Oh pears!

So, it doesn't look exactly like it's supposed to... And, it didn't taste that great either. Too soggy, and the ground up hazelnuts made the texture odd. Not a complete disaster (like the plum pudding), but not a recipe I'll be making again any time soon.


Off to eat cheese, biscuits, grapes, and chutney, and drink wine. That can't go wrong!

Oh plums!

I made a plum pudding last night. It seemed a simple recipe - soak plums in sherry, pour a sugary batter over them in a dish, bake until golden brown, sprinkle with icing sugar. Ugh! It was horrid! It was just a battery stodge. I don't know if that was how it's meant to be, or if something went wrong, but either way it was nasty. What a disappointment!

Tonight I'm going to attempted a flourless pear and chocolate cake. I hope it's more successful (and edible).

Three stages to baby quilt

This is my latest baby quilt, with a specific colour scheme - my first quilt that's not been allowed to be random!

Step one: laying out the blocks.

There are two types of white fabric: one plain, and one with a paisley pattern that's very subtle and cute. I love the random patches of gingham, flowers, and the baby letters.

Step two: all the strips sewn together:

Although I think I got a bit gung-ho with the strips, and perhaps in the future I'll stick to making blocks up. I found that doing strips meant there was more chance of the width being slightly out in places. Not a lot, and I'm sure the receiver won't notice, but I do....

Step 3: the finished quilt top:

I think it looks lovely! A great time spent in my newly-painted sewing room which is getting more comfortable by the day - there'll be shelves going up soon.

Sweet enough already?

How many sugar pots can a girl own? I love the one I've got....

But I've just found another one from Anthropologie that's lovely too...

Time for tea

That's what's happened this afternoon so far.

That, and panicking because I can't find one of my fat quarters that I need for my next project. Work borrowed some of my FQs for a photoshoot last month, and I have a distinct feeling that the FQ in question was included in the bunch - suggesting the photographer decided to keep it. Or, is just useless and didn't give it back. I am beyond annoyed.

A trifle excited

The Royal Wedding was a week ago and it was brilliant. I think I'm late with this blog post as the excitement hasn't quite worn off yet...

Being a good day to be British, I made cucumber sandwiches (and ham ones for those who have to have meat), a gorgeous Victoria sponge cake with buttercream and jam filling, and a traditional sherry trifle. Yum!!! It was a brilliant spread, topped off with copious cups of tea and cream soda.

I timed the cake needing to come out of the oven at the exact moment Kate would arrive at the church, so there was some mad running between lounge and kitchen to both catch a glimpse of the dress and prevent the cake from burning at the same time. Luckily I managed both.