Sunday 16 December 2012

Gilbert White's Tea Parlour

If you're ever in the Selborne area in Hampshire, I recommend this place for afternoon tea or a light lunch. It has again been awarded the Tea Guild Award for Excellence and serves speciality teas and delicious homemade cakes.



Housed in a museum for Gilbert White himself, a naturalist, and for the Oates Collection. It tells the story of three explorers of the natural world.

Sunday 18 November 2012

Vintage Tea Party Part 2

Part 2 has finally arrived with a....

teacup and saucer.

Although I was also expecting issue 3 and my tea tray with my first delivery. Then perhaps I can invite a friend round for tea and scones.

Victoria's Angels 2012

I think I have a 'type'. My favourite Victoria's Secret Angels are all brunettes......

 


 Although I do find Doutzen Kroes stunning too


I do like these too..
 




Saturday 17 November 2012

Ginger Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Now biscotti is usualyy eaten with a cup of coffee however I think they go just as well with a good cuppa.
The reason for the ginger is to use up the ginger preserve I put in my pumpkin pie at Halloween but you can put almost anything in yours. Nuts are especially good. This is what I started with:

  • 4 oz plain flour
  • 1.5 oz cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsps baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 2 oz walnuts
  • 1 oz chopped dark chocolate
  • 5 oz ginger preserve (or 4 oz sugar and 1 oz of stem/crystallized ginger)
Start by putting all the dry ingredients into a bowl. That’s the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, chocolate and nuts (and sugar).

If using ginger preserve whisk this together with the eggs.

Otherwise just add the 2 eggs one by one with the vanilla essence to the dry ingredients to form a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough into a flat mound and place on a baking tray. Then bake at gas mark 4 for 25 mins.

It should then be baked through making it easy to cut into half inch slices. Wait 10 minutes for it to cool before cutting into it to make it easier to handle. While you wait cool down the oven to gas mark 3.

Place the slices on their side and put back in the oven for 20 mins, turning the slices over halfway through.

Once done take them out the oven and place on a wire rack to cool down completely. Each slice should dry out and once cooled should be crunchy and dippable into hot coffee.

Sunday 21 October 2012

Baked Yeast Doughnuts

Now that I had a very nice and great value for money cake plate, I decided to bake up something sweet to serve upon it. Given that I had recently acquired a mini doughnut tray from a charity shop for a mere 50 pence, it was about time I used it.

I got the recipe from my other cake related subscription Cake Decorating magazine.

To make your own you'll need:

  • 350 g strong white flour
  • 400ml lukewarm milk
  • 1 egg
  • 50 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 packet (7 g) dried yeast
  • 50 g fine granulated sugar
  • Flavouring i.e. pinch of nutmeg or cinammon or a dash of vanilla

  • Mix the sugar and the egg together and whip for 1 minute until light and fluffy while heating the milk to body temperature.


     
    Add the milk, yeast, flavouring and salt to the eggy mixture. Then slowly add the flour until it forms a dough.



    Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth then place in a bowl and in a warm place to prove till it has doubled in size.

     
    Once risen, knock the air out of the dough and shape into doughnuts or place dough in doughnut ring tray. Leave to prove again for 20 mins on top of your warming oven which should be set at 230 degrees C.

     
    Then bake for 5-8 mins until slightly golden. Better to undercook then overcook so they remain soft and un-bagel like. Take out of the overn ans whilst hot dip in melted butter and then caster sugar flavoured with or without cinammon. Serve on a cake plate but more importantly eat whilst still warm.
     
     

    Bjorn Borg underwear

    I recently bought a thong from this range and I was very impressed. Especially considering that it is by the Bjorn Borg, as in the tennis player from the 80s. Take a look

    http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/her/underwear

    The collection is very colourful and fun and caters for women, men and children. If you 're looking for a pair of female boxers then this is the place to come. As you would expect the designs are very sporty. Although like I said it's also good for thongs. By definition a thing should be skimpy and these are however, they are not skimpy in the front which makes them very comfortable. This is the pair I bought. A lacy bright pink flourescent thong that stayed bright even after being washed.

    http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/love-all-lace-10

    This is the next pair I'm thinking of adding to my collection

    http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/metallic

    And these perfect for long cold nights

    http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/animal-1

    Vintage Tea Party

    I have found a solution to my tea tray problem.

    There is a new magazine collection in stores now. As always the first issue is a bargain. £1.99 for a cake plate.

     
     
    The magazine has a few recipes and little tips on how to present your baking.
     
     
    I have started to subscribe for £6.99 for each issue as I'm hoping to get a new tea tray.
     
     
    I don't think I'll get the whole collection but it does look quaint.


    

    Tuesday 16 October 2012

    30B

    My 12 year old niece is blossoming into a young lady and recently got measured for her first bra. Coincidentally it turns out she is the same size as me and so I felt compelled to offer my lingerie wisdom. And if you, like me, are not in the high street 32A to 36DD range you're also going to need to look a little harder for a bra that fits.

    If you're not very well endowed it's easy to start looking for bras at shops with girl's clothes ranges such as New Look. They're good for when you're looking for a t-shirt bra with the additional benefit of being a little cheaper. Unfortunately they also tend to have little monkeys or cutesy cupcakes all over them. That's when M&S is very useful as they have the girl's Angel range but also stock more grown up designs in all sorts of sizes and patterns.

    M&S is an obvious choice and I haven't really come up with anything profound but the great Marks and Sparks deserves every credit. I can't tell you the number of times I've been to specialist lingerie shops and not found my size. These shops even have little labels on the bras which tell you all the sizes they come in, 30B not being one of them. It really gets on my tits. I get particularly annoyed in La Senza and especially avoid the celebrity ranges.

    Whittard of Chelsea

    I finally bought my Sunday best tea set. I made a special trip to the outlet store in Hatfield. Plenty to choose from.


    This is what I wanted

    With this design

     
    Unfortunately they had all sold out. That's the risk you take if you wait till it arrives at the outlet store so I bought this instead
     
    
    

    I now need a tea tray to carry it all.

    Rien lingerie

    There was one lingerie brand that I was looking for on my trip to Paris but didn't manage to find and that was Rien. I had found out about this name whilst researching my trip to Paris for lingerie shopping. Sadly I didn't find it on any of the shop floors so thankfully you are able to order pieces online.

    I love the asymmetry as it's something I've not come across before. Although their sizes do not cater for all.




    Killer Queen

    In this song by Queen there's a line that goes 'Perfume came naturally from Paris'.

    It reminds me of my birthday trip to Paris for lingerie and perfume. It started with an early morning train ride on the Eurostar from King's Cross station into the heart of Paris. First stop was breakfast at Laduree on the Champs-Elysees Avenue and consisted of French toast, hot chocolate and various pastries. We were energised for our little shopping excursion but not before a quick trip up the Eiffel Tower.

    After a lot of research I wanted to visit the following French Lingerie houses:

    Fifi Chachnil

    A lovely little boutique located in a courtyard off rue St Honore. It's style is fun and flirtatious with a hint of the ’50s: Think Brigitte Bardot meets Betty Boop—there’s lots of polka-dot details and contrasting ribbon bows. With my purchase I was given a little vial of the perfume. A spicy, earthy fragrance and due to its exclusivity I decided to invest in it. Luckily there is also a boutique here in the UK so I didn't have to quite go all the way back to Paris to a full bottle.

    Cadolle
    Herminie Cadolle is credited with inventing the bra in 1889, thus liberating women from the corset. Four generations later, this little red-and-gold boutique is still a purveyor of the kind of undergarment that moulds your body into the perfect shape. For the bespoke version, head around the corner to the by-appointment-only Loft Couture

    Chantal Thomas
    Another boutique on the rue St Honore, the slinky-white interior is strategically positioned next to fashionista favorite Colette, provides a boudoir backdrop for striking designs by Chantal Thomass, one of the pioneers of underwear as fashion. With their instantly recognizable black silhouette logo, Thomass’s flirty creations have just the right dose of dark and sexy but not too masochistic.

    If that wasn't enough we also managed to fit a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral before heading over to the lingerie section at Galeries Lafayette in case we had missed something earlier. This was where I managed to pick up my favourite piece of underwear... my Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra designed for La Perla.

     
     

    Sunday 23 September 2012

    Teacup and Saucer and Teapot

    I've been meaning to buy myself one of these....

     
    
    A matching teacup, saucer and teapot.

    I saw these at Whittard who seem to have the best variety although are more expensive than others I've seen in TK Maxx, Dunelm Mill but are more plain. However, you do not need to compromise between design and price.

    The Solution: Whittard of Chelsea outlet stores where they're usually half the price.
    There are also stores in York and Swindon.

    I shall be picking up my favourite if/when they arrive in store.


    Thursday 20 September 2012

    Rose Creme Brulee and Pistachio Cupcakes

    I have come to notice that a lot of men like creme brulee but they don't like afternoon tea. In my attempt to tempt men to the table at 3pm for a spot of tea and cake I rustled up these sophisticated and gentle'manly' cupcakes.


    For the creme brulee, you will need:
    • 300ml double cream
    • 75 ml of full fat milk
    • 5 egg yolks
    • 3 tbsp of caster sugar
    • A few drops of rose extract or rosewater
    • Demerera sugar for the top
    Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Put the cream and milk into a pan and heat to boiling point. Add a few drops, to taste, of the rose flavouring, cover and leave to infuse for 10 mins. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar together until pale and thick. Pour the boiling cream onto the mixture. Stir well, then pour into a square tin. Place the tin in a bain marie and cook in the oven for about 20 mins or until just set. Leave to cool. Once cooled divide into equal portions for the number of cupcakes you have to be topped. Baking your brulee in a square tin makes this part easier.
    For 12 cupcakes, you will need:
    • 140g butter
    • 140g caster sugar
    • 140g self-raising flour
    • 2 eggs
    • 100g pistachios
    Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. Put all the pistachios into a food processor with about half the sugar, then whizz until very finely chopped. Tip into a large mixing bowl with the remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour and milk and beat until smooth. Divide between cases, then bake on a low shelf for 22-25 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
     
     
    My cupcake cases are a little smaller than usual so I managed 16 cupcakes. You may notice that there are only 14 in the picture above but that’s because I tasted a couple to make sure they were good enough for the next bit. Scoop each allocated section of brulee on top of each and spread.



    Now for the fun part, blowtorch at the ready and your demerera sugar. Sprinkle the topped cakes with the sugar then melt with the blowtorch till it caramelises. Don’t be afraid of a little charring, it adds to the gorgeous smoky flavour. When still molten drop a few pistachios on top if you have any left.

    Sunday 16 September 2012

    Tea Infusers

    These are very good for when you are making just the one cup of that special loose leaf blend. When I feel like I need the pomp and pageantry of an afternoon tea without the calories I like to treat myself to a loose leaf tea in my favourite tea diffuser.

     
    I love my Yellow Submarine especially as I am a big Beatles fan. However, on some Sunday mornings when the only reason I got out of bed was to make myself a cup of tea and want to get back into bed asap I find this very useful.

     
     
    You can brew whilst you get back in bed and still take the leaves out of the cup into a matching bowl without staining your bedding. Plus you can make your cuppa without the need of a teaspoon.


    Although I am thinking about giving my Sunday morning tea ceremonies a little more decadence I'm thinking of investing in a teapot/teacup set that neatly stacks on top of one another. More on that later.

    Wednesday 12 September 2012

    Chicken Fillets

    I'm sure you will have realised that this is not a recipe but reference to breast boosters/enhancers or whatever you'd like to call them.

    I've found a great pair. Now these aren't what I'd actually call chicken fillets but have been told that they look very much like them. I like to think of them as the ultimate strapless bra.

    Ta da!!

    They are probably what you'd call a stick on bra except they are made of silicon all over and are nude in colour. You can use them on their own or inside a bra. They even have a little clasp to give you an extra little cleavage boost. Although you should note that they do not provide an upward lift unless used in conjunction with a bra straps.

    However, as with all stick on bras they are not so good if you are a sweaty betty and it's a hot day.

    Tezenis

    This is a little discovery I made probably after a lot of you guys had already seen the wonders of Tezenis. It's the perfect place for the basics you need in underwear.
    Whether you like padded push ups or have an ample bosom and like good wored support without the padding or perhaps like the soft touch without wires, there's something here for everyone.

     
    There's even a strapless bra
     
     
    They come black, white and nude and every other colour under the sun. So if there's a outfit you want to match or clash your underwear with, this is where you'll find it.
     


    They even have matching knickers in every colour too.

     
     It's an Italian brand so the sizes are numbered 1 to 4 but helpfully Tezenis bras are also labelled with UK sizes too but here's a reminder of what the sizes mean.

    If that wasn't enough, they also sell men's and children's underwear at very reasonable prices. A day out for the whole family!