Walnut Tree Workshops - Christmas Pudding

I am so glad I met a lady called Emma Wright.  As well as passing on my skills to her in floristry, and gaining a new friend for our flower club...I have discovered Emma's relatively new venture Walnut Tree Workshops.

I went along to the Christmas Pudding workshop yesterday which was tutored by chef Louise Eason.  As with Jo's workshop today a lot of fun and very hands on, all i needed was my pudding bowl.

After mixing lots of wonderful christmassy ingredients together I had made our christmas pudding (minus the cherries and peel for hubby). 

After that we watched Louise make some really easy but very different mince pies with the use of filo.  I also learnt that i can make mincemeat but leaving the eggs out of the pud recipe.

Well good old dad whilst i was out today and hubby at work, he steamed our pudding for 8 hours which leaves just 3 hours for me on Christmas day....however a couple of tips picked up today were if in plastic container after initial steaming you can just microwave, and someone mentioned using the slow cooker...will need to investigate as both easier than taking precious hob space off hubby on Christmas Day. 

I am now contemplating which workshop next for me.

If you want more information about Walnut Tree then visit http://walnuttreeworkshops.co.uk/

Christmas pudding fully steamed.....if you like the Pudding Basin it is available via John Lewis stores or online.

Jo Wheatley Christmas Hamper Baking Day

Do you remember my post from 4th and 5th August when I made a cheesecake and then won a Baking Day....well the day arrived.  I travelled down the M11 to take part in Jo Wheatley's Christmas Hamper Baking Day.  Jo was the British Bake Off winner of 2011. 

What an amazing day I had of baking, meeting some lovely people and rounding off an all in all wonderful birthday weekend.

After a coffee and some scrummy traybake for breakfast....well why not the day started with us making cupcakes, chocolate stirrers, and shortbread.  We broke for lunch which was an extremely yummy Thai Butternut Squash curry.  We then resumed the afternoon session chopping apples and squeezing oranges for the cranberry sauce, then decorated our cupcakes and made a mincemeat loaf (i did laugh when on the way home I told my husband what I had made and his response was "ooo lovely we can have that with mash and veg tonight"....then met with a silence when i said not mince beef, but mince pie mincemeat...bless him).

To round off the day Jo signed my book.  I had a wonderful day, and am mulling over which class i can enrol on for next year.  Jo is a lovely lady and someone where fame has not seemed to change her which is so refreshing. 

I will say as a home baker and I am not just saying this, but the recipes i have so far completed from Jo's Book "Home Baking" have never gone wrong, they are cooked to the correct time in the book....and if you want a failsafe Victoria Sponge don't use another recipe.

Here are some of my creations from the day....and if you want more information on Jo's classes visit her website http://www.josblueaga.com/p/2014-classes.html with Christmas coming an ideal christmas present.