Mrs Birks Blogs

Just before going back to work in September, I had a final baking weekend where I decided to have another go at my nemesis - macarons.  On the recent series of Bake Off, everyone seemed to be knocking up macarons all over the place and not even as an actual challenge - often just for the decoration on other things!  I have tried them 3 times now and not once have I achieved the perfect macaron.  How do those bakers in the tent do it??? So back at the start of September I had a go at making them for what was the second time using Edd Kimber's recipe for Chocolate and Raspberry Macarons .  I followed his recipe carefully, although I don't have a sugar thermometer, so that bit was guess work.  The result was better than my previous attempt but the mixture was a little bit runny and I think this was due to my folding in technique.  I have never been good at folding in - I think I'm not really delicate enough generally - not just in baking but in general life....

With all our trips around Norfolk, you may be wondering if I've had time to do any baking recently.  The answer is: a bit! With the return of the Bake Off, who can resist a bit of cake baking and with a visit from friends a few weekends ago, I had the perfect excuse to bake something yummy. When I'm baking, I tend to stick to a few tried and tested cakes that I know everyone will like but this weekend, I decided to move away from the norm and try something from The Clandestine Cake Company Cookbook, which my sister bought me for my last birthday (I notice there is also a new book out).  Isn't the cover beautiful?  The recipes inside are too! I love the idea of a secret cake club where everyone bakes and shares their baking.  This book has a range of recipes from Lynn Hill and other CCC members, including classics, celebration and creative cakes.  Some recipes are themed, for example a Blue Velvet cake which was made to go with a film noir themed evening...

And so Ouse Fest has finished for this year but not before we went two more local events: Mepal Outdoor Centre Family Fun Day and Denver Sluice Fun Day. Mepal Fun Day With oddly hot/cold weather the family fun day started for us with a picnic whilst looking at some crazy kids doing the high ropes.  Our oldest was too young to have a go at this but did instead sign up for the Trust Trail which involved a hard hat, a blind fold and a trail of obstacles.  Two dirty knees later and a trek through the woods, she had a sense of satisfaction having crawled through tiny spaces following a rope wire around the assault course. For our youngest, who was too young for almost everything, the bouncy castle was his favourite activity and because it wasn't hugely busy when we got to it, he was able to spend a good while bouncing about.  He did listen to some of the storytelling and watched the Morris Dancing but as an active young man he found it hard to keep still which meant he ke...

You will notice that some of these posts will have a water based theme over the next few weeks, this is because it's Ouse Fest.  What?  You don't know what Ouse Fest is?  Well let me inform you - it's a celebration of the 'Ouse Washes landscapes and communities'  Ok, I'll admit I had to look that up but  you can find out more about it here So as part of the Ouse River Festival Fortnight, Welney Wetlands Centre (about 15 minutes drive from our house) had a kids go free day.  A great opportunity to discover some local wildlife and make the most of the good weather (not sunny but dry at least!).  It cost £8.99 for me to take the kids and would normally be £3.90 for children (under 4s are free) which includes gift aid, so you feel like you're doing some good for the environment. The first thing that strikes you at WWT is the peace and quiet - well apart from the tractors going by but then that's another attraction for the kids.  The pathway to...

As many of you know, I have moved house quite a lot.  And not just moved house but moved counties several times.  I think my friends and family probably think I'm addicted to moving house (I'm not - who would be?) but actually, I've just moved to be closer to work - even if that work has been all over the country.  Anyway, my husband and I have decided that we won't be moving again for quite some time, so it's time to find out more about the County where we intend to settle for a while. Before we moved to Norfolk, neither of us had visited it or really even considered it as a holiday destination but the town where we live has loads of attractions on the doorstep - beaches less than an hour away, forests and nature reserves and nice easy cycle tracks, plus lots of events for kids and train connection to the big cities - what more could a family of four want? One of our first adventures into the local area was to Thetford Forest.  We were looking...

For a teacher, the arrival of the summer holidays is like a visit from an old friend you haven't seen for ages - super exciting, full of possibility and hugely gratifying that it's finally arrived. The feeling that you have time to be with the family, time to do stuff you've been putting off all year (cleaning) and time to sleep, eat and be merry makes all the moments when you've missed the family and spent endless hours marking seem worth it.  This holiday, having moved to Norfolk in August last year, we've decided on a true staycation to explore the local area.  We have a long list of places to visit, with everyone in the family suggesting their top ideas.  The trick will be to make sure our 'staycation' doesn't cost more than a trip abroad - which can easily happen in the UK.  Over the next few weeks I'll post about where we've been, what it was like and how much it cost. I've also got a child's party to organise and some chairs to upc...

Thank goodness for Pinterest! Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without it - what did I do before it? Nothing gets made in our house now without a quick look at what the clever people online have made and shared.  Father's Day has been no exception and after having only a second hand - possibly antique - mug for the children to give as a gift, after a few minutes looking and a couple of hours making, Daddy had some lovely personal presents too.   For this one, Daddy had to be involved (well it wouldn't be the same without his handprint!)  But as it was the first one, he didn't know what the end result would look like.  I must admit, I didn't either, especially as the youngest member of the family, who doesn't like dirty hands, was the last to have his hand printed (I managed to paint his hand whilst he painted his sister's). His went surprisingly well in the end and whilst he had painty hands, we got his fingerprint as well. We had...

I have had Paul Hollywood's How to Bake for ages but not baked anything from it. I did try his Chelsea Bun recipe when filling in my (sadly unsuccessful) application for the Bake Off but found that on the internet and it was the recipe that prompted me to buy his book. It being Easter, I decided to try a recipe for Hot Cross Buns. What better way to try out the book? Chelsea Buns - a tried and tested Paul Hollywood recipe The recipe is fairly straight forward but unlike other recipes, contains pieces of apple which Hollywood says enhances the taste and adds moisture.  The only adjustment I made (and always make to fruit based recipes) was to add 230g of mixed fruit, rather than 150g of sultanas and 80g of chopped mixed peel.  I can't stand peel  - although I noticed afterwards, as I bit into a bun that the mixed fruit I had chosen did contain bits of peel.  Mixed fruit bags often contain Cranberry, which I love but it can taste a bit Christmassy which you may...

So my poor, neglected blog is 2 years old and what a lot has changed in the past year!  My resolution to write one post a month has gone completely out of the window but it doesn't mean I've stopped loving my blog.  I just haven't had a lot of time to update it.                                             Happy Birthday Mrs Birks Blogs...not 6 yet! Back in February, I wrote about a book called Create Your Amazing Year 2014 (read about it here)  which had been helpful in making some changes to my general routines and I was feeling happier.  Later that month, as part of making changes, I went for a job interview and after a thorough grilling, I got a new job to start later in the year.  No biggy you might be thinking but it wasn't just a new job, it also meant a new house, new school for my daughter and a new daily commute into Cambridge. Instantly...