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Homesteading is a way of living where you aim to be as self-sufficient as possible, living more mindfully, simply and aware of your natural surroundings whether you live on a farm or in a built up city. This lifestyle includes growing your own food and preserving it at home. Scratch cooking and seasonal cooking. It can also involve making your own textiles, clothing, and other crafts for your household, family, and community.
At Root & Ridge Homestead, we’re building a life of simplicity, self-sufficiency, and connection to the land – from our town-based home with the wild Lancashire moors just beyond our garden. We grow, forage, preserve, cook, create and prep, always striving to live more naturally and intentionally. Our homestead is where the wild comes home.
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Latest Ramblings From the Homestead
Read the latest from the homestead, whether that be news, ideas, recipes, tips, tricks or just about anything!
Emergency Bread: How to Bake A Risen Loaf Without Yeast or A Sourdough Starter
There’s something quietly powerful about baking bread with nothing but flour, water, salt, a few extra cupboard staples and trust. No commercial yeast, no carefully fed sourdough starter bubbling on the windowsill. Just you, your hands, and the gentle wisdom…
The differences and similarities of homesteading and prepping.
Homesteading vs Prepping: What’s the Difference, and Which One’s for You? Let’s face it, modern life can feel a bit… wobbly at times. Whether it’s the price of food going up (again), wild weather knocking out the power, or just…
Heal-well Herbal Skin Salve Recipe
There’s something truly special about natural remedies. In a world that often leans on quick fixes and artificial solutions, herbal salves offer a chance to reconnect with the simple, effective power of plants. And when it comes to soothing and…
Homemade Natural Antiperspirant & Deodorant Recipe UK
I have such allergic skin, as do a couple of other members of our household so we have to be particularly careful not only what we put on our skin but also with sprays and aerosols that also fly particles…
Quick & Easy Cornbread Recipe
In Creole culture we do love our cornbread and it is often seen as a side to gumbo or a big pot of chilli, but it just doesn’t seem to be used much over here in the UK which is…
Batch Cooking Recipe – Pasta Sauce / Marinara Sauce
Every supermarket has a plethora of different types of pasta sauce, ready made, in neat little jars, and these jars of sauce are fantastic for convenience but some, not all, but some, are packed full of salt and sugar. Some…
Homemade Natural Antibacterial Washing Up Liquid Recipe UK
We all have to do the dishes, we may not enjoy it, but washing up after meals is a must. Commercial washing up liquids are full of chemicals including phenoxyethanol, which is safe in small doses but some resources say…
Dehydrated Foods – The history of food dehydration, Why You Should and how To Do It.
In a world where food security and sustainability are becoming increasingly important, dehydrating food has re-emerged as a practical and efficient method for preserving food. This ancient technique, which dates back thousands of years, involves removing moisture from food to…
Fire Cider – Winter Immune Support – UK Recipe
Fire cider is more than just a tangy, spicy health tonic; it’s a centuries-old remedy deeply rooted in herbal traditions and a fabulous boost for winter immune system support. This vibrant concoction, typically made with apple cider vinegar, garlic, onions,…
Quick, easy & effective homemade toilet Bombs / Toilet Cleaning Blocks
The problem with cleaning in the home is that most commercial cleaners are full of chemicals that can, not always, but can affect people with allergies, breathing issues and more. If you follow my blog you know that I make…
Easy Foolproof Mayonnaise Recipe – Quick Mayo Recipe UK
My youngest daughter absolutely loves mayo. If left to here own devices she would eat it on everything! The ingredients listed however on shop bought mayonnaise shows they are full of chemical nasties and substitutes for natural ingredients. So now…
Scones – Easy and quick scone recipe!
I love scones, especially with vast quantities of clotted cream and home made jam, but some recipes are so long winded for scones that I decided to share with you my fool proof easy scone recipe. These scones can also…
Tomato, Aubergine and Chilli Chutney Recipe
I am a bit of a sucker for chutneys. The idea of a white crusty roll filled with chedder cheese and home made chutney fills me with deep joy. But chutneys, good chutneys, can be very expensive to buy, however,…
Easy & Quick Pickled Cucumber Recipe – UK recipe for delicious pickled cucumbers!
We eat a LOT of pickled cucumbers in our house. Whether they are on homemade burgers, on top of blue cheese in a baguette, in salads or used in our homemade tartare sauce. I have also caught people just popping…
Basic White Bread Recipe
There is nothing quite like the smell of bread baking in the oven. Many people these days have bread machines which basically do all the work for you, but there is something so satisfying about making yourself. The taste, the…
Chinese Style Honey, Orange and Ginger Crispy Chicken Recipe
My favourite dish at any Chinese restaurant is almost always the sweet and sour… well sweet and sour anything! Vegetables, chicken, pork, prawns… if it is covered in that sweet yet tangy sauce then I am all over it. But…
Recipe: Vegetable & Lentil Daal (also Dal or Dhal)
We adore Indian food in our house. The spices, the textures and the taste. My eldest daughter is loves a curry, whether homemade, in a restaurant or from the local takeaway. As you already know from my Tandoori Chicken Recipe…
Chocolate Syrup UK Recipe – UK Hershey’s Clone – Chocolate Milk (Milkshake)
My eldest daughter is obsessed by chocolate milkshakes, however, have you ever read the ingredients of some of the commercial milkshake syrups and powders you can buy? It’s scary! She particularly likes a well known US brand of chocolate syrup…
Crispy Chinese Hoi Sin Chicken With Cashew Nuts Recipe
I adore Chinese food, adore maybe too milder word. If I could only ever eat one type of food ever again, it would be Chinese food. I love cooking it almost as much as I love eating it, the way…
Slow Cooker Honey & Soy Chicken
I love my slow cooker and when I say ‘love’ I mean, LOVE. In fact, I have two that sit side by side on my kitchen counter. One is a large 6.5L and the other a 3L. The beauty is,…
Nettle Soup Recipe
Nettle soup is one of my husband’s favourite springtime/summertime soups. We first started making it a couple of years ago when we went through a ‘foraging’ phase. I am pleased to say that the phase hasn’t worn off yet. Just…
Lamb Hot Pot Recipe
When it’s cold outside and you have had a hard day, a stew or hot pot really makes you feel warm and loved. Plus when everything is cooked in one pan, there is less washing up too! Ingredients 8 lamb…
Top 10 tips for creating a kids vegetable patch!
No, I’m obviously not suggesting that you hand over your garden to a 4 year old. However why not give your child (or children) a vegetable garden of their very own. Children’s veggie gardens can be made from a small…
Top 10 tips to starting to grow your own vegetables on a budget
Gardening and growing your own vegetables does not have to be an expensive hobby, there are ways and means to be able to grow your own, even on a very tight budget, all you need is a little time and…
Carrot & Chilli Cake Recipe
Don’t panic, this cake won’t leave you rushing for a glass of water because your mouth is on fire. The chilli along with the other spices just gives this cake a well rounded warmth that makes in so moreish that…
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Slices UK Recipe (Similar to Reese’s)
I am a bit of a sucker for peanut butter. Especially on toast with real butter and lashings of homemade jam. A few years ago, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups became popular here in the UK although I know they have been…
Old Fashioned Cloudy Lemonade – Traditional Lemonade Recipe
Old fashioned lemonade is a refreshing drink that is not fizzy but more zingy than the carbonated pop variety you can buy in supermarkets today. It is very cheap and easy to make and is a great way of getting…
Tandoori Chicken Recipe UK – Just Like An Indian Restaurant!
My whole family adores Indian food. Some like the subtle aromatic spiced dishes such as korma and passanda, others (like myself) like fiery hot spiced dishes such as ceylon, madras, vindaloo and phaal. But we all agree on one thing….
Bombay Potatoes Recipe UK – Tastes Like Indian Restaurant
Tonight, I made my tandoori chicken recipe for dinner, my family always love it especially when I serve it with Bombay potatoes. These soft, buttery, aromatic morsels of potato just make me smile when I eat them and they make…
Cinnamon Bread Swirls With Vanilla Glaze Recipe UK
BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER! If you want small, perfectly shaped delicate cinnamon swirl buns like you get in most shops, then you should probably find a recipe elsewhere. However, if you like like BIG BUNS (and you can not…
Sweet and Spicy Smoked BBQ Sauce Recipe UK Barbecue Dip
Last week I shared my easy foolproof mayonnaise recipe and said how it was my youngest daughters favourite sauce. My eldest daughter however, loves BBQ sauce. Not just any BBQ sauce but rich, sweet BBQ sauce that has a spiciness and…
Antibacterial & Natural Household Cleaner Recipe UK – Make Your Own Home Cleaning Spray
Hello lovelies! With 3 asthmatics, 2 eczema sufferers and 1 person allergic to almost everything in our house, it is really important that we use as many natural products as possible. But not only this, we just think is just…
Dry Shampoo Recipe – Natural, Easy & Cheap! UK Recipe
My kids are obsessed with dry shampoo and it is very handy stuff. Normal shop bought shampoo is full of nasties. They are overloaded with chemicals and really do no good to your hair and if used too often can…
2 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake – Cake In A Mug!
So, as you know, I do love a bit of cake 😉 Especially cakes that taste good and are quick to make and this recipe is both! It certainly isn’t a pretty cake, it’s not meant to be, it’s just…
Homemade Natural Washing Powder / UK Recipe Laundry Powder
Please note: I originally wrote this post back in 2014 – but it has now been updated with 2024 prices! We do a lot of washing in our house. About 15 loads a week roughly, sometimes more. This is something…
Make your own cake flour – UK substitution | Easy UK recipe
I have just been asked about this on Twitter so thought I might as well whip up a quick blog post on here about it too. Many US cook books and cake recipes ask for ‘cake flour’. Not many shops…
Natural Cold Flu & Sore Throat Winter Remedy & Tonic
Before I start this recipe and before you glance down and think you are about to have a meltdown with all the weird sounding ingredients and all the faffing about…stop. This remedy is excellent. Yes, it requires a lot of…
Rosehip Syrup Recipe
Rosehip Syrup is a winter must. Packed to the brim full of vitamin C and other natural goodies, rosehip syrup has been used by families for generations to help with lowering fevers, help with colds and flu as well as…
Festive Yuletide Orange And Cranberry Spiced Muffins
These festive muffins are great for Yule afternoon as you cozy up in front of the fire. They are sweet, aromatic, soft and fluffy. Even better, they are easy to make! If you don’t like cranberries, you can replace these…
Cottage Cheese / Curd Cheese UK Recipe
My youngest daughter is lactose intolerant which is a bit of a bummer as she adores milk, cheese and yoghurt. We tried various soya, rice and coconut milks and she just couldn’t drink them but then luckily in the UK…
Jam Roly Poly Recipe
One of my kids favourites! Perfect on a cold day served with hot thick custard. This recipe takes me back to being a child and eating comfort foods when I was poorly. It certainly made me feel better! Ingredients 250g…
About Root & Ridge
Welcome to Root & Ridge Homestead, where a grounded, intentional life grows from even the smallest patch of earth. Though we live in a town, our hearts are rooted in the rhythms of the land, shaped by seasons, sustained by simplicity and inspired by nature’s abundance. From our urban home with the Lancashire Moors almost in our back garden, we’re building a life that’s deeply connected to the natural world and guided by the belief that homesteading is as much a mindset and a way of life, as it is a location or a house. Read more HERE.
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