This is where I share news about what is going on in the world of The Village Cakery.
New recipes I test, what I am working on, what I am planning, what I am having trouble with, upcoming shows and fairs.
VALENTINE'S DAY
Valentine’s Day might be the most commercial celebration of all - but what it gives to the married-for-years couples is not an opportunity to declare love but the opportunity to be intimate and close.
She will tell you she doesn’t want to be shown love on the ONE day of the year...
He will tell you he couldn’t care less about Valentine’s Day gift exchange.
And indeed, it’s not about the gift per se - it is about some time together (never mind the prompt) with a token gift to celebrate “us”.
The best gifts are the ones for SHARING
Something handmade and well away from the “roses with chocolates” cliché.
The Village Cakery offers hand made cakes that can be gently themed if preferred, or simply can be your favourite dessert:
heart shaped Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies, heart shaped Brownie Slabs, Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cake and endless other options on request...
So... - please REQUEST!
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - SATURDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2021
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
And I've been SO busy in my bakery that I completely forgot to post this earlier!
The Village Cakery will be at Reigate Christmas Market this coming Saturday!
Come and join me - it's a terrific day out for the whole family (& you'll need some cake to see you through the day).
I hope to see you there!
The Bejewelled Fruit Mix is first to mature in syrupy alcohol until it’s plump and fragrant.
It has to be mixed every day for 3-4 weeks to turn into a delicious Christmassy concoction - which can actually be a great topping for ice cream in the winter season!
Christmas Cake is like no other cake.
It needs to be planned and prepped for months before enjoying it; that is, if you fancy a good and proper example of it.
It is now that I take orders for Christmas cakes for once I have run out, there cannot be a last minute one.
The fruit mix contains raisins, apricots, figs, cherries, mixed peel, sultanas.
The cake is Nut Free.
The design will be simple as usual but I guarantee a really lovely moist flavoursome cake.
Simply send me a message
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - SUNDAY 5th SEPTEMBER 2021
HOORAY! The Village Cakery will be at Dorking Artisan Market once again this Sumday!
Come and join me for a slice or two from a delicious choice of desserts.
I hope to see you there!
Unpretentious Delightful Baking
When I am asked what type of cakes I make, I often refer to them as “Grown Up Cakes”.
They are all about the pleasure of eating...
There is a massive craze at the moment for overusing sprinkle mixes of all shapes and sizes; and also inedible elements like palm leaves, fans, Cricut signs and even images.
I do want to be on trend but I won’t compromise on my core belief that substance matters more than look. Well - in the world of grown up cakes...
Faced with shelves laden with patisserie beauts, I am never drawn to the dressed ones.
I remember that epic trip to Rome with my sister and a few friends, when we went to a patisserie and sandwich shop in the heart of the old city.
Everything looked amazing!
I chose a simple cherry tart and it was the best cherry dessert I have ever tasted in my life. Every bite was magic, that tart had everything, texture, flavour, simple but complex as the flavour developed in the mouth.
And that’s my favourite type of baking.
I would love it if, when you take a bite of a cake I’ve made, you were to experience that bliss and joy I experienced with the Italian Cherry Tart in Rome.
April 12th 2021 (Lockdown is beginning to end as the "non-essential" shops re-open - and we can get our hair cut!)
What a year it has been!
It would have sounded like a movie script, should have anyone suggested what awaited us only a couple of months before our first Lockdown.
As terrible and scary as it was, it gave us a great opportunity to rethink many aspects of our lives.
We’ve had to endure loss, we had to queue for loo roll, we got a taste of what it takes to school children (thank you teachers), we clapped for our frontline NHS staff.
During this time there were many firsts for The Village Cakery:
- I prepared the first ever order for a centenarian’s Birthday
- Creating a wedding cupcakes display was another first
- I launched my ultra special concept of four cake flavours in one Cake Quartet
- I learned to make Chilean Cakes (many thanks, Paula, for helping me challenge myself, learn and grow)
- I donated cakes to local NHS teams
- I also started offering doorstep delivery of cakes during the first lockdown and enjoyed many happy moments of unexpected cake gifts, which was probably the best of all the firsts
But the spirit of my local community was the one that will always stay with me as one of the wonders a lockdown can unlock.
Despite differences in believes, education, background, etc., we unite in the face of a deadly pandemic.
There were immediate response groups organised in each and every village in our area to offer support, fetching shopping and medication for vulnerable residents.
It felt almost like a wartime survival mode.
And this is one of the aspects I have counted my blessings about... The amazing spirit of my neighbours and the fact that my young children live in a pretty and peaceful little village, in a house with a lovely garden to enjoy meals outside while watching the birds. The ability to go for a countryside walk, as we didn’t have to drive to it - we live in it...
Like every big event in life, we will look back and evaluate and re-evaluate the lessons, the losses, the good and the bad...
Hopefully we learned a lot.
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - SATURDAY & SUNDAY 3rd & 4th APRIL 2021
Easter is here... and we can all get out & about again - HOORAY!
So I'll be setting my stand up at
Leatherhead TASTES OF THE WORLD Street Market!
Come and join me for a LONG overdue day out - plus a tasty treat or two...
I hope to see you there!
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY - SUNDAY 4th OCTOBER 2020
I am thrilled to share with you that The Village Cakery will be at Dorking Artisan Market!
Come and join me for a slice or two from a delicious choice of desserts.
I hope to see you there!
(@hellodorking have done a fantastic job of ensuring everything is as COVID safe as possible.)
