Do any of you watch the UK programme…
Or do you think that it is too commercial?
Could we create a smaller version of the competition
here in S W France…in my region?
I wonder.
It could be fun for May 2018.
But like everything it is not easy to find adventurers and people
who are excited about baking.
Barbara, the boulangers would probably blackball it because if it encouraged home baking it would affect their business.
cakes Jane not bread.
I think that it is about fun, showing skill but nothing to do with replacing the
bakery purchases.
Art in the Oven…so to speak.
ps …the cakes, gateaux are almost crazy sweet.
Barbara… I think a cake baking competition might be a novel idea…if not an actual competition, then a general delicious fun-for-all sort of thing, might be an interesting addition to the various activities on Fete Day. Each year we struggle to find new ideas…a Home-baked Stall might be fun…
Yes…I suppose it does not need to be something which dictates a prize.
I am thinking of fun things for my guests to get up to in early summer…late spring.
It would be nice to find a fairly local cake expert …I am in 33890.
Not someone who just makes gateaux and really sugar laden cakes but
someone with a more natural touch.
I am not mad keen on baking and I hate measuring.
But I could include this as an event for next year…
at the property.
So any one interested?
Barbara… my neighbours love trying to figure out what is actually in which ever tasty morsel I let them taste…
working on your cake-bake idea (thanks so much)…I am now musing along the lines of “identify the hidden ingredient” competition for our 2018 village fete. It ,might be fun if we can get the different nationalities joining in with their firm favourites for us all to try.
Good idea…
My clients have been to and are offered courses with a really good French cake maker
but I know that they like spending lots of time here around the pool and engaging in things
they can do together.
So a baker coming here could be nice and then the clients can have a great tea time treat.
Yes we can bake but we have lots to do.
I am packing picnic baskets next year with cold boxes filled with bubbly, summer berries
and the fav picnic savouries.
Remind me every one please what you like as it is some time since I have been
on a pic nic.
tiny chicken pies? Little egg and mayo sand sarmies???
Hard boiled eggs and lashings of ginger beer:beer:
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Proper pork pies, cold roast chicken, roast beef, horseradish, a jar of home-made mayonnaise and lots of crudités for dipping, sucrine hearts, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, fruit, fruit cake, brownies, a bialetti camping thing for coffee, that’s it.
I love ginger beer.
Off on a slight tangent…
is anyone here old enough to remember home-made ginger beer ??
As I recall, a neighbour would pass on a yeast thingy… and Mum did whatever was necessary…bottles would then explode in the pantry…
well, that’s my memory… whatever survived was absolutely delicious… 
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Ginger beer …great idea.
yes hard boiled eggs…when they end up in little crusty rolls with cress and mayo.
cruidities nice healthy option with quocomole perhaps.
Stella when did ginger beer begin its life?
yes pork pies are nice.
small fish cakes with prawns in them.
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Hi Barbara
I believe Ginger Beer “plants” were handed from neighbour to neighbour in the 40’s/50’s…I can date our “explosions” to around 1953/5…as I can visualize the house we were living in at the time, even though I was only small…some memories are permanently etched…
How honest you are to give your age away.Well almost…giving your age away.
Can be done via music not only the birth of ginger beer…
I first encountered a ginger beer plant when I was quite old, at least for a consumer of ginger beer, it was the mid-eighties so I was 20.
It was easy to share as once a batch had been made the ‘plant’ had to be split in two.
Modern, commercially produced Ginger Beer is one of the very few British things that I miss being able to buy. I did go through a phase of enjoying Crabbie’s ginger beer for adults as well.
We could start a summer ginger beer craze.
But I will look into getting some.
Not good at making drinks…
oh ok with cocktails but not elderflower champagne.
Tescos have it…so maybe it could be nice for xmas.
Alcoholic ginger beer is heaven, Crabbie’s and Stone’s are both lovely.
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Stone’s Ginger Wine was the only alcohol allowed in my childhood…just a tiny sip at Christmas. My Nan (teetotaller) had her bottle of medicinal brandy topped up regularly though… 
Barbara… since the village is already gearing itself up for our Golden Wedding celebrations due in 2019 … apart from telling everyone I was a child-bride…it is not possible to hide my age…and anyway, I can still run rings around the kids at our school…
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