Marks and Spencer

There are loads of reasons why I'd like to recommend Marks and Spencer. But there is one particular one on my mind and in my tummy).

Marks and Spencer are now selling entire packets of coconut chips (you know the yellow and pink coconut wheels from liquorice allsorts. Love them.

Percy Pigs

I love love love them. They help anyone get through a planning meeting!

Photo credit: Philippe Lin

Baking with Nigella

I've loved baking for a long time. Mum baked pies but I never got into that. But Dad did the fun cooking with us. Simple stuff like chocolate cornflake cakes and Angel Delight (not so much cooking as enhancement with a crushed up Flake on the top).

Anyway when we got a microwave it came with a recipe book (because microwave cooking was going to change everything you know) and in that book was the recipe for queen cakes. I remember it to this day:

50g caster sugar
50g butter
75g self raising flour
50g sultanas/ raisins
a bit of milk

I can't remember the cooking instructions mind. I'd credit the recipe book too but I have no idea what it was.

So when I grew up and got a place of my own I was keen to start baking my own cakes. And that is when I discovered Nigella. And "How to be a Domestic Goddess". My absolute favourite and the page that the book with open to is the Madeira cake.

So I can happily recommend "How to be a Domestic Goddess" because even if I am not baking from it there are lots of lovely photos of things I'd like to bake...