Year: 2015

Day 14: Clandestine Cake Club

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I’ve been a member of the Clandestine Cake Club for a couple of years, but I’ve never been brave enough to go along to a meet. My image was of a group of super-talented bakers who would snort with laughter at my super-amateur attempt. But when I heard that Lauren – who I’d met at The High Tea Club – was running the Ely group, I decided to be brave. On Day 14 of #100DaysNoTV, I (nervously) took a cake that I had baked to share with others.

so, what is the clandestine cake club?

The brainchild of Lynn Hill, the Clandestine Cake Club (CCC) began in Leeds in December 2010 with its purpose to have a place for cake lovers to meet and chat over tea and cake. “Bake, Eat and Talk about Cake” is their mission statement. What’s not to like?

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Food: The High Tea Club

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Afternoon tea and High tea

Are they the same, similar or different?

Well, nearly two hundred years ago Afternoon Tea became fashionable with the upper classes who would eat around 4 o’clock to stop the tummy rumbles between lunch and dinner; they’d nibble on dainty sandwiches and cakes with an abundance of tea. It would be a relaxed affair in the drawing room on comfy chairs.

The working classes had their Tea after a hard day’s work and so it was a more substantial family meal, and would normally include hot food and meat; basically it was their main meal of the day. It seems this became known as High Tea as it was eaten up at a table, literally sitting high, with Afternoon Tea taken at a low table.

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Day 13: Date Night in Bali

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It’s not easy to find original gifts, so I was over the moon to discover The Spicery when looking for something special for Rob. Their spicebox subscription is absolutely perfect: it plays to his love of trying new cuisines and his ever-growing passion for cooking. It also gave us the perfect excuse to spend a few hours cooking together in the kitchen; this is something we love to do, but often need a reason to find the time! On Day 13 of #100DaysNoTV we had a ‘Date Night in Bali’.

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Food: Hotel Chocolat Cafe Cambridge

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If you were asked to name a luxury chocolate brand, chances are – if you live in the UK – your first answer would be Hotel Chocolat. Since the first shop opened in 2004 the brand has expanded and evolved over the last ten years and there are now over 80 stores worldwide.

With the manufacturing facility in Cambridgeshire the business has strong links with the Cambridge area. The founders had a dream of opening a new type of cafe in Cambridge city centre – in their words, “our first ever ‘refuel station’ where the cocoa and coffee love match is united at last”.

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Macbeth – An Extra Tale

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If you didn’t know that Macbeth is released in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd October 2015, where have you been? You’re probably not following me on Twitter or a friend on Facebook, because I have been banging on about it for months.

Truth is, I’m extremely proud of my contribution (however miniscule) to this extraordinary film. I had always planned to record my experience as an extra for my own posterity, but I thought it might be something worth sharing.

This post is a little longer than normal, but quite honestly, I could have written stacks more. So, feel fortunate – this is the abridged version. Stick with it. 🙂

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Day 11: Blackberry Vodka

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Some of the best presents are those that are homemade: they show that the person giving it to you has taken time to make something special for you. With this in mind, on Day 11 of #100DaysNoTV we turned freshly foraged blackberries into Blackberry Vodka to give as presents at Christmas.

With the nights drawing in and the autumn chill a nightly feature, there’s something really quite lovely about snuggling up with a glass of warming fruit liqueur.

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Day 10: Blogtography Workshop

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I decided a while ago that so much blood, sweat and tears goes into writing my blog, it really deserves better images; the iPhone takes amazing photos, but it was time to invest in something a bit more professional. After lots of research (thanks, Rob!) and camera holding, we bought my shiny new Nikon D5500. I just had to figure out how to use it! Luckily, help was at hand.

On Day 10 of  #100DaysNoTV I pottered down to Jesus Green in Cambridge for a Blogtography Workshop with Karen Harvey of I Don’t Like Peas.

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