Afternoon tea and aristocracy

We usually have afternoon tea. It will always be homemade baking. Most days I'll be whipping up a batch of cupcakes/muffins/scones/friands or baking a cake.

Lately it's been afternoon tea outside somewhere in the orchard, while G downs tools to have a well-deserved break. He's put a lot of hard work and effort into planting more lovely fruit trees for us.

This season we've increased our orchard majorly, adding a whole heap of new citrus in a much better location - mainly more sheltered from the strong winds we get here. He also put in loads more stonefruit and we have given all the trees that much required pruning. After we had a bit of advice from some local orchardists, we got stuck in and gave the trees a good trim. While it will put a hold on the immediate summer harvest for us, the trees will eventually be a more manageable size when fully mature and also produce better quality fruit. I anticipate lots of jam making in the future, as well as other fruity projects!

Talking of jam, we had plum jam and lemon honey/curd on some homemade pikelets (we knew them as Scotch pancakes in the UK) for our afternoon tea today. The recipe I used was from the Edmonds Cookery Book, which is a bit of a Kiwi icon. An easy batter that you fry up in the frying pan to make little thick pancakes. Very simple and quick. And the pikelets are delicious.

Back to the Edmonds Cookery Book. I have had my copy for several years. It was a preloved gift from my mother in law, and looks to be from the 60s but I'm not sure as there is no date inside. It's not a cook book that I normally get out to inspire me, more a book I search out if I need to look up a particular recipe, such as the pikelets I made today. I don't usually make pikelets, usually opting for muffins as a quick baking standby. I also got 'the Edmonds' out a few days prior to make date scones.

So when the latest copy of Cuisine arrived at my door yesterday, I was interested to read an article all about the history of The Edmonds Cookery Book! What I found particularly interesting was reading about the lavish morning and afternoon teas that the new settlers enjoyed because they were keen to live like aristocracy. Well while here on CTF we don't live like aristocracy, we sure enjoy our afternoon teas!

A few days ago D wanted cupcakes in silver foil with blueberries on top, so I duly made some vanilla cupcakes and iced them with butter cream icing, with a hint of natural pink colouring. He put the blueberries on top and then decorated his with a Space Shuttle candle for an added touch!

What do you enjoy baking - and then eating?!