Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas Gingerbread

Gingerbread House

I do love Christmas traditions.  I am also partial to a bit of kitsch and childish glee. Ticking all those boxes is the gingerbread house and gingerbread cookies for the tree I made this week.  The rustic charm of the house is due in no small part to a few subsidence problems due to my royal icing not setting quickly enough and my gingerbread being a bit wonky – but hey, curlywurlys came into their own as a roof ridge and hiding the gap where the top of the roof didn’t meet properly and jam jars make wonderful scaffolding till all is firm enough to hold its own. Start another Christmas tradition by having a mulled wine whilst you wait then your gingerbread roof will all seem a lot straighter!  Continue reading →

Turkey Stock

Stock ready for fridge

Another year gone and a new start to 2017.  All those resolutions to make.  I bet the mostpopular is to do with diet and exercise.  Apparently about 5% of us keep to it past 6 weeks  Not great odds!!

I am determined to get to grip with eating better and make the most out of life. And whilst I would be delighted to lose weight that’s only partly what I mean by eating better. I want to make sure that I get the most out of all the food I buy and throw away as little as possible. And when I do eat meat I want to buy the best I can and by that I mean that I know it’s had as good a life as possible and that I use every bit of it Continue reading →

Stir-up Sunday Part Two Christmas Cake

I never have room for Christmas Cake on the day itself but it is an essential treat for the rest of the Christmas holidays and looks wonderful and inviting on the sideboard when you just fancy a little “something”.   It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without it.  The decoration of the cake can be completely personal and fit with your own style of Christmas. You can use different types of icing and make it either completely traditional or modern and contemporary.  Or even no icing at all and use marzipan and glacé fruits.  It’s completely up to you.  My friend Rachel has brilliant ideas each year for decorating her cakes (see below) – and her kids all join in too so it becomes a real family event Continue reading →

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