Blog Posts by Vanessa Green

Ingredients:
Serves 4

• 15ml (1tbsp) golden syrup
• 15ml (1tbsp) black treacle
• 150g (5oz) butter, softened
• 25g (1oz) pecan nuts or walnuts
• 75g (3oz) self-raising flour
• 125g (4oz) caster sugar
• 2 large eggs

Directions:
1. Put the syrup, treacle and 25g (1oz) of the butter into a bowl and beat until smooth. Divide the mixture between four 150ml (1/4 pint) timbales or ramekins and set aside.

2. Finely process the nuts in a food processor. Place the nuts in a bowl, sift in the flour and mix together well.

3. Put the remaining butter and the caster sugar into a food processor and blend briefly. Add the beaten eggs and flour mixture; blend again for 30sec.

4. Spoon the sponge mixture into the timbales or ramekins, covering the syrup mixture on the bottom. Bake at 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 for 25–30min until risen and golden.

5. Remove the puddings from the oven and leave to rest for 5min, then unmould on to warmed serving plates. Serve immediately on its own or with cream or custard.

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Celebrate Pancake Day with a delicious helping of mouthwatering cherry pancakes.

Ingredients:

Serves 6

• 2 x 425g tins black cherries in syrup
• 1½tbsp cornflour
• 100g (3½oz) plain chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2tbsp golden syrup
• 3tbsp milk
•  6 ready-bought crêpes
• Good-quality vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Make the cherry sauce: put contents of cherry tins and cornflour into a pan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until syrupy - this should take about 5min. Set aside.

2. Make the chocolate sauce: put chocolate, syrup and milk into a separate pan and heat gently until melted and smooth. Alternatively, make the sauce in the microwave by putting the chocolate, syrup and milk into a microwave-safe bowl and heating on full power for 20sec bursts until smooth and glossy.

3. Heat crêpes according to the instructions on the packet. Fill each crêpe with a scoop or two of ice cream and some warmed cherries in syrup. Drizzle over chocolate sauce and serve immediately.

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Poor old Joan Collins came over all queer at an Oscars bash last week, and had to be whisked off in an ambulance. The culprit? Nothing more rock and roll than a tight dress — so tight, that it inhibited Joan's breathing and left her too faint to stay at the party.
 
Extreme, perhaps, but we've all done it. There's super tight pencil skirt that feels fine all morning, but after lunch become an agonizing tummy-tourniquet. The Herve Leger style sheath that hugs so neatly you ignore the fact that your breasts are bandaged down, and your breathing is scarily shallow. Not forgetting cheese-wire underwear, crippling heels and jeans so skinny you can barely sit down. 
 
The French have a saying  'Il faut souffrir pour être belle' (one must suffer to be beautiful), but surely wearing clothes that make us ill, or inhibit movement is a step too far? Doctors agree. There are real health risks associated with too tight clothing, many of them positively Victorian.
 
We may no longer lace ourselves into

Warm up with a delicious serving of creamy, rich and hearty mashed potatoes with this simple recipe.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 900g (2lb) floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward
• 125ml (4fl oz) full-fat milk
• 25g butter or a tablespoon of olive oil

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized chunks. Put in a pan of cold salted water to cover, then bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 mins until just tender. Test with a skewer or small knife. Drain well.

2. Return the potatoes to the pan and cover with a clean teatowel for 5mins. Alternatively warm the potatoes over a very low heat until all the moisture has evaporated.

3. Pour the milk into a small pan and bring to the boil. Pour onto the potatoes with the butter and season lightly with salt and black pepper.

4. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth, light and fluffy.

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Midweek pasta suppers

This fabulous Good Housekeeping recipe makes enough for a generous party bowl or serves four with mash and peas as a main course.

Ingredients:

• 30 cocktail sausages, about 400g (14oz)
• 2 tbsp hoi sin sauce
• 1tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 2tsp sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 C, gas mark 6 mark 6. In a small roasting tin, mix together all the ingredients.

2. Cook for 20-25min until sausages are cooked through. Leave to cool for 10min. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Sizzling sausage ideas
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Ask a model for beauty tips and she'll likely spout something about 'plenty of water and sleep.' Well, what did you expect? She's hardly going to say: great genes and being 18. But there's nothing like a backstage pass to fashion shows to discover the tricks of the trade: the inside knowledge you'd never find out otherwise. After weeks on the catwalk even models need a bit of help because: A) they're knackered - you'll see many a sleeping beauty backstage and B) they often turn-up caked in make-up and hair product from the show before, which the poor stylists have to work on top of. A bit like you, the morning after the night before. So, these are three secrets you should have up your sleeve.

1)   Facial massage

Much underrated, this is your fast track to glowing skin. Make-up artists revive peaky models with an express facial massage, while they apply moisturiser before foundation. You can do it yourself though — just warm a little facial oil between clean palms then sweep them up and

You know the workout drill: hours spent lurking by the busy treadmills only to think better of it and go for a "stretch" instead; stocking up on heaps of raw vegetables and fruit to snack on, and then leaving it all to rot in the fridge while you feast on the remains of your selection box.

It may not always be easy to get into shape, but rather than wasting your time reading endless diet forums and splashing your cash on a gym membership you'll never use, we've un-earthed a few deep dark secrets from those in the know. We've asked some well-known personal trainers, dieticians, and fitness experts to share a few of their most closely guarded secrets - some simple tricks that'll make the road to recoery quicker, easier and more effective.

Ditch the treadmill

If you thought that plugging in your iPod and pounding that belt was the fastest way to shed those pounds, think again. Kathryn Freeland, a personal trainer and founder of Absolute Fitness, has other ideas. "Exercising outside burns

This high-flavour classic soup recipe from House Beautiful magazine can be made easily at home – impressive at a dinner party and perfect as a midweek meal in a bowl.
Serves 6

Ingredients
50g (2oz) unsalted butter
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 large onions (about
1.2kg/2¾lbs), thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tbsp plain flour
1 litre (1¾ pints) beef or chicken stock
600ml (1 pint) dry white wine
1 fresh bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, or other white bread, sliced
175g (6oz) freshly grated Gruyère cheese

Directions
1. Put the butter and oil in a large saucepan and melt over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook over a low heat for 15-20min until soft.
2. Add the garlic and flour, and cook, stirring, for about 1min. Add the stock, wine, bay leaf and thyme. Season and bring to the boil. Boil for 1min, lower the heat and simmer very gently for 20min. Season to taste. At this point, the soup will be cooked, but standing time will improve its