We are giving away a copy of Around Britain, one of our most popular cookbooks.
In this updated edition we explore our glorious gastronomic heritage with a collection of fascinating and delicious recipes from every region of Britain.
For a small nation, the topography of Britain is immensely varied. This fertile land yields the ingredients that have influenced our gastronomic heritage.
From the orchards of the South East to the lochs of Scotland, each region harvests its own food and creates its own dishes.
Did you notice that birdsong seemed louder than usual last lockdown?
I’m not sure why. I’m currently sat in my kitchen during the quiet hour before the children rise and it’s just beginning to get light. The birdsong I can hear is beautiful, so uplifting.
Nature has that affect, listening to or watching birds in your garden seems to have a calming influence.
And despite it being winter, there are still plenty to see. In fact, the absence of foliage means it’s even easier to watch them.
So what birds should you look out for in your garden right now? Watch for robins, starlings, long-tailed tits, wagtails, jackdaws or the lesser well-known, blackcap or even a heron.
Herons look quite comical compared to other birds, and we refer to them as ‘Rupert Annual Birds’, as they look like some of the strange characters from one of my favourite childhood books (who remembers the Rupert Annual?!)
Here’s the introduction from a fascinating article on the Grey Heron. Click the button to read the full text.
The grey heron adopts the same frozen stance and look of rapt concentration whether it is hunting in a peaceful backwater or on a lake in the centre of London.
The stately grey heron is a big wading bird which frequents freshwater and saltwater sites all over Britain. In the countryside, herons are timid but in towns and cities they are amazingly unperturbed by all the hustle and bustle.
More often than not, the ghostly grey heron is seen standing perfectly still, feeding in the water or on the banks of rivers, reedy lakes or rushy ponds, muddy estuaries, marshes and dykes.
For more fascinating facts, info and folklore on our feathered friends, treat yourself to a copy of Favourite Garden Birds
Packed with colour photographs and enchanting drawings from wildlife experts, Favourite Garden Birds will help you to identify the birds that visit your garden each season. Available now for just £8.99
I post a blog every week featuring food, family and fun. There are lots of useful household tips, crafty ideas, giveaways and delicious recipes that I think you will find irresistible.
We get thousands of visitors to our website, and in particular the recipe collections, but an astonishing 66,000 people viewed the Boiled Fruit Cake recipe! It just goes to show how good it is.
This particular recipe features with plenty more favourites in our Dairy Diary Favourites cookbook; a compendium of the most-requested recipes of all time.
Here is that very fruit cake recipe, as well as the others that appeared in the top 5 recipes of 2020.
I have to say, you all have very good taste and I wish I could come round for tea as these are all absolutely delish!
“I’ve been making this cake since the early eighties from my ‘Dairy Diary’. I’m thrilled I’ve found it again, it’s a totally gorgeous cake! Love it ! ”
Bernadette
I post a blog every week featuring food, family and fun. There are lots of useful household tips, crafty ideas, giveaways and delicious recipes that I think you will find irresistible.
I, for one, have vowed to no more ‘New-Year-new-me’ declarations, which usually involves depriving myself of the things I love (which roughly translates to no chocolate).
This recipe from Fantastic Food For Less is foolproof; whenever I bake them the result is gorgeous, rich, gooey brownies. Perfectly served with classic vanilla ice cream.
They are relatively low in calories per portion too, so win-win!
Based on the iconic Austrian flan; whose namesake is the pretty baroque city of Linz, this Christmassy dessert uses mincemeat rather than the traditional jam and is topped with an attractive pastry lattice.
I post a blog every week featuring food, family and fun. There are lots of useful household tips, crafty ideas, giveaways and delicious recipes that I think you will find irresistible.
