With the sunshine comes the urge to get out into the garden and what’s better than getting family and friends together for a garden party…vintage style!

fabulousplaces.co.uk features a great Derbyshire based company called Vintage & Cake who offer you the opportunity to hire stunning vintage crockery in addition to having scrumptious homemade cakes made just for you.  Julie from Vintage & Cake has very kindly offered her advice, and a yummy cake recipe, to help you enjoy your own garden party.

The Perfect Afternoon Tea

Requirements:  flowers, vintage china, vintage cutlery, vintage vases, bowls and vintage cake stands plus some pretty bunting… its essential!

Traditional Afternoon Tea…
A selection of freshly prepared finger sandwiches.
Warm scones with clotted cream and preserves.
A variety of home made cakes.
Your choice from a range of teas.

Here are some of the more common teas, but of course there are so many to choose from out there:

Darjeeling
An aromatic and astringent tea from India, with a hint of almonds and wildflowers.
Earl Grey
A blend of black teas scented with oil of bergamot named after Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834.
Lapsang Souchong
A Chinese tea fired over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odour and flavour.

A recipe for the perfect Coffee & Walnut Cake

Sponge
250g butter
250g soft light brown sugar
4 eggs
300g self raising four
200ml strong coffee
50g walnuts chopped (roughly)

Buttercream
100g unsalted butter
225g icing sugar sieved
3 teaspoons strong coffee (dissolve the coffee in just enough water to make a paste)

Method
Beat the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and flour in one go and mix well.
Add in your walnuts and half of the coffee and mix until completely even.
Pour into 2 8 inch round tins and bake for 25-30 mins at 180c (160c fan oven).
Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 mins, then empty them out onto cooling racks.
Mix the remaining coffee with 4 tbsps of light brown sugar and sprinkle 2 tbsps each over the sponges.
Leave to cool further

Buttercream
Cream the butter, icing sugar and coffee for 5 minutes until it resembles a whipped creamy texture.
Spread liberally inside your sponges and then on top.
Decorate at you please with walnuts
NB:  Always lick the bowl
You will be left with a ridiculously light and delicious cake to share with friends and family!

Here’s some information about the fabulous Vintage & Cake…

Julie, the owner of Vintage & Cake, says the company was borne out of a love of ‘doing things properly’ like her gran always did.  It’s about indulgence, enjoying life’s treats and celebrating a bygone era.  Vintage and Cake hires out beautiful vintage tableware for tea parties and tea dances and bake delicious cakes for all occasions, from lovely classic Victoria sponges to elaborate wedding cakes and cupcakes.  Individuality is very important to Julie, so each of her customers are more than welcome to pop round for a consultation, where you can eat cake, drink tea and chat about your ideas.  Click here to go to their page on fabulousplaces.co.uk.

Vintage & Cake will be exhibiting at the upcoming fabulousplaces.co.uk Summer Fete.

Each month I award someone from the site ‘place/producer of the month’.  For March it’s Pumpkiz in Draycott.  Hidden away in The Courtyard off Market Street is a great place to head to for a cosy seat, coffee and a bite to eat.  If you’re a regular user of fabulousplaces.co.uk you’ll recognise the photo of the coffee and walnut cake…it’s one of my favourite photos and, of course, I love cake!

If heading to Draycott is a little out of the way for you, there are plenty of fabulous places nearby to visit while you’re in the area…Frox is just upstairs from Pumpkinz and The Beetroot Tree is a short walk down Market Street.  Near to Draycott is Breaston where you’ll find Andersons Deli and Cachepot.

Happy travels!

I decided earlier this week that the next blog would have a green theme and straight away contacted the lovely Alison, owner of eco eco in Hope to ask for her advice.  Alison owns the fabulous eco eco home & eco eco clothing in Hope, Derbyshire.

I would categorise myself as a beginner when it comes to being green…I’ve made lots of changes to the way I live over the past 12 months and proudly own a monitor that tells me how much electricity I’m using around my home at any one time, which is absolutely fantastic and, frankly, lifestyle changing!  Saying that, I know there are many more changes I can make.

Here are some tips and advice from Alison to help you if you’re wondering how you can make some changes to your lifestyle:

Buy local

The distance travelled by much of our food is pretty scary. Do we REALLY need to buy strawberries from Africa in the middle of winter?  Click here to read up on the implications of long-haul veggies.

Consider buying seasonal and local produce where possible. The Big Barn website can help you find sources in your area and also provides recipes using seasonal ingredients.

The fabulousplaces.co.uk website can help you find local producers, like The Loaf in Crich, Bluebells Dairy in Spondon, Crow Wood Farm in Spondon & I Should Cocoa in Belper.

Local box schemes are a good idea as they usually concentrate on sourcing food from local producers. Search for one near you at the Find A Box Scheme website.

Reduce travel

Reducing the amount you travel doesn’t have to mean staying at home. Opt for public transport where available, ride a bike to reduce your carbon footprint (with the added advantage of improving fitness), or try car-sharing. Journeys with only one person per vehicle are wasteful and have a large environmental impact so share the journey and the cost of the trip between the passengers.

Before you travel consider each journey – is it really necessary? Don’t pop down to the shops for one or two items but wait until you need to do a proper shop.  Alternatively walk instead of taking the car; another way to save money, get fit and reduce your carbon footprint.

Buy less, make more

Unfortunately we seem to live in a society where shopping is considered a recreation. There is increasing pressure to buy new products even when we don’t really need them; one might argue we don’t even want them until we’re told we do! Buying a new phone just because it’s a prettier colour or has an interesting feature that we’ll never use is not a good use of our money. When you go shopping think carefully about everything you buy. If necessary go off and have a coffee before committing; perhaps the desire to buy will wear off!

Alternatively have a go at making things yourself. Knitting, crochet, dressmaking and DIY are enjoyable and constructive and you can create items that are  far more interesting and individual than the mass-produced goods available from shops. Instead of buying gifts, spend a little time poring over books or wandering round the internet to find ideas for things to make. Home-made presents show more thought. Even if you can’t knit or sew, a jar full of cookie mix or a plant from your garden is a lovely and unexpected treat that will be enjoyed far more than yet another corporate bodycare product.

Some useful websites full of ideas include the Martha Stewart website and allaboutyou.com.

When you do need to buy, consider where and how the product was made. Instead of buying something that is disposable, can you find a similar item that will last? How about looking at second-hand furniture instead of just rushing to IKEA again? Alternatively, support local craftspeople and makers by buying goods that are made with skill and care, giving pleasure every time you look at them. Bear in mind that cheap products were probably made by companies with less than ethical policies. That two quid t-shirt might seem like a bargain but how long will it last and how many people suffered to make it? Start thinking rather than just shopping.

Enjoy nature, reduce consumption

Got a day off with the family? Instead of heading for the high street you could go for a walk together, ending up with a picnic. Even in towns and cities there are points of interest that you might not notice when you drive past, and local parks provide a safe place to finish. Failing that, aim for a local coffee shop or restaurant.  If there are children in the party you can create or download nature-based games for them to play from the Wildlife Watch website and the BBC website.

Alternatively spend a little while before going out researching the area. Investigate local buildings and history or make up ‘spotting’ games, awarding points for different categories, perhaps 3 points for a yellow front door, or 1 point for a blue van. Using imagination can make even apparently uninspiring walks fun.

Detoxify your home

Take a look around your house at the cleaning products you use, then examine everything in your bathroom cabinet and make-up bag. Read the labels and then consult some of these sites; www.non-toxic.info and www.ewg.org.

Many of the products we use contain petroleum-based ingredients which will become increasingly expensive if present predictions regarding oil supplies are correct. However, more worryingly, a large number of chemicals in household products and personal care are actually harmful. Be aware of the risks to your health by educating yourself, and bear in mind the environmental impact of products that poison watercourses and kill wildlife.

Consider making your own bodycare and cleaning products from site such as www.ehow.com and www.care2.com.

Alternatively, buy from reputable companies that sell non-toxic alternatives.

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A big thank you to Alison Jackson-Bass from eco eco in Hope for the eco hints and tips!  Click here for full information about the fabulous eco eco.

Alison will be exhibiting at the next fabulousplaces.co.uk…a shopping indulgence evening at the gorgeous Blackbrook House nr Belper.  Tickets are £5 each and the event will be supporting the Wirksworth Rotary Club’s Aquabox Scheme.

Forty Nine is designed to offer a structure to the meals you eat, the ingredients you use and to simplify mealtimes.  This book is a must for your Christmas stocking list!

It’s fantastic to see a fabulous place publish a book and what I love is that it’s stylishly designed, visually pleasing to flick through, inspirational and a great addition to my cook book shelf!  The book is just £10 and you can purchase your copy of Jack Rabbits on Queen Street in Derby.  For more information about Jack Rabbits please click here.

Amelia will be selling the book at the upcoming fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market at Blackbrook House (nr Belper) on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd November 2009 (11am – 5pm).  For full information please click here.

I jumped at the chance of producing a Christmas guide in Polly’s List.  Polly’s List, created by the lovely Carol Dixon, is the first directory for mums of primary ages little ones in the Derby area.  The publication is an invaluable handbag sized guide covering everything from after school and childcare to days out and parties.  Polly’s List also includes fabulous features on shopping, beauty and health and wellbeing.  As soon as I had browsed the first edition, I knew I had to be involved!

My feature, Deb’s Fabulous Christmas, gives you some great recommendations for places to visit during the Christmas season and also a selection of Derbyshire’s fabulous producers giving you some great inspiration for Christmas shopping!  The feature also advertises the upcoming fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market at Blackbrook House on Sat 21st and Sun 22nd November.  For full information please click here.

For more information about Polly’s List please click here.

To find out all about Bluebells please click here.

This morning there was an entire radio show on BBC Radio 4 all about Bluebells & to listen to is please click here.

Over to Claire….

Here are some super tasty orange and lemon cupcakes. The  frosted topping has Philadelphia Cream Cheese with a syrup of super reduced orange and lemon juice whisked in. I love it when a recipe works out at just the right quantity to fill a dozen good deep muffin cases.

Ernie, our Border Terrier is always very interested when I am taking food photo’s. He takes any opportunity when I am arranging things to try and get a taste. If he weren’t on his absolute tippy toes on this shot he would have made a grab for a bun.

I am never sure about cakes with cream cheese in the frosting. My instincts tell me that I should put them in the fridge, but I don’t like a cold cake.

Let me know what you think; to fridge or not to fridge?

This recipe is based on one by Thomasina Miers. The oven needs to be at 180c:

• 180g plain flour
• 110g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 rounded tsp baking powder
• 2 large free range eggs
• Optional – 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and some orange/lemon zest
• 1/2 cup (125mls) milk

I would only do this with my electric whisk, by hand would be hard work. Into Bowl 1: Sift the flour and baking powder. In Bowl 2: Beat the butter very well, add the sugar and beat well again. In a small Bowl 3: whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and zest.

Add 1/3 of the flour mix and 1/3 of the egg mix to the creamed butter and whisk well, add the 2nd thirds and whisk again, add the last 3rds and fold in – although to be honest I end up whisking this one in too.

Spoon good tablespoons of mixture into 12 muffin cases in a muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then check and turn them round and if needed give them 2-3 minutes until golden.

For the tangy topping:

• 40g soft butter
• 40g soft cheese (philadelphia)
• 130g icing sugar
• Juice of 2 oranges and/or lemons

Beat the butter until pale. Beat in the cream cheese. Simmer the orange juice in a non stick pan until it is reduced down to a tablespoon of syrup. I can confirm that if you leave this unattended it burns easily and welds to the pan.

Stir the juice into the icing sugar and then beat this into the butter and cheese mix. When the cakes are completely cooled smear the topping onto them with a spatula and decorate with zestiness.

To see more of Claire’s baking please visit her wonderful blog.