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These gorgeous fine china mugs will cheer up anyone’s morning coffee.
To enter simply choose your favourite Fantastic Food For Less pudding recipe from the three shown on the competition webpage.
The recipes can be found in the new Fantastic Food For Less coobook.
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You may want to treat your own mum, or make for another mum who does a fabulous job.
Here are five easy and accessible ideas for anyone to try – young or old. Children will love helping to make any of these lovely gifts, and mums will adore them no matter how well made (or not! – my own mum has had some ‘interesting’ Blue Peter creations in the past). After all, it’s always the thought that counts.
Makes 9
Time 45 mins
Calories 485 Fat 27g of which 16.9g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing
Butter, at room temperature and very soft 110g (4oz)
Caster sugar 110g (4oz)
Lemon extract 1 tsp
Eggs 2 large, beaten
Self-raising flour 110g (4oz)
Baking powder 1 tsp
Milk 1 tbsp
For the topping
Butter, softened 175g (6oz)
Icing sugar 300g (11oz), sifted
Lemon extract 1 tsp
Sugar flowers and sugar sprinkles (glimmer) to decorate
1 Preheat oven to 180ºC/ Gas 4 and place cupcake cases in a muffin tin. Put butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Add lemon extract with eggs, flour, baking powder and milk. Using beater attachment, mix batter well until you have a smooth pale cake mixture.
2 Divide mixture between cupcake cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and firm to touch. Leave in the tin to cool.
3 Beat butter, using an electric whisk, until pale then add icing sugar and mix on lowest setting until blended. Then blend on full speed for a minute. Add lemon extract and beat again. Spoon buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe swirls onto cupcakes. Decorate with sugar flowers and glimmer.
Crunchy and utterly moreish, this peanut brittle is wonderful served with a hot cup of coffee. This delicious Crunchy Peanut Brittle is a Dairy Diary recipe. For more delicious recipes visit the Dairy Diary Recipe Collection.
Time 30 mins plus chilling
Makes 20-25
Calories 66
Fat 6g of which 3.1g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Cook’s dark chocolate 150g (5oz), chopped
Double cream 4 tbsp
Butter 50g (2oz), softened
Instant coffee 1 tsp, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
Cocoa 25g (1oz), sifted
Petit four cases
1 Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in cream, butter and coffee. Mix well, until smooth. If butter doesn’t melt, return bowl to stand over the pan of hot water and stir until melted. Cool, then cover and refrigerate for 1-1½ hours until firm, not solid.
2 Scatter cocoa onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Scoop teaspoons of chocolate and then, using your fingertips, roll into little balls, coating with cocoa. Place truffles in petit four cases. If they are Mother’s Day gifts, pop into a pretty gift bag or box.
I came across this charming idea for a homemade gift on Pinterest. I have to say, I am totally hooked… the possibilities for personalised gifts are endless. In essence, you fill a jar with small items that you know a friend will love or find useful. Make it pretty and voila – a gorgeous and thoughtful gift, which can be very inexpensive to put together.
Here’s how I made it:
1 From Boots I bought a selection of miniature goodies from their travel section.
2 I pilfered a (clean) good-sized jar from the recycling bin and filled it with the spa goodies.
3 Then I wrapped a ribbon around the centre and a smaller ribbon around the lid, securing with double-sided tape.
4 The Spa in a Jar label is cut from a piece of patterened card and attached with double-sided tape.
Easy peasey!
Your ‘in a jar’ gift could be anything you like – seeds, handcream, twine and gloves for a garden lover or possibly cookie in a jar with all the ingredients to make some fabulous biscuits?
I am a huge fan of Soap & Glory Products but after a spectacularly horrific garage bill we are tightening our belts quite considerably. So, when my gorgeous sugar scrub ran out, I decided to be uber-sensible and make my own.
Here’s how to make it:
Coconut oil 110g (4oz) (available from Holland & Barratt)
Granulated sugar 110g (4oz)
Lime 1, zest and juice
Spearmint or peppermint oil 10 drops
1 In a saucepan, heat coconut oil gently until melted. Stir in sugar, lime zest and juice, and oil.
2 Decant into a jar and store in the fridge.
Use twice a week for invigorated and super-soft skin.
Tip: You could use olive oil in place of the coconut oil (it doesn’t need to be heated). Simply add enough to the sugar to make a thick paste.
Whether you’re a daughter, or a mum or a grandma, have a wonderful day!
#mothersday
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I discovered this recipe on a recent trip to London (after a rather over-indulgent night out!) and I have been hankering after it ever since.
Shrove Tuesday has given me to perfect opportunity to try it at home and share it with the rest of the family.
Be warned, it’s naughty,
but very VERY nice!
Serves 4
Time 30 mins
Plain flour 110g (4oz)
Baking powder 2 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp
Caster sugar 1 tbsp
Salt ½ tsp
Eggs 2 large, beaten
Buttermilk 284/300ml tub
Butter 25g (1oz), melted, plus extra for frying
Streaky bacon 8 rashers
Maple syrup to serve
1 Sift flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir in sugar and salt.
2 Whisk in eggs, buttermilk and butter, taking care not to over-whisk.
3 Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a tiny amount of butter. Pour in 2-3 spoonfuls of batter and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles appear and edges start to turn dry. Flip and cook for 1 minute more, until golden underneath. Keep warm.
4 Repeat until batter is used up.
5 Place bacon rashers side-by-side in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, turning halfway through, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
6 Serve pancakes topped with bacon and drizzled with maple syrup.
Enjoy!
#pancakeday
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We’ve started a new regime, my other half and I, where on our Friday ‘date’ nights, one of us is totally responsible for choosing what we eat, drink and do.
Mwhahahaha, now’s my chance to dust
down the board games (all in the spirit
of the Dairy Diary of course!)
In our Brain Training feature, in this year’s Dairy Diary we talk about the benefits of keeping our brains active so it has given me the perfect excuse to sneak out the Crossword game.
The ability to think quickly, clearly and creatively, and to concentrate better, can be cultivated. If you have the motivation, and are prepared to put in a little effort, it seems to be entirely possible to improve your mental capacity, whatever your age. The key is to keep challenging yourself – giving your brain a gentle workout will strengthen it and improve its power.
Messages are passed through your brain via neurons, using chemical and electrical reactions that travel with mind-boggling speed. Part of each neuron is insulated with myelin, a fatty substance that helps electrical transmissions. The thicker the insulation, the speedier and more accurate your thinking and the better your memory. Learning increases the density of neuron connections, and repetition increases the thickness of the myelin. Bingo!
Anything that engages different parts of the brain at the same time is especially effective. The left side is concerned with logic, sequential thinking and decision making; the right side with creativity, imagination and random ideas.
Tackle crosswords, sudokus, quizzes and puzzles, or take up bridge. Solving cryptic puzzles involves several parts of your brain – logic, recall, creative thought, analysis, deciding on likely options, dealing with frustration – and the benefits increase if you do it with someone else.
Learn something new and challenging e.g. chess, crochet, a musical instrument. Learning another language may seem ambitious but is especially good because it forces your brain to switch tracks continuously, which is one of the most mentally demanding things you can do. It helps hone the frontal lobes, the brain’s mind managers, which tend to shrink as part of the ageing process.
Study a subject that you find interesting e.g. botany, nutrition, a specific era of history.
Read, and maybe join or start a book club. Discussing books with others hones your critical/analytical skills.
Make up brain games to play with friends e.g. think of an animal or food for every letter of the alphabet. Focusing on simple tasks helps to improve concentration as well as boosting brain power. Include memory games, so that each person has to repeat what has already been said.
Listen to music. Listening to Mozart has been shown to improve spatial and mathematical reasoning.
An exercise to help improve your concentration is to spend a few minutes every day emptying your mind and thinking of nothing but your breathing. Practising focusing on one thing will help you to de-clutter and calm your thoughts, so you can concentrate better the rest of the time.
As working parents with several young children, it’s pretty impossible to find the time to take up a new language or join a book club. We can, however, squeeze in the odd board game or two when the children are asleep (the games that we play with the children are not particularly intellectually taxing just yet!)
Time 10 mins plus chilling. Per portion: 185 Kcal, 8.4g fat (1.3g saturated). Serves 4
Smoked mackerel 225g (8oz), skinned
Chopped dill 3 tbsp
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Garlic 1 clove, peeled and crushed
Freshly ground black pepper
Double cream 150ml (¼ pint), lightly whipped
Egg white 1, whisked
Lemon wedges to serve (optional)
Melba toast to serve (optional)
1 Place the mackerel flesh in a bowl. Add the chopped dill, lemon juice, garlic and pepper and mash together well or blend in a food processor.
2 Fold in the cream and egg white; chill.
3 Serve with Melba toast and lemon.
Time 30 minutes. Per portion: 478 Kcal, 23g fat (12g saturated). Serves 4
Butter 25g (1oz)
Risotto rice 225g (8oz)
Spring onions 8, trimmed and chopped
Hot vegetable stock 900ml (1½ pints)
Smoked streaky bacon 8 rashers, de-rinded and halved
Frozen peas 200g (7oz)
Freshly ground black pepper
Mature Cheddar cheese 110g (4oz), diced
1 Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan and add the rice, coating it well in the butter. Stir in the spring onions and about 150ml (¼ pint) of the stock and simmer until almost absorbed. Pour in more stock, a ladleful at a time and each time waiting for the liquid to be almost absorbed before adding more, simmering until the rice is almost cooked. The mixture should not be dry.
2 Meanwhile, grill the bacon rashers until crisp.
3 Add the peas and season well with pepper. Heat through, then stir in the Cheddar cheese. When the cheese starts to melt, serve with the bacon rashers piled on top.
Time 20 minutes plus chilling. Per portion: 395 Kcal, 27g fat (15.1g saturated). Serves 6
Trifle sponges 4
Raspberry jam 110g (4oz)
Lemon 1, grated zest and juice
Caster sugar 50g (2oz)
Dry cider with elderflower 120ml (4fl oz)
Double cream 300ml carton
Mixed frozen fruits 200g (7oz), just defrosted
1 Slice each sponge cake in half horizontally. Spread jam over half of the slices, then cover with the remaining slices, cut to fit and place in six individual glasses in a single layer. Spread any remaining jam over the top of the sponge cakes.
2 Place most of the lemon zest, the lemon juice and sugar in a bowl. Add the cider and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Drizzle a little of this liquid over the trifle sponges until just moist.
3 Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the remaining cider mixture.
4 Spoon the fruit over the sponge and then cover with the flavoured cream. Top with any remaining lemon zest. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
Accompanied by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and
followed with a couple of games of Crossword.
The 2015 Dairy Diary is still available and if you like the look of the recipes above, they are taken from our cookbook, Fantastic Food for Less.
You can buy both books with FREE DELIVERY throughout January!
I would love to know what activities you participate in to expand and exercise the mind.
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The big day is almost here and I am so excited (possibly even more than the children!)
The build up began on the 1st with my oldest tradition – the opening of a wooden advent calendar that belonged to me when I was a child (we fill it with tiny chocolates and stickers). We have many more traditions, old and new, that I cherish and that make childhood and Christmas magical – just how it should be!
I saw this idea on Facebook back in November, and I thought it was fabulous. I was going to buy 24 books from a charity shop but then my eldest child sorted through his books and selected 24 which are now too young for him. We wrapped each one individually and put them under the tree. Each day one of the younger children unwraps a book which we read that evening before bed.
This gorgeous idea was on the blog http://www.realcoake.com/2012/11/christmas-activities-christmas-express.html and I just couldn’t resist it!
One evening last week each child found a ticket under their pillow for the Christmas Express. We helped them into their dressing gowns, bundled them into the car with a little cup of hot chocolate and a cookie and took them around the local streets and town centre to see all the Christmas lights. It was lovely!
There’s nothing that quite gets you into the Christmas spirit than a carol concert or Christmas play. Usually, we go along to the local church carol concert but this year in place of a few gifts (they don’t need more toys!) we have bought tickets to see The Snowman at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. It will be the first time there for all of us and I can’t wait.
On Christmas Eve each child is given a package wrapped in brown paper and it contains a pair of new pyjamas and a tiny teddy (from the charity shop) to cuddle during the night. We bake Christmas biscuits (see the recipe below) and leave a couple out for Father Christmas with a glass of sherry and a carrot for Rudolf. We then all hang up our stockings before our final story and bed (after a large glass of wine and a sigh of relief for mum and dad!)
Father Christmas usually forgets to clean his boots on the way in and leaves muddy prints by the patio. He even manages to leave a little bit of his beard (cotton wool) when munching on his biscuits! Despite his clumsiness, he has filled the stockings with exciting treasures, which we open first, and hidden some bigger gifts behind the sofa.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone – I hope it is peaceful and happy, and you enjoy the Christmas traditions that are special to you and your family.
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35–40 biscuits
15 mins prep time plus chilling
25 mins cooking time
65 Kcal per biscuit
4g fat per biscuit of which
0.3g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Egg whites 2
Icing sugar 175g (6oz)
Ground cinnamon 2 tsp
Ground almonds 250g (9oz)
Lemon juice 2–3 tsp
1 Whisk the egg whites until stiff, fold in the icing sugar and cinnamon and whisk again until the mixture is of thick dropping consistency. Spoon about 6 tbsp of this meringue mixture into a small bowl, cover it and reserve. Continue whisking the rest of the mixture until it forms stiff peaks, then fold in the ground almonds and lemon juice and mix to a thick paste.
2 Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 1 hour, or until the mixture is firm enough to handle.
3 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and butter 2–3 baking sheets. Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment until it’s about 5mm (¼in) thick.
4 Use a 2.5cm (1in) diameter star cutter to cut out shapes, then place on the baking sheets. Re-roll the trimmings and repeat the cutting out until all the paste is used up.
5 Bake the stars in the oven for 7–8 minutes, then remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 110°C/225°F/Gas ¼.
6 Use a pastry brush to paint the reserved meringue mixture over the top of the biscuits. Return the stars to the oven for about 15 minutes until the meringue has dried out but not browned. Remove the stars from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. The biscuits will keep for up to 2 weeks if stored in a cool place in an airtight container.
Cook’s tip
Ensure that both the bowl and beaters are grease-free before making the meringue, otherwise the mixture will not whisk up to the full volume.
Recipe taken from Year Round Dairy Cookbook.
Dairy Diary Chat 