Nothing gets a party started like a big bowl of delicious rum punch! I've teamed up with The Duppy Share, an award-winning blend of two complementary Caribbean rums and aged in oak bourbon casks, to bring you some festive rum punch recipes in the lead up to Christmas celebration. Mix up a bowl before people arrive then relax and enjoy a drop of punch with your guests.

We begin with the zesty Duppy St Clements which couldn't be easier to make:

One of the wonderful elements of Autumn is the abundant squashes and pumpkins. Roasted to perfection these vegetables live and breathe warm, cosy nights wrapped up with furry slippers on. This Butternut Squash Hummus is the perfect accompaniment for Moroccan and Persian dishes or served as a starter or snack with fine crackers. For this recipe it is preferable to roast your squash for a deep, rich flavour.

Having recently moved we are on the hunt for a new kitchen, after all I spend most of my time in that room of the house, but with a new kitchen usually comes a huge price tag. Here are my top tips on how you can give your kitchen a makeover without breaking the bank.

The kids and I have been enjoying this year’s series of The Great British Bake Off. E in particular is absorbing so much cooking knowledge and really becoming interested in what’s going on in our kitchen. But this week’s episode has left me concerned with the direction the series is going. Is watching someone (a very lovely, sweet lady) reduced to tears while being scolded by Paul because their Danish pastries should have been in the oven for another 2minutes really entertainment?

Nothing pleases my kids more than pasta. Except maybe muffins. Hang on, what if we could combine the two...  This recipe from Mr Organic is certainly a crowd pleaser and is super easy to make for snacks, lunchboxes and parties. Plus, don't tell the kids, it is packed with hidden veggies!

There are lost of pluses to self-catering holidays with kids including more space, flexibility and perhaps even your own pool, but the downside that you need to cook and do it with limited equipment.  Here are 5 meal ideas for self-catering holidays with kids that are quick and use minimal pots and pans.  They are tried and tested by my 4 very fussy little people.

Last week I was challenged to feed my family of 4 for £50 for the week. I accepted the challenge but instead of going to a low cost supermarket like Lidl or Aldi I attempted to try the challenge using my usual Tesco home delivery service. For me food shopping is a chore I hate so having it delivered to my door (in fact right into my kitchen) is brilliant, plus i am able to keep track of how much I am spending rather than chucking it all in the basket and hoping for the best at the till.

So how did I do...

The kids are away over the Bank Holiday so Husband and I are making the most of it with multiple trips to the cinema and a cheeky cocktail!

This week’s meal plan is a little different because I’ve been challenged to try and feed my family for 4 for a week for £50. Sound impossible? Well it certain is a challenge for me but I'm going to give it a go this week and here's a run down of how I plan to do it...

Wow! Monday again! Hope you are having a great ban holiday in the sunshine. Last week's menu went really well and we actually stuck to it. This week I'm trying to run down the freezer so I'll be using up lots of leftovers. I'm getting a bit bored of repeating the same recipes so after the clear out I'm looking forward to trying some new dishes.

Here's this week's meal plan: