Simple Pleasures of a English Summer Tea

Pretty cakes and lovely country hedgerow flowers filled the Gildhouse at Poundstock for the last Clandestine Cake Club meet in June.

Organised by “Patience and Perdita”, a new company hiring and organising for vintage events, it was a quintessential english summer afternoon tea, with vintage teacups and saucers, flowers filling every window sill arranged by Nellie and Sarah, and all the members of the local North Cornwall Clandestine Cake Club baked and decorated stunning cakes inspired by summer and vintage.

It was all about the simple things… inventive hedgerow cordials of rhubarb and verbena and elderflower and thyme, with huge teapots of fresh tea and so much cake!!

This was the third one I have attended and by far the biggest with over 20 cakes, and experience has taught me that if I don’t want to go home feeling very sick, you take a thumbsize piece of each cake to try. Having said that, with over 20, it was nye on impossible.

My cake was a heart-shaped victoria sandwich with apple rose jelly, rose petal and glitter sprinkles. Doesn’t look bad! and managed to dull down the usually putrid pink food colouring with a touch of green.

The Gildhouse is a tudor church house, nestled in a valley just up from Millook beach and in the hamlet of Poundstock near Bude and a little gem. If you are ever that way, you need to see inside. It takes your breathe away.

I managed to snap Don and Annie escaping with lots of cake booty. No wonder they are smiling.