Home & Warmth
The £50 Guest Room: Getting a Spare Room Ready for Christmas Visitors
Five things that make a cold spare room ready for overnight guests, two of them ours, plus the heater we warm ours with.
Tag
winter
Home & Warmth
The Warm Evening Edit: Eight Small Buys for Cosy Winter Evenings
Eight small warmth buys for winter evenings, with what each costs to run at the 26.32p cap. Three of them are ours.
Home & Warmth
How to Use a Tapo P110 Smart Plug to Track Energy and Cut Your Bills
How to use a Tapo P110 to see what your appliances really cost, turn kWh into pounds at the current price cap, and set schedules that save money, with real readings from our own plugs.
Christmas Gifts & Decorating
The Thoughtful Christmas Gift Guide: Present Ideas for Everyone on Your List
Gift giving at its best is an act of attention — noticing what someone loves and responding to it. Our Christmas gift guide is built around that idea: presents that feel considered, not grabbed.
Kitchen & Food
Leek and Potato Soup
A simple leek and potato soup: leeks and onion softened slowly in butter, simmered with potato and stock, then blended smooth. No cream needed. Serves 4.
Seasonal Eating
Soup Season: Winter Soup Recipes, a New One Every Fortnight
Soup Season: a new soup every fortnight from October to February, each one cooked by Gareth before it goes up.
Home & Warmth
duux Bora Dehumidifier Review: Three Winters in a Damp Flat
We bought a duux Bora 20L dehumidifier in December 2023. Three winters on: how we use it, the tank, the real running cost at 400 W, and what to buy now the model has changed.
Kitchen & Food
Danbury & Lovejoy Christmas: Food, Gifts, Hosting and Planning
Everything Christmas on Danbury & Lovejoy in one place: hosting, food, gifts, decorating and planning for a calm Christmas.
Christmas Food & Entertaining
How to Host Christmas: A Calm Guide to Festive Entertaining
Hosting Christmas well is mostly about preparation — doing the things that can be done early, so the day itself is enjoyable rather than frantic. Here's how to approach it.
Budget Cooking
Chicken, Barley and Lentil Broth
A hearty chicken, barley and lentil broth: whole chicken breasts poached in the pot so they stay tender, with pearl barley, green lentils and plenty of veg.