Afternoontea.co.uk recently asked me to review Afternoon Tea at the very trendy 47 King Street West. So here’s what my guest and I found… (P.S the original review can be found on the afternoontea.co.uk blog.

…

Having strolled past the decadent 47 King Street West on one of my many shopping trips in Manchester and marvelled at the stylish decor, I was delighted when http://www.afternoontea.co.uk asked me to pop along and try their Afternoon Tea menu.

Housed in this chic part of the City, opposite the infamous San Carlos, I’m really pleased to write that after an afternoon there, 47 King Street West stands up against even the trendiest of eateries in Manchester.

We were greeted by a lovely waitress, and as we took in our surroundings, we were whisked back to the 1920′s (if only I’d put my flapper dress on that day!). Crisp, white linen was perfectly complimented by a vivid purple bar area, plush cream leather booths and dark wood furniture. We were seated in a booth – perfect for catching up with my good friend.

The waitress was well informed as she gave us a potted history of 47 King Street West, which started life as a franchise of a popular Afternoon Tea eatery in the North West, before finally transforming earlier this year into the sumptuous restaurant and bar it is today.

The Afternoon Tea menu is impressive with five afternoon tea options, and for the lighter eater, two versions of a cream tea starting at just £5.45. Along with 14 choices of tea and 12 blended coffees, there are plenty of choices for all palettes and appetites.

We were treated to the Champagne Afternoon Tea – perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. We started proceedings with a glass of house Champagne, which was simply wonderful. I don’t pretend to be a wine connoisseur, but with light bubbles and a slightly fruity flavour, this glass of fizz received the thumbs up from us.

A classic three-tiered cake stand followed with a selection of sandwiches, scones and mini sweet treats. Oh and how could I forget the Champagne sorbet? Refreshing, light, slightly creamy and pale pink in colour – it was delicious. It’s these little extras which make Afternoon Tea so special for me.

The restaurant was amenable to change, as my guest and I swapped and substituted sandwiches for our various dietary requirements and tastes.

The fresh thick cut bread (crusts off, of course), was lovely and we enjoyed an assortment of egg mayonnaise, beef and horseradish, tuna, and salmon and cream cheese – classics. We also enjoyed hummus sandwiches, which I particularlsoy enjoyed as it was a little different from anything I’d had before.

Afternoon Tea at 47 King Street West was served with a twist – instead of your usual sponges and tarts, we were in chocolate heaven! Served by the divine Slattery’s Patisserie and Chocolatier – the top tier boasted cream filled chocolate cups, a chocolate and orange cheesecake brownie and a very light carrot cake. I can’t compliment these sweet treats enough – they were just delicious.

The waitress told us that each Afternoon Tea is unique at 47 King Street West with the same combination of sweet treats never being served twice.

But please let me get to the main event – the scones. They were served with pots of strawberry jam and fresh double cream. Yes – double cream! For those of you who love Afternoon Tea as much as I do – this can often come as a disappointment if anything other than clotted cream is served. However, because they scones were so deliciously buttery, the double cream (which was a lot lighter than clotted) complimented them perfectly. And also meant we had plenty of room for the top tier!

If you don’t think you could handle a full Afternoon Tea – please let me urge you to go and enjoy a cream tea. The scones are simply delicious (possibly some of the best I’ve ever tried), and washed down by the House Ceylon Bop tea – which was perfectly strong and refreshing – it’s a great way to while away an afternoon.

Nothing is a problem or too much to ask at 47 King Street West – if you want a glass of cold water or more hot water for your tea – they are pleased to help.

47 King Street West also boasts an impressive range of cocktails along with a superb a la carte menu. Something my guest and I promised to be back to sample. If Afternoon Tea was anything to go by – this restaurant and bar has something very special to offer.

47 King Street West’s House Champagne Afternoon Tea costs £19.95 per person or £14.95 without champagne.

Have you been for an amazing Afternoon Tea which you’d like to share? Email amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk and your review could feature here!

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Great John Street hotel in Manchester for Afternoon Tea to celebrate a family member’s birthday.

To say I was excited is an understatement. For those who have read previous blog posts, you’ll know I love afternoon tea - in fact, it’s probably a bit of an obsession.

Anyway – I’ve been to Great John Street before for a networking event (I enjoyed the most delicious canapes) and for drinks, but I hadn’t experienced Afternoon Tea there. So I was very much looking forward to it.

The party I was with were on the ‘mezzanine’ – which was lovely – and the table was surrounded by large leather chairs – plenty of space for our expanding waists!

The table was decorated beautifully with fresh flowers and vintage cutlery, cups and saucers, jam in delicate bowls, and even featured it’s very own footed, glass sugar bowl (unfortunately I didn’t get a picture).

Beautiful – the table at Great John Street

Once seated the champagne began to flow, thanks to a very attentive waitress, who was pleasant without being overbearing.

We received a mixture of sandwiches including beef, ham and cheese & chutney. The sandwiches were delicious (I’ve never eaten bread so fresh) – but it was a little disappointing that there was no choice (where was the smoked salmon?). As a number of our guests were vegetarian they did bring more cheese sandwiches – minus the chutney – so we had to ask for this separately.

So, sandwiches devoured – it was on to the impressive cake stand which was laden with chocolate brownies, blackcurrant victoria sandwiches and what we think was carrot cake (although could have been ginger).

On top of the tiered cake stand was also clotted cream – YUM!

The impressive three-tiered cake stand

Half way through munching our way through the cakes (which were really very good, and there was one each which was an extra tick for this opulent venue) – we asked for the scones. Scones? The waitress replied and continued ‘there are no scones.’ Well you can imagine, it took a quick word from the host who explained Afternoon Tea was nothing without scones – and we each received one scone. While the scone was lovely – it was just the one scone each. True, two may have been greedy, but I’ve been to very few places where you only get the one scone (ooo I have become picky over the years!) On the plus side, there was plenty of cream and jam to go around.

The scone at Great John Street was served warm – my favourite!

Tea was also served at this point, in the most beautiful vintage china teapots.

Tea always tastes better when it comes from such an amazing teapot like this.

Overall, the Afternoon Tea at Great John Street was magical. But there are a few small kinks in the chain which I think could be easily fixed with a little thought.

Will I be back? Of course – but lets see some smoked salmon on the menu!

Ladies Afternoon Tea at Great John Street is £18.50 per person, or £24.50 per person with champagne. For more information visit the Great John Street website.

Have you enjoyed a fantastic Afternoon Tea? Want to share it with our readers? Email amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk with your idea!

With the summer finally upon us (will it ever stop raining?) many of us are looking forward to our summer holidays (abroad!) and I’m sure many of you have considered starting your new healthy eating regimes and are on your way to achieving your ‘bikini body’.’ So here I am again, to help you enjoy those sweet treats without the guilt.

Although June’s sunny-spell was very short lived, it’s still important to keep that willpower and maintain your healthy diets ready for your beach holidays and if you haven’t started yet, now is your chance!

Many of you may believe that all delicious desserts come with a hefty calorie content and although this usually applies when eating out, you’ll be pleased to hear that home-baked desserts can be low in calories and with the addition of certain ingredients, can actually be nutritionally beneficial.

I am a massive foodoholic and love to make foods from scratch; I like to see exactly what is inside my food as I’m very aware of how fat, sugar and salt can be hidden within pre-prepared products. Home baking is one of my favourite pastimes and over the years, I have experimented with various recipes to improve the nutritional status of my desserts.

One of my family’s favourites is my walnut cake. Walnuts are very rich in compounds that reduce the hardening of the arteries and help prevent the thickening of the arterial walls (atherosclerosis) which is common when high fat foods are consumed regularly; adding walnuts to your diet on a day-to-day basis can therefore be extremely beneficial.

Walnuts also contain “good” omega-3 fats to help prevent cancers, as well as phytosterols and antioxidants which are essential for healthy living. Walnuts are not only an option for a healthy snack (scientific studies recommend eight walnuts per day), they can also be used in home baking.

Baking a walnut cake is very easy; I simply follow a basic cake recipe using wholemeal flour and add 125g crushed walnuts and 6tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice. I then grate the zest of one orange into the mixture and serve with 1 tbsp of half fat crème fraiche. In a nutshell (excuse the PUN), walnuts are a great addition to the diet and although they are relatively high in calories, a handful a day helps keep the doctor away!

Another dessert I quite often make is fruit crumble; the fruit I use is dependent on the season however, I try to bake with cranberries and blueberries when possible. Some of you may have heard that blueberries are a “super food”, meaning that they are extremely good for us due to the high vitamin, nutrient and phytochemical content and low fat content. Cranberries are also extremely good for us. Cranberries have the same properties as blueberries however, have double the antioxidant activity. With summer just around the corner, I recommend a refreshing berry crumble, using predominantly cranberries and using dried oats as a topping. This light dessert can be served with more fruit or with low fat natural yoghurt.

I could go on and on with examples of healthy desserts however, the most important thing for you to understand is that all dessert recipes can be made healthier and here are some hints and tips:

• Replace double, whipped or clotted cream with low fat yoghurt, reduced fat ice cream, half fat crème fraiche or probiotic yoghurt to accompany your dessert.
• Replace full fat ice cream with fruit sorbet.
• Replace butter with low fat spread when baking.
• Use dark chocolate when craving a chocolate-based dessert (see May’s blog).
• Use half sugar, half sweetener when baking cakes (Truvia – see March’s blog).
• Use extra light cream cheese instead of full fat cheese when preparing a cheese cake.

Next time – Meg takes a break from sweet treats and talks BBQs.

To contact Meg please email: meg_longworth@hotmail.co.uk

Candy buffet, sweet table, pick and mix stall, call it what you will – but there’s no denying that the popularity of the candy buffet is on the rise – and it doesn’t look like this confectionery trend is due to falter any time soon.

For those of you who are thinking ‘a candy what!?’ – allow me to explain…

A candy buffet is essentially a table beautifully decorated with your favourite sweets presented in glass jars. Throw in some candy bags and scoops and you have yourself a candy buffet which guests can pick and mix their way through.

The Sweet Pantry loves a good candy buffet -  and over the last few months requests for a table of sugary goodness have been non-stop.

Brides and grooms to be have been particularly interested in having candy buffets at their evening receptions – and the response afterwards has been fantastic, with brides telling me that their guests (young and old) loved it.

A wiseman once said, a picture paints a thousand words, and who am I to question wisdom – so here’s a selection of my favourite pictures from some weddings we’ve been luckily enough to supply with sweet treats. See for yourself what all the fuss is about…

A candy buffet in the beautiful Langdale Chase Hotel, Windermere.

A new addition to TSP candy buffet – candy canapes!

Some sweet treats for guests at a wedding at the gorgeous Rivington Barn

Top tips on choosing your candy buffet

• Choose your favourite sweets – don’t be restricted by trying to pick sweets which match your colour scheme. Instead, ask your supplier to dress the table so it coordinates to your colour scheme – that way you have the best of both worlds.
• Limit the number of hard boiled sweet you choose – I have noticed that at the end of the night – there are always plenty of hard boiled sweets left over – which the hosts will inevitably be munching their way through for months to come. My advice is to opt for some pick and mix classics, such as fried eggs, flying saucers and giant strawberries, which are always very popular with guests.
• Check with your supplier their policy on loss or damage of items – you don’t want a hefty bill if one of your guests decides a sweet scoop would make a nice addition to their cutlery drawer.
• Less is more – I always recommend between 8 – 10 choices of sweets for 100 people as a guide. This provides a good selection and enough of each type of sweet.
• Remember to check under the table! If there are any sweets which can’t fit into the glass jars - TSP policy is to leave them under the table and for a trustworthy guest to do a quick ‘fill up’ when stocks run low. However, in the festivities, this is inevitably forgotten. Arrange this with a guest beforehand. But I guess, if you do forget, at least there’s plenty left over for the honeymoon!

Do you have any photos from a candy buffet you’d like to share? Email your pictures to amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk or visit www.thesweetpantry.co.uk for more information about TSP candy buffet.

Chocolate is a food that everybody loves! From ‘just a taste’ to complete indulgence, chocolate can improve any situation and lift any bad mood!

However, it is common knowledge that consuming chocolate in large amounts on a regular basis can put huge pressure on those weighing scales! Take a bar of Dairy Milk for instance. It can take less than 5 minutes to gobble, yet a minimum of 60 minutes to walk off! As you all know from my first blog, one of my general rules is to ‘eat everything in moderation’ and this certainly applies with chocolate.

The type of chocolate that you opt for can make a difference; dark chocolate being the most nutritionally beneficial however this is not me giving you the go ahead to set off on a binging session!

In terms of ingredients, dark chocolate (unlike milk and white chocolate) contains less sugar and more cocoa and therefore has a lower calorie and fat content, yet it is important to remember that overdoing it will cancel out these benefits.

The link between chocolate and romance is not just a myth; dark chocolate contains phenethylamine, the same chemical that is released from the brain when we are in love. Research suggests that by consuming chocolate you can experience pleasure and happiness which explains why many of us consider chocolate to be an addiction.

More often than not it is the sweet taste of chocolate that we crave and as a nutritionist, I am able to provide you with some inspirational ideas for chocolate treats that will be slightly more considerate of your waistline:

• Replace milk and white chocolate for dark chocolate in your kitchen cupboards and any recipe that you find.
• Instead of sugar, drizzle melted dark chocolate over fresh strawberries or better yet, pineapple or papaya. Both pineapple and papaya encourage digestion and therefore prevent bloating.
• Add a few squares of dark chocolate to your home-made chilli – might sounds bizarre but trust me! And you can also opt for Quorn instead of minced meat to keep those fat and saturated fat levels low.
• And finally, treat your chocolate cravings with an Options hot chocolate for just 40 calories.

You can still enjoy chocolate while watching your waist line. Opt for dark chocolate over milk or white. (Picture credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chocolate.jpg)

So go on, enjoy that piece of dark chocolate – but remember: ‘everything in moderation’.

Next time Meg covers healthy baking at home (is there such a thing!?)

To contact Meg please email: meg_longworth@hotmail.co.uk

I’ve always loved afternoon tea – who doesn’t? Delicate little finger sandwiches, warm scones, dollops of clotted cream and cake – oh the cake!

So when I came across afternoontea.co.uk I was in heaven. The website is packed full of offers, and even better – they have a blog which reviews afternoon tea.

I was lucky enough to visit the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Manchester, where I sampled afternoon tea in their restaurant Opus One. So here’s my first (and hopefully not last) afternoon tea review which can be found on the afternoontea.co.uk blog.

My dear friend Selina, wife of one lovely husband, and mum of one lovely boy, is a self-confessed chocololic. Let’s take two minutes to enjoy a chocolate bar and indulge in her passion as she shares her Saturday night in…

When it comes to a ‘sweet treat’ my weakness has to be chocolate.  It can come in any form, I’m really not fussy. It could in a bar, a sauce, a drink (mmmmm chocolate milk!), a yogurt, a moose, cereal, cake or ice cream (please note: you can’t have ice cream with out chocolate sprinkles!)

So it was a typical Saturday night in for my hubby and I and it’s tradition to send him out to our local shop to pick up something yummy to eat after dinner.  I had requested a very retro snack which I knew they sold – KP Choc Dips, remember those?  I would always eat up all the bread sticks and use my finger to eat most of the chocolate.

So hubby come back and told me he’s got a great pudding, not what I had asked for but I’d love and it needed heating in the oven for thirty minutes.  He was very excited about his choice, and as it was something that needed to go in the oven I was expecting a hot
chocolate sponge of some sort (after two years of marriage and years and years of living together surely he knew about my love of chocolate?)

Half an hour later he walks into the lounge with two bowls, I look inside mine and it doesn’t resemble chocolate in any way shape or form.  It was hot rice pudding!!!  The stores finest clotted cream rice pudding, but still one boring pudding in my opinion.  It’s a good job I didn’t marry him for his taste in puddings isn’t it?

Twenty four hours later and I’m still disappointed, so I’ve just eaten chocolate Weetabix to make myself feel better!

Picture credit: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/rice_pudding

Do you love rice pudding? Do you have the perfect rice pudding recipe? Let’s give rice pudding the right to reply! Please send your recipes to: amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk

The UK baking scene is buzzing. Inspired by cheap-chic and shows like The Great British Bake Off, we’re all trying to return to a time of feminine glory. Aprons, hand whisks and perfect baked goods. Everyone’s getting on the vintage bandwagon; shabby chic oven gloves at the ready and your kitchen scales are finally getting used.

But things just seem a bit…well… off. The kitchen is covered in icing sugar, your sponge is as flat as a pancake and it really, really doesn’t look like the picture on BBCGoodFood. What’s a girl to do?

Ever tempted by the convenience of processed foods, us naughty Brits are going over to the dark side. Betty Crocker icing in a tub, add an egg cake mix, surely it’s still homemade if I made it at home, right? Ermm, wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a food snob, but we all have to draw the line somewhere. Baking is an art, but if we’re being honest, a Victoria sponge is not rocket science. Understanding a recipe and the techniques to a happy cake takes time, reading, and most of all practice. It’s a goal easily within reach for most of us.

If we look at the ingredients of these quick fix baking products, a large proportion of them I can’t even pronounce. We don’t need preservatives, modified starches, E-numbers, partially hydrogenated vegetable fats, stabilisers, and the ever mysterious ‘flavouring’. A bit of practice and a good recipe will suffice. Do we really need to resort to buttercream style icing? Dude, it’s 1 part butter to 2 parts icing sugar! Simple!

I love that America influences our culture and gives us lots of cool things; but we really don’t need to import the baking habits of our US brethren just yet.

So here are my top tips for successful baking:

• Practice, practice, practice - One failure does not mean you cannot bake – we all try and fail sometimes.
• Creaming butter and sugar, means creaming! – Your mixture needs to be pale and have increased in volume.
• Use at room temperature - Make sure your eggs are out of the fridge and don’t leave your butter until it melts on the counter.
• Don’t convert US recipes - If you’re a beginner, start with home grown recipes to avoid cake heartache.
• Work slow - A stressed out baker rushing around won’t achieve a thing (believe me, I’ve tried)

We can't all be master bakers... but let's have fun getting there. And in the mean time at least there is The Sugared Saffron Company which creates masterpieces like this Peony Cake.

The Sugared Saffron Cake Company was born from Asmau’s love of baking, painting, and all things creative. The company strives to reach the forefront of cake design with delicious baked goods, and attention to detail. Using brilliant ingredients and incorporating big ideas, the company wants to see every bride have a spectacular wedding cake they can be proud of. For more information visit: www.sugaredsaffron.co.uk

Firstly, let’s start with toffee in general.

Toffees are hard or chewy sweets that are usually made of sugar, water and butter – quite simple really isn’t it? Sometimes you may add flour or cream to give it that extra flavour and texture.

Toffees are very popular just as they are, however one preferred way of indulging this particular sweet is as Toffee Apples, which are apples on sticks which then are coated with toffee.

So what is all the fuss about then? Why do we love toffee so much and why does it make us feel all fuzzy inside?

Well, I guess it depends.

A short while ago, I came across a packet of delicious looking toffee. I glanced at the packet – looking all old fashioned and beautiful, very traditional and very British. Not just one of those plastic sweet bags that make no effort at all, this was something special, this packet was full of emotion and full of effort.

I just had to have it.

After a bit of investigation, it came to my attention that these delicious toffees were originating from Mr. Stanley’s confectionery range – traced all the way back to North Yorkshire England in the 1800’s.

Mr. Stanley’s original purpose was to make special sweets to be shared with family and friends and discover new, exotic flavours to be added to his range whenever he was travelling around the world. As his sweets got more popular, he decided to go into commercial production of his treats.

Despite the newly developed business element of Mr. Stanley’s confectionery – the range has always maintained a respect for its roots. These sweets are all about feeling good and happy, sharing a special moment with your loved ones.

We all have memories of our childhood and the days at the fun fair – having a bar of toffee or a toffee apple in our hands, laughing away with our family and friends.

Toffee, and indeed, Mr. Stanley’s, is something that brings those memories back to life and makes us remember who we are and where we come from. There is a moment of history, elegance, memories and love in each piece of toffee. It’s not only about indulging – it’s an experience in itself.

I think we can fairly safely say that the world is a better place with some toffee in it!

Mr Stanley's toffee - our blogger's favourite

Mr. Stanley’s is after your favourite toffee moment! Head over to their Facebook page to share your toffee stories.

Want to share your love for your favourite sweet treat? Email amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk and you could feature on this blog.

In Meg’s first post we learn a little bit about her – and she treats us to a delicious recipe for chocolate mini muffins.

About me…

Meg Longworth - TSP resident nutritionist

Here’s the science bit…Sugar is a form of carbohydrate which is the body’s main source of fuel. It’s recommended that approximately 50% of our energy comes from a combination of complex carbohydrates (such as; bran and grains) and intrinsic sugars (such as; fruits and sweet vegetables). Intrinsic sugars are naturally present in foods and its counterpart, extrinsic sugars, are added to foods and are the ones to watch! 

More often than not, all the tastiest desserts, chocolate bars, cupcakes, toffees and  sweets come with a high sugar, high calorie and high fat content on the side. The guideline daily amounts (GDAs) for sugar are 90g/day for women and 120g/day for men. In order to help you calculate how much sugar you are consuming, you must remember that sugar often occurs naturally or is hidden within many of our day-to-day foods (such as; cereals and condiments).

It’s all in the Mind…

The secret to success is to follow a healthy balanced diet and fitness plan, whilst remembering these six tips:

1. Make small, realistic changes
2. Don’t deny yourself your favourite foods
3. Eat everything in moderation
4. Control your portion sizes
5. Select healthier alternatives
6. Halve your portions and add more nutritious components to add bulk to the meal

Depriving yourself of your favourite chocolate cupcake will get you nowhere; it will constantly play on your mind and you’ll end up devouring 3 cakes at once (we’ve all done it!) Every now and then, allow yourself the chocolate cupcake, however opt for a “mini” cupcake or share a large one with a friend, scrap the double cream and add some fresh strawberries; or better yet, follow this “bake-at-home” recipe for a sweet snack at approximately 40 calories.

Recipe: Chocolate mini muffins

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 12 minutes
• Makes: 36 mini muffins
• Preheat oven to 200˚C/Gas Mark 6

Ingredients:

• 225grams self-raising flour, sifted
• 25grams cocoa powder, sifted
• 100grams light muscovado sugar
• 200grams fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 125grams ripe banana, mashed
• 25grams dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 75grams strawberries, halved (served on the side)
• 15grams dark chocolate, melted (to decorate)

Method:

1. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and chocolate chips in a large bowl.
2. Once combined, add the egg, oil, yogurt and banana and stir.
3. Divide the mixture into 36 mini-muffin cases and bake for 12 minutes.
4. Leave to cool and serve with halved strawberries and a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.

(Recipe adapted from Healthy Food Guide, February 2012). 

An afternoon treat - mini muffins without the guilt

Chocolate mini muffins

Next month Meg will guide us through new natural sweeteners (nothing artificial here!).

To contact Meg please email: meg_longworth@hotmail.co.uk

Did you try this at home? Send your pictures to amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk, or send us your favourite recipes and you could feature on this blog.

Vintage inspired tea parties are a hot trend for 2012. And with tea, comes cake! And lots of it. So The Sweet Pantry caught up with Manchester’s Once Upon a Teacup to find out why vintage tea parties are so popular, and owner Sybil Worsley-Cundall treats us to her favourite cake recipe.

What does Once Upon a Teacup offer?
We specialise in providing private Vintage Tea Parties across Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire. Our aim is to make your vintage tea party a day to remember, and we achieve this with our attention to detail. From our home baked goods, right through to personally dressing each and every table. We also offer our new ‘Tipsy’ Tea Menu which includes teapots filled with Cocktails or Bubbly great for hen parties or special birthdays.

Why did you start the business?
I started Once Upon a Teacup in August 2011 because my first love is baking and any excuse is a good excuse to bake, especially if other people are enjoying it, closely followed by my second love which is collecting vintage china, lace and linen and I needed an excuse to buy more and this was it!

Why do you think vintage crockery and tea parties are so popular?
People love to be taken back in time. It appeals to 20 year olds who remember their grandmother’s china, and the grandmothers remember using it the first time around. And ultimately tea and cake is just so quintessentially British.

Time for tea... cake lovers can now enjoy afternoon tea in their own home thanks to a growing trend in tea parties

So you bake all your own products… tell us about your favourite?
Yes everything is home baked – and my all-time favourite is my Vanilla and Lemon Sponge with Strawberry Jam and Fresh Cream

Sounds amazing – please can we have the recipe?
Yes of course. And don’t forget my top tip for baking this recipe is to always sieve your flour and fold carefully into the sponge mixture – never whisk it in, and invest in a good jam. (And if your making pastries I recommend cold hands and a warm heart!)

Recipe: Lemon & Vanilla Victoria Sandwich filled with Strawberry Jam & Fresh Cream

Ingredients:

• 250grams self-raising flour
• 250grams soft butter
• 250grams caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Strawberry jam
• Whipping cream (whisk to stiff)
• Icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
2. Beat the eggs together and keep separate
3. Line two 6in-7in/15cm-17.5cm cake tins with greaseproof paper
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is soft in texture, using an electric whisk or a wooden spoon
5. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time and whisk
6. Add the lemon zest/juice and vanilla extract
7. Sieve the flour into the mixture folding it in, adding a little at a time
8. Pour the mixture equally between the two cake tins and level the tops
9. Make a slight dip in the centre
10. Place in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes until golden brown
11. Remove from the oven and put them on a wire rack to cool
12. When cool, spread the sponge with a thick layer of jam and the whipped cream, then carefully sandwich together.
13. Dust with icing sugar, serve and enjoy!
    

    Sybil's delicious Lemon and Vanilla Victoria Sponge

To contact Sybil please log on to: http://www.onceuponateacup.org.uk, email: onceuponateacup@hotmail.co.uk or phone 0161 743 1296/ 07957 930011

Did you try this at home? Send your pictures to amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk, or send us your favourite recipes and you could feature on this blog.  

So it’s Valentine’s weekend –and love is in the air, so we have something for all you betrothed out there.

The wedding season is in full swing so we’ve been in touch with The Wedding House in Liverpool to get the low down on wedding cake trends this season. Here we share their thoughts for 2012:

No one can deny that one of the most important parts of any wedding is the dress – and this season wedding cakes pay homage to this. Hooray!

‘Couture’ style cakes matching the details from the bride’s dress are in fashion right now.

The picture of Ian Stuart’s ‘Bow Belles’ wedding gown, with its statement bow, flowing ribbons and beautiful hand beaded lace panel has been exquisitely mirrored by Edible Magic. The cake company, based at The Wedding House, has expertly crafted a cake which matches the fine detail of the dress. Bows and ribbon and all.

Ian Stuart's Bow Belles Wedding GownEdible Magic creates a cake masterpiece to match Ian Stuart's beautiful dress

Edible Magic creates a cake masterpiece to match Ian Stuart's beautiful dress

But for all those who don’t fancy this, traditional floral designs, complete with sugar flowers, are still very popular as vintage styling follows us from 2011 into 2012.  

Vintage inspired cake by Edible Magic

There is also a growing trend in lacework, sugar pearls and textured ruffles. And for all those chocoholics out there, the all-chocolate wedding cake is very much ‘on-trend’ this season, with a growing demand for cakes covered in chocolate curls and decorated with fresh fruits which is then served as dessert at the wedding breakfast.

This was recently seen in an episode of Celebrity Wedding Planner where Kerry Katona worked with The Chocolate Cellar at The Wedding House to create the ‘Butterfly Wedding Cake’ which can only be described as a tower of chocolate loveliness which provided the perfect nest for silver encrusted butterflies.

2012 looks likes it’s the year of the fabulous cake - how will 2013 ever top that!?

Kerry Katona worked with The Chocolate Cellar to create a chocoholic's dream

 

If you want to see any of the cakes shown please visit www.theweddinghouse.co.uk

 

Want to feature on this blog? Email: amy@thesweetpantry.co.uk