Christmas Is Coming...

Christmas is coming and we are getting very excited.  We have had lots of questions about what our winter window display will be ... it will be up next week - so you will have to drop by for a sneaky peak! 

Winter Warmers... 

From the start of December we will be serving home-made mince pies, freshly baked using Strawberry Fields Foods handmade mince meat! 

We will also be selling their gorgeous gift boxes - perfect as a Christmas gift or to include as part of a Christmas hamper.  If you haven't already seen their produce be sure to check out their Facebook, Twitter or blog to browse their award winning jams ... they really do fly off the shelf so pop in soon to grab a jar or two!  (Oh and the lovely Lime marmalade will be back soon by popular demand) 

Strawberry Field Foods award winning jams & gift boxes. 

We're going gingerbread mad!...

The taste and smell of gingerbread definitely stirs memories of Christmas... Our special gingerbread latte is going down rather nicely - it's such a warming winter drink (just wish we had a log fire to go with it)!  We will also have home-made gingerbread men (and women) under the counter from tomorrow. 

Our delicious bottles of non alcoholic Belvoir Mulled Winter Punch are a gorgeous blend of elderberries, blackcurrants, apples & spices, best served warm they are perfect for expectant mothers... or you can just add to your own mulled wine for an extra special flavour! 

Home-made soup is now on the menu - using fresh, local veg from our green grocer the flavours are ever changing,  from spicy butternut squash to green pea and pancetta, served with warm crusty bread & butter. Yum. 

More little bits and bobs to follow soon... we still have a while to go! 

Important Dates...

We will be closing at early on Christmas Eve and will open again as normal on the 2nd of January. 

The shop will be open late on the specific 'late night shopping' days in Farnham - dates to be confirmed.

We are really looking forward to our first Christmas at the shop so hope you can join us! Let the festivities begin! Do not panic... will hold off Christmas music until the 1st of December :)  

Mulled Wine & Toffee Apples

We are definitely getting into the Halloween spirit...we have pumpkins ready to be carved, however we are waiting for our 'creative director' Lou Cooper to return to help us out!  

Our window display is surprisingly spooky and was very simple to create - we went for a 'Miss Havisham' theme.  If you can get your hands on some fake cobwebs ('pound land' is a great place for random decorations....trust us) they are affordable & very effective! Try adding a few spiders for even more creepiness.. 

Halloween Cupcakes ... 

I made these cupcakes a while ago for a 'Zombie' themed party... however they are a great design for this Halloween.  The cupcake flavour is chocolate sponge with a rich chocolate butter-cream topping. 

For the eyeball design - roll white fondant icing into a small ball - press out a tiny black circle for the pupil, (attach to the white eyeball using a touch of water acting as a glue)... taking a clean/fine paintbrush use red coloured paste to paint veins onto your eyeball! Place onto cupcake. It is simple, effective and horrifying!! 

WEDNESDAY 31st OCTOBER 

For a little Halloween treat we will be open until 7pm - serving hot mulled wine and toffee apples (other hot drinks will of course be available) yum. 

We will also be holding a costume competition - so for anyone wanting an excuse to dress up for Halloween, there you go. If you have come to any of our previous events, you will know we mean business when it comes to fancy dress... so if you don't dress up you're not allowed in .. just kidding ... but you might have to do a forfeit!  :)

Hope to see you all there!

Mad Hatters Tea Party & more!

Our Mad Hatters Tea Party was a great success! Some customers got a slight shock when they turned up for their morning coffee but so many people came to join in the fun. We created Wonderland inside the tearoom - it looked marvellous (thank you Lou & Maria!)

Being so busy we sold out of EVERYTHING by 4:30pm - it was a hectic, (stressful?) but ultimately fun filled day with lots of laughs. Everyone's costumes looked amazing (the Cheshire cat did make a small child cry though).

The highlight of the day for me was definitely when the Mad Hatter unexpectedly turned up to enjoyed some tea & cake! It went very quickly and was great fun, we will be planning some more fun themed days soon!

Cheshire Cat 

Mad Hatter decided to pop in! 

HALLOWEEN ... 

After creating a very 'Miss Havisham' style window display we are getting set for Halloween (where has the time gone?) - pumpkins at the ready - we will be open until 7:00pm on the 31st for all the Trick or Treater's and will be giving a prize for the most scary/imaginative costume. So join us in the evening for some hot mulled wine (hot chocolate for the kids) to get ready for your night of Trick or Treating in Farnham!

A very important date ...

“Yes, that's it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, it's always tea time.”

Join us for our Mad Hatters Tea Party on Saturday the 13th of October! 
 Don't Be Late 



 

https://www.facebook.com/TheVintageCakeHouse 

Autumn Has Arrived

Once again - an unexpected, brief moment to write in 'The Blog'!

Autumn has arrived in full force, days are getting shorter (not to mention colder) and leaves are beginning to fall from the trees (which makes me excited for our new Autumn display!). The shop looks delightful when its horrid and rainy outside, it looks very inviting to the soaked passerby!

We had a great end of summer - especially our Victorian Week (if you haven't seen our Facebook page - be sure to check it out) it was so funny to dress up in the old fashioned costumes - our lovely guests got a surprise when they walked through the door. Brilliant.

We have a lot of new adventures to look forward to ...

Our Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatters Teaparty is in planning at the moment, so stay tuned for details - it will be great fun and if you havent met us yet, trust me it will be mad!

Halloween is coming up, pumpkin soup & toffee apples will be on the menu and you know how we like to dress up - so make sure you come check out our scary costumes (warning...we will be looking truly scary)  

We are very much looking forward to Christmas aswell - (Mulled Wine & Mince Pies are on the menu without a doubt!) We will even be open if it snows and may even hold a snowman building competition if it does :) 

The days are getting shorter but we are always warm and welcoming, so pop in after work or school for some scrummy goodies or a nice hot drink (who doesnt like a toasted teacake or hot chocolate on a chilly Autumn day?)

I will leave you with some pictures from Victorian Week - see how hard it was for us to keep a straight face! 

This photo was taken by the lovely Saskia at Lula-Belle Boutique!  (She very kindly lent  us the table you can see) 

Outrageous Behaviour! 

(The A Team... trying to keep a straight face!) 

Ladies of the Tearoom 

Old Singer sewing machine - matches our singer table! 

Summer So Far...

Ah - finally an evening where I can sit and quickly write a blog post! 

We have had a great summer so far - lots of busy days and lots of lovely people wandering through our door. What with all the Olympics and other events going on, as well as some fabulous weather - we haven't really had a chance to catch up with ourselves.  The shop has come together beautifully and is looking fab!  Lots of scrumptious new additions to the menu as well as under the counter and TVCH team are great too! Couldn't be happier with how the business is going. 

Just a quick update of what we have coming up: 

VICTORIAN WEEK 

1st-9th September 

A chance to travel back in time to a bygone era. Set in our lovely tearoom, we have a set menu consisting of traditional Victorian food & drink as well as the traditional costumes to go with it! It's going to be great fun - so if you're looking for a good day out stop by to see us in our finest garments, try some traditional food and enjoy a day out in Farnham! 

VINTAGE TEA PARTIES 

Stuck for a celebration idea? Looking for a venue to hold a party? Why not use our unique service and hold your own vintage tea party - all you need to do is invite the guests.

Over the past few weeks we have really enjoyed holding some vintage tea parties for some lovely ladies who have been celebrating special occasions. The have loved the atmosphere as well as the tea & cake! So if you  are looking for something to do for a friends birthday or maybe a hen party - we would love to have you! 

Come see us soon and enjoy some fine tea & yummy cakes! 

It has been a long time since my last blog post. But you have to understand it has been non stop since we took on the shop :)

What an amazing last few weeks it has been - with blood, sweat and tears (not to mention stress) to pull off the launch and then start trading. It has gone remarkably well so far and this Saturday was so busy - we had sold out of cake by 4:30pm. We are still ironing out some of the creases and perfecting our systems and so far I think the shop is off to a great start.

Right - short but sweet, I am now off to the shop to bake for Monday :)

We would love to see you - so if you are around the area pop in for a cream tea!

The Unsuspecting Winner ...

This weekend is turning out to be quite hectic.  It seems after one small job is complete another twenty appear in its place.  But who said starting your own business would be easy? Not one yet. I would never say such a thing to anyone...because it is the biggest challenge I have ever faced! On the upside, it is so much fun and a real adventure! So if you are planning to start your own business from scratch GO FOR IT. Life is far too short and you should enjoy doing what you love.

It's all getting a bit emotional on here! So moving on to the tale I really wanted to tell!  

We received an email from one of our favourite clients who has been busy inter-railing around Italy for the past week (lucky thing) asking us to whip up a quick Victoria Sponge for the day they were due to return (as they had to jet straight off to a birthday party)! 

I baked a three layered sponge, oozing with fresh butter cream, sweet strawberry jam and topped with sliced strawberries; it was fit for any 'birthday party'.  I delivered the cake this morning, only to be told that the cake will be entering a competition...?  I didn't get to test the cake as there were no 'cut off's' so was feeling a bit nervous! Uh oh... is the butter cream the right consistency? Will the strawberries on top of the cake stay fresh for the day? I thought 'oh well if it doesn't win... It doesn't win' and my friend can claim the looser cake and say she baked it herself...  Mwhaha

So you can imagine the joy when I received the call letting me know The Cake had won the competition being judged by a French pastry chef! Unfortunately... my client did have to own up and confess she didn't bake the cake herself. 

We can now safely say this cake will be on the menu, so you will have to come in to taste it for yourself! 

How To Host The Perfect Tea Party

Afternoon Tea is a timeless tradition that seems to be becoming more popular. With all the current celebrations, afternoon tea is the perfect way to celebrate with family and friends and not just for the Jubilee - Afternoon Tea is perfect for hosting baby showers, birthdays, engagement celebrations or a simple social gathering with close friends and gives you the opportunity to put your own unique spin on an old tradition and treat your friends to a wonderful experience. 

Depending on how many people are invited to your tea party, the table setting below is based on 6 people... 

What you will need: 

Cups & matching saucers x 6

Side Plates x 6

Cake plate x 1

Tiered cake stands x 2   

Cake Forks x 6

Tea Spoons x 6

Butter knife x 6 

Sugar bowl x 1

Teapots x 2 (depending on size) 

Small saucers x 2 (for jam & butter) 

Milk Jug x 2 (depending on size) 

Food ingredients for your choice of menu 

CHINA 

Having the right china is really important - it doesn't matter if the whole table setting is mis-matched - but you should make sure you have matching trios (cup,saucer and side plate). You can collect china from any good charity shop or even auction.  I try to have a colour theme running through the table - so even if my china does not match, the colours complement the overall table arrangement. Having delicate, fine bone china will bring a hint of vintage elegance to your party and I swear ... tea tastes better drinking from a fine bone china teacup. Your table will look gorgeous! 

THE MENU 

Prepare you menu in advance so you know what you will need to buy.  You can prepare the finger sandwiches the evening before, so all you need to do the next day is your freshly baked scones, cake & make your table look amazing.   

Your menu can consist of whatever you want - you can be as creative as you like! Traditionally you should have a range of finger sandwiches, scones and a whole cake (popular choice being Victoria Sponge but you can have whatever flavour you like). I also like to include little sweet treats - flapjacks, macaroons etc.. Mini fruit tarts are popular, they look attractive and taste great.  Having a mixture of sweet and savoury is the way to go. 

Here is a very basic menu template to give you some inspiration: 

~Finger Sandwiches~

Wiltshire ham & wholegrain mustard

Smoked salmon, cream cheese & cracked black pepper with a hint of lemon

Free range Egg mayonnaise & peppery rocket

Traditional Sliced Cucumber

English roast beef & horseradish

~Sweet Treats~

Fresh Fruit Scones

Cheddar Cheese Scones

Little Fruit Tarts with lemon crème filling 

~Cake~

Victoria Sponge with home-made preserve & thick double cream 

TEA 

Making a good pot of tea is so important! It can make or break your tea party.  Try and get your hands on some loose leaf tea (English Breakfast & Earl Grey are a popular choice).  It will give you the 'real tea' experience and will taste so much better compared to everyday teabags.  

Firstly warm your teapot with hot water.  Drain the water and place as many teaspoons of loose tea as there are people drinking it... so tea for two - put two heaped teaspoons of loose leafs into the pot. You will be surprised how strong the tea can get.  Leave the tea to steep for 5-7 minutes - it is important you wait so the flavours are released and you have a great cup of tea! 

Pour into your teacup using a tea strainer to catch the loose leaves - add milk/sugar if desired and enjoy! 

LOCATION 

The location of your party can be anywhere! In your house, garden/field (weather permitting) or even the village hall. It doesn't matter where your party is held - as long as you have good food and great friends your party will be a success!

GUESTS 

Why not tell your guests they need to dress up in vintage outfits - or wear a vintage style hat? It makes the experience great fun and you will all look the part. You will be rewarded for your hard work by watching  loved ones enjoy your fabulous food and the overall experience! 

Other useful tips: 

Try to use real, honest ingredients - real butter and good jam will go a long way!  

Why not add fresh flowers to your table arrangement - they will look gorgeous and give a splash of vibrant colour to your table. 

Having background music really helps the 'party atmosphere' - choose whatever music you're in the mood for and something suitable for the occasion.  For example.. I know at my Grandma's tea party we would have some banging rock music on in the background - might not be the most relaxing choice whilst sipping tea and eating scones! 

I hope this has been helpful - You can join us every day for an afternoon tea experience in our tearoom, we would love to see you there! 

Celebrations For Queeny

The Diamond Jubilee is looming and everyone is gathering their best china and street party ware to celebrate Queeny’s reign of 60 years. Bless her.  It almost feels like we’ve gone back in time – there’s a sort of ‘war time’ atmosphere about the place, the weathers been gorgeous, the whole country have two extra days off work - so it's smiles all round.  Lovely

Perhaps you are attending a street party, music concert or maybe just watching the celebrations on TV.  Whatever you are doing, this is without a doubt, the greatest opportunity for any vintage, cake, tea, Queen lover to celebrate in true Vintage/British style!

I will be baking the entire Vintage Cake House menu ready for hungry people to taste and critique.  We will of course be adding Jubilee style to the event by serving on the beautiful china we’ve purchased from various charity shops, auctions and Ebay. So, if you’re feeling hungry and don’t have anything planned you’re more than welcome to come and join us!

Latest News:

Plans are progressing swiftly. Today is my last ever day working for somebody else, I will then officially be self-employed. Lordy.  It is such an exciting feeling and the pressure is on!

Last legal bits should be completed in a few weeks – (if you are training to become a solicitor, congratulations and stick at the hard work because let me tell you – your wage will be brilliant!) After that it’s all hands on deck for me and my amazing team to start the ‘fun’ aspects of the shop i.e. painting of the furniture, making display wedding cakes and generally making the shop look beautiful.

I am also very excited to announce that the lovely Rosie Grace Lawton (talented artist/my right hand woman) will be joining me on this venture, bringing even more vintage gorgeousness and fun to The Vintage Cake House and I have no doubt this is the start of fabulous things to come!

So far I can’t thank everyone enough for your help, love and support – you know who you are

 P.S – Tune in for our radio interview with BBC Surrey on the 20th of June for their ‘Afternoon Tea for 2’ show at 2:30pm :)

Under The Hammer...

This weekend was great! We hired a van and set off on our journey to Nottingham - via Billericay, via Worcester, via Leicester,via Oxford.  Oh yes, we were on a mission...we had equipment to collect and furniture to bid for!

We managed to find some amazing deals, so travelling around the country in a hire van on the hottest day of the year, that smelt like dogs with no air-con was worth it.

My first ever auction was incredible! If you ever want to go to an auction 'Arthur Johnson & Sons' in Nottingham is definitely worth a visit. Set in the old cattle market, the vast rooms are filled with hidden treasures waiting to be taken home and turned into something beautiful again. The adrenalin from entering into a bidding war with someone is great fun - however think I annoyed a few professional dealers by pushing up the prices with each subtle nod of the head - and then dropping out of the deal last minute when the stakes were too high - leaving them paying £100 for a small wooden table that they only wanted to pay £10.  If looks could kill! Whoops.

All in all it was a blast - and the furniture we managed to get was just great.

Getting our purchases into our van was like a game of Tetris - luckily we had some mathematical minded friends who after scratching their heads for a few minutes managed to squeeze and squash the abundance of mirrors, tables, chairs and a huge dresser into this tiny van!  Putting it all away at the other end was also fun - and now our dining room is full from floor to ceiling with our goodies.

Bargains of the day included - a gorgeous 'standard lamp' for just £5 which will look just gorgeous when we shabby chic it up... and a not so great bargain of the day - mother unwittingly bid for a collection of milk jugs and pretty china for £10 only to discover upon collection they were a miniature set of 'toot' from Skegness, Blackpool and Cleethorpe!  Note to self; don't let mother loose in an auction house unsupervised.

A lot of items hidden behind the sideboards... 

A great weekend - and I am getting so excited as the Tearoom is really starting to come together.

THE VINTAGE CAKE HOUSE COMES TO FARNHAM

The time has finally come - after long, late nights struggling through a business plan and endless meetings with 'The Bank' - I can finally announce that The Vintage Cake House will be opening in a charming premises in the historic town of Farnham, Surrey.  

Everyone is welcome at The Vintage Cake House - so tell your whole family, your friends, granny, granddad the lot! We welcome you into our world of Vintageness and Cake.

We will display a delightful array of Wedding & Celebration cakes as well as running a Vintage Style Tearoom - where you can enjoy the traditional Afternoon Tea experience - with cream tea, scrumptious home-made cakes and other yummy treats. 

There are some traditions that never change - so what better than to relax and enjoy fine tea, freshly made scones with home-made preserves and clotted cream - in an elegant, vintage location. You don't need an excuse to treat yourself! Or for those of you who simply don't have the time to linger - why not pop in and take a slice of cake home for tea? 

We aim to open mid June - official launch date will be released soon. Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far, its an amazing journey and I hope to see you all at The Vintage Cake House.  

Love Natalie 

 

Happy Baking & Vintage Recipes

It has been a busy past couple of weeks, with juggling a full time job and business plans coming out of my ears, in preparation to open The Vintage Cake House to the public. However, I have managed to perfect some cake recipes recently - and have succeeded in making a gorgeous Carrot Cake, which has a lovely home-made taste and texture to it. 


It got me thinking that I would love a collaboration of every ones favourite recipes that have been passed down by a Granny or Nanny, Auntie or Mum.  What recipe gives you that warm, nostalgic feeling when you smell the aromas coming from your oven? There really is nothing better than a home-made feel to a cake - or any dish for that matter.   


One of my special recipes would have to be 'Aunty Joans Grantham Gingers' - which we loved as small children (and still do!). They are quick and effective little treats and this recipe brings back such fond memories from time spent with my two brothers, at our Auntie Joans. 

So now, I would love for people to share their special recipes, as I would like to include interesting and unique treats within the Vintage Cake House's menu - for our new Tearoom (opening soon).  I want everyone to experience good, wholesome, honest food that brings back memories from the past and accentuates the Vintage feel of the tearoom. 


If anyone would like to share their recipe and for it to be included on our menu, then please feel free to do so - maybe include the name of who passed it down to you, or, a name you like to call this recipe - so we can do it justice on the menu!

Happy Baking 

The Beginning

Hello and welcome to my blog!  'Blogging' is all quite new to me and I wanted a way to share my story and the journey this business is taking me on.  If you are taking the time to read about this funny little venture of mine, then thank you. 

With the love for all things vintage, a passion for creating new recipes and baking, it all started to become niggling little idea in my head that wouldn't go away.  After helping start a small wedding cake business in Nottingham I knew I wanted to do it for myself one day.

Sitting on the graveyard shift at a hotel, I had a lot of time to think about how this idea would work as well as thinking “get me out of here”/ “I NEED a bottle of wine”.  There The Vintage Cake House was born – and thankfully I ended up leaving that hotel and did not turn to alcohol.  Moving on from that, I then created my brand and built a website and set up a Facebook page where I have met some inspiring and creative individuals - it's been going well and we have had some great orders ... and now I want to move on to bigger and better ventures.

So ... I am currently in the process of finding and renting a premises to run a Vintage Style Tearoom, where people can come and have a traditional ‘Afternoon Tea’ experience, enjoy gorgeous cake and  drink real tea from beautiful vintage china. 

 Customers will be able to rent out one of our private rooms and hold a vintage style tea party for any special occasion with choices from some delicious menus. I also have ideas to hold cupcake decorating workshops etc. etc. 

It’s also going to be a great way to showcase the bespoke wedding and celebration cakes, customers can browse and or buy for any special occasion... not to mention all the freshly baked produce and home-made jams ...  So many ideas and so much to organise, its going to be extremely hard work and I have already warned my other half to be prepared for me acting a little crazy! We have found a gorgeous shop in Farnham so lets hope it all goes to plan - fingers crossed :) 

Thank you for reading my first blog post – I aim to keep it as up to date as possible and I will also be posting some great recipes/cake tips as well as other vintage bits and bobs.

 Love Natalie x 

www.thevintagecakehouse.co.uk