I love this time of year. Despite the grey skies and the muggy rain, those beautiful crisp, cold, sparkly days more than compensate. We've had quite a few of those recently, here in the Cotswolds. Even snow! This year I'll be decking the house with boughs of holly. I'll take my gorgeous Mabel out for her walk and wander around and collect some seasonal greenery and place around the house with handmade embellishments and little lights.

Despite the brown and bare branches (a stark beauty I love), there is some colour hanging in there. I still have calendulas growing in the garden, and find their sunny faces, cheery and optimistic.

Thank you

... for loving my new Winter purses. I have mostly sold out of the first small runs but I am working on a few more. They are available to pre-order if you would like a unique and thoughtful gift for a loved one and I'll be posting out around 13th December, if not before.

Christmas orders

Sadly I am unable to take any further commissions this year. I am fully booked for bespoke cushions and artwork. Please contact me if you do want a special order and I will happily work with you on your requirements.

Final ordering dates for Christmas

As I use Royal Mail to post out your orders, I will be working to it's recommendations, especially in these unique times. My last posting day will be 17th December. Any orders received after this date will be posted after Christmas, although if you contact me, I will, of course, see what I can do, but please note, extra postage charges may be incurred.

A simple biscuit recipe

This recipe is my little stand-by if I need a sweet at short notice, or if I have friends over for coffee. They also get eaten very quickly by 'im indoors' ;-) Very quick, simple, tasty and vegan. Win, win!! And it uses ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards.

Ingredients

125g Plain flour
125g vegan margarine such as Flora or Pure
Vanilla essence or orange essence (optional) 
65g Sugar
25g ground almonds (such as Whitworths)
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 170c/Gas mark 3. Into a bowl, place margarine and sugar and cream together. Add essence here and mix in well. Sift in flour and salt, followed by the ground almonds.

2. Depending on what size biscuits you want, divide mixture into 20-25 balls and place onto a greased baking tray, allowing room for the mixture to spread. Flatten biscuits with the prongs of a fork.

3. Bake for 10-15 mins until lightly golden (in my oven, it's 10 minutes)! Cool slightly before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely. Although I like to eat them slightly warm and crumbly.

Enjoy xx