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I thought it would be fun to begin this first day of the year with my Top Ten All Time Most Popular Posts.   Some of them are not surprisingly so . . . but there are a few surprises in the bunch, which surprised even me! So without further adieu on with the show!   Fudge Brownie Pie Not only is this the most viewed and most popular recipe on the blog, but it was also amongst the top Pins in the UK for this past year.   High praise indeed when it comes to popularity, but I can hold my hand up and say that this is a fabulous bake and a winner on all counts.  It's delicious full stop!   Toad in the Hole You can't get more British than Toad in the Hol e .   No surprise here that it is so popular. Brilliantly browned and meaty bangers nestled in a bed of yorkshire pudding batter and baked until the batter is light and crisp.  Slathered with onion gravy and served up with some veg and mash, this is a winner/winner of a dinner!    Spicy Plum Chutney. I don't think I had ever eat

     We did a One Night in Bethlehem activity at our chapel prior to Christmas.   We tried to serve all biblical or middle eastern foods . . .  finger foods, foods that would make great nibbles for the New Year's Eve Buffet table.    I made this lovely feta dip, which was really delicious and tangy and so simple to make.  It is basically just feta cheese, olive oil, thyme and lemon zest and juice blitzed until smooth in the food processor or blender.   Very simple really.      It was absolutely wonderful!   It was nice served with vegetables for dipping and crackers for spreading.  You want something crisp to go with the smooth richeness of this dip.   It went down a real treat.   *Creamy Feta Dip* Makes about 2 cups Printable Recipe   Creamy, sharp and herby.   Goes well with toasted pita chips, raw vegetables, crackers.   Quick and easy to make.  400g feta cheese (1 3/4 cups) 125ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup) 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled the finely grated zest of two un

I was recently sent a packet of these delicious Mrs Crimble's Mature Cheese & Onion oven baked Potato Bites to taste.   I can't show you what they look like as they were largely crumbs by the time they got pushed through my post box, but I can tell you what they taste like!  Delicious.Crisp and crunchy, satisfyingly so with a lovely mild cheese and onion flavour. I don't know about you, but after all the feasting of the past few weeks I am  going to be trying to eat a bit healthier in the next few weeks, with lots of fruit and veg and when it comes to wanting a bit of an indulgence, a now and again snack like these Mrs Crimble's  Mature Cheese & Onion Potato Bites. At only 90 calories a bag they help to keep the calories down and they are definitely tasty .  Oven baked (not fried) and gluten free they make a delicious alternative to all those high fat bags of crisps. At present they are available at the Co-op at £1.79 for a multi pack of 4.

I just adore all the fresh local produce that we find in the shops at this time of year . . . lovely cabbages, red, white and savoy . . . beautiful carrots, and onions . . . potatoes, beetroot, parsnips, beans, cauliflower, leeks, etc.  There is no end to it all . . . that makes me a very happy camper.  I love to eat seasonally and everything tastes so very delicious when it's fresh and local. I love to showcase these fabulous fresh ingredients in any way that I can and incorporate them into our meals on a regular basis.  I have to confess that you cannot get a much nicer bake . . . than a vegetable gratin . . . This one that I am sharing with you today is especially nice . . . using  not only potatoes and onions . . . but cabbage and bacon as well . . .  and not one . . . but TWO lovely cheeses.   First a nice freshly  grated chunk of wonderful Parmesan cheese.  True Parmigiano-Reggiano has a beautiful complex flavor that goes very nicely in dishes like this.  It brings to the t

One thing that I love about food blogging is that it's not about me. It's not even about you . . . it's about the recipes and the food! It's about being able to cook and taste some of the best and most indulgent foods ever . . . and exploring the culinary delights my adopted country has to offer me. It's about stretching my skills . . . both in the kitchen and . . . behind the camera . . . and about making food that not only tastes delicious, but food that looks good. It's about waking up every morning and making YOU believe that what I am presenting to you on this page is the absolute best thing ever . . . and about making you want to go into your own kitchen and cook it for yourselves, because you have just got to taste it for real, and because I have inspired you to do it, and given you the confidence to believe that you can! Your comments are like me winning the "X Factor of food" every day of my life, and I thank you for that. Here's to more

  My very British Husband is quite fond of telling me that eating peanut butter and jam together is completely insane.  That didn't stop him from scarfing down three of these as soon as I had them finished though!  (Me thinks he is a bit of a porkie pie teller and that he secretly LOVES the combination as much as I do!) Could it be that I have finally indoctrinated him to my wild and wooly North American ways????  Could it be that his veins are beginning to run a tiny bit  with peanut butter and jam???  I like to think so at any rate!  This is a combination I love soooo much!  It's that sweet and salty thing!   Today I decided to indulge it by making little peanut butter cookie cups.  I was going to make them snickers cups . . . but then I got sidelined by the Thames Jubilee Pageant and so I just filled them with jam before baking and then topped them with a quick buttercream icing.  I wanted to sit and watch all the fun! (Oh my but it was fabulous!   I've never s

Parsnips were not a vegetable we had very often if at all when I was growing up. My mother did not like them at all. In fact she tells a story of her father trying to tempt her to eat just a tiny piece of one in exchange for a piece of candy (when she was a child) and she hated them so much that she couldn't even be tempted with something that was only a very rare treat. I remember her cooking them once when I was in my teen years. She pared and sliced them into coins and then fried them in butter until they were golden brown on both sides. Oh my but there were lovely. She had been wanting to see if her tastes had changed. Alas . . . they hadn't and so that was the only time we ever had the opportunity to taste them. As an adult I have cooked them frequently for I love them. They are delicious in stews and soups . . . mashed with butter and cream, roasted, glazed . . . any way you cook or cut them, I find them most delicious. They are well one of my favourite vegetable