Country Life's top 10 recipes of 2019, from salted caramel millionaire's shortbread and tarte au citron to a classic kedgeree
We've gone through the archives from the year to find the most popular of our regular recipes from 2019. Suffice to say that putting this piece together left us VERY hungry...


Perfect Tarte au Citron
Back at the start of the year we ran a few recipes from Jane Hornby’s latest book, Simple & Classic, which we described as a tome that was 'joyously easy to use'. And joyously rewarding too.
Roast chicken with blood oranges, sweet potato and avocado salsa
Melanie Johnson's delightful recipe using these seasonal oranges was a huge hit — and rightly so.
Salted Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread
Another of Jane Hornby's recipes — and we'd forgotten just how good this looks.
Normandy chicken 'that’s a perfect dinner as autumn nights draw in'
'Apples aren’t just good for sweet dishes — they can work equally well giving an extra zip to savoury main courses,' wrote Melanie Johnson in September. We agreed.
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How to make kedgeree
This gorgeous recipe, which we described as 'a classic rice dish that makes a perfect weekend brunch', came from Christian Turner at the Colony Grill.
Four recipes to make the humble cucumber rather more interesting
Back in April, Melanie Johnson attempted the (almost) impossible.
Jane Hornby’s chicken and bacon pie
'Chicken pie is as good as it gets for comfort food,' we wrote of this deceptively simple recipe.
Chicken poached with slices of black truffle in a broth flavoured with tarragon and Madeira
Top chef Simon Hopkinson penned this ode to one of his all-time favourite dishes — as served at one of his all-time favourite restaurants.
How to make The Savoy’s sensational pistachio madeleines
The wizards responsible for afternoon tea at The Savoy shared this recipe for one of their showstoppers.
Banana, walnut and salted maple-syrup loaf, served with maple mascarpone
‘I always have bowls of walnuts at home over Christmas,’ wrote Melanie Johnson, ‘I like to make good use of them in the kitchen.’ We'd definitely say this counts as 'good use'.
Credit: Melanie Johnson
Celeriac soup with rosemary, walnuts and bacon plus Parmesan scones
Melanie Johnson’s warming celeriac soup is delicious.
Credit: Melanie Johnson
Chicken, spring-onion and mozzarella meatballs with pesto courgetti salad
Melanie Johnson adds some zing with this season’s new spring onions.
Credit: Country Life Picture Library
Sticky sloe gin venison steaks with parsnip and spinach rösti
Thank Melanie Johnson for this deliciously seasonal addition to your recipe roster.
How to make rocket-and-pea panna cottas with sesame salmon
Our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson makes panna cottas with rocket.
Credit: Melanie Johnson/Country Life
Two cakes for the price of one: A salted caramel cheesecake with a carrot cake base
Best friends, carrot cake and cream cheese are fully celebrated in this innovatice recipe, with a salty twist. Thank Melanie
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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'The whole house shook. Everything was white. For four months, it felt as if we were on Mars': The story behind one of Hampshire's most breathtaking gardens
When Kim Wilkie sculpted a tiered grass amphitheatre behind this 17th-century house, the garden finally settled into place, as Non Morris discovers.
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'I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed': Inside Jane Austen's Winchester home, the house where she penned her final words and drew her final breath
Jane Austen spent the last days of her life in rented lodgings in Winchester, Hampshire. Adam Rattray describes the remarkable recent discoveries made about the house in which she died.
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You've almost certainly been making cups of tea wrong for years
We drink tea every day, but are we doing it correctly? Who decided on the rules and do they really matter? Jonathon Jones reveals all.
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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.