tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89271224079216677712024-03-17T09:21:47.296+00:00Caroline Makes....Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.comBlogger1890125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-65498526029503500182023-10-26T23:17:00.000+01:002023-10-26T23:17:52.523+01:00Halloween Chocolate Bark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzhhK_35VNnRTs6R58ZYSC7r874ohI8Yo2sDsqqDmDec0oiztdH6sTfMdaassGlMnTIycb-n2-yRsW7TAdJC-J9SfLTmDGXscYM1fGb0Do4vtNs69Ir54YrQxkowfQypWGCoMUx9ibNpWy-YbMm4bwj0T5RQ50ad1_QWRF6mAlxZIX1stuA_UEfNKv6k/s640/choc%20bark1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzhhK_35VNnRTs6R58ZYSC7r874ohI8Yo2sDsqqDmDec0oiztdH6sTfMdaassGlMnTIycb-n2-yRsW7TAdJC-J9SfLTmDGXscYM1fGb0Do4vtNs69Ir54YrQxkowfQypWGCoMUx9ibNpWy-YbMm4bwj0T5RQ50ad1_QWRF6mAlxZIX1stuA_UEfNKv6k/w400-h300/choc%20bark1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>If
your children have been trick or treating, or you stocked up on goodies to hand
out yourself, you might find you have an excess of chocolate and sweets left
over come November. While it’s perfectly acceptable to still be eating it come
January, with Christmas not that far off you might be looking for ways to use
up this leftover chocolate and candy. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chocolate
bark is a good option as it’s easy to make, and fun to do with kids, plus it
makes fairly banal sweets or chocolates into something a bit more interesting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Simply
melt some chocolate, spread it over a piece of baking paper in a square cake
tin or rectangular baking tray, sprinkle with sweets, chocolates (M&Ms and
Smarties work well), popcorn, even broken biscuit pieces, and leave to set in
the fridge. When set, break into slabs (you may need to carefully stab with a
knife) and enjoy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
mine I used a baking tray and 200g white chocolate and 100g milk chocolate. I
melted both types of chocolate separately in the microwaved and coloured half
the white chocolate purple and the other half orange. I swirled the three
colours together in the tray and sprinkled over some M&S Hallow-Scream
Munch Mix, £3.50 for 300g (I used about 100g). The mix contains mini pretzel
pieces, chocolate covered pretzels, green and orange crispies (like little
biscuit pieces in a candy coating), popcorn pieces covered in white chocolate
and milk chocolate pretzel clusters - though I didn’t use the latter in my
chocolate bark as the pieces were a lot larger than the others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
could be enjoyed as part of a Halloween party or nibbled on while watching your
favourite scary movie!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpsOyNngD7l-Xf5p2I0Z3BlXKNZXumn8jBpG-GnH4bCfvm87CxvV-vE1PoUsxe_nHIMG6cU_bIf-XJfgTBnOnrWHK_SUuOID7t_2F9T3C_UwFpSQQZoaUp-VMHPRpQfvs9rKP87s6JYkAM6-IHwOdJvuCGDL4KeVTsHLYYg7Z_7wiVIxaDIfV6FKfc90/s640/choc%20bark%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpsOyNngD7l-Xf5p2I0Z3BlXKNZXumn8jBpG-GnH4bCfvm87CxvV-vE1PoUsxe_nHIMG6cU_bIf-XJfgTBnOnrWHK_SUuOID7t_2F9T3C_UwFpSQQZoaUp-VMHPRpQfvs9rKP87s6JYkAM6-IHwOdJvuCGDL4KeVTsHLYYg7Z_7wiVIxaDIfV6FKfc90/w400-h300/choc%20bark%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The
recipe can be adapted easily for other times of the year such as Christmas, or
Valentine’s Day as I did <a href="https://minimoo.life/2022/02/13/baking-with-kids-valentines-chocolate-bark/" target="_blank">here (this is my other blog</a> if you are interested in parenting posts)! </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-83689266433706065082023-10-25T23:32:00.002+01:002023-10-25T23:32:29.904+01:00Halloween Spooky Sugar Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qacbhZY3yXRdl3OraTIJuEqdtrW0QZPfqnF_KElsXe3C9WgJ3iCNV_BWCX4chRkXAXb_v1RfthHB_3xQcZSPattuZ_V2vXR-GxiXM7f_GJuoyWCiRCsQps5zqZ_Fcg3loMGq5PvEHXhtBv_ZWrpLrNrrrVYnMgdumo32WYN_sXGLbMjPn5e75kEk5Ss/s2016/cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qacbhZY3yXRdl3OraTIJuEqdtrW0QZPfqnF_KElsXe3C9WgJ3iCNV_BWCX4chRkXAXb_v1RfthHB_3xQcZSPattuZ_V2vXR-GxiXM7f_GJuoyWCiRCsQps5zqZ_Fcg3loMGq5PvEHXhtBv_ZWrpLrNrrrVYnMgdumo32WYN_sXGLbMjPn5e75kEk5Ss/w400-h300/cookies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I recently did a class with Biscuiteers which I shall write about separately - and since then I've been enjoying baking and decorating biscuits at home, now I know the 'proper' techniques for decorating! The trick is to use royal icing to pipe an outline, then when it has set, use thinner royal icing to 'flood' the inner part of the biscuit.</p><p>I have a large collection of cookie cutters and among them, a pumpkin, ghost and bat. I used a Biscuiteers recipe which you can find <a href="https://www.biscuiteers.com/blog/recipes/biscuiteers-easy-vanilla-biscuit-recipe" target="_blank">online here</a> - the addition of golden syrup makes the dough less likely to spread during baking.</p><p>I tried a few different designs, including writing 'Boo' on a ghost, and a pumpkin with a face - but I prefer the look of the plain pumpkin cookies. I think the bats came out fairly well too. I made a few of each type and plan to serve these when my daughter has a couple of friends around for a mini Halloween party - if they aren't eaten already before then!</p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-39649664308456157312023-09-01T21:09:00.001+01:002023-09-01T21:09:11.701+01:00Memsahib Gin and Tea Bar Cheltenham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BtAJisgG6GX8Ay1QYV1CDa4ZdlCAYREyaXsPXWcNXmyCXXQZo74ABM18k4bu2s9vTh2gvruz9sPH4-exZgXLFSyeDCzmumJET2gelqeCuo_yp2pptenKzs0S4TtN9kLn5PUJSrRhHS5zuRVy7nIH8W1Mgn--SsFr2A0wQ3GOmtCQEe74D8t4ZDuv/s2016/cheltenham1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BtAJisgG6GX8Ay1QYV1CDa4ZdlCAYREyaXsPXWcNXmyCXXQZo74ABM18k4bu2s9vTh2gvruz9sPH4-exZgXLFSyeDCzmumJET2gelqeCuo_yp2pptenKzs0S4TtN9kLn5PUJSrRhHS5zuRVy7nIH8W1Mgn--SsFr2A0wQ3GOmtCQEe74D8t4ZDuv/w400-h300/cheltenham1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I was trying to work out why I liked the <a href="https://memsahibginandteabar.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Memsahib Gin andTea Bar </a>in Cheltenham aside from the absolutely delicious cocktails and then I
realised - it was the comfy chairs.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">These days the last thing I want when I go out for a
drink is a busy pub where I’m standing, trying to make myself heard, with
nowhere to put my bag. I’d much rather have a seat in a quiet corner and be
able to relax and hear my friends speak! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText">Last year I went to Bath with a few of my friends and took part in a murder mystery event that saw us walking - and at times running - around the town centre trying to solve a virtual crime with <a href="https://www.cluedupp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clued Up</a>. It was great fun but pretty tiring as we were on our feet all day. At the end of the day, we drove back to my friend's house in Cheltenham, and walked to the town centre for dinner and drinks. By that point my feet were starting to hurt which is another reason I was glad to sit down!</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Memsahib is inspired by the British Raj period in India with tapas food blending British and Indian flavours; it also serves an afternoon Chai tea and crafts its own gin. If I lived closer, I would definitely do one of their masterclasses!</p><p class="MsoPlainText">We had some masala chips served with parmesan and lemon salt (£5.50) to nibble alongside our cocktails which were not too spicy and really unusual. But mostly I liked the cocktails - carefully blended flavours, that were out of the ordinary, definitely worth their £10 price tag.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpMc0NbquPe4kYv_OI7rg5pIYa7lRXi2M4flKa3fEXU8fPI44wxfzp3MYLuzUMWe6vnXwUMwPVM1DoqIxMgqtZQwninecYIfzOY8ci3iJ3Psl0Nx2EZiihgAvzunDxxddkOzND86O1tvu5EvByN9w36CVSzzE7N9Rmx952QOk5cgx5QIZFAMV2sMW/s2016/cheltenham2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpMc0NbquPe4kYv_OI7rg5pIYa7lRXi2M4flKa3fEXU8fPI44wxfzp3MYLuzUMWe6vnXwUMwPVM1DoqIxMgqtZQwninecYIfzOY8ci3iJ3Psl0Nx2EZiihgAvzunDxxddkOzND86O1tvu5EvByN9w36CVSzzE7N9Rmx952QOk5cgx5QIZFAMV2sMW/w300-h400/cheltenham2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="MsoPlainText">I love Singapore Slings so I had a Cheltenham Sling - vodka, Indian masala rum, orange liqueur, green apple, lime, ginger, angostura bitters, orange bitters and ginger ale. It came on a little tray with a couple of little bottles for me to mix myself. I followed that with a Memsahib Star, made from tropical mango gin, pineapple, lime, vanilla and prosecco - a little similar to a pornstar martini. Both were delicious and I'd definitely recommend making a stop here if you are in the area.</p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-61498062757568959282023-06-01T20:10:00.000+01:002023-06-01T20:10:05.754+01:00The Tea Terrace - Afternoon Tea in a Princess Carriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA172MAA4OgafXXTJpsauVdMwLnNnPu2pTB0dHktnrXHSk5oeY6Vpq710CJqXyoc7Sg6wX_-B51wzFNfh_PF0mG4SfKmC3SDoaG9oGV6Ik5Ypvl7WtEMvKUoHYIvss5ct37Hd3nBuCPv9cWJlhGtwxxI52JapjckzygfcWSs4heSifOJOjtOf7MZ1/s1699/tea%20terrace%20cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="1699" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA172MAA4OgafXXTJpsauVdMwLnNnPu2pTB0dHktnrXHSk5oeY6Vpq710CJqXyoc7Sg6wX_-B51wzFNfh_PF0mG4SfKmC3SDoaG9oGV6Ik5Ypvl7WtEMvKUoHYIvss5ct37Hd3nBuCPv9cWJlhGtwxxI52JapjckzygfcWSs4heSifOJOjtOf7MZ1/w640-h568/tea%20terrace%20cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>A perfect treat for any little girl - or grown up - who loves princesses and all things pink. We enjoyed afternoon tea at the Tea Terrace in Cobham for our daughter's fourth birthday last year and she was thrilled. Unfortunately that restaurant has now closed but they have another venue in Guildford where you can have the same princess carriage experience - to find out more hop on over to my other blog, <a href="https://minimoo.life/2023/06/01/princess-afternoon-tea-at-the-tea-terrace/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mini Moo Life.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsQBarH13imXkMyhcSH9EQImGCM7avUJgMfD9OXM1NjxWDmGlLq6MGhHJWmSo9X7Y0o8srLsNc82bhLByCIXA_k2MWo4zwstHG0Uo_2GiBA7AXgXMYtqkiGKgV7v6eIA_SeEpE5nbjRY6DY46CdnhmdnnnPzlSwLAsP7n0e7uplUnqpxMG0GTTxkY/s2016/tea%20terrace%2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsQBarH13imXkMyhcSH9EQImGCM7avUJgMfD9OXM1NjxWDmGlLq6MGhHJWmSo9X7Y0o8srLsNc82bhLByCIXA_k2MWo4zwstHG0Uo_2GiBA7AXgXMYtqkiGKgV7v6eIA_SeEpE5nbjRY6DY46CdnhmdnnnPzlSwLAsP7n0e7uplUnqpxMG0GTTxkY/w300-h400/tea%20terrace%2019.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuBy7wmmpWeHzhsWWqWFRh6DG4kSfvZtY6NCTmIKjTQjFhwR6JGLxNfPJde9vLSN6nL9JApQFtHipRnlZ40iqH_FWzlf_8_PJfCza40ai52qybJIonTlU3-NwuOGhQakB6VuQ9G3BXiKD828g6pHUkG7BjGgMDTyCzGhDJJewpoCrHjKxG9CXj9OS/s2016/tea%20terrace%2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuBy7wmmpWeHzhsWWqWFRh6DG4kSfvZtY6NCTmIKjTQjFhwR6JGLxNfPJde9vLSN6nL9JApQFtHipRnlZ40iqH_FWzlf_8_PJfCza40ai52qybJIonTlU3-NwuOGhQakB6VuQ9G3BXiKD828g6pHUkG7BjGgMDTyCzGhDJJewpoCrHjKxG9CXj9OS/w300-h400/tea%20terrace%2020.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>They have an extensive menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options as well as afternoon tea. The white chocolate and cranberry scones were especially good, and the mini cakes were delicious. The restaurant was very quiet when we were there so we were able to hop over to another table in the corner and sit on throne-type chairs - though my daughter and I definitely preferred sitting in the princess carriage! </p><p>You do have to pay extra to hire the carriage which you get for an hour and a half, and it can add up at £12.95 per person - I think it would be better to have a flat fee per carriage as you aren't exactly going to share it with anyone. There is also a minimum spend of £21 per person if you sit in the carriage so you can't just book it to feel a bit fancy while drinking a coffee! We had planned to go for afternoon tea (which my daughter and I ordered while my husband had a panini from the lunch menu followed by a cake and with a drink as well which came to more than the minimum spend.</p><p>While we haven't been to the Tea Terrace's remaining venue in Guildford it looks from the website to be quite similar to the now closed Cobham branch, and most importantly has the princess carriages, but doesn't have Theresa the robot!</p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-36283929230745346962023-05-06T22:41:00.004+01:002023-09-11T19:44:47.467+01:00Coronation Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Zx5J1AUEzwnLZAK71yryJq1wC9MngD9qvvmjr0T5eT-sLSb0myLnQHQaTR0ul2yVZZYOgmZW2wcDJypss66LRHxrjQkELbq-K_JZHsTLai_ZLIB-vu7BLpyqYaf5yq8CiJbrS70QcudAIQkuxij66ByNy3J_V3lErNPFxm9LigZa8LV7iY2r9hGe/s640/coronation11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Zx5J1AUEzwnLZAK71yryJq1wC9MngD9qvvmjr0T5eT-sLSb0myLnQHQaTR0ul2yVZZYOgmZW2wcDJypss66LRHxrjQkELbq-K_JZHsTLai_ZLIB-vu7BLpyqYaf5yq8CiJbrS70QcudAIQkuxij66ByNy3J_V3lErNPFxm9LigZa8LV7iY2r9hGe/w400-h300/coronation11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I couldn't miss the opportunity/excuse to do some baking for the coronation of King Charles III - it's certainly a momentous occasion no matter what you think of the royal family, and we are merrily joining in with the celebrations, with a street party and parties at school and Rainbows for my daughter.</p><p>My husband 3D printed me a crown-shaped cookie cutter, and I bought a cookie stamp from Etsy - not having realised this is something he could have 3D printed me as well so I will remember that for next time! I also had some red, white and blue sprinkles left over from last year's Jubilee which came in handy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2v7cPhoL3q0z5XSf4Jy5Dhee89Bwz69QmcguIJf-IMC4-CZABIa8ASf72yU-r6Lj9Mb-nwax3SFoLAiLVCrislKDw85pWWRIkNHwYCSNNFFZpXCyp6we9hYT_UZooZFuuS4ACWXBWrzyNFg-u2S7CnytLTXr907q2eDDDURoKBvVqw8GDvGs6Fkm/s640/coronation3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2v7cPhoL3q0z5XSf4Jy5Dhee89Bwz69QmcguIJf-IMC4-CZABIa8ASf72yU-r6Lj9Mb-nwax3SFoLAiLVCrislKDw85pWWRIkNHwYCSNNFFZpXCyp6we9hYT_UZooZFuuS4ACWXBWrzyNFg-u2S7CnytLTXr907q2eDDDURoKBvVqw8GDvGs6Fkm/s320/coronation3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My icing technique is far from perfect but I'm quite pleased with these compared to my usual fairly messy icing. It is a bit fiddly to keep switching colour and icing bags but I think worth it!</p><p>I used a standard sugar cookie recipe, from <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sugar-cookies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BBC Good Food</a>. My cookie cutter was quite large so I didn't get that many cookies out of it - about 9 crowns and 5 circles. My daughter had most of them to decorate as you can see below!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMd_aFYVL2NxqCmDiVoYbyjihI7tjWRnU-LGZA-O0W_1HTyXNx9TxKfXNrHKdVFZdo1Ttjcuv0uLdrHV4oOBv90LaA-lz0JPG1Wr5Y4z5AEWPsQF03HKQYn80K6KQyDxzlOlLXYNupGkK3p5IyFR2SDghThzpSxYrBCR13a9ZxtpVY381_hHoLktD/s640/coronation4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMd_aFYVL2NxqCmDiVoYbyjihI7tjWRnU-LGZA-O0W_1HTyXNx9TxKfXNrHKdVFZdo1Ttjcuv0uLdrHV4oOBv90LaA-lz0JPG1Wr5Y4z5AEWPsQF03HKQYn80K6KQyDxzlOlLXYNupGkK3p5IyFR2SDghThzpSxYrBCR13a9ZxtpVY381_hHoLktD/s320/coronation4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7sRw6pwhUMh30DNiAvWNPPy0APVwVzJyQabLupxmme7TYX-l-5u1vz7IarwrI3g0pGxNcwhIpYihFskdBxjttyaw19MbEGmugeU16c8FV0CyvQi-F8oIlMz26gI_cf5kEj2w9f8azMbXZy0gKn2fDrrJYh_bXKID4OvDF7z0uTmXmaCPQ-41RaMS/s640/coronation6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7sRw6pwhUMh30DNiAvWNPPy0APVwVzJyQabLupxmme7TYX-l-5u1vz7IarwrI3g0pGxNcwhIpYihFskdBxjttyaw19MbEGmugeU16c8FV0CyvQi-F8oIlMz26gI_cf5kEj2w9f8azMbXZy0gKn2fDrrJYh_bXKID4OvDF7z0uTmXmaCPQ-41RaMS/s320/coronation6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTibqrH03oVydZAPBq3L3GZ34xv2H696hqE5bwUFLsf1vEeYpbuyeduRg_GPqrXnZq3VlBcd3tFVPd5uu-05S2qi_CSdsswfU4joNVx79NT4akNhx_YV1748Z5sQ_KOmF-rutrvPJeXuVZJanA6lbrbK-KgY0tLzNh1Y-d7mbK2DhyXsF7HrRHMqo/s640/coronation8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTibqrH03oVydZAPBq3L3GZ34xv2H696hqE5bwUFLsf1vEeYpbuyeduRg_GPqrXnZq3VlBcd3tFVPd5uu-05S2qi_CSdsswfU4joNVx79NT4akNhx_YV1748Z5sQ_KOmF-rutrvPJeXuVZJanA6lbrbK-KgY0tLzNh1Y-d7mbK2DhyXsF7HrRHMqo/s320/coronation8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>For the ones I did, I copied the shape and colours of the actual coronation crown and added what is supposed to be some gems along the bottom. I definitely need more practice with icing though but it's all just for fun - and my daughter had a great time making hers!</p><p><br /></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-40435873300720500282023-04-26T22:40:00.000+01:002023-04-26T22:40:05.950+01:00Dutch King's Day Tompuce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8FbxeDsquyV_WgFIXnYWSsZdRb0xurYVJkP5MtsGBMQJaG-mARBfPXcsLsgP3hKKGr5R_0SmRarXKdv21SASAJ3HAYQbOucB36fGAptgdupeviTR-IpKm7L6EA3mxXq3Mmhiv0REIeLgzBXFmvVxeiftE1WDl9RuTptpEm3r0ewv3Cz27E-snM0s/s2016/tompouce3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8FbxeDsquyV_WgFIXnYWSsZdRb0xurYVJkP5MtsGBMQJaG-mARBfPXcsLsgP3hKKGr5R_0SmRarXKdv21SASAJ3HAYQbOucB36fGAptgdupeviTR-IpKm7L6EA3mxXq3Mmhiv0REIeLgzBXFmvVxeiftE1WDl9RuTptpEm3r0ewv3Cz27E-snM0s/w400-h300/tompouce3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In the Netherlands, April 27 is a national holiday celebrating the king's birthday - King's Day. To mark the occasion many people hold or visit flea markets (it's the one day of the year street sales are allowed without applying for a permit); there are parties and events, people wear orange - the national colour - and eat tompouce.</p><p>These are a pastry similar to a mille-feuille, but with one layer instead of two, consisting of a piece of crispy puff pastry, a layer of creme patissiere (pastry cream, often referred to as creme pat) and another piece of pastry, with royal icing spread on top. Normally the icing is pink but on King's Day, when these are popular, the icing is orange.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3to9H7QTPoo3YqpdhJZdcwSnfxorWrE9FjrM_cteRBwnIG0wQsUwOIaemvqpc9dP-C_5AVFQPy3bWPcYNafKYcxXhqcL8qF7zNOQEWY4LCZAfF_Wr8rbK8kk-Wy1FoeunJU0h7rjILevIvTC7MrSobU3xA3vvxSC-bJIlIFrEBqSHKFfXkcIoLgPo/s2016/tompouce5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3to9H7QTPoo3YqpdhJZdcwSnfxorWrE9FjrM_cteRBwnIG0wQsUwOIaemvqpc9dP-C_5AVFQPy3bWPcYNafKYcxXhqcL8qF7zNOQEWY4LCZAfF_Wr8rbK8kk-Wy1FoeunJU0h7rjILevIvTC7MrSobU3xA3vvxSC-bJIlIFrEBqSHKFfXkcIoLgPo/w300-h400/tompouce5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>This King's Day I was invited to a party by a Dutch colleague and wanted to take something with me, and learned about tompouce via the internet (apparently they are named after a 19th century actor). I found out from my friend that he had been unable to find any tompouce in the UK, but that they are a lot like mille-feuille, which you can find in most bakeries - though probably without the orange layer on top. As he had only just moved to the UK a few months before I thought I would try to recreate a little taste of home!</p><p>I found a recipe for tompouce online - there are several but I used this one from <a href="http://www.inmyredkitchen.com/tompouce-a-dutch-treat/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Red Kitchen</a> and pretty much followed it step by step, but made the icing orange. It felt like I was doing a technical challenge from the Great British Bake Off - making something I'd never heard of before, that involved several steps (though I used ready-made puff pastry which would have been an automatic fail on GBBO!), and instructions like "cut each sheet [of pastry] into 16 equal squares". </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTT6fPrcwdBnRJXbIp4zLR8ZnWPP3hQ-W-iEMia5skyaiUE7rMu_XqEZO3fDFRmEZQGLHBkGh3Gd9NWX44dVNe1PcyzBv6_5-iwtKsUVSerdVQsv-ngZxWH5Z26shyB7zi4Wr5-fhb4xfAfFZwHwZ92rcklOIOmP8B3NB2FMM5xZew2kF7S6A03xW/s2016/tompuce1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTT6fPrcwdBnRJXbIp4zLR8ZnWPP3hQ-W-iEMia5skyaiUE7rMu_XqEZO3fDFRmEZQGLHBkGh3Gd9NWX44dVNe1PcyzBv6_5-iwtKsUVSerdVQsv-ngZxWH5Z26shyB7zi4Wr5-fhb4xfAfFZwHwZ92rcklOIOmP8B3NB2FMM5xZew2kF7S6A03xW/s320/tompuce1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I may have made mine too big but having never seen a tompouce I'm not sure what size they are supposed to be, and they seemed on a par with mille-feuilles. I didn't know exactly how much gelatine to used just said 'one envelope gelatine' and referred to jell-o at the store which makes me think this is perhaps a standard size in the US. I had a packet with four leaves of gelatine remaining which it said was the right amount for one pint of liquid but the creme pat had already thickened quite a bit so I probably didn't need that much. Rather than using a piping bag I was able to actually slice it (as I'd let it set in a large shallow rectangular dish), which I thought was quite handy at the time but in retrospect it doesn't look great and I should have piped it. Still, they tasted pretty good!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmDVqr9jwk7uvXQeYTgw_heU_rSL_EF8OnOGaiFCpijfrMRqkHVOuq_2lWEu4TEA_D3ylUkbRLNO0HhQP4gJOf-5-1CytmZm9KI0vmufWfi-8TvRB0BFyf52P6hyiR5BEf6n2t2WPB3GR8ZiudM4qB62SWDAyhXCGWcSdtF1tJvB1EkiTJ5ec5qHU/s2016/tompouce2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmDVqr9jwk7uvXQeYTgw_heU_rSL_EF8OnOGaiFCpijfrMRqkHVOuq_2lWEu4TEA_D3ylUkbRLNO0HhQP4gJOf-5-1CytmZm9KI0vmufWfi-8TvRB0BFyf52P6hyiR5BEf6n2t2WPB3GR8ZiudM4qB62SWDAyhXCGWcSdtF1tJvB1EkiTJ5ec5qHU/w400-h300/tompouce2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-58124110484187784622022-10-04T23:37:00.001+01:002022-10-04T23:37:05.529+01:00Afternoon Tea at Vicinity Tower Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8f2D5dcUjZ2FKV27REZcQ5zvZMUv5XK0N5qnM4OriwoDefMkVZugq-vaKeuphKzRQUp4R8YYQjbEpT45VRGwuG2cjqmqutgD9z8V9RxOU_NDe3R5dJ4KFf2zWI3ma7RBvjfSyuMEuXlc1C2QrBTh91hrw0KLYPKrdxVf25Mm64yYKw5cTAGqiCCh/s2016/vicinity4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8f2D5dcUjZ2FKV27REZcQ5zvZMUv5XK0N5qnM4OriwoDefMkVZugq-vaKeuphKzRQUp4R8YYQjbEpT45VRGwuG2cjqmqutgD9z8V9RxOU_NDe3R5dJ4KFf2zWI3ma7RBvjfSyuMEuXlc1C2QrBTh91hrw0KLYPKrdxVf25Mm64yYKw5cTAGqiCCh/w400-h300/vicinity4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Few things say London more than Tower Bridge and <a href="Bar & Restaurant near Tower Bridge - Vicinity (vicinitylondon.co.uk)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vicinity</a>, a
bar and restaurant in Tower Hotel, offers an afternoon tea that capitalises on
that with a Tower Bridge-shaped cake stand. This is a good afternoon tea for
tourists in London, as you have a view of Tower Bridge from the window, and can
indulge in the quintessential English finger sandwiches and scones and a
selection of patisserie and petit fours.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My husband I were given a voucher for afternoon tea here
some time ago, then Covid prevented us from using it; the hotel luckily offered
to extend the expiry date so we were able to finally make a booking just before
Christmas last year. We took a day off work while our daughter was at nursery
and made the most of it, following our afternoon tea with the Money Heist
Experience!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJo8amGb-n5rYxgxNfZain_Jy72aKFwUjPtEJowpmzi3fWs52c7qTmlEP5MOPx6wiRac8FrnBr22afZFssQ3woxOgyNRmdiyoxc4s8g2lU-9tZOBEjj_zei5Mzl-MKUgnURu3Os2BrsfbC-5HqodSnmf-8Wi7WaE4y4LrDmSXHgeuiCIhEMhF9eLp/s2016/vicinity%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJo8amGb-n5rYxgxNfZain_Jy72aKFwUjPtEJowpmzi3fWs52c7qTmlEP5MOPx6wiRac8FrnBr22afZFssQ3woxOgyNRmdiyoxc4s8g2lU-9tZOBEjj_zei5Mzl-MKUgnURu3Os2BrsfbC-5HqodSnmf-8Wi7WaE4y4LrDmSXHgeuiCIhEMhF9eLp/w400-h300/vicinity%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">If you are coming here, whether it’s to see the bridge
(which is a tourist attraction you can visit) or to go to the hotel or
restaurant, I recommend walking from London Bridge if you can. It’s a lovely
walk alongside the river and in winter, there is usually a Christmas market
which creates a magical atmosphere – and you get a good view of Tower Bridge as
you approach.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25txarzxtmW8BihXlGRxSLcrckL8fAqwO5DjFhfvBBur7j98zy_25r5oVMQpBD1S4APy14l5g5P3-sv-EGI6bCslLtiAQ0yzwwImVKp6agd5h3hNpBbfhW26x2sMDY5I6BDgtlX_pNNnGLLCAlpUN4Plva4MCQ7caKz2fUC79igoULZaswpc665ff/s2016/vicinity5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25txarzxtmW8BihXlGRxSLcrckL8fAqwO5DjFhfvBBur7j98zy_25r5oVMQpBD1S4APy14l5g5P3-sv-EGI6bCslLtiAQ0yzwwImVKp6agd5h3hNpBbfhW26x2sMDY5I6BDgtlX_pNNnGLLCAlpUN4Plva4MCQ7caKz2fUC79igoULZaswpc665ff/w400-h300/vicinity5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The restaurant was fairly quiet when we arrived at lunchtime
on a weekday but quickly filled up, with what looked like a few office
Christmas lunches as well as tourists. We had excellent service from someone
who appeared to be the maitre d’; we were given a table next to the window with
a view of the bridge and a menu for the afternoon tea. I always think it’s a
shame when the menus are taken away once the food comes and you are trying to
remember what each of the petit fours and mini desserts are – though in this
case I could be forgiven for not remembering as I realised they didn’t match up
with what was on the menu. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCREad4nexwS1FJnDGgQ4vbX5Fd8w_uIV6KoeKVUMi4cUNmjAs-Uesd6Xru5YvtLOIsuGowe_-Jgbu09SRqNYBym7IwNGFwl1ZpKVzaEthZ0QjhQOVVN3mvX1v15ZRinJx0wZpsQcknC7rBPF2Jsr0j9R3MD4YD9NMS5hLokyETqyNX5BaD0srx0m/s2016/vicinity6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCREad4nexwS1FJnDGgQ4vbX5Fd8w_uIV6KoeKVUMi4cUNmjAs-Uesd6Xru5YvtLOIsuGowe_-Jgbu09SRqNYBym7IwNGFwl1ZpKVzaEthZ0QjhQOVVN3mvX1v15ZRinJx0wZpsQcknC7rBPF2Jsr0j9R3MD4YD9NMS5hLokyETqyNX5BaD0srx0m/w300-h400/vicinity6.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">I asked the waiter and the maitre d’ then came over
to apologise, blaming supply chain issues – I didn’t mind that the cakes were
different at all, I just wanted to know what we had in front of us! He told us
what each one was, and they were delicious – as was the cocktail that they gave
us as a complementary treat and the extra portion of mille-feuilles as they said they were trying out a new recipe and asked for our opinion!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MW-pip8ueeyJg0n3CuK2DE1UOA9mJiTXN_bc5ztbOqVppIOtjMTDpv3JCqBgWkag91qHepHA37ZF_ppDv4tcBWgsdS3IwqDqbCMglB120WcL1VF8t-qLeYPmni12_Su8k3kvRxdzHlEGL42vfJ48MvZiHLeR27TxD0plixJoaFCng3qsAVNihutl/s2016/vicinity12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MW-pip8ueeyJg0n3CuK2DE1UOA9mJiTXN_bc5ztbOqVppIOtjMTDpv3JCqBgWkag91qHepHA37ZF_ppDv4tcBWgsdS3IwqDqbCMglB120WcL1VF8t-qLeYPmni12_Su8k3kvRxdzHlEGL42vfJ48MvZiHLeR27TxD0plixJoaFCng3qsAVNihutl/w400-h300/vicinity12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would recommend afternoon tea at the Vicinity for the
food, cocktails, service and view – and at £24.95 per person it’s not as expensive as some of the
more lavish, luxurious London hotels, so it won’t blow the budget either.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-37627783171134297092022-09-30T22:50:00.004+01:002022-09-30T22:50:51.365+01:00The best Christmas cake recipe for beginners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3plqL_Puv6pW454AbLvY1WAdn-EA8c99nU1KySLPocd0q9_q6c5oCbCPEBOsjC9hsRs-lmkRceIiGHWYEpyHqGCksNsxYCifrFgq6aqspej51FgxX9s9vGaL-6VD7qLPbsP_UEu8oFg7lWwLuI_E7oqGYT2CN9udXeSXvlhC7cGe9E_6SK7ueZO7/s2016/xmas%20cake%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3plqL_Puv6pW454AbLvY1WAdn-EA8c99nU1KySLPocd0q9_q6c5oCbCPEBOsjC9hsRs-lmkRceIiGHWYEpyHqGCksNsxYCifrFgq6aqspej51FgxX9s9vGaL-6VD7qLPbsP_UEu8oFg7lWwLuI_E7oqGYT2CN9udXeSXvlhC7cGe9E_6SK7ueZO7/w400-h300/xmas%20cake%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>This Christmas cake recipe is so good, that I was asked
which posh London shop I had bought it from – which was nice because it was
only the second Christmas cake I’ve ever made! The recipe is from <a href="As-you-like-it Christmas cake recipe | BBC Good Food and" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BBC Good Food</a>: it’s so easy, I would recommend
it for beginners. And if you are new to making Christmas cakes there might be
one thing you don’t realise – yes it’s still a couple of months until
Christmas, but you should make it now!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christmas cakes are traditionally soaked in booze and you
‘feed’ the cake regularly over an extended period – so making it in October, or
even earlier, is ideal. Of course, you don’t have to use alcohol and a good
alternative is tea – I am also tempted this year to experiment with a flavoured
tea of some kind, so that my four year old can have some of the cake. Though I
am also tempted to make this recipe the same way that I did last year and just
keep it out of her way, because it was amazing!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPEVeuDHae7H_q26CQ0aFn-xbKlkugT3BC-8PnIFR5aHlwWxQEonTVT7B25sJEKKmNoyPhyVKyrwDKqdxgqgBGGzAm63s-ZZeBvr8v6V6MyENeUYDeyFi6gq-i9JTdZFUdUzz7E6dlDFtHsJvPyVLW_4Qvnz4tGvg_ymgrSA87snwvFOONzfpa-Hd/s2016/xmas%20cake%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPEVeuDHae7H_q26CQ0aFn-xbKlkugT3BC-8PnIFR5aHlwWxQEonTVT7B25sJEKKmNoyPhyVKyrwDKqdxgqgBGGzAm63s-ZZeBvr8v6V6MyENeUYDeyFi6gq-i9JTdZFUdUzz7E6dlDFtHsJvPyVLW_4Qvnz4tGvg_ymgrSA87snwvFOONzfpa-Hd/w400-h300/xmas%20cake%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Instead of sherry, brandy or rum, I used amaretto – because
I already had a bottle bought on a whim, and it’s not something I really drink.
It gave the cake a lovely flavour – even though I made it quite late in the
year, on 1 December (though it didn’t get eaten until January, as most of our
Christmas plans in 2021 were cancelled due to our first (and only, touch wood)
bout of Covid!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesyYL0lt_C0dm33mf-_wvJEFJFdAct_xhoc4dIww7MRu-EJtTwt_zlGtEq-5Ee6k2nhUQy8bvcEVlskvQCepRVW6_IS2_Qw1wtv7eXD0Bsr5qgLV27ZHH9ICcbrQa2LW2L4sWu9yIkUf3J8y1GsOl-bxDajdgLX-0p5ZLo5w_9WIOfWh8gT6szgQ5/s2016/xmas%20cake%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesyYL0lt_C0dm33mf-_wvJEFJFdAct_xhoc4dIww7MRu-EJtTwt_zlGtEq-5Ee6k2nhUQy8bvcEVlskvQCepRVW6_IS2_Qw1wtv7eXD0Bsr5qgLV27ZHH9ICcbrQa2LW2L4sWu9yIkUf3J8y1GsOl-bxDajdgLX-0p5ZLo5w_9WIOfWh8gT6szgQ5/w400-h300/xmas%20cake%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">When it came to decorating, time was once again an issue. I
had made it in a square tin so covered the cake with fondant that I then
coloured gold with a packet of gold dust that came with the icing, and then cut
out white fondant snowflakes using a plunger cutter to decorate the top.
Everyone who tried the cake thought it was very good – myself included, and I
don’t really like Christmas cake – though the best comment was from my sister,
who said it was so good she assumed I had bought it, from an expensive London
shop. So I think from now on this might have to be my go-to Christmas cake
recipe, even if I switch up what I feed it with and how I decorate it!<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCciEaYokalBv_B0cl2Y6Docbl7vWatQGx3No6T_7_94B6Plp2fUVZRe7vtYlaBEECg3DeE5xNuWqY9xJVYylMyhY3j3J52P28nYQvtlCUSn2e7eMoPOudSXwlEFod8x-ihOrmZbo93cN-VG0nnd_n69NsgkxPHYezrdPMDprPidusD6tjLzSNjbpy/s2016/xmas%20cake%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCciEaYokalBv_B0cl2Y6Docbl7vWatQGx3No6T_7_94B6Plp2fUVZRe7vtYlaBEECg3DeE5xNuWqY9xJVYylMyhY3j3J52P28nYQvtlCUSn2e7eMoPOudSXwlEFod8x-ihOrmZbo93cN-VG0nnd_n69NsgkxPHYezrdPMDprPidusD6tjLzSNjbpy/w400-h300/xmas%20cake%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-65934006517602175482022-09-02T17:48:00.002+01:002022-09-02T17:48:45.731+01:00Cherish Finden's Shiok - Expensive but worth it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64gcGfRU8jdvj_NaET8vXl6VuIfzcNa7hTVwR4MgE8lAAgrH-cZEcxq432OYk3S0-5hTZ1J8z-u7kxkYHcU_VfcnbumG9mVIBLYc1kVAxtFi9LGVQM_Cn36UIwGgu2zIrbfxyQih4wd8KEww4I-gZ0IbxsbUk0r8jycMBida9LbZeCXVkPoanchE-/s2016/shiok10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64gcGfRU8jdvj_NaET8vXl6VuIfzcNa7hTVwR4MgE8lAAgrH-cZEcxq432OYk3S0-5hTZ1J8z-u7kxkYHcU_VfcnbumG9mVIBLYc1kVAxtFi9LGVQM_Cn36UIwGgu2zIrbfxyQih4wd8KEww4I-gZ0IbxsbUk0r8jycMBida9LbZeCXVkPoanchE-/w300-h400/shiok10.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Beautiful presentation, fantastic flavours but you will
get a ‘shiok’ from the prices!</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><b>I had a £16 individual dessert in Bake Off
Professionals star Cherish Finden’s new patisserie… and was it worth it? Find
out what I thought of the Apple Tin below!</b></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Cherish Finden is a celebrity chef known for
her appearances as a judge on Great British Bake Off: The Professionals and as
the pastry chef at London’s luxury Langham hotel. Her formidable demeanour
combined with fabulous outfits and comments to the contestants that have
launched countless memes have made her something of an icon, so when I read
that she had opened a new patisserie just up the street from my office I
decided to pay a visit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPodL-9R9L3LpU_UBDyms5MJUzlelZ89szFpA0ydtxY8XIs1dwyh7Y_otWUX6cZOpviuxGQzZceMtRFzXr5CrHGmIbS9w4B7c8B2jLeD92TLDPK5G2Tt_cfU4V3RdhNsqHD1TukNGGr3AZ9dMVmkOT3MosJ2lmKN0xf7ly0WSUCcorHtQw-NUKYbNW/s2016/shiok9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPodL-9R9L3LpU_UBDyms5MJUzlelZ89szFpA0ydtxY8XIs1dwyh7Y_otWUX6cZOpviuxGQzZceMtRFzXr5CrHGmIbS9w4B7c8B2jLeD92TLDPK5G2Tt_cfU4V3RdhNsqHD1TukNGGr3AZ9dMVmkOT3MosJ2lmKN0xf7ly0WSUCcorHtQw-NUKYbNW/w300-h400/shiok9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Part of the Pan Pacific hotel but in a
standalone building with its own entrance (so you don’t go into the hotel
itself), <a href="https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pp-london/dining/shiok.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shiok!</a> looks fairly unassuming from a distance, but as you get closer
you can see rows and rows of perfectly formed sweet treats on the counter.
There’s a seating area that gave off a peaceful, tranquil vibe - possibly
because there was only one other couple in there on the weekday lunchtime when
l visited. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">There are comfy chairs at the back and more formal hard chairs and
little tables at the front, and the three staff hovering at the counter were
friendly if a little intimidating - I watched one line up desserts in the
display and check the distance between them with precision that the GBBO judges
would have loved. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p><p class="MsoPlainText"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1itT2q714C6J7R1Q_drugY3FS44PbIFnsmHNNelS6Fc5c_kznE4v7KPnWjPwUVErjLx9A8LjxTJdVQ3OM1Z8dcfUokJv6MJhnAMLeXh1sMISGeXGL8qB0MHOjDAzCmJU1AqrCnJlhsc6BvyssRDGyhN_nUALgBBweuGiHpdsi0XtNYByCIho-YTpb/s2016/shiok2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1itT2q714C6J7R1Q_drugY3FS44PbIFnsmHNNelS6Fc5c_kznE4v7KPnWjPwUVErjLx9A8LjxTJdVQ3OM1Z8dcfUokJv6MJhnAMLeXh1sMISGeXGL8qB0MHOjDAzCmJU1AqrCnJlhsc6BvyssRDGyhN_nUALgBBweuGiHpdsi0XtNYByCIho-YTpb/w400-h300/shiok2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I spent some time admiring the display of
treats, as much for their finesse and beauty as deciding which one I wanted to order.
I have to admit having a bit of a ‘Shiok’ when I saw the price tags (this is
not where the name comes from, and it apparently means ‘very tasty’, but
perhaps it should be). Most of the patisserie was priced around the £15 mark
and the one I chose was £16. Obviously aimed at the luxury market (I would say
mainly tourists and business travellers) it is nonetheless an afternoon tea
lover’s heaven. From traditional Singaporean biscuits to what looked like a
chocolate tea pot, this is a feast for the eyes.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaivVEnv21nbi_lB9xiTDb5qHGOcza8skKpiCACmUydwsJokzGP-1rEeODcL9DZmH30T8xjuIWjrDu1mpsr2qzN6-FUpgQN7fAhZs9GQ7tPwM6Nqusgt011mxWUd4GB5fdzDNp5-UbIX5bfvuUftRA5U2kqTo35_sjfLV1csQBWT_51ngZuYu8M_fG/s2016/shiok8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaivVEnv21nbi_lB9xiTDb5qHGOcza8skKpiCACmUydwsJokzGP-1rEeODcL9DZmH30T8xjuIWjrDu1mpsr2qzN6-FUpgQN7fAhZs9GQ7tPwM6Nqusgt011mxWUd4GB5fdzDNp5-UbIX5bfvuUftRA5U2kqTo35_sjfLV1csQBWT_51ngZuYu8M_fG/w400-h300/shiok8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrMfh2h_WmWGyI_VAfNzAH-CxHglVlH--NHZwGGiaQOPJx0BSXoVeNWD8n__NaVT8WNdMBpvTPatezWp-pZDs8uYGG02HIjRfbaSN_4570LFLqicksy6n2kriW6gWqarWEQazLgdGxEtDk3zLyY-pr18lJ6j01tHSFy-oZRopdmI_5C70Zx6ZuFzh/s2016/shiok7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrMfh2h_WmWGyI_VAfNzAH-CxHglVlH--NHZwGGiaQOPJx0BSXoVeNWD8n__NaVT8WNdMBpvTPatezWp-pZDs8uYGG02HIjRfbaSN_4570LFLqicksy6n2kriW6gWqarWEQazLgdGxEtDk3zLyY-pr18lJ6j01tHSFy-oZRopdmI_5C70Zx6ZuFzh/w400-h300/shiok7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauIPZID0piuQTciMXaEIuhoFaI0MelvTuust9wXtGFp1tFfJiZaKMbwTXtB7zUznbXrEf-b7r3MFgVOXwJzW9QergYYmW25xYeY1UTyNNhSyp6SbFIq621wwx10L2MJ3cxMJYKla_kUBdpaexWRss6Ge-iSAQ3dC_1Q0CgmolYUZ0ZU-5PW8uT55Z/s2016/shiok6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauIPZID0piuQTciMXaEIuhoFaI0MelvTuust9wXtGFp1tFfJiZaKMbwTXtB7zUznbXrEf-b7r3MFgVOXwJzW9QergYYmW25xYeY1UTyNNhSyp6SbFIq621wwx10L2MJ3cxMJYKla_kUBdpaexWRss6Ge-iSAQ3dC_1Q0CgmolYUZ0ZU-5PW8uT55Z/w400-h300/shiok6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Cherish has revealed that the Apple Tin was inspired by
her childhood where she would open a tin of lychees and eat them straight from
the tin. Here, the tin itself is edible too- white chocolate printed with a
design. Inside is caramel sponge, apple compote, apple slices and cinnamon
crumble. Each mouthful was delicious, a perfect combination of flavours and
textures, and at £16 it probably does scale up consistently from when you pay
£50 for an afternoon tea for similar bite size patisserie (as the sandwiches
and scones aren’t exactly the expensive part). Even do it was definitely a one
off treat and not something I would spend that much on every week!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qIVeb7sfxz6jLwwRhqxrHtygRvuFJy1ep5_ps3sQarCPUALfXu0_N83xcNwYvFYNb-x6U81E0785fRb8l7OytbAolYpVwKyrDACz2rhUJrJv2F37B1h8jJM-7FZBPWGWM6U6AQ0pu1lzZj4PjkF15tS6IfnyG70C6aegeMS31ba_Rv_w-fbiFmuc/s2016/shiok5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qIVeb7sfxz6jLwwRhqxrHtygRvuFJy1ep5_ps3sQarCPUALfXu0_N83xcNwYvFYNb-x6U81E0785fRb8l7OytbAolYpVwKyrDACz2rhUJrJv2F37B1h8jJM-7FZBPWGWM6U6AQ0pu1lzZj4PjkF15tS6IfnyG70C6aegeMS31ba_Rv_w-fbiFmuc/w300-h400/shiok5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoPlainText">If you do get a chance to check out Shiok I recommend it
- but don’t expect it to be cheap!</p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-89523080284877476612022-08-28T23:08:00.011+01:002022-08-28T23:17:06.227+01:00Woodcote Green Garden Centre Dobbies - New restaurant review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgue6Psl_3WVX02DbTqxzpZ-knkHEwZkwEH4OL3U3X5KrNP6szxGL3XIvyqedz2RC0rXTelF-3WXfh2WzbUJFqKLf3Tm19HNnieoYUhrtFiZrKbfofXl5SwZr6EJddrTSS7XXycvoj6SPcwqMzNTpNBH-mKNOpiXxQgjiIrJsRVmvGkZV3ZkbIBZqDj=s2016" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgue6Psl_3WVX02DbTqxzpZ-knkHEwZkwEH4OL3U3X5KrNP6szxGL3XIvyqedz2RC0rXTelF-3WXfh2WzbUJFqKLf3Tm19HNnieoYUhrtFiZrKbfofXl5SwZr6EJddrTSS7XXycvoj6SPcwqMzNTpNBH-mKNOpiXxQgjiIrJsRVmvGkZV3ZkbIBZqDj=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div>Many people don’t like change, especially when it’s
something they are familiar and comfortable with.<p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">So it’s not surprising that some people were a bit
dismayed when the independent <a href="https://www.dobbies.com/woodcote-green" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Woodcote Garden Centre</a> in Wallington was taken
over by the Dobbies chain. At first nothing changed, then I saw people on local Facebook groups complain various things were different and in their opinion not as good, and they had moved the gift section to make way for soft play.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">That made me sit up and take notice straight away as
a mum of a (then) three year old and living very close to the garden centre.
So the first weekend that the soft play was open (last summer - July 2021) I arranged a play date with my
daughter’s best friend and we went to check it out. Incidentally, I have reviewed the soft play over on my other blog <a href="https://minimoo.life/2022/04/19/little-seedlings-softplay-at-dobbies-garden-centre-wallington/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mini Moo Life </a>- I thought it was great for younger children.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYk8SwzLXSts_ER1vECdipn4S6vjOtCi_4IBmSlrS-A1xkuvZ1QfZxw7eFsUGKV_fE2o6hAlzAj5byuGEt8OO6rLeGRr5YNO0EgDEOB5SKx4JNAJawcZ5ewAAgrbbdAOFNxR2FKskJpYyEPFgwinPnFZnQEVz05xKVkJtz6xajM-QAHKmIq0JEaEgO=s2016" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYk8SwzLXSts_ER1vECdipn4S6vjOtCi_4IBmSlrS-A1xkuvZ1QfZxw7eFsUGKV_fE2o6hAlzAj5byuGEt8OO6rLeGRr5YNO0EgDEOB5SKx4JNAJawcZ5ewAAgrbbdAOFNxR2FKskJpYyEPFgwinPnFZnQEVz05xKVkJtz6xajM-QAHKmIq0JEaEgO=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">In terms of the garden centre overall and some of the comments I have seen online, I would have no idea whether the quality or
choice of plants was any different as I am the least green fingered person you
are ever likely to meet. It did look like something was missing though as there
is a huge new area selling hot tubs; I can’t remember what was there before but am sure it wasn’t hot tubs. The outside play area is still there, with a
climbing frame, slide and sand pit, and inside everything has moved around but
it’s hard to tell what if anything is missing, apart from the Edinburgh Woollen
Mill concession which I really liked (which went when EWM went into
administration). </p><p class="MsoPlainText">There seems to be a much bigger toy area than previously which
is both good and bad - great for gifts (in the past I remember it being mainly
wooden toys, puzzles and Schleich animals and now they have everything from
Peppa Pig toys to Lego as well) but I can’t see myself taking my daughter past
that section without her wanting me to buy something!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA_YG2GN83Yc_pxoGlHkWagy3VEsOwoKDQ2_oxCmmefvhmU0_ooohnmRQygr9Dm9zLlcIfiCO6U-_Dp7yXuI8Y-A64Oy4UwbKgtVequMfs52gHGNSfkWN02tzHbW6T1v6sHqHmFYGe4K0GEGB4_m32OgBL7Mlq8wQKVyY6MDKHqw0ifbJ4bszaSMlE=s2016" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA_YG2GN83Yc_pxoGlHkWagy3VEsOwoKDQ2_oxCmmefvhmU0_ooohnmRQygr9Dm9zLlcIfiCO6U-_Dp7yXuI8Y-A64Oy4UwbKgtVequMfs52gHGNSfkWN02tzHbW6T1v6sHqHmFYGe4K0GEGB4_m32OgBL7Mlq8wQKVyY6MDKHqw0ifbJ4bszaSMlE=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The restaurant has also expanded significantly and has
taken over a large section that used to house barbecues and garden furniture as
well as it’s previous site. It’s also changed in that you no longer pay at the
till when you order food and instead it’s table service. The menu didn’t look a
million miles away from what the garden centre served previously but there were
some additions. I decided to try a macaroni cheese toastie - I love macaroni
cheese and have had it as a burger topping a few times but never in a sandwich! It was very rich and filling (definitely a bit of a carb overload) but quite enjoyable as a lunchtime treat.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Since I've been back, I've noticed there is a smaller menu than there used to be under the previous owners, but there are some interesting additions on offer like an afternoon tea (which I haven't tried yet).</p><p class="MsoPlainText">We have been back to the garden centre many times since it changed hands, to buy plants, gifts, visit the soft play or go to the cafe, and to attend different events. For me, the fact that it has become part of the Dobbies chain is no bad thing; it has given us new opportunities and continues to offer everything we expect from a garden centre - but I appreciate that not everyone wants a garden centre to be as much a source of entertainment and general shopping as it is about plants!</p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-81448265161617796342022-08-05T22:54:00.003+01:002022-08-05T22:54:33.928+01:00A Day Like No Otter Birthday Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyxpXbb5THRWokh8ZieTzxgBPiFIc416ORK__1eks2BI8lIQgpLtFtSWAA8hGvLdaVQvBNk57ZJzsW3fNd_HVanvmAf_7snMykcEFaRTG6_g187G-5zH8DTqe4pLFwDMSmtnRASc3PyYtP0GoZUo-NTtvXFeNBAtm_mbGmjKJutaF9jx8QU7C-5qp/s640/otter%20card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyxpXbb5THRWokh8ZieTzxgBPiFIc416ORK__1eks2BI8lIQgpLtFtSWAA8hGvLdaVQvBNk57ZJzsW3fNd_HVanvmAf_7snMykcEFaRTG6_g187G-5zH8DTqe4pLFwDMSmtnRASc3PyYtP0GoZUo-NTtvXFeNBAtm_mbGmjKJutaF9jx8QU7C-5qp/w400-h300/otter%20card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Until the last couple of years where my daughter has taken up pretty much all of my free time (in a good way!) I couldn't resist buying card making magazines when they
have a set of rubber stamps on the cover that is something I haven’t got! This
particular stamp was from a brilliant A4 sheet of clear stamps featuring
different animals and puns relating to birthdays. This one is a picture of an
otter that I stamped in black and a patch of grass that I also stamped in black
and went over with a green Promarker pen.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The sentiment is two separate stamps, one saying ‘on your
birthday’ and the other ‘have a day like no otter’, which I thought was cute!<o:p></o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-46561510615505120982022-07-31T08:08:00.000+01:002022-07-31T08:08:23.078+01:00Restaurant review - Lutyens Grill, The Ned, London<p>Since having our daughter the only time my husband
and I seem to go out for a meal by ourselves is a birthday or anniversary, and
we haven’t even managed that most of the time for the past few years, thanks to
covid and limitations on free babysitting.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">We managed to celebrate our first anniversary after
the birth of our daughter (pre-pandemic) in style, going into London to dine at
<a href="https://www.thened.com/london" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Ned</a>, a swanky private members club (with restaurants and bars that are open
to the public) near Bank.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">It’s also a hotel, but the rooms are a little out of
our price range (!) at over £300 for the smallest ‘crash pad’ room going up
to over £2,000 a night for their most luxurious suite. They also have a pool,
spa, various restaurants, a jazz and cabaret club and more.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">After opening in 2017 in the historic 1920/ building
designed by Sir Edwin - ‘Ned’ - Lutyens that was the headquarters of Midland
Bank, the Ned quickly became known as a celebrity haunt. It probably helped that
the Ned was set up by one of the founders of Soho House - and it’s not often
you get the chance to visit somewhere like that unless you are a member but the
restaurants in the Ned are open to the public too. There is an Italian called
Cecconi’s, the Nickel bar, which has American staples and cocktails, an
American diner called Electric, Malibu Kitchen which has healthy Californian
food and smoothies, Asia Pacific-inspired restaurant Kaia, Lutyens Grill which
serves steaks and fish and the Parlour which is a jazz and cabaret bar.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FuReCXB5ASIs8x_iGd5apWuTYNWpEBofj9jqBLkD-ro_FWSrVQ5NNiR4_AbBTG62QyoAQagsWHtiQkSzTHBS2tjx9SlnVrdBAgYmez8Dxts-yJQy_HM-stHgSHwWEJIG4RPD7TfyBEqEBjdanviZVvbqwxt580nckRmtRfmOCg2UkxqW5R6m9maA/s2016/Ned1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FuReCXB5ASIs8x_iGd5apWuTYNWpEBofj9jqBLkD-ro_FWSrVQ5NNiR4_AbBTG62QyoAQagsWHtiQkSzTHBS2tjx9SlnVrdBAgYmez8Dxts-yJQy_HM-stHgSHwWEJIG4RPD7TfyBEqEBjdanviZVvbqwxt580nckRmtRfmOCg2UkxqW5R6m9maA/w400-h300/Ned1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoPlainText">I was tempted by most of them and knew my husband would
prefer either steak or the American diner, but the latter didn’t seem posh
enough for an anniversary meal so I booked Lutyens, and it didn’t disappoint.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The building itself is impressive and we walked through
the bar to get to Lutyens - It looked really lively and vibrant. Lutyens itself
was a lot quieter and much more traditional in feel with banquette sofas and
wood-panelled walls. It used to be the bank manager’s office when this was the
Midland Bank. The trolley service where meat is brought alongside your table to
be carved adds to the old school - and dare I say it slightly stuffy - feel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkCFSH3qlWxI4piiP0riqUQahzOolljKKc5MXkdcgIxzuVsX0oXWvqOg1iGuxrH7n5UrXCTHTp9DE9248G0ofK5D_B-JedlFcoNMM30JQOzG-uSuhQIeBaeg3PlrZWFvF8VWtOEHUFjs22URUmFpcWaI2evWjZu_YvVxGT0fywpZNCN3lVawq_Vny/s1750/ned4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="1750" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkCFSH3qlWxI4piiP0riqUQahzOolljKKc5MXkdcgIxzuVsX0oXWvqOg1iGuxrH7n5UrXCTHTp9DE9248G0ofK5D_B-JedlFcoNMM30JQOzG-uSuhQIeBaeg3PlrZWFvF8VWtOEHUFjs22URUmFpcWaI2evWjZu_YvVxGT0fywpZNCN3lVawq_Vny/w400-h300/ned4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The food was top notch - I had a steak with a side of Mac
and cheese and ‘happy anniversary’ was written on the plate with our dessert.
It was definitely a restaurant to try but the prices were steep - more
expensive than Hawksmoor, which is also a premium steak restaurant in central
London, and one which overall we prefer. But I’d still be keen to go back and
try some of the other restaurants in the Ned - and if I won the lottery stay in
the hotel as well!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-17297936596866102872022-07-29T21:49:00.002+01:002022-07-29T21:49:20.885+01:00Butlin's Bognor Regis restaurant reviews - part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguDqO_0JmktDD-nYI-FlDzQVlShAO4y26ORwqxTqpdn4Lk0EN41QCJrxaUV-9-4sAIZkPogjkF08hfVhCjIyv2aMBq5J9MwqtuIbB3upFXnct2IPf6midiaHk2N3CDPZfPe2v1QjUeUywoX72ocRTEfdv4xSZ10q5xD6DVfBSTChx2QdSBZXpMZoI/s2016/butlins201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguDqO_0JmktDD-nYI-FlDzQVlShAO4y26ORwqxTqpdn4Lk0EN41QCJrxaUV-9-4sAIZkPogjkF08hfVhCjIyv2aMBq5J9MwqtuIbB3upFXnct2IPf6midiaHk2N3CDPZfPe2v1QjUeUywoX72ocRTEfdv4xSZ10q5xD6DVfBSTChx2QdSBZXpMZoI/w300-h400/butlins201.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Following on from this post about the restaurants at Butlin's Bognor Regis and the Dinearound plan, I've written a more up to date review, having returned to Butlin's some seven months later. We are in some of the same restaurants and tried some others, and I've answered some of the most common questions I see about the Butlin's meal plans.</p><p><a href="https://minimoo.life/2022/07/29/butlins-bognor-regis-restaurants-and-eating-out-part-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Head over here to read the full reviews.</a></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-29146534333699355962022-07-10T23:22:00.004+01:002022-07-10T23:22:51.058+01:00A beginner's guide to swishing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xp5cPnxwzXreEDnesIZF01uM0FpsyjMxNwEdQjyo1y0OY5S3MF02MLV97MNBIfUwZUPfEm3ckq6E6Y1cYU7H4fRojxSzbDLS9mepekD-vW-ywH6yACr4Bofc4ZDhvjEg2-IRVgsGZlxQvxAUr1t79trJXEiN8jxgf8go9pMLmyE0Z_2zdjL2_euo/s640/clothes%20swap3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xp5cPnxwzXreEDnesIZF01uM0FpsyjMxNwEdQjyo1y0OY5S3MF02MLV97MNBIfUwZUPfEm3ckq6E6Y1cYU7H4fRojxSzbDLS9mepekD-vW-ywH6yACr4Bofc4ZDhvjEg2-IRVgsGZlxQvxAUr1t79trJXEiN8jxgf8go9pMLmyE0Z_2zdjL2_euo/w400-h300/clothes%20swap3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">What is swishing? What to expect from a swishing event - and
top tips to make the most of a swishing event!</h3><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I first told someone I was going to a clothes swapping
event they gave me a funny look and asked if it involved keys in a bowl. But
swishing, to use its proper name, means keeping your clothes on - and doing
your bit for sustainable fashion.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A clothes swapping event involves bringing along clothes
that you don’t want any more, and swapping for ones that you do. No money
changes hands, though you usually have to buy a ticket for the event - and it’s
a great way to get a few (or a lot) of new items for your wardrobe.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Such events have become popular for the last few years and I
suspect even more so now that we are facing the combination of heightened
urgency to fight climate change and a cost of living crisis.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been to two swishing events and have booked for a third,
with an organisation called <a href="https://m.facebook.com/stitchtowearswapandthrift/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Stitch to Wear</a>. They run events in and around
Sutton in south London and they are brilliant! They are run in a particular way
that might be different to other events so I’m going to share my top tips for
getting the most out of a swishing event but my description of how it works may
be different for other events.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">What do you do at a swishing event?</h3><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You come to a swishing event with clothes you don’t want any
more - at A Stitch to Wear, you are allowed to bring up to 10 items of clothing
plus one item of homeware and one and unused makeup item or beauty product.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You are allocated points based on the brand of the clothing
or item, which are written on a little card.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then, you are free to rummage through the clothing rails -
at this event they are arranged by size with separate clothing rails for
different sizes. Pick out anything you want and take it to the desk to ‘pay’
with your points!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
you have points left over you can keep them until the next event and spend them
there.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A Stitch to Wear sells tickets (it’s £6.50 to go) for
different time slots 45 minutes apart, so there aren’t too many people in the
room at one time - and it means you don’t have to come right at the beginning
in case all the good stuff is gone, because new clothes are added at each time
slot. It means it comes down to pure luck as to what is there in each size at
the time you go, but that’s part of the fun!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
At the last event I went to my haul included clothes from Oliver Bonas, Mint
Velvet, M&S, Primark, Gap, Crew Clothing Company and M&Co, plus two
brands I hadn’t heard of which I looked up and seem to be mid-priced labels -
Klass and W - and a more expensive brand I wasn’t familiar with called Hampton
Republic. Not everything was for me as I picked up a few bits for my mum as
well. You also get a hand made cloth tote bag at the events so I've got two of them now!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41y32q6fuBdLMyklmwXk2zokK4ANWnnilHSMdjaMAEuXcAMI_DYm4iKeAithoG4rG4CrlOaZ9IZcEVqRaBCIT-42Q1tvY365NlWws57UqXZRxwKmnprR1kFUv__rSSkeTqkbBj0-SPMpApj06m1i6lhfH7GWDPf-Asft7r26X0t_Cma0LV6V6FhkN/s640/clothes%20swap5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41y32q6fuBdLMyklmwXk2zokK4ANWnnilHSMdjaMAEuXcAMI_DYm4iKeAithoG4rG4CrlOaZ9IZcEVqRaBCIT-42Q1tvY365NlWws57UqXZRxwKmnprR1kFUv__rSSkeTqkbBj0-SPMpApj06m1i6lhfH7GWDPf-Asft7r26X0t_Cma0LV6V6FhkN/s320/clothes%20swap5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH87g0cqyK09Ou7R0gC9cFFm6fmx3bkVvnWCid8WuDfLpYnB7gpt-cFE8YYDpCXac6mQZIPg5tZW-tdA4X-lZoNIBg0Rr3ixjYRjK7Qq6_fchZs042bAiQMHI9Dg8rTy05wHQNXmoeyNwBXCLetDnKZjtNTvzd3JWrtWxWc1f6AZoZ0nUqA6wkvxKE/s640/clothes%20swap6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH87g0cqyK09Ou7R0gC9cFFm6fmx3bkVvnWCid8WuDfLpYnB7gpt-cFE8YYDpCXac6mQZIPg5tZW-tdA4X-lZoNIBg0Rr3ixjYRjK7Qq6_fchZs042bAiQMHI9Dg8rTy05wHQNXmoeyNwBXCLetDnKZjtNTvzd3JWrtWxWc1f6AZoZ0nUqA6wkvxKE/s320/clothes%20swap6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><h3 style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: left;">
Top tips for getting the most out of a swishing event</h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>If you’re just going for a browse and to try your luck then
there’s no need for a game plan – but if you are on a mission to restock your
wardrobe it may help to have a strategy – what I mean by that is, an idea of
what you want to get. Are you in the market for clothes for this season (e.g.
summer), or next (winter)? Do you want to aim for the best brands, perhaps
labels you wouldn’t normally be able to afford to buy? Are you looking for a
new outfit for a night out, or some work wear, or summer holiday gear?</li><li>The reason I mention this is because the event can involve a
bit of fast-paced rummaging through rails with other people going through the
same rack as you. The events I’ve been to have always been very good natured –
no sharp elbows or grabbing something from under someone else’s nose – but it
is very much a case of first come, first served. So if you have particular
items or labels you are after, have that in mind, and do a quick sweep of each
rail to see if you can spot anything quickly, before going back through and
having a closer look.</li><li>It doesn’t matter what slot you book as clothes are
restocked between events as well – but it makes sense to arrive at the start of
your time slot and try to be near the front of the queue, then you get first
dibs on whatever is there – and keep an eye out as the volunteers restock the
rails as each person hands over their donations.</li><li>Take a rucksack or small shoulder bag that won’t get in the
way as you will need your hands free to rummage</li><li>Take a large bag (I find the Sainsbury’s extra strong
fold-up bags are the perfect size) to carry the clothes and items you want to
buy. The first time I went, I draped clothes (still on their hangers) over one
arm, and quickly found it difficult to keep browsing the rails with only one
arm free (and the clothes were getting heavy). The second time I went, I took
clothes off their hangers and left the hangers on the rails, and put each piece
of clothing into the bag that I could easily carry in the crook of my elbow or
put down on the floor while I rummaged.</li><li>Check
the other size rails too. At the A Stitch to Wear events, clothes are arranged
in pairs of sizes, so there are a couple of rails for 10-12, a couple for 14-16
and one for 18-plus, as well as separate areas for denim, bags, shoes and so
on. It’s always worth checking the other rails in case items have ended up in
the wrong place.</li><li>You
can’t easily (or privately) try clothes on at the swap - but as they are free once you have paid the
entry fee, I have no problem with using my points to buy something and seeing
if it fits when I get home - and if not it can go to the charity shop or I can
bring it back to the next swap!</li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Swishing
events are really good fun and a nice way to change up your wardrobe at no more
than the cost of your entry ticket. I’m currently loving my two floral maxi
dresses from the last swap and have already bought a ticket to the next event
in September!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-48643091584607460522022-06-27T19:04:00.003+01:002022-06-27T19:04:39.152+01:00Purple Peacock Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeka9NYF-70B8gfGEGBvxmgYFAviHN_sEzKhxea8jcExJkjDgDGO1mO_iW86xXzwh2x00WZpd4JcRgZkDp8cHeUp-Zt1P4YZkokLoM6akBzB9aR6tWh4t78jd1UQsID-a7IBcFsA58f1xNgE896qgP0sdxObfOM-kwhgDQXy5iwap6WMZD5fpiigq/s640/peacock%20card%20from%202021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeka9NYF-70B8gfGEGBvxmgYFAviHN_sEzKhxea8jcExJkjDgDGO1mO_iW86xXzwh2x00WZpd4JcRgZkDp8cHeUp-Zt1P4YZkokLoM6akBzB9aR6tWh4t78jd1UQsID-a7IBcFsA58f1xNgE896qgP0sdxObfOM-kwhgDQXy5iwap6WMZD5fpiigq/w300-h400/peacock%20card%20from%202021.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Here’s a card I made for a friend’s birthday using a set of toppers from
<a href="https://www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hunkydory</a>. They have a membership club that is free to sign up for, and every
so often you get an offer for a ‘free club gift’, a set that normally retails
at £9.99 where you only have to pay postage of £2.99. You get several A4 pieces
of printed card and four sheets of die cuts to press out, all on a particular
theme. This theme was peacocks and I decided to buy the set.</span></p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">
<br />
I do find using these a little difficult however as I’m never quite sure what
to do with them. The toppers are usually a picture with several frames and I
never know whether to use just one frame or all of them, and the printed cards
aren’t that practical for cutting out the picture from as it feels like you are
then wasting the design on the card. So what I did this time was fold the A4
card in half to make the birthday card itself but again that feels a bit of a
waste as I don’t need a design on the back of the card!<br />
<br />
The Hunkydory website does have design ideas for using the set if you are stuck,
but no instructions for how to make them. Most are quite straightforward
though!<br />
<br />
For this card I used one of the large peacock toppers and all three of the
accompanying frames which I raised up at different levels with adhesive pads (though you can’t really see that from the photo). It’s for a friend who likes deep purple colours so I
hope she liked it!<br />
<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-86136297072255369392022-06-22T21:51:00.001+01:002022-06-22T21:51:31.766+01:00Samsara Indian Restaurant, Cheam, Surrey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIJax-sI6Rhk13mG3BDsZHoAhD1zABsGz3vcjmNJp0aM-XzOoYSuGJ7EEPB6Wnz7U5fyF4gbS5OEwUEWFzsJrE4YxnFS1uzwI13KrgKOZbjGAWqSVFQEuaxSblqf0vrq4XsnVn0aG4wapnJAV0BqhCUNYAYZ4fD4L5rB60XkzphOkMS8IgnoApoe8/s640/Samsara%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIJax-sI6Rhk13mG3BDsZHoAhD1zABsGz3vcjmNJp0aM-XzOoYSuGJ7EEPB6Wnz7U5fyF4gbS5OEwUEWFzsJrE4YxnFS1uzwI13KrgKOZbjGAWqSVFQEuaxSblqf0vrq4XsnVn0aG4wapnJAV0BqhCUNYAYZ4fD4L5rB60XkzphOkMS8IgnoApoe8/w425-h319/Samsara%201.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><br />I don’t often do girls’ nights out ever since I became a
mum - most of the time I am just too tired and don’t have the time to think
about a social life.<p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">So it’s great when someone else organises an evening out
and invites me! It was a friend’s birthday so four of us went for a curry and
cocktails at <a href="https://samsararestaurant.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Samsara </a>in Cheam, a restaurant I hadn’t been to before.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">It's a fairly large restaurant but was very empty with only a few other people there, which is a shame as the food was good - though the cocktails weren't quite as good as I was hoping.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">I normally play it very safe when it comes to curry (chicken korma every time!) but decided for once to try something new - though still a mild chicken dish with almonds and a sweeter taste! I had a chicken dakeswari, which the menu described as "tender pieces of grilled chicken, marinated with herbs, spices and ground almond. Very mildly spiced and garnished with mango pulp". It was very nice and creamy with a fruity flavour, and not too spicy at all, and accompanied by a very tasty peshwari naan.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">As I wasn't driving I was looking forward to sampling the cocktail menu as Samsara also describes itself as a cocktail lounge. I didn't see anyone who had just gone there for drinks and I don't think I've ever had a cocktail in an Indian restaurant before as I would always go for wine. I started with a mango and peach fizz to complement the mango flavours of my meal, then thought that a White Russian would be a good substitute for dessert as it combined cream and coffee. One of my friends ordered the same drink, and they were both served in tumblers - not quite what I was expecting - but of different sizes, so one of us had a tall glass and the other a much shorter wider one. I'm no mixologist but my White Russian seemed a bit heavy on the cream, and not as nice as I had remembered them being.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">We took admittedly quite a long time over dinner; we hadn't started particularly early and also had a lot of catching up to do, but it was a surprise when the waiters started hovering and making clear signs that they wanted us to pay the bill and leave. Eventually one came over and said it was 10pm and they were closing - which was surprising as the website said they were open until 11am. I can only assume that because they had been quiet that evening and were the last people there, they wanted to be able to close and head home.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Still, it was a fun night out with friends and good food, and nice to try somewhere local I hadn't been before - and to branch out from choosing a chicken korma for a change!</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-65295492297645148272022-05-22T23:12:00.004+01:002022-05-22T23:12:31.148+01:003D Dinosaur Cake - Children's Birthday Cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyDNRp5QiKmdUADSDLYcw_K9Fhe2uxlunmCjW1Mncr-0Vh0fFqRafOAXtGuCRLw3cHZhhrKd7uXHAuMsFWHiwbF8Yx-fJOoKtMohqhmuN3lLNSbdXMUpEfgjvmvZyzjH1Fa7r5tNAWlV3hbwcv-_iHJOD0yprg2QYtGV6ZQW7qkEnzCRg4GsMqxtz/s640/cake2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyDNRp5QiKmdUADSDLYcw_K9Fhe2uxlunmCjW1Mncr-0Vh0fFqRafOAXtGuCRLw3cHZhhrKd7uXHAuMsFWHiwbF8Yx-fJOoKtMohqhmuN3lLNSbdXMUpEfgjvmvZyzjH1Fa7r5tNAWlV3hbwcv-_iHJOD0yprg2QYtGV6ZQW7qkEnzCRg4GsMqxtz/w400-h300/cake2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>The lockdown in 2020 meant I didn’t post anything on my blog
for several months, as I tried to juggle a full-time job with a toddler at home
every day for nearly three months while nursery was shut. So I’ve only just
realised that I never posted anything about her birthday cake in spring of 2020
– better late than never!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sophie is a big fan of dinosaurs, and from a young age has
been able to correctly identify dinosaurs to the extent that I think she
already knows more types than I do! We have encouraged her love of dinosaurs
through toys and books and also a green dinosaur-patterned beanbag for her room
to counteract some of the pink! If I recall correctly, she actually asked for a
dinosaur cake for her second birthday, and I was happy to oblige!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We held her birthday party at My Gym, where we go to a class
every week – it’s a cross between gymnastics, exercise, games and play, and
they do brilliant birthday parties where you get an hour of gym-based games and
half an hour in the party room with food and drink, and of course cake. I had
the option of providing my own cake so of course that’s what I did.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJF3jqP1tf-gdTaH-uU4iL26nGji68sUcgHhYqImPKj7gemdjHETloWkTT2QL3lIOviAlmeDMgPlNaaWjOyuZ-n03uKL_YnmD220M-0ABJaMG5bx65yljwf1VmqYJeiLXbkUrUeChnjn0RbjpTnkr92fOO5Vqy_Wrvuk5ui4SJPepWGnlW8idk5pf/s640/cake1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJF3jqP1tf-gdTaH-uU4iL26nGji68sUcgHhYqImPKj7gemdjHETloWkTT2QL3lIOviAlmeDMgPlNaaWjOyuZ-n03uKL_YnmD220M-0ABJaMG5bx65yljwf1VmqYJeiLXbkUrUeChnjn0RbjpTnkr92fOO5Vqy_Wrvuk5ui4SJPepWGnlW8idk5pf/w400-h300/cake1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wanted a cake that would actually look like a dinosaur – I
saw some lovely ideas online of round cakes with dinosaurs on top (either made
from icing or plastic toys), where the cake itself was decorated to look like
the dinosaur habitat. But I wanted instant recognition and wow factor, and
decided it had to be a three-dimensional dinosaur. Luckily, it was easier to
make one than I thought, thanks to this <a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Dinosaur-Birthday-Cake" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">brilliant tutorial on WikiHow!</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I baked a round vanilla sponge cake and then cut it up
according to the tutorial instructions, then covered it in green roll-out
fondant. I used yellow fondant to add some spots, and a darker green modelling
paste – a kind of icing that is stiffer, so better to use when you are making
something that needs to stand up – to make the spines along the dinosaur back.
It wasn’t difficult or even massively time-consuming at all and I was really
pleased with the finished cake, and I think the kids at the party all enjoyed
it!</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgae4SdzcYunbPsDG0tx2cu7N1AAll6gkbk93su1q-GMhIvG71rfcFjltCT1Zv4ko1ar1FTYKNrRDMoXJgk3w-MEShHFCTuphQl_dlShohkxdrIz1X113ppDi4YEYDT_J2D3BkMruKl6lhFqVcZ9bB79z9EFJfPH8WgqTHM1y5Wr2lG_UxdhrOBmsD-/s1280/cake%20for%20calendar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1280" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgae4SdzcYunbPsDG0tx2cu7N1AAll6gkbk93su1q-GMhIvG71rfcFjltCT1Zv4ko1ar1FTYKNrRDMoXJgk3w-MEShHFCTuphQl_dlShohkxdrIz1X113ppDi4YEYDT_J2D3BkMruKl6lhFqVcZ9bB79z9EFJfPH8WgqTHM1y5Wr2lG_UxdhrOBmsD-/w400-h323/cake%20for%20calendar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-4115568723844498692022-05-15T20:19:00.003+01:002022-05-15T20:19:43.638+01:00Passion Fruit Curd Mother's Day Cupcakes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZrpuHY-RUjkvE94sEK6iaaUi9oTEd--S09tSTaekivdjg18LIawrxRvS4jxOISiD3Vrq2b6PvzrgYmOY69uEYNMzwzkQq3H4xP37Kcz8hfjcccMPg8gCQVhBePBSYwBNl-kIAgZ34PUEWXWTMcsJzjOHi-ytmf4qoMjJ_xh8TdXiz5hvdwMrlK_e/s640/cakes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZrpuHY-RUjkvE94sEK6iaaUi9oTEd--S09tSTaekivdjg18LIawrxRvS4jxOISiD3Vrq2b6PvzrgYmOY69uEYNMzwzkQq3H4xP37Kcz8hfjcccMPg8gCQVhBePBSYwBNl-kIAgZ34PUEWXWTMcsJzjOHi-ytmf4qoMjJ_xh8TdXiz5hvdwMrlK_e/w400-h300/cakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoPlainText">I made these cupcakes for Mother’s Day for my mum, my
mother-in-law - and me!</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">I’ve developed quite a taste for passion fruit recently -
Passoa passion fruit liqueur is delicious and could definitely be used in
baking, but since my four year old daughter was going to have these cupcakes as
well I wasn’t going to use alcohol. Instead, I got the passionfruit flavour
from a combination of yogurt - papaya, passion fruit and mango flavour, from
Morrisons - and passion fruit curd (The Cherry Tree brand, from Ocado).</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">I wanted a light cupcake using yogurt in the cake mix and
these were so light and airy, they probably aren’t robust enough to put a
spoonful of curd into the middle but I did anyway (it just makes them a bit
messy when you eat them!).</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Here is the recipe I used:</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">125g margarine or butter, softened<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">150g sugar<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">2 eggs<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">150ml yogurt - I used papaya, passion fruit and mango flavour from Morrison's </p><p class="MsoPlainText">225g self-raising flour<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText">1 heaped tsp baking powder<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText">Pinch of salt</p><p class="MsoPlainText">For the filling:</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Passionfruit curd - I used the Cherry Tree brand from Ocado</p><p class="MsoPlainText">For the icing:</p><p class="MsoPlainText">500g icing sugar</p><p class="MsoPlainText">250g butter, softened</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Passionfruit flavouring to taste - for example you could add a spoonful of the passionfruit curd, or passionfruit liqueur if the cakes are for adults.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOY1WHtY9h21K6ZsKS6pGb20mGP6gAsPF8gK-SP3weN9ftWbKA49Yyi_u6gGIMjwMLMAhYmd0qRMRBXitS5JddjIwCjqS4u9ggczHT-NJynybqg9NyJFpP5ozZVfrEG9pkVfHfGiuCTlKmywG7GnlD5BsnIFYpJ4REkBKHeFaOsKITBHRz_h2FEYG/s640/curd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOY1WHtY9h21K6ZsKS6pGb20mGP6gAsPF8gK-SP3weN9ftWbKA49Yyi_u6gGIMjwMLMAhYmd0qRMRBXitS5JddjIwCjqS4u9ggczHT-NJynybqg9NyJFpP5ozZVfrEG9pkVfHfGiuCTlKmywG7GnlD5BsnIFYpJ4REkBKHeFaOsKITBHRz_h2FEYG/s320/curd.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Preheat oven to 180C. Cream the butter and the sugar then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the yogurt, then fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText">Spoon into cupcake cases and bake for around 15-20 minutes depending on the size until the tops are golden brown.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Allow to cool, then using a teaspoon make a small well in each cupcake and add a spoonful of passionfruit curd.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">To make the buttercream, cream together the butter and icing sugar and add a spoonful of passionfruit curd, or a few drops of passionfruit liqueur if for adults only - you may need to adjust the quantity of icing sugar if the mixture is too runny.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Using a piping bag and a nozzle, pipe swirls onto the top of the cupcakes. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjI76gbS-V74D_mTcJ5K11KNm4TSiEbvoY42577dGRRw7wNua9eWwI_KregmGSYIcQgbMKlusFFnTFBh11vqfMJptq7sNSybSlCXAv2RKhbQ0OjLsLdNIhvMiejKM48RHPpyHExiJNL-GUDJSXeHnizmTld8frO_fIc18XFFFbJyE2PlmJhAiVe3E/s640/cakes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjI76gbS-V74D_mTcJ5K11KNm4TSiEbvoY42577dGRRw7wNua9eWwI_KregmGSYIcQgbMKlusFFnTFBh11vqfMJptq7sNSybSlCXAv2RKhbQ0OjLsLdNIhvMiejKM48RHPpyHExiJNL-GUDJSXeHnizmTld8frO_fIc18XFFFbJyE2PlmJhAiVe3E/s320/cakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoPlainText">I decorated these cupcakes in different ways:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="https://www.suck.uk.com/products/personalised-cookie/?category=kitchen" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SuckUK customisable cookie stamp</a> - this is a wooden stamp that comes with a plastic disc and little letters, that you insert into the disc to make the message of your choice. You can stamp this onto a cookie before it has baked, or stamp onto a circle of fondant icing, as I did here. I've had this piece of equipment for ages but this was the first time I had used it.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">It was quite fiddly to get the letters into the right places, and took a bit of trial and error to work out if they were all the right way around; there isn't a huge amount of space for a message but I managed to get 'happy' across the top, 'mothers' day along the bottom and 'day' in the middle. However, there was only one of most letters and not enough to spell out 'happy' for instance as there was only one 'p', so I had to stamp the missing letter separately. It didn't quite look the same and I was surprised given that 'happy birthday' would be, to me, the most obvious message to use on the cookie stamp that there weren't enough letters to make it! Then I piped some small buttercream flowers around the edge.</p><a href="https://www.grelly.uk/itm/wilton-cake-making-tools-message-letterpress-set-make-any-message-icing-kit-224945582613" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wilton Make Any Message Letterpress Set</a> - this was also something I received as a gift several years ago. The letters are bigger than on the SukUK stamp so I just pressed 'mum' into a circle of fondant icing and placed it on top of each cupcake with a little buttercream. Then I piped some buttercream flowers along the top and bottom.<p></p><div>Piped flowers: I used two different colours of buttercream (pink and purple, though the latter looks a bit grey in this photo), and two different nozzles to pipe a swirl and some smaller flowers onto each cupcake and added some edible silver balls on top.</div>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-42508760132331885192022-04-17T07:37:00.004+01:002022-04-17T07:37:47.955+01:00Strawberry Milkshake Easter Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBF5BELCo_tq30__qK3ZxsM6lmfQxCwk8Qu7GQ2XfsiL1sx982BrWsUMXbnkRp7DhA0kFrNg7z4m0c-g1Sf1PP5Uh6tl6Cr2Tx4T1rcSQTboVWrdFwx2vbAKKjdJeO5dYK1ousz3AyfJr5jRp_xEUEJ_iFhanY6MzbNhPOh8veEpn69WqnLtu9CH0/s640/cake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBF5BELCo_tq30__qK3ZxsM6lmfQxCwk8Qu7GQ2XfsiL1sx982BrWsUMXbnkRp7DhA0kFrNg7z4m0c-g1Sf1PP5Uh6tl6Cr2Tx4T1rcSQTboVWrdFwx2vbAKKjdJeO5dYK1ousz3AyfJr5jRp_xEUEJ_iFhanY6MzbNhPOh8veEpn69WqnLtu9CH0/w300-h400/cake1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Having guests over Easter is always a good excuse for
baking and I find cakes easier than desserts to make in advance. So I made this
after work in the evening and decorated it first thing in the morning, in time
for my sister and niece to arrive.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The cake is a strawberry milkshake cake, so called
because of the secret ingredient - Nesquik! (For those not familiar with this
childhood staple, Nesquik is a powdered flavouring to add to milk, which comes
in strawberry or banana flavour. It has been around since I was a child in the
80s, if not even longer!).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">I recently made an Oreo cake for my husband’s
birthday which I haven’t blogged about yet - it was the most delicious moist
chocolate cake, and I decided to create a cake along similar lines. That cake
used cocoa powder - and boiling water, to which I attribute the moistness - so
for this one, as I wanted a fruity spring flavour but with an ingredient of a
similar texture to cocoa powder and suddenly remembered Nesquik!</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/chocolate-oreo-cake/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This is the recipe I adapted</a>, using Nesquik in place of
cocoa powder, though I only used the recipe for the sponge and not the
buttercream or chocolate ganache.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLphsjdRYjI1Egu1KNTCAs6F2TraxQo1T3LrnSDNpvHd3wcZLO-FAd-pOeBIFSNGlzai9wOGS89r55xCN9cmTip2n3Q5lMhu76yN7nq6wjXdIuwYMpmm6Ghs6jWzHFmdqzhJA8YXzSAGskZ_VOLpKp5e7_4ItsXdyjJM5BLrHit-a_qmkHBtPhx7D/s640/cake2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLphsjdRYjI1Egu1KNTCAs6F2TraxQo1T3LrnSDNpvHd3wcZLO-FAd-pOeBIFSNGlzai9wOGS89r55xCN9cmTip2n3Q5lMhu76yN7nq6wjXdIuwYMpmm6Ghs6jWzHFmdqzhJA8YXzSAGskZ_VOLpKp5e7_4ItsXdyjJM5BLrHit-a_qmkHBtPhx7D/s320/cake2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoPlainText">For the buttercream I made a standard butter and icing
sugar combination, adding in some strawberry syrup for flavour and colour. I
filled the three layer cake and then piped some swirls on the top, before
colouring some more buttercream purple and green, to pipe more flowers and
little bits of green (foliage, I guess) in between. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">I then decorated the top
with Easter marshmallows (you could also use mini eggs if young children aren’t
going to eat it) and a little pink glimmer sugar. The ‘hoppy Easter’ cake
topper is a plastic sign that my husband printed for me with his new 3D printer, which I love!<o:p></o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-7709066825563307662022-04-15T12:34:00.002+01:002022-04-15T12:34:28.413+01:00Easter Imprint Plunger Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobTKdRiPMcyDWsOoysBNSNgwBTYFXskjj7aJojPHgLBIergzrkuqG6ZLrbYrZYKMUgws4-M5BiRyd1LEDx4mmWlKJ6btf2jFzw3KBDe0vMRF-m5jTd5sVDYH0eBwz4avnrJ_corHFACJh98XqZVFZXb2bncQzyr_YEX2eTphKmktqPPL8NjcJlUIZ/s2016/cookies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobTKdRiPMcyDWsOoysBNSNgwBTYFXskjj7aJojPHgLBIergzrkuqG6ZLrbYrZYKMUgws4-M5BiRyd1LEDx4mmWlKJ6btf2jFzw3KBDe0vMRF-m5jTd5sVDYH0eBwz4avnrJ_corHFACJh98XqZVFZXb2bncQzyr_YEX2eTphKmktqPPL8NjcJlUIZ/w400-h300/cookies2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I’m
ever hopeful that one day I will develop the knack of decorating cookies so
they don’t look like a child has done it, and have resigned myself to thinking
I need to book a place on a <a href="https://biscuiteers-belgravia.designmynight.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Biscuiteers course</a>.</p><p>But
in the meantime I decided to have another go at making and decorating some
Easter biscuits. I used a standard sugar cookie recipe like this one:</p><p>2800g plain flour</p><p>1/2 tsp baking powder</p><p>pinch of salt</p><p>170g butter, softened</p><p>150g caster sugar</p><p>1 egg</p><p>a few drops of vanilla flavouring</p><p>Cream together the butter and sugar and then beat in the egg and vanilla flavouring. Next fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.</p><p>Knead until you have a ball of dough and wrap in clingfilm. Ideally place in the fridge for at least an hour (though I often skip this part!).</p><p>When you are ready to use the dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface and cut out using cutters.</p><p>Bake in a preheated oven at 180C - the baking time will depend on the size and thickness of your cookies, but you don't want them to be overbaked, so I would recommend 10-12 minutes then checking if they look like they need longer.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R_yZ3xzsUyNR9c9p5NKAQIp42lcwDv2JZPxj4pX_cNAEyNnbyYlT_RsUmmTZ4UVqNjBKDreyQeb7CICix6DXVgF8M_u5TUUJL7v7Fh3Osv-IKUK4rES1EzY3zaMLadiJablv101WE7Vqz5QIy1i6F1_yik2XF-gdhODCGhx2Uz-zfZ0ELgDG6JUu/s2016/cookies3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R_yZ3xzsUyNR9c9p5NKAQIp42lcwDv2JZPxj4pX_cNAEyNnbyYlT_RsUmmTZ4UVqNjBKDreyQeb7CICix6DXVgF8M_u5TUUJL7v7Fh3Osv-IKUK4rES1EzY3zaMLadiJablv101WE7Vqz5QIy1i6F1_yik2XF-gdhODCGhx2Uz-zfZ0ELgDG6JUu/s320/cookies3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">For
Christmas I got a set of <a href="https://amzn.to/3JIsrfP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easter cookie cutters </a>(which seemed odd to my sister
who got them for me, but as I pointed out, my birthday is right after Easter so
I would have had to wait a year before I could use them!). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I
like these cutters because they have a design that imprints into the dough, and
you use the little plunger to push the cookie out. When they are baked, the
design did lose a little definition but could still be seen quite clearly.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
used the design as a guide for icing, piping royal icing in different colours
and snipping the tiniest piece off the end of a piping bag rather than using a
nozzle. Even then I found it really hard to decorate them neatly!<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHXjU2oYkduEGzgwRXstiUcIGUjgRzYhkfD-Mq4Def3rSqHws1AKg2MrCCRvnG8fHZYDj8Uhx7bpGTck6PDTGdHyuW6lWmflH0LsDCldakeCqRdhClpgBQnVF4K5HGzyyGu5EVGRKXQY0AqUETq9Z3siWZzriaDh6pmuVXRQjdYRFbda8mfuGq_GM/s2016/cookies1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHXjU2oYkduEGzgwRXstiUcIGUjgRzYhkfD-Mq4Def3rSqHws1AKg2MrCCRvnG8fHZYDj8Uhx7bpGTck6PDTGdHyuW6lWmflH0LsDCldakeCqRdhClpgBQnVF4K5HGzyyGu5EVGRKXQY0AqUETq9Z3siWZzriaDh6pmuVXRQjdYRFbda8mfuGq_GM/s320/cookies1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-38029227551611914232022-04-03T22:00:00.004+01:002022-04-03T22:00:49.791+01:0040th Birthday Card Exploding Box Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQHir3tKUuvB_NRSZB5dmLfgkaIa_3xaiWt5PHjSc4-dgm6MhNee3A73XdZFNc7TWXNcKU2xoXMo2twdutDNkYnGSByiOJB-IicWP4OZoMWhmihykzRaAKsFqa4_nxevNf09qoXx_j7dvFypsSZiv4caonb_UDk0uf3E8hIRIzjy2EsYz-AyOkEHh/s320/boxcard11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQHir3tKUuvB_NRSZB5dmLfgkaIa_3xaiWt5PHjSc4-dgm6MhNee3A73XdZFNc7TWXNcKU2xoXMo2twdutDNkYnGSByiOJB-IicWP4OZoMWhmihykzRaAKsFqa4_nxevNf09qoXx_j7dvFypsSZiv4caonb_UDk0uf3E8hIRIzjy2EsYz-AyOkEHh/w300-h400/boxcard11.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>As my school friends (and I) were turning 40 all in the same
year, I wanted to make them each a special birthday card for the occasion,
using a different type of card design for each one. I had made an <a href="http://www.carolinemakes.net/2018/01/pop-up-3d-box-birthday-card-for-my.html" target="_blank">exploding boxcard</a> before and used the same template for this one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FYMImU6_WkzctDDzjbK0I4CYbgQw7V9G4c1W0r3GhyOtgliY5dpjOBSx91pEWqRwQRWKWYiYXjQXRI8UdN-p4krynghA3lJg4w_E_V4TmgHS7Dh0nMimFn87eyvIlrfy6IpmyUIPOCnZEkG7ZAeRwdWsbl5s361__gHPELQfJqX4aYWYTHU8Aiwk/s320/boxcard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FYMImU6_WkzctDDzjbK0I4CYbgQw7V9G4c1W0r3GhyOtgliY5dpjOBSx91pEWqRwQRWKWYiYXjQXRI8UdN-p4krynghA3lJg4w_E_V4TmgHS7Dh0nMimFn87eyvIlrfy6IpmyUIPOCnZEkG7ZAeRwdWsbl5s361__gHPELQfJqX4aYWYTHU8Aiwk/s1600/boxcard2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQvftt3G23puXwMuJ-adIB-odOA6o9-cf3yYjatYuwhxAjgNd1Iaw0uO_9AGbY0vU_6dUNy0M4PgwRrOSjwPzRnnF4N0A1uGYFujp4D8UOIjB-tQ_egnUf8fDXjcSYwEJD-mtJq66Hsp8cqRibj1CUFQW3v_wL8UK408DVApSHjmAw3kjJKFLdz0P/s320/boxcard3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQvftt3G23puXwMuJ-adIB-odOA6o9-cf3yYjatYuwhxAjgNd1Iaw0uO_9AGbY0vU_6dUNy0M4PgwRrOSjwPzRnnF4N0A1uGYFujp4D8UOIjB-tQ_egnUf8fDXjcSYwEJD-mtJq66Hsp8cqRibj1CUFQW3v_wL8UK408DVApSHjmAw3kjJKFLdz0P/s1600/boxcard3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwy2N89mC1-cn0UGOGHf7BT0AZq5d5ZyPOVcacWU_AZEV2dNlOAlpterFjEKTZNpbnjtPtFRKytbGJLGmysikeaLapoLje2Q76y1v-aQGrgIIFhQ2NqLCSh0KtzPnuO9izSxVjzwZ53itNQn5g_1wkb-MDhfF8RtcisoME933Xfew3pEA6TuU9yZF/s320/boxcard5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwy2N89mC1-cn0UGOGHf7BT0AZq5d5ZyPOVcacWU_AZEV2dNlOAlpterFjEKTZNpbnjtPtFRKytbGJLGmysikeaLapoLje2Q76y1v-aQGrgIIFhQ2NqLCSh0KtzPnuO9izSxVjzwZ53itNQn5g_1wkb-MDhfF8RtcisoME933Xfew3pEA6TuU9yZF/s1600/boxcard5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXulU9sEDAg3YGvUlYGfsbo7uMk81Ue9nBlSsrcvCveoDEcR66PnHoeX06iWPRDsRWyAf4INlVEDMpV5eYGba0a8aW9IBmDjhkPcRV8MHqdhc2vDe2iFEg2GyXQa7sS1M5JQvChrPQGcTALH-r4zXAQA1hYO1RJPinktvRZOrACzrP7Ciyrg6WdLi/s320/boxcard6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXulU9sEDAg3YGvUlYGfsbo7uMk81Ue9nBlSsrcvCveoDEcR66PnHoeX06iWPRDsRWyAf4INlVEDMpV5eYGba0a8aW9IBmDjhkPcRV8MHqdhc2vDe2iFEg2GyXQa7sS1M5JQvChrPQGcTALH-r4zXAQA1hYO1RJPinktvRZOrACzrP7Ciyrg6WdLi/s1600/boxcard6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You can use a different design on each of the four sides but
I decided the card would look more professional with the same design on each so
I used a diamond-patterned paper in what I thought was a nice range of colours
– primarily reds, purples and pinks with some other shades too. The base of the
card was a purple and white polka dot design, again from a patterned paper,
which worked well with the diamond design.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31KRkTTLJb4qxUt-qbD_AEb6kfs75iUSaT_GO0rkrGMURHdkhqwgixMxPl3soytom5G2wDp06MhqEROFas3XqBUqZw-RMT6Z-WTxoNrnq6gcfCob0WqNgIFKLJJKb5NltCjxgKbSp-iIGLwftgztrdxkIAsP3S-GBr93yDZj3nWL4v_QqHCpqFUSD/s320/boxcard9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31KRkTTLJb4qxUt-qbD_AEb6kfs75iUSaT_GO0rkrGMURHdkhqwgixMxPl3soytom5G2wDp06MhqEROFas3XqBUqZw-RMT6Z-WTxoNrnq6gcfCob0WqNgIFKLJJKb5NltCjxgKbSp-iIGLwftgztrdxkIAsP3S-GBr93yDZj3nWL4v_QqHCpqFUSD/s1600/boxcard9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My pop-up elements of this card were a ‘Happy birthday’ die
cut, a glittery ‘40’ sticker and a small die cut sentiment saying ‘Life begins
at 40!’ mounted onto a small piece of card cut with pinking scissors. I
actually bought that in a small pack from Ebay but it’s quite easy to make your
own – if you have the time!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-65923814429994707842022-02-14T22:45:00.001+00:002022-02-14T22:45:06.494+00:00Jammie Dodger Heart Cake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG-zsK8Fuws8brwcSCxauCyIh1ZQnVKpFCZ-IE0_i3VcLQc-gKCpnlojj8V6V01glHVBaBqYjTnFKL-r2oieWa8r-VOF4pd5aB49gkCxNmjnvyoTEW89VFx4QpzaDNn1v0JHRcrJlZhzfKu8stVjGyn9nmdMQBwLaJfn50u2bjFvH4kL8JHnXSnMiS=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhG-zsK8Fuws8brwcSCxauCyIh1ZQnVKpFCZ-IE0_i3VcLQc-gKCpnlojj8V6V01glHVBaBqYjTnFKL-r2oieWa8r-VOF4pd5aB49gkCxNmjnvyoTEW89VFx4QpzaDNn1v0JHRcrJlZhzfKu8stVjGyn9nmdMQBwLaJfn50u2bjFvH4kL8JHnXSnMiS=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><p>This cake is inspired by Jammie Dodger biscuits, which
have two layers sandwiched together with jam, and a heart shape cut out from
the top biscuit layer to show the jam underneath. It’s very easy to make and
fun for Valentine’s Day or someone who loves a Jammie Dodger biscuit!</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">I used a giant cookie silicon cake pan, which has two
parts and lets you bake a cake where the sponges have fluted edging and flowers
and also the word ‘cookie’ on the top so they look like giant biscuits.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out a piece
from the top layer to show the jam underneath.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The recipe itself is a pretty simple one:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">175g butter, softened <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">175g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">3 eggs<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">175g self-raising flour<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">1 tsp vanilla flavouring<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">50ml milk</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">For the filling<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">150g butter, softened<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">300g icing sugar<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Strawberry jam <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Preheat oven to 180C.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Cream together the butter and the sugar then mix in the
eggs one at a time with a spoonful of the flour each time. Fold in the
remainder of the flour. Finally mix in the vanilla flavouring and the milk.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Spoon into two greased cake pans and bake for 20 minutes.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">When cool, use a heart shaped cookie cutter or cut around
a heart template to make a heart shaped hole in the top layer of your cake.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Cream together the butter and icing sugar to make
buttercream and spread over the bottom part of the cake. Spread a layer of jam
on top, making sure the jam is thick enough in the centre of the cake (where
your heart shaped hole will go) that the buttercream can’t be seen. Place the
top layer on top of your cake and enjoy.<o:p></o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-78857818062142987142022-02-13T21:33:00.000+00:002022-02-13T21:33:02.647+00:00Valentine's Chocolate Bark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTnj9HakMyyeryaCI3KdpHu554Ddt2tjDwWDOi0O2firG6a2dyZO8sxbSvrHIe3bjJes_eAm-nk5X_zLtEh4uZi9tsZNQkP2Mcs_Or1m2LD3w469zl13mnP-_CBeTOA-B8M4KckLAj7lUtA1Egf9_iEANWMfOrs-J0VXaOC_gceuZimoQ47PScgfN9=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTnj9HakMyyeryaCI3KdpHu554Ddt2tjDwWDOi0O2firG6a2dyZO8sxbSvrHIe3bjJes_eAm-nk5X_zLtEh4uZi9tsZNQkP2Mcs_Or1m2LD3w469zl13mnP-_CBeTOA-B8M4KckLAj7lUtA1Egf9_iEANWMfOrs-J0VXaOC_gceuZimoQ47PScgfN9=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p>Chocolate bark is a flat slab of chocolate covered with
things like nuts, dried fruit, sweets or with a different colour chocolate
swirled through it. I decided to make some chocolate bark with my daughter for
Valentine’s Day and made up a recipe as I went along (with a nod to Marks &
Spencer’s Percy Pig Choc Corn which I had at Christmas). This makes plenty for
a family to enjoy or to give to three or four people in little gift bags.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">You need:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">300g white chocolate<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Pink food colouring</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Handful of gummy sweets - I used Haribo Heart Throbs
which are usually part of their star mix but you can buy them separately
especially at this time of year - I got a box in Poundland Handful of Smarties
or M&Ms. I was going to just pick out the pink smarties from a sharing bag
I had but my daughter ate most of them!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Handful of popcorn<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Handful of marshmallows - I used heart shaped
marshmallows that I got from Flying Tiger</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Line a small square baking pan with greaseproof paper.
Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie or in the microwave and stir in a couple of
drops of pink food colouring.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Pour the melted chocolate into your prepared tin and
sprinkle liberally with sweets, marshmallows and popcorn. Put in the fridge
until set.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">When the chocolate has set hard, remove from the pan and
peel off the greaseproof paper. Carefully cut into chunks - I found the easiest
way was inserting the point of a dinner knife and pressing down and the
chocolate broke itself into random shaped chunks. We ended up giving these as a
gift to my daughter’s nursery teachers!<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIhIhlXuQ4DA3ql3k1E44DSb3MQmnPSztrj2pA_OkBYf-p8l8l5FDQldv4jGoRoiuMd9ogab1Q3v7Dl2RwerGvPQ08_KuHub04lcFY-3UNP5wTFZg31Laj5ERwKE5KhbKNLJApI_GolVqlr4go3QNZSPo7njvnMlCv5WkCJafD83ZfpJiu5QkKF2xY=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIhIhlXuQ4DA3ql3k1E44DSb3MQmnPSztrj2pA_OkBYf-p8l8l5FDQldv4jGoRoiuMd9ogab1Q3v7Dl2RwerGvPQ08_KuHub04lcFY-3UNP5wTFZg31Laj5ERwKE5KhbKNLJApI_GolVqlr4go3QNZSPo7njvnMlCv5WkCJafD83ZfpJiu5QkKF2xY=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-76066428655569269552022-02-04T23:00:00.003+00:002022-02-04T23:00:18.755+00:00Making your own wooden story spoons<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; line-height: 32.4px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjP5FY7ShreZYYNoEGj5oD4bPpNoWjCg1c0cow6eG21QIcjX4-byO_OYPRd7kUIBC1lP-A3TC44IPCfu3ZK3Yzd8NLbRV-9zilmeZrg7MMsHGQ0Dxj5PAjlwyb_S5QMgP1kA3GER-pHo20goD-Yd6wTrZeRFYdWSAcTpZ9KZAixgC7xQr4AM1I6BRT=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjP5FY7ShreZYYNoEGj5oD4bPpNoWjCg1c0cow6eG21QIcjX4-byO_OYPRd7kUIBC1lP-A3TC44IPCfu3ZK3Yzd8NLbRV-9zilmeZrg7MMsHGQ0Dxj5PAjlwyb_S5QMgP1kA3GER-pHo20goD-Yd6wTrZeRFYdWSAcTpZ9KZAixgC7xQr4AM1I6BRT=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; line-height: 32.4px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">f</span> you have children in your life and are a little bit artistic, these story spoons are a great idea. They are wooden spoons, featuring characters from whatever story you like - you can draw or paint or even cut out pictures and glue them on.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; line-height: 32.4px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">I drew these freehand using coloured marker pens (Promarkers) and then Mod Podge, which is a craft sealant, over the top. I bought a set of five wooden spoons on Amazon for just a few pounds and did the Three Little Pigs story and Red Riding Hood. I drew the three pigs on the first three spoons, and then on the back drew the house that each one built, so when you tell the story and hold up the spoon you can flip it over to show the other side.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; line-height: 32.4px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTz32IVKoKwpwEFjrMwLOKhYAgyXu_iQx8JLMx6cAFVE602WTo9PmjKl7sH5qXuH56pTYrMwElblwHlEjBDVWWiZ64T00cpA2E0aZvvpP025GZ_XreM1TOTPGma4YB49X4Ccuc0Y0f1Jggq8y52Gz2Cd4XH4dbKOKMOSbnY-uHdBW6xvekCJ1ysJ8T=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTz32IVKoKwpwEFjrMwLOKhYAgyXu_iQx8JLMx6cAFVE602WTo9PmjKl7sH5qXuH56pTYrMwElblwHlEjBDVWWiZ64T00cpA2E0aZvvpP025GZ_XreM1TOTPGma4YB49X4Ccuc0Y0f1Jggq8y52Gz2Cd4XH4dbKOKMOSbnY-uHdBW6xvekCJ1ysJ8T=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><br /></span>The wolf spoon plays a role in both stories- so I drew a plain wolf on one side and the wolf in grandmother’s clothing from Red Riding Hood on the other, so again the spoon can be flipped around during the story. I then drew Red Riding Hood herself on the final spoon and the woodcutter on the other side.<br />I used these spoons with my daughter who had just turned three at the time (I actually made these nearly a year ago!) and she loved holding up the spoons and telling me the story. They act as prompts but also as characters and can help make storytelling easier for younger children and even more fun!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; line-height: 32.4px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhimQK8LISJVT6WzAACpgQG55ofmJSA6mhN9w7LkhB6ucCbliSJNPEY2YunnFDM-u_gBjyLVZEOghTlodtphGh6qQCw_ANi8W1v53gpPtwo7f9qOL0dcCnkmlRukeeu88IvJYDGjcJibKizgg4sf1GZ_SSlIBA8QyxUc2gjw1JQSQXFZry3ErU-QnwD=s922" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="591" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhimQK8LISJVT6WzAACpgQG55ofmJSA6mhN9w7LkhB6ucCbliSJNPEY2YunnFDM-u_gBjyLVZEOghTlodtphGh6qQCw_ANi8W1v53gpPtwo7f9qOL0dcCnkmlRukeeu88IvJYDGjcJibKizgg4sf1GZ_SSlIBA8QyxUc2gjw1JQSQXFZry3ErU-QnwD=w256-h400" width="256" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927122407921667771.post-25918910934479166852022-02-01T22:55:00.002+00:002022-02-01T22:55:39.365+00:00Unicorn Birthday Cake - Cakes for Children<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisBT1J7_UQtccrZT8H_Op86--fDwL8PvPuHzKMp9bmM8dYjrArybH_ft50YwEy5Vqgs9rgkRRWAkxx3y2N6fmqpmjc0SihONK0_Q1ROerLaOY6p4WKxUoxjrSE-Qtz4EGvK6fWqUSQgMm8Ypa1NY6k5ZVlSELz0lUR-rflyQvtYpprHara2TlBh7sQ=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisBT1J7_UQtccrZT8H_Op86--fDwL8PvPuHzKMp9bmM8dYjrArybH_ft50YwEy5Vqgs9rgkRRWAkxx3y2N6fmqpmjc0SihONK0_Q1ROerLaOY6p4WKxUoxjrSE-Qtz4EGvK6fWqUSQgMm8Ypa1NY6k5ZVlSELz0lUR-rflyQvtYpprHara2TlBh7sQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Last year my daughter had a ‘lockdown birthday’; COVID-19
restrictions meant that we couldn’t have a party, couldn’t have family to visit
and couldn’t do anything much at all really. We still had a nice day, as we got
Sophie a balance bike for her birthday, and were able to go to a local park to
try it out. Of course I was still going to make her a birthday cake, and this
year she asked (repeatedly) for a unicorn cake.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve made a <a href="http://www.carolinemakes.net/2017/03/strawberry-and-white-chocolate-unicorn.html" target="_blank">unicorn cake</a> before, but thought this style was
a bit grown-up for a three year old and possibly not even as instantly
recognisable, so instead I invested in a unicorn cake mould to make it easier
for myself. I bought a silicon mould from Ebay for around £7 which I thought
wasn’t too bad; I’m sure I will end up using the mould again and if not I can
pass it on to someone else. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I wasn’t entirely sure of the quantity of cake
mixture I would need to fill the mould, but luckily the scale of this <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-chocolate-cake" target="_blank">BBC GoodFood recipe for an easy chocolate cake</a> was just right. My daughter had
requested a chocolate cake and I thought this recipe didn’t look too rich,
compared to some others I have made in the past.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The cake was really easy to make and un-mould (I use PMW Cake
Release spray to grease all my cake tins), and decorating was fairly
straightforward too. I’m sure a more artistic person – or more professional
cake decorator – could make a more beautiful unicorn, but my daughter loved
this! </p><p class="MsoNormal">The cake was covered in a chocolate buttercream and then rolled out white
fondant. I coloured some buttercream in various colours and used a piping bag
to pipe each section of the mane – after all, everyone knows that unicorns have
rainbow hair! </p><p class="MsoNormal">This photo has come out a little darker than the real thing – you
can’t quite see the purple in with the blue and pink, but my daughter thought
it was great. She also had a unicorn helium balloon and a few unicorn-related
gifts, so referred to this birthday – and continues to do so several months
later – as “my unicorn birthday”. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The year before was “my dinosaur birthday” –
when she had a dinosaur cake and several dinosaur-related gifts – and she has
already told me that her next birthday, even though it is nearly six months
away, is going to be “my Sofia birthday”. So I’m already squirreling away Sofia
the First gifts and thinking about how to make a Princess Sofia cake!<o:p></o:p></p>Caroline Cowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07345821217843997515noreply@blogger.com0