Iron Cupcake London Challenge XI – Celebration

Our eleventh challenge marked Iron Cupcake London’s first birthday – we are one! Our theme was that of ‘celebration’, which our entrants interpreted in many (brilliant) ways.

I know I always say it but the standard was incredibly high – when you see the entries laid out along the bar it’s like being in the best cupcake bakery in the world! School half term and holidays meant a more intimate gathering this time with 13 amateur entries and 6 professional entries.

Before we get stuck into all the delicious entries can I please draw your attention to the announcement about future challenges at the end of this post - I mention this now in case some of you don't read to the end!

As it was our birthday we had a special award on the night, voted for by bakers, for the best decorated cupcake. As you will see, the winner is stunning and made by an amateur baker! It just shows the talent out there.

Best decorated cupcake – voted for by bakers – Andrea’s Birthday cake

Andrea’s birthday cake comprised of a light-as-air egg white vanilla and almond sponge (think Angel cake but even lighter and spongier!) with fluffy vanilla buttercream. The decoration is 100% edible and there is so much to admire – the glittering candle, the birthday plaque, and even little curly party streamers. It’s a work of art!


Here are our other winners on the night:

Winner (Amateur)– Andrea’s Pink champagne and strawberry cupcakes

Andrea’s second entry on the night won the amateur category. Her pink champagne and strawberry sponge was the most pretty shade of pink and filled with a white chocolate Ganache filling, all topped off with pink champagne and strawberry buttercream. The flavours complimented each other perfectly and, yet again, the sponge was light and soft and divine! Like eating a particularly tasty cloud!

Runner up (Amateur) – Rosalyn’s Ice cream cupcakes

Rosalyn’s stunning creation comprised of an ice cream cone, into which was baked a fruity and fragrant orange drizzle sponge topped with vanilla buttercream. Of course, every good ice cream requires a flake! I always notice that Rosalyn balances flavour well and this was no exception – the orange was subtle and built in your mouth and the cone provided a nice textural contrast.


Winner (Professional)– Amanda’s Apricot and rice pudding cupcakes

These were amazing! Amanda explained that when her children were babies she was always making them apricots with rice pudding. As this was our first birthday she made us baby food cupcakes! The apricot and rice pudding sponge was filled with apricot puree and topped with apricot buttercream. I have always loved the creamy richness of a good rice pudding and Amanda’s sponge captured that perfectly. All I can say is “I want that recipe!!!”. The little gift tag was so cute – Amanda printed it with edible ink on edible paper – how clever is that?

Runner up (Professional) – Melody’s 4th July peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes


Melody debuted in the competition with a gorgeous entry (which also received a lot of votes in the best decorated competition). Her peanut butter and chocolate sponge was topped with a whipped vanilla frosting. The flavours were wonderful and reminded me very much of a Topic bar – I think it was the chocolate and peanut combination. The little flags and star decorations were so pretty and also provided some crunch.

Those were the winners on the night; here’s a run down of all the amateur entries

Kelly’s Popcorn cupcakes

Kelly’s cupcakes took the form of a carton of popcorn – the stripy case being the carton and the frosting as the overflowing popcorn. The chocolate sponge was filled with cream and topped with a scrummy almond buttercream. It reminded me of a far classier Cadbury’s mini roll – heaven! Unsurprisingly, Kelly’s entry also scored well in our ‘best decorated’ competition.

Kelly’s White mini cupcakes

Kelly’s second entry of the night was a plain sponge topped with almond frosting and gel decoration. The sponge was very light and I could have eaten lots of it! I did feel for Kelly, these were meant to have a decoration that didn’t quite work out in the time available (we’ve all been there, haven’t we?) and then they suffered in transit meaning that some of the frosting was smudged. As we all learn eventually in life – looks aren’t everything – and I’m please to report that these tasted delicious.

Elizabeth’s “Nearly 9” crème de menthe cupcakes

Elizabeth’s vegan friendly cupcakes comprised of a chocolate sponge infused with crème de menthe and a chocolate crème de menthe buttercream. The flavours worked so well together – it takes a skilled baker to use anything mint in her cakes and balance it so that the whole thing doesn’t taste of toothpaste. Elizabeth got it spot on and I loved how the minty coolness and alcohol warmth built in your mouth.

Anne’s Margarita cupcakes

Anne’s margarita cupcakes had a most pleasing aroma of booze when she took the lid of her container…always a good start! The lime sponge was infused with tequila sugar syrup and topped with a sinful tequila and grand marnier frosting. The lime definitely hit first and I loved the way the syrup added juiciness to it. Then came the booze! Ann is a girl after my own heart – every cocktail needs an umbrella. Tina, who helps plate up all the bakers on arrival, snaffled the brolly as her daughter uses them as umbrellas for her Barbies!

Annabelle’s “Ice bucket” cupcakes

Love the concept here – Annabelle’s sponge is the ice bucket, the frosting is the ice and there’s the champagne bottle being chilled to perfection! The vanilla sponge was moist and light and the caramel cheese frosting was rich and flavoursome but not too sweet – sometimes caramel can be so sweet it makes your teeth itch, but not here; teaming it with the zingy cream cheese was genius! These tasted indulgent – perfect for a celebration.

Karen’s Choc velvet cupcakes

Karen’s rich and cocoa intense chocolate sponge was topped with a thick, smooth cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting looked thicker and more densely piled up on the cupcake than you normally see – apparently, Karen’s recipe is a secret and she won’t even share it with her friends…much to their annoyance!

Tamara’s Praline chocolate cupcakes

Tamara’s praline chocolate sponge was covered with a generous helping of cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with, what I suspect were, crushed oreos. The rich sponge contrasted well with the light frosting and the mini Lindt choccy on top is always going to be a welcome addition!

Shannon’s “Celebrations” cupcakes

Shannon – I like the way you think! Her soft vanilla sponge topped with thick whipped vanilla buttercream hid a wonderful secret – Celebrations chocolates baked into each one! We all agreed that our cupcake contained Snickers. The Snickers bar baked into a gooey rich pocket which was delicious with the sponge and buttercream; the silver balls added some nice crunch too.

Becky and Flo’s Doughnut cupcakes

A team effort here; vanilla sponge housing a satisfying pocket of strawberry jam all topped off with a vanilla and strawberry buttercream. The sponge reminded me of Victoria sponge, which I think I could eat more of than anybody else on the planet! The buttercream was smooth and fruity and I loved how Becky and Flo piped it – you just look at it and think “Homer Simpson”! Tina, one of my fellow tasters, loved that the frosting tasted like candyfloss.

Gem’s Pop goes the brownie cupcakes

Gem rose valiantly from her sickbed to deliver her cupcakes to the event –lucky us! Her rich, fudgy brownie cupcakes worked beautifully with the vanilla bean frosting. As if that wasn’t enough Gem also added popping candy! Ying, one of my fellow tasters, summed it up succinctly with, “I need that recipe”. The chocolate decoration made these the tallest cupcakes of the night – Gem used a chocolate mould to make a bunch of party balloons.

Here’s what the professionals served up….

Nastassja’s Candy fun cupcakes

Nastassja took us all back to childhood parties with her vanilla sponge and vanilla frosted cupcakes topped with assorted sweeties. An ugly scene almost broke out at our table as we all scrambled for the drumstick (if anyone’s interested – Ying won). The frosting was beautifully piped and had some sort of lustre added to it that caught the light.

Nastassja’s Profiterole cupcakes

Nastassja’s second entry of the night was sheer indulgence – soft sponge with a whipped creamy topping would be heaven in itself. But no – Nastassja added a profiterole…it can’t get much better than that! When you look at the perfect beauty of the cake it’s hard to believe that there was an accident in transit and the cakes had to be reassembled on site!

Amanda’s Elderflower and blueberry cupcakes

Amanda’s second entry of the night (her first entry won the professional category) was a fragrant and delicate affair. The elderflower cupcake contained blueberry compote teamed with elderflower buttercream. It was a dreamy combination that smelled – and tasted – of summer. Light and refreshing…and how cute is that little piped 1?

Shaz’s Chocolate orange cupcakes

Poor Shaz was held up in traffic but battled through, with his cupcakes strapped to his scooter, to share another of his healthy cupcakes with us. The chocolate orange flavour was unmistakable and the sponge deliciously light, but we all agreed the star of the show was the topping. Imagine a chocolatey, moussey, ganachey smooth as silk custard and you’re getting close. Hard to believe it was low fat!


I’m sure you’ll agree that, in terms of a birthday buffet, Iron Cupcake London had the best first birthday party – EVER!

As always I’d like to thank all the bakers for taking the time to enter – each month we marvel at your skill and imagination…and go home full of sponge and sugar and chocolate and other lovely things! Thanks also to all the eaters for coming along and helping us pick the winner.

Special thanks to my awesome team of helpers who make the event run so smoothly on the night: Paul, Dave, Tina, and Ying – thanks. I couldn’t do it without you, nor would I wish to.

All photos are the property of Dave Shipman and are reproduced here with his kind permission. If you wish to use any of his photos please can you email me first for permission – thanks.

Future events:

Sadly, this is going to be the last Iron Cupcake London for a little while. I’ve mentioned before in the challenge announcements and at the start of the events that the success of ICL depends on our lovely bakers baking and our eaters respecting the effort that has gone into the cakes. We continually ask people to take only what they can eat on the night and not spirit away cupcakes in Tupperware to take home before everyone has had a chance to taste what they want to.

Regrettably, some people think these rules don’t apply to them and continue to upset the bakers – a cupcake hidden away in a Tupperware container is a cupcake that cannot be enjoyed on the night or receive a vote. A cupcake taken but not eaten is a cupcake that someone else has missed the chance to taste.

Since Monday’s event I have received several emails from bakers (and seen discussion on facebook and blogs) angry and upset at how their cupcakes were snatched out of their hands as they tried to fill their platter; how they saw their cupcakes with barely a mouthful taken out of them abandoned on plates. Much as I keep stressing this is a minority of people behaving this way, it is enough people to cause significant upset.

I don’t know what to do to change this unpleasant behaviour. As you will know if you come along we are a small team of organisers and don’t have the manpower to police the event – frankly, even if we did have more people I wouldn’t want the event to be run like this – it’s meant to be a bit of fun for people who like cupcakes.

My team need to discuss what can be done, if anything, to save the event. I would rather we stop running the competition while this happens as I don’t want to upset bakers further by having people continue to wrestle the cupcakes out of their hands.

I hope you understand this stance and I apologise to the vast majority of you who come along and enjoy the event with the spirit in which it is meant to be enjoyed.

Iron Cupcake London Challenge XI – Celebration

Our 11^th challenge is also our first birthday, therefore I had to make sure we had an extra super prize...and here it is!

Not only does this stand have cute little silver cupcake case cups to hold your cupcakes in place but the whole thing revolves! Yes – revolves! No more having to go to all the effort of reaching for that far away cupcake you desire, simply revolve the stand and it comes to you!

The winner of both the amateur and professional competition will win one of these stands, along with other goodies.

As it’s our first birthday there is also a special prize on the night for the best decorated cupcakes – as voted for by the bakers!

Still plenty of time to bake for Monday’s challenge. All details can be found here.

Iron Cupcake London – Challenge XI: CELEBRATION

Our eleventh challenge to be held on Monday 7th June marks our first birthday. I know! Where has the time gone?

The theme is therefore CELEBRATION! Bake any cupcake you wish as long as it’s suitable for a celebration.

All challenge details (times, venue location, requirements etc) can be found here.

Bakers - please let me know if you intend to enter and which contest (i.e. amateur or pro) you are entering.

Hope to see you there!

Iron Cupcake London Challenge X – Fruit

Our tenth challenge was all about fruit; we didn’t care if it was fresh, dried, tinned, flesh, juice, flavour, extract, or anything - if it contained a particle of fruit it was in! We mooted long and hard about whether coconut qualified for a fruit – we decided it was because it’s not a nut and it certainly isn’t a vegetable, and supermarkets place it in the fruit section.

I can't help but imagine Michael Caine (a la Zulu era) looking at these photos and saying, "cupcakes, farsands of 'em":

The standard, as always, was stunning and our 25 amateur entries and 7 professional entries amounted to a veritable banquet of fruity cupcake goodness.

Bakers making last minute adjustments:

We have a first in an Iron Cupcake London post – a situations vacant advert! If you are interested in a cupcake and baking related job make sure you check out the write up for Mellissa’s cupcake. Unlike other recruitment consultants, I shan’t be charging a fee should I find Mellissa some staff! Here's Mellissa on the right; if you're lucky, she could be your future boss!

In what Max (my nephew, who greets most of you at the entrance and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Iron Cupcake London entries past and present) terms “Iron Cupcake Spirit” (ICS) we tasted all the entries, even if we don’t usually like the flavours involved. I love ICS as it challenges my prejudices and makes me discover the joys of flavours I thought I didn’t like!

All attendees take eating and judging very seriously...and rightly so!

Here are our winners on the night:

Winner (Amateur)– Kelly’s Watermelon cupcakes

So much to appreciate here! Kelly’s light vanilla sponge was tinged red and she included chocolate chips so that it looked just like a piece of watermelon; it also included melon pudding. The frosting was also amazing - Kelly brought watermelon syrup back from the States and it had such an intense fruitiness to it that kept piling flavour into your mouth. I have to confess that I was delighted Kelly won because, aside from her awesome cupcakes, she is our only baker who has entered every Iron Cupcake London competition – tenth time lucky! Well done Kelly on these masterpieces in cupcake form!

Runner up (Amateur) – Andrea’s Cinnamon peach cupcakes

Andrea’s combination of cinnamon and peach was new to me and it worked so well that I wondered why it wasn’t used more often. Her light and airy cinnamon sponge contained cinnamon and peach compote that was delicate and delicious; the frosting was cinnamon cream cheese. The peach was subtle and came through after the cinnamon – very delicious indeed!

Winner (Professional)– Eloise’s Tayberry ripple cupcakes

Eloise is our most decorated Iron Cupcake London baker and, if my memory serves me correctly, this is her FOURTH title! Tayberry tastes like a cross between blackberry and raspberry and has a novel, yet at the same time familiar, taste. The lovely vanilla sponge was topped with the fruity swirl frosting that was light and whipped. Ying, one of my trusty helpers and co-eaters oohed and ahhed over the beautiful lilac/purple hue of the cake. A deserved winner as it was as tasty as it was stunning.

Runner up (Professional) – Kerry’s St Clements cupcakes

Kerry’s lemon drizzle cake was topped with an orange cream cheese frosting. The sugary crust of the cake provided some lovely texture and the cream cheese frosting worked particularly well with the zingy citrus flavours. This cupcake was very refreshing to eat and it’s always nice to see a classic flavour combination grab the votes!

Here’s a run down of all the amateur entries:


Gem’s chocolate and coconut cupcakes

Gem put together one of my favourite flavour combinations here – it had that creamy coconut taste of a Bounty bar. The coconut buttercream has to be one of the best buttercreams I’ve ever tasted and, luckily, Gem piled it high. Subtle hint: Gem, if you wish to share the recipe I will be eternally grateful!

Fiona’s Blueberry and earl grey cupcakes

Fiona’s earl grey and blueberry combination was delicate and flavoursome – the early grey was in both the sponge and buttercream, the blueberries were only in the sponge. The fragrance of the earl grey hit first then the fruitiness came through. I found this an imaginative and beautiful combination. The lustrous little roses topping each cupcake completed the look perfectly – I loved the girliness of these cakes.

Charlotte’s Strawberry cheesecake cupcakes

Charlotte created an ‘inverted cheesecake’ here, practically a cheesecake tatin (humour me!). The sweet strawberries were on the bottom, topped with rich cheesecake with the biscuit ‘base’ on top! Having it upside down did alter the way the flavour hit and I found it a great success.

Tamara’s Strawberries and cream cupcakes

Tamara’s chocolate sponge was topped with strawberries and cream with a dusting of chocolate flake. The cocoa hit came first then the palate cleansing fruit and cream. Max, my co-eater, turned to me and said “these are gorgeous”. I can’t add anything to that!

Gill’s Lemon meringue cupcakes

Gill went for a classic combination – sponge base, lemon curd and meringue topping. Her crisp meringue made a lovely crunch sound when you pushed your fork into it and the lemon wasn’t too sour, nor too sweet. A masterclass in a classic dessert!

Kirsten’s Gooseberry and elderflower cupcakes

Kirsten put so much work into these beautiful cupcakes. The sponge was gooseberry and elderflower and contained gooseberry curd (which was divine – why don’t we see gooseberry curd as often as lemon curd?) and her delicate little shortbread biscuit sat above a gorgeous swirl of frosting. The flavour was light and refreshing and it was like eating summer in a cupcake!

Shereen’s Lime and margarita cupcakes

Shereen’s cupcakes were like eating a cocktail i.e. very, very good! Her lime sponge was zingy and fruity and topped with a margarita frosting; it was so clever as you got the hit of lime, then the kick of salt and then – whoosh – in came the tequila! Packed with flavour.

Ann’s Sticky toffee cupcakes

As a self-diagnosed ‘stickytoffee addict’ I couldn’t wait to tuck into Ann’s stunning looking cupcakes…and they didn’t disappoint! The rich toffee sponge managed to be both sticky and light and the whipped frosting was the sort of thing I will find myself dreaming about in hungry moments! And for any of you asking the question I was asked several times on the night, the answer is “dates”.

Ankhelitza’s Black forest cupcakes

Ankhelitza, ably assisted by her lovely mum, brought us these beautiful creamy cupcakes. The chocolate sponge contained little pockets of sticky morello cherries and this was teamed with kirsch cream filling and a vanilla cream topping. I, for one, certainly appreciated how generous Ankhelitza was with the cream!

Jack’s Apple, blackcurrant and clotted cream cupcakes

Jack’s cupcakes were heavenly and you could taste all three flavours. I loved the addition of clotted cream; I’ve baked using double cream before but never clotted and it was amazing – so rich and satisfying. The blackcurrant frosting was intense and I just loved the overall taste of the cupcake.

Kathryn’s Raspberry delight cupcakes

Kathryn used raspberry in both her sponge and her white chocolate cheesecake frosting. NB. If you have just read the words “white chocolate cheesecake frosting” without drooling, feel ashamed…very ashamed! The frosting was incredibly smooth and retained the sharp edge of the cheese which worked very well with the raspberry.

Elizabeth’s Creamy St Clements cupcakes

I was so pleased Elizabeth managed to enter – she was up from Wales visiting friends and, having followed the event on line, was finally able to take part. Lucky us! The orange sponge had a limoncello centre and the orange and lemon “cream cheese” frosting was tangy and flavourful. I say “cream cheese” because Elizabeth’s entry was vegan.

Rosalyn’s Sticky toffee cupcakes

Rosalyn’s light and succulent sticky toffee sponge was topped with a salted caramel buttercream. It was a wonderful combination as the saltiness cut through the richness and danced around your mouth. Rosalyn judged the salt perfectly and it gave a classic a modern twist – very clever!

Pippa’s “He’s Peachy Keen” cupcakes

Pippa’s peach sponge was topped with mascarpone icing and strawberries. The whole taste was light and fresh and this cupcake scored Max’s second “gorgeous” of the night! I was particularly impressed with the mascarpone icing – it was very clean tasting and effective; I can see it working well with all fruits.

Araminta’s “Lemon poppy star” cupcakes

First off, let’s all “ahhhh” at the pretty star shape of Araminta’s cupcakes! I really liked the balance Araminta got into her lemon – it was tangy and citrus but not at all sharp. The crunchy poppy seeds added lovely texture. This was a classic combination executed perfectly; as Ying, my co-eater said “these are pure tasting and effective”!

Mara’s Rainbow sherbert cupcakes

Mara’s cupcakes reminded me of my youth spent guzzling fruity sherbet (in truth, there would also be an adulthood spent guzzling fruity sherbet if I knew where to buy it!) The orange, raspberry and lime flavours really packed a punch, the lime being the standout flavour, and the sponge was coloured three ways to match the frosting rainbow.

Alix’s “Waterloo Sunset” cupcakes

Alix’s vegan cupcake comprised of a peach and rosewater sponge filled with “drunken” peach compote and a rose and peach frosting. These had a heady, exotic flavour and the two elements remained distinct whilst complimenting each other. This cupcake was an eye opener for me as I’m not usually mad on rosewater but I thought these were beautiful (in taste and look!) – also, kudos for name-checking a Kinks song!

Kerryn’s Passionfruit coulis cream cupcakes

Kerryn made a little sponge sandwich of her cupcake tapping into that other trendy item of baked goods: the whoopee pie. The passionfruit sponge was sandwiched by cream and passionfruit coulis and the top sponge had a generous sprinkling of coconut. The tropical taste worked very well with the cream and soft sponge….and bonus points if you noticed that Kerryn served each one on a tiny doily!

Rosella’s Lemon and lime cupcakes

Rosella teamed her lemon sponge with a tangy lime frosting and the flavours were clean and fresh in your mouth. Special mention has to go to the beautiful sugarpaste butterflies Rosella made; the angle of the wings and the dusting of glitter made them look very special indeed.

Kyra’s Rhubarb and ginger cupcakes

Kyra went for a classic combination and it worked so well. The rhubarb hit first with it’s acidic tang and then the warmth of the ginger slowly came through and built in your mouth. I loved the simple swirl of frosting and the tiny pieced of rhubarb on top.

Shelley’s Black forest cupcakes

Our defending champion created a wonderful black forest with cocoa rich chocolate sponge, black cherry preserve, fresh cream, chocolate flakes and black cherries. The richness of the sponge and the lightness of the cream was divine and the cherry flavour came through after leaving a lovely fruitiness in your mouth.

Shelley’s Key lime cupcakes

I’m a big fan of Shelley’s cupcakes and particularly love the way she always makes at least two flavours! Her second offering was this perfect looking key lime cupcake. The lime and almond sponge was absolutely dreamy – so moist and flavoursome and the light lime frosting tasted as wonderful as it looked.

Carlo’s Rhubarb cupcakes

Carlo struck me as an extremely modest chap – when I asked him if he was entering our professional or amateur competition he replied, “very amateur”, but as you will see from the photo that’s not the case! Carlo left the rhubarb tart and I like the acidic zing that gives to a cake. His light and frothy meringue topping perfectly partnered the sharp fruit.


So, that’s all the amateur entries (I always feel bad calling them ‘amateur’ when the quality, skill and talent is so awesome)…now let’s look at what the professionals served up….

Shaz’s Lemon and vanilla cupcakes

Shaz’s ethos is to produce healthier baked goods. That means less fat, salt and sugar but without compromising on flavour. These lemon and vanilla cupcakes were topped with either glazed pomegranate seeds or blueberries. The textures were incredibly light and the fruit tasted fresh and…I’m going to say it….healthy!

Mellissa’s Strawberry dream cupcakes

Mellissa is not only a previous ICL winner, but she is also Ms Cupcake (you can find her at Greenwich Market) and has appeared on TV spreading her message that vegan cupcakes needn’t compromise on taste or texture! . In fact, she’s so successful at spreading the word (I guess people are more willing to listen when you’re offering them amazing cupcakes!) that she’s inundated with work and needs help. Mellissa is looking for part time (at the moment – who knows where it might lead?) paid help. Anyone with a talent for baking can apply via her website (or email directly: info@mscupcake.co.uk) . The work isn’t limited to cupcakes but all baking – cakes, brownies, biscuits etc.
Ok job advert over….this cupcake was intensely strawberry. It contained both dried and fresh strawberry in the sponge and then strawberry jam between the sponge and vanilla strawberry frosting. I love the two tone effect in the buttercream.

Chris’s Pina colada cupcakes

Chris works under the name of Lily Bean Cakes and can be found under that name on facebook. Her pineapple and coconut sponge was basted with a pineapple and rum syrup and topped with coconut buttercream. Need I point out how heavenly this was? The flavours were sweet and tropical and the rum a subtle background flavour. The simple dried pineapple decoration alongside the pretty flower was perfect. Loved it!

Janelle’s Sticky date cupcakes

Janelle works under the name of Jamoisie Sweet she explained that it’s a combination of Jamaican and Aussie! Her vegan cupcakes are available from Greenwich Market. The sticky date sponge was ultra moist and had a pleasing smoky quality to it that added real depth of flavour.

Janelle’s Lemon cupcakes

Janelle’s second entry of the night was this dinky lemon cupcake. The flavour was intense – so tangy and fresh. The tiny flower decorations were adorable and finished off the cute look.


That concludes the entries for our tenth challenge; I’m sure several will have caught your eye. Once again, I have to comment on the sheer quality and imagination of our bakers – every month it’s like walking into the world’s greatest cupcake parlour and being allowed to eat EVERYTHING!

As always I’d like to thank all the bakers for taking the time to enter, and all the eaters for coming along and helping us pick the winner. I leave you with our four worthy winners:

Special thanks to my awesome team of helpers who make the event run so smoothly on the night: Paul, Dave, Tina, Ying and Max – thanks. I couldn’t do it without you.

All photos are the property of Dave Shipman and are reproduced here with his kind permission. If you wish to use any of his photos please can you email me first for permission – thanks.

Hope to see you all again on Monday 7 June for our first birthday; the theme is CELEBRATION!