Splendid Days has been spying Sophie Dahl`s new programme and has noticed that she has lots of rather lovely vintage crockery. Good to see she is keeping following our trend and that she is as nostalgic about tea and cakes as we are. I must admit that her Victoria sponge oozing homemade raspberry jam looked especially good on it`s glass cake stand(just like the ones we hire out at Splendid Days !) Look out for our next photo shoot which will be all about naughty cakes and glamorous cakestands.....I`m sure the wonderful Suzi will work her magic with the camera again!

My collection of vintage finds for hire has been growing very rapidly over the last few months and I absolutely love going out to find new beauties! Only the very best make it home with me and I never quite now what I`m going to find.Sometimes I come home with a car full of goodies and sometimes I come home with nothing ! It`s always exciting unwrapping them when I get home and seeing if they are going to fit into the Splendid Days family of finds! I like all my vintage finds to be really special and it`s always exciting when I spot something that is a must have ! It`s amazing to think how old some of the crockery is but what amazing condition it`s in. The older generation certainly new how to look after their possesions and I like the fact that they are going to continue to be used and loved. I now have over two hundred sets of teacups and saucers and cake plates and every single one is interesting to look at. The patterns and workmanship just make me realise how much rubbish is produced nowadays and these are real little works of art. It`s always interesting to see who is going to fall in love with which pattern. Another favourite item to collect is the big patterned jugs. Some of them are absolutely huge and look amazing filled with wild flowers. I would of loved to have had this kind of thing at my wedding if it had been possible to hire.

Very, very addictive Rocky Roads-make them at your peril!

Well ,I have been promising so many people this recipe that I thought it should be my first even though it isn`t cake! It`s dangerously easy to make and eat but totally delicious .Last Christmas I had a party and these were the stars of the show!I also took them to Glyndebourne for the chorus picnic and they were a bit of a hit there too!


I`m mulling over whether to offer this on my website as well as cakes at the moment . 


The Recipe

250 Grammes of milk chocolate 150 Grammes of dark chocolate 175 Grammes of butter 250 Grammes of digestive biscuits 200 Grammes of macadamia nuts 150 Grammes of marshmallows-big ones cut up into chunks 2 tablespoons of golden syrup 


Method

1. Melt the chocolate and the butter with 2 tablespoons of golden syrup 
2. Put the biscuits in a big bowl and bash with a rolling pin so you have some biggish pieces and some smaller pieces and a bit of crushed 
3. Add the nuts and marshmallows to the biscuits 
4. Pour the melted mixture into the bowl and stir until everything is coated 
5. Butter a tray bake style tin (about 236mmx296mm).I use on with a base that slides out as it`s easier when it comes to cutting it up. 
6. Tip in the mixture and press it firmly into the tin . 
7. Refrigerate until cold. 
8. Cut into pieces .This can be quite hard work! 
9. Arrange on a platter in stacks or load up a vintage cake stand and dust with icing sugar. Add any extra decorations such as extra marshmallows or anything seasonal or partyish! 
10. Devour! 
11. These can be frozen ahead although they are so quick to make I don`t bother. 

You can be quite casual about this recipe and change the types of nuts, add other ingredients such as cherries, use your favourite type of biscuit but this is the Holy Grail of Rocky Roads to me. Often recipes use all dark chocolate and it`s rather too intense but I suppose it`s all down to personal preference.