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Beacon Magazine

Features


Food and Drink

  • Recipe: Black Forest Yoghurt Bark

    This recipe by Mary Goodsell is delicious eaten straight from the freezer. It is an easy, protein filled snack that will also hit that sweet spot!

  • Lunchbox Ideas Everyone Will Love

    As another academic year begins, we’ve been giving our lunchbox ideas a refresh.

  • Recipe: Spicy Barbecue Sizzlers

    Some like it hot, so sizzle your ribs and chicken with these BBQ sauces. I hope you find these recipes melt-in-your-mouth incredible!

  • Kids Zone: Ice Cream Recipe

    Turn an average summer’s day into a fun ice cream parlour adventure with this fun and easy homemade ice cream in a jar recipe, says Sara Whatley.

  • Coconut, Blueberry & Lemon No Bake Cheesecake

    This cheesecake uses coconut yoghurt and plenty of zesty lemon for a healthier, lighter version of what tastes like a very decadent dessert

  • Recipe: Asian Chicken Salad

    Mary Goodsell’s salad makes a scrumptious summery lunchtime meal and is also a great option if catering for lots of people. It’s perfect with leftover roasted chicken, making it very quick to assemble.

  • Recipe: Courgette and Bean Summer Salad

    Griddled courgettes pair beautifully with tinned beans and any kind of lemon dressing and look so impressive on a summer’s barbeque table. This salad by Mary Goodsell is full of flavour and very purse friendly with seasonal ingredients

  • Recipe: Lemon, Banana and Blueberry Loaf

    The beauty of this loaf cake is that all the ingredients go into one bowl, so there’s minimal washing up. The zesty lemon flavours with the seasonal sweetness of blueberries elevates the tastiness of this recipe by Mary Goodsell

  • Lemon and Raspberry Drizzle Loaf Cake

    If you're looking to give the classic lemon drizzle cake a little twist, this loaf bake is the perfect adaptation thanks to the addition of ground almonds, make it ever so light and palatable.

  • Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore

    This one-pot supper by Mary Goodsell is a real crowd-pleaser. The tender chicken has all the comforting flavours and aromas of Italy. Serve it up with some rice or roasted garlic new potatoes

  • Recipe: Crustless Asparagus Quiche

    A quiche works for every occasion; quick fridge-raid lunch, easy summer entertaining or a protein-filled breakfast alternative. This crustless asparagus quiche by Mary Goodsell is the perfect naturally gluten-free dish.

  • Recipe: Home Baked Sausage Rolls

    Sausage rolls are often enjoyed as a quick snack, fresh from the oven – or make the perfect addition to any summer picnic, when chilled.

  • Strawberry, Yoghurt & Poppy Seed Cake

    If you are hosting friends in the garden this summer, this strawberry, yoghurt and poppy seed cake by Mary Goodsell is a delicious twist on a classic sponge cake.

  • Recipe: Home Battered Fish and Chips

    Nothing says you’re in Britain better than freshly cooked battered fish and chips, eaten from paper at the seaside.

  • 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!


The John Hannam Archive

  • 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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