Friday 19 June 2020
Comforting Soft and Chewy Flapjacks Recipe
Since spending more time at home, I've been on a baking craze. This is my favourite basic flapjack recipe for making soft yet chewy golden flapjacks. These are truly the melt in your mouth kind! Not guilt free, but a lovely sweet treat to share with loved ones over a cup of tea.
Ingredients
250g porridge oats
185g baking margarine
185g baking margarine
100g light brown sugar
100g golden syrup
Equipment you'll need
1x 20x30cm baking tray
1x medium saucepan
A wooden spoon
Baking paper
Weighing scales
Prep time: 10 mins
Baking time: 20 mins
Oven setting: 160 degrees or gas mark 3
Instructions
Firstly, line your tin with baking paper. I cut diagonal slits in each corner of the baking paper (about the same depth as the tin) so that it can be easily folded to fit the shape of the tin. Before you start preparing, be sure to set your oven to 160 degrees.
In a large saucepan, melt the 185g baking margarine, 100g light brown sugar, and 100g of golden syrup. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until melted. Once melted, take the saucepan off the heat and fold in your 250g porridge oats. Once fully bound together, pour out the mixture evenly into your tin and spread evenly with the back of your wooden spoon or spatula.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. When ready, take them out of the oven and allow the flapjacks to cool before cutting into squares.
Tuesday 16 June 2020
My Care Tips for Cut Peonies
From buds to blooms
Before they go for another year, I thought I'd pull together my top tips for how I get the most out of my cut peonies. If you've bought or grown peonies before, you'll know they begin as tightly formed buds, typically covered in a little sap. Within a few days, they'll begin to blossom into big bountiful blooms and give you the biggest surprise. Peony buds can actually expand 3x the size of the bud once fully opened up. Don't worry if the buds have a few dark spots or look a little stained, this is completely normal. You can encourage your buds to open if you're growing impatient by gently wiping the sap off with a damp cloth and placing in a warmer sunnier spot.
Keep them for longer
Although stunning, peonies tend to last for around 5 days or more once cut and placed in an arrangement. To help your peonies last longer, keep them cool in cold water when you first bring them home or cut them from your garden. Prepare them for arranging by stripping the leaves below the waterline or further up depending on your desired style. Cut the stems 3-5cm from the bottom in a diagonal chop. This will help the peonies absorb more water as soon as they get put into the vase. After three days, trim the stems down a few cm again and top up the water. Remove any petals that may look brown, dead or mushy as these will rapidly encourage your peonies to go over.
Clean vases for happier blooms
Ensure you have a clean vase ready as any bacteria may cause the peonies to die off quicker than normal. Fill your vase with cool water and mix in flower food to give the flowers the best chance for surviving indoors for longer.
Where to buy?
You could partner your peonies with other flowers, such as roses, lisianthus, or freesias for a seasonal bouquet or enjoy them as a stand alone statement. You can usually buy peonies in the supermarket with your weekly shop but if you're currently unable to go due to the lockdown rules, you can also order them as letterbox delivered flowers online from websites such as Bloom&Wild. For £10 off your first Bloom&Wild order, click here.
This post includes affiliate links.
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