Winter Warmers

Did you know you can design your own gift box? We have a Start from Scratch menu so you can put exactly what you want together from our website, and if you don't see what you're looking for, just contact us and we'll be only to happy to help.

These new velvet wheat bags are the business. Just inhaling their scent in the office is amazing and they're so nice to touch. Just the thing for winter in mustard, blush or green...happy days.

And now for a recipe. This one is for when the pants are feeling tight and a bit of high fibre is called for to, well err... to flush the system out shall we say! Take a break from the Chocolate Thins and try these surprisingly addictive Oatmeal Biscuits. Dark brown sugar provides the extra minerals from molasses - magnesium, iron and calcium - so you'll feel better too!

The dough is rolled into a log which you can store in the fridge or freezer so you can bake as many as you want at a time. Makes 25.

Ingredients:

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate soda

¼ cup medium oatmeal

¼ cup natural wheat bran

½ cup dark cane brown sugar 

50g reduced-salt margarine

4 tablespoons milk

Method:

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a mixing bowl, tipping in any bran left in the sieve. Add the oatmeal, bran and sugar, and mix well to combine.

Add the margarine and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 3 tablespoons of milk to start with and stir in to form a soft dough. If it feels too dry then add another tablespoon of milk.

Turn on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log roughly 25cm long (I like to pat mine into square). Wrap the plastic around the log firmly, smoothing out any wrinkles and bumps. Twist the ends of the plastic to seal it all together and chill for 30 minutes. It will keep for 4 days in the fridge or else freeze it.

Preheat the oven to 175 celsius. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, unwrap the dough and use a sharp knife to cut slices 1cm thick. Lay the dough slices on it and bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool before storing in an airtight container. Lovely with a cup of tea and not bad with cheese and quince jelly!