I was once asked why I exercised & I flippantly replied ‘so I can eat all the cake I want with out worrying too much’! I also like to travel so when it’s possible to combine the two things then its definitely a win for me.

Its hard to think back to March 2020 but there I was sat in a Fort Lauderdale hotel eating this cup cake & trying to take in the fact that the trip to join daughter for shore leave at Disney World was now in total abort mode.

Trying to maintain a sense of calm eating cake was certainly one way of coping with cancelled flights & being marooned in the USA.

It was a case of ‘every woman for herself’ as events unfolded at an alarming pace it was clear meeting up was not an option. I found myself confined to the vicinity of the hotel trying to bag a seat on any flight home.

I have to confess to succumbing to thoughts of several potential ‘escape’ options that saw me apply for a Canadian visa & google how far it was to drive to the border! It’s true I love a road trip but honestly with hindsight this idea seems a tad crazy now but at the time the rising fear of being marooned away from home engendered a sense of panic I had not experienced before.

As it turned out a nice lady from American airlines secured me a place on one of the last flights out of Miami while I tucked into a slice of key lime pie.

As the plane touched down it occurred to me that essentially I had travelled ‘there & back again’ to buy a guitar book that whilst useful ordering via Amazon might have worked out a cheaper.

Confined to barracks as we were & the introduction of what seemed to be onerous travel rules its been over two years since I have taken an international flight. The lockdowns certainly redefined many things for me one of which was the realisation how important the small things that give you pleasure can be. With domestic travel restricted & cake shops closed being forced to stay indoors the only option was to bake at home so below are a few examples of cakes made by daughter & me.

Ever creative & tiring of home made cakes daughter & I realised that we could visit local garden centres & suddenly the ones with cafes become destination venues.

By June following weeks of lockdown collecting a drain cover from Swindon now constituted a road trip & the prospect of stopping at a Starbucks drive through never more welcoming even if cake options were limited.

It was August before the restrictions lifted enough to allow a jaunt on the motorbike to Monmouth in Wales. This was no mean feat as Wales now operating as a separate entity to England meant the rules were slightly different. However the weather was good & we managed to get a seat on the pavement outside in the sunshine which felt like we were on holiday for a brief moment or two.

The local ‘cakery’ of choice has to be the Vintage Birdcage which serves an alarming array of delicious cakes but if on a venture to London then a visit is not complete without a visit to a branch of Peggy Porschen.

As the restrictions waxed and waned the desire to get out increased and so it was hubby & I ventured out on the motorbike again. When it comes to scones my Cornish genes prevail & I am definitely a jam before clotted cream person regardless of location and choice. If visiting UK definitely add this tea time treat to your ‘to do’ list.

Although a fully paid up cakeaholic it has to be said I’m not especially drawn to lemon based cooked items unless they are exceptional. The lemon Earl Grey combo in Rhayader was certainly an example of one.

More biking this time to the North found us in Coldstream taking afternoon tea with friends in the Alice in Wonderland themed tea shop. The Biscoff based cupcake evoked memories of being in San Francisco on the pier & visiting the Biscoff shop.

The return to galavanting for gateaux in the company of friends or family has been at times a complex & drawn out procedure but most definitely worth the effort. As the weeks & months have gone by arrangements once again can be made to get out and do things & get back to a place which previously we all took for granted.

One of the great things has been getting back to eating out at pubs & restaurants and sampling the glorious puddings on offer. Below are a selection of the best I have had recently all for different reasons in terms of texture & flavour. None likely to be considered good for the waist line but definitely for the soul as they were part of the process of creating new memories with family & friends.

While the ‘mask on / mask off’ debate still lingers the future is starting to look a little brighter & the prospect of international travel without onerous difficulty has started to look like a realistic prospect once more.

But until next time all masks are off & I’m off to the pub – now menu please!