loopyloulaura

I usually turn up to support events for charities and make my donations in the hope that my small contribution can help other people.

Today I’ve upped the ante. I have decided to host a tea party. Not the easiest thing for a shy person to do so I have teamed up with my daughter’s fantastic preschool.

This isn’t just any old tea party. It is the Blooming Great Tea party!

I have received my fundraising pack and am really excited about getting involved with this wonderful charity. Marie Curie’s mission is to ‘help people and their families living with a terminal illness make the most of the time they have together by delivering expert care, emotional support, research and guidance’. Every year they support over 50,000 people with terminal illnesses and their families.

I have absolutely no idea how much money I’ll raise but I’m going to give it a blooming great go! £20 will pay for 1 hour of nursing for a person in their own home. £180 pays for a nurse’s 9 hour night shift. Whatever I manage to collect will make a huge difference to someone in their final days and their families.

So what do I think of by ‘tea party’? What am I going to organise?

Well, tea obviously. Cake. Scones. Biscuits. Jam tarts.

Being wheat free and vegetarian I will be trying out recipes over the next couple of weeks to share at the tea party so that I can join in with having a blooming great time!

One of my favourite recipes is coffee cakes and I know these work well with wheat free flour.

1. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of instant coffee in 3 tablespoons of boiling water and set aside to cool.

2. Whisk together 2 eggs, 4oz soft marge, 4oz caster sugar for about 4 minutes

3. Fold in 4oz self raising flour and 2/3 of the coffee. Add a splash of milk if required.

4. Fill 16 cake cakes.

5. Bake for 20 minutes at GM5

6. Allow to cool.

7. Make glace icing using 4oz icing sugar and remaining coffee (a few drops of water may be added if required)

8. Decorate with chocolate coffee beans or anything you fancy!

Check out my recipes for lemon drizzle layer cake and chocolate shortbread!

The event runs over the 23rd-25th June so please look out for any local tea parties to attend or donate cakes (or maybe hold your own: there is plenty of time to sign up!) and support the wonderful work that Marie Curie do each and every day.