I’m afraid I have a stubbornly sweet tooth and working from home am often tempted to snack on biscuits and cake. A little something with a cuppa is the perfect reward when I’ve finished a difficult job, some consolation when I’m having a bad day, or motivation when I’m struggling. Yes, sugar can be the… [read more]

A big bunch of shaggy yellow and rust coloured chrysanths, enough to fill two vases, and harbouring a few tiny snails, was just the latest gift this week from our green-fingered elderly neighbour. He is overwhelmed with produce at this time of year and gives away bags of his fruit and vegetable harvest. From late… [read more]

It’s only a week since All Things Bright & Good was launched, and the response has been wonderfully positive, with lots of praise for our design and the range of posts so far. Readers have also commented that the idea of a lovely life for less strikes a real chord, and offered to write about… [read more]

Nigel Slater’s Real Fast Food is the only cookery book I’ve ever replaced. The pages of my old copy were splashed with oil and chunks were falling out, so I upgraded to a later edition. A is the cook in this household but when I cook, it tends to be one of these recipes, because… [read more]

There’s been a lot of news lately about the success of Aldi and Lidl, the German so-called discount supermarkets, and how much more profitable they have become than the UK ‘big four’, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. Whatever the financial commentators make of it, we the customer have our own ideas about why this has… [read more]