Afternoon Tea for Breakfast

It's been a while since I last wrote. I haven't forgotten about you and I haven't stopped eating scones with my tea and buying underwear.

Did I tell you about the time I went to the Blackbushe market and had tea and cake for breakfast.

Gilbert White's Tea Parlour

If you're ever in the Selborne area in Hampshire, I recommend this place for afternoon tea or a light lunch. It has again been awarded the Tea Guild Award for Excellence and serves speciality teas and delicious homemade cakes.

Housed in a museum for Gilbert White himself, a naturalist, and for the Oates Collection. It tells the story of three explorers of the natural world.

Vintage Tea Party Part 2

Part 2 has finally arrived with a....

teacup and saucer.

Although I was also expecting issue 3 and my tea tray with my first delivery. Then perhaps I can invite a friend round for tea and scones.

Victoria's Angels 2012

I think I have a 'type'. My favourite Victoria's Secret Angels are all brunettes......

 

 Although I do find Doutzen Kroes stunning too

I do like these too..

 

Ginger Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Now biscotti is usualyy eaten with a cup of coffee however I think they go just as well with a good cuppa.
The reason for the ginger is to use up the ginger preserve I put in my pumpkin pie at Halloween but you can put almost anything in yours. Nuts are especially good. This is what I started with:

• 4 oz plain flour
• 1.5 oz cocoa powder
• 1.5 tsps baking powder
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 oz walnuts
• 1 oz chopped dark chocolate
• 5 oz ginger preserve (or 4 oz sugar and 1 oz of stem/crystallized ginger)

Start by putting all the dry ingredients into a bowl. That’s the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, chocolate and nuts (and sugar).

If using ginger preserve whisk this together with the eggs.

Otherwise just add the 2 eggs one by one with the vanilla essence to the dry ingredients to form a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough into a flat mound and place on a baking tray. Then bake at gas mark 4 for 25 mins.

It should then be baked through making it easy to cut into half inch slices. Wait 10 minutes for it to cool before cutting into it to make it easier to handle. While you wait cool down the oven to gas mark 3.

Place the slices on their side and put back in the oven for 20 mins, turning the slices over halfway through.

Once done take them out the oven and place on a wire rack to cool down completely. Each slice should dry out and once cooled should be crunchy and dippable into hot coffee.

Baked Yeast Doughnuts

Now that I had a very nice and great value for money cake plate, I decided to bake up something sweet to serve upon it. Given that I had recently acquired a mini doughnut tray from a charity shop for a mere 50 pence, it was about time I used it.

I got the recipe from my other cake related subscription Cake Decorating magazine.

To make your own you'll need:

350 g strong white flour

400ml lukewarm milk

1 egg

50 g unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp salt

1 packet (7 g) dried yeast

50 g fine granulated sugar

Flavouring i.e. pinch of nutmeg or cinammon or a dash of vanilla

Mix the sugar and the egg together and whip for 1 minute until light and fluffy while heating the milk to body temperature.

 

Add the milk, yeast, flavouring and salt to the eggy mixture. Then slowly add the flour until it forms a dough.

Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth then place in a bowl and in a warm place to prove till it has doubled in size.

 

Once risen, knock the air out of the dough and shape into doughnuts or place dough in doughnut ring tray. Leave to prove again for 20 mins on top of your warming oven which should be set at 230 degrees C.

 

Then bake for 5-8 mins until slightly golden. Better to undercook then overcook so they remain soft and un-bagel like. Take out of the overn ans whilst hot dip in melted butter and then caster sugar flavoured with or without cinammon. Serve on a cake plate but more importantly eat whilst still warm.

 

 

Bjorn Borg underwear

I recently bought a thong from this range and I was very impressed. Especially considering that it is by the Bjorn Borg, as in the tennis player from the 80s. Take a look

http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/her/underwear

The collection is very colourful and fun and caters for women, men and children. If you 're looking for a pair of female boxers then this is the place to come. As you would expect the designs are very sporty. Although like I said it's also good for thongs. By definition a thing should be skimpy and these are however, they are not skimpy in the front which makes them very comfortable. This is the pair I bought. A lacy bright pink flourescent thong that stayed bright even after being washed.

http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/love-all-lace-10

This is the next pair I'm thinking of adding to my collection

http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/metallic

And these perfect for long cold nights

http://www.bjornborg.com/uk/animal-1