Having missed so many #BEDM posts last week, I've decided to pick and choose from the topics rather than try to catch up on them all.

I rarely do food posts, in fact this is probably the first, but I'm going to share my favourite recipe.

I go through phases of liking different meals but at the moment it's Smoked Haddock and Bacon Chowder. It's prepared in a slow cooker and is so easy. I serve it with crusty granary rolls.

25g butter
1 finely chopped onion
300g diced potatoes
4 rashers diced smoked streaky bacon
750ml boiling fish stock
125g sweetcorn
1 bay leaf
500g smoked haddock
150ml double cream
salt and pepper
(serves 4)

Heat the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, potatoes and bacon and fry gently, stirring, until just beginning to colour
Transfer the potato mix to the slow cooker
Pour over the boiling stock, add the sweetcorn, bay leaf and salt and pepper
Pop on the lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or until potatoes are tender

Skin the fish and press it just below the surface of the stock (cutting in half if needed)
Pop the lid back on and cook for a further 30 minutes

Lift out the fish and break into flakes
Stir the double cream into the soup and return the fish
Ladle into bowls and enjoy!


For breakfast I love pancakes, streaky bacon and maple syrup with orange juice and a cup of tea. It's my all time favourite breakfast - except for smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast but that's our traditional Christmas Day breakfast (neatly covering yesterday's #BEDM) - and yes, I tried it for the first time after Carrie ordered it for brunch on SATC, but the sweet and savoury mix is just irresistible.

When it comes to desserts, I can't pick just one. Chocolate fudge brownie, trifle, cheesecake, pistachio ice cream, Christmas pudding with cream, profiteroles, bakewell tart and custard, fruit salad. Or we could talk about a cheeseboard? Brie. It's not safe for brie to be in my company, especially if grapes are also present.

I'm hungry.