As Mother's Day is right around the corner, I thought I'd show you how to make Sugar Roses. Now, I am well aware that my sugar roses aren't the neatest; cake decoration is certainly NOT my forte. But I love the idea of someone making their mum a cake or batch of cupcakes (I recommend … Continue reading How to Make Sugar Roses
My last Green Wrapping post is a traditional one - paper and string. Whether its brown packing paper, craft paper, or coloured, recyclable flower shop paper (just go into your local flower shop and ask to buy a roll. It's a lot cheaper than wrapping paper, it's fully recyclable and sometimes comes with cute patterns … Continue reading Green Wrapping – Paper and String
Next, on my green wrapping journey, I experimented with tissue paper. A lot of tissue paper is recyclable or even compostable, and if you shop at independent retailers, quite often, your item are wrapped in tissue paper. So I wanted to try to reuse some. Of course, we all know tissue paper looks really cute … Continue reading Green Wrapping – Tissue Paper
Being environmentally friendly is trendy now, which is fantastic. Fashion brands are investing in recycled fabrics, as a planet we're reusing and recycling more and using more green energy rather than Fossil Fuels. Even the supermarkets are catching on now, I've seen numerous shops stocking recyclable wrapping paper and natural raffia ribbon this Christmas. Like … Continue reading Green Wrapping – Recycled Tags
A salad bowl is a must at any BBQ or garden party. But in my experience, what happens, is all the lovely salad veg gets placed in a bowl and all the heavy items fall to the bottom and you're left with just lettuce on top. Or people peer into the bowl, see something they … Continue reading Salad and Fruit Platters
The next time you crack an egg and get a piece of shell in your bowl, instead of spending ages trying to fish it out with a spoon or your fingers, just scoop it out with an egg shell half. It works a treat. It also means you wont burn your fingers if you're cracking … Continue reading Tip – Got Egg Shell in Your Bowl?
I'm always surprised by how many people don't utilise their freezers. I freeze pretty much everything, as you're about to find out, so I find it hard to believe some people just use there's for frozen chips and ice cream! Now, I'm not judging anyone's lifestyle here, if you only eat fresh food or like … Continue reading It’s Not a Life Hack, It’s Just a Freezer!
I've got quite sensitive skin on my face, and over the years, I've spent a small fortune on different cleansers and makeup removers. I've tried wipes, oils, creams and washes, with varying results. Some of them are incredibly messy and chore-like to use, some stung my eyes, dried out my skin, most were not environmentally … Continue reading Using Coconut Oil as Makeup Remover
This is a simple, but really useful tip. I think I first saw Mary Berry do this on one of her cooking programs, and it works a treat. Whenever I'm having a gathering, whether it's a house party, garden party or even just some friends round for lunch, I always try to get organised beforehand, … Continue reading How to Keep Cold Buffet Platters Fresh
I know what you're thinking - "Anyone can chop an onion, why do I need to read a post about it?" And you're right, anyone who can hold a knife can chop an onion. But over the years, cooking with friends and family members and working in hospitality, seeing other people chopping veg, it's scary … Continue reading How to Chop Onions Quickly and Safely
A friend of mine has chickens and she often gives away some of the eggs she gets to friends and family, as her chickens produce so many in the summer. They are very happy outdoor hens and their eggs are delicious, with huge, bright orange yolks; when it comes to eggs, you really can't beat … Continue reading Testing Eggs For Freshness
One of my closest friends makes wedding cakes for a living and she told me about this trick. I've used it to add finishing touches to numerous cakes and biscuits over the years and as we're rapidly running out of things to do during lockdown, I thought I'd share it with you. It's a great … Continue reading Decorating With Edible Lustre
I hate food waste, I try to use every last scrap of food. However, even I can't find a use for pepper stalks other than the compost bin. But working in hospitality for years, I saw how much of the lovely pepper flesh is wasted by chopping out the stalk. I've seen people chop the … Continue reading Bell Pepper Prep
I've worked in a few cafe's and restaurants over the years and picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the other staff members and the chefs I worked with. People in the catering industry do things quite differently to how we home cooks have been taught, as for them, time really is money. … Continue reading How to Prep Cauliflower Like a Pro
Leeks are a great winter veg; they're tasty, versatile and cheep. Use them to bulk out stews and casseroles, to add flavour to soups and pies and they are great fried in butter and black pepper and served with a roast dinner. Part of the onion family, they're full of flavour and really easy to … Continue reading Leek Prep
Last week I showed you how to plan a hamper and how to keep the costs down (see that post here), this week I'm going to show you how to put together and wrap your hampers! First of all, the box: I find a box with flaps to be the easiest to use, you can … Continue reading How To – Hamper Wrapping
I've made many hampers in my time, both professionally and personally; from fruit and veg hampers to huge Cadbury chocolate hampers and girl's night in hampers. I love them, they look exciting, are completely personal and they don't have to cost the earth. If you're making more than one hamper, look out for multi-buy offers … Continue reading How To – Homemade Hampers
Pumpkins can be difficult to prepare for cooking. They're tough and bulky and the thought of reaching inside and grabbing at the seeds and pulp can turn your stomach. So over the years I have developed my own way of preparing them that is quick, easy, and uses as much of the vegetable as possible, … Continue reading Pumpkin Prep
My 6 Rules for a healthy, iron rich diet. A different sort of blog post today. Usually, when we decide to stop eating meat, it's a decision that's made with our hearts, not for health reasons. We don't research alternative vitamin and mineral sources or what our bodies need, we worry about craving bacon butties … Continue reading How To Be A Healthy Pesky/Veggie/Vegan
Have you ever cut yourself on the sharp edge of a tin? I feel your pain! It's happened to me too. Now, whenever I open a tin, I tip out the contents, rinse out the tin, place the lid back inside and squeeze the edges in to meet in the middle. Now the sharp edge … Continue reading Tin Safety
Pesky Recipes 