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JUICY FIG CANAPES

Love a nibble before the main course but wanted something other than crisps, peanuts or pretzels. Spotted some ripe figs in the supermarket and decided to use those paired with goat’s cheese (or it is “goat cheese”, I never know!).

JUICY FIG CANAPES
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JUICY FIG CANAPES

Recipe by GraceDifficulty: Really easy
Prep time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • Ripe figs

  • Goat’s cheese

  • Runny honey

  • Toasted hazelnuts

  • Chervil (or a.n.other herb to decorate – optional)

Directions

  • Cut figs in half
  • Pop a sliver of goat’s cheese on top of each half fig
  • Drizzle with honey
  • Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts
  • Top with fresh herb of your choice (optional)

More tried and tasted recipes can be found here

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SLOW COOKER SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Was tidying out my kitchen cupboards yesterday and found my slow cooker gathering dust. Whipped it out, gave it a wipe and made this sausage casserole because it was grey and cold outside and I had a busy day ahead. Proved to be as comforting to eat as it looks. Inexpensive and filling – why not give it a try?

SLOW COOKER SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
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SLOW COOKER SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Recipe by Tesco Real Food
Servings

6

servings

Just chuck everything in your slow cooker and let the magic happen. Freezable. No slow-cooker? Follow the method to brown the sausages and veg, then put in a 2ltr casserole dish, cover and bake at gas 6, 200 ̊C, fan
180 ̊C for 2 hrs.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 454g pack 50% less fat Cumberland sausages

  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges

  • 2 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced

  • 1 garlic clove, sliced

  • 150g mushrooms, quartered

  • 150g pack Tendersweet carrots

  • 1 leek, trimmed and sliced

  • ½ tsp crushed chillies

  • 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed​

  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes

  • 300ml red wine

  • 1 chicken stock cube, made up to 800ml

  • 10g fresh rosemary, leaves only

  • 4 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 5 tbsp water

  • green beans and crusty bread, to serve (optional)

Directions

  • Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the sausages for 6-7 mins, turning frequently, until golden. Transfer to a 2.5ltr or bigger slow-cooker using a slotted spoon.
  • Add the onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms to the pan and cook in the remaining oil for 4-5 mins over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Transfer to the slow-cooker with the carrots and leek.
  • Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl, then add to the slow-cooker and season well. Cook on high for 3 hrs or until thick and bubbling.
  • Spoon into bowls and serve with green beans and crusty bread to mop up the juices, if you like.

More tried and tasted recipes can be found here

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CHEAT’S LOBSTER SPAGHETTI

I love cooking food from scratch – not only healthier (with less salt and sugar than pre-prepared dishes) but also tastier. Plus, you can add any ingredients that you like to personalise the recipe to you and your family’s particular tastes. This Cheat’s Lobster Spaghetti recipe uses tinned soup – yes, tinned soup. The only tinned soup I would wholeheartedly recommend mind you. No-one is more surprised than me that it tastes as good as it does. I know I’m blowing my own trumpet here but this quick and easy recipe is one I think you’ll want to make again and again.

Annabel gave me some peanut rayu – a relish that I’d never seen before. Definitely once seen never forgotten – am now ladling spoonfuls onto anything remotely Asian inspired because I love it’s crunchy spiciness.

CHEAT'S LOBSTER SPAGHETTI
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CHEAT’S LOBSTER SPAGHETTI

Recipe by Grace

A super quick lunch or supper that may not take much time but is packed full of the taste of the sea. If you can’t get samphire, which I couldn’t (shame, I really love the stuff!) use rocket instead. I am definitely not a fan of tinned soup but Baxters Lobster Bisque is exceptional and certainly saves a huge amount of faffing around making your own.

Ingredients

  • 150g spaghetti

  • 8 shell on raw prawns (as large as you can find)

  • Half finely chopped red chilli.

  • Grated zest of an unwaxed lemon

  • Tin of Baxters Lobster soup

  • Quarter of cucumber

  • 2 spring onions

  • Peanut rayu

Directions

  • Decant the soup into a large saucepan and pop in the chilli and your raw prawns, shell and all. Heat gently until the prawns are cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, finely chop the spring onions and cucumber and set aside.
  • Put the spaghetti into another saucepan and pour over boiling water and cook as per packet instructions (preferably al dente).
  • Drain the pasta and put into two warmed bowls. Add four prawns and half the lobster soup to each portion. Top with the fresh cucumber, spring onions, a sprinkling of lemon zest and a good dollop of rayu. If you have any coriander or similar handy, pop some on top.

Notes

  • Next time I’m going to add a good handful of samphire to the soup.

More tried and tasted recipes can be found here

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DO YOU HAVE A BUCKET LIST?

The Great British Bucket List: Utterly Unmissable Britain may be useful if you do. There are 60 mini adventures (from comically easy to mildly challenging) so whatever your age and abilities, you can do them. Which means we can all start ticking off the lists right here in the UK while we are saving up to book our flights to the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and the Grand Canyon!

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MAKE IT EASY

Jane Lovett’s first cookbook Make It Easy is packed full of foolproof, stylish and delicious do-ahead recipes. Have recently been revisiting some of the wonderfully tasty and wonderfully stress-free dishes. Highly recommend.

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ONCE A KING

Once a King: The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII is a remarkable archival discovery. The real story of Edward VIII – the King who abdicated the throne in 1936 – told in his own words, using an unpublished memoir and other never seen sources. that sheds new light on the man who gave up his throne to marry the woman he loved.

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NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 2024

New Year resolutions… have you made any?

If so, are you keeping them or are they already in the proverbial bin?!

Grace and Annabel chat on Instagram about good intentions as we delve into 2024.

We’d love to hear about your New Year resolutions if you’ve got a minute… please leave your contribution in the Comments box below this post. Thank you.

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SWEET POTATO & LENTIL CURRY

SWEET POTATO & LENTIL CURRY
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SWEET POTATO & LENTIL CURRY

Recipe by Olive MagazineDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Cooking time

40

minutes

This Sweet Potato and Lentil curry has a colourful vibrancy that I find very moreish to look at – and, of course, to eat! Lots of ingredients I know but so many of them are likely to be in your storecupboard. Absolutely delicious. Low calorie too – about 314 per portion. Great with rice (I use microwave as I’m lazy!), noodles or a warm naan bread.

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp vegetable oil

  • 1 large red onion, finely chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed

  • a thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated

  • 6 fresh or dried curry leaves (optional)

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 2 tsp ground coriander

  • 1 tsp ground turmeric

  • 2 medium (about 500g) sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

  • 75g red split lentils

  • 400ml tin low-fat coconut milk

  • 400ml vegetable stock

  • coriander, a handful of leaves

  • 1 lime, wedged

Directions

  • Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook three-quarters of the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves, if using, and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet potato and lentils, then add the coconut milk and stock. Stir well, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding a splash of water if it’s getting dry, until the potatoes and lentils are cooked through. Season.
  • Serve in bowls with coriander and the remaining onion on top, with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Check out our Recipes section for more delicious things to cook

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KIWI SMOOTHIE

Kiwi Smoothie… doesn’t that sound refreshing? Every time I go to the supermarket I look at the fruit and veg, see kiwi fruits and think shall I buy some. But then don’t because my only way of using them was cutting them in half and eating the flesh with a teaspoon – fresh and fragrant but not the most inspiring way to eat them. So when I spotted this recipe by Olive magazine I thought it was a great use of this fruit which is well known for its high Vitamin C content and rich in fibre.

KIWI SMOOTHIE
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KIWI SMOOTHIE

Recipe by Olive Magazine
Servings

2

servings
Calories

123

kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 kiwi fruits, chopped

  • 1 lime, juiced

  • 200g mango, chopped

  • 200ml coconut water

  • a handful ice

Directions

  • Tip all of the ingredients into a blender and whizz until completely smooth. Pour into two glasses and serve.

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LONG LASTING LIPSTICK

I’ve never been a fan of lipstick. So dull having to keep reapplying it. Until, that is, I found Look Fabulous Forever’s long lasting lipstick. You literally put it on and it stays put for hours. Such great colours too – there’s a very helpful guide to choosing the right one for you on their website. My current favourite is Rosewood. Stay All Day Lasting Colour Lipstick £24 with free UK delivery.

  • Designed to last all day with minimal retouching
  • Smudge, smear and transfer-resistant
  • Hydrates and nourishes, so your lips appear luscious and full
  • Won’t dry out your lips
  • Available in our 12 best selling shades

We love sharing our favourite products. For more recommendations click here.

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GLOWPLEXION – FOR YEAR-ROUND HEALTHY COLOUR

Studio 10’s Perfect Bronze Glowplexion is another product worth noting for any of us that are looking for a radiant, year-round healthy colour. This ultra-light, deeply hydrating liquid bronzer is specially formulated for mature skin and includes Gatuline to blur fine lines. £26. So, if you’d like an instant hit of healthy-looking colour click below!

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INSTANT ANTI AGE REWIND

Have always found Maybelline to offer effective products and their Instant Anti Age Rewind Perfector was a new one on me until Marvellous-Mother-In-Law arrived at my house glowing with good health. On complementing her, it transpired that this product had a lot to do with her fresh looking complexion. It’s a joy to put on your face – feels light and is easily blended with either a brush or your fingers. Buildable too. £10

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