Monday 19 March 2012

We've finished the shoots for our new book

It's been harder work than we thought - so many things to make and all the step-by-steps to be done, but we're pleased to say "It's a wrap folks!"

The last of our total 6 days of still photography was on location down in Dorset, after 3 days at Hilary's and 2 day's at mine (Clare F). We're really excited about the book, although publication date still seems a long way away - not till October. Sian the photographer and her assistant Nick have done us proud and we're sure you're going to agree when the book's published.

In case you didn't know what the format is - it's (very imaginatively!) called Make it and Mend it and is full of projects for the whole year season by season - including a section on special occasions such as Easter and Mother's Day. All kinds of things for you to make and mend are included, from sewing a quilt from old sweatshirts to making chocolate truffles.

We'd expected the shooting was going to be a doddle - as most of the projects were ones we had already featured on the site - but most of them had to be tweaked and twiddled and generally re-made from scratch so we've been very busy bees.

Watch this space for more news.

Clare F

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Casserole dishes no longer a family essential!

The basket of goods and services used by the UK government to calculate the annual inflation rate is updated every year by the Office of National Statistic (ONS). 

It's an interesting take on what the modern family considers essential (in the government's eyes at least).

The latest basket of contents - containing hundreds of items - was published this week. Not surprisingly, tablet PCs like the iPad have made it into the basket for the first time. But to our horror, step ladders and casserole dishes have been booted out.

From where we sit, DIY and slow, oven cooking are on the increase. Lots of other DIY items find their way into the basket but we're a bit concerned by the ONS observation that casserole dishes are "an over covered area of the basket" well represented by other pots and pans and that expenditure on them is dropping.

One possible reason why this particular piece of kitchen equipment is off the menu could be the fact that the ONS still thinks of a casserole dish as something made of heat resistant glass. The whole earthenware and cast iron revolution seems to have passed them by.

So, are casserole dishes old hat, or has the government got it wrong?
And if your not sure making this green bean casserole will convince you
Or check out the joys of a Romoska - the 'plug in' casserole

Anne Caborn