Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews & great stuff to do
10 GREAT MOOD-LIFTING THINGS TO DO ON A WINTER’S DAY
BUILD a snowman, have a snowball fight or go tobogganing – if January does its worst (or best, depending on how you look at it!)
WALK on a beach or take a long frosty walk on a sunny morning in the country BUY a Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) and put in a pot by the front door MAKE buttered rum – see deliciousmagazine.co.uk for a recipe WASSAIL on 5 or 17 January (the new and the old Twelfth Night). Find a directory of events at tradfolk.co/customs/wassailing/where-to-wassail-this-year BOOK lunch in a cosy pub (see overleaf) INVEST in a new board game (our top choice: Codenames) BAKE bread. Kneading dough is therapeutic, the smell of bread baking is second to none – and eating the finished loaf is even better MAKE a batch of hot, tongue-tingling chilli oil – see p56 for the recipe READ a good book by the fire (see our list of the best reads of 2022 at deliciousmagazine.co.uk)
HOT BOTTLES
Wake up your palate after the riches of Christmas: online hot sauce club Bauce Brothers – which champions small batch UK makers through its shop and subscriptions – has announced its Sauce Awards winners (right), judged by chilli experts including chef James Cochran. Order the winning bundle for £34.99 from baucebrothers.com
AND THE SAUCY WINNERS ARE…
BEST FERMENT Louisiana Hot Sauce by Common Sanity BEST CLASSICO Original Reaper by Shots Fired Hot Sauce BEST COLLAB Smokey Maple Mustard Hotsauce by Lou’s Brews and V-REV BEST WILD CARD Naga Viper, Chinese Plum & Raspberry Chilli Sauce by DevilDog Sauces BEST CALIENTE Fiery Naga & Scotch Bonnet Smokin’ Hot Sauce by Kickin’ Chilli
On your marks, get set... book!
You can’t get better than Bake Off for cosy family viewing… But did you know the show is landing in the West End as a new comedy musical infused with GBBO’s signature charms? It’s an inside-the-tent look at a new batch of contestants and promises sweet storytelling, original songs – and an eerily familiar-looking judging duo. If you watch the TV series for the camaraderie as much as the cakes, this might be for you. 25 Feb to 13 May, Noël Coward Theatre, tickets from £42.75; delfontmackintosh.co.uk →
PUB OF THE MONTH THE BELL, BRISLEY, NORFOLK
PUBBY CREDS If ever there were a spot to make a beeline for on a mizzly January day, the Bell is it. Our visit was an impromptu one on a Friday with old friends who live nearby. There was a chill in the air, and walking into such a golden-glow setting, fires crackling in inglenook fireplaces, was a fine antidote to the howling gale o
