blueberry boy bait

You can find the recipe for Veronika's Blueberry Boy Bait cake on the enticing Smitten Kitchen blog - a virtual visit to a New York kitchen .

Delicious.

I speak from experience. And thanks to Veronika for sharing.

Homeopathy with Tracy Karkut-Law

Last night we were joined by Tracy Karkut-Law of Limehouse Homeopathy for an evening of remedies focused on summertime illnesses. Tracy looked at stomach upsets and sun-related issues and talked to us about the benefits of some natural poisons in homeopathic treatment.
The room was stiflingly hot for some reason even though it was very cool and breezy outside but the EEWI are made of strong stuff and once again we had a great turn out and a really great evening.
We were also joined by Oliver King from Campaign Against Climate Change who talked to us about the work they do and invited us to join them on a march in the future.
At the moment we are supporting U-Turn by selling copies of their book 'i don't sing', an anthology of photography and poetry by the women who rely so heavily on the project. Copies are £7.99 cheques made payable to the U-Turn Project. If you would like to help please contact us in the usual way

Thanks goes to Veronika and Elizabeth for bringing some gorgeous home made cakes!!!!

art for everyone

Sarah Blanks

If you have time, pop in to the Arts Pavilion in Mile End Park this week and see the Art for Everyone exhibition of work by people from Tower Hamlets classes. There's a real variety of work, including some great work from young people with learning difficulties and disabilities. It's open until Friday 24th. And it's free.

PS Don't forget we'll be at Park Life this coming Sunday selling teas and cakes.

good old rock cakes

These are easy and quick to make. I use a modified Delia Smith recipe, taken from her Book of Cakes - I add more fruit than she suggests. I often find her recipes too sweet for my taste, but I've found that with rock cakes the sugar is needed to give a nice glossy finish. Some people put cherries in their rock cakes, but if you like something with a bit more bite, try dried cranberries.

Measure: 6ozs of plain flour, 6oz wholemeal flour, 6oz butter/ margarine, 6oz soft brown sugar, and 6oz a mixture of dried fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas , mixed peel, cranberries, glace cherries - I usually use 4oz of raisins or sultanas then make up the balance with cranberries. Have ready 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 large egg, a couple of tablespoons of milk, a quarter teaspoon nutmeg, a quarter teaspoon of mixed spice, and a quarter teaspoon of salt ( I often leave reduce the amount of salt).

Get mixing: Sift flours, baking powder, spices and salt. Rub in butter/ margarine until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in whisked egg and one/ two tablespoons of milk until you have a stiffish dough.

Get cooking: Pre heat the oven to 180 deg C. Using a couple of forks, place craggy blobs of the dough onto a lined baking sheet - you will have between 9 and 12 . Bake for 15 - 20 mins until firm and golden, depending on size. Don't overcook or they will be too dry. Leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Make a cup of tea while you are waiting. Relax and enjoy before anyone notices.

Edited to clarify easures in response to comment

recipes for success

At the risk of caking you out, it would be great if you would be willing to share some recipes for the magnificent cakey goodness that you have been baking for our WI stalls this summer. If you can send them to the EEWI email address - or give them to me when we meet - I'll post them here over the summer.

PS This is Ellen's apricot cake that I bought at the MS bake-in. A very delicious cake it was too.

NFWI AGM

If you are interested in reading more about the National Federation of Women's Institutes AGM, you can find more info on the NFWI website. No prizes for spotting Sorella ( lovely pics!). And apologies for the acronyms