Jenna Fifi
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Birthday Celebrations part 2 – Presents and crystallised rose petal cake!

As if a day in Bath wasn’t wonderful enough, my birthday cake and presents made me feel even luckier. I woke up to beautifully wrapped presents, a bouquet of roses and a hamper of treats that I couldn’t wait to rummage through. 
What would a grown up treasure trove contain I wonder? Perhaps chocolate truffles, macaroons, edible glitter and the most darling tea set? I felt like a child when I began rummaging in my treat hamper for all the delicious treats! 
My mum packed a treat hamper with my favourite things. To indulge my sweet tooth there were strawberry and raspberry chocolate truffles, white chocolate coated raspberries, strawberry shortbread, a rainbow of macaroons, Charbonnel et Walker hot chocolate and salted caramel truffles. As I drink a great deal of tea the basket also contained my favourites: strawberry and raspberry infusion tea and my old, reliable earl grey. This was accompanied by a little tea pot and milk pourer adorned with the prettiest lilac ribbon – so lovely! To aid with my baking I found some pink and white edible glitter hidden at the bottom and so that I can make my favourite cocktail, the French Martini, there was a bottle of Chambord raspberry liqueur! It was the most dreamy hamper I’ve ever seen 🙂Little details only a mother would think of!I absolutely loved unwrapping these new additions to my little library. The thing about recipe books is that they keep on giving. I will be able to turn to these in several years time and bake with my Mum and my birthday in mind. Each book is definitely worth a consideration, but heres some brief reviews of them to entice you a little more 🙂
One of the great things about blogging some time after acquiring a recipe book, is that I can discuss the recipes inside with some knowledge and experience. My first Lily Vanilli treat was not something I made, but instead something that was sold at Lily Vanilli’s bakery on Columbia Road Flower market. It was just heavenly and I knew straight away Lily’s accompanying book was going to hold a wealth of golden recipes!
You may have already heard of Sweet Tooth, as I’ve mentioned it serveral times on this blog. I honestly consider it to be one of the most reliable recipe books around. If I have to bake something at the last minute and I haven’t been able to test a new recipe, I always turn to Sweet Tooth. And so far, it’s never failed me. One of the big game changers for me was when I read the science behind baking and what goes on in the oven. Sweet Tooth dedicates several pages to this vital knowledge and it’s definitely helped me to understand, prepare and problem solve my bakes. The recipes are also wonderfully unique and it’s incredibly refereshing to see such unusual ingredients being embraced. Sweet Tooth is a must have for the modern baker and anyone who’s looking to impress and surprise with a variety of magical creations.
Did you know I like cake? I do. I really, really do. My friends know there are two types of windows that distract me, the ones displaying mannequins adorned in pure elegance, and the others involve pretty patisserie cakes all lined up, glistening chocolate shimmering with gold leaf and berries upon berries balancing on Chantilly cream. As you can imagine, I don’t get very far in London.
Despite this book being written for 2012, it is still very relevant now. The book is made up of sections; Cupcakes & Bakery, Coffee & Cake, Afternoon Tea, Wedding Cakes and Chocolates and Sweets. It reviews each devilishly delicious place, along with pricing, tea supplier and what the venues signature cake is (for your checklist purposes, obviously) and there are even exclusive recipes from some venues. As far I’m concerned Great Cake Places is up there with the tube map, it’s a necessity. 
It’s always reassuring to know a recipe has been well and truly tested, and best of all selected as the recipe for a particular cake. That’s why we treasure our Grandma’s recipes so much, because they have been approved by a fellow, everyday baker. 
The Clandestine Cake Club was founded by Lynn Hill in 2010 and has since become a popular bake-and-share event that is held all over the country. Following its success, Lynn published this cookbook compiling 120 recipes that members have contributed to the Clandestine Cake Club and have gone down a treat with fellow bakers! These golden gems of recipes range from the classic Coffee Cake (which is DIVINE), Carrot Cake and Strawberry Shortcake to the more creative Pina Colada Cake, Blue Velvet Cake and Sweet Potato & Pecan Cake. Recipes are divided into Classic Cakes, Victorian Cakes, Fruity Cakes, Global Cakes, Zesty Cakes, Chocolatey Cakes, Celebration Cakes and Creative cakes. Sounds dreamy doesn’t it?
What I particularly love about this cookbook is that all the 120 recipes are for cakes. No tarts, no cupcakes and no brownies. Pages upon pages entirely devoted to velvety slices of pure indulgence!

Entertaining at Home by Rachel Allen
Hosting a dinner party can be incredibly stressful. Taking into consideration dietary preferences, portion sizes, providing a well balanced variety of dishes and making sure each part complements the rest. And thats before you’ve even starting cooking! ‘Entertaining at Home’ is a truly stunning book, with mouth watering photos and a charming layout it is a pleasure to read through. There are sections on brunches and lunches, casual meals, eating outdoors, canapes and small bites, small celebrations (2-4 people), dinner parties (4-8 people), larger gathering (8-12 people) and the buffet party. Accompanied by menu plans the declious recipes are a godsend for hosts! Whether it’s cooking for a romantic dinner or hosting a christmas buffet for extended family – Entertaining at Home has got it covered.

My favourite recipes include the Raspberry and Amaretto Tart, Baked Beetroot Risotto with Parmesan Crisps, Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart, Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon, Crème fraîche and Caviar and Winter Leaf Salad with Pomegranate, Apple and Walnuts. I’ve spotted a few for Easter hosting too!

Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl
Sophie Dahl’s personal collection of recipes are both indulgent and healthy. Written and photographed beautifully it is hard to put this book down. It is also refreshingly down to earth, with unpretentious recipes and personal notes regarding diet and weight issues. Sophie Dahl shows a real passion for good food that is delicious, healthy and easy to make, making this book a kitchen staple. There are also a great deal of vegetarian recipes too.  

Along with my books and hamper I also received some beautiful pearl earrings, vintage postcards as seen below, glass decor for my bedroom and the most elegent cocktail glasses that I have made good use of. There was just so much prettiness to unwrap!
My birthday cake was made by my fabulous Grandma. Her cakes have always been the best and her house is never short of a scrumptious baked treat or two. I was blown away when I saw this beautiful creation when I came back from Bath. The sugared rose petals and floral bunting looked so pretty!
It didn’t last long…
A few days later mother and I decided to use some of the treats from my hamper, my new tea set and the last remaining slices of cake to create our own afternoon tea at home. I tried out some of the sandwich fillings that we ate at the Jane Austen Regency Tea Rooms along with some personal favourites such as chorizo and melted cheese – amazing. Afternoon tea’s are so easy to prepare and just lovely to enjoy with the girls. Mum and I have a new past time 🙂
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  4. Jill Barry
    April 18, 2014 / 2:48 am

    I can't remember the last time I had a real fancy tea…we don't do that as much in California, but you're making me want to!

    beck daily

    Reply
  9. Laurie Kunz
    April 20, 2014 / 7:48 am

    Omg I want to eat now !! hihi

    I really like your blog, keep up the good work =D

    If you want, you can check out my fashion and fitness blog and if you like it, maybe we could follow each other ? http://lorallure.blogspot.com

    Hope you'll say yes,

    Love
    -Laurie

    Reply
  13. Caroline
    April 23, 2014 / 12:01 pm

    Happy belated birthday!!! My birthday was this past week too 🙂 This is such a lovely and beautiful spread you've got going on!

    Reply
  14. Niina - It seems pretty obvious.
    April 25, 2014 / 9:17 pm

    Looks like you had a wonderful birthday celebration! I especially love the grown up treasure trove! You're a lucky girl 🙂

    Reply

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Hello, fancy seeing you here!

I’m Jenna! A photographer, stylist and recipe developer constantly seeking and sharing life’s little tonics. Here is where I share delicious, sparkly stories from Somerset, with my rescue dogs in tow.

In short, I’m usually behind a lens, eat a lot and often lose 4G.

Jenna Fifi is where you’ll find everything from indulgent recipes and hotel reviews to skincare recommendations and interiors inspiration. Life natters are complimentary. It’s a varied mix of late-20s souvenirs, the best bits of course, all jumbled together and served with a sprinkling of humour and a slice of the bright side.

This space is made to be rummaged through, and I hope you find something that leaves you full with life lustre, rippling ideas and hungry for cake and beyond.

So pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink and don’t forget to say hello! 😊

Jenna x

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