poorly shoulder.................

I have been suffering with a painful shoulder for a few weeks and unfortunately crochet seems to aggravate it. I have decided to rest my hook for a week to see if my shoulder pain improves - keep your fingers crossed.

To take my mind off neglected crochet squares I have had a cooking and baking day. I started with some carrots, celery, onions, vegetable stock and coriander and made a big pan of soup..............

Then I mixed a batch of sponge using 8 eggs, 16 oz flour, 16 oz sugar, and 16 oz of margarine this made lots of buns and 2 sponge cakes ( to be saved for a birthday brunch party on Saturday)

Lastly a quick tomato pasta for supper......................

I feel it's been a good productive day.....................

talk soon x

A Sunday outing and afternoon tea - yummy

After a rainy cold week the sun tried really hard this morning to add some warmth and brightness to the day, to celebrate we decided to go out for afternoon tea. My daughter Laura had recommended a little vintage tea room in South Manchester and it was also featured in the Independent’s Top 50 Tea Rooms in the UK.

The "dish ran away from the spoon" is on Burton Rd in West Didsbury, nestling between lots of little independent restaurants, interesting vintage shops, and small designer boutiques.

The afternoon tea consisted of sandwiches, two scones, chocolate dipped strawberries and then three cakes of your choice. After much deliberation I chose roast beef sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, a blueberry cupcake with cream cheese frosting, raspberry and white chocolate blondie and lastly a slice of lemon drizzle cake. Mr R had mature cheddar and chutney sandwiches and lacking any imagination was going to have the same cakes as me, he was persuaded (told) to at least try two different cakes and then we could share some of each others, he then opted for a banana tea bread and key lime pie to go with his blueberry cupcake and scones.

The cakes were truly scrummy but we both failed miserably to eat them all so we have a lovely box of leftover treats to keep us going for a few days.

a box of lovely treats.....................

The tea shop captures the nostalgia of a bygone era beautifully and has lots of lovely vintage memorabilia decorating the walls. Tea is served in small teapots and kept warm under hand knitted cosies which are also on sale alongside the freshly baked cakes - which can be bought and gift boxed for special occasions or just to take home for tea.

What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon ......................we have promised to have more chilled out Sundays together as life can be so busy.

talk soon x

catching up with friends over cake - yummy............

My friend Jenny who I haven't seen in ages was coming over for a catch up yesterday so I decided to make us a scrummy afternoon tea. (I need very little persuasion to bake a cake; if you follow my blog you will have guessed this by now) I decided to make a cake that I hadn't made in ages, a Russian sandwich cake, it's just a basic sponge cake but it is filled with vanilla crème patisserie - which is a bit tricky to make but just so lovely. The top is iced and then you sprinkle the edge of the cake with chopped nuts or desiccated coconut, I'm not sure which is the authentic topping, I didn't have any coconut so nuts it was. 

I also made some heart shaped jammie dodgers which I have fancied making ever since I got my heart shaped cutters. They were quite a lot of work but good fun to make. 

 

Daisy had fun playing with the cutters and we baked the tiny hearts that were cut out of the biscuit tops, she called them her baby heart biccies and managed to eat them all in about two minutes!

Of course I couldn't bake and not make a few cupcakes - which all went home with Daisy.

It's no wonder I battle with my weight but baking is such fun and I will just have to try harder not to eat it...........

talk soon x

 

creative cakes.........

Manchester has just been host to an amazing cake and baking show. I booked 2 tickets for an afternoon at the show and went with Laura - we had such a good time, we both love baking and it was like entering an Aladdin's Cave.

We had to show lots of restraint as if funds had permitted we would  have bought from every stand. As it was we both probably spent more than we had budgeted for.

Lots of the stands had little demonstration areas, we saw some amazing examples of sugar paste work. The demonstrators were so helpful and explained lots of different techniques, giving us oodles of tips and ideas. Unfortunately this did involve buying a large number of products!

Laura bought me some pots of sugar paste in lovely vintage shades, which I have been experimenting with. I bought an amazing little rolling pin that you roll over sugar paste and it leaves a lovely raised flower pattern. The sugar paste can then be used to decorate cupcakes, or even sandwich cakes.

I've got four lovely pots - it's like adult play dough...................amazing stuff

I had a play yesterday, I'm so pleased with the results....................

my cupcakes look quite professional.....................

We were also tempted to buy some silicone moulds, my favourite is a button mould. The mould makes about 20 buttons in three different sizes. To make the buttons I bought some different coloured chocolate melts. I was amazed at the effect they look just adorable.

lovely colours...................

my first ever handmade chocolate buttons - I adore them......................

The show also had a number of cake making competitions, the cakes were absolutely fantastic - such talented bakers in the North!

A number of cooking demonstrations were also running throughout the day, but unfortunately we didn't manage to get tickets for one, but actually I'm not sure we would have had enough time to see everything, maybe next time we should go for the day.

We had such a fun time and I have had the opportunity to try out some of my new products as Barbara had commissioned me to bake a birthday cake and cupcakes for her grandaughter, Esmee's 2nd birthday.

mini button cupcakes..................

chocolate button birthday cake................yummy

I was really pleased with the finished cakes, but I am quite exhausted now, I've had such a busy few days.

Talk soon x

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