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Beacon Magazine

Features


Food and Drink

  • How to make wild garlic and cheddar scones

    This savoury scone recipe from Mary Goodsell works perfectly alongside a bowl of hearty soup, or simply with salty butter and a smear of marmite.

  • Recipe: Traybake carrot cake

    When Mary Goodsell was a young girl she was astonished that a vegetable could be made into tasty cake! Her traybake version couldn’t be simpler and can be made nearly all year round using British carrots

  • Recipe: Coronation Quiche

    In celebration of Coronation Big Lunches taking place this month, The King and Queen Consort have shared a recipe for a Coronation Quiche – made with spinach and broad beans.

  • Recipe: Rhubarb & Ginger Streusel Cake

    I’ve been planning some tea-time treats and decadent desserts. This easy seasonal rhubarb and ginger cake hits the spot on all accounts, it’s moist, not overly sweet and has a crunchy topping. The perfect crowd pleaser.

  • Royal Pastry Chef’s Spiced Easter Biscuits

    Back in 2020, Queen Elizabeth’s royal pastry chefs released the family’s sacred ‘Spiced Easter Biscuits’ recipe. What better way to honour her late Majesty, than by baking these delightful and delicious Easter treats?

  • Chocolate and olive oil banana bread

    This healthy take on the classic banana bread is definitely one to try if you're avoiding refined sugars or want to make a dairy free alternative to the classic!

  • Seasonal Recipe for Celeriac Rosti with Harissa Fried Eggs

    Celeriac makes a wonderful potato alternative, and this rosti recipe by Mary Goodsell is really versatile. Cook them instead of hash browns with your Sunday fry-up, top with poached eggs and smoked salmon for a more decadent brunch.

  • Recipe: Rosemary, Red Wine, Garlic and Lamb Pie

    As March celebrates British Pie Week, we’re bringing you a delicious recipe for Lamb, Red Wine, Garlic and Rosemary Pie, courtesy of Wilkinsons Pies, in Sandown.

  • Recipe: Leek and Mushroom Pasta

    Sometimes, a comforting bowl of pasta on the sofa is perfect for a winter evening. This pasta dish by Mary Goodsell is really easy to throw together, and it’s a seasonal sensation as UK grown leeks are readily available at the moment.

  • Recipe: No Bake Breakfast Bars

    These no-bake chewy date bars are the perfect breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up to ensure you stay full throughout the day.

  • 4 Pancake Day recipes you're going to love

    Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is a traditional Christian holiday celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of 'Lent'.

  • Recipe: Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Belly

    This Sunday (22nd) marks Chinese New Year. So we’re tucking in to a traditional Chinese dish, to celebrate the year of the rabbit!

  • An immune boosting recipe for homemade ginger shots

    Boost your immunity, digestion and get a good dose of antioxidants first thing in the morning with super easy homemade ginger shots by Mary Goodsell. These little shots of goodness can cost a fortune in the supermarkets, but they are really cheap and easy to make at home.

  • Recipes: Three Ways With Mulled Wine

    One of the many festive traditions writer, Mary Goodsell, looks forward is having a pot of mulled wine on the stove. Here’s are her three tried and tested versions that should keep you warm and merry throughout the festive season.

  • Recipe: Home-made Sloe Gin

    Late September/early October is the perfect time to start picking sloe berries and to get a delicious batch of Sloe Gin underway for Christmas.

  • Get Baking: Apple Rose Tart Recipe

    Got some apples? Feeling creative? Impress your nearest and dearest while expressing your artistic side, writes Jo Grey.

  • Recipe: Eton Mess Tray Bake

    The classic twist on the quintessential pavlova gets reimagined once again in this mouth-watering traybake by Adele Trathan.

  • RECIPE: Lunchbox Lasagnes

    Schools are now open, so we've brought you one of our favourite lunchbox recipes, enjoyed by kids and grown ups — simple Lunchbox Lasagnes!

  • Summer recipes: Gin and Tonic Sorbet

    With summer in full swing, Gillian Reay-Young shares this recipe for Gin and Tonic Sorbet to enjoy in the sun.

  • Cheese & Chilli Hot Cross Buns

    Put a little zing in your hot cross buns with Adele Trathan’s twist on an age-old recipe


John Hannam Meets

  • John Hannam Meets Annette Badland

    Back in 1981 when Bergerac first came to BBC TV, it was no surprise when John Nettles received sack loads of fan mail. I, like millions of other men, rather fell for the more rubenesque charms of the Bureau receptionist Charlotte, played by the gorgeous Annette Badland.

  • When John Hannam Met Jane McDonald

    There are days in your life that you will never forget. One of mine was September 26th, 2006, when I met up again with Jane McDonald. Her welcoming hug and comforting words were just what I needed

  • John Hannam meets Bill Wyman

    Fifty one years after I first saw Bill Wyman appearing at a Rolling Stones concert at Ryde Pavilion, I finally managed to meet him.

  • When John Hannam Did the Corrie Tour

    Back in 2001 I took an exciting 21 hour day trip to Weatherfield. I was expecting to undertake a couple of interviews with two of Coronation Street’s lesser known characters. Thankfully, it didn’t go to plan. Once the two interviews were completed and the press office girls had left, I was told to sit tight for a few minutes and see who might come in. Over the next hour, six of the most famous faces in Britain came in and were all eager to chat.

  • A Day to Remember with Sheridan Smith

    Saturday June 30th, 2012, was rather special in my 47 year career as a showbiz writer and broadcaster. I still call it my Sheridan Smith day.

  • A Day to Remember with Barbara Windsor

    Back in 1988, John Hannam interviewed Barbara Windsor – and this was long before Albert Square.

  • John Hannam meets Shaun Williamson

    When Shaun Williamson was filling shelves in a Maidstone supermarket his ambition was to be like Richard Burton. Eventually, via Pontins in Wootton, 1986, he became Barry Evans, who for eight years was one of EastEnders’ most popular characters.

  • John Hannam meets Joe McFadden

    Life has been wonderfully unpredictable for Scottish actor Joe McFadden. Before winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, he’d been a rock star in Sex, Chips & Rock ‘n’ Roll, cast as maverick cop, Joe Mason in Heartbeat and surgeon Raf di Lucca in Holby City.

  • Gwen Taylor: An interview with Beacon's John Hannam

    Gwen Taylor is one of those actors known for a wide variety of names — Amy Pearce from Duty Free, Barbara Liversidge in Barbara, Heartbeat’s Peggy Armstrong, Rita Simcock from A Bit Of A Do or even murderer, Anne Foster, from Coronation Street.

  • David Calder tells John Hannam why he loves the Isle of Wight

    Over the years, top actors like Celia Imrie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Penelope Keith and Geoffrey Hughes have all fallen in love with the Island. The latest to join them is David Calder, whose credits include The World Is Not Enough, The Hatton Garden Job and The Lady In The Van.

  • Tessa Peake-Jones: An interview with John Hannam

    During the final ten days before the lockdown, I’d been lucky enough to have pre-arranged five interviews. It was in Guildford on a very wet and miserable March day. Would she be like Raquel in Only Fools And Horses or Mrs Maguire in Grantchester?

  • Celia Imrie: An Interview with John Hannam

    John caught up with the star of stage and screen, who talks of recent film projects and fond memories of when the Island was her home.

  • Fred Dinenage: An Interview with John Hannam

    Famous radio DJ Annie Nightingale has helped numerous popstars enhance their careers by playing their music.

  • Dame Judi Dench meets John Hannam

    On July 7th, completely out of the blue, I received an unexpected email from a guy called Neil Chandler, the venue and artistic director of the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, which was re-opening following a £42 million redevelopment.

  • Call the Midwife's Helen George meets John Hannam

    Helen George has millions of fans as Trixie Franklin in hit television series, Call The Midwife. She's just been seen in the show's Christmas Special and is all set to appear later this year in the ninth series.

  • Marti Pellow: An Interview with John Hannam

    Back on Sunday, February 17th 1991, I had the thrill of having the Beverley Sisters live on IW Radio's John Hannam Meets. At the end of their slot, I asked them to choose a record by their favourite current singer. In total harmony, they all said Marti Pellow and predicted a long and successful career for him. At that time he was the lead singer of Wet Wet Wet. How right they were.


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