You could even add to packages of homemade biscuits or bakes.
Take a look at the recipe section of our website for more inspiration.
#christmasgifts
With the addition of mincemeat, these delicious scones taste just like Christmas.
Serve warm with a hot cuppa.
Available to buy now for just £8.75.
There’s something very satisfying about making your own cards and decorations, and if they don’t cost much, even better!
These two projects are perfect for creating with children as they’re so simple, but that’s not obligatory, they’re really fun to do by yourself too!
Materials
Pencil
White paper
Scissors
Craft knife
Cutting mat
White Tack or invisible tape
1 In pencil, at the bottom of a piece of paper, draw a gently sloping hillside with trees, buildings, and animals too, if you like.
2 Cut around the outline with scissors.
3 Adults only! Cut out windows and doors with a craft knife.
4 Affix to your windows with tiny pieces of White Tack or invisible tape.
Materials
Pencil
Dark blue or black cards
Paintbrush
White Paint
Cotton wool
Black pen
Small black buttons (optional)
Star stickers or embellishments
Glue (if using a button and/or embellishment)
1 Draw a feint outline of your artic animal. We drew a fox and polar bear.
2 Load your paintbrush with paint and tap to create ‘snow’ paint all over the card.
3 ‘Sponging’ with cotton wool, fill in your animal in white. You may need to twist the cotton wool to a point for any narrow bits. Allow to dry.
4 Draw an eye with black pen, and also a nose, or you could stick on a small black button, if you like.
5 Stick or glue a star in place.
Thanks to Jasmine and Maisy, my eight-year-old girls, for producing the artwork for this blog.
#christmasdecorations
Treat yourself to a decadent and delish brunch today.
‘For many thousands of years our early ancestors have been “smoking” meat, and although we’re not entirely sure how we stumbled upon this process, we do know that in the early years it was as a means to avoid spoilage and preserve meat rather than just create great flavours. Communities that lived on the coasts in the Stone Age were surrounded by a never-ending source of fish, but many also had months where hunting was less fruitful, and so they needed to create a way of preserving their catches.
‘The smoking process discovered by our ancestors many moons ago slowly cooks the fish (or meat), dehydrates it and deters the growth of bacteria. This process and method has been passed down to us and improved along the way. We know that in Medieval Europe many communities had smoke houses where meat (usually pigs, but fish in coastal communities) were smoked and stored for preservation. Poorer communities would hang their meat high up in fireplaces after placing ash over the flames to create a smoky environment.’
Taken from The History of Smoking Fish, created by Charlotte Rogers
https://www.ritchiesofrothesay.com/blogs/articles/the-history-of-smoking-fish
Our food photographer, Steve Lee, regularly works with game and has produced some stunning books on the subject.
Not only do these recipes look great, but they also taste amazing too.
So why not try a burger with a difference this week and use venison instead?
Makes 4 • Time 30 mins
Calories 512 • Fibre 4.1g • Salt 2.2g • Sugar 4.1g
Fat 20.3g of which 3.8g is saturated
Sage and onion stuffing mix 40g (1½oz)
Lean minced venison 300g (11oz)
Lean minced pork 100g (3½oz)
Fresh rosemary leaves 1 tbsp, finely chopped, or dried rosemary 1 tsp
Egg 1 large, yolk only
Olive oil 2 tsp
Carrot 50g (2oz), peeled and grated
Leek 25g (1oz), thinly sliced
Coleslaw 250g (9oz)
Burger buns 4, toasted
Baby kale leaves 40g (1½oz)
1 Soak stuffing mix in 4 tablespoons boiling water for 5 minutes.
2 Put venison, pork, stuffing, rosemary and seasoning in a bowl. Add egg yolk and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide into four equal portions and form into burger shapes about 10cm (4in) in diameter.
3 Heat a large frying pan until hot and brush with oil. Add burgers and cook over a medium heat for 7–8 minutes on each side until cooked through.
4 Mix carrot and leek into coleslaw. Serve burgers in buns with baby kale and coleslaw.
TIP Use lean minced beef as an alternative to venison.
This recipe is one of the many delicious, triple-tested, recipes in the 2020 Dairy Diary.
And for a meal that’s a little bit special, give this duck recipe a go. It only takes half an hour but tastes as though you have spent much longer preparing it.
Serves 2 Time 30 minutes Per portion: 281 Kcal, 12g fat (5.2g saturated)
Boneless duck breasts 2 small (around 250g/9oz total weight)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red onion 1 small, peeled and finely chopped
Garlic 1 clove, peeled and sliced (optional)
Thyme a few sprigs
Balsamic or red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
Red wine 2 tbsp
Redcurrant jelly 2 tbsp
Butter small piece
New potatoes and broccoli or asparagus to serve (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan/Gas 6. Put a small roasting tin in the oven to heat up. Pat the duck dry on kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, score the skin in diagonal lines and season with salt and pepper. Lay the duck, skin side down, in a cold frying pan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes or until the skin is golden. Pour off the fat, turn the meat over and cook for 1 minute then transfer it to the roasting tin, skin side up. Cook in the oven for 8–10 minutes. Take out of the oven, wrap the breasts in foil and leave to rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, tip most of the fat out of the pan. Add the onion, garlic, if using, and thyme, and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
Pour in the vinegar and wine and stir well, then cook over a high heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the redcurrant jelly, reduce the heat, and stir until melted and reduced, then stir in the butter to make a shiny sauce.
Slice the duck breasts then serve them with the sauce spooned over, accompanied with new potatoes and purple sprouting or tenderstem broccoli or asparagus, if liked.
COOK’S TIPS Use apple juice instead of red wine if you prefer. Alternatively, make an orange sauce with orange juice and marmalade instead of red wine and redcurrant jelly. Larger duck breasts will take 5–10 minutes longer in the oven. Strain and reserve the duck fat then store in a lidded container in the fridge; add spoonfuls of the fat to a hot roasting tin for crisp roast potatoes.
For a whole host of quick and tasty recipes take a look at our fabulous Quick After-Work Cookbook.
#BritishGameWeek
#dairydiaryrecipes
#quickrecipes
When we moved into our new home, one of my favourite moments was carefully unwrapping the family glassware and china and placing it with pride in my new kitchen.
Each piece is not valuable, but precious to me as it evokes a special memory. I have my Grandma Leah’s beautiful rose and gold side plates, my Grandma Vera’s tiny coloured glass sherry glasses (perfect for Cherry Brandy) and various serving plates and bowls chosen on our travels that remind me of a happy time and place.
A beautifully dressed table, with linen, crockery and glassware is a joy to eat at, particularly as Christmas.
We’re giving you the chance to win a gorgeous new 12 piece dinner service.
And we are including a fabulous bumper package of amazing food from field&flower!
To win this fabulous prize in time for Christmas click here.
#competition
A warm welcome to all Dairy Diary and Dairy Cookbook readers... and future readers too.
I post a blog every week featuring food, family and fun. There are lots of useful household tips, crafty ideas, give-aways and delicious recipes that I think you will find irresistible.
From now on all new blogs and recipes will be posted on our new website DairyDiary.co.uk.
Please post your feedback there, I would love to hear what you think! Did you know you can also follow us on Twitter and become a fan of the Dairy Diary on Facebook?
If you would like further information regarding the Dairy Diary or cookbooks, or you just want to share a tip or recipe, I would love to hear from you.
You can email me at enquiries@dairydiary.co.uk
Emily
Dairy Diary Managing Editor
