As with all my afternoon teas, I wake up on the day excited at the prospect of meeting new guests and this one was no different. While all guests were coming in two’s, each couple hadn’t met any of the others. Someone was redeeming their Xmas present voucher while the others had all be on…
Tag: clandestine
Easter delicacies – Saltaire Clandestine Cake Club
With Easter on the horizon, it seemed apt to adopt a theme that was representative of the season. Easter Delicacies was not to be restricted to those very traditional of Easter cakes, such as the British Simnel, but to include traditional family favourites that might be baked at this time of year. In researching what…
Afternoon tea Saturday 29 March 2014
The overriding motivation for this afternoon tea was that, with Mothering Sunday falling on the 30th March, I thought an afternoon tea on Saturday 29th might be an opportunity for some Mums to be treated to a special occasion. However, amongst my guests, there were no ‘Mums’ but an equally genial and delightful group of…
Afternoon tea Saturday 22 February 2014
Today’s event was another private booking and much anticipated having had the booking in the diary for some months. How time flies when suddenly it’s time to lay the table and put the kettle on! I knew my guests love their food and with no dietary requirements to consider, I was at liberty to combine…
Whatever Takes Your Fancy – Saltaire Clandestine Cake Club
The theme for March 2014’s Saltaire Clandestine Cake Club event was effectively carte blanche (but strictly within the rules!). ‘Whatever you fancy’ literally left members to choose to bake whatever caught their imagination for that moment. As a result, I had no preconceptions as to what variety of cakes we may have and it was…
Afternoon tea Sunday 16 February 2014
Ever in the search of great flavours and new ideas, I was able to implement a few of my most recent findings on this menu. Firstly, the cucumber sandwiches were ‘buttered’ with light cream cheese mixed with a hint of basil pesto. Then, there was the smoked haddock and saffron tart; a sublime combination in…
Afternoon tea Saturday 1 February 2014
While all my afternoon teas are special events, this was a particular landmark as it was the redemption of the first gift voucher I had ever ‘sold’. It had been bought for someone’s 2013 Xmas present. I had some dietary preferences to consider in addition to a vegetarian in the mix. The savouries were ‘flattened’…
My Favourite Colour – Saltaire Clandestine Cake Club
There were endless possibilities of cake creations that could turn up for our event on 3 February. If yellow was top of your list, then maybe a lemon cake of some sort. If blue, maybe lavender or blueberry something or other? Creativity with icing was also an option. Personally I have several colours I like…
Afternoon tea Sunday 19 January 2014
A repeat private booking that was arranged what seemed to be months ago, was suddenly here. Some challenges were prevalent in pulling this menu together with some particular dietary requirements requiring careful consideration to ensure a balance for everyone. Once all the hard work of thinking about it and the preparation is over, it’s always…
Afternoon tea Sunday 5 January 2014
No sooner than New Year’s Day dawned, it was time to think about the first afternoon tea of 2014; a private party arranged by a returning guest. Decisions on the menu were strongly influenced by what ingredients I already had to hand, left over from the recent festive period. Brandy butter – what cake would…