Author Archives: deansdiva

Six of the best

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lisa holloway 2

Earlier this year, Newark‘s favourite B&B owner Lisa Holloway travelled the length and breadth of the country filming the new Channel 5 programme To B&B The Best.

In the series, she offered help and advice to other would-be bed and breakfast proprietors. And who better to do this than the holder of a clutch of awards for Compton House who was voted The Friendliest Landlady of the Year by the AA in 2010?

Lisa returns to Channel 5 on Tuesday 3 January with the first of six repeats from the show, when she met table tennis champion Roger who was hoping to turn his spare room into a potential source of income.

Tune in between 7pm and 8pm on Tuesday for another chance to see Lisa sharing her wealth of knowledge and experience in the hospitality industry – and find out what Roger learned from her in his own quest To B&B The Best…

Time for a Christmas treat!

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The Girls Around Town are celebrating Christmas by giving away some goodies on the show this weekend!

Answer the simple question below and you could be in with a chance of winning a pair of beautiful brooches from Tina’s BeLoved range – one for you and one for a friend, perhaps? – or some luscious treats from Sunita Passi’s Neem range.

You need to get your entry in before 11am on Sunday 18 December by leaving a comment on this blog post. Don’t forget to add your name and, if you include your telephone number and you’re a winner, we’ll even call you live from the show between 11.20am and 11.45am to give you the good news!

All entries will be hidden, by the way, so your number won’t be visible on the site and will only be seen by the Girls Around Town.

Here’s the question…

What’s the name of the regular feature on the show in which June, Tina and Sue share the recipe for a sweet treat? Is it

  • The Cookie Corner
  • The Chocolate Moment
  • The Pudding Club

Need a hint? Check out the drop-down Category list to the right of this page…

PS – If you haven’t done so already, why not give the girls a Christmas treat too by liking the GAT Facebook page?

What’s for afters?

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plums

You’ve supped the soup, scoffed the stew – now what’s for afters?

The third recipe from Lisa Holloway on Sunday’s show of course, because no meal is complete without a perfect pud!!

And the added bonus – minimal washing up afterwards because it’s a one-bowl cake…

Warm Ginger and Plum Cake

  • Servings: Serves 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 6 large or about 8 small  ripe plums, halved and stoned
  • 280g jar stem ginger in syrup
  • Handful of pecans or toasted flaked almonds
  • 114g self raising flour
  • 1 level teaspoon baking powder
  • 114g soft butter
  • 114g muscavado sugar
  • 2 large or 3 small eggs

Directions

  1. Line a deep, loose-bottomed sponge tin with a non-stick cake tin liner and heat the oven to 325F/170C/Gas mark 3.
  2. Arrange the plums on the bottom of the cake liner, round sides up, then place the nuts in between the plums.
  3. Blitz the stem ginger in syrup until smooth, then add to all the cake ingredients in a bowl. With an electric whisk, beat well on high for about a minute until thoroughly blended – you don’t want this mixture too wet.
  4. Pour the cake mix over the plums and nuts, smooth the top and bake in the centre of the oven until  firm. You might need to cover with foil and leave a little longer in the oven if not fully cooked.
  5. Test the sponge with a skewer – when it comes out clean, it’s ready. Leave in the tin to cool slightly,
  6. Then tip out onto a cake stand so the top is a beautiful pattern of glossy plums with the nuts in between.
  7. Serve warm with ice cream, yogurt or thick double cream.