Mundesley Dip

Lots of people on the beach for Mundesley's Boxing Day Swim. Just looking at the webcam as we can't be there in person :-( Fortunately the weather is relatively warm this year. Photos to come soon.

Royal Cottage Christmas Cakes ready to eat!

I finished icing the cottage Christmas cakes last night, just in time for our first Christmas guests. I hope they are as tasty as they look! I made a larger, round one for home which Edward helped decorate - he wants to be a TV Celebrity Chef when he grows up... umm I hope he won't be using too many F words or being proper pukka.

Royal Cottage Christmas cake

Royal Cottage Christmas Biscotti

The Christmas hazlenut biscotti for the Royal Cottage hamper, looks lovely and tastes good too! Ideal with a strong cup of Columbian coffee, also included in the hamper. I found this recipe on the BBC website, its by Simon Rimmer who has since moved across to Channel 4 on a Sunday.

Everything is now coming together for the Cottage Christmas Hampers. I made too much marzipan for decorating the Christmas cakes so am going to make some mini Stollen loaves for the family hampers - in the bread oven as we speak...

Christmas hazlenut biscotti

Mundesley Christmas Lights 2012 and Christmas Pageant

The Christmas lights in Mundesley village are looking lovely this year and very festive. 

Don't forget to go to the Christmas Eve Pageant starting at 6:15 from the Bowls Club Car Park over to the Free Church and then processing around the village to All Saints on the hill cliff overlooking the sea.

Mundesley Christmas Lights

Anyone for a paddle?

Mundesley Beach, Norfolk
Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat's webcam

No one on the beach today, can't think why not! 

Check out the Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat's webcam to see if the tide is in or who's brave enough to be paddling in the sea!

2012 Mundesley Boxing Day Dip

Mundesley's annual Boxing Day dip takes place on Wednesday 26th December at 11am outside the Lifeboat Centre, down the ramp on Mundesley beach, with refreshments at 10:30am. If you are staying in Mundesley over Christmas for a festive holiday, it is definitely worth going whether or not you decide to take the plunge! All the madness helps raise funds for the Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat Charity which have just purchased this lovely new lifeboat.

Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat, Norfolk. From Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat website

Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat

More pancakes please!

No mess!

Today our latest purchase for the cottage arrived - a smiley faces pancake baker. I had to try it out first however because the children went mad when they saw it. I was pleasantly surprised, it cooks some lovely little pancakes and they don't stick or run all over the place. It was good value, £20 from Next and I think it will be a real hit with families staying at the cottage. I have now got to buy another one for home! Would definitely be an ideal Christmas present.

This is the second batch!

Syndicating this blog to Facebook and Twitter

I have just, one hour later... managed to link this blog to our Facebook page and Twitter @NNorfolkCottage. Facebook doesn't like Google Blogger much so I used an App called Networked Blogs which seems to work well - I hope. However I can't work out how to import into Facebook all my old Blog entries. Any one have any ideas?

Christmas Wreath by Fiori

Paul was at the cottage this weekend and has put the Christmas wreath up on the door. We had it made especially by Tania at Fiori, Stonham Barns in Stonham Aspal, Suffolk. She has just opened a flower shop with some lovely Christmas bits and pieces to die for. I hope she does well.

Christmas wreath at Royal Cottage

The Archers Lavender Shortbread

I saw a recipe for lavender shortbread on the BBC recipe website and thought I would make some for Christmas and pop them into the Cottage Christmas hampers. I've used some lavender from the garden at the cottage that I collected in the Autumn and put it into a jar of castor sugar to infuse for a few days.

Royal Cottage Lavender Sugar

 I hope that mine look like this... 

Archers Lavender shortbread

According to the BBC's website, this recipe is from the Archers after an episode with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, sampling some home baked shortbread made by Ian from Grey Gables. See Daily Mail article here.

Camilla in the Archers

Ingredients from the BBC website

• 125g/4½oz lavender caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling 
• 225g/8oz unsalted butter, softened
• 300g/10½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50g/1¾oz ground rice

Preparation method

1. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Sieve the sugar into a bowl and reserve the lavender (this stops the lavender seeds getting broken when creaming the butter and sugar). Add the butter and cream the sugar and butter together.
3. Sift the flour and ground rice into the mixture, add the reserved lavender seeds and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Using floured hands, work the mixture together to form a smooth paste.
5. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently until the dough is smooth. Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
6. Roll the dough out to a 5mm/¼in thickness, and cut out biscuits using a heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts onto the baking trays, and sprinkle with a little extra lavender sugar.
7. Leave to chill for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Carefully place the biscuits onto a cooling rack., sprinkle with extra lavender sugar and set aside to cool completely.

Count down to Christmas

It's the first of December and only 24 days left until Christmas!


Today and tomorrow I will be making Christmas cakes and puddings for the Cottage Christmas Hampers. I will steam the puddings for 6 hours so that they are ready just to pop into the microwave before eating. The cakes will need 'feeding' with Brandy so I hope none of our visitors have an alcohol allergy!

Feeding the Royal Cottage Christmas cake