v8764

My dress is nearly finished!!

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I have no idea why it has taken quite so long to finish this simple, straightforward dress. The Vogue Very Easy pattern number V8764 has been a great starting point for a beginner but I just seem to have got to a point where I put the project to one side for a few days to do something else and haven’t been able to get back to it.

Anyway, I have decided that next week (it has to wait until then…I’m off to a wedding this weekend!) I will definately finish it. I only have the sleeves to insert and the hem to do on the dress and the lining and voila!

I have really enjoyed doing it, the dress is looking really good and I am looking forward to starting a new project!

Finished pictures next week…I promise…all going well…!!

The Ulimate Flapjack

The Ultimate Flapjack Recipe?

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If I had to choose just one cake to eat for the rest of my life, the flapjack would win hands down. The simple combination of oats, butter, sugar and syrup was one of the first recipes I ever made as a child and, because of it’s simplicity, I have never bought a flapjack from a bakery or supermarket.

Having said that, I have been tempted by them in the shops, some with fruits added, some dipped in chocolate so I have experimented with my recipe over the years and now feel that I have (for me anyway!) the Ultimate Flapjack Recipe.
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angel-cake

Layered Angel Cake

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Angel cake has always been a firm favourite with many members of my family. I mean the layered ones that you find in the supermarket with a pink layer sandwiched between 2 white layers with buttercream.

It’s always been fairly expensive to buy compared to other types of cakes so we never had them too often but the last time we did give in to temptation, we were all very dissapointed with the taste.

So, time to don the pinny once again and see if we couldn’t make our own version of this classic cake. The result has far exceeded our expectations, this is angel cake as it used to taste!

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homemade-pizza

Homemade Pizza

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In our house, weekends are just made for a cosy night in, a good film and pizza!

Supermarket pizzas have so far been our preferred choice (rather than the more expensive delivered ones) but quite often they can be dissapointing and not only that expensive, as I do not eat red meat and my husband does, it means buying 2 pizzas!

So, earlier this week (it was Monday – the night of the final episode of Broadchurch – fantastic bit of television!) I decided that it was high time I had a go at making my own…and the result was totally delicious!
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lardy-cake-slice

Winter Warmers – Lardy Cake Recipe

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How cold is it today? Last week we were enjoying lovely warm sunshine and the promise of spring was well and truly in the air. This morning, I wake up to the sight of snow falling gently and freezing temperatures outside.

When I was a child, days like these were spent inside, snuggled up in front of the fire, blankets over our legs, with hot cups of tea and our family’s favourite comfort cake…a Lardy cake!

When I was growing up in Gloucestershire these sweet, sticky, fruity slices were known as ‘Drippers’ and they were a real treat, everybody loved them.

So, what better for the coldest day of the year so far (not sure if that’s true but it really feels like it outside!) than to snuggle up with a slice…or two!

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v8764

Time for an update…

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The problem with modern living…

…is that there is so much to go wrong! A couple of weeks ago it was the TV, suddenly no power so off to the repair shop it goes. 2 weeks later having heard nothing we phone them to be greeted with…”TV? Ummm….I’ll get back to you”! Turns out it had been left in its box and completely fprgotten about until we rang! Anyway, that’s now sorted but in the meantime, the computer…suddenly no power. Something strange going on here we thought, 2 things suddenly going wrong with what appears to be the same problem. So, back it goes to the repair shop. When it gets back it turns out to be complete motherboard failure…

Still, in the meantime I was able to get on and start stitching my first dress from Vogue pattern V8764.
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jam cupboard book

Enter Our New Competition!

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Up for grabs is a copy of this lovely book Notes from the Jam Cupboard
by Mary Tregellas.

Full details about the book are on our Competition Page.

To enter, follow this link to our entry form http://a.pgtb.me/GTF5QT   simple as that!

We will pick a winner at random at the end or March 2013.

Good luck!

french-madeleines

Perfectly Simple French Madeleines

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Some time ago I bought a brand new French Madeleine Pan
for no better reason than I had never made these little cakes before nor indeed tasted one. Typically, as soon as my tin arrived other things took priority ans so my lovely tin was put into the cupboard for use ‘sometime very soon’.

Well, it’s been languishing in the cupboard for 6 months or more and I was reminded of it while watching the new BBC Food & Drink programme when the lovely Michel Roux jr made some. Inspired by the simplicity of the recipe I have dug out my madeleine tin and set to making these distinctive and delicate little sponge cakes and I am happy to say, they could not be easier to make!
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lemons

Making Lemon Marmalade

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Recently, my local supermarket had a great deal on unwaxed lemons so I bought a couple of nets not knowing really what I would do with them (Lemon drizzle cake is the best cake in the world to my mind but no body else here is as keen on it as I am so it’s not wise to make a whole one just for me – I only make it when we have visitors coming!).

I spent a bit of time trawling through cookery books before deciding that the best thing would be to have a go at making some lemon marmalade. Continue reading →

v8764

Making my own clothes…

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Its been a beautiful sunny day here and it got me thinking about spring! having spent the entire summer, autumn and now winter in jeans, wellies and thick woolly jumpers, I have decided that I will be very optimistic and get ready for a warm, early spring and that means I need a new dress!

Now, I haven’t made any clothes since I left school 30 years ago so I don’t expect to be giving Donna Karen a run for her money just yet but there are some lovely patterns out there and so I have been online and ordered a few to get me started.

I have decided that the first dress I make will need to be very simple, without any fitting adjustments if at all possible as well as being quick to make as I can be quite impatient so if I can get good results fast then so much the better! I have chosen a Vogue Very Easy pattern number V8764, which has their Custom Fit feature where they include bodice pieces for A, B, C & D cup sizes, so that should ensure a good fit from the start. I like the simple shape of the dress…and the fact that there are only 5 pattern pieces! Continue reading →