Thick, chewy, fudgy brownies with generous chocolate icing are enticing enough to have me eating these Lunch Lady Brownies for dinner. 

This post was originally published eight years ago. I remade these brownies earlier this year while thinking about my friend Joan. I reshot them at the time, knowing that I wanted to share this post again on the 8th anniversary of her passing.

Chocolate for Joan

My chocolate-loving friend Joan would most definitely approve of eating brownies for dinner! This Lunch Lady Brownie recipe is one of hers that has become a family favorite for us as well.

Joan passed away unexpectedly on October 22, 2015. While crying and grieving the next day, I decided to bake in memory of her. I spent that weekend making many of her favorites and then shared the sweets with friends.

Joan was passionate about her desserts and I imagine that she would have gotten a kick out of being remembered with an abundance of chocolate.

Lunch Lady Brownies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make the brownies:

• butter
• cocoa
• light brown sugar
• white sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour

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Watermelon dog treats are the ultimate dog popsicles – and best of all it only takes a minute to make them. They’re a great way to use up leftover watermelon too!

Happy 4th Gotcha Day, Oscar. We love you and we’re celebrating with your favorite Watermelon Dog Treats today.

It’s hard to believe that our sweet Oscar has been with us for four years now! It’s hard to imagine our lives without him.

After saying for so many years that I wasn’t a dog person, I’ve had to eat those words. He has very much become a member of our family and I love him dearly.

So many of you have shared in our excitement over the past few years, as we’ve become first-time dog owners.

You messaged me countless tips and endless advice and I’ve loved it all. So, I wanted to share our pup’s favorite treats with you.

Dog Popsicles

Several people sent me recipes for their favorite homemade dog treats when Oscar first arrived. The most popular treats by far were these watermelon dog treats – made simply by blending fruit with a bit of yogurt to make dog popsicles.

This combination has become Oscar’s favorite treat too. It cracks me up when he hovers near the freezer and peeks inside to see where the treats are.

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A wellbeing ritual favoured by the Victorians might just be the answer to our 21st-century ‘nervous ailments’...

I daydream, sometimes, about the sea. It’s not far from my house, but always feels like it’s somewhere foreign and exhilarating whenever I act on the urge to hear the waves crashing. Just being able to see the horizon, and take in the shifting shades of blue, grey, and green, brings me a calmness. It restores me, even if for just a few moments before the children’s demands for ice cream, chips, or a toilet visit bring me back to reality.

A close friend and I donned every layer we owned and wrapped our young daughters up to collect pebbles on the beach all through last winter. We couldn’t feel our noses or toes in the bitter, salty air, but we breathed it in and came back to our cars with burning cheeks, tired babies, and soaring souls. School and work have kicked in now, and so our trips are sporadic. But we reminisce and talk about why we needed it at that time. As my friend said: “I wanted to be witness to something that was bigger than me – the sea – and to gain perspective after an overwhelming period of our lives.”

The restorative virtues of the seaside have been praised for years, even before the mid-1800s when the first trains trundled from smoky London to the open horizons and pebbly beaches at Brighton. It was a whole century before this that the concept of moving from one place to another for your health had started gaining traction in Europe, where a ‘change of air’ was prescribed for patients suffering from ‘nervous ailments’.

By the Victorian era, the idea was widely accepted, and different locations gained favour for the treatment of different illnesses. These were both physical and mental maladies, including the illnesses collectively called consumption, of which tuberculosis was one of the most deadly. Trips to the Alps, though, for its clean, crisp air would only have been possible for the wealthy few.

There were, however, people trying to open up green spaces for everyone, as understanding deepened about the spread of diseases. Helen Antrobus is the assistant national curator for cultural landscapes at the National Trust. She explains: “It was generally understood that coal and smoke-filled air could be damaging to the lungs, and in the mid-19th century the belief that water-borne diseases, like cholera, were air-borne still prevailed. You can understand, then, why accessing clean air was so important. For the rich, accessing new climates abroad for health benefits was easily attainable, but not so much for those working and living in dire conditions.”

The Public Parks movement – which regulated holidays for workers and cheap railways – as well as the work of Octavia Hill and the other co-founders of the National Trust, gave people access to green spaces, both nearby and beyond. Helen adds that Octavia Hill advocated for pockets of green space, playgrounds for her tenants, and outdoor ‘living rooms’ for the urban poor.

This was a time when factories belched pollution above cramped, cobbled streets, and so a ‘change of air’ for the majority meant seeking out

Knowing how to nourish and support your body throughout your menstrual cycle could make the world of difference. Here, expert columnist Claudine Thornhill reveals how you can go with the natural flow of yours

Many aspects of a woman’s life are defined by cycles; nothing more so than her menstrual cycle. While the menstrual cycle can range from anywhere between every 21 to 35 days, there’s also a cycle within it, which, much like the moon phases and the seasons, is split into four phases. Many people have seen and felt the benefits of living and eating in sync with the natural rhythm of their cycles – want to try for yourself? Here I’ll break down why and how to do it.

The menstrual phase

Assuming day one is the first day of your period, this phase happens on days one through five of the cycle. Many will experience low energy and a decrease in motivation around this time due low oestrogen and progesterone.

To replenish the body, mineral-rich foods such as bone broths, red meat, and seafood for iron and zinc, along with comforting foods like soups and stews, are helpful. Since ginger is antispasmodic, ginger tea can be a helpful pain reliever for those with cramps.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not like that woman in the commercials who is happily cycling through lush green fields at this time. Gentle movement such as walking, light weight training, yoga, or pilates is preferable to anything too strenuous or high energy.

The follicular phase

This phase includes the menstrual phase through to ovulation.

Diet-wise, women can consume iron and magnesium-rich green vegetables, such as spring greens, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Vitamin C foods, such as lemons, oranges, and limes, support detoxification and increase the absorption of iron foods, while nettle tea supports hormone balance. Eggs and lean protein will support egg quality, and fermented foods such as tempeh, kimchi, yoghurt, and miso will provide gut-supporting probiotics.

Once menstruation is over, energy starts to rise and cardio, as well as weight training with heavier weights feels more doable, and since this period leads up to ovulation, a time when a woman is most fertile, it is an ideal time to connect with our creativity, whether it be singing, dancing, or trying something new to move the body in different ways.

The ovulatory phase

This is a brief period of three to five days around the middle of the cycle. Generally, your energy (and libido) will be its highest during this phase.

During both the follicular and ovulatory phases, oestrogen is rising and there may be a desire to eat lighter and leaner foods. Nutrient-dense raw fruits and veggies will provide fibre, and continuing to eat fermented foods will support gut health, which is essential for menstrual health. Avocados, salmon, and chia seeds provide the healthy fats required to balance hormones. At this phase, light grains such as quinoa and couscous are preferred over dense carbs.

Since energy is at its peak at this time, this is the moment to get those high intensity and cardio workouts in, which will also help to balance oestrogen lev

A closer connection between those across the spectrum of life could hold some magnificent opportunities for all involved. Let’s explore the power of intergenerational living…

How many people do you regularly interact with who are of a different age to you, another generation? Now take away your close friends and family, does that change things?

In reality, apart from maybe someone we work with, or say hello to in the supermarket, many of us only have fleeting moments, rather than deep connections, with people of differing ages and stages of life.

But, why is this so important? Diversity is critical to our wellbeing, offering new perspectives, insight, and even improving our creativity! And intergenerational relationships contribute greatly to this. They go far beyond befriending and volunteering, both of which are still beneficial, but encompass learning, laughing, teaching, supporting, and really experiencing life together.

With so many wide-ranging benefits of intergenerational relationships – socially, mentally, and emotionally – I’d like to celebrate and share some of the ways that they can help you to thrive, and invite you to get involved, too.

A new age

One of the best ways to connect more deeply with other generations is by getting involved in your community – and learning from the range of characters you’ll meet there. Some incredible initiatives have launched over the years, including Food for Life which hosts local events, from cook-a-longs to teaching people how to grow their own food, for people of all ages and backgrounds. Plus, the Eden Project organises a ‘month of community’ in June, inviting people to get together to celebrate friendship, food, and fun with their neighbours.

It doesn’t stop there though. We constantly hear about the care needs of older adults and issues of social isolation. But it’s become apparent, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, that despite young people having access to large social media channels, they suffer social isolation as much as older adults. Depression and anxiety are not confined to the young either.

The Office of National Statistics estimates that approximately 67 million people live in the UK, and that 18.6% are over the age of 65. By 2041, that figure is set to increase to 26%. At the same time, the increasing cost of living, and various other challenges, means that larger numbers of young people are still living at home. Could there be a way for these parties to support one another, and address the issues of loneliness at the same time?

If we see age merely as a differentiator, we’re pigeon-holing ourselves. It doesn’t fit the 70-year-old motorcyclist or gig-goer, or the teenage baking or cross-stitch enthusiast. It simply gets us trapped in stereotypes, and limits our opportunities to connect – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Breaking the mould

Drawing together different groups in society has a wealth of benefits, which initiatives like