What is your favourite of all of Tolkien's works. I'm not as well-read as many Tolkien fans, but of the ones I've read, The Hobbit has always had a special place in my heart. I don't mind the inconsistencies with other parts of Tolkien's universe, stylistically and story wise I just love it.
How do you like to improve baked beans from a tin? I'm talking British heinz beans if that changes anything. I usually do a bit of Worcester sauce and mustard, or some curry powder, but I'd like to try something different.
Hi!
I'm currently in the process of planning a three month long backpacking trip starting in around March/ April 2027. I'm a 18 year old guy with some existing backpacking experience in Spain, Central Europe and the Balkans.
In line with my interests and budget, I've decided that my two main options would be Central Asia (a combination of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) or the Caucasus, as both offer budget travel a bit off the beaten track, great hiking and interesting cultures.
However, I'm struggling to decide between the two, and would love if anyone could offer some real-life insights, advice or comparisons based on their experiences of one or the other regions.
Any other advice or tips would also be appreciated. Thanks!
Do you guys think that in a pinch I could use mushy peas from a tin to replace a smashed minty peas I was planning. Its just for a weeknight dinner so no biggy if its not perfect but thought I had frozen peas when I didn't.
I'm serving salmon and sweet potato alongside, and was thinking about adding a bit of fresh mint into the mushy peas.
Thanks
Should I poach my bagels in plain water, or should I add anything to the water? I don't have barley malt extract unfortunately, which I know some people use. Thanks
Hi! My mother loves Spain and I'd love to make her a tapas board for her birthday coming up. The problem is, she is allergic to the allium family (onions, garlic, leeks etc) and doesnt eat meat, although she does eat fish. Does anyone have any ideas of some tapas options I could make for her that fit her dietary restrictions?
Thanks!
Ideas of a variation on the classic cheese and pickle. E.g. replacing one or the other without changing the fundamental idea of the sandwich. For example, replacing Branstons pickle with a different chutney. Hopefully I've explained it well enough lol
What do you all think is the best country for cheese in the world?
How would you elevate pesto pasta to turn it into a more complete and interesting meal? It can be adding a protein or other element, or simply flavour boosts.
Hello all. I wanted to pose a general question of how much you originally spent on backpacking gear when first starting. I'm talking tents, boots, backpacks, stoves etc.
I'm increasingly interested in taking backpacking/ hiking up as a hobby and would love to get an idea of how much I would need to spend, and what is deemed too much to spend.
Thanks!
Hi. I'm looking for advice on how to add a slight gingerbread vibe to sticky toffee pudding while still maintaining the integrity of the classic recipe. Thinking that I'll add a bit of diced stem ginger and some gingerbread spices, but I'm wondering how much stem ginger for a 25 by 25cm tin, and what approximate spice proportions.
Also, should I leave the sauce plain, or also make it gingery?
Those of you who sell your cakes:
How did you start?
How much do you sell for?
How good did you get before starting to sell?
How long before serving should I take a Victoria sandwich out of the fridge? It's got a whipped cream and lemon curd filling.
How long should I take my Victoria sandwich out of the fridge before serving? It's about 21 degrees in the house. Thanks!
How is the Andalusia region of Spain for hitchhiking? Anyone have any experience?
Two plain sponges with lemon zest, layered with mascarpone, lemon curd and fresh + freeze-dried raspberries. Very proud of how it looks and hopefully my brother likes it.
Hi! So I'm planning to bake a cake for my brother's birthday and this is the idea: plain sponge with lemon zest, lemon curd and a mascarpone/ cream filling.
​
I would appreciate any advice on whether to use mascarpone or whipped cream for the filling, or a mix of both, and whether anything else as an addition would be nice. An idea I had was raspberries. If so, would frozen (defrosted) work, or freeze-dried, or only fresh?
​
Also, how much lemon curd would be good to use? I'm gonna do two 20cm cakes split into two each, so four layers total.