Innholdsfortegnelse for 9-Jul-2024 i Woman's Weekly

Before modern medicine, and Lloyd George’s creation of the old-age pension in 1908, as part of his radical new welfare state, people often used to have large families. When you were reliant on your children looking after you in old age, and so many young ones sadly died in their early years, I guess it was a sensible plan. For those same reasons, large families are still common in less-prosperous parts of the world, but become more unusual as affluence increases. So what was once quite commonplace now seems amazing. When I was younger, I knew someone who had 11 siblings, and she loved it. But see page 20 for a reader who had 15!…

My latest book and TV show are about encouraging less complicated cooking, using home-grown ingredients that celebrate Great Britain. Food waste is huge, so understanding produce and being able to use everything from it saves money, encourages cooking, and gets us to understand how to do different things. We all know how to cook a broccoli top, but a broccoli stalk is really crispy and crunchy. Doing things differently makes food exciting. The TV series involved me driving around in a big food truck – a 1959 Chevy converted to include ovens and a barbecue. It looked wonderful on camera, but driving it was a nightmare! Every now and again you had to pump the brakes before they actually worked, so emergency stops were terrifying. When I was driving, there…

Raspberry cheesecake blondies The brownie’s sweeter white-chocolate sister, a treat for all ages. MAKES 12 PREP 30 mins COOK 30-35 mins FOR THE COULIS ✱ 100g fresh raspberries✱ 20g caster sugar FOR THE BLONDIE ✱ 250g white chocolate, broken into chunks✱ 165g tub Philadelphia cream cheese✱ 3 medium free-range eggs✱ 200g caster sugar✱ 60g plain flour✱ 2tbsp freeze-dried raspberries✱ 75g white chocolate chips✱ 1tsp vanilla essence YOU WILL NEED ✱ 33x18cm tin, lined with baking paper 1 Heat the oven to 160C Fan/Gas 4. For the coulis, puree the berries and sugar until smooth, then press through a sieve to remove seeds. 2 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. When off the heat, mix through 125g of the cream cheese, reserving the…

Coping with LABYRINTHITIS This and vestibular neuritis are types of inner ear infection that affect your balance Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis are problems with different parts of the inner ear, needed for balance. Labyrinthitis is inflammation of a group of fluid-filled channels, while vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve. Men and women are equally affected, usually aged 30-60, often during spring and early summer. Both conditions are mostly caused by viral infections, such as colds or flu, so antibiotics won’t help. The symptoms of vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis are very similar, but if your hearing is affected, labyrinthitis is the cause because inflammation of the vestibular nerve doesn’t affect hearing. Vertigo typically worsens over the first few hours and reaches a peak during the first day, but then…

Granola, nectarine and ricotta parfait These little pots of deliciousness are perfect to offer guests at a brunch party as an alternative to a fat-laden fry-up. SERVES 4 READY IN 10 mins ✱ 150g plain sheep’s yogurt✱ 250g ricotta✱ 300g honey nut granola✱ 4 nectarines, pitted and sliced✱ 100g raspberries✱ 4tbsp (clear) honey, plus extra to drizzle 1 Put the yogurt and ricotta in a bowl and beat together until combined. Divide half the granola between 4 glasses, then layer some nectarine slices and raspberries on top of that. Spoon some of the yogurt mixture on top of that, then some honey. 2 Top with the remaining granola, followed by more nectarines and raspberries, saving a few for the top, then another spoonful or two of the yogurt mixture. 3…

‘Crispy’ dukkah-spiced chickpeas with tomato salad and yogurt The vegetable juices seep into the yogurty base to leave you with a delicious sauce. SERVES 2 as a main or 4 as a side READY IN 20 mins ✱ ½ cucumber, sliced lengthways, seeds removed✱ 150g tomatoes✱ Handful of Kalamata olives, pitted✱ 1 green chilli, finely sliced✱ Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon✱ 400g tin chickpeas, drained✱ About 150ml neutral oil for frying✱ Small handful each of dill, parsley and chive leaves, roughly chopped✱ 1 garlic clove, finely grated✱ 150g thick Greek yogurt✱ 3tbsp tahini✱ Challah bread, to serve FOR THE HAZELNUT DUKKAH ✱ 100g blanched hazelnuts✱ 50g pumpkin seeds✱ 3tbsp sesame seeds✱ 1tsp each of cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds✱ 2tsp dried thyme 1…

Frozen banana bark Satisfy your cravings with a fruit-filled goodie – it’s just perfect for an evening pick-me-up. SERVES 8-12 PREP 10 mins, plus freezing COOK 5 mins ✱ 3-4 bananas, cut into 1cm slices✱ 100g crunchy peanut butter, warmed✱ 180g pitted dates, halved✱ 150g dark chocolate (make sure it’s dairy free)✱ 2tbsp tahini✱ 1tsp toasted sesame seeds✱ ½tsp flaky salt YOU WILL NEED ✱ 25x20cm baking tray with a lip at each side, the base lined 1 Cover the base of the lined baking tray with the sliced banana, ensuring that they are touching. Evenly spread over the warmed peanut butter and top with the dates. Freeze for 1 hr. 2 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let the…

As the train pulled out of the station, Ruth opened the day’s local paper and turned to her favourite section – the ‘Meet-Cute’ column… To the gorgeous gal with the pink hair and Rolling Stones T-shirt. You got on at Hampton in Arden and rocked my world. Take you to a gig sometime? From the long-haired bloke in the Beatles tee. To the smartly dressed blond man on the 9.10am, carrying the Financial Times. You’re on the money for me! Coffee? The tall redhead in the light pink blazer. Ruth wrinkled her nose. Did people seriously respond to these ads? Were they even real? She wanted to think they were. She loved to create scenarios in her head where the couple got their happy ending after seeing their love story…

Books If I Were You by Cesca Major (£16.99, HB, HarperCollins) If walking in someone else’s shoes is really the only way to understand them, Amy and Flynn are about to get to know each other very well. Struck by lightning on their way to Amy’s sister’s extravagant wedding weekend, they switch bodies. Their two-year love affair was already faltering but when they’re thrust into the limelight of elaborate pre-wedding activities, will their out-of-body experience give them an understanding of the other’s perspective? As comical mishaps occur and past secrets surface, can Amy and Flynn’s relationship be salvaged – and will they ever return to their own bodies? The Orange House by Isabelle Broom (£8.99, PB, Hodder & Stoughton) Welcome to La Casa Naranja, an idyllic golden-walled bolthole in Majorca…

ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR You may be at a crossroads. Use your intuition to guide you towards your best choice. TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY Nothing is in your way now. Take action and each step of your journey will unfold in perfect synchronicity. GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN This is a great time for studying, reading, learning, writing and doing anything creative. Your mind will sizzle with new ideas. CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL Challenge yourself to break some routines this week. It’s time to do things differently and awaken a new you. LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG You may be contending with many demands from others, but it’s important to take care of yourself and your energy. Give yourself a treat! VIRGO…

WAKEHURST WONDERLAND Four fabulous open-air artworks are among the many reasons to visit Wakehurst, the West Sussex gardens that are managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This summer’s theme is Meadowlands, with wild flowers and meadows to enjoy. Wakehurst’s South Park will open its 40 acres for the first time, and there are Nature Heroes activities for children. Until 10 September. ✱ kew.org/wakehurst Field mice on the run With its long back legs, the field mouse is well adapted for leaping through rough grassland and woodland habitats. Unlike its house mouse cousins, it has a sandy coat and white tummy, and a tail as long as its body. Now, after a 45-year absence, 150 field mice have been reintroduced to Perivale Woods by the Selborne Society and Ealing Wildlife…

After a storm or high tide, beaches become littered with extraordinary gifts from the sea. Beachcombers can expect to find a mixed array of marine plant and animal material that normally lives in the water, washed up along the shoreline. Mermaid’s purses Keen-eyed explorers should look for the quirky egg cases of rays, skates, dogfish or small sharks, commonly referred to as mermaid’s purses. The leathery capsules that once contained an embryo wash up on beaches all year round once they are empty. Become a citizen scientist and report your find to sharktrust.org, which has been running The Great Eggcase Hunt since 2003 to monitor which egg-laying species are in our waters. SEA POTATO These strangely named little creatures are a type of sea urchin that normally lives buried beneath…

I’m run off my feet Q The organisation I work at hasa hiring freeze, as we’re not making enough money to support the workforce. I understand the logic but it means that those of us who are here are run off our feet. I get to work early, leave late and eat lunch at my desk. I’m exhausted and I can’t keep this up. Sarah, Chelmsford A Find a time when your manager isn’t rushed and ask to meet them to discuss it. Explain what has happened to your workload, with tangible and ideally measured examples. Tell them you are aware of why this is happening but it’s becoming more than you can manage. Ask them their thoughts and advice on how to deal with it. Say you…

Niçoise-style trout tray bake Swapping the tuna for heart-healthier and sustainable trout fillets means this simple dish packs a tasty and nutritious punch. SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 40 mins ✱ 750g baby new potatoes✱ 200g fine green beans, trimmed✱ 1 small carton (around 250g) slow-roast tomatoes, roughly chopped✱ 200g pitted black olives, such as Kalamata, drained and halved✱ 4 skin-on trout fillets (from the thick end)✱ 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil✱ 80g wild rocket✱ 80g baby spinach✱ 1 lemon✱ 2tsp Dijon mustard 1 Heat the oven to 220C Fan/Gas 9. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add 1tsp salt and the potatoes and simmer for 15 mins, adding the beans for the final 1 min of cooking time. Drain and lightly crush the potatoes, then…

‘Ratatouille’ orzo with sea bass My favourite way to prepare orzo – inspired by the flavour of ratatouille but paired with a bright sun-dried tomato dressing that just tastes like summer. SERVES 4 READY IN 35 mins ✱ 1 courgette✱ 1 red pepper, cored and deseeded✱ 1 yellow pepper, cored and deseeded✱ 1tsp olive oil, plus extra for the sea bass pan✱ 1tsp dried oregano✱ ½tsp garlic granules✱ Handful of basil leaves, chopped✱ 200g dried orzo✱ 80g feta cheese, crumbled✱ 1 red onion, very finely chopped✱ Handful of pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped✱ 150g cherry tomatoes, halved✱ 4 sea bass fillets FOR THE DRESSING ✱ 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil✱ Juice of 1 lemon✱ 1tbsp sun-dried tomato paste✱ 1tsp Dijon mustard✱ 2tsp honey 1 Heat oven to 200C Fan/Gas 7. Dice…

HABITAT NEXT IKEA…

MEASUREMENTS To fit bust 82-87 (92-97) (102-107) (112-117)cm/32-34 (36-38) (40-42) (44-46)in. Actual measurements 98 (108) (118) (128)cm/38½ (42½) (46½) (50½)in. Length to shoulder 49 (51) (53) (55)cm/19½ (20) (21) (21½)in. MATERIALS 3 (4) (4) (5) x 100g (230m) balls of King Cole Bamboo Cotton DK (50% cotton, 50% bamboo) in Fuchsia (536).* Pair each of 3.25mm (No. 10), 3.75mm (No. 9) and 4mm (No. 8) knitting needles; 3.75mm and 4mm circular needles for larger sizes; stitch holders. Yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk. TENSION 24 stitches and 32 rows to 10x10cm, over stocking stitch, using 4mm needles. ABBREVIATIONS K, knit; p, purl; patt, pattern; skpo, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over (to decrease 1 st); st(s), stitch(es); patt2tog, work 2 sts together in patt (to decrease 1 st). NOTES Yarn…

Wordwise You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words are allowed. There is one nine-letter word in the grid, for which the clue is: laxity. Average = 15 More than 25 = well done SUDOKU To solve this puzzle, fill in the grid so that each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column contains the numbers 1-9. LINKWORDS Fit 10 words into the grid so that each links with the end of the word on its left and the beginning of the one on the right. Then unscramble the letters in the shaded squares to make…

‘This is Olivia,’ said Mrs Beasley, winking at me as she did so. Well, I say winking – it might have been a twitch of some kind. Mrs B, who is the manager of our charity shop, is clearly not somebody who winks very often. She lacks the technique and the experience. Her wink was carried out in slow motion, and with her head to one side as if to say, ‘Look, I’m winking. I am hoping to convey some sort of secret message that probably won’t be clear until we’re on our own and I can explain.’ So it wasn’t until Olivia went to hang up her coat that Mrs B could explain. ‘Have you noticed?’ she said. ‘Olivia is a young person. Isn’t that marvellous?’ If you are…

Letter of the week Heavenly heights I greatly enjoyed reading the article about Lincoln in your 12 March issue. My mother, London born and bred, spent a year in the Lincolnshire village of Saxilby with her aunt, uncle and cousin, during World War One, in order to escape bombing raids in the capital. Every day, she and her cousin travelled by rail to school in Lincoln, through the seemingly endless flat countryside. About halfway through the journey, the train rounded a bend and a solitary hill would come into view. On top of this hill could be seen, in all its grandeur, Lincoln Cathedral. My mother kept this vision in her mind’s eye all her life. I am now 82, and have also, about 20 years ago, taken the same…

3 WAYS TO... Ease bunion pain 1 WEAR THE RIGHT SHOES Go for a wide fit with a low heel and soft sole. An arch support may help relieve pressure on the bunion. 2 USE ICE Hold an ice pack (or bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a tea towel on the bunion for up to five minutes, several times a day. 3 TRY CUSHIONING Bunion pads (available at chemists) can help prevent shoes from rubbing against your bunion. Painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, and losing weight if you’re overweight can also help. BEING ABLE TO TALK REALLY HELPED MY MENTAL HEALTH Harmeet Kaur, 41, is from Berkshire. I started struggling with my mental health at university when my father died. As the years progressed, I got married and had…

It is a French writer called Brillat-Savarin who was the inspiration for the phrase ‘We are what we eat’. But while he is perhaps largely forgotten, the saying has never been more true and widely understood. If we want to improve our wellbeing, our first stop should be to make sure we are putting the right food into our body – research suggests that there is no better way to improve our health. So, we’ve put together a comprehensive set of recipes to help you do just that. If you want food to help your heart, filling meals to eat on 5:2 diet fast days, low-cal sweet delights, great breakfasts and much, much more, read on. We hope you enjoy them.…

Red lentil soup This hearty soup is surprisingly filling and perfect for a low-calorie lunch. SERVES 3-4 PREP 15 mins COOK 15 mins ✱ 1 large onion, finely chopped✱ 1 large carrot, finely chopped✱ 1 stick celery, finely chopped✱ 1 garlic clove, crushed✱ 2cm piece ginger, grated✱ 2tsp curry powder✱ 1tsp cumin✱ 150g red split lentils✱ 1 vegetable stock cube✱ 3tbsp natural yogurt✱ ½ red onion, finely sliced✱ 50g cherry tomatoes, chopped✱ A few leaves of coriander to garnish, optional✱ Lemon wedges, to serve 1 Fry the onion, carrot and celery for 10 mins in 3tbsp water. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 mins. 2 Add the spices and lentils. Crumble in a stock cube with 800ml water, bring to the boil, then simmer for…

Strawberry and lemon pavlova A shop-bought lemon curd adds sherbety tang to a classic strawberry pavlova, perfect for a crowd. SERVES 8 PREP 20 mins, plus cooling COOK 1 hr 30 mins FOR THE MERINGUE ✱ 4 medium egg whites✱ 175g caster sugar✱ 1tsp white wine vinegar✱ 1tsp cornflour FOR THE TOPPING ✱ 4tbsp good-quality lemon curd✱ 400g 5%-fat Greek yogurt✱ 250g strawberries, hulled and quartered✱ Zest 1 lemon✱ 10g mint, leaves picked YOU WILL NEED ✱ Large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle 1 Heat the oven to 120C Fan/Gas 1. Draw a 23cm-diameter circle on a piece of baking paper. Turn it over and use it to line a baking sheet. Using an electric hand whisk, beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form…

Craft YOU WILL NEED ✱ 14x17in light blue cotton✱ 11x25in patterned cotton✱ Matching sewing thread✱ Fusible batting✱ 25cm black zip✱ Sewing machine✱ Zipper foot✱ Quilting ruler, rotary cutter and cutting mat✱ Hand-sewing needle (optional) STOCKISTS Moda Fabrics Bella Solids fabric in Blue Raspberry, £10m, Art Gallery Fabrics The Flower Society in Dreamlike Daisies, £15m, both The Fabric Fox; thefabricfox.co.uk NOTE Sew with right sides facing and ⅛in seam allowances throughout, unless stated otherwise. 1 From the plain cotton, cut eight 1¾in squares, one 4in square, two 2½x5½in rectangles, two 1¾x9¾in rectangles and one 8½x9¾in rectangle. 2 From the patterned cotton, cut one 3¼in square, four 2⅜in squares, two 7¾x8¾in rectangles, one 2in square and one 2x25in strip. From the fusible batting, cut two 8½x9¾in rectangles. 3 Make the sawtooth star…