Macmillan Coffee Morning

Tomorrow at work we will enjoy a rare coffee break in order to support Macmillan Cancer Support by hosting a Coffee Morning event. Today, more people in the UK are living with cancer and one in three of us will get cancer at some point in our lives. Cancer affects us all and we can all help to make people's experience of it better. Macmillan Cancer Support helps improve the lives of people affected by cancer, both those living with cancer and also their families and carers.

The World's Biggest Coffee Morning is Macmillan Cancer Support's biggest fundraising event. We ask people across the UK - and sometimes further afield - to hold a coffee morning, where donations on the day are made to Macmillan.
Here are some of my favourite cake recipes to accompany your coffee:
Rocky Road Crunch Bars- Nigella Lawson recipe

Carrot Cake - Hummingbird Bakery Recipe

Lemon Chiffon Cake - friend's recipe

Vanilla Cupcakes - Hummingbird Bakery Recipe

It's not too late to support Macmillan's Biggest Coffee Morning. 

Find out how to be involved.
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Lemon Chiffon Cake

This recipe comes from my friend Bridget who brought one into work one day and I was hooked!

I prefer to use 3 shallow cake tins as they only need 15 mins cooking time and makes a prettier cake when you cut the slices. There is plenty enough frosting for on between the sponges and all away round the sides and in top. The cake tins are 17 inches (18cms) and I set the oven at 170oC.

Lemon chiffon cake Ingredients:
190g butter (room temp)
190g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
190g sr flour (sieved)
Grated Lemon zest
Method:
1. Mix the butter, lemon zest and caster sugar together
2. Add eggs and a little flour to avoid it curdling, mix whilst keeping the air still in the mixture
3. Add the rest of the flour tbsp by tbsp
4. Pour evenly into baking tins with baking parchment
Frosting:
640g icing sugar
320g cream cheese
Lemon zest
80g butter (melted)
Mix the icing sugar, cheese and zest together. Add the butter keep stirring as the butter cools the frosting will set. If your room temp is high then pop the bowl in the fridge for the icing to set.
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Wightwick Manor & Gardens

Wightwick Manor

Wightwick Manor is the one of the best surviving of a house built and furnished under the influence of the Arts & Craft movement. The Manor was built in two stages in 1887 & 1893 and designed in the old English style and filled it with Morris & Co furnishings. His son, Geoffrey added Pre-Raphaelite paintings and sketches but in all other ways preserved a unique house with a special charm. The eastern half of the building is richly decorated with back & white timbering, in stripes, swirls and quatrefoils and with banks of spiral Tudor-style chimneys crowning the gabled roofline. 
The industrialist Theodore Mander, a paint and varnish manufacturer commissioned the project and Edward Ould was the Liverpool architect.

Inside the Manor
A great parlour is the centre of the house mimicking the form of a feudal hall with a beautiful open timber roof painted by the talented Charles Kempe. Following on through the great parlour is the Billiard Room and the Dining Room.
There is an interesting exhibition on the first floor entitled 'The Nature of Design' celebrating 150 years of William Morris. The collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and sketches are breathtaking. The collection includes works by Burne-Jones, Millais and my favourite Rossetti. Also, on the first floor are the two nurseries, one for the day and one for the evening which would have been shared with the nanny. 
The kitchens are the last rooms you see which have been recently restored along with a Caribbean herb garden. 

Wightwick Gardens
The gardens are designed by Thomas Mawson, a leading Arts and Crafts horticultural designer. The garden consists of formal borders and hedges with roses and yew hedges and wild orchards. There is also a very pretty, albeit small lake and a new woodland walk for you to enjoy.

A new car park was opened in 2010 with a joining reception. I must admit the tour guides within the Manor were excellent. They were filled with a passion for the Manor and all its contents which was admirable. The reception and tea room staff were, on the other hand, another matter.  There is a little bridge which was inspired by the Mathematical Bridge over the River Cam at Queen's College Cambridge. The bridge crosses the road into the bridge garden which, to say the least, was the biggest disappointment. 
I had a really superb day at Wighwick Manor. The guides, as I have previously mentioned, were really superb which really made the day as did the Pre-Raphaelite collection.

You might like my blog post: Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - an Intro
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Places to visit this autumn

Now the temperatures are a little coolers and most of the tourists have returned home, here are a few ideas of where to go away this autumn.

Barcelona, Spain

Once the summer sun has gone from this stunning Spanish city, the sticky weather will be no more. It’ll still be t-shirt weather in the fall but just that little bit more comfortable, making it ideal for a stroll or a little cycling down the Ramblas. Most of the tourists will have gone too, making sightseeing a much more pleasant experience. Barcelona Travel Guide

Galway, Ireland

The end of September is the ideal time to visit Galway in Ireland as it’s when the International Oyster Festival takes place. This is one of the most joyful events in Western Ireland and a great experience. Galway is also the ideal place to start your trip around one of the most picturesque landscapes in Europe. Books about Galway, Ireland

Cornwall, England

Right in the very south of England, Cornwall is one of the most beautiful parts of Britain, meaning it’s packed with tourists in summer. In the fall the crowds die down and the countryside really comes into its own as the leaves  begin to change colour. Unfortunately, it’ll be a little too cold on the beach but the breathtaking cliff tops will create a hike to remember. Cornwall & Devon guide books

Budapest, Hungary

This is another prime tourist destination that is much more enjoyable out of season. The architecture comes alive in the stark fall light and the local bar and restaurant scene still does a great trade. If you have an interested in contemporary art, there is also Budapest Autumn festival which takes place in October with performances showcasing a number of different genres such as music, dance, film and photography. Budapest Travel Guides

Tuscany and Umbria, Italy 

Hitting the back roads of Tuscany and Umbria you’ll be able to taste local produce like cheese, olive oil, wine and meats. If wine is your thing, why not visit a wine festival in Tuscany? Europeans are always passionate about wine and never more so than just after the harvest, making fall the ideal time to sample the delicious flavours. Tuscany is one of the most picturesque places in Italy, read my post. Tuscany Travel Guides

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Roasted salmon with salsa verde Recipe

Roasted salmon with salsa verde, new potatoes and warm green bean salad.This Rick Stein recipe was a real show stopper when I served it up to the girls. It tasted like nothing I had ever had before and need to find an excuse to do this one again!

Roasted salmon with salsa verde

Prep time: 20 mins
Oven time: 40-60 mins
Serves 4
Ingredients for the salsa verde
15g flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped
5g min leaves, chopped
3 tbsp capers
6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
1 clove garlic, crushed

Ingredients for the roasted salmon
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, each cut into 8 slices
1 2.5kg/5½lb to 2.75kg/6lb salmon, scaled and filleted OR 2 1kg/1¼lb salmon fillets
1 tbsp capers
2 garlic cloves, sliced
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 large bunch fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 tablespoons water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steamed potatoes
1.8kg/4lb of uniform-sized slightly waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte
20g/¾oz butter, melted
salt

Warm green bean salad
500g/18oz fine green beans, stalk ends removed
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. For the salsa verde, combine the parsley and mint leaves, capers, anchovy fillets and one garlic clove. Mash together with a pestle and mortar to form a coarse paste and season to taste with a little salt.
3. Line the base of a large baking tray or roasting tin with a sheet of non-stick baking-paper and then lay the tomatoes in rows of four down the centre of the paper (diagonally if necessary so that your salmon will fit in the tin).
4. Scatter over a tablespoon of capers, garlic slices, half of the chilli flakes and all but one large sprig of the thyme.
5. Drizzle over three tablespoons of the oil, the water, and some salt, to taste. This will prevent the salmon from sticking and produce a lovely sauce to serve with the salmon.
6. Brush the skin-side of one salmon fillet with oil, season lightly with salt and place skin-side down on top of the tomatoes.
7. Lightly season with salt and then cover with the salsa verde mixture.
8. Lightly season the cut face of the second salmon fillet and place on top of the salsa verde covered salmon skin-side down.
9. Brush the skin with olive oil and scatter with the remaining chilli flakes and the leaves from the remaining thyme sprig. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Roast the fish for 25 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the flesh still slightly pink in the centre.
11. Remove the salmon from the oven and leave it to rest briefly.
12. Using a small sharp kitchen knife, peel the potatoes from top to bottom, taking as wide a band of peel off each time as possible. Work around the potato to create a fairly uniform oval shape.
13. Bring 2.5cm/1in of water to the boil in a large pan, then reduce to a simmer. Lower a petal steamer into the pan (the boiling water should not reach the holes). Add the potatoes and sprinkle them liberally with salt.
14. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and steam for about 20 minutes, checking the water level regularly, until tender when pierced with the tip of a small knife, but not falling apart.
15. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl, brush with a little melted butter and serve.
16. For the bean salad, bring a pan of well-salted water (i.e. 1 teaspoon per 600ml/1 pint) to the boil. Add the beans and boil rapidly for 4-4½ minutes until just tender.
17. Meanwhile, whisk together the mustard and vinegar and then gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
18. Drain the beans well and return them to the pan. Toss with the spring onions and mustard dressing. Pile into a serving bowl and serve warm.

To serve, cut the salmon across into portion-sized pieces. Serve with some of the cooking juices, spooned over, some of the roasted tomatoes, with bean salad and steamed potatoes to the side. I also roasted some sliced tomatoes to add a little colour and I think I'd do double the amount tomatoes next time.
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Top Heavy Chocolate Cupcake

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Pink Pavlova Recipe

A meringue can form the basis of some fabulously low-fat or even fat-free desserts but many people, myself included, have avoided making them. I knew that a marshmallow meringue should be light, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside but how was I going to succeed? I remember my mom having some failures in the past (sorry mom) so I did some research into the biggest blunders when making meringues. If you haven't tried making meringues before, don't be scared as this mix is fairly fool proof and if you follow these top tips you really can't lose!

My Pink Pavlova

Things to know when making meringues:
Eggs
1. Make sure there is NO yolk in your egg whites. Separate eggs when they are cold in a separate bowl that way if a yolk slips through you can then disgard one egg white rather than the whole bunch.
2. Beat the egg whites when they are room temperature. You just need to wait c. 30 mins.
3. Don't be afraid to beat them eggs. A dessert base (such as a pavlova) you need to make sure you keep beating until you get stiff, glossy peaks.
Mixing bowls
1. Use metal or glass mixing bowls as they are best for yielding voluminous beaten egg whites. Plastic bowls can retain fat and grease which restricts the volume of the egg whites. If you only have a plastic bowl clean it a couple of times first to minimise the risk of any fat deposits being present.
Sugar
1. Add the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon at the soft-peak stage. Take your time. Undissolved sugar attracts moisture which can then ruin your meringue. With this recipe I used icing sugar rather than caster sugar and put it all in at once as the surface area is considerably greater.
Oven
1. Keep the temperature low ideally 180C/350F/Gas 4. This will ensure the gradual evaporation of moisture from the meringue. If the oven is too hot, the outside will be super crunchy but the centre will be super sticky and chewy.
2. Don't take the meringue out of the oven too soon. Keep the meringue in the oven after baking which will help to dry it out and keep it light.

Serves 8

Oven time: 45mins

250g icing sugar

4 egg whites

2 tsp cornflour

1 tsp white wine vinegar

red food colouring

500ml of whipped cream with 2 tbsp rose water and 2 tbsp icing sugar

250g raspberries and strawberries

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150oC/Gas Mark 2
2. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Draw the 3 circles on a piece of parchment paper. I use a saucer, side plate then dinner plate as templates.
3. Place the icing sugar and egg whites in a standing food mixer and whisk on high for 10 minutes until glossy white peaks form.
4. Using a spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and the white wine vinegar.
5. Divide the meringue mixture between the two baking trays and using a tablespoon, form three meringue discs. I then dipped a chopstick into the red food colouring and then gently swirled the chopstick in the uncooked meringue discs (don't go all the way down - keep the chop stick shallow).
6. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

7. Compile your pavlova and enjoy!
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Bewarned! Meringue once the cream has made contact doesn't keep crisp very long. If you assemble the pavlova just before you serve will be perfect. Don't worry about left overs, there won't be any. I had a table of 4 girls and the pavlova was demolished in minutes!

Katherine Howard (1542)

Katherine was brought up in Norfolk by her grandmother, The Duchess of Norfolk. Francis Dereham was her cousin and she fell madly in love with him. Soon they were calling each other 'husband' and 'wife' and were sleeping together whilst sharing her bedchamber with her female servants.

As a young man in need of adventure and fortune, Dereham set off to Ireland vowing to return and to marry Katherine. Whilst Dereham was in Ireland the Duchess and her household moved to London. 

No love at first sight

Anne of Cleves was Cromwell's favourite candidate for Henry VIII's fourth wife as she was a protestant. In 1540 Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves and he was already trying to find a way to end the marriage. He claimed the marriage had not been consummated. Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk was Katherine's uncle and he saw an opportunity; a King desperate for a male heir, to be loved and adored and his young, pretty and obedient niece, Katherine. Henry VIII noticed Katherine at court and by April 1540, he had fallen in love with her. Her family supported Katherine in her encouragements to the King as they wanted a Catholic queen back on the throne. King Henry VIII annulled his marriage to Anne of Cleves in July in 1540, the same year he had married Anne of Cleves. Henry VIII married Katherine Howard in the same month at the palace of Oatlands in Surrey. 

A Happily Married Couple

The King seemed happy with his new Queen, he showered her with gifts and petted her in public, showing all the world how he doted on his new bride. In tribute to his love, she took the motto: 'No other will than his.' He struck a gold medal on which Katherine was called 'his rose without a thorn'. He believed he had found the wife of his dreams and thanked God for sending him such a 'perfect jewel'.

A Secret Affair
Katherine brought some of her old servants into her new household. The same servants who had seen her romping with Dereham. Dereham, back from Ireland, even came to work for her. By the Spring Katherine was having secret affair with her cousin, Thomas Culpeper who was a favourite of the King. It seems that Katherine took no heed from Anne Boleyn's demise which had happened only five years before. 
Lady Rochford, the sister in law to Anne Boleyn and wife to Anne's brother George aided the young couple's affair by keeping watch when they met in secret.

Walls Have Ears
Thomas Cramer, the Archbishop of Canterbury learned of Katherine's past and was only too delighted to bring down his Catholic Queen. He wrote a letter including all the information he knew about Queen Katherine's past and left it on a church pew for the King to find when he went to Mass. The King, after reading it, asked Cramer to investigate these accusations.  When Cramer provided King Henry with proof the King broke down in public asking for a sword so to run her through. He then commanded that both Queen Katherine and Lady Rochford were arrested. Queen Katherine was shut up in her rooms at Hampton Court. The King left Hampton Court and passed a new law making it treason for a woman to marry a King without first telling him if she had a past. 

Cramer questioned the Queen and her servants for days. Dereham was also questioned. He let slip that Queen Katherine had passed him over for Culpeper. Cramer was now looking at adultery, which, for a Queen was high treason. Culpeper denied that he and the Queen had had physical relations. 

And So, To the Tower Queen Katherine Went
Katherine was sent to Syon Abbey by the Thames, her rich clothes, jewels and servants removed. Dereham and Culpeper were tried and beheaded. Katherine was not tried, the House of Lords condemned her as a traitor and three months after her arrest she was taken in a barge to the Tower of London, past the rotting heads of her cousin lovers Dereham and Culpeper rotting on spikes.

On 13th February 1542 Katherine went to the scaffold to meet her fate. She told the crowd that she deserved a hundred deaths, she knelt down and with one blow the axe took off her head. She is buried near to her cousin, Queen Anne Boleyn, in the chapel of St Peter in Chains in the Tower of London.


In the course of 118 years, between 1483 - 1601, seven famous traitors were beheaded in the Tower of London. Five of these traitors were women. King Henry VIII kept the executioners busy. Three of these beheadings were ordered by him over six years:

Traitors in the Tower of London:

1. Lord Hastings (1483)
2. Anne Boleyn (1536)
3. Countess of Salisbury (1541)
4. Katherine Howard (1542)
5. Lady Rochford (1542)
6. Lady Jane Grey (1554)

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For further reading on Katherine Howard I can recommend:

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Cupcakes are as popular as ever. This vanilla cupcake recipe is from the Hummingbird Bakery recipe book. Don't underestimate the power of vanilla. Ensure your cupcakes have a nice airy, moist sponge with a subtle vanilla taste. You do this by not overcooking them – they should be light golden and spring back when touched. 

Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 20-25 mins

Ingredients for vanilla cupcake mixture
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
¼tsp vanilla extract
1 quantity vanilla frosting
hundreds and thousands or other edible sprinkles, to decorate
a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tray, lined with paper cases
Ingredients for vanilla frosting
250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
25ml whole milk
a couple of drops of vanilla extract - not vanilla essence

Method for cake
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
3. Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched.
5. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
6. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon or pipe the vanilla frosting on top.
7. Method for vanilla frosting:
Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
8. Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
9. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes it will also become paler in colour.
You should follow me on twitter here.If you like this recipe there are many more gorgeous treats in the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook:

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)

The story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury starts 60 years before the beheading of Queen Anne Boleyn in 1536 but ends five years after. 

Margaret Pole was born near Bath in 1473 to the Duke of Clarence, the younger brother of King Edward IV. Margaret's father, the Duke of Clarence, had previously turned traitor and had tried to depose Edward and drive him from his throne. Once Edward regained his throne he did make peace with Clarence but he never fully trusted him after that. Clarence was still jealous of his elder brother the King and disliked the Queen Elizabeth Wydeville. When Margaret was four years old Clarence accused the Queen of poisoning his wife who had died the year before. He also said in public that the King was a bastard. Both accusations were unfounded but King Edward IV couldn't allow his brother to get away with this and so sent him to the Tower.

Duke of Clarence the traitor

Clarence was charged with high treason and as a Lord would escape the usual sentence for traitors which was to be hanged, drawn, beheaded and then quartered. Lords were given the more lenient sentence of being beheaded. Clarence, however, was not beheaded. Edward allowed him to choose how he would die. It is said that Clarence chose to drown in a butt of Malmsey wine. Whether you choose to believe this or not it would be useful to bear in mind that Margaret (his daughter) wore a wine barrel jewel on her wrist. You can view this painting at the National Portrait Gallery.

Margaret the orphan

Now both of Margaret's parents were dead. She and her brother Warwick were the offspring of a traitor but they were still of royal blood and were brought up with the King's children. When Edward IV died in 1483 and Richard III took the crown the young Margaret who was ten years old and her brother were moved with other young royal of the house of York to Sheriff Hutton Castle in Yorkshire. A year later Richard III's only son died and young Warwick was next in line to the throne. Richard III was not a popular monarch and he knew that Warwick had a good claim to the throne but he did not name him as his heir. A year later and Richard III died at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry VII was now King, the first Tudor King of England. Like Richard III, Henry VII  knew Warwick had a good claim to the throne, even stronger than his own. With that he had Warwick sent to live in the Tower of the London. Fourteen years later Warwick was still held captive in the Tower and was still a threat to Henry VII's throne. Agents were placed in the Tower who led Warwick to plot treason. This was the perfect opportunity for Edward VII, Warwick was beheaded and the agents hanged.Margaret had no blood relatives left. She had provided her husband Sir Richard Pole with four sons and a daughter before he died in 1505.

Henry VIII, the new King of England

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury

Four years later Henry VIII was on the throne and even though Margaret was from the House of York he liked her and in 1513 he made her Countess of Salisbury, a title that had once been her father's. Henry VIII also funded her son's education at Oxford University. Her new title and wealth meant that she was now often at court and became close friends with Queen Katherine of Aragon. Margaret became governess and godmother to the Princess Mary and when the nine year old Princess was given her own court at Ludlow Castle in 1525, Margaret went with her. 

Along came Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was now on the scene and Henry VIII had written to the Pope requesting him to end his marriage to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Reginald, Margaret's son, spoke out against Anne Boleyn and, in fear for his life, fled to Italy.
Once Anne Boleyn was Queen Margaret was sent away being out of favour of the court. Three years later after Queen Anne Boleyn's downfall Margaret was once again welcomed back to court but it wasn't long till her fate took another turn.

A PR disaster

In 1536 Margaret's son Reginald Pole (still in Italy) wrote and published a book expressing his thoughts of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. He had been asked by Henry VIII to write positive propaganda in the favour of the King.This was a direct act of treason and while Henry VIII was on the throne Pole could never return to England without being tried for treason. Margaret's family had now been marked and were now being watched. 

And so to the Tower of London

Two years later Margaret's youngest son was sent to the Tower for aiding his exiled brother and later in the same year her eldest son along with his cousin along with their family members and children were also sent to the Tower. Margaret was the matriarch of Henry VIII's rivals. Even though she was now sixty five he had her sent to the Tower where she stayed in the dark and cold for two years. In 1541 there was a revolt in Yorkshire and Margaret still posed a threat.   King Henry VIII ordered her execution. 

Print by Isaac Cruikshank, c.1780

Margaret's last day

On 27th May 1541 she was woken to be told she would die that day. Her crime was to be the mother to men who had committed treason. Margaret's execution was the bloodiest of these seven posts. She laid her head on the block as she should but the executioner was new at his job and proceeded to hack at her head until she was dead. Margaret was buried in the chapel in the Tower near her enemy in life, Queen Anne Boleyn. Two innocent women who were at the mercy of men's actions. 

In the course of 118 years, between 1483 - 1601, seven famous traitors were beheaded in the Tower of London. Five of these traitors were women. King Henry VIII kept the executioners busy. Three of these beheadings were ordered by him over six years:

Traitors in the Tower of London:

1. Lord Hastings (1483)
2. Anne Boleyn (1536)
3. Countess of Salisbury (1541)
4. Katherine Howard (1542)
5. Lady Rochford (1542)
6. Lady Jane Grey (1554)

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Further reading about the Countess of Salisbury:

Carrot Cake Recipe

I was introduced to the Hummingbird Bakery by a cookery book my friend Lauren for my 30th birthday. A couple of weeks later a couple of girlfriends and I went on a cupcake walk in Kensington and Notting Hill. After tasting my first slice of their moist and full flavoured carrot cake I was hooked and it's a favourite on special occasions. 
You can vary how finely you chop the nuts for the sponge and pecan nuts or walnuts can be substituted as you wish. For an extra special touch decorate the top with mini carrots. These can either be formed by hand using orange coloured royal icing, pipe orange butter cream or why not do it the James Martin way and caramelise your own carrots.

My Carrot cake, Hummingbird Bakery recipe

Prep time: 20 mins

Oven time: 25 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Cake Mixture Ingredients
300g Soft Light Brown Sugar
3 Medium Eggs
300ml Sunflower Oil
300g Plain Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
½ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract rather than essence
300g Carrots, grated, I finely grate half and coarsely grate the other half
100g Shelled Walnuts, chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
300g Icing Sugar, sifted
50g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature - make sure it's nice and soft and doesn't create lumps.
125g Cream Cheese, cold - it's important that it's fridge cold
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
2. Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split). Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.
3. Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts by hand until they are all evenly dispersed. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. While cooling make the Cream Cheese Frosting which should take c. 10 mins.
4. When the cakes are cold, put one on a cake stand and spread about one-quarter of the Cream Cheese Frosting over it with a palette knife. Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it.
5. Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Finish with walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon or indeed your self made carrots!

Time saving tip
Base line three 20-cm cake tins with greaseproof paper.
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There some amazing recipes in this book which I have yet to try!

Anne Boleyn (1536)

It's 1536, King Henry VIII has been on the throne for 27 years. He has divorced Queen Katherine of Aragon and has been married to Queen Anne Boleyn for three years. On 29th January 1536 Anne Boleyn lost a baby son, born dead after four months. This was her fourth child in three years but only one still lived, a girl named Elizabeth who was just 28 months old. Henry VIII was in desperate need of a male heir and the loss of a potential male heir caused him 'great distress'. It seemed that Anne was falling into the same pattern as her predecessor Queen Katherine of Aragon who produced six children all of whom died with the exception of one, a daughter named Mary.

How Anne caught the King's eye
Anne Boleyn had done been Queen Katherine of Aragon's lady-in-waiting. By 1526 Henry was in love with Anne, pursuing her, writing her love letters, begging her to be his mistress. Anne refused his advances which only encouraged him further. The King was used to having what he wanted. Anne was holding out for marriage, to become Queen of England. 
After a year of unsuccessfully wooing of Anne King Henry VIII wrote to the Pope asking him to end his marriage to Katherine who once had been the wife of his elder brother Arthur. For six years Henry VIII waited for the Pope's response but it never came. Katherine of Aragon's nephew was Emperor Charles V and the Pope was afraid of offending the powerful Charles V. In frustration Henry VIII historically broke from the Church of Rome and announced himself to be Head of the Church of England.

Hope for the Tudor King
Seven years after falling in love with Anne Boleyn King Henry VIII had his marriage with Katherine of Aragon declared null and void and married Anne in secret. He was 42 years old and was 32 years old and pregnant. Now the King had got what he wanted, Anne a younger Queen, and a new hope for a son and heir which he so urgently needed. In the three years that followed his amorous attentions were not only for Anne. He was now chasing after her maid, Jane Seymour.

History was repeating itself
Anne's inability to produce a male heir was not the only contributing factor to her downfall. She was not popular with the people, she was to them, a cuckoo in the place of their true Roman Catholic Queen, Queen Katherine of Aragon. There were also many at court, including Thomas Cromwell, who were doing their best to get rid of her.

Keep your friend close but your enemies closer
Thomas Cromwell had once been Anne's friend but after many disagreements they had fallen out and were now rivals at court. Cromwell built his case on the King's fear of treason and the Queen's flirtatious nature. She was well known for her temper and mood swings. She had failed to produce Henry with a male heir. Clearly, in his mind, Anne was not fit to be Queen. Cromwell found evidence against her even though little of the details are known today. The King's pride was damaged and action needed to be taken.

Queen Anne Boleyn was arrested
On 2nd May 1536 Anne Boleyn was arrested for treason at Greenwich Palace and taken by barge through the traitors gate to the Tower of London. It was rare for anyone accused of treason to escaoe death and she knew this.
While Anne was held in the Queen's Lodgings in the Palace within the Tower, the King would not see anyone nor appear in public. He already has his new love Jane Seymour comfortably lodged in a house which he had bought her by the river. 

The five accused men
A week after Anne's arrest, two lists of charged were drawn up against her accusing her of adultery with five men. Three of the men were friends of the King. Another was a lute player at the court named Mark Smeaton. The final man, was George Boleyn, Anne's brother. His wife, Lady Jane Rochford provided proof of incest. Only Smeaton pleaded guilty. On the 12th May all the men, par George Boleyn, were tried in Westminster Hall and were ceremoniously condemned to death.

The trials of George and Anne Boleyn
On 15th May Queen Anne Boleyn was tried by 26 lords of whom Anne's own father seems to have been present. Anne swore she had always been true to the King but did admit to having been a proud and jealous wife. Once found guilty she asked for time to prepare her soul for death. After her trial George Boleyn was then tried and too was found guilty.
On 17th May all five men were beheaded on Tower Hill. Anne watched from a window in the Tower. It was the same day, with her consent, her marriage to Henry VIII was dissolved and her daughter Elizabeth proclaimed a bastard.
With only a guilty verdict possible the King, prior to Anne's trial, had sent to France for an expert swordsman to behead her, offering her a kinder death. This was most probably in an attempt to secure her consent to the ending of her marriage.

Anne's day of execution

Anne Boleyn's execution by Jan Luyken, c.1664-1712

A public execution for Anne was arranged for 9am on 18th May. Justice must be seen to be done. Her beheading was delayed until noon. At noon, Anne's beheading was delayed again until the next morning.
Anne spent much of her last night praying. The next day a thousand people stood by the new scaffold that had been built for her in front of the 'House of Ordance' which is now the Waterloo Barracks.
Anne wore a grey robe with a white fur cape and a gable hood. Unusually for Anne she was calm and brave and she made a short speech. She prayed for the King and called him 'a most gentle prince'.
There was no wooden block on which for her to rest her head. She knelt upright, covered her eyes and prayed aloud waiting for the fatal blow. The headsman took off his shoes and came quietly up behind her, swung his sword and took her head off 'at a stroke'. It is said that her eyes and mouth were seen to move as the head fell. 
It is said that Henry VIII stood on Snow Hill awaiting news of Anne Boleyn's execution which was to be signalled by gunfire from The Round Tower at Windsor Castle.

Rest in Peace Anne Boleyn
Anne's body was placed in an arrow chest and then buried in the royal chapel of St Peter in Chains in the Tower, before the altar. Anne would not be the last Queen to be beheaded and buried there. 
In the course of 118 years, between 1483 - 1601, seven famous traitors were beheaded in the Tower of London. Five of these traitors were women. King Henry VIII kept the executioners busy. Three of these beheadings were ordered by him over six years:
1. Lord Hastings (1483)
2. Queen Anne Boleyn (1536)
3. Countess of Salisbury (1541)
4. Queen Katherine Howard (1542)
5. Lady Rochford (1542)
6. Lady Jane Grey (1554)

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There are a number of excellent books about the life of Queen Anne Boleyn but this one is my favourite, history told within a narrative: