Cupcakes and Champagne

As many of you know, when I'm not comping I'm  either cooking or crafting. So I was delighted to learn that I had won a "Cupcakes and Champagne" from Flora's Facebook page. I'm a terribly messy cook and can never  seem to apply my crafting skills to the things I cook - I hoped that this  day would show  me how.

We met at the Unilever building in Leatherhead, eight of us, all winners of the same competition. The day started with coffee and croissants then we moved in to the gleaming kitchen and the day started with Fiona, the Flora Mum, cooking up batches of three different cupcakes  - Lemon Meringue, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, and Earl Grey Tea (yes,  really!) with a cream cheese frosting.

Once we had seen how to make them, we could each choose one kind to make - I chose the Peanut Butter ones, then we  set to to make a batch each. Oh, how easy it is to cook when somebody has weighed and measured all your ingredients for you and prepared your equipment and baking tins! And they wash up after you  as well! I could get used to cooking like this very easily.

While our cakes cooked, Fiona showed us how to decorate them, with a gorgeous array of sprinkles and sparkles, powders and paints that reminded me very much of my  craft box. I hadn't realised there were so many gorgeous things you could buy to decorate cakes at home with.

We had a  lunch  of sandwiches and champagne  while our own cupcakes cooled, then we  were let loose on the decorations. It was inspiring to see  all  the different ideas people had, and everybody ended up with a dozen very impressive cakes.

The tips and hints we  picked up along the way were great, and  helped me to produce a batch of cakes I was very proud of.

You  can't see  all the lovely girly sparkly bits from  there, so here is a close up:

As well as  a dozen cakes to bring home,  we  were  given very generous goodie bags - stylish Cath Kidston shoppers packed with baking accessories and of course a tub of  Flora, and a  set of stacking cake tins to bring our creations  home in.

It had been a relaxing, informative and interesting day and I got home very happy. Imagine how much happier I felt a few minutes later when my husband told  me that he had taken a phone call for me while I was out and I needed to ring somebody back. The "somebody" told me that I have won a VIP weekend at Masterchef Live, which is in London this November, with two nights in a hotel and £500 to spend at the show, and best of all backstage passes to meet some of the chefs.

The "foodie" theme to my week continues tomorrow, when I am going to  a Masterclass with Atul Kochar at  his restaurant Benares. This time I didn't win it, but  the comping friend who did is taking me along as her guest.

And just  to cap off my foodie winning week, tonight's dinner is one of the ducks from the duck and game  hamper I won last week.