We apologise for this break in service

Hello all! It's been a while since I last spoke to you all - for those of you that don't know me well, I'm a  journalist in Aberdeen, so last week's events understandably got in the way. However I have still been pottering in a crafty fashion, so without further ado.....

Nigella's Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

This was part of my Time for Tea swap and it's a doddle to make! You simply melt down 350g of good dark chocolate (70% ideally) with some butter, add a tin of condensed milk, 100g of bashed up pistachios (get the shelled ones please, I didn't the first time and it took forever!) smooth into a foil roasting tin and chill until set, then cut up into small pieces.

Next, I proudly present Fifteens! These are a Northern Ireland thing as far as I know - certainly one mouthful sends me straight back in time. You need 15 digestive biscuits, 15 marshmallows, 15 glace cherries, a tin of condensed milk and some dessicated coconut. I changed things slightly, swapping cranberries for cherries (which I don't like) and used mini marshmallows as that's what I had in the house. However in the usual run of things you chop up the cherries and marshmallows, add these to the crushed biscuits and use the condensed milk to bind the mixture together. You won't need an entire tin - I really judge by eye once the whole mixture has come together. Then you place it on a clean surface - spread with coconut - and shape it into a log. Wrap it in clingfilm, chill in the fridge and cut into slices when set.

These are not the neatest example - it's been so long since I made them I forgot a few of the steps. Still taste fab though!

I have also been up to another project - using inspiration from two of the blogs I read - and I am incredibly excited as a friend is going to lend me her sewing machine so I can play about with it and see if I want one of my own!!!!