The unseasonal Arctic weather means our wildlife could do with a helping hand and this is an easy way to help them out while adding colour to any garden or even window sill. These fatty cakes are easy to make (great for kids) and are also a good way of using up kitchen scraps after Sunday lunch . . .
250g Suet or lard
500g Dried fruit
500g Wild bird seed
Kitchen scraps (eg bacon fat, stale cereal, bread crusts etc)
Melt the suet or lard over a gentle heat (I find suet slightly the better of the two because it sets more firmly). Add the other ingredients and keep stirring until everything is coated with the fat. Press into moulds – old yoghurt pots or plastic cups are ideal – and leave to set (a freezer can speed up the job). Pop the moulds into a hot water bath for a moment or two to loosen the sides, then turn upside down and tap the contents out. You can place these out on a bird table as they are, but squirrels and bigger birds such as magpies will quickly hog the scene, so a wire cage feeder is probably best.
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