BBC Good Food Show: Summer LIVE

 

ERMAGHERD. For two long months- since I purchased the tickets- I have been excited about this day! I enjoyed the Winter Good Food Show so much my cousin Abbie and I, along with 2 of my friends, decided that  another trip to the NEC for a celebration of everything delicious, and TV chef like was necessary.

BUT GUESS WHAT?!!?!? We got to see my ultimate all time favourite Foody Celeb, The One, The Only, Mary Berry…. Not only did we get to see her and the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2012, John Waite in the Super theatre. Oh no! I got to actually MEET her at a book signing! I tell you, I have not been this excited in a LONG time!I felt like a kid at Christmas driving along the M6 this morning! And come 10am we were in our Super theatre seats waiting for Mary and John to come on stage.

She demonstrated her deliciously fruity sounding recipe of Whole Orange Cake with Orange Mascarpone Icing for the riveted audience, and trust me, from how moorish it looked on the big screen, this will be attempted by myself in the near future, so watch this space! Whereas John demonstrated a more savoury, cheesy, oniony flatbready creation.

Following this, Mary and John had a short interview with Lotte Duncan with questions derived from the audience. And then the excitement…A book signing, with Mary Berry herself! Oh yes! A semi conversation with the Queen of Cake! By conversation I generally mean I said “I think you are wonderful.” Smooth as always. Either way, I ended up with my newly signed M.B. Cookbook, and was full of the joys of Spring! And yes, yes that is John Whaite but for only £3.50 I could be my own M.B . Best £3.50 I have ever spent. Even if it was an incredibly surreal experience for everyone involved. Lol….I honestly did not spend the entire day being some kind of crazy stalker. For the most part, my chums and I investigated, explored and enjoyed all of the gastronomical delights that the show had to offer!

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The Brownie Bar VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Brownie Bar is a small company run by two Entrepraneurs Rachael and Sarah and is based in Northern England. They “bake a delicious selection of gorgeously gooey rich chocolate brownies and white chocolate blondies in a variety of flavours” which is taken from their <website>. And I tell you, those brownies are simply to DIE for! My choices from the vast selection this time consisted of, Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondie and a Nutella, a Malteser, and a Salted Caramel Brownie.

So when I got home, my parents and I cut each delectable into thirds, and we tasted and devoured each morsel. Some of the flavours were more detectable than others, and I admit that I was not a fan of the Salted Caramel Brownie, as it as too salty (stupid statement), but I genuinely do not think that I have eaten a nicer Brownie dessert in a long time. If they were closer to me I would DEFINATELY persist to eat my body weight in brownies on a regular basis! Cost: reasonable! £7.50 for 4! They also sell a very intriguing caramel sauce accompaniment, as well as a very clever “Make your own Brownie” in a Kilner Jar! Check out their website for yourself!!

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Fudge Kitchen VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Fudge Kitchen was born in 1983 and they now have 7 stores all across the UK. These dashing and charming gents worked their hardest to entertain and entice the punters to their fudge stall, and 2 members of my group both succumbed to their charm and bought some of their delicious fudge. I can honestly say, out of all the fudge stalls there, and trust me, there were a fair few! I found this stalls fudge the nicest texture, and the samples I tried all had delicious flavours. Just a snippet of the flavours on offer are; Eton Mess, Maple Walnut, Mississipppi Mud Pie, Lemon Meringue and Dairy Free to name but a few! Clickity click on this linkity link to find out more about this quirky and traditional company.

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Some more tasty treats… VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Here is our loot and bounty for the day. And what a wonderful day we had! For a full list of stalls and trades who have sold their wears this weekend, see the Good Food Show Website. I would recommend this show to any dedicated foody, or even those that just like to go for the free nibbles, alcohol and atmosphere!

All images are Copyright of Amy Fellowes 14/06/13 unless stated otherwise.

Fallen Angel Bakery. Angels… In Cupcake Form…

 

My friend Sarah-Jayne and I had a date day in Solihull. A sunshiny day, free as a bird post night shift and enjoying the Saturday feeling, we came across “Fallen Angel Bakery”. Now up until today I thought that their only bakery was in Harborne (Birmingham) so I was very excited to learn otherwise!!

For those of you who have not had the joy and pleasure of visiting one of these wonderful establishments, the “Fallen Angel Bakery” serves a delicious variety of cupcakes, cakes and other sweet lovelies, in quaint quirky surroundings. And with so many different flavours of cupcakes to choose from, we were well and truly spoilt for choice!

Being spoilt for choice I asked the lovely Fallen Angel Purveyor to pick a cupcake for me to try, and she chose the special of the day, Dark Chocolate and Raspberry and Sarah-Jayne opted for the deliciously decadent Red Velvet Cake. I swear, there is something very angelic about these sweet, flavourful, cakey delights. I suppose that is why they call it the “Fallen Angel Bakery” *shocked face*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mean just look at these beautiful confectionary marvels! Who wouldn’t want a delicious Oreo cupcake? Or what about Vanilla, Rolo or Red Velvet! And this isn’t even the whole selection and variety available!

And to top it off, the staff there were so polite and friendly! It would seem in today’s day and age, particularly when you live in a big city, good customer service can be hard to come by. But Fallen Angel really surprised me.

So all in all, if you can spare some time to make a trip to the “Fallen Angel Bakery” it would be well worth your while!

Christmas Time. Pudding and Wine.

FIRSTLY, sorry about my severe lack of pudding posts as of late. It is been a busy time of the year, as it has for everybody, and I have been awful at documenting my desserty experiences.
But as you can probably imagine, Christmas time for me is by far one of the most pudding rich times and so many food babies were had that I cannot even begin to describe my constant excitement!















Christmas Cake! Made by my Amazing  Grandma, decorated with lovely homemade icing characters by my very talented cousin Abbie. I got a wonderful delivery of this fruity alcohol fuelled cake with my parents when they came to visit for dinner and Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding. I could not wait to taste this Christmastime staple! And when I did it did not fail to impress! Packed with fruit it was moist, soft, chewy, and layered with tangy nutty marzipan, and sweet sticky icing! It has gone down very with my housemate Amy, and I this holiday season, trust me.

“Merry Christmas”- The Birmingham Bullring Bull

Christmas Dinner. What a magical experience that was. My lovely friend Sarah-Jayne kindly asked me and Amy to join her and her boyfriend for Christmas Dinner, because I could not go home until Boxing day due to work commitments.
After a scrummy starter of pate and warm bread rolls we tucked in to an outstanding Christmas Dinner. So many delicious things on one plate. Turkey and all the trimmings. Two kinds of stuffing. Roast potatoes. Different varieties of broccoli and cauliflower cheese. El dente steamed vegetables. Gravy. Yorkshire puddings. It could not have been beaten!
What Xmas dinner would be complete without a steaming hot Crimbo Pudding!? Yes we had to wait about 2 hours for dinner to digest. And yes I did actually require a sleep in this time, but when it was served, with lashings of Salted Caramel and Chantilly Cream. DELICIOUS!! Soft, sticky, gooey and tangily fruity! I could eat a hundred of them! If it didn’t clog up my stomach like a cakey puddingy lead weight that is…
And if that was not enough, when I go to work, our entire coffee room had been invaded by a buffet!! I have never seeeeeeeeeeeeen so much food!!! Spread over the whole countertop were a whole array of delicious things! I only wish I had not already eaten my bodyweight in Christmas deliciousness, I was unable to really enjoy the festive-food-ness!

[A rather rubbish panoramic photo of the Aladdin’s cave of delights!]

Oh if only I could have eaten and blogged about all of the delicious puddings, cakes, pies and gateaux’s I had the utter delight of being in a room with on Boxing Day! Post night shift sleep after work, I had a lovely family Christmas at my Auntie’s house for food, fun and frolicks. And the works of art above are just a few samplings of what puds were on offer! Lime and Chocolate Cheesecake, Viennese Mince Pies, Chocolate gateaux, Trifle, Raspberry Pavlova you name it, we probably had it! Never has a more beautiful sight besought me!
The baking component of my Crimbo consisted of these beauties, Lemon Butterfly Cakes, and Chocolate Fairy Cakes! I made these to take to my works Christmas Day night shift, and also to take home for Christmas for my family. This is by far the easiest recipe ever!

For the Lemon Butterfly Cakes:	For the Chocolate Fairy Cake
3 eggs- weigh them (Whatever the weight is, weigh the same of)- Caster Sugar, Self Raising Flour & Butter Zest of 3 lemons Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp Baking Powder And to decorate: 200g icing sugar Juice of half a lemon 100g butter Edible glitter	3 eggs- weigh them (Whatever the weight is, weigh the same of)- Caster Sugar, Self Raising Flour & Butter 100g Cocoa Powder 30mls water 1 tsp Baking Powder And to decorate: 200g bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Silver balls
Method:	Method:
Pre heat oven to 180C Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy Beat in an egg and a third of the sifted flour at a time until all three eggs are combined Zest 3 lemons and add the zest to mix and combine Juice a lemon and mix with the baking powder, combine into the mix Distribute even the mix into prepared cake cases and tins, or silicone cake cases Bake in pre heated oven for 20-30mins or until the cakes are cooked (springy to touch and golden brown- not burnt!)	Pre heat oven to 180C Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy Beat in an egg and a third of the sifted flour and baking powder at a time until all three eggs are combined Mix together the water and cocoa powder to a paste Mix the paste into the cake mixture until totally combined Distribute even the mix into prepared cake cases and tins, or silicone cake cases Bake in pre heated oven for 20-30mins or until the cakes are cooked (springy to touch and golden brown- not burnt!)
To decorate: Wait for cakes to cool Once cooled beat together the butter, icing sugar and lemon juice to form a butter cream Using a sharp knife, cut a circular shape out of the top of the cake to form a “short cone shape” when removed In the hole you have created, fill with the lemon buttercream Cut the cone shape of cake in half and place on top of the cake at an angle in a “butterfly” shape Spoon a small amount of lemon curd on the butterfly and top with edible glitter ENJOY!	To decorate: Wait for cakes to cool Once cooled, melt the chocolate over a Ban Marie until fully melted Using a teaspoon, spoon a little of the melted chocolate in a blob on top of the cake Top the chocolate with a silver ball ENJOY!

Finally…

New Years Day. Me and Stacey were happy to be invited to my Auntie Andrea and Uncle Darren’s house for another lovely family gathering. Buffet time was once again upon us! So after many a homemade sausage roll, pork pie and cheese and crackers, it was delicious pud time!!
I had the treat of two helpings of profiteroles and cream…. Om Nom Nom! [Unfortunately I ate this before a picture could be taken]
But my Auntie being the wonderful human being she is, sent me home with THIS. 2 slices of Homemade Baileys and Profiterole Cheesecake!!!! Yes! Baileys AND Profiterole! OMG it was amazing! very rich and decadent, with a very tangy boozy note. Just what the New Year needs to kick of off!
So…. that was my Christmas and New Year! A big thank you to everyone for reading my blog and getting me to nearly 3900views! In 52 blog posts I am very proud! So happy reading my lovely readers! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

When in Worcester… Eat Orange and Almond Cake?

 

Date: 8/12/12

Background: Since me and my housemates departed in June, we have spent far too little time together due to our very busy schedules, all across the country now! So coming close to Christmas we decided it was about time we saw each other! We headed to Worcester in the morning to see our Sarah, and went for coffee and cake in a quaint little coffee shop.

What: Orange and Almond Cake

Where: The Boston Tea Party Coffee Shop, Worcester

How Much?: £2.50

What was Good: It was lovely and moist, as you would expect from a cake with ground almonds. Ground almonds are an amazing ingredients really, because you are able to make a delicious cake, which in theory could be gluten free! But I like it most for the texture and consistency, light and moist. The flavour was really delicate really, not zesty and strong like some orange cakes, but there was definitely a citrusy presence. On top of the cake was a layer of toasted sliced almonds, which also added a nice nutty depth and crunch to the whole cake.

And the Coffee Shop itself was really quirky, with mismatched vintage/2nd hand chairs, tarnished old chairs and tables, funny and bizarre decorations, and a really nice selection of drinks, cakes, pastries and main meals, which looked really homely and welcoming!

What was Bad: HOWEVER, I was somewhat disappointed by this cake for two reasons. One was that the burnished edges of the cake tasted burnt, and burnt cake tastes bitter, which really spoilt the overall taste. Secondly, the topping of the cake, above the layer of sliced almonds, was a really strange jelly kind of chewy, tacky, substance which tasted like marmalade. It was very sickly, and had the texture of a firmly set Turkish delight. I do not like Turkish delight, and I definitely did not like this strange accompaniment! Very disappointing Boston Tea Party!

Would I Buy It Again?: No, for the reason that I really did not like the random chewy orangeness!

Waffle-O-Meter:

Mary Berry’s Christmassy Mincemeat Buns! [How to Make]

 

Date: 24/11/12

Background: Ever since Stacey bought me Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook, I have had a hankering to make something from within it’s glistening shimmering colourful pages. So with the Christmas Spirit ebbing towards us like a cheerful festive fog, I decided to make Mincemeat Buns, a recipe encompassing that Crimbo-In-A-Jar wonder, mincemeat, if you hadn’t already guessed.

What: Mincemeat Buns

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Ingredients:

• 375g (12oz) Mincemeat
• 250g (8oz) Currants (I used mixed fruit)
• 2 eggs
• 150g (5oz) Caster Sugar
• 150g (5oz) Soft Butter or Margarine
• 250g (8oz) Self Raising Flour
• 32 cake cases (Or in my video, 12 silicone cake cases and a sandwich tin!)

Method:

1. Measure out all the ingredients into one bowl
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes
3. Divide the cake mixture evenly among the cake cases. putting them in bun tins if preferred
4. Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-30mins or until golden and springy to the touch
5. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and leave to cool

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Video: Once again courtesy of the wonderful StaceyRaver’s Youtube

What was Good: OMG the smell! It filled the house with a spicy, mince pie like, winter-y aroma! It literally filled the very bricks of my home with Festive cheer! The cakes themselves are sweet and dense. Dense does not sound very attractive, but trust me, when you expect to devour a light fluffy fairy cake, and the weighty fruit and flavour filled nommable fills your hand, it is a happy moment. The cake itself is packed with so much fruit that it adds a real moist chew with every bite. For those that don’t like mincemeat, Stacey being a prime example, TRUST ME, it is nothing like eating a mince pie! The flavour is aromatic and intense, but the actual flavour of mincemeat is very subtle. Even Stacey is a convert now!

What was Bad: We both felt it lacked a variety of texture or flavour… So we were considering making an icing sugary cinnamony dust for the top? Or even a liquid fondant icing. What do you think? But all in all… Loved these buns of steel!

Would I Make It Again: YES!

Waffle-O-Meter:

 

Reference:

Berry, M (2012) Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook. 3rd ed. London: Covent Garden Books. P465

Quick and Easy Sparkling Chocolate Cake in a Mug [How To Make]

 

Date: 22/11/12

Background: The weather outside is frightful, but in with the cats is delightful, so whilst sat watching Ol’ Lord Shug (Sugar), Eat cake in a mug, in a mug, in a mug.

This pudding is NOT MINE, it is a recipe of the BBC Good Food Show Member Recipe by “Sarah”. This is a recipe I have made on several occasions now, and every time I make it, and listen to the tweaks other members (namely “cake monster) have made, I get a better and better experience! So I have adapted this a little bit, and I hope you enjoy making it! And the best thing is, is that I had all of the ingredients in the store cupboard.

What: Sparkling Chocolate Cake in a Mug

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Ingredients:

• 1 coffee mug
• 4 Tbsp. Self Raising Flour
• 4 Tbsp. Caster Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 3 Tbsp. oil (I use Sunflower/Vegetable)

To Serve:

• Toffee/Chocolate Sauce
• Crunchie® Chocolate Bar
• Vanilla Ice-cream

Method:

1. Mix together the wet ingredients in a bowl
2. Pour combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
3. Dollop the mixture into the coffee mug
4. Cook in a microwave at 800W for 3 minutes
5. Allow to cool for 1 minutes before turning the cake out
6. Using a rolling pin, bash the Crunchie® bar to break it up into chunks and golden sparkly crumbs
7. Drizzle the cake with toffee sauce, sprinkle with the broken Crunchie® and serve with scoops of vanilla ice-cream

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What was Good: SPEED and SIMPLICITY! I made it all in the last 15 minutes of Eastenders, ready for eating whilst watching Young Apprentice on TV! The ingredients are cheap and, for me anyway, store cupboard staples! This is actually the best attempt of this recipe I have made so far. Aesthetics wise it did not look restaurant worthy, I admit that, because the cake refused to be decanted from the mug in one piece, but all in all wonderful combination of tastes, textures and flavours. The Crunchie® nuggets melt slightly into the cake, and as usual a Hot and Cold Pudding is just what you need when there is a storm blowing a gale outside.

What was Bad: The fact it didn’t look very neat and tidy… Although that doesn’t really bother me when making and baking cakes just for me. It had a nice chocolatey flavour but I felt it was lacking a little bit of depth. But for a cake make in a mug in around 15minutes, who can complain!?

Would I Make It Again?: Yes I would! If desperation calls I always have this recipe to fall back on and hug!

Waffle-O-Meter:

Grandma’s Coconut Cake

 

I cannot do a usual review of this deliciously amazing cake, because I have not managed to snaffle my Grandma’s recipe from her!

I mentioned in a previous blog that I am very very lucky, and more often than not I come back to Birmingham from Rugby with another sweet delectable goody, and this visit home was no different.

I had the sheer delight of coming back to my Brummy home with a golden, sweet, moist, moorish Coconut Cake. YUM!

Basically, this gorgeous cake of joy is a light soft coconut sponge cake, topped with a thick toasted desiccated coconut crust. It reminds me very much of a lovechild between a sponge cake and a macaroon. Absolutely delicious!

If only you could eat this cake with your eyes off this computer screen! This is a slab of heavenly coconut cake with ice cream and toffee sauce. One of my favourite ways of eating it!

Carrot Cake Comparison

 

Date: 11/11/12

Background: A new store “The Range” has opened in good ol’ Rugby, so we went there for a general Sunday mooch, and consequently had a coffee in their cafe.

What: Carrot Cake (Cake of the Day)

Where: The Range, Rugby store

How Much?: I got it for £3.25 on offer with a tea for one. But the cake itself would have been £2.40 (pricey!)

What was Good:

• It was a carrot cake! If you remember my previous blog posts you will remember my passion for this particular nommable!
• It was a light and airy cake
• It had a nice sweet cream cheese frosting
• It had delicious crunchy chopped walnuts to garnish it
• I liked very much that it had an ooey gooey filling! Even if it was the same as the topping..

What was Bad:

• Being pre-sliced, it was a starting to go a bit dry on the edges
• The cream cheese frosting was not as nice as Jamie Oliver’s recipe from my previous blog
• It was expensive for what it was!
• It was not as flavoursome as my delicious cake of perfection I made previously either! It did not taste as though it had as much spice.

Would I go here again? For cake? No, too expensive! For general house/craft/hobby purchases? YES!

COMPARE-A-CAKE-WAFFLE-O-METER

 

 1st   Jamie Oliver’s Carrot Cake with Lime Mascarpone Icing 

 

2nd  Nando’s do pudding?!

 

3rd   This Carrot Cake.. With a Measly

 

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