The day after our epic food tour, my friend invited me over to his house to learn stuff!  During the course of the day, we had been discussing how I can bake certain things but others I really lack the practice and know-how.

It was perfectly timed because he was making cookies in advance of his family descending for the Christmas holidays!

I made up the cookie dough while he finished off some paperwork and shouted instructions across the room at me.  Thankfully cookies are my go-to for baking.  So much easier!  Mind you, I don’t make rolling cookie dough that often and I was in the presence of a trained pastry chef, so I was a bit nervous when I finally hand it over for inspection!  Thankfully I passed with flying colours!!

The dough has to be refrigerated for an hour or so before you use it, so it felt like a great idea to go and have a glass of wine in the pool to cool off.

I then set to work rolling out and cutting the dough into Christmassy shapes while lunch was being prepared in the thankfully very spacious kitchen!

Cookies were baking, wine and lunch was being consumed, and a good time was generally being had by all.

Then came the icing/piping.

I have never iced anything with detail before, ever.  I have slapped a bunch of frosting onto a cake and smothered it, or drizzled chocolate over cookies as decoration but that’s it.  I haven’t taken a bag of icing to a cake or cookie…. which is why I was there.  I was going to learn how.

It turns out I am NOT a natural! My poor snowflakes looked like… well… I don’t even know.  You can judge yourself:

Instead I moved onto the bells.  They were much easier, as you can see below!  Still not great, but the difference from the first to the last was huge!

Maybe I will get the hang of it one day!  I have now however got myself a nice little icing set from Lakeland and when I am brave enough, I am going to try it on my own!

(Not right now.  Still not brave enough!)