A step-by-step guide to icing Pudsey Bear cookies for Children in Need fundraising. Pudsey Bear is a familiar face in the run up to the BBC’s annual Children in Need appeal. How to Make Pudsey Bear biscuits Lakeland have long sold an annual collection of Pudsey related baking kit; pudsey bear cupcake cases; pudsey bear […]
Chemo cookery and a Breakthrough fundraising update
I’m pleased to announce that my fundraiser for Breakthrough’s Breast Cancer awareness month during October raised £100. Many thanks to all of you who donated. During October I came across various media features to do with treating cancer, including a radio item about how cancer patients need to keep their strength up with healthy food […]
Forever Nigella #9 round up: Halloween horrors!
Whilst you’re still in your beds sleeping off a bonfire induced hangover, I’ll slip in with this witchy round up of Forever Nigella entries.
Dinner with Crayons: Zizzi cichetti Venetian tapas menu
Dinner with Crayons is my occasional series of weekend child friendly restaurant reviews. Now that the book is mostly finished I hope to be doing them regularly again! Pizza and pasta are what most people in Britain associate with Italian food and with one or two exceptions, most Italian chains reflect this. Zizzi have taken […]
Amaretto Bakewell Tart with Quince
This is a blast from the past for me; I baked this tart two years ago and somehow it slipped under the radar never managing to be published when quinces were in season for two years in a row. I am pleased to put this right today! This is therefore a post lagging behind that […]
Mini Steak and Kidney Pies
and in particular the little pies on the cover. Using a 12 hole muffin tin they’re the dimensions of little pork pies and it amazes me it’s never occurred to me before to use the same tin for pies.
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
The more evil a pumpkin the better so far as I’m concerned. Outrageously for a blog with the word “cupcake” in the title, unless I’m mistaken, these are the first cupcakes to feature on here in eleven months. I’m fairly ambivalent about cupcakes these days and have agonised with changing the name of the site… […]
Wicked Witch Cookies with Green Icing
A spell has been cast on me; since mastering the art of cookie piping during the writing of my book, I have been bitten with the cookie decorating bug and cannot stop. Cookie decorating may not seem like the perfect activity with a small child around but believe me, it is. The dough can be […]
Pear and Ginger Muffins with Spelt Flour
This pear and ginger muffin recipe is made with golden sugar and feels perfect for autumn. They’re made using spelt flour but you can use wheat flour if you prefer. Ted and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen during half term – my overflowing in-box is going to have to wait until […]
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Rustic looking Pumpkin Whoopie Pies filled with marshmallow fluff and topped with melted orange candy buttons. Updated 2026 · Now with printable recipe It was half term and Ted helped me make some pumpkin whoopie pies. This recipe was inspired by one in Let’s Make Whoopies by Sophie Grey. As with the chocolate whoopie […]
Counter Cafe tapas nights, Hackney Wick
Reviewing restaurants has not been a top priority for me recently, however I was intrigued to hear about the tapas nights at The Counter Cafe. Although I’m rarely reviewing restaurants anymore unless they’re done Dinner With Crayons style or places known for their patisserie or puddings, I wanted to visit as the Olympic park is […]
Morphy Richards Accents One Cup
It’s ideal for small spaces where single cups of tea or coffee are desired and lack of space renders a kettle impractical; offices, student accommodation…. one’s mother’s narrowboat…. over to you Rose: This is easily the most useful nifty little gadget I’ve seen in a long time. The machine is tiny, taking barely the space of a small electric kettle, and as there’s no water storage tank, you literally fill your cup or mug with water, pour into the top of the unit and press the button. it’s not even that loud, a puff of steam and hey presto, in the thirty seconds it took me to put coffee and sugar in the mug, the water was dispensed.
