Hello and welcome to the April 2024 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party. I am excited to say that we are rapidly approaching the 14th anniversary of the Hearth and Soul Link Party in June! I am so grateful for you and for the community we have created together. I also can’t believe that it is my 22nd blogging anniversary in October… How are things in your corner of the world? I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend. Spring has definitely sprung here in the south of England, although April showers definitely arrived early this year, and show no signs of letting up. The few pockets of suns ..read more

Hello and welcome to the March 2024 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party! March is one of my favourite months, not least of all because my husband’s birthday and our wedding anniversary are this month. We were married on my husband’s birthday 33 years ago in a beautiful 12th century church in Kent. I also love seeing the weather become nicer his time of year – although we have had rather a lot of rain if I’m honest – and I really love that it is still light at 5pm most evenings. How are things in your corner of the world? Is March one of your favourite months as well? The Hearth and Sou ..read more

Easter Afternoon Tea is a great way to bring together family and friends to celebrate the first long weekend of Spring. It’s a relatively easy way to entertain a crowd, and you can make it as formal or relaxed as you like. Whether you serve treats traditionally on tiered trays with finger sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle and cakes and pastries on the top, or offer a buffet style Easter afternoon tea, there are few people who will not enjoy this delicious celebration. Elements of Easter Afternoon Tea Traditionally afternoon tea features sandwiches, sweet or savoury scones and a f ..read more

My Banana Rum Raisin Cake is laced with rum soaked raisins. Perfect for any occasion (even breakfast if you are so inclined), this moist and delicious cake keeps really well too. This recipe was the result of an experiment in the kitchen back in 2013, provoked by a surfeit of bananas. We are quite fussy about bananas in our house. We don’t like them under-ripe, but we really, really don’t like them over-ripe. This leaves a window of about two and a half hours for optimal banana enjoyment. As we are a small family, this leaves us with quite a few past their best bananas. It’s a good thing I h ..read more

Welcome to the February 2024 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party! I hope February’s arrival has found you well and happy. Here in the UK, there’s a hint of spring in the air. I love the slightly longer days, the brave green shoots pushing up through the earth with their promise of flowers to come, and hearing more birds singing. The Hearth and Soul Link Party welcomes family-friendly blog posts about anything that feeds the soul. Things that feed the soul may include (but are not limited to) recipes, decorating, crafts, family, home, DIY, organization, travel, book reviews, the arts, a ..read more

With the longer days and warmer temperatures on the way plenty of us will be deciding to get some spring cleaning done to freshen up our homes. With that in mind, here are some helpful spring cleaning tips that will bring you great results around the home and make cleaning that little bit easier. Spring Cleaning Tips – General Use Natural Products For Cleaning One of my top spring cleaning tips is to use natural products where possible. Using homemade vinegar formulas to create your own cleaning product can help save money and benefit the environment. To create your own all purpose cleaner, m ..read more

I love new beginnings and always take the opportunity to set goals in January. Over the years I’ve found some really helpful techniques that help me make effective new years resolutions – in short, new years resolutions that work. Here are my top tips. How To Make New Years Resolutions That Work Before I go any further, I want to stress that there is no requirement to make new years resolutions. You may prefer to think in terms of aspirations, or you may decide you would rather just let yourself ease into the new year. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either of those. Do not be pr ..read more

Happy New Year! Welcome to the January 2024 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that your new year is off to a great start! The Hearth and Soul Link Party welcomes family-friendly blog posts about anything that feeds the soul. Things that feed the soul may include (but are not limited to) recipes, decorating, crafts, family, home, DIY, organization, travel, book reviews, the arts, and self improvement.  The Latest We had a lovely holiday season, including spending some time in Ely in Cambridgeshire to join our son, Alexander, his par ..read more

Happy December! Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Link Party! The Hearth and Soul Link Party welcomes family-friendly blog posts about anything that feeds the soul. Things that feed the soul may include (but are not limited to) recipes, decorating, crafts, family, home, DIY, organization, travel, book reviews, the arts, and self improvement.  The Latest Last week I got to meet long-time Hearth and Soul participant Julie from Julie’s Creative Lifestyle! Julie was visiting London with her daughter last week and we met up for coffee. I am so grateful that we were able to meet in real life an ..read more

If you love comforting desserts, you will love this Strawberry Pudding Cake! This magical recipe separates into two layers as it cooks, making a tender cake with a layer of fruity sauce underneath. Here in the UK, we love sponge cakes or steamed sponges with fruity or sweet sauces like Sticky Toffee Pudding, Jam Sponge and Lemon Steamed Pudding. However pudding cakes – including Strawberry Pudding Cake – have origins that are very likely more North American.  Strawberry Pudding Cake This recipe is adapted from the Raspberry Pudding Cake recipe in The Pollan Family Table, one of my favo ..read more