The Boxing Day Meet

On Boxing Day we headed to my parents house, and from then went out for a lovely walk to clear the cobwebs of Christmas Day. Our route took us over the fields, through a very muddy copse and along winding country roads. As we came up the hill towards Castle Ashby, we were met with the sound of hooves and barking, as down the hill towards us came the full Boxing Day meet, proceeded by a pack of around 50 hounds! 

I took the following pictures as they rode down the hill away from us, hounds first, then the leaders in their distinctive red jackets (Apparently these are the hunt staff, Male masters and those who have been given their hunt button) followed by the others in their equally traditional hunting jackets in navy, black and traditional country greens and browns. 

You can write the things I know about hunting and horses on the back of a postage stamp, but it was a great addition to our walk, and gave us something to tell the rest of the family about when we got back to the pub over a nice glass of Aspalls! 

A Weekend of Baking...Tunis cake and Chocolate and Apricot Pudding

For our first Christmas, I have been carefully meal planning for the big day, and today I have been making two of the not so traditional elements to our first Christmas dinner, Tunis Cake and an Apricot and Chocolate sponge pudding. Neither David or I are fond of the traditional fruit equivalents of these desserts, so I decided to make something different.

The Tunis cake was first baked in the 1930's in Scotland, a traditional sponge cake covered with a thick layer of chocolate. Subsequent versions had marzipan fruits added as decorations, however I stuck to a traditional recipe of a moist madeira sponge cake with almonds and lemon zest, a thick and luscious chocolate ganache topping and white chocolate piped decorations. They're rather rustic, but I like them!

The cake was very simple to make and was baked in a basic 8" cake tin. Once the cake had cooled completely I covered it with a thick layer of chocolate and cream and allowed that to set again. Then to finish it off I piped some decorations on using white chocolate and allowed it all to set completely before removing it from the tin and onto a serving plate. A cake lifter or a couple of fish slices are essential at this point, as you can't turn it upside down to get it neatly onto a cake board, you'd end up with a very chocolatey hand and ruin all of your hard work.

I came across the Apricot and Chocolate pudding on the internet, and thought that it would be a perfect end to our Christmas dinner. It involved soaking apricots in brandy, (Honestly, it's awful!) then putting half at the bottom of a greased bowl, then chopping the rest into the chocolate sponge mixture along with extra chocolate chunks and ground almonds. As this is a steamed sponge pudding, it needs a double layer of buttered greaseproof paper tied on with string then a layer of foil over the top. This is very challenging if you don't have another pair of hands and as I tried practically lying on top of it to keep the paper in place whilst I anchored it with the string, I thought of an idea!

Put an elastic band over the top of the greaseproof to keep it in place. Then tie your string tightly around the bowl to secure the greaseproof paper, pulling it taught like a drum across the top. You can then snip off the elastic band with a pair of scissors and you're all sorted! Then cover everything with a layer of foil and tuck the ends up under the greaseproof paper.

To steam the pudding you can either use a large saucepan, or I used my slow cooker. First pre-heat the slow cooker empty on high for 15 minutes, otherwise you risk the bowl cracking when you pour in the boiling water. Place the pudding into the body of the slow cooker and pour boiling water halfway up the sides, then put the lid on and leave it to steam on high for the time stated in the recipe. 

As I write the pudding is currently steaming away. This dessert can be made up to two days in advance, then on the day I shall add it back to the slow cooker, again pre-heating it and adding boiling water and steaming for an hour, before serving with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, I can't wait!

Christmas party outfit...From sketch to dress

This year I organised our work Christmas party, and to be just a bit different, I asked my mum to make my outfit. I have always loved guipere lace, and wanted this to be the main fabric for the dress. I sketched out a design based on two amazing dresses I had seen, one by Oscar de le Renta and another by Sue Wong, and between my mum and I we found a pattern that could be adapted. 

Guipere lace can be very expensive, so I was thrilled when I found a listing on ebay for some beautiful silver guipere lace that wouldn't cost the earth and was being sold in this country. I was a bit dubious about not being able to handle it before I bought it, however I ordered a sample and rang the fabric shop to talk to them about it directly, which really put my mind at rest. My mum sourced the draping weight nude jersey to use as the lining from a trader in Kettering, which was a perfect base for the delicate lace.

 The original sketch for the dress had crystals around the neckline, which I took off a bodice that I beaded for my 6th form prom, and ostrich feather trim around the hem. However, when it came to sourcing all of the different elements, the feathers worked out to be very expensive, so I changed the design to include a double layer of silver fringe.

As with any project or design, alterations are made constantly throughout the process, and in the end, we decided to keep the neckline plain, as the lace was so beautiful we didn't want to clutter it with extra decoration. The fringe was also a great decision as it gave a weight to the hem that made the dress sit correctly, and it was fab to swish around when I was dancing. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year...Christmas decorations

Of all the things I have been looking forward to about owning my own home, decorating for Christmas has definitely been on top of the list! I have been collecting various decorations over the past year, and I was really looking forward to being able to display them, but it wasn't until we bought the tree that I really began to get excited. 

We bought a 4ft artifical tree (I can't be doing with pine needles everywhere) to sit under the velux window in the lounge which gave us some extra space, then laid out all of the decorations on the coffee table to make a start. The trend this year in Christmas decor has been for oversized decorations, so more by luck than judgement (but don't tell anyone...!) my decorations looked perfect! I love the Scandinavian look mixed with gold and silver, so with a mixture of white lights, silver tinsel and a lovely little glass angel that was a gift from my Nan, I think the finished tree looked perfect

I also wanted to buy a bower for the top of the bookshelves going up the stairs, and we found a beautiful one in John Lewis with frosted fir cones, shimmering branches and icy twigs. It was challenging and frustrating trying to attach the bower at the right angle to the wood, as we had to screw hooks into the bookshelf, and then twist thick garden wire though the bower to attach it horizontally to the wood. At first we couldn't get it at the right angle and it kept falling forward, but once it was attached and garlanded with battery powered white lights, I was more than happy with it. 

My new apron from Griff's

To get ourselves in the Christmas spirit, we visited the Castle Ashby Gardens Crafts for Christmas fair. It was held in the gardens outside the beautiful Castle Ashby house grounds, and promised a selection of local craft stalls as well as live reindeer for the children, although I think they were more of a draw for the adults with their jingle bell harnesses and tinsel garlands!

I was really surprised and happy to see how busy it was, as it is a fantastic place to visit and it was great to see so many different examples of local crafts and meet some of the fascinating people who make them. On our second time around the marquees, I spotted an apron stall in the corner. Griff's is a Northampton based company who make beautiful aprons based on the heritage of the towns shoemaking past. They have a fantastic section on their website which explains all about how they make, design and reference the heritage in each of their aprons, so why not go ahead and have a look. https://griffshomemade.co.uk

They had a lovely selection of very well made and designed aprons, all named after local locations. I chose the Stanwick, a gorgeous deep aubergine colour with a deep patterned front pocket with smaller pencil pocket and a clasp on the neck strap. I was so pleased with my purchase that I wore it the very next day to cook my first family dinner for seven in The Nest!

A Weekend of Baking...Yellow rose cake

This week it was my Nan's birthday, and to celebrate, I am holding my first Sunday lunch for the family tomorrow at The Nest! (Eeeek!) On the menu are four different kind of pies, Steak and Ale, Chicken and Sausage meat with caramelised red onion, chicken, smoked bacon and leek and a roasted vegetarian pie with humous (kindly made by my Mum) with mashed potatoes and vegetables, a perfect winter Sunday lunch.

As it is a birthday meal, it wouldn't be complete without a birthday cake, so this week I have been working on a square lemon drizzle cake which was requested by my Nan. She requested the flavour but didn't specify any decoration, so I was free to create! She has always loved yellow roses, so I decided to incorporate those into the cake design. I love making sugar paste roses, and any excuse to practice some modelling I can't wait!

I chose a pale buttercup yellow for the roses and a dark bottle green for the leaves, as naturally rose leaves are a glossy dark green. I made these using rose leaf cutters with veiners, and then made my roses using a plastic wallet to smooth out the petals and then hand moulding the rest.

As I have said before, my lemon drizzle cake recipe is very moist, and when it came to getting it out of the tin it did take a little bit of coaxing! Getting the crumb coat on was also a challenge, as when spreading the buttercream, crumbs were coming off as fast as it was going on. However patience is required at this stage as your buttercream will look uneven and lumpy if you don't get it right at this rage. An icing smoother will help, but a smooth base will give the best finish.

As you can see from the image above, there were a couple of bits in my cake that I wasn't able to smooth as parts of the cake had come away with the butter icing. It was a shame that I couldn't fix it, but with carefully placed decorations, no one will ever know!

Covering the cake was challenging, as I always find square cakes more difficult. To get a really clean and crisp square shape, you need to cut separate panels and then join them together at the edges and corners, however I prefer the slightly more rounded look, and once it is smooth, it looks good. 

Sometimes, the cake cards that you buy are bigger than your finished cake as they are measured against the size of the actual tin. Mine did show as you can see from the image above, however with my design, I was able to cover them up using my rose decorations which was very lucky! I was really pleased with the final design of the cake and how it turned out. I just hope it tastes as good as it looks and that my nan likes it. 

Best baking companies from the Cake and Bake Show

Over the last couple of visits to the Cake and Bake show, I have picked up lots of leaflets, business cards and flyers from some great companies. Some I have heard of, and others have been completely new discoveries, and it has been fantastic being able to see the companies at their stands, and also to sample some their fantastic bakes. I thought I'd share some of my favourite companies with you here, which shows you not only their great websites, but also some great branding. 

Baker & Maker - This is a fantastic shop. they also ways have a fantastic stand, filled with products that are just that little bit different. Their website is filled with things for the home, kitchen and special presents for the baker in your life, from customisable cookie stamps to bedsheets, you're bound to find something you'll love. 

A whole collection of different business cards, love the Eat 'n' Mess logo and the Pig in the Middle sausage rolls were every bit as good as they say!

Crumbs & Doilies - I love this company, and their website is beautiful, really showing off their creations and excellent branding at the same time.

Cake Lace - Every time I walked past this stand it was absolutely packed, so many people are amazed by this product! Make up the mixture and spread into one of the beautifully designed moulds, bake, and peel a way a beautifully intricate lace design to use on your cakes, no wonder it's so popular!

Jane Means - Everyone needs beautiful ribbons to finish of their creations, and Jane Means designs fit the bill perfectly. Gorgeous vintage colours and designs are perfect for many different types of cakes, and if you're tempted to branch out, she also does wrapping courses and has published her own book on how to wrap the perfect prezzie 

La di da Cupcake co. - Last year I bought a box of 6 cupcakes, and they did not disappoint. They do a fantastic range of flavours as you can see from the top image, and are truly scrumptious. 

Lallapolosa - Simply the best salted caramel and pecan brownie I have ever tasted!

Meringue Girls - Always an eye-catching display with their neon pink sign, their couture looking meringues stand to attention in colourful lines to attract everyone to try them

Nevie-Pie Cakes - The home of the hand painted cake, and a real talent for decoration, watercolour style never looked so delicious!

Nielsen Massey - Flavours you can trust. I am a convert and now don't use any other vanilla essence in my baking, a superior quality product. A pared down and relatively calm stall at the Cake and Bake show encouraged you to spend some time and immerse yourself in the delicious smells

Paul.A.Young - A pure chocolate talent. An award winning chocolatier that is really pushing the boundaries of chocolate flavours, watch out for his award winners!

Posh Pinnies - If you sound as much time in the kitchen as I do, a lovely apron is essential. Sometimes I spend all day in mine and don't even realise, however with one of these, you certainly wouldn't be ashamed to answer the door!

Rosalind Miller - Winner of the Best Wedding Cake Designer 2012, her designs are undeniably showstoppers. Now stocked at Harrods, you can see why her beautiful designs and branding attract so much attention

Sponge - And the prize for the cutest cake at the show goes to this company with their baby sponges! Individually packed and perfectly bite-sized for one, their flavours and patriotic packaging all yell 'Eat Me!'

Squires - The creme de la creme of sugarcraft expertise, their exhibitions and shop are packed full of everything that you need to whip up your own creations.