The proof is in the pudding

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Warning: any home-bake may pale into insignificance in the presence of such hues, fonts and descriptives

When I saw this wrapping paper by Cavallini Papers and & Co in the Kew Gardens gift shop, I knew it was never going to cover anything other than my kitchen wall. ‘Sweet Treats’ is a collection of 16 mouth-watering cakes and desserts featuring Grape Jelly, Lemon Cream, Iced Oranges and a small layered mountain of Apples a la Parisienne. Printed on Italian cream-laid paper stock, I’d like to think these beauties could feel as at home on an Italian Renaissance-inspired banquet in the 16th century as on the dessert menu at a doomed yet delicious wedding feast in the literary realms of Westeros.

Also this month, making my own lemon curd has seemed to kickstart some kind of culinary regression into childhood fantasies of running my own library/sweet shop/rose-petal perfumerie. In this case, a very real lemon curd cottage industry from my London flat with offshoots into a rainbow of citruses.

Lots of posting to come on the Vintage Cake Spot this summer including a preview of Marcus Wareing’s new recipe book, The Gilbert Scott Book of British Food, a glimpse into the history books of Nielsen-Massey – the iconic little brown bottle of top notch vanilla extract – and lots of lovely recipes for classic cakes, biscuits and puddings – from both myself and readers.