I’m Lloyd, and I’ve got to admit—I have an insatiable sweet tooth! While it’s a bit of a dilemma, I have no desire to change. Chocolate is my weakness, but if there’s none around, I’ll happily take any other sugary treat!
Remember when we explored those charming Cotswold villages and stayed at the grand Wood Norton Hotel? One night, after a fabulous dinner, we headed to the bar for cocktails and met Lisa. She’s from London and owns Madeline’s Cake Boutique, a delightful spot in one of the city’s nicest neighborhoods. We chatted about cakes, cookies, and travel—okay, mostly about cakes and cookies—and she invited us over for a cookie decorating masterclass. I couldn’t resist the challenge (or the cookies), so I gladly accepted.
We had been on the road for weeks with little time in London, and the sun was shining that weekend, making it perfect for our plans. Although we were inside, everything feels better in London under the sun, and we appreciated the chance to do something so typical of the city.
As soon as we got there, I was captivated by the fluffy cakes and delicious smells from the kitchen, eager to dive right in. We kicked off our adventure with a quick tour and some necessary taste-testing before heading into the kitchen to create what I hoped would be my masterpiece.
There were six of us in the class, all excited to learn how to make the perfect cookies. I hadn’t really done any cooking or baking classes before, but I love food and wanted to improve. This was the perfect opportunity!
Yaya, my partner, is a much better cook and baker (but don’t tell him I admitted that). He wasn’t too impressed with my skills, as I tried sneakily sampling cookies even before decorating. Still, I was determined to outdo him, though I did keep an eye on his technique.
The first thing we learned was to make neat lines with thicker sugar icing, which acted as a barrier when we ‘flooded’ the cookies with icing. The concept made sense once I got the hang of it, as the icing should naturally spread to leave a smooth finish. After over an hour of decorating, I ended up with a fairly impressive batch—despite a few mishaps.
The class was unexpectedly fun! In a world where everyone seeks big adventures, sometimes it’s wonderful to enjoy simple pleasures. Doing this with Yaya and our friend Georgia made it even better. We’re quite competitive, so this was a fun way to challenge each other.
While waiting for the icing to set, we treated ourselves to prosecco, specialty tea, cheesy scones, and a delicious Guinness cake, which I hadn’t tried before but now love.
Back in the workshop, I continued my friendly decorating competition with Yaya. Despite my efforts, his cookies were coming out better, with Georgia excelling too. Even if my lines ended up a bit crooked, it was a blast! Yaya’s cookies were clearly more polished, but let’s keep that between us.
Now, my next challenge is to tackle a cake decorating project—who knows how that’ll go? Care to place a bet on my chances of success?