The Secluded ZOMBIE Tea Party - Full Write Up

Last Friday, 8th July 2011 saw a version of The Secluded Tea Party that I am pretty confident was ONE OF A KIND evening and not my usual tea party event... We held a Zombie Tea Party for over 18's - due to the nature of the cake and the overall entertainment for this fun and gruesome Tea Party, which was held at the fantastically suitable venue in the form of Apocalypse Paintball in Kneesworth. 
Why a Zombie Tea Party? - Simple. Previous guests had said how much their boyfriends and husbands loved cake, but wouldn't fancy the vintage element to my events.... So I created an event that would appeal to these guests who want to join in, but not with the florals and pastels of my usual afternoons! It worked better than I had hoped for, so I am very glad I tried this idea. 

Having sent out the itinerary for the evening and invited my 30 guests to dress up as a zombie or just come as a survivor for the night, they were welcomed by my "parking attendant" (A lovely friend who volunteered to help freak my guests out on arrival ; )  at the main gates, who was to be later "Attacked" by my 3 zombie actors who were lurking in the woods to shake up my guests a little, before we let them through the main gates.

Unfortunately, due to an accident on the main road leading to the woods, we had to do our welcome in two goes, so the second time around, with our second arrival of guests was an even better "Welcome"... allowing my first set of arrivals to get involved and run out of the woods in a larger group to scare them.. Even Better!

And to make it even more creepy, myself, Sean T Page (My special zombie guest for the evening) and Jamie, the venue owner all opened the gates as the zombies came in for their attack on my guests, and we yelled at them all to get into the compound, wielding guns firing blanks, waving crickets bats and even running towards our zombie attackers with a real chainsaw (Without the chain for health and safety purposes.. but the sound got the guests hearts racing before the evening had even started! Hehe... Evil but so much fun!!)

Once we had welcomed my guests into the venue compound, within the safety of it's barbed wire and high metal fences, we all giggled and I couldn't help but hug all of them individually and just thank them all for going to so much effort for the evening. Most of my guests had come in real zombie spirit, dressed in their survival gear or even as more realistic zombies than myself and my helpers were. We were more than impressed with the standard of the zombie outfits and make up they were all sporting. 

I also can't help but laugh, looking back, that some guests got the train and a taxi to the venue, some even bumping into strange zombies they didn't know on the way there, but all knew they were headed to the same place by their costumes and make up, so they made zombie friends on the journey. How fantastic. Zombies bringing people together hehe. There is something quite funny about this really!

And even better still... some of my hilarious guests even made some mini zombie videos on the way to the zombie tea party.... Have a look if you fancy a giggle!.. These just show what great sports they were!

Once my guests had settled in and we had told them that were not really any rules for this evening (!) - Within reason. They could curse, drink, smoke, shout, and eat my gory cake of course!

They all seemed thrilled to hear they had free reign of the venue for the next few hours, and I think this helped to relax everybody and relax after the scares and laughter on arrival. It certainly rebelled against my usual Vintage style Tea Parties with a few more manners and traditional tea party etiquette to proceedings. In fact, it felt quite good to be able to rebel for the evening.... Just for a change ; ) 

My cake selection was in fact a quartet of gory cupcakes to go with the selection of tea on offer to keep my guests warm this evening. And the boxes were white cupcake boxes with my spattered and bloody hand prints all over them for an authentic zombie feel to these goodies!...

The by-now famous Bleeding Heart Cupcake made by my good friend Emily Rigby of Atomic Cupcakes (And who also rocked at doing up my zombie make up as well as my actors' faces) were in fact formed as delicious Black Forest Cupcakes, a moist chocolate sponge filled with a cherry compote and covered in a cherry sauce to make the *Blood* and fill the delicious fondant valves on the outside. 

These were by far the messiest cake, but the most fun for guests to eat and photograph gorging as their zombie alter egos. 

In fact, just watching the zombies amble towards me in the servery was bizarre in itself, It was a freaky and very surreal sight I can tell you!

I had also made a very gooey and rich Chocolate Brownie grave, topped with a chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Cocoa Powder Soil and finished with a hand shaped gingerbread gravestone. 

I also made a vanilla cupcake with an oozing strawberry middle and it was finished with a vanilla buttercream and "Day Of The Dead" Skulls, hand decorated again by Emily at Atomic Cupcakes. 

And to complete the quartet, I made up a Red Velvet and Vanilla Cream Cheese Eyeball, rolled in white chocolate and hand decorated by my own fair (And warm hands ; )   ... Again... a great photo opportunity for my guests. I am glad they caused so much amusement and disgust. The two emotions I wanted to stir with this delicious cake assortment. All of these cakes were made in the very spacious Cambridge Cookery School, which was such a pleasure for this work load. Space and dishwashers, my two new best friends in my new kitchen location! 

We also put on various versions of zombie entertainment for my guests, and this included a fabulously zombie-cational quiz set by our Zombie Quiz Master and all round zombie know-it-all Mr Sean T Page who was such a great sport and so was his equally knowledgeable partner in crime - His wife - The lovely and very charming Constance. They both offered over an hour of hilarious questions and answers on such topics as the best way to "kill" a zombie (A good blow to the head destroys at least 80% of the brain), which part of the zombie is safe to eat (None, you fool!), what to do if your friend has been bitten by a zombie (Sympathise with her whilst getting ready to hit her with a spade!) and which is the only country in the world to have a dedicated anti-zombie army unit (China!). 

I can't thank Sean and Constance enough for their input into this event, and giving myself and my guests a chance to pick their brains on the Z word as well as the chance to buy their book and get it signed by the man in the know. If you haven't got your copy, I suggest you change that to prepare yourself for a potential zombie outbreak... you just never know when it might come in useful.

Not forgetting our "Best Dressed Zombie" Competition, which was actually offered to our joint winners at the very end of the evening, and very deserving of the fantastic Zombie-related prize they were too!

The prizes being donated by the Manager of Forbidden Planet in Burleigh Street, Cambridge (Andy, You are a STAR!) who donated the first edition of "The Walking Dead" Comic book and a Shakespeare Zombie Poster for our deserving winners. 

We decided on the lovely couple, Kate and Justin, who managed to freak us out the most every time they walked towards us - I can honestly say that if I ever bumped into either of them in the supermarket, I would have NO idea who they were, they were disguised so well. Well done guys and thank you SO much to you all for dressing up and making such an awesome effort for this secretive event! 

In fact this event has gained so much interest, and so much enthusiasm from myself and my collaborators that there will be another larger indie style Tea Party Event later in the year... so watch this space... I may well rebel again very shortly with a new idea currently being thrown around in my very busy head ; ) 

And if this write up just wasn't enough for you... Here are some photos and blog posts from fellow Secluded Zombie Tea Party guests who all seemed to have just as much fun as I did!....

Lee & Lucy's Zombie Tea Party Photographs 


Kelly's Blog Write Up on the Zombie Tea Party 

And now time to go and keep scrubbing my still-slightly grey Zombie ears and hang up my blood stained tea dress.... for now anyway. 

Miss Zombie Flay 

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PS- The Next Zombie Event will be held on Saturday 28th July 2012 - Zombie Olympics 2012... More info here...And you can get on the guest list by emailing: thesecludedteaparty@live.co.uk

REVIEW: Jocalatte Coffee & Chocolate Shop

As reviewed in my column *Miss Sue Flay Recommends* in the Cambridgeshire Journal Magazine - September 2011. 


HOW have I passed so many times before, yet never tried out this lovely coffee shop before?

Jocalatte is a lovely independent coffee and chocolate shop on Burleigh Street in Cambridge, and they source all of their truffles and chocolate selections from suppliers around the UK including Scotland, as well as the home of truffles itself - Belgium - Just LOOKING at them will make you drool for the hard stuff!

The front window is so enticing with beautiful vintage teacups and treats in the window and lots of gifts and cards to browse inside the front of the shop, it's a lovely little place to spend half an hour or so to get away from the Grafton Centre crowds.

I took a visit with my lovely friend, Lingers, today to sample the tea and cake -naturally.
(The chocolate will have to wait for another treat, another day! And they certainly know their chocolate, with a whole page on their website dedicated to the history of the dark stuff... impressive to say the least).

The staff are so friendly from the outset, I couldn't fault them at all. They offered me freshly made sandwiches if nothing took my fancy in the cabinet, although I was taken by the stuffed brown Tuna and Cucumber box that caught my eye, and it was just delicious. The bread was seeded and the filling was...well.. very filling indeed... GREAT value for money and very refreshing on a warm and sticky day.

We also ordered a pot of tea for two which was just huge and came with the largest teacups and saucers I have ever seen, which was great! No fiddly portion sizes here, this is a REAL girls lunch location. I Love it.

We took a pew in the garden to catch some vitamin D before the sun disappears, which is huge at the very back of the building and very tastefully furnished. They also have a very cute rack of potted herbs to purchase and take home at around £3.50, it is very tempting to pick them all up and take them home in their cute little red gingham-wrapped pots to go on the kitchen window ledge : )

And, knowing me by now, we sampled a piece of their tempting double layer carrot cake which was so moist and there was a slightly runny element through the sponge, taking a guess, I think it was drizzled with honey. Whatever it was laced with, it was addictive and I suggest you get down there and give them a try. Their cake selection is huge, and as an indecisive cake orderer I can tell you, it is somewhere I will need to go back to and try another slice another day hehe.

They also serve hot chocolate, and on a cold day, I can imagine this lovely shop to be the perfect bolt hole to get out of the rain and warm up before heading back out to join the tourists on the street. It's not a touristy coffee shop, and that is a real plus for me when I want to chill out, so local tea and cake lovers MUST take a visit.

I had also asked the lovely ladies behind the counter if they minded me blogging about them and putting my photos up and they were so kind about it, and we even swapped cards which is a bonus for me, a smile goes a long way in my mind.
There is nothing worse than a fantastic find, yet miserable staff.

A real winner for me - I'll be back!

Miss Sue Flay

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The Secluded Zombie Itinerary

In the excitement of planning The Secluded ZOMBIE Tea Party, I headed down to my secret woodland location last Friday evening at the same time that this weekends' creepy festivities will commence and I managed to get a real feel for how it will all look with the sun setting and the darkness creeping up on the *Safe Zone* that we will be preparing to keep you all safe for a few hours... And it looks fantastic.
Perfect for a refuge if ever there was an outbreak in Cambridgeshire - Keep it in mind!

Safe from what I hear you ask?.... Well....Zombies.... Had you not figured out by now, that this Fridays' Zombie event is going to be based around the Z word and all things related to it.

We still have a few tickets left, and they will be on sale until Wednesday evening, so spread the word, and get a few more guests to join in this interactive and most fun evening that we have in store... it's going to be a fantastic way to chill out before the weekend, bring a few bevvies, enjoy our gory cake selection and meet our VIZ (Very Important Zombie!) guest who will be joining us from London to help get everybody in the zombie spirit.

Sean T Page, Author of "The Zombie Survival Handbook (UK)" will be joining us for a fantastic interactive element for this event, and he will also be bringing copies of his best selling book, so bring your pocket money to buy a copy and have him sign it especially for you!... Only £8 too... I will be first in the queue to get my copy and signed especially for this event!

To book your tickets (We have only 40 tickets available for this unique evening, and once they are gone they are gone!), go to http://www.wegottickets.com/secludedteaparty or email me for more info at thesecludedteaparty@live.co.uk before this Wednesday at 10pm (Tomorrow!)

The exact location will be emailed to guests very shortly, and you will be given further instruction on what to expect. But we may not tell you everything just yet...

Optional chance to dress up as a zombie to really get into it... Or just come in your *Survival Scruffs* for the evening... There is no pressure wither way, but don't come in your Sunday best Outfits... We are in the woods don't forget!.... Best dressed zombie will win some really cool prizes donated to us by Forbidden Planet, Burleigh Street in Cambridge. They have backed this and have had so much fun getting involved!

Our plans for the evening, however, have changed slightly now, and the itinerary will be as follows...and if you could all follow protocol to help keep us all safe within this time, well....that would much obliged....

Safety first - Don't make any foolish noises or moves during these frightening Zombie take over times.

ITINERARY FOR FRIDAY 8TH JULY 2011

Please arrive for 7.30pm precisely. If you are late, and you haven't let us know, then the lock down process may leave you outside as Zombie food. We don't want this, so don't be late. You have been warned.
7.30pm - 8.15pm will give you the chance to settle with your deckchairs, picnic blankets, booze, soft drinks, chat to friends and fellow guests and a warm welcome from your hosts for the evening. We will get you familiar with your surroundings.
8.15pm-9pm offers a spin on a zombie quiz with the zombied-up Mr Sean T Page himself. He will be asking you all a set of questions to get you thinking and laughing at the same time. A quiz with a few interesting twists and turns.... We say no more!
9pm-9.30pm will give you all the chance to chat to our resident Zombie Theorist and buy his book, have him print his bloody paw print on the inside cover and discuss your zombie-fuelled questions and theories with the man himself....and Miss Sue Flay alongside her Zombie-Knowledgeable venue owner too! Also a chance to grab your quartet of Zombie Cakes and grab a brew before we settle in for the evening.
9.30pm-9.35pm is where my VIZ's (Very Important Zombies) will award the best dressed Zombie prize to it's worthy winner, so dress to impress... Or totally freak out your fellow guests... creativity rocks, so get going on your ideas!
9.35pm-11pm will offer one of Miss Sue Flays most favourite zombie films for a little zombie-tainment before the evening comes to an end. Bring a blanket if you are a wussy Zombie at heart, as it may get chilly.
Approx 11pm will see that you are all set free back into the world, or the train, or your taxi or the local pub to creep out the general public... if you do, I will want to see photos of such disruption.

THINGS TO REMEMBER!....

You are in the woods. Drive slowly and carefully, the roads are not like them city roads!

Bring your pocket money. Sean T Page has books to sell, and every zombie enthusiast should own a copy if they don't already. Hehe.

Bring a pen.

Go to the toilet before you come along.... We have outside Loos.. But not the usual luxurious offering that I would ensure we normally have for my guests I am afraid.

This is just for fun... Nobody will get hurt, or attacked. I hope.

Tell nobody where you are going EXACTLY until after the event. It's a secret location for a reason.

This is a first for The Secluded Tea Party, so any glitches, do bare with us!

And just have fun. Go with it, and run wild... There are no rules, within reason, so any ideas, do let me know!

See you on Friday I hope!

Miss ZOMBIE Flay 

 

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My Radio Debut With BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

On Friday 1st July I drove down to the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Radio Station to enjoy my first radio experience as Miss Sue Flay, which was so much fun.

The lovely Liz Fraser hosted the hour that I appeared in, called the "Chat Lounge" where I was joined by another guest, children's author, Imbali Iserles.

We talked about Mother-In-Laws from hell (Mine is a saint, so I couldn't relate to that luckily!), landmarks worth saving (Mine being the Folly at Wimpole Hall which is now a crumbled mess and of course the Pyramids in Cairo, which are very interesting to visit if you ever get the chance to do so... They are not quite how they seem in the holiday brochures!

We also discussed our favourite secret places in Cambridge, that not many people know about, but should... Mine being the fabulous Plurabelle Books on Purbeck Road. In the summer you can sit outside in the lovely landscaped gardens, should you be able to peel yourself away from the book shelves in this huge secluded warehouse. We hosted a book club tea party there in March and it was heaps of fun!
Check them out if you haven't been there yet, you will all fall in love with them too.

We then got on to chat about my secluded tea parties, and how I run them, how I got started with the idea, what themes I have coming up and we just had a really relaxed hour or chatting. It was like meeting up with a group of friends for a gossip over a cup of tea and a slice of cake (Of which I baked a lemon curd and vanilla butter cream layer cake to woo them all with... the one problem being, it was such a hot afternoon that it had melted a little, but still tasted great hehe)

If you didn't get a chance to have a listen to my fantastic radio début, then you can tune in here (2 hours into it, with me waffling with the ladies in between songs) :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00hj0rs

One song in fact, which I managed to weave into the play list at the last minute (Thank you so much to the production team for allowing it!!) was by Kate Garner, who recently performed and sang live at The Secluded (Vintage) Tea Party and Liz and her team fell in love with Kates music, which was just fantastic to see, as everybody should give her a listen and add her albums to their ipod track listings!... She is just brilliant and I am hoping to collaborate with her again in the near future. Perfect for any occasion needing live music and a local girl herself. 
Give her a listen and buy her music, it's a must have for any music collection.

We didn't get time to discuss the final point raised...as when you listen(ed), you will hear Liz say that we will discuss Punting and some very exciting cake related news... but we had to cut off which is a real shame!
The punting discussion was about my recently sold out punting and picnic event that I will be hosting in August with Lets Go Punting, with more exciting plans in the making with these guys. 

As well as that, if you didn't know by now, Fitzbillies is coming back to Cambridge with a bang.... They are re-opening later this summer, and it's welcome news from everybody who walks past their shop window at the moment. The new owners, Alison & Tim will make Cambridge proud with their plans to bring the famous Chelsea Bun back to our streets. Very exciting indeed!

Having worked for a local radio station a few years ago and taking part in a few voice overs myself whilst I was there, it wasn't as nerve racking as I had expected.I felt at home as soon as I arrived.
Watch this space, I may well make another appearance one day in the future!

Toodle Pip.

Miss Sue Flay

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The Secluded (VINTAGE) Tea Party - Full Write Up

  The Secluded (Vintage) Tea Party was held on a very hot and muggy Sunday 26th June 2011 at 2pm at a very special location indeed, and 100% perfect for a Vintage Themed Afternoon Tea Party.

Our venue for this afternoon event was The Barn, Kneesworth, just a mile from Royston, and not too far out of Cambridge. And being perfectly secluded, away from the main road within the car park of a very nice Indian restaurant and still with a country feel to this huge black barn full of treasures to explore. 

It was such a find when my best friend suggested I visit them a few months back - I am really glad I did!

This Aladdin's Cave of a shop sells everything from children's clothing, baby equipment, toys and books. Also maternity clothing, ladies evening wear and prom dresses, vintage clothing and bags, shoes, teacups and beautiful china, jewellery, furniture, (even carpets!) and much much more.
The Barn acts as a new and nearly new agency and their fantastic stock is ever changing and increasing, and hosts stockists such as Emu, The Vintage Shed and Mrs Bs Buttons. 




This was the perfect venue to invite my 16 guests to visit and spend their pocket money whilst also enjoying my menu of Savoury Pancetta & Red Onion Tartlets, Sandwich selection including the popular Ham & Garlic Jam filling, as well as my tempting Caramelised Pecan -Topped Scones with Apple & Rhubarb Preserve & Clotted Cream, Raspberry Ripple Layer Cake (Which had just about survived the heat by the time it came to cutting and serving) and the Cupcake Selection including my Caramel Ice Cream Cones and Carrot Cake in a Jar. It was such a fun menu to prepare and I did enjoy taste testing as I went along. Naturally.

 The Tea served at this afternoon event was a mix of the favourite blends from Tea Box, including Cricketers Tea and Rhubarb & Custard, both firm favourties and I would be silly not to offer them, both being fantastically different. I also sampled a new and locally sourced tea from Kandula Tea (Based in Peterborough) and a popular choice was their Ceylon Pink, which is suggested that you drink romantically with an edible flower, such as a rose... The serving suggestion that they make was far too risque to mention on my tea menu on the day... But visit their website for their cheeky suggestions. I love them so much!

Two of my guests had travelled 2 hours each way to come and join us for afternoon tea, to which I was mightily impressed! It hadn't clicked that they had dedicated such a long journey to join myself and my fellow guests for the afternoon, so I can't thank them enough for their dedication to the afternoon!... And they both had a ball picking up vintage gifts for their family as well as themselves, which was just fantastic to see.


All of my guests got on like a house on fire, and the conversation buzzed all afternoon, which, to the host is the best sound in the world : )
We had a lovely family with their two beautifully behaved daughters, many new Twitter friends that I have made recently including a lovely lady who hires Vintage China and her friend who offers Marketing, Events & PR, A fellow Rounders team mate of mine and her lovely lovely friends, a wonderful lady who is promoting and running this weekends' Fawcett Fete in Trumpington, as well as a few returning guests (They must think that I do something right to want to come back a second and third time hehe : )

As well as the Venue and the Guests being perfect in every way, we also had a real first in addition to these elements of the afternoon, that being live music from the beautiful and talented Kate Garner, who has recently been featured in Vintage Life magazine.
Kate is a local gem, living just down the road in Stevenage, and sat in a light and airy corner of The Barn, she belted out some lovely songs whilst playing her piano alongside them, serenading my guests whilst they tucked into my afternoon treats.
Kate sings the most quirky and quintessentially British songs, with a voice that I would liken to a light hearted Kate Bush in a very relaxed manner, perfectly matched to Afternoon Tea.
I am absolutely smitten with Kate, I think she is fantastic, and if you ever need live music for an event, she's your woman!
If I even had to be more impressed with Kate than I already am when I heard her music, I have learnt that she has performed alongside the likes of Roger Daltrey, Van Morrison and Chas and Dave (She is in fact the daughter of one half of said duo ; )

The Secluded Tea Party at The Barn was such a memorable afternoon, and one that I would love to replicate again in the future, so watch this space.

And in the meantime, get yourself down to Kneesworth, say hello to Sarah & Kelly and go and check out this place for yourself. They even have a soft play area to park the kids whilst you have a wander - It's perfect in every way, with the added bonus of free on-site parking.

Every time I pass with friends or family, I stop and whisk them around for a nosey, I just can't help but think it is a new and perfect secluded gem to share with everyone - and you all know by now, I love stumbling across new and secluded venues and locations : )


And thank you so much to my guests for making yet another wonderful afternoon work so well! Obviously these would never be successful without my guests, so if you enjoyed yourselves, then please do spread the word and tell your friends and family about your afternoon with a room full of friends and strangers and tea and cake at my invitation-only Afternoon Tea Party!

Miss Sue Flay
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