Baking for Beginners: Chocolate Fridge Cake

Aside from Lantana Cafe brownies, another cocoa-based obsession of mine are the chocolate fridge cakes in Pret a Manger. The bars are a mixture of chocolate, biscuit, dried fruit and crack (probably). But an addiction to anything from a sandwich chain can get pricey, so I got creative in the kitchen.

Aside from containing everything that's good in the world, the appeal of chocolate fridge cake is that there's no baking involved. Which means that I can't possibly screw it up. And I didn't - they're pretty tasty.

You will need (makes 12 dense squares):

• 200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
• 100g softened butter
• 250g digestive biscuits
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 3 heaped tbsp mixed dried fruit

Make it!

• Melt the broken chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a saucepan on a low heat.
• Put the digestives into a freezer bag and bash it with a rolling pin. You want to keep it fairly chunky - not total crumbs.
• Put the dried fruit and broken digestives in a mixing bowl and fold in around three-quarters of the melted chocolate mixture. Try not to gobble it right there and then (but you can have a small spoonful).
• Once that's all combined, place the mixture into a greased baking tin. Use a spatula to smoosh the mixture into all the corners - you want it packed in quite tightly so it doesn't fall apart once it's cut into squares.
• Pour the remaining chocolate over the biscuit mixture in the baking tray and pop it in the fridge for at least three hours (but preferably overnight).
• Cut into squares and munch with a glass of cold milk.

Flickr image from dumbledad's photostream

Folksy Find: Caroline Nash

I'm always on the hunt for unusual ceramics, and Caroline Nash on Folksy is perfect. Just whimsical enough to be interesting, but not so cutesy that her designs border on childish.


These cute little peacock mugs are £10 each.


The plant labels will be great for the gardeners amongst you. They're £13.50 for 8.


I have no need for a watering can either. I guess I could put gin punch in it or something. Yes, that's what I'll do. They're £25 each.

Darling Spotty Dress

I've been coveting this grey spotty dress for oooh, about a week now. But I'm on a not spending mission you see, which means that it's staying firmly where it is until I can learn to not buy every single pretty thing as soon as I see it. But I really should have bought this dress. It's £55 from Leila London and so beautifully made. I think it's time to end my not spending money mission.

Bollocks to Baking: Posh Pick and Mix

Need a thank-you, birthday or sorry-you're-leaving present for someone, but just haven't got the time to whip out the rolling pin and knock 'em up your speciality biscuits or cakes? Fret no further. Those innovative scamps at Posh Pick and Mix have come up with a solution so sweet - pun intended, of course - that you'll never again need to do that last-minute panicked circuit of nearby card shops and supermarkets in search of a suitable gift.

Instead, just tell them what size jar you want, who it's for and your message, and they'll send you a beautifully-packaged, personalised sugar-filled festival of your favourite retro sweets. Yep, all the old-skool classics like gummy rings, candy watches, lovehearts, gumballs, coke bottles and boiled eggs.

Best of all, you can choose what sweets to include. So, if you're making one for someone who obsesses over white mice, caramel cups and chocolate fudge, but detests gobstoppers, dolly mixtures and cola cubes, you can make sure they get their dream selection. Helpfully, the site also advises which ones are suitable for sweet-toothed vegetarians, although those options are limited. The bespoke labels give them a thoughtful, personal touch, and I'll definitely be keeping mine (labelled 'Jane's Sweet Jar') for future use, and as a souvenir of the sugar-crazed joy it induced. Prices start from £15, and P&P's free.

Shoe Porn: Fabulous Floral Wedges

It's almost officially summery wedge season! Hurrah! I like summer wedges much more than winter wedges. They're much prettier in pale colours and florals. These floral wedges from Topshop are fab. Usually you only get floral fabric on those straw covered espadrilles (which I do not like very much at all), but Topshop have gone one better. I'll wear these with little white dresses and fall over after too much Pimms. They're £60. Bargain grass stains!

Head in the clouds

Over the last few months clouds haven't been my friends, bringing rain and snow and all sorts of horribleness. But, like a five day weather forecast, that's changing by the minute: with some blue skies suddenly gracing this fair land, I'm prepared to look a lot more kindly on our cloud friends. Especially if they are cute little fluffy ones suitable for prettifying yourself or your home. If you like to always take the weather with you, these numbers are bound to take you to cloud nine.

Add some whimsy to your sofa with these cushions from Donna Wilson, which come in the candy floss-like colours of white, pink or blue. I'd like to think they have a silver lining but I've a feeling their £39 price tag won't stretch to that. Get them from the Little Baby Company.

Wordsworth would surely approve of this double cloud brooch from Lost at Sea. As you wander lonely as a cloud, it will help you look extra stylish. £24 buys you this solid walnut delight.

If your forecast is more cloudy with a chance of meatballs you might want to flavour your food with these rain shakers: perfectly formed salt and pepper shakers that cost £9.95 for the pair.

More blue sky thinking and more tasty food options with this sushi set available from Made in Design. £49 buys you three cloud shaped bone china dishes of varying sizes for use as a chopstick holder, a dish for your soy sauce and a large plate.

In need of storage? Well then, this Nimbus cloud shelf should take you to cloud nine. It's a whopping £230 but it holds 70 DVDs or 50 books - presumably The Cloud Collector's Handbook will be one of them.

Fashion in Wonderland

Though I love the femininity, fantasy and quirkiness associated with the Alice in Wonderland trend, I don't want to wear a t-shirt with the Mad Hatter's face on it.

So I've had a dig for clothes and accessories that subtly nod to Alice without making you look like a tween.

When I hear the phrase 'Disney jewellery', I think of cheap Winnie the Pooh pendants from the Disney Store. Tom Binns' collection for Disney Couture couldn't be further from that, and allude wonderfully to the fantastical and quirky elements of the story.

The entire collection is stunning (and that's not something I say very often), but I particularly love this Cascading Keyhole Necklace. At £148 it isn't cheap, but you can't deny it makes a statement.

The unashamedly girly dresses out and about this season are perfect for this trend - swing by the collection at ASOS for your lace, pastel and floaty dress fix. This Lace Frill Dancing Dress (£60) looks so lovely and delicate:

And whilst your there, check out the shoes...Flesh pink, hint of black, peeptoe and platform? It's like lingerie for your feet, and will set you back £45:

Surely the most memorable character in Alice in Wonderland is the Mad Hatter? This Top Hat Fascinator ($42.50) from Etsy is so much cuter than a regular top hat:

And you can't forget about the time! We spied these Watch Rings (£15) at Jessica Chorley, a beautiful shop on 146 Columbia Road. Unfortunately they don't have a website, but the shop is definitely worth a visit anyway:

Once you're all dressed up, why not go to Mad Hats & Moustaches this Saturday? Tickets are only £7 for this Mad Hatter's Tea Party held in South London, and it's in aid of the The Prostate Cancer Research Foundation. Plus, there's cake!

Flickr image from sian_meades' photostream

Heaven Scent: Angela Flanders

Angela Flanders has me very torn at the minute. Our recent sojourn to her shop in East London left my nose not really knowing what to do with itself. The perfumes are just so strong, I'm not sure how you'd actually choose one you'd like - everything smells great, but all of the different scents all mingle together. Leaving my nose very confused. But then there's the candles.

And these truly are amazing. Their figue noir candle might just be heaven with a wick sticking out of it. Utterly gorgeous. A bit Christmassy, and very comforting indeed. And despite me not being a huge fan of rose scented things, their rose poudree candle is different. They've magically made it smell of rose powder, so your bedroom will smell like a fancy French boudoir. Wow.

The candles aren't cheap. They're between £30 and £35 each. But, they've got 40 hours of burn time, and that's going to last you a very long time. The perfume is strong enough to linger for hours, so these will actually work out great value for money if you're willing in invest. Besides, they smell gorgeous.

If you don't want to navigate through Angela Flanders' website (it's really not great) then head over to 96 Columbia Road and have a sniff yourself.