Tweet It’s been a while since I did anything useful and crafty – mostly it’s just been for pleasure, or as silly gifts. All lovely, but nothing especially noteworthy. But while dreaming of new placemats to adorn my table for Christmas dinner, and feeling sentimental about the thought of throwing away my rather tired-looking 13 […]
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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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]
Baked Ham And Eggs for Breakfast Week
Tweet Always one to make an excuse for an extra breakfast meal, I’m enjoying Farmhouse Breakfast Week by having cooked breakfast food for lunch (mornings tend to be more of a crumpet and tea occasion, which is just fine by me). Today I opted for a lovely baked eggs dish, with toasted bagels, and to […]
Sourdough Loaf with Chilli Smoked Mackerel Niçoise with Soft Boiled Eggs
Tweet According to My Diary, today is Experimental Cooking Day, and as I am a good girl, I am doing as I am told. After some deliberation, I decided that today should be the day when I experiment with the sourdough starter that I have had on the go. I only started it on Saturday, […]
Cheese Pikelets
Tweet Last week I attempted crumpets. They were less of a success than my English muffins, and a very poor imitation of the creme de la creme of crumpets, which are, of course, those made by Warburtons. (I did mention this to Warburtons on Twitter, and was thrilled to receive a personalised pack of crumpets […]
Easy Overnight Breadmaker Muffins
Tweet I love muffins. They are quite probably my favourite bread-based product – especially toasted on my folks’ wood burning stove. I have made them before (successfully, too!) but let’s be honest, making anything bread-based for breakfast is a bit of a faff, and I don’t like the idea of getting up at 4am so […]