2013 is already looking like it will be good. I’ll be celebrating my 30th birthday in February in South Africa as I’m taking myself away on a safari to celebrate.

I hope you have a great start to 2013. Thank you for all your comments and support over the last few years.

Pru xx

Baker Days sent us one of their Letterbox Cakes – a little cake serving 3 to 4 people in a box with a Christmas cracker and note card and the tin is so pretty and cute.  I think it would be great to receive a cake in the post for Christmas or a birthday.

We all admired the cake, and having never had a cake with a personalised message on it, mum and dad thought it was fascinating how this was achieved.

The cake was great.  Its about one inch think and reminded me of the Mr Kipling Manor House cake which is always a firm favourite in our house.  There was a lot of fruit in the cake and I loved finding cherries inside.  If I hadn’t already baked the Christmas cake, I would certainly be purchasing one of the Baker Days cakes – and finding a decent photo of us all too!

~ Pru

~ Pru

Charity has been on my mind a lot over these past couple of weeks.  Richmond, the town where I live, is home to the Poppy Factory where hundreds of thousands of poppies are made each year to commemorate Remembrance Day and it seemed that wherever I went there were people selling poppies.

It’s easy to remember and think about something when it is right in front of you.  I admit freely that Myanmar hasn’t been at the front of my mind.

Since becoming a Blogger for Action Aid I try to stay more informed about the work that the charity is doing. ActionAid is asking people across the UK to celebrate Child Sponsorship Week and make a huge change to all the people who have endured decades of struggle and uncertainty in Burma/Myanmar and elsewhere in the developing world.

There are 1,600 children in Burma to sponsor but worldwide there are nearly 5,000 children that need sponsorship in 17 countries.

My decision to start sponsoring Gift in Malawi last year through Action Aid at first seemed like quite an undertaking.  £15 per month seemed like a lot of money and I was thinking of all the Starbucks I would be foresaking!  But the truth is, I spend money ridiculously.  £1 for an avocado the other day to top up a lunch that I had already purchased in M&S for £3.  That’s eight days of sponsoring Gift to give her the opportunity to go to school and be clothed and fed.

For just 50p a day sponsors have the opportunity to change a child’s and community’s future not just for today but forever. For information on how to get involved and transform a child’s life visit www.actionaid.org.uk/child.

I love sponsoring Gift.  I like thinking about a stranger in another country and what she is doing and her how family are and what she is learning at school.  I also like that I am in the privileged position to be able to help someone else have a better change at life.  And I reckon that most of the people reading this blog have the ability to sponsor.

What does 50p buy nowadays anyway?

~ Pru

Feeling relaxed and rejuvenated after a night at The Brooklands Hotel, off we headed into the gardens filled with autumn colours.

I’m thinking a trip in the spring is a must for next year!

~ Pru

Mum and I booked a deal through Groupon and it was a good deal – one night for two people with afternoon tea, use of the spa facilities and breakfast.  We had such a good time.

Brooklands is famous for having the first racecourse and it is now a Mercedes Benz where you can test drive their cars on the track.

Although the beds here were sitting next to each other we did pull them apart (they were two singles).  Such comfy beds with squishy pillows.  We both had really good night’s sleep.

I have to mention the bathroom as it was excellent.  This is the second time this year I’ve stayed in a hotel with no bath, just the shower, and although we don’t have a bath at home and usually I love nothing more than having a bath, the shower at the hotel has had me dreaming of returning for another shower every time I’ve had a shower at home!

Off we went for our afternoon tea where we were seated in the bar area.  The staff were so polite and friendly.

And then it was off to the hot tub and spa.  Its a miracle that I’m actually here to type this post as I was tempted to take up lodgings in the spa.  Sitting in the hot tub and then coming indoors and wrapping up in a dressing gown with a blanket draped over me is my idea of heaven!

We had dinner in the restaurant where we did experience a few problems, namely a huge wait, but this was dealt with quickly by the manager and we were given complimentary drinks at the bar afterwards and money off the food bill.  I would visit the restaurant again for the food that did arrive was excellent.

This was the halloumi with roasted tomatoes:

Breakfast in the morning was great.  Fruit salad, cereals, yoghurt, continental (cheeses and hams), croissants and pastries and of course, a full English breakfast which set us up really well for our day ahead at Wisley Gardens (post coming soon).

~ Pru

Turns out pasta making – or maybe having to mold tiny pieces of pasta on to my thumb – is not for me.  This drove me mad and I resulted to using a small spoon to shape the pasta although they never turned out as well as the ones in the magazine.

I changed the pasta sauce recipe as I had planned to make this a few days before and when I went to use the brocolli it was out of date.  So I just cooked onions with garlic and tomatoes and added some herbs.

I might make pasta again at some stage for I do own a pasta machine but I won’t be making this again, it was just too time consuming and with the great pasta available now I just don’t think its worth it.

But I can’t wait to see what the other Martha Monday girls made of it.

This was Sara’s pick for Martha Mondays.  If you fancy joining in next month (its my pick and its a good one!) then head over to Brette’s blog for details.

~ Pru

But there was a great reason to visit Paris and I am so pleased that I went.  Having friends over from Australia for a holiday has seen me wanting to spend as much time with them and their two adorable children.  They hired an apartment in the 17th in Paris and I booked a hotel in the adjacent street -close enough, but not too close!

And I managed to do quite a bit on this jaunt – Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Couer (in the evening for the view of Paris), Eiffel Tower – arrive before it opens to avoid queuing for too long, bistro lunch, boat trip along the Seine, Notre Damme, Eiffel Tower at night for the light show, flea markets and the Luxembourg Gardens.  I could have done more but this was the perfect weekend for seeing things but relaxing a little too, and spending time as ‘Aunty Pru’ makes me very, very, happy!

This was my first time visiting Paris and I am still wondering why I hadn’t been before.  It takes just over two hours from London.  I will have to return, soon!

~ Pru

Martha Mondays is back and instead of being a weekly affair, its now taking place monthly with the results shown on the first Monday of the month.  Fancy joining us?  Just head to Brette’s blog.

Megan of Megan’s Cookin’ had the honour of picking the first choice and went with a Chocolate Caramel Layer Cake.

I had high hopes for this.   I had never made buttercream with egg whites or with the addition of caramel and I was excited.  I found the cake didn’t have much taste and kept checking to see if I should have added cocoa powder to the melted chocolate.

The buttercream for my taste had far too much butter.  I don’t see the point in the egg whites either and have found normal buttercream to be more tasty and of a better consistency.  Also, I could barely taste the caramel and ended up modifying it slightly with some powdered sugar and orange food colouring to make it a bit more exciting.

This cake wasn’t for us, but it has given me an idea for a Halloween cake which I will have to get on and make and then tell you about (if it works out okay of course!)

~ Pru

Two days later (after I had time to get more pastry after the pastry which I had frozen had gone off) I made them.  I didn’t use two packs of pastry and have to tell you that if they have the pre-rolled puff pastry then this is so much easier to use.  I also didn’t cut the into 1 inch pieces but halfed this and made more.  We were all happy.

These are pretty much a palmier but they have the addition of toasted pecans which adds a whole new dimension to the cookie.  We ate these hot from the baking tray and then the next day with ice cream.  They were very, very good and I’m tempted to make another batch right now despite the temperature hitting 30c today.

Recipe can be found here:  Elephant Ear Cookies

~ Pru

Fast forward a year, and after speaking with the manager about my previous complaint (which was not dealt with despite contacting the hotel), we struck a deal.  An executive twin room, including VAT and breakfast for £119 (the price of a standard twin minus, tax and breakfast). 

This stay was a lot better.  The room was huge, and it had a view Marble Arch (and a very big pink tent).

That bit of curtain hanging down really annoyed me. 

I assume I was blinded by the light – please excuse the blurry photo!

 The bathroom was wonderful and there is nothing better than starting the day under a power shower – I don’t think I have felt that squeaky clean for a very long time! 

This may show how many times mum and I stay in an executive room.  There was a bottle of chilled wine awaiting us in the room but we couldn’t work out if it was ours to drink for free or whether we would find a HUGE bill for room service.  So we asked, and it turned out that it was complimentary, and as I type this I’m drinking a large glass of the rose and it is very, very good. 

I didn’t take photos at breakfast, but let me tell you that a place that offers strong coffee, nearly every type of juice I can think of, yoghurt, fruit, cereal, toast, muffins, every item for an English breakfast (every type of egg, bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and hash browns), pancakes, omlettes and continental breakfast, gets my vote.  I confess to going up three times for breakfast, first for yoghurt with fruit (I was being virtuous), then for the English breakfast (I was hungry) and then for tiny pancakes with maple syrup (I saw this as dessert). 

We checked out early as we wanted to get home to enjoy the unexpected sunshine, but I could have happily stayed at the hotel for longer (maybe in the executive lounge where there were bottles of coke – and champagne – on tap). 

Would I stay here again?  Yes I would but I think I would still be slightly hesitant about full-heartedly suggesting that a friend stayed there.  I was worried after my first stay but everything was ironed out this time, and although I think the hotel is pretty expensive, it is fun for a treat (and we very much appreciated the free breakfast)!

~ Pru

My money.  My review.