Join us this thursday 8th December from 7pm-9:3pm for a Christmas evening at bake-a-boo.

A late night opening with complimentary mulled wine and nibbles and lovely gifts and treats to browse from bake-a-boo. We have also joined forces with my new favourite jewellerey brand from the USA – Stella & Dot.

You will be able brwose the collection and between Stella & Dots (beautifully packaged) sparkle and twinkly bits with bake-a-boo’s vintagey treasures and yumminess, and you may be able to find the perfect Christmas gift or just treats yourself for the festive season?

This evening is open to all, some come along and bring a friend. The mulled wine is on us!!

xx

Yesterday the 16th November, bake-a-boo turned 5 years old!! 5 years from the day we opened our door back in 2006. It’s funny that time has gone so quickly, yet at the same time I feel like we have been here forever, and I dont remember life before bake-a-boo!! I also remember that opening day like it was yesterday – it was all hands on deck to get everything ready for our well overdue opening!! My sister and my friends were with me through the night finishing all the details. So many more details have been added over the years!! I just cant believe 5 of them have already passed!!

bake-a-boo was my dream, it took over my life and there have been many difficult times, but I feel so lucky to be doing what I do, and to have created what I have created, I never have any regrets and never wish for anything more. bake-a-boo was my dream, and now I get to live it every day. There’s things I would do differently if I could rewind 5 years, but ultimately what I have learned and achieved is far more valuable.

We are so lucky to have been supported by the local community and for people to have travelled far and wide to come and see us. Just the amount of support and well wishes we recieved yesterday on twitter made me so grateful! Thank you so much for allowing bake-a-boo to continue baking every day!!

I am lucky enough to have a family who supported my dream, and my sister who encourages me to continue dreaming bigger and bigger every day!! I also get to work with my two dearest friends Leon (xxx) and Laura (xxx) – who believe in me and make me laugh – I’d be lost without them!! And the bake-a-boo belles (and boys) of past and present – too many to mention – you know who you are! thank you for all your hard work!

Anyway I will stop blabbing now and get back to making cakes!! But I really am overwhelmed with the birthday love we have recieved and roll on another year!! 5 is my lucky number, so I dreaming big for this next year!!

Speaking of cake – here’s the birthday cake we made ourselves…

Lots of Love,

Boo x

Hip Hip Hip HOORAY – tomorrow (16.11.11) is bake-a-boo’s 5th Birthday!!!!

Time flies when you are having fun, it seriously does…….Thank you everybody for allowing me to live my dream, and for keeping us alive and baking for 5 whole years!! – 5 is also my lucky number, so I’m hoping this coming year will be filled with boo luck!

Please join us tomorrow for our birthday  in the shop where we will have some fun giveaways – we will continue this until Friday 18th, to give you more of a chance to get involved.

For those of you who follow us on twitter we will also be running a twitter birthday related competition so get involved.

Thank you everybody and happy brthday to my beloved boo!!! bake-a-boo I love you!! xxx

We have been working with fabulous Monica for a while now – she is a lady of many talents, not only is she an amzing knitter, and hugely driven, but she makes beautiful tiered cakes stands from her amazing collection of vintage plates. We sell Monica’s cake stands at bake-a-boo and we are also lucky enough to have Monica on board as a host for our many hen parties and celebration tea parties at bake-a-boo, but we are now also offering monica in one off workshops open to everyone. Our next workshop with Monica is on the 24th November – this workshop is getting booked up fast, so book you place soon. Come and join us for tea and cake and select your favourite plates from Monica’s collection and make your very own special and unique cake stands to wow your tea party guests this Christmas and beyond – or you could even make one as a Christmas gift for a special someone – and no one will have the same stand as you as all the stands are individual!

Places are limited, so please book your place on this workshop by calling us on

020 7435 1666, we take a 50% deposit when booking.

Thursday 24th November – 7pm-9pm – £30 per person (two teirs)

or £35 per person (3 tiers)

I’ll leave you a few pictures from one of our cake stand workshops from the summer….

Come join us on the 24th!! xx

Happy Halloween from bake-a-boo xxx

We have had a great weekend in the shop making halloween treats and pumpkin recipes and Katie, Amy and I had fun dressing up yesterday as a witch, an evil fairy and the bride of Frankenstein! Hope you all get lots of treats tonight xx

Big Halloween love from all the bake-a-boo belles (and Leon – the token male) x

This week our wonderful scone master Leon celebrated his one year wedding anniversary – Leons wedding was a most spectacular event – a day I will cherish forever, a day where we danced the night away – ate cake to our hearts content (bake-a-boo cake of course) and the air was filled with love!! Leon is not only our scone master and resident charmer at bake-a-boo – but he is also my best friend in the whole world and I completely adore him!! I’m so lucky to have my best friend bake with me and make the bake-a-boo days that little bit more fun! I’m even luckier that he married  the gorgeous Vanessa and gave me a girly best friend to compliment him! I love the Ockendens – they rock!!

The ridiculously beautiful couple!

So I thought I’d just look back on the wedding cake collection we made for Leon’s wedding – I had so much fun making these cakes, especially the bride and groom barbie and ken cake!!

And here’s me and Vanessa on the dancefloor – after lots of champange – can you tell I’m loving this trip down memory lane?!!

And finally I will leave you with the video HERE of the wedding cake collection for the Ockenden Wedding – love you guys – happy one year – two peas in a pod who I am lucky enough to have as my best friends!!! I wish you a trillion more years of happiness and laughter!

xxx

Last week I went to see ‘The Kitchen’ at The National. I proudly rocked up to see my good friend Samuel Roukin starring in this play, but as I work in a kitchen myself, this play was obviously great interest to me anyway? I was even more proud to see bake-a-boo mentioned in the programme!

Lovely Samuel plays a pastry chef in the kitchen – and when he got this role and started rehearsing he asked Leon and myself if he could come into bake-a-boo for a few days and learn how to make a few things…particulary scones, (which is definitely Leon’s forte – he is our scone master after all?) This helped him master some of the actions he needed for his role – so we got him making dough, cutting out scones, whisking things by hand. I was particulary impressed watching him in the performance as he used all the actions, and actually there was no food in the kitchen but the actions of the actors made you believe they were handling food. Samuel certainly whisked and rolled dough lots throughout and I’m hoping he learnt these skills from us!! I also enjoyed the play as it’s set in the 1950′s – anything 50′s I love, so that makes it right up my street – and I got to swoon over the waitresses outfits and swinging pony tails!!

We had Samuel as our guest baker in the kitchen over a few Sundays – and he was very dedicated – we actually all went to a big party the night before one of his shifts and he still made it in, so if he wasn’t such a roaring success as an actor and about to move to New York to get married, we’d definiely snap him up to work at bake-a-boo all the time!!

Here’s Samuel with his tray of scones

Samuel and Boo…..(you rock Roukles!!)

He also made this red velvet cake for the cast in rehearsals – all by himself!! – which probably made him quite popular

So the low down is – get to see ‘The Kitchen’ at the National while you still have time!! You can see more info and book tickets here

And when you are watching Samuel rolling his dough – remember where he learnt that fine skill!!!

And here’s one final pic of us being utterly silly!! Well done Samuel – proud of you xxx

Last Thursday we re-launched ‘create and do’ at bake-a-boo with a special event #makeaboo. We hosted a little evening in the shop where some of our new workshop hosts came to talk about what they do and share some of their tricks of the trade – ocer bubbly and cakes of course! Lots of people turned up to see what workshops were coming up and also to decorate their own cupcakes. The lovely Lisa (Lisa jane photogrpahy) took lots of snaps so I will share those and write more about create and do with her gogeous pics! In the mean time I will just share some details of the amazing vintage makeover I got from Sophia – our vintage hair and make up workshop host….you can book onto her workshop (more details here) and create this look yourself….

amazing victory rolls

and eyes and lashes to die for…thank you Sophia x

Big Thanks to Lisa, Jonathan, Vanessa, Sophia, Monica, Liz, Alice, Lally and Paul for helping with this event x

#makeaboo event – Thursday 13th October 2011 – 7pm-9pm

Our create and do schedule became a little bit neglected this year due to other boo projects, and we have now injected new life into it and collaborated with some fabulous people to host workshops and to teach you how to ‘create and do’ wonderful things, always over tea and cake, within the lovely atmosphere of bake-a-boo.

workshops include:

• Knitting
• Sewing
• Jewellery making
• Vintage hair and make up masterclasses
• Vintage cake stand making
• Cake decorating
• Nail art
• Flower crafts

And more………with new things being added all the time.

Join us for an exclusive eveing of tea and cake and something bubbly and meet some our new workshop hosts, pick up a programme of our new workshops and events and see what the new ‘create and do’ at bake-a-boo has to offer.

on – Thursday 13th October 2011 – 7pm-9pm

at – bake-a-boo – 86 Mill Lane, London, NW6 1NL

Please confirm your wish to attend this event at info@bake-a-boo.com

Thinking of Annie today…..one of our dearest and loyal customers who sadly died on this day last year.

You can read the post I wrote about Annie on the day of her funeral last year here

Annie became a friend to us all at bake-a-boo and if only we had know just how troubled she really was. Even though Annie was a customer and an aquaintance more than a real friend, I saw her every week for 4 years, atleast once a week, and thats perhaps more than some of my closest friends. Her death came at what was perhaps a difficult and stressful  time in my life and this impacted me greatly.

This picture is Annie, taken by my sister, the last time I saw her – she was all smiles and full of excitement at my book launch party on the 6th September last year. Just over a week later I heard the news Annie was gone. The experience of her death and the lessons I have learnt through the experience has taught me so much about myself, about compassion, about it being ok to have weaknesses and to ask for help. I wish Annie had asked for help? But most importantly it has taught me the valuable lesson to always ‘be kind to yourself’ and that life is just too short and too precious.

I hope Annie is happier now, and we continue to remember her every day at bake-a-boo.

For those of you who are frequently asking about our workshop and requesting to be added to our mailing list – things have been a bit hectic at bake-a-boo and we have had to put ‘create and do’ on hold for a bit – because it requires a lot of time consuming organisation – but we have been meeting with lots of new exciting people in the last few weeks in preparation to re-lauch ‘create and do’  at bake-a-boo with a bang in September. We will be hosting a special event (Details to come soon) to re-launch and introduce lots of new fun and exciting workshops, activities and events.

We have chosen to re-launch in September as many people are away for the summer and it tends to be a quieter time – however in warm up to our new schedule starting in September – we have a lovely little workshops for you this month – with the Monica. We have been selling Monica’s lovely creations in the shop and we thought we would share her talents with any of you who havent yet jetted off on your summer hols!

So please note the following two workshops – pre-booking is essential and a 50% deposit will be required.

THURSDAY 28th JULY - MAKE YOUR OWN VINTAGE CAKE STAND

7pm-9pm

Chose from Monicas treasured selection of vintage plates and let her help you create a beautiful tiered cake stand of your own – to take home and display your wares and homebaked creations at home in style. This 2 hour workshop includes all materials and guidance and also tea, nibbles and cake! Your cake stand is yours to keep.

2 tiered cake stand = £30 per person

3 tiered cake stand = £35 per person

Please call 020 7435 1666 to book your place on the cake stand workshop – places are limited

bake-a-boo are looking for staff……

Food Retail Assistants

We are looking for happy people who love cake to serve our lovely customers. We are looking for people to work part time on a shift basis – so do not think you need not apply if you cannot do all these days – just let us know what you can do and it may work with someone else who has applied?

Requirements:

• Some experience of working in a cafe environment essential
• Must speak fluent English
• Available immediately

Shifts:

Monday – 2pm-6pm

Wednesday – 2pm-6pm

Thursday – 2pm-6pm

Friday – 12pm-6pm

Saturday 10am-6pm

Sunday 1pm-6pm

Floater – Sundays

We need someone to work both in our shop and our kitchen on Sundays. Your job would be to go between the shop and the kitchen when required. The kitchen work would involve preparing afternoon teas and making sandwiches, and general cleaning. Whilst in the shop you would be serving customers, setting up for parties and clearing.

Shift :

Sunday 12pm-6pm

PLEASE APPLY WITHIN, OR EMAIL YOUR CV AND ALSO TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND  WHY WE SHOULD PICK YOU – TO – info@bake-a-boo.com

The Royal wedding is fast approaching and there’s lots of excitement – I’m excited for it as it’s just an excuse for me to do all the things I love – like get the bunting out and have a bloomin good tea party!

We will be closed on the Royal Wedding day 29th April – I wanted to have a big party, but I think most of you will be off work and be doing your own thing – preferably alcohol fuelled? or you will have booked a few days of work and be off on hols, so I can’t see it being too worth us being open, plus Kate is an ozzy and is desperate to go into town and see how patriotic us brits can be!

But……. we will be open Thursday before the wedding with lots of treats for you to gather for you’re own royal wedding celebrations. Then of course we are open on the Saturday and Sunday 30th and 1st and we have decided to offer a special Royal Wedding afternoon tea. A ‘Royaled up’ version of our afternoon tea.

The Royal Wedding afternoon tea will be available from Wednesday 27th – Sunday 1st May, except obviously on the 29th when we will be closed. This special tea must be booked in advance (minimum 24 hours notice) and we take a 50% deposit when booking. We also highly encourage you to dress up for the occassion!! There will be prizes for people who dress up for the tea!

The Royal wedding afternoon tea is £17.50 per person and here’s the menu….

Royal wedding afternoon tea

A selection of Finger sandwiches

Scones with jam and cream

White chocolate wedding cake cupcakes

Crown shaped biscuits

Mini trifles

Chocolate dipped strawberries

Served on cake stands with vintage china, wedding favours for each guest – and of course  patriotic decorations!

I’m so looking forward to Easter as I may have mentioned before it is my FAVOURITE time of year – I love everything about Easter, the colours, the spring flowers, the longer days, the food and of course the chocolate and the chicks!! not forgetting the hot cross buns, oh I could rave about Easter all day long!!

Anyway just wanted to let you know our opening times for Easter.

We will be open on Good Friday 22nd April and Saturday 23rd April.

But we will be CLOSED on Easter Sunday – 24th April and bank holiday Monday 25th April.

The shop is currently filled with Eastery treats and lovely nickety nackety bits and bobs so come see us soon and get into the Easter spririt!!

And if you don’t make it to us – we hope you do lots of Easter baking fromt the bake-a-boo cookbook!

xx

Bake-a-boo will be closing this week for a little, but much needed break.

we will be closed Monday 11th April-Thursday 14th April

I won’t sugar coat it (as we say in cake land!) the absolute truth is that boo just needs a break!!

2011 has so far been a great year for us, we have had a really busy start to the year and I’m really happy with how bake-a-boo is progressing, I hate to jeopardise that by randomly closing, but I really have to for my health.

It’s great 2011 has been so busy at bake-a-boo, but it has also been difficult for me keeping up, as so far in the three (and a bit) short months of this year I have had laryngitis, sinusitis and bronchitis (yes that’s a lot of itis’s!!) and the thing is I just don’t get any time to recover as I’m always needed to soldier on at work….

Last summer my lovely, loyal and faithful right hand man Jonas left bake-a-boo to go back to Sweden, his home town. As the summer months are much quieter for bake-a-boo I decided to not replace him for a few months and wait until September, well then in September my book came out and I was busy with that…….and then suddenly it was Christmas……and NOW suddenly it’s April and I’m still yet to replace him! So I have almost singlehandedly been making every single cake since July last year. I am lucky that I have the occasional help from one of favourite people in the world – Mr Leon Ockenden, and he is wonderful and our scone master, but he is first and foremost an actor, and often he’s off jet setting!! Luckily he is with me most Fridays and Sundays .

So I guess the point I’m trying to make it that bake-a-boo just cannot run without me!! Maybe I am a control freak, but we have yet to make the millions on mill lane to employ the army that I currently need! And unfortunately the only way I get to have a time out is to not be open!

Two years ago I got diagnosed with ME and ordered by my GP to be signed of work for at least one month. That was two years ago and I’m still yet to have that month off!! I laughed when she said she’d write me a letter straight away, ‘who am I going to give it to?…..myself?’ I said. Anyway becoming quite ill and not being able to stop made me revaluate lots of things in the business, this is one of the reasons we closed one day and week and we now only open in the afternoons. Not the only reason, as the mornings were just too quiet to justify paying someone’s wages to cover, it was also a survival tactic, but I know some people have found that concept hard to grasp. I didn’t want to be the shop that was ‘never open’ but we may not have survived, as a business, if I didn’t make that change. I made lots of changes in my life and my attitude that made me get better, and I slowly learnt to slow down!! And stop worrying!! However I do believe once you get chronic fatigue it’s kind of always with you. Underlying and waiting to come out. I’m much more in touch with myself now and when I’m too tired, I’m too tired and I have to stop.

And the truth is I have to close this week, simply because I have to stop.

Also next month there will be lots of changes at bake-a-boo – firstly our lovely Kate is leaving to go back to Oz and also Leon will be away filming in Russia for 6 weeks. And that leaves me!! So I need some time to revaluate again and make some plans for the best way forward for bake-a-boo with a few of the cogs soon to be missing from the machine! (suggestions on a postcard are more than welcome!!!)

Anyway I’ve said a lot and I don’t want this post to call for you all to get your violins out, but bake-a-boo is my pride and joy, my dream, my everything. I love my shop, I love my job and I love my world that I have created. Yes there’s bad days, lots of them, and also some great times.  But ultimately bake-a-boo is like my child, and I’m a single parent as I have no business partner and no financial help. Me and my time are the backbone of bake-a-boo. Without me and my health and my energy, there is no bake-a-boo. So I have to maintain that. Somehow.

So after months of ill health and a series of blazing migraines I have to let my body shut down for a few days and sadly that means I have to shut down my shop.

But on the upside its sunny and its Easter holidays and hopefully you’ll all be out and about and won’t miss us too much!

We will be back open in time for the weekend on Friday 15^th April, when normal hours will resume.

If you need to contact us, please leave a message on our phone or email us and we will get back to you.

Lots of love,

Boo/Zoe x