A special austeri-tea....

On Sunday I hosted a small celebration tea for 2 close girlfriends....

We had originally been going to a local country house hotel...but they called me during the week to say that they had accidentally overbooked. I thought about it, and decided that at such short notice the best thing would be to serve it here at home...much better value & it meant we could take as long as we wanted too without being chivvied out to make way for the next sitting!

The keyword was miniature. I  started the day before with these tiny, sparkly vanilla meringues...

and then on Sunday morning I baked a batch of little Buttermilk Scones...

which I warmed up before we ate them with creme fraiche and a choice of...

lemon curd, raspberry jam or fresh blueberry compote (or all three!)

I made heart-shaped sandwiches...smoked salmon pate, cream cheese & cucumber....

and baked some crisp strawberry tarts, filled with vanilla pastry cream

I did succumb and bought these beautiful burnished gold, bronze & silver macarons from Marks & Spencer to go with the fingers of brownie & caramel shortbread on the pressed glass cakestand...

So pretty! I tied the cutlery with grosgrain ribbon & used my spring flower napkins from Emma Bridgewater

The prosecco was chilling in the fridge & it was time to put the kettle on! The girls arrived at 3...and we started with a glass of sparkly bubbles before being sensible & moving on to Lapsang Souchong or English Breakfast tea!

Outside the rain & wind battered against the windows...but inside, we were warm and cosy...Alice lay under the table as we talked & laughed & ate for a glorious few hours. Friends are the best, aren't they?

A perfect way to spend the last Sunday afternoon in April. And today, suddenly it's May! Where is the year going?

I hope you have a fabulous week...make sure you indulge yourself in some small way...it doesn't have to be too extravagant but it makes all the difference!

xoxo

Treats for Saturday

Pistachio Cake...I wanted a Spring theme to my Coffee Tree delivery this weekend, as the weather has been so amazing. This cake was pale green inside from the ground nuts...I frosted it with vanilla meringue buttercream...there was some in the middle as well...

then a Rhubarb Crumble Slice. Butter shortbread base, rhubarb tossed in brown sugar, oaty crumble topping. This was adapted from a recipe in the Nordic Bakery Cookbook I spoke about yesterday...a piece sold before I'd left the shop at 8am, which augered well...!

I love Battenburg Cake, but I already had one big gateau with nuts in & didn't want to have another with the traditional marzipan covering because of that. So instead I took the general idea...and expanded it. I'm not sure if you can see from the photo, but there are 4 alternating layers here of pink & yellow sponge...sandwiched with homemade raspberry jam...and topped with vanilla frosting & Spring coloured M & Ms!! I was very pleased with it...even though the slices will be HUGE! Huge but so pretty!
I made a 4th cake too, a Finnish Rye, Date & Spice Cake which smelt absolutely delectable and was lovely and sticky...but it didn't photograph too well...it just looked, well, brown! So I didn't bother showing you. Another Nordic Bakery adaptation though, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it went down at the cafe.

I'll leave you instead with another photo of the Pistachio Cake, because it;'s the one that I would have ordered if I'd been a customer!

I hope you've had a wonderful sunny weekend and enjoyed every minute! xoxo

Monday Bakes...

After a lovely weekend of eating and exploring in London, it was good to get back into the warm fug of the kitchen this morning and start creating. I've just got back from my second bake of the day...16 trays of Double Chocolate & Walnut Brownies, Apricot & Ginger Flapjacks, Rocky Road...so it feels good to have those made and stacked for delivery and now I can relax a bit with a cup of tea!

Early this morning was considerably less frantic. The Coffee Tree's order was one of my favourites because they're easy to make but taste and smell so good! Raspberry Jam Doughnut Muffins....mmm!

Vanilla-speckled muffins with a ruby red raspberry jam centre. Sounds good enough?

Well, I'm sure they would be...but the finishing touch comes when they are removed from the oven but still hot...

while the cakes are still in the tin, I brush them twice with hot melted butter and the pop them out and dip the tops in sparkling white sugar crystals before leaving on a wire rack to cool slightly.

It's this process that lifts them from the good to the sublime..
They looked lovely and were greeted with a big 'oohh' when I got to the coffeeshop which is just what I like to hear!

I hope you're enjoying your Monday. Welcome to the week xo