Easter – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Tatty Devine and Rob Ryan collaborate again!

Easter is just around the corner, click and as well as a delightfully lo-oo-ong weekend, it also means plenty of chocolate egg eating and some egg hunting (despite being in my twenties, I still pursue the tradition each year, clues and everything). For those of you who want to find a healthier way of celebrating it, and fancy throwing a gift someone’s way, I have hunted high and low and found the latest offering from Tatty Devine to be the perfect solution.

The nest necklace and brooches are a result of yet another successful collaboration between kooky jewellers Tatty Devine, and London based artist Rob Ryan. These two heavyweights have collaborated not only on ranges in the past, but also on Amelia’s Magazine Issue 02. Ryan, a papercutting and screen printing artist who regularly lends his creative talents to creating bespoke and commissioned pieces, has made two nest pieces just in time for Easter. Featuring two nutty brown birds, a natural woodcut nest and a pale pink veneer egg reading Our Adventure is About to Begin the two pieces are different as well as being completely wearable (a quality I like in Tatty pieces).

It is easy to see how the intricate nature of his work is perfect for designing quirky pieces of jewellery; priced at £105 for the brooch and £135 for the necklace, they are only producing 25 of each so get in there quick. Brick Lane based Tatty Devine are celebrating 10 years of trading, and what better way that to revisit such a successful partnership. The shop uses their window display to showcase collaborations, so next time you’re in the East End pay them a visit…while you’re at it, go and visit Ryan’s shop.

Happy Hunting!

Written by Florence Massey on Monday March 29th, 2010 1:45 pm

Categories ,Brick Lane, ,Brooches, ,East End, ,Easter, ,jewellery, ,Necklaces, ,rob ryan, ,Tatty Devine

Amelia’s Magazine | Olivia Rubin collaborates with OPI to create her own shatter nail lacquer set

OPI shatter nail polish collaboration with Olivia Rubin by Novemto Komo.

I do like a press day where you can get your hair and nails done, price so despite my lack of time I decided to swing by South Molton Street yesterday to visit Olivia Rubin, who was greeting all visitors personally – what a nice touch. No high falutin’ designer here, plus she was very good about my review of her A/W 2011 catwalk show, which mainly banged on about the high celebrity quotient.

Olivia Rubin at her A/W 2011 press day.

Usually there is a massive queue for free grooming but I chanced upon a lull having missed, by mere minutes, a whirlwind visit from The Only Way Is Essex pop group Lola. Damn. They were the ones who distracted me at her A/W 2011 catwalk show. Actually, maybe it’s a good thing I missed them.

Olivia Rubin by Liam Mcmahon.

Olivia Rubin Cute as a Cupcakes. Of course.
Olivia Rubin bespoke cupcakes by Cute as a Cupcakes. Always the cupcakes… but I have to admit these really were a stunning compliment to her new collection.

Anyway, I decided to grab the opportunity to try out the new OPI shatter collection produced in collaboration with Olivia Rubin and for sale in exclusive colour combinations at ASOS and other stores soon. It’s a great idea because Olivia is known for her bold use of animal prints and this looks a bit like a leopard print from afar.

Olivia Rubin by Liam Mcmahon.

Olivia Rubin shatter nail polish collaboration with OPI. Nice bright colours as always.

Did you know that OPI takes its name from the dental company whence the first nail products sprang from? Back in the early 1980s George Schaeffer took over a dental supply business called Odontorium Products Inc, and quickly realised the potential for transferring the technology behind acrylic dentures into the crafting of false nails. Not very sexy eh? But that’s the way it rolls in the beauty industry. Happily, OPI do not test on animals.

Olivia Rubin OPI shatter polish
Olivia Rubin’s elegant nails.

Olivia Rubin OPI shatter polish
Hmmmm, my not very elegant hands.

Since then they’ve built a huge nail brand, famed for its brightly coloured nail polishes with fun names. OPI technicians have been helping out backstage at various fashion shows during LFW, and they take care of famous pop personalities such as Katy Perry and Alexandra Burke, who have their very own nail technicians on hand at all times, except, that is, when they are sorting out my stubby sausage hands. My nails were done by Alexandra Burke‘s *actual* nail technician, get in. She won the X Factor a few years back in case you were wondering.

Olivia Rubin OPI shatter polish
Here’s a pic of my paws: the effect is really most captivating. I can’t stop looking at them!

The shatter nail polish is apparently all the rage, though in my backward way I had never heard of it and sat there transfixed as Alexandra’s right hand man painted the second coat onto my nails and it mysteriously cracked in front of my eyes: the chemicals reacting to the first coat below. After that he used a very cunning product called Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops, which drops on top to dry nails almost instantly. Clever, these dentist types. The shatter nail lacquer comes in black and silver to create fun effects on top of other colours.

Olivia Rubin-Rush Hair Salon Isobel
Lovely hair stylist from the Rush Hair Salon.

After that I decided to get my hair blow-dried by a lovely girl called Isobel from Rush Hair salon: love that vintage dress she’s wearing. I do wish that I could make my frizzy hair look so sleek and glossy myself, but I have to admit that it’s way more relaxing to get someone else to do it for me!

Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011

It was really nice to see the new Olivia Rubin collection up close, to feel the satin silks and admire the screen prints which she does herself. I particularly liked the fine gauge knit jumpers featuring Olivia’s signature brick and speech bubble ‘prints’ and she’s also done some lovely shoes in collaboration with Dune.

Olivia Rubin-A/W 2011

Keep an eye on this one because she’s a savvy business lady, and for sweet idiosyncratic dresses and tops she’s right on track: Olivia Rubin is now stocked in 50 stores across the UK and globally.

Do the shatter polish y’all.

Olivia will be finishing off the next collection over Easter, and her OPI collaboration should be available soon. I look forward to trying out Overexposed in South Beach, which joins Suzi Loves Cowboys and Wing It! from LFW goody bags. Now I’ve just got to find time to paint my nails more often myself.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday April 21st, 2011 10:51 am

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Acrylic, ,Alexandra Burke, ,ASOS, ,Beauty, ,Blow Dry, ,Celebrity, ,cupcakes, ,Cute as a Cupcake, ,Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops, ,Dune, ,Easter, ,George Schaeffer, ,Katy Perry, ,knitwear, ,lfw, ,Liam McMahon, ,Lola, ,Nail Lacquer, ,Nail Polish, ,Nails, ,Novemto Komo, ,Odontorium Products Inc, ,Olivia Rubin, ,OPI, ,Overexposed in South Beach, ,prints, ,RUSH Hair, ,Shatter Nail Lacquer, ,Shatter Nail Polish, ,South Molton Street, ,Suzi Loves Cowboys, ,The Only Way is Essex, ,TOWIE, ,Wing It!

Amelia’s Magazine | Dispatches: Fashion’s Dirty Secret

Illustration by Antonia Parker

Saying you work in fashion normally garners one of two reactions: awe with a smidgen of jealousy on the presumption all you do is swan around with fabrics and making swishy type movements before dashing off to an exotic shoot/party/event of the year, more about ambulance or utter contempt.

On arriving at a friend’s boyfriend’s drinks it was the second reaction I received. He and his friends were doing a masters degree in ethical business, seek and had I arrived dressed as Cruella DeVil with a baby’s head on a silver platter I possible would have got a warmer reception. As allegedly glamorous as fashion is, medicine it is also many people’s favourite whipping boy. Neither picture is entirely true.

Channel 4’s Dispatches programme exposed the vile, undeniably horrific and illegal working conditions of UK based sweatshops. Showing the secret film to a sweatshop surveyor, he stated these compared to some of the worst conditions he’s seen in the Far East. The conditions in the sweatshop should never be allowed to happen regardless of where it is in the world: Leicester or Laos it really doesn’t matter.

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

The UK High Street actually has some very high standards when it comes to treatment of labourers. The retailers featured, including New Look, Peacocks and Jane Norman stated their supply chains were SEDEX approved. SEDEX allows retailers to independently demonstrate their commitment to ethics. Obviously this self regulation had failed. Each retailer appeared to take on board the facts and launch appropriate investigations into sub-contracting. If only they had been more proactive in the first place.

One retailer leading the way in the UK is ASOS. In the last few months they have built on the successes of Fashion Enter, a not-for-profit enterprise, specialising in garment sampling and helped them open a dedicated ASOS factory. Having a UK based factory will not only cut transport costs, carbon footprints, and lower turnaround times for ASOS but also boost the local economy.

It’s thanks to programmes like Dispatches that public awareness of poor working conditions is being raised. This is undeniably a good thing. Sweatshops like this should not be allowed to exist.

Let’s look at the facts for a moment. The story doesn’t end there and Dispatches, to their credit, touched on it. The existence of fast fashion and super cheap clothes has a huge role to play in the existence of sweatshops. In yesteryear clothes were luxury items, to be worn over and over; to be mended and repaired, to be recycled into new garments. Not so anymore. Some of the responsibility must inevitably fall on the heads of all of us. How often have you bought a cheap top, or bargain basement jeans, or a £15 dress that was such a steal it’d be rude not to buy it? I know I have (not the dress, but you get the picture). How often do you really think about where that has come from? The Dispatches vox pop revealed that few people actually do.

Illustration by Willa Gebbie

The fact is until UK consumers begin to demand better working conditions and simultaneously agree to pay for them little will change. When asked why UK retailers rarely manufacture in the UK anymore, the answer is simple. The UK consumer won’t pay the necessary price. Why do these sweatshops exist? Because on ever dwindling profit margins short cuts will happen. Blind eyes will be turned – a feeling echoed by both Mary Portas and Melanie Rickey in their tweets after the show. Such things are, again, totally unacceptable.

I used to get asked to make outfits for people. When I gave honest rock bottom quotes, I found most of these requests vanished. Why pay £100 for a shirt when you can go down town and get one for a tenner? Scales of economy and an essentially bespoke service aside, it’s the same thing. Regardless of who does it, every piece has to be cut, every seam sewn, and every feature, rhinestone, embellishment and sequin attached. A suit has over 140 separate pieces, a zipper five, a shirt cuff six or more including buttons and buttonholes.

A lot of work goes into the shirt on your back. Those making it deserve to get paid a living wage, and work in safe conditions. Those manufacturing deserve to make a profit. The consumer deserves quality goods at the right price. At some point someone is going to lose out. Nine times out of ten this will be the person we can’t directly see.

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

So what do we do? A little bit of research goes a long way. Check out responsible manufacturers, check out your local boutiques (a small designer is often more likely to be ethical and more importantly the chance of bumping into someone in the same outfit is greatly reduced), check out eco-fashion labels (for instance in Amelia’s new book) or places like Traid, and check out ASOS’ own brand.Your t-shirt may cost £25 instead of £5, your jeans £40 instead of £15, but in each tiny way it’ll help stop sweatshops.

As one of the members of the public on the programme stated, ‘we each have to buy within our means, but that doesn’t mean buying irresponsibly.’

To watch the documentary on Channel 4′s 4oD, click here.

Written by Nick Bain on Thursday November 11th, 2010 5:00 pm

Categories ,Antonia Parker, ,ASOS, ,Channel 4, ,designers, ,Dispatches, ,ethical, ,Far East, ,fashion, ,Fashion Enter, ,High Street, ,Jane Norman, ,Laos, ,Leicester, ,Mary Portas, ,Melanie Rickey, ,New Look, ,Peacocks, ,SEDEX, ,Sweatshops, ,traid, ,Willa Gebbie

Amelia’s Magazine | An Interview with Moko Sellars, Founder of Design Studio Moko

Moko

Based in East London, Moko is a Design Studio with a passion for form. Set up by Moko Sellars in 2012, Moko burst onto the design scene with the launch of Ceramiko, a slip-cast ceramic stool produced in Stoke-on-Trent. This was closely followed by a range of bone china rings (to give your fingers a bit of pizzazz). Looking through her portfolio, you can see a strong focus on space and a passion for design. The simplicity of her pieces reminds me that it’s simple, well executed ideas that have the most impact. This is shown by her chopstick drumsticks and prototype book-shaped book light.

Moko

Moko’s pieces are always unique, and nourished by a fanatical passion for product design and antiques, she creates ‘simple, contemporary products with a nod towards the familiar’. Made to be cherished, her work puts an individual slant onto traditional homeware and accessories; resulting in neat little ‘inventions’ that you will treasure forever. More than just products, her work represents a study of how people interact with the world around them, and this influences their design. Simple but beautiful, these minimalist products are all handmade, which only adds to their appeal. I spoke to founder Moko Sellars about notebooks, furniture and unexpected paperwork.

Moko

You set up Moko in 2012, is there anything you wish you’d known when you started out?
There’s more admin to do than you’d think!

Where do you get your inspiration?
It can come from the past, maybe an object from the past or how they used to do things ‘back in the day’. I love looking around antique markets and I tend to buy vintage clothes and old furniture. Also by watching people! I find that the best ideas come to you when you’re not trying. You see someone doing something and it just clicks and you’re like “bingo”, I’ve got a product!

Moko
Moko

Have you always had a strong interest in design?
I always liked making things: cards, clothes, bags etc. I remember when I was young, when something broke, I would take it apart and try and work out what happened to it and how to fix it. Sometimes successfully, sometimes I’d break it even more.

How did you develop such as strong knowledge of materials?
I studied Furniture and Product Design then worked as a Packaging/ Product Designer for few years, so I had the chance to work with different materials. My favourite materials to work with are ceramics and paper.

Moko

Books appear a lot in your work, are you a big reader?
I do love books, but I think more their form rather than the contents! I love notebooks, I have about twenty on the go at the moment! I actually have a notebook design coming out next month which I designed for a company called Suck UK.

Moko
Moko

You’re also an illustrator, do you feel your drawing is a vital part of developing your ideas?
My illustrations are just for fun really, I find mocking things up in three dimensions (usually in paper) more important and enjoyable than sketching.

Moko

You design both packaging and products; do you feel the two are inextricably linked?
I think so. I’m really passionate about packaging design and how it can make or break a product. I sometimes spend double the amount of money on things just because they have nicer packaging!

Your work is very conceptual, is it important to you that your products are more than just functional objects?
Definitely! Function is very important, but I think concept is as important, if not more.

Moko
Moko

Do you have any favourites among your pieces?
I love all my designs equally. BUT the new Bone China ‘Diamond’ Ring Collection is the first design that people can wear on them for others to see, which is very exciting.

What’s your own most cherished piece of furniture?
It would have to be my ceramic stool. It took a while to get it made but I’m very happy with the result and I think it’s very cute.

Moko

What are your plans for the future?
I would like to design some more jewellery pieces, whether it will be a whole new collection or just a few select pieces; you’ll have to wait and see! I also love food so it would be fun to do some food related projects!

You can see more of Moko‘s work at www.mokosellars.com

Moko

The beautiful photos (which remind me of craft mag Mollie Makes) are by Wang Wei & Moko.

Written by Jessica Cook on Wednesday May 29th, 2013 10:55 pm

Categories ,Antiques, ,Bone China, ,ceramic stool, ,Furniture, ,Graphic Design, ,handmade, ,illustration, ,jewellery, ,Moko, ,packaging design, ,slip cast, ,Suck UK

Amelia’s Magazine | Easter Biscuits from the Biscuiteers

Biscuiteers Easter egg biscuit tin.

Think buttered icing is over-rated? Fed up with cupcakes? Sick of chocolate eggs? Then how about trying something a little different this Easter? Biscuiteers have a knack of producing wonderful decorated biscuits for every occasion.

Biscuiteers Easter Biscuits-crown

Easter Egg Biscuits by Holly Rogers.

And in the run up to Easter the nice folks at Biscuiteers have sent me a delightful selection of Faberge inspired Easter eggs to sample. The tin contains nine gorgeous decorated biscuits, sick thick with sugary icing, crystals and crunchy baubles – my favourite ones feature crown designs. The Easter Egg mini collection costs £30 but if you feel like splashing out there is also the Easter Family Tin for £38.50, containing bunnies, ducklings and lambs alongside the eggs – a sure fire hit for the kids.

Biscuiteers Easter Egg Biscuits mini collection

Or, for those on a smaller budget there is also an Easter Bunny Card, with two bunnies for £9. In true Easter style the biscuits are chocolate flavoured. My one quibble would be that it’s a shame the tin is decorated with very pretty Easter illustrations that have been printed onto stickers rather than integrated into the tin so that it can easily be washed and re-used: something for the future?

Biscuiteers Easter Biscuits-bunny tin

For the monarchists out there there is also the Royal Wedding Tin, which contains crowns, Union Jacks, sparkly heels fit for a princess, a cake, a wedding dress (possibly not THE ONE, whatever that might be) and the world famous engagement ring. These biscuits come on a vanilla flavoured base as a tin of 16 for £40. Perfect if you feel like celebrating… for whatever reason.

Royal Wedding Biscuits by Rosemary Cunningham.

NEWS JUST IN: use the discount code AMELIA when ordering to get 10% off the Biscuiteers Easter range up until midday on Thursday 21st April 2011.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday April 19th, 2011 2:01 pm

Categories ,Biscuiteers, ,Biscuits, ,chocolate, ,Crown, ,Cupcake, ,Easter, ,Easter Bunny Card, ,Easter Egg mini collection, ,Easter Eggs, ,Easter Family Tin, ,Engagement Ring, ,Holly Rogers, ,Icing, ,Princess, ,Rosemary Cunningham, ,Royal Wedding, ,Royal Wedding Tin, ,Union Jack, ,Wedding Dress

Amelia’s Magazine | The Chocolate Festival at the SouthBank Centre, April 2011

The Chocolate Festival logo, remedy on a fairtrade bag, approved get in.

I do so love to discover something by accident. This evening I went to meet my boyfriend at the SouthBank Centre for some dinner after a long day grafting over a sewing machine at a quilting class at the Papered Parlour (blog to follow) and chanced upon The Chocolate Festival. Logo: a chocolate dipped strawberry. Times are tough my friend, especially when the weather is delightful and there are free tasters at hand.

Chocolate Festival-053
Oreo Cupcakes by My Sweet Tooth Factory

Naturally I had to do the rounds whilst I waited for the boyf to turn up, and I had to sample a taster… or two. With Easter just around the corner I thought it would be nice to do a round up in case you fancy splashing out on something rather more special than your common chain store egg… all of these artisanal chocolatiers make wonderful Easter gifts.

Chocolate Festival-Cocouture
Chocolate Festival Cocouture marshmallows.

First up I sampled a marshmallow with a difference for 50p courtesy of CoCouture (geddit?) Clever indeed.

Chocolate Festival
Dunno who these are by, but aren’t they cute? Potentially Lick the Spoon?

Chocolate Festival-Artisan du Chocolat
Artisan du Chocolat egg.

Then I was woo-ed by the amazing salted caramel and passion fruit chocolates over at Artisan du Chocolat. Some £13 for a box of 24, they were generously giving away samples… which were utterly divine.

Chocolate Festival-Rococo Chocolates

Rococo Chocolates

I have been given a box of drinking chocolate from Rococo Chocolates in the past, but I had no idea just how far their beautiful packaging extends. A selection of unusually flavoured chocolate bars feature packaging inspired by the Moroccan tiles in a garden behind one of their shops. And for Easter they are doing real hen’s eggs filled with praline. Very special.

Chocolate Festival-Chocolution cocoa beans
Chocolution cocoa beans

Chocolution was busy proving that raw chocolate is every bit as desirable as the cooked stuff, with a bowl of stunningly beautiful (and edible, I tried one) cocoa beans, a terracotta orange colour with an interior a beautiful shade of deep purple.

Chocolate Festival-Chocolution raw chocolate
Chocolution raw chocolate

Prettiest chocolates came courtesy of Italian chocolatiers Baruzzo, who like many others use a fine cocoa transfer designs to top them off with colourful designs. In the end I opted to buy some chocolates for my brother’s 30th birthday from William Curley, even though I got immediately sugar high off the muscavado caramel that I tried. I liked the sound of their other flavours, so I’m sure he won’t be disappointed.

Chocolate Festival-Charmaine Mok
Charmaine Mok macaroons

I’ve written about Charmaine Mok before, when I sampled her outstanding sesame macaroons at Cakes for Japan, and ~~here she was represented~~ I got rather confused (see below) thinking that here she was represented by the Asian/French fusion Cafe On. In fact it was chef Loretta Liu and her team who were responsible for all sorts of intriguing flavours ranging from blueberry to pink champagne and everything in between. Do check them out online!

Chocolate Festival-Cocoapod

Cocoapod goodies

Kent based Cocoapod had an extremely colourful stall full of orange and lemon and caramel naturally flavoured chocolate lollies and drops and fun transfer bookmarks… which tasted as good as they looked.

Chocolate Festival-The Big Yum
Chocolate pretzels from The Big Yum

Last but very much not least I bought a big bag of chocolate pretzels from The Big Yum – I was disappointed when Nestle discontinued theirs, so this was a real find (and a bargain at £4 a big bag)

The Chocolate Festival continues tomorrow, and there’s a packed line up of speakers to listen to as well. What the hell are you waiting for?! There is this and so much more… More info for chocolate lovers here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday April 9th, 2011 10:03 pm

Categories ,Artisan du Chocolat, ,Baruzzo, ,Cafe On, ,Charmaine Mok, ,chocolate, ,Chocolution, ,Cocoapod, ,CoCouture, ,Easter, ,Lick the Spoon, ,Loretta Liu, ,Moroccan, ,My Sweet Tooth Factory, ,Papered Parlour, ,Raw Chocolate, ,Southbank centre, ,The Big Yum, ,The Chocolate Festival, ,William Curley

Amelia’s Magazine | The Chocolate Festival at the SouthBank Centre, April 2011

The Chocolate Festival logo, remedy on a fairtrade bag, approved get in.

Chocolate Festival-053
Oreo Cupcakes by My Sweet Tooth Factory

Chocolate Festival-Cocouture
Chocolate Festival Cocouture marshmallows.

First up I sampled a marshmallow with a difference for 50p courtesy of CoCouture (geddit?) Clever indeed.

Chocolate Festival
Dunno who these are by, but aren’t they cute? Potentially Lick the Spoon?

Chocolate Festival-Artisan du Chocolat
Artisan du Chocolat egg.

Chocolate Festival-Rococo Chocolates

Rococo Chocolates

Chocolate Festival-Chocolution cocoa beans
Chocolution cocoa beans

Chocolate Festival-Chocolution raw chocolate
Chocolution raw chocolate

Chocolate Festival-Charmaine Mok
Charmaine Mok macaroons

Chocolate Festival-Cocoapod

Cocoapod goodies

Chocolate Festival-The Big Yum
Chocolate pretzels from The Big Yum

Last but very much not least I bought a big bag of chocolate pretzels from The Big Yum – I was disappointed when Nestle discontinued theirs, so this was a real find (and a bargain at £4 a big bag)

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday April 9th, 2011 10:03 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits: a perfect idea for Mothering Sunday

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Okay, order so I know it’s Pancake Day, and International Women’s Day. But I want to talk about BISCUITS. And why not? Mothering Sunday is coming up this weekend and what better excuse to get baking. In fact, there are plenty of good reasons to make biscuits at any time of the year, as you will discover if you get your paws on the fabulous Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits. I promise you’ll be drooling before you’ve even opened the delicious front cover.

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits

I discovered Biscuiteers a bit late for Valentines Day, but they kindly sent me a copy of their book, written by Harriet Hastings and Sarah Moore. Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits is the most divinely designed and photographed bible of biscuit goodness. And what I like is that it is very clearly a collaborative effort, with thanks to Victoria Sawdon – who not only art directed the book but illustrates all the Biscuiteers tins – mentioned alongside thanks to all the biscuit icers: Rina Wanti, Ceridwen Olofson and Belinda Chen. I want their skills!

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits

Biscuiteers was started with the aim of making biscuits that look as beautiful as they taste. They are launched in seasonal collections to match specific events, and are aimed at adults in high end stores such as Harrods, Liberty and Fortnum & Mason. The Biscuiteers are proud to have built a business on old fashioned non-industrialised techniques and all the biscuits are still hand made and therefore individual. However, with the help of the Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits the common biscuit baker can give it a go ourselves.

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits is an extraordinarily beautiful book that features all the information you need to know to create the perfect dough and that all important icing, both royal and flooded. As well as easy to follow guides the book offers recommendations for how to package and post your biscuity creations. As you would expect it includes chapters on biscuits for a huge variety of occasions, from the biggies such as Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day (this weekend) and Easter, down to individual ideas such as New Baby biscuits – pastel bears and ducks – and garden themed biscuits. There are even some jokey cupcake biscuits, which says something about the enduring popularity of the cupcake, though I’d be happy to wager a bet on the biscuit take over.

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits

I made some dodgy Valentines Day biscuits using an online recipe, but with the help of this book I hope very soon to be somewhat more skilled, and I bet your mum would love nothing more than a batch of beautiful home made biscuits for Mothering Sunday – even if they don’t turn out quite as perfectly as the ones in Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits. Hey, it’s good to have something to aspire to!

Valentines biscuits
My feeble efforts…

You can buy the book on the Biscuiteers website. The book won Best Desserts Book UK and this month it goes into the international final for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, held in Paris. Well done! And well deserved.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday March 8th, 2011 5:01 pm

Categories ,Belinda Chen, ,Best Desserts Book UK, ,Biscuiteers, ,Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits, ,Ceridwen Olofson, ,Christmas, ,Easter, ,Flooded Icing, ,Fortnum & Mason, ,Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, ,Hallowe’en, ,Harriet Hastings, ,Harrods, ,International Women’s Day, ,liberty, ,Mother’s Day, ,Mothering Sunday, ,New Baby, ,Pancake Day, ,Rina Wanti, ,Royal Icing, ,Sarah Moore, ,Valentine’s Day, ,Victoria Sawdon

Amelia’s Magazine | Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits: a perfect idea for Mothering Sunday

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits

Valentines biscuits
My feeble efforts…

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday March 8th, 2011 5:01 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | Easter 2013: Illustrated

Easter by Daniel Alexander.

I don’t know about you but this feels like the least Eastery Easter for many years: normally the weather is becoming properly spring-like and the daffodils are blooming in abundance. In 2013 though, it still feels like the depths of a ridiculously long, cold, wet winter: and many animals are suffering due to the prolonged cold weather: sheep and lambs have been buried in snow drifts across the country, hedgehogs and other hibernating animals are unable to wake up because the weather is not warm enough yet, many birds and insects are unable to find food because the plants on which they feed are not yet in bloom and seabirds such as puffins are dying of starvation because they can’t eat enough to keep up their energy and keep themselves warm. And on that sobre note I present to you these Easter illustrations: all of them focused on pagan symbols that have been part of spring equinox celebrations the world over for thousands of years. Let’s hope new beginnings arrive soon.

Easter Bunnies by Katie Eberts.