Coffee and Cake worth walking for!

 Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you are keeping well today.

As you know, we love to support local, independent businesses especially when they help with our coffee and cake cravings! Imagine my delight when I discovered that Bakehouse, the fabulous baker from Aldershot who we have featured before on the blog, has teamed up with The Coffee Cabin! 

May I present Farnham's newest mobile coffee van...Candice!

The van serves tea from T2, along with coffee from DT Roastery in Winchester, hot chocolate, and freshly baked treats from Bakehouse. Amy, the owner, is super friendly and serves the coffee with a smile, even in the awful wet, cold weather we're experiencing at the moment. 

Being a mobile offering, means that Amy and Candice the van move around the area, so you need to check out the Instagram account to find out where they are.

I have visited the Coffee Can twice now, both times they have been located on the Shepherd and Flock roundabout in Farnham (passed the pub and down the lane a little bit). But they have also spent some time in passed week at The Royal Oak pub in Wreclesham. So far I have enjoyed a black americano and a mocha, both have been delicious. I particularly enjoyed the mocha, which was chocolatey and a little bit bitter - the perfect blend. I also want to head back for a hot chocolate, which looks delicious! 

Cake-wise I have sampled the peanut butter slice and the salted caramel cupcake. As you already know I love Bakehouse cakes, which are always fresh and so full of flavour. The salted caramel cupcake was really good though, with the perfect ratio of cake to icing....it's possibly my favourite cupcake from Bakehouse so far! 

I should also mention that Amy uses biodegradable cups for her hot drinks.

If you happen to be in the Farnham area of Surrey and fancy a cup of coffee, I'd definitely recommend looking for Amy and Candice the van! I'll be heading back....there are a lot more cakes to sample!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for.....lots of Cupcakes from Bakehouse!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.....home to all things sweet and delicious! We hope you are keeping safe and well wherever you are in the world. These are difficult times, but I hope these sweet treats will at least make you smile (and maybe even drool a little - you have been warned!). 

During the pandemic lockdown (which is easing slowly in England as I write this) I did a lot of home baking, but there were times when I also wanted a treat....a tasty treat baked by someone else. Sometimes there is nothing better than a delicious piece of cake that you haven't made yourself and living alone made that a bit difficult! I was lucky enough to discover Bakehouse, a local baker from Aldershot in Hampshire, via a Facebook recommendation, who offered all kinds of cakes and treats delivered to your door. A dream come true!

When lockdown struck, Ellie started a weekly BakeDrop menu of cupcakes, loaf cakes and biscuits which could be delivered or collected either on a Monday or Friday. The team also offer an afternoon tea menu, which can be delivered or collected on other days but needs to be pre-booked. The BakeDrop menu changes each week and includes a variety of bakes. I've ordered from Bakehouse several times now and wanted to share my experience and support this fabulous local business.

                                                   

Let's start with some of the treats from the BakeDrop menu...each week there will be two varieties of cupcakes, a loaf cake, a tray bake, cookies and some kind of savoury treat. Some weeks you can also buy cake cups too, which are amazing! The choice is really varied each week and you'll be hard pressed not to find something you like! You can order via Facebook or Instagram, its really easy....you just tell the team what you want, pay and then wait! You can opt to collect or they will deliver up to 6 miles from head quarters. 

You've already seen some of the wonderful cupcakes that I have tried over the last couple of months at the top of this article. Flavours offered have included chocolate, carrot cake, strawberry and cream (delicious vanilla sponge filled with strawberry jam), red velvet, mint choc chip, Biscoff biscuit (which comes with a chunk of biscuit), chocolate orange, salted caramel, custard cream, lemon, key lime pie, cinnamon caramel, coffee & walnut (which is a personal favourite) and gin and tonic! I bet you're drooling just reading that selection!

Each cupcake I have tried has been light and flavoursome, topped with a generous helping of butter icing. I really enjoyed the coffee and walnut that I tried recently (great coffee flavour and chucks of walnut), but to be honest there hasn't been a cupcake that I haven't enjoyed yet! The flavours are always well balanced and taste exactly how you think they should. The cakes last quite well too...although who wants to make your cupcakes last....you want to gobble them all up...or at least I do!

I was also impressed with the cake cup that I tried, which was jaffa cake flavour and included a combination of orange sponge, chocolate orange frosting, chocolate sauce, fresh cream and chunks of jaffa cake! Blooming amazing...all that jammed into one cup to enjoy with a spoon! Cake cups don't appear every week, but when they do they are always great combinations such as jammie dodger, millionaire shortbread, red velvet or chocolate peanut m&ms. The cake cup I tried was well thought through, with flavours and textures blending well - a real treat!

I haven't ordered any traybakes, cookies or loaf cakes yet, mainly because the cupcakes are always at the top of the menu and I usually get seduced by something amazing straight away! But if you make it further down the menu and are tempted by the bigger treats you could try lemon drizzle loaf cake, bakewell slice, white chocolate coconut cookies, ginger cake, Oreo cheesecake bar, chocolate raspberry brownie or choc chip cookies to name just a few! Next time I order I think I need to try something other than a cupcake!!

The menu also usually includes sausage rolls, some kind of pinwheel or pastry twist or cheese roll. My favourite is the sausage rolls, which are stuffed full of meat and rolled in flaky pastry - they really are lovely and again last well for a nice weekend treat if you order for a Friday delivery.

As well as all of this deliciousness available on a weekly basis you can also order afternoon teas - if you are lucky Ellie sometimes has spares which she makes into boxes that you can add to a Friday delivery. These are always advertised on Facebook or Instagram and are worth looking out for. Otherwise you need to get organised and order in advance. 

I got lucky one Friday night and got myself a spare box for one....

         

Afternoon tea boxes include finger sandwiches (with not a controversial crust in sight) with traditional fillings, scones with tubs of clotted cream and jam, fruit kebabs (so we can pretend to be healthy), a cupcake (as this was a spare I didn't have a cupcake this time), usually a chocolate honeycomb ganache pot or a raspberry jelly pot (as you can see I got both of these - the chocolate ganache is outrageous....so rich and creamy!). There are also luxury options, vegan options and gluten free options plus a children's version of each variety. Oh and there is a tea and coffee selection included! 

Its the perfect afternoon tea in a little white box! Everything was fresh and well packaged up, so the sandwiches didn't get soggy or stale and nothing leaked during the delivery.

I can confirm that the scones passed the taste test - not at all claggy, but light in texture. The perfect vessel for enjoying cream and jam! 

On top of all this, Ellie is really lovely and its a pleasure to order scrummy cakes from her. Communication is great and payment really easy. If you happen to be in the Aldershot / Farnham area in Surrey and are in need of cake (I'm sure this is a common problem for more people than just me!) then I would recommend taking a look at Bakehouse. 

Just to note that this is in no way a paid ad, I have paid for all the treats I have enjoyed from Bakehouse myself and just wanted to share them with you. For more information pop by the Bakehouse Facebook page. 

Do you have a favourite local baker who has been keeping you in cake during lockdown...if so we'd love to hear all about them - leave us a comment!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel 

Birthday Cake in Lock Down!

Hello there cake lovers!

I hope you are all keeping well.

It's been a while hasn't it....all my blog posts seem to start like that at the moment! Well, it's now April 2020 and the UK has been social distancing and staying at home for three weeks now as part of the emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Wow, it's like I'm writing a novel or horror movie, who would have thought that 2020 would start like this!

Personally I've worked from home for five weeks now and because I live alone, I've not seen any of my friends or family in five weeks too....its been an odd time, full of ups and downs. But I haven't started talking to my plants yet, which is always a bonus! But that's not what you're here for....you're here for the cake!

So, in the middle of all this I turned 41...

Yep....I decorated my house with balloons!

….those of you that know me, know that I love my Birthday. Its time to celebrate with friends and family, and have a good time. I had been dreading the day if I am honest, but on reflection it wasn't that bad at all and I managed to enjoy the day. I took the day off wort time crafting and talking to friends, I received lots of Birthday love.....plus there was cake!

Isn't that the most beautiful cake!

It comes from the BakeHouse Surrey a local baker called Rachel who is based in the Guildford area. I contacted Rachel via Instagram on a whim because I decided last minute that I wanted to enjoy some fresh cake on my birthday to cheer myself up and I'm so glad that I did.

Rachel talked to me about my cake requirements....size of cake, favourite flavours etc. I opted for vanilla cake with fresh berries and then sat back and waited for the big day. Rachel's cakes on Instagram all looked really pretty and so I was excited for the delivery.

When the cake arrived I was slightly overwhelmed, it was taller than I expected and so pretty. It was topped with fresh strawberries, pieces of fresh chocolate brownie and homemade passionfruit macarons. It also featured a drip finish and had tiny hearts around the bottom

The sponge itself was fresh and light, with a good vanilla flavour and the cake was filled with buttercream and jam. The perfect combination!

The Brownie pieces on the top are super delicious - they have the right gooey, dense texture and a great chocolatey taste.... I wish I had more! Rachel also makes traybakes and cupcakes as well as big celebration cakes. Information on getting in touch are all on the Instagram page (link above).

I had already decided to make myself an afternoon tea for lunch on the day and the cake took pride of place.....

I am so pleased that I reached out to Bakehouse Surrey, everything about the transaction and delivery was easy and efficient and the cake really made my day. 

I'm probably going to be living off cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a while now! 

I hope anyone else who is celebrating their Birthday at the moment has a lovely day....don't forget to eat cake!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel 

Time for Tea.....Pretty Patisserie, Farnham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends! We hope you're ready to read about some scrummy tea and cakes.

This week I am really pleased to share with you a new local discovery - Pretty Patisserie which is based in Farnham, Surrey. Pretty Patisserie can be found in Squire's Kitchen, the wonderful sugarcraft and cake decorating shop opposite Farnham train station. The opportunity to go shopping for cake decorating supplies and enjoy some tea and cake at the same time sounds wonderful to me!

I decided to take my mum along to sample the cakes and support a patisserie business so close to home. You need to pre-book your afternoon tea - you can do this by popping in or giving the shop a call.

On arrival at Squires Kitchen you need to make your way through to the Patisserie counter at the back of the shop to place your order before sitting at one of the tables dotted around the shop. We had one of the lovely window seats, which meant we could people watch the shoppers while enjoying our afternoon tea!

The tea choices are limited, but there is something for everyone -including a black tea, a decaf, a green, an earl grey and a peppermint tea. Once you've selected your tea this is brought over to you with an impressive looking afternoon tea stand...

All of this scrummy food was for two of us! 

The stand included a selection of freshly prepared savouries, two scones each, a selection of cakes (both cupcakes and smaller cake bites) and a selection of macaroons. We were also given a pot of clotted cream each and a pot of clotted cream - so no fighting over the cream!

Our savouries included triple decker sandwiches which were generously filled with cucumber and cream cheese and the tomato bread pinwheels filled with ham and rocket. I loved the pinwheels - the flavour combination was wonderful and the bread was especially tasty! We had two triple deckers each and two pinwheels each.

I really liked the individual servings of cream and jam, I thought this was a nice touch. We were served two scones each, which were a good size - not too big and not too small. We also had plenty of cutlery to cut and dress our scones - a small, but sometimes forgotten element of afternoon tea!

The cake selection was great....

There were three different full size cupcakes - lemon, chocolate and red velvet. All were scrummy, with light sponges and delicious icing. There was small pieces of lemon drizzle cake and dense chocolate brownie. Both mum and I thoroughly enjoyed the lemon cake, which was light and flavoursome.....probably some of the best lemon drizzle that I've had the pleasure of sampling! 

On the top tier of the cake stand there was a wonderful selection of macaroons...

These bite sized beauties were light and delicate with a soft, chewy middle - delicious!

If I am honest I couldn't believe how much food was included, especially since this afternoon tea is priced at just under £17 per person. This is great value, especially since the quality of the food is brilliant and we really enjoyed all the different elements. 

Don't worry if you can't fit it all in though - you can take home any cakes in little cake boxes to prolong the enjoyment at home!

I really enjoyed my afternoon tea adventure at Pretty Patisserie and I think Mum is already planning her next trip back! As well as afternoon tea, you can also enjoy a light lunch and I heard a rumour that a rather wonderful hot chocolate menu is launching soon! 

While we were there we also had the pleasure of meeting Natasha, who provided some information about the Patisserie and also the cake decorating sessions that they hold regularly. There are child sessions and adult sessions which focus on different cake decorating techniques. Ranging from £5 - £10 you can learn to make all kinds of sugarcraft models!

To find out more pop by the Pretty Patisserie website

Do you have a local tea room or patisserie that you think we should know about? Drop us a line and let us know about your local favourites!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel 

Time for a spot of.....coffee and cake - Krema Farnham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Last December Krema Coffee opened its doors in Downing Street, Farnham in Surrey .....and last weekend.....four months later..... I finally got around to sampling some of the delights on offer!

Krema Artisan Coffee - Farnham, Surrey

Krema Coffee is independently owned and committed to supporting the local community, and where possible sourcing their food and drink from quality local suppliers. Their freshly roasted speciality coffee is undoubtedly the star of the show, along with a great range of loose leaf teas, hot chocolate, cold press juices and soft drinks. 

They also serve sandwiches, soups and salads prepared freshly every day using locally-baked artisan breads, meats and cheeses and I'm pleased to report that they have a rather fine selection of handmade cakes and sweet treats on offer! 

John (centre) and his team at Krema Coffee, Farnham

The interior of Krema Coffee is rustic but comfortable and the team of staff are friendly and very helpful if you are stuck making your refreshment decisions!

When I popped by I was in need of a good lunch.....and I was really spoilt for choice. Krema Coffee have a good selection of both sweet and savoury items to pick from, displayed in wonderful bowls or stacked up high in their glass cabinets.....

Decisions, decisions at Krema Coffee

I opted to go for a cheese and tomato toastie and a huge slab of Victoria sponge cake, washed down with a Tropical Smoothie (I know I know....I should have enjoyed a coffee or a cup of tea....but the night before had taken its toll and I really need some hydration!!). 

The food is freshly prepared and the portion sizes generous....

Toasted cheese & tomato sandwich and victoria sponge - Krema Coffee

The toasted sandwich is made with good quality bread and served with a small fresh side salad. If you are looking for a fully toasted sandwich, which leaks melted cheese from the sides then this might not be the sandwich for you - but I thoroughly enjoyed it....

My Tropical Smoothie really hit the spot and the cake was scrummy! 

Just take a look at the size of it....with a great ratio of cake to filling....

How cake is done at Krema Coffee, Farnham

I had the pleasure of meeting owner John as I was leaving and he told me all about the freshly made salads and fruit smoothies that are proving to be very popular at the moment. 

I'll definitely be popping back for some of that tomato and mozzarella salad....

He also pointed out the rather scrummy selection of squares, which I think I'm going to have to sample on my next visits....

A selection of sweet squares at Krema Coffee, Farnham

It's always great to find new local businesses that offer good quality tea, coffee and of course cake! If you happen to be in the Farnham area and fancy a piece of cake you should give Krema a go!

If you'd like to know more about Krema pop by their Facebook page.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel