Life & Soul

A delicate problem!

It can be difficult to know how to launder garments made with mixed fibres. This will guide you through the main types of fabrics and fibres, and gives tips on caring for them.

Alpaca:
Alpaca is the name given to the silky, glossy wool of the Vicuña llama from South America. A llama can produce enough wool for just one pullover each year. Despite being very fine and light, the alpaca wool hard-wearing and elastic. Alpaca wool is hollow and therefore amazingly warm. It is almost exclusively made into top quality wool fabrics for ladies’ coats and dresses. The natural shades of alpaca wool are retained, as are the natural oils, and for this reason alpaca is often described as “waxed” wool.

Washing: Alpaca can be safely washed in a Miele washing machine, using the Handwash Woollens programme.

Drying: Alpaca garments can be fluffed up in your Miele tumble dryer using the Woollens handcare programme. They should then be laid
out flat and left to dry at room temperature.

Cashmere:
Cashmere is a very special quality wool which is collected annually from the underbelly of the cashmere goat. The annual global harvest is only about 5,000 tonnes, making it a very expensive, luxury fibre. For this reason, special care must be taken when washing it.

Washing: Items knitted from cashmere wool should be washed using a detergent for delicate woollen items. Compared to alkaline detergents, this has a neutral to mildly acidic pH value which prevents the swelling and felting of the fibres. The water should be no warmer than 30°C. Cashmere garments need a quick wash with aas little agitation as possible, and should not be left in the water for too long.

As detergent deposits destroy the delicate fibres of cashmere, it is essential to rinse it several times in cold water. Miele’s Handwash woollens programme with its special wash rhythm, optimal water level and a maximum spin speed of 1200 rpm, is ideal for washing delicate fibres such as cashmere. In addition, the structured surface of the patented Miele honeycomb drum ensures that your clothes are treated very gently.

Drying: Cashmere garments can be fluffed up in your Miele tumble dryer using the Woollens handcare programme. They should then be laid out flat and left to dry at room temperature.

Cotton:
There are more than 300 varieties of cotton throughout the world, with 23% of the world's supply being produced in China and 20% in the USA.

Washing: White cottons can be washed at 95°C using a universal detergent. Coloured cottons should be washed using a detergent for coloureds at a temperature no higher than 60°C to avoid fading. Follow the instructions on the care label.

Drying: Cottons can usually be dried in a tumble dryer. However, please follow the instructions on the care label to avoid the risk of shrinkage. Ironing: Cottons can be ironed at a high temperature (setting 3) using steam. Iron inside out if the care label advises you to do so.

Denim:
Made from cotton, denim was originally used for workmen’s trousers. Today it is popular for many garments including jeans, skirts, shirts and jackets. Combining threads of different colours (usually white and blue) gives denim fabric its distinctive characteristic appearance of looking blue on one side and whitish on the other.

Washing: Denim should be washed at a maximum temperature of 60°C, and stretch denim at 30°C using a detergent which contains no optical brighteners. To avoid the white crease lines that can appear on denim after washing, turn garments inside out before washing them, and select a low spin speed. To avoid the colour from denim running onto other light-coloured items, denim should be washed separately the first few times.

Drying: Some Miele tumble dryers also offer a special Denim programme in which the temperature is carefully controlled to ensure that your favourite jeans fit like a glove afterwards.

Down:
Down provides excellent loft, retains heats and is a superb insulator which makes it an outstanding material for filling duvets, pillows and outdoor jackets. Although eider down is the most expensive, there is no difference in the quality between it and other types of down. In order to retain their fullness, items containing down need to be cleaned regularly.

Washing: Miele has developed a special Pillows programme for washing pillows hygienically. The high temperature and extra water on this programme are effective in the battle against dust mites and dust mite faeces.

Drying: Some Miele tumble dryers also offer a programme for drying pillows.

Leather:
As genuine leather is an animal product, it requires special care. All types of leather have to be treated differently and you should check the garment care label before cleaning. It is a good idea to test cleaning and conditioning agents on a hidden part of the garment first. Never use solvents or nail-varnish remover on leather.

Drying: Hang damp leather garments on a coat hanger to dry at room temperature out of direct sunlight. To prevent the risk of mould, never hang damp leather garments in a cupboard.

Linen:
This natural fibre is made from the stem of the flax plant. It is very strong and durable, and does not easily stain or retain odours. However, because it has very little give, it creases easily. It is mostly Made into household items such as tablecloths, but it is also popular for light summer clothing.

Washing: White and bleached linen can be washed at temperatures up to 60°C. Coloured garments should be washed no hotter than 40°C using a detergent for coloureds which contains no optical brighteners. To test the colour-fastness of the fabric, place a corner of the item between two pieces of white cotton or linen material, and team iron it at a high temperature. If the colour shows on the white fabric, this means that the colour will run. As linen creases very easily, it should be spun very briefly or not at all.

Drying: To smooth out the creasing caused during spinning in a washing machine, linen can be processed using the special smoothing programme before being pulled into shape and hung out on a washing line to complete the drying process.

Silk:
Silk is a natural fibre obtained from the cocoon of the silk worm, which spins lengths of up to 4 km of the fine thread. Silk is defined by its special lustre, its fineness and its lightness. Its distinctive pliability and its special appearance give silk a luxurious feel which is extremely comfortable to wear. It is important to take great care of it.

Washing: Miele has removed the need to handwash silks. The Miele Silks programme is ideal for laundering those delicate non-woollen items which normally require hand-washing. The washing process is optimally designed for silk fibres. The Miele honeycomb drum with its
structured surface is particularly gentle on your delicate items.

Drying: Silk garments are often very delicate, and are best drip-dried on a coat hanger.

Woollens:
Cashmere, angora, merino, lamb’s wool and mohair, amongst others, all belong to the wool family, but by far the most common is lamb’s wool. Depending on the animal, wool is sheared once or twice a year. Wool fibres consist of several layers which retain heat, and therefore make them ideal for pullovers and warm winter clothing such as scarves and shawls.

Washing: Miele has done away with the need for hand-washing! All your woollens can now be washed quite safely in a Miele washing machine using the Woollens programme. And the honeycomb drum ensures that they are treated with the utmost gentleness.

Drying: Woollen garments are best rolled up in a towel and gently squeezed to remove any excess moisture. They can then be placed in a Miele tumble dryer and fluffed up using the Woollens handcare programme to give them back their bounce.

WHEN IN 1519, HERNÁN CORTÉZ landed on the Veracruz coastline with a group of 100 soldiers in the name of the Spanish crown, an incredibly rich culture awaited him. One of the many fascinating customs he would discover in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán (today known as Mexico City) was a strange, foamy concoction that the locals would drink, called “xocolatl” (bitter water). It contained dried, roasted and milled cocoa beans, chilli, cloves, and cinnamon, as well as cornflour to bind the fatty cocoa butter. Drawings made by the conquistadors show that Emperor Montezuma – as well as other highranking male subjects – used xocolatl as a source of strength and as an aphrodisiac. At that time, cocoa was so valuable that it was even employed as a means of currency: a rabbit would cost four beans, a female encounter ten, while a hard-working slave could be acquired for around 100…

It was over a century before this “liquid gold” would be served to the European aristocracy in fine porcelain crockery. The first recorded sale of cocoa in Germany took place in 1640 in Brunswick, while the first ever “chocolate house” opened its doors in London in 1657. One of the earliest German factories to produce chocolate was founded in 1756 by Prince Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe, who brought chocolate experts over from Portugal to staff his facility in Steinhude.

Chocolate as we know it today was essentially developed in England. At a Birmingham trade fair in 1848, Francis Fry of Fry & Sons (today known as Cadbury) presented a tasty mixture that could be shaped into any form. Despite the efforts of countless inventors and bakers, however, chocolate remained hard and coarse throughout the 19th century, until Rudolphe Lindt in Switzerland developed the conche. Created in 1879, this device allowed him to process the chocolate and, essentially, to melt it.

In recent years, chocolate has enjoyed something of a renaissance – grand cru bars, plantation chocolates and innovative taste combinations (e.g. with fruit, spices and alcohol) have delighted gourmands and chocoholics alike. No matter how varied modern products may be, however, they all share one thing in common – they taste nothing like the Aztecs’ prized xocolatl.

The food of the Southern states is considered to be the most original in the United States of America. The mix of Cajun, soul food, Tex-Mex and Creole cuisine is also acquiring more and more new friends outside the USA.

Following the election of Abraham Lincoln to the U.S. presidency in 1861 the eleven states located in the South East joined together to form the Confederate States of America, also commonly referred to as the South. These states feature a predominantly humid, sub-tropical climate, making it possible to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

An important component of Southern cuisine, African-American soul food, evolved from the “cuisine of scarcity” of African slaves with its use of less popular parts of meat such as intestines, pigs’ feet and ears and chicken wings, diverse types of fish, crayfish and mussels, okra, rice, wheat, yams and sweet potatoes.

From the menu of the original Indian inhabitants came corn (maize), different varieties of peas and beans, catfish, shrimp and turkey. French, Spanish, Italian, African and German immigrants also had an impact on Creole and Cajun cuisine practiced on the Mississippi delta in the state of Louisiana.

The typically Southern dish of “gumbo”, a spicy stew of fish, meat and vegetables comes from French bouillabaisse; the rice dish jambalaya is similar to Spanish paella.

Other typically Southern dishes and ingredients include grits, biscuits, gravy (thickened with milk or cream), catfish, crawfish, cornbread, watermelon, green tomatoes, peaches and pecans. Typical beverages include sweetened or unsweetened ice tea and the popular cocktail, mint julep.

Fried chicken and other types of poultry as well as pork are also popular in Southern cuisine, especially in barbecued form. The same goes for deep-fried dishes, a direct influence from the cooking of slaves with a preference for frying everything in a lots of fat.

Over the last few decades, Southern cuisine has continued to spread across the rest of the U.S. and has even made its way over to Europe. One factor certainly contributing to this was the 1991 Jon Avnet movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, a singular homage to Southern cuisine.

Further information is available at http://southernfood.about.com

Bouillabaisse

Simple, inspired, delicious! This fish soup from the south of France, more precisely from Marseilles, has become world-famous.

The most important tip for preparing this delicacy can be found in its name: “As soon as it boils, turn down the heat!” (“Quand ça bouille – on baisse!”). This trick (which is simply designed to prevent the fish from falling apart) is the only thing which remains the same for every pan of bouillabaisse, wherever in the world it is cooked.

Fresh vegetables, herbs and a quick trip to the fish market are the three cornerstones on which this classic southern French dish is based. Nowhere are the correct ingredients more hotly debated than in its home city of Marseilles. Here almost every chef and every housewife claims that his or her version of bouillabaisse is the original. At first the fish soup was made only with fish. However, shellfish, squid and crustaceans (as in our recipe on the right) have since been added, all depending on the whim of the chef.

It is not without reason that the residents of the port city pay homage to their native dish with almost religious fervour. Using straightforward, easily obtained ingredients it is possible to create an aromatic work of art, which is sufficiently simple and sophisticated to tempt even the most jaded of palates.

The soup is a subtle dish with rich aromas of seafood and herbs. It will satisfy almost any appetite, even when served unaccompanied. More modest eaters who prefer just the overture will miss a really spectacular opera. This is because the delicate interplay of top-quality stock, gently cooked, meaty fish, fresh seafood, a generous portion of garlic and aromatic Mediterranean herbs make this soup a true classic that is enjoyed all over the world.

A Green Kitchen!

The environmentally conscious community is growing rapidly and while most people often try to reduce their environmental impact on the road and around the house, one of the easiest places to start saving the planet is in your own kitchen.

1. Install Environmentally Friendly Worktops
There are many attractive environmentally friendly alternatives to the harmful man-made worktops, such as those made from recycled or sustainably manufactured materials. Recycled glass, Bamboo and Composite stone worktops are some of the most popular choices that are both stylish and environmentally friendly.

2. Use Energy Efficient Lighting
Energy efficient light bulbs can save energy consumption by as much as 70% and can also last up to 13 times longer than standard non-efficient bulbs.

3. Buy Recycled Kitchen Towels
Why not go one better and not use them at all? Kitchen towels have an enormous impact on deforestation, if you must have them then choose an environmentally friendly alternative such as paper towels that have been recycled or produced from a sustainable forest.

4. Install Energy Efficient Appliances
One of the best ways to save on your energy bills and save the environment is to install energy efficient appliances. Miele currently offer some of the industries most efficient kitchen appliances, such as their line of washing machines, which on average use 42.4% less water and 29.2% less energy than other domestic washing machines

5. Use Eco Wash balls
Eco wash balls have received a great deal of attention recently and quite rightly so. They remove the need for using detergents in your washing, significantly reducing your environmental impact and cost of washing.

6. Compost your Food Waste
Instead of using a food waste disposal grinder found in many kitchen sink units, put your food waste in a compost bin in your garden. This not only reduces the strain on landfill sites and sewage treatment plants, but it also helps to restore the nutrients in your waste food back into the soil, giving you fertile soil to use in your garden.

7. Use Renewable Flooring
If you’re remodeling your kitchen, consider using floorboards or tiles that use renewable materials such as cork, bamboo or composite stone. Cork and bamboo are not only substantially cheaper than traditional flooring materials like hardwood and laminate flooring, but they also have many other benefits; the waxy suberin in cork makes it both water and fire proof, while bamboo is scuff resistant making it ideal for pet owners.

8. Install a Recycle Station
By having a recycle station that allows you to easily separate your paper, plastic, glass and food waste you can help reduce your impact on the environment by limiting the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill site.

9. Buy Organic Foods with less Packaging Locally
Unnecessary food packaging causes an enormous strain on landfill sites, which has multiple negative implications on the environment. By purchasing locally sourced organic food you can not only reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging that you dispose of, but also limit some of the negative production and transportation impacts that buying inorganic and internationally produced foods have.

10. Don’t Buy Disposable Dishcloths
Instead of buying disposable dishcloths that are wasteful and unrecyclable, buy reusable cotton or micro fiber dishcloths

Finger Food

Small servings are in and are part of an international trend. Of course, the good old menu has not outlived its purpose, but restaurant owners who want to be on the cutting edge arrange something smaller that guests can eat with their hands.

“Don’t make a fuss” is what polite guests like to say and feel doubly flattered when the “snacks” offered to them reveal a certain degree of finesse, creativity and love of detail. Nothing imparts more luxury than the contrast of finely presented appetisers and comfortably grabbing a small bite to eat. The new atmosphere of informality makes this possible. Knives and forks stay in the drawer and fingers are used for “picking”.

Yet even if party guests are engaged in eating nonchalantly and casually, the trend towards culinary craftwork is in no way an expression of our hectic work and leisure society. On the contrary, this indicates a longing for new pleasures of the palate with smaller, calorie-reduced portions. Try out everything offered? Absolutely – but without putting a great strain on your stomach.

Ideas for bite-sized treats come from every continent. Spanish tapas often serve as inspiration or the somewhat more sophisticated Basque pinchos with their wooden skewers. Arab cuisine contributes its mezzes and France has its hors d’œuvres or amuse-gueules. Russian and Tartar hospitality is reflected by a renewed preference for shashlik. And it’s not just the traditional pieces of meat that are skewered, but also finely seasoned vegetables and seafood.

In fact, almost any dish can mutate into decorative finger food if it’s divided into small enough pieces. By doing so, less is more. Because hardly anyone knows how to get out of a situation where the morsels are too large to be safely dispatched into their mouths. What works is food that can be eaten in just one or two bites – without dripping, sticking or spraying.

But for a successful appearance finger food needs one thing above all: tiny dishes for arranging. For this, porcelain makers offer plates, bowls and cups in miniature form. Anyone who prefers to improvise will buy large porcelain spoons at a Chinese shop, use saucers and miniature plates meant for serving sushi and arrange desserts in shot glasses.

Cheesecake

Everyone knows that the best cheesecake of all is the one your mother makes – despite the fact that every recipe is different. How much cream cheese, yoghurt and cream you use is a matter of taste.

During the first Olympic Games, which took place in 776 in Olympia, in the north-west of the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, the athletes were given little cheesecakes to eat. The recipe has sadly not been handed down and we can only guess what the cakes may have tasted like. The oldest surviving cheesecake recipe comes from Marcus Porcius Cato, known as Cato the Elder or Cato the Censor (234–149 B.C.), a Roman politician with a particular weakness for good food and fine wine. He wrote books on history, agriculture, wine production and cooking. In his work “De Agricultura” can be found a recipe for libum, a cheesecake made from two pounds of cheese, one pound of flour and an egg. The ingredients were mixed together and baked slowly on a hot stone.

Athenaeus, a Greek writer, gives the following recipe for cheesecake in his book “Scholars at Dinner”, written in around 200 A.D.: “Take cheese and pound it until it forms a soft paste. Put the cheese in a metal sieve and add honey and spring wheat flour. Heat the mixture, allow it to cool and then serve.” By around 1000 A.D., when cheesecake crossed the Alps with the Roman armies and reached Northern Europe and Britain, it was still a relatively dense mixture. After this it seems to have disappeared from the recipe books for a long period, only reappearing in the 17th century, firstly in recipe collections of European settlers in North America and secondly rediscovered by a cook to the Elector of Heidelberg.

When it comes to cheesecake, the variations are endless. For example, the typical American cheesecake has a base made of biscuit crumbs, while shortcrust pastry is used in Switzerland and Germany. The base of Silesian cheesecake is usually made of yeast dough and breadcrumbs. In Russia they make a unique combination of cheesecake and chocolate cake, with a base and sides made of chocolate-flavoured dough. In contrast, the Corsican Fiadone has no base at all and is made of brocciu, a traditional cream cheese from the island. Some people believe that a cheesecake is simply an excuse for adding all kinds of fresh fruit, but we will keep to mother's recipe:

Cheesecake

Serves 12–16

300 g white flour
250 g cold butter
330 g sugar
Salt
7 medium eggs
1 organic lemon
125 g sour cream
750 g cream cheese
50 g cornflour
Baking parchment, cling film

Preparation:
1. Mix together the flour with 150 g cubed butter, 80 g sugar, 1 pinch of salt and 1 egg. Form the pastry into a ball, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for about half an hour.

2. Melt the remaining butter and leave to cool.

3. Separate the remaining eggs. Beat the yolks with 250 g sugar until they are pale yellow and foamy. Grate the zest from the lemon and squeeze out the juice. Mix both with the egg yolks. Add the sour cream and the cream cheese, sprinkle in the cornflour and mix together. Pour in the butter without the whey which remains on the bottom of the pan.

4. Preheat the oven to 210°C (conventional setting) or 180°C (fan setting). Cut out a piece of baking parchment the same size as the baking tray. Roll out the pastry on the paper under a piece of cling film. Put the paper with the pastry onto the baking tray.

5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and add them to the cheese mixture using a spatula or whisk. Spread the mixture evenly on the pastry. Bake on the first shelf up from the bottom for 25-30 minutes. After 15 minutes, cover with a baking tray or baking parchment. Remove the cake from the baking tray with the paper and leave to cool.

Tip: This cheesecake is ideal for freezing.

Cheesecakes must be light, airy and moist, with a pastry base that is not too thick. The top should ideally be a bright golden yellow colour, slightly browned at the edges.

or try these 2 great Cheesecakes from our recipe section link below:

Visit Miele's Recipe Section

Chocolate Orange Cheesecake and Toffee apple Cheesecake

Walkies!

An increasingly popular new sport was showcased at Crufts this year – Cani-X. Cani-Cross (or Canine Cross Country) means running while hitched to a dog in harness. It began in Europe where it is used to train dog sled teams. Now it is catching on all over Britain and if you have a dog and like to run, you too could join in.

Seasoned Cani-Crossers extol the pleasures of the sport. As dog enthusiasts, they love the way the sport strengthens the bond between pet and owner. It’s also great to set out and just … run. It is exhilarating to take off across a field or along a woodland track and simply run with an animal, and because the dog’s strength is helping to pull you, it makes the running easier and you can keep going for longer.

The important piece of equipment for Cani-X is the harness. This directs the dog’s pulling power to its chest and shoulders, making it much more comfortable for the dog to run than if it had a lead and collar round its neck. A bungee cord attaches the dog to a belt round the waist of the runner. The stretchiness of the bungee removes the jerks and shocks when the dog pulls, and makes running much smoother. Meanwhile, the runner’s hands are freed up as there is no lead to hold, so they can use their arms naturally to aid their running.

With a little bit of training, dogs soon get the hang of running in harness. At first, pulling may go against everything you’ve taught them, but they soon learn to distinguish between the harness and their normal lead. Teaching them a few commands borrowed from the vocabulary of sled dogs won’t go amiss either – “hike on” means “run ahead steadily without dithering”, “gee” = “turn right”, “haw” = “turn left” and “whoa” is self explanatory and a vital one for the dog to master when it comes to charging downhill!

Any type of dog is suitable. Huskies, rotweilers and retrievers are the most popular breeds for the sport, but even small dogs such as jack russells and poodles will be happy to join in. Most dogs can run faster than their owner, so harness their pulling power and get them to help you up the hills!

Cani-X is a great way of getting out in the fresh air and enjoying an invigorating work out. It is a versatile sport that can be practised anywhere, although you should try to run on a soft surface such as grass rather than over tarmac. Dogs don’t have the benefit of high tech trainers and running for extended periods over a hard surface could damage their feet. Many Cani-X runners are women who say they feel safer out running with a dog than by themselves. They also love the boost it gives to their fitness level and figure!

There are now Cani-X events run all over the country, with courses ranging from 2.5 km for beginners up to long distance ones of 21 km for the really enthusiastic. There are also orienteering courses. Anyone over the age of 10 can participate. The season stretches from September to May, with a break during the summer when it is too hot to run in a fur coat. Top European Cani-X enthusiasts are world class athletes, clocking up Olympic times at events, but anyone can participate. It’s a fantastic way of sharing the joy of running with your dog.

Seeing the spring

Spring is sprung. It started officially on 21st March - despite the snow! How spring-like does the world around you actually look – and sound and smell? During the Easter holidays, see how many signs of spring you can spot as nature wakes up from its winter sleep. If you go back and look at things again, you’ll probably see quite a difference between how things were at the beginning of the holidays and how much they’ve developed by the end.

Plants - Look for new shoots and spears poking up through the earth in the garden. If you visit a wood, see how the brown woodland floor of winter is turning to green. It will soon be a sea of purple if it’s a bluebell wood. What flowers can you find?

Trees – Follow the progress of the buds that are appearing on the trees and unfurling into new leaves. Have you noticed how bright green the leaves are in spring? They darken as they get older. How many trees can you find that have blossom or catkins or flowers?

Birds – Everywhere, birds will be building their nests, from the squabbling rooks in the big trees, to the cheerful robins who make their nests in all sorts of funny places, not just in sheltered banks and hedges, but also in watering cans, flower pots, even hats! You may see robins fighting. The males are very aggressive about defending their territory during the nesting season. The first swallows should be back from Africa soon.

Animals and insects - Have you seen a butterfly, a bumble bee, a ladybird or a wasp yet? If it’s really warm, lizards might crawl out to soak up the sun. See if you can find frogspawn in a pond. If you visit regularly, you can watch the wiggling tadpoles grow legs and develop into frogs.

Sounds – Listen for the sounds of spring. When will you hear the first musical warble of the blackbird, a lamb bleating or cuckoo cuckooing? What about the first lawnmower or ice cream van of the season?!

Smells – What smells do you associate with the warmer weather? Blossom, warm, wet earth, freshly cut grass, a barbecue …

The weather – British spring weather is hard to predict. It can be freezingly blustery or even freakishly snowy. March is said to “come in like a lion, go out like a lamb” and April is known for its showers, when sunshine and downpours can follow each other in quick succession. But the warm days of spring are delicious. Have you felt the first warmth of the sun on your face yet?

Yourself – Like animals, people feel different in spring. Does the sunshine draw you outside after the winter months of playing indoors? When will be first time you will wear shorts and a T-shirt instead of jeans and a winter coat?

A clean sweep for spring

There’s the first hint of warmth in the rays of the sun, the daffodils are swaying in a gentle breeze and a blackbird is trilling in the garden …. No doubt about it, it’s time to fling wide the windows and get down to the spring cleaning!

Take a look at your house with critical eyes, and you’ll see how winter has taken its toll. The windows, unopened for months, look distinctly smeary in the spring sunshine. The walls by the back door bear the muddy marks of how many pairs of kicked off wellies? And are those really pine needles from the Christmas tree STILL clinging to the sitting room carpet?!

Somehow, as the world around us comes to life, it is a natural instinct to want to chase out the dusty spirits of winter and make a fresh start in the house. But don’t view it as an “all or nothing” affair that has to be done in one exhausting grind. Break it down into manageable chunks. Tackle it a room at a time. Then put on some inspiring music, tell yourself not to cut corners and get down to the task with vim and vigour! Here are some tips for getting the job done thoroughly:

Make lists
List each room or area of the house that needs to be cleaned, then list the tasks to be carried out in each. Organising your mind is half the battle! Finish each job before you move on to the next, and tick them off as you go to show yourself just how much you’re achieving.

Have the right equipment.
Check you have enough cream cleaner, window spray, dustbags etc before you start, and treat yourself to a new set of cloths, sponges and scourers. Have a ladder handy for getting to the top of things. An old sock makes a good dusting mitt for awkward woodwork. A cloth wrapped round a ruler is excellent for cleaning slatted blinds. A damp sheet of old newspaper will bring a smearless gleam to your windows.

Declutter.
Do you need to clear the way to your surfaces before you can actually clean them? Now is the time to be ruthless and throw away piles of old letters and magazines, clean out crammed cupboards and drawers and cast out clothes that you haven’t worn for more than a year.

Get inside, behind and under.
Wash the shelves of the fridge, vacuum under the beds and sofas, dust behind bookcases and radiators, clean the pipes behind the loo. They may not be places that anyone looks, but for that very reason, they’re probably filthy and you will feel so much better about your house for knowing that there’s not a dust bunny to be found anywhere. Go on – challenge yourself to use every tool on your vacuum cleaner!

Wash - everything!
You will be amazed at how bright your house will seem if you wash it. Scrubbing the mud and finger marks off the walls and skirting boards will freshen it so much you’ll think you’ve redecorated. Go the whole hog and polish the kettle and toaster, wipe down the washing machine, clean the mirrors – make the whole house sparkle.

Safety first.
Remember that most accidents happen at home. Wear sensible footwear when climbing up a ladder and don’t twist or reach too far to get at awkward spots. If there are children around, keep cleaning products out of their way.

Well, once all that’s done, you will be well entitled to some gloating. Take pride and pleasure in your achievement then, like Mole, say “Hang spring cleaning” and go out into the sunshine!

St Patricks day

St Patrick was the man who brought Christianity to Ireland, and though Ireland may have fewer than 6 million inhabitants, the festival stretches around the world.

St Patrick was actually born in England and was captured by Irish pirates who sold him into slavery. He remained in Ireland for six years, tending sheep on the lonely Slemish mountain, and seeking comfort in God, before eventually managing to escape. He decided to follow his vocation to become a priest and studied for many years in France, but was drawn back to Ireland by a dream in which the voice of the Irish begged him to return. He did so as a missionary, and played a major part in converting Ireland to Christianity, travelling around the country establishing monasteries, schools and churches.

Tradition has it that St Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. It is actually unlikely that snakes ever lived in Ireland and the “snakes” probably mean the symbolic serpent of evil, and it was the evil of Paganism that he drove out. He is also said to have used the three leaves of the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity, which is why shamrocks are now worn to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

In Ireland the day was primarily a religious festival, and until the 1970s the pubs were required by law to remain closed on 17 March. However, even though the day falls during Lent, the prohibition against eating meat was lifted and the Irish would celebrate with dancing and feasting on bacon and cabbage.

The lively parades that we now associate with St Patrick’s Day began in America in 1762 and have flourished ever since as immigrants celebrate their Irish identity and their roots in the old country. There is much drinking, dancing and music, and shamrocks and leprechaun suits abound. Everything goes green for the occasion, including clothes, beer, the fountains in London’s Trafalgar Square and in Chicago, for the last forty years, they have even dyed the Chicago River green!

For a St Patrick’s Day feast at home, try the traditional boiled bacon and cabbage with champ. You can find a recipe for Irish Coffee to round off the meal in the World of Coffee section.

Boiled Bacon and Cabbage
Serves 6

3 lb / 1.3 kg joint of gammon
1 large onion studded with cloves
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
12 peppercorns
1 whole green cabbage

Place the gammon in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring slowly to the boil. Once boiling, discard the water and rinse the gammon under cold water before returning it to the pan. This will remove the excess salt.

Fill the pan with cold water again and add the carrots, bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours.

Cut the cabbage into quarters, add to the pot 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Remove the meat from the saucepan. Leave the cabbage in to cook for a further 10 minutes while the meat rests prior to being sliced.

Champ
Serves 6

3 lb / 1.3 kg potatoes, peeled
7 fl oz / 200 ml milk
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
4 oz / 110 g butter, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain and mash the potatoes or push them through a potato ricer. Heat the milk and spring onions in a saucepan, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Stir into the potatoes and season well with salt and pepper.

Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is not a fixed date because it is always the middle Sunday of Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday ). This means that Mother’s Day in the UK will fall on different dates each year and sometimes even fall in different months. It has been celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent since at least the 16th century.

Mothering Sunday was also known as ‘Refreshment Sunday’, ‘Pudding Pie Sunday’ (in Surrey) or ‘Mid-Lent Sunday’. It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the ‘Feeding of the five Thousand’, a story in the Christian Bible. As Christianity spread, this date was adopted by Christians.

The epistle in the Book of Common Prayer for this Sunday refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as “the Mother of us all”, and this may have influenced the customs that we see today.

It is known on this date, about four hundred years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest big church which was known as ‘The Mother Church’. This was also the church in which each person was baptised. People who visited their Mother church would say they have gone “a mothering.”

Young British boys and girls ‘in service’ (maids and servants) were only allowed one day a year to visit their families. This was usually on Mothering Sunday. Often the house keeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home for their mother. The cake was usually a simnel cake which is a fruit cake with a flat layer of marzipan placed on top which was then decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles, minus Judas, who betrayed Christ. The simnel cake was never eaten on Mothering Sunday because of the rules of Lent , instead it was saved until Easter.

Ingredients

For the almond paste
250g/9oz caster sugar
250g/9oz ground almonds
2 free-range eggs, beaten
1 tsp almond essence

For the cake
175g/6oz butter or margarine
175g/6oz soft brown sugar
3 free-range eggs, beaten
175g/6oz plain flour
pinch salt
½ tsp ground mixed spice (optional)
350g/12oz mixed raisins, currants and sultanas
55g/2oz chopped mixed peel
½ lemon, grated zest only
1-2 tbsp apricot jam
1 free-range egg, beaten for glazing

Method
1.For the almond paste, place the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. Add enough beaten egg and mix to a fairly soft consistency.

2. Add the almond essence and knead for one minute until the paste is smooth and pliable.

3. Roll out a third of the almond paste to make a circle 18cm/7in in diameter and reserve the remainder for the cake topping.

4. Preheat oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Grease and line a 18cm/7in cake tin.

5. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs until well incorporated and then sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice (if using) a little at a time. Finally, add the mixed dried fruit, peel and grated lemon zest and stir into the mixture.

6. Put half the mixture into a greased and lined 18cm/7in cake tin. Smooth the top and cover with the circle of almond paste. Add the rest of the cake mixture and smooth the top leaving a slight dip in the centre to allow for the cake to rise. Bake in the preheated oven for 1¾ hours. Test by inserting a skewer in the middle - if it comes out clean, it is ready. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack.

7. Brush the top of the cooled cake with the apricot jam. Divide the remainder of the almond paste in half; roll out a circle to cover the top of the cake with one half and form 11 small balls with the other half.

8. Place the circle of paste on the jam glaze and set the balls round the edge. Brush the cake topping with a little beaten egg.

9. Preheat the grill to high. Place the cake onto a baking tray and grill for 1-2 minutes, or until the top of the marzipan begins to brown. Alternatively, lightly heat the cake topping using a cook's blow torch, until the marzipan is golden-brown.

St Davids Day

Visit Cardiff
Cardiff is a thoroughly modern city with a gleaming new water front, dominated by the Millennium Centre. The area has been beautiful redeveloped with some striking architecture. The area has also become rather famous thanks to the BBC's Torchwood which is based at, or rather under, the Millennium centre. There are a whole variety of top attractions, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs and theatres which makes Cardiff one of the UK's most exciting cities.

Walk along the Pembrokeshire Coast
The Pembrokeshire coastline is regarded as not only one of the finest in Wales but one of the best stretches of coastlines anywhere in the British Isles. The coastline became a National Park in recognition of its beauty and importance; this also means that the beautiful coast will remain unspoiled for generations to come.

Hear a male voice choir
Wales is world famous for its male voice choirs and south Wales is home to one of the finest in the shape of the Bridgend Choir. The choir has been inexistence since the 1960's and comprises of 90 singers. For a really spine tingling performance you must see them in concert.

Discover the Gower
Visit the beautiful Gower peninsula near Swansea the UK's very first AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The area is home to a rich abundance of wildlife with a number of varied habitats. There are also many historical sites with remnants of castles, medieval churches, Iron Age fortifications and prehistoric standing stones.

Pay a trip to terrific Tenby
The pretty town of Tenby lies along the Pembrokeshire coast and is regarded as its finest resort. The town has cobbled streets leading down to the harbour and is surrounded by a 13th century wall. The town's main attraction is the fantastic golden sandy beaches which over look the Island of Caldey.

Walk amongst a garden paradise
The Aberglasney House is set in the stunning Tywi valley which provides a great back drop to the beautiful gardens, regarded as one of the finest in all of Wales. The gardens have been inspiring poets since 1477 and a walk around the grounds will make you see why.

See the smallest city in Britain
The city of St David's is by far the smallest city in the whole of the UK being in reality the size of many small towns or villages. The city is dominated by the cathedral which has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years.

Walk the Beacons
Experience the remote wilderness of the Brecon Beacons, one of three National Parks in Wales. Walk through ancient woodlands, skim stones across vast reservoirs, see beautiful waterfalls and hike across windswept uplands and just some of the many things you can do within the National Park.

Storm White Castle
Take a trip to one of the most stunning castles in the region. White Castle is a medieval castle which forms one of the "Three Castles" in the Monnow Valley. Although some of the ancient castle has been lost to time the stone walls and towers of the inner and outer wall still stand today.

Discover archeology
Visit a prehistoric fort at Castell Henllys reconstructed to allow us to sees how many of our ancient ancestors lived their lives.

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http://celtichaven.com

Valentine treats

Chocolate has been regarded as a luxury good for over two thousand years. The peoples of South America prized it so highly, they used cocoa beans as currency. The Aztec Emperor Montezuma drank great quantities of chocolate, always fortifying himself with a golden goblet of this “drink of the gods” before entertaining his harem.

But why is chocolate so seductive and silky and sinful and, according to romantic lore, an aphrodisiac? Because it contains a natural “love drug”, tryptophan, that the brain uses to produce serotonin, which creates feelings of elation and ecstasy. According to a study by the BBC, allowing chocolate to melt luxuriantly in the mouth produces increases in brain activity and heart rate even more intense than those produced by passionate kissing, and the effects last four times as long once the activity has ended!

Chocolate is the perfect thing with which to woo your Valentine, then. A box of chocolates, beautifully wrapped, creates a sense of anticipation. As you lift the lid, the warm and sensuous smell wafts out and hints at pleasures to come. And what could say “I love you” better than a box of chocolates you have taken the trouble to make yourself? That shows true devotion … This recipe for velvety smooth truffles contains chilli for added spice and passion.

Valentine’s Day Truffles

250 ml double cream
1 tsp chilli flakes
275 g dark chocolate
50 g unsalted butter
45 ml brandy
400 g bittersweet chocolate
Edible gold dust (available from specialist cook shops)

1. Place the cream and chilli flakes in a saucepan and bring gently to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes to infuse.

2. Break up the dark chocolate and place it in a large bowl. Strain the cream through a sieve onto the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the butter until melted, than add the brandy.

3. Leave to cool, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

4. Once the chocolate cream is firm, take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll it into balls (you can dust your hands with cocoa powder to stop it sticking). Place the balls on a sheet of non-stick baking paper, and then place them in the freezer for 1 hour.

5. Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a fork, dip the truffles into the chocolate, tapping the fork on the edge of the bowl to shake off any excess. Place on baking paper and sprinkle each one with a little edible gold dust.

6. When set, arrange the truffles in a pretty box, and store in the fridge.

Burns Night

Robert Burns was Scotland’s most famous poet. He was born into a poor family in Alloway, Ayr, on 25th January 1759 and it is his birth that is traditionally celebrated with a Burns supper. Although Burns lived a short life (he died at the age of 37), it was very eventful and fulfilling. He started life as a farmer then progressed into writing.

He travelled all over Scotland drawing inspiration and ideas for his poetry. The scenery of Dumfries helped him with his romantic works. Today throughout Scotland landmarks, museums and visitor centres are dedicated to the life and works of Robert Burns.

On the 23rd of January 1785 Burns met Jean Armour and it was not long before Jean was pregnant with Burns’ first child, which was to be the first of his 12 children, not all of them with Jean. It was in this year that Burns had his first published book, “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect”, which was later known as “The Kilmarnock Edition”.

Later that year Jean gave birth to twins but sadly one of the babies died and, Jean’s father, who was against the marriage, destroyed the wedding lines and sent her away to live with her aunt and uncle in Paisley (Glasgow). Burns did not know her reasons for abandoning him and he eventually moved to Edinburgh.

In 1788 Burns managed to contact Jean and they were reunited against her fathers wishes. They set up house together in Castle Street, Mauchline. Later that same year they moved to Ellisland Farm where Burns took the lease. It was here he wrote the famous song “Auld Lang Syne.”

In January 1791 Burns gave up his Ellisland farm and moved his family to 10 Bank Street, Dumfries. Later he moved into a house which is now on a street known as Burns Street. This is where he wrote some of his most memorable work.

In 1796 Burns’ health deteriorated rapidly and sadly he lost his fight for life on 21st July aged 37. His heart was greatly weakened by a severe attack of rheumatic fever. Now more than 200 years on Robert Burns is still one of the most celebrated men in Scottish culture throughout the world.

If you are planning your own Burns night at home party there are a few essentials to include

• Traditionally there would be a piper to welcome the guests. If you do not have a piper to hand to do this, some traditional music will do nicely.

• Guests would normally stand and welcome the haggis as it was brought in on a silver platter.

• There would usually be a short , but important prayer, used whilst the haggis is carried in. This is known as ‘The Selkirk Grace’: “Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, and say the lord be thankit.”

• There would then be a reading of the ode “To A Haggis”, the reader would have their knife poised ready to slice the haggis along the middle.

The traditional meal consists of Cock-a-leekie soup to start followed by Haggis, Neeps and tatties, (swede and potatoes). The dessert could be either ‘Tipsy laird’ (Scottish sherry trifle), or ‘Clootie dumpling’ (a pudding prepared in a cloth or ‘cloot’).

If you are fortunate enough to own a Miele steam oven, both the haggis and the Clootie dumpling can be cooked successfully in it. Simply select 100ºC as a cooking temperature and follow the instructions for boiling on the hob.

Cheddar

“COME AND GET IT!” shouts the young man in front of Neal’s Yard Dairy, right next to the Borough Market, historically renowned for its fruit and vegetables. He’s handing out samples of Montgomery’s Cheddar to passers-by. “Matured for 18 months. You won’t come across anything better today. Help yourself to a piece.” So what’s so special about this Cheddar?, someone asks. “You tell me,” is the cheery answer. “You’ll have to find out for yourself.” The pale yellow hard cheese has a smooth texture and a distinctive, tangy taste. Cheddar cheese, it seems, gets its name from the small town of Cheddar in the English county of Somerset, where it has been produced for the last 800 years. Only cheese made to the old recipe and using milk from cows in that region may bear this name. “The secret of good cheese lies in good, natural feeding. Only then can the cows produce high quality milk,” comments James Montgomery, whose family business near Yeovil is the origin of the highly esteemed “Montgomery’s Cheddar”. He goes on to add that "it’s really quite simple to produce". After the raw milk has been mixed with bacteria and rennet then carefully heated, it is poured into large vats and stirred for several hours. Salt is then added to control the growth of bacteria. After about five hours the crumbly mass is put into special moulds and left to stand to allow the residual whey to drain off. Finally, the cheese is stacked to mature over a period of months.

The longer Cheddar is left to mature, the stronger the taste. “Traditional producers like James Montgomery allow it to mature for up to two years,” say the experts at Neal’s Yard Dairy. “Try it in a grilled cheese sandwich with a glass of red wine. Delicious!” So what makes it different to industrially produced Cheddar? “That’s made from pasteurised milk and matured for three months at the most. The difference in taste is enormous. To compare supermarket Cheddar with Montgomery’s is like comparing a three-wheeler to an Aston Martin.”

Tip: Like all good hard cheeses, the taste gets richer over the years – the older it is, the drier and tangier it becomes. If you’re looking for exceptional Cheddar, you’re guaranteed to find it at the Borough Market.

Where to buy Montgomery’s Cheddar
• Neal’s Yard Dairy - www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk
• Borough Market - www.borough market.org.uk
• Paxton & Whitfield - www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk
• Selfridges Food Hall - www.selfridges.com

Edible Decorations

Having the children around the house for the holidays can be wonderful, but it can also be quite a challenge keeping them occupied. One way to get them out from under your feet is to set them to work making decorations for the Christmas tree. They’ll have fun, and hopefully help you out at the same time.

Chocolate chip cookies: make up a batch of chocolate chip cookies (see recipe below). You could double the recipe if you want to give some as gifts. When you remove them from the oven and while they are still soft, make a small hole at the top of each biscuit. Place the hole just past the half way mark to ensure the cookie doesn’t break under its own weight. When cool, thread a pretty satin ribbon through and hang the biscuit on the tree.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 25 - 30 cookies

450g unsalted butter, softened
700g soft unrefined brown sugar
225g granulated sugar, unrefined
4 large eggs
1 vanilla pod
900g plain flour
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
450g plain chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod.
Put the flour, salt and baking powder into a sieve and sift into the butter mix. Fold to thoroughly combine then add the chocolate chips.
On a greased baking tray, drop 2 tbsp batter 5cm apart. Bake for 8 minutes at 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Cook in batches and cool on wire racks.

Ooh La La

New Parisian restaurants offer something for every budget, with spectacular views, impressive wine lists, and excellent French cuisine.

The bright light of the Trocadéro shine in through the windows of the “Jules Vernes”, bathing the turbot and the table it sits upon in a warm glow. The restaurant on the second storey of the Eiffel Tower is entirely illuminated by the icon of the “City of Lights”, and offers panoramic views of Paris that ensure any diner quickly forgets about the surrounding cables and girders. “Jules Verne” was closed for a long time for renovation work, but is now run by legendary chef Alain Ducasse, who promises “the ultimate French experience”.

However, anyone wishing to sample his delights for themselves (and enjoy the private lift that transports them there) will have to be patient: since its reopening in December, it has been permanently “complet”.

Anyone who can’t wait will find sustenance just 500metres away at “Les Cocottes”. There is no telephone for reservations here, and diners wait for a table outside at the bar. Once seated, they enjoy cast-iron pots (cocottes) filled with prawns and vegetables or pigeon and peas at very low prices.

Executive chef Christian Constant brought the recipe for his deliciously light chocolate cake from his previous place of work: he was formerly head chef at the upmarket “Hôtel Le Crillon”, where 15 euros, the price of a cocotte, wouldn’t even buy you a glass of champagne. “Il Vino”, run by Enrico Bernardo (the world’s best sommelier in 2004), is another new addition to the Paris scene. Because of the eye watering 1,000-euro set menu displayed outside, few notice that in this modern, understated venue, you can dine on cep quiche and cod with endives (whilst enjoying some fine wines) for just
50 euros.

Karil Lopez offers classic cooking at reasonable prices in his light, welcoming bistro, “Cristal de Sel”. Karil spent five years working at the “Hotel Bristol”, something you can taste in the quality of dishes such as langoustines in herb sauce and schnitzel in hazelnut and caper butter.

The small “Châteaubriand” restaurant, which with its simple décor looks like a simple student bistro from outside, is still one of the hottest addresses in the capital. Creative Basque chef Inaki Aizpitarte serves delights such as chocolate cake-style black pudding terrine (where creamed potatoes replace the vanilla sauce), and cod and marinated mackerel with litchi jelly and rose water. Indeed, it’s far from unusual to see other top chefs dining there – often with a pad of paper on their knee to note down Inaki’s latest brilliant ideas._

Where to go:

LE CHÂTEAUBRIAND, 29, avenue Parmentier, 75010 Paris, Tel. +33 1 43 57 45 95; closed Sun–Tues midday, set menu 40 euros

LES COCOTTES, 135, rue St-Dominique, 75007 Paris, no tel.; open daily, main courses 15 euros

LE CRISTAL DE SEL, 13, rue Mademoiselle, 75015 Paris, Tel. +33 1 42 50 35 29; closed Sun + Mon, à la carte 30–70 euros

IL VINO, 13, boulevard de la Tour Maubourg, 75007 Paris, Tel. +33 1 44 11 72 00; closed Sun + Mon, set menus 50, 75, 1,000 euros

JULES VERNE IN THE EIFFEL TOWER (south pillar lift), 75007 Paris, Tel. +33 1 45 55 61 44; www.restaurants- toureiffel.com; open daily, lunch set menu 75 euros, evening 155–195 euros

The Master of Knives

THE KNIFE MAKERS OF JAPAN have proven a true global success story. And it’s something that both Tokifusa Iizuka and Hisao Osaki – a blacksmith and a salesman and knife sharpener – have played an important part in, and continue to do so to this day. Whenever the world’s top chefs slice a piece of tuna or eel for their sushi creations, there’s a fairly good chance they’ll be holding a “Yanagi” in their hand, originally made by these two specialists.

They live in neighbouring prefectures, in Gunma and Nagiita, and Sanjo City, where 66-year-old Tokifusa Iizuka plies his trade, is considered to be the knife-making capital of Japan. He is the “primus interpares” (“first among equals”) here, amongst around 30 knife makers in the region who produce their goods by hand. Iizuka lives a modest life in plain surroundings, and began his career sharpening razor blades. His sons, Masayuki, 36, and Yoshihide, 35, have also entered into the family business, and the three men work together to produce around 1,000 knives a year. That may not sound like a lot, but compared to industrial production, hand crafting individual pieces is ten times more complex and time-consuming. The blade of an Iizuka knife is made of reinforced carbon steel, and is sharpened on
water stone.

Visitors to knife and cooking forums speak of Iizuka’s creations in revered tones, even describing them as pieces of art. In 2006, the master craftsman was invited to the Internationale Handwerksmesse (International Craft Trades Exhibition) in Munich, where he demonstrated the art of blade production personally. Long sashimi knives are Iizuka’s particular speciality: they sit comfortably in the hand, do not bend and are breathtakingly sharp. The Dick company (www.dick.biz), which sells the knives in Europe, praises the blacksmith’s work as “meeting the strict standards of traditional Japanese aesthetics”.

Hisao Osaki, 58, and his wife Keiko, 57, grant Iizuka’s knives pride of place in their display units. Continuing the family tradition, the couple run their own store in Maebashi, and the business is a Mecca for knife enthusiasts. Old illustrated books explain the craft of Japanese knife making, knives with long histories are lovingly stored in boxes and wrapped in cloth, and those with their futures ahead of them sit proudly in display cases. At the rear of the store is a workshop where Hisao Osaki sharpens knives for the world’s leading chefs.

He sits attentively in yellow oilskins at his grindstone (which is the size of a cartwheel), while cold water flies around the room in all directions. Apparently, the secret of achieving the best possible edge is the angle between the grindstone and the knife, and according to Hisao Osaki: “This should be no more than the width of two 100-yen coins on top of one another.”

Last-minute dinner party

You've just invited four friends round to dinner. It's six o'clock, there's only an egg in your cupboard and you're still at work. What are you going to do?

One day soon, we should be able to access our fridges at home from our desks in the office, so we'll know exactly what to buy on the way home! Until then we will just have to make do with numerous post it notes stuck on our desk. Spur of the moment parties can be great fun, but they do raise the blood pressure to less-than-healthy levels. With a little planning you should be able to get yourself together in the 90 minutes between leaving work and your guests turning up - as long as no-one arrives early!

Simple, fresh ingredients pave the way to a good starter. A really ripe melon and some Parma Ham is always a winner (if you suddenly need a vegetarian option, remove the Parma Ham).

Your local supermarket will usually stocks ready-made blinis, which are a great standby. Serve as a starter with smoked salmon and sour cream and chives sprinkled over the top.

Antipasto is an easy and interesting starter and one you can whip up from most store cupboard ingredients. Lots of food can be purchased in olive oil so it makes sense to keep jars of artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted peppers in case the occasion arises.

Plan a main course that is high in flavour and low on maintenance: a stir-fry or chicken dish is ideal.

Try to use rice instead of potatoes because there's much less preparation involved.

Instead of vegetable, serve a salad.

When it comes to puddings, one of the quickest and most delicious is affogato: Serve vanilla ice cream with a shot of hot espresso coffee poured over the top. If you haven't got an espresso machine buy instant espresso coffee and make up as instructed.

If you completely run out of time, a delicious cheeseboard served with nuts and fresh fruit is always a winner.

The Perfect Last-Minute Dinner Party Menu

Starter
Parma Ham with melon or
Antipasto or
Blinis with smoked salmon, sour cream and chives

Main course
Chicken baked in thai sauce
Saffron rice
Tomato & red onion salad

Pudding
Affogato: vanilla ice cream with hot espresso and/or
Cheeseboard

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