The Suburban Kitchen

My Jamie at Home display at Lifestyle Kitchens, Nottingham.

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:37:00 -0400

My Jamie at Home display at Lifestyle Kitchens, Nottingham.

Cupcakes for the farmer’s market - lemon and vanilla.

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:32:00 -0400

Cupcakes for the farmer’s market - lemon and vanilla.

Lemon cupcakes, with lemon curd filling and carrot cupcakes with...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:30:00 -0400

Lemon cupcakes, with lemon curd filling and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting - looking good on my new cupcake stand!

The cake counter in Selfridges, Birmingham - tempting!

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:31:00 -0400

The cake counter in Selfridges, Birmingham - tempting!

Mary Berry’s Mum’s bread and butter pudding - even...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:25:00 -0400

Mary Berry’s Mum’s bread and butter pudding - even better than the one I’ve been making for 30 years! Yummy yum!

I’m about to become a ‘Jamie at Home ’...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 06:23:00 -0400

I’m about to become a ‘Jamie at Home ’ consultant! Have never done anything like this - but I’m excited about this new challenge.

Since making the cupcakes for last week’s market, I...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:14:29 -0400

Since making the cupcakes for last week’s market, I realised I needed something to package them in, and found this really easy to make ‘box’ on pinterest, then adapted it to take 1 and 2 cupcakes. Great for using left over wrapping paper - which I always have loads of - or just brown paper would look equally good!

Couldn’t resist this cool retro ‘Tala’...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:07:18 -0400

Couldn’t resist this cool retro ‘Tala’ measuring jug - brilliant for measuring loads of ingredients by volume, saves getting the scales out! Looks great too!

Cupcakes for Spring! I made 2 kinds of cupcakes for this...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:40:00 -0500

Cupcakes for Spring!

I made 2 kinds of cupcakes for this month’s Farmer’s Market - Vanilla ( with choccy eggs on top), and Lemon ( with lemon curd filling) - and they sold really well! I’d been resisting baking cupcakes, as they seem to be everywhere at the moment - but they’re fun to make, and they look really pretty on the stall. I followed the Hummingbird Bakery recipes, and they tasted really good! I’m going to try 2 different flavours for the April market - and experiment in the mean time.

Christmas Farmers Market - dozens of yummy, scrummy mince pies!

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:32:48 -0500

Christmas Farmers Market - dozens of yummy, scrummy mince pies!

I’ve GOT to have a go at making these!

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 06:33:11 -0500

I’ve GOT to have a go at making these!

Special Edition Syrup Tins - the best of British. Too good not...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:36:14 -0500

Special Edition Syrup Tins - the best of British. Too good not to keep out on display!

I love my new ‘retro’ style tray - perfect for...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:32:22 -0500

I love my new ‘retro’ style tray - perfect for serving retro afternoon tea!

The Farmer’s Markets have been going really well -...

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:25:44 -0500

The Farmer’s Markets have been going really well - building up a regular clientele, and gradually fine tuning the cakes and quantities I’m making, so that I don’t run out of the popular cakes or have too much left over.

I’m excited about the build up to Christmas, and adding some seasonal recipes to the cakes I’ll be selling - which I will be writing about on my blog.

I bought 2 new baking books last week as they were on offer - £10 for both! ‘Green & Black’s Ultimate Chocolate Recipes’ and ‘The Great British Book of Baking’ - lots and lots of new recipes to be trying out, and writing about.

So I will be posting much more baking related stuff on here, for those of you out there who love a good cake/bake!

Photo

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:45:00 -0400

Victoria Sponge Cake - 3pm … and 3.15pm!

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:11:37 -0400

Victoria Sponge Cake - 3pm … and 3.15pm!

I finally did my first Farmer’s Market on Saturday, here...

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:40:00 -0400

I finally did my first Farmer’s Market on Saturday, here in Wollaton. Baked all day Thursday, my big sis came over from Wales to help out - and hubby provided all the ‘graphic’ stuff, even the writing on the chalk boards!

A very early start on Saturday, to be set up by 8am, but all went smoothly, and I was really pleased with how the stall looked - just as I’d imagined it. Trade was steady throughout the morning - and we got lots of positive comments about the stall and the cakes that we were selling - mostly childhood favourites.

So I’ve learnt from this first market that next time I’ll need less Gingerbread and more Welsh Cakes, keep the cakes a generous size, and price very competitively - the 5 for 4 offer was very popular. Looking forward to September 1st - my next market!

My First Market!

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:32:00 -0400

Only 5 days to go, till I find out whether anyone actually wants to buy my cakes - and it really is a leap in the dark for me, but I am very excited about it. I’ve got a stall at the Wollaton Farmer’s Market, located in the Co-Op car park - on Saturday morning, so its all systems go from now on.

Last week I set up my stall in the back garden to see how it all went together, and was quite pleased with the results, the navy gazebo is easy to put up, looks smart, and just big enough - and the sturdy folding table was suitably transformed with my check cloth, baskets for cakes and little chalk boards for prices.

This week I’ve sorted out my Public Liability Insurance, and ordered plastic carrier bags and gloves - and realising that there is much more to this than just baking! So hopefully it will all come together smoothly.

Thursday and Friday will be spent baking, so I hope I don’t have any disasters - the kitchen will be out of bounds to everyone - woman on a mission!

Rocky Road - a friends and family favourite since I started...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:59:00 -0400

Rocky Road - a friends and family favourite since I started making it a couple of years ago - thanks Nigella!

My chocolate cup cakes for my 50th Birthday party - the...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:56:00 -0400

My chocolate cup cakes for my 50th Birthday party - the chocolate ganache topping makes them even more delicious!