I saw Jamie Oliver doing these on the television just before Christmas. He was making them with his two eldest daughters. I’m not short of pancake recipes, but I’ve never been wholly pleased with the result. Not least, most pancake recipes need you to rest the mixture overnight or for an hour. Despite being really organised in many respects, I just get annoyed at the thought of having to make pancake mixture in advance like that. But I guess I’d have been able to get a*** into gear if the result had been worth while. And, have I mentioned, it’s not been.

Three things struck me about the Jamie pancake recipe that made me want to give it a try:

1) Its immediacy: you mix it up and away you go

2) You don’t have to weigh anything, you just use a cup – any coffee or tea cup – and that’s the measure you use for both flour and milk, so it’s great if you haven’t got scales/can’t be bothered with them.

3) It has grated fruit in it. This could only be a good thing. Then I made them and they were so delicious that they’ve become a regular Saturday morning fixture ever since.

Here is the recipe:

One cup of self raising flour (update, to make these more ‘wholegrainy, I now make them with half a cup of self raising flour and half a cup of wholemeal plain and then add half a teaspoon of baking powder)
One cup of milk (I use semi skimmed since that’s what we get)
One egg
Pinch of salt
A nice pear or apple or banana

to serve: blueberries, maple syrup and live yoghurt. (Jamie’s recipe called for yoghurt and honey, I prefer to serve them slightly differently.)

Here is what you do:

Whisk together the flour, milk and egg. You can use an electric whisk if you want, or a hand whisk or even a fork. It doesn’t need much, just enough to make a smooth batter. Add the pinch of salt – I use Maldon sea salt. Take a nice ripe pear or apple and wash it, then great the whole thing into the mixture, peel and all. Jamie did it pips and all, I fish those out, or grate around them. Bananas work well too but it makes for a very strong banana flavoured pancake and we’re not so fond of them done this way in this house. Pears and apple are, I’ve found, the best. They impart a sweetness with no obvious presence. I don’t say this as one who believes you have to hide fruit from children. I don’t like subterfuge like that. But what I’m getting at is you end up with a really delicious pancake that just happens to have fruit in it.

Once the mixture is mixed together, heat a frying pan with a tiny bit of oil (I use sunflower, any relatively flavourless oil would do) and a tiny bit of butter. (You’ll need to repeat the oil and butter for each batch, but you only need tiny amounts.) Then I use two tablespoons per pancake and in my pan I can fit three in in one go. They don’t take very long to cook on each side – about a minute or so, just use your common sense – you’re looking for golden brown to fairly dark brown. Flip and repeat. I put mine in the warming drawer whilst I’m doing the rest but if you don’t have one then wrap them in silver foil or pop them in a very low oven. The whole batch is fairly fast to make and I’ve never had to ‘sacrifice’ the first few, like you do with regular pancakes. Using a true cappuccino cup (which I can measure if anyone is interested) I get about 12 pancakes done this way.

I serve with live yoghurt, blueberries and maple syrup and they are truly delicious and a great way to start the weekend.

ps: I’ve just enabled comments on this blog as I get quite a few emails/comments on Facebook. If you have a comment on this blog, please can I ask you put it here so I don’t look like Noddy Nomates. Thank you.

An addendum to this, written on 29th November:

I’ve since experimented with adding half wholemeal and half white self raising and it makes for a really delicious pancake, slightly nuttier in taste but not at all off-puttingly ‘worthy’. But it fills me up for longer because the GI (glycaemic index) is lower in wholemeal flour than white. If you can only find plain wholemeal flour, then add half a teaspoon of baking powder to the mix as well.

UV tents are a great idea in principle, you pop them up and they instantly protect everyone in them from the sun. Except they’re not all equal. If your tent is too small, or doesn’t allow for adequate ventilation, what you end up with is a UV shelter, but one that is so unbearably hot you can’t sit in it.

I like the idea of personal shelters on the beach/in the park/in my own front room if need be. But then I am half hermit and I like to have somewhere to retreat to. I like the idea of my own little zone. But UV tents are also a great idea in the garden, in this weather. And children love them because I guess it taps into some primal response of having a ‘nest’ (you only have to watch children play to see how they love making hidey holes).

A few years ago, when I was writing the Personal Shopper column in the Guardian, I came across the UV Protector by Shelta. It’s this one here. My one hasn’t got any garish yellow, it’s all blue, which is much more chic but the yellow probably serves a purpose.

Anyway,  it’s an excellent tent – think very hard before buying an inferior one and here’s why.

It’s big, but folds up small. The base is nearly 2m squared and when assembled it’s 135cm high or thereabouts. Small children can easily walk around in it.

It’s got poles in the design, but there’s no having to thread them through. To assemble it is a synch (although there is a rider, which I’ll tell you about in a moment), you just pull on two cords and up it goes. I struggle a bit as I’m only 5’2″ and so I’m at arm’s reach doing the initial pulling bit. But I just get someone to help me or stand on a chair. Taller people won’t struggle at all and you don’t need brute strength.

It’s also very easy to take down, takes seconds.

The carry bag it comes with is compact, but roomy. By that I mean it’s not one of those products that looks great when you first buy it, but to ever get it back in its carry case is impossible. You’ll have no problem getting the folded up tent back in.

It’s light and easy to carry and doesn’t take up much room in a boot.

You can vary the ventilation quite a lot, so you can have it open on both sides, or variations thereof. Plus cos it’s bigger than the average UV tent, it’s not so claustrophobic.

You can fill it up with blankets and pillows and be very comfortable. Although that yellow…

Fly curtains hold a very special place in my heart. No regularly open door in Italy is without them, and it was through them that I first learned to view the world. When strange guests came calling, and in large Italian families there are many strange guests that you are urged to kiss and who pinch your cheeks until they glow cherry-red, I would hide amongst the strip-y stripes of fly curtain, chewing on them. As I grew older, I would spy on boys on motorini through them. I all-seeing whilst remaining totally invisible to them. The plastic strips would also make great fly swats.

So you see, fly curtains are incredibly romantic. Not boy-romantic, but life-romantic. I like the way the sunlight diffuses through them. But mostly of course, I like the way the flies stay out. Now, Italy is big on brightly coloured fly curtains made of semi-opaque, fairly hard (hence why they make good fly swats) strips. A bit like strips of hanging boiled sweets. Nice in Naples, where Farrow and Ball hasn’t visited yet, but in my house: no. I didn’t even really think they were necessary in this country until I got me a back door (glass, stable) which is nearly always open during fly-season. I.e. now.

I started looking for a fly curtain that wasn’t awful. It wasn’t easy. The most stylish I could find was by a German company using silver link chain. But even that wasn’t great and cost £100. Then I went to a friend’s barbecue and she had this great matt grey fly curtain. If Kelly Hoppen had a fly curtain it’d be this one. I did some research and tracked it down and ordered one too.

Officially it’s called the Silver Slat Blind. I got mine custom made as our back door isn’t a standard size. It looks great. The service was unbelievably superb – I struck up a correspondence with someone called Sue who was incredibly helpful – and I paid about £8.50 for it all in. I recommend it all highly. All from Holland Plastics.

The first picture is of a double white fly curtain for the terrace doors (the terrace, dahlink!). The second pic is of the original grey one.

When I used to write travel pieces, people used to ask “do you have a secret place that only you know about?”. And I’d lie a little and say “no”. The lie was only a little lie, in that, obviously I wasn’t the only one to know about my special cottage. But there was no way I was going to write about it and splash it across the papers so it could get booked up and then there’d be no room for me.

This has happened to me before. Many years ago I wrote about the Rasul Mud experience at the Elemis Day spa. This was a totally affordable little treat for two people and I never had any problems booking it. Then I wrote and raved about it and not only was there a six month waiting list but the price rocketed, completely pricing me out. Don’t even get me started on the MaltEaster bunny shortage this year which I think is entirely due to me writing about them because of course I like to think that I am that important that I can trigger such an event.

When I first started going out with my boyfy-husband (boyfband? husfriend?), thirteen years ago, he introduced me to this cottage in Devon, just minutes from Dartmoor. It took me a few days to realise how completely special this place was. At the time, I was pretty entrenched in five star hotels (through work) and being flown first or business class. Even though I didn’t live like this at all, going away meant a certain amount of luxe. This cottage isn’t really about that. Parts of it are a bit ramshackle. But God is it wonderful.

For one, it’s down a tiny lane so it’s completely secluded. I’m talking peace and quiet like you got in the 1950’s. You can’t hear any traffic at all. But it’s not secluded because the people (lovely, lovey people that are there if you need them but not if you don’t) that own it live opposite.  Children can play in the courty-yardy bit at the front. The gardens are spectacular. And there is a – walled – vegetable garden of about an acre that is the finest I’ve ever seen (and I talk as someone who has been to lots of National Trust places).

So why am I mentioning it now?  Well the whole place is for sale. I don’t want it to be sold. We’ve had the most special holidays there ever. Our eldest loves it. It’s got a sort of magic about it even when it’s raining. The thought that we might never be able to go there again (we went at Easter this year) or that our youngest won’t remember it, makes me sad. But the owners are “getting old” (their words not mine) and it’s a big place to look after. So it’s very likely this will be the last year you can ever stay there and well, I thought I should be generous.

Also those of you with £2 million to spare might want to buy it. I envy you if you do because I am not sure there is a finer place. (To stay in the cottage is about £400 a week though!)

There is tons to do when you get there. Dartmoor, magnificent, moody, dangerous, is not far at all. Then there are wonderful villages to explore: Chagford, Lustleigh..I will write more about these another time because Chagford contains one of my favourite shops ever. And there’s Castle Drogo nearby which is my favourite NT property of all time.

2012 Update: The property was eventually sold. To the National Trust. This makes sense as it owns Buckland Abbey next door but I’m sad it didn’t sell to a wonderful family who could enjoy this. But, the good news is that the house and two cottages, at least inasfar as I know, will be refurbished and anyone will be able to stay there. We used to stay at Tower cottage which isn’t yet up for rent, but this one is, Cider Cottage next door. We never stayed there as it was always rented out on a long-let but it’s right next door to where we did used to stay and I’m sure it’s fabulous.

It’s been a long time. That’s cos I’ve been off busy consumin’.

Anyway, before I forget; there is a great sale of children’s clothes that I’ve been going to for years and have got a large part of my eldest daughter’s wardrobe at (now passing slowly onto daughter no. 2) which is the Junior Style Sales, the latest of which starts tomorrow.

More information about them here. 

It costs a £1 to get in, and I’ve found them to be hit and miss. Sometimes I find so much stuff I want to buy I start shaking with the excitement, other times I come away with nothing, or just one or two pieces. There is stuff there I loathe, and more for those people who like to dress their children in labels like Dolce and Dior; but you can also find some lovely things. We’ve got some great pyjamas with space rockets on (and those style of pyjamas I think of as ‘continental’, i.e. stretchy cotton leggings with long sleeved t-shirt tops rather than flannelette buttoned up jobbies), lovely, lovely pointelle t-shirts (the sort that look like long-sleeved thermal vests but in great colours and are super useful) which cost about a fiver but were nearly £40 (forty pounds!!!) in the shops. Great sun hats. Fabulous cashmere jumpers.

In fact when I look at my children’s most successful clothing pieces, they have mostly come from these sales.

Latest great buy was a pair of cashmere trousers for the baby in moss green which kept her snug all winter; well when she wasn’t in her Patagonia bunny suit. And if you think cashmere for a baby is mad, you can’t have ever tried it: it’s beautifully warm, so they only need one layer, so you don’t end up with a baby looking like a pass the parcel; it washes brilliantly, and yes I do mean in the machine (if you have a hand wash cycle that is and silly you if you bought a washing machine without one), and it’s super soft.

I don’t get to go as often as I’d like now that I live in Suffolk, sadly.

Whenever it gets cold, I wish I’d spent more time trying to find something to keep me feeling warm and looking stylish. My quest for ear muffs was largely fuelled by

a) my six year old wanting ear muffs
b) ‘muff’ is a word you just can’t get enough of
c) the freezing weather, I no longer look good in hats.

I started off with Celtic Sheepskin and its ear muffs because our slippers, and my little girl’s boots come from there. But its earmuffs are £52 and there’s a waiting list.

There’s a company in Suffolk (where I live) that also does them: Nursey Sheepskin. Its earmuffs are £45 but they’ve been out of stock for weeks.

I have never been a wipe off with tissue or cotton wool girl. All the skin care specialists I really admire – Erno Laszlo, Liz Earle, Jo Malone (the person rather then the company which is now owned by Estee Lauder) and Eve Lom – advocate the use of water to remove cleanser. I agree. Add hand hot water and a flannel and you have all the exfoliation you need.

A few weeks ago I got sent this from Beauty Naturals. Although I test products blind (as in, in plain containers, not blindfold..) like the next person, I’m seduced by fancy packaging. Which this ain’t got. I was in the middle of testing a heap of other products so I just stuck it in my cupboard and thought that I’d use it when I got desperate, which I did, pretty soon after.

So I started using it. It’s fab. I honestly think it may be the best cleanser ever, all things considered. I adore Eve Lom’s grainy (it just looks it, but the ‘grains’ melt on touch), oily cleanser in a pot that you dip your hands into. That smells expensive – incomparably – because it is expensive. I love Neal’s Yard’s Wild Rose Beauty Balm. But that’s also expensive. This is just £12 for 100ml (yes you can buy cheaper but it won’t be as good and look it’s organic!). Don’t be afraid cos it’s an oil. Try it.