Top Tips

Make 2017 a happy one

Sometimes things happen beyond our control that makes life challenging.

There’s nothing we can do to prevent
these events, but there are a few things
that we can do to feel happier.

Find somewhere quiet to sit for half an hour with your Dairy Diary, mobile phone and a pen and plan your 2017.

Think about everyone you know. Who makes you happiest? Give them a call and schedule in a regular time to meet up. It may only be for a coffee for an hour once a month, but if it’s written in your diary you’re more likely to keep the date.

What type of exercise do you most enjoy? A leisurely stroll, funky dance class or maybe a high intensity session? Write it into your diary at least once a week. Those endorphins will give you a weekly high.

Laugher is the best medicine. Which TV show, magazine or book most makes you chuckle? Write a regular ‘laughter night’ in your diary and watch or read your favourite funny.

Is there something that you have always wanted to learn to do? Speak French, paint in watercolour or maybe scuba dive? Go online, find a class near you and book yourself in.

And is there a place that you have longed to visit? Make a plan to go, or if it’s an extravagant trip, start a savings plan for it.

Remember folks, life’s for living!

Have a brilliant 2017.

Boxing Day – now it’s time to treat yourself!

Time to treat yourself!

I’m sure, like most people, the last month has been a whirlwind of planning, shopping, wrapping, cooking, and generally trying to make Christmas perfect for everyone.

Now’s the time to slow
down and treat yourself.

Do something you makes you feel happy. That may be a long walk, a phone call with a friend, a soak in the bath with your favourite music playing, reading a book, or even filling in your Dairy Diary.

Whatever it is, enjoy yourself and maybe even indulge in some simple comfort food like this. Just make sure someone else makes it for you!

Pasta Supper

Servings: 2 adults & 3 children
Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Calories 529 per portion
Fat 31g (17g sat) per portion

Ingredients

Dried tagliatelle 250g pack
Butter 40g (1½oz)
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Onion 1 small, peeled and finely chopped
Ham 110g (4oz), cut into strips
Frozen peas 110g (4oz)
Single cream 150ml (¼ pint)
Cheddar cheese 110g (4oz), grated

Instructions

Cook the tagliatelle according to the packet’s instructions.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the oil and cook the onion for about 4 minutes until soft.
Add the ham and frozen peas and cook for a further 4 minutes.
Add the drained tagliatelle, cream and half of the cheese. Toss together and serve immediately sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

Cook’s tips
Dried tagliatelle has been used here but it can be tricky for little ones to twiddle around a fork. For young diners you might like to use pasta twists or shells instead that can be scooped up with a spoon.

This recipe is taken from
Dairy Diary Favourites cookbook.

Click here to find out more.

Have a happy Boxing Day everyone.

#boxingday

#treatyourself

#comfortfood

10 Christmas traditions old and new

Make Christmas even more magical with 10 traditions old and new

When it comes to tradition, it’s lovely to echo previous generations but it can also be really special to create your own, new, rituals.

Here, I share my favourite traditions for a really magical Christmas.

1 Take an evening drive to see the festive lights in your locality. Towns and villages often adorn the streets with lights and some people really go to town with their own houses. Pretty or gaudy, it’s always great fun. If you have little children it’s especially exciting to don dressing gowns and venture out after dark.

2 Decorate with what you have. There’s no need to spend a fortune on shop-bought creations, making your own (and re-discovering funny little child-made decs from years gone by) is so special. We love to create simple paper chains and I adorn a very cheap wreath with fir cones and conkers collected in autumn, and with orange slices dried in the oven. A simple ribbon finishes the look and the result looks much more expensive that it actually is!

3 Help others. A gift that means a lot to someone is your time. Make a voucher for an evening of babysitting for a young family, or a home-cooked meal for an elderly neighbour. Think about what may make a difference to someone you know.

4 Only use cash to pay for Christmas. Don’t get into debt; set up a monthly standing order to go into a savings account and use only this money for food and presents.

5 Recycle the previous year’s Christmas cards. Make into tags by cutting out with pinking shears, punching with a hole and threading with ribbon.

6 Hang stockings on Christmas Eve and fill with inexpensive treats. Until very recently my parents still gave me stocking! But now my own children use the same threadbare reindeer sock. Opening these tiny gifts, collected throughout the year, is my favourite part of the big day.

7 Dress up! Put on your favourite dress, wear some glamorous jewellery and do your hair.

8 Eat what you love! Just because it’s ‘traditional’, you don’t HAVE to eat it. After all, Christmas is about enjoying yourself. If you’re not keen on Christmas pudding like us then swap for Gingerbread Latte Trifle from the 2017 Dairy Diary (see below), it’s divine.

9 Enjoy time together. Play board games or do crafts together, and swap stories, this family time is precious.

10 Write proper thank you notes and send them in the post. It’s so much nicer than a text.

Gingerbread Latte Trifle

Servings: 6
Time: 30 mins plus chilling
Difficulty: easy
Print

Calories 353 per portion
Fat 40g (25g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

Espresso ground coffee 2 tbsp
Trifle sponges 8 (approx. 200g/7oz), each cut into 3
Custard 500g carton
Double cream 300ml pot
Gingerbread syrup 1 tbsp
Dark chocolate with ginger 50g (2oz), finely chopped

Instructions

Spoon coffee into a cafetière and add 250ml (9fl oz) hot, not boiling, water. Stir and leave to brew for 3 minutes. Plunge, then leave to cool.
Place sponges in the base of six trifle bowls. Spoon over coffee then top with custard.
Whisk cream with gingerbread syrup until softly whipped. Spoon on top of custard then sprinkle with chocolate. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.

The Dairy Diary is still available to purchase –
and makes the perfect gift!

Click here to find out more.

#christmastradition

#gingerbreadlatte

#trifle

#yummy

5 simple steps to help you drink more water

Pretty much every morning I remind myself to drink more water and by the end of the day I’ve usually only managed to drink about 4 glasses.

We all know water is good for us. Amongst other things it’s great for your skin, helps ward off headaches caused by dehydration and even helps to counterbalance diuretic drinks such as tea and coffee, which make us need the loo more often.

I decided to be proactive and put a plan in place to make sure I do actually drink the recommended 1.5-2 litres water every day. This plan included drinking really cold filtered water, sometimes flavoured with fruit and setting my phone alarm to remind me to drink.

After following my plan of action
for a week, I can confirm that it
does really work.

I have had no headaches, my skin feels less tight and I do feel much better.

Here’s the plan:

Buy a water filter jug for the fridge (and possibly one for your work fridge), so the water tastes fresh and cold.
Use a tall glass or bottle to drink from to ensure you have access to more water even when you’re busy.
Use the alarm on your mobile phone to remind you to drink and keep a tally chart of how many glasses you’ve had in your Dairy Diary.
Add lemon or lime slices, or even some fresh mint to your water. It tastes delicious!
Follow your tea or coffee with a glass of water.

Britain’s most-trusted diary

Keep on track with everything you need to do daily with Britain’s most trusted and loved diary – the 2017 Dairy Diary.

It has the perfect layout for planning your week, useful reminder date stickers, a handy pocket for notes and of course, the famous triple-tested weekly recipes.

Dairy Diary 2017 is available to buy right now from your local milkman or direct from us online or by calling 01425 463390.

And it’s only £7.99!!

Available to buy now.

Don’t just take our word for it – here’s what others have to say:

“ Brilliant diary have had one since they started”.
*****
Mrs Tilbey

“ Best diary ever! Fantastic layout. Great pages of general information. Colourful. I always try the recipes. Value for money 10/10”.
*****
Amazon customer

Here’s a taster recipe….. perfect for serving with a bowl of hot soup.

Savoury Bacon & Herb Loaf

Servings: 4
Time: 60 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Calories 327 per portion
Fat 11g (5.2g sat) per portion
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients

Streaky bacon 50g (2oz), chopped
Onion 1, peeled and finely chopped
Celery 2 sticks, chopped
Self-raising flour 225g (8oz)
Butter 25g (1oz), softened
Milk 150ml (¼ pint)
Egg 1, beaten
Chopped parsley 1 tbsp
Dried mixed herbs ½ tsp

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°fan/Gas 4. Grease a 450g (1lb) loaf tin or 16cm (6in) cake tin.
Dry fry bacon in a frying pan for 2 minutes, then add onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
Sift flour and ½ tsp salt into a bowl and rub in butter.
In a jug mix milk with egg and herbs and season. Add to dry ingredients with bacon mixture and mix together. Spoon into tin and bake for 50-60 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a rack.

#drinkwater

#getorganised

#recipe

#tripletested

Recipe of the Week: Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Wrap your mittened fingers around a mug of this scrumptious drink this autumn and you’ll soon feel warm and cosy

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Servings: 2
Time: 5 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Calories 267 per portion
Fat 13g (5g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

Milk 600ml (1 pint)
Chocolate hazelnut spread 3 tbsp
Orange ¼, finely grated zest

Instructions

Heat the milk in a pan with the chocolate spread, stirring until dissolved. Stir in the orange zest, pour into cups and serve immediately.

This is taken from our fantastic new cookbook; Dairy Diary Favourites.. To find out more click here.

#getorganised #autumn #september #tripletested #hotchocolate

10 simple ways to make the most of autumn

Autumn begins on Thursday but rather than mourn the end of summer, celebrate the season with these 10 top tips.

1 Kick leaves

No matter how old you are, you’ll always feel like a child again when you are paddling in a lagoon of fallen leaves. Kick leaves with your children – such a simplistic action can lift stress off your shoulders for a while.

2 Roast marshmallows and chestnuts over an open fire

Autumn is neither too hot for a fire, nor too cold to be staying outside – which is precisely why you should be taking the chance to light a cosy, warming fire whilst you roast marshmallows and chestnuts over it.

3 Buy a new pair of boots

It’s time to kick off those sandals and instead dance the blues in durable boots! Whether your boots be Dr Martens or if you prefer, floral wellie – you can never go wrong with purchasing practical footwear for the season.

4 Drink plenty of warm drinks

Experiment with new hot beverages. Last year a Pumpkin Spiced Latte was incredibly popular, what will it be this year?

What about Hazelnut Hot Chocolate from our new cookbook, Dairy Diary Favourites?

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Servings: 2
Time: 5 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Calories 267 per portion
Fat 13g (5g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients

Milk 600ml (1 pint)
Chocolate hazelnut spread 3 tbsp
Orange ¼, finely grated zest

Instructions

Heat the milk in a pan with the chocolate spread, stirring until dissolved. Stir in the orange zest, pour into cups and serve immediately.

5 Watch the sun rise

Witnessing the night slip into day gives you a sense of tranquillity, for it is so scenic that you will not want to take your eyes off the natural art that is usually missed by sleeping. A bonus to autumn is that the sun rises later in the morning than summer so you can still get some sleep and wake up to a mesmerising spectacle.

6 Have a film day

Of course, autumnal weather is quite unpredictable, especially in Britain, as weather cannot decide whether it wants to be sunny or rainy. In the instances where you cannot possibly enjoy the outside… choose a selection of films to watch, it could consist of chick flicks, horrors, rom-coms, dramas, you name it. It’s all in your control. This is a great time to relax and pamper yourself – maybe invite a few friends around too?

7 Be creative

The decorative scenery at this time of year is enough to allow you to get in touch with your creative side. Sit outside and draw a picture, colour in a colouring book, write a poem or even do some knitting! Anything that is artful is expressive, and what better time to do it than in this season?

8 Do something that you’ve always wanted to do

With the busy days of work and life, it’s often difficult to find some time to do something that you’ve always wanted to do. Stop procrastinating, plan to do what you have always wanted to do and do it. Be daring.

9 Host a get-together

A friendship is one of the most important relationships that you can have. Make time for it –meeting up with your friends is crucial and what better way to do it than to organise a get together? You’ll be surrounded with positivity and are guaranteed to have a jam packed, enjoyable night!

10 Plan ahead

An organised schedule is indubitably a must if you lead a hectic lifestyle. Plans reduce stress, clear your mind and give you a motivational sense of direction. In advance – plan this season to suit you. The Dairy Diary knows the importance of having a neat schedule with the week-to-view pages, planners and lie-flat spiral binding. Check out our gorgeous new range at <link>.

#getorganised #autumn #september #tripletested #hotchocolate

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Dairy Diary Chat

Top Tips

Make 2017 a happy one

Sometimes things happen beyond our control that makes life challenging.

Boxing Day – now it’s time to treat yourself!