Freckled Kirsty

Breastfeeding is a topic which many people feel very passionately about, and when you are a new mother countless people offer advice, opinions and their own stories. This isn't always helpful though, and as a first time mum it can be slightly overwhelming, especially when advice is quite frequently contradictory or just doesn't fit your own situation. When you look at the statistics for breastfeeding in the UK you can see we as a country fall far behind the rest of the world (stats taken from Unicef 2010 survey): E xclusive breastfeeding at six weeks was 24% in England, a cross the UK, at three months, the number of mothers breastfeeding exclusively was 17% and at four months, it was 12%. However, exclusive breastfeeding at six months remains at around 1%. Rates of ‘any breastfeeding’ at six weeks was 55%, while at six months they were 34%. My daughter is just about to hit the six month mark, and I fall into the 'any breastfeeding' category. Pre-baby I was conv

With the start of September, Autumn is just round the corner meaning a return to cosy jumpers, richer foods and in baking terms warmer flavours. Apples, spices and autumn go hand in hand so today I have whipped up some spiced apple cupcakes. This is basically a two pot recipe and very quick to make, handy when you are having to fit baking around baby naps! Ingredients 135g dark muscovado sugar 65g caster sugar 115g melted butter 2 large eggs 80ml whole milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 200g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 large apple peeled and chopped, I used a cooking apple which gives a slightly tart taste to offset the sweetness of the cakes 1 portion of caramel, either from the tin or home made. Method Preheat your oven to 180/ 170 degrees fan assisted. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases and put aside. Mix together the butter and sugars until well combined. Whisk the eggs in, one at a time