Of course, the main attraction so far has been searching for New York's finest cakes and we have tried many! I found a beautifully crysanthamum cupcake at Dean and Deluca which looked so pretty but sadly the shop assistance put it in a box that was too small and squashed the flower completely. Being polite and British, I did not complain but handed over my $5.50 (!!!) and took the squashed cupcake away. This afternoon I made it to the Magnolia Bakery - OK so I had to queue for 20 minutes but the wait was worth it and the air outside whilst you are in the queue smells of cinnamon and chocolate so all in all it was a very pleasant experience. I have to say that the cupcakes were not as spectacular as I was expecting but the large cakes were AMAZING! I have never seem cakes the size of their German chocolate cake and Coconut cloud cake. Defintinely inspirational. We also paid a visit to BabyCakes - which produces cupcakes and brownies which are all wheat and gluten free, made with spelt and other wholesome ingredients. I just loved their shop window (top photo)!

Well I have been in New York less than 48 hours and feel as if my feet have not touched the ground. We have done so much (thanks to my brother acting as an excellent tour guide) and yet I know we have only scratched the tip of the iceberg! This truly is a city where you can get anything that your heart desires. It has reminded me at times of the lands at the top of the Faraway Tree (I was an avid Enid Blyton fan as a girl) with shops that just sell different types of rice pudding (Rice to Riches) and a restaurant which only serves macoroni cheese! I feel as if we have not stopped eating since we got here - we are no longer hungry but are just having to try everything. Delicious breakfast burritos, fluffly pancake stacks with maple syrup, slow cooked pork buns in China town. Today we ate at a wonderful Mexian restaurant where guacamole was made in front of you at the table - I am wondering when this will hit the UK as it is a great idea - followed by delicious beef fillet tacos and sweet potato chips. We have sipped cocktails at a rooftop bar in the meat district (ubercool) over looking the Hudson River, drank Techinis (hard to describe but a tea equivalent of a cappucino that tastes of autumn... nuts, cinnamon, apple and caramel - truely delicious and unique) at Teany (a wonderful teashop owned by muscian Moby) and eaten pumpkin pancakes, not to mention a trip to Dean and Deluca!

A cheap bunch of roses from the supermarket can be transformed into a lovely table arrangement for a dinner party in just a few minutes. Place some soaked green oasis into a dish or a terracotta flowerpot and insert a candle into the centre. Cover the oasis with greenery from your garden, ivy and rosemary are ideal. You don't need any wire and can just insert the ends of the stems into the oasis. Cut the rose stems to 2 inches below the flower and insert into the oasis. A perfect center piece for a dinner party, costing only a few pounds!

Later this week I am heading State side to New York to visit my brother for his birthday. It is my first ever trip to America and I am really looking forward to it. I am taking an empty suitcake to fill with cake decorations, fudge frosting and other wonderful goodies for my store cupboard. I am really looking forward to visiting the Magnolia Bakery - who's cook book I have drooled over for hours. They must be the true home of American frosting and I am hoping to pick up some good ideas! Any suggestions of must see foodie places to visit in New York much appreciated!!!!

I have been given such a perfectly "me" present from my mum - this dear little cupcake teacosy! It will take pride of place in my kitchen and is perfect for my ever growing tea pot collection.

I have been working for most of the weekend (horrible law work rather than cooking sadly) but I have managed to sneak time to try out a few new pudding ideas. A peach melba clotted cream cheesecake, which I will post later this week - an idea I had during Masterchef that never made it to the plate and this pineapple and cinnamon tatin - a little splash of tropical sunshine to counterbalance today's snow!

Pineapple and cinnamon tatin
Serves 6, preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 25 minutes
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into rings (you can substitute tinned pineapple if you are short on time but fresh is better)
250g puff pastry
100g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
100g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat the syrup, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Pour into the base of a flan or tatin dish and set aside to cool slightly. Place the pineapple on top of the caramel in a decorative pattern, roll out the pastry and cover the pineapple. Bake in a hot oven (Gas Mark 6/Aga roasting oven/400F/200C) for approximately 25 minutes until the pastry has risen and is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Invert the tart onto a plate and serve warm. We loved the smell of this pudding - bringing memories of holidays abroad and warm sunny days!

Cheese and Chive loaf

Cheese and onion are a classic combination – the chives in this recipe give a delicate onion flavour. This bread is hearty and goes well with soup.

Preparation time 20 minutes plus 45 - 60 minutes proving and 20-25 minutes

Makes one loaf

500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 sachet of easy blend yeast (7g)
350ml warm water
100g strong cheddar cheese, grated
10g chives, finely snipped
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and slowly add the warm water, mixing to form a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Turn the dough out on to a flat surface and knead for 7 - 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. If you have a dough hook on your mixer, the kneading time can be reduced to 5 minutes. Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes and then reknead for a further 5 minutes, adding the chives and 75g of the grated cheese. Form the dough into a round ball and place on a greased baking tray. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place (a warm airing cupboard or on top of the Aga is ideal) until the dough has doubled in size. When the dough has risen, brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

I am away from my lovely Aga and cooking for a few days as I am over in Suffolk on business. Although its work I am staying at one of our Company hotels - The Bildeston Crown - which (without wanting to promote our company too much) is a very special place to stay and consequently it does not feel like work really! The chef, Chris Lee, creates the most wonderful food, and with 3 AA rosettes he must surely be on his way to his first Michelin Star. Last night we ate delicious pork - from Head to Tail, with 8 different cuts of pork, turbot with oxtail filled with salsify, and a chocolate tasting plate with warm chocolate fondant, white chocolate zabaglione and mocha ice cream. All delicious! The hotel magazine has a nice article about my time on Masterchef which you might like to read if you have a few minutes spare.

This weekend I catered a 70th birthday lunch for 16 people - when will I ever learn to say no!!!!! Actually it was good fun. Getting 16 plates of food out hot at the same time is always a challenge but we just about managed it!
This is the birthday cake that I made for Mike whose birthday it was. He likes sailing so this seaside cake went down a treat! My favourite is the shoal of little green fish at the front swimming up the side of the cake.

Freddie from GreatBigVegChallenge is soon moving on to squashes and has asked for a favourite squash recipe - so here you are Freddy! The squash is one of my favourite vegetables - they keep well so I usually have one in my vegetable basket that is always handy for stand by meals. This week, I used it to make a risotto - such a therapeutic dish to make with all that stirring - just perfect to unwind after a hard days work.

Roasted Garlic and Squash Risotto
Serves 3-4, preparation and cooking time 45 minutes
8 - 10 cloves of garlic in their skins
1 small butternut squash
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion chopped
100g mushrooms, sliced
300g risotto rice
100ml sherry or brandy
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
50g butter
100g grated cheddar
salt and pepper to season
parsley to garnish (optional)

Peel, de-seed and roughly chop the squash. Place in a roasting pan with the garlic cloves and 2 tbsp of the olive oil and roast in a hot oven for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove the skin and finely chop the soft garlic You can do this the day before if you are organised!
Finely chop the onion and fry gentle in the remaining tbsp of olive oil in a large pan with the mushrooms until they are soft. This will take a good 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook gently for 3 - 5 minutes until the rice become translucent. Add the sherry or brandy and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the stock a ladle full at a time, cooking out all the stock before you add the next ladle, otherwise the outside of the rice will cook too quickly and you will be left with a crunchy inside. When all the stock has evaporated test that the rice is cooked (it should not be crunchy at all - if it is cook a little longer with some more stock or water) and then add the squash and garlic to the pan and stir well. Stir in the cheese and butter and heat gently for a few minutes. Season and garnish with parsley if using and serve straight away.

Yesterday my hens laid 9 eggs - one each! It is the first time I have been able to identify each of their different eggs and see the full range of colours!

This weekends cake baking project was a 1st birthday cake for a Tigger fan! As my husband pointed it, it was VERY orange. My response.... "Tiggers like orange...and honey...and haycorns and thistles..."! At University (and I am not quite sure I should be admitting this...), I was president of the Winnie the Pooh society. We held early morning pooh stick competitions, returning to college for breakfast at the same time as the rowers and woozle hunts around the city. We had a lovely red and yellow scalf that had been used by the Uni Winnie the Pooh society for years. Eeyore was always my favourite character as he was such a grump - somewhere in the loft I have an eeyore with a detachable tail and a "Pooh goes home to bed" game - I really should dig them out! If I am out in the garden and noone is watching, I sometimes play pooh sticks from our bridge over the stream in our garden!

Happy Easter everyone - I hope that the Easter bunny managed to hide your eggs somewhere safe and snow free. I have to say that it feels more like Christmas here today than Easter with a lovely deep coating of snow. Our nieces Alena, Devina and Priyna came to visit yesterday and did a wonderful job of decorating the Easter tree - it is amazing how a few twigs with blossom on can be transformed into something so spectacular. You might just be able to spy the little bird on a nest in the centre above the pink anemone! In exchange, they were rewarded with a few Easter cupcakes and some bags of Easter goodies. Hope that you all have a lovely, relaxing and peaceful weekend.

Our Easter wreath and egg decorations on the rose arch and a visit from the Easter Bunnies Josh and Rosie!

If you are baking this week, why not use any egg shells to make decorated eggs. These are two I decorated yesterday. To blow out your egg pierce a small hole at the top of the egg and a slightly larger one at the bottom - place a cup below and blow into the small hole at the top of the egg. The contents will pour out into the cup. You need quite a bit of puff to get it started. Rinse the eggs and dry thoroughly. Now for the clever bit. I have long admired the German craft of "Serviettentechnik" - I am sure that this probably exists in England already but I have never come across it - perhaps I have not spent enough time in Hobbycraft. Take a paper serviette with small designs and cut out motifs of your choice. The serviette is in three layers and you need to remove the bottom two layers, leaving you with just the design on a very thin piece of tissue. Paint your eggs (two coats - light colours work best) and leave to dry. Then place your tissue picture onto the egg and brush over pva (clear drying) glue - this acts as a varnish and will seal your picture on to the egg. Hey presto - a "hand painted" egg in no time at all! You can use this process on other items - I have a rather nice large stone as a doorstop decorated with pink and green roses.

Tomorrow I am seeing my friend Tina. It was her birthday whilst we were in France so this evening I have baked her a birthday cake - rose, violet and lavender drizzle cake. I found this little bird in a birdcage a while ago and I knew straight away that she would look lovely on top of a cake - it was just a question of finding the right person to bake it for - Happy Birthday Tina xxx Now the only question that remains is how to transport it to London...!

You will have to forgive the absence of a recipe today - sorry! I have just met my deadline for 4 articles (6 wicked summer berry recipes for the June edition of Delicious and Afternoon tea, Flowerpot baking and violet recipes for Country Kitchen) which have been taking up a lot of time this week. Yesterday I went to the Gala Evening of the Country Living Spring Fair in London - so many lovely things but I was having to be good as I am going back again on Saturday with my Mum and friends Jess and Tina. I did however find two items that I just couldn't resist - firstly, this lovely "Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken, lay a little egg for me cushion" which I fell in love with. Secondly, this Easter Bunny Pocket Compass for deciding where to hide eggs. The later is of no use whatsoever, but it was so cute (and in my favourite duck egg blue colour) that I just had to have it. I am sure that our nephews and nieces will make good use of it in their Easter Egg hunt in our garden when they next visit.

They say good things come in threes. Yesterday I received my three latest articles all in one go which was lovely and made me feel almost like a genuine cookery writer. This month's Country Kitchen article is 4 breads made with herbs - Cheese and chive, Chorizo and Tarragon, Basil barleycorn twist and Rosemary olive oil bread. Country House has Mussels with Guinness and Poppy Seed Soda bread and finally I have two recipes in this month's Delicious Magazine ( you are going to have to take my word for it as they are part of the 20 recipe Chocolate Heaven feature - but I wrote them honest!) - Chocolate Praline Fondant Fancies and Chocolate Peanut Crumble Cookies.

Although it is nice to know plans so you have something to look forward to, sometimes it is wonderful to be suprised. I spent this weekend in Germany with my dear friend Maren. I knew that we were planning to travel to the North Coast of Germany - little did I know that we were going to one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed in. Heiligendamm has nothing but a spa hotel and a clear stretch of sandy beach. Its location is perfect and I am sure we had the best rooms in the whole hotel as we could see the full stretch of the beach from the bay window in each room. The G8 summit was held there in 2007 so it must be good! We had lovely long walks along the beach and wonderful food - including this delicious raspberry mascapone torte, some amazing hazelnut ice cream and German dumplings. Our favourite was this cocktail - the balsamic might sound strange but it was delicious!

Heiligendamm Fizz

Place 1 tbsp cherry puree and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar in the bottom of a champagne glass and top up with prosecco or champagne and serve. You could replace the cherries with strawberry puree and it would be equally yummy.

With the snow gone and lots of flowers in the garden, it feels as if spring has arrived. You can crystallize primroses in the same way as violet and rose petals. Whisk an egg white until fluffy and then using a small paint brush, brush the egg white on to the primrose petals and place in a bowl of caster sugar, covering the flower completely. Gently remove the flower and place on baking parchment on a tray. Leave to dry overnight in a warm place (airing cupboard, on top of an aga, or in a low oven that you have just turned off) . Use them to decorate spring time cupcakes or a lemon syllabub.

The lovely people at BBC Countryfile have awarded Hannah's Country Kitchen their first ever "Blog of the month" award - I am honoured! They have summed my blog up rather nicely - "Hannah often shares the experience surrounding her food, the friends that come around to tuck into her food, visits to local restaurants and events in her village. The blog remembers that food isn't just about the dish itself, but the entire experience of preparing and enjoying the food, of sharing and savoring together." Thank you Countryfile! You can nominate your favourite blogs to receive the award next month by following this link.

There is a light icing sugar dusting of snow in the garden this morning, the hens are tucking in to a large pan of apricot porridge (I swear they get better fed than we do) and it is a perfect day for making some indulgent cookies for elevenses! I am of the firm opinion that the more chocolate and nuts you put in a cookie, the better they become - a scientific project for the future perhaps!

Chocolate Peanut Walnut Cookies
Makes 15 (depending on how much of the cookie dough you eat before baking)

125g butter, softened
70g light brown sugar
70g caster sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp peanut butter (either smooth or crunchie)
200g plain flour
1 tsp bicarb of soda
100g chocolate chips
100g chopped walnuts
50g milk or dark chocolate for decoration

Cream the butter, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, flour and bicarb and mix to a smooth dough with your hands. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and mix to ensure they are evenly distributed. The dough should be soft and fairly sticky. Pull off small balls of the dough and place a few inches apart on a greased or lined baking tray. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes Gas Mark 5/375F/190/Aga Roasting oven. Turn the tray half way through cooking to ensure even baking. Leave to cool in a wire rack. Melt the chocolate for 1 minutes in a microwave (or in a bain marie if you do not have a microwave) and drizzle over the cookies using a fork.

Soda bread is one of the easiest breads to make as it does not need to be proved. It is one of my favourite breads to serve with soups.

Poppy Seed Soda Bread

350g/12oz strong wholemeal flour
200g/9oz strong plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
500g/17½oz buttermilk
3 tbsp poppy seeds
Wholemeal flour for dusting

Preheat your oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6. Lightly brush a baking tray with olive oil. Place the flours in a large bowl, together with the bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Add the buttermilk and poppy seeds and mix to form a soft dough – if it is too sticky add a little more flour but don’t over work the dough – as there is no yeast you need to keep it as light as possible. Form the dough into a ball and place on the tray. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife, dust with a little flour and bake in the oven (Aga Roasting oven) for 25 minutes until the bread is golden brown and makes a hollow sound when tapped. The bread is best eaten on the day you make it but can be reheated in the oven the following day for 5 minutes.

ps - French recipes will follow soon, I have been in bed with the flu since my last post and am finally feeling a bit better today!

Well it has been a good few days since my last post - I have a valid excuse as I am in the South West of France - enjoying a few days of warm sunshine - although rather sad at the lack of internet connection and am now struggling to use a French keyboard in an internet cafe - with the letters in the wrong places it is somewhat akin to trying to rub your head and pat your stomach at the same time. Tomorrow is a day I have been looking forward to as I am working with a local artisan baker and am really looking forward to learning some true French patisserie. Needless to say that since arriving we have consumed plenty of delicious wine, cheese and bread and I have managed to pursuade a few chefs to part with some recipes which I will gladly share when I am in possession of a proper keyboard. So think of me tomorrow trying to understand the French at the bakery - I am determined to learn the true art of baking baguette!

Earlier this week when I was making scones, I was joined by this regal pheasant came who sat and watched me from our front gate - perhaps he was hoping that I would throw him a few scraps to eat! Having covered my camera in flour, I managed to capture him perfectly!

This is definitely NOT the weather for ice cream! However with writing articles in advance, ice cream was on the menu yesterday. The violet passion is continuing - Bree who competed in Masterchef with me last year and who was a fantastic come back kid in this years programme (I know I am biased as she is a friend but I have never seen anyone have such an amazing professional kitchen round - Bree you are destined for great things!) is coming to visit soon and has found some violet lollipops. Violet tea is a permanent fixture in our house - even though it is so hard to find! And the latest addition to the range - Violet ice cream! I have also made this with rose water syrup with the crystallised violets to give the perfect Rose and Violet cream combination! Why not try both (although I will forgive you for waiting until warmer months to do so)

Violet Ice Cream
285ml double cream
285ml semi skimmed milk (or skimmed if you prefer)
150ml violet syrup (available from confisserie florian or by Morin syrups or if like me you find lots of violets you can make your own - a handful of violet petals, 200grams sugar and 200ml of water simmered over a gentle heat until syrupy and then strained)
50grams of crystallised violets

Simmer the cream and milk in a pan over a gentle heat until the mixture has thickened and gone a golden yellow colour. This should take approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the violet syrup which will sweeten the cream. Leave to cool completely. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker (or place in a tupperware box in the freezer and whisk every 30 minutes to add air until the mixture is frozen). When the mixture is almost frozen add the crystalised violets which add a nice crunchy texture to the ice cream. I used small ramekins for my icecream, turning them out to serve, drizzled with some violet syrup and some home made crystallised violet flowers.

Today is cold! I got in my car to take Sacha to the station this morning and the temperature outside was -9 C - I don't think I ever remember it being -9 here! Luckily our heating is now fixed (we tragically ran out of oil on Valentine's Day which put an end to my romantic dinner and I was forced to have a hot water bottle in my office - it was THAT cold!) so I can now enjoy the frosty scenes outside from the warmth of my office. Today I have the photographer coming to take photos for 4 articles - a lot of baking happened yesterday! My favourites are these little flower pot cakes which I made by chance with a bit of left over cake batter, just to see if they would work. I think these would make a wonderful wedding cake for garden lovers, served in tiers with different coloured flowers!

Happy Valentines Day to you all x x x

Last Rolo Cupcakes

Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo? If the answer is yes, then these cupcakes are for you! Hurry - you still have time to make them before tomorrow!

Makes 12 cupcakes
Preparation time 15 minutes plus 15 minutes baking and cooling time
112g (4oz) marg or softened butter
112g(4oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
85g (3oz) self raising flour, sifted
30g(1oz) cocoa, sifted
12 rolos
280g(10oz) icing sugar, sifted
125g(4 1/2 oz) butter, softened
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
sugar hearts for decoration

Pre heat the oven to 180oC/350F/Gas Mark 4. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and floffy. Add the eggs, one at a time to the cream mixture, whisking after each addition. If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of flour. Add the remaining flour and cocoa to the mixture and fold in gently. Place 12 cupcake cases in a bun tray and place a spoonful of the cake mixture into each case. Add a rolo to the centre of each and cover with a little more cake mixture, ensuring that the rolo is covered. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until they spring back then touched. You may wish to turn the tray half way through cooking to ensure that they all cook evenly. Leave the cakes to cool completely before decorating. For the icing, add the icing sugar, butter, milk and vanilla essence to a bowl and mix until light and creamy. If the mixture is too soft add a little more icing sugar, If it is too stiff add a little more milk. Pipe the icing on to the cooled cupcakes in large swirls and decorate with the sugar hearts.