Baking On A Diet - I Need Your Support

I am about to say something that I'm very scared of making public, for some unknown reason.... So please be kind to me... I know you will...

I have always been a big girl... from school age really to being the chubby Maid of Honour or Bridesmaid (I am ashamed to say I am embarrased when I look back at the last few years especially : ( 

 My weight has always fluctuated, as you can see from the photos I'm going to share with you from the last 9 or 10 years.
(Some of which I never want to see myself anywhere near again and some others I aim to get back into shape in similar piccies for the future... It's going to happen this time, with some lengthy support from my friends, family & followers!

As you may or may not know, I have lived my life as Miss Sue Flay (Read it aloud if you haven’t yet got the name hehe ; ) for the last 2 years now. TWO YEARS!... Wow... I am shocked at myself for sticking at something for as long as this, as I am notorious for being the QUEEN of moving on quickly in everything I do...

I am beyond proud of what I have achieved with The Secluded Tea Party and the LOVELY people I have met and the friends I have made along the way (And still am meeting!) – it’s been beyond fun and I am having an absolute ball.

I have even challenged myself way beyond my own comfort zones the last few months and have filmed a couple of bits and bobs for television, it’s been so exciting, I could burst!... More to follow on those appearances shortly I hope, I just have to continue my little secrets a little bit longer, it’s killing me not being able to share it all with you  : )

The other thing that I have been fairly low key about over the last month or so is the fact that I am now admitting cake-based defeat and am currently doing the WeightWatchers plan in my local village. I am officially losing the 2 years worth of cake research I have piled on as my alter ego and I need a little more support to egg me on.

This is where you, my lovely blog and tea party followers come in.

I am on a mission to work off every single scone, cupcake, biscuit, tart, finger sandwich, meringue, swiss roll, layer cake, brownie, flapjack, tiffin, trifle, cookie and the endless list of other naughty treats that I have baked and sampled throughout my afternoon tea adventures for hosting and writing/blogging purposes.

My colleagues in my day job are predominantly men, with a love of doughnuts and I have a staff tuck shop literally sat on my desk, which I help to tempt people to fundraise for our chosen charity. I really don’t mind, in fact it’s potentially helping me to see it all day so I don’t crave it, but I fear I may crumble one of these days if I forget my little packed lunch of healthier treats...

I have been one naughty girl over the last couple of years, taste testing all my beautiful afternoon tea menus (all gorgeous, naturally ; ) and I have finally admitted it and reached the cakey wall.

I have vowed to only sample a piece of cake in all its naughtiness once a month for research purposes, for my magazine columns or blog reviews (I will have to see how that goes, but currently on track in doing just this... ; )

I have started baking more healthy desserts & sweet treats and enjoyed the summer excuse for sorbets, frozen yoghurts and healthier versions of cheesecakes, even a summer fruits terrine with jelly to make me feel like a kid again... they were all delicious recipes and didn’t make me feel that I was on a strict diet at the events I made them for. 

Perfect.

In fact, who knows, one day I may even look to host a weightwatchers afternoon tea party hehe... now that would be a great little challenge! I wonder if my weightwatchers meeting would be game for coming along to a one-off event in which I bake low pro-point foods but still taste and look amazing... now there is a challenge in itself, to actually ask them!...

... I haven't actually discussed with my fellow groups members exactly what I do... I feel as though If I tell them that all I do is surround myself with temptation, it may either go very badly for me and their thoughts towards me... or it may well go the other way and get them craving the sweet stuff if they like cake and afternoon tea as much as I do ; ) 

So I haven't yet admitted to them who I am in the shadows of my life, or what I make behind those secret closed doors... Not yet anyway. 

MY GOAL...

... I think this through every week and my one goal (apart from being fitter and healthier of course) is to watch myself on the television in the winter, when my Afternoon Tea expertise (*Cough Cough, Ahem* ; )  will be shown on BBC2's "Escape to the Country". 

The reason, other than this being my first real TV debut, is that I will be watching myself on this show at my heaviest set. I am a big girl, made of cake and scones (quite literally lately). HOWEVER, whilst I am sat, perched nervously on the edge of my sofa at that point, I will be slimmer and even more beautiful and I will be able to say *Gosh, Wasn't I big?!* instead of *Gosh, AREN'T I big?!"

That will be the proudest moment of 2012.... and I cannot wait to see what 2013 will bring, in all my skinnier glory... And, believe it or not, I am actually ENJOYING my diet. I am eating lots of healthy food, more food in fact than I would usually be eating, just the right stuff (NOT rocket science) and getting outside to exercise more, be it a bike ride, a game of squash or walking my lively pup, which I just adore doing - It all makes a world of difference : )
Even just adding a few terrible dance moves to my baking routine, instead of standing still, I rock out to the dulcet tones of AC/DC or The Foo Fighters whilst baking my Victoria Sponge - My neighbors must think I'm barmy hehe.

Please do support me, mostly by not getting upset if I turn down a slice of cake and only seen to be sipping politely on a cup of Earl Grey, it's NOTHING personal and I will personally be going through some tough decisions when turning down a delicious treat in exchange for another banana or Pink Lady apple.... but trust me, when you see me at The Secluded Tea Party next year, you will not recognise me, thinking only that your afternoon tea Hostess has been chopped in for a younger and even more stunning model ; ) 

I have to say, between starting off this blog post & finishing it, I have found out that my baking idols, The Hairy Bikers (Who got me baking in the first place with their STUNNING scone recipes - no lie!) are now also on a weight loss challenge themselves, their book is on it's way in the post to me as I type and I cannot wait to get cooking some of their skinnier versions of British classics, including their pasta-free lasagne which is on tonight's menu in the Flay household. 
I have seen photos of their success so far & they look incredible!.... 
Si & Dave, I salute you - Keep up the GREAT WORK xx

If you fancy supporting me, then don't be afraid to drop me a line, I am open to ideas, challenges, ideas and just a chat over a slimline drink if you fancy helping me on my weight loss journey... Just leave me a message below or contact me in the many different ways at the top of this blog...

Miss Sue Flay

x

Recipe: Strawberry Shortbread Dessert

After seeing some inspiration for pastels and strawberry desserts online over the weekend, I was craving a little pick me up that was easy to make, yet BEYOND delicious to satisfy my sweet cravings. So this little afternoon tea treat was just the ticket.

I had been having a good old poke around through my new baking books, of which I have many that I haven’t yet used, feeling more and more inspired (and hungry for sugar!) the deeper I delved. However, In the end, I just couldn’t resist this simple all butter shortbread recipe from the Good Food website, good old BBC as always : )

I did think to myself that after all these ridiculously fancy recipes I had been flicking through they just didn’t match this perhaps, too simple recipe, of which did slightly bore me on this particular day. Sometimes a biscuit is just that, a biscuit... am I right?!

So I decided to turn my shortbread biscuits into fun heart shapes and make them the base for a beautiful and summery dessert instead...

I added a sweet whipped cream and fresh strawberries to the biscuits and layered them to make a dessert to rival most simple supermarket sweet fixes, it is perfect as a show stopper for a dinner party, even as a pudding for a BBQ (come rain or shine, come on, this IS England!) or just to store in the fridge and nibble on as and when you fancy a quick sweet fix in front of the TV with your fave show or a quick *healthy*- ahem!... and filling treat whilst cheering on our beloved Olympians for the next week or so...! It lasts a couple of days at most, due to the fresh cream in the mix, however I am pretty sure if your household is anything like mine, they won’t last past the day you make them hehe.

Shortbread Recipe: 

125g Unsalted Butter (at room temp works best)

55g Caster Sugar

180g Plain Flour (sifted) 

300ml Double Cream

4* Tablespoons Icing Sugar *(Approx) 

200g Fresh Strawberries

Method:

Heat the oven to 190*c/Gas Mark 5 (Does anybody still use Gas Marks?!...) 

Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth, then stir in the flour to get a smooth paste (this doesn’t take too long or too much work to achieve). Turn on to a work surface and gently roll out until the paste is 1cm/Half inch thick. 

Cut into good sized rounds or any shape of your choice (I went for hearts : ) and place onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with icing sugar or granulated sugar and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes until firm. (If you have any leftover, you could make mini shortbreads instead of throwing away the excess... I added a few choc chips to mine to try and they were delicious!)

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes (Mine took only 15 and still were a little more browner than I would have liked so my advice would be to check after 10 minutes, especially for smaller shapes) and then allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Once cool, you can take 3 biscuits per serving and make your Strawberry & cream filling. 

Simply whip the Double Cream (you want a soft peak to your cream, not too stiff) and add a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar to the cream, to sweeten it to your taste.

Get hold of one biscuit and spread a generous layer of the cream mix to the top.

Finely slice a punnet of strawberries and add a generous layer of slices to the cream layer on the biscuit. Add a thin spreading of cream to the underside of the next biscuit and place it cream-side down on top of the strawberries to sandwich them inside. 

Then for another messy bit... add a little more cream onto the top of the second biscuit, and some more strawberries, then finally a thin layer on the underside of the third biscuit which you can then press lightly onto the very top for the third (and last) layer. 

If you want to be vain for photographic purposes (like me ; ), perhaps dust a little icing sugar on the very top and add a sliced strawberry, fanned across the top of your dessert for your viewing pleasure. 

Now stop faffing and go and enjoy eating this gorgeous, yet simple afternoon tea treat...

Miss Sue Flay 

x

NB. This shortbread recipe found at BBC Good Food website (the Strawberries & Cream filling has been made up by myself and added to make this more than just a biscuit : )

Review: Shelford Delicatessen

I have been a huge fan of the Great Shelford Deli from the moment I stepped foot through their tiny cart shed doors to pick up a sandwich order for my colleagues whilst temping in a nearby village late last year. Even in the bitter British winter weather that we suffered (up to a few weeks ago in fact haha!), people were literally queuing outside the doors for homemade hot soups and pasta dishes, as well as their gorgeous sandwiches, so I had to try them for myself to see what the big deal was all about...

...Well.

These guys make the kings AND queens of ALL sandwiches. They use freshly baked bread and the most delicious and moreish fillings I have ever had in a sandwich or baguette ever. And I am not being dramatic here, they are the mummy AND daddy of the sandwich world.  You know sometimes when you ask for a sarnie and it’s just two slices of dull *Shop bought* bread with a measly filling inside?... Well, this is the polar opposite, even a straight forward sandwich can make your day at this place... but trust me, if you are hungry and feel like something a little more indulgent, go for a baguette or a bloomer - you won’t be disappointed!

It got to the point with calling our sandwich orders through to Shelford Deli from our office (You can call ahead and order, it’s brilliant!)  that we would all know which *Number* on the menu we wanted each day in the end... although, on a regular basis, our minds could be easily swayed to go for one of their weekly specials which would include new and even more interesting fillings in their sandwiches to freshly made pastas, couscous, salads, curries and so on. You could eat here every day of the week for a month and still not try everything on offer, I just can’t rate this place enough for that.

In fact, the more people I talk to about this little gem on the very outskirts of Cambridge, just a hop from our beloved Scotsdales Garden Centre, the more people I find out already know about it and go there for a little treat from time to time themselves. The Deli has been here for years now, a little unassuming shop front, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on sale for you to buy, it looks like a traditional British Greengrocers from the outside, but step inside and you are greeted with a brand new and huge extension to this Deli, with shelves filling the shop from floor to ceiling stocked full of oils, breads, olives, cakes, vinegars, pastas of all kinds, sauces, jams, pickles, teas, coffees, Italian breadsticks, Ice Creams and nutritious frozen *Ready Meals* ... the drool-inducing list goes on and on.

If you ever feel yourself in need of a good strong cup of Monmouth coffee (or a pot of loose leaf tea) and a slice of something naughty, this is the place for you. Their chocolate torte is so dense and chocolatey, that not even I, the queen of desserts, can finish a slice without feeling very guilty indeed - perfect for a devilish treat every once in a while.

They also have a fresh selection of pastries, strawberry tartlets, tiffin, brownies, as well as gluten free goodies too.

It’s a cake & sandwich lovers’ heaven.

With the recent takeover of the building next door, the owners have been able to knock through and make this not just a takeaway Deli with an ever increasing queue, but a light and spacious coffee shop, so should you wish to stay in and make the most of your visit, you can. They have designed this so well, making the most of the space they have, whilst keeping the charm of the smaller premises they had before, which is now used as their kitchen.  They haven’t neglected the food, I actually think it’s just got better since the expansion, with much more choice, all freshly made on site – the smell hits you as soon as you enter, it’s lovely.

In fact, it’s my go-to place on a Saturday after a stressful shopping trip in Cambridge (stress and shopping go hand in hand for Miss Sue Flay ; )  Sod the queues in town or the more *Cambridge Canteens*  for mediocre sandwiches (Anne you will know EXACTLY where I mean hehe )

There is nothing more satisfying than craving a Shelford Delicatessen “Jarvis” on a brown Baguette (It’s Pastrami, Chicken, Dill Pickle, Roasted Red Onion, Mayo and Cranberry Sauce) ... Just trust me when I say, it’s the best food-invention ever! 

They also offer catering for parties or corporate events, so do take advantage of this service, should you ever feel yourself in need of some culinary assistance. 

The only downside I would say about this place is that there are not too many tables, so if it’s busy, you have to make do with your car as a lunchtime retreat, but there are quite a few green areas in this rather large village, so do take a wander and have a mini picnic instead, should this happen to you when you check it out.

Get your bum down there now, even if it’s just for a takeaway treat or a sit down with a good quality cuppa and a read of the paper with your lunch... Don’t forget, they do hot lunches too should you need to warm up in this cold British summer weather.

Visit Shelford Deli on Woolards Lane, Great Shelford, 

http://www.shelforddeli.co.uk

 

Miss Sue Flay

The Rise Of Pop-Up Tea Parties

.... And hopefully not the fall of them either ; ) 

I am thrilled to bits to have a mention this week on the Jordan’s Cereals Blog. They have been looking into the rise of the Pop-Up Afternoon Tea Party and I’m a very lucky lady indeed to be listed on their write ups

: )

I had a chat with the lovely Cate who wrote this fabulous post and it was so interesting to hear just how many are actually popping up around the country and I absolutely LOVE the look of The Queen of Tart’s secret parlour based in Scotland, as well as Pippa’s pop-up tea room in Kent.

I mean for goodness sake, what afternoon tea lover would turn down a glass of Rhubarb Fizz or Elderflower Champagne (my personal FAVE!)?!... Or the opportunity to indulge in a peaceful and clandestine location whilst nibbling on individual trifles or warm, homemade scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. It’s a once a month treat for myself and one that I look forward to, so these lovely locations are now on my list to visit when I am travelling anywhere near to these areas in the near future.

I am also a sucker for Jordan’s as a company, not just for their lovely products, but for so many happy childhood memories of this oaty brand. If you didn’t know, they are actually a local company to us here in Cambridge, just a drive away in Biggleswade (Bedfordshire) and literally 10 miles down the road from the farm that I grew up on. My dad used to take myself and my sister to this small market town on a Sunday morning for car boot sale bargains and Swimming in their leisure pool, allowing us all to escape from the chores that Sunday (and my lovely house proud mummy : ) brought at home hehe. (I wasn’t a huge fan of swimming, whereas my sister partook in lessons and did really well, however, if it meant I could escape hoovering and dusting duties... RESULT : )

Dad used to take us to the Jordan’s Mills to buy bits and bobs from their farm shop with our pocket money as a treat and I often drive past there now on the way to one of my good friends’ houses and smile when I pass it. It makes me proud to live in this area, seeing a thriving family run business is always nice to see lately and it always offered a nice Sunday morning out for me and my sister growing up, so I was geekily excited to hear I was appearing on their website with The Secluded Tea Party : )

Why not get yourself down there? Shuttleworth Old Warden Park is one reason to head that way for a lazy afternoon one weekend, followed by a pot of tea at Southill Village Stores & Tearoom which I can highly rate for a cute location in the Bedfordshire Countryside, before heading back past Jordan's for a nosey and a few treats in the shopping basket.

However, if you can't get over there, you can buy lots of their products in most shops and supermarkets and I can't think of any other reason to get dreaming up tasty Flapjack recipes and that idea takes me back to my FIRST ever recipe I tried out myself.

I found this very cute cookery book at a Brownies Jumble sale, when I was all *butter wouldn't melt* Girl Guikding material (Yeah, right ; ) and couldn't resist taking it home and making my teddies a little picnic and making this flapjack with my mum. It makes me chuckle looking back at it, however, laugh as I may, I still use this recipe for a basic and tasty Flapjack recipe should I ever crave it.....

Flapjacks - Brownies' Style! *

Ingredients: 

4oz butter
 4oz soft brown sugar
8oz porridge oats
2 tablespoons golden syrup
Pinch of salt 
(Add fruit or chocolate chips for a more interesting mix, but the plain classic is 
always best for a good old fashioned buttery and oaty flapjack : )


Tools (Ask Mummy's permission first!) : 

Saucepan, Wooden Spoon, Square Baking Tin


Method: 


1) Rub the baking tin all over with buttery paper


2) Melt the sugar, butter and golden syrup slowly in the saucepan. Add the porridge oats, mixing all the time. Stir them all together. 


3) Put the mixture in the baking tin and cook on a medium oven (160*c) for 20 minutes. 
When cool cut into squares and enjoy.

To view the pop-up tea room feature on the Jordan's blog, click here.

Miss Sue Flay

x

* Recipe from The Brownie Cookbook written by Verily Anderson. 
 

Cambridge City WI – Do you (W)ant (I)n ?!

This week has been one very exciting week indeed for the fabulous and creative women of Cambridge and surrounding areas... A group of lovely ladies, including the likes of local bloggers, Jen from "Jenny And The Magic Feather"  and Claire of "Claireabellemakes" have decided to set up their own branch off the WI (Women’s Institute) in the heart of our very own city.

It actually felt quite clandestine and exciting heading down to the Friends Meeting House off Jesus Lane, walking through the puddles and hotfooting it into this friendly building with crowds of other women actually made me feel very proud for some unknown reason to me... The feminist in me has been ignited lately!

 It was more exciting than I had anticipated, I was in awe of these ladies after we realised that we had 53 women sat here waiting to hear the plans for this new WI group and discuss our ideas with them.

The co-founders of this group had visited a few of the many local WI groups in Cambridgeshire to check them out, to meet the more traditional members, however they felt that the tradition was going to hold their plans back ever so slightly for some more modern activities & pursuits that many of the newer WI groups around the country offer to appeal to a slightly younger crowd.

This may seem a little harsh sounding to the more traditional approach to the WI, however, as one of the Cambridge WI ambassadors who was there to join us for this evening had mentioned herself, it wasn’t causing offence to the other local groups, in fact quite the opposite was true. They were hugely impressed with the turn out and interest from this much younger than *normal* crowd and they were 100% in support of this WI group going ahead which is just fantastic.

Some of the ladies brought along homemade cake and we donated a £1 or so for a piece or slice to start helping to raise funds for this new group and the venue fees. Tea was served and the tables were filled with chatter, with small groups of us sitting together putting down our own personal thoughts & desires on what we would like to see the new WI group doing, either as a large group together as well as smaller spin off groups should the activities or ideas be a little more unusual. Just some of the thoughts that came from the group were ideas such as dancing classes, crafting sessions, knitting lessons, baking & decorating workshops (Wahoo!), circus skills, fascinator & jewellery making, plumbing courses, learning a new language, yarn bombing, self defence & first aid, even role playing games (no not THOSE kind of games you filthy minded beggar ; p ) and even swishing (clothes swapping to anyone else who didn’t know what this was ; ) and much much more besides. Needless to say, we were in fits of giggles discussing each idea and they all went into a suggestion box at the end for the ladies to use to help them put together some ideas for the forthcoming meets.

It was a very informal meet, purely to listen to the local, more established WI ladies telling us about the WI and a little about the history behind it. Did you know that the WI was not in fact started in the UK, but it was started by a farmer’s wife in Canada?!... A lady called Adelaide Hoodless started up a meeting for the wives of the members of the Farmers’ institute in 1897 and the first British WI meeting didn’t take place until 1915 in North Wales where it was set up to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Nowadays, with the latest crazes and noticeable fashions on the climb, with retro clothes and hairstyles dominating our magazines and web viewing as well as the baking phenomenon which doesn’t ever seem to calm down (Which is GREAT news! : ) the WI is appealing to many more younger women and they aren’t scared to admit that they want to be making their own jams and labels whilst sat socially networking with a piping hot cuppa and a slice of homemade Victoria Sponge whilst knitting a scarf or two (Well, some may wish to at least ; ) 

 Just look at some of the quirkier WI groups around the country and you can see why it is starting to appeal more and more, with the lovely ladies offering lots of fun at Buns & Roses and the Colchester Wigs for example.

Cambridge will be the next WI group on the map to do things *Their* way, with the support of the Women's Institute to push forward some of the more traditional values and causes along the way. There will be an open forum for people to push forward their ideas & skills and help to make this group a friendly and welcoming place for local women of any age or background to come along to.

I know personally just how important this is in itself, as many lovely ladies I have met through my own Afternoon Tea events have said to me previously, the first thing that they did when they arrived a new girl to the area was check out the local WI groups, but they weren't full of women our age to meet, so this is going to be huge for the new women of Cambridge, as well as the girls who have been here their entire lives, such as myself!

Now that committee know the interest is there (and growing rapidly!) they plan to get the Cambridge City WI group up and running for August/September time, with membership only costing around £30 a year, it’s steal for the best social life we have all had yet in Cambridge!

You can contact these ladies for more information on their Facebook Page or Twitter account, or email them to add yourself to the mailing list:

cambridgecitywi@gmail.com

It’s not fuddy, it’s not duddy, it’s sheer brilliance. Geekery and perfect for anyone who likes tea, cake and meeting new people!

The next meeting is an open meeting on 5th September 2012, so why not

Come along and join in the fun... even our local men will want to put on a wig and join us when they see what they have lined up for the next year & beyond! - Hehe.

Miss Sue Flay

x