Country Life's best recipes of 2018: Perfect scones, scrambled eggs and the Prince of Wales' favourite dish
Every week we bring you mouthwatering recipes from our team of contributing chefs – here are the ten most popular from Country Life in 2018.

How to cook The Prince of Wales’ favourite dish: Pheasant Crumble Pie
The Prince of Wales guest edited Country Life's November 14 issue, and this is the recipe he commissioned: his favourite dish, pheasant crumble pie. Here's how to make it yourself, as demonstrated by John Williams, executive chef at The Ritz in London.
Curious Questions: How do you make the perfect cream scone?
Everybody loves a good cream tea – but is there a secret to its centrepiece, the perfect cream scone? Martin Fone investigated.
A delicious shepherd’s pie recipe to take away the winter chill
Shepherd's pie is a true British classic which always hits the spot – this delicious take on the dish comes from chef Christian Turner.
How to make blackberry jam: A quick and easy recipe
You know all those blackberries you picked and popped in the freezer a couple of months ago? This is what they've been waiting for.
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Curious Questions: How do you make perfect – absolutely perfect – scrambled eggs?
Another heavenly conjunction between curiosity and food - this time, how to perfect one of the simplest meals of all.
Perfect roast goose recipe from Mark Hix
Perfect roast goose and gravy for Christmas Day lunch.
How to make perfect macaroni cheese, creating your own béchamel from scratch
Don't be tempted to use a packet – the real thing is surprisingly easy to make form scratch and well worth the effort, as Christian Turner explains.
A perfect chicken pie recipe for the cold, dark nights ahead
As winter drew closer, we turned our minds to the sort of warm, comforting dishes which fill the home with warmth. Dishes like this one.
Greatest recipes ever: Anna Del Conte’s ragù bolognese sauce
The queen of Italian cookery's slow-cooked classic has been enduringly popular on the Country Life website for a few years now – once you've tried it you'll understand why.
How to make cranberry scones for a cream tea with a Christmas twist
Just when you thought you'd run out of excuses to buy clotted cream in the middle of winter.
Credit: Tara Fisher
Recipe: Thomasina Miers’s sweet potato shepherd’s pie
Thomasina Miers has shared this delicious recipe to help disaster relief charity Shelterbox.
Credit: Melanie Johnson
Pan-fried sea bass with caper-and-anchovy potato cakes, samphire and cream
Our kitchen garden cook reveals a delicious recipe that makes good use of seasonal samphire.
Credit: David Griffen
How to make Michael Caines's curried carrot soup
This delicious soup from the Michelin-starred chef is an ideal winter warmer – Michael Caines has shared the recipe to help
Credit: Melanie Johnson
Carrot, blood-orange and hazelnut cake with cream-cheese frosting
Carrot cake, but not as you know it.
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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Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attached
Upper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
By James Fisher
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The Great Gatsby, pugs and the Mitford sisters: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 16, 2025
Wednesday's quiz tests your knowledge on literature, National Parks and weird body parts.
By Rosie Paterson
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Gill Meller's recipe for a seasonal new potato omelette, with smoked garlic, onions and Cheddar cheese
By Gill Meller
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How to make a rhubarb and Swiss meringue cake that's almost too pretty to eat
Make the most of the last few stems of forced rhubarb.
By Melanie Johnson
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The prettiest Easter eggs for 2025
Warning: Don't read if hungry.
By Rosie Paterson
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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