FREEZER LABELS – A KITCHEN ESSENTIAL
OK, they’re only paper freezer labels but they really work. Stay put on the container when in your freezer but easy to peel off when the time comes. Reliable, useful, inexpensive. 100 pack £3.99
OK, they’re only paper freezer labels but they really work. Stay put on the container when in your freezer but easy to peel off when the time comes. Reliable, useful, inexpensive. 100 pack £3.99
4
servings35
minutesChicken with orzo – well, as we all know, thighs are tasty (and inexpensive, no bad thing!) and orzo is a marvellous type of pasta that I only discovered about a year ago but really like using. Caramelised chicory adds another dimension to this dish. It’s a winner. Quick to prepare – about half an hour, so perfect for midweek or when you fancy something deliciously simple.
1 tbsp olive oil
500g free-range chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
140g chicory, sliced
150g orzo
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Finely grated zest and juice ½ orange
2 tbsp crème fraîche
We have a few more yummy recipes you might like here
6
servings20
minutesAvocado and egg to my mind is a strange combo but gosh it really works as many of you already know I’m sure. Protein-rich this will keep you going for longer. And your tastebuds won’t complain either!
3 large avocado
6 small eggs, separated
3 slices smoked salmon, cut into pieces
finely chopped to make 1 tbsp chives
r a pinch (optional) cayenne peppe
to serve toasted dark rye bread
More tried and tasted recipes can be found here
8
servingsOn a chilly Winter day, this Roquefort Cheesecake by one of our fave chefs, Jane Lovett, is an absolute winner. I serve it with a green salad which acts as a foil to the richness of this warm crumbly cheesy gorgeousness. A little of what you fancy does you good…
For the oatcake base
140g rough oatcakes, broken up
60g butter, softened at room temperature
25g walnut pieces
For the filling
250g full-fat soft cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs
100ml double cream
100g Roquefort cheese, crumbled into assorted small and larger chunks
1 heaped tablespoon snipped chives sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on a diagonal
nigella or onion seeds, for sprinkling
micro leaves or salad cress, to garnish (optional)
More tried and tasted recipes can be found here
4
servings15
minutes1
hourWhenever I’m in Waitrose, I always look out for their recipe cards and make sure I pop one of their excellent magazines in my shopping bag. Without fail there will be several recipes that inspire me to put my apron on and get cooking! This is a favourite as I love firm glossy aubergines. I find de-seeding pomegranates relaxing and they are so useful as a garnish, keeping well in an airtight container in the fridge. This two step recipe makes a great side dish or main course, depending on your appetite.
2 aubergines
3 tbsp olive oil
1½ rose harissa
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 clementine (scrubbed), zest and juice
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
½ pomegranate, seeds only
½ x 25g pack coriander, leaves picked
100g feta, crumbled
More tried and tasted recipes can be found here
Best £5.99 I’ve spent recently. Sturdy and transparent, I can now use my mobile phone hands-free – and while it’s charging too. No more cracked screens either as the phone isn’t always being picked up and put down. Brilliant gadget! (Grace)
Super moisturising – we love the sound of that! Two products that will deeply hydrate, smooth and nourish your skin. Treat yourself to the body wash and hand cream duo from Balance Me for £22 (usually £31)
No idea where she gets the time from but Grace has been helping set up a series of high profile author talks – The Kent House Series – which will be held in London (Knightsbridge) from January next year. Tickets £25 including a complimentary glass of (delicious!) wine.
‘Liz Fenwick weaves intrigue and romance into this profound, luminous novel’ Woman’s Own
The Secret Shore is an historical fiction romance set in World War 2 – from Liz Fenwick, author of from the bestseller The River Between Us
If you love fashion, you’ll probably admire Coco Chanel. Check out V&A membership if you want to visit the sold out exhibition (ends Feb 2024) about this incredible fashion icon.
Whether you’re having a relaxed festive family dinner, treating yourself to a fun night out with friends, or have been invited to a drinks party – well, we women usually feel the same way… what am I going to wear? Eeeek. Can’t put on my tried and trusted dress that makes me feel good because everyone’s seen it a hundred times before. So we’re usually scrabbling about trying to find something new to put on and it can be frustrating.
Like you, we know that M&S is not the only excellent store in the world, but when Annabel and I went to have a look at what party wear they had, we felt spoiled for choice. And nothing costs the earth, so we didn’t feel guilty making a purchase or two!
Let’s be bold and sparkle when we’re out. Sequins are not just for the young, we can rock glitter too!
You may have spotted this stand out sequin bomber jacket on the M&S TV Xmas ad. Great if you like a more contemporary style and looks especially good if you pair it with one other colour ie navy as Annabel has done here.
Annabel chose plain navy trousers and this sophisticated Collared Tie Neck Shirt to wear with it. Made from lamé, which lends it a subtle sheen, it’s designed in an easy regular fit, with long sleeves that have deep cuffs, creating a neat silhouette. The ribbon at the neckline is removable or can be tied into a bow. £39.50
This simple sheath dress caught my eye immediately. Not just because of it’s unbelievably reasonable price – £35 – but because it is so very flattering, hiding any lumps and bumps you may have. It is sheer but has an opaque underslip. Such a great design.
The little gold clutch was a great sparkly addition. If you are more of a Winter or Spring colouring, you may well prefer silver accessories and there are plenty of those to choose from too (scroll down to view some of them.)
I find it very tricky to walk in heels so plumped for these really comfortable gold loafers. However, for the more naturally elegant of you, this dress would look equally good worn with the metallic kitten heels pictured below.
This Sequin Ruched Midi Column Dress is available in Petite, Regular and Long and is another bargain at £49.50.
If you’d like to add a bit of height, these knee-high sparkle boots have a stiletto heel – Annabel found them surprisingly comfortable. This is no doubt due to the design which includes Insolia® technology that helps keep your heels comfy for longer by redistributing weight away from the balls of your feet. £79
Here’s our pick of the great value silver accessories:
Really hope you approve of our party wear choices and have found our style suggestions useful.
So, if you are looking for some new party sparkle or a sophisticated dress and want to go easy on your debit card, you know which website to check out!
Annabel has recently read three books that she has very much enjoyed and thinks you might be entertained by them too. So, if you’re looking for your next good read…
‘A writer at the peak of her powers’ The Telegraph
Kilburn, 1873. The ‘Tichborne Trial’ has captivated the widowed Scottish housekeeper Mrs Eliza Touchet and all of England. Readers are at odds over whether the defendant is who he claims to be – or an imposter.
Mrs Touchet is a woman of many interests: literature, justice, abolitionism, class, her novelist cousin and his wives, this life and the next. But she is also sceptical. She suspects England of being a land of façades, in which nothing is quite what it seems.
Andrew Bogle meanwhile finds himself the star witness, his future depending on telling the right story. Growing up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica, he knows every lump of sugar comes at a human cost. That the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realise.
Based on real historical events, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about how in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception, deciding what’s true can prove a complicated task. BUY HERE
‘Full of horrors but energetic, funny and tense as a spring . . . plants its devilish brilliance deep in the reader and won’t let go.’ John Self, Observer
Giles Trenchard is born into privilege – and an atmosphere of hidden violence and isolation. Wholly unloved, he is shipped off to one boarding school after another. Always hoping to live up to his family’s expectations he joins the Navy on the outbreak of war. The camaraderie of life offer him some semblance of purpose and contentment. Yet on his return from war, he finds himself adrift and one day – like the hero of Joseph Conrad’s classic Lord Jim – he commits an act so shocking that it calls his past, his character and his whole world into question.
‘Haunting, compelling and brilliant’ The Times
‘Irresistible and seductive’ Guardian
Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch.