Showing 28 Result(s)
Treats

Jellies

As the evenings are getting that bit darker and pumpkins have started appearing in the supermarket, it got me thinking about Halloween and trick-or-treating. I love jellies and sweets, but sometimes you have to wonder what actually goes into these colourful jems- emulsifiers, weird E numbers, and lots of other unpronouncables. So, I decided to make some of my own home-made jellies. At least that way I would know exactly …

Treats

Apricot, Almond and Plum Crumbles

Plums are at their very best right now, juicy and bursting with flavour. My Dad has a plum tree in his garden with a small crop of plums this year. Trouble is, they were all very high up in the top branches. The other problem is that the wasps had gotten to most of them before we had. Undeterred, we got a ladder and poking stick (an old brush handle) …

Treats

Rainbow Cookies

I promise these are the last biscuits for a while. I am going to turn into a biscuit if not! The weather has been spectacularly drizzly in Ireland so far this summer. I wore a polo neck and winter boots the other day. It is turning into yet another Irish summer – rain with intermittent showers. When the weather is like this, it’s hard to drag yourself out of the …

Treats

Chocolate Bourbon Biscuits

It’s mad when you think about it, someone tucking into a bourbon biscuit and a cup of tea during World War 1. But, it’s entirely possible as the humble bourbon biscuit has been around since 1910, making it a whopping 102 years old. The original bourbon was apparently called Creola, but was changed to the name Bourbon, in order to make it sound more appealing. Apart from the name change,  it doesn’t appear that a lot has …

Treats

Jammie Dodgers

Jammie Dodgers are another old school classic. When I was a kid I would always try and prise them open into two halves, but I never could because they were always glued together so tightly with jam as strong as super glue.  We never seemed to have them at home for some reason, so I loved it when we were at someone else’s house and I could sample the super-sweet …

Treats

Custard Creams

We’re just back from a really enjoyable week in sunny Madeira.  We dined in lovely restaurants, enjoyed great food and of course had some Madeira wine! In ways, it was nice to be back though. Back to normal food and cooking in the kitchen. When I go away, I always come back craving something simple. This week I was  craving tea and a custard cream. Custard creams are the kind of biscuits that are so …