They turned out so well that I decided to bake another lot for a charity bake sale which raised £40 for my Nan’s nursing home.

Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

120g Bertolli Butter
120g Billingtons Golden Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
Half a teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
120g Allinson Nature Friendly Self Raising Flower
1 tub of Betty Crocker Buttercream Style Icing

Method

Pre-heat the oven 170c/325f/gas mark 3
1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Beat in Vanilla Extract
3. Gradually add eggs with a little flour and beat until smooth

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and soft to touch
Ice once cool

Rhiannon

Bank holiday Monday also didn’t disappoint, with blissfully blue skies and a calm, soft breeze. I drove to Rock, known by many as ‘Kensington-on-Sea’ due to the young, London crowd who hang out there in the Summer holidays. However, I ventured a little further afield, past Skinner’s Brewery and up the high hedged Cornish lanes, to a little spot where an old friend has worked this summer, cooking for guests at the CK Rock Cottage. Luckily she had a day off, and treated us to an delectable spread on her sun-parched decking. I wouldn’t have minded what we ate - the view down over the lush, rolling fields to the Camel Estuary and Padstow was to die for.

Jen

However, encouraged by a pain-free day cycling The Camel Trail with my husband and two daughters in North Cornwall (OK, it’s very flat, there are no cars and we stopped about every 15 minutes for a custard cream break), plus the fact that practically live on one of Boris’s bright blue Cycle Superhighways, I thought I’d take the plunge and give it a go.

It’s early days, but so far so good. It’s astonishing just how many cyclists are out there, pedaling the same route and vying for space in the blue lane, but there’s a natural hierarchy: men with aero-dynamic helmets, cycling shades and head to toe Lycra at the front, girls with floaty dresses and a wicker basket at the back – and everyone else somewhere in between. I’m watching and learning: the pros know the phasing of the traffic lights and the best line to take around slightly scary roundabouts; they also make the rest of us more assertive with the rest of the traffic, confidently taking their places in the bicycle ‘boxes’. You can tell I’m a beginner because I still stop at red traffic lights and don’t cycle straight over pedestrian crossings.

There’s something rather splendid about an army of cyclists taking to the roads and I for one am a fan of Boris’s aim to make cycling around London a more viable option. There’s been mixed reaction to the Cycle Superhighways but as far as I’m concerned it is what has got me out there. I love cycling past all the early morning boot campers on Clapham Common, past long queues of grumpy people waiting at bus stops and over the bridge with a fabulous view of the London Eye and Westminster.

I feel like I’m the newest member of a club and I’m a convert. By cycling to work and (over 12 miles there and back), I can save a few pennies on my Oyster Card, avoid the dreaded Northern Line and get a bit of exercise into the bargain. What’s not to love about that? Rather pleasingly it also opens up huge opportunities for shopping. As we all know, there’s nothing wrong with having the right kit, so in an idle moment you might find me browsing Bobbin Bicycles and Cycle Chic for a few stylish additions to my cycling wardrobe. Strictly no Lycra, though.

Celia

By mid-morning an element of calm had been restored as all the teams squeezed themselves into the boardroom for the bi-annual company meeting, during which promotions were announced, awards given out and new staff were welcomed into the Wild. The meeting was followed by a raffle that raised £215 for MERLIN, a charity supporting the Cornwall Multiple Sclerosis Centre and other projects. It transpired that a very worthy contribution had been made by senior account manager, Charmaine, with her eye on the star prize (a Nintendo Wii fit) she had acquired more than just a fistful of raffle tickets, which were delightedly thrown into the air as her name was (thankfully) pulled out of the hat.

Once the more grown up responsibilities had been completed, everyone piled into taxis which whisked us off to a mystery venue. After several wrong turns (unbeknownst to us), and a potentially rocky moment when our taxi driver asked his blank looking passengers where we wanted to be left, we eventually arrived at The Royal Chelsea Hospital, home to the Chelsea pensioners and a rather a good supply of Laurent Perrier. Ensuing bubbles and canapés were followed by a sumptuous salmon and hollandaise rich luncheon, accompanied by plenty of free-flowing rose, all served up in a beautiful, wood panelled, masterpiece-clad dining room. What a treat! Outside on the lawns after lunch we posed for a colourful array of glamorous “Kodak moments” in front of the buildings, reclining on the benches and even propping up a cannon ball or two, goodness only knows what sort of a eyeful those Chelsea pensioners got, should they have peeked out of their windows!

AJ

There is a real buzz throughout the city.

Everyone is talking about it and for a true Cornish welcome (and for mum and dad to enjoy) - we just delivered our own Cornish hamper of goodies.

Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream, scones and Tregothnan jam are a must for any visitor to the county - and I hope Samantha can put her feet up for a moment and enjoy them!

A bottle of Healey’s cyder too in case David fancies a tipple…

And Davidstow cheese and crackers for when Samantha and David get hungry in the middle of the night!

We hope mother and baby are doing well.

The next day – we popped back and handed out lovely Kelly’s of Cornwall clotted cream ice cream to all the busy film crews… We like to keep the media sweet!

Georgie

My own interest in gardening does not stem from my unsuccessful vegetable patch as a small boy but from my first job – as gardener to the explorer, equestrian traveller and anthropologist, Robin Hanbury-Tenison on his Bodmin Moor farm. Looking to fill in a few months before the Army, I was told by Robin at a tennis match that his gardener had toppled over a cliff on his garden tractor and was indisposed for a while. ‘Would I like to fill in?’ I spent a blissful few months on the farm riding out across the moor, eating the most exquisite food (Marika, his then wife, was cookery editor for The Sunday Telegraph and experimented on me with wonderful nouvelle cuisine dishes) and the weeds grew happily unmolested for the summer. Despite my feckless approach to horticultural responsibilities, I did somehow become imbued with a sense of great enjoyment thrashing around with pruning shears and watching the giant rhubarb (Gunnera Manicata – there you go!) sprouting its enormous leaves and defying gravity.

So – when it came to locating our offices, whilst not an imperative, it was an additional deciding factor in my choice of location. In London we sit beside and overlook the Savoy Chapel Garden and are adjacent to the Victoria Embankment Gardens. In Truro we back on to the Victoria Gardens. They’re all somewhat ‘municipal’ and regimented in layout but as a brief oasis between concrete jungles one can’t complain. We’re spoilt in Cornwall. Having so many magnificent gardens such as Heligan, Trewithen and the Eden Project one can get picky.

The Savoy Garden is not very imaginatively laid out with grass oval, shrubs on the edges and a few benches but is both grand and has a whiff of Victorian decadence associated with the Chapel to which it belongs. This Chapel has always been royal property and belongs to the monarch as part of the Duchy of Lancaster and it was made the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order in 1937. So occasionally the flagpole in the garden sports a royal standard and well-dressed courtiers and members of the order can be seen nipping into the garden for a quick ciggie before a service. It was also notorious in the 18th century as an Anglican church where marriages without banns might illegally occur and was referred to in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited as “the place where divorced couples got married in those days – a poky little place”. Scandalous! “OMG, theyʼve been married before”

Victoria Embankment Gardens were created in 1874 after Sir Joseph Bazalgette built the northern intercept sewer (isn’t that interesting) and the northern embankment of the river Thames. In 2005 it became the temporary home to the Memorial Garden for the victims of the 7th July 2005 suicide bombings in London. The memorial stone is discreet, well cared for and poignant.

The garden has a number of statues and some are interesting.

‘Robbie Burns contemplating crafting a poem about the Camel Corps”

It amuses me to see the bronze of the weeping girl grieving so over the Arthur Sullivan memorial. In haste to show her sad loss she’s inadvertently left most of her clothes behind; he steadfastly refusing to acknowledge her. There’s a story here. “ Arthur, Arthur!!”

It also has most notably the water gate that was built in 1626 as an entrance to the Thames for the Duke of Buckingham. The gate is still in its original position, but since its creation the Thames water-line has moved and the gate is about 100 meters from the river.

”I see no ships”

One morning last summer, whilst walking to the office through the park, I spied some tamarillo trees in fruit ( Cyphomandra betacea if you insist but know colloquially as tree tomatoes) and nearly spilt my espresso. I had these fantastic fruit in New Zealand as a child and hadn’t seem one in…..years. And here they were growing merrily in a council garden in central London. The only place I have subsequently found them on the menu is at the Porthminster Café in St Ives. After some research I found a nursery in Helston who supplied me with a couple of trees, planted them at home and the white fly devoured then energetically for the next couple of months. But what a great discovery and start to a day in London. Tree Tomatoes.

Victoria Gardens in Truro is full of plants that you associate with the South West but of course originally come from Australia, New Zealand, Chile etc and thrive in the moist warm Cornish air. Plants such as Dicksonia Antarctica (fern tree), the Cabbage Tree from New Zealand, Yucca tree from America and the Chilean Lantern tree. The gardens were created to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1898. Many of the trees, shrubs and benches have marvelous memorial plaques. Royal lives are remembered with small boarder gardens, for instance a charming rose garden to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother laid out in 2003. Taking another tack there is a cracker hidden in the depths of the foliage:

Jack. 1980 – 1991.
Sadly missed
Our much loved friend and terrier

In London everyone is cutting about with a purposeful air, but it strikes me those walking through the gardens look marginally more relaxed than those who take The Strand route. In Cornwall everyone looks relaxed and those in the garden almost comatose. Comatose. Me?

This year was the turn of Smugglers Cottage, Tolverne, which is nestled away on the banks of the River Fal. Regarded as ‘one of the most intriguing tea houses in the UK’ I had decided there’s nothing like a classic afternoon tea to celebrate your coming of age (well I am getting old now).

Smuggler’s is a beautiful thatched cottage set in stunning surroundings on the Fal’s tranquil eastern bank. The tearooms have recently been taken over by the Tregothan Estate, which is in sight of Tolverne.

We opted for an inside table (as we were in peak wasp time) and gazed longingly down the river whilst waiting. I opted for a classic tea to accompany the finest plump homemade scones. Described as a light and exotic blend of the finest Darjeeling tea and the very rare hand-plucked leaves from Tregothnan Estate the combination was just perfect.

The scones were served with Tregothnan’s famous kea plum jam as well as the only clotted cream worthy of serving a cream tea with- Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream.

After a brief scone / scon pronunciation debate with the OH, the jam was applied and a generous dollop of clotted cream on top. The experts at Tregothnan say the best time to savour afternoon tea is around 3pm – a glance at the watch and it was 2.45pm….just in time!

Paintings on the wall provided a fascinating insight into Tolverne’s previous life as an Inn and transport hub for the River Fal back in the 18th century. We came by car but whilst finishing off our tea outside it was wonderful to watch visitors arriving in admiration by small boats. Regular trips are arranged from neighbouring Truro or Falmouth and it’s become a must stop off for anyone with their own boat.

Before we left, I snuck a look at the evening menu, which featured an array of delicious locally sourced dishes – we’ll definitely be back that’s for sure.

Laura

Then there are other times where you realise, that despite all its faults, London can still surprise you and make you glad that you’re here.

An example of this is a couple of weekends ago. It began with drinks with a good friend at Boisdale’s of Belgravia – a cigar and jazz bar in the heart of Belgravia that has a beautiful cigar terrace where you can smoke cigars, drink fine wines and whiskeys and watch over the rooftops of Pimlico. In winter they even give you blankets so you can sit outside and still be warm.

We then wandered down the street to Harvey Nicks (which has always been one of my “happy places”) to drink a martini on their roof terrace and our evening ended at Bompas and Parr’s Complete History of Food event. If you’ve ever wondered what Courvoisier cocktail best suits your humour or what a foie gras Ferrero Rocher tastes like or even had the urge to taste whale vomit (not really) this would have been the place for you. The Jellymongers took over a 5 story house in Belgrave Square and took you on a journey through food history – each era complemented by a Courvoisier cocktail. One of the most fun evenings I’ve ever had, from what I remember.

My particular corner of London has a plethora of great gastropubs and restaurants and Saturday’s dinner was no exception. Situated in the less than salubrious backstreets off Kilburn High Road is Barraco – an authentic Brazilian restaurant that does a mean line in caipirinhas and huge portions of food for not a huge amount of money. And the best thing is, it’s just a hop, skip and jump from my local (where we ended the evening) with more drinks and more gossiping.

Finally, Sunday, Tate Britain reiterated how not all modern art is rubbish. The Duveens Commission this year is Fiona Banner’s decommissioned fighter jets. On paper, it sounds like a really boring concept – one plane hanging from the ceiling, one laying on its back on the floor, yet in the neo-classical space, they are simply beautiful, and fascinating to see. In comparison to some of the works in the “Art and the Sublime” exhibit (which, quite frankly, looked like bad science fiction novel front covers!) Banner’s work was simple, elegant and really made you think.

The weekend was finished off with tapas in Camberwell at a new place called Angels & Gypsies. All in all, London this weekend surprised, inspired and moved me to think “I’m lucky to live here” - until the next time the tubes are down and I trip over a tourists suitcase.

Vinnie

I had managed to avoid this scenario until now but as it is July, I felt I really should join the Picnic Parade. So I spent the week hoping for a sunshine filled Saturday where my friends and I were going to take our music and our spirits down to Bushy Park to have our first picnic of the year.

Awakening on Saturday morning to the sunshine was a blessing! So up I was, nice and early making sandwiches to feed 500! I opted for some classic fillers; roast chicken and mayo, cheese and tomato and the old favourite, BLT, to make sure everyone was happy with the selection. In went the crisps, sausage rolls, pork pies and (of course) strawberries and clotted cream, all rounded off with a selection of homemade cookies fresh out of the oven.

Off we went on our way to the park. Bushy Park seemed like the most interesting option for the weekend as the Hampton Wick Music Festival was taking place and we thought it would be a change of scenery to be surrounded by wildlife and live music. The wildlife being the large selection of wild deer that roam around the park, unabashed by passers by. These somewhat terrifying huge animals provided a much more interesting surrounding for your not-so-average picnic and we had a fantastic day in the sun, with not a wasp in sight!

Below are some good ideas for some more interesting sandwich fillings in case you want to add some spice to your picnic!

1. Cheesy apple slaw: Mix your favourite grated hard cheese with grated apple, chopped spring onions, a squeeze of lemon and a little mayonnaise. Delicious with wholemeal bread or rolls.

2. Salmon smash: Mash up a drained and boned can of red salmon with a little tomato ketchup. Spread onto wholemeal or granary bread and sprinkle with lots of mustard and cress.

3. Tandoori chicken wraps: Roll chapattis or flour tortillas around a filling of ready-cooked tandoori chicken pieces, shredded lettuce and chopped tomato. Serve with dollops of bought chunky cucumber raita.

4. Scout’s MCC: Try Marmite, grated cheddar and sliced cucumber in a crusty baguette or ciabatta roll - they’ll either love it or hate it!

5. Cream cheese & roasted red pepper bagels: Fill onion or regular bagels with soft cheese and roasted peppers from a jar.

6. Creamy smoked mackerel: Skin and flake smoked mackerel fillets, then mix with a little mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. Spread onto thick wholemeal bread and top with crisp lettuce leaves.

Vicki

Now until very recently, I was getting my cupcake fix acting as the Sous chef within my friend’s kitchen. She would bake ‘Nigella-esque’ cupcakes, and I would help decorate - and by that I mean gawk over her, eyes green with envy at her ability to create cakes so perfect. There wasn’t a burnt edge or drizzle of icing out of place! She would spend so long delicately placing edible adornment on their whipped surfaces that I would feel terribly uneasy about scoffing them once they were complete – YEAH, RIGHT!

As much as I adore my friend’s creations (more than anyone else’s) a recent incident led me to be unfaithful.

Last Friday after work, I was sauntering along the Portobello Road when I came across the much talked about Hummingbird Bakery. After eying up the sugar-scented cake stop for a couple of seconds, I decided to whisk my way in and see what all the fuss was about…

Within five very excitable minutes of entering the shop - my Hummingbird cherry had been popped and by God, it was a memorable experience. With plenty of staff offering assistance on entry, the five minutes it took for me to purchase a cake were shamefully filled with my incapability to choose one of their desserts. Much to the annoyance of the staff waiting on me, I scanned the counter several times to ensure I chose the most scrumptious looking cupcake there!

The shop was layered with delicious cakes. The counter displayed the home-baked fresh pies and tiered desserts – filled and topped with creams, chocolate, jams and meringue, all waiting to be sliced and served to cake-loving passers-by. Beneath them were endless rows of colourful cupcakes, ranging from the infamous vanilla ones to the more outlandish red velvet, carrot and red bush tea varieties – all perfectly placed, side by side.

Without too much ado, and with a queue now forming behind me, I finally decided to purchase one of the Rocky-Road Cups; a rather eye-catching monstrosity of a chocolate dessert, too attractive for my own good. I had planned at first to take it home with me, with the intention being to share it with my friend (a fellow cake gorger) but unfortunately, it didn’t leave the shop alive! My chocolate cup took my breath away – and that wasn’t because it took less than one minute to consume, it was because it was de-LISH. The heady mix of different flavours and textures from the chocolate, fruit and nut combined with the unique presentation made me one happy chocolate bunny. It was pure pud precision!

Because I am such a sweetie, AND because the Hummingbird desserts are too delicious to be true, I joined the queue, for the second time, to purchase some cupcakes for my friend, and for the (calorific) rocky road ahead.

Chloe