Interiors blogger Victoria Metcalf of STYLENV styles up her dining table 3 different ways with 3 matching recipes… read more
Never mind that the weather is a wash out this summer, bring the outside in and host an indoor picnic with Amelie pretty floral outdoor range. Arrange sweet peas and lady’s mantle in jam jars, serving up delicious strawberry and rosewater granita and carry on regardless!
Amelie table arrangement
Pink Sundae dish and Amelie Melamine Plate
STRAWBERRY & ROSEWATER GRANITA
Ingredients
500g of strawberries
175g of caster sugar
5 tablespoons of rosewater
-Hull the strawberries and blend to a smooth puree in a blender.
-Add 500 ml of water and the rosewater and blend briefly again
-Pour into a nylon sieve and rub the mixture through it, getting rid of the strawberry seeds
-Transfer into a plastic container, cover with a lid and put into the freezer for two hours
-After two hours, remove from the freezer and using a fork mix the frozen mixtures from the sides, into the unfrozen mixture. Place the container back into the freezer for another hour.
-Repeat with another good mix and freeze again for another hour
-The mixture should now be a frozen mixture of ice crystals. Spoon into Laura Ashley pink sundae dishes and serve immediately.
Serena wallpaper and mugs and Wallace fabric as tablecloth
To make your afternoon tea extra special, why not, make flower shaped almond shortbreads, inspired from Laura Ashley’s Serena wallpaper. Arrange on a vintage inspired cake stand, sit back and enjoy your tea!
ALMOND FLOWER SHORTBREADS
Ingredients…
100g golden caster sugar
170g butter
100g ground almonds
200g plain flour
For the Icing…
200g icing sugar
Blue, red and yellow food colourings
-Pre heat oven to 160C/gas mark 3.
-Using the Laura Ashley Serena pattern, trace out the flower patterns onto paper and cut out.
-Cream together the butter and sugar, with a food mixer, until light and fluffy.
-Add in the ground almonds and flour to the mixture and mix until you’ve formed dough.
-Transfer onto a floured surface and roll out until 1cm thick.
-Take your cut out flower pattern and place onto the rolled out mixture.
-Carefully cut around the pattern and repeat until you’ve used all the mixture up.
-Using a palette knife, carefully transfer the shapes onto a non-stick baking sheet
-Bake for 25 minutes until the biscuits are just coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for ten minutes
-Place the icing sugar into a glass bowl and add the hot water, drop by drop. You need the consistency of double cream.
-Divide the mixture into three bowls and add the colourings, drop by drop, using a cocktail stick. Mix well.
-Using a pipe bag, cover the surface of each flower shortbread. Be careful not to go right to the edge, or the icing will pour over.
-Leave to harden off and then transfer onto Laura Ashley white ceramic bead cake stand to serve.
Hydrangea table arrangement
Create an elegant centrepiece by placing roses and dusty miller leaves in a Laura Ashley cream lace edge two tier cake stand. Make a simple lunch and serve with elderflower for a stylish, classy lunch.
ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL
Ingredients
30 elderflower heads
1.2 kg of caster sugar
2 unwaxed lemons,
50g of citric acid
1.5 litres of water
-Begin by making a sugar syrup. Pour the water into a saucepan and add the caster sugar. Bring to the boil, making sure the sugar has completely dissolved.
-While the water is boiling, shake the elderflower heads, to remove any persistent insects and place in a large glass bowl. Add the lemon zest and then slice the lemons and add to the bowl.
-Once ready, pour the sugar syrup water over the elderflowers and add the citric acid. Cover with a muslin cloth and leave to infuse for 24 hours. Your home will smell of the most heavenly scent.
-Once infused, pour into glass bottles using a funnel, lined with a muslin cloth. Seal with a bottle top.
-To serve, pour the elderflower cordial into a Laura Ashley Optic Carafe and dilute to taste with either still or sparkling water.
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