Bake Off and Biscuits!
The Great British Bake Off started this week and with that ovens and mixers up and down the country were no doubt switched on and kitchens filled with the warming smell of freshly baked treats.
I’m sure we will all choose our favourite bakers as the weeks pass by (there’s always someone who bugs you right?!) but in many ways that’s why the first week is so interesting. Each baker is new and brings with them new baking tricks and secrets. I thought Nancy truly deserved Star Baker this week, a baker with a guillotine is a serious baker for sure. It was a shame to see Claire go, she seemed fun and I know from experience how tricky those mini cakes can be.
Next week is biscuit week and with rain on the horizen I felt inspired to whip up some Italian cantuccini biscuits. They are wonderful with a strong coffee any time of day, my favourite recipe includes grated orange and lemon rind but I also added chocolate this time. I’ve posted a video of the process on my Instagram account, @teatimetreatery and a similar recipe by the lovely Gino D’Acampo can be found here.
Vintage Heartthrobs: Dick Van Dyke
This week’s vintage heartthrob, Dick Van Dyke, has been nominated by our friend and super blogger Miss Sue Flay. At first I was taken aback as I immediately thought of Diagnosis Murder and as much as I love Dr Sloan and his sleuthing ways, surely Dr Sloan Jr, Van Dyke’s real life son, and Dr Travis are the heartthrobs of that show?! Although his smile still sparkles and he’s always wearing super stylish suits, I guess he’s still supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…
Then it struck me, of course Dick Van Dyke is a vintage heartthrob, indubitably, how could I overlook his starring roles in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Wouldn’t it be nice to don a lacy white dress, grab a parasol and jump into fantasy land for a jolly holiday with Bert, because, don’t you know, gentlemen like him are few! I’d also be quite keen to meet the cartoon turtles, they seem so polite and helpful. Or how about twirling around and tapping away to ‘Step in time’ on the roof tops of London!
Now in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Van Dyke, for me at least, is at his most dashing wearing a waistcoat and supervising his amazing breakfast machine while singing to his on screen children. Ok so I’m mostly interested in the breakfast machine but still. I remain terrified of the Child Catcher so the fact the Van Dyke’s character saves the day, whisks Miss Scruptious up into his arms at the end and carries her to his flying car all add to his heartthrob status. Now if only we could all have names like Truly Scrumptious!
Pinch Punch – July/August 2014
Photo credit to Echlonie
Pinch
Wow, July has been a long hot month and I’ve had so much fun, especially sweating it out with my fellow Blogcadettes at Blogcademy a couple of weeks ago. July’s pinch comes all the way from Huntsville Texas and was taken by echlonie on Instagram! We love the American vintage feel so we had to check it out and it’s totally authentic as The Homestead is the oldest surviving home in Hunstville and dates back to 1834. Now where is my rocking chair and mint julep, get me on that porch!
Want to get involved? Each month we will pick our favourite cake or vintage inspired Instagram snap from the previous month, all you need to do is add #pinchpunch to your photo and @teatimetreatery so we can see it, see you on Instagram!
Punch
The Big Feastival
I’m punching all the way to the end of August with The Big Feastival, 29-31st August, it’s coming into its 4th year and is hosted by Jamie Oliver and Alex James. I would love to go and I genuinely don’t know where to start since it is packed to the rafters with music, food and activities and best of all it’s a festival for all the family.
For all my foodie readers rest assured the chef line up is top notch and includes Gizzi Erskine, the beautiful Chiappa sisters and of course Jamie Oliver. If you missed out on Fever Tree’s pop up in London you’ll be pleased to know they’ll be on site alongside a huge list of ‘Bar Stars’. Gah, there is just so much going on, a fun fair, a boutique market, a food market, and you can learn how to grow and pick your own veg down on the Potato Patch. Did I mention the cheese?! Alex James’ entire range of artisan cheeses will be available to try and buy…heaven! Finally, the music line up includes Fatboy Slim, Kelis, Jamie Cullum and Bjorn Again so you know you’ll be getting down to some tunes.
I’ve honestly just scratched the surface here so for more information and to buy tickets visit, The Big Feastival. Unfortunately the camping and supper club tickets look to be sold out but you can still get your hands on day and weekend tickets.
Until next month…
Look at all those happy faces!
Please note the Pinch photos and subjects for Punch have all been chosen by myself.
Vintage Heartthrobs: Humphrey Bogart
While I’m sure there are plenty of delectable chaps out there right this minute, I’m married to one of course, let’s not forget the handsome stars of yesteryear both fictional and real who have made many a woman swoon! I hope you enjoy this new regular feature and maybe swoon a little yourself!
I’m starting with Humphrey Bogart, conquest of many a femme fatale and a founding member of the Rat Pack, if he’s good enough for Lauren Bacall then he’s more than good enough for us! Few actors have conveyed such an in-depth mixture of mystery, darkness, vulnerability, nobility and, I think, cheekiness through a gentle humour flickering in his eyes. If you could have walked into any gin joint you’d have wanted to have walked into his!
Most of you will probably be thinking of him in Casablanca, but it was watching the Maltese Falcon at 17 that I first admired him. I even named my first car, Bogie, after him. For the full swoon factor, especially that voice, I’d recommend grabbing a cup pot of tea and settling down to watch one of these films.
So, I hope you’ve enjoyed our first handsome hero of vintage lovers the world over. Keep your eye’s peeled and your hearts ready for the next gentleman! For now though, here’s looking at you kid…
Blogcademy Round Up
Photo Credit : Holly Booth Photography http://www.hollybooth.com/
I’m keen to get straight to the point here, I’m not going to waffle on about what Blogcademy is, there’s a ton of info out there, but instead offer up a roundup of some of the fabulously talented and creative bloggers I met at Blogcademy that I’d highly recommend you check out! There were around 30 of us, sadly I can’t share them all but there’s something for everyone, the fashionista, the crafter, fitness and music.
Still Life Workshop
So briefly, if you’re a blog nut you’ll know all about Blogcademy and it’s super star bloggers, Kat, Shauna and Gala but if you’re not then it may seem pretty alien to you. I have just experienced the two day Blogcademy course in London which was ram packed with resources, tips, advice, activities oh and a photobooth and the best goodie bag I’ve ever received. It was a blogger’s dream come true but perhaps the best bit was meeting all my fellow blogcadettes so without further ado…
For the Fashionista in you check out…
My Darling Girl
Why? You’ll be rewarded with stunning, no I mean it stunning, photos of fabulous outfits, and where to find them but the best bit is that Meischa is a beautiful Aussie gal in London so expect to discover some fabulous brands from distant shores (which often ship so you can still get your hands on the brands).
I love…the mix of Aussie and vintage fashion and the striking shots, especially of London.
Dip your toe…Candy coloured buildings, polka dots and Audrey Hepburn eat your heart out style click here!
For the Crafter in you check out…
Beak Up Crafts
Why? Crafting news, tutorials, printables, competitions and more, Kate is passionate about crafting and I have no doubt we are going to see exciting things from her over the next year so keep your beaks up and eyes on this blog if you love crafts.
I love…her tea inspired greeting cards and tutorials available in her Etsy shop, here.
Dip your toe…It’s all about the tassles and this is one easy crafting project to pretty up your home, party, wedding, here.
For your Hungry Fitness side check out…
The Runner Beans
Why? Fun and friendly fitness posts, gym style inspiration and tasty recipes from a recipe pro! Charlie is a runner but tries her hand at lots of other things, including fun class reviews if you’re looking for a new workout.
I love…the recipes, fitness inspriation and her Mum’s guest post on the Tour De France
Dip your toe…this Avocado Chocolate Brownie recipe is officially on my to try list, check it out here!
For new music and discovering tunes check out…
Indietronica
Why? If you’re looking for some fresh tunes or artists it couldn’t be easier with Inditronica! I have spent all morning clicking on tracks and finding new artists to check out.
I love…The snappy info and quick to listen tracks.
Dip your toe…I loved this track by Digitalism, Wolves feat. Youngblood Hawke check it out here.
What do you think? Got some blog recommendations? I’d love to check them out, I love adding to my Bloglovin’ feed!
Fried Chicken and Waffles!
@Teatimetreatery
I recently found myself hungry and grumpy in London – argh! The only thing that made this worse is that London offers an abundance of eateries and making decisions is not something Stacey (my deranged hungry alter ego, as named by my husband, no offence to all the Stacey’s out there) is good at doing.
Fortunately the added grump required a dash of fine fried food and I was keen to try Stax Diner, the dream child of Bea Vo. Yep, you read correctly, Bea Vo, mastermind behind Bea’s of Bloomsbury’s delicious cakes, afternoon teas and lunches is now also offering up some fine Southern cooking in Kingly Court!
My Dad being American and most of that side of our family living in the South I have been lucky to have grown up with some of the great American flavours. Whether it’s been the family visits, Thanksgiving dinners, road trips or Saturday morning pancakes, I have a passion and a deep rooted hunger for Southern food. My Mum spent a year living in Texas so I guess that’s where my love for all things fried comes from! Ok I’m waffling back to the waffles…
The diner was busy when we arrived but they managed to get us in by a window which opened out into Kingly Court, my favourite part of Carnaby Street and a short walk from Oxford Circus. The menus look like fans on sticks, it looked like children could draw on the tables with chalks, the atmosphere is buzzing and the staff are super friendly.
Stax serves up brunch (I will be back for those pancakes!) through to dinner with a focus on the details and getting it to you fast. I was thrilled that fried green tomatoes made in on the menu, did you just say tow-may-toes too? We opted for the fried chicken and waffles, the Big Stax burger, coleslaw, fries, a peanut butter milkshake and a raspberry ice tea. I have always wanted to try chicken and waffles, for some reason the opportunity has escaped me whenever I’m Stateside. It was better than a dream come true because I have always been suspicious of them, could two of my great loves, fried chicken and maple syrup, really be combined?! YES, yes they can people and I urge you to go and try it for yourself now…don’t even bother reading the rest of this, get ye down to Stax!!
Oh, not convinced hey, ok well let me tell you the peanut butter milkshake was devilishly good and as my husband says about a good beer, ‘I wanted to take all my clothes off and dive right in’, unfortunately I had to force myself to stick to having one, ok two, sips and drinking my delicious but not quite so decadent iced tea. Finally, the burger was a triumph too, oh man whoever came up with maple glazed beef bacon is a genius! From the perfectly cooked Sussex beef to the brioche bun, and a bit of all of the above, I found I was now…happy!
I’m still dreaming about the chicken and waffles…what’s your guilty delight? I’d love to know!
Fried Chicken and Waffles!
@Teatimetreatery
I recently found myself hungry and grumpy in London – argh! The only thing that made this worse is that London offers an abundance of eateries and making decisions is not something Stacey (my deranged hungry alter ego, as named by my husband, no offence to all the Stacey’s out there) is good at doing.
Fortunately the added grump required a dash of fine fried food and I was keen to try Stax Diner, the dream child of Bea Vo. Yep, you read correctly, Bea Vo, mastermind behind Bea’s of Bloomsbury’s delicious cakes, afternoon teas and lunches is now also offering up some fine Southern cooking in Kingly Court!
My Dad being American and most of that side of our family living in the South I have been lucky to have grown up with some of the great American flavours. Whether it’s been the family visits, Thanksgiving dinners, road trips or Saturday morning pancakes, I have a passion and a deep rooted hunger for Southern food. My Mum spent a year living in Texas so I guess that’s where my love for all things fried comes from! Ok I’m waffling back to the waffles…
The diner was busy when we arrived but they managed to get us in by a window which opened out into Kingly Court, my favourite part of Carnaby Street and a short walk from Oxford Circus. The menus look like fans on sticks, it looked like children could draw on the tables with chalks, the atmosphere is buzzing and the staff are super friendly.
Stax serves up brunch (I will be back for those pancakes!) through to dinner with a focus on the details and getting it to you fast. I was thrilled that fried green tomatoes made in on the menu, did you just say tow-may-toes too? We opted for the fried chicken and waffles, the Big Stax burger, coleslaw, fries, a peanut butter milkshake and a raspberry ice tea. I have always wanted to try chicken and waffles, for some reason the opportunity has escaped me whenever I’m Stateside. It was better than a dream come true because I have always been suspicious of them, could two of my great loves, fried chicken and maple syrup, really be combined?! YES, yes they can people and I urge you to go and try it for yourself now…don’t even bother reading the rest of this, get ye down to Stax!!
Oh, not convinced hey, ok well let me tell you the peanut butter milkshake was devilishly good and as my husband says about a good beer, ‘I wanted to take all my clothes off and dive right in’, unfortunately I had to force myself to stick to having one, ok two, sips and drinking my delicious but not quite so decadent iced tea. Finally, the burger was a triumph too, oh man whoever came up with maple glazed beef bacon is a genius! From the perfectly cooked Sussex beef to the brioche bun, and a bit of all of the above, I found I was now…happy!
I’m still dreaming about the chicken and waffles…what’s your guilty delight? I’d love to know!
Vintage Heartthrobs: Fitzwilliam Darcy
Image and product credit, Mr Darcy tote by SandiaTees available on Etsy
In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love…Mr Darcy!
Ok, I know Mr Darcy is a fictional character but he has tormented the hearts of women for years and I declare that he is, with no doubt, a vintage heartthrob! I’m not alone here, a quick search on Etsy flung out some fab products like the tote above and yes I heartily agree, I’ll be sticking with Mr Darcy thank you very much! What’s not to love, he goes for long walks, dances, mastered the aloof and brooding look, rides horses and perhaps most importantly tosses his shirt to one side for a leisurely dip in the nearest lake.
Jane Austen is a hero, she masterfully allows us to both briefly feel we hate but then fall in love with Mr Darcy as we read through Elizabeth’s perspective and thank goodness Elizabeth wasn’t hot for Mr Darcy straight away or we wouldn’t have all the drama and intrigue.
If you ever needed proof that Mr Darcy is one of the great heartthrobs of all time you need look no further than Laurence Olivier, Matthew MacFadyen, Matthew Rhys and the one, the only, heartthrob of our times, drum roll please….Colin Firth.
Now let’s all pray for a rainy day so we can stay in and watch Mr Darcy dive in the lake or just curl up and read, I’m loving this vintage paperback copy and the penguin clothbound series is gorgeous!
Please note I have used Amazon and Etsy Affiliate links in order to be able to include some lovely pictures for your enjoyment as sadly I have no pictures of my own of Mr Darcy on my phone, oh sorry that’s right he isn’t real, sigh…
Partying 1920’s Prohibition Style
A heady mix of mischief, cocktails, vintage, dancing, gambling, burlesque and secret drinking dens awaits you in London if you know where to look!
Too few era’s offer the potential to relive such glamour and glitz as the 1920’s so we snapped up tickets for the 50th Bourne and Hollingsworth Prohibition party which was held at Bloomsbury Ballroom. I was particularly thrilled to be able to whip out my dazzling outfit from our Prohibition Tea Party for another whirl wind trip to the past.
As we descended the stairs into the ballrooms the genuine Art Deco details whispered tales of a past we can’t really imagine now but added to the authentic feel of the night. Everywhere I looked guests where decked out in pearls, glistening gowns, feathers, suits, braces, bow ties, waistcoats and the ladies pouting deep red lips while the gents tapped their lace up oxfords ready to hit the floor and Charleston!
I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when my husband told me he’d booked us in for the optional Charleston dance lesson, dancing is not something he’s keen on despite laying down some sensational moves at uni. I was so glad he had though, it was so much fun, everyone was friendly and giving it their all and best of all it meant we could have a go later too.
From sipping on seriously strong cocktails and listening to a jazz band while waiting for the photo booth in the first room we could then move on through to the main ball room where we’d had our dance lesson. Two large bars offered another chance to top up our glasses before using our faux casino money at one of the tables, having our portrait drawn or hitting the dance floor while the big band plays, or just stare mesmerised at the professional dancers! The entertainment never seems to stop, from the live music and burlesque dancer right through to the….
Secret drinking den!! Ok, so it wasn’t exactly a huge secret as the tables had maps of the venue on them so you didn’t miss out but you did have to make your way past two shifty looking fella’s, who advised us to tell anyone who asked that we’d given up drinking, and a door emblazoned with a poster proclaiming ‘Closed for violation of the National Prohibition Act by order of the Unites States District Court’ to find it. Passing down a darkened tunnel (ok my imagination was on top form by this point) we entered a room transformed into something that felt secretive, indulgent and naughty! In here we found two new cocktails served in medicine jars, and a chap playing his ukulele! Hats off to the Vintage Mafia for hosting a superb speakeasy!
I will definitely be making my way back for another raucous night of glitzy hedonism and if you fancy it too the next party is being held on 6th September 2014, visit Prohibition or Bourne and Hollingsworth for more details on their tantalisingly fabulous events!
Cheers!
A Pinch and a Punch – June/July 2014
Welcome to our brand spanking new monthly feature! On the first of the month we will be offering up a pinch of the previous month in the form of an Instagram snap, look out you can get involved in this, and a punch into the next month in the form of, well it could take any form!
PINCH
This month’s pinch, above, is a snap we took at a beautiful wedding where we provided the linen, china and afternoon tea. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the bride and groom looked sensational together and we loved every minute of it. The wedding was held at the quintessentially English, Garden Barn, near Haverhill and is well worth a peek for parties and weddings.
So, how can you get involved? Each month we will pick our favourite cake or vintage inspired Instagram snap from the previous month, all you need to do is add #pinchpunch to your photo and @teatimetreatery so we can see it, see you on Instagram!
PUNCH
First up we’re punching into July by diving head first into the most extensive list of Gin and Tonics we’ve ever seen! We stumbled across the Fever Tree pop up in Hoxton Square at weekend and were thrilled to find out it will be running through to 26th July. They are offering 160 different gins and a selection of their tonics or if the choice is too much they will offer advice or better yet grab the G&Tree flight for £15 where you get to try 4 different gins and £2 from each flight goes to Malaria No More UK. The venue is decked out in botanicals and gin bottles and you can admire the range of gins which sit behind the bar. We stayed longer than planned and are keen to get back there so we heartily recommend a visit to find your ultimate G&T!
Top Tip: I thoroughly enjoyed mixing the damson and raspberry gins with the elderflower tonic!
