Shoreditch "Clandestine Cake Club" - Meeting 1

Thanks so much to everyone who came to the inaugural meeting of the Shoreditch CCC at Crimson Heart. It was so lovely sitting round and getting to know each other, and feeling (kind of) healthy due to the Vegan theme for the month. There was banana maple syrup, lemon drizzle, chocolate carrot, banana tahini, steamed berry... It was actually quite nutritious when you think about it :)

The 'Vintage Tea Party' Book - By Angel Adoree

On the way to a 1926 night at Troxy :)

What an absolutely beautiful book to own! I do love my Kindle as I'm an avid reader and it's easier for me to use that to carry the 10 books I can read in a week - but there is nothing better than holding a gorgeous book like this in your hands and going over its pages time and time again, in a big comfy chair.
And the best thing about it is it's not just a 'cook-book' but also has tips on how to source vintage china, make decorations and even get the perfect vintage look for your tea party. But because of the large range of subjects it covers, I was surprised at how sophisticated the recipes are. This is a 'grown-ups' cook book which includes dishes like smoked salmon souffle and brie & walnut savoury scones. It even includes so many things I've never even heard of...and I've been to a lot of tea parties! Coddled eggs, aspics...the list goes on.

http://vintagepatisserie.co.uk/ 

Now I'm half Irish and half Gypsy, so I thought I was aware of every possible excuse to drink during the day...champagne breakfast, bloody mary, mulled cider etc. But even I haven't heard of "Athol Brose" - a delicious combination of cream, honey, whiskey and oats to be downed with your bacon and eggs. That's next on my list to try :)
Continuing the boozy theme, there is a gorgeous selection of tea cocktails such as a 'Tea-quila Sunrise' and a 'Tea-tini'. So who thought tea parties were twee and boring?? Of course there are also some amazing recipes for sweet treats but I don't want to spoil the surprise - go and get the book!

 http://angeladoree.co.uk/ 

Angel herself is an amazing woman - you may remember her from Dragons Den (watch here):

Clandestine Cake Club
 - The first rule of Cake Club is "You do not talk about Cake Club"
 - The second rule of Cake Club is "You do not talk about Cake Club"
(or something like that...)

http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/

Well actually the main rule of cake Club is "NO cupcakes, muffins, brownies, pies or tarts - it's all about CAKE"

Now the end of March is drawing near, I thought I'd officially post about how proud I am to be the organiser of the Shoreditch branch of the 'Clandestine Cake Club'. The CCC was founded in the summer of 2010 by Lynn Hill, who simply wanted a way to enjoy more tea, cake and conversation without having to do ALL the baking herself. Thus, the Cake Club was born and since then the network has grown to over 70 clubs, with international groups in Spain, Switzerland and New Zealand.


I first saw this group on The One Show on Feb 24th of this year; note that at the time (1 month ago) there were reportedly only 30 CCC groups....

You can also read Lynn's write-up of the day here:  http://clandestinecakeclub.co.uk/2012/02/16/leeds-the-one-show/
I e-mailed Lynn straightaway after checking her website and seeing there was no local group near me...in fact, hardly any in London at all! Poor Lynn was inundated with e-mail but within a few days I had a location and a date for my first meeting, and the Shoreditch CCC was born.
Since then the Clandestine Cake Club has been in many magazines and newspapers, and was even on the Alan Titchmarsh show on the 16th of this month (an accolade shared by my W.I Group, the Shoreditch Sisters.) 
It will also be on Lorraine Kelly's show around March 26th and there is a cookbook featuring the best of the CCC's recipes in the pipeline to be released soon...
If you'd like to join my group or the network in general, click on the above link and get registered. You can then apply to attend the specific events, and that is a necessary part of the process as it's the 'clandestine' part! The venue is never advertised until only a few days before so you need to be registered to find out where it is... It's also a good idea to register to let the organiser know what cake you're making (so there's no duplication) and if you intend to bring a guest. The theme changes every month, and next month I have a 'Film Noir' theme to really get those innovative and creative juices flowing.
So if you like to eat, bake and talk about cake then there's a place for you in a Cake Club near you.......... x0x

Cakes and Shakes at "Fat Sam's Grand Slam"
My most recent adventure with Crimson Heart nearly involved me getting absolutely covered in cream during the infamous 'Splurge' fight - part of the 'Bugsy Malone' immersion experience hosted by Future Cinema.

We weren't selling tea but there were plenty of cakes, supplied by my favourite location for sugary shenanigans in Shoreditch: Crimson Heart Tea Shop. And standing behind the counter while the amazing smells of rocky road, vanilla cupcakes and strawberry milkshakes wafted over me was almost maddening - dairy is still off the menu for me so Fat Sam had to eat my share :(

The film run this time around is much longer than Brief Encounter, partly as it coincides with the kids Easter Holidays, so there's still a chance to get tickets. We were definitely prepared  for the onslaught of sticky fingers demanding milkshakes, coke floats and giant cupcakes like zombies demanding BRAINS, and it was nice to see that our 'hard-shakes' were just as popular for grown-ups as they contained a cheeky shot of something a bit stronger...

Thank god for  the fact I never gave up booze for Lent - I needed a shot myself by the time Ali started to sneakily let me know the splurge was going to begin soon so we needed to wrap up the cakes. I went all clumsy with the cling film and started panicking, hissing to Ali in a frantic whisper "I can't find the end, I can't find the end!!" hahaha. And honestly, what compelled me to give the counter-top a good wipe down and polish?! It stayed shiny and clean for, ooh, all of 5 seconds once the pies started flying. I've never spent so much time under a table in my life!

Crimson Heart Film Club
There is a book called 'Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe' which I did a fairly scathing review of a long time ago - it was full of schmaltz and one dimensional characters that were bordering on being fairly racist stereotypes... Needless to say I got asked to take the review down. Good. I know where I'd rather be....in the real world:

Of all the places I've had afternoon tea in London, this has become a firm favourite and I definitely consider myself a Crimson Heart Groupie. Not only are the food and drinks fantastic, the staff friendly and the atmosphere as cosy as your nan's slippers, the place is just bang on trend and full of ideas. On any given day you may find yourself visiting a pop-up flower stall in their back garden, playing retro boardgames, watching a band or attending a book club. I was there for the recent monthly film club and had an absolute blast. For the entry fee of just £5, I was plied with food and drink, I got to enjoy Weird Science in surroundings just as comfortable as if I was at home and I met some more great people.

I was on the winning team for the quiz afterwards, so I got to choose the film for next month...I'm not telling you what it is, you'll have to come and see! Also, head there this Thursday at 6pm for the clothes swap party - the Crimson Heart Swap-o-Rama! Go to http://www.facebook.com/crimsonheartshoreditch for details xx

Time for 'Tease....with Khandie Khisses

Pancake Day went well for me and involved lashings of chocolate sauce, lemon and sugar but now Lent has started and I gave up dairy again! So what to do when you run a tea blog which involves whipped cream, butter and milk?? Luckily this blog encompasses tea and 'TEASE so it seems like I’ll be focussing on the 'tease for the next six weeks ;-)

Fortunately, at a recent meeting of the ‘Dalston Darlings’ (that’s the Dalston branch of the Women’s Institute) we were treated to a lecture and burlesque lesson from the ‘Burlesque Tornado’ herself Khandie Kisses!

Khandie is an accomplished DJ, MC and model, and is expanding into the world of film with an imminent role in a movie penned by the legendary Alan Moore (most well-known for writing From Hell, Watchmen and V For Vendetta). However it is her burlesque skills we’ve come to witness today….even though it has to be said she is as funny as she is sexy, so her burlesque skills were on a par with her comedy skills!

She started the session with a chat about her journey into burlesque and how it actually began with a career in the Royal Air Force – it was hilarious to hear how she’d gone back to her old barracks to do a performance for fellow servicemen and women who were now seeing her in a new light…!

She also talked of her involvement with different burlesque festivals around the world, and the huge range of acts she could do, my favourite being ‘Baby of the Blitz’ which can be seen at: http://youtu.be/XT0WHrJVk58 and is inspired by her RAF history

Then of course, it was time to shake our own bootys with a little lesson on how to do some of those signature moves! You may have seen Christina in ‘Burlesque’ or the Abi Titmuss DVD but nothing is as good as the real thing. I only wish I hadn’t had a broken rib at the time! But it’s not a problem as Khandie is working around the UK and sometimes offers lessons in London. See http://khandiekhisses.com/ for details. I will definitely be heading to a lesson or two while she's in England....if her star keeps rising we may lose her to the allure of the bright lights of Hollywood!

Until next time xox

Also see http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dalston-Darlings-Womens-Institute/159653610732407 
and follow both on Twitter:
@KhandieKhisses and @dalstondarlings

Tea and Cake in the 'Refreshment Room' at Milford Station, February 1945....

So Last night I had an amazing time with the fabulous Mia, Ali and Zara at Crimson Heart (@CrimsonHeart1) I was able to spend my Saturday night doing the one thing I like best....dressing up. 
And not just in any old costume: 1940's style with Victory Rolls, pussy bow dress and more....my favourite!

Thanks to Secret Cinema's new expansion known as The Other Cinema, I spent my evening with the characters from Brief Encounter. I was surrounded by the mouth-watering smell of freshly made popcorn, not the 3 week old crap you get at your local Odeon (that they serve you from bin-bags by the way) and transported to a world of ushers, security guards and refreshment room customers in full vintage clothing. The 1930's grandeur of the Troxy on Commercial Road was the venue of choice tonight, but there will be a different one every month.

My only experience of this venue so far has been for the cage-fighting, so it was fantastic to see the features brought to life by the burlesque acts, the chairoscuro of the projector and the live band. And it was even better after the movie when the floor opened up to swing dancing....I was terrified of being flicked in the eye by a fur stole! 

I genuinely can't think of a better way to see a film than being totally immersed in it in this way and I suggest you check out http://www.futurecinema.co.uk/news.html to see where the next one will be held xox

"Love Makes the World Go Round" Charity #14 -
The British Heart Foundation
This is it, the big one, Day 14...Valentine's Day! And what more appropriate charity than the British Heart Foundation? Go to http://www.bhf.org.uk/ to see what you can do to help. There are so many interesting ways to get involved, such as volunteering in their shops or hosting an event.

Today, I'm contributing by holding a heart-related seminar at my Pathology Museum, with all proceeds going to the BHF.

We also have some lovely cakes to raffle off, courtesy of Mia at Crimson Heart (See the review of this lovely tea shop at http://www.afternoon-tease.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html and pop in for a cuppa as soon as you can.)

xox

"Love Makes The World Go Round" Charity # 13 -
The British Red Cross
I've been really ill over the weekend so I'm way behind in my charities! However, apart from the red/valentine connection it is also quite fitting to mention the Red Cross during my illness as they are synonymous with first-aid and health. In fact the BRC also contribute to health and social care, emergency preparedness and disaster response, as well as finding missing family, refugee services and teaching resources.

6-12th May will be host to Red Cross Week 2012 and you can find out how to contribute to that here: http://www.redcross.org.uk/Get-involved/Red-Cross-Week
However, in the meantime, take some time to see what else you can do at http://www.redcross.org.uk/ or follow them on Twitter @BritishRedCross xox

"Love Makes the World go Round" Charity #10 -
Breast Cancer Campaign "Wear It Pink"
The colours red and pink are as synonymous with Valentine's Day as chocolates, heart and roses, but in more recent years pink has taken on a different significance. The success of the Wear it Pink campaign for breast cancer means that every October we can wear, eat and drink pink for charity and even buy related beauty products and toiletries etc. 

I even dyed my hair pink for this charity! See what you can do at: http://www.wearitpink.co.uk/. Fitting in with my ChariTEA idea, there is now a recipe for pink cakes by Lorraine Pascale at: http://www.wearitpink.co.uk/recipes_lorraine-fondant.aspx

It's all for a very good cause as:
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer
1in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime
12,000 people (men and women) die of this disease each year.
Wear it pink month isn't officially until October but that means you have plenty of time to prepare a pink party or event (260 days according to the timer on the website). Check the website and see how creative you can be with pink xox