High Days and Holidays
I’ve not been one to make a big fuss over the myriad of holidays and feast days in previous years. Obviously there’s always been the big ones, Birthday’s, Christmas, Mothering Sunday, Easter, but the outliers like Pancake Day and Valentine’s Day, well, they could often pass by without my even noticing. This year though, while we’re still in the throes of lockdown I’ve been wholly more enthusiastic of them.
I guess being in lockdown has given me a little bit more opportunity to plan for them (you know I love a good plan), but the events themselves have also given me opportunities to learn new skills like baking cookies, and using fondant icing. What’s more, my little lady is now at the age where a baking session is like a gift from the gods, so any excuse to get on a her kitchen step and helping Mummy is not to be missed.
I think, like most things, it maybe started on Instagram, seeing people’s special creations and thinking that I would like to make something similar. Of course, then it moved onto Pinterest, and before I knew it, Valentines was heading my way and I was ordering heart shaped chocolate moulds and red fondant icing from the internet.
I didn’t limit it to making some rather fabulous iced cookies and experimenting with treat boxes for my chap, but also indulged Little Miss in a feast of heart shaped waffles for Valentine’s Day breakfast. I had actually bought the waffle moulds previously, not for any event, just so that Little Miss and I could enjoy heart shaped waffles whenever we fancied them, but they came in handy again for a themed breakfast. Just remember though, a heart shaped waffle mould isn’t just for Valentine’s Day. Neither is a heart shaped stencil for putting chocolate on the top of your cappuccino… yes, I bought one of those too!
Soon after, pancake day arrived, and my chap had spotted and bought for me, a rather fantastic Peppa Pig pancake pan. I had the morning off work, and I’m not lying when I say it must have taken me about 6 attempts before my pancake actually looked like Peppa Pig, but you can imagine the joy it ignited in Little Miss, finding this on her plate.
So proud I was of finally mastering it that I entered it into the work Pancake Day competition, and won. My prize arrived the other day, another pancake making gizmo that I can’t wait to try out. It even came with a heart shaped pancake mould, that could have been an addition to my Valentine’s Day feasts.
So, ok, I know, my kitchen cupboards are now slowly filling up with moulds, cutters, gadgets and gizmos. My handheld food mixer is limping along on its last legs and will need replacing soon, but I’m having such fun creating lovely things that actually, I’m probably going to keep giving my all to the rest of the high days and holidays that are coming this year, it’s giving me some creative fun, some activities I can do with Little Miss, and provides some tasty goodies to boot.
Next up, Mother’s Day.
