Ingredients:

• 1 pear, or 2 baby pears, sliced
• 2 pieces of stem ginger, finely chopped
• A little of the ginger syrup
• 8 oz caster sugar
• 8 oz self raising flour
• 226 mls vegetable oil
• 2 eggs

Method:

1. Mix the sugar, oil, ginger pieces and eggs
2. Beat in the flour and pour into a greased cake tin
3. Place the pear slices on top and bake for 40-50 minutes at 170°C (for a fan oven)
4. Drizzle a little of the ginger syrup over the cooked cake while it’s still warm, or brush over the top with a pastry brush

Serve with a cup of coffee and a dollop of whipped cream if you’re feeling extravagant.

Ingredients:

• 500g minced lamb
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 aubergine, thinly sliced
• 1 pepper, chopped
• 1 baking potato, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 a carton of passata
• 3-4 tablespoons creme fraiche
• 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano, basil, chilli flakes, ground coriander and ground cinnamon
• Vegetable or olive oil
• 2 sheets of filo pastry
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Lightly oil a large baking dish and lay the aubergine slices in a single layer
2. Sprinkle with herbs, cinnamon, chilli, salt and pepper
3. Break up the lamb mince and layer it over the aubergine
4. Add the onion and pepper pieces and sprinkle over the coriander and more salt and pepper
5. Pour in the passata and place the potato slices on top
6. Dollop the creme fraiche over the potato layer
7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C
8. Remove from the oven and use a spoon to get rid of some of the fat
9. Cover the mix with filo and rub oil on top
10. Bake for a further 25-30 minutes

Serve alone, or with a green salad and some flat bread. For a vegetarian version, use drained tinned lentils or beans instead of the lamb mince, or add extra layers of aubergine and potato.

Satisfied and happy customers are worth more than a press release or other types of paid-for promotion. If your customers are pleased with you, it’s easier to win repeat business, and new business.

This is all common sense, right?

Today I discovered that a company I’ve worked for has unanswered messages dating as far back as January on its Facebook page. There are also some mentions of its Twitter account which have yet to receive a response. All of these ignored messages are from potential customers or people offering genuine business opportunities. Their queries are online, for all to see.

To rub a little salt in the wound, one question that did get answered advised the potential customer to call head office, but failed to include the number in the message. So, not only does this person have to wait weeks for a reply, but when they get it they still have to go to the contact page or find the website to get the number, then call up for a definitive answer.

1,2,3 and breathe…

Social media is supposed to be a quick and easy medium for engaging with customers. It isn’t rocket science, so why is no one monitoring the pages better? Why is no one thinking before typing?

It makes me angry because it would take someone all of five minutes to check the accounts each day and send a brief but useful response. If several people are asking the same question via private messages, perhaps you could add a public post which covers the topic?

If you use social media for your business, remember it’s not just about promotion; it’s also a valuable customer service tool. Neglect that and you neglect your customers.

In the finished cake these lumps are slightly chewy and taste delicious. If your brown sugar is still fresh and separates easily into perfect granules, so much the better. You may follow this recipe and call it an almond cake.

I was going to post a picture but it got eaten rather quickly. Sorry!

Ingredients:

• 170 mls vegetable or sunflower oil
• 4 oz caster sugar
• 2 oz dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 oz self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon of almond essence
• 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds

Method:

1. Mix the oil, eggs, almond essence and sugar together with a fork or whisk
2. Stir in the flour and make sure it’s thoroughly combined
3. Pour into a greased cake tin and scatter the almond slices on top
4. Bake at 170°C for 30 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack

Serve with coffee or tea and a dollop of conversation!

In a previous scene a male copywriter tells Peggy that there are some female copywriters. Apparently you can always tell it’s a woman writing, but sometimes they’re “the right man for the job”.

I’m not sure you can always tell if it’s a man or woman who’s done the writing, but I do believe each writer has their own ‘voice’, a style and range that’s natural and comfortable for them.

Writing is about more than grammar and spelling. It is about perspective, tone of voice, purpose and audience. The last three things will change depending on the project, but the perspective of an individual will always be personal. For any writing task that requires creativity or a sense of personality, the choice of copywriter will make a huge difference.

Not everyone can come up with “a basket of kisses“.

Hopefully I’ll be posting more articles soon – just like the good old days! In the meantime, my new hours mean that paid work will now fill a greater proportion of my hours so I may still be fairly quiet over the next few weeks.

It’s great to be back!

Ingredients:

• Shortcrust pastry (I used about half a block of ready made pastry – about 150g)
• 1 tablespoon of sour cream
• A pinch each of dried rosemary, oregano and thyme
• Black pepper
• A handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
• 2-3 button mushrooms, sliced
• A handful of sweetcorn

Method:

1. Roll the pastry out until it’s about 5mm thick
2. Drape the pastry onto a quiche tin, lightly press down into the sides and trim any excess pastry from the edges
3. Spread the sour cream over the bottom of the pastry and sprinkle over the herbs and ground pepper
4. Top evenly with the mixed vegetables
5. Bake in a pre-heated over at 180°C for 25-30 minutes, until the sour cream is lightly browned and the base is cooked through

Serve warm with a leafy, grain or pasta salad. You can also vary the toppings depending on what’s tucked away in your fridge. Just make sure that some of the sour cream is still visible between the vegetables, otherwise it will be much harder to cook the base properly and your dish may become waterlogged.

Clearing the decks

I already have some ongoing projects, and a couple of new jobs, which I expect to complete in January. As it’s possible that my maternity leave may have to start earlier than planned (or later) I am only taking on small projects in the near future. This is to make sure I don’t leave any clients disappointed with unfinished work.

Maternity leave

I aim to be working consistently again by early March. I’ll also be checking my emails while on leave, so please feel free to get in touch if you think I may be able to help your business. I’ll respond to any queries as quickly as possible.

Have a good Christmas!

That’s why I adopted a word again this year. Bazinga doesn’t mean much but hearing it and saying it make me happy. More importantly, the money I spent adopting it will help children who struggle to communicate.

If you never struggled to read or speak there’s a good chance you know someone who did. Maybe you know someone who still struggles?

It’s nearly Christmas and that means it’s time to give gifts. A word adoption is two gifts in one. You get a word (and you can order merchandise which features your special word) and you get to help a child communicate.

Doesn’t that make you feel all Bazinga!?

You can adopt a word here.

They might be super-keen to make a point, so they reiterate it, or find some other way to add words that aren’t needed. A business owner may be very passionate about their company history, or products and services, and this can also lead to an overflow of words.

The aim is always to communicate. But all those extra words tend to get in the way.

Simplicity can also be taken too far. I wouldn’t want to patronise an audience of Chief Executives by writing to them in ten-word sentences full of monosyllables. Neither do I want to waste their time with waffle.

It’s part of a copywriter’s duty to find the best balance. The onus is on us to write, re-write, and edit our words, until they’re in the best possible shape for each project.

To do that, it helps to have some distance from the business or topic you’re writing about, although that’s not essential. Make sure you review your work with clarity – and your audience – in mind.

If you’re struggling to view it dispassionately, it may be time to get external help.