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Dining al fresco in the park on a red plaid sheet with a basket full of fresh French bagels, jam, a selection of cheeses and a few glasses of vino: The simple pleasures! PICNIC is an original hand drawn and silkscreen printed illustration by Mengsel which for me encapsulates the joys of English summers.

Leeds is laying out a smorgasbord of tasty bites for foodies of the north in their festival from 25th - 27th May. Enjoy a whole host of events and offers from Create, as part of the Leeds Loves Food festival this year. Catch their talented chefs live on stage at the Theatre Kitchen at 4pm on Saturday 26th May, or why not book onto the'Create Loves Food Quiz' for a morning of foodie fun? You can also find out how to make the perfect Yorkshire afternoon tea or pick up a signed copy of Brian Turners lastest recipe book. For a full list of events and times head on over to the festivals site:

http://www.leedslovesfood.com

It may be rainy and grey but we have some news that may make you smile: it's National Chocolate Chip Day! Hoorah! Have all those childhood memories come flooding back yet?

So first a fun fact and then a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe to mark the occasion.

Chocolate chips were invented in 1933 when Ruth Graves Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in the town of Whitman, Massachusetts added cut-up chunks of a semi-sweet Nestlé chocolate bar to a cookie recipe. 

Simple but perfect chocolate chip cookies:

 Ingredients:

• 350g of flour

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 225g butter

• 175g caster sugar

• 175g brown sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 350g chocolate chips

   

  Let's Bake:

  Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

  In a bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt.

  In a second bowl, mix the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in the eggs. Slowly beat in the flour mixture & then stir in the star of the show, the chocolate chips!

  Halve the dough and roll them into sausages. Cut them into 2cm thick slices and place on a baking tray. Let everyone know they were lovingly made by your fair hands by stamping each cookie with the "Home Made" stamp from GettingPersonal.co.uk.

  Leave plenty of space inbetween the cookies as they will expand when they cook.

  Bake for 9-11 minutes.

  Devour with a glass of cold milk!

   

OR if you're feeling lazy and indulgent you could use Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix from Prezzybox. It makes chocolate cookies with creamy Belgian milk and white chocolate chips, making this product a dream for any chocoholic. 

If like me your love for Jamie Oliver has been fully rekindled after watching only a few minutes of Jamie's Great Britain, then you MUST get down to the ExCel centre this weekend!

Prepare for the festive season and treat yourself to an indulgent and entertaining day out. Discover a world of food and drink, and learn from the best in the business with chef appearances from Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Rachel Allen, Gary Rhodes, Eric Lanlard, Michel Roux Jr. and many more. 

Enjoy seasonal menus from some of the capital's top restaurants,and polish your holiday entertaining ideas at the wine and cheese matching, beer or chocolate tastings.

For tickets, visit tasteofchristmas.com or call 0871 230 7132

In the summertime, it's hard to know how to take out baby food for fear of it getting hot and those pesky germs spoiling it or, even worse, your baby getting poorly. At the same time, you don’t want to take out frozen food in case it doesn’t thaw in time.  The Philips Avent Feeding on-the-go Bag lets you take up to four pots of chilled food and the bag keeps it cool for up to four hours.

It has a handy long strap so you can hook it over the buggy, or remove it if you want to pop it into your changing bag.

This bag is a summer essential!

£12.25

www.philips.co.uk

The Baby Food Ricer from Oxo Tot makes feeding time a breeze. This great gadget gives many options when preparing homemade foods for the little ones. Simply squeeze the non-slip handles to make finely mashed potatoes, squash and more.

Perfect for creating healthy options for baby at mealtimes and introducing little ones to new tastes and textures. Find it on the VUP Baby website.

www.vupbaby.co.uk

£15.00

No unfortunetly I bring not news of a miracle new concept, but rather a brain twistingly intricate puzzle based entirely upon the traditional Chinese Takeaway. This epic jigsaw will keep you amused for hours on end as you puzzle your way through noodles and beansprouts. The purse friendly price point and cute presentation box also makes it the ideal small gift for any pal that enjoys a tasty spot of mental aerobics.

£7.99 on www.totallyfunky.co.uk