Heather James's Blog, page 53
September 5, 2012
Playing with Fire
Exciting (and nerve-racking) news: Hot Key Books have just announced that they will be getting in contact with the 20 long listed writers for the Young Writers Prize next week. It would mean so much to me if Fire was nominated and it's so exciting to think that it could be; I have been working on the story for so long now that I can't wait to share it with the world and see what they think. If it is long listed, I will have a month to perfect the manuscript before sending it off. If it isn't, I will start targeting literary agencies with awesome letters.
I guess my fingers will be crossed for most of next week!
I guess my fingers will be crossed for most of next week!
September 4, 2012
Save the Date
The bridesmaid dresses are sorted (without too much stress!) so I now have a lovely pink colour scheme to plan everything else from.
My eldest bridesmaids will be wearing a beautiful pale pink, wildflower maxi dress from Jane Norman (this one) and I will get something in pink for my sister closer to the time since, at nearly-thirteen, she is quite likely to grow by the wedding.
With my dresses picked, I could then add some colour to my black and white save the dates, giving me these:
I am so, incredibly, pleased with how they look and can't wait to send them out. All three shades of pink look great, so I am going to print them in a mixture of the colours. Not bad for £5 card and a few hours spent on Photoshop and Illustrator. Now I just have to design the invitations themselves. And finalise the guest list...
My eldest bridesmaids will be wearing a beautiful pale pink, wildflower maxi dress from Jane Norman (this one) and I will get something in pink for my sister closer to the time since, at nearly-thirteen, she is quite likely to grow by the wedding.
With my dresses picked, I could then add some colour to my black and white save the dates, giving me these:
I am so, incredibly, pleased with how they look and can't wait to send them out. All three shades of pink look great, so I am going to print them in a mixture of the colours. Not bad for £5 card and a few hours spent on Photoshop and Illustrator. Now I just have to design the invitations themselves. And finalise the guest list...
Busy, busy, busy
The last few days have been really busy.
I spent Sunday baking a cake for my brother's 18th birthday. After watching icing tutorials online and buying some tools I had high hopes for it and it turned out pretty good. Admittedly, I haven't included a side picture because it was pretty wonky, but I did manage to ice all the way round, which is a huge improvement. Plus it tasted even better than it looked, so the recipe will definitely work for the chocolate tier of the wedding cake.
Yesterday, I also finally heard back from interview G. Apparently the interviewer had asked someone to contact me while she was on holiday, but nothing happened. It's a little frustrating that I had to wait so long, especially since it was a second interview and both of my interviews with them were arranged super last minute, so I had to go out of my way to get to them. The 'feedback' was the usual - the job went to someone with more experience. Yawn. That one again. No one has yet given me any hints on how to get said experience, when no one will hire me without it... But I'm going to try and join a temp agency tomorrow in the hope that they can help me out.
I have also started reading the 'Chimp Paradox' a book which I am determined is going to change my life! It's by the psychologist who has been working with the GB cycling team and if he can help them bring home all those golds I'm sure he can help me with my pre-interview anxiety... It's been a really interesting read so far and is making me think a lot about myself and the way I think. Thinking this way is never, ever, going to be helpful, so I'm going to work on trying to stop it. Thinking through the tips from the book also helped me yesterday after I got the confirmation from interview G and I wasn't half as upset as I had been after F which is a very, very good start. Hopefully I will walk into interview H next week with my head held high and I will come out with my first job in the bag.
I spent Sunday baking a cake for my brother's 18th birthday. After watching icing tutorials online and buying some tools I had high hopes for it and it turned out pretty good. Admittedly, I haven't included a side picture because it was pretty wonky, but I did manage to ice all the way round, which is a huge improvement. Plus it tasted even better than it looked, so the recipe will definitely work for the chocolate tier of the wedding cake.
Yesterday, I also finally heard back from interview G. Apparently the interviewer had asked someone to contact me while she was on holiday, but nothing happened. It's a little frustrating that I had to wait so long, especially since it was a second interview and both of my interviews with them were arranged super last minute, so I had to go out of my way to get to them. The 'feedback' was the usual - the job went to someone with more experience. Yawn. That one again. No one has yet given me any hints on how to get said experience, when no one will hire me without it... But I'm going to try and join a temp agency tomorrow in the hope that they can help me out.
I have also started reading the 'Chimp Paradox' a book which I am determined is going to change my life! It's by the psychologist who has been working with the GB cycling team and if he can help them bring home all those golds I'm sure he can help me with my pre-interview anxiety... It's been a really interesting read so far and is making me think a lot about myself and the way I think. Thinking this way is never, ever, going to be helpful, so I'm going to work on trying to stop it. Thinking through the tips from the book also helped me yesterday after I got the confirmation from interview G and I wasn't half as upset as I had been after F which is a very, very good start. Hopefully I will walk into interview H next week with my head held high and I will come out with my first job in the bag.
August 24, 2012
Interviews...
The purpose of starting this blog was to keep track of all the job interviews I have. However, since I've had six or so already and can't remember all of them in detail, I'm going to do a bit of a summary in this post.
I am trying to work in publishing. I've done five work experience placements over the past two years, which have given me a taste of the industry and have confirmed my desire to work there.
Interview A
This one was for a Grad scheme placement in Sales and was through a recruitment company. To start with I had a phone interview... on the train, on the way to a meal for my 21st birthday! A little nerve racking (and embarrassing, since everyone could hear me) but I knew if I rescheduled I would just be panicking about the interview all evening, rather than enjoying my meal. It seemed to go well, especially considering that I was completely unprepared. I was told at the end that I would be emailed some tests, then called in for a face-to-face interview if I did OK in them.
Cue a lot of maths practice, since I haven't done anything maths-related since my GCSEs! But by the time I took the tests I was doing OK and my marks must have been fine since they called me in for an interview the next day.
This was very, very exciting - my first real job interview! My Dad recommended I read a book on Interviews for Dummies before I left, which mostly re-affirmed a lot of common sense approaches (dress smartly; don't highlight your weaknesses; don't sound too desperate...) but it also prepared me for a lot of the standard questions that come up (a time when I have made a mistake and learnt from it; a time when I have dealt with a difficult person/situation). This was incredibly useful as I suddenly realized that I had more material than I had thought, mostly due to my time as the President of a sports club.
I went into the interview terrified, but as prepared as I could be.
And it seemed to go well: I turned up early, without getting lost, answered all of the questions, had lots of examples. I left feeling quite confident, I'd even chatted to the interviewer about books and films based on books (the interview book said that it was great to build up a bit of rapport).
This just made the following week all the more agonizing: I was told that I would definitely hear back either way and that I would receive feedback on how I had performed. But a week, after walking everywhere with my phone clutched in my hand so that I could constantly check my emails, I still hadn't heard anything. After moving house and still not hearing back, I decided to email the interviewer politely, asking when I could expect to hear anything. More days passed without news. Then, another week later, I got an email telling me I had been unsuccessful and wouldn't be called back for a second interview. I followed up with a request for that feedback I had been promised... and got nothing. But oh well, interview B was just around the corner.
Interview B
I got a call about this one on the way to my graduation. Apparently I had been sent a email, but it never came through (cue total panic over what other opportunities I may have missed out on and relief that this company had liked me enough to call). I had applied for the job almost a month ago and when I got the call I couldn't actually remember which company it was with, so I spent the rest of the day trying to research them on my phone.
The interview was for a PA job in a small publishing imprint. I was excited about it, because it would mean working across quite a few different departments and it was with children's board books. They also did cake Friday, so I knew I would fit in perfectly. However, I knew going in for the interview that if I came up against anyone with PA experience I was pretty much doomed. I did loads of preparation though, researching the company, their ethos and their books. In the meantime I was also offered interview C, so I went in feeling pretty confident that it wasn't the end of the world if it didn't go well.
And it didn't...
It was less an interview, more an informal discussion. I wasn't asked any questions and talk quickly turned to TV and the Olympics. All of my careful preparation went straight out the window and I had to try hard not to panic. They did talk about the company a bit, but I found it difficult to input, showing off what I had found out.
Talking has never been one of my strong points and I'm quite shy, so it can take a bit of time for my personality to show. But I got the feeling that this interview was entirely a test of personality and this unnerved me quite a bit. I didn't even get the chance to mention my love of baking and my amazing chocolate-chili cookie recipe. I sort of wondered whether they had already found someone perfect for the job and were just trying to fill the time...
I wasn't surprised when I didn't get the job, but the feedback was very positive. They had liked me, but the job had gone to someone who was already working as a PA, as I had expected.
Interview C
Interview C was with the biggest company so far, making me very, very nervous. Even sitting in reception was terrifying. It didn't help that, minutes before going in I sprayed some deodorant on and it came out as white powder... all over the armpits of my bright red shirt...
I was pleased to get this interview, since I had tried a new style of writing cover letters when I applied for it, going through the job application and specifically addressing each of the points mentioned in it, using similar terms and wording.
The interview consisted of actual questions. They were harder than the first interview, and I had to think a bit more before responding, but I felt that I had answered well in the end. I also felt that my preparation had been helpful as I was able to talk about their new acquisitions and the things about the company that excited me. There was also two roles on offer, raising my confidence, and they would be doing second interviews the following week. I stood up feeling quite confident but when one of the interviewers lead me to the elevator I suddenly wasn't so sure - it felt more like a firm goodbye than a see you again next week. I panicked slightly as I got into the lift.
At the end of the next week I received an email telling me that I hadn't got a second interview. My answers weren't as strong as other candidates and they felt that my work experience wasn't focused enough; I needed to decide on a firm department that I want to work in and get more experience in it. Given the difficulty to get jobs at the moment this perhaps seems a bit naive; if I was only applying for jobs in editorial, say, I would have barely anything to apply for. However, it did let me know that I needed to sound more sure of myself and my plans for the future, so it was useful advice. The job had been in rights, something I didn't have any experience in, but I had tried to focus on my Sales experience as I felt that the departments were similar, so it would sound the most relevant. If I could do it over, I would have made sure that I knew all of the ins and outs of a job in rights and would link all of my previous experience back to this job.
Interview D
Interview D was for another PA role, this time in an editorial and design department for a children's publisher. The interview was with a single person, making it a little more relaxed and I went through all of the questions quite confidently.
The only strange question I was asked was whether I was disappointed with the one B I got at school. This was an odd question because a B at AS level is still really good and it was in Chemistry, so not really relevant to working with children's books. Perhaps she was just trying to throw me off. I am incredibly proud of that B though, given how hard I had to work to get even that (GCSE Chemistry I had understood, A Level Chemistry proved far, far beyond my intellectual capabilities).
I knew, once again, that I would come stuck if another interviewer had PA experience, but I just had to hope that I had done enough to make her want to take a chance.
I had to wait two weeks to hear anything back, but had been told this in advance, so was't too concerned (although my phone had become a permanent fixture in my hand by this point). I eventually got an email late one night while I was out with friends. Not wanting to spoil my night, I didn't look at it until I was back in the car on the way home. It was a no, but again a positive one: they had liked me, but the job had gone to someone 'already working in the industry'.
Interview E
Interview E was very last minute. I already had interview F lined up for the following week when I got a call asking me to come in that Friday. It was a company (and department) I had already done work experience with, so I was very excited and also a little more relaxed, since I was confident that I knew what I was talking about.
The job was in sales and, taking account of the notes I had got from C, I made sure to talk about my plans for a career in sales, in children's literature specifically. The company also published books that I love, so I was able to talk about those, showing how enthusiastic I was about the company.
I was told that about five people were being interviewed, with two-three being called back for a second interview the following week and that I would hear back on the Monday.
This made for a very nervous, very depressing Monday where, no matter how many times I checked my phone, an interview just wouldn't come through.
But I did get a second interview - I got the email on Tuesday morning, while on my way to interview F. Things were looking up.
Interview F
Originally, I applied for work experience with company F, so I was very surprised when I got an email inviting me in for a job interview. However, it was with a company I had never read any books by, so I went to the library the next day to take out thirteen books by them, which I spent the rest of the week reading. The job was in an editorial department, so there would also be a grammar test as part of the interview and I made sure to prepare for this as well.
I don't think the interview went very well. I got little feedback from the interviewers and got flustered by some of the questions: my thoughts on creativity; how would I describe myself in one word. This question has frustrated me; put on the spot, I ended up answering 'organised' yet on the walk home I realized that I had the perfect answer, one that I genuinely would use to describe myself and would also have been ideal for the job: romantic.
I am nothing if not a romantic. Everything I read, watch and feel is enthused with romance. This is probably why I am getting married at 21, which is pretty young by today's standards.
I also felt, during the interview, that I was being told that I didn't have enough experience for the role. Given that they had invited me to an interview without me having applied, I wasn't really sure how to feel about this. Why interview me if I'm not qualified for the job?
The grammar test went well, but I knew that it wasn't perfect and that this would obviously stand against me. I was more confident about the proof reading task that followed it though. I was also asked to go away and read some chapters for a book, then write an account of them and a 70 word blurb for the book. I really enjoyed doing this task, as it felt like proper editorial work, but it did take quite a bit of time, since I wanted to make sure that it was perfect.
This rejection was, by far, the hardest to receive. I hadn't by any means thought that I would definitely get the job, but I expected to be unsuccessful based on my weak interview performance, or not scoring well enough on the grammar test, or my assignment not being strong enough.
Instead, I was turned down, yet again, due to lack of experience. This time it bugged me - I put in hours of work for this interview, yet I was turned down based on something which they knew about from the moment they received my CV - it had, in fact, been them who decided I should be put forward for the job. I just felt as though a great deal of my time had been wasted on something I was never going to get from the start and was, I think understandably, very upset.
Interview G
This one was the morning after F, at short notice because the person the job was with was going away.
It was by far my best.
The person currently in the role came down to chat to me before the interview, telling me how great her boss was. The interviewer was lovely - really, really nice - and I felt as though I answered her questions well. I was yet again able to talk about what I knew about the company and the books I enjoyed reading. She was also really keen for me to speak to the girl already in the position, to see if I had any queries and to find out more about it. Since this had been the girl's first job, I was a little more confident that lack of experience would't count against me. She had also been promoted internally within seven months, so there was clearly great prospects.
I left feeling as though I had a very good shot. I'm not sure how many people I was up against though.
I still haven't heard back about it, but since the interviewer was going on holiday the following day, I feel that I probably haven't been successful as they seemed keen to get the vacancy filled before she left. I tried emailing the HR person the initial interview was with yesterday, only to get an out of office reply. So I will have to wait until the 3rd September to find out for sure, but I'm 99.9% sure that I haven't got it, which is a shame given I thought it went so well.
I don't have any more job interviews lined up for the moment, but I have an interview for work experience with a literary agency next month and my next interview will be next Wednesday ... at the job center. Well I've got to fund all these trips up to London somehow...
I am trying to work in publishing. I've done five work experience placements over the past two years, which have given me a taste of the industry and have confirmed my desire to work there.
Interview A
This one was for a Grad scheme placement in Sales and was through a recruitment company. To start with I had a phone interview... on the train, on the way to a meal for my 21st birthday! A little nerve racking (and embarrassing, since everyone could hear me) but I knew if I rescheduled I would just be panicking about the interview all evening, rather than enjoying my meal. It seemed to go well, especially considering that I was completely unprepared. I was told at the end that I would be emailed some tests, then called in for a face-to-face interview if I did OK in them.
Cue a lot of maths practice, since I haven't done anything maths-related since my GCSEs! But by the time I took the tests I was doing OK and my marks must have been fine since they called me in for an interview the next day.
This was very, very exciting - my first real job interview! My Dad recommended I read a book on Interviews for Dummies before I left, which mostly re-affirmed a lot of common sense approaches (dress smartly; don't highlight your weaknesses; don't sound too desperate...) but it also prepared me for a lot of the standard questions that come up (a time when I have made a mistake and learnt from it; a time when I have dealt with a difficult person/situation). This was incredibly useful as I suddenly realized that I had more material than I had thought, mostly due to my time as the President of a sports club.
I went into the interview terrified, but as prepared as I could be.
And it seemed to go well: I turned up early, without getting lost, answered all of the questions, had lots of examples. I left feeling quite confident, I'd even chatted to the interviewer about books and films based on books (the interview book said that it was great to build up a bit of rapport).
This just made the following week all the more agonizing: I was told that I would definitely hear back either way and that I would receive feedback on how I had performed. But a week, after walking everywhere with my phone clutched in my hand so that I could constantly check my emails, I still hadn't heard anything. After moving house and still not hearing back, I decided to email the interviewer politely, asking when I could expect to hear anything. More days passed without news. Then, another week later, I got an email telling me I had been unsuccessful and wouldn't be called back for a second interview. I followed up with a request for that feedback I had been promised... and got nothing. But oh well, interview B was just around the corner.
Interview B
I got a call about this one on the way to my graduation. Apparently I had been sent a email, but it never came through (cue total panic over what other opportunities I may have missed out on and relief that this company had liked me enough to call). I had applied for the job almost a month ago and when I got the call I couldn't actually remember which company it was with, so I spent the rest of the day trying to research them on my phone.
The interview was for a PA job in a small publishing imprint. I was excited about it, because it would mean working across quite a few different departments and it was with children's board books. They also did cake Friday, so I knew I would fit in perfectly. However, I knew going in for the interview that if I came up against anyone with PA experience I was pretty much doomed. I did loads of preparation though, researching the company, their ethos and their books. In the meantime I was also offered interview C, so I went in feeling pretty confident that it wasn't the end of the world if it didn't go well.
And it didn't...
It was less an interview, more an informal discussion. I wasn't asked any questions and talk quickly turned to TV and the Olympics. All of my careful preparation went straight out the window and I had to try hard not to panic. They did talk about the company a bit, but I found it difficult to input, showing off what I had found out.
Talking has never been one of my strong points and I'm quite shy, so it can take a bit of time for my personality to show. But I got the feeling that this interview was entirely a test of personality and this unnerved me quite a bit. I didn't even get the chance to mention my love of baking and my amazing chocolate-chili cookie recipe. I sort of wondered whether they had already found someone perfect for the job and were just trying to fill the time...
I wasn't surprised when I didn't get the job, but the feedback was very positive. They had liked me, but the job had gone to someone who was already working as a PA, as I had expected.
Interview C
Interview C was with the biggest company so far, making me very, very nervous. Even sitting in reception was terrifying. It didn't help that, minutes before going in I sprayed some deodorant on and it came out as white powder... all over the armpits of my bright red shirt...
I was pleased to get this interview, since I had tried a new style of writing cover letters when I applied for it, going through the job application and specifically addressing each of the points mentioned in it, using similar terms and wording.
The interview consisted of actual questions. They were harder than the first interview, and I had to think a bit more before responding, but I felt that I had answered well in the end. I also felt that my preparation had been helpful as I was able to talk about their new acquisitions and the things about the company that excited me. There was also two roles on offer, raising my confidence, and they would be doing second interviews the following week. I stood up feeling quite confident but when one of the interviewers lead me to the elevator I suddenly wasn't so sure - it felt more like a firm goodbye than a see you again next week. I panicked slightly as I got into the lift.
At the end of the next week I received an email telling me that I hadn't got a second interview. My answers weren't as strong as other candidates and they felt that my work experience wasn't focused enough; I needed to decide on a firm department that I want to work in and get more experience in it. Given the difficulty to get jobs at the moment this perhaps seems a bit naive; if I was only applying for jobs in editorial, say, I would have barely anything to apply for. However, it did let me know that I needed to sound more sure of myself and my plans for the future, so it was useful advice. The job had been in rights, something I didn't have any experience in, but I had tried to focus on my Sales experience as I felt that the departments were similar, so it would sound the most relevant. If I could do it over, I would have made sure that I knew all of the ins and outs of a job in rights and would link all of my previous experience back to this job.
Interview D
Interview D was for another PA role, this time in an editorial and design department for a children's publisher. The interview was with a single person, making it a little more relaxed and I went through all of the questions quite confidently.
The only strange question I was asked was whether I was disappointed with the one B I got at school. This was an odd question because a B at AS level is still really good and it was in Chemistry, so not really relevant to working with children's books. Perhaps she was just trying to throw me off. I am incredibly proud of that B though, given how hard I had to work to get even that (GCSE Chemistry I had understood, A Level Chemistry proved far, far beyond my intellectual capabilities).
I knew, once again, that I would come stuck if another interviewer had PA experience, but I just had to hope that I had done enough to make her want to take a chance.
I had to wait two weeks to hear anything back, but had been told this in advance, so was't too concerned (although my phone had become a permanent fixture in my hand by this point). I eventually got an email late one night while I was out with friends. Not wanting to spoil my night, I didn't look at it until I was back in the car on the way home. It was a no, but again a positive one: they had liked me, but the job had gone to someone 'already working in the industry'.
Interview E
Interview E was very last minute. I already had interview F lined up for the following week when I got a call asking me to come in that Friday. It was a company (and department) I had already done work experience with, so I was very excited and also a little more relaxed, since I was confident that I knew what I was talking about.
The job was in sales and, taking account of the notes I had got from C, I made sure to talk about my plans for a career in sales, in children's literature specifically. The company also published books that I love, so I was able to talk about those, showing how enthusiastic I was about the company.
I was told that about five people were being interviewed, with two-three being called back for a second interview the following week and that I would hear back on the Monday.
This made for a very nervous, very depressing Monday where, no matter how many times I checked my phone, an interview just wouldn't come through.
But I did get a second interview - I got the email on Tuesday morning, while on my way to interview F. Things were looking up.
Interview F
Originally, I applied for work experience with company F, so I was very surprised when I got an email inviting me in for a job interview. However, it was with a company I had never read any books by, so I went to the library the next day to take out thirteen books by them, which I spent the rest of the week reading. The job was in an editorial department, so there would also be a grammar test as part of the interview and I made sure to prepare for this as well.
I don't think the interview went very well. I got little feedback from the interviewers and got flustered by some of the questions: my thoughts on creativity; how would I describe myself in one word. This question has frustrated me; put on the spot, I ended up answering 'organised' yet on the walk home I realized that I had the perfect answer, one that I genuinely would use to describe myself and would also have been ideal for the job: romantic.
I am nothing if not a romantic. Everything I read, watch and feel is enthused with romance. This is probably why I am getting married at 21, which is pretty young by today's standards.
I also felt, during the interview, that I was being told that I didn't have enough experience for the role. Given that they had invited me to an interview without me having applied, I wasn't really sure how to feel about this. Why interview me if I'm not qualified for the job?
The grammar test went well, but I knew that it wasn't perfect and that this would obviously stand against me. I was more confident about the proof reading task that followed it though. I was also asked to go away and read some chapters for a book, then write an account of them and a 70 word blurb for the book. I really enjoyed doing this task, as it felt like proper editorial work, but it did take quite a bit of time, since I wanted to make sure that it was perfect.
This rejection was, by far, the hardest to receive. I hadn't by any means thought that I would definitely get the job, but I expected to be unsuccessful based on my weak interview performance, or not scoring well enough on the grammar test, or my assignment not being strong enough.
Instead, I was turned down, yet again, due to lack of experience. This time it bugged me - I put in hours of work for this interview, yet I was turned down based on something which they knew about from the moment they received my CV - it had, in fact, been them who decided I should be put forward for the job. I just felt as though a great deal of my time had been wasted on something I was never going to get from the start and was, I think understandably, very upset.
Interview G
This one was the morning after F, at short notice because the person the job was with was going away.
It was by far my best.
The person currently in the role came down to chat to me before the interview, telling me how great her boss was. The interviewer was lovely - really, really nice - and I felt as though I answered her questions well. I was yet again able to talk about what I knew about the company and the books I enjoyed reading. She was also really keen for me to speak to the girl already in the position, to see if I had any queries and to find out more about it. Since this had been the girl's first job, I was a little more confident that lack of experience would't count against me. She had also been promoted internally within seven months, so there was clearly great prospects.
I left feeling as though I had a very good shot. I'm not sure how many people I was up against though.
I still haven't heard back about it, but since the interviewer was going on holiday the following day, I feel that I probably haven't been successful as they seemed keen to get the vacancy filled before she left. I tried emailing the HR person the initial interview was with yesterday, only to get an out of office reply. So I will have to wait until the 3rd September to find out for sure, but I'm 99.9% sure that I haven't got it, which is a shame given I thought it went so well.
I don't have any more job interviews lined up for the moment, but I have an interview for work experience with a literary agency next month and my next interview will be next Wednesday ... at the job center. Well I've got to fund all these trips up to London somehow...
Wedding Cake: attempt two
I am determined to make my own cake for my wedding next June. Wedding cakes can cost from £300 up and, since baking is one of the few things I am actually quite good at, I might as well make use of it. Besides, I have plenty of time to practice.
Today, I had a second go at making a lemon sponge cake (recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible - the most amazing cookery book in the world). The first time I baked this cake was for a tea party. It tasted superb, but I ended up short of time and had to put the butter cream on while it was still hot. This resulted in a melted, sludgy mess (but a tasty one none the less).
This time I made myself wait until the cake had cooled completely before icing it - which was difficult when it smelt so good! It looks a little better, but still very 'home made'. Great for a tea party, not so great for a wedding. I'm not sure if the problem is me or the icing. Perhaps butter cream just isn't wedding cake friendly. I think the next step is to experiment with different types of icing, to see what looks the most professional, even if it doesn't taste quite as good as lemon butter cream...
After that, I need to buy some new tins to work on the recipe for the second, chocolate, tier of the cake.
I just have to hope I can still fit into my dress in June...
Today, I had a second go at making a lemon sponge cake (recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible - the most amazing cookery book in the world). The first time I baked this cake was for a tea party. It tasted superb, but I ended up short of time and had to put the butter cream on while it was still hot. This resulted in a melted, sludgy mess (but a tasty one none the less). This time I made myself wait until the cake had cooled completely before icing it - which was difficult when it smelt so good! It looks a little better, but still very 'home made'. Great for a tea party, not so great for a wedding. I'm not sure if the problem is me or the icing. Perhaps butter cream just isn't wedding cake friendly. I think the next step is to experiment with different types of icing, to see what looks the most professional, even if it doesn't taste quite as good as lemon butter cream...
After that, I need to buy some new tins to work on the recipe for the second, chocolate, tier of the cake.
I just have to hope I can still fit into my dress in June...
