Blog Post
A Demonstration at The Eden Project

Sunday evening, glass of wine by my side and settling down to this week’s blog post.  The weekend has been busy but tremendous.  As I mentioned last week I was booked in to do a demonstration at The Eden Project on Saturday afternoon.  I decided to travel down Friday, do the demo as arranged  then head back home Saturday night.  What I hadn’t bargained for was the traffic !  North Lincolnshire to Cornwall is a very long way – in fact two hours more driving and we could have reached the south of France !  Eight hours in the car going and the same coming back.  However, was it worth it ?  – it most certainly was.  I have visited Cornwall in the past, probably ten years or so ago when I went to beautiful St Ives.  This visit  took me to the incredible Eden Project and if you have never been I thoroughly recommend it.  It is much bigger than I had thought and there is as much to see outside the biomes as there is inside.  I also took a short trip to Charlestown and it was absolutely beautiful so much so I can’t get it out of my head.  Its Poldark country !  There were tall ships in the tiny harbour, small cottages and harbour walls going back centuries.  Totally unspoilt.  The sun was shining, the sea calm, coastline rugged and the whole thing breathtaking.

At the Eden Project I caught up with my Bake Off friend Chetna – she was demonstrating the day after me so we had a good old chin wag.  Great to see you Chetna !!

I enjoy demonstrations – I didn’t at first by the way.  I remember my first ever demo.  I was making sweet shortcrust pastry and I needed to separate two eggs.  I had two bowls, one for the yolks and one for the whites.  Due to nerves, what I ended up with after duly separating the eggs was one bowl with a yolk and a white and the other bowl with a yolk and a white (dear me !).

Anyway, back to the demo. I always ask at the beginning of my “performance” if there is anyone who does not bake !.  There are usually a few which is great because if I can inspire a non-baker to have a go then its all worthwhile.

I therefore started my hour long demonstration with the simplest flapjack recipe but the flavours are delicious.  I will share this recipe with you this week.  Try it or let the children have a go.  If you don’t want them to use a pan on the hob, melt the butter and golden syrup in the microwave.  There is hardly any washing up, its thrifty, children love it and you are baking !

http://www.nancybirtwhistle.co.uk/recipes/cherry-and-coconut-flapjack

My demo continued with a seasonal cake and a very low sugar, low fat frosting.  The audience were a great bunch and we had tasting of all the baking after the show.

On the home front – summer sadly is drawing to a close.  This weekend I trimmed the lavender bushes.  If you have lavender now is the time to clip it back.  Put the clippings in an old pair of tights to dry out and make lavender bags (another job !!!)

On the livestock front – the male guinea fowl has been killed by the fox so I am left with two orphan chicks.  They are currently living with the canaries in the aviary poor things, they seem very lost but I hope that they will survive. Tomorrow I collect my young turkeys (for Christmas).  Finally the chickens have red mite !  I have tried every conceivable pest killer for red mite.  Powders, sprays, Jeyes fluid, blow torch, bathed the chickens in a solution of cider vinegar – I could go on and on.

However, an old farmer has told me that red mite dislike lavender.  Voila !  – maybe I will not have to make lavender bags if my clippings can sort out the chicken pests. !

Have a good week everyone – my diary is really hotting up which is great !!

Any idea who the Bake Off winner will be ?