Lessons Learnt

I like to think I know a thing or two about baking. Well I do know the basics and can follow a recipe thats for sure. But there is definitely a lot more to baking than meet the eye as I found out recently.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon (yes I know that is hard to believe now) I went to Swiss Cottage to take a baking class at the house of Caroline Hope. Caroline teaches baking classes and has been doing so for more than 15 years, and is particularly interested in the history behind the afternoon tea.

I purchased a voucher for the class along with seven other women and together we spent the afternoon baking. In pairs we made small sponge cakes which included - coffee, chocolate and orange, victoria sponge and lime cake. To go alongside this we made plain and cheese scones.

A majority of the women in the class had actually never baked or didnt have that much experience in it, so Caroline made sure every step was explained and we took our time to understand each instruction.

Although I have baked before it was very useful to hear about history, tips and tricks and the reason behind why we do different things to create the cake of our choice.

I really liked Caroline's passion behind good quality ingredients. This can make such a difference even when making a plain sponge. It was also useful to be aware of taking your time and really mixing well whether by hand or a mixer. Im not sure if I will be mixing by hand again after all the mixing in the class however!

The most important thing I took away with me was how to properly heat your oven. I always thought it just had to reach the required temperature, or you would pre heat for about 20 mins, when I heard that Caroline usually leaves her oven all day it was a real surprise and something I will be looking in to for future baking.

The cakes turned out great and we all got to try some small pieces and take some home to enjoy. What we were taught during the afternoon and the time invested really showed itself in the taste and appearance of the cakes. I really felt like I learnt lots of new things and I think the novice bakers went away with the confidence to try baking in their homes.

If you are interested in any of the classes available please look at Caroline's website: www.teaandscones.org.uk.

In love

Yes I am in love but not with another human being or anything living or moving in fact. I am in love with the fabulosity of caviar nails by Ciate.

This British company founded by Charlotte Knight has quickly become a favourite of fashionistas looking for a stand out nail look. The name Ciate stands for colour, inspiration, aspiration and trend and this is what they are all about.

The caviar manicure offers something completely different. Able to put on in the comfort of your own home the nail set allows you to create 3D nails which stand out from the crowd.

There are three different sets at the moment - rainbow, mother of pearl and black pearl. Each of these have their base colour, the beads to apply on top and a funnel to be able to put any loose beads back in the pot.

Often used on fashion shoots this is a now a look we can all use for nights out and special occasions. I haven't yet bought the nail set and tried it out myself, but they do make it look easy in videos on the website (as it always does). However I am dubious to its staying power and easy on and off process.

Once I have tried it out I will report back. For now I will be in love with the pretty pictures on the website and deliberate over which set to buy!

If you would like more details please visit the official website:
http://www.ciate.co.uk/