Couldn't let Christmas pass without a cake update.
I drizzled more of the Bells into the top every week, as per instrucions and finally came to make the marzipan last week. Using Aunty Mike's trusty recipe would have been a great idea, and a wonderful tribute to her amazing simnel cakes, but alas, not only did I forget to use apricot jam to stick the marzipan to the cake (no idea what final consequences this will have, and the annoying thing is that I had a lovely new jar of jam especially for the occasion!) but I also managed to use caster sugar instead of icing sugar!! Don't ask me how, I'd even got a new packet of icing sugar specially - but there you are! So I ended up with a batch of very tasty but very crunchy marzipan, sticking to the cake for dear life:
and finally came the big day for the 'royal' icing. And, with a little help from my friends:
the deed was done . . .
After much discussion we went for the frosty top look
but which little people to put on the top from this aged motley collection?
Now there was some speculation about the birthday week theme - Mike proposed 'estuaries' (Mersey, Esk and Thames) but it could also have been 'an L of a time' (Liverpool, Lakes and London) or was it even 'ends of the line' (Lime Street, Ravenglass, St Pancras). However you look at it - it was nothing short of a perfick birthday week full of amazing surprises and beautiful people and places.
Pretty short on blog writing time just now, so this is a sort of 'listings' of the week as it panned out, surprise by surprise. And hopefully over the coming weeks I'll flesh out the days with pics in new posts. Click on the links below to find out more.
Friday 25 November
Dinner a la Greno with Jane and Bob to kick off the celebrations
Saturday 26 November
Over to Liddypool, packed for any eventuality!
Sunday 27 November
Alice in Wonderland exhibiton at the Tate, wind howling round the dock outside
Mum's 91st birthday at the top of the fabulous Panoramic Restaurant in Liverpool, our lives spread out below and little ferries chugging back and forth across the river
Tuesday 29 November
Daytime: Champagne afternoon tea at the Hard Days' Night Hotel with surprise guests Pat and Dave
Evening: Brilliant Saw Doctors' gig at the Phil - Red Cortina acapella was amazing. Review
