I love cakes and I love chocolate, but I hate complicated recipes, so I promise the title of these cupcakes sounds far more difficult than they really are!

Ingredients for the Ganache:

• 400g milk chocolate of your choice
• 400g white chocolate of your choice
• 350ml double cream

Ingredients for the Cupcakes:

• 100g self-raising flour
• 125g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp of milk
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 50g White Chocolate Chips

What to do:

1. Make the ganache first, as it needs time to set. Do this by breaking up the 2 chocolates into 2 separate bowls, pouring 200ml of the cream over the milk chocolate, and the remaining over the white.

2. Microwave each bowl alternately on medium setting for 1min at a time, stirring with a spatula between blasts until it’s completely melted and blended together. NOTE: the mixtures should never get hot. They should be ever so slightly warmer than your clean finger dipped in to test.

3. Put both bowls of ganache aside to set at room temperature for a couple of hours.

4. Meanwhile, bake the cakes. Pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees C, then start by weighing everything out so it’s ready to go. In a mixing bowl, weigh the butter and sugar. In a small separate bowl weigh flour and cocoa. And in a mug beat the eggs, milk and vanilla. (this saves on lots of washing up, which I have a serious aversion to.)

5. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add half the egg mix and 1tbsp of flour mix, and beat until combined. Repeat with rest of egg mix and another tbsp of flour mix.

6. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.

7. Divide mixture between cases and bake for 20mins on bottom shelf – this helps them rise with a flat top for piping on to.

8. When cooked through (insert a skewer, they’re done when it comes out clean), leave to cool for 5 mins in the tin, then place on wire rack to cool completely.

9. When ganache is set but still soft, whisk each bowl until paler in colour, slightly whipped and holds its shape.

10. Fill a piping bag – fitted with a nozzle of your choice, but I like a large star – one spoon at a time of each of the ganaches, so you have milk then white repeated until bag is 2/3′s full.

11. On the completely cooled cakes, start on outside edge and swirl inwards until finished in the middle, then pipe a smaller swirl on top and finish by pushing down and releasing pressure on bag, then lifting sharply for a peak. The ganache may have warmed whilst piping, so put finished cakes in fridge for a while to stop chocolate melting if you wish.

12. Spoil yourself or your friends with your fabulous cupcakes!!

Me and my cake

My new cake business, The Bijou Bakery will be open for business on Monday 24th September. Based in Tadley, Hertfordshire, I’m available for celebration cake orders. Meanwhile, please take a look at my Facebook page and give me a ‘like’. 

Space-savvy stairs storage. Image: Kirrily Snow on Pinterest

Short answer? Built-in storage.

Finding space in your home for bits and bobs, ranging from your treasured trinkets to your Harry Potters (both books and films of course), is quite a struggle. Where do you put them without your house looking as upside down as Mrs Weasley’s? Built-in storage is your answer: a smart, subtle way to display your belongings without taking up too much room. It’s all about building storage that slots into the shape of your room – as if your home was built around it.

We’re at the carpentry stage of our refurb (can you believe it!), with built in storage either side of our chimney breast being a priority. To have somewhere to store our stuff that’s currently hibernating in boxes in our spare room is an exciting thought. We’ll actually be able to enter our spare room again…

Here’s the images that have inspired the brief to our carpenter. We decided to go pro as we’re short on time and I believe big things like this will look more polished at the hands of an expert. I will of course share before and after photos when complete. For now, here’s our inspiration…

See how subtle the built-in bookshelf is on the right? I have to applaud the curved fireplace here and rustic flooring. All-in-all – I want to live here. Image: Martha Stewart

Love how this bookcase is built to fit in with the roof. Image: Samantha on Pinterest

Love this clever idea of building around and over a door. Image: Bhg.com

Why limit built-in storage to the living room? If you have enough room at the top of your stairs, this is great use of space. Image: This Old House – photo by David Prince.

Smart yet subtle. Image: Little Emma English Home

I love this idea – a built-in bookcase archway! Image: Houzz

Do you have any built-in storage? We’d love to see some pics! Email: jen@howtohome.co.uk. Our favourites will be featured!

[Use Pinterest as a source of creative inspiration during home decorating. Next thing you know you're skipping around your home like Julie Andrews singing 'My Favourite Things'. Well - I will be, anyway... Image: Buried in Betsy's Closet]

Refurbing a house is by no means a doddle – as I’m sure I’ve communicated in previous posts-! How-Tos have been limited due to our desperate attempts to get the house not just liveable, but visitable. (Our spare room has become a dumping ground for all things that require a shelf).

Pinterest has helped me MASSIVELY during the creative process, giving me ideas for paint colour, flooring, room styles – and much much more. So with this thought, please find my favourite inspirational images that have helped Lamb and I design our home so far. I’ve also thrown in a couple of my favourite crafty finds, which (when the refurb is complete) I will most certainly be doing. After all, a house is not a home without a few pieces of homemade goodies dotted about.

Under-the-stairs cupboard – we’ve done just this! Great place for storing shoes, coats, ironing board, hoover, etc. Pinned by the How-To Home from Decor Pad (Andrew Grinton Photography).

Window seat – we’ll be doing this in the bay window of our living room – with storage inside. Pinned by the How-To Home from The Inspired Room.

Built-in kitchen seating – great use of space. Pinned by the How-To Home from HGTV.

Necklace storage – really want to do this! But on wood or MDF painted white to go with our bedroom. Pinned by the How-To Home from MSN.

We loved this idea at first, however we were worried about stepping in and out of a wet bath all the time, as well as worrying about water leaking passed the curtain when having a shower. We went for a separate shower in the end however this pic inspired us to get wood-effect waterproof flooring and a mega cheap cast iron Victorian roll top bath from Ebay for just £38-! Image pinned by the How-To Home from House To Home.

I really want a stripy sofa! Pinned by the How-To Home from House of Turquoise.

The previous owner of our house left a wooden wall cabinet with a glass front. I want to do something similar to this by painting it white and placing wallpaper behind its shelves. Will do a How-To once I get around to it! Pinned by the How-To Home from Twig Home.

Pinterest really is the best way to spark creativity. Create online pinboards and pin images from the web to them or images from other people’s Pinterest boards. Go on – achieve your Julie Andrews moment! If you’re in need of more inspiration, don’t forget to follow the How-To Home’s pinboards here.

Last week, my fiancé, Nathan realised he probably couldn’t live on curry alone. He had an old school friend stay over, who now works in an Indian restaurant, and who had paid for his keep in curry! I have to admit for the first few days it was amazing, but a week later our stomachs were crying out for good stodgy food, preferably wrapped in pastry and containing lots of carbs.  When we had the house back to ourselves Nathan decided it was time to make an epic man pie and it was so epic that I just had to blog about the experience. 

How-To: Make an Epic Man Pie

You’ll Need:

• Mustard mashed potato
• Lots of cheddar cheese (This is a man pie, no measuring here!)
• Packet of shortcrust pastry
• 150g of ham hock

Method

1. Line a pie tin with pastry and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
2. Remove from the oven and scoop two thirds of the mashed potato into the bottom of the pie tin.
3. Add the ham hock and grated cheddar cheese into the pie and cover with the rest of the mashed potato.
4.  Use the remaining shortcrust pastry to create a lid for your pie. Remember to make a slight hole in the middle to let the steam escape.
5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the top is a nice golden colour
6. Serve with chips and a side salad.

For another amazing pie recipe from the How-To Home, click here.

When Lambert and I decided to embark on our first refurb project together, we knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. We’d watched enough Grand Designs over the years to know that things go wrong and there’s always a few things you would have done differently in hindsight.

Our project started eight weeks weeks ago. Packing up our South West London flat and escaping to the countryside of Kent was a job in itself. Our new Victorian semi-detached house was in no fit state to house humans (or Mog) so a friend of the family kindly gave up his flat nearby and moved in with my parents for a few weeks. This was extremely lucky as we saved a great deal on renting! We are very aware how fortunate we were. It really is all about who you know.

During the process, there were a number of things that could have easily triggered stamping of the feet and holding of the breath. They include:

-       Tiredness

-       Minor accidents because you’re tired

-       Leaks

-       Washing up paint brushes and rollers with the outside tap – in the dark

-       Having a kitchen but no working kitchen sink

-       Knowing all your friends are out enjoying themselves while you’re removing woodchip…

-       WOODCHIP. The devil. The Voldemort of interior decorating. Like a kid in a sweet shop – stubborn to remove. And did I mention, my house was COVERED in it? There were even places where I had no idea how they got it on there! Upon discovering a spare roll in a cupboard I had to laugh – How on Earth did they have any to spare!?

The Biggest Struggle:

After a crazy day at work, returning to our friend’s flat and having to change into joggers and an old t-shirt only to jump in the car and work on the house until 11pm. There was a lot of work to do and we weren’t going to keep our friend out of his flat for as long as was necessary (regardless of his kind reassurances that he was enjoying his holiday at my parents!).

Timings:

Four weeks after the move – we were in. Our builder said he was impressed with such quick progress as “these things usually take 6-8 weeks”. We were completely committed to it – taking a week of holiday off at the beginning to make as much of an indent as possible.

It’s funny – now that we’re in and Mog has settled, we’re struggling to keep up our initial momentum. I’m putting it down to mental and physical exhaustion.

Although this project has meant posts have been limited (apologies!) – there’s an upside to this. I now have some EPIC How-Tos! From structural challenges to DIY tips and tricks – they’re currently forming an orderly queue.

I hope you enjoy my top tips to a sane refurb. It’s a shame I had to stumble upon these tips along the way as I could have saved a lot of sanity. I hope they prove useful, no matter what level of DIY you’re tackling.

How-To Refurb & Stay Sane

-       Know when to laugh.

-       Get in a builder to manage the project if you’re committed to a full time job. They’ll bring in their contacts e.g. electricians, plumbers, etc. A team of tradesmen who all get on and are used to working around each other is not only handy but very effective! We used a builder who was recommended by a close friend.

-       Get sleep where you can. Mistakes are made when you’re tired.

-       Pot noodles. With only a kettle at hand, these pots of nommy-ness are not only filling but strangely comforting on a cold building site.

-  Date night. Once you’re in, take time to catch up with your partner/fellow project manager/fellow handyman. Getting away from the project and reflecting on progress can be extremely productive.

- Pinterest. When in need of quick inspiration or your builder is asking for an example of what you want, this online pin board has thousands of images on file and you can even make your own personal boards. Check The How-To Home’s out here.

- Stock up on masking tape, duct tape, cloths, bin liners, plasters, Evian and those rubber buckets you can get in garden centres or DIY shops such as B&Q.

Here’s some images of our refurb over the last eight weeks – once it’s completely finished I’ll post pics so you can see the difference plastering, carpet and a lick of paint makes! (Oh – and our blood, sweat and tears!)

Fitting duck egg tongue and groove in our new bathroom

The stairs originally had a glass partition - very 70s! It had to go.

View from the top of our stairs - lots to be done!

Living/dining room at its worst!

Bathroom plastering complete.

Lambert lay our underfloor heating in the kitchen.

Rope in your (amazing) mates and family to help you paint - takes hours off your DIY time! Pay them in beer.

It helps having a boyfriend who is awesome at DIY. Lambert has put our kitchen floor in, installed a kitchen, put in our living/dining room floor - I could go on. Well done Lamb. (Look at Mog in the background, looking at him in awe!)

Are you currently putting your DIY skills to the test? We’d love to hear from you! Tweet us your pics!

That’s what we’ve just done, even though the house next door languished on the market for a year before our neighbour decided to take it off!

So how did we do it? Here are my Top 10 Tips for a swift sale:

1. Start from the outside and work your way in

Look at your house objectively from the outside. Are the smelly bins too strong a feature? Could the front door do with a lick of paint? Brush away dead leaves, wipe all surfaces and buy a new doormat.

2. Snagging

Make like a property developer and write a list of all those annoying jobs. Fix broken skirting, touch up the gloss on the banisters and windowsills and mend anything that’s broken. If you haven’t got time, set a small budget and pay a local handyman to do it – try the Handy Squad, www.handysquad.com.

3. De-clutter
There’s a fine line between creating some homely touches and leaving too much of your own personality on the house. Colourful artwork and ornaments are essential or the house will be devoid of character, but beware of too many photos. Yesterday’s pants on the bedroom floor are a definite no-no!

4. A place for everything, and everything in its place

Personally, good storage makes me happy. I’m clearly a bit deranged but that’s what living with three males does to a woman. Invest in some great storage systems – IKEA does brilliantly here with its EXPEDIT system – and tidy away your stuff. People won’t “see beyond it” – they will just see it, and think your house lacks storage space.

5. Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Nothing is more off-putting than other people’s breakfast remains, rings round the bathroom sink and hairs in the shower. You want a viewer to buy the place, not want to run away shouting “urgh”. Buy some nice cleaning products (I like the eco-friendly range by Method with its plant and herb-based ingredients), get the marigolds on and get scrubbing.

6. Bring the place to life

This one is easy. Get some plants and put one in each room. The hallway is a great place to have a striking, brightly coloured floral arrangement. People respond so positively to live plants – it’s a no brainer for setting the mood for the viewing.

7. Shed some light on the situation

Most homes will have areas that the owners wish were brighter. Fake it with artificial lights and make sure that your paintwork and colour scheme is as light as possible to create an airy atmosphere. Dark and dingy is not a good look. When you have people coming to view your home, leave the lights on.

8. Get a good selling agent

Look online at the agents’ websites to see who has the most properties under offer. Don’t be afraid to use a firm a bit further afield if you’ve heard good things – as long as the agents include a presence on the main sites as part of their fee, and are close enough to do the viewings, that’s fine. Just check they are reputable – they should be a member of the National Association of Estate Agents (an old PR client of mine!) or another professional body.

9 Make yourself scarce

When people come to view your house it’s best you are not there. If they like it they’ll come back and can meet you then to ask questions. The reason is that they want to be able to have a really good look around without feeling that they have to keep complimenting you as you show them each room.

10. Move out
Just mentally rather than physically – for now! The sooner you accept you are moving on, the easier it will be to remove your personality, which will make it easier for someone else to imagine themselves living there. It will also make the whole process of leaving your lovely home less of a wrench.

Good luck with the fast sale! Let us know how long it takes you… can you improve on 10 days?

Really buttery jubilee biscuits - nom!

It’s the last day of work before the bank holiday weekend! As if that wasn’t enough to get me excited, I’m going to a Jubilee themed picnic at the weekend. I’d been wondering what I should bake for it when I came across this great recipe from Kerrygold for Jubilee biscuits. The result is a delicious buttery shortbread, which you could choose to decorate in regal colours.

How-To: Bake Jubilee Biscuits

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 12 minutes, plus cooling

Makes:  about 16

Ingredients:

• 100g (4oz) Kerrygold butter
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 150g (6oz) plain flour
• ¼ tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 egg yolk

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Sift in the flour and mixed spice, mix it together to combine. Add the egg yolk and bring the mixture together with your hands, kneading lightly until smooth. Wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use crown-shaped cutters to stamp into biscuits. Carefully lift onto the baking sheets.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden. Cool for a few minutes on the trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Decorate the biscuits however you like. I couldn’t resist eating them straight away.

(Click here for more Kerrygold recipes)

Tweet us pictures of your homemade jubilee treats this weekend – we’d love to see them!

Celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by styling your home in all things British.
Image:  RUCraft Blog.

It’s fair to say that I have quite a royal theme going on in my living room. My favourite find is this Royal Crest, which takes pride of place on my wall…

Image: ebay

I first spotted it at Portobello Road Market and regretted not buying it. Then saw one again at Taste of Christmas festival, but was going for drinks straight afterwards so couldn’t take it home. It took weeks of searching afterwards but I finally found a seller on ebay…

I also have quite a collection of Union Jack cushions. My favourite is the commemorative Royal Wedding one, it’s just the right side of kitsch, but I still get a lot of stick for having one!

Image: ebay

If you want to try your hand at making your own, then take a look at How-To Sew a Union Jack Cushion. So much fun!

With the Diamond Jubilee approaching, I’m finding stuff I want to add to my living room on an almost daily basis. Here’s a selection of my favourites:

This Diamond Jubilee National Anthem print would look amazing behind my sofa.
It’s £24.99 from Not on the High Street
No home is complete without union jack bunting.
This light blue version is from Lakeland, £6.99.

You can’t celebrate the jubilee properly without a jubilee teapot. This Emma Bridgewater one is £75 from John Lewis.

I really want this cup and saucer. The set is £10.99 from Play.com.
Do you know what would go really well with tea in a royal mug? Scones with Jubilee jam…

 These jams are £1.39 each from Not on the High Street.
I’ll be using them in the Victoria Sponge I’ll be making for the street party.

 Talking about the Victoria Sponge how about these for toppers? They start at £4 from John Lewis.

I have to include corgis somewhere in my Jubilee post!
This biscuit tin is £12.50 from M&S.

Finally, the only thing needed to complete the Jubilee weekend is a jeroboam of Pimm’s:

This commemorative bottle costs £150.00 but at three litres you’d have the drinks for your street party covered and you could keep the bottle as a souvenir afterwards.

How are you celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee? Will you be baking scones or a victoria sponge?? Let us know below! – And have a very jolly Jubilee!

Current status of our kitchen

My house refurb in Kent remains a challenge. However – the plastering, electrics and plumbing are complete! *Does a dance like Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air*

For anyone attempting a house refurb (or even a spot of DIY) here are my Top 10 Lessons Learnt So Far. I wish I’d had this list three weeks ago…

Top 10 Lessons Learnt (So Far):

1. Don’t underestimate skirting board. If you’re replacing them, take them off BEFORE plastering. Otherwise you’ll ruin your plaster when taking them off and they’re harder to put back on.

2. Get into the groove. I’ve found listening to music via headphones (not stereo) gets me focused – particularly when doing boring jobs! After a third night in a row painting I was struggling mentally and physically. However, this gem of an idea had me decorating until 11pm without noticing! Time sure flies when you’re bopping away with a roller.

I’d like to take this moment to thank The Beach Boys, Pink and Mumford & Sons for seeing me through. (N.B. dangerous DIY tasks will not suit this tip – all senses must be alert when handling tools or attempting tricky tasks).

3. Laugh when you can. Otherwise you’ll cry.

4. Mix white paint with water when applying a first coat onto new plaster. It will soak in immediately – you don’t want to waste posh paint on the first coat.

5. Charge up your tools. Nothing worse than when you realise your tool has died during a crucial DIY moment.

6. Don’t drink beer. You think it’ll make the task fun. It’ll only make you sleepy.

7. Know when to call it a night. If you’re getting sleepy you’ll make mistakes and – in some cases – cause yourself an injury. Lamb got a screw driver stuck under his cuticle when trying to open a pot of paint. Gross.

8. Wear clothes you don’t mind chucking away afterwards.

9. Pot noodles. All you need is water, a kettle and a fork. Cheap, quick, easy and most importantly – filling. Also great for warming you up in a cold house. (Tea is a no-go if you don’t have a fridge for milk).

10. Keys. Chose a specific place to put your house/car keys. With our house the building site that it is, keys go missing. And you can’t leave without them.

I hope these lessons come in handy for any approaching DIY projects on your calendar.
If you have any additional tips that will help me during this challenge – please comment below. Thanks!

My hands now constantly look like this...

How-To Make a House a Home – From Scratch…

I’d like to apologise for not posting as frequently in recent weeks. But it’s all been for a good cause – I promise! Lambert and I have recently purchased a Victorian semi detached house in Kent, which requires a COMPLETE refurb.

As you can guess, it’s been pretty crazy. Not only had the previous owner covered the ENTIRE interior with wood chip wallpaper (I curse the day it was invented), but we’ve had to knock walls down, move bathrooms upstairs and generally cope as a couple getting used to non-London living.

We’ve had a blast so far – even though there’s already been some blood, sweat and tears! But the best thing about it? It’s given me some awesome material for future How-Tos!

Stay posted peeps – this is an EPIC experience – and I’m going to take you every step of the way with me! Please note I do not claim to be a DIY ninja – I’m sure there will also be a handful of How-To-NOTs in the coming weeks.

In the mean time, here’s some snaps I’ve taken that’ll give you an indication of the scale I’m talking about…

This will be our bathroom...

We're now on skip number 4...

Old walls that are falling apart: we've had to replace 4

Have you ever embarked on a spot of drastic DIY!? Share your thoughts below – the more tips I can collect, the smoother this experience will be!