Warming autumnal spices meet creamy cheesecake... what's not to love?

 A few years ago there was a Christmas bakeoff where I work and one of my colleagues brought in an insanely delicious Christmas pudding Cheesecake which is made by blending a shop bought christmas pudding into the cheescake mixture (a Tom Kerridge recipe I think).

I don't have the sweetest tooth but it was absolutely delicious and possibly one of the best things I've ever eaten! My colleague and I were discussing how yummy it was but how disappointing that it was so seasonal and ingredients would be hard to come by at other times of the year. We sat licking our plates and brainstorming what other type of cake might possibly do the job.

My friend then suggested that carrot cake might do a similar job and I declared her to officially be a genius, and the rest as they say is history!

If like me you've had moments of both these experiences and feel like you've already exhausted every downloadable worksheet, toy and activity pack under the sun then you may be in need of some new ideas to help you to keep the kids entertained through the rest of the summer.

Luckily my fabulous friend Emma, founder of Monty's Play Hub, has a wealth of experience and knowledge so I asked her if she could share some ideas here...