I would like to make my own yogurt at home. &

Providing that the yoghurt is fresh and not pasteurized (the ones that can be kept without refrigeration), you will have a live culture. Buy a good quality yoghurt to start your batch and remember that you will have to do this on a regular basis. There are also the yoghurt-making machines which are excellent. The Moulinex one is superb. No more worries checking on temperatures, etc. Health food shops also sell live cultures for yoghurts. I make a very good yoghurt and I mix it with tablespoons of diet jam for variety. Nicer than the ones you purchase at the supermarket.

Thank you Gala - we've just made our first batch! As another first, we used a yoghurt-making machine - made by Severin - which we purchased from Amazon.it. We wanted to see how well Amazon did delivering to our hilltop town in Calabria. The package took only six days and we are very satisfied. I must try mixing the yoghurt with diet jam as you suggested - sounds very good. Ciao

Try to mix the yoghurt with mango diet jam. A real treat! The Séverin machine is very good also. So you made a good purchase. Also, with home made yoghurt you know that you are not using any nasty additive. Another idea, using one of those old fashioned coffee filters, drain the yoghurt overnight. You will get a very nice soft cheese to use on toast.

Lots of lovely ideas as ever Gala! Have you tried home made Cointreau ?

I'm afraid that I haven't tried home made Cointreau, although it would posibly be superb as it is the case with many liqueurs you make at home. Can you share a recipe?

Just the same as homemade limoncello-soak the orange zest in 96% alcohol (10 oranges to 1 litre ) and leave for a fortnight or more.Dissolve 500g sugar in 1 litre of boiling water . Strain the alcohol mixture into a bowl and add the sugar syrup. Add a little more water to dilute to taste.Filter and bottle. cin cin!