Over the past few years I have always tried to make my own Christmas cake. Firstly, it's a great thing to do on a really cold dark winters day as it turns your kitchen into a sweet, spicy and warm exotic location and I do really love a traditional fruit cake at Christmas - packed with dried fruits and nuts and with a hint of brandy too. It has become my Christmas therapy but I am lucky my family does appreciate it.
With Christmas 'wish lists' being written I thought it was a great time to talk about one of the larger gadgets in the kitchen – a blender. To mix, mingle, combine, stir, whisk, merge, emulsify, amalgamate there are lots of technical terms for blending!
I am always on the look out for a different start to the day and breakfast is important to me and my family, but some days it gets boring or too time consuming. So. this week I have been trying Quoats over the past few mornings and I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed the speed in which they are ready, the taste and the flavours available.
A firm favourite at the Oxted Chocolate Fair, Fifth Dimension Chocolates has won another award, this time at the International Chocolate Awards' British National Competition. Their New York Apple and Calvados Caramel Filled Chocolate won a Gold Award.
When I recently came across 'Mustchup' (a combination of mustard and ketchup), I did have an initial giggle about the name. Really, mustard and ketchup? I have to say, I don't like mustard as a condiment - and this is a very strange combination in my mind - so I was not sure what to expect.
When it comes to milk most of us like it fresh and cold, so when we discovered kefir at this year's BBC Good Food Eat Well Show, we were a little hesitant to try, especially once we had discovered what it was made from. However, with a growing number of health benefits being promoted through kefir, we thought it might be a good idea to take a look at this new superfood!
