Emily Davenport
I am Managing Editor of the Dairy Diary and Dairy Cookbooks. I am also Media Manager for Eaglemoss Consumer Publications.I have worked with Dairy Diary since 1999 and it was my first ‘proper’ job since leaving uni. Here are a few facts about me:

What is your role within Dairy Diary?
As Managing Editor, my main role is to come up with new book ideas, plan each book, put a team together to work on it and ensure it’s produced to quality, time and budget. I also manage the social media, public relations and assist with marketing and production issues too. Oh and I make the coffee!

What’s the best thing about working on Dairy Diary?
The variety – every day is different. Because we are such a small team, I get involved in every aspect of each project.

What’s the worst thing about working on Dairy Diary?
Working with food all the time – it makes me want to eat constantly!

Tell us something we don’t know about you
I am really good at reverse parking but really bad at making lasagne!

In my spare time I am a linoprinter; at the moment I am producing small single-colour animal prints.

What are your favourite things in life?
My children – Isaac, Jasmine and Maisy; my fiancé Rich; laughing; good food, good wine, countryside walks and lino printing.

What is your favourite Dairy Diary or Dairy Cookbook recipe?
Very difficult to choose just one! Probably lamb shanks following by tiramisu. I made both of these on my first date with my fiancé!

Lamb Shanks
a favourite dish from
The Dairy Book of Home Cookery.

Tiramisu
This tiramisu recipe is taken from Just One Pot Dairy Cookbook, and is available to buy online for just £7.00. Using only one ‘pot’ per recipe it is full of easy meals – and very little washing up!
If you would like one, hurry! Stocks are running low.

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Didn’t everything seem magical as a child? Days were longer and sunnier, grass was greener, and in my day meadows still existed!

Despite the nation’s obsession with reality TV, computer games and the internet…

I am determined to ensure
my children’s childhoods
are just as magical,
carefree and fun.

This weekend is Museums at Night Weekend

This sounds really exciting (though potentially spooky at somewhere like the Natural History Museum!) with different events all over the country. Including: Dust off your art books and exchange them for fresh ones at The Crescent in Scarborough, join other sketchers for a live drawing session at The Liver, or heat things up with a spot of raku firing at The Biscuit Factory.

Though I really fancy the art book swap, it’s a bit far for us to trek, so we will opt for Bizarre Bazaar and Return of the Leeches at our local museum, The Brampton – sounds intriguing!

The National Trust have also launched a venture to encourage children to play, with their 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾ list.

This includes: run around in the rain; eat an apple picked straight from the tree; feed a bird from your hand; visit an island and find some frogspawn. I’m afraid there are a couple of there that I am too late to achieve: find a geocache (never existed before I was 11¾) and bring up a butterfly.

Luckily I can tick all the others off my list (25 years late!) The most memorable for me must be go on a nature walk at night. With my parents and cousin, we walked along a Canadian highway lit by the light of a full moon with the local forest ranger. He called to some local wolves, who all howled back (including their pups). It was breathtaking!

So what of the 50 things will you do with your children or grandchildren this weekend?
Or will you opt for a drier option indoors at the museum? I’d love to know!

Don’t forget to take your picnic:
try this popular Pigs in Blanket
recipe – made with bread blankets
it makes for great finger food.

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This week is National Honey Week. And what a wonderful thing honey is.

Sweet and sticky and delicious; evocative of childhood days spent reading Winnie the Pooh!

It’s so comforting, spread onto freshly made buttered toast. Mmmm.

We have all heard in the media that honeybees are under threat. According to Dr I Davis, President of the Beekeepers’ Association (reported in the Guardian) there are ways we can help:

10 ways to help honeybees

1. Become a beekeeper
Beekeeping is a most enjoyable, fascinating and interesting hobby – and you get to eat your own honey too. Every year local beekeeping associations run courses to help new people to take up beekeeping and even help them find the equipment they need and a colony of bees. Training programmes continue to allow enthusiasts to become Master Beekeepers. For information on courses visit the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) website

2. Help to protect swarms
Swarming is a natural process when colonies of honeybees can increase their numbers. If you see a swarm contact the local authority or the police who will contact a local beekeeper who will collect the swarm and take it away. Honeybees in a swarm are usually very gentle and present very little danger. They can be made aggressive if disturbed or sprayed with water. Just leave them alone and wait for a competent beekeeper to arrive.

3. Plant your garden with bee friendly plants
In areas of the country where there are few agricultural crops, honeybees rely upon garden flowers to ensure they have a diverse diet and to provide nectar and pollen. Encourage honeybees to visit your garden by planting single flowering plants and vegetables. Go for all the allium family, all the mints, all beans except French beans and flowering herbs. Bees like daisy-shaped flowers – asters and sunflowers, also tall plants like hollyhocks, larkspur and foxgloves. Bees need a lot of pollen and trees are a good source of food. Willows and lime trees are exceptionally good. the BBKA has leaflets on bee friendly trees and shrubs.

4. Buy local honey
Local honey will be prepared by local beekeepers. This keeps food miles down and helps the beekeeper to cover the costs of beekeeping. Local honey complies with all food standards requirements but is not mistreated to give it a long shelf life. It tastes quite different to foreign supermarket honey and has a flavour that reflects local flora.

5. Ask your MP to improve research into honey bee health
Beekeepers are very worried that we do not have enough information to combat the diseases that affect honeybees. Pollination by honeybees contributes £165m annually to the agricultural economy. Yet the government only spends £200,000 annually on honeybee research. Beekeepers have costed a five-year, £8m programme to secure the information to save our bees during which time pollination will contribute more than £800m to the government coffers. Even the Defra minister, Lord Rooker, who holds the purse strings to finance this, has said that without this extra research we could lose our honeybees within ten years. Write to MPs in support of the bee health research funding campaign.

6. Find space for a beehive in your garden
Many would-be beekeepers, especially in urban areas, find it difficult to find a safe space for their colony of bees. If you have some space contact your local beekeeping association and they could find a beekeeper in need of a site. It is amazing what a difference a beehive will make to your garden. Crops of peas and beans will be better, fruit trees will crop well with fruit that is not deformed and your garden will be buzzing!

7. Remove jars of foreign honey from outside the back door
Believe it or not but honey brought in from overseas contains bacteria and spores that are very harmful to honeybees. If you leave a honey jar outside it encourages honeybees to feed on the remaining honey. There is a good possibility that this will infect the bee and in turn the bee will infect the rest of the colony resulting in death of the colony. Always wash out honey jars and dispose of them carefully.

8. Encourage local authorities to use bee friendly plants in public spaces
Some of the country’s best gardens and open spaces are managed by local authorities. Recently these authorities have recognised the value of planning gardens, roundabouts and other areas with flowers that attract bees. Encourage your authority to improve the area you live in by adventurous planting schemes. These can often be maintained by local residents if the authority feels they do not have sufficient resources.

9. Learn more about this fascinating insect
Beekeeping is fascinating. Honeybees have been on this earth for about 25 million years and are ideally adapted to their natural environment. Without honeybees the environment would be dramatically diminished. Invite a beekeeper to come and talk to any local group you support and give an illustrated talk about the honeybee and the products of the hive. They might bring a few jars of honey too Honeybees are a part of our folklore and are one of only two insect species that are managed to provide us with essential services.

10. Bee friendly
When kept properly, bees are good neighbours, and only sting when provoked. Beekeepers wear protective clothing when they are handling bees. If a bee hovers inquiringly in front of you when unprotected, do not flap your hands. Stay calm and move slowly away, best into the shade of shed or a tree. The bee will soon lose interest. It is worth remembering that bees do not like the smell of alcohol on people, the “animal” smell of leather clothing, even watchstraps. Bees regard dark clothing as a threat – it could be a bear! Bees are sometimes confused by scented soaps, shampoos and perfumes, best avoided near the hive.

Try this delicious recipe and search for more honey recipes  in the “Recipe Search”.

Honey Blancmange
Honey can be used in many different ways in cooking.
There are five honey recipes in the new edition
The Dairy Book of Home Cookery.

Available to buy online now.

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I have been browsing through one of our household tips books, researching features for the 2014 Dairy Diary and it got me thinking about the tips my mum has passed on to me.

It’s quite incredible how technology has advanced in the last 30 years or so and, as a consequence, the way we look after our homes has changed dramatically.

I think we have lost some
valuable skills and knowledge
through the generations.

There is some very simple advice Mum has passed on, such as, leaving the covers back each morning to air the bed and putting a pudding in the oven whilst the roast is cooking (to make the most of the energy used). We always used to have a good old-fashioned rice pudding or egg custard after our Sunday roast.

It’s about time I revived this tradition I think, especially in an age when being ‘green’ is so important. I even remember her using something called Economy Seven, where she would put the washing machine on during the night when electricity was cheaper. Does anyone else remember this?

Mum isn’t a keen cook, but she always baked with me as a child as she knew how much I loved it.

Most vividly, I remember making sweets, such as peppermint creams and coconut ice.

We used to give them as gifts. Such fond memories, thanks Mum!

In homage to those halcyon days, I am going to do my best to persuade my train loving, baking-reluctant little boy to make some of these cute little sweets with me at the weekend.

This Coconut Ice recipe is taken from The Dairy Book of Home Cookery, a family heirloom in its own right! Many sons and daughters have been given one by their mum upon leaving home. Still full of those crucial basics we all love, with the addition of some new classics, the 2012 edition is available to buy online at the Dairy Diary website.

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We are a small group but each one of us very different…..this month Graham, our marketing and design guru.

What is your role within Dairy Diary?
I help Nick and Emily with the Dairy Diary and Dairy Cookbook marketing strategies, and design marketing materials such as leaflets, adverts and the website. In addition, I have designed the last five Dairy Cookbooks.

What’s the best thing about working on Dairy Diary?
It’s a privilege to work on a product that has such a long heritage and is loved by so many people.

What’s the worst thing about working on Dairy Diary?
Working with food images means that it is very difficult to forget about eating. And I snack far too much! (Note to self: lock fridge door)

Tell us something we don’t know about you
I have fallen in love with live music again and will be found at The Cambridge Rock Festival in August, camping for all four days and enjoying the fabulous rock music, great food (Tibetan, Caribbean, veggie, etc) and 70 real ales!

What are your favourite things in life?
Other than my wife, kids and new puppy? Well, I love the mountains; rock climbing, walking, skiing… anything which gets me into the mountains. The more remote the better.

What is your favourite Dairy Diary or Dairy Cookbook recipe?
It has to be Ginger and Banana Sponge Pudding with Hot Toffee Sauce and served with real custard. It is so, so good; everything a pudding should be and then some.

Ginger and Banana Sponge Pudding
with Hot Toffee Sauce
If you ever need a recipe that is the
definition of comfort food – this is it!
Let it gently steam away while you
enjoy the wonderful aromas.

Recipe taken from The New Dairy Cookbook

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Celebrate National Bread Week by baking your own bread – it’s easier than you think.

Bread has long been a principal form of food. The British museum has loaves which were baked in Egypt over 5000 years ago!

The first bakers guilds were formed in ancient Rome and baking became a respected profession with about 300 bakers in the city at the time of Christ. The Romans took baking with them as they built their empire.

In the middle ages most landlords had a bakery which was a public oven.

Bread became such an important staple in our diet that in 1202 King John introduced the first laws governing the price of bread.

Today in the UK we can purchase over 200 varieties of bread; but baking your bread is very satisfying and the smell of freshly baked bread is fantastic.

Try this Soda Bread Pizza recipe, it’s great for easy
weekend baking and the kids will love making it too.

Recipe taken from Year Round Dairy Cookbook

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The British love affair with asparagus dates back hundreds of years, and it is also said to be a powerful aphrodisiac.

In 19th-century France, bridegrooms were served three courses of the spears at their prenuptial dinner.

Asparagus ‘stirs up lust in man and woman’, 
wrote English herbalist Nicholas Culpepper 
in the 17th century.

Asparagus is a good source of potassium, fibre, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, thiamin and folic acid. The latter is said to boost histamine production which has an aphrodisiac effect on both men and women.

Asparagus is a member of the lily family. Under ideal conditions, it can grow an astonishing 10 inches in a 24 hour period.

The Romans brought it to England and by the 16th century all the royal courts were mad for it. By the 17th century, asparagus was being grown commercially and one of the main areas it was grown in was Battersea in London. They called it Battersea Bundles!

Try these two asparagus recipes this week:

Asparagus Risotto
Recipe taken from Dairy Diary.

Asparagus withPoached Eggs

Recipe taken from Year Round Round Dairy Cookbook.

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DAYS OUT FOR FREE!

Enjoy the long Easter weekend and take advantage of the huge choice of days out that won’t cost a penny.

It’s Easter this weekend and many of us will be enjoying a couple of extra days off. What will you get up to?

I would like my Easter to be a
mixture of baking, days out,
crafting and relaxing (no chance!)

As a mum of three, I am on a strict budget and cheap days out are a must.

Here is the Dairy Diary’s essential guide to days out for free:

Scotland

McManus Galleries Albert Square, Dundee, Angus
www.mamanus.co.uk
Dundee’s main art gallery and museum, is a remarkable Gothic building where art, history and the environment combine to offer a fascinating glimpse into Dundee’s colourful past.

National Gallery of Scotland The Mound, Edinburgh, Midlothian
www.natgalscot.ac.uk
The gallery exhibits an outstanding collection of art by the greatest artists from the renaissance to post-impressionism.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 75 Belford Road, Edinburgh, Midlothian
www.natgalscot.ac.uk
A fine collection of prints, paintings and sculpture from the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Kylerhea Otter Haven Strathoich, Fort Augustus, Inverness
www.forestry.gov.uk
A hide perched above the shore of Kyle Rhea, offering the opportunity to watch local otters and other coastal wildlife.

North England

Durham Cathedral The College, Durham, County Durham
www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
A remarkable example of Norman architecture, the present cathedral dates back to the 12^th century.

Whinlatter Forest Park Braithwaite, Keswick, Cumbria
www.forestry.gov.uk/whinlatterforestpark
The only mountain forest in England.  In addition to the stunning scenery there is also an adventure playground, visitor centre and shop.

Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole Windermere, Cumbria
www.brockhole.co.uk
Set on the shore of lake Windermere, the centre boasts interactive exhibitions, trails, film auditorium and adventure playground.

Home of Rest for Old Horses Bulrhenny, Richmond Hill, Douglas, Isle of Man
www.iom-horseshome.com
A wonderful retirement home for horses, with museum, café and shop.

Imperial War Museum North The Quays, Trafford, Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester
www.iwm.org.uk
Constructed in 2002, this museum is a real interactive experience with a huge audio visual presentation and thousands of objects from conflicts from the 20^th and 21^st century.  Not to be missed.

The Albert Dock Liverpool, Merseyside
www.albertdock.com
A variety of shops and restaurants on the river Mersey.  The Tate Liverpool and Beatles Story (charges apply) are well worth a visit.

Otterburn Mill Otterburn, Northumberland
www.otterburnmill.co.uk
Mill museum and shop, nursery, tea garden and coffee shop.

Baltic the Centre for Contemporary Art South Shore Road, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear
www.balticmill.com
Housed in an imposing building, a former grain warehouse, this is one of the largest centres for contemporary art in Europe.

Henry Moore Institute 74 The Headrow, Leeds, Yorkshire
www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk
The Henry Moore Institute is a centre dedicated to sculpture. Based in the heart of Leeds, the Institute comprises three integrated elements: exhibitions, research and collections.

National Museum of Photography, Film and Television Little Horton Lane, Bradford, Yorkshire
www.nmpft.org.uk
The Museum’s renowned collection includes more than three million items of historical, social and cultural value. These include three key ‘firsts’: the world’s first negative, the earliest television footage and what is regarded as the world’s first example of moving pictures.

Central England

Kettle’s Yard Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
www.kettlesyard.co.uk
Founded by H.S Jim Ede, former curator of the Tate in London as a ‘refuge of peace and order, of the visual arts and of music’.

Gloucester Cathedral 2 College Green, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk
Constructed in 1089, by order of William the Conqueror, this impressive building has wonderful stained glass windows and architecture to be admired.

Old Dairy Farm Craft Centre Upper Stowe, Nr Weedon, Northamptonshire
www.old-dairy-farm-centre.co.uk
A rural shopping experience with unusual gifts, antiques, delicatessen and restaurant.

Rufford Abbey and Country Park Ollerton, Newark, Nottinghamshire
www.ruffordcraftcentre.org.uk
Gallery, craft shops and ceramics centre, set in picturesque parklands.

Sherwood Pines Forest Park Edwinstowe, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
www.forestry.gov.uk/sherwoodpines
Over 450 acres of ancient woodland, with exhibitions, shops and restaurant.

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery Betheseda Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag
Home of the world’s finest collection of Staffordshire ceramics, there are also art exhibitions, and displays of costume, industry and transport, reflecting the lives of the local people.

Coventry Transport Museum Millennium Place, Hales Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
www.transport-museum.com
Displaying the largest collection of British road transport in the world, this museum tells the story of the history of transport.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH
www.bmag.org.uk/birmingham-museum
First opened in 1885, it is housed in a Grade II listed city centre landmark building. There are over 40 galleries to explore that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography.

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology Beaumont Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire
www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk
Britain’s oldest public museum, displaying famous collections of art and artefacts from across the world.

South England

Bucks County Museum Church Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum
An award winning museum charting the heritage of Buckinghamshire.  With an art gallery and Roald Dahl children’s gallery (charges apply).

Milton Keynes Gallery Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
www.mk-g.org
Striking building housing exhibitions of contemporary art.

Falmouth Art Gallery The Moor, Falmouth, Cornwall
www.falmouthartgallery.com
One of the leading art collections in Cornwall and features work by old masters, major Victorian artists, British Impressionists, leading maritime artists and contemporary painters and printmakers.

Walford Mill Craft Centre Stone Lane, Wimborne, Dorset
www.walfordmillcrafts.co.uk
This centre showcases the best in contemporary craft and design.  There is a wide range of pottery, textiles, jewellery, wood and metalwork.

Tolpuddle Martyers Museumn TUC Memorial Cottages, Tolpuddle, Dorchester, Dorset
www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk
Charting the famous local story of the farm labourers who were arrested and departed to Australia after forming a trade union in 1834.

Chelmsford Museum and Essex Regiment Museum Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex
www.chelmsford.gov.uk
Documenting local and social history, with decorative arts, natural history, and mitilaria.

Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum and Memorial Garden Serle’s House, Southgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire
www.serleshouse.co.uk
Historical artefacts from the history of the Hampshire regiment are on display in this fine Georgian House.

Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery St. Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent
www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk
Exhibiting costumes, life size dinosaurs, fossils and even an Egyptian mummy, in an impressive Elizabethan Manor House.

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, Sussex
www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums
Re-opened in 2002, this new look museum offers state of the art facilities, fashion, paintings and ceramics.

There are over 50 free museums, galleries and other places to visit in London.  Here is just a small selection.

Freightliners Farm Sheringham Road, Islington, London
www.freightlinersfarm.org.uk
Working city farm, in the centre of Islington.

British Museum Great Russell Street, London
www.thebritishmuseum.org
Founded in 1753 this is the world’s oldest museum. With 2½ miles of galleries.

National Portrait Gallery St Martin’s Place, London
www.npg.org.uk
The largest collection of portraiture in the world.

Tate Britain/ Tate Modern Millbank / Bankside, London
www.tate.org.uk
Some of the best British and contemporary art in the world.

Victoria and Albert Museum Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London
www.vam.ac.uk
An enormous and diverse collection of decorative arts.

Wales

National Museum and Gallery Cardiff Cathays Park, Cardiff
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Journey back in time to discover dinosaurs and woolly mammoths, the secrets of Celtic, Viking and Roman ancestors and Welsh natural history.

National Woollen Museum Dre-Fach Felindre, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Families can have fun following the specially designed trail, ‘A Woolly Tale’, trying their hand at carding, spinning and sewing along the way.

Welsh Slate Museum Llanberis, Gwynedd
www.nmgw.ac.uk
The museum building is sited in the Victorian workshops built in the shadow of Elidir mountain.  Not so much a museum as a pocket of history, showing the relics of the slate industry.

Dylan Thomas Centre Somerset Place, Swansea
www.swansea.gov.uk/dtc
A splendid building which houses a permanent exhibition in celebration of the life and works of Dylan Thomas.

Big Pit National Mining Museum of Wales Blaenafon, Torfaen,
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Discover what life was like as a miner, go 300ft underground, view the exhibitions and multi-media tour.

Northern Ireland

Ballydougan Pottery Bloomvale House, 171 Plantation Road, Portadown, Craigavan, Co Armagh
www.ballydouganpottery.co.uk
This historic thatched house has seen generations of local craftspeople, dating back to 1785.

Armagh County Museum The Mall, East Armagh, Co Armagh
www.nmni.com
An impressive collection of paintings and artefacts reflecting the lives of the local people.

Ulster Museum Botanic Gardens, Belfast
www.nmni.com
As Northern Ireland’s treasure house of the past and present, the museum is home to a rich collection of art, history and natural sciences.

Make a little time to bake something special this Easter

Of course, no Easter is complete without
Simnel cake. Happy Easter everyone!

Simnel Cake  

We are a small group but each
one of us is very different…..
this week we meet Nick, THE BOSS!

Nick Rowe is our Executive Editor and has been working on the Dairy Diary for more than 15 years!

He is based in our Cheshire office or Eaglemoss North as he likes to call it.

Here are a few facts about Nick:

What is your role within Dairy Diary? I manage, and make sure we have a wonderful team to put the best product together we can, each and every year!

What’s the best thing about working on the Dairy Diary? Trying all the brand new recipes.

What’s the worst thing about working on the Dairy Diary? Managing the Managing Editor (ha ha says me, Managing Ed!)

Tell us something we don’t know about you. I have played in a game of football against Martin Peters* (but I am a lot younger than him!). I once showed the Dairy Diary to the Countess of Wessex – but she doesn’t cook!

What are your favourite things in life? Fuller’s beer and Adnam’s beer.

What is your favourite Dairy Diary
or Dairy Cookbook recipe?

Beef Wellington from
Around Britain Dairy Cookbook

………………………………………………………………….

Win a copy of The Dairy Book of Home Cookery

The Dairy Book of Home Cookery is loved by millions of cooks and has been brought right up to date for 2012.

Featuring 900+ recipes from soups to desserts, including baking and confectionery. 

This is an essential cookbook for both novice and experienced cooks.

Click here to enter the competition.

Recently, I chanced upon the most fantastic vintage tearoom in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

http://www.sugarjunction.co.uk/

Not only were the cakes and bakes delicious, they were served with a delectable array of beverages on the most exquisite crockery. Even the waitress looked ultra glam in fifties-style dress with sassy red lips.

My friends and I enjoyed a lovely hour or two chatting and soaking up the atmosphere, and also planning our own vintage tea party.

What better excuse for a tea party than Mother’s Day?
Get all the generations together, prepare some tiny sandwiches, bake some delicious morsels and serve with a proper pot of tea, or even some real homemade hot chocolate. Make it extra special with a table cloth, pretty china and homemade bunting! You can make this easily by stringing up triangles of paper or fabric cut with pinking shears.

You can even improvise a cake stand if you don’t have one with china plates and upturned glasses or teacups. http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/knit-free/make-a-cakestand-from-a-tea-set-54284

After you have practised on your own mum, why not hold a BIG tea party, in aid of charity? March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and the Eve Appeal is encouraging people to hold a tea party to raise money for this extremely worthy cause. http://www.eveappeal.org.uk/media-centre/make-time-for-tea/

From our Around Britain Dairy Cookbook,
enjoy this gorgeous Chocolate Whisky Cake
plus these Sumptuous Sandwiches.

I like to think of myself as quite grounded and logical, not someone who is swayed by anything non-tangible. However, I am a strong believer in the power of aromatherapy.

During life’s low points, physical or emotional, they really can help.

Many years ago, we featured an article on aromatherapy in the Dairy Diary. It seemed like the perfect excuse to give it a go. It works wonders for me in times of stress (it even helped me feel better during fertility treatment).

Here’s the low-down:

Cedarwood
Is a powerful antiseptic and mild astringent.
■ This oil is good for treating acne: See 2, 4 or 7.
■ To improve bronchitis and respiratory problems: See 1, 4, 7, or 9.
■ To help control dandruff: See 5.
■ To calm nervous tension: See 1, 6 or 7.

Chamomile
Is an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic and disinfectant.
■ To soothe dull aches and pains: See 2 or 7.
■ To treat acne: See 2 or 6.
■ To calm anxiety and PMT or treat insomnia: See 1, 7, 9 or 10.
■ To treat indigestion: See 1 or 7.
■ To help control and soothe eczema: See 1 or 2.
■ To help treat a tension headache or migraine: See 1, 5, 6, 7 or 9. 

Eucalyptus
Is an antiseptic, anaesthetic and bactericidal.
■ To relieve a chest infection or catarrh, colds and flu: See 1, 5, 6, 7 or 9.
■ To help control high blood pressure: See 5, 6, 7 or 9. 

Frankincense
Is an astringent, anti-inflammatory and pulmonary antiseptic.
■ Can help with cystitis: See 1 or 7.
■ To bring calm in stressful situations: See 1, 5, 7 or 9.
■ To rejuvenate dry or mature skins: See 1, 2 or 6.
■ To help colds, coughs and bronchitis: See 1, 5 or 6.
■ To calm and uplift, when suffering from mild depression: See 1,5 or 7.
■ To help control blood sugar levels in diabetes: See 1 or 7.
■ To relieve discomfort associated with shingles: See 1 or 7. 

Jasmine
Is an effective antiseptic, diuretic and detoxifier.
■ To help with emotional pain and baby blues: See 1, 5, 7 or 9.
■ To ease symptoms in the early stages of flu: See 1, 3, 5, 6 or 7.
■ To ease period pain: See 1 or 7. 

Juniper
Is a diuretic and detoxifier.
■ To boost circulation and help with cellulite: See 1 or 7.
■ To calm emotions and help with confusion: See 1, 5 or 7.
■ To help with eczema: See 2. 

Lavender
Is an analgesic, antidepressant, decongestant, antibiotic, antiseptic and sedative.
■ To help prevent scarring from minor burns: See 2.
■ For insomnia: See 1, 5, 7 or 10.
■ To calm and soothe PMT: See 1, 5, 6, 7 or 9.
■ To treat acne, stings and eczema: See 2. 

Patchouli
Is an antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and stimulant.
■ To treat Athlete’s Foot or cracked skin: See 3 or 7.
■ To control dandruff: See 4. 

Peppermint
Is a stimulant and antiseptic.
■ To freshen breath: See 8.
■ To stimulate the mind: See 5. 

Rosemary
Is a stimulant, analgesic, antiseptic and astringent.
■ To soothe aches and muscular tension following exercise: See 7.
■ To help alleviate rheumatism and arthritis pain: See 1, 2 or 7.
■ To treat spots: See 2 or 6.

How to administer each essential oil

1 Bath Add 5 drops of essential oil to the bathwater, lie back and relax.

2 Compress Add a drop of oil to 1 litre (1¾ pints)of warm water and lay a piece of gauze on thesurface of the water. Place the gauze onto theaffected area and leave for 10 minutes.

3 Footbath Add 3 drops of oil to a bowl of warm water and soak feet for 15 minutes.

4 Hair rinse Add 1 or 2 drops of oil to 1 litre (1¾ pints) warm water and use as a final rinse.

5 Handkerchief Put a few drops of oil onto a handkerchief or tissue and inhale when required.

6 Inhalation Once a week, add up to 10 drops of oil to a bowl of hot water, put a towel over the head and inhale the steam.

7 Massage Add 10 drops of pure essential oil to 20ml (¾fl oz)of sweet almond or grape seed oil and rub into the skin.

8 Mouthwash Add 1 drop of oil to ½  litre (18fl oz) of water, swill around the mouth and spit out.

9 Oil burner Add up to 5 drops of oil to water in an oil burner.

10 Pillow Put a couple of drops of oil on your pillow just before you go to bed.

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Not only is it new sofa day (sorry, I am quite excited!) on Thursday, it’s also St David’s Day.

David was a Celtic monk who lived in the 6^th century. He was one of the early saints who helped to spread the word about Christianity in Pagan Britain. He also founded a monastery (in the place now known as St David’s), which helped to clothe and feed the poor.

St David’s Day has been celebrated ever since 1120, when David was canonised by the Pope.

St David’s is a lovely, miniature city, with a particularly spectacular cathedral. I have fond memories of wandering its lanes surrounding the ecclesiastic buildings, enjoying the sunshine and quiet whilst getting a very tiny little one off to sleep.

So, why is the daffodil worn to commemorate St David’s Day?

In comparison with the ancient Welsh associations of the leek, the daffodil has only recently assumed a position of national importance. An increasingly popular flower during the 19th century, especially among women, its status was elevated by the Welsh-born prime minister David Lloyd George, who wore it on St David’s Day in 1911.

Fancy a go at some St David’s Day crafts with the children or grandchildren?

I am going to give these Activity Village ideas a try:

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/handprint_daffodil.htm perfect for the twins.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/bunch_of_daffodils.htm great for Isaac (provided he can be tempted away from the train track for long enough!)

Have fun!

Sausage and Leek Supper

I think this is the most requested recipe of all time. People absolutely love it and, despite mislaying their book, can’t live without it! Enjoy it everyone, it’s perfect for St David’s Day and it’s legendary.

It may not have cost as much, but the thought and time that has gone into it account for a lot more.

I have probably rabbited on about it in the past, but cardmaking is one of my favourite pastimes.

Here’s the one I have made for my fantastic other half (I hope he doesn’t read the blog today!)

If you would like to give it a go, just follow the steps below. It’s so simple; just make sure you have materials with different patterns of the same colour.

1 First cut a square of card and several pieces of ribbon a little longer than the length of the card. Using tape, attach several pieces of ribbon all along one side on the back of the card.

2 Stick down one length of ribbon on the back of an adjacent side and then weave through the other ribbons. Stick the other end to the back. Repeat.

3 Cut 2 or 3 pieces of paper that coordinate with your ribbons. Using double-sided tape, affix one on top of the other and fix onto a blank card.

4 Glue a heart embellishment in the centre of your woven ribbons. Tadaa!

I am sure your loved-one will love it. Enjoy your special time together.

Indulge in a decadent dessert on Valentine’s Day

Try this Chocolate Mousse
from this year’s Dairy Diary.

Win Clever Cooking for One or Two

This week, we have 10 copies of
Clever Cooking for One or Two
to give away.

Lots of perfect food for couples.

Click here to enter

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.

Today is the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. How hard must it have been for her 60 years ago?

At just 25 not only did she have to cope with the death of her father, but also take on the responsibility of becoming queen!

After watching the King’s Speech it’s really made me think about what their lives might be like. As a member of the Royal Family pretty much everything is in the public eye, especially grief. I am VERY glad that I am a mere commoner!

Face Britain

Of course, this year sees the Diamond Jubilee and plans are in full swing to commemorate the event in style. One of my favourite is Face Britain, a national project that invites all young people in the UK to submit a self-portrait.

The artwork will be part of a world record attempt and hopefully the biggest online gallery of self-portraits in the world. All portraits will go into the online gallery and be part of a special portrait of HM The Queen, which is going to be projected onto Buckingham Palace!

Embarrassing I know, but I had to remind myself
(with the trusty Dairy Diary) how many years the
diamond represents! Yes it’s 60……I’ll get my coat.

For others like me, here’s a list of anniversary dates:

No celebration would be complete without a special cake.
Here’s a gorgeously retro one to cook for your special occasion.

Black Forest Gateau
Or just as a treat for yourself! Enjoy….

I love our local library. It’s the heart of the community in our little town.

Nothing like the libraries of yesteryear where hush was expected, it’s buzzing with lively children (including my own), hosts local groups, promotes local events and has sing-a-longs for little ones.

A local artist can often be found
sketching from local history books
and working on his watercolours.

I have also recently discovered the convenience of the library online. It’s a fantastic resource, where you can renew books – invaluable for those whose children adore their reading books so much they can’t bear to take them back (and maybe their Mummy may forget!!); search the catalogue; reserve books and order the latest releases.

On Saturday libraries across the UK will be celebrating National Libraries Day with a range of events for library users to enjoy. The day is a celebration of the work done in school, college and public libraries to promote learning, literacy and the enjoyment of reading to all.

Library users new and old are being encouraged to go along to their local library and find out about the great services on offer – from book loans and homework clubs to advice on starting a business and how to get online.

Watercolour Painting Tips

As I am often inspired by the local artist in my library I thought I would share some tips on watercolour painting from the Dairy Diary.

If you have a few spare hours on Sunday, give it a try, it’s incredibly rewarding (and don’t forget to pop along to your local library on Saturday too!)

Experimenting with colours and techniques is part of the fun of painting with watercolours.

In this project, spattering, lifting-out and blotting are used to create the effect of light dancing on moving water and waves breaking on the shoreline.

You will need

• A 300gsm (140lb) sheet of NOT paper
• 2B pencil
• Paints: ultramarine blue; cerulean blue; yellow ochre; sap green; burnt umber; burnt sienna; Payne’s grey
• Brushes: Nos.12, 6, 4 and 3 round-headed; 19mm (¾in) and 7mm (¼in) flat-headed
• Gum arabic
• Natural sponge
• Stiff card
• 2 jars of water
• Palette
• Tissues
• Cotton buds

Painting is a wonderfully rewarding
hobby, and anyone can do it.

Watercolour paints are readily available and easy to use and with a few brushes and a little imagination you can set about creating your own masterpieces. Slightly textured paper (known as NOT paper) is the most commonly used, and acid-free papers don’t go so yellow with age. Thickness is indicated by weight, and paper under 300gsm (140lb) is liable to bubble or warp unless previously stretched.

You’ll probably find watercolour to be much more attainable than you thought. One way to discover various tried and tested techniques is to follow a step-by-step project. The one described here takes a beach photograph for inspiration (above). The artist also made a sketch of the scene while on location (below). The basic painting is set out in layered washes. The water, foam and shingle are developed by working into the layers – blotting, scraping, re-wetting and spattering. Wet washes can be dabbed with a sponge or scraped with card to achieve the desired effect.

Dry washes can be lightened using stripes of clean water. The paint dissolves into the water and the pigment migrates to the edges of the newly wet areas, creating bands of lighter colour. The striped effect is enhanced if you blot the wet stripes. Spatter a dry wash with water for a speckled effect.

Capture the mood To create an image that is more than a copy of the scene, start by simplifying the forms, looking for interesting shapes and patterns. As the painting evolves, pay less attention to the photograph and use the marks you have already made. As you move away from the original subject, the painting becomes less literal, more personal and more creative. Here the artist has experimented to find a way of achieving a particular effect.

The hint of fields and hedges on the headland, and the two figures and dog on the beach, give a sense of scale and recession, and create a focus.

1 Using the 2B pencil, make a basic outline drawing to plot the main elements of the landscape.

2 Mix ultramarine blue and cerulean blue, and, using the No.12 brush, lay the wash for the sky, leaving the white of the paper to stand for the clouds. Add more water and take the wash down over the headland. Add yellow ochre to the mix and apply this colour over the water, using the same brush. Dab the edge of the cloud with damp sponge to soften it. Sweep a damp brush across the lower sky and headland to thin the wash, leaving a pale film of colour.

3 Cut a piece of stiff card about 3cm (1¼in) wide to make a blunt spatula. While the wash is still wet, pull the card vertically down the paper to remove parallel wavy strips of wash. These lighter bands suggest the waves surging on to the shoreline. Work into the edge of the cloud with a moist brush to soften it even more.

4 Use a mix of sap green, burnt umber and Payne’s grey for the headland (No.6 brush). Use yellow ochre mixed with a little burnt umber for the beach area. Darken with more burnt umber and Payne’s grey and apply along the base of the headland. Mix a darker ultramarine/cerulean/yellow ochre wash by adding more of each. Add a drop of gum arabic to increase the paint’s gloss. Apply this colour over the sea (No.6 brush), taking it around the silhouette of the breakwater, and pulling it down the sheet in parallel ribbons, leaving slivers of the base colour showing through. Leave to dry.

5 Darken the sea colour by adding ultramarine and burnt sienna and use this mix to paint the shadow of the headland. Using the small No.3 brush, lay parallel lines to suggest the wavelets on the water’s surface. These should be narrow and close together because they are in the distance. Load the No.12 brush with the same dark wash and take broad strands of this colour down the paper.

6 Wet the No.3 brush and, starting near the horizon, lay narrow, horizontal bands of water. This causes the paint to open up gradually, producing stripes of lighter colour. They should be close together near the horizon. Make broader marks that are wider apart as you move forward to create a sense of recession from the foreground towards the horizon. Change to the No.12 brush near the bottom of the picture. Apply the water freely so it floods and one band runs into another. Lay the bands so the paint gradually opens up to create interesting textures and patterns.

7 Mix a wash of burnt sienna and yellow ochre and use the No.4 brush to lay this on to the beach below the groyne. Use the tip of the brush to dot more colour on to the wash to suggest the shingle. Leave to dry.

8 Load the No.3 brush with water, hold it over the paper and tap it with your forefinger to spatter droplets of water on to the beach. Then spatter wash on to the same area. Use a cotton bud to lift some of the re-wetted wash, creating very light areas to suggest lumps of chalk.

9 Mix raw umber and Payne’s grey and, with the 7mm (¼in) flat brush, paint the uprights and planks of the breakwater. Vary the amount of Payne’s grey in the mix to create a variety of tones. Leave to dry. Then wet the edge of a piece of stiff card, and apply to the breakwater to create a wet line. Re-wet the card and repeat to create parallel wet lines. Blot with tissue to lift the colour.

10 Wet the 19mm (¾in) flat brush and work into the white water breaking over the breakwater, creating flame-like shapes. Use plenty of water to dissolve the washes around the white paper – don’t blot it but allow the dissolved paint to flow into the white area, creating softly graduated tones. If you like, suggest fields on the headland and two figures and a dog on the beach.

Article taken from Dairy Diary 2012.

It was a little hectic in the office last week, ensuring that all the final 2013 Dairy Diary proofs were checked and signed off before the start of Chinese New Year (when our factory shuts down for a fortnight).

Thankfully everything is done now, so we can relax and think about the other products, such as the pocket diary, calendar, new letterheads etc. etc.

Several people have asked me how I work on a diary all year round, but with only two of us in the office we get involved in everything and the work is never finished!

I noticed in the diary that it’s the Chinese year of the dragon, which sounds pretty exciting.

I thought I would do a bit of research and find out what that is supposed to represent. According to Chinesenewyear2012.net: In 2012, the Dragon is welcomed back after the 2011 year of the Rabbit. Each of these animals are thought to bestow their characteristics to the people born in their year.

While the Year of the Rabbit was characterized by calm and tranquility, the Year of the Dragon will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. The Rabbit imbues people with a sense of cautious optimism, but people respond to the spirit of the Dragon with energy, vitality and unbridled enthusiasm, often throwing all caution to the wind.

So, I am intrigued to find out what animal I am.
I have checked out my birth year and I am a rabbit. Apparently, I am ‘affectionate, co-operative and pleasant, with lots of friends. But can get too sentimental and seem superficial. Ideal careers areas include law, diplomacy or the stage.’ I don’t know if my other half would agree with the co-operative bit!! And I seem to be in the wrong career. After some research, I have decided that I was born in the wrong year. I am definitely a rat, but would prefer to be a monkey! ‘Rats are said to be imaginative, charming and very generous to those they love – although they do have a tendency to be quick-tempered and over-critical. They are supposed to make good writers, critics and publicists.’

‘If you are born in the Year of the Monkey, you are very intelligent, well-liked by everyone, and will have success in any field you choose.”

Have a look at your birth year on chinese.new-year.co.uk

or you could just enjoy Chinese New Year by having a go at one of our delicious, Chinese-inspired recipes:

Sweet & Sour Lamb 
Special Fried Rice 
Lemon & Garlic Chicken 
Duck with Plum Sauce

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This week’s Dairy Diary recipe is Slow Beef Curry, which is just perfect for the time of year.

Over the last week we have had such awful weather – with winds playing havoc all over the UK – I think that we all deserve some warming, comfort food.

January is a difficult month. Many of us think we need to cut back and live on salad after the excesses of Christmas but in reality we all feel like tucking in to something hot and wholesome.

My answer to this is to do lots of zumba and make lots of soup!

In fact, I am currently contemplating a soup maker. Does anyone have one? Are they worth the investment or will it just end up gathering dust like my slow cooker and bread maker?!

I guess you just can’t beat a good old saucepan and stick blender. What time saving devices do you have and are they useful? I would love to know.

Slow Beef Curry
Warming, comfort food for winter days.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

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We would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

I made the pitta crisps for New Year’s Eve to nibble on whilst partying with a bottle of Prosecco (partying may be an exaggeration, two of us on the sofa watching TV with three sleeping children above!) They were delicious.

I am also looking forward to cooking the Pesto Chicken on p75 and the Peanut Noodles on p95. They look delicious but quick enough to fit in with our uber-hectic lives.

There’s so much to look
forward to this year.
We will be producing the 2014
(yes 2014!) Dairy Diary and
two brand new cookbooks!

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

In Britain, we can enjoy patriotism once again with the Olympics in July and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June. The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953. The only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee was Queen Victoria in 1897.

There will be a special bank holiday for the Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012. For information on celebrations around the country visit http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_197517

This one is fab http://www.thebiglunch.com As we are new to our cul-de-sac, I think it’s a fantastic way of getting to know all our neighbours – although losing a cat works quite well too!! (she is home safe now). The Big Lunch is a very simple idea from the Eden Project. The aim is to get as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours in a simple act of community, friendship and fun.

Try this favourite from the 2012 Dairy Diary.

Pesto Chicken
A super-tasty chicken dish cooked up in less than 30 minutes.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

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