Catching up

Been too busy to blog this month - or maybe too cold and damp and spent too many evenings huddled by the fire catching up on Nordic Noir!!

And so this was Christmas . . . 

Meeting with friends old and new in Bakewell

 Where we sneak a shot of the original bakewell pudding recipe

 and learn that Jane Austen once stayed at the Rutland Arms back in the day

 Then the Christmas Eve arrivals dive straight into cake decorating

 and Apple Studel sculpting

 using our magic ingredient gift

 exhausted chefs

 Aperol Spritz's for Christmas morning (recipe here)

 crptic packaging to open

 There never was such a one . . .

 and all to quickly, back off to London to see in the New Year

so next we have a wedding to go to . . . . .

nearly there

The birds have left one or two berries on our holly

the cake's almost ready to ice

Got the tree yesterday - only just fitted into the car.  The usual rescued bendy type from the reject pile - far more character!  He'll be officially named soon following his predecessors Bruce the Spruce and Lurch the Larch (our favorite tipsy tree that never stood up straight!!)

Just need to deck the boughs with our old faithfuls

 and officially switch on the burning bay tree

So all that remains is for me to wish you a Merry Christmas Sheffield style - we were singing here today, at the Royal:

(and you can read more about our local carols by clicking here)

and, last but not least, our very own village on Boxing Day.  Apologies for the sound quality, it was blowing a gale last year and I have to admit we misssed the dancing as we'd all overslept!)

and one of my favourite lines from our carols to finish with (though you really had to be there)!!

"Rolling downward through the midnight . . . . . while the music fills the quiv'ring air" 

Merry Christmas one and all

and lots of love

x x x

Crackers and flames at Christmas

So - what did we get up to, apart from eating THE cake, which was delic, and singing out hearts out at the amazing final sessions at the Black Bull and the Top Red . . .

we had Christmas elves galore . . .

 

musical moments:

sparkly conundrums (thank you Margaret and Steve - still not gotten to taste my amazing birthday champers!!):

'wouldn't roll' swiss rolls:

speechless moments: 

flaming moments - when we nearly lost the turkey, the kitchen and Mike, in that order - and here are the charred remains of the hastily chucked out flaming t-towels to prove it!  See below:

retrospective moments, when we wished we'd taken photos of the flames in action - but it was all hands on deck as panic reigned for a long few minutes!!!!

but, excitement over, we got to sit down sedately and enjoy the turk

followed by frenzied gamblin' - San Francisco style Liar's Dice (thanks Chuck) and I have to say, I was pretty good at this . . .  What does that say about me!!!!

the great cutting moment:

mysterious mummies . . .

and fabulous friends

CHEERS TO ONE AND ALL AND HAPPY NEW YEAR ! ! !

What happened to the cake

Couldn't let Christmas pass without a cake update.


I drizzled more of the Bells into the top every week, as per instrucions and finally came to make the marzipan last week.  Using Aunty Mike's trusty recipe would have been a great idea, and a wonderful tribute to her amazing simnel cakes, but alas, not only did I forget to use apricot jam to stick the marzipan to the cake (no idea what final consequences this will have, and the annoying thing is that I had a lovely new jar of jam especially for the occasion!) but I also managed to use caster sugar instead of icing sugar!!  Don't ask me how, I'd even got a new packet of icing sugar specially - but there you are!  So I ended up with a batch of very tasty but very crunchy marzipan, sticking to the cake for dear life:

and finally came the big day for the 'royal' icing.  And, with a little help from my friends:

the deed was done . . .

After much discussion we went for the frosty top look

but which little people to put on the top from this aged motley collection?

. . . sorry Santa

More on the cake

I have had interest in my cake from Bolton to Sydney, so thought I'd better embark on Episode Two.

Did the mixing tonight - not an easy task and it all curdled horribly at the first egg (and there were three more to go!) - I'm not patient enough for the beating stage.  But I did make an exception to my usual race through cake making by sifting the flour, as I thought this might help the curdled eggs . . .

And it did, as you can see below and the whisky soaked fruits smelt soooo divine after that 24 hour soak - even though it's definitely not my tipple!!

Look at the Bells' sheen on those currants

All my own work

Almost oven bound

and WOW - now is that perfection or perfection?

Final job was to pour more whisky down skewered holes - the kitchen now smells like an illicit speakeasy.

Need to source some suitably tacky Chrissy decorations for the top now in time for the marzipanning and icing.

Growing up

Suddenly awoke to the fact that it was time to do grown up things - so I went out and bought these ingredients 

to make - yes, you've guessed it, my VERY FIRST Chritmas cake.

Am I the only person at this ripe old age never to have attempted anything Christmas?  No mince pies, not even a Christmas pud has crossed my culinary path . . . . TIL NOW.

So I am going to make The Perfect Christmas Cake.

Today I have soaked all the fruit in whisky.

Tomorrow the world.