With some green food colouring gel, sparkly sugar paste stars and edible metallic pearls you can transform basic vanilla cupcakes into mini Christmas trees!   Firstly make a batch of my ‘Very Vanilla Cupcakes’ (recipe posted 25/05/17).  Colour the frosting with green food gel (I use Wilton ‘Leaf Green’).  Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes,
Read more

These adorable cupcakes are always a hit during the festive season!  To make a herd of reindeer cupcakes, start off by making a batch of my chocolate cupcakes (recipe posted 19/10/17).  To decorate the cupcakes you will need edible sugar eyeballs, red smarties and pretzels!  Alternatively you could make the eyeballs and noses from sugar
Read more

This is an alternative to Mulled Wine and is perfect for Gin lovers over the Festive period! Ingredients Cloudy Apple Juice Assorted Spices (cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, cardamon pods) Vanilla Pod (cut down the middle) 50ml Sloe Gin (per glass) A cinnamon stick (per glass) An orange slice (per glass) Instructions: Add the assorted
Read more

Today is my Mother’s 70th birthday!  Happy Birthday Mam!  To mark this milestone she requested a chocolate explosion cake, and I was happy to oblige!  So here’s the recipe…..  It’s fairly straightforward to make.  My cake decorating skills are far from brilliant but I was pleased with the finished article!  If I can do it,
Read more

I am so excited for tonight’s episode of the Great British Bake Off!  It’s Scandinavian Baking week and I love all things Scandi, especially Cinnamon Buns!  Cinnamon Buns or Rolls exist in many forms, from the cream cheese icing topped American version, to the flaky pastry version you find in many bakeries, to my favourite…..
Read more

Sometimes even a coffee snob craves a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte!  So I’ve done a bit of research and come up with a recipe to create a homemade version of the drink. Ingredients: 200ml milk (whole milk is best for a creamier texture but low fat or dairy alternatives can be used) 1 tbsp brown
Read more

I’m really enjoying The Great British Bake Off this year.  The ‘Spice’ episode from a couple of weeks ago was right up my street and left me desperate to make a Gingerbread cake!  I turned to one of my favourite bloggers (Jane’s Patisserie) for inspiration!  Here I’ve followed Jane’s recipe (Christmas Gingerbread Cake) for the
Read more

This year I was determined to use my garden apple windfall!  And of course the first thing that sprang to mind was….. Apple Gin!  (Yes, I know, most people would probably have gone for apple pie!)  I have tweaked the recipe for ‘Spiced Apple Gin’ from infusapalooza.co.uk to create a Winter Warmer Apple Gin.  Lots
Read more

October is a time for pumpkins and therefore pumpkin cupcakes! This recipe uses tinned pumpkin puree (available in supermarkets) and pumpkin pie spice, which can be bought ready mixed online, or you can mix your own.  For 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, mix 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice and 1/4
Read more

One thing I love about living in this part of the world are the distinct seasons.  Although I spent most of September pining for the fabulous sunshine we enjoyed during the Summer, I have now fully immersed myself in Autumn!  To me, Autumn is when Mother Nature is at her most beautiful.  A walk around
Read more