12 best wine gifts for Christmas 2018

There's a whole range of interesting and engaging gifts available for wine lovers.

10 best baking essentials

Electric scales are much smaller and easier to store, and give far more accurate results. Your stand measuring jug makes accurately measuring anything under 50ml – or even 100ml – guess work. Kings of clever cookware Joseph Joseph have solved that with its 2-in-1 jug, which has four rounded corners, rather than one pouring spout, one of which is located in a small chamber with marks for measuring amounts from a teaspoon (5ml) up to 50ml in 10ml increments.

This McVitie's Advent Calendar is the best we've seen so far

10 best ethical chocolate brands

Farmers who benefit are paid a fair price which is set based on a consultative process with workers and traders to ensure the sum covers what it costs to grow their crop. Importantly, the money is guaranteed to never drop below market price. It also includes a second premium payments to help farmers invest in their own community programmes.

Baking experts reveal their top tips for making perfect mince pies

Anyone who’s ever eaten a mince pie will know that the pastry that encases the mincemeat is typically very soft and crumbly. According to Ian Cumming, 2015 runner up of The Great British Bake Off, achieving the ideal level of softness in the pastry is down to absolute precision. “To achieve this, I use 30 per cent more butter than a traditional shortcrust pastry.

10 best single malt scotch whiskies

A scotch single malt has been a failsafe Grandad present for generations, let’s not rock the boat. For those not familiar with the ancient art of scotch whisky, we have compiled a list of this year’s best buys, covering everything from Speyside on a budget to Islay with a blank cheque. An iconic whisky from an iconic brand – the Talisker 18 took home the title of Best in the World at the 2007 World Whisky Awards.

Delightful No Milk Smoothies You Should Try This Summer

Highly versatile, smoothies can be made with a variety of fruits & vegetables. A great way of adding nutrition to our diets, smoothies also make a great beverage during summers. Many avoid smoothies as often restaurants serve sugar laden versions made with packaged juices & flavoring agents. Some don’t like smoothies as they are often made with milk.

Delicious Indian Dal (lentils) Preperations

A simmering pot of dal (lentils)  in Indian kitchens is a common sight. A staple dish across Indian households, dal is a favored source of protein for vegetarians. Though every Indian kitchen has its own favorite dal preparation, there are many ways to prepare dals. Dals are made differently across homes & can range from being spicy & sweet to extremely hot depending on regional influences.

Beyond Sandwiches: Delicious Recipes With Bread

From being a staple food item in many homes to being used as a trencher (absorbent plate) in middle ages, the journey of bread has been an interesting one. In India, when bread came from Goa, it was known as Pao. Pao was initially made with whole wheat as no one used maida (refined flour) during those days. Bakers across North of India, than started making other varieties & soon the humble bread was used widely in street food items.

12 best best organic chocolates

As National Chocolate Week commences, what better time to bring you a roundup of our favourite organic chocolate brands that bear the official seal of approval. Organic produce (including these chocolate bars) will be free of harmful pesticides, which is better for both you, and the planet.

10 best cake decorating tools

Today, my wedding cakes are displayed in Harrods Food Hall, while I make others for birthday events and brand launches. A baking turntable makes decorating a cake smoother and more efficient, as well as giving you a full 360 degree view of the cake without having to handle it too much.

5 delicious ways to get more vitamin D in your diet

Though our bodies produce vitamin D when directly exposed to sunlight, certain foods can also help us get vitamin D when included in our diets.

9 best cakes and biscuits for Halloween 2018

There’s a definite chill in the air and the leaves have started to turn orange – it can only mean one thing – Halloween is here. What better way to celebrate than with a selection of spooky sweet treats. Containing nine perfectly iced biscuits, in a seasonal trick or treat biscuit tin, this is sure to be popular with the whole family.

10 best honeys

Honey has long been praised for its health properties and is often touted as the healthy alternative to sugar. “It’s important to remember that honey still counts as a ‘free’ or added sugar,” warns Helen Bond of the British Dietetic Association. “We shouldn’t consume more than 30g of it a day.” And yet it does have some health benefits – it can act as an anti-inflammatory and has antibacterial properties, which can help heal wounds (by applying it on the wound, rather than eating it).

Lemon drizzle cake gin liqueur exists

12 best hot chocolates

The most delicious hot chocolate needs to be savoured. Following the recipe, we heaped three tablespoons of the powder into a teacup, gradually added a little hot milk to create a paste then slowly stirred in more milk.

12 best world wines

It used to be simple: red wine from France, white wine from Germany. It's been a fascinating and rewarding voyage of discovery that takes in India, China, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Brazil, Canada, Greece, Armenia and even Belgium. The indigenous merwah grape has been cultivated in Lebanon for thousands of years but has only been used in blends before.

14 best alcohol-free drinks

Whether you’re the designated driver, an expectant mother, or are simply trying to cut down on your booze intake – there’s never been a greater demand for grown up, non-alcoholic alternatives. Ocado have reported that sales of non-alcoholic wine have increased by 42 per cent so far this year, with sales of no and low spirits and beers soaring by 87 per cent. With alcohol-free alternatives becoming mainstream, and with events such as Sober October and Dry January just around the corner, there’s no better time to get reacquainted with your drinks trolley. The original rule breakers, Seedlip were one of the first to disrupt the soft drinks industry and in the process completely redefined what we could expect from a non-alcoholic beverage.

These 9 Foods Will Help You In Controlling Diabetes

When it comes to making lifestyle choices and changes, food is the first place to start. Healthy food brings in an array of benefits, makes your life much simpler and your days much more energetic. Eating food that keeps a check on your blood sugar levels is essential for every diabetic as you need food that reduces the risk of heart diseases, keeps a check on cholesterol and provides you with all the essential nutrients to lead a healthy life. Here’s a list of 9 foods that are good for diabetics and help control blood sugar.

10 best gluten free pastas

Gone are the days where there was only one brand of decent gluten free pasta, which would inevitably stick to the bottom of the pan in one big non-gluten chunk of sludge. Now the shelves are absolutely bursting with gluten free pasta options – the colours, shapes and sizes on offer are quite frankly, overwhelming. Red lentil flour, quinoa flour, green pea, brown rice and buckwheat options are all on offer in every shape under the sun.

M&Ms are launching 'Nutella' M&Ms and OMG

Nutella in an M&M? Please please please

63 Healthy Breakfasts To Start Your Morning Off Right

9 best German beers

Clinking steins of beer, raucous singing, noisy oompah bands, plates of sausages and well-worn liederhosen: if you want to tick off German clichés then get yourself to a German beer festival because they’re all very much in evidence. The most famous of all beer festivals, Munich’s much celebrated Oktoberfest, has strict beer entry criteria: breweries must come from the city and uphold the 500-year old ‘Reinheitsgebot’ beer purity law, meaning that only booze containing water, barley, hops and yeast can officially be sold as beer. Some modern brewers may curse its restrictive measures, but centuries worth of brewing experts have adhered to it and created a vast range of beer styles.

9 best multi-cookers

One of these nifty products does the work of a roasting tin, slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer and frying pan – all in one. A quality multi-cooker is quick and simple to use – often coming with a choice between pre-set programmes and manual overrides, and a timer setting so you can have your meal ready for when you walk through the door.