Wonderful Wales

I have so many happy memories of holidaying in Wales in the ’70s and ’80s and most of them feature my Nan and Grandpa.  Most of these childhood holidays were spent in the area around Porthmadog and Harlech, but we also holidayed in Pembrokeshire which I instantly fell in love with.  This year, we managed to return to St Bride’s Bay  – a place which I first visited 30 years ago.

Earlier this summer I was lucky enough to win a photography course with the wonderful Lyndsey James.  A heavy work schedule had left little time to practice what I’d learned, so I was determined to spend time on holiday trying to get better. I know I’ve got a long way to go yet, but here’s some of the photos I was most proud of.  Constructive comments welcome!

I love the way Em is looking at the splashes she is making.

The view across the beach.

Part way through the week I discovered the black and white setting on the camera.

Someone call me Makka Pakka!

This one’s a candidate for framing.

You wouldn’t believe how many shots it took before I got one of the waves that I was happy with.

Using the “sunset” setting for the first time.

This was actually mid-afternoon!

And finally….. really, really special memories.

 

Maths & Baking – Part One

I’ve been thinking about this blog for a while.  It all started when I did the Geek Calendar cookies last October.  Here’s some of my maths cookies from that night, ably modelled by Matt Parker & Alex Bellos.

above photo courtesy of Ben Thompson and Geek Calendar

By the way, please, please do go and read Alex’s book “Alex’s Adventures In Numberland“. Now.  It’s utterly absorbing.

Now, I want to start by admitting that maths was about as far from my favourite subject as was possible when I was at school.  In fact I always thought that I was pretty rubbish at maths.  Six hours of possible brain injury testing after the accident proved otherwise, but that’s a whole other story.  The point is, I THOUGHT I couldn’t do maths.

It’s only with the passing of time, (well that and listening to Matt Parker talk about the beauty of a Möbius Loop), that I’ve realised that I really like maths.  I’m relatively good at it too: cue competitive “discussion” with Mr Quirky as to who’s best at navigating & packing the freezer (although I have to admit, that time he navigated through London using only the sun was awesome!).

The reality is I use maths all of the time in my work. From simple multiplying and dividing ingredient quantities, through working out percentage profits to the more complicated geometry for some of the sculpted cakes.  Whilst leafing through Hannah’s GCSE Higher Maths book, I even came across an example of using maths to ensure the right number of trays of eggs is ordered, a “Real-Life problem” I calculate every Monday! Although Ed-Excel, I have to point out that a tray of eggs is 30 not 24!

So in honour of this being Pi Approximation Day, here’s  some fun maths cookies and cakes.

Quirky Junior’s fantastic maths teacher Mrs Boyd is leaving us for the USA, and to mark this sad day  Hannah made some fabulous maths based cookies this week.

They reminded me of some I helped her make 3 years ago, before I set up Quirky Cookies & Cakes.

You can see how her piping has improved from age 11 to now.

I’d been thinking about a Möbius loop cookie for quite some time, so Mrs Boyd’s departure seemed the obvious time to have a go.  My normal cookie recipe didn’t stand up to the cooking process so I decided to try a fortune cookie mix.  I’d never made them before but I just about managed to get it to work. Next time I’ll know to make the strips of fortune cookie at least 30cm long, as most of the ones I made simply weren’t long enough to fold back on themselves.

I’ve had some helpful suggestions as to possible improvements from BakeMe.Com and my good friend Jules of  Butcher, Baker I’ll be returning to that one as soon as I’ve got the energy!

I couldn’t let today go by without making at least one pi cake.  Having compared methods with @standupmaths following his pi cupcakes earlier this year I thought it should be possible to use the marbling method to make a cake which, when cut, showed the pi symbol.

Well, it clearly needs more work, and if I hadn’t been spending most of the day finishing these and a plethora of other things, I’d have made another one.

One final thought…we were honoured to welcome Matt Parker to Quirky Towers earlier this week when he was working in Derby.  Whilst we happily chatted about maths and baking, I suddenly had the idea of a Venn Diagram pie.  I’m working on it now…so watch this space for more maths baking fun soon.

The Inventive Invitations

This month Quirky Tower has been in quarantine with the pox….chicken pox actually as our youngest has been infected! Once the worst was over however we used the time to plan her 6th birthday party.  Em loves to share what she’s been doing with you, so this is her blog about making the invitations.  As usual, the words are hers…I just help a bit with the typing.

How to Make An Invitation

Hello everybody.  Today I’m making my own invitations for my birthday party in July.  We thought you might like to make some too, so just follow the instructions and then you will know.

First you need to cut some card.   I am having an under the sea party so we used blue card.  Measure the envelope first so then you know how big to put it in.

The next thing you need is some double sided tape if you have some.  If not then use some glue.  You need to put the tape on the card like this.

Then we used a guillotine and some deckle edged scissors to make the sand from some sandpaper.  You can use any sandpaper.  The deckle scissors make the sandpaper look really like the sand at the bottom of the sea.

Then you need to draw the seaweed and the archway on the invitations.  You can colour it in if you want to.  I used different colours of glitter pens and mummy helped.

The next day we woke up and we cut out grey rocks from grey felt.  You could use any colour.   Next you put some double-sided tape on them, then you peel the tape off and stick it on the card.

You can do any animal but I am having a jellyfish.  If you are not good at drawing them then go to google and find jellyfish images.  Then pictures of jellyfish will come up.

Then you can use the arrows to go up or down until you get to the bottom of the page.  When you find a picture you like then click on it.   If you just wanted some colour ideas then don’t click on it.  You  can use  any colour.

We used holographic card for the head and ribbon for the tentacles.  Draw some circles on the card then cut the circles out and cut them into semi-circles.  Use double sided sticky tape and stick it on the back at the bottom of the semi-circle.  Then stick the ribbon on the sticky bit to make the tentacles.  When you have finished doing that then put an extra layer of double-sided sticky tape on top of the ribbon.  Then peel the backing paper off – don’t worry if you miss a bit – then stick the animal onto the card.  If the tentacles are too long then cut them.  If you want to draw some fish on the invitations.

You need some googly eyes and stick them on the card.  Then leave the glue to dry.  Then if your animal is saying a speech bubble and you have printed it out then cut them out and stick them on.  Do the smile on the jellyfish with a 3-D glitter pen and then leave them to dry.

Next you have to do the information on the back.  If the smiles are not dry then just wait and print the information out.  We used a background paper which was blue.  Then we did the information.  It is where, what number your house is, where you live and when your birthday is.  Then you tell your friends or the people that you have invited what time the party is.  Make sure you include an RSVP.  Stick this on the back of your invitations.

The you have finished your invitations.

ER Hospital Cake

Although I’ve always baked traditional cakes, it wasn’t until I became a mum that I started making the carved novelty type cakes that are now my favourite to create.   So far Hannah has had everything from the Teletubbies, the Tweenies, and Groovy Chick in her early childhood, through lots of Harry Potter cakes to last year’s Twilight cake.

This year she wanted a medical theme.  ER has long been a favourite of hers; we just had to decide which bit of the set to recreate.  Hannah eventually decided on the green trauma room with her as the patient and, after several hours of watching DVDs, we found some clips which showed the whole room.

I had originally thought that in order to make the cake as detailed as we wanted to that I would have to take a whole week to make it.  However, the best laid plans etc… and after two poorly girls at the beginning of the week, and an order for Brown & Green, I found myself starting to decorate the cake on Thursday afternoon for the party straight after school on Friday. Not ideal to say the least.

Hannah was really keen to make the cake with me, but a heavy homework schedule meant that she only managed to make herself.  She did a great job for her first sugar figure don’t you think?

One of my favourite elements was the X-ray screen.  Hannah has had problems with her joints since being very young, and regularly ends up in A&E herself, so it was an obvious choice to depict her most frequently x-rayed limbs etc on the cake.

The walls were made of gum paste.  I was really nervous about these.  Normally I would allow at least 3 or 4 days for them to dry before attaching to the cake but this time they had less than 24 hours. 

This wall had a blind on it, and this was made by overlapping rice paper strips,  and dusting with silver food colouring powder.

The cupboards were made by drawing onto rice paper with food colouring pens.  The rice paper simply adheres to the damp gum paste.

The coloured rice paper then had a further layer added, to make the cupboard doors and to give an overall impression of opaque glass.  At Emily’s suggestion, one of the cupboard doors was left open.

Given all the time constraints, I was really pleased with the finished cake.  Hannah and her friends were certainly impressed.

I really enjoyed making this cake for Hannah.  Happy Birthday to you! x

Love is in the Kitchen!

It’s been a fun Valentines Day here at Quirky Towers.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been baking lots of these.

So this morning, I had a lovely surprise when I came downstairs to the kitchen to see that Mr Quirky (WID to our twitter friends) had been there before me.

Now, much as hubs loves my cookies, I decided that this year I wanted to make something different for him, so this afternoon, I’ve been relaxing in the kitchen making chocolate bars and hearts with Emily. 

Hmmm……..chocolate……..!

It was lovely to get a break from baking cookies for everyone else and to make something fabulous for my hubs, and as Emily says, because “I love you Daddy”.

Whatever you get from your special person today, I hope you have a lovely time.

The Recipe of Pirate’s Gold – Emily’s Blog

As I’ve often said, many of my happiest childhood memories are of cooking with my Nan and my Mum, so I’m thrilled that my youngest daughter Emily appears to be following in my footsteps by cooking with me.  Here is her story about making Pirate’s Gold.

This morning, we decided to make the recipe of Pirate’s Gold.  I couldn’t find the recipe in my Big Cook Little Cook book but luckily we found it on my DVD.  Here’s how you make it.

Pirate’s Gold

serves 4 people

about 100g cheese

2 eggs

one baguette

two small tins of sweetcorn

2tbs plain flour

for the filling – lettuce  and tomatoes

Turn the oven on to 180 degrees.  Cut the baguette into 4 pieces and then slice lengthways, almost all the way through. Scoop out the soft bread and put it into the food processor.

Whizz up the bread until it is crumbled in pieces.  Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl. I used my new cookery bowl from Santa.

Add the sweetcorn and add two eggs.  Grate some cheese.  It doesn’t matter what cheese you use.  I used cheddar cheese. Put the cheese in the bowl. 

Mix it all together. 

Roll spoonfuls of mixture in your hands to make balls.  I didn’t like this because it was too sticky so I decided I was going to do it with spoons instead.  Put the mixture onto the baking trays.  

Put them in the oven for about 12  minutes.  Check to see if they are golden brown.

Whilst the nuggets are cooking do the dressing.  Tear some lettuce like paper and put it into the baguette.  Chop the tomatoes and put them in the baguette. Don’t put them in the nuggets or in your shoes!

When the nuggets are cooked put 3 or whatever number you would like in the baguettes with the dressing.  Don’t do anything else because they are ready.

 We have worked hard to make this recipe. We had fun making this recipe.  See if you could make the recipe too.

Christmas at Quirky Towers

Here at Quirky Cookies & Cakes  the last few days before Christmas are a really busy time.  We’ve been busy baking Christmas goodies, and now there’s just a couple of days left to get your last minute orders in.  We’ve had a lot of fun designing the cookies and developing some new recipes to tempt you all during the holiday season.  Here’s just a selection of some of the things on offer. 

Large Cookie Christmas Tree Table Centrepiece

 

Christmas Design Cookies

Some more Christmas Designs

Cookie Place Names

Biscotti

 If you’re tempted, you can get an electronic order form by e-mailing us.   We can post UK wide, but hurry as our last order date is 12 noon on the 20th December.

If you can’t see what you’re looking for here, then why not get in touch, we’d love to help!

Quirky Cookies on the TV!

So….did you see it!? 

 

Leslie Jordan, (Will & Grace) with one of my cookies.

Photo Courtesy of Claire Sutton of Things We Make

We were thrilled be asked to appear on Good Food’s “Market Kitchen: Big Adventures” which aired last night, and is repeated again today at 3pm and on Sunday at 8am (Sky 249, Sky  HD 283 and Virgin 260).  The programme has spent all this week featuring the very best of Derbyshire Food and Drink, and I was to be seen at home here at Quirky Towers, baking my now famous cookies and telling the story of how I set up the business, Quirky Cookies & Cakes, 18 months ago.

I had such fun doing the filming.  It was really interesting to see the care and attention that goes into such a short piece of film.  After the VT insert was filmed I had to send some cookies down to the studio for a “taste test”.  This was the most nerve-wracking part of the show for me.  Even though I know my cookies have always got a fabulous reception, I was still nervous of how my baking (which is all self-taught) would stand up to tasting by professional chefs and food critics. 

Well, I needn’t have worried as they all LOVED them! 

It felt like a bit of a Duffield special episode, as I was pleased to see Steve Croot from Croots Farm Shop also appearing on the same episode.  You can see more of Steve, and my friend Claire who writes the simply marvellous “Things We Make” blog in tonight’s programme, which airs at 7pm.

And the best bit?  Well, two really. Firstly, the approval of fabulous food critic Tim Haywood , and secondly, Mr Quirky, watching with me last night, and telling me I reminded him of Delia!!!!!

The Geek Calendar

Here at Quirky Towers we are pretty geeky.  Mr Quirky is an analytical chemist, and in my former life as a wannabe academic researcher (although I started my PhD, the accident meant I didn’t finish it) my chief interest was in exploring how a teacher’s own knowledge of science impacted on their ability to communicate scientific ideas and knowledge to their pupils. I read physics books for fun, even though I didn’t even take physics ‘O’ Level, and have a not-quite-secret ambition of one day doing the physics degree I probably should have done all along.  Pretty geeky so far.

As a family, our main geeky obsessions are Harry Potter and Lego.  In fact, our very favourite even combines the two.  We’re currently wading though rebuilding all our Harry Potter Lego (and since we’ve got almost all the sets ever issued, you can guess what a tall order that is!)  And of course now we’re into advent, I’ve added my santa minifig keyring to my keys and put out the Lego Christmas decorations.  If you follow me on twitter, you’ll also have been hearing recently about my Lego baking obsession, but more of that another time……

Yes, we’re geeky and proud!

So when I heard recently about the Geek Calendar, I knew that it had to be the perfect addition to my study / office for the new year and ordered one straight away. 

above photo courtesy of Ben Thompson and Geek Calendar 

And that was the beginning of one of the more surreal experiences of my life so far which ended with Mr Quirky and I attending the launch party in London recently, bringing with us my collection of geeky and quirky cookies. 

The Geek Calendar has been produced to raise money for the Libel Reform campaign.  It features lots of my geeky heroes and heroines, including Imran Khan of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, Simon Singh, Dr Petra Boynton, Jonathan Ross, Ben Goldacre and Professor Brian Cox with fellow science tv presenter (& his wife), Gia Milinovitch.  You can still order one here until 15th December for UK orders (10th December for international).

 We had the time of our lives, met some really interesting people (I learned lots about the ‘flu virus) and I drank what can only be described as probably far too much gin and tonic! You can just spot Mr Quirky on the right hand side here, in the appropriately geeky grey cardigan!

above photo courtesy of Ben Thompson and Geek Calendar 

And the highlights of the night?  Well, this photo is pretty special….

above photo courtesy of Ben Thompson and Geek Calendar 

It’s really hard to pick just one highlight, but I think what I shall always remember is being inspired to go back to my academic work.  Giving up my PhD was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  Over the years I had reconciled myself to the idea that my life had taken a different direction, but I’ve vowed to myself that I’m going to at least start reading again, and the one lesson I have learned is that you never know where life might take you.  Now don’t all panic at once…..I’m not giving up the baking…..but maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to combine the two over the next few years.

 Science, libel reform and baking, all in one event. It doesn’t get much better than this!

How It All Began

It all started nearly 40 years ago, with two books. 

Before I go any further I must add that I hadn’t actually realised this until, listening to Aleena Naylor discussing old cookery books on BBC Radio Derby a few months back, I suddenly realised that my cookie obsession had started as a toddler, with those two books. So thanks Aleena, for making me understand where Quirky Cookies really began!

I had always loved baking as a little girl, and was usually to be found in the kitchen with my Nan when we visited.  Mum was always baking too, and whereas my Nan taught me to bake scones and cakes I can trace my obsession with unusually shaped biscuits back to rainy days in the kitchen with my Mum, and those books.

Many years later my love of baking had remained and I made my first wedding cake for my own wedding in 1991.  I was all set for a career in education policy when in 1997, aged just 27 and with an 8 month old baby, our world came crashing down when I was seriously injured in a car crash.  For many years I was unable to do very much at all, and at one stage I was told I would never work again, but with the support of my friends & family I never gave up.  Eventually, following a change of treatment when we moved to Derbyshire in 2007, I started to get better, and that’s when the idea of Quirky Cookies and Cakes started to form in my mind.

Although I’d always done well in any cake competition I had entered, (winning my first prize as a child in 1979) the turning point came in June 2008.  I was quite nervous about my first entry in a WI Home Economics competition since in the weeks running up to Derbyshire County Show I had received dire warnings about the super-high judging standards from my WI friends! 

First prizes for both my cupcakes and iced biscuits (which were part of our co-operative display, above) gave me a huge boost in my confidence and I decided then and there that I would try to make a living from baking.

It took another year of researching suppliers and testing out my recipes before I felt ready to launch the business at the end of June 2009.  Here’s me at our first event – Duffield Carnival – our village fête and still one of my favourite events.

Our cookies and cakes are still homemade with a huge amount of care and attention to detail, and the whole family are now involved in the business.  My chemist husband Jason is fabulous at precision mixing royal icing colours.  Hannah is great at making cupcakes & rocky road and is an expert packer, and young Emily helps with sticking labels onto bags and boxes. Even my parents and my Aunt & Uncle have been known to help out when we are attending the larger and busier events such as the recent fabulousplaces Christmas Market.

We’ve come a long way already, and are looking forward to another exciting year in 2011.  First though, is a rather exciting snippet of news……we can’t say too much, but why not watch Market Kitchen’s Big Adventure on the Good Food Channel (Sky 249, Sky HD 283 Virgin 260)  - 7pm every day this week….you never know who might pop onto your screens!