A classic, warming pudding just right for Autumn evenings especially now that it's turning a little chillier. I used damsons from my trees in the garden and apples given to me by my neighbours but I'm sure other fruits would work well too.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Peel and core the apples, damsons/plums, apples and pears, then cut them into large pieces. Halve and stone the damsons, leaving the skin on. 
3. Put into a large saucepan with the butter, sugar, spices and bay leaves. Stir it all together and stew for 20 to 30 minutes covered. When the fruit is soft, take out the bay leaves and place to one side.
4. For the batter, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well, then fold in the flour. 
5. Place half the fruit into the bottom of an ovenproof dish (without the juices) then top with the batter. Finally, spoon over the remaining fruit and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and risen. 
6. Using a knife, slice open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into a bowl. Pour in the cream and whisk together with the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks. Stir in the whisky.

Serve warm with lots of the cream and a little of the fruit juices. Delicious! Clean plates are guaranteed! Enjoy!

One of my favourite things to do on holiday in Greece is to sunbathe on the beach and drink iced coffees, that the best bars make so well. Now that summer has arrived I wanted a little of the holiday feeling at home, but when I searched on Google for how to make iced coffees, there was little that inspired me. Should I use espresso, ground coffee or instant; milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk or cream? So, I made up my own recipes.

To make this iced latte, which is quite large, I added three teaspoons of high quality instant coffee and 3/4 of a mug of milk to a measuring jug. Then I added two dessert spoons of condensed milk and two teaspoons of vanilla flavoured syrup. You could use sugar instead of the syrup. Whichever you choose, the sugar is what helps to create the foam that is all part of the look. Then I used a hand blender, to mix and froth it all up, for about thirty seconds or so.

I then filled the jar with ice and slowly poured in the coffee to the top. Absolutely delicious! A perfect summer drink. Once you try it, you will be hooked!


What is your favourite iced coffee/latte?

Have a great week lovelies.

This little dish is so modest that it barely needs a recipe. I made it as a starter last weekend, but it also makes a light, tasty supper. There are all manner of ways in which you can glam it up, but this is the humble eggs in pots.


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Season the creme fraiche with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, and place a tablespoon full in the bottom of of a ramekin dish.
3. Crack one egg on top and add another tablespoon of the creme fraiche. Sprinkle a little salt, pepper and nutmeg on top. Do this for both pots and place the pots in a dish of lukewarm water that comes halfway up the pots.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
5. Add a teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce to garnish and top with chopped parsley.

These honey coated lovelies, with soft cheese and crisp rye wafers, make a simply mouth watering and delicious dessert for dinner parties, or an indulgent treat. Depending on the time of year, you could also use plump black or purple figs for a similarly decadent delight.

If you want to make them, be sure to check out the tips before you start

1. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so they can stand. Stick a fork into the bottom of each so you can hold it.
2. Add the sugar, salt and water to a heavy based pan. Heat it gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the sugar has dissolved. Then stir in the vinegar and honey.
3. Stop stirring and turn the heat up to make the mixture bubble steadily. Heat until the mixture reaches 140 degrees Celcius on the sugar thermometer, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. 
4. Working quickly, hold each pear by its fork and twist it in the caramel to coat it. Keep twisting in the air for a few seconds whilst the caramel hardens. 
5. Carefully use another fork to ease each pear from its fork onto a piece of grease proof paper. Keep the pears upright, standing on their bare bases.
6. Serve with soft goats cheese and crisp rye wafers (I made my own).

• wooden drawers, or any other piece you want to decorate
• pictures on paper
• water-based primer
• water-based matte varnish
• polyurethane varnish
• PVA glue
• wooden knobs with screws
• satin finish paint (for the insides)
• paper towel
• fine sandpaper (wet and dry is best)
• soft cloth
• paint brush
• glue brush

1. Wash off any grease from the drawers.
2. Lightly sand down all surfaces.
3. Apply two coats of primer, lightly sanding after each coat.
4. Use the satin finish paint to coat any surfaces you are not decoupaging.
5. Plan each face by laying out the pictures. Cut each one out and glue it onto the wood, taking care that there are no air bubbles by pressing lightly with a damp lint free cloth. The pictures can, and should overlap to some extent. Let it dry.
6. Brush on at least four coats (I used six) of water-based matte varnish, sanding lightly after each to remove bumps.
7. After wiping to remove dust, finish with two coats of polyurethane varnish for extra toughness.
8. Finish by giving the knobs a coat of primer, a couple of coats of paint and a couple of coats of oil-based varnish. Screw them onto the drawers from the back.

I am so in love with crew jumpers right now. Perfect for layering in this chilly weather and let me tell you, it was a very cold day! You will be able to see from the photos how windy it was from the way my hair was blowing about!

Can you believe my daughter and fiancee both bought me this same jumper for Christmas but in different lengths! Great minds think alike! I must have mentioned that I liked them on more than one occasion. This is the one my daughter bought me as the shorter one didn't fit as well! I felt bad taking it back but I did manage to get a coat that I had been wanting in the sale with the refunded money, so all is good.

Home made chutney anyone! A friend of mine was kind enough to give me some green tomatoes to make some. This is my first attempt making chutney and I am so looking forward to eating this with a cheeseboard at Christmas. You can also add the chutney to a winter stew giving it a fruitiness. It is surprisingly easy to make and I am really pleased with the result.


1. Heat the sugar in a frying pan until it melts and caramelises.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour, or until the chutney has thickened and you can draw a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan so that it leaves a channel behind it that does not immediately fill with liquid.
3. Spoon the chutney into sterilised jars. I used a recipe by James Martin on Saturday Kitchen.

Have a lovely day

This is a perfect quick meal when you come in late from work, and it is healthy too!  I usually make this if I am feeling really tired as it doesn't require much effort! As it is ready in under 15 minutes, and the ingredients are mainly from the store cupboard, it is just so convenient. The spicy tomato sauce, together with the prawns, is just delicious.

1. Pour the oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok on a low heat. Add the curry paste and onion. Turn up to a medium heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until the onions is softened.
2. Add the tomatoes, chutney and 200ml of cold water. Once it is simmering, leave to bubble for 4 minutes. Stir occasionally until the tomatoes have softened, but still keeping their shape, and the liquid has reduced by half.
3. Add the prawns and spinach. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are hot. Serve in warm bowls; wok-like balti bowls would be perfect.

I felt like baking today and, as it was on my October bucket list, I decided to make this lovely seasonal apple and blackberry pie. It's a tasty way to use any blackberries you have picked and frozen this autumn. The apples, blackberries and ginger work so well together. I've never been particularly confident with pastry, but this is very easy to make.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

1. Sieve flour onto clean worktop then sieve icing sugar over that. Work the butter, with your hands, into the mixture until it is crumbly and fine.
2. Add the eggs and milk into the mixture and work together until you can make a ball of dough.
3. Flour the worktop and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round shape, lightly flour and wrap in cling film. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

We took these photos in a cute little village not far from where we live. The sun kept trying to come out! We were on our way to a quaint pub for lunch. A great way to spend a Saturday!

What would you wear a polka dot blouse with? Linking up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday, Elena from DC in Style for Monday Bloom, Renae from Simply Sequins for Fashion Friday and Rachel from Rachel The hat for Passion for fashion, Friday Fab Favourites and What I Wore.

I'm wearing
Zara jeans (last seen here)
Topshop blouse
H&M shoes
Ted Baker bag (last seen here)
Primark sunnies
Topshop necklace and rings
River Island bracelet

This was my perfect solution for the extra storage I needed for my crockery. I fell in love with this shabby chic dresser as soon as I saw it. For those of you who know me, you will already know how much I adore all things shabby chic!

The beauty of it is, the dresser is shallow and doesn't intrude too far into the room. Everything is easy to see and reach when you need it. With the shelving being open, it does give me an excuse to buy colourful, pretty pots. I buy many of my pots from the flea market and Jules china shop in Hebden Bridge. Check her goodies out here.

I like to dress it up at different times of the year; see here how it looked at Easter. It won't be long until I'm dressing it up for Christmas!

Have a lovely Monday.

We needed an early start on Sunday morning, to do everything we had to do, so Steve decided we could make the most of the Indian summer and have breakfast outside. We are trying to get outside in the garden as often as the weather allows us.

I'm afraid I can't take credit for making this, as Steve is by far the best eggs benedict maker in our house. I have never tasted ones better than Steve's recipe; creamy, smooth and divine!!!!

It's a bit of a fiddle, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. It is my favourite breakfast or brunch by far, and it tastes even better when someone else makes it for you.

Hollandaise sauce

1) Add the vinegar, tarragon and peppercorns to a pan and boil, reducing it by half. Strain the reduction and keep it in a jar for use later.
2) Boil a large pan of water. Add the egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of the vinegar reduction to a bowl that will fit over the pan, and use a balloon whisk to beat.
3) Keep heating a little over the pan of water then removing to whisk, to prevent the sauce getting too hot. Scrape the sauce off the sides before you heat each time.
4) Whisk in the butter, a spoon at a time heating a little afterwards. Repeat until all the butter is added. The sauce should be a thick, mayo-like consistency.
5) Finally, whisk in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Poached eggs

The secret to great poached eggs is using a large pan of water and stirring it quickly to make a vortex. The egg slides into the centre from a bowl, and it forms a tight shape.

1) Boil a large saucepan of water and add the vinegar.
2) Whilst that boils, crack the eggs into separate small dishes or cups and warm two plates.
3) Cut the muffins in two halves and toast them.
4) Swirl the water as described and poach the eggs, one at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, removing them with a slotted spoon onto a warm plate.
5) Spoon a little of the sauce on each muffin half, and curl on a slice of ham.
6) Carefully lay an egg on each and spoon on the hollandaise sauce.
7) Serve immediately and enjoy.

I used a recipe from the River Cottage Everyday cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Enjoy. Have a lovely weekend.