are fruits that are ideal for the rum pot:
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Cherries
- Damsons
- Sloes
- Apple (though there is some dispute over this one… I still chuck it in!)
- Cranberries
- Orange peel
- Lemon peel
- Lime peel
- Nectarines
When I think about what society deems acceptable around children, I’m always so shocked that alcohol is considered taboo or something that Mummy has to wait to drink when the kids are in bed. Personally, I think we really ought to be teaching our children about alcohol and how to be responsible with it from a young age.
H x
The rum pot sounds amazing!! I’m a bit more uncomfortable with drinking around my children but thats down to my own childhood and having alcoholics around me, I don’t ever want my kids to feel a weird or uncomfortable around drinking adults so I prefer not to. As long as everyone is behaving and not getting sloshed I’m okay with others doing it as long as I’m not around them but yeah, its just because of my past experiences!
It sounds so fun and delicious! And I completely agree with you about the alcohol part, when kids become teenagers and have seen something as “forbidden” or “tabu” all their lives they want to try it!
I definitely agree about alcohol, educating them about it is really important x
Love the sound of the rum pot – I hadn’t even heard of this before!
I have never tried rum pot before but it sounds nice, will have to make some
I agree with you that you can have a sensible drink whilst being with your kids. Nothing wrong with that 🙂
I think drinking moderately around the kids is a good way to teach them how to manage alcohol. Drinking excessively in front of them is equally as bad.
I love the positivity in this post! and really like the idea of the teaching the kids moderation and how to act in a social setting!
I agree that children should learn about social drinking and being responsible.
This is a different post. I never thought there would be an issue around this!
My parents always had the odd little tipple around me, it was never a taboo thing and I never felt like it was the forbidden fruit I think that for that reason. That said I’m now tea total because I don’t really enjoy drinking at all. x
This looks super! I think everything in moderation is key especially around children.
I have no issue whatsoever about having a drink in front of the children (I’m French, haha!). I wouldn’t get more than a glass or 2 anyway. That idea of a run tipple is great!
I like your ideas about drinking around kids – my kids see us have wine during x factor or when we’re at the pub. They know we like a drink but not in excess. It’s definitely not something we hide x
I totally agree with you. Alcohol is often so taboo around kids hence why they can’t wait to try it xx
I think it’s a great thing to show your children, drinking sensibly. If you want to drink of course.
This Rum Pot sounds amazing!
I think that if you expose the children to alcohol in early life and explain that its fine in moderation then they won’t abuse when older.
ive not heard of a rum pot before but it does sound good. i don’t see the issue with drinking around children, as long as it’s controlled and moderate.
I definitely want to try a rum pot. I also agree with you about drinking around kids, Mine would always drink at the dinner table but only glass of wine, as we aged and became teens, we had a sip or very weak shandy x
I think this is a great idea and looks easy to do. I agree that the best place for children to learn about alcohol is at home.
When I was younger, my parents didnt really drink around me or at least I never saw them drunk. I dont think it was something conscious, they just werent big drinkers. I’m actually pleased about it as an adult I dont associate drinking with having a good time like some of my friends do xxx
I was raised by an alcoholic father, so I have always taught my children the responsible side of drinking and of course they see me with the odd glass of wine I think when you make a subject taboo that’s when they are more likely to try it away from you and put themselves in danger
The rum pot sounds delicious, I need to give that a go. My dad and other family members used to drink around me and I don’t drink often at all and then not much either.
I have no problem with having a social drink around my son, I think it’s good to show things can be done in moderation.
Ooh these sound like something I should try for myself. Will be great for the festive period! xo
My parent’s always had a glass of wine with dinner when we were kids, it just taught us that you can enjoy alcohol in a social setting x