Taking the Wombelles of Kendal into 2014

Due to the fact, we had to do some serious fund raising last month, it was decided we should discuss the planning of future events (for some reason food & pampering came to mind!) 
 We also had to discuss applying for grants to ensure our group can continue into next year in an endeavour to support ladies who have had cancer.

We need to raise a minimum of £150.00 per annum, to cover our £100 donation to Cancercare and to keep our mobile phone in credit. We managed to raise most of the money required last month, although we have additional costs for postage and stationery. It was agreed we should all make a small donation to funds at every meeting in the future. We would therefore, like to thank all the ladies who joined us for Afternoon Tea for their support

It was decided that we would like to purchase a laptop computer, to encourage all our members to become computer literate thereby enabling them to shop on line when necessary and keep in touch with friends and family by email. Many patients are very restricted following treatment and lose their confidence.

I have been told recently that Afternoon Tea is once again becoming extremely popular so I have looked into this tradition and found the following to be very interesting.

History of Afternoon Tea 

The origins of afternoon tea, a quintessentially English tradition, are rumoured to date all the way back to 1662 when Catherine Braganza, King Charles ll of England's Portuguese wife, introduced tea to the royal court. But the afternoon tea menu, as we have come to know and love it, took quite a while to develop.

By the late 1830s - early 1840s afternoon tea was evolving to become a social occasion and it's even hinted at in an unfinished Jane Austen novel from 1804, The Watson's. Around this time, it was usual to have a long gap between the relatively light 'luncheon' served around midday, and dinner served around 8pm. 

As a result, ladies such as Anne, 7^thDuchess of Bedford, found themselves becoming hungry during the day.

The Duchess of Bedford was a close friend of Queen Victoria and a prominent figure within London society at the time. She requested that light sandwiches, tea and cake be brought to her in the late afternoon because she had a 'sinking feeling' due to the long gap between meals. Over time, she started to invite close confidantes to join her in her rooms at Woburn Abbey, to exchange news and stories over tea and light refreshments, and gradually these kinds of afternoon teas became a tradition.

  

  

Other social hostesses quickly picked up on the idea and the practise became respectable enough to move it into the drawing room.  This pause for tea became a fashionable social event. During the 1880s upper-class and society women would change into long gowns, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o'clock.

Afternoon Tea or High Tea

Afternoon tea is not to be confused with high tea, as the two meals have quite a few differences. High tea is traditionally held a little later in the day - between 5pm and 7pm - and is served at 'high' dining tables. It developed as a meal enjoyed mainly by the middle and lower classes and eaten by both men and women. 

Tea is poured first, and then any sugar, milk or lemon is added to the cup. This was thought to be a way to test the quality of the china in the hostess' home - lower quality china would be cracked by hot tea. If you're serving lemon, it's traditional to serve thin slices of lemon on a small plate that can be added to each cup using a small lemon fork.

Coffee & Walnut Cake as served at Sedgwick House

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Just the name makes me hungry.  Coffee and Walnut Cake and Carrot Cake have the same effect on me.  I know they are loaded with calories but they bring images of cosy cafes .... and they sound so healthy!

350g. self-raising flour
350g. unsalted butter
350g. caster sugar
6 eggs beaten
25g. instant coffee dissolved in small amount of boiling water (1 - 2 teaspoons)
75g. chopped walnuts

Butter cream:
150g. unsalted butter
200g. icing sugar
30ml. double cream
2 tbsp. Camp coffee



METHOD

Heat the oven to 170 degrees or Mark 3.
Line two 9 in sandwich tins.
Place butter and sugar in food processor to make it fluffy.  Add half the eggs and blend then the remaining eggs and blend.  Add the dissolved coffee and walnuts.  Mix well.
Add the flour bit at a time.
Divide mixture between tins and bake for 35 - 40 mins.  Check centre with a skewer.  Add more time if needed.


Cool the cakes and make the butter cream by blending the butter with half the icing sugar.  Then add Camp coffee and the cream.  Mix well.  Slowly add the remaining icing sugar to reach a soft, spreadable consistency - use a bit more double cream if it feels too thick.  It should be firm enough to spread on the top and side of the cake.
Spread butter cream on the flat bottom of one of the cakes then place second cake on top.  Spread rest of butter cream over the top and sides and decorate with walnut pieces.

This cake is so scrumptious it's a sin not to eat it!

We would like to remind you that we meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 1.30 pm in the offices of; Cancercare, Lakes Centre, Kendal, (unless we have organized an event).

We now also have a blog address, which has been set up by one of our members:

http://thewombellescancergroupkendal.blogspot.co.uk

We can also be contacted on the following Mobile No: 07770851896.

This is the group’s mobile number, which is checked for messages on a daily basis.