Garden, Tea, Cakes and Me

Fudge - a success story

2013-05-06T19:19:00.002+01:00

Fudge - a simple sweet treat made with just a few ingredients, but boy has it given me problems in the past.

But at last I have made fudge that has set and cut into lovely cubes. I think it is an improvement on last week's fudge failure and even the year before.

What was different about how I made the fudge this time? Well to be honest I am not really sure. It could be that I have used a different saucepan, one with a heavy bottom. Or I used a different recipe, or even that I used an out of date tin of evaporated milk!

I used a recipe from Good To Know Recipes. The only difference being I added a 'dollop' of crunchy peanut butter to the fudge as I was stirring the fudge off the heat.

If you have a favourite fudge recipe you can recommend to me, do let me know.

Who fancies pudding?

2013-05-04T18:22:00.001+01:00

Sticky Toffee or Blackberry and Apple, both are classic puddings, but in this instance I am talking cheese not pudding.

The Sticky Toffee Cheddar Cheese was a gift from my sister following a recent trip to Derbyshire. Whilst their she discovered Hartington Cheese Shop and their amazing selection of cheeses. Sticky Toffee Cheddar a great way to combine my love of cheese and puddings in one, it really was most enjoyable on a plain cracker. I am sure there are a number of you pulling a face at the thought of this cheese, but it certainly gets my seal of approval.

The Black Berries and Apple cheese was a discovery at local food fair, they had a number of unusual cheeses all of which were available to taste - my kind of food stall. Maybe this cheese was a little less unusual than the Sticky Toffee, after all eating fruit with cheese and crackers is a great marriage of foods. Another tasty cheese winner in my eyes.

Do let me know if you can think of a way I could incorporate these cheese into a meal or pudding.

Sowing Carrots and sieving soil

2013-04-28T11:39:00.005+01:00

Growing Carrots - I am a little later than planned at sowing my carrots this year, for me it's not just a case of sprinkling a few seeds into the soil. I like to make sure the soil is prepared well to ensure a harvest of big, strong cylindrical Carrots.

As my carrots are sown in one of my raised beds, it results in them being well protected from carrot fly. This also means minimum bending for me. The Carrots of choice for me this year are Autumn King and Early Nantes 2.

Using a trowel I remove the soil where I will sow the Carrot seeds creating a channel, just past wrist deep. Then the fun starts - using a large garden sieve rub the soil through, you will then be left in the sieve with small and large stones. Watch out for worms though, you do not want to end up grating worm! I chose not to shake the soil through the sieve, I do not have the arm muscles. You will be left with a channel filled with stone free soil for your carrots to grow straight and long without hitting any obstructions.

Tip - it is best to sieve the soil when the soil is reasonably dry, if we have had days of rain you will find the sieving impossible.

Photographs taken using my phone.

Afternoon Tea - Goldstone Hall, Shropshire

2013-04-21T16:15:00.003+01:00

Sandwiches, cake and tea perfect!

What a delightful Afternoon Tea my sister and I enjoyed last week at Goldstone Hall near Market Drayton, Shropshire.

Goldstone Hall - Afternoon Tea Menu

Sandwiches:-

Roast beef and horseradish

Ham and grain mustard

Farmhouse Mature Cheddar and Goldstone tomato chutney

Homemade fruit scone with mixed berry jam

and Devonshire clotted cream

Chocolate eclair

Victoria sponge

I was pleasantly surprised by the array of teas available, I selected Citric Lemon which is similar to Earl Grey with oil of bergamot. My sister chose Keemun Black China a delicate flavour and a light body, both were delightfully refreshing.

The sandwiches were presented on a slate, the bread light and fresh. The ham in the sandwiches was really tasty, and sourced locally from Buttercross Farm (which also do some amazing sausages too). There was just the right balance of cakes not too much or over rich, the chocolate eclair was perfectly dinky!

Afternoon Tea at Goldstone Hall cost £12.50 - fabulous value for money and with some lovely extra touches. Such as the ribbon tied napkins, our plates were cleared once we had finished the sandwiches and we're given new plates to tuck into to the cakes.

Goldstone Hall gardens

We even had a brief stroll around the gardens, which were looking very tidy and manicured. They had a fabulous outside area that would make a most enjoyable afternoon tea in the Summer overlooking the gardens. They have some planned openings for the National Gardening Scheme during the year.

Goldstone Hall is definitely a place a will visit again and certainly epitomises Shropshire's Best.

How does my garlic grow?

2013-04-18T21:51:00.000+01:00

How does your garlic grow

Back in January I planted my gleaming white garlic cloves courtesy of a competition win from Woollygreen. For months there were no signs of life in the soil. A few weeks ago in preparation for planting up the raised beds, they were covered with an old shower curtain and some bin bags. A simple blanket to help warm the soil up.

Earlier this week I peeked under the covers and behold - I found green shoots of garlic. Long may the sunshine and my garlic grow.

How to spend one million Nectar points

2013-04-14T15:33:00.000+01:00

If you were given 1,000,000 Nectar points to spend, how would you splash out. That's just what Confused.com are asking pinners to do, then show everyone what you would buy by creating your very own Pinterest board.

So I have been busy virtually transforming my kitchen with a new cooker, fridge freezer and plenty of other gadgets and gizmos all for one million nectar points. As someone who loves to a bake my oven has its limitations and the grill can be somewhat temperamental to say the least - so a nice new oven would solve that problem. Gadgets - make life so much easier and are great time savers and a stand mixer would mean making marshmallows trouble free.

You can pop over to Pinterest to see my One Million Nectar Points Blowout board, and all the wonderful items from Argos, Sainsbury's and Homebase I have pinned.

There are 50 prizes of 2,000 real Nectar points up for grabs, which would certainly treat me to some new Pyrex bowls.

Or there is one special prize of 60,000 Nectar points awarded to a blogger. How could I resist a chance to add to the 13,374 Nectar points I currently have, which I have been saving to treat myself. So 73,000 Nectar points = kitchen gadget and happy days!

Recipe - Chocolate and Honey Madeleines

2013-04-13T17:15:00.001+01:00

Chocolate and Honey Madeleines Recipe
Makes 12-14
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C

Ingredients
60g unsalted butter - melted
1 large egg
50g caster sugar
50g plain flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
tablespoon or two of honey

Chocolate and Honey Madeleines

Method

Melt the butter, use some of the melted butter to liberally grease the Madeleine tray. Put the rest of the butter to one side to cool.
Whisk the egg and caster sugar together until it is thick and fluffy, the whisk should leave a ribbon trail when you lift it out of the mixture.
Measure the flour then remove 2 teaspoons of the flour and replace it with 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder.
Sift the flour and cocoa into the egg and sugar mixture and fold in.
Add 3 tablespoons of the cooled melted butter, again fold into the mixture.
Half fill each mould and bake for just 8 minutes, until firm to the touch.
Leave in the tin for a few minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.
Whilst the Chocolate Madeleines are still warm brush them with a little warmed honey using a pastry brush.

If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like to try Lemon Madeleines.

I love it when a recipe fits into two baking challenges. This is my entry to April's Classic French baking challenge theme of Madeleines at Blue Kitchen Bakes.

I am also entering these Madeleines into April's We Should Cocoa, over at Chocolate Log Blog this months ingredient being Honey with Chocolate.

It's a Candle no wait its a CAKE!

2013-04-09T20:54:00.003+01:00

I know you are looking at the picture above and you are thinking it's a candle - when in fact it's a CAKE, not a drop of wax in sight.

I had a most enjoyable time a few weeks ago at a cake decorating class run by Louise Scofield. You may remember in December I attended another of Louise's decorating classes and made the Vintage Bauble Cake. Well I was back again, picking up more new skills and techniques to create this wonderful Candle Cake. It really is hassle free to arrive and know everything you need will be provided and set out for you, and there will be no disruptions and even a cup of coffee waiting for you!

click on the photo to enlarge

I have done my best with the photographs but it is quite tricky to capture the lustre and shimmer of the candle.

The cake itself is fruit cake, then covered with marzipan and sugar paste. Sounds easy, but there is a real trick to getting sugar paste to look like melted wax on the top of the cake.

I'm always asked one question when anyone sees a photo of this cake - What is the wick made of? It is simply made from a small amount of rolled petal paste, painted with black colouring gel.

Below are photos of the Candle Cakes made by my fellow course attendees and of course Louise the tutor. I think you'll agree they are all magnificent! The finishing touches really do give the candle its realism, the customised detail to the front - in my case the little bird, and the ceramic stand the candle is displayed on which was included in the course.

I'm sure I will be back at Louise's again to create another exciting cake.

You will be pleased to know that the cake travelled safely home, and was eaten the very next day.

Candle cakes galore

Giveaway - Pure Vanilla Recipe Book

2013-04-04T23:54:00.001+01:00

Do you remember back in January I reviewed the wonderful recipe book Pure Vanilla by Shauna Server. There are some truly delicious recipes in this book, such as the Big, Soft Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies to name but one. The lovely people over at PG Books are giving one of my lucky blog readers in the UK and Ireland the chance to win your very own copy of this book.

Big, Soft, Frosted Vanilla Cookie

To be in with a chance of winning follow the instructions below and complete your entry using the Rafflecopter widget below. Entering a Rafflecopter giveaway is easy. Sign into the giveaway widget with either your Facebook account or your name and email address and follow the instructions. Once you've completed a task that is listed on the widget, you will receive entries into the promotion.

If you have problems seeing the Rafflecopter widget refresh this webpage, sometimes it can take a little while for it to appear.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - Pure Rain Garden Spray Gun

2013-04-04T20:58:00.002+01:00

I was intrigued when I was asked if I wanted to review a new range of garden hose products for watering the garden. With the claim "New Technology Recreates Rainwater to Boost Plant Growth" really? How can you recreate rainwater - I mean it falls from a cloud. In fact they are referring to the technology contained within the mechanism of the hose that oxygenates tap water.

"Pure RainTM products add millions of microscopic nano-bubbles to ordinary tap water, re-oxygenating it to recreate the natural composition of rainwater. The extra oxygen delivered by the nano-bubbles helps plants absorb nutrients quickly, making them healthier, stronger and more disease resistant."

"The technology is proven to make leafy plants grow up to 30 per cent larger than conventional watering systems and the range has a whole host of other benefits, including:

Chemical free and eco-friendly, meaning less need for fertilisers and pesticides

Produces larger, more robust plants with stronger roots

5-year warranty"

The last few months have not been the ideal time to be using a hose in the garden! We have had plenty of rain and then of cause came the snow, just when the garden was starting to show the colours of Spring. But come Summer I will be putting the Pure Rain hose gun to the test, "30 per cent larger leafy plants" are bold claims and I will be keeping a few pots to water from my watering can and doing my own comparison to those watered with the Pure Rain™ hose gun. I will keep you posted through the Summer.

I was sent a Pure Rain hose gun for the purposes of this review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Recipe - Easter Biscuits

2013-03-30T21:06:00.000Z

Happy Easter!

Easter Biscuits are a great treat and an alternative gift to chocolate eggs. My Easter Biscuits are all baked, gift wrapped and ready to be delivered in my new hamper on Easter Sunday, just need to get my bunny ears out of the cupboard.

Easter Biscuits Recipe

Makes 15-17 biscuits
Oven temp 200 degrees C

Ingredients
75g caster sugar
100g butter (softened)
1 egg separated
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
50g currants
1 level tablespoon mixed peel
1-2 tablespoons milk
egg white
caster sugar for sprinkling

Method

Cream together to butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolk.
Sift the flour, salt, and spices into the butter and sugar mixture.
Add the milk, you should have a soft dough.
Onto a floured surface gently roll out the mixture, until 1/2 inch thick.
Cut out your biscuits using a fluted round pastry cutter, I used sized 3inch / 7 1/2cms
Place them onto a lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes oven temp 200 degrees.
Remove them from the oven and using a pastry brush carefully brush each biscuit with egg white and then sprinkle with caster sugar.
Place back in the oven for a final 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven when lightly golden and allow to cool for ten minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.

Easter Treats Hamper

I'm entering my Easter Biscuits into March's Calendar Cakes baking challenge hosted by Laura from Laura Loves Cakes and co-hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme this month is Easter Extravaganza - yes I know these are not technically cake but they have the same ingredients (almost!).

John Lewis Easter Basket

2013-03-30T15:11:00.003Z

I was most delighted over the Easter weekend to receive an Eggstra special Easter delivery from John Lewis. This egg themed basket did not contain a single ounce of chocolate, just everything needed to cook the perfect eggs. So my Easter Eggs this Easter Sunday will not just be of the chocolate kind but either poached, boiled, fried or scrambled.

Inside the pretty floral lined white whicker basket was

set of 2 Eddingtons Silicone Egg Poachers
Egg Perfect Egg Timer,
John Lewis "The Pan" Egg Poacher,
Tefal Speciality One Egg Wonder Frying Pan
Poachies Egg Poaching Bags

I have already put the John Lewis 'The Pan" through it's paces. I have never cooked poached eggs this way, but it was very straight forward and a few minutes later out popped my poached egg. I think a minute less and the yolk would of been lovely and runny. This way of poaching eggs is much easier than swirling an egg in a pan of hot water, particularly for me and my aversion to vinegar. Of course this pan can be used other than just poaching eggs, the poaching pan lifts of the top leaving you with a deep lidded frying pan that is not to weighty.

I have used the Poachies bags before and they are very handy for taking on holiday. I'm looking forward to trying the Silicone Egg Poacher, they seem practical and straight forward.

I was delighted to see the Perfect Egg Timer in the hamper. Whenever I make boiled eggs I have a habit of thinking I have set the timer on the oven to remind me when it's four and a half minutes is up - no need for the timer now!

As for the One Egg Wonder Frying Pan well that will be put to very good use for those days when only a fried egg sandwich will do.

I would like to thank John Lewis for sending me this Eggstra special Easter basket.

Derby - Bakewell, Mills and Tea Cakes

2013-03-29T20:23:00.002Z

Last week I spent a wonderful break touring delightful Derbyshire villages such as Tissington, Bakewell and Matlock Bath. I indulged in warm scones fresh from the oven, corn beef pasties, and Bakewell Pudding (well not me I'm afraid I don't like Bakewell pudding). I treated myself to some amazing scented candles, Geranium and Chamomile, and vintage sweet shop that was sadly closed on the day I visited, but I would of had a field day in.

I also popped into Derby and can recommend Sadlergate area in the Cathedral district, it has some wonderful shops as well as the impressive Cathedral. I had an amazing Mocha at a cafe/bakery called Baked, I never before been asked if I would like one or two shots of espresso in a mocha - two of course!

I enjoyed a trip to Sir Richard Arkwright's 1783 Masson Mills at Matlock Bath if only for one of the two demonstrations each day of some of the machinery working. I was truly unprepared for the noise just three of the looms made, it must of been horrendous with hundreds of them working at once all those years ago. I will have to watch the BBC's North and South again very soon.

Monster Tea Cakes

Thanks to a giveaway run by A Mummy Too last year, this break away did not cost a penny - I stayed at The Birchover Apartments, which were outstanding. I had even taken my GBBO Show Stoppers Recipe Book with me along with the ingredients to make some tea cakes. All went well with the tea cakes with one exception, I forgot to take the correct size pastry cutter so ended up with biscuits to big to sit inside the mould. They resembled rather large tea cakes!

Calke Abbey Primula Theatre

With the threat of serious snow on its way it was a quick visit to the National Trust Calke Abbey, which for various reasons was not the most enjoyable of property visits. However, the two best features were the Chocolate, Pear and Hazelnut Sponge pudding with custard in the restaurant, and the amazing Auricula Theatre in the walled garden. It being a little early in the season for Auriculas was planted with brightly coloured Primulas.

Book Review - Soil Mates Companion Planting

2013-03-24T20:17:00.002Z

Handy sized book

A review of Soil Mates by Sara Alway published by Quirk books.

This is not your average gardening book. It is not a large like most gardening books can be, so there is no need to clear your lap to read it. There are no glossy pages full of perfectly styled vegetable beds, that your average gardener could not attain. Just good practical advise presented in a humours way, it's like a dating guide for vegetables. Is there a Love Match between plants? What turns them on or off? Caution if there is a Stalker Alert as this warns you of which pests you should you be wary of.

It talks you through which vegetables are best together, those that will be of benefit from growing near or next to each other. I used some of these tips when I did my Vegetable plan for this year, it will be interesting to see if my strawberries, lettuce and carrots create a love triangle as suggested in the book.

The book also includes recipes for each of the vegetables. There is practical guide to using natural pesticides, for keeping those stalkers at bay. The planting guide at the back of the book is helpful as you can adjust your planting to suit your country and climate.

Cucumber just loves corn

What I love about the book?

This is a practical but amusing guide to companion planting.

There are some lovely illustrations of plants in the book, this is a nice change from photographs which feature specific plant varieties, which invariable are not the ones you are growing.

The terminology for each plant profile is funny and entertaining, presented with humorous symbols yet very clear to understand.

Soil Mates is available to buy online for £10.49, for more information about PGUK Books follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks to PGUK Books who kindly sent me a copy of Soil Mates to review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Recipe - Big, Soft Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies

2013-03-22T12:02:00.001Z

You may remember in January I reviewed the fantastic Pure Vanilla Book. I have been meaning to share this recipe with you for some time as I was truly blown away with these heavenly tasting big cookies. It is a recipe I shall be keeping for a long time and baking many more, it's a keeper!

I had made quite a large batch of these so managed to freeze some of the biscuits and a small container of the frosting too, they both defrosted well and tasted equally as yummy as they were fresh.

Big, Soft Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe by by Shauna Server

Cooking time: 15-17 minutes

Makes: 18

Ingredients

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

3 1/2 cups cake flour* (or make your own measure out 3 1/2 cups of plain flour into a bowl, remove 7 tablespoons of the plain flour and replace it with 7 tablespoons of corn flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (I used golden syrup)

Vanilla Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 cups icing sugar (sifted)
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together into a bowl. Into a separate bowl beat the butter and vanilla extract until creamy.
Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and golden syrup.
Beat egg mixture into butter mixture until smooth, light and fluffy.
Gradually stir in the flour mixture.
Cover bowl with cling film and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm.
Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets
Using either a standard ice-cream scoop or like I did two large spoons drop dough in 1/4 cup scoops onto the baking sheets, 3 per sheet. You will need to batch bake.
Bake for around 15-17 minutes until just pale golden around the edges. You may need to rotate the baking sheets part way through baking.
Allow the cookies to cool on baking sheets for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the frosting

Place all ingredients into a bowl, begin beating slowly increasing the speed.
Beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Frost cookies generously once cooled.

Review - Lizi's Organic Granola a Mothers Day Breakfast special

2013-03-14T12:08:00.002Z

Granola is one of my favourite breakfasts, I don't like traditional muesli but I do love granola (toasted muesli). What better way to start a special pampering Mother's Day than to have a tasty and healthy breakfast laid out on the table awaiting the arrival of my mum. With a large packet of Lizi's Organic Granola waiting to be opened, accompanied by a large bowl of fresh fruit and some organic natural yogurt, breakfast was served. A few pots of carefully dug up Crocuses and Snowdrops from the garden helped to bring the feel of Spring to the breakfast table.

Granola makes a excellent breakfast, and Liz's granola is specially formulated to have a low GL (glycaemic load), which to the likes of you and me basically means the energy is released slowly, keeping your tummy feeling fuller for longer. It also contains flaked almonds and) for a touch of luxury. The Organic Granola contains a wonderful array of jumbo rolled oats, Rapeseed oil, Agave syrup, chopped nuts - hazelnuts, pistachio (my favourite!), desiccated coconut, pumpkin seeds (yum), concentrated apple juice, black treacle, flaked almonds, golden linseeds and sunflower seeds. All is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

A 500gr bag of Lizi's organic granola retails for £4.99, which I think is well priced for Organic granola - you get what you pay for, look for cheaper and you will be disappointed I know from past experience with granola. The bag is resealable, so no need to decant the contents into a container to keep it fresh, which also makes for easy storage. This granola not only tastes good but is good for you, both your physical health and lifestyle. Why is it good for your lifestyle - well because Lizi's organic granola supports organic farmers, both in the UK and in Mexico and the lorries shipping the granola around the UK run on natural gas.

I have also spotted a bag of Belgian Chocolate Granola on Lizi'z website, which sounds like a really treat! In the meantime I will continue to happily munch my way through granola, yogurt and fruit for breakfast.

It may have been Mother's Day on Sunday but that does not mean I could leave my dad having breakfast on his own. Surprisingly to me this was the first time my dad had ever had granola, yogurt and fruit for breakfast, but I think it certainly will not be the last.

I was sent a packet of Lizi's Organic Granola for the purposes of review, all opinions are my own.

Recipe - Alice in Wonderland Shortbread

2013-03-10T20:42:00.001Z

Iced shortbread biscuits

I confess to baking yet more shortbread, this time it's a chance for me to use a biscuit cutter I received as a Christmas present from one of my sisters. This cutter give you a delicate sized biscuit with a plunger that marks the words 'Eat Me' on the biscuit.

I followed my trusted Shortbread biscuit recipe, it never lets me down. Once the shortbread biscuits have cooled the fun begins - icing. I use Silver Spoon, Royal Icing Sugar to decorate my biscuits. It really is a trouble free method for making smooth royal icing every time.

I like to refer to these as my Alice in Wonderland biscuits because of the tempting 'Eat Me' motto, I could do with being a little taller - maybe a few of these will do the trick!

Strawberry Bundt Cake

2013-03-06T21:28:00.001Z

For sometime now I have been admiring the wonderful Bundt cakes created by Rachel at DollyBakes. Since December a shiny new Bundt tin has been sitting in the cupboard waiting to be used, and I spotted the perfect recipe the Springtime Strawberry Bundt at DollyBakes.

I halved Rachel's original recipe as my tin was half the size of a standard bundt, and obviously needed less time in the oven. I made sure I greased the tin thoroughly, and the cake turned out easily and all in one piece.

I decorated the cake with some some simple runny icing - icing sugar with a little water and a spot of strawberry essence and red food colouring then sprinkled with a touch of glitter. A quick photo and then the Strawberry Bundt Cake was then packed off to work to help celebrate a colleagues birthday.

The cake tasted wonderful and the texture was light and moist, I always thought that Bundt cakes looked quite a dry cake but how wrong I was. Loved the idea of using yogurt in the recipe it really worked a treat.

Recipe - Apricot and Yogurt Scones

2013-03-03T14:40:00.002Z

Last month Foodies100 linked up with Greek Gods Yogurt and challenged bloggers to create an Aphrodite inspired recipe for valentines day. I knew my recipe would be something baked, but what? - a cake, pudding or something else?

I was sent a large pot of Vanilla and Honey Greek Gods Yogurt to fire up my inspiration. Yogurt is something I normally reserve for serving with fresh fruit and granola or baking American pancakes with.

I knew I wanted to include fruit in the recipe and I also wanted to add an English theme into the mix. Resulting in the recipe - Apricot and Yogurt Scones.

Apricots are used frequently in Greek recipes but not normally in a scone recipe, you normally would not find any yogurt in a scone either. But by replacing the milk with this tasty Vanilla and Honey yogurt, you end up with some well risen and very scrumptious scones.

Where is the romance? It is all in the heart, or in this case a fruity heart shaped scone, which I think considering they were so well risen have just about maintained their shape.

So pop the kettle on or open a bottle of wine then put your feet up and share a scone with a loved one. Keeping your heart in mind you can either be healthy and serve with yogurt and honey, or try them with butter and apricot jam. Either way they are delicious, as vouched for by my 81 year old Auntie Betty who I dropped by to visit later in the afternoon along with some of the scones. I received a call from her the next day, she thoroughly enjoyed them and ate both of them in one sitting!

Apricot and Yogurt Scones Recipe

Cook time: 20 minutes Temp fan oven 200 degrees C

Ingredients

300g plain flour
75g butter
75g caster sugar
20g baking powder
130g dried apricots (chopped)
200ml yogurt (honey and vanilla)
a drop of milk
1 egg beaten

Cooking Directions

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter, rub the ingredients between your finger tips until they resemble breadcrumbs.
Add the baking powder, sugar and apricots and mix well.
Add a drop of milk to the yogurt just to slacken it off slightly. Add the yogurt to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, bring together with your hands.
The mix should now resemble a soft dough, don't roll the dough out.
Onto a lightly floured work surface flatten out the dough with your hands until a quarter inch thick.
Cut out your scones using a pastry cutter, I used a heart shaped cutter. Place on a baking tray and brush the tops with some beaten egg.
Ensure the oven is hot and bake for 20 mins, they should be golden brown.
Allow to cool on a wire rack.

I would like to thank Greek Gods yogurt for suppling the carton of Vanilla and Honey yogurt.

Gardening Time - Wilkinson Giveaway

2013-02-26T21:24:00.001Z

A great garden giveaway

A few weeks ago the skies were clear and the sun was out, albeit the temperature being a little fresh - the perfect opportunity to get out into the garden. I was busy sowing lots of different seeds both flowers and vegetables, these are now settled into their seeds trays in the greenhouse. For the first time I will be growing some Dwarf Aster flowers in the garden this year, these were just some of the seeds I purchased from my local Wilkinson.

Garden Giveaway

To help you prepare your garden Wilkinson are offering one lucky reader of Garden Tea Cakes and Me a £20 Wilkinson gift voucher. Wilkinson have a great selection of gardening tools and equipment, if you were the lucky winner what your you choose. Maybe one of their new ergonomically designed garden tools or lots of garden seeds or what about a growing kit for the children.

Follow the instructions below and complete your entry using the Rafflecopter widget below. Entering a Rafflecopter giveaway is easy. Sign into the giveaway widget with either your Facebook account or your name and email address and follow the instructions. Once you've completed a task that's listed on the widget, you'll receive entries into the promotion.

If you have problems seeing the Rafflecopter widget refresh this webpage, sometimes it can take a little while for it to appear.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure - I would like to thank Wilkinson for donating the prize for this gardening giveaway.

Homemade Afternoon Tea - a birthday celebration

2013-02-24T14:16:00.000Z

Afternoon tea treats!

It has been a while since I have posted an Afternoon Tea for you all. Earlier this week a friend celebrated her 70th birthday, so we helped welcome this milestone birthday with a quiet but simple afternoon tea.

Menu

Chicken finger sandwiches

Cheese finger sandwiches

***

Raspberry and cream shortbread

Fruit cake

Butterfly fairy cakes

***

Harvey Nichols Afternoon tea blend

***

An array of Afternoon Tea delights

The shortbread was made using the Shortbread Fingers recipe, but this time I used a standard pastry cutter along with my homemade stamp, which I have been waiting to use since last June. You can make the biscuits the day before, then pipe on a little fresh cream and top off with a few raspberries - simple but highly addictive!

I also defrosted a few butterfly fairy cakes from the freezer that morning and the fruit cake was made a few days earlier. An afternoon tea that did not require hours of preparation and just as enjoyable as if hours were spent on it.

Review - Marshmallow Madness!

2013-02-16T12:25:00.000Z

Marshmallow mountain

Where to start? Marshmallows I love eating them and most of all I love them melted on top of a mug of hot chocolate. However, I will confess to having never made them myself. So when I was asked if I would like to review Marshmallow Madness! by Shauna Sever published by Quirk Books I jumped at the chance.

This book has been something of a revelation for me, I have always admired marshmallows made by fellow bloggers but I have never really paid that much attention to the recipes. For some bizarre reason I have always thought they were made using egg whites. So I now find it amazing that sugar, water, gelatin, heat and golden syrup creates amazing white clouds of fluffiness.

I put the book to use by making Classic Vanilla Marshmallows, which I found amazingly easy to make. Although I did have a moment when adding the hot syrup that it all may go wrong, but I need not have doubted myself.

I only have an electric hand mixer, and you really do need a stand mixer as you really do need every hand you have to make marshmallows. I did wonder if my little hand mixer would last the distance!

What I love about the book?

The book itself is almost like a marshmallow it has a puffy like cover, very tactile indeed.

There are some wonderful photographs, the clever use of shapes and colours in the marshmallows makes them fun for all to make and eat.

There is a great section called Happy Hour which shows how you can include alcohol into your marshmallows to give them a cocktail feel.

It is filled with very creative marshmallow recipes, not just limited to using them in drinks, recipes that involve the use of marshmallows in sweet treats and cookies. So do not be fooled into thinking this book is all about marshmallow.

What I'd like more or less of?

This book is by an American baker and as such all the measurements are in cups, a conversation table would of been useful. I have a lovely set of measuring cups, so this was not a hindrance for me. If you were to by the book as a gift you may want to include a nice set of measuring cups too.

Marshmallow Madness is available to buy online, for more information about PGUK Books follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks to PGUK Books who kindly sent me a copy of Marshmallow Madness to review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Vegetable Garden Planner 2013

2013-02-12T21:09:00.001Z

Chitting time

I've been busy scribbling down the planting I have planned for my vegetable garden this year. That is if I can ever get into it with the never ending snow or rain that seems to be falling from the sky of late.

Whats in? - this year for the first time I will be growing Turnips - hurrah!

Whats out? - I will not be growing Sweetcorn, Peppers or Tomatoes with the exception of Cherry Tomatoes.

I have two raised beds measuring 6 x 4 ft, I also have space around these to place bags and pots which will be planted up with courgettes and potatoes. Next to the raised beds is an area that is quite shady due to it being under a small wall this is home to Rhubarb, Blackcurrant, Gooseberry and some Strawberries.

So what else will I be growing this year:-

Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, Pak Choi, Mixed Salad, Lolla Rossa Lettuce, Carrots, Onions, Peas, Beetroot, Turnips, Broad Beans, Leeks, Garlic, Potatoes, Courgettes, Gooseberries, Strawberries, Rhubarb, Blackcurrant, Plums, Apples and Blueberries.

National Nest Box Week

2013-02-10T11:30:00.000Z

Coal Tit setting up home

Did you know that the 14th February is not just Valentine's Day but also the start of National Bird Nesting Box Week which runs 14th-21st February. National Bird Nesting Box Week is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology, their website contains all you need to know about selecting and using the most suitable bird box for your garden.

You may already have a bird box in your garden just as I do. Now lucky for me year after year a pair of birds choose it to make it their temporary home. Both Coal Tits and Blue Tits have hatched their chicks in this particular bird box. Obviously I have fingers crossed that another pair of birds will visit the bird box again this year. I am hoping that the Long Tail Tits that visit the garden will make it their home.

If you have the carpentry skills you could try making your very own bird box, you will find full instructions on the National Bird Nesting Week website. Or if like me you prefer to buy one there is a great choice available to buy online, you will find a guide on which type of bird box is most suitable for the birds in your garden.

I will leave you with another photograph of a Coal Tit popping in to feed it's brood of chicks - oh if only we could see inside!

Sweet Heart Valentine Fairy Cakes and Buttercream Recipe

2013-02-03T12:42:00.000Z

Valentine's Day Fairy Cake

This is a simple but effective Valentine's Day themed fairy cake. It is worth buying some nice paper cases to bake your cakes in, I used some red and white polka dot cakes.

I started off by baking a batch of my plain fairy cakes.
Once cooled I decorated them with some buttercream (recipe below)
Add the jelly heart sweets and a sprinkle of edible glitter. Of course you could use other sweets such as Love Hearts or fizzy jelly hearts.

Buttercream Recipe

5 oz butter
10 oz icing sugar
drop of milk
edible glitter (optional)
food colouring (optional)

Whisk the butter until soft.
Add half of the icing sugar and carefully on a low speed and whisk. Add the remaining icing sugar and whisk until smooth.
Add the optional food colouring and combine.
If you feel the buttercream is too thick had a teaspoon or two of milk.

Tip - if you want a different flavour buttercream you could add a little lemon or lime juice.