Well, here we are in 2013 already. How on earth did that happen? I know I say it every year but 2012 really did feel like it was over in a flash. I hope you enjoyed a delicious Christmas and had a wonderful time seeing in the new year. Ours was lovely. Christmas was a whirlwind of visits from family and friends, while we spent New Year’s Eve very quietly, enjoying steak and chips, good red wine and Jools Holland on the telly. Splendid.

I’m extremely pleased to be welcoming in the new year here on Bangers & Mash by hosting the Herbs on Saturday blog challenge for Karen at Lavender & Lovage.

I first hosted Herbs on Saturday back in July and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The challenge is a fabulous way to share delicious recipes that celebrate cooking with herbs, and I was fortunate enough to meet so many new and talented food bloggers as a result of hosting it last time. I can’t wait to see what comes in this month, particularly after seeing the recipes submitted last month.

To take part in the challenge, simply submit any recipe using fresh or dried herbs by emailing me with the URL for your post. And they don’t only need to be recipes made on a Saturday. At the end of each month, a ‘special blogger’ will choose their favourite recipe from all the entries, and the winning blogger will receive a fantastic cookbook as their prize. The full entry guidelines are below.

January’s prize is Your Kitchen Garden: Month-by-Month by renowned gardening author Andi Clevely.

Highly practical and easy-to-use, with clear illustrations and seasonal charts, Andi Clevely’s book is invaluable for creating a  well-managed kitchen garden providing a plentiful supply of vegetables, fruit, salad crops, herbs and flowers throughout the year. Each chapter focuses on one calendar month, setting out the tasks to be done and featuring crops that will be ripe for harvesting.

Herbs on Saturday for January – guidelines on how to enter

1. Send your recipe URL to me at vanesther-at-reescommunications-dot-co-dot-uk, including your own email address and the title of your recipe or post. The closing date is Thursday 31 January.
2. Display the Herbs on Saturday badge (as shown above and below) on the relevant recipe post, with a link back to this post  and also to the challenge page over at Lavender & Lovage.
3. Email me as many recipe links as you like, there is no limit and the recipes and posts can be from any day, not just Saturday!
4. If you tweet your post, please mention #herbsonsaturday, @BangerMashChat and @KarenBurnsBooth in your tweet – I will retweet all that I see.
5. The recipe can be one of your own or one you’ve seen elsewhere. You are welcome to republish old recipes/posts but please add the information about this challenge as listed above with the Herbs on Saturday badge.
6. As entries come in, links to these will be added to this page and at the end of the month there will be a round-up of all entries received.
7. A guest blogger will choose their favourite recipe at the end of the month, and the winner will receive a copy of Your Kitchen Garden: Month-by-Month.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line. I’m really looking forward to receiving your entries for Herbs on Saturday!

January’s entries:

1. Nigel Slater’s Hangover Salad from London Busy Body
2. Herbed Cheese and Bacon Souffles from Caroline Makes
3. Cumin Spiced Chicken with a Puy Lentil and Chargrilled Courgette Salad from How to be a Gourmand
4. Mushroom, Onion and Thyme Focaccia from Lancashire Food
5. Swamp Juice from Tinned Tomatoes
6. Parsley Pesto from Chez Foti
7. Slow Roasted Pork Neck in Thyme, Rosemary & Bay with Mint Flatbreads from Bangers & Mash
8. Creamy Lemon Butter Beans from The Garden Deli
9. Roast Chicken with Bulgur Wheat Stuffing and Roast Butternut Squash from Food Eat Love
10. Bacon-Wrapped Salmon from Fab Food 4 All
11. A Really Useful Asian Broth with Awesome Add-Ins from Food to Glow
12. Rosemary and Thyme Chickpea Pancakes (Socca de Nice) from Food to Glow
13. Saltimbocca alla Romana from Rita Cooks Italian
14. Spicy Pork Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Beans from Farmersgirl Kitchen
15. Parsley Pesto from The Botanical Baker
16. Chicken, Sausage and Vegetable Hotpot from Lavender & Lovage
17. Dukkah & Sun Dried Tomato Muffins from Fuss Free Flavours
18. Fridge-Raid Smoked Salmon Spaghetti from Crumbs and Corkscrews
19. Tiger Prawn Curry with Basmati Rice from Lavender & Lovage
20. English Parsley, Walnut and Stilton Pesto from Marmaduke Scarlet
21. Easy Shakshuka (Spiced North African Tomato and Eggs) from Food to  Glow
22. Carrot Ginger Lime Soup with Sweet Potato Hummus from The Taste Space
23. Butternut Risotto with Butternut Crisps from Chez Foti
24. Middle Eastern Chicken Salad with Hummus Dressing from Bangers & Mash
25. Chicken Breast Fillets with Sage from My Little Italian Kitchen
26. 5:2 Diet Minestrone Soup from Tinned Tomatoes
27. Rillettes de Canard from Blue Kitchen Bakes
28. Cauliflower & Pear Soup from Elizabeth’s Kitchen
29. Croustade de Canard (Duck Pie with Figs) from Delicieux
30. Roasted Mushrooms with Rosemary from Cherrapeno
31. Zero Effort Spicy Carrot Soup from Dinner with Crayons
32. Thyme, Black Garlic and Tomato Flatbreads from Blue Kitchen Bakes
33. Bresaola Spirals from Leeks and Limoni
34. Shakshuka from Exploits of a Food Nut
35. Peashoot, Bacon & Ricotta Penne from Anne’s Kitchen
36. Nigella’s Chicken Tagine from Blue Kitchen Bakes
37. Kroppkakor – Swedish Style Dumplings from Delicieux
38. Belleau Minestrone from Belleau Kitchen
39. Sicilian Style Tuna with Salsa Verde from 8&Ruth
40. Smoked Mackerel Salad with Yoghurt, Horseradish & Dill Dressing from Recipe Junkie
41. Lemon Chicken with Cannellini Beans and Rosemary from Lavender & Lovage
42. Cheesy Chorizo Flatbreads from Blue Kitchen Bakes
43. Goats Cheese Souffles with Thyme from Maison Cupcake