What I'm listening to this week...

I can't believe that Lana Del Ray is actually what I'm listening to this week. I can't help it- I like her. The video is pretty good too.

Wish list Wednesday: Jubilee baking supplies...

I've been SO excited for the jubilee and I can't believe it's almost here! Next Monday there's a huge street party going on at home and I'm baking the red, white and blue cupcakes for the celebrations. I've been scouring the web for the best jubilee inspired cupcake toppers, cases and accessories for my stall- and after my picks of the jubilee and jubilee ensemble posts, I thought it's only appropriate to create a little wish list to share with you all. Enjoy!

1. Emma Bridgewater bunting. £4.50. Available here.
2. Street party food flags. £2.99. Available here.
3. Patriotic star sprinkles. £3.45. Available here.
4. Union jack cake cases. £2.45. Available here.
5. Edible union jack cake toppers. £1.99. Available here.
6. Crown cookie cutter. £2.50. Available here.

Eurovision BBQ...

This year I was super excited for Eurovision because Engelbert Humperdinck was representing the UK. He lives in the village where I grew up and I played golf with him when I was about six. He's a good guy and I was rooting for him big time! 

We decided to have a little BBQ with some of our friends as the weather has been divine and it's rare we can be outside all night in May! 

Below: Rob being cute/Ben hiding his lady parts/Tim looking like an architect/Rob having 2 drinks and deciding it would be a good idea to zoom in on his friends crotches whilst they were smiling for photos/Francesca and Ben representin' my homeboy/me looking a bit weird/Francesca rolling too many cigarettes after far too much sangria (with extra gin...)

A trip to Ms Cupcake with Emily...

A couple of months ago one of my good friends Emily and I decided to sample all the cakes in London and write about it on a news website we were both writing for at the time. Due to a long series of unfortunate events, our quest to find the finest cakes in London came to an end after the first trip. I just found all the photos on my camera (which is now working again, woohoo!) from our visit to Ms. Cupcake in Greenwich Market. All the cakes are vegan, which I was a bit dubious about to begin with but they were delicious!

Olive and thyme bread...

This week I've started to bake for my upcoming engagement party. It's not for a few weeks but me and my mama are doing the catering ourselves and there is no way we will be able to make enough food for 70 people on the day of the party- so I decided to start making some of the breads and quiches and popping them in the freezer to be put back in the oven on the day. 

Today I whipped up a few loafs of my fail safe olive and thyme bread. It's super easy and really delicious on it's own or dipped in to olive oil and balsamic vinegar served with antipasti! Find the recipe below!

Here's the recipe (slightly adapted from this book), enjoy!:

- 200g strong white bread flour

- 75g strong seeded wholemeal bread flour

- 7g sachet fast action dried yeast

- Sprinkle of sea salt

- 200ml luke warm water

- Around 70g green olives

- A small bunch of fresh thyme 

Start by combining the two bread flours, the yeast and the salt in a large bowl.  

Make a well in the middle and add the water. Either form the dough using your hands or pop it in a mixer with a dough attachment. Knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand or for 4 minutes on a slow speed with a dough hook. 

Put the dough in a large bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.  

When it has risen, punch the dough down and turn it out on to a well floured work surface. Gently press the dough out to form a rectangle approx 40cm X 20cm.  

Arrange the olives down the middle third of the dough. You can use as many or as little olives as you like, but try and stick to a single layer. If your olives come in liquid make sure they are well drained before placing them on the dough to avoid any sogginess.  

Fold the outer thirds of the dough in on to the middle one to envelope the olives (see photo for help with this!) and pinch the ends to seal. Turn the dough over and cover with a damp tea towel or cling film.  

Leave for a further 45 minutes or until doubled in size.  

Towards the end of the rising period, preheat your oven to gas mark 8/230c/450f and place one baking tin at the very bottom of the oven (I'll explain this tip...) and another big enough to transfer your bread on to in the middle of the oven to heat up.  

When your dough is risen, place it on grease proof paper on the pre heated tray and pop it in the oven.  

A tip for a crunchy crust: put a baking tin at the bottom of your oven to heat up. When you place your bread in the oven, throw a cup of cold water into the tin at the bottom and shut the door super quick. The steam helps the crust to form!

I hope you find this recipe as easy and impressive as I do!

S X

The Makery Emporium: Bath

As you may know, I've recently relocated to the glorious city of Bath. I'm so excited about my move and I absolutely love it here. Firstly because it's where Rob is, and secondly because there are shops like The Makery Emporium.

When I move to a new area there are a few things on my mind- where is the nearest/best haberdashery and where can I get my baking supplies? Whilst wondering the streets a couple of weeks ago I came across The Makery Emporium (16 Northumberland Place, BA15AR). Entering the shop is like going into a hidden treasure trove of loveliness. Vintage and new ribbons, lace, buttons, trims, bobbles, fabrics, books, hoops, stamps- you name it! 

The great thing about The Makery Emporium is that they also run crafts and sewing workshops, from tea cosy and lampshade making to simple zips and buttons classes. If you live in or around Bath it's definitely worth checking out their workshops. I definitely intend on doing the knicker making and furniture revamp workshops when I get chance!

Until you get a chance to visit yourself, here's some photos I took when I popped in last weekend.

What I'm listening to this week...

I first heard Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes in my first year of university when an old friend of mine sent me this video of them doing a Tiny Desk Concert. In the video they perform my three favourite songs, Janglin', Home and 40 Day Dream.

Me and a few friends went to see them at the weirdest venue I've ever been to in my whole life- The Old Vic Tunnels. If you live in or near London, try and go! It'll blow your mind. There were men dressed up in bee keeping costumes 'scanning' you on entry... I can't really describe how surreal it was in writing. Just go... They were even more amazing live. I remember crying throughout most of the set because Rob was still living abroad at the time. Although the gig was spectacular, I had the lyrics to 'Home' stuck in my head for days after, which isn't good when you miss someone so much you feel like your hearts been ripped out of your chest and trampled on by a stampede of cows that have had crack slipped into their trough...

Anyway, back to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. They're amazing. Their album 'Up From Below' is one of the few that I actually paid for and it was worth every penny. It has seen me through numerous road trips and days spent baking. They're just beautiful people in a beautiful band that make beautiful music.

Wednesday Wish List: Camping...

Rob absolutely loves camping, but after years of festivals; cold, damp tents, noisy neighbors and disgusting port-a-loos no longer appeal to me. But recently I've been researching 'glamping' holidays both at home and abroad and think I might be able to cope with a weekend away somewhere nice. Obviously if I were to camp I would need a home away from home in my tent, so I've gathered my pick of the best camping/picnic supplies for our trip. Let's just hope Rob can deal with the floral and polka dot.

1. 4 person horse print picnic hamper. £74.94 from Joules. Available here.

2. Horse print foldable camping chair. £34.95, also from Joules. Available here.

3. Floral thermal mug. £8 by Eurohike. Available here.

4. Green wind up lantern. £24.13 by Cyba-Lite. Available here.

5. Lale lionel floral sleeping bag. £95 from Paperchase. Available here.

6. Wind up ladybird torch. £3.95 by Envirogard. Available here.

7. Tula pink paisley swiss army knife. £16.25 by Victorinox. Available here.

8. Pink stripe picnic blanket. £50 by The Garden House on Not on the High Street. Available here.

9. Floral tent. £65 by Eurohike. Available here.

Gingerbread hearts...

Everyone in my family absolutely adores gingerbread so I decided to make some the other day. I find that it's really hard to get gingerbread right. The dough is always really soft and flakey and they always spread out far too much in the oven. After a few disastrous batches I realised it was because I didn't roll the dough out thin enough. Anyway, here's the recipe and I wish you all the luck in the world with gingerbread success!

- 350g plain flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice/mixed spice
- 125g butter/margarine
- 1 beaten egg
- 5 tbsp golden syrup 

Pop the flour, baking powder, and spices into a large mixing bowl and thoroughly mix.
Add the butter/marg and rub until the mixture turns into fine breadcrumbs.  

Mix together the beaten egg with the golden syrup and add to the mixture.  

Either form this mixture into a ball with your hands and knead for a few minutes until smooth, or pop it in a mixer with a dough hook for a few minutes. 

Wrap the dough in cling film and pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up. 

Roll out on a floured surface and cut out your shapes.  

Cook on gas mark 4 for 12-15 minutes. When you take them out the oven they might seem a little soft- don't worry. They'll harden up when they cool. If they're hard when they come out the oven then you'll probably break your teeth on them!

Enjoy!!
SX

Life at the moment and a weekend in Bath...

So I thought it might be about time for another update in the life of me. 

I finished university for good a few weeks ago... My graduation isn't until September so it still doesn't feel real. The past three years feel like a dream. I met the most amazing friends who I'll love and cherish for the rest of my life. I've met three of my bridesmaids and without them my wedding would be entirely incomplete! I can't wait to share my big day with them all- big up to you guys (Jess, Will and Jo). 

After I handed in my final essays and celebrated with my BFF's Emily and Sarah over drinks and buttermilk chicken. Whilst we were out I got a phone call for a job that I'd applied for over four months before for a Production Editor position at a magazine that I'm very fond of- Papercraft Inspirations. They invited me in for an interview which I attended a few weeks ago. After anxiously waiting to hear the outcome, they rang on Monday and offered me the job of Production Assistant! I'm super excited to start work there and spend every day in the birth place of all of my favourite magazines- from Mollie Makes to Cross Stitcher!

The job is made even better by the fact that it's in Bath- where Rob is living and doing his masters. So not only did I get a job, we got a house! After months of searching for the right one, we've had no luck. We found a house online the other day and I couldn't get to Bath to see it, so I told Rob to go along to a viewing and see what he thought of it. He fell in love and with that I decided to put a deposit down on the phone without even seeing it. It was like being on Don't Tell the Bride! Yesterday I went to Bath to see it and I fell in love too! I can't wait to move it at the end of next month. 

Anyway, here's some photos from the past few days of house viewing, brunch with friends at Cafe Retro (where we bumped in to Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones!), a few too many glasses of presecco, and breaking into Bath rugby ground in the middle of the night!

Have a good weekend! 

SX

Mini victoria sandwiches...

With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee coming up I'm feeling very British, and I can't think of a more quintessentially British cake than a good old victoria sandwich.

I'm currently living at my parents house in a village in Leicestershire and there are huge plans for street parties and parties in parks for the Jubilee, I've managed to bag myself a stall at the park on Jubilee day selling cakes- so I thought I'd give these a trial run to see how they work out!

I got a brilliant mini sandwich tin from my favourite shop in the world- Lakeland. It's pretty expensive for a novelty thing but if you're interested it's available online here for £19.99. However, if you do not want to spend extortionate amounts on cake tins, I'm also going to include a cheats mini victoria sponge. I read far too many food blogs and I know how frustrating it is when you want to make something but you don't have the equipment/can't afford it- so I'll pop an alternative at the end of this post!

The recipe for this is my basic cake recipe, that I've posted a few times but with different quantities so I'll post it again:

Makes 6 mini sandwiches.
- 6oz caster sugar
- 6oz butter or margarine
- 3 eggs
- 6oz self raising flour
- Jam of your choosing
- Buttercream filling (pop some butter in a bowl and whisk until soft and then add icing sugar until it stands in peaks) 

Cream the sugar and the butter. Whisk in the eggs and fold in the flour. Bish, bash bosh, you've got a cake batter.  

Grease your tin and pop in 2 teaspoons of batter. It will look like there's not enough in there but I promise there will be! Unless you want to be cutting 12 mini cakes in half and fiddling about all day, then just make half mini sandwiches by spooning in a small amount of mixture.  

Pop them in the oven at gas mark 5 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool in tin.  

When cool, push them out of the tin using the removable disks at the bottom of the tray. Stack the cakes bottom side down, filling with cream and jam as you go.
Sieve over some icing sugar to top!

As an alternative, try victoria sponge cupcakes. Use the same recipe then pop the batter into cases. Bake for 25 minutes on gas mark 5. It will make around 8-10 cakes depending on the size of your cases. Use an apple corer to make a hole in the middle of the cupcakes. Fill with jam and pipe on butter cream to finish! Et voila!

Enjoy!
SX

What I'm listening to this week...

Willy Mason has been one of my favourite musicians since I was about 13. I heard Oxygen first and it was probably the first song I’d ever heard that made me feel something. 

This week I’ve been lucky enough to see him for the 3rd time… In my hometown! Which is weird because I’ve had to travel far and wide to see him in the past. The gig was amazing, as per usual. The venue was tiny and me and my best friend/bridesmaid Elle sat at the side of the stage sippin’ gin and tonics (which was all good until I got stopped by the police on the way home… Although it turned out that was for eating a kebab… Long story…) 

The support act was also amazing so I’d like to give a little shout out to her. Her name is Nina Violet and she can be found on Myspace.

Anyway, Hard Hand to Hold is another of my favourite songs by Willy Mason. It’s hard to just pick one. Listen to his albums- you won’t regret it!

My heart-shaped wish list...

Ever since I was a child my mum has always filled our house with hearts. Heart shaped plates, heart shaped decorations, heart shaped photo frames. It makes the house feel like it's full of love and now I'm building a bottom drawer collection (things I'm saving for when/if Rob and I ever find somewhere to live!) full of lovely little bits- including a lot of love. So here's my top finds:

1. Heart-shaped plates by PiP Studio. €19.95 from their website.

2. Bespoke nine heart map art. £185 by Bombus from Not on the High Street. Available here.

3. Material heart garland by Paperchase. £9 from their website.

4. White willow heart. £10 for 20cm or £12 for 30cm from John Lewis. Available here.

5. Tiered heart cake stand also by Paperchase. £20 from their website.

6. Love heart cushion by 3 Blonde Bears. £25 from Etsy. Available here.

7. Stitched heart ribbon by East of India. £3 from Daisy Park. Available here.

The past few weeks in Instagram photos...

Obviously bulldogs and cats. Family/puppy time. Exam deadlines and long hot celebratory bubble baths, followed by celebratory drinks and buttermilk chicken with my favourite ladies Emily and Sarah. Noodles, laughs and the Cutty Sark with my bridesman Jo. And of course, a lovely evening of ridiculously cheap real Italian pizza with my darling fiance. It's been good!