Yummy Mummy

I've spent the weekend at the Craft Market in Kimpton - part of their Annual May Festival celebrations. I had the pleasure of meeting some really lovely peope - both customers and stallholders. I was privileged to be sited next to Wendy who makes the most amazing cupcakes and yummy cakes.

For those of you lucky enough to live close to Kimpton you can order your very own delicious cake creation from Wendy. For the rest of us we can only look at the photos and dream.

These four beauties came home with me as a treat for the Rosie and the boys collective.

I think the boys will love the colourful icing decoration

My husband assures me that he is man enough to eat this pretty lemon cake!

Wendy has a real gift for creating imaginative cakes. Get a load of this fairy tale tower.

Check out Wendy's facebook page for more amazing cakes

Today you can find me at...

For regular readers you may be wondering why there hasn't been the normal daily post for the last week or so.. well it's because I have been cutting, cutting and cutting some more in preparation for a weekend craft fair as part of Kimpton Mayfest.

I am so excited about my stall display that I thought I'd give you a sneak peak. During the fair I will be cutting a number of bugs, birds and butterflies to go in the series of apothecary jars. A great way for people to see papercutting in action and a great way to showcase intricate and delicate designs without people damaging them by over enthusiastic handling!

If you are local and are looking for a fabulous array of activities over this bank holiday weekend in the UK why not come along to the Kimpton MayFest?

Check out the links for more details. Hope to see you there!

Anyone got an ark I could borrow?

As you may know it has been a LOT here in the UK and whilst we are by no means the worst affected, our village is almost surrounded by water! On Tuesday I pottered down to the river to see how high it had got and this is what I saw.

This is one of the drainage ditches that runs behind our house to the river. It was empty last week but is now at least 12" deep.

Here it is just about to feed under the road and into the river. White water!

The brick wall in the left of the shot is where the water from the drain feeds into the river. The river is twice as wide as normal and in the distance is a field (disguised as a lake!)

I wasn't the only one who had popped down to take a look. We all had cameras and all initially felt a little embarrased at being spotted taking pictures. We soon got over that though and enjoyed a good old chin wag! There is normally 2 or 3 feet between the top of the bridge arch and the river.

Looking down strem you get a sense of how fast the water is flowing. Even though the sluice gates had been opened to deliberately flood the marshes the water still engulfed Terry's field to the left.

My friend's boat house - the boats might float out of it soon!

River or lake - you decide!

Geese enjoying a swim in Terry's field. He says the water will be great for the grass its just unfortunate that he needs to put lambs on it! He had to move 130 sheep yesterday to keep them safe and dry.

One of the roads out the village. In the distance you can see a car trying to decide if it can make it.

The care decides to find another route. Unfortunately the water rose even higher yesterday (and I assume today cos it rained all night) and a car got stuck. A local councillor towed him by hand with a rope. After a photo opportunity I think!

Most of us have been enjoying the changing landscape and accept that occasionally these things happen but it has really hampered deliveries - not good when you need things urgently, and made Terry the farmer's life more complicated whilst he is still lambing. If you have been similarly affected by the weather I hope your house is safe and dry. If you are reading this whilst enjoying the sunshine - can you send us some please!

Sweet and Spicy - interview with Paul's Pickles

Way back in March I had the great privilege to meet Paul of Paul's Pickles at the MK Handmade and Vintage Extravaganza. I was so impressed by his delicious range of pickles and chutneys and the really simple yet beautiful packaging.

Paul very kindly agreed to do a little interview for the blog. So here's some food for thought as well as mouthwatering pictures of the handmade goodies. Mmm!

What led you to set up Paul’s Pickles?

I went to our local farmer’s market but couldn’t find anything that I particularly wanted to buy… so I went home and tried making something I would want myself – locally sourced (where possible), locally produced chutneys and relishes, and I haven’t stopped since.

 

So you keep bees…?

I have two hives at the moment, on the friendly farm behind our garden. They produce enough honey for my family and friends, and to be used in some of my chutneys.

It’s probably unfair to ask but do you have a favourite pickle or chutney?

I would have to say chilli-lilli – piccalilli with a kick up the backside!

Do you have a favourite dish which incorporates one of your products? Can we have the recipe?

My favourite would have to be Piccalilli – I like it spread on toast, covered with cheddar cheese and grilled.

Without giving away trade secrets how do you go about creating a new product?

I get a lot of feedback and ideas from customers at fairs and the farmshops I stock, particularly when it comes to adapting traditional recipes to a more modern taste, or giving them a bit of a twist. I came up with my trademark Carriots of Fire because I wanted to create something completely different, with a unique taste and texture. I had a few trial and error runs, trying techniques I had picked up from different recipes, and landed with my most popular pickle! Sometimes I trawl through traditional chutney recipe books and adapt the ingredients to what’s in season locally – this is how Carriots of Fire became modified into Chilli-zini when I found myself with a tonne of local courgettes.

Can you name three major influences on your products?

First is the good local produce which will always influence which ingredients I choose to use – with piccalilli for instance, I use broad beans in spring and runner beans in summer. Feedback is really key too – mainly the faces of those who test my hot chutneys at fairs (dubbed ‘The Man Test’), but also from friends and family.

My third would have to be the supportive, constructive criticism I get from my wife and daughters.

Can you name three things about where you live that benefit/inspire you and your work?

Sandy is a great place to live, and one of the many benefits is that Bedfordshire is a veg growing county with plenty of produce on your doorstep if you go looking for it. I’ve also found a lot of fantastic support in my suppliers and stockists in Sandy, and from the many generous local residents who will never forget to contact me when they have a glut of veg or fruit.

This year there’ll be street parties a go go with the Diamond Jubilee – which pickle would you recommend to her Majesty?

As a keen supporter of the Commonwealth, I’m sure she’d appreciate some Mango, Kashmir or Spicy Pineapple.

 

What can we look forward to from you in 2012?

I’ve already had a massive weekend at Milton Keynes Vintage and Handmade Crafts Fair in March, and I have the same event on the 26^th May. On Father’s Day I’m going to the Chilli Fiesta at Shuttleworth so we’re expecting a big turnout for the Man Test. As usual I’ll be at various Sue Ryder events throughout the year, so please check my website www.pauls-pickles.com and keep up to date with me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Pauls-Pickles.

Flower and twig door wreath tutorial

Another tutorial treat today - again from my boy's knights and dragons party but easily adaptable for any occasion.  Here's how to make a wreath in a relatively short space of time that will be a great welcome and talking point for your guests.

To start you will need a twig wreath frame. You cna often pick these up in home and gift shops or you can make one like I did.

To make a wreath base: use a pre bought metal hoop (or you can make one from a coat hanger) as a base. Using fresh birch twigs (fresh so they bend) wind them round the hoop. Keep adding twigs until you are happy with the result.

If you want to add a welcome notice now is the time to print your message on paper or card. I chose an old english font to welcome our brave knight guests and warn them of the dragons they might find inside!

I then wiped a cold used tea bag over the paper to age it. Using a lit candle (in a secure candleholder) I held the paper over the flame to create scorch marks. You don't need to hold the paper very close to the flame, about 20cm up should be fine. I then dipped the edges of the paper in and out of the flame to create a jagged effect.  Please be very careful doing this. You don't need to hold the paper in the flame very long - a couple of seconds should be fine. Then blow out the flame each time.

Next you'll need some testubes - easily picked up of ebay. Using thin reel wire twist a long stretch of wire round the top of the tube (just under the rim) until it holds the tube tight.

  

Now put some reel wire through your welcome notice and suspend it across the wreath.

Then wire your testubes into the wreath. You can wedge some of the tubes into the frame to give them extra support but as long as the wire is secure they are lightweight so shouldn't come off.

Attach you wreath to the door. I used a ribbon to tie the wreath to the door knocker.

To add extra interest and a bit of drama I fill my testubes with coloured water. I used a syringe to do this so it didn't go everywhere.

Next add your flowers.  A single bloom or a couple in each test tube should be fine. I went for bright orange and yellow roses along with some red tulips to give a fiery look.

And here is the result!

Guestspot by Butterscotch and Beesting

A slight deviation from the normal interview, today's post is by the delightful Camilla from Butterscotch and Beesting....

A lot of my weekends are spent at craft fairs and markets, either working or noseying around. But the craft fairs I go to now are nothing like those of my childhood (and there were many, many craft fairs in my childhood) where my mum [http://www.hannewestergaard.com/] would try to sell her Modernist ceramics in a room full of knitted tea cosies and floral embroidery. 

It’s not that you wouldn’t find knitted tea cosies at today’s craft fairs (or that there’s anything wrong with them; I’m a bit of a fan actually), but you’re more likely to see an illustrated ode to the Arran-sweatered teapot than the real article. Like this one by Chasing The Crayon…



White Rabbit Has Breakfast by Chasing the Crayon

Now it seems, rather than being the black sheep in a family of art galleries and design shops, today’s craft fairs and markets showcase the work of a new breed of ‘crafters’ who don’t take much notice of those distinctions. Their work crosses the divide of art, design, making and craftsmanship. So, for example, an original illustration might end up as a series of prints, fabrics, ceramics, wallpaper, badges. Knowing how to do that, how to interpret designs for different products, is a skill in itself.

So long live the reign of new craft fair, and those makers/designers/artists/illustrators/printmakers/sewers/ceramicists/jewelers/knitters/crafters who work crazy hours to get everything ready, squeeze it all into boxes and suitcases, spend ages setting up their stall, struggle with pricing, suffer cold toes, forget to eat lunch, and carry it all back again at the end of the day.

Here are just some of the work of those people I’ve met in my past few months on the craft fair trail…

Yas Ming Ceramics



Jane Elliot / Leaf City Press



Anna Wiscombe

James Green Printworks

Ketchup on Everything

I Wish I Was A…

James Ward

And here are just two of the best of the new(ish) breed of craft fairs:

http://craftyfoxmarket.blogspot.co.uk/

http://designersmakers.tumblr.com/Designers-Makers-Market

Do take the time to hop on over to Camilla's fabulous blog and her Etsy shop. You are in for a treat!

Beautiful specimens

A very early start for me today as I was going to the wholesaler to get flowers for tomorrow's demonstration at Tea for Eve. I was just about awake by the time I got to the wholesaler's at 6am! After much deliberating and cogitation I picked the flowers and headed for the tills. On my way I had to go through the sundries section. Glass ware is my weakness and I must confess dear reader that I succumbed.

Straight in front of me was a fabulous display of apothecary and bell jars. It was a little hallelujah moment because I have been on the hunt for these for ages. I'll show you why next week but for now feast your eyes on these lovely inspirational images.

Image - Completely Coastal

Image - Andy Paiko

Image- International Visuals

Image - sweetpealondon

Image - Camille Styles