DIY Suet Cakes - Put cake on the menu for your garden birds!

Its always great to see the garden birds in your garden and a good way to encourage them to return is to hang out one of their favourite tasty treats. Birds love fat cakes and can be a good way to use up some kitchen scraps rather than adding to the landfill. Fat cakes are best used in the winter or early spring as they will melt in the warm weather.

Fat cakes are a great high energy food and are a good help to birds in the leaner months.

Follow this simple DIY recipe to make your very own fat cake for your garden birds.

Its a fun activity to try out and a great activity you can also do with the kids!

You will need:

• Bowl or Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon
• Old clean yoghurt / garden plastic pots
• String
• Scissors

 Ingredients:

• Lard or suet (NOT turkey fat as does not set like suet or lard and can coat birds feathers preventing them from flying and can spread disease)

• Wild bird seed
• Wild Bird peanuts (unsalted)
• Grated Cheese /raisins or currants
• Mealworms
• Dry leftovers - porridge oats, breadcrumbs or cake crumbs

Time: Approx 20 mins plus setting time

Makes: Approx 1-4 fat cakes

Method:

Prepare your pots

If you are using yoghurt pots make a small hole in the bottom of each.

Thread a length of string through the hole and tie a knot in it to secure it.

Cake mix

The rule of thumb is to follow one part fat to two parts dry mix.

The fat that you use is best at room temperature however if its chilled and hard, melt it slightly so that its pliable.

Put all of your ingredients in a bowl and mix it together with a spoon.

Pack each pot tightly with your mixture.

Place in the fridge and chill until its set hard. Its better to leave it overnight if you can.

Once set, cut away the pot and the cake should come away if the mixture is cold enough.

Hang up fat cake in an appropriate position in your garden, then wait for your local bird population to swoop in!  Ours didn't last long at all, with sparrows and blue tits all tucking in!

Top tip: In the event that you find that the fat cake is a bit on the crumbly side, next time add more fat and a little less dry mixture.

Batches: You can keep them in the freezer until needed and get one or two out at a time, during a cold winter day.

Have you made DIY Suet Cakes for wild birds?  Lets us know how you got on in the comments!