Apple pie, scones and perfect Welsh rarebit: Country Life’s top recipes of 2017
All this week we're looking back at our most popular articles of the year – today, we list the 10 recipes which generated the most excitement.

Anna Del Conte’s ragù bolognese sauce
‘Anna is the queen of Italian cookery, and this is as far removed from the ghastly spag bol (made with cheap mince, burnt onions and ketchup) as it can be. This is a slow-cooked classic.’ So wrote Tom Parker-Bowles when he first brought this to our attention.
How to make elderflower cordial and wine
Okay, so December probably isn't the best month to highlight this quintessential-taste-of-summer recipe. But make sure to bookmark it now – home-made elderflower drinks really are very special indeed.
The ultimate apple pie recipe
The headline makes a big claim, but Simon Hopkinson's recipe delivers everything you want from a great apple pie. Just perfect.
5 scrumptious strawberry recipes
As with elderflower, above, this round-up (which we produced to coincide with Wimbledon) seems more summery than appropriate for this time of year. But with strawberries readily available year-round there's no reason you shouldn't whip up one of these as a New Year celebration dish.
Perfect roast goose recipe from Mark Hix
Goose is tricky to get right, but this is how to nail it – including how to get the gravy spot on. And while it's an iconic Christmas dish, but there's no reason you should use Mark's tips all year round.
Cheat’s Eggs Benedict, by The Goring’s Shay Cooper
Almost all the joy, almost none of the hassle. In other words, exactly what you want from a good recipe.
Michel Roux Jr’s Soufflé Suissesse
Thomasina Miers picks out Michel Roux Jr's signature soufflé dish as one of the world's finest dishes and cautions people not to be put off by the dish's fearsome reputation for potential disaster. 'Give it a go,' she says. 'It's indescribably good.'
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How to make the perfect Yule Log, as served at The Dorchester
Christmas cake tends to go stale before it gets finished. But we’ve never known a yule log that wasn’t all gone by lunchtime on Boxing Day – no wonder you liked this recipe.
Fergus Henderson’s Welsh rarebit
The ultimate simple lunch, perfected.
Nancy Birtwhistle’s lemon and caraway scones
These delicious scones from the former Great British Bake Off champion are absolutely delicious and perfectly timed for summer.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
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If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool
5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
By James Fisher Published
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An Italian-inspired recipe for lemon-butter pasta shells with spring greens, ricotta and pangrattato
Spring greens are just about to come into their own, so our Kitchen Garden columnist reveals exactly what to do with them.
By Melanie Johnson Published
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An Italian-inspired recipe for lemon-butter pasta shells with spring greens, ricotta and pangrattato
Spring greens are just about to come into their own, so our Kitchen Garden columnist reveals exactly what to do with them.
By Melanie Johnson Published
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Curious Questions: What is the greatest April Fool's prank ever played?
As April 1 looms, Martin Fone tells the tale of one of the finest stunts ever pulled off.
By Martin Fone Published
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Tom Parker Bowles's Tour de Fromage, from creamy Camembert and spicy, pungent Époisses to the 'mighty, swaggering Roqueforts'
The chef and food writer Tom Parker Bowles picks out his all-time favourite cheeses from across the Channel in France, from buxom, creamy Camembert to mighty, swaggering Roquefort.
By Tom Parker Bowles Published
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'For here is pure noodle nirvana': How to make Tom Parker Bowles's favourite Thai soup
The best bit about south-eat Asian-inspired soups is the fact that you can make them entirely your own, from mellow and comforting to blow-your-head-off hot.
By Tom Parker Bowles Published
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Gill Meller's recipe for wild garlic pesto
The appearance of wild garlic is a sure sign that spring is on the way. Make the most of it with this quick and easy recipe for 'intense' pesto.
By Gill Meller Published
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Sarson's malt vinegar is the best British condiment to pair with chips — and we won't hear otherwise
Vibrant, tangy and laced with a depth of flavour, Sarson’s malt vinegar is hard to beat — even in its 230th year.
By Rob Crossan Published
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'We can grow in four acres what would require 800 to 1,000 acres in conventional farming'
Vertical as opposed to horizontal cultivation of fruits and vegetables could be the future of food production — and the answer to Britain's food security problem. Jane Wheatley reports.
By Jane Wheatley Published
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Kendal Mint Cake: The happy accident that fuelled the first ascent of Everest
What started out as a happy accident, went on to become the world’s best-travelled confectionery.
By Harry Pearson Published