How to Make Christmas Biscuits

We ate pancakes for breakfast and enjoyed a game of Pictionary once the sticky syrup had been wiped away. There was a homemade soup for lunch: onions, potatoes, leeks, carrots and broccoli with a touch of garam masala with sprinkly bits of bacon and croutons crisped in the bacon fat. As the light outside started to disappear there was a game of monopoly whilst we tucked into some ginger spiced Christmas biscuits. We brought the Christmas tree inside and set it up ready for decorating today. A simple day.

A wonderful day.

RECIPE FOR CHRISTMAS BISCUITS

~ You will need ~

Baking trays covered in baking parchment, rolling pin and cookie cutters.

~ Ingredients ~

• 50g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 300g self-raising flour
• pinch salt
• 3 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 4 tbsp milk

~ Method ~

1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees (fan).
2. In a saucepan weigh out the butter, caster sugar and golden syrup. Place onto the hob over a low heat until combined.
3. In a bowl combine the flour, salt and spices.
4. Stir in the liquid then add as much milk as you need to make a firm dough.
5. Roll out onto a floured surface at about half a centimetre thick.
6. Cut out the shapes and place onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until slightly golden.
8. Decorate with icing or keep plain.

An honest post about my creative year & my ideas for 2018

Due to nobody's fault but my own 2017 didn't quite go to plan for me. 

It started off well. Then I hit 10k on Instagram and my focus evaporated. I got sidetracked by other things. I was like a social media magpie picking my way excitedly through the shiny online advice.

I created another brand, another website, I started a coaching business. Oh my goodness this took up a lot of time and effort. But I was missing using my own creativity. And subsequently lost my appetite for work. I was beginning to flounder and flail.

It wasn't until a summer holiday when my mind had the chance to breathe that I realised I'd become side-tracked. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't, metaphorically speaking, kick myself long and hard for losing focus. 

But, as I said when I was being interviewed for a podcast last week, this is my journey. Just as I haven't yet finished my novel, just as my blog posts and Instagram account has yet to go viral (insert wink emoji) there is, I think, a reason for many of the decisions I make. And, even if there isn't a reason and it is a stupid mistake, I can still learn from it.

And what I've learned this year, in a looong roundabout way, is that I really want to focus on storytelling. I want to create a beautiful body of work on my blog where I tell my seasonal stories all mixed in with the other blog posts I enjoy writing on books, Instagram, food, beauty, writing, chickens, ducks  - whatever takes my fancy.

And I know I love sharing my stories on Instagram, too, but I don't want to put all my chickens' eggs in one social media basket.

So, what come's next? Well, I'm going to have a proper think over the Christmas break but I do have a few ideas now.

Even though I won't be doing one-to-one coaching anymore I have been answering DMs and emails from people who've reached out to me and who are interested in setting up their own blog and sharing their own stories but don't know where to start.

So...

IDEA NUMBER ONE

With social media becoming harder to build a following I firmly believe that creating a blog is important if you want an online presence. A blog is your business card, it's your portfolio. It is also a place to be creative. To experiment with different ways of telling stories: film, photography or writing.

So, I thought it would make sense to put all my knowledge from the past few years into a course focusing on the practical side as well as the creative and storytelling side of building a beautiful blog. A course looking at how to build up to sharing your work and writing (which I know can be so daunting) in addition to finding places to share and promote it.

I know that being confused about the techie aspects of writing and sharing online can be a real stumbling block so I genuinely want to help cut through all the advice so creatives can set up their blog simply and effectively then concentrate on creating.

I've actually already started to write the course and love how it's coming together. If you're interested you can sign up on this page to receive more information  and I'll email you when I have a date and further information.

If you have any questions about the course do send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

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IDEA NUMBER TWO

I'd love to create A Bookish Baker - the Book Club. A place to enjoy cosy reads. Whether this would be via newsletter, on a private area of this blog or on Facebook I'm not sure. What do you think? Is this something you'd be interested in?

IDEA NUMBER THREE

A podcast talking books and stories. Maybe chatting to authors but also chatting to bloggers and creatives to discover the behind-the-scenes stories. 

This seems like a lot of projects I'd like to do when you also consider I have this blog, a novel to write and my Instagram photos and mini-films. 

BUT now I have found the path I want to be on I realise I love doing all of this. All if it. And I am so ready for the next stage of challenges. 

Simple Recipe for Pavlova

If I've got lots of people visiting: a family lunch, friends for dinner, or for a party I often turn to this pavlova recipe. It's so simple to make yet can be dressed up to be a bit of a show-stopper. I always get people saying 'wow' and obviously bask in the glory - yet secretly feel a bit of a fraud.

I think people often see this as a summer desert but I love it in the winter, too. That is, if my chickens have laid enough eggs during the darker months. It's a much lighter desert to the sponges with custard or the pies. 

I know I'll be preparing one to take to my mum and dad's house for our family get-together this Christmas. 

PAVLOVA RECIPE

Equipment

Baking tray covered in baking parchment with a dinner plate shaped circle drawn on. Electric mixer, food processor (if possible), sieve.

Ingredients

For the pavlova base

• 5 egg whites
• 250g white caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from vanilla pod

For the cream and fruit topping

• tub of strawberries (or any mixture of fruit you prefer)
• 1 tsp icing sugar
• 142ml pot double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from vanilla pod

For the raspberry sauce ( you can make this or buy it already made in a bottle to save time and faff)

• A few handfuls of raspberries
• 1 tsp icing sugar

1. Heat oven to 220c/200c fan.
2. Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until very stiff.
3. Keep the mixer going and gradually pour in the sugar and vanilla until you're back at the stiff peak stage.
4. Turn out onto the baking tray and form into the circle you've drawn (see Equipment above), making a slight dip in the middle.
5. Place in oven and immediately turn down the temperature to 150c/130c fan.
6. Bake for 60 - 80 minutes. (I prefer to bake mine for 80 minutes to make it more crunchy on the outside.)
7. Switch oven off but leave in the oven as long as possible with the door shut. You could even leave it there overnight.
8. When you're ready to assemble whisk the cream with the icing sugar and the vanilla until thick and smooth
9. For the raspberry sauce place the raspberries into a bowl and puree with a fork until smooth (you could also use a food processor).
10. Push the pureed raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds. Mix in the icing sugar.
11. Hull and half the strawberries.
12. Spread the cream thickly over the meringue, scatter the strawberries over the top and finish by drizzling over the raspberry sauce.

Five Gorgeous Book Gifts for My Daughter

I seem to have a bit of a problem. I cannot stop buying books for my nine-year-old daughter. She adores books as much as me, if not more so, and she'll read anything: fiction, non-fiction, recipe books...

So I thought I'd share the books I've discovered for her lately. There are some real beauties out there. Some she has already thanks to a recent birthday, and some - shhh, don't tell her, will be in her Christmas stocking.

Incidentally I have five books listed here but I could've gone on indefinitely. So I've created a Pinterest board of book gift ideas for any member of the family. I'll keep adding to it every day as I hunt out more.

NON-FICTION BOOKS IDEAS FOR CHILDREN

I say 'for children' but these first two are aimed at girls. However, that doesn't mean boys shouldn't read them.

Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World 

Beautifully illustrated and written in an easily understandable way (my daughter loves it and I found it great to read, too) this is a perfect introduction to just a few of the most incredible women who helped shaped the world we live in.

List of women featured: Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawa, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Anne Frank.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

I constantly tell my daughter she can do anything and be anyone so I loved the idea behind this book. Like the book above it introduces us to some remarkable women and their extraordinary lives, but this book includes 100 of them. From Ada Lovelace to Malala, Amelia Earhart to Michelle Obama. Described as being a "true fairy tale for heroines who definitely don't need rescuing".

FICTION

The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell

My daughter has already read this and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's about Stella Starflake Pearl and her three fellow explorers as they trek across the snowy Icelands and come face-to-face with frost fairies, snow queens, outlaw hideouts, unicorns, pygmy dinosaurs and carnivorous cabbages.

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

Shortlisted for the Costa Chirldren's Book Award 2017 this is about a group of four children who find themselves in the jungle when their plane crashes.

RECIPE BOOK

Jolly Good Food: A Children's Cookbook Inspired by the Stories of Enid Blyton

Seriously, I don't know if this is a Christmas present for my daughter or myself. Written by Allegra McEvedy this has 42 recipes inspired by Enid Blyton's books.

What's Your Instagram Story, Sarah?

Sarah Louise Ferguson on Instagram

Today on the blog I am delighted to welcome Sarah Louise Ferguson to my 'What's Your Instagram Story' series of interviews. It was lovely to watch as Sarah's account took off during the summer of this year and it is showing no sign of slowing down. Sarah's pictures are creative, moody and a little bit magical and I find her creativity and courage to just try utterly inspiring.

Hi Sarah and welcome. Please scroll back through your feed to that first ever photograph. When did you post it?

So this is kind of a bum deal for you guys. I deleted my first ever photo when I got pregnant with Wren with a view to becoming a Mummy Blogger… So, that [becoming a mummy blogger] didn’t happen and I cannot for the life of me remember what or when my first picture was!
 
How would you describe your feed in those early days?

Awful? It was literally photos of the beach with polaroid filters, Starbucks cups, selfies, y’know the worst of the worst!! Again, most of that evidence has been deleted, sadly.

Care to share your first few pictures? (Your first ever picture and your first grid of nine.)

I wish I could…

How would you describe your feed as it stands now? 

Oh man, a headache? Haha, it causes me more stress than I care to admit but I do love it. It’s moody and creative and those are two things I am quite happy being!

Why did you post that first picture? What was going on in your life at that time?  

So I can’t remember what my ‘real’ first photo was. But the one that’s there right now, is a photo of me from my fashion blogging days. It wasn’t taken by me, but I kind of love it. Wren was teeny tiny in my belly and I’m sitting drinking coffee in Edinburgh. I guess it was a kind of introduction, although the caption sucks.

What are the similarities and differences between your account then and what it is today?

I don’t think there are any… they were really over exposed and there were lots and lots of shots of my dog. This is really revealing a whole side of me I tried really hard to hide…

 
Tell us the story of your feed. When did you consciously start to style your feed? Can you tell by looking at your grid?

I consciously started to style my feed this year. After Wren turned one and I found that ‘mummy blogger’ wasn’t for me. I can still remember the first photo I ‘styled’ it was our community herb garden and I took it on June 2nd . I then signed up to Sara Taskers Bloom & Grow course and the rest, as they say is history…until I found photoshop, then it became really exciting. 

How has your account evolved over time?

So I guess it’s gone from a personal album of random rubbish to a carefully styled portfolio of my work? Is that narcissistic to say? I feel proud of it now, I work on every image I post and I put time and care and sometimes money into making it look the way I want.
 
What drives you?

Making this my job. One day I would love to create all day every day and for that to be my thing. Right now I get to do it around the things I have to do, like my actual job and parenting etc. (I’m kidding, I love parenting)
 
How has Instagram impacted other parts of your life? 

Well, I now feel like there is something I can do and do well. I’ve always felt pretty average at most things I did so now that I can create something people love and enjoy doing it, that feels pretty great. So I think it’s made me happier, most of the time!

What opportunities has it brought you?

Lots of great stuff has come my way over the last year! I’ve made wonderful friends, some I meet regularly and talk to daily! I’ve working with brands I wouldn’t have dreamt of working with before, Instagram themselves for instance. I’ve been offered opportunities that just wouldn’t have come about with a beer selfie.

Thank you so much, Sarah. I can relate to many of the things you say!

Sarah's blog is Brass Buttons & Confidence.

How to make Christmas Dinner Preparations Less Stressful

I'm not a big one for writing 'how to' posts but I felt I had to share this as, for me, it is a Christmas Day saviour. I've been doing this now for, ooh, eight years. Sometimes we have six of us for Christmas dinner. Occasionally we have twelve. Mainly we have ten. This year we have just the four of us. But however many we have I always do what I've written below. I swear by it.

So if, like me, you insist on making everything for the Christmas Dinner from scratch, but end up getting utterly overwhelmed on the day, then this post is my Christmas present for you. 

And for those who get a bit sniffy about making and freezing in advance then do feel free to skip this post. 

---

One of my favourite Christmas traditions is preparing the Christmas dinner a few weeks before the big day. In advance I make, then freeze, the Christmas Gravy, the roast potatoes, the pigs in blankets, the stuffing and the bread sauce.

Yes, I could get frozen versions of all the above. But I have to make everything from scratch when it comes to a roast dinner. I just don't find the alternatives taste right. Except that is, for stuffing. I just cannot convince my family that homemade stuffing is as good as a box of Paxo sage & onion. But I do add a beaten egg and a blob of butter to the mix so it's almost homemade.

Obviously I like to prepare then freeze in advance because I like to be organised on the day and not because I have a craving to cook and listen to Christmas songs and to eat bread sauce by the tablespoonful... Okay, yes it is because I have a craving for bread sauce but also it means that instead of getting all hot and sweaty and shouty as I prepare the Christmas meal I have reduced my jobs by half and, if I have drunk a little too much Buck's Fizz, it really doesn't matter.

I should point out that I love making the Christmas dinner. I love preparing it. And I love eating it. (And I love that feeling afterwards when I know all my Christmas Jobs are now done and I can sit watching TV whilst grazing on Quality Street).

But because of this I am a bit of a control freak and do not allow many people to get involved unless it is to prepare the sprouts, carrots, leeks and so on on the actual day itself. (I'm also happy for them to wash up and prepare the table. I'm not that much of a control freak).

However, I hate peeling potatoes. Hate it. So one of the first things I do is to get that bit done with way before the big day.

---

How to prepare your Christmas Roast Potatoes in advance:

• Get your potatoes and peel them. Cut them into half. Maybe thirds. You don't want them too big so they take ages to roast but you also don't want them too small so they turn to mush.

• Rinse them then cover with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

• Add salt and reduce to a simmer.

• Cook for about five minutes. Drain then spread out onto a baking tray to cool.

• Sprinkle with a little plain flour or semolina.

• Once cool you can then cover in a bit of cling film or foil and freeze them on the tray.

• Once they are solidly frozen remove from the tray and place in plastic food bags. Seal and return to the freezer.

On the day:

• Get your roasting pan nice and hot with the fat of your choice. I like to get my turkey/chicken cooked and resting then I turn the oven up for the potatoes.

• Remove the roasting pan from the oven and tip the frozen potatoes into the fat (watch out for hot splashes!)

• Cook as you would roast potatoes normally but you'll need a little extra time as they're (obviously) frozen.

---

So the roast potatoes are done and nestled happily in the freezer. That is one pressure out the way (my family are huge fans of roast potatoes). The next item on my list, which also makes the meal for me, is the Christmas Gravy. 

The Christmas Gravy can make or break the meal. Personally I like my meal swimming in the delicious brown liquid but each to his/her own - you might only want a bit on your turkey/chicken (I say turkey/chicken by the way because we have a large chicken - a cockerel - on Christmas Day. I find turkey too dry and not as delicious.)

Making Christmas Gravy in advance is something I read Jamie Oliver did years ago. He calls it 'Get Ahead Gravy'. So now I do it, too, but I have slightly adapted his version. For example I do not add star anise like he does. We find the flavour is quite over-powering on the Christmas Dinner.

I use this gravy as my base so it can be quite thick once it goes into the freezer. On Christmas Eve I remove from the freezer and allow to defrost. Then on the day I place it back into the casserole pot and add the juice from the meat and the liquid from the vegetables as and when they become available. This thins it down to the right consistency as well as adding even more flavour.

How to prepare your Christmas Gravy in advance:

• In a roasting tin that can also be used on the hob (or use a large casserole pot) place two quartered onions, two carrots cut into half, a stick of celery chopped, streaky bacon (smoked or non depending on preference), bay leaves, sage and rosemary and place on top six chicken wings.

• Drizzle olive oil over the lot then place in the oven to roast for about 40 minutes.

• Remove from the oven and transfer to the hob. Now you need to fry the meat and vegetables in order to get the brown colour of the gravy.

• Add some port (or sherry or red wine or none) and allow the alcohol to cook off.

• Reduce the heat slightly and sprinkle with plain flour - I would probably use 2-3 heaped tablespoons but it depends how much you want to make - and stir in.

• Add 2 -3 pints of boiling water and mix.

• Simmer for half an hour stirring every now and again.

• Taste, season then push through a sieve to remove all the bits.

• Allow to cool then pour into a freezable container and place into the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight.

• When you are making the dinner pop it into a casserole dish with plenty of room to spare.

• Add the meat juices and vegetable water as and when it becomes available.

• Taste and test for seasoning. Bring to the boil, then reduce and allow to simmer for a short while.

• Pour into pre-heated gravy boats and it's done.

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Okay, so now two of the biggest and most important Christmas Dinner jobs are done and in the freezer. At this point I start to relax a little.

Now we need to assemble the pigs in blankets, make the bread sauce and prepare the stuffing.

How to prepare your Pigs in Blankets in advance:

• You will need good quality chipolatas, streaky bacon, fresh sage and some cocktail sticks. Enough for however many guests you have.

• Take the chipolatas and cut into halves.

• Cut the bacon into half, too, so each pig in blanket will be half a chipolata and half a slice of bacon.

• Wrap the bacon half around the chipoltata half and tuck in a piece of sage.

• Secure with a cocktail stick.

• Place in freezer-proof container.

• Repeat until all have been wrapped.

• Place container in the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight.

• Place on a baking tray and cook at 180 fan for about 20 minutes.

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How to prepare your Christmas Stuffing in advance:

Now this is probably a non-essential but it can save you a bit of faffing about on the day. Like I said above I always use a packet stuffing, Paxo. 

• You will need a freezer to oven bowl.

• Make your stuffing according to the packet instructions.

• Add a blob of butter and a beaten egg. Mix in.

• Allow to cool, cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight.

• Cook as per the packet instructions.

And now for my favourite bit:

How to Prepare your Christmas Day Bread Sauce in advance:

• In a small heavy-based saucepan pour in a pint of full cream milk.

• Peel an onion and stud with a few whole cloves.

• Place the onion in the milk and add a bay leaf or two.

• Bring the milk to the boil. Then switch the heat off, place the lid on and allow to cool/infuse with the onion and bay leaf left in the milk for at least an hour. (You could even leave in the fridge overnight).

• Remove the onion, cloves and bay.

• If liked you could then finely dice the onion and keep on one side. The cloves and bay can be discarded.

• Take half a loaf of white sliced bread. Ideally a day or two old. Remove the crusts and cut the slices roughly into quarters.

• Place the milk back on the hob on a low heat and add the bread. Stir in and allow it to 'melt' into the liquid.

• Add the onion (if liked) and season.

• Mix, let the sauce become the right consistency, then add a little grated nutmeg.

• Allow to cool, place in a freezer-proof container and place in the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight. (Your fridge is going to be quite full so be prepared.)

• On the day place the bread sauce into a saucepan and heat gently. Add a little double cream and serve.

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And that, my friends, is that. You are now entitled to be a little smug.

All you have to do on the day is to cook the meat (my advice is to do this in advance, remove from the oven and cover in foil and a towel or two to keep warm - although do remember this will make it cook for a little while longer) then turn up the oven and pop in the potatoes. After half an hour or so add the pigs in blankets and stuffing. Place the gravy and bread sauce on the hob and cook the vegetables.

And enjoy. That's the most important bit. 

Oh and make someone else tidy as you cook. 

Happy Christmas!

My Stories || Hibernating Hens

I step outside the back door, the wind immediately ruffling my hair, the rain splattering on my face, and I make my way, cautiously, up the slippery steps towards the back gate. 

The grass is dull now, and my footprints are making tracks across the back lawn; a direct line between the slippery steps and the back gate, a path that shows just how many times during the day I'm back and forth.

This is the second time I've been out and it's only just 7.30am. It was too dark when I came out with the dog at 6.45am for the chickens and ducks to be released. 

I make my way, noting how parts of the field are becoming mud, how another mole hill has appeared overnight, how bare the trees are now looking with just a few sycamore leaves clinging on in a sheltered spot.

No trees or branches came down during the windy night. This is both a blessing and a shame. We could always use more branches for firewood.

Opening up the chicken run door, I duck inside and use my stick to release the plastic rat traps I set the night before. Snap, each one goes, making me jump. They're empty this morning. All I've managed to catch so far are mice. But it is a deterrent; there are no active holes coming from under the railway sleepers where the rats were coming in.

I freshen the water and scatter the layers pellets onto the wood chippings. Then I close the door to the run and go to slide open their pop holes. Out they come one by one, still sleepy, flapping their wings gently, stretching. And off they head towards the layers pellets. There might be a few yelps if one of the lower orders starts tucking in before those higher up.

I have been keeping them in their run for the past few days. Normally I prop open the run door and allow the chickens to range about, to scratch in the leaves, to dust bathe in the bonfire patch further down the field. But they've been sticking to their run on their own accord. Only really venturing out when they decide it's time for corn and cheekily they come into the back garden to tap on the back window. In summer this is about 5pm. Time for tea they would announce by their presence. Time for us to get locked up safely from predators. But it's been getting earlier and earlier as the days gets shorter. A few days ago one cheeky little chicken thought it was corn time at 10am. 

Right, I said. Enough is enough. And I locked them in their run. And yes, ok, I gave them some corn.

They all went into their run quite happily. As though they wanted to be locked up safely. Some of them sat on the branches I'd laid out as perches. Some had a dust bathe. Some scratched about, searching the earth for any morsel of edible pleasure. 

And it occurred to me last night, as I locked the back door at 4.30pm and sat myself by the fire. Our actions are mirroring each other. Mine and the chickens'. We don't want to be out in the elements when the weather is gloomy and the days are short. We want to be in our house. In our cosy place. They've got dust baths made from ash from the woodburner. I've got the woodburner glowing orange in the darkness. They've got sleep. I've got my book to read. They've got interesting morsels to eat such as corn and the occasional worm. And I've got biscuits from M&S and a hot chocolate.