Posh Treat: Griottines

We all like a treat once in a while, and they don't come much more decadent than these new Griottines. They're hand-plucked Balkan morello cherries steeped in kirsch for a whole six months, and they come from the very luxe sounding Grandes Distilleries Peureux in France.

I ate mine with some roast duck, and used the leftover steeping juice in an accompanying salad dressing, but they would also be fantastic in the bottom of a champagne cocktail or spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Griottines website also has plenty of recipe ideas. Or you could just slurp them straight from the jar!

I had a mini sample, but regular Griottines come in a 35ml jar (average 88 cherries) and cost a pricey £12.50 from griottines.co.uk.

Start your library with Bill Amberg's Penguin classics

£3.99 paperbacks from Asda are all well and good for taking on holiday and leaving under a sunlounger on the last day, but when it comes to stacking the shelves at home, perhaps it's time for an upgrade. After a stroll around the heavenly library at Arundel castle recently (remember that scene from Beauty & The Beast? Imagine that in real life) got me dreaming of beautiful leather-bound volumes lined up neatly in posh cabinets.

The good news is, this is something that's not too far out of reach. Leather goods guru Bill Amberg's collaboration with Penguin has resulted in modern collectible versions of well known classics like Breakfast at Tiffany's, A Room With a View and Brideshead Revisited, bound in brown leather with bookmarks and presentation boxes. They're usually £50, but they're going for £32.50 each on Amazon, or in sets of three for £100. Still pricey, but they'll last a damn sight longer than that abridged chick lit freebie you got with a copy Cosmo!