Books for Cooks

 

Yesterday was an extraordinary day for me. I received an overwhelming amount of lovely comments about my stall at Books for Cooks. They were only biscuits but anyone would think I'd created a work of art from all the warmth and support I received from everyone. After three weeks of constant baking and experimenting with ideas for my biscuits I finally got everything wrapped up and tied with pretty little ribbons. It was a lot of hard work but worth it in the end as I met some very interesting people and contacts were made which is what it was all about.  So huge thanks to Eric and Clara at Books for Cooks for all their support and giving me the opportunity to launch Tea with Alex on Saturday.

Saturday on Portobello Road has a bit of a party atmosphere and it was fun to observe the mix of people passing by. Some stopped and chatted to me, others just wanted to take a photo of the biscuits or find out about what I was up to. Eric encouraged me to engage with the public and not just sit at my stall nonchalantly expecting people to buy a biscuit. You can't be shy. It's essential to chat people up and make a sale. I learned a lot! Some of my friends pitched up too which was great as it meant that I was able to relax and enjoy having a few familiar faces around. My adorable little friend Heloise was keen to pose with the biscuits and we had a lovely chat about how to create a cookie and what I use for my inspiration. I think she could be a budding biscuiteer..

I never thought I'd be any good at patisserie as I'm a fairly instinctive cook like most people. A little bit here, a little bit there. something else thrown in for good measure.. that sort of thing. But I have surprised myself with these biscuits. They are the most incredibly fiddly things to do and require a huge amount of patience and determination to get right. But the reason I've not given up with them is because I really love the end result and I have practised, practised and practised until I am happy with them. Also I have had lots of encouragement from all kinds of people and it's been quite an absorbing journey to see where I can get with them. My friend Sophie set me the challenge to come up with a bespoke biscuit for her jewellery business and it was a great moment when I actually received the cookie cutter which I designed in the shape of her logo.

Eric at Books for Cooks invited me to put on a display at his shop which then turned into an opportunity to sell the biscuits outside the shop. I have always been fascinated by packaging and it was totally my thing when I was at art college studying graphic design so in many ways I have managed to combine all the things I love. I mustn't forget my Mum who helped me with the purchase of my KitchenAid mixer, without which the making of all my cakes and biscuits would be a formidable task. As it is I love the process of putting all the ingredients together, making a bit of a mess and then seeing what happens. Michal showed me how to keep lots of recipes up in the air at any one time. And my friend Jemima at Great Western Studios in Notting Hill recently held a very interesting event with the theme of food, drink and design. Julian Metcalfe, who set up Pret a Manger and Itsu was a speaker, as well as Afroditi Krassa who is Julian's brand director for Itsu and branding and design who has worked on beautiful wine labels designs for the winemaker Telmo Rodriguez. They all advised me not to attempt to go commercial and retain the integrity of my designs so that's what I'm doing. I want to keep everything personal and design to please myself and the client. I won't be going global just yet...