Afternoon Tea Baby Shower

This year has been full of pregnant ladies and babies, and two of those pregnant ladies just so happen to be my sister and her sister-in law. This seemed like a perfect excuse to make up a dessert table and have an afternoon tea (here is the first dessert table we did). Afternoon tea's and dessert table's are brilliant because they give you the creative licence to do whatever you want with the decor and the menu.

We decided to make the invitations ourselves (which we had a lot of fun doing), most of the pom poms were home made as was the bunting hanging from the table. Food wise we had a mix of home made and shop bought which turned out really well, because if you don't have time to make all the food there are so many bakery's, deli's and other food places that do brilliant food for occasions like this. It always worth having a look around in your local area for places like that. For serving dishes we used a combination of things that all three of us had, what our mothers had and we hired the tea cups and tea pots from the bakery where we got the cake from (And the dish ran away with the spoon). Flowers also make everything look prettier, we decided on one big pitcher of flowers and a few smaller jars of flowers dotted around the table.

All in all I think it was a big success and it just goes to show that a mix of home made and shop bought can work really well, and just have fun with it. Here is the vlog of the whole thing

  

Ladies Lunch and Baking

Recently I have notice the growing trend in 'Tea rooms' and dessert places opening in my local area, and the other day my mum told us about one that had opened near us, so we decided to check it out. CommuniTea Rooms is a none profit organisation that is part of a community scheme. All of the profits that they make go to organising local community projects and events. All of the food is made by them and some of the member of the community also make cakes so it all tastes great. Its brilliant that these guys are make our local community better and organising events for people to get involved in (you can find out more about them here). 

Also that same day I had a bit of a baking day. Now if you follow me on instagram (@capturing_my_world) you will know that a few weeks ago I experimented with making cornbread and it went down so well. Since then I have made it at least once a week and it is fast becoming a family favourite. It's perfect for anyone who is on a gluten free diet or even if you just want to try something different to your normal bread. It couldn't be easier to make

What you will need 

• 265g coarsely ground yellow cornmeal 
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 60g butter melted and slightly cooled
• 4 tbsp honey 
• 340g yoghurt
• splash of milk   

What you will need to do 

• Pre heat your oven to 190c/gas mark 5/375f (170c for fan ovens) and grease your tin
• In the bowl you are going to mix you wet ingredients in, put in your butter and melt it in the microwave. When melted leave to one side to cool slightly
• In a large bowl mix together the cornmeal and the rest of the dry ingredients  
• To the bowl with the melted butter add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined 
• Make a well in the middle of the cornmeal mixture and pour in the wet mixture 
• Whisk until its all combined and forms a batter 
• Add a splash of milk to loosen the mixture slightly 
• Pour the mixture into you baking tin and bake for 30-35 mins until the cornbread is golden brown, our when you poke a skewer in the middle it comes out clear
• Slice it up and enjoy :)

Tips

• Instead of using yoghurt you can use buttermilk, in that case you don't need the splash of milk because it will be looser batter.  
• I also prefer to mix the wet ingredients in a jug instead of a bowl because then its easier to pour in the dry ingredients 
• This cornbread is perfect with your favourite soft cheese and a mixed salad
• You can also experiment with adding different flavours such as mixed hers, spice and cumin  

My sister and I also made a Banoffee pie which we have loved making (and eating ;)) for a long time. For the recipe check out my sisters blog here. I also filmed that day so here is the vlog.

Vintage Tea Party

The other day me and few of the ladies in my family attended a charity Vintage Tea Party at The Living Room in Manchester. It was hosted by Islamic Help who are a volunteer run charity and are the founders of the Smiles Better campaign. The Smiles Better campaign works with people who have been victims of acid burns. They help victims who live in counties that don't have the adequate medical and legal help to restore their lives after these horrific attacks. They have other charity events going on through out the year if vintage tea parties aren't your thing just check out their website or Facebook page to find out what they are doing next. Unfortunately we had to leave a bit early but here are a few pictures from the event:

Loved the tea set 

Mmmmm cake

Islamic Help Cake 

You can't have a tea party without tea

Loved the lights and drapes

We did a 'get to know each other' game and this is what we ended up with 

Had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Amena of Pearl Daisy

Of course it was raining on the way home