Gintime!

Sometimes a job comes along that's simply made for me. When my good friend Geraldine Coates asked me to become the features editor for her fabulous website Gintime I'm sure I danced a little jig round the cocktail cabinet. One of my features for the September issue was to concoct some recipes featuring gin. This Pear, Vanilla and Gin Sorbet is refreshing, creamy and a perfect autumn dessert. I particularly enjoyed making the caramel garnish, which is simpler to do than you might think.



First of all put about four tablespoons of caster sugar in a small pan and set it over a low heat.



Stir gently from time to time as it melts, but not too vigorously or the sugar will crystalise.



When all the sugar is melted and has turned a warm golden colour, remove from the heat and, with a metal spoon, drizle it onto a piece of non-stick baking parchment into any shape you like.



My pear sorbet got out of bed for, no money whatsoever, to model a caramel squiggle....



an abstract star...



a big funky heart...



and something that looks a bit like a swirly hat...



When you are finished being creative fill the pan with water and set it over a low heat - the caramel will melt off like magic. I also created a recipe for this delicious Juniper Infused Venison Casserole with Soused Gin Plums.



Check out Gintime for some amazing autumn cocktail recipes, created by top mixologists from around the uk.

How to make a gift box

I've always liked putting gifts into elegant boxes. I remember watching the movie 'Splash!' as a little girl and loved the scene where Tom Hanks gives Daryl Hannah a gift and she says, "Its beautiful!" thinking that the gorgeous box with a ribbon round it is the actual present and not just the wrapping. Since then I've tried to make my gift packaging as lovely as what's inside. This box is for the candle I made for my friend Charlotte's birthday. My first step was to measure the candle's width and height; as they were quite similar I decided to make the base and sides the same size, and leave space to pack the candle with tissue paper.



Using medium weight card, I blocked out the base and sides in a cross shape. I also marked flaps on each edge of two of the side panels.



With a sharp cutting tool, I cut round the edges and then cut a slit at the bottom of the flaps.



If I were using decorative card or only wanted a simple box, I wouldn't bother covering it, but as I had this very glamorous paper I thought I'd use it to create a glossy finish.



Spray mount gives a smart finish, but DON"T use it near your cutting board because it is a pain in the bottom to get off. Make sure you have plenty of newspaper laid down, place the card on the paper with the marked sides up and spray an even coating on it.



With the covering paper lying wrong side up and flat, place the sprayed surface of the card on top and press to make sure it is stuck down evenly.



Then with a sharp cutter, trim round the edges.



Now lightly score where the card is going to fold. I use a ruler to make sure the folds are straight; the back of a knife pressed gently makes a slight impression that allows the card to bend.



Fold over the side panels and flaps and you will see the box take shape. Fold it into a cube and hold it in place with your hands. If there are any mistakes and the top edges are uneven, now is the time to fix them. Simply mark the differences with a pencil and trim with your cutting knife.



Glue takes too long to dry, so double-sided sticky tape is the best way to hold it together . Make sure all four flaps have a length of tape on, then remove the backing and stick to the side panels.



Here's the bottom half of the box with the candle inside, wrapped in pretty pink tissue.



To make the lid, add 2 mm to the dimensions of the base and width of the sides so the lid fits over the lower part of the box. In this box, the depth of the side panels of the lid is roughly a quarter of the height of the base. Make the lid the same way as the bottom. I used cut-off pieces of card and paper to make a gift tag and punched a hole in it. I then took a long length of ribbon, placed the middle of the length over the top, ran it down to the base, twisted it underneath and tied it in a knot at the top. I then threaded the gift tag on...



Knotted the ribbon over the tag...



and tied it in a flamboyant double bow! It makes me feel all warm inside to think that my little box might be used to store Charlotte's nick nacks or be passed on to someone else with another gift inside.



Shopping notes:

I buy a lot of my card and gift wrap from Paperchase, as they have a great selection. However I'm still on the hunt for Tiffany blue paper, which I want to use with white ribbon. I get tree rolls of double sided sticky tape for £1 at my local pound store and spray mount from a stationery supplies shop.

Most haberdashery departments have a good selection of ribbon. I get mine from John Lewis but I use so much, I'm going wholesale! I estimate the total cost of this box to be under £1 and once I had gathered the materials it took me about 30 mins to make.

How to make a scented candle

I've spent ages trying to find out how to do this! There are so many links on the web promising the answer but I haven't found it on any of them. But after a lot of trial and error I think I've cracked it. These are the basic elements: the wax, the wick, the wick sustainer, a heavy bottomed glass and the essential oil. The wax is a natural soya blend: some sites advise using beeswax but no matter how much oil I put in, there was very little scent. Soya wax throws the scent out really well.



The first step is to prepare the wick. It's really important to put it into a sustainer to keep it nice and firm so it's safe as it burns down. The wick comes in a little roll so I ironed it to make sure it was nice and straight.



The wick must be coated with wax: I find that a thicker wick is much easier to thread into the sustainer first.



One the wick is in the sustainer, squeeze it tightly with pliers to secure it. Now melt the wax. Some people say it should be melted in a double boiler but the microwave works well. First of all I measured the volume of the glass by pouring water in to the level the wax will come to. Then I tipped the water into the measuring jug and saw that I needed 8 floz/250ml.



Soya wax comes in beads. I poured some into the jug, melted it in the microwave for a minute at a time on medium and added some more a couple of times and continued melting for 30 seconds at a time until it came up to the right level.



I then dipped the wick into the wax to coat it.



To keep the wick straight as it dried on some non stick baking parchment, I placed the sustainer over the edge of a table.



I then put some double sided sticky tape on the bottom of the sustainer and stuck it in the middle of the base of the glass.



The wick will bend as the warm wax goes in if it isn't secured. I clamped it between two pencils and tied rubber bands round the ends to hold it tight. By now the wax in the jug has cooled a bit so I added some essential oil, in this case grapefruit. Some tutorials tell you to add a 'few drops' of essential oil. If you want to get a really good scent in your candle you need to add loads of drops, 80 or more! Here is the wax in the candle ready to set:



And here is the finished candle. After removing the rubber bands, make sure the wick is trimmed to 1cm above the wax.



Shopping notes:

The eerily named Full Moons Cauldron has all the supplies you need and the nice lady at the end of their phone was very helpful in advising me about the right ingredients. I used the 'soya and container wax', the size 14 multi purpose cotton wick and the 6mm neck height sustainer. You can buy pre-treated wicks with the sustainers already attached but be sure to buy the right kind for your wax. The burn quality will depend on choosing the right thickness of wick, so there's still some element of trial and error, depending on the width of your container.

I buy all my essential oils from Neal's Yard Remedies. They have a great selection and some already blended if you fancy a more complex scent.

Excluding the glass (which I already had) I estimate this candle cost me less than £3 to make. I don't claim to be an expert aromatherapist but considering I have paid over £30 for scented candles in the past, I think this is an elegant bargain.

Spiced scones

To say I love scones would be an understatement. There are days that I live for scones, worship scones and consider forming The Church of Sconage.



I like all sorts of scones: cheese, treacle and fruit, but also like to add some unusual ingretients such as dried apricots and papaya or in this case, spices!

Spiced Fruit Scones (makes about 12)

400 grams Self raising Flour
teaspoon each of cinnamon, allspice and ground ginger
Pinch sea salt
80 grams butter
50 grams unrefined castor sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 eggs
200 ml milk
60 grams mixed sultanas and raisins

Pre-heat the oven to 180oC gas 4. In a large bowl mix the flour, spices and sea salt then rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs with the milk and form a well in the dry ingertients, then pour in all but one tablespoonful of the egg/milk mixture. With your hand, work the wet and dry ingeredients together to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a two inch thickness. Take a cutter and cut out some shapes of your choice and place on a greased baking tray. Keep reforming and rolling the dough then cutting out shapes uintil you have none left. If you don't have a cutter you could simply cut it into squares. Using the leftover milk and egg mix, brush the tops of the scones with a pastry brush (or rub a little on with your fingers) and sprinkle a little sugar on the top of each. Bake for 20 mins until risen and golden.



I love a hot buttered scone but decided to serve these with whipped cream and a variety of our jams. Blackcurrant jam is my very favourite, as it has a tartness that cuts through the rich cream and sconiness. Yummy!

How to make lavender and rose sachets

I love the term "hostess gift". It's something I've come across on U.S. websites but like calling trousers 'pants', pavements 'side-walks' and bottoms 'fannies', its just not something we say in the UK. But hostess gifts are something I love to give and lavender sachets are often the most well received and quickest to make. I almost never have to buy fabric for these as I usually have big enough scraps left over from clothes making and this is a great way to use up bits of leftover ribbon that are too short for gift wrapping.



When I make flat sachets I cut out a square of fabric and place on top another two overlapping sheets with the exposed edges turned under. I sew the whole thing around the edges, right sides together, to make a little pillowcase. When it is turned inside out the little sachet of lavender slips inside. To make this I just sew a little square of fabric and stuff it with lavender then sew up the hole.



Slipped into drawers or between clothes on shelves these lavender sachets add a sweet fresh fragrance and naturally keep away moths. I think the tweed with the pink ribbon looks really cool. I just tie the ribbon into a wee bow and stitch it on.



To make a sachet to put onto a coat hanger take an oblong piece of fabric and attach a piece of ribbon to it with two little seams, as shown. Then sew round the edges, leaving an opening at the top. Fold under the raw edges at the top and press.



Insert the lavender pouch and tie the ribbon in a bow to close. The hanger slides between the two rows of stiching on the ribbon.



Dried roses also make a pretty sachet, particularly if you use lace so that they can be seen. To make this sachet sew an oblong piece of lace as for the previous ppouch and pour the roses in.



Here's the finished sachet.



And another one with pink gingham fabric pouches inside and slightly more flamboyant ribbon!



I buy my lavender and roses from my local health food shop and can get a big bag of each (enough to make at least 15 sachets) for under £3. This is also a lovely project to make for yourself and turns getting dressed into a far more glamorous experience!