Jamie in MY home

Santa Cooke has been really kind this year - I must have been a very good girl. I have an iTunes card so I can purchase some more audio books to put on my iPod (I have my eye on an autobiography by Julie Walters and one from Clive James), and two Magnolia rubber stamps, which as you can see from the sample pictures can be made up to look very appealing. They are called Baking Tilda and Cupcake Tilda. Why the little girl character is called Tilda I know not, but I'm sure you will agree when coloured and made into cards they are very pleasing to the eye. I will make good use of them when I make my chutneys and jams later on in 2010. I can decorate the packaging with them.

Santa Cooke also brought the biggest smile to my face with complete series one and two of Jamie at Home. I am a huge fan of the way Jamie presents this particular series with such passion. Not only is it split into programmes based on ways of cooking different 'grow your own' produce (ideal for us allotmenteers) but it gives basic planting information and tips that are not rocket science.

Before I go I just wanted to share the magnificence of my home-made mincey pies and my cranberry and apple chutney. Its the first time I have made the pies with a sweet pastry (thank you Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall) and from a £2 bag of cranberries I got 3 small jars of chutney. The chutney was used on Christmas dinner with gammon and the pies have passed the 'mother-in-law' test. It was a real honour to get a lovely compliment of Colin's mum about my pies. Her's are pretty hard to beat.