Cookie Dough Birthday Cake

My eldest son turned 15 this week and as the son of a cake maker, he normally comes to me with a whole host of weird and wonderful cake requests.

But now he's a teenager, all of that has changed.

Gone are the novelty character cakes featuring Thomas the Tank Engine or Transformers and in are the chocolate coated drip cakes. My son has the biggest sweet tooth of any kid I know and can devour cookie dough like it's going out of fashion...

Budapest in a weekend!

It's been 12yrs since I boarded an airplane but after getting my passport renewed earlier this year, I've been desperate to fly away and get international stamps on my passport pages.

My partner is a fan of F1 and he travels to as many races as he can within Europe but I've never been to a race, or even watched it on TV! So when he decided to book us a weekend away to Budapest, I jumped at the chance of a new experience.

Discovering the Peak District

Despite living only about 45mins away from the Peak District, I've never really explored it except to visit Chastworth House and walk around Bakewell for a few hours after delivering a wedding cake there years ago...

So when my other half suggested going away for a weekend to celebrate his 40th birthday, I booked us an Airbnb at a lovely little place in Grindleford and kept it as a surprise until we arrived!

And boy was he surprised...

MCM Birmingham Comic Con

This year was the first time I visited the MCM Comic Con in Birmingham and I'm so glad that I did as it turned out to be a great family day out!

It was quite a last minute decision to attend but I decided to take my 8yr old as we usually go to Em-Con so he's getting used to these events and what they entail.

Levelling up to 40

After months of planning, countless meals out, celebrating with family & friends and travelling to Wales - I finally hit the 40 milestone that I had been dreading for so long. I say dreading, I guess that's an overstatement but I felt a lot of pressure to make the day AMAZING and I knew nothing I could do would love up to the momentous occasion.

I was wrong.

A few months before the big day, I started to toy with the idea of getting away for the weekend to do something crazy and a bit memorable. I wanted to mark the day and so I looked into finding a little getaway for us to celebrate in our own company. I've been wanting to walk up Snowdon for years, so we decided to try and find somewhere local so we could head up the mountain to celebrate. We found the most gorgeous little place in Bala, but on route there we started to hear weather reports about snow and flooding and when we arrived the owner confirmed that Snowdon wasn't going to be advisable on my birthday...

Weekending in the Yorkshire Dales

You know that point you get to in a week when you think "I just need a break!" well I hit that point last week and thankfully was saved by an impromptu trip to the Yorkshire Dales. I've never been to the Dales before but I knew I wanted a bit of seclusion and plenty of fresh air. Spoiler - Embsay delivered on both fronts.

RED January - Active Every Day

This January, I have signed up for RED January. A month long challenge to keep active every day and support the charity Mind at the same time.

Chatsworth at Christmas

This year, I had the pleasure of taking my family to the Chatsworth House Christmas Market. I had visited the house last year over the festive period, but attending the market this year made me realise how much I missed last time I visited!

The market is filled with festive stalls and sheltered areas are dotted around where you can sit and eat your lunch and where live bands/singer play Christmas songs throughout the day. This gave the market such a community feel with some folk stopping to join in with a sing song!

Holidaying in Kent!

Last Christmas, I was lucky enough to WIN a stay in a luxury lodge with Hoseasons. Yes people, those 'like/share' competitions on Facebook do work! And last week, we finally got around to getting away to our new home for a week...

Our Luxury Lodge was situated at a place called Canterbury Reach Lodge Retreat, about 10mins from Canterbury and situated perfectly for a week of exploring throughout Kent. 6 of us squashed into a 7-seater car and set off on a 4hr car journey to get there where we we greeted with the loveliest accommodation that I've ever stayed in with my family! (We're more used to squishing into a tiny caravan or family room at a hotel...).

Chocolate Course at Studio Chocolate

A few weeks ago, me and my work colleagues attended a Chocolate Workshop hosted by the lovely Ellie from Studio Chocolate. Now, we work in a bakery all day long so working with chocolate made a lovely change for us all!

Em-Con 2018

2018 was the 3rd year running that I attended Em-Con in Nottingham - a geek filled con held at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

Happy Dough Lucky - Review

I have heard nothing but great reviews about Happy Dough Lucky - a new pizza pop up located in the centre of Nottingham opposite Annie's Burger Shack.

As a follower of their page, I can see that they advise booking a table but we were in the area about 1pm on a Saturday afternoon so we decided to pop in and take our chances. Luckily we were the first customers of the day so we chose a nice big table for our group of 6. The restaurant has a lovely feel to it and the tables were nice and spacious which was a great start!

Cocktails in Nottingham

Cocktails have never really been my 'thing' when it comes to drinking. Don't get me wrong, I can fully appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making a great cocktail but they're usually waaaaay too strong for me - or so expensive that I rule them out due to budget constraints!

But recently I've had a flurry of nights out where cocktails have been the primary option and I'm slowly coming around to enjoying a well made cocktail. Which is lucky really as Nottingham has some of the best cocktail bars in the UK!

Joining a running group

2 years ago I took my first steps into the unknown world of running - and I haven't looked back since! I started my journey by downloading the NHS C25K app and dutifully listening to the running instructions whilst panting my way around a little lake behind my house. I couldn't even conceive of the idea of running on the road WHERE I'D BE SEEN. Nope, I was happy enough in my own little world where no-one but the occasional dog walker would see me in my lycra loveliness.

Beginners Bike Maintenance Course

My name is Liana and I am a new found cycling enthusiast. Until recently I hadn't even sat on a bike in over 25yrs, and then I was given a mountain bike and I haven't looked back since!

Crepes and Doughnuts in Nottingham

I've heard nothing but amazing things about Aubreys Creperie in Nottingham city centre. It's tucked up in West End Arcade (off Long Row) in Nottingham and whilst I've visited a few times, it's always been super busy with no seats available so it's taken me a while to sample their food.

But I'm so glad I finally managed to get a table for 2 one Sunday afternoon, we were off to see The Greatest Showman at Cineworld and we needed a light meal to stave off the pick n mix cravings throughout the film...

Extreme Running!

Running at night is hard enough as it is, we have to light up like a Christmas Tree to be seen on the road and most trail routes are off limits after dark. I absolutely LOVE running trails so this has been hard for me over the Winter months as most of my running is done after work.

Geocaching for beginners!

This past weekend was glorious in the UK - the sun was out and for the first time in months and months, we didn't require hats and gloves to have an outdoor adventure!

I've heard lots of people mention 'Geocaching' before but I didn't really understand what it was or how to get involved. I downloaded the app and got the gist but then I forgot about it and it laid undiscovered on my phone, until someone recently revived my interest...

Top Recipes and Links

It's certainly been a while since my last blog post, life has suddenly become sooooo much busier - and my blog has paid the price!

I'm still very active on other social media platforms so for anyone stumbling across my blog today I thought it'd be useful to post a few links that seem to be popular alongside other ways you can interact with me...

3 things you're gonna love!

 Ahhhhh, Summer. My favourite time of the year, not only because of the lovely weather but also because we get to turn off the early alarm and avoid the dreaded school run...

There are lots of things I'm loving at the moment and this edition is packed full of cake, clothes and food so basically my top 3 favourite things ever.

I'd love to have a bit more time off over the Summer, and we're eagerly counting down to a week in Cornwall, but in the meantime it's work, work work for me and sheesh - have I had a busy few months! Many of you will know I work full time but I still make cakes from my home business and this is just a little taster of what has come out of my kitchen recently... (I think the Kinder egg is one of my faves!)