Apples didn’t feature in my Christmas/New Year menus. Why would they? It’s summer and apples are an autumn fruit. But there they were – languishing at the bottom of my fridge and desperately in need of using up. It was too late to simply slice and eat them. These middle-aged wrinklies needed a serious makeover. I found this recipe in my favourite French cookbook – ‘At home in Provence’ by Patricia Wells – and adapted it to the ingredients

The last day of 2009 – New Year’s Eve and the inevitable new year’s resolutions. In anticipation that some of us will wake up tomorrow resolving to eat less, drink less, grouch less, exercise more, give more, chill out more – at least for a couple of days – here’s a muesli recipe to start you off on your new resolutely healthy day!

It’s so easy to make: just chuck it all in a big oven tray and bake for 20 minutes, then toss in some dried fruit. I like to use cranberries and dried apricots because they look pretty, plus my nephew and niece don’t like raisins and I usually give them a container full to eat while it’s fresh. You can use any ingredients you like but I like to use health-foodie stuff that my family wouldn’t normally touch such as linseeds, wheat germ and oat bran. The batch I made this week uses whole linseeds but you will likely absorb more nutrients from ground linseeds.

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We’ve bought the presents, sung the songs, glazed the ham, stuffed the turkey, prepared the puddings, sampled the shortbread and sneaked a few chocolates. Everything is ready… for what? Take a moment to remember the true reason for this celebration – the first ever Christmas gift from God to us – his son Jesus. This verse from the Bible explains it all: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world…” John 3:17

I hope you have a fun day with good food, family and friends. Happy Christmas!!

Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over a green salad of fresh leaves, avocado, cucumber and thinly sliced pear. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This salad tastes great and looks wonderful on the Christmas table.