British Cream Tea : Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Mince pie

The traditional Mince Pie, a British festive sweet pastry traditionally consumed during Christmas and New Year. Mince pies are filled with mincemeat, a mixture of apple, dried fruits such as raisins & sultanas and a mixture of spices.

Mince pies are left out in front of the chimney for Father Christmas, along with a glass of Brandy or Sherry and a carrot for the reindeer. I still remember the excitement on Christmas morning of finding a bite taken out of the pie, the Brandy glass half empty and only the carrot top left after Rudolph had munched it. It is a traditional we carry on for both my nephew and my son, although he is, as yet, a little too young to understand!

This mince pie has a pastry base that has been pinched and frilled and a pastry star sitting on top of oodles of mincemeat filling.

 

My Mince Pie Sculptures are available now in my Etsy ($) and Folksy (£) shops so you can treat someone (or yourself) to an everlasting piece of British tradition!!

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Plasticine gardening

  

We caught this programme at a ridiculous time of the morning last week and it was amazing...a while garden made out of Plasticine by hand by schoolchildren, Chelsea pensioners, Jane Asher, visitors to the Ideal Home Exhibition, Jane McAdam Freud and a host of other members of the British public for an exhibition at Chelsea Flower Show....

This is a clip of the last part of the show, with the finished garden, but it is definitely worth watching it all (it is all on youtube from the same poster as the clip here)

Completely amazing!

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Chocolate Cornflake Cakes

In the mad rush that was last week I posted a message to my facebook fan page that I was making chocolate cornflake cakes (out of felt) and Pamela was intrigued so I promised her a recipe.

(I didn't have time today to make some for the photograph!)

So for Pamela, and anyone else wondering, here is a really simple recipe...

50g butter

4tbsp golden syrup (or honey if you are in a country that doesn't have it!!)

100g plain chocolate

75g cornflakes

1. Gently melt the chocolate, syrup and butter in a pan

2. Stir in the cornflakes and spoon the mixture into fairy cake cases.

3. Chill in the fridge till set.

We didn't ever have cornflake as children so my Mum used to make these with rice crispies (you could try any cereal) and I have had them with raisins, crushed sweets (refreshers are good for all you Brits ;) or nuts added...or sprinkled with silver sugar balls, hundreds & thousands or edible glitter. I have also made these as birthday cakes by setting candle holders in them before they set.

There are so many ways you can make these your own!!

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Winter Arts Fair at St Georges Hall

Yesterday's Winter Arts Fair was wonderful!

My table was constantly swamped by people, the hall was busy all day and people had actually come to see my work...for that I am so honoured and grateful, as I am to those who visited me, came back twice or more and dragged family members to see my cakes and biscuits (or to see my wire cake stand as one lovely woman did!)

The day was so busy that the above photograph, taken before the public opening time was the only one I took and I didn't have time, sadly, to wander and see other stalls or take any pictures of the hall...

But it was fun and lovely to see the smiles on people's faces and hear the 100% positive comments and feedback.

I'll definitely be doing more!

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Tea bag and doily bunting

After the success of my little tea bag business cards I wanted to try making some bunting around the same theme for the front of my table to hang with some regular paper bunting and maybe some little Union Jack bunting (if I get the time and have any ink!!). So this afternoon I took a break from sewing and strung half emptied tea bags onto nude embroidery thread with little tea stained tags and bits of paper doily.

It is so cute and smells simply divine ;)

I am going to make another string tomorrow and list it in my shop as I think it would fit well...what do you think?

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Lady Grey

I just looked up Lady Grey on the Twinings website and find that it is recommended for drinking in the afternoon with cupcakes or biscuits. I chose to use Lady Grey for my business cards due to a combination of the name, the scent and the taste...but this just makes it completely and absolutely perfect for my work!!

Just had to share ;)

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Tea Bag business cards...

I am frantically sewing, searching for vintage mismatched china in charity shops and raiding my Mum's tablecloth and cutlery drawers in preparation for next Saturday's Winter Arts Fair at St Georges Hall. I am dressing the table to look like a tea party or afternoon tea table with my pieces on vintage china...

I was trying to think of someway, other than plain business cards, of making something for people to take away with them...and I designed these little "cards" with my little tea stained crown tags stapled to a Lady Grey twinnings tea bag. I will pile them into tea cups at the front of the table...

I love them!!

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Christmas to do lists

My table is currently covered in Christmas Puddings and Walnuts and Satsumas and other felt sculptures in various stages of development!! I don't think we will be eating at this table tonight.

There is something really exciting about the cutting and sewing and seeing the sculptures come together...and something very satisfying about ticking off each one on my ever growing to do list that I am now attempting to keep on the computer (with little tick boxes!) instead of on paper as apparently it is more efficient...

Tomorrow I am making a new piece for Christmas, but tonight I would love to finish at least a few of these favourites whilst watching fireworks in the sky across the river ;)

I should have baked potatoes, roasted chestnuts and eaten toffee apples on lolly sticks with Toby.

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

A jaffa cake and frantic sewing...

I am frantically sewing Christmas Puddings and Satsumas and Walnuts and Mince Pies (I will take photos of my workspace tomorrow!!) but for now I will leave you with this photograph of a commission I made this week...a Jaffa Cake with a candle. I love this idea and it is so genius I may do more birthday biscuits and cakes in the future!!

British Cream Tea: Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture