Image from The Great British Bake Off Facebook Page

Image from http://theurbanchefs.co.uk

2 More Days!

So who will win!

Image from: http://www.independent.co.uk Martha Diana Enwezor Luis Jordan Iain Chetna Claire Richard Norman Nancy Kate My Challenge!  Yes you have read that right! I thought I would challenge myself to create everything the Bake Off contestants bake! I don't have any secret insider BBC knowledge, so I won't know what is coming up. But I have decided every week after I have watch the programme and I am going to have a go at baking that week's tasks during that week (a lot of weeks in there!). If anyone else fancies challenging themselves please comment below and we can all share the experience. Feel free to email and tweet me your pictures too. Good Luck!

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries and Raspberries at Kingscote Barn

 #2 Looks cute with a bunting cake topper

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Raspberries, Red Currents, White Currents and a Dusting of Icing Sugar at Cripps Barn

3# Perfect for a relaxed or formal wedding

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries & Fresh Flowers

4# Looks amazing with fresh flowers and a dusting of icing sugar

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Raspberries & Fresh Flowers at Hyde Barn

5# Each tier can be a different flavour

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries & Fresh Flowers at Kingscote Barn

6# It makes a brilliant birthday cake

7# It doesn't have too much icing

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries at Birtsmorton Court 8# Looks great as a one tier, two tier, three tier or more! The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Blueberries & Raspberries at The Slaughters Country Inn

9# Looks Beautiful in a Teepee, Marquee, Country House and Barn Weddings

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Raspberries, Strawberries & Cherries with Fresh Flowers in Teepee

10# You just want to eat it!

The Mary Berry Wedding Cake with Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Figs and Fresh Flowers at Hyde Barn

Team Vanilla Pod have just got back from the glittering 12th annual Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards. It was a brilliant evening which truly celebrated the amazing talents and delicious produce we have in the Cotswolds.



Compered by the wonderful Adam Henson, of BBC One's Countryfile fame and Cotswolds Farm Park, the awards ceremony saw over 500 guests applaud the fabulous winners and runners-up, with 2014 Cotswold Food Hero going to Emily Watkins,  Chef Proprietor of The Kingham Plough (congratulations Emily).
Before the awards had even started we were treated to a champagne reception and a scrumptious four-course meal, which saw a fish starter, a heavenly lamb main and yummy pavlova for dessert - all locally sourced of course.

                    




 At the end of the evening we got to take home the most amazing goodie bag, check out all the loot! Can you spot The Vanilla Pod Bakery cupcake? We were one of proud suppliers of the goodie bags, sharing our yummy little Victoria Sandwich Cupcakes and Fresh Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes.

Just a few of the cupcakes we supplied!

Team Vanilla Pod all glam before the awards

xxx

 

Since encountering Pinterest last year we have set up our own Vanilla Pod Bakery page and even downloaded the app on to our bakery iPhone! We have boards set up for our Vanilla Pod cakes, as well as idea boards for weddings, parties and even Christmas.

It is so easy to use, all you need to do is set up an account and your ready to go. We have downloaded the "Pin It" button to our browser, so when we see an image we like we simply click on the button and "Pin" the image to one of our boards.

We definitely think it is a fabulous website to use and is especially handy if your a bride-to-be. We use Pinterest with our couples to build a virtual image of their individual wedding, so we can understand what they want their special day to look and feel like. It allows all parties involved to be inspired by a whole host of ideas from around the world. As a cake designer, it then is fantastic to take colours, patterns and other various elements to design a cake that is completely unique to the couple.

We are finding more and more of our brides and grooms-to-be are bringing tablets/ipads with them when they come for their tasting consultations and a lot have already embraced Pinterest.

I whole heartily recommend Pinterest as a wedding and party planning tool. Please fill free to follow us and/or re pin any of our images. If your not on the site already, why not sign up - we guarantee you will be hooked!