Published by IPC Media. Published 9 times per year the Woman's Weekly Living Series has issues daedicated to health, gardening, cooking and knitting, as well as seasonal specials.
Everyone at Woman’s Weekly just adores this time of the year – it’s all about coming together to celebrate and creating a welcoming home for family and friends, which is the essence of who we are. And what could be more Woman’s Weekly than to mark this time of the year with homemade craft, delightful presents to make and wonderful food to share? We have filled this magazine with ideas and easy projects so you can do just that, which we hope you’ll love. Planning ahead is the secret of a successful Christmas and there is still time to make any of the ideas in the following pages. Then, come the big day, you can relax, knowing you’ve created a magical and special time for all your family!…
Craft YOU WILL NEED ✱ Oasis wreath ring (31cm)✱ Spruce or conifer cuttings✱ Green foliage – we used eucalyptus populus, ruscus and pistache✱ Holly sprigs with berries✱ Red hypericums✱ Mini red baubles✱ Mini gold star baubles✱ Buckets✱ Craft knife✱ Green florist’s wire✱ Florist’s scissors✱ Wire cutters✱ Cut-flower food (optional)✱ Wide red velvet wired ribbon (optional) CONDITIONING THE FOLIAGE 1 Remove all packaging and ties from the foliage and berries. Snip away the bottom of the stems by about 5cm and remove any lacklustre leaves. 2 Fill the buckets with water and a little cut-flower food, if needed. Strip any leaves from the bottom half of the stems, so that no foliage or berries sit in the water. Place in the water and leave to acclimatise for at least 24 hours.…
Craft YOU WILL NEED (FOR 1 CLOG AND 1 MITTEN): ✱ Clog, mitten and cuff templates (actual size)✱ 1 piece of red felt, at least 15 x 20cm✱ 1 piece of white felt, 6 x 5cm✱ White embroidery thread ✱ 30cm of thin white rickrack ribbon✱ Scissors✱ Pen or pencil✱ Embroidery needle 1 Cut out the templates and transfer to the felt. Cut two red clog shapes, two red mittens and two white cuffs. For the embroidery, use only one strand. 2 With mock feather stitch and French knots, decorate the mitten on the front only and the clog on both sides. Follow the design in the photograph or create your own. You can draw with a pen on the felt to trace your design first if you want. For…
YOU WILL NEED ★ White card★ Pencil and scissors★ Red sewing thread★ Paper bags★ Red ribbon 1 Punch out hearts and stars from white card, using a large heart or star palm punch. Alternatively, you can draw and cut out your own Christmassy shapes and designs. 2 Using a sewing machine, select different stitches and then sew across each tag a few times. Have some fun designing the tags as you go along. Start with straight stitch, then move on to more complex ones like zigzag and embroidery (if your sewing machine has them). 3 Place your presents inside the paper bags, secure with ribbons and top with your handmade tags.…
Cookery Iced polar bear cake This striking but simple idea will amaze everyone, and there’s a clever trick to create edible ice shards. SERVES 18 PREP 1 hr, plus soaking COOK 4 hrs 30 mins ✱ 850g mixed dried fruit✱ 75g candied peel✱ 100g glacé cherries, washed, dried and chopped✱ 4tbsp brandy or rum, plus extra for soaking✱ 250g unsalted butter✱ 250g soft brown sugar✱ 4 medium eggs, beaten✱ 250g plain flour✱ 1tsp ground nutmeg✱ 1tsp mixed spice✱ 45g toasted flaked almonds✱ Zest 1 lemon✱ Zest 1 large orange✱ 2tbsp black treacle FOR THE ROYAL ICING AND DECORATION: ✱ 2tbsp apricot jam✱ 500g pack marzipan, rolled out to 5mm thickness✱ 45g egg whites✱ 300g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting✱ 200g pack Fox’s Glacier Mints✱ Blue food colouring YOU WILL…
Fab fizz Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Champagne, 75cl, £21.99, Aldi For something special, this fancy fizz offers exceptional value. With delicious biscuity aromas and a crisp finish, it’s the perfect celebration tipple, and also goes especially well with smoked salmon. Waitrose Prosecco, 75cl, £7.99, Waitrose & Partners A great all-rounder, this fruity Italian bubbly will serve you well for any occasion, whether it’s welcome drinks or breakfast mimosas. On the table Specially Selected Toscana Rosso, 75cl, £7.99, Aldi This elegant Italian red is bold and fruity with aromas of cherries and plums, as well as subtle flavours of spice, oak and vanilla. Remastered Fiano, 75cl, £8, Tesco Vibrant, crisp and refreshing with flavours of orange blossom and pear. This is a great pairing with Christmas dinner, in particular turkey. New…
