La Creme Patisserie Blog

Summer fruits recipes

Fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are for sale everywhere at the moment and are reasonably priced. For a great day out why not visit one of the "pick your own" farms on the Gower such as Beynons Farm near Oxwich. Take the children and teach them where and how fruit is grown. It's a healthy outing with the bonues of lots of lovely fruit and veg to take home to eat.

Why not follow one of Sian's recipes featured in this weeks South Wales Evening Post to make a fresh fruit salad or summer fruit Brulee. You can down load the recipes if you missed them by cliking on the following link:

Download Summer Fruits by Sian Hindle

Sian has also written recipes for August's edition of the Swansea Life Magazine, including Summer Fruit Pudding,

 

and warm peaches with blueberries and cream.

 

To download all the recipes featured in the magazine follow the attached link.

Download Summer Berries for Swansea life

If you do try one of the featured recipes then why not send us an email and/or picture and we will feature it on the blog.

Happy eating!

Swansea Life Magazine feature La Creme Wedding Cake

The July edition of Swansea Life Magazine has just been published and page 98 features an article on Sian and La Creme. Sian is pictured making one of her chocolate wedding cakes and article talks about Sian being chosen to make the Wedding cake for Roberto and Beth. The Wedding reception was held in a marquee of a country house near Haverfordwest. The place looked absolutely amazing with views of a lake stretching out from the marquee.

 

The Wedding cake was a five tier chocolate cake with a chocolate swirl from top to bottom.

 

Sian also made chocolate dessert cups filled with chocolate brownies, chocolate and amaretto mousse and decorated with strawberries.

 

To read the full article featured in the Swansea Life Magaine click on the following pdf link Download Swansea Life July 09

If you would like to speak to Sian about making your perfect Wedding Cake then ring for an appointment on 01639 638574 or send an email [email protected]

 

Dwr-y-felin work placement week

Where ever you have gone in Neath this week you will have seen children from Dwr-y-felin School on work placement. Monday morning Neath businesses were awash with young and eager talent on a mission to find out what it means to "go to work".

We have all done it. The reality is that work placements can be really boring. The old saying of "what you put in,determines what you get out " is very relevant and especially with teenagers as it can sometimes be difficult for them to communicate with adults in an unfamiliar environment.

Our trainee was called Bradley. Sian had asked Bradley to think of a cake he would like to make during the week. Days 1 & 2 Bradley mucked in with the cleaning and the washing up to get a feel for how hard it is working in a catering environment. Days 3,4 & 5 Bradleys creative talents were challenged and this is the cake he made.

 

We think that it is amazing - truly exceptional for a first attempt. It took Bradley 2 days to complete and in the end we had to shout the La Creme warning "Step away from the Cake".

As well as completing his task he also helped Sian make a number of other orders for this weekend including a Mickey Mousse Cake.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Bradley this past week. His manners and work ethic were first class and he fitted in as part of the team doing whatever was asked of him. He is a credit to his family and his school and with his great attitude he will go a long way in life.

 To download Bradley's initial cake brief click on the following link Download Bradley's Cake ideas

Patisserie students spend day talking cake with Sian.

Last Wednesday we had visitors from a catering college in Cheltenham who came to see Sian to talk about cake. They had found our details on the web and wanted to see first hand a commercial cake business in operation. They spent a couple of hours at our patisserie in Neath and then had the honour of being our first visitors to our new Centre of Excellence on the Baglan Energy Park.

Both Sian and myself are firmly committed to education and developing the links between education and industry. It was a pleasure to meet such a group of enthusiastic foodies and we look forward to continuing the link with the college in the years ahead.

 

We are constantly being asked to organise patisserie and catering courses and now that we have our new unit this is something we can factor into the business plan. The only problem is that Sian needs to sleep at some point during the 26 hour day but as I keep telling her - "things will get easier".

So watch this space for details of our soon to be announced food courses.

Thank you Bishop Vaughan School

As part of the Welsh Assembly's Dynamo project both Sian and myself go out into local schools and colleges and give talks about what it is like to run your own business. The idea is to plant the seed of thought in the young people's mind that one day they might want to work for themselves.

My advice is always the same. Find something you enjoy and you feel passionate about and go for it. Set your targets high, open your horizions and make it happen. Don't let people put you down - focus on your own talents and skills and believe in yourself.

I have probably done over 40 talks and this week I had the absolute pleasure in speaking at Bishop Vaughan Comprehensive in Swansea. The pupils, the staff and the project coordinator were all fantastic and I left the school in awe of how simple courtesy and good manners makes such a difference. It is all too easy these days to point the finger at young children and highlight their shortcomings but my overriding impression when I was driving away was that this this school and these children are doing it right. They have the X factor.

To be honest they made my day.

Ian

Backstage with Paul Rees hosted by La Creme

Friday 27th March saw the launch of Paul Rees, the Neath artist's, exhibition at La Creme Patisserie entitled "Backstage".

The following video was shot prior to the opening and it shows Paul giving an insight into the background of the oil paintings in the new collection.

The evening was a great success with over 50 people attending the premiere and a large number of paintings were sold. The exhibition will run until April 25th 2009.

If you would like to purchase one of the paintings in the collection then you can speak to a member of staff at our Patisserie or alternatively visit Pauls website and speak with the artist direct.

It is normally Sian's work of art that is on display in the Patisserie and already we have had a fantastic response from our customers who are keen to support a local Neath artist. A comments book is open for visitors, so please take time out to visit our Patisserie over the coming month and a leave message of support for a local Neath artist.

Neath artisit to exhibit at La Creme

Neath artist Paul Rees will be exhibiting a selection of his latest paintings entitled "Backstage" at our Patisserie starting with a private viewing on Friday 27th March 2009.

The exhibition will run for four weeks until 25th April.

Paul descibes his work theatrical. It explores the backstage world of the theatre and the performers and back stage crew who inhabit it.

 

Paintings can be purchased through the shop. If you would like an invitation to the private viewing on the 27th March then please send Paul an email to request an invite at [email protected] 

South Wales Evening Post Recipes

Sian latest recipe to be printed in the South Wales Evening Post is for Lemon Tart.

To printed a copy of the recipe follow the link below:

Download Lemon Tart

Alternatively, download Sian's recipe for Normandy Pork Casserole which is very popular as a midweek evening meal and is simple to prepare and cost effective to make.

Download Normandy Pork Casserole

Send us an email if you try either of the recipes and let us know what you think.

Business in the Bay interview

The South Wales Evening Post newspaper have set up a website called Business in the Bay which highlights information on local companies. Last week they sent along a reporter and a videographer to interview Sian and myself, talking about our business, juggling family life and our successes todate.

Normally I am the one behind the camera and Sian is the face of La Creme, so I apologise in advance if nerves have got the better of me.

Also featured on the Evening Post Website is a video they made last year of Sian making cup cakes. Take a look below to see a grand master at work.

Your health in your hands campaign

Neath Port Talbot Health and Well being partnership have been holding a series of events this week entitled "Your health is in your hands". As part of the campaign to get the message out to children to eat five pieces of fruit a day, Sian was asked to give a short demonstration to children at Pontardawe leisure centre about fruit smoothies.

 

Sian was accompanied to the event by three people dressed up as a carrot, a banana and a dodgy looking leek. Look out for the photo in the South Wales Evening Post.