Table of contents for 29-Mar-2018 in Chat

Dairyfine Easter Egg With Mini Chocolate Eggs, 128g, 65p, Aldi This was the cheapest of our selection and good value for money. It's perfect if you have lots of little people to buy eggs for. Cadbury Creme Egg Medium Easter Egg, 138g, £1.50, Tesco You can't go wrong with a classic. If you know someone who loves a Creme Egg, this is the one. Other variations include Mini Oreo and Freddo Faces! Single Origin Dark Chocolate Egg, 35g, £2.50, Marks & Spencer Filled with a dark chocolate ganache and decorated in gold leaf, this small but mighty egg has an intense flavour and oozes decadence. NEW Rachel's Strawberry & Marc De Champagne Yogurt, 450g, £1.99, Sainsbury's You can celebrate at any time of day with this indulgent Rachel's yogurt. Enjoy…

I had to double, triple and quadruple check! As we live in the idyllic countryside of northern Scotland, we have quiet life – but a busy one! Working seven days a week running our own business can be exhausting – so relaxation’s a priority when it comes to the evenings. We’re both totally in love with the job – in fact, my partner Peter, 69, and I thrive on it. You’ll usually find us either watching the telly or reading a good novel in the evenings. Then, back in June 2014, while I was looking online, I discovered Chat Mag Bingo. The site had lots of different games from which to choose – and not just bingo, but also slot games with exciting bonus games and huge jackpots. ‘I think…

The first time that I hated myself, I was just 7 years old. Looking in my bedroom mirror, I saw chubby thighs, a big tummy, round cheeks. I’m too fat, I wept. Like all kids, I loved sweets and chips. But, unlike my friends, I wasn’t skinny. I ached to fit in – but, trouble was, the more upset I felt, the more I ate. By the time I turned 17, I was 5ft 7in tall and weighed 11st. Hardly massive. But a lifetime of fretting about my weight had made me lose any sense of what was ‘normal’ or healthy. I just knew one thing. I want to be skinnier, I thought. So I started cutting out food, refused to eat carbohydrates. My diet was made up of high-fat…

Serves: 12Prep: 20 minsCook: 25 mins Cost perserving: 32p 1 Heat oven to 180C/Gas 4, and line a cupcake tray with 12 cases. 2 Sift 125g self-raising flour, 2tbsp cocoa powder, ½tsp baking powder and ¼tsp salt into a mixing bowl. Add 115g caster sugar, 75g Trex, 2 eggs, 3tbsp milk and ½tsp vanilla extract. Beat the mixture together for a few mins until smooth and creamy. 3 Spoon mixture into the cases, then bake for 22-25 mins, until risen and firm. Cool in the tin for a few mins, then transfer to a wire rack. 4 For the icing, beat 100g butter, 225g icing sugar and 1tbsp cocoa powder together until light and fluffy. Pipe the topping on to the cooled cakes, leaving a slight dent in the middle.…

Serves: 4Prep: 10 minsCook: 17 mins Cost perserving: 80p 1 Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7 and grease 4 ramekins with butter. 2 Cut the crusts off 4 slices white bread, flatten slightly with a rolling pin and line each ramekin with 1 slice, pushing gently into the corners. 3 Put ramekins on a baking tray, drizzle with some olive oil and bake for 5 mins, then add 10g baby spinach and 2 halved tomatoes to each ramekin. 4 Crack 1 egg on top of each, adding 10g feta, crumbled, and some freshly ground black pepper. Bake for another 12 mins or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.…

Walking down the school corridor, I spied a gaggle of girls surrounding a boy. Tranard McConnell. In 1996, Tranard was 14 and already a ladies’ man. Charismatic, charming – girls loved him. Except me. I concentrated on my studies. ‘As if I’d waste my time on him!’ I scoffed to friends. Until, in 1997, Tranard and I had class together... For the first time, he noticed me. A quiet girl, then 15, with dreams of being a lawyer, boys weren’t top of my list. But Tranard was persistent. ‘Morning, beautiful,’ he’d wink. I’d blush, butterflies fluttering in my tummy. I tried to resist, knew he was a flirt. But the more I ignored him, the more he seemed to want me. I was flattered – and, at a party a…

After 30 years and three emotional trials, Jean-Maurice Agnelet, 76, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to serve 20 years in jail. The loved ones of Agnes Le Roux finally got justice. Renee Le Roux said she was pleased with the result but that nothing could bring back Agnes. ‘It’s the end of an enigma, but that won’t bring back my daughter. Alas, I will never see her again,’ she said. Renee died a year later, at the age of 93.…

Hot flushes Q The menopause is giving me terrible hot flushes. I don't want to take drugs - is there a diet that can help? Clare, 53 A People have tried diets based on fish or plants, but there's no good, scientific evidence that they work. What might help is CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), hypnosis, losing weight if you're overweight, and stopping smoking. Red palms Q I've always had red palms and I've just read on the Internet that they're a classic sign of liver damage! Angie, 44 A Red palms can occur in pregnancy and, rarely, in conditions such as cirrhosis (severe liver damage) due to an increase in oestrogen hormone boosting the blood flow in your hand. But with no other symptoms, it's likely that this is just…

Ever since Ian and I became a couple in January 1996, I’d joked about the age difference. I was in my late 40s, Ian in his mid-30s. ‘You don’t want to end up caring for an old girl like me,’ I’d laugh. I managed a pub in London and Ian worked behind the bar. I was divorced, with four teenage kids. But Ian was my rock. He made me laugh when I was exhausted. When my youngest, Archie, now 41, flew the nest in the late 90s, we moved from London to Suffolk. We both loved painting, so in November 2007 we opened an art gallery. Life was bliss. We never married – we felt happy just the way we were. In April 2014, when I was 65, I retired.…

Andrew Barton Protect My Colour Conditioner, £5, Asda Colour-treated hair is always in need of a little TLC as the chemicals used can dry out your tresses. This uses a UV filter to protect against colour fade and argan oil to nourish. Nanogen Thickening Hair Treatment Conditioner, £8.99, Boots A must-have for fine or thinning locks, this helps speed hair growth, as well as leaving your barnet looking thicker and bouncier from the first wash. Pantene Gold Series Moisture Boost Conditioner, £4.99, Superdrug Designed specifically for Afro hair, all the products in the new Gold Series range focus on adding moisture, whether your hair is natural or relaxed. Tresemme Biotin+ Repair 7 Conditioner, £4.99, Boots Using the vitamin biotin, this conditioner works to repair damaged bonds inside each strand of…

Pics of me on holiday, selfies…Who was she kidding? When a friend request popped up on Facebook, it took me a moment to recognise who it was. Julie Wood. She was a friend of my parents. We’d met her on holiday in Alcudia, Spain, when I was 8. She was in her late 20s at the time, and a friendly, bubbly woman. After our holiday, we didn’t see Julie again. But she’d stayed in touch with Mum and Dad, sending them Christmas cards each year. Now, eight years on, in 2009, she’d added me on Facebook. ‘How nice,’ I thought, accepting her request. Days later, she sent me a message saying hello and asking about Mum and Dad. We didn’t have a lengthy conversation, just a little chat. Over the…

1 Fall for it You're spoilt for gorgeous walks in the Dales, but the loveliest is Aysgarth Falls. You'll need about an hour to take in all three tiers of the falls, starting with the Upper Falls, then walking past hazel and ash trees for a mile to reach the mighty Lower Falls. 2 Explore a secret garden Something mysterious lurks on the eastern edge of the Dales. In the eerie depths of The Forbidden Corner, surprises await at every turn in a folly-filled park. Spend hours running around like children - or with children - looking for hidden grottos and gargoyles. 3 Capture the castle For the royal treatment, visit the crumbling remains of 14th-century Bolton Castle. It's here that Mary Queen of Scots stayed for six months. Check…

The monster waddled towards the terrified teenagers… Though Kent has seen its fair share of paranormal incidents, one of the most bizarre sightings occurred on a cold, winter’s night in 1963. It was late on 19 November, and Sandling Park was shrouded in darkness. A group of four young men turned on to the lane that ran alongside the park, laughing and chatting as they made their way home. Walking along the path, recalling the night’s fun, were 17-year-old John Flaxton and 18-year-old Mervyn Hutchinson, plus two other friends. The group had just left a party and were in high spirits. But the boys’ happy mood was soon unsettled, when something strange and unearthly suddenly appeared in the sky. It was a glowing, oval-shaped object descending from the dark clouds.…

Every year, around 350 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, and 80 die of the disease - yet 54 per cent of men never check their breasts. After their own breast-cancer battles, these six men wanted to shout about it, to help save other men's lives... Don’t be embarrassed Richard Galloway, 60, from Wirral As I stepped out of the shower in September 2015, my left nipple started to hurt. I used to be a runner and it felt like just jogger's nipple. But on further inspection, I found a lump underneath it. ‘You have ductal carcinoma breast cancer,' the doctor said after doing tests. They'd found a 8mm tumour. In January 2016, I had a mastectomy. Thankfully, I didn't need any chemo or radiotherapy. I've since…

When my daughter Chloe entered the world in June 2012, the silence was deafening. ‘Is she OK?’ I panicked. Why isn’t she crying? It’d been a worrying pregnancy. From early on, doctors were concerned about the size of her abdomen. ‘It’s one of the first signs of cystic fibrosis,’ I was warned. We learned that CF is a life-limiting condition that causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It makes it difficult for sufferers to breathe, causes vulnerability to infection and there is no cure. My husband Darren, then 28, and I had been racked with worry. We didn’t know what to expect. ‘But we’ll cope,’ Darren had promised. In the end, Chloe had been born by natural birth four weeks early, at 8lb 1oz.…

My heart started hammering in my chest. Dead? Raising his cuppa, my husband Keith, then 57, made a toast. ‘Here’s to having the house to ourselves,’ he grinned, opening a box of biscuits in celebration. It was May 2016 and Elizabeth, 26, the youngest of our three kids, had just flown the nest. Her two brothers Peter, 37, and Robert, 35, had moved out already. ‘Just the two of us now, love,’ I smiled. We missed them – the place was a lot quieter without the kids. But now our whole life stretched out in front of us. Who knew what we’d do next? So exciting! With more ‘alone time’, we started going out and enjoying ourselves. Two months on, in July 2016, we went to an engagement party. Keith…

We’ve all been there. Lying on our backs in the doctor’s office, legs akimbo. I was 25 and at my first smear test. Cringe! ‘Can’t wait for this to be over,’ I thought, hating every second. As the nurse took some swabs, though, she paused. ‘That’s strange,’ she said. ‘It looks as though you have two cervixes.’ ‘Huh?’ I replied, not really paying much attention. She explained she could see two cervixes – but to be sure, I’d need an ultrasound. ‘It’s very rare,’ she added. ‘So I might be wrong.’ But she told me if I did have two, I’d likely struggle to have a baby of my own. Single, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted children yet. After the smear test, I hurriedly got dressed. I couldn’t…

I was naive, innocent... and terrified I’d be in trouble Snuggled under the duvet in my dark room, I heard the voices from downstairs. It was Dad and his mate Ian, back from the pub. It was always the same. Dad worked away during the week, laying floors. Then, at weekends, he’d be home. We’d have a family trip to town on the Saturday morning, and come the afternoon, Dad would order me and my mum Monique a cab home, while he went drinking with friends. Sometimes he’d bring one of his mates – Ian Wright – home. Let him kip on our settee. A short, stocky bloke, Ian seemed friendly enough the times I’d met him. But, at 13, I’d just shyly say hello, let the grown-ups talk. I…

Hepatitis awareness Tracy De Gietelink's story regarding hepatitis C was great reading (8 February issue). Good on Tracy for speaking out about it. I also had the virus and recovered. Like Tracy, I've never used drugs - it was passed on to me. It's important to get the message out that no matter how you caught the virus, it's relatively easy to recover, usually within 12 weeks. Jacqueline Crerar, Edinburgh WE PAY CASH Can’t lose what you don’t have… My 6-year-old grandson really made me giggle when he said he didn’t want any confidence because he might lose it! Mrs F Butcher, Suffolk Wrong rodent! My daughter saw a mouse in her house and asked her husband to set traps. The next day, a little brown mouse was caught, and…

They made it fun and distracted me from the pain My dad Kevin, now 62, leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. ‘You’ll be OK, darling, sleep tight,’ he smiled. Then he and my brother, Adam, then 9, went home, leaving my mum and me behind in Ipswich Hospital. It was May 2004, and I was only 7. But I was used to being in and out of hospital. I’d been diagnosed with congenital dislocation of the hip when I was 2. I also had juvenile arthritis, causing painful swelling in my joints. I was in the children’s department on a weekly basis for either hydrotherapy or physiotherapy. It was relentless. I was often in agony. But I looked forward to seeing the doctors and nurses. They’d turn my…

The answers to all these general knowledge questions - except one - are in the grid in various directions. To be this week's Chat Big Quiz champion, work out which answer is missing. This is your prize answer. Answers are in alphabetical order in each section. THE SILVER SCREEN – MARK 1 Which Mark is the Hollywood actor who starred in the movies Boogie Nights, The Italian Job, Planet of the Apes, Ted and Daddy’s Home? (4, 8) 2 Which Mark is the comedian and actor who played Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter movies and has recently appeared on TV in the title role of the Father Brown series? (4, 8) 3 What’s the surname of the Star Wars character Luke …, played by Mark Hamill in the original…

Arriving home, my key wasn’t in the door before my wife Leanne, 28, flung it open and excitedly handed me a flyer. ‘Look!’ she said. ‘A TV company came knocking.’ ‘Are you on benefits? Do you want a new start in life?’ I read aloud. My eyes lit up. ‘Amazing!’ I said. And they were offering a five-figure sum! ‘So where do we sign?’ I grinned. I had a great business idea, but no savings to speak of. It was June 2015. Leanne and I had been forced to quit work seven years earlier to care for our son Robert, 10, who had severe learning difficulties. Before, I’d been a qualified electrician. Now we were on benefits. We got £500 a week, lived hand to mouth, struggling to look after…

THE STORY Trust is one of the key elements of the teacher-pupil relationship. From helping with studies and day-to-day school life, through to being there if a student needs emotional support. A teacher is someone a pupil should be able to respect. And never more so than when the pupils in their charge are vulnerable. Special-needs students need support and understanding more than others. That was the job of Christina Lin Butler, 33, a teacher in Tampa, Florida. Christina joined the Tampa high school in September 2007. It wasn’t her first job, she’d previously worked as a substitute teacher. She’d even worked at an animal sanctuary in the past. Caring was in her nature. Now, her role was to teach students with mild mental-health issues. Just a month on, though,…

Aries 21 March - 20 April You’re in danger of slipping into old habits at work. You may think that what did the job before will do so now - but today’s problems need new solutions. Progress is made by going forward, not back! Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May You’ve worked on something in secret, planning to reveal it once it’s complete, by pulling back the curtain with a flourish. Great, but you hit a last-minute snag, so the curtain must stay where it is for a bit longer… Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June Imagine being in the pub with mates. They say they’re going to a club later, but you have work in the morning,…

QUIDS IN? Bit low on cash, but still want to buy a house? How about one for 90p? In a small Sardinian town, 200 houses are up for sale - all for under a £1. The small town, called Ollolai, only has 1,300 residents and the mayor is keen to increase the population. The drawback? All the houses need total renovation - which will set you back another £26,000. THE PEACOCK THAT COULDN’T FLY… A New York-based photographer was banned from taking her pet peacock on a flight from the city. Performance artist Ventiko even bought Dexter the peacock - a therapy bird - his own seat. But the bird, who helps her cope with stress and anxiety, was turned away at check-in. Instead, Dexter made the trip to Los…