Like most of the country we saw the first snow flurries of the year today. It settled quickly and although I’d planned to head into Norwich, being housebound meant I could enjoy the wintery weather…although I’m not sure how well the celery in the veg beds took to it.

It was also the first time the two dogs had experienced snow. As soon as the back door opened they were off, manically tearing about and licking the snow. I’ve never seen them so full of energy. The Labrador was relishing the coolness of the water in the pond, jumping in and out of the ice-clad waters.

The snow didn’t last for long, a mild westerly wind soon put pay to the snow and it became slush pretty quickly. But, the dogs still enjoyed it for most of the afternoon.

Making the most of a day indoors, I put my first batch of marmalade to a taste test on homemade soda bread. Yesterday I spent around four hours making my first batch of Seville orange marmalade and the family was impressed with the results. It spread evenly (more so than last year’s attempt) and had a good balance of bitterness and sweetness. But then I am biased, so will ensure the marmalade travels far and wide for a more impartial evaluation…tasters step forward!