I have started this blog a few times and then deleted it, wondering how to put into words what the last week has been like since I gave up my 18 year career to follow my dreams.

It wasn't an easy decision. But, they say life isn't a rehearsal, so I decided to go for it.

​I was nervous. Whilst I knew I could bake, and I have a background in catering and event management I wondered if that would really translate into a lovely experience for the host of the party and their guests.

​I also thought that starting out on my own might be lonely, I wondered if I would have the confidence, whether the market was there in Warrington for something so bespoke and carefully crafted.

​As it turns out I haven't had a minute and I certainly haven't been lonely!  On Saturday I created a special afternoon tea for 10 ladies and babies in Lymm, which they really loved (I overheard several WOW's!), followed by a wedding fair on Sunday at Walton Hall, chatting to lots of brides and grooms. Interestingly there were several men who were really interested in the concept, both for the wedding and for the hen party (maybe because it is actually more affordable than going out to a restaurant!!!)

On Tuesday I received a call from an elderly gentleman wanting to pass on some old china to me, he was so lovely I ended up staying and chatting for an hour, and taking some of the glasses he no longer wanted to charity for him.

​Thursday I experimented with scones, again. This time it was coconut, lime and blueberry - who wants to be boring! in fact, I dropped the scones off at Cathy's sandwich shop in town - they loved them so  much that they asked me to bake a few for them next week!

​I'm really excited for the future, and I wonder where it will take me, for now though, I'm putting the oven on for some special bumps and their mums, what a treat!

It’s so hard to imagine a life without tea. Despite the rise in coffee consumption it is still by far the most popular drink in UK and we remain one of the largest consumers of tea in the world. It's part of our national DNA and embedded as a part of our work and family life. 

We ‘take’ tea and savour it. I can never imagine anyone downing a concentrated shot of tea!

It is our great comforter, to whom we turn as soon as we get up, if there is a crisis or when we need a restorative ‘breather’. “Fancy a brew?” it’s our ‘gift’ when we welcome a friend, a guest or colleague.
 
Tea bonds generations, nations and transcends social class. The Queen drinks tea (Earl Grey, apparently). And, though it's known by many other names across the world and served in many different ceremonies, it is the same plant Camellia Sinensis that is responsible for our collective pleasure, whether it's green tea, OOlong or Black tea; Chai anyone?
 
More and more evidence shows that tea doesn't just make us feel better psychologically. Studies by UCL suggest that tea can affect and control  levels of the 'stress hormone' cortisol.
​
The study, published in the journal Psychopharmacology, found that people who drank tea were able to de-stress more quickly than those who drank a fake tea substitute. In fact, the study participants, who drank a black tea brew four times a day for six weeks, were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood after a stressful event, compared with a control group who drank the fake or placebo tea for the same period of time.

What's your favourite brew?

It's #nationalcarrotcakeday today so it’s only fitting that we share with you one of our favourites.

This is an easy recipe and very easy to make. The prep time is quick with the longest element being the grating of the carrots (without, hopefully, grating your knuckles).

​This one was made with half the topping and no nuts at the request of the client, a simple finish dusted with coconut instead. Delicious, moist  and almost healthy! :)  


Ingredients:
Cake

• 3 medium eggs
• 250g soft brown sugar
• 200g plain flour
• 200g grated carrot
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 1 heaped tsp mixed spice
• 1 heaped tsp ginger
• Zest of an orange
• 1 small drained tin of chopped pineapple (the value stuff is fine)
• 250ml sunflower oil
• 100g sultanas
• 100g chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut

Topping

• 50g butter
• 175g full fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 160g icing sugar

Equipment

• 2 x mixing bowls
• A sieve
• 1 x 23cm springform cake tin

Method

• Switch the oven on and set it to 170 degrees.
• Grease your baking tin with butter and line the base with baking paper
• Grate your carrot and drain in a sieve. Pat it dry with kitchen towel
• Open your tin of pineapple, drain it and dry it off on kitchen towel. Chop it up to break it down.
• In a large bowl beat together the eggs and soft brown sugar and chuck in the carrot and pineapple. Then add in your sultanas, walnuts, coconut, orange zest and the sunflower oil
• In your second bowl weigh out your flour and add your baking powder (best to sift these together though it’s not essential). Then add in the cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice (our measurements for these are approximate, as it depends how spiced you want your cake. We also like to sometimes add some cardamom seeds (about a half teaspoon) too which give as more fragrant and exotic taste).
• Tip the dry mix of flour, baking powder, etc., into the large mixing bowl containing the wet mix and mix it all together thoroughly.
• Pour the mix into the baking tin
• Bake for approximately one hour (give it a test after an hour with a skewer). If it is still too moist give it another five to ten minutes.
• Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• When cool remove from the tin and prepare your topping by melting the butter, then sifting the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the cream cheese, melted butter and vanilla into the bowl and mix together by hand until all of the lumps have gone (a silicon spatula is great for this). Then smooth on the top and decorate with a few walnuts.

In the unlikely event that this cake survives the afternoon it keeps beautifully because of the moist pineapple. Enjoy!  

​I’m not a fan of cup cakes, there's too much icing to cake ratio in my opinion. I’ve always loved and much preferred the delicacy and daintiness of the traditional fairy cake and salivate at the thought of its elegant cousin the butterfly cake.
But even more gentle than a fairy cake is its French relation the Friand. Light as air and perfect for afternoon tea. They are tiny morsels of delicate sponge with a fruit middle usually a berry. And you can use any small fruit – blueberries, raspberries, redcurrants…dependent on the size of your cakes (though I personally prefer them tiny) you can even use strawberries or gooseberries. What matters most is that as you bite into them you get a burst of fruitiness.
Even better is that they are really easy to make. You don’t even need paper cases to put them in. Nor is there any need to faff about getting your butter to room temperature. You don’t even need fresh fruit as frozen works brilliantly.
So really you have got no excuse. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and let’s get cracking!

Ingredients:
• 170g unsalted butter
• 225g Icing sugar
• 100g plain flour
• 125g ground almonds
• 6 egg whites (if you don’t fancy buying a whole box, try Two Chicks egg whites and save the rest for meringues!)
• 24 small frozen berries (your choice – I think they work beautifully with blueberries and raspberries)

Equipment
• Two mixing bowls
• A mini cake or muffin tray with capacity for 24
• A small pan
​
Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and lightly grease the cake tins with butter
2. Gently melt your butter* until it is liquid and then set aside to cool a little for two or three minutes
3. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl
4. Put the egg whites into another clean bowl and whisk lightly with a fork for 20 – 30  seconds until just combined
5. Make a well on the bowl with the sugar and flour and pour in the butter and the eggs
6. Stir together lightly (taking care not to overdo it). Keep the mix elastic and gloopy.
7. Spoon the mix into the cake tins filling each cup about three quarters full
8. Quickly pop a berry into the centre of each cup (while they are still frozen) At this stage you  can sprinkle on a few ground nuts if you wish, hazelnuts or almonds go well and pistachios give a beautiful colour
9. Put the trays into the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes (they are ready when the friands are pale, lightly golden and springy to the touch)
10. Remove from the oven and leave in the tins to cool for about five minutes then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.
11. Lightly dust with icing sugar, put the kettle on and enjoy!

*if at this stage you manage to burn the butter don’t panic – you have created a buerre noisette (literally, burnt butter) and you can still use this in exactly the same manner as the rest of the recipe (though I strain it to remove the black bits). Instead of friands, however you’ll be making its sister recipe Financiers!