Beaches & Cream

Saturday called for a venture into the wilds of the north east coast, which lead to finding this surprising little coffee house just north of Tynemouth at Cullercoats Bay! And what a treat it was. I find Tynemouth for all it’s seaside town charm, lacking in the eatery department, particularly if you’re off gluten/dairy. So when I wandered in on the off chance to see if this little eatery offered soya milk, I was answered back with a surprising yes, we do! And a look out of the corner of my eye spied a gorgeous almond and orange gluten free cake. Heaven!

And as if that’s not enough, what should sit next door but a wonderful old fashioned style ice cream parlour!

The interior is a beautifully designed elegant space where you’ll find an array of Fornasetti accents. My lust for the wallpaper knows no bounds as I was eyeing it up last year when we were re-decorating our fireplace. True lust! A bit of googling reveals it’s the work of Space ID and Quay Shop Fitters who also designed the beautiful shop/cafe of Gareth James Chocolatier just down the road in Tynemouth.

Well worth the small drive up the coast, especially since I tend to find the eateries in Tynemouth disappointing at best.

Beaches & Cream
Cullercoats,
North Shields,
Tyne and Wear,
NE30 4PN

So Near And Yet So Far: Enamel Sign Exhibition

Recently I went to Shildon’s Railway museum to see the old Victorian sign exhibition, the only one of it’s kind. It was amazing to see these up close and the detail that went into each one by hand. As well as some interesting and questionable advertising from the cigarette companies! Smoking to cure sore throats…

Tynemouth – Again

I like Tynemouth, it’s a little quirky, it has a few sweet boutiques and oddments. Notably it’s prolific market held in the old train station each weekend. It’s probably been a year since I’ve been, mainly because unless you live near a metro line it’s a faff to get too. But since my boyfriend got the Birdmobile, this weekend seemed like a fine time to go and also to nose out any boutiques to stock my jewellery.

The market however has gone decidedly downhill depending on your perspective. If you like dirty rummaging fuelled by the constant thrill of the chance of getting hepatitis off a shard of a rusty chandelier or stamp collecting, then tynemouth was the place for you. This time however, and a year later it’s notably 60-40 filled with hand crafted stalls, cupcakes, imported cheap jewellery and other standard market stall tat. There’s still some goodies, but not like there used to be. Not that it stopped me picking up a cute old brooch and my boyfriend going all valentines on me by buying me this picture. I did however miss the tramp like thrill of the rummage. Saturday however is better so choose your day wisely.

I still want to live in either of these houses.

2011 begins with a new diary

Just before Christmas Daycraft, a Hong Kong based journal and diary company emailed me to ask if they could send me some samples based on my mini articlette ‘Journalling: what the hipsters don’t tell you’. I was very flattered and kindly accepted. A couple of weeks later (the week before xmas) a box arrived with no less than four of their books, 3 2011 diaries and one notebook. And how sweet they are! No one really needs telling about the wonderful feeling of opening and starting a new journal, with it’s crisp pages yet to be adorned! But I’m glad I was sent something I do genuinely really like.

First off was the dainty soft pink faux leather slimline pocket 2011 diary. A perfect handbag sized diary with an impressive inside section detailing health and nutrition, birthdays and even a vintage wine guide. Whilst I don’t tend to use slimline diaries, my mother relies on them so it seemed fitting to pass onto her to use which she has been more than satisfied with.

Next came my favourite, the cushioned cobalt blue ‘Vogue’ diary. The soft padded front is nice and bendy to let you write easily without the bulk of a hardback but is slightly wider than the slimline diaries but still a perfect handbag size.

They also sent me a super cute Cookie note book with a plush soft padded biscuit front which holds orange lined pages, perfect for keeping notes.

The third diary is probably the most colourful out of the two, a lovely material bound cover with a yellow paint splash effect. As well as plenty of space to keep dates and a brillaitn perforated pull out note section at the back.

The downside to this, is that Daycraft don’t appear to have any European stockists! Such a shame as I can imagine they would go down brilliant in a store like Waterstones amongst the Moleskines, Cath Kidston and Rosehip books.

So, to pass on the kindness I am offering up for grabs the Make My Day hard backed 2011 journal! I know February is a late start into the year, but surely better late to start keeping track of dates than never? I hope so anyway. If you want to win one, first come first served! x

Gluten Free Chocolate Lime Cake

I’m on a baking quest plain and simply. After becoming tired and disillusioned with the same old stale tasting gluten free varieties available in the local supermarkets, and monetary contraints becoming more apparent. I’ve started baking from scratch a variety of foods that will compete with their glutinous rivals.

This cake, is probably in my top 5 of home baked cakes so far. The recipe is from the delectable Nigella Lawson’s book ‘Kitchen‘ which I’ve been going through since my boyfriend kindly bought me it for Christmas (this being one of two gluten free cake recipes). But I’ve decided to re-posted it mainly to continue bringing to light more amazing gluten free recipes that taste as good as any wheat filled treat out there. The texture and consistency is that of an expensive mousse-y torte rather than a crumbling traditional cake, and as such I’ve found it keeps for a lot longer.

I’ve amended a couple of the ingredients to personal preferences, and wanted to say this tastes just as good using a dairy free margarine as the replacement to butter. You can even reduce the sugar, I tried it on second attempt using only 175g instead of 250g and it came out just as sweet, I think it altogether depends on the type of dark chocolate you use. Less sugar is always good!

• 150g dark chocolate
• 150g soft unsalted butter or dairy free margarine
• 6 eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 4 teaspoons best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• zest and juice 1 lime
• 1 x 23cm springform or other round cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the base of your cake tin with baking parchment and butter the sides.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), then set aside to cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussy.
4. Mix the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter. Finally, fold in the zest and juice of your lime.
5. Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes (though start to check at 35); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
6. Remove from the oven and sit the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool.
7. When cold, dust with icing sugar

If you try this, then please let me know what you think. I’ve managed to convert anyone who’s tasted it so far, wheat eater or not.

A walk in the woods

I seem to have the knack of turning a thoroughly enjoyable and bright and breezy experience in to a morbid and almost barran photograph. The walk was lovely, the photographs I worry, belies something else entirely.

Girl Illustrated

“Samantha has lived in Putney all her life.
The great conflict in her life to date has been whether to be a true-blue Chelsea football supporter or a black and white Cottager (Fulham).
In the end she always supports both teams, but is in paroxysms of doubt when they play each other.
Her star pinups are Tom Jones, Peter Bonetti and Tommy Trinder, and her best male friend at the moment is Sir Alfred, her pet poodle.
Samantha is a private secretary to the director of a large company.
“Unfortunately it isn’t like Mogul,” she told us sadly.”

I bought Marc a 1960′s glamour magazine for Christmas (along with some 1950′s crepe paper which could possibly win the prize for most random present) and after looking through it, I have to say glamour magazines back then seemed so much more respectful to women than they appear to be now. It’s filled with such a variety of womens shapes and sizes and some fantastic make up and clothing. It even shows a young Natalie Wood, albeit not in the nudie. Gap in the market?

The Things You Find

Whilst rummaging through old photos.

A day at the park