Well, that’s January done with, and I surely can’t be the only one that thinks ‘good riddance to that’? It’s not that it’s a long month, and it’s not that it’s a cold, dark 31 days either. What I am happy about is that many of my friends, work colleagues and to a certain extent family members can now have a pint again! It’s a tough enough period between New Year and February without depriving yourself of a drop or two, but now that their detox, diets and misery are all but over we can start to enjoy life again. And we can start with a load of great-tasting food…
The January pay packet is a welcome one, but if, like me, you still need to pull hard on the purse strings as you catch up with your Christmas overspend, you’ll want to keep the grocery bill down as much as you can. We have a great selection of budget recipes starting on page 12 that offer up plenty of flavour and heartiness, but without the associated dent in the wallet. We also look at how to get the best out of pastry on page 44, delve into food alchemy on page 53, find some great gluten-free substitutes for your favourite meals on page 28 and look at how to reduce your sugar intake on page 60 – something I think we could all do with looking at. Anyway, enjoy the shortest month of the year and let’s hope we get a ‘snow day’ or two!