LETTERS
IN CELEBRATION OF OUR 30TH BIRTHDAY, WE ASKED READERS TO SHARE MEMORIES OF THE MAGAZINE OVER THE DECADES…
Star letter
My husband Maurice and I, at 90 and 83 respectively, love cooking and experimenting with recipes, and although we have our favourites, we like to try something new at least once a week. We have also twice cooked our way through the alphabet of world countries, making dishes from each one. Your recipes are invaluable in helping us to do this. I have been buying the magazine since the first copy in 1993 and have had a subscription for some years – thank you for giving me so much pleasure over all these years.
WRITE IN TO WIN*
Our three star letter writers, Janet, Catia and Sarahmarie, each win a case of Soberano 5 Spanish Brandy, worth £90. A great drink for celebrating Father’s Day while reminiscing with loved ones about Spanish summer holidays. Serve it over ice.
*ENTRANTS MUST BE OVER 18. A FULL MAINLAND UK DELIVERY ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER MUST BE SUPPLIED
Worth £90
PARADISE FOUND
Thank you for a small travel article, published in 2015, about Castara Retreat in Tobago. We’d never considered a Caribbean holiday but it looked so enticing we booked it – and then fell in love with this piece of paradise. So much so, we are going back this year for our fifth visit! We’ve made some lovely friends from around the world with whom we are still in contact – all thanks to that article.
FILLING THE BOOKSHELVES
I never miss an issue! Some years ago I cleared out the first 10 years of magazines during a redecoration, but I still have shelves of copies from the last 20 years. The earliest I have is this issue (left) from November 2002.
Years of inspo
Every year I think I will give up my subscription, but my resolve fails with every issue. You could call me an addict. There’s lots to like in the magazine, but I do object to the prevalence of sweet things when obesity is such a nationwide problem. Also, while the holidays you describe in hotels up and down the country are wonderful, they are expensive and out of reach for pensioners like me. CAROLINE
I have tried quite a few of your recipes over the past 30 years, including an elaborate duck dish from years ago that was intended to be part of a New Year feast. As my husband and I both loved duck, I ignored the somewhat daunting list of ingredients and the quite involved preparation and cooking instructions, and gave it a go. My husband pronounced it a winner and I’ve made it ever since. Sadly, he passed away last year, so it’s unlikely I’ll make it again. However, it holds many good memories – so thank you for providing a recipe that gave us such pleasure.
30th BIRTHDAY ISSUE
Star letter
I’ve been collecting the magazine since October 1994. I love
