“Dairy Diary is so crammed with useful, interesting and indispensable information, it’s hard to imagine being without it.”
This is just one of the many customer reviews we have had for Dairy Diary. So why is this diary so popular?
Here’s why:
It’s unique — with an inspirational recipe every week, you’re never short of ideas for what to cook for dinner.
You can see the whole week at a glance — and there’s no need for a charger or wifi!
With a handy pocket you know where all those important bits of paper are stashed.
Reminder dates stickers ensure you will never miss an appointment or birthday.
It’s crammed with indispensable and interesting information from sunrise times to birthstones, conversion charts to baking techniques and stain removal to quirky places to stay.
Plan your 2016 in style with the Dairy Diary available now.
And here’s a taster of one of those delicious recipes.
Calories 575 per portion
Fat 35g (19.3g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians
Ingredients
Chocolate Swiss roll 250g (9oz), cut into 6 slices
Bananas 3, peeled and sliced
Fresh custard 500g pot
Double cream 300ml (½ pint)
Irish Cream liqueur 4-5 tbsp
Fudge chunks 50g (2oz)
Dark chocolate sauce to taste
Instructions
Crumble each slice of Swiss roll into six dessert glasses. Arrange banana on top, then cover with custard.
Tip cream and liqueur into a bowl and whisk until thickened. Spoon onto custard and sprinkle with fudge chunks. Drizzle with a little chocolate sauce and serve immediately.
I don’t usually even like cheesecake but loved this one taken from the 2016 Dairy Diary.
White Chocolate Cheesecake
Time 45 mins plus chilling,
Serves 8-10,
Calories 678,
Fat 51g of which 31.4g is saturated
Butter 75g (3oz), melted
Ginger nuts 200g (7oz), crushed
Good quality white chocolate 350g (12oz), chopped, plus extra, shaved, to decorate
Double cream 150ml (¼ pint)
Full fat cream cheese 500g (1lb 2oz)
Frozen cranberries 150g (5oz)
Caster sugar 125g (4½oz)
Orange juice 125ml (4fl oz)
1 Mix together butter and biscuits. Press into the base of a 20.5cm (8in) round loose-based tin. Chill for 10 minutes to firm.
2 Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan heat cream until almost simmering then pour over chocolate. Stir well until chocolate has melted then leave to cool.
3 Beat cheese until soft. Fold into chocolate cream and mix well. Spoon over biscuit base and smooth the surface. Cover with cling film and chill for 8 hours, or preferably overnight, until set.
4 Place cranberries, sugar and juice in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Bring slowly up to boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5 Reserve 12, then blend rest of cranberries until smooth. Unmould cheesecake. Decorate with chocolate and cranberries and serve with cranberry coulis.
A Dairy Diary 2016 recipe. For more information and to purchase click here.
Britain’s favourite home diary is packed with essential information plus inspirational weekly recipes and fascinating features.
The diary is clearly laid out with lots of writing space plus a sheet of memorable dates stickers for appointments and occasions.
Notable features of the 2016 Dairy Diary include:
Clear A5, week-to-view diary
Easy-to-follow weekly recipes
Reminder stickers
Handy pocket for notes and cards
Essential kitchen and home information
Budgeting, conversions, addresses, etc.
The first edition of the Dairy Diary was produced in 1982 and since then more than 30 million copies have been sold, making it Britain’s best-selling home diary.
Order online or call 08450 948 128 (lines open 9am-8pm, Mon-Fri).
Britain’s favourite home diary is packed with essential information plus inspirational weekly recipes and fascinating features.
The diary is clearly laid out with lots of writing space plus a sheet of memorable dates stickers for appointments and occasions.
Notable features of the 2016 Dairy Diary include:
Clear A5, week-to-view diary
Easy-to-follow weekly recipes
Reminder stickers
Handy pocket for notes and cards
Essential kitchen and home information
Budgeting, conversions, addresses, etc.
The first edition of the Dairy Diary was produced in 1982 and since then more than 30 million copies have been sold, making it Britain’s best-selling home diary.
Order online or call 08450 948 128 (lines open 9am-8pm, Mon-Fri).
With a crisp pastry base, juicy mincemeat and almondy Bakewell topping, this festive treat is perfect to accompany a mid-morning cuppa. Or present these delicious treats as an edible gift to someone else! These Mincemeat Bakewell Squares are a Dairy Diary recipe. For more delicious recipes visit the Dairy Diary Recipe Collection.
Time 1½ hrs
Makes 8-10 slices
Calories 513 Fat 18.3g of which 7.4g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Ingredients
For the pastry
Ready-rolled frozen puff pastry 2 x 375g packets, thawed
For the pastry cream
Egg yolks 3
Caster sugar 200g (7oz)
Plain flour 50g (2oz)
Cornflour 25g (1oz)
Milk 500ml (18fl oz)
Vanilla extract ½ tsp
For the glacé icing
Vanilla extract ¼ tsp
Icing sugar 225g (8oz), sifted
For the chocolate drizzle
Dark chocolate
Equipment
25g (1oz) Baking sheets and/or trays
Baking paper
Cling film
Icing pen or piping bag
Secrets of pastry cream
Pastry cream or crème pâtissière is a thick custard sauce used in open fruit tarts and in many small pastry delicacies.
The recipe here uses cornflour to thicken the sauce; many recipes use custard powder instead. Both work well, but custard powder will give a yellow finish, whereas cornflour gives a cream-coloured result. Cook the sauce until it is really thick.
Making the pastry layers
1 Preheat oven to 220°C(200°fan)/425°F/Gas 7. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Lay unrolled puff pastry sheets on prepared baking sheets, and prick them all over with a fork. Lay another baking sheet on top of each sheet of pastry. You may need to do this in batches.
2 Bake for 18–23 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Carefully remove pastry onto a rack to cool. Cut each sheet in half and trim edges. You will have one spare piece.
Making the pastry cream
3 Beat egg yolks and sugar until white, add flour and cornflour and mix well. Add ¼ of milk to loosen mixture. Put remaining milk and vanilla extract into a pan and bring to boil. Pour onto eggs, stir well, return to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens. Transfer to a bowl. Cover surface with cling film and cool completely without stirring.
Making the glacé icing
4 Add vanilla extract to icing sugar and whisk in boiled water, spoon by spoon, until you get a good spreading consistency.
Creating the Napoleons
5 Lay one sheet of cooked pastry onto a board and spread it with a thick layer of pastry cream. Lay a second sheet of pastry on top and spread on another layer of pastry cream.
6 Put on final layer of pastry and spread with an even layer of glacé icing.
7 Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and put it into an icing pen or piping bag with a fine nozzle. Draw horizontal chocolate lines at regular intervals over surface of the icing.
8 Take a metal skewer and lightly drag it diagonally across lines to make an attractive pattern. Leave to set before slicing carefully with a sharp knife into individual servings.
These exquisite pastries are taken from the 2016 Dairy Diary available now.
And now…..
I always wish I was allowed to enter out competitions (sadly I cannot) but on this occasion I REALLY wish I could win.
I am going to leave pictures of this
prize around the house and hope
that ‘Father Christmas’ gets the hint.
Good luck everyone – these baking products are just gorgeous.
Win This Very Special Christmas Baking Set
Our most-wanted Christmas baking products, including a stunning hand-engraved wooden rolling pin, which cleverly embosses a Christmas tree design onto pastry, biscuits or icing; a beautiful Denby Heritage Pavilion mixing bowl; and a handmade wooden spoon.
The festive season is almost upon us and soon we will be feverishly shopping, wrapping and delivering gifts.
Whilst we’re visiting friends (and furtively swapping children’s gifts from the car boot) I like to take a little something scrumptious, beautifully wrapped, of course.
This year I have been inspired by the Dairy Diary to make these fabulous Napoleons.
Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to make Napoleons
Napoleons
Time 1½ hrs
Makes 8-10 slices
Calories 513 Fat 18.3g of which 7.4g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Ingredients
For the pastry
Ready-rolled frozen puff pastry 2 x 375g packets, thawed
For the pastry cream
Egg yolks 3
Caster sugar 200g (7oz)
Plain flour 50g (2oz)
Cornflour 25g (1oz)
Milk 500ml (18fl oz)
Vanilla extract ½ tsp
For the glacé icing
Vanilla extract ¼ tsp
Icing sugar 225g (8oz), sifted
For the chocolate drizzle
Dark chocolate
Equipment
25g (1oz) Baking sheets and/or trays
Baking paper
Cling film
Icing pen or piping bag
Secrets of pastry cream
Pastry cream or crème pâtissière is a thick custard sauce used in open fruit tarts and in many small pastry delicacies.
The recipe here uses cornflour to thicken the sauce; many recipes use custard powder instead. Both work well, but custard powder will give a yellow finish, whereas cornflour gives a cream-coloured result. Cook the sauce until it is really thick.
Making the pastry layers
1 Preheat oven to 220°C(200°fan)/425°F/Gas 7. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Lay unrolled puff pastry sheets on prepared baking sheets, and prick them all over with a fork. Lay another baking sheet on top of each sheet of pastry. You may need to do this in batches.
2 Bake for 18–23 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Carefully remove pastry onto a rack to cool. Cut each sheet in half and trim edges. You will have one spare piece.
Making the pastry cream
3 Beat egg yolks and sugar until white, add flour and cornflour and mix well. Add ¼ of milk to loosen mixture. Put remaining milk and vanilla extract into a pan and bring to boil. Pour onto eggs, stir well, return to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens. Transfer to a bowl. Cover surface with cling film and cool completely without stirring.
Making the glacé icing
4 Add vanilla extract to icing sugar and whisk in boiled water, spoon by spoon, until you get a good spreading consistency.
Creating the Napoleons
5 Lay one sheet of cooked pastry onto a board and spread it with a thick layer of pastry cream. Lay a second sheet of pastry on top and spread on another layer of pastry cream.
6 Put on final layer of pastry and spread with an even layer of glacé icing.
7 Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and put it into an icing pen or piping bag with a fine nozzle. Draw horizontal chocolate lines at regular intervals over surface of the icing.
8 Take a metal skewer and lightly drag it diagonally across lines to make an attractive pattern. Leave to set before slicing carefully with a sharp knife into individual servings.
These exquisite pastries are taken from the 2016 Dairy Diary available now.
And these will go into a cake box adorned with a decorative pompom (these are also fabulous for decorating your home for the Christmas season).
Dairy Diary Chat 