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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Myddleton House: The place that 'will help you learn what true gardening is' is open to everyone, and just 30 minutes from central London
E. A. Bowles created a horticultural playground in the gardens of Myddleton House that was years ahead of its time, and continues to influence even today. Isabel Bannerman takes a look.
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The East African holiday hotspot that should be top of your travel wishlist — and where to stay
There's more to Kenya than just safari.
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How to make Eton mess strawberry blondies
Our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson shares a mouthwatering recipe bringing together two of the greatest foodstuffs on the planet: strawberries and meringue.
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The era of the £50 burger and chips is here — and it's a revelation
The second coming of the high-low restaurant — where chefs pair martinis with burgers — is here. Will Hosie tells more.
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The imperfect science of the perfect martini and where you can get one in London
Dirty, dry, with fries, gin or vodka. There's a lot to think about for such a simple cocktail.
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All hail fish and chips: Our guide to the nation’s favourite dish, done right
Our writers share their top picks of where to go for the best of the best, this National Fish & Chip Day.
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Gill Meller's strawberry, lemon and elderflower meringue
Gill Meller's strawberry and elderflower meringue is basically summer on a plate.
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Gill Meller's recipe for a herb-filled tart that makes the most of Spring produce
Make the most of the last few days of May and Spring's bumper crop of ingredients with this herby spring tart recipe.
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'Here in the South West, we value our seafood. We celebrate it': Mitch Tonks on his new Salcombe restaurant and the state of our fishing industry
Oliver Berry catches up with the celebrated seafood chef to discuss the opening of his new restaurant in Salcombe, the challenges of converting an old boatshed, and why he thinks his online fishmonger and cannery business might be the future.
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The prawn identity: Tom Parker Bowles on his love of the classic prawn cocktail
It’s as retro as a pair of corduroy flares, but the classic dish is a lily that needs no gilding, says our columnist.