There’s nothing quite like a good long walk in the fresh air followed by cake to replenish all those calories. This half century celebration included a bracing walk on Bodmin Moor followed by a massive afternoon tea, including lots of birthday cakes.
I had such a lovely day yesterday. Amazingly, it was dry and even more amazingly the sun shone for much of the time. My choice for celebrating such a momentous occasion and ignoring the gruesomely significant number of years I seemed to have survived thus far was by going for a good stomp around my home turf, Bodmin Moor.
This was followed by tea at my Mother’s (the house where I grew up).
Luckily, I managed to rope in a few other kindly souls to join me. Some managed part or all of the walk, some managed the tea and some managed both.
The Bodmin Moor Walk
I’d planned a figure of eight walk around Caradon Hill and Stowe’s Hill. This meant people could join at points convenient to them. It’s also an ace walk and one of my favourite’s. I’ve been doing it since I was a child.
This is CT’s map of the route. It may look a bit like a snowman, but it’s not. Not in July anyway.
At Minions, we stopped for a cup of tea and to stock up on locally made Cornish pasties for our picnic lunch. To my surprise I was greeted by some friends bearing a splendid banner atop a bamboo pole hewn from their moorland garden. How magnificent was that?
After daring the Devil’s Chair and enjoying the stunning views upon Stowe’s Hill, we found a sheltered spot to eat by the Cheesewring. If you’ve not been to this part of Bodmin Moor, it’s a rather impressive stack of granite boulders teetering on the edge of a precipice.
Feast of Birthday Cakes
Later, there was of course, plenty of cake. A whole variety of birthday cakes indeed. The worry of having to squish everyone into my mother’s cottage for afternoon tea was allayed as we were all able to sit outside and enjoy the lovely weather.
My industrious aunts, visiting from up country, helped my mother to provide a gargantuan repast including a spectacular chocolate birthday cake soaked in brandy. This was the kind of tea that never stopped – no supper required.
I did of course make a few contributions, including birthday cakes, myself. As follows:
Birthday Cakes And More
- Rose and strawberry Victoria sponge cake – you can’t have afternoon tea without a Victoria sandwich. It’s my mum’s favourite cake after all.
- Raspberry curd & white chocolate cupcakes –
- Lemon curd cupcakes – I don’t have a recipe for these, but I do have one for lemon coconut cakes. I’ve used lemon curd in the topping.
- Chocolate friands – again I don’t have the exact recipe for these. They were gluten free though. I have several gluten-free friand recipes, including these choc chip vegan friands.
- Cornish splits – yes there are scones, but a true Cornish afternoon tea is not complete without Cornish splits. Just pile on the jam and clotted cream.
- Chocolate drizzled peanut butter cookies – I’ve tried a few chocolate and peanut butter cookies in my time, but these are the best.
- Spinach & feta filo pastries – this recipe isn’t the exact one I used. However it’s hard to go wrong with these delicious Greek snacks.
So in conclusion to the day’s events, I suggest that my chronological age takes a hike, just like I did.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you’ve ever been to my part of Bodmin Moor, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
celia says
Feast fitting the celebration – Happy Belated Birthday, love! The windy moors are straight out of the Kate Bush song! 🙂
Choclette says
Thank you Celia – the love of my home moors has contributed to my admiration for the Bronte sisters.
simple baking says
Happy (belated) birthday dear!! Looks like you had a spectacular time :D. The spread looks lovely.
xo
Anuja
Choclette says
Thank you, it was a great day with lots of lovely people, fantastic scenery and delicious food 🙂
Michele says
Well, Nicette, what a spectacular way of entering into this new decade. Join the club! I am very sad I missed this unique occasion, unique for the brilliant weather which blessed you all on the walk and in the garden, and also unique for the range of cakes which you put together for your day. Not surprising really, because after all, you are Choclette! I love the photo of you in the devil chair with the mast in hand. Brilliant from N and S.
Bon anni-versaire Nicette, une bonne annee a toi. Michele
Choclette says
Merci bien Michele, c’etait toutes fantastiques 🙂
Essential Fatty Acid says
Happy Birthday cuz – love that banner and the photo
Wishing you many more good ‘uns
lots of love
pips xxx
Choclette says
Thanks Pips – the banner was a brilliant touch and is now flying in my mother’s garden 🙂
laura@howtocookgoodfood says
I am so pleased you enjoyed such a fantastic birthday! The walk alone on such a beautiful day must have been special and then to be greeted with a proper tea time feast would make me very happy indeed. So pleased you had lots of friends and family around to celebrate with you on this mysterious numbered birthday…..:)xx
Choclette says
Thank you Laura – I had a great day and was thoroughly spoiled – it’s not every day you get to mark a decade passing and a new one to come 😉
Lesley says
Wow! Belated Happy Birthday. So sorry I couldn’t have been there. How old? No, I can’t believe it. I was gobsmacked! You’ll be catching me up soon. What a fantastic spread and so lucky with the weather too. All I keep hearing about for the UK is ‘rain until September!’. Somebody must have been looking down on you. Enjoy your next decade. XXX
Choclette says
Thanks Lesley, it would have been good to have had you there too. I was blessed indeed, the weather had generally been quite atrocious here. But as to the age thing, I’m sure someone’s playing tricks on me – surely I can’t be catching my aunts up!
Alida says
It looks like you had a great birthday. The food looks so good!! And I love the cake.
Choclette says
Thank you Alida. I had a fantastic birthday and one I will remember. The food was scrumptious and plentiful and all in all I was very lucky 🙂
Lucy, Vanilla Frost says
Happy birthday! Sounds like a good one. We’re due to be camping at Blisland in a couple of weeks. Hope the weather improves by then!
Choclette says
Oh Lucy, I do hope you get better weather – it’s been pouring with rain all day today and is very miserable indeed. I was extremely lucky on my birthday, but we’re all a bit desperate now for some sunshine.
Katharine says
Happy birthday – love the photo of the moors, looks very like the Welsh hills where I live. And I love your birthday tea – I’d much rather feast on food like that than in many a restaurant!
Choclette says
Thank you Katharine. Yes Wales is not so dissimilar to Cornwall – I’m very drawn to the celtic wilds. And I do so agree with you a home made feast is preferable to a restaurant meal – if only it wasn’t for the washing up!
A Trifle Rushed says
What a lovely sounding day, and how marvellous to have tea in your childhood home with you mother. Happy Birthday again.
My daughter had a birthday two weeks ago, but we’re having another cake on Friday! It’s great being 6!
Choclette says
Jude, what fun to be six again. It must be so interesting for you to be living those years again with your daughter. Thanks for your birthday wishes, I had a fabulous day and was thoroughly spoilt.
Kath says
What a lovely way to spend your 30th! Happy Birthday Choc, xx
Choclette says
Ha ha, that’s just what I thought Kath! thank you.
Kit @ i-lostinausten says
Happy belated birthday & what an amazing feast full with lovely treats! AWESOME 🙂
Choclette says
Thanks Kit – basically I was completely spoilt AND I loved every minute of it 🙂
Johanna GGG says
happy birthday chocletter – cake and the moors sounds perfect (very bronte sisters actually) – all looks lovely
Choclette says
Ha ha Johanna, yes I always had rather grandiose ideas of being one of the Brontes – sadly the literary muse passed me by! Thanks for your good wishes 🙂
thelittleloaf says
Happy belated birthday! Sounds like you had a wonderful day and your family did you proud with that incredible spread 🙂
Choclette says
Thank you, I had a great day and was very lucky to have the family down and beavering away so splendidly on my behalf.
Katie says
Happy birthday! Looks like a wonderful way to spend the day. I like how you went for the walk first to allow lots of sweet treats afterwards. The spread look fabulous 🙂
Choclette says
Thanks Katie – always easier to justify eating cake after having had some exercise I find 😉
Ellen B Cookery says
WOW! Looks amazing! Happy birthday!
Choclette says
Thank Ellen – I had a fantastic day and am enjoying a lovely week off work too 🙂
Dom at Belleau Kitchen says
oh darling…. so glad it was a good birthday and a happy day!… lovely looking spread x
Choclette says
Was a fabulous day Dom – would of course have been enhanced with you and the Viking present, but I just had to get on and enjoy it anyway 😉
Karen S Booth says
HAPPY BIRTHDAY and that is a PROPER JOB of a spread Choclette….LOVELY LOVELY post! XXX
Choclette says
Thanks Karen – we didn’t do badly did we 😉
anyoneforseconds says
Happy Birthday for yesterday 🙂
Looks like you had a fab day!
Giles x
Choclette says
Thank you Giles, I had a wonderful day.
Kate@whatkatebaked says
HAPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYY BIRTHDAY!!!! So glad to hear you had a great day! x
Choclette says
Thank you Kate – I sooooooo did 😀
hungryhinny says
Happy belated birthday! Sounds like you had a lovely day, and a borderline miracle that the weather was so good for you on the moor! I can’t believe how many things you baked yourself for the party, it looks like a real feast – delicious!
Choclette says
It did seem as though we’d been blessed – rain the day before and rain the day after – I was so very lucky. And it was indeed a fantastic feast, just a shame it was rather dark in the house and I couldn’t take better photographs.
cakeboule says
Happy Birthday! The spread looks amazing definatley Birthday worthy! Glad you had a great day.
Choclette says
Thank you. I had a fantastic day with all sorts of lovely surprises.
A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate says
Lovely birthday post and amazing spread…positively you don’t look your age and will hopefully have many more walk and baking filled days ahead of you and for su to enjoy your company too. xxxxx
Choclette says
He he, thank you Sue – I feel as though I’m not doing too badly for 80 😉
Jacqueline says
Wow what a feast. Happy Birthday sweet girl 🙂
Choclette says
Thanks Jac, that’s very kind of you 🙂
Debs Dust Bunny says
Generally speaking, I try to forget my birthdays, yeap I’m THAT old. I wouldn’t mind quite so much if I had a lovely party like yours! It gives a new meaning to ‘Gone Bodmin’ ; )
Happy (belated) Birthday!
Choclette says
Thank you – celebrating like this was a good way to forget about age. Your comment made me laugh, gone Bodmin, is a very apt term – I do look rather daft!