For us half term is almost over. There have been sleepovers at Nanny and Baa Baa’s, Lego bought, tantrums had and of course, pizza eaten. And so I find myself craving on behalf of my kids, green and good things. READ MORE
I always feel going out on Valentine’s is a bit strange. I remember as a teen venturing out with my much older boyfriend (erm, me just 17 and him, ahem, 27… how to give your parents minor heart palpitations) and sitting in a restaurant marvelling at how all the couples looked like they hated each other. They sat in silence. Staring into the abyss. Of course now I realise they were probably just tired parents, relieved of their kids of the night. READ MORE
Are you looking for good breakfasts for breast feeding? Then you’re in the right place. But this breast feeding friendly granola is not strictly just for nursing mothers. And this certainly isn’t a granola that after eating will give you an overwhelming urge to breast feed babies and toddlers. (Well, I assume it won’t, I can’t promise). READ MORE
I try and schedule blog posts, I really do. I try to be organised. Like with this chocolate flapjack recipe – well it’s a bit off the cuff because I never meant to blog it. I just made it one day because I was in a really bad mood about some sticker printing issues I am having with Mrs Bell’s Brownies. I was so angry I needed to bake. And I wanted something that felt like a breakfast item with added naughtiness. And this recipe for pecan and hazelnut chocolate flapjack was born. READ MORE
I have been resisting the dreaded January diet. It’s my birthday month in case I haven’t already bleated on about it enough. Essentially I want to pretend Christmas didn’t happen with its supersized mugs of boozy hot chocolate, mince pies at 9am and late night bags of smokey salted almonds. I was a committed festive eater. I am now unsurprised to find the waistband of my jeans tugging, hurting even. So I need to pull back a little. I am of an age where weight is just still coming off quickly and easily. I know I am on borrowed time. Soon my metabolism will slow and I’ll have to be sensible. Until that time, well, you’ll find me doing my usual nonsense of being a piglet and then eating like a Parisian. READ MORE
How could anyone not be happy to receive a jar of something called Christmas chutney? This is the bejewelled stuff of dreams. Red as Rudolf’s nose, lightly spiced and teeming with sweet onion. Pretty jars help this on its way to being the perfect gift, when accompanied with a truckle of something strong. READ MORE
We’re almost there. Less than a week to go. So today I give you my cashew pesto. Shall I tell you how I came up with this recipe? Well, I was given a lot of very fiery basil by my pal Lynne some years ago. It was wonderful stuff. We just couldn’t get through it though. And I happened to have some cashews knocking about, and so, well, the rest is history and now we all love this cashew pesto. It makes such a great edible gift, as most people expect sweet treats at this time of year, or chutney. But this is just divine and a little bit different. Only give it to those you love. Or very good teachers. READ MORE
It’s the final of the Great British Bake Off, so I’m not going to wang on too much. All I will say is that this cake is not really a cake, in fact it’s no bake. Think of it as a gift to busy mums. Your son or daughter wants one of these sweetie illusion cakes for their birthday but you’re worried about making it last minute and it all being a disaster? Make this days ahead as there’s no sponge to harden and go stale. I made this for Aldi using all their ingredients and it was a HUGE hit with my lot. READ MORE
Babies have no respect for sleep. It’s wasted on them. Kids too. Zero understanding for how wonderful it is and the scarcity of it in adult life.
Sometimes I day-dream about especially long sleeps I remember BK (Before Kids). There was one time, in the late 90’s, after a night shift where I delivered two babies, that I slept for so long I had no idea if it were morning or evening when I awoke. I did what any sensible girl would do and called my Dad. He knew. Dads always know if it’s day or night. READ MORE
Bake Off is back! So here’s a little recipe that starts us all off slowly. I’m not talking about ease of recipe, oh no (though these are very easy indeed), I’m talking about calorifically. Look, we’ve got weeks ahead of us. We need to pace ourselves. So I’m starting with refined sugar free tropical breakfast bars that I made for a Whitworths workshop.
This is a low refined sugar bar packed full of oats, a little like a flapjack, with a totally tropical taste. A great way to start the day without lots of unnecessary added refined sugar. These freeze well too, so make a batch, store away in your freezer and defrost one overnight ready for breakfast at home or on the go.
Holly Bell 
