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Mincemeat has a history traceable back to the late seventeenth century following Cromwell’s two-year ban on Christmas festivities. After his death and once Christmas had been reinstated as a festival, the mincemeat we know today was introduced—a product with a quantity of vine fruits, sugar, citrus peel, suet or equivalent fat, and optional alcoho..

The following recipe has been kindly contributed by Penny Golightly, an author, journalist, and blogger.  Her excellent website, http://www.pennygolightly.com is dedicated to helping readers live life to the fullest and within their means: ‘Who cares if we’re broke? Let’s have fun anyway.' The site is packed full of excellent ideas, money-saving ti..

The following recipe has been kindly contributed by Vivien Lloyd, who is a renowned preserver, baker, author, and tutor.  She has appeared on various TV and radio shows and is regularly featured in the press.  She is the author of a number of books, including the excellent “First Preserves: Marmalades, Jams, and Chutneys,"; which is an authoritativ..

The following recipe has been kindly contributed by Vivien Lloyd, who is a renowned preserver, baker, author, and tutor.  She has appeared on various TV and radio shows and is regularly featured in the press.  She is the author of a number of books, including the excellent “First Preserves: Marmalades, Jams, and chutneys”; which is an authoritative..

With the summer fete season well underway and the treasured rosettes being handed out for “best in class,” it’s that nerve-wracking time where you find out if your hard work is going to be highly commended. A lot of our customers take part in or even judge these competitions,so we decided to feature some of them on our blog.  So we were asking for ..

The following recipe has been kindly contributed by Vivien Lloyd, who is a renowned preserver, baker, author, and tutor.  She has appeared on various TV and radio shows and is regularly featured in the press.  She is the author of a number of books, including the excellent “First Preserves: Marmalades, Jams, and Chutneys," which is an authoritative..

The following recipe has been kindly contributed by Vivien Lloyd, who is a renowned preserver, baker, author and tutor.  She has appeared on various TV and radio shows, and is regularly featured in the press.  She is an author of a number of books, including the excellent “First Preserves – marmalades, jams, chutneys”; which is an authoritativ..

Christmas is on the way and we all know what that means- it is time to stuff our bellies with all the delectable Christmas treats we can get our hands on! Whether it’s mince pies, mulled wine, mulled cider or some Yule log, we all love the vast array of treats that the festive season brings. To save some of the pennies, here is a simple re..

Help is here! Look at these gorgeous examples, showing off exactly how you can label, decorate, and show off the perfect confectionary gift, made with your own fair hand. We’re loving the rustic brown ribbons and textured boxing—it's as though these have come straight off the shelf of a vintage farmshop! The personalised touch of the blue and gre..

Christmas?! You're probably wondering how on earth we could possibly be talking about Christmas after the hot summer we’ve just enjoyed. Well, that's because making sloe gin takes time (and a pinch of patience) but that makes it all the more satisfying and delicious when you enjoy it. There’s no cooking required, just restraint not to taste some a..

Following the success of our spice jars, we’ve now introduced a smaller version to the shop…meet our 50ml spice jar!  Like their larger counterpart, these scaled down versions come with a grinder top so are ideal for peppercorns. Here’s a top tip for making your spice jars look fantastic: fill them with pink peppercorns. They’re available ..

Valentine’s Day has come and gone but for the loved up couples that got engaged on the 14th February, the fun is just beginning! Whilst you may be ticking the big things off the lists, here are some little things that can get missed: Thank You Cards One of the great things about getting married has to be the gifts!  But thanking everyone wh..