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It’s half term this week and I was quite excited that Shrove Tuesday fell during the holidays: we were able to have pancakes for breakfast instead of rushing around after school.

…although I love American style pancakes for breakfast, you can’t beat the traditional thin “crepe”style with lemon and sugar or chocolate spread. I have posted another recipe from Tea and Cake here for my home made chocolate spread, there is something very satisfying about making it yourself, and knowing exactly what had gone into each delicious mouthful!

Even though it is half term I still had work to do including a LOT of books to sign (which will be going into Waitrose stores nationwide). I had to go to Eastbourne for this so decided to take Billie and make it an exciting little mini break…and what wonderful weather we had. We had fish and chips on the beach and Billie splashed around in the sea and got soaking wet!! We went to Beachy head and then for a cream tea in beautiful Alfriston. We stayed at the Eastbourne Grand Hotel in the seafront. A proper old fashioned seaside hotel, Billie and I loved it. We swam in the pool and then ate dinner in the restaurant. Billie had the lamb carved at our table and she said she felt very grown up and like a princess! At bedtime they brought up warm milk and cookies and the pair of us fell asleep cuddling and chatting and singing lullabies. I feel so very blessed. The following morning we woke to a breathtaking sunrise which we watched from our bedroom window.

After breakfast we were off to Gardners where I was greeted by piles of copies of my new book! It is so exciting to see it all new and pretty ! And I felt really really proud!

…It was my birthday yesterday and I feel old. But somebody said to me the other day “It’s better to be a year older than not here at all!” and, you know what, she has a point! My John spoiled me with a beautiful suitcase and cups of tea in bed! My dad, my sister, my nieces and I went for a lovely lunch at Plum and Spilt Milk at The Great Northern Hotel…

…we then went to my sisters for tea and birthday cake…

…and then for an amazing dinner at Primeur with my friends. I really had the most wonderful, perfect day!

Yesterday also marked one week to go until my book Tea and Cake is out! (26th February!) You can preorder it here and it will arrive on the day!

Happy half term…

Lots of love

Lisa xx

This week I have been really gearing up for the book launch, its really exciting but also a little scary!!
Yesterday I went into Simon and Schuster , my publishers and signed 300 books, it was so exciting seeing so many of them all in one go! Next week I will be signing over a thousand so I’m going to have a very sore hand!! I know this is my third book and I have done this all before , but I have worked so hard on it and it’s a bit like having a child and letting it go out into the big wide world on its own!!! I really hope you will all like it.
Today I enlisted the help of my brilliant sister and we baked a load of cakes to send to people and to bring on photo shoots for the next few days, it was lovely just pottering around her kitchen chatting and cooking, she doesn’t love cooking as much as I do , but we both really enjoyed today. It made me think maybe we should cook loads of things in batches together and share them amongst our freezers!

As I write this there are a few more sticky chocolate loaf cakes in the oven, my Billie is doing her homework next to me, I have her dinner on the go and the doorbell has just gone with another delivery of books to sign!!!

Its all a bit manic and yet another load of washing needs to come out of the machine, but I love it and I am so very grateful… for the opportunity to have written the book, for my wonderful daughter who I love so very much, for my brill sis and for the comfort of home ….and cake!

Here is a sneak preview recipe from Tea and Cake: The Perfect Dunker…self explanatory really, I love dunking biscuits in tea! I hope you like the recipe…

Tea and Cake is out on February 26th but you can pre-order it here!

Have a lovely week

Lots of love

Lisa xx

…I am still really enjoying my new year’s resolution of walking! There are some mornings where I really don’t feel like going out on a long walk…I’m too tired, it’s too cold etc etc, but as soon as I’m there and walking and chatting away I feel so glad that I’ve gone! It lifts the spirit and blows away the cobwebs, keeps you fit and if you have a friend to chat with it is the best form of therapy…(though otherwise download an audible book or some lovely music and off you go!) Best part ? It’s freeeeee! My other resolution was to do more yoga, I have been keeping up with this too, I absolutely love it and feel like a different person when I leave. I went and kitted myself out with beautiful soft new yoga clothes which I also think is a big motivator.

The weather men keep threatening snow and it’s still dark and miserable in the evenings I have put a recipe from my first book “Recipes from my Mother for my Daughter” on the website. It is my sister’s crispy chicken. I always think chicken is comforting and warming. This is a one-pan dish, quick to throw together and is a big favourite among friends and family and people who have bought the book! This is also quite a cheap dish as chicken thighs are really not expensive, but very tasty. I put all the ingredients for the marinade in a freezer bag in the morning with the chicken pieces to let it absorb all the lovely flavours, then make it in the evening…it makes lovely crispy chicken and sticky, lemony potatoes: perfect!

My sister and I took our auntie Nina to The Delaunay for afternoon tea this week to celebrate her birthday …it was actually her birthday in October but we decided to schedule the tea for January as it is always so miserable and thought it would be nice to have something to cheer us all up! It really was lovely, as you know one of my absolute favourite things to do is have afternoon tea, we had a delicious selection of sweet and savoury treats, but my favourite was the Battenburg… (which incidentally there is a recipe for in my new book “Tea & Cake” which is out on February 26th!) We all had a really lovely afternoon, highly recommend it!

I am in Essentials magazine next month (March issue) which is on sale next week!

Also…you can preorder my book here…how exciting!

Have a lovely week!

love

Lisa xx

This week has been a most exciting week in the Faulkner household! On Wednesday a very exciting parcel dropped through my door- my new book arrived! It was amazing to finally see it and smell it…I am very very proud of it and cant wait for everyone to buy it…I really hope you like it as much as I do!

That night I also went to the National Television Awards with my boyfriend as MasterChef was up for an award. I wore a beautiful gold vintage dress from One Vintage, and the lovely Justine Wade, my friend and make up artist popped in to do my make up. It was a really fun night, great to catch up with old friends like Anthony Cotton, Ben Shepherd, Ant and Dec and of course my best friend Angela.

It was a really busy school week for Billie, lots of after school clubs and she has just started to learn the guitar… so I made one of our favourite after school mid-week meals, quick broccoli pasta… very quick and easy and perfect for a meat free Monday dinner! (Although you can add some sausage to it if you feel you need a bit of meat!)

…my book “Tea & Cake” is out on 26th February but is available to pre-order here!!!!

Have a lovely week!

Love

Lisa xx

We are 2 weeks into the new year, and I have to say I am a little cross…a little ranty! ….Everwhere I look there’s a new diet or new exercise plan or “eat less, drink more smoothies”, but don’t, for goodness sake put sugar in them or you will die!! I know I’m over reacting (slightly!) but its JANUARY!!! And while I’m all for “new year, new start”, I also think it’s the time to cut ourselves some slack.

January, to me, is one of the coldest, greyest, most depressing months of the year and, as much as I respect all those who have dusted off their Nutribullet (I love mine) and got themselves down the gym everyday, I have to say, this is not me! I feel much more inclined to do this in the spring when the days are longer and there is hope in the air!
Now the days are dark. And short. And cold. I want to wrap myself in my pjs and a blanket, watch Big Brother and a good movie and eat what will make me feel better about this time of year.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a beautiful daughter with boundless energy and our walks on the heath have become a ritual- bundling ourselves up in wellies and coats and scarves and running around and squelching in mud, before a treat of hot chocolate and marshmallows and homemade sausage rolls.
I have also started back at yoga, so yes, those new years resolutions are rubbing off on me! I love it, but my biggest resolution was to myself…to not give myself such a hard time, to be grateful to my body for everything it does for me, to feed myself well and look after me so that I can look after my loved ones and those all around me. This, to me, means incorporating exercise into my week without it feeling like a chore – walking briskly (Billie and I are now walking to school whatever the weather), practising yoga and eating what my body wants and needs- broccoli pasta, roast dinners, fish stews, casseroles and every now and then a piece of homemade chocolate cake with a cup of tea!
My wonderful Nanna lived to the ripe old age of 99. She walked everywhere, made everything from scratch and ate a little of everything she fancied, she was healthy and happy and a true inspiration.

As I write this the sky has turned thundery grey and the rain has started pouring, actually turning itself into hale as we speak! I have lit my beautiful candles, pulled on a jumper and just made a beef bourguignon pie for my dad who is coming over for dinner. Also on the menu is my croissant-and-apricot-bread-and-butter-pudding, a recipe from my new book “Tea and Cake” which is out in February. Proper comfort food for this dark dismal day…

So tomorrow the sun may shine and the ground will be crisp and I will get myself out for a walk, but because I want to and not because I feel I should! As I said, it’s January! Go easy on yourself, look after YOU!!

…A little of what you fancy does you good!

Have a lovely week,

Love
Lisa xx

IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!!

…It’s finally here- well I say that but actually it’s flown and I can’t believe it is here already! I am now prepared though and ready to start the festivities! I thought I would add a link to my recipe for Pan-fried Scallops with Chestnut Soup and Crispy Sage Leaves, it makes a very good starter for Christmas dinner and it’s delicious!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to visit my website, follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and come to see me at food shows etc, your support means so much to me and I absolutely love reading your tweets and seeing your photos of food you’ve made following one of my recipes, but most of all I love to meet you at the shows, you are always all so lovely, so thank you …

I wish you all a very merry Christmas, stay safe and have a really happy time (…and remember if you’re stuck for a last minute gift, my books make a very good present!!!!

Have a wonderful time!

Lots of love

Lisa xx

I finally feel Christmassy! The Christmas tree is up, the Elf on the Shelf is back and at risk of sounding smug I have nearly finished all my present buying and wrapping. I have never been so organised, and it feels good!

On Saturday lunch time John and I went for the most amazing lunch at Primeur in Islington. This is the best place we have been to for a long time, the squid and the spiced carrots were two of the highlights- but it was all delicious. Highly recommend it!

I wanted to let you know I had my friends over for dinner last night and made the recipe I posted last week for slow cooked lamb - honestly there was nothing left, we ate it all- it’s a real winner ! This will be one of those recipes I will definitely be making again and again. If you haven’t made it yet give it a go!

This week I will be making some Christmas presents- amaretti biscotti with little Kilner jars of mocha choca dipping sauce. These make really great presents, especially with a bottle of Amaretto…! I will also make my usual jars of piccalilli which I do every year and each year I seem have more people to make them for who have requested them throughout the year!

I am off on the annual trip to see Father Christmas in a little while as Billie has already broken up…not looking forward to the queues but I can’t wait for the look on her and my nephew’s little faces! Next year I will get my act together early and book somewhere fancy but this year the good old local garden centre will have to do. (Actually they love it there with the little train ride so why break the tradition??)

Hope you have a lovely week

love

Lisa xx

This week I have been very poorly. Honestly it was so boring and I felt so dreadful…it really is unbelievable how low you can feel in yourself when you are ill, and then as soon as you start to feel better you start to feel brighter…I am so grateful to be on the road to recovery now!

It was the cake sale at school and once again I found myself making two lemon drizzle cakes at a ridiculous hour…there’s even more pressure now to deliver something homemade and delicious. When you cook for a living shop bought cakes don’t really go down that well! Anyway I made them and my foolproof recipe (which will be in my new book!) is so quick and easy it wasn’t too much of a chore!

We went to get the Christmas tree over the weekend, I always have to have a real one and it’s always a big decision standing and staring at them to judge if they’re symmetrical, if there’s any bald patches, is it tall enough, is it too tall, too wide etc etc. Well we managed to find the perfect specimen, brought him home and spent ages dressing it with the Christmas songs on in the background. Now the house is filled with that amazing smell of pine and…Christmas!!!

I was lucky enough to be invited to a gala performance of Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands at Sadlers Wells on Sunday. I love the film so much and have watched it tonnes of times so I jumped at the chance to see it as a ballet! I took Billie and my sister and her two daughters and we all absolutely loved it. For those wondering it was the length of a “normal” show, as some ballets are extremely long…it is also very suitable for children (I would say 8 and upwards?) and well, it’s just brilliant and has a bit of a Christmassy feel to it. If you get a chance to go I can highly recommend it.

I am looking forward to the Food Network Christmas party this week, but I am also finally starting to wind down for Christmas and to think about presents! There is a really nice recipe here for my chocolate cherry layer cakes, a wonderful Christmas dessert for those who don’t like the traditional Christmas pud! They are also perfect to take to friends or relatives for Boxing Day tea! You can make it as one large cake or individuals, which are really pretty. The sponge freezes really well too.

Have a lovely week!

Love

Lisa xx

Wow, I have to say it has been one of the busiest weeks! I made my Christmas cake on Monday night! There really is nothing like the smell of it cooking…hope it will taste as good as it smells (the recipe hasn’t failed me so far!)

On Wednesday I shot the trailer for The Big Eat for the Food Network, I can’t give too much away but we shot it on green screen and it was a really fun day! I then drove to Birmingham for the BBC Good Food Show. I had such great fun there, I really love getting to meet all the people who come to say hello to me and have bought my books. I was on the Hotpoint Stage and the Saturday Kitchen Stage, it’s always so nice as I can catch up with my friends, especially John Whaite, Shelina Permalloo and Jo Wheatley! It is exhausting but brilliant fun at the shows, it’s been a long run but that was the last one until the spring time.

The recipe I’ve added today is for slow cooked lamb shoulder, it is about £24 to buy a shoulder from the butcher, which seems quite expensive but it will feed six people easily, so not too bad really! I made it when my sister and brother in law came for dinner the other day and we ate loads, they then took the leftovers home and had it for dinner the following day too… Once you’ve slow cooked the shoulder as per the recipe , there are three different ways of serving it. It is a great dish and tasted even better the following day!

I started my Christmas shopping today, though I think the “Cyber Monday” deals have made the Internet go funny! I know I sound a bit miserable but I wish the presents could all come ready-wrapped…I will try and get all festive with some mulled wine and Christmas tv or music while wrapping them! I have already worn my Christmas robin jumper for The Wright Stuff on Channel 5 on Tuesday (which was from Sugarhill Boutique if you fancy one…)

The “Elf on the Shelf” arrived back in our house on Monday much to Billie’s delight, along with her advent calendar. We are hoping to get the tree up at the weekend so then it will really feel like Christmas. Children really do make Christmas magic!

Hope you have a lovely week

Love

Lisa xxx

This week started with recipe creating and testing…I spent a lot of time in the kitchen working out times and ingredients etc for some great new recipes, some will be exclusively for this website, coming soon! I really hope you like them!

First there is a recipe for chicken, olive and lemon baked rice. This recipe came about when I was talking to my sister about food. She said she thought as well as all the usual Christmas recipes that people publish at this time of year she would like a recipe that would be useful in the coming weeks, when everyone is rushed off their feet with work, Christmas plays at school, Christmas shopping etc. This is something that requires very little preparation, a one-pot dish that can be thrown in the oven for 35 minutes before you go out in the evening or when you get home after a busy day. I prepared all the ingredients and took it over to her house with the instructions. It turned out the whole family loved it and even ate the leftovers after school the next day…I hope you like it too and it comes in handy on those busy days! I would serve with an easy salad or just lovely on its own! View my recipe here.

On Wednesday I went to the screening of the new Food Network show, “Kitchen Superheroes” which will feature Matt Tebbutt, Rosemary Schrager and me! We help self confessed “hopeless cooks” to make dinner for their friends and families. It is a really good show, it was lovely to see all the contributors again at the lovely Courthouse Hotel in Great Marlborough Street, and really nice to know they are all still cooking! After the screening Nick, the head of channel, took Rosemary, Matt and me out for dinner at Nopi in Warwick St - it was delicious, and great to catch up with them all!

Before I went out on Wednesday night Billie announced she needed a costume for assembly the following day! Thrown into panic we racked our brains and searched the dressing up box eventually managing to customise a fancy dress outfit she already had…phew! Is it just me that gets this information at the last minute? I dont know many people that have Greek/Roman/Victorian/1950s outfits hanging in their wardrobes in various different sizes! I have made a mental note not to throw anything out that may be useful for a costume in the future!

I spent the beginning of the weekend in Manchester at The Ideal Home Show at Christmas where I cooked with lovely Olly Smith. Gino D’Acampo, Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen, Olly and I opened the show and had such great fun, everyone really looked after me and I’m really looking forward to London! I was also at The BBC Good Food Show on Sunday where I did a demo and hosted the Hotpoint Stage…great fun!

I was so happy to receive such lovely feedback about the new advert I did with Hotpoint which was shown during the week, I really do have some lovely followers on Twitter , thank you, you know who you are! xx

I am at The Ideal Home Show Christmas in London this coming Wednesday and Friday, come and say hello! There is a link to buy tickets below…

http://ihschristmas.seetickets.com/tour/ideal-home-show-at-christmas/

Have a lovely week

Lisa xx

It’s nearly 5th November! I have had another busy week, one of the highlights for me was a lovely day spent in the West End with my sister and my niece. We shopped, we ate, we drank tea…it was so busy in town as always and the shops are all getting ready for Christmas! I don’t know if I can get my head around that at the moment but it is nice to see twinkling lights and pretty decorations in the shops.

I spent the day on Saturday filming for This Morning as part of National Adoption Week. I attended an Adoption Activity Day and if you saw me on This Morning on Monday talking about it you will have heard how it completely changed my mind about these events. What a lovely day I had, meeting lots of lovely people and some amazing children. I came away more than a little emotional, it stirred up a lot of memories, but once again I was reminded how very lucky I am to have found my girl, my perfect match. I wish all the very best to the prospective parents just starting on the long journey of adoption and to the children beginning life with their forever families. Just know that all the stress is completely worth it…

Remember, remember…Growing up Bonfire Night always meant a party at our house! Our cousins, neighbours and family friends would come round to watch fireworks, stand around a big bonfire and wave sparklers. My dad would have a big tin of rockets and catherine wheels, he would set them all out and light them while we all stood around looking at the colours exploding in the sky . In my memories it was always cold! We would all be wrapped up in scarves and gloves and wellies, our noses were red and our fingers were cold and we would all look forward to my mum’s French onion soup, jacket potatoes, sausages and beans to warm us up!

I’m not sure the weather will be the same this year! As I type this they have announced on the news that it was the warmest Halloween on record. Whilst it is lovely that it’s sunny and warm, it feels a little bit odd to be wearing a tshirt at the end of October! I have added a recipe for a sausage and onion cobbler here which will be lovely and warming and hearty, whatever the weather…sausages, squash, cider and dumplings, what’s not to like?

Have a safe and cosy Bonfire Night x

I spent all last weekend at the BBC Good Food Bakes and Cakes Show in Islington. I had a great time hosting the main stage, which meant introducing and asking questions to Eric Lanlard, Mich Turner, John Whaite, Cat Dresser, Paul Hollywood and my heroine, Mary Berry! I also did my own demonstration on the Saturday which was fun! It was really exciting to meet lots of the latest Great British Bake Off people too, who I felt like I already knew after watching their amazing progress week after week. I always have to pinch myself around Mary Berry, I mean she was a big hit in our house , growing up my mother and both grandmothers would always be “Mary does hers like this…” and “Mary says you should do it like that…” when discussing recipes. We probably had nearly all of her books and I know my mum would have loved it if she could have seen me sitting backstage with the fabulous woman herself, chatting away whilst polishing off a chocolate roulade she had just made!!! I always leave these events thinking what a fantastic job I have and how very lucky I am.

Billie and I have been busy getting out and about. We’ve also been doing homework, we went for an autumnal walk collecting various things along the way and we made Halloween biscuits too.(recipe below) I do love Halloween! I think it is probably because our mum was obsessed with all things American, so she tried to bring it all to Esher! My sister and I were the first of our friends to do the whole “Trick or Treat” thing – she loved it, helping us get our costumes ready and then we would come back and eat lots of food (and sweets!!!) Nowadays we do a similar thing- dress the kids up, take them round a few houses (friends or neighbours we know don’t mind or houses that are decorated for Halloween) then we come home to a Halloween tea. I try and call everything by a “scary” name : witches fingers (sausages), brains and bogies (mash and peas) and so on. They really love it if someone comes to our house Trick or Treating too, but some of the costumes and masks nowadays are terrifying! Witches and cats and maybe a scary pirate only please!

Why don’t you try the biscuits? They are really fun to make and it gives the children something to do on a rainy half term afternoon…have a lovely weekend and Happy Halloween!

I’ve got that Christmas feeling!! Earlier this week, I opened the Ideal Home Show Christmas as an Ambassador. As I cut the ribbon with snow falling around me, I felt Christmassy for the first time; there was Christmas trees, there was Santa, there were reindeer, Christmas carols and the first Christmas songs this year!

Today and tomorrow I’ll be here at Earl’s Court answering questions on beauty and fashion and I’m also cooking! Today and tomorrow I’ll be at the Christmas Cookery Theatre, I’ll be demo-ing two dishes; one from my first book which is the perfect Christmas starter – Scallops with a Chestnut Soup, Crispy Sage leaves and Cranberry dotted on top – they’re gorgeous, really lovely.

And from my new book - The Way I Cook - I’m doing my Chocolate Pavlova, which is a great alternative to Christmas Pudding. Both recipes are below if you want to try them out or come down and get that Christmas feeling too!

Pan-fried Scallops with Chestnut Soup and Crispy Sage Leaves

Chocolate Pavlova

Three little words, pick your own, now is the perfect time for visiting your local small holding or fruit farm to pick juicy strawberries or raspberries or whatever takes your fancy. Yesterday we spent two hours at our local farm picking raspberries, for the raspberry cake I’m going to make Billie for her birthday.

But nothing beats a British strawberry, the smell of them brings back memories of my childhood, going strawberry picking with my mum and sister, eating them as we picked (my mum told us off for that) and getting strawberry stains on our clothes, which my mum would have to get out later. Such a versatile fruit for puddings, smoothies and of course making jam.

I’m really a summer person, love being outside and can think of nothing better than harvesting the best of what the season brings. Don’t forget the courgettes at this time of year too, I’ve a recipe for stuffed courgettes in my first book, so easy to prepare either for a main or a side dish. Every Friday I’m going to post a recipe for you, I’m calling it my #faulknerfridays and will be tweeting too, so follow me @lisafaulkner1 I’d LOVE to hear about what you are cooking and your favourite recipes and tips! Right, the sun is out and I’m going to make the most it and go back to the farm to get some strawberries, I promise not to eat more than I pick! Lisax

I am really enjoying celeb MasterChef. As always it was great fun judging a few of the rounds. I’m not saying who I like because every time I do, I seem to jinx them!

I have had a lovely summer and can’t believe it’s nearly over and my daughter will be back to school and work will crank up!

I have been busy writing book 3 (very proud to be able to write that!) It’s funny because I actually love writing but the first few weeks are actually me procrastinating and faffing about doing anything but writing and lots of bits of cooking! Finally I am immersed in it and loving the whole process.
We also have a busy schedule for the launch of my second book . I can’t wait for you to read it and share some of the recipes. I will be posting some sneak previews of new my recipes on the site and also doing a few competitions to win signed copies of my new book! So watch this space !! X

I love this series with all of the new things going on – the palate test and the knock out rounds are just brilliant! I’ve got some firm favourites but there is still a way to go yet, so it could all change in the next few weeks.

You’ll be able to see the new winner live on stage at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 12^th – 16 June at the NEC, where I’ll also be hosting the MasterChef Stage as well as cooking in the Supertheatre with the fantastic Shelina Permalloo. http://www.bbcgoodfoodshowsummer.com/

I felt truly honoured to be at the Who’s Cooking Dinner? event last night. In aid of a brilliant cause, Leuka, the most fantastic chefs raised over £370,000 for the charity.

Now in its 13th year, this event is the coolest pop - up I’ve ever been to. Twenty of London’s finest chefs each cooked for a table of 10 and you have no idea who’s cooking for you until you sit down! I was lucky enough to be cooked for by the wonderful Lawrence Keogh from The Wolseley.

What a night!

To find out more about this great charity, please visit their website www.leuka.org.uk and for all the news from the night itself, please look at the Who’s Cooking Dinner? website www.whoscookingdinner.com

Hello all,

I’ve put together a quick list of places you can get the book online - hope you enjoy it!

Amazon

Waterstones

WHSmith

Sainsburys

iBookstore

Lisa. x