Happy New Year! Wishing everyone who reads this blog a great year ahead. I hope you had a fabulous night celebrating last night, whether you were out at a party or at home. I watched the fireworks in London at midnight in bed. 🙂
Although I started this blog in August 2013, January 2014 was when I started posting regularly, and so January 2016 marks the blog’s 2nd birthday, which doesn’t really seem possible! I am not sure where the time has gone. This year I have tried to work on my blog photography and am now using a DSLR camera for most of my photos. I have also started working with brands both to produce recipes and for product reviews.
As is customary, in this Year in Review I am looking back at my favourite recipes of the past year, and finding out which were the most popular recipes this year with my readers.
My Favourite Recipes
I was pleased with my Creme Egg Chocolate Ganache Tart, which was featured in Metro in a roundup of Creme Egg creations.
I took a bread-making class with Blackbird Bread in the spring, and experimented a bit more with bread and dough. My Marzipan and Pistachio Cardamom Buns were delicious and well worth the effort of making your own dough.
My Slow Cooker Chicken Pasanda was tasty and it is a meal I have made many times since, and is very popular with my family.
Most Popular Recipes in 2015
My most viewed recipe is still my slow cooker aero cake, but this year there are some savoury slow cooker recipes in there too!
- Slow cooker chocolate and Mint Aero Bubble cake
- Slow cooker zebra cake
- Banana and Nutella cake
- Slow cooker chicken saag curry
- Slow cooker chicken pasanda
- Lighter slow cooker lasagne
- Slow cooker peanut swirl brownies
- Slow cooker white chocolate, pistachio and raspberry fudge
- Slow cooker pork, leek and apple casserole
- Slow cooker giant chocolate chip and sultana cookie
Highlights of 2015
- I was delighted to be featured in the Vuelio Baking Blogs UK Top 10 published in December. I am not quite sure how that happened!
- I was also delighted to move into top 100 of the Foodies 100 UK Food Blogs index in 2015.
- Meeting many of my blogging friends at Food Blogger Connect in September was lovely and I appreciate all their support and advice this year, in particular Helen from Fuss Free Flavours, Jac from Tinned Tomatoes, Camilla from Fab Food 4 All and Sarah from Maison Cupcake, but also many others!
- I was so pleased to be asked to co-host the Slow Cooked Challenge with Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen.
- It was lovely to see the entries into the Perfecting Patisserie challenge which I started this year.
- I had great fun taking part in the Great Bloggers Bake-Off with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps.
Thank you for reading, I appreciate all the comments on my blog from readers and fellow bloggers, and am looking forward to what 2016 brings. Perhaps one of the top ten most popular recipes will inspire you to get cooking or baking. Let me know if there are any recipes you’d like to see on the blog and I will do my best!
Cathy @ Planet Veggie says
That Creme Egg chocolate ganache tart looks amazing! I’m averting my eyes until Veganuary’s over though 😉
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed says
What a fab year you’ve had Lucy, congratulations. Love your round up, especially the creme egg tart. All the best for 2016, Sarah x
bakingqueen74 says
Thank you very much Sarah, look forward to your posts in 2016 x
Foodie Quine (@foodiequine) says
A great round up. I love my slow cookers but bar rice pudding have never cooked anything sweet in them. Perhaps 2016 will be the year I give it a go.
bakingqueen74 says
You have to Claire! 😀
efwalt says
Wow! I had no idea you were featured in the Metro! I completely missed that but well done that really is awesome. I always love seeing your slow cooker recipes. We do the same old thing with ours and I must make a conscious effort to give more of your recipes a go. I think I will be starting with that passanda…
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Emma! I always like trying new things so we don’t always have the same, though we do have a regular rota of old faves of course.
Elizabeth says
What a fantastic year it’s been, here’s to 2016 and even more foodie adventures!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Elizabeth, looking forward to another year!
Eb Gargano says
Happy New Year! Really enjoyed reading your roundup – that cream egg tart does look truly fabulous!! Hope you have a great 2016. Eb x
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks so much Eb, I loved your roundup too, didn’t know you only started blogging this year!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Lucy! That’s the best compliment!! x
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
Happy new year and all the success for 2016! 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Jemma, happy new year!
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Happy New Year Lucy! You certainly sound to have had a great blogging year, especially being listed in the Vuelio top 10! Well done you 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Happy new year Angela, and thanks so much!
Sarah says
Happy new year lucy! Those peanut swirl brownies look delish. 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Happy new year Sarah! Baking a lot is bad for the diet, I must start blogging salads occasionally or something.
Kitty Kaos (@kellykaos) says
so many yummy things!! I need to come back more often to improve my baking xx
Miss Kitty Kaos – Adventures Of A Riot Grrrl
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks for dropping in! 🙂
knattster says
Yay! Happy New Year and here’s to another year of blogging 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Tracy, and to you!