Tuesday 18 May 2010

A beautiful surprise (and some baking)



I had the most wonderful surprise when I came home from work on Friday; a beautifully wrapped package from Persephone books. It turned out to be a thank you card from Nicola, Lydia and Fiona for hosting the Persephone Reading Week and contained a beautiful flowery apron made from the same fabric of the endpapers of A Far Cry. I was hugely, hugely touched, and extremely happy as I have been wanting a flowery pinny for some time. I hadn't spotted these in the shop so I think they may be a new product; the design for A far cry is certainly one of my favourites and makes for gorgeous domestic goddess apparrel.

Obviously, I had to bake something immediately, although I have to confess that I put the apron on after I had finished to take the picture below- it is FAR too nice to spoil with flour and chocolate. This week I have been baking from the M and S "Easy Baking" book - an absolute steal at £3.50 in which I have already marked 8 recipes to have a go at. Here (with the apron!) are the chocolate sprinkle cookies - melt in the mouth chocolate biscuit with white chocolate icing and chocolate vermicelli.

..and here are the chocolate coconut crunch squares - a spongey coconut mixture on top of chocolate digestive base.
I also have my eye on baking the ginger topped shortbread, the banana and cranberry loaf, the marble cake, the white chocolate chip brownies and the sticky ginger cookies. Watch this space!

14 comments:

  1. What a lovely gift, and very well deserved too!

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  2. What a lovely gift...so pretty. I wouldn't have been able to wear it either for fear of getting it dirty (my mother made me holiday and season themed potholders and I put them out for decoration instead of using them because I would hate for them to be ruined:) Everything you made looks so yummy!

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  3. What a lovely surprise! Such a pretty design too :)

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  4. What a thoughtful gift - but yes you do deserve it

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  5. such a great present and much deserved! - you are truly a baking phenomenon, those biscuits look heavenly!

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  6. What a perfect present and so lovely!

    The chocolate coconut crunch squares look ridiculously wonderful (and tempting).

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  7. What a gorgeous apron! I am like you in that I often don't want to wear mine when cooking as I don't want to spoil them!

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  8. Thank you for the comments! I need two really - one to admire and one to wear!

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  9. What a beautiful thought!! It is a beautiful apron.

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  10. Sicky ginger cookies sound amazing Verity! I am grateful i dont live with you if only for the fact I would be the sixze of a small mansion, hehehehe! Apron is great, they have some similar at Cath Kidson, not that I ever frequent that store or anything!

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  11. Ha, that should be sticky!

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  12. Such a wonderful bunch at Persephone, how thoughtful! Such a gorgeous pinny would definitely put you in the mood for baking and I agree...careful with the flour.

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  13. What a gorgeous apron! Well deserved too for all of your hard work!

    Lovely lovely cakes and biscuits...I think you should come and live with me and bake me things!

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  14. Simon - how can you compare my beautiful pinny to the Cath Kidston mass market things?!!! I shall make the ginger cookies soon.

    Darlene - I need an apron to wear over the apron.

    Rachel - am always happy to bake. I made you Christmas biscuits the time you came to Oxford and din't find me!

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