Modern girls.

The modern girl’s manual.

1. Claim your successes, however small. They are your reward and others will be quick to take them.

2. Dreams stay just that. Make them realities and live in them.

3. The Shine you can buy and dress up in will fade and tarnish. The real stuff comes from inside and can’t be dimmed. Be happy and kind and people will stay close in order to feel happy too.

4. Love your body. Put your hands on your tummy and remember the whole universe turns in there. 

5. Remember nobody looks stupid when they’re having fun*.

6. No fairy tale ever ended “they lived averagely ever after”. This is your story, make it a page turner. 

7. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s like filming your favourite band in concert. You’ll only see half the picture and you’ll miss all the best bits.

8. Love abundantly, laugh inelegantly, travel extensively and remember, don’t be the kid that gets stuck at the top of the slide. If in doubt say yes and figure it out afterwards.

9. Courage is contagious. Be a little bit brave, every day. 

{Written by me, on being asked to write a grownup girl guide manual for the 21st century woman. Sure.}

Rosettes

Best way to avoid a looming deadline? Make royal rosettes for the winners of our work bake-off. *wishes she was primary school teacher*

{I have got a template if anyone fancies a go}

Posh Nosh

Despite bemoaning the up and coming royal wedding to anyone within listening distance, my man friend and I have in fact, been invited to a royal wedding party this Friday.

We shall join a group of equally liberal young things and insist that we are simply being ironic whilst vying for the best position round the telly.

It's going to be awesome.

And because I don't believe in half measures, I have whipped myself up into a frenzy of patriotic fervour and decided to make some suitably British snacks.

{Strawberries and Cream cupcakes}

Makes 12.

For the cakes…

225g caster sugar
210g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder

25g corn flour
125g strawberries, crushed
12 extra strawberries, chopped into small pieces
225g unsalted butter, room temp
4 large eggs


For the topping…

400g (14oz) full-fat Philly
300g (10oz) icing sugar
250g (9oz) strawberries, smushed to a purée


1. Preheat oven to 180C(160C if it’s a fan)/350F/gas mark 4.

2. Line a baking tray with 12 paper (preferably union jack themed) muffin cases.

3. Put sugar, flour, baking powder, corn flour and crushed strawberries into a food processor. Blitz until evenly mixed. Add butter and eggs and mix a little bit more until everything is even. (If using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar first, beat in the eggs, one by one, and add the remaining ingredients and beat.)

4. Divide the chopped strawberries between the cases and dollop the mixture in over the top, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake for about 25 minutes. (They should be fairly moist and bouncy to touch, even when cooked.) Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before popping them on a rack to cool.

5. While you’re waiting, make the icing. Beat the philly, icing sugar and strawberry purée together to form a shiny icing. If you’re posh or have a boyfriend who bakes, spoon it in to a piping bag and stand back and admire as he pipes professionally away. You can also just whack it on with a spoon.

6. Finish with royal memorabilia. I shall be fashioning miniature Union Jacks with tooth picks, though left over strawbs would look just as lovely.

{Recipe adapted by Ma from many, cake pic from Humming Bird Bakery}