And... More Snow?!

This morning I woke up to another thick blanket of snow. It has been promised to thaw out by the start of next week though and this is probably a good thing -I'm sick of being overly bundled up in layers and as much as I love my wellies, two solid weeks of them is a little much...
Speaking of wellingtons, I had to replace mine today. I'd only had them three or four months, but water has been getting into the right foot, which was annoying. Luckily I still had the receipt, and a 12-month guarantee, so I got some new ones! I had thought about maybe switching to a deep grape colour or glossy black but there wasn't much choice in stock. Luckily there was one pair of navy Hunters left so I didn't have to have an odd colour, or size 11's...

 We took a walk out of my village to the farmshop while the snow was relatively undisturbed. The path to the shop is along an old railway track. The railway buildings are still used as a sports hall and the village social club and bar.

While it is definitely a shame that there isn't a train service to use, the path is gorgeous on a day like today.

I think that this is my favorite shot: the snow just looked so pretty in the morning with the sun shining on it.
 It has been absolutely gorgeous, but I think I'm ready for the big thaw now... roll on summer!

Weekends by the Fire

On Saturday morning, I woke up to another fresh coat of snow covering the road outside. We drove the ten miles across rolling northern countryside to have a peak at our new house, and to do the weekly food shop. Naturally, I grabbed my camera, but to to my dismay I forgot my camera batteries! So sadly I don't have any spectacular photo's, just a few of outside the house.

 Cats paws: the first creatures out in the snow!

In the evening, we stacked up the fire with wood and bunkered ourselves in for the night. Mum had picked up a copy of The Simple Things magazine, which I hadn't heard of before. I was soon hooked though; finding myself inspired by the organic, healthy lifestyle of health coach Sarah Wilson, and wanting to try all the recipes featured.

As the embers of the fire began to glow in place of flame, we got the toasting fork and crumpets out for supper. It's the first time that I've actually toasted crumpets in this way, and it made such a difference to the taste.

 Spread over with a generous layer of butter, crumpets are heavenly:

On Sunday, inbetween sessions of homework and revision, I wanted to keep myself in the mood set by the magazine, so naturally I turned to tea and baking. The tea was rose, from The Lawn, and was later drank chilled with frozen raspberries, and I had a go at some blueberry muffins.

I think that the muffins would had benefited from much smaller -or even dried -blueberries as the juice from the fruit made the bottom of the muffins quite damp. The muffin mix itself was really nice though; not heavy, but not too light and sticky like a cupcake. It even managed to survive me forgetting the sugar, and having to fold it in last minute...

Once I have adjusted the recipe I will write it up in a post.
Hope you all had a good weekend, and didn't get too frozen in!

Favorite Vintage Shops

I thought I'd do a post summarizing a few of my current favorite vintage shops that I have been browsing in. I have listed a few places from both the north and south of the UK, and I will be sure to let you know about any more that I discover on my travels.

Poot, Frome
I love this shop! It is located up St. Catherine's Hill in Frome, the street that turns this fairly ordinary town into a mecca for those that celebrate eras past. I have been to many great cafe's here (including The Garden Cafe for artisan food and fabulous coffee's and Stardust for cupcakes, frangipanes and vintage crockery) to quench the thirst caused by hours of rummaging. St. Catherine's Hill is filled almost exclusively with independent shops, vintage stores, dress agencies and other places of interest.

Poot, however, is possibly my favorite. It is crammed with vintage clothes and accessories -especially accessories -and has a rail of replica dresses which are lovely. I got a really cool briefcase from here, with the original owner's name still printed on (presumably a boy's school bag).
And you never know, you might just bump into somebody famous; in Company magazine, Daisy Lowe spoke about her love of Poot, and how her much-loved leather jacket was bought there. So if you are ever in Somerset, do try and pop in -you'll be in good company.

Scarlett Vintage, Bath 
Tucked away in Queen Street (right by the Wild Cafe which makes the most fabulous stack pancakes with strawberries, don't you know) is a real gem of a store. Scarlett Vintage, though perfectly petite, is always well stocked with gorgeous things. The website is excellent, as are the regular tweet-updates of new stock and goings on in Bath.
Although the range, in terms of decades and eras, is varied, Scarlett Vintage really comes into it's own with beautiful pre-1920's dresses.

 In addition, if you like vintage designer gifts, you have a good chance of finding some here; I have seen various brand scarfs, most recently Dior and Liberty, and the first time I ever visited Scarlett Vintage I came across a pair of Rayban Wayfarers. I have also spotted tweets about Jasper Conran dresses and Lanvin capes... race you there!

 [Thanks Scarlett Vintage for the kind permission to use these photos!]

Purple Haze, York
Purple Haze, located on Fossgate, a cobbled street that is home to niche shops, luxury delis and award-winning coffee shops; has a fantastic range of both men's and women's clothing. I bought my favorite green scarf from here, although it's real specialism seems to be cream knits -there is a whole rack dedicated to them! Purple Haze also buys in Barbour jackets every now and again for a pretty good price. They are typically men's parkers, but I think there are often smaller sizes if you're quick.

I love the decor of this shop too; wardrobe-fronted dressing rooms, bookcase designed wallpaper and all the clothes are laid out neatly with plenty of room to browse rather than rummage.

Where do you like to shop? Leave a comment if you have any recommendations!

From Russia with Love

Oh my goodness!! The weathermen and women weren't joking when they promised an eastern cold snap. I have been in my wellies all week and it has just kept on snowing.
On plus side, my Dad has been at home a bit this week, so we have been warmed with his signature one-pot dinners -vegetable curry, goulash and yesterday we tucked in to some gorgeous rice pudding for afters.

While I haven't done much cooking bar a quick bit of spaghetti bolognese, I have been rummaging at potential new recipe's and cookery books.
 I found was Boutique Baking by Peggy Porschen. While being one of a family of three does not afford me much of a chance to go for showy bakes, especially as my Dad is not a fan of icing, I was really tempted to get this. It features lots of adorable little nibbles to glamorize any morning coffee or showcase at a vintage afternoon tea. I would have also liked to have had a go at the techniques to make normal tiered sponge cakes become centerpieces in their own right by the use of decorative techniques and additional ingredients.

Peggy Porschen

These meringue kisses look so pretty; I really hope that the oven at our new house is easy to become accustomed to because I really want to make these!

I was delighted to discover that York Waterstones has an extensive range of cookery books. I was intrigued by Rose Prince's Kitchenella (I have linked a review of it here). In some way, it reminded of the books written in the 1950's -huge and full of text. There seemed to be lots of interesting comments, stories and tips at the start of sections and surrounding recipes, which I really like. I will definitely buy this next time I do a book haul.

In the meantime though, I'll be nursing my bruises from a few snowball hit. I haven't let the snow stop me from wearing skirts and dresses this week, particularly as I have found that it is so easy to sneak a few extra layers underneath!! I was very grateful for my fluffy Seasalt socks that I was given to wear under my wellies... cold feet are not my idea of a good week!

 Jumper, Wallis; Dress, H! Henry Holland and wellies by Hunter

Red Velvet Cupcakes

For the last week of term I baked up a batch of red velvet cupcakes for everyone in my group. This is one of my favourite cupcake recipes; slightly chocolaty, very light in texture despite its deceptively deep red colour. On top of that is a wonderful cream cheese frosting that cuts through the sweetness of the cake. My preferred recipe, proudly unaltered from TheHummingbird Bakery’s cookbook, almost guarantee’s perfectly decadent results.

Red Velvet cupcakes

• 80g (unsalted) butter, at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 free-range egg, room temperature.
• 40g cocoa powder
• 30ml good quality red food colouring, or a paste, loosened with a tsp water.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120ml buttermilk (either buy or see below how to make it)
•   150g plain flour
• ½ salt (or use salted butter
•   ½ tsp bicarb of soda
•   1 ½ tbsp. white wine vinegar.

Cream Cheese frosting

•  300g icing sugar
• 50g softened butter
• 125g cream cheese, cold

To make buttermilk: For every 225ml of (whole, ideally) milk, add one tablespoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice. Don't worry if it is a little lumpy; once stirred in it will smooth out.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 3, 170’C. Prepare either 12 muffin-sized tins, or 18-24 medium cake tins with paper cases. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula inbetween steps!

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk, for five minutes or so, until fluffy. Add in the egg and beat in over a high speed.

In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder with the red food colouring or paste, and vanilla extract to make a thick paste. Add to the butter until well combined. Turn the electric whisk down to a low speed and gradually stir in the buttermilk. Then gently add half the flour and beat again. Repeat this, until all the ingredients are incorporated together. Add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and white wine vinegar, and turn the whisk up to a final, high speed beat until everything is smooth and evenly mixed.

Spoon the cases until 2/3's full. Bake for 15-20 minutes if using medium cases, or 20-25 if using larger cases until the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cupcakes to cool.

To make the cream cheese: 

Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric whisk on a low speed until well mixed. To avoid an icing explosion, I initially mix the two together with a spatula before letting my whisk go anywhere near the icing sugar!

Add the cream cheese and beat until incorporated. Turn up to a high speed and beat for a good five minutes to get an aerated, fluffy frosting -but be careful not to overbeat!

Spoon onto the cupcakes when they are completely cool.

Week Roundup

Little bit late, but here's my photowall of what I've been up to!!

Clockwise, from top left:

1. My gorgeous new fingerless gloves, bought as a birthday gift from my friend Maddy.
2. Cupcake cases mentioned in a previous post.
3. Huge history of fashion book, a birthday gift from my aunt.
4. My new apron!!
5. These lovely chocolates, also bought by Maddy, came from a little chocolatier's in the French Alps. They are, quite honestly, the most divine things that I have ever tasted!
6. My spiced birthday cake.
7. The demolished houses in Whitby, damaged by landslides. The destruction made national new, but guess what? See the row of houses directly below the demolished houses, visible by only their roof's? The one in the middle used to belong to my Great Grandma! Luckily she is currently living in Scotland, so hasn't had any property damaged, which is luckier than many of the residents of Whitby.
8. My vintage-style hanger, also mentioned in previous posts.
9. Middle: Red velvet cupcakes, which I'll be blogging about very soon...

Vintage at York Barbican

Yesterday I took a brief break from my maths revision -I think my current tally for past papers is 12!- and nipped into York with my Mother to have a rummage around a vintage fair at the York Barbican. I haven't got any photos of it I'm afraid -we were half way there when I realised that it was still sat on the side at home.

We left a little later than ideal, arriving some time after the start, but surprisingly it wasn't too busy considering that it was late morning on a Saturday. Whist I didn't buy anything in the end, I saw some gorgeous vintage and vintage inspired dresses, and was seriously tempted by the glittering allure of antique jewellery. My Mother had more luck: at a sixties stall playing out records, she picked up a great copy of Peter Gabriel's first album for Dad's record player. She also spotted a Glen Miller swing album in a charity shop, so our house sounds just like all the vintage shops that I love to rummage in!

I happened to overhear one other shopper discussing with a stallholder about the lack of entertainment. Previous vintage fairs at the Barbican have involved pop-up tea shops and often live performances. When I considered this, I realised that the woman had a point; part of the joy of vintage shopping is the experience. Whenever you go into a good vintage store, you can be certain to enter an atmosphere of nostalgia, with record players crooning out old songs.

Just over a year ago, I went to a similar-sized vintage market at the Cheese and Grain in Frome. The organizers had transformed the little servery at the back with printed table cloths and vintage-themed banners to add a touch of glamour to the tea and cake being sold. At another fair in Chipping Sodbury, the local WI baked up a huge array of cakes and treats to serve the shoppers resting their legs on cushy chairs that looked over the main street of the market town.

Thinking about this, I wonder if perhaps there is a niche for those that bake to promote their businesses by renting a stand at a fair or market and to create a little bit of vintage hospitality and class for everyone. Who knows what might pop up -a 50's style diner serving milkshakes to ladies in flapper dresses? If I walked into a vintage market to be greeted by the clinking of vintage crockery and a the rich husky voice of a jazz performer, I know I'd stay for another root around the stalls!