It was time for some new playdough so I asked the children what colour they would like this time.  Little Man answered “yellow,” straight away, so yellow it had to be!  It was a pretty good choice with Spring on the way (although you wouldn’t know it from how cold it’s been today!).  I added some lemon scent to it using a lemon oil based extract (specifically Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference lemon extract), rather than lemon essence.  It was only a fraction more expensive and it packs a real lemony punch.   When the children play with it, it fills the playroom with a lovely lemony aroma!  This is a cooked playdough recipe which I haven’t done in a while – it was surprisingly quick and has a really nice light texture.  I made it in a non-stick pan which I think is definitely the way to go.

To make lemon playdough, you will need:

2 cups plain flour

1 cup salt

2 heaped tablespoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups water

a few drops of yellow food colouring (how much you will need will depend on the brand and how yellow you want your playdough to be!)

a few drops of glycerine

1 tablespoon lemon extract (see note above)

To make the playdough:

Put all the ingredients except the lemon extract in a non-stick pan over a low heat.  Stir continuously until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.  Remove from the heat.

Allow the dough to cool a little, turn out of the pan and knead in the lemon oil.  Continue to knead until smooth.

And play!