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Win the £25 HTA Garden Gift Card in our latest competition and you can choose from over 90,000 plants and products available at hundreds of garden outlets nationwide.
Anyone, anywhere in the UK can spend HTA Garden Gift Cards on pretty much anything to do with gardening.
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Ever since childhood, when summer seemed sunnier, the grass seemed greener and those apples plucked from the boughs of my Grandad’s tree tasted like the most delicious fruit in the world, I’ve loved apples.
Needless to say, I don’t need much encouragement to eat or cook with them. And as it’s Bramley Apple Week this week I am using it as an excuse to bake a recipe that’s been requested on numerous occasions by customers who have lost the original.
Printed decades ago in a very eighties Dairy Diary, the original photograph of this apple cake doesn’t really make you want to dash in the kitchen and don your apron. However, after so many requests, it must be a good ‘un, so I’m going to give it a go.
Serves 12
Suitable for freezing
Suitable for vegetarians
Self-raising flour 350g (12oz)
Mixed spice 2 tsp
Butter 175g (6oz)
Soft brown sugar 175g (6oz)
Raisins 225g (8oz)
Egg 1, beaten
Milk 200ml (7fl oz)
Bramley apples 2, peeled and sliced
Demerara sugar 25g (1oz)
Clear honey to glaze
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1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Lightly grease and line a 20.5cm (8in) diameter deep cake tin.
2 Sift the flour and spice into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the soft brown sugar and raisins, than add the beaten egg and milk and mix to a soft consistency.
3 Spoon half the mixture into the tin, cover with half the apples and then top with the remaining mixture. Decorate with the rest of the apple slices and sprinkle with demerara.
4 Bake for 1¾ hours (cover with foil if the apples are browning too much) until browned and firm to touch.
5 Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove lining paper and glaze with warmed honey.
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How about trying this gorgeous craft project from the 2014 Dairy Diary? These adorable little mice will delight children and adults alike they’re so cute.
Here’s a great way to brush up your crocheting skills. Use the techniques shown and pattern provided to make a whole nest of these charming little creatures – before you know it, you’ll be hooked!
For the techniques and instructions on how to crochet these cute mice, visit the updated Craft These Super Cute Mice blog here.
For more crafting projects along with blogs about days out, ideas for the garden and recipe collections, visit the Inspire Me section on the Dairy Diary website.
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My other half will tell you that I’m a bit (or a lot!) of a perfectionist. That comes in pretty handy as a Managing Editor but is not quite so helpful at home.
This Christmas, however, I aim
to be a vision of calm and
tranquillity, even if everything
is going pear-shaped!
We are hosting a couple of parties, but instead of running around trying to cook 500 different foods whilst entertaining and topping up drinks. I am going to plan it so that everything can be made in advance and I can actually socialise and enjoy myself.
The easiest option is a buffet – no pressure to keep everything hot and no washing up! I have asked everyone to bring along a plate of goodies – anything goes – and I am going to make some mulled wine, a few nibbles and a couple of dishes that can be prepared in advance. I’ve also ordered some gorgeous festive disposable plates and napkins online so everything will still look pretty!
Here’s my selection from Dairy Diary. They might come in handy for your Christmas do too.
Serves 12
Time 5 mins, plus infusing time
Calories 131 per glass
Fat 0g of which 0g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Whole cloves 4
Oranges 2, cut into wedges
Lemon 1, cut into wedges
Red wine 2 x 75cl bottles
Orange juice 600ml (1 pint)
Water 900ml (1½ pints)
Clear honey 4 tbsp or to taste
Ground ginger 2 tsp
Cinnamon stick 5cm (2in) piece, plus extra sticks to serve, optional
1 Press 1 clove into 4 of the orange and lemon wedges.
2 Place all ingredients in a large pan and bring to a simmer, not a rapid boil. Leave to infuse at the lowest heat for 30 minutes.
3 Reheat as and when ready to serve. 4 Ladle into heatproof glasses or mugs and add a piece of cinnamon stick to each as a stirrer, if using.
Cook’s tip To make a non-alcoholic version, use cranberry juice in place of the wine.
Forestier PâtéServes 6
Time 20 mins, plus chilling time
Calories 332 per portion
Fat 27g of which 16g is saturated
Butter 150g (5oz)
Onion 1 small, peeled and finely chopped
Garlic 1 clove, peeled and crushed
Chicken livers 450g (1lb), trimmed and chopped
Mushrooms 150g (5oz), chopped
Bay leaves 2, plus extra to garnish
Dried thyme ½ tsp, plus extra to garnish
Brandy 2 tbsp
Double cream 75ml (2½fl oz)
French bread and salad leaves to serve
1 Melt 25g (1oz) butter and gently fry onion and garlic. Add livers, mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme and season. Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes or until livers are tender. Remove bay leaves, then add brandy.
2 Cool slightly, transfer to a blender and whizz until smooth. Stir in cream and check seasoning.
3 Melt rest of butter and scoop off white sediment. Pour pâté into a large serving dish or 6 small pots. Pour over butter, add extra bay leaves and thyme and chill for 2–3 hours. Serve with slices of French bread toast and salad leaves.
A wonderfully flavoured trifle that’s perfect for the Christmas break – try our Raspberry, Sherry & Amaretto Trifle. A Dairy Book of Home Cookery recipe.
Click here to view the recipe on the Dairy Diary website.
There is a great choice of sample recipes from Dairy Diary 2014 and Clever One Pot cookbook. Plus we have a huge selection for every occasion in the Recipe Library.
Where would I be without the Dairy Diary for all these ideas?
So get your orders in for friends and family now – guaranteed delivery delivery before Christmas. You can buy the Dairy Diary Set for just an extra couple of pounds and get a pocket diary, notes organiser and a pen too. Bargaintastic and a beautiful gift!
* Free delivery on all UK orders placed before 18 December 2013.
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Competition | Win a Luxury Christmas Hamper
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To celebrate the launch of the Dairy Diary Set 2014 we are giving you the chance to win a Luxury Silent Night Christmas Hamper or a £50 supermarket voucher towards your Christmas shopping.
The Silent Night Christmas Gift Hamper
is a sublime selection of winter treats,
including three award-winning edibles
and a fine, warming wine.
This Christmas gift hamper features a dozen delicacies from top-tier food producers. Several have won gold awards for their quality, and the rest are sure winners-in-waiting. Each and every product has passed Regency Hampers’ rigorous taste tests – so you can be sure that the hamper’s lucky recipient will enjoy a feast fit for a king.
To top it all off, your can wash down the winter banquet with a beautiful shiraz wine from Penfolds Private Release.
To enter simply answer the question,
‘The Dairy Diary Set comes with pages
markers in how many colours?‘
The answer can be found on the
Dairy Diary Set website.
Good luck!
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Well, not quite but we have got a gift for you. For all our lovely online followers we have a free ebook for you.
This user-friendly little book contains a selection of our favourite recipe from the 2014 Dairy Diary and from Clever one Pot.
Download and enjoy!
The eBook has been formatted for easy reading on your PC, tablet or mobile.
Of course, if you prefer a paper copy you can easily print it.
http://www.dairydiary.co.uk/free-ebook.html
The Dairy Diary 2014 and Clever One Pot cookbook are available now at http://www.dairydiary.co.uk
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Stroll around any supermarket and you will be literally attacked by Halloween merchandise – it’s everywhere!
I’m not quite sure how I feel about the whole Halloween thing – especially encouraging our children to dress up in hellish costumers and knock on strangers’ doors begging for sweets. However, it can be a great excuse to get crafting.
The most obvious thing to do, of course, is pumpkin carving. A beautifully carved pumpkin can be really quite lovely. I don’t know if we have the talent to produce something like this but we will certainly attempt a simple version.
And in the 2014 Dairy Diary, there’s a fab Pumpkin & Ginger Risotto recipe for using up leftover pumpkin flesh. Ideal for a romantic meal for two after the children are safely tucked up in bed!
And for the little ones to make? How about this fabulous recipe for Halloween Cake Pops? They are simple to make and look so pretty (although our talented food stylist Sara, may be a little more artistic than my children!)
There are many more super seasonal recipes in the 2014 Dairy Diary and it’s only a click away!
Why not treat yourselfFor just £9.25 you get:
Go on….you deserve it!
Don’t forget toYou can enter on the
Dairy Diary website or
Dairy Diary Facebook page
Enter on both to double your chances!
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