Happy Valentine’s Day 2009
(Think Easter eggs with chocolate buttons inside, only in a heart shape! – I obviously can’t pipe straight lines, but hey, just call it ‘part-of-the-charm’ will you?!)
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(Displayed with ‘white chocolate heart discs’ with strawberry & pistachios. A strawberry tip: when assembling, ruffle the leaves up to make it look ‘alive’.)
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For this year’s Valentine’s Day I made just two chocolate hearts, & two-dozen of white heart discs with strawberry/ pistachios. I also made a lot more of my usual heart shaped tarts, especially more with the red raspberry fruit on top, which I knew would be a good seller today.
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And indeed, the day was fantastic, with lots of men going for the obvious red heart tarts & co. Some of them had beautiful flower bouquets too (lucky ladies).
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I always knew today would be great for my stuff, but what I didn’t expect was the overwhelmingly high level of business I was to have. – I mean, the ‘fruit heart tarts’ sold out by 12 noon, & as for the strawberry heart discs, it disappeared by 1.30pm. At the end of the day, I pretty much sold all the truffles too!!
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Today, London is loved up, & I am proud to think that my chocolates & cakes have featured a little in their romance…
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Now that Valentine’s is over, the next big calendar event is Easter in April, when I get busy with making Easter eggs & bunny-shaped chocolate bars. But first, I’ve got a 3-tier Wedding Cake order for March! It’s for the son of my dear customer whom I like very much – I am so happy to be asked to make it!
Why oh why don’t I live in London?
I’m a young crafter from Portugal and I dream of becaming a chocolatier. You have been quite an inspiration! Congratulations for your work :)
Kisses!
Inês
Comment by Inês - February 15, 2009 1:55 am
Congratulations on such a good day!!! Your sweets look absolutely delicioso! It is a good thing I live where I do or I would be as big as a house, Diana
Comment by Diana - February 15, 2009 3:26 am
Hello Inês & Diana,
thank you for your very nice comment! xx
Comment by tamami - February 15, 2009 11:59 am
beautiful! i’m only surprised that your valentine’s display didn’t sell out sooner! congrats on a wonderful day! will you post a photo or 2 of the wedding cake?
Comment by petoskystone - February 15, 2009 1:12 pm
glad it went well…. i have got about 1/4 of a lemon tart left… very nice yesterday afternoon with coffee and more to have today…!
Comment by zoe - February 15, 2009 1:36 pm
Can’t wait for my next trip to London – first stop – YOUR BOOTH! Everything looks fantastic. Thanks for the wonderful blog.
Comment by Sallie - February 15, 2009 3:51 pm
Thank you Petoskystone! I’m sure I’ll be taking pictures of the wedding cake! But knowing myself, it’ll take me ages to post it on this blog. I mean, I’ve got some posts I’ve written over half a year ago that still needs uploading…!?
Zoe, thank you for purchasing the lemon tart – was it the big 8″ one? Anyway, I’m v. glad you liked it!!
& Sallie!! That’s soo sweet that you’re considering visiting my stall! Thank you!!
Comment by tamami - February 15, 2009 6:46 pm
I love reading your blog, just to see what you are upto. But I must say, the best things for me are the photos. They are always stunning and always make me think “yummy”! The Valentines things are brilliant. You are so creative.
Comment by Judy - February 15, 2009 9:28 pm
Thanks Judy! It’s so cool that you’re checking my blog out & also writing comments for me. That means a lot to me. – Have a nice Half Term.
Comment by tamami - February 15, 2009 9:43 pm
Those strawberry hearts are gorgeous! I’m glad (but not surprised) you had such a successful day. I hope it was a little warmer than last week though…? x
Comment by Rachel - February 15, 2009 11:00 pm
Wow your stuff is so fantastic. I wonder who the lucky girls how got them are? ;)
Comment by Murasaki Shikibu - February 15, 2009 11:15 pm
Good to see you had a successful day!
For this year’s valentine, my family and friends had to tolerate eating a yomogi flavored sponge covered with chocolate ganache… cooked in a rice cooker. Just pop the ingredients in (except for the ganache, of course) and, presto! …I wish I had more talent.
…And I wish I can just grab those fruit heart tarts from your photos!!
Comment by rita - February 16, 2009 12:29 am
These look delicious-I am so excited to have found you again-I stumbled on your site a year ago and then could never find you again. I linked into you from foodbeam and have you listed on my site-so I will not lose you again.
Comment by Esme - February 16, 2009 4:30 am
Hi Rachel! It WAS warmer actually! And I was soo busy that I was hot – had to take my michelin-man-esque jacket off!
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Hi Murasaki Shikibu, those girls are indeed lucky… Despite helping these romantics with their celebration, I, on the other hand, didn’t get to celebrate my own… … …
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Rita, yomogi flavored sponge??! That sounds yummy! Love yomogi. In a rice cooker? LOL, very Japanese that. I guess it saves on energy slightly too!
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Esme, thank you for finding me! And linking me. Hope to hear from you again!
Comment by tamami - February 16, 2009 1:03 pm
have a look at my blog! the lemon tart was delicious (as always!) and your blog is really fun – thanks for telling me about it. All best
Comment by Rob - February 16, 2009 2:47 pm
Those white chocolate hearts look absolutely wonderful!!!!! Would you mind sharing how you made them?
Comment by Rozanne - February 16, 2009 5:30 pm
Hello Rob, thanks for checking my blog out! And thanks for mentioning me in your blog!!!
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Rozanne, thank you! It’s very easy. – First, spread tempered white chocolate spread on to grease proof paper. Then pop the fruit on top. When the chocolate starts to stiffen, I just use a heart-shape cookie cutter, to cut them out!
Comment by tamami - February 16, 2009 5:37 pm
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I can’t wait to make them.
By the way I just love your blog. It’s on my favourites list.
Comment by Rozanne - February 17, 2009 4:19 am
Your blog is such an inspiration to me! I work a very boring office job and I really want to cook. Hearing about you successes (and occasional missteps!) makes me feel more confident that I could do it too. Thanks!
Comment by Ruby - February 19, 2009 6:32 am
Hi Ruby! ha ha! missteps! I do plenty of those! ;-) That gives me an idea – maybe I’ll write a post listing all the mishaps!! It’ll be lengthy…!
Comment by tamami - February 19, 2009 8:19 pm
Beautiful stuff…. making me hungry, though:->
Glad you had a good day; I’m sure your other stuff is just as lovely (makes me regreat I don’t live in London). I LOVE the chocolate heart, especially the polka dot one. Cute packaging, too!
Comment by cocopuff - February 20, 2009 2:51 am
white chocolate, strawberries and pistachios..what a marvelous combination, oh my! i can’t wait to try that!!
Comment by Connie - February 20, 2009 6:47 am
Cocopuff, incidently, loads of others also preferred the polka dot version!
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And Connie, I’m glad it rocked your boat! xx
Comment by tamami - February 21, 2009 12:39 am
hello from California-Just a note to let you know I think you have a wonderful knack for presentation. I too wish I could get over to London to buy from your wonderful stand. I manage an organic produce stand that sells veggies and lots of fantastic berries. You are inspiring my daughter and I with many ideas of just how to showcase those berries! Blessings to you and your family.
Comment by Carol - February 22, 2009 5:22 pm
Hello Carol! Thank you! Your engraved pumpkins – never seen anything like it!!!! Wow!!!
Comment by tamami - February 22, 2009 6:46 pm
Hi Tamami,
First of all, I love your blog, photos and writing. The next time I am in London, a visit to Coco&Me is on my to do list.
Second of all, I am thinking of setting up a cake stall in my local town here in Ireland and would love some advice on how to do this with minimal stress e.g. how much should I make for my first day trading?, do I need public liability insurance?, can you recommend suppliers for containers? etc etc
Could you write a post on the logistics of market trading and any handy tips you may have learnt along the way? I would really appreciate it!
Thanks and continued good luck with Coco&Me!
Sinead
Comment by Sinead - February 26, 2009 9:44 am
Hello Sinead,
Yes, you do need public-liability insurance, food & hygiene training, registering your kitchen with the council, self-employment papers. Suppliers: try Reynards, Vantage house, Keylink. In terms of how much money to take-in, to be honest, the first year of trading is all about ‘feeling your way around’. ie; to find out what your crowd likes & dislikes, the logistics, balancing the costs, etc. I remember I made a pittance of a profit in the beginning. Unfortunately, the beginnings are stressful though! Sorry…! I would love to write more tips, & I will try to write a start-up guide on how to set up, but it’s kind of been shoved to the back of the to-do-list…!
Good luck with your new venture. And do let me know how you get on!!!
Comment by Tamami - February 27, 2009 1:28 am
absolutely gorgeous; i’m excited to see what you produce for easter.
Comment by Anne - February 27, 2009 1:48 am
thanks annie!
Comment by tamami - February 27, 2009 8:32 am
Gosh – I wish I hadn’t stumbled accross this blog before breakfast – hungry now!
Comment by Matt Chatterley - March 3, 2009 7:36 am
Hello Matt, hope you had a good breakie! xx
Comment by tamami - March 3, 2009 12:54 pm
Hi,
I’ve just discovered your site and it is an inspiration. I am going to enjoy reading all about your stall diary. Your products look amazing!
I am a chocoholic from Ireland but if I’m ever over in London I will definitely visit the market.
Please keep those mouth watering photos coming!
Comment by somsaycocoa - March 4, 2009 3:57 pm
Hello Somesaycocoa, thank you!! If you do ever come to the market, I hope my truffles meet your standard!!
Comment by Tamami - March 4, 2009 5:48 pm
Dear Coco,
Your chocolates and cakes look delicious!!
I am organising a chocolate festival at the Southbank Centre this April. I hope you can email me or call me ……….. to discuss. Kind regards, Yael.
Comment by Yael - March 11, 2009 9:19 am
Hello! I couldn’t visit the market again this week….Last weekend you gave me your home address but actually I need an e-mail address. Sorry I didn’t realized that that time.
If you could e-mail me your mail address I’ll forward the invitation detail shortly. Sorry about this :-).
Comment by aya - March 15, 2009 6:17 pm
Konbanwa Aya-san, arigatou-gozaimasu!
I’ll send you an email later tonight, after I send the kids to bed! xxx
Comment by tamami - March 15, 2009 8:20 pm
Hello from Perth, Western Australia.
Thank you so much for your wonderful ideas and your great market stall. Pity I live so far away but perhaps one day I will come and visit your stall. It is very generous of you to share with the rest of the world your ideas and especially your recipes.
Tnx again
Clare
Comment by Clare Doyle - August 11, 2009 4:40 am
Wow, thanks Clare! Thank you for leaving such a lovely comment! Hope to hear from you again soon!! xx
Comment by tamami - August 11, 2009 4:21 pm
Hi,
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you out of the blue, but I am looking for fabulous Japanese women in their 30’s to take part in a free trial for a premium Philips electric toothbrush and was wondering if this was something you might be interested in.
We would basically like to find Japanese women to trial the toothbrush for a couple of weeks and then to feedback their thoughts about the experience at the end of the trial and potentially be filmed as part of the marketing campaign for use in Japan.
If you think this is something you might be interested, I would love you to contact me. My number is xxx xxxx xxxx or you can email me at xxx_xxxxx@xxxx and I could give you more information.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
All the best,
Lucy Johnston
Wild Iris Films
http://www.wildiris.co.uk
Comment by Lucy Johnston - September 7, 2010 6:14 pm
I have sent you email!!
Comment by tamami - September 7, 2010 7:21 pm
Dear Coco,
I love your website and appreciate how generous you are with your experiences and tips.
I am planning on opening a cake stall at a market in south london, and am wondering where you purchase the boxes you put the cakes and tarts in when selling? can you recommend a supplier or are they all much of a muchness? Do you think it is OK to put individual slices of cake in a paper bag, or does that look wrong?
Thanks for your help
Comment by helen - October 18, 2010 11:31 am
Hello Helen. The supplier I use is Reynards. It comes in bulk amounts. I use cake boxes aswell as film-front paper bags according to the customers needs – ie, some want to eat soon-as, whereas some would like to take them home. – I always give them an option: “Would you like this in a box or a paper bag?”
– Hope this helps, & good luck with your cake stall!
Tamami
Comment by tamami - October 19, 2010 10:40 am
NiCeeee
Comment by oumsaad2010@hotmail.fr - February 14, 2011 6:11 pm
Thanks!! x
Comment by tamami - February 14, 2011 7:36 pm