Tweet My name is Claire, and I am a control freak. I have to confess, I take on way too much, actively stop other people from helping me because I feel I should be doing it, and then get majorly stressed out by having to do it all, and wanting it all to be perfect. […]
meal planning
A Very Northern Christmas Party
Tweet Following on from my Booths Christmas preview event post, I promised to give you some of the finer details in separate posts. I thought I’d start by giving you some pointers for hosting the perfect Christmas party. The range of party food on offer from Booths, supplied by both Gazebo Foods and Frank Dale, […]
A Very Northern Family Christmas
Tweet I consider myself very lucky to live in a totally beautiful part of the country (and, indeed, of the world). Nothing beats the feeling of the fresh Cumbrian air, gently blowing across your face at the top of a Lake District fell (okay, so perhaps the bracing gale nearly whipping you off your feet […]
Plum, Blackberry and Hazelnut Loaf Cake
Tweet The second in my series of things to do with a plum glut is this fabulous Plum, Blackberry and Hazelnut Loaf Cake, which I have adapted from The Hairy Bikers’ Plum, Raspberry and Pistachio cake. To say it’s delicious is an understatement. “The Best Cake I’ve ever tasted!” – my dad (who doesn’t even like […]
Plum Glut!
Tweet We are lucky enough to have a PLUM TREE in our garden. As it was here when we bought the house, I’m not totally sure what type it is, but I think it’s a Victoria. Whichever it is, for the past couple of years it has produce huge crops of delicious plums – until then I […]
New Term Lunch Ideas – help!
Tweet What a lovely SUMMER we have had. For the most part, my boys have been very good – naturally there have been days where I could happily have given them away to the highest bidder, but I think that is only natural when you have two boys, with similar interests and close together in age. […]
Animal Welfare during British Sandwich Week
Tweet It’s British Sandwich Week this week, and during our Sunday morning ritual of all my family (me, Mr and our boys, along with my brother, my sister in law, Amanda, and their children) congregating at my parents house for bacon or sausage sandwiches, the conversation turned to the recent Halal controversy, and from there […]
BBC Good Food Show Spring
Tweet Last Summer, for my birthday, my lovely husband whisked me off to Birmingham to visit the BBC Good Food Show , and we had a fabulous time. As a subscriber to BBC Good Food magazine, I am clearly a fan of cooking and I love creating something delicious for people I love, so when I […]
Iced Rice Pudding Brulee with Smashed Blackberries
Tweet Last weekend I decided to make a little effort in the usual Friday night tea, and go for a little three course for me and Mr. I’ve seen some interesting dishes lately, usually via Great British Chefs and whilst I tend not to follow them, they do prove useful for inspiration. With this in mind, […]
Lemon Fridge Cake – A Blast From My Past Recipe
Tweet My mum used to make the most amazing dessert, Lemon Fridge Cake, from a recipe given to her by a friend. Almost mousse-like in texture, with a delicious citrus zing, and topped with whipped cream… what’s not to like? Well, sadly, it contains raw eggs, and so when the salmonella crisis erupted in the […]