A bit of tastiness at MUSA

My wee corner at MUSA

Had a good night last night at MUSA, the Museum of the University of St Andrews.  I was invited to have a wee stall showcasing my cakes and catering to other businesses, organisations, worthies and so on.  I met so many lovely and interesting people, from cafe owners to bed & breakfast owners, from Scottish Tourist Board people to our local Farmer's Market organiser.....and so many more people in between.  I'd be here all day if I ran through that list!  It really was a fabulous evening and so great to meet like-minded people who appreciate what I do....and will hopefully buy some of my cakes (fingers crossed!).  I love being able to have face-to-face conversations with folk to talk about what I do, what I hope to do and to find out if I can do anything to fill a gap in their business.  Also, to pick up tips and ideas from other business owners - it's amazing what you learn and what thoughts you can develop from wee chats like that.

Lots of tasty samples

I made some of my babycakes as samples....and lets face it, who doesn't love a wee taster of cake that looks cute.  They flew off the plates!!  I did chocolate fudge, vanilla, and the most popular, banoffee.  Who knew banoffee could be so popular! I learnt something there alone, before meeting some great people and hopefully, making some fabby contacts.  I did learn that I should be taking some of my special diets baking to the next event I attend.  Oops on my behalf there! Next time, there will be samples of something suitable, promise! I've attached a couple of pics so you can see what I was up to!

An abundance of banoffee baby cakes

And, as an added aside, if you are ever in St Andrews, make sure you visit the Guid Cheese Shop in Burghers Close on South Street.  The girls who run it are lovely, so so knowledgable and the cheese was to die for.  Thanks to MUSA for putting me next to them!!

One a penny, two a penny.....Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter!  Hot Cross Buns and butter - yum!

It must be Easter so time for Hot Cross Buns!  Perfect Easter food - lightly spiced bread dough stuffed full of raisins and, in my case, dried cranberries.  Not traditional but oh so lovely.  And, not a sign of mixed citrus peel anywhere.  I have a loathing of the stuff I'm afraid so it doesn't feature in my baking if I can help it - unless it is requested as an addition of course.
It did take me two takes to get them right, I will confess.  The first recipe I tried was a River Cottage Bread book recipe.  Normally, I love the recipes from this and use the traditional bread one whenever bread making is required.  However, my Hot Cross Buns came out like bullets! Small, solid and leaden.  Perfect missiles that even the chickens wouldn't touch!  Not what a Hot Cross Bun should be at all so back to the drawing board I went.  The BBC Good Food website came up trumps.  A perfect Hot Cross Bun I think.  Light and tasty, full of fruit, not too overly spiced and beautifully shiny and sticky on top .... and I got 13 out of the dough.  They were a hit which is to me, the sign of a great Hot Cross Bun!  Only down side - they didn't last very long!

Can Anyone Help??!!

So, dear readers, I am on the hunt for wooden apple crates, wine boxes, potato boxes or similar.  I'm trying to re-organise The Bakehouse's display stand and these would help to add height to it, not to mention for carrying all the tasty cake I hope to sell!  Does anyone have any ideas as to where I can get hold of these things?  Not much to ask, but someone must have a great idea!! Here's hoping....and thank you!!

Tea and Gingerbread Houses

The pink one is my fav!! It deserved to be preserved for ever!! Thanks Juls!

It has been a bit of a busy week or so, what with dog sitting and allotment digging, extra shifts at work and gig going, so the baking and cooking have taken a bit of a back seat.  The old faithful jacket potato and salads a-plenty have taken the place of kitchen creativity.  Not that you can beat a good old jacket spud, baked in the oven for hours until it is crispy on the outside and squidgy in the middle!  It is a wee taste of food heaven I will confess.  Yum....I'm slavering just thinking about it.  Think that may be dinner sorted tonight!  Anyway, I digress.
I did find a lonesome quartet of Gingerbread Ladies and Houses nestled in a tin: the last vestiges of the monster baking spree for Dairsie Does Different.  They just begged to be discussed - and munched post veggie patch digging session!  Is there anything lovelier than a home baked, artistically decorated Gingerbread House and a strong cup of tea, I wonder?!  Made even better with good company and the promise of a summer as the sun beat down.  I love the simplicity and comfort of a good home-made gingerbread biscuit.  Crunchy, spicy and syrupy all at once.  And oh, the ginger kick...it soothes the soul!  They never fail to satisfy and bring a smile. Summer or winter, they suit and improve a day.  The kind of food my gran made and my mum still makes - and a dying art.  Comfort food at its' very best.  And on that note, I may have to depart to the kitchen to bake a batch before I head to the allotment to plant my onions (Red Baron red ones, if anyone is interested!).

Michael's Birthday cake...

I've spent this evening making a birthday cake for an order.  A traditional vanilla sponge with buttercream and home-made jam in the middle, covered in fabby blue spots!  Hope you and Michael like it!!

The Bakehouse@Dairsie Does Different

As promised, images of my stand at Dairsie Does Different.  The euphoria hasn't worn off yet - neither has the commitment to do it again!  Must be mad! :)  Be tempted by pics of some of the cakes that I sold - and remember to contact me (email or phone) if you want to follow the tasty road to temptation!

Coffee Walnut creations

An array of taster bags - everything from flapjacks to indulgent brownies, from nostalgic Mars Bar cake to the most adorable gingerbread houses.  How could you not be tempted?!

As if anyone needed to be reminded!

Current favourite - coconut and lime cake.  Oh so zingy and scrumptious!

Pink and girly vanilla cupcakes - perfect for Mother's Day

People just love Red Velvet!

Dairsie Does Different, brilliantly!

What a fantastic day!! The sun shone, the wind blew, the bunting flapped like mad and people smiled!  We had so much support, especially from the Dairsie folk and everybody, our truly amazing stall holders and our fabulous customers alike, had a great day!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped and came along.  Me and Lindsay couldn't have done it without you guys!!  It was such a great day that I think we may do it again - how does Dairsie Does Different @ Christmas sound to everyone?!
 
As advertised, we had storytelling from Hamespun Tales which entertained young and old alike, the many talents of the Middleton Miscellany, Adrian Murray's jewellery which I have fallen in love with and of course, Suzanne at WhimsicAL LusH's wonderful knitted rabbits and other quirky bits and pieces (I'm even more adoring of her things than ever!).  Eleanor Mather's amazing papercraft creations were flying off the shelves, Lindsay's Equestrian art was much ooh-ed and ahh-d over (and produced a commission too - yeah!), Mike's photos were much admired, Sarah's handmade sweets were delicious and Creature Couture's aliens the talk of the show! Paula's soaps were a hit and Catriona's glassware was beautiful and our last minute entry, our reflexologist added a lovely finishing touch to the fair.  I fear I may have spent more than I should have but, what the heck, it was worth every penny!

Here are just a few pics of the day to give you a feel.  The next post will be the Bakehouse honest!  Yep, I did have a stall and am so delighted at how well my wee cake creations were received.  I'm still grinning like a Cheshire cat about it all!  :)   Details of that will follow - I'm waiting for my pics to be emailed by my ever so lovely brother!

Roger's art work.

Art at it's best!

Networking in progress....

Smiley, happy people!!