Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott + Giveaway

 Join Us for This Tour:  October 12 to Nov 1, 2021

 

Book Details:

Book Title:  Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott
Category:  Adult Fiction 18+, 380 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:  No Shooz Publishing
Release Date: October 2021
Tour dates: October 12 to November 1
Content Rating:  PG13 + M

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Get ready to escape with the page-turning new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Cornish Summer

'Leaves you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart' MILLY JOHNSON

'Catherine Alliott at her very best' 5***** READER REVIEW

'Packed with fantastic characters, uncomfortable truths, and flashes of pure comedy. Who could ask for more?' JILL MANSELL

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Book Description:
​
From the outside, anyone would think that Lucy Palmer has it all: loving children, a dashing husband and a gorgeous home.

But when her marriage to Michael comes to an abrupt and unexpected end, her life is turned upside down in a flash.

As the truth of her marriage threatens to surface, Lucy seizes the opportunity to swap her house in London - and the stories it hides - for a rural escape to her parents' farmhouse in the Chilterns.

But Lucy gets more than she bargained for when she moves back to her childhood home, especially when it throws her into the path of an old flame.

Coming face-to-face with her mistakes, Lucy is forced to confront the secrets she's been keeping from herself and those she loves.

​Is she ready to let someone in? Or will she leave the door to her past firmly closed . . .

Buy the Book

Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK

The Book Depository ~ Waterstones

​add to goodreads

Meet the Author:
​
Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book - but after three - stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in notebooks, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

​All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America.

Connect with the Author:  website ~ facebook

Tour Schedule:

Oct 12 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 12 - Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 12 - Cover Lover Book Review - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 13 – @booking.with.janelle – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 – She Just Loves Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 15 - @twilight_reader - book spotlight
Oct 18 – Kam's Place – book spotlight
Oct 19 – Pick A Good Book – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 19 - Stephanie Jane - book spotlight
Oct 20 - The Pen and Muse Book Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 21 – I'm Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 21 - Laura's Interests - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 22 – Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 22 - Hall Ways Blog - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 25 – Leels Loves Books – book spotlight
Oct 26 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 26 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 27 – The Page Ladies Book Club – book spotlight
Oct 27 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 28 – Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 28 - Jazzy Book Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 29 – Viviana MacKade – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 1 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 1 - Westveil Publishing - book spotlight / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway:

Win a KINDLE FIRE HD loaded with FIVE Catherine Alliott titles (one winner/USA only) (ends Nov 8)

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

Click here to see all my current 

Giveaways & Free Books!

 

Culture Ignited: 5 Disciplines for Adaptive Leadership by Jason Richmond + #Giveaway

Join Us for This Tour from October 4 to October 22, 2021

Book Details:

Book Title:  Culture Ignited: 5 Disciplines for Adaptive Leadership by Jason Richmond with Jeanne Kerr and Malcolm J. Nicholl
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction (18+),  124 pages
Genre:  Business
Publisher:  Ideal Outcomes
Release date:   October, 2021
Content Rating:  G.

 

Book Description:

The 5 Disciplines for Adaptive Leadership Every Executive Must Know

Corporate leaders need to be prepared for any crisis and have a plan in place to act quickly, decisively, and empathetically. In Culture Ignited: 5 Disciplines for Adaptive Leadership, culture change strategist Jason Richmond and coauthors Jeanne Kerr and Malcolm J. Nicholl reveal how companies whose leaders ignite their culture are able to weather any storm and get ahead of the competition.

Based on hands-on experience helping senior corporate executives navigate the turbulence of the 2020-2021 pandemic, the authors distill their findings into five key disciplines.

They share how to:

• Inspire and communicate a shared purpose
• Build trust and authenticity
• Hone your performance management skills
• Develop your talent
• Create belonging through diversity and inclusion.

The authors also explore how a crisis can be turned into opportunity and how to lead an organization in overcoming challenges never taught in business school.

 

Buy the Book:
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK
B&N ~ Kobo
add to goodreads 

 

Meet the Authors:

 

Jason Richmond is an authoritative culture change strategist whose work over the past twenty-plus years has helped companies build strong, sustained revenue growth by empowering their employees and developing energizing office cultures. As President/CEO and Chief Culture Officer for Ideal Outcomes, Inc., he has worked closely with established Fortune 100 companies to create Leadership Development Journeys, and he has guided numerous start-ups on the path to become noted industry leaders. He has also provided thought leadership and innovative consulting services to a wide range of midsize companies.  

 

Jeanne Kerr is the Director of Organizational Development and Culture Consulting for Ideal Outcomes, Inc. She also has been a Senior Faculty Partner with the Human Capital Institute since 2012. With over twenty years of organizational development and talent management strategy in a variety of industries, her expertise includes culture strategy, strategic workforce planning, leadership development, team building, and assessment solutions.

 

 

  

 

Malcolm J. Nicholl is a former award-winning international journalist whose career includes a two-year stint as Belfast Bureau Chief for London’s Daily Mirror. He has authored or coauthored seven books published in nine languages by international giants such as Random House, Bantam Doubleday Dell, Ballantine Books, and St. Martin's Press and ghostwritten more than thirty books.

connect with the authors: website ~ twitter ~ goodreads

 

 

Tour Schedule:

Oct 4 – Working Mommy Journal –  book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 4 - Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 4 - Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 5 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 6 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Pick A Good Book – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 8 – Westviel Publishing – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 12 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Oct 12 - Sefina Hawke's Books - book spotlight
Oct 13 – Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 13 - @twilight_reader - book spotlight
Oct 14 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 15 – Kam's Place – book spotlight
Oct 18 – Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 20 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 20 - She Just Loves Books - book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 21 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 22 – Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway

 

Enter the Giveaway:

Win 1 signed copy of CULTURE IGNITED: 5 Disciplines for Adaptive Leadership & a $10 Amazon Gift Card! (one winner/USA only) (ends Oct 29) 

CULTURE IGNITED Spotlight Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

Click here to see all my current 

Giveaways & Free Books!

 

Vegan Beanies - cosy & kind!

It's distinctly autumnal here now, so much so that I dug out my favourite beanie hat from the back of the wardrobe where it's languished since March. I hate having cold ears and a cute beanie is the perfect way to prevent this.

I crocheted my own grey hat from recycled acrylic yarn, decorating it with a sparkly red heart and stripe accent. If you don't fancy going to the trouble of making your own hat though, I've discovered lots of new vegan beanies for sale this season. I've picked out different styles and yarns so hopefully there's something for everybody to be cosy and kind!

The Etsy sellers' beanie hats are included in my Vegan Beanies Etsy Collection. If you can't see the exact hat for you here on my blog, check out my Collection Page for more fab designs.

Herbivore Pom-Pom Beanie

by Vegan Outfitters

Ladies' Ponytail Winter Hat

by LM Handmade Scotland @ Etsy

Fish R Friends Upcycled Beanie

by Ripped And Tawn @ Etsy

Respect Existence Beanie

by Anticarnist @ Etsy

Cyclists' Torch Beanie

by All Things Brighton Beautiful @ NotHS

Natural Cotton Beanie

by Naturally Nadege @ Etsy

Pure Hemp Beanie

by Reborn Rewild @ Etsy

Organic Fisherman Beanie

by Plant Faced Clothing

(All links are affiliate links so, should you click through and make a purchase, I would receive a small commission from the sale.)

My favourite Vegan Halloween Sweet Treats

I shared a post featuring my favourite Vegan Halloween Candles a couple of weeks ago and now it's the turn of the Sweet Treats that caught my eye. I daren't buy my own treats too far in advance of the big day because I'd just end up having to buy them twice!

I've actually curated an Etsy Collection page with all my favourite Sweet Treats so this post focuses on my Top Ten ...

Vegan Halloween Shortbread Cookies

by Clemie Vegan Cake

Halloween Sweets Tub

by Rainbow Sweets Vegan

Vegan Halloween Hamper

by Crafty Treats Store

Noir Vegan Cookies

by Biscuit Bunny Bakes

Vegan Halloween Sweets Boxes

by The Sweeter Side Candy

Halloween Sweet Cone

by Truly Madly Sweetly Co

Halloween Cookies

by Cookie Creations Gifts

Family Sharing Box

by Sweet As Letterboxchoc

Halloween Boo Box

by EJs Knits GB

Vegan Halloween Cookie Hamper

by Crumby Bakes

Please note that all links in this post are affiliate links so, should you click through and make a purchase, I would receive a small commission from Etsy.

BLAH BLAH BLAH: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo by Dan Hill and Howard Moskowitz + #Giveaway

Join Us for This Tour from  September 27 to October 15

Book Details:
 

Book Title:  Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo by Dan Hill & Howard Moskowitz
Category:  Adult Non- Fiction 18+, 147 pages
Genre: Humor (Business)
Publisher:  Sensory Logic, Inc.
Release Date: September 15, 2021
Tour dates: September 27 to October 15
Content Rating:  PG. OMG and a few references to sexual harassment, etc. Quite mild.

 Book Description:

Need a laugh to get through your workday? You've come to the right place. Ambrose Bierce's classic The Devil's Dictionary took on life in general. Now a century later, it's time to lampoon the business world. There's no richer target than being told to think outside the box by leaders spouting off about synergy, teamwork, and innovation while at the same time exhorting you to stay in your swim lane. If as famed business guru Peter Drucker writes, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast," then we've been asked to eat a dog's breakfast at work for far too long! A little truth in every joke. Join the fun as the two lead authors and 50 other contributors offer their humorous take on how the workplace really operates. With almost 600 diabolical definitions to enjoy, you're sure to find plenty to smile about.

Buy the Book
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK

 

Meet the Authors:

Dan Hill, PhD, is the author of nine books, including Emotionomics, which was an Advertising Age top 10 must-read selection and features a foreword by Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons. In 1998, Dan founded Sensory Logic, Inc. whose clients represent over 50% of the world's top 100 advertisers. Besides having spoken to audiences in over 25 countries, Dan has had media appearances ranging from ABC's "Good Morning, America" to NBC's "The Today Shows,” CNN, Fox, MSNBC, ESPN, and the Tennis Channel. Dan was also a regular guest on PBS’s “Mental Engineering” show, hailed by Bill Moyers as “the most interesting weekly half hour of social commentary and criticism on television.” In print, Dan has received front-page coverage in the New York Times for his work in pro and NCAA Division 1 sports and was a non-partisan columnist for Reuters during the 2016 presidential race. Nowadays he hosts the podcast "Dan Hill's EQ Spotlight," which appears on the New Books Network (NBN), the world's largest book review platform with over 1.7 million downloads monthly. Dan was educated at St. Olaf College, Oxford University, Brown University, and Rutgers University.

​Howard Moskowitz is a legendary product market researcher, experiential psychologist, and inventor of world-class market research technologies used by virtually every company that matters. Howard earned his PhD in experimental psychology from Harvard University. In 2004, he was the subject of a New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell, "The Ketchup Conundrum," which became the basis for Gladwell's TED talk entitled "Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce." In 2014, Howard founded Mind Genomics Associates to investigate how people think about aspects of their daily lives. In addition to over 400 scientific articles about the minds of consumers, Howard has written/edited 28 books, a roster that features the very popular book Selling Blue Elephants.

connect with the authors: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram 

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Tour Schedule:

Sep 27 - Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 27 - Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 27 - Kam's Place – book spotlight
Sep 28 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Sep 28 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post giveaway
Sep 29 – fundinmental -book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 30 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 1 - Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 2 – Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 4 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 5 – The Adventures of a Traveler's Wife – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 6 - Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Rajiv's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 8 - Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 11 – Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 12 – Writer with Wanderlust – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 13 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 15 - Sefina Hawke's Books – book spotlight

Enter the Giveaway:

Win a signed copy of Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo + a copy of Famous Faces Decoded: A Guidebook for Reading Others (one winner). Runner-Up Prize: a signed copy of Blah, Blah, Blah (one winner) (USA only) (ends Oct 22)

BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! A SNARKY GUIDE TO OFICE LINGO Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

Click here to see all my current 

Giveaways & Free Books!

 

ZITHER! by Jeffrey Hanlon

Join Us for This Tour from  September 27 to October 15

Book Details:
 

Book Title:  ZITHER! by Jeffrey Hanlon
Category:  Adult Fiction 18+, 350 pages
Genre: Mystery, Humor
Publisher:  Zither Studios
Release Date: April 20, 2021
Content Rating:  G.

 

"A zany rollicking mystery adventure as compelling as it is hilarious." ~ Independent Book Review

"Hanlon’s humor shines bright and will leave fans of such madness wanting more." ~ Publisher's Weekly

Nominated for the prestigious Audie Award, Best Fiction 2021

 

Book Description:

A nutty religious cult rustles a herd of prime gazebos (huh??) and it’s up to bumbling P.I. Mars Candiotti to rescue them. Wannabe author Mars chronicles his quest in Jeffrey Hanlon's rom-com mystery Zither.

Guided by his magically prescient IHOP waitress, Mars strives to mitigate the shocking global consequences of the gazebo heist, even though he has no idea what the word mitigate means.

As Zither swallows its own tale, Mars finds it increasingly tricky to distinguish between real people and his rambunctious fictional characters. Zither becomes the romper room where his reality meets fantasy - and get frisky with each other.

Mars’ international odyssey leads to an explosive conclusion in Panama. Teevees around the world tune in to watch live coverage of “Carnage in the Canal”.

And amid the lunatic havoc that is Zither there is (of course!) an epic love story as Mars meets Marian, the brainy librarian he had dreamt of. Marian says his books are "slapstick existentialism with subjective reality couched in parable". (This is news to Mars). But is Marian real, or just another illusion in Zither World?

And in Mars’ klutzy (yet endearing) courtship of the enchanting Marian will he ever muster the nerve to ask her for a date???​

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK ~ Audible

 

 

MEET THE AUTHOR:

I was born in a Southern California beach town.

My family moved to Northwest Oregon when I was 7. Or maybe when I was 8.

Had we stayed in the Beach Boys town, and knowing myself as I do now, I suspect I would have grown long hair, started a rock band, and been heavily into drugs. The rock band would probably have been pretty good. The rest of it, not so much. I’d likely have joined the ranks of those like Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.

We moved to a mountaintop. The last five miles to get there were gravel. The final two miles were steep and to the end of the road.

That’s where we lived: the end of the road, 22 miles to the nearest town.

Our closest neighbor, about a mile down the road, was a hermit who lived in a shack. He had a goat. About once a month the goat would visit us. Then the hermit would show up to retrieve his goat. I think the goat liked us better than the hermit, which is why the goat kept showing up. Goats are funny animals. I think they aspire to be house pets.

And speaking of animals, we had cats. Lots and lots of cats. Because we were remote and at the end of the road, unkind people – and ‘unkind’ is the kindest description I can use here – would dump their unwanted cats on or near our property. The cats would find our house. We gave them Fancy Feast and our love, and in turn they loved us.

My childhood friends didn’t visit too often. That was at least partly because when they did show up my father would say something like this: “Great! We have a job that could use an extra hand. Won’t take more than five minutes.” Well, that five minutes usually turned into an hour or two – volunteer labor! – and that friend would seldom visit again.

So my favorite childhood playmate was a 2000 pound Hereford bull, a big boy with horns spanning three feet. I’d go out in the pasture and the bull would strike a pose not unlike what you’ve seen in the movies where the bull was ready to charge, head down, eyeing me. But he wasn’t going to charge me. He just wanted his forehead scratched. And so I would scratch his forehead. He liked that, shaking his head every so often to show his approval. Then we’d elevate to a game that the bull might have called ‘Let’s see how far we can toss this little kid!’ and I’d place my right hip against his massive head and he’d toss me into the air like a sack of flour. Over and over, farther and farther, higher and higher. I could have done that for hours – I can fly! – but after a few tosses the bull would grow bored with the game and wander off. Probably to chase some cute heifers.

The nearest library was 30 miles away, and we ventured there often. It was a majestic old building, and the Grand Room had books on all four walls with reading chairs in the center. But that was not where I wanted to be. I figured all those books were popular books or books I was supposed to read. I wanted something different, so I would enter the room with a small sign that said ‘Stacks’. It was row after narrow row after row of books, floor to ceiling, dimly lit, dusty. It was like entering a cave. Filled with treasures!
It was in those Stacks that I discovered the likes of Kerouac and Heller and Huxley and Fowles and Steinbeck and Ellison and Bradbury and Hemingway and many many others.

As Stephen King said, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

And those, each in their own way, was the inspiration for the first book I wrote at the age of eight or nine: ‘Pond Scum’.

It was illustrated.
 
Jeffrey currently lives at an undisclosed location on the shores of the Caribbean where he spends his days in shorts and sandals making up stories.

He has a pet goat.
 
connect with the author: website 

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TOUR SCHEDULE:

Sep 27 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight
Sep 27 - Adventurous Jessy – book spotlight
Sep 28 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post
Sep 29 – Literary Flits – book spotlight
Sep 29 - Stephanie Jane - book spotlight
Sep 30 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / guest post
Oct 1 – Kam's Place – book spotlight
Oct 4 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight
Oct 4 - Viviana MacKade – book spotlight / guest post
Oct 5 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book spotlight / guest post
Oct 6 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / author interview
Oct 6 – fundinmental – book spotlight
Oct 7 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight
Oct 8 – Lisa's Reading – book spotlight
Oct 11 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / guest post
Oct 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / guest post
Oct 13 – Laura's Interests – book spotlight
Oct 13 - Sefina Hawke Books – book spotlight
Oct 14 – @twilight_reader – book spotlight
Oct 14 - Books for Books – book spotlight
Oct 15 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview

 

Veggie Parcel Pies - with step-by-step recipe pics

These Veggie Parcel Pies came about through my wanting to make myself a vegan pasty-style filling, but without that thick ridge crust. As you can see in this first picture, I had some getting-tired vegetables that needed a disguising recipe!

Ingredients (made 2 parcels)

1/4 onion, diced
1 small garlic clove, diced
2 Jersey Royals new potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
3 cabbage wedges, diced
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 vegetable stock cube
Pinch of fennel seeds
2 tbsp Clearspring dried soya mince
1 scant tbsp red Bisto gravy granules
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp nutritional yeast
250g Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry

a little flour for dusting
1 tbsp soya milk

I started by dicing all the veg into approximately 1/2cm cubes (the garlic pieces were much smaller) and putting it all in a mixing bowl.

I crumbled in half the stock cube, then added the rapeseed oil and the pinch of fennel seeds, tumbling the veggies in it until they were all coated.

I baked the veggies at about 190c in our mini electric oven for half an hour until the chunks were softening and starting to colour around the edges.

While the veg cooked, I put the dried soya mince into the mixing bowl together with the other half of the stock cube, also crumbled, and added just enough boiling water to cover it all. I let the mince soak for 10 minutes until it had all softened and swelled up a little. Then I added the Bisto, mixed herbs and nutritional yeast.

I transferred the mince to a small saucepan, simmering it for a few minutes to both dissolve the gravy granules and to evaporate off excess water. I wanted the mince to be juicy, but not with so much water that it would make the pastry soggy.

When the veggies and mince had both cooled down, I cut two quarters from the pastry block and rolled each out into a square of maybe 25cm across. I spooned 3 tbsp of veggies diagonally across each square (6 tbsp in all), then topped them with 2 tbsp of mince to each square (4 tbsp total). This used up all the mince and about 2/3 of the vegetables.

I folded in the pastry corners at each end of the veg-mince lines first, then dabbed those with a little soya milk before folding the other sides in like an envelope.

I placed the two parcels, folded sides down, on a baking paper lined baking tray, and brushed their tops with a little more soya milk. Finally I pierced the tops of each parcel to allow cooking steam to escape.

I gave our little Netta oven a couple of minutes to preheat to 200c. We're still not really sure if it needs preheating because it seems to get up to temperature very quickly. I baked the Veggie Parcel Pies at 200c for 10 minutes, then turned the oven down to 180c for a further 20 minutes until the pastry was a lovely golden brown colour.

I served myself one Veggie Parcel Pie hot with a side of baked beans, and had the other cold for lunch the next day accompanied by a salad of the leftover veg mixed with vegan mayonnaise. Delicious both ways!