Sunday, 8 July 2012
Hello!
Thank you to the three lovely people that commented on my first post! It is so nice to know that people are actually interested and it's not just me rambling to myself!
For those of you that are interested in following my progress I've linked my twitter account to the blog and I would love it if you followed me if you too have twitter! My tweets consist of musings about my day pretty much but there are also frequent things on food and baking and lots of pictures normally turn up there too! Plus if you ever want a chat or have anything you think I might be interested in you can let me know!
As well as twitter you can become a follower of my blog and you'll be one of the first to know what's going on!
Thank you everyone for your support so far and if you come back tomorrow I promise there will be a post on food - lemon curd syllabub to be precise! Trust me you do not want to miss it!
Now, in true Kate-style, I must go and check on my Yorkshire puddings!
Kate
Xxx
Saturday, 7 July 2012
The First Viewing
Have you ever been in that situation in a restaurant or at a function, when your dessert arrives and it looks gorgeous but then you come to eat it and it is a complete let down?
Well, it seems to happen to me quite regularly, but that could just be because I'm quite hard to please when it comes to desserts! For example, it happened last night at a ball I was at - dessert arrived and it looked amazing, it was a plate of chocolaty goodness! And then, I put my spoon into it and found that rather than a lovely chocolate pudding, it was full of jelly - who thought that was a good idea?!
It was a feeling like this that I got when I went to my first viewing of potential premises in a town close to where I live. From the blurb from the estate agents it seemed so promising, it was in a relatively good location, it wasn't a bad size, it even stated it was an excellent opportunity for a first time business. Brilliant, I thought, must go and see what its like. Off I went with my parents in tow (two extra minds are always going to be a good thing), full of youthful optimism, I pushed open the door...and stopped dead in my tracks.
The smell of greasy, fried food, the kind of smell that clings to everything and never seems to go away once its there, was the first thing I noticed. Maybe this place wasn't going to be as ideal as it first seemed! Speaking to the owner didn't make things any better. She classed the place as "a greasy spoon that served the people that were lovely but who you might avoid if you actually saw them on the street" - it didn't fill me with much glee, or in fact any glee! Things weren't really going as I had thought they would! Add this to water dripping through the ceiling and accounts that showed the business was losing money rather than making it, and things were going from bad to worse!
The final nail in the coffin was when I was given the 'grand tour' and taken into the kitchen - a term that should be used loosely in this case - and found that they had four microwaves and two deep-fat fryers, but no oven...
No one ever said this was going to be easy! I suppose the moral of this story is never to make an assumption - just because it looks good on the outside does not mean its going to be! Hopefully the next place I view (on Monday) will be slightly more promising, but I might go with a slightly less optimistic out-look!
So, next time you're served the perfect looking dessert be wary of what might be lurking within!
Well, it seems to happen to me quite regularly, but that could just be because I'm quite hard to please when it comes to desserts! For example, it happened last night at a ball I was at - dessert arrived and it looked amazing, it was a plate of chocolaty goodness! And then, I put my spoon into it and found that rather than a lovely chocolate pudding, it was full of jelly - who thought that was a good idea?!
It was a feeling like this that I got when I went to my first viewing of potential premises in a town close to where I live. From the blurb from the estate agents it seemed so promising, it was in a relatively good location, it wasn't a bad size, it even stated it was an excellent opportunity for a first time business. Brilliant, I thought, must go and see what its like. Off I went with my parents in tow (two extra minds are always going to be a good thing), full of youthful optimism, I pushed open the door...and stopped dead in my tracks.
The smell of greasy, fried food, the kind of smell that clings to everything and never seems to go away once its there, was the first thing I noticed. Maybe this place wasn't going to be as ideal as it first seemed! Speaking to the owner didn't make things any better. She classed the place as "a greasy spoon that served the people that were lovely but who you might avoid if you actually saw them on the street" - it didn't fill me with much glee, or in fact any glee! Things weren't really going as I had thought they would! Add this to water dripping through the ceiling and accounts that showed the business was losing money rather than making it, and things were going from bad to worse!
The final nail in the coffin was when I was given the 'grand tour' and taken into the kitchen - a term that should be used loosely in this case - and found that they had four microwaves and two deep-fat fryers, but no oven...
No one ever said this was going to be easy! I suppose the moral of this story is never to make an assumption - just because it looks good on the outside does not mean its going to be! Hopefully the next place I view (on Monday) will be slightly more promising, but I might go with a slightly less optimistic out-look!
So, next time you're served the perfect looking dessert be wary of what might be lurking within!
Kate
xxx
Thursday, 5 July 2012
The Beginning
There is something rather scary about trying to start a blog! What with this being the first post it throws up all sorts of problems, such as how do you start it, especially when you haven't actually got anyone reading it yet! Hopefully, people will soon be reading though and therefore I express a hugely warm welcome to each and everyone! I hope you enjoy what I have to write about.
Delicious Decadence started off as little more than a pipe dream, fueled by a somewhat overactive imagination and a desire to do nothing but bake all day everyday! A love of all things baking related and an unfortunate incident that ended up having a silver-lining has led to the dream becoming a reality. I have just graduated from university and rather than looking for a 'proper job', as many people like to put it, I am starting the somewhat daunting task of setting up my own business. Delicious Decadence is the name of what will (hopefully) be a hugely popular coffee house and bakery in Newcastle Upon Tyne/Northumberland.
For some reason people I talk to about it seem to feel the need to tell me over and over again that it will be extremely hard work - thank you to everyone for stating the obvious! Trust me, I am aware of the mountain I am about to start climbing! People that know me though, will know that I am not someone that gives up. I am prepared for things to go wrong because life is full of problems and obstacles but what matters is that I am also prepared to fight everyday until I have exactly what I want. This blog will chart the progress of the business as I work towards finding premises, decorating, learning to make the perfect cup of coffee, and opening the doors to the lovely members of the public. Tales of the ups and downs will come regularly, as well as frequent posts on what I have been baking recently, which in my mind is the most important part of the entire thing!
I will leave you all with some pictures of recent baking I have done. Hopefully it will give you all a taste (like the pun?!) of the wonderful things to come! Trust me though, everything tastes as good as it looks, even if I do say so myself!
That is all for now, but much more will be coming very soon!
Delicious Decadence started off as little more than a pipe dream, fueled by a somewhat overactive imagination and a desire to do nothing but bake all day everyday! A love of all things baking related and an unfortunate incident that ended up having a silver-lining has led to the dream becoming a reality. I have just graduated from university and rather than looking for a 'proper job', as many people like to put it, I am starting the somewhat daunting task of setting up my own business. Delicious Decadence is the name of what will (hopefully) be a hugely popular coffee house and bakery in Newcastle Upon Tyne/Northumberland.
For some reason people I talk to about it seem to feel the need to tell me over and over again that it will be extremely hard work - thank you to everyone for stating the obvious! Trust me, I am aware of the mountain I am about to start climbing! People that know me though, will know that I am not someone that gives up. I am prepared for things to go wrong because life is full of problems and obstacles but what matters is that I am also prepared to fight everyday until I have exactly what I want. This blog will chart the progress of the business as I work towards finding premises, decorating, learning to make the perfect cup of coffee, and opening the doors to the lovely members of the public. Tales of the ups and downs will come regularly, as well as frequent posts on what I have been baking recently, which in my mind is the most important part of the entire thing!
I will leave you all with some pictures of recent baking I have done. Hopefully it will give you all a taste (like the pun?!) of the wonderful things to come! Trust me though, everything tastes as good as it looks, even if I do say so myself!
Mini Victoria Sponges
Grasshopper Pie
Earl Grey Cupcakes and Lemon Cupcakes
Chocolate and Coffee marble cake; Earl Grey cupcakes; Fat Rascals; Bacon and Cornmeal muffins; Frosted cherry rings
Cottage Loaf
Scandinavian Tea Ring
Frosted Cherry Rings
My best friend's 21st birthday cake
Lemon syllabub in chocolate cups; mini fruit tartlets; rocky road
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Malteser Cake
Lemon and Orange Battenburg Cake
Lemon Meringue Pie
Chocolate and Caramel Tartlets
Portuguese Chorizo Bread
That is all for now, but much more will be coming very soon!
Kate
xxx
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