We're Nespresso converts - quick and easy, I feel slightly guilty abut the throwaway pods, but the coffee tastes great, and it makes a crema layer better than any I've ever managed...

Be careful not to overwhip! It thickens very quickly in the last stages... If you've come a cropper, and over beaten the cream, add a small dash of milk to it, and beat it briefly - it'll turn back...

I prefer my hot chocolate with a slug of Baileys in it, or a couple of drops of peppermint essence... The hot chocolate on sticks look like they'd make a great gift - last year I made snowfla...

Yep, some kind of hefty soup would be my choice too - long and slow cooked with some onion, a can of toms, any other veg you have in the house, and either some barley or some herby dumplings (or bo...

I love allspice! I think I use it most with beef and pork - say, meatballs in a sour cream sauce with herbs and a bit of allspice - it gives it a bit of a scandinavian feel to things. I also someti...

Also, if you're using the whole piece as a large tart, it's always good to trim the edges with a sharp knife/pizza cutter to give it a fresh clean (unsquished!) edge, making it easier for the layer...

Here in England, hard cider has seen a big comeback in the last couple of years, as well as perry (made with pears). However, ones that taste purely of apple are gaining popularity - try Koppaberg ...

As an English girl, can I suggest mini yorkshire puddings? You can put anything inside them - some sweet potato or maybe some stuffing, a bit of turkey, and some cranberry sauce on top would make a...

My two favourites are http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/sweet/spiced-bread-...

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/sweet/steamed-treacle-sponge-pudding.html - s...

You can't do anything to rentals properties here in the UK either. Our kitchen is completely tiled with white tiles with a yellowish/terracota marbling effact, with the odd bit of gold trim thrown ...

I like my ladle too - getting an even mix of everything in the pot is achievable, and quick and easy. I do concede that it does clog up the drawer with the utensils in it though. On t...

We made space for an ice cream maker a few months ago, and haven't looked back! Even ready made chocoalte custard from the supermarket tastes great with a dash of something alcoholic churned into i...

I've done it once. It was a VERY sticky job! I'd echo other posters comments - glucose was scary to me (it's because the glucose comes in such a small jar, yet the recipe calls for a fair amount of...

A bowl with a cover generally works fine - or if you need to keep the air out, a bowl with a cling film over the top of the pastry (you're only using half the amount of plastic then). All the...

Lots of books, but even more magazines! Most of the books I love, and cook (or rather bake - it's the cakes recipes that I look up) from. People buy me recipe books for birthdays/Christmas, and I d...

The Pasty shops over here (UK) sell pretty unconventional pasties (as well as the traditional ones) - steak and stilton, salmon, chicken tikka, pear and chocolate.... Your version looks great - and...

I use a cheap (non zip lock) freezer bag, put a few squares of chocoloate in, tie the top, and bung it in a mug of hot water to melt. Once melted, snip the corner and drizzle away - you can use sma...

I've tried a few of these - they were OK, but they're not *just* herbs... some of them seem a bit greasy, and others have sugar and things in them... I liked the chilli one, as it meant if you only...

I'm lucky enough to be in the UK, and this week his new TV series started! It looks like it will tie in nicely with the new books. For those who want to try some of the book's recipes without shell...