That was the month that was December plus the your favourite Recipes of 2024

This month I'm combining my look back at the month just gone with my annual round up of your favourite recipes of 2024 on recipes Made Easy and Only Crumbs Remain

Happy New Year

Can it really be 2025 already! I hope you all had a good Christmas. December is always a busy time for me and this year it will continue into the New Year with a mini-break to Budapest coming up. Christmas recipes never stand still, and every year our family menu gets tweaked and develops with different tastes and ingredients and cooking methods. This year, through December I went back, tested and rewrote a batch of old favourites to bring them up to date and accompany this year’s new recipes on both Recipes Made Easy and Only Crumbs Remain.

What I wasn’t expecting was to be hit with a stomach bug spreading through the family on the day before Christmas Eve, It was exceptionally virulent, and we had to cancel several Christmas gatherings at the last minute including Christmas day dinner - which will now have to be scheduled for the new year. As I am writing, we still have a house bursting with food not yet eaten, as we slowly think about cooking again.

As many of you know I’m in two choirs so there was a lot of festive singing during early December as well as eating, baking, drinking, and general catching up with friends and family from near and far, several staying with us. It was a lovely start to December and I was very busy right up to the moment I was struck down with the virus, and a very scaled down, and unusually quiet Christmas was hastily arranged.

After writing it, I realised the last newsletter was my 100th substack post which in itself is a milestone. December brought a flurry of new subscribers joining this month. Welcome, and I now have over 4,600 subscribers. I want to take this moment to thank you all sincerely for supporting Recipe Crumbs. It means so much to me and makes me feel honoured that you like to see the newsletter dropping into your inbox. I hope you continue to enjoy reading Recipe Crumbs and trying my recipes over the coming months. I have got much planned for the future months already.

I love to know if you make my recipes and I always try to answer your questions, though it may take a few days to get back to you. You can leave a comment on a recipe post (and rating my recipes gives a positive signal to Google which I always appreciate). You can also contact me on social media (@recipecrumbs) or email.

I am open to recipe requests from my subscribers so if there is a particular dish you would like a recipe for, then do let me know and I will see what I can do. I always test my recipes, first once they are written, and again when I photograph them so you can be sure they should always work, and the pictures you see are what I serve up at home

To kick off 2025, I’ve looked back at last year’s figures to share again the posts that were the most popular over the last 12 months.

I am looking forward to sharing many more recipes, both old and new, with you over the coming year and I will continue my monthly update of what is happening behind the scenes

I am taking a short break but will be back in your inbox in a couple of weeks. Until next time, eat delicious.

The Best of Only Crumbs Remain 2024

There was very little change in the top 10 posts for 2024 compared to the year before. My traditional Vanilla fudge remained the most popular for the 3rd year running with Easy chocolate buttercream remaining in the number two spot for a second year. with mainly a reshuffle of order with the other recipes.

My Bavarian slice dropped out of the top 10 and was replaced with a savoury bake, Easy Lavash Crackers. If you haven’t tried them before give them a try and see why they are so popular.

Popular new recipes included two new Christmas recipes Cranberry and White Chocolate cheesecake and Christmas pudding and Brandy sauce Ice Cream. My Tiramisu Swiss Roll time was very popular too, time will tell if they become all time favourites.

Tiramisu Swiss Roll

Only Crumbs Remain Top 10 Recipes 2024

• No 1 Traditional Vanilla Fudge No change

• No 2 Easy Chocolate Buttercream No change

• No 3 Easy No-Yeast Flat Breads +2

• No 4 Easter Biscuits -No Change

• No 5 Turkish Delight +3

• No 6 Homemade Trifle Sponges -3

• No 7 Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart -1

• No 8 Lemon Drizzle Olive Oil Cake -1

• No 9 How to make Perfect Vanilla Buttercream New entry

• No 10 Easy Lavash Crackers New entry

The Best of Recipes Made Easy 2024

There was more change in the top 10 posts for 2024 On Recipes Made Easy compared to the year before with 3 new entries. Preserving was popular last year as there are 4 preserves in the top 10 and my Easy Gooseberry Jam only just not in the top 10.

The number one spot is still taken by my Easy Tomato chutney for the 3rd year running and Roast Topside of Beef returned to the number 2 position.

My recipe collection of salads published in the summer was the most popular so far of my new posts.

Salad Days

Recipes Made Easy Top 10 Recipes 2023

• No 1 Easy Tomato Chutney No change

• No 2 Roast Top Side of Beef +2

• No 3 Easy Red Wine Jus No Change

• No 4 How to Make Marmalade New Entry

• No 5 Savoury Mince Cobbler +2

• No 6 Rich Fruit Cake -No Change

• No 7 Oven Baked Pork Schnitzel -2

• No 8 Asian Inspired Spicy Pork Mince - New Entry

• No 9 Apple Jelly -7

• No 10 Mr B's Award Winning Rhubarb Chutney - New Entry

Which recipes are your favourite? Let me know in the comments if you are reading directly on the substack platform or hit reply. I love to hear from my readers.