Blog

So for those of you who don’t know I work as a chef and baker, I like to think of myself more as a baker because that’s what I do best. Ive been baking for years and absolutely love it! I Spent 3 years at catering college where I really came out of my shell and learnt how to cook like a pro. I’ve had numerous jobs over the years all in kitchens from washing up to making sandwiches to baking and doing fine dining food. I started years ago making celebration cakes for birthdays weddings ect. ( if you want to see my work then search What zoe bakes on facebook) I loved doing these cakes for people some of them took me hours but I loved every second, sadly having a full time job and other commitments meant I had to stop doing them for a while, my plan is to start this up again once on maternity leave so watch this space!

After this I got a job in a garden center and after a while I was put into the bakery YAY! My dream come true baking for a living! the amount of cakes I would smash out of that bakery was unreal. hundreds of scones a week numerous cakes and traybakes, I was loving life! I currently work in a small hotel in my local village, here I make fresh scones cakes desserts bread you name it I make it. I have abit of a reputation for making weird flavours of cakes, however they always seem to sell! I was lucky enough a few years ago to feature on the nightly show with Gordon Ramsay who is my absolute favourite chef! He likes my cake really despite what he said haha!


Watch what he thought of my cake here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z44CqpALi0


For those of you who haven’t watched the video I made a cucumber cake for Gordon to try (I didn’t actually make it I sent in my recipe and his chefs made it mine looks better!). Ive made and sold many slices of this at work and its actually quite nice and really refreshing. So I thought id share one of my favourite recipies with you to try! Give it a go and see what you think. its not as crazy as it sounds honest!



Cucumber and elderflower cake
makes 1 cake

you need-

1 cucumber (deseeded)
230g butter
300g sugar
4 eggs
300g self raising flour
200g icing sugar
1 bottle of elderflower cordial

1.) Preheat the oven to 160oc

2.) Deseed the cucumber and blend up to make a sort of cucumber juice,

3.) Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy

4.) Slowely add the egg whilst continigung to beat

5.) Once all the egg is mixed in add the flour and beat in.

6.) Slowley add the cucumber juice.

spread between 2 round cake pans and bake on 160 for approx. 30 min


For the filling make a buttercream out of 100g of the icing sugar and some butter this is for the middle of the cake.

To top the cake mix the remaining icing sugar and a few splashes of elderflower cordial and spread over the top of the cake. If you are feeling really adventurous you can make some cucumber crisps by thinly slicing some cucumber dusting with icing sugar and leave in the oven on a really low temperature to dry out.

and there you have it! one cucumber cake


Enjoy !!





Z




xxx

This last week has been a bit of a rollercoaster. I’ve suddenly developed bad pains in my hips during the evening when I lay down in bed. And by bad pains I mean stabbing aches in both my hips and no matter what position I lay in. I’m up all night trying to roll over and find a comfy spot but its like the world hates me and wants me to suffer because nothing works. During the day its absolutely fine its literary just when I lay down which is super annoying because I love my sleep! Anyway I mentioned it to my midwife who all she really recommended was sleeping with a pillow between my legs which kind of helps.


Anyway I decided enough was enough last night and I decided to take action. For my birthday back in January my mum bought me this super large 4 foot pregnancy pillow its basically a giant horseshoe pillow that you lay down the middle and its supposed to support everything. Its kind of helpful but difficult to sleep in. So last night I collected every cushion pillow and blanket we had in the house and I made a little nest right in the middle of my bed and good lord did that help support my hips and back. instead of being in pain all night I only woke up about twice in pain which is a massive improvement! So I’ve put together some bits of information tips and advice on what to do if you experience hip pain during pregnancy.

What is hip pain in pregnancy and what are the causes?

Pain in the hips pelvis and lower back normally develops in the third trimester of pregnancy and is caused by a pregnancy hormone called relaxin. This hormone causes the ligiments in the hips to soften to prepare for labour which results in aches and pains when pressure is applied to the hips.

How can I help reduce the pain in my hips ?

I have had lots of advice from other people who have been through the same thing all telling me similar to the midwife and that’s to sleep with a pillow between my legs. whilst this kind of helps it doesn’t take the pain completely away. The only real thing that’s worked for me is making my nest of cushions and blankets and finding the right position to sleep in.

physiotherapy and a chiropractor

I am not speaking from experience here as I haven’t used either of these but I have been recommended by friends to use these. To be honest the cost of going to a chiropractor or physiotherapy is way out of my price range whilst saving for a baby and to be honest ive managed to keep my pain under control a little bit.

Swimming

Swimming is a proven way to help with hip pain because under water you are weightless as you swim this acts as kind of a message on your joints. ( proper annoying because I cancelled my swim membership last week)



I think the most important thing is to not put to much strain on your body and find a sleeping position that works for you.

I AM NOT A DOCTOR OR MIDWIFE. if you have sever pain and are not managing please seek medical advice. Happy sleeping xx


Z




xxx

Its pretty obvious that our bodies are going to change throughout pregnancy you’d have to be an idiot to think everything will stay the same. So I thought id put together a little something for pregnant ladies or future pregnant ladies to read and to get prepared for.

What a stupid question… Am I really pregnant? A belly the size of the moon and waddling round like a retarded duck kind of gives it away really!  But every now and again I actually forget that I am pregnant. I realise how dumb this sounds but bare with me I have good reasoning!

So this Friday just gone I officially entered my 8th month of pregnancy! its been a long old road since I first decided I wanted to be a mummy. I used to panic all the time that I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant and that I would never be a mother and just grow old and be lonely
and childless forever.

So as well as my new adventure into motherhood my job as a chef and just generally being me I have another love in my life…. RUNNING! Some of you may be rolling your eyes right now and sniggering thinking she doesn’t have the body for a runner how the hell can she possibly run? For the uneducated people thinking this let me tell you us fat girls can run to! It doesn’t take the body on an athlete to get your running shoes on and pound the pavements getting those miles in. I used to be embarrassed at the fact I ran when I am the size I am I only ever used to run in the dark because I was so scared all the passing cars would be laughing at me! Now? I’m a proud runner and give zero fucks about what anyone thinks about me, after 3 half marathons and 1 10k I have earnt the right to feel proud of myself.


My running story started way back in 2015 when I decided I wanted to give up the fags and get fit. I wont lie it was bloody hard to start with! but once I got into the swing of things and started losing weight it was the best feeling in the world! I didn’t run far but I got out there most nights and put the hard work in eventually loosing about 2 stone. One summer about 3 years ago I got the extremely sad news that one of my best friends from school had very sadly taken her own life. Even though I hadn’t seen her or spoken in a while I was just in shock and numb. The night of her funeral I obviously got very drunk and thought how can I do something positive to raise money in her memory? so I very drunkenly signed up for Edinburgh half marathon!


Holy shit… now I actually need to be serious about my running and get a training plan! I worked hard for months as well as fundraising for my chosen charity The mental health foundation. I worked my little (big) arse off for months and finally got up to 8 miles before I had to stop this was a huge achievement for me! The day of the half marathon I was shaking like a shitting dog I cant even tell you how nervous I was I just wanted to finish the race for my friend. It was long it was hard and gruelling but after 3.5 hours I finally crossed that finish line and burst into tears … I DONE IT! so proud of myself and my total fundraising was just over £1,000.


The following September I ran a 10k up in Scotland and in October I ran the oxford half marathon this time I ran for Oxfordshire mind which is also a mental health charity. see a theme here? From then on I didn’t run so much and ended up putting all the weight back on. After trying for a baby for 6 months last year I decided I needed to start running again and quit smoking (again) so I did… I worked even harder this time with a lot of long runs I managed 9 miles this time before I had to stop. So I thought as I’m not getting pregnant I may aswel enter oxford half again. race day is always so nerve-racking !but once again the crowd got me through and I broke my current record! I managed the first 10 miles before I had to stop and walk for a second. Once again I crossed that finish line with so much pride and a new medal to add to my collection.

1 week later… BAM IM PREGNANT!! What are the chances? I had in fact run a half marathon whilst 4 weeks pregnant. I’m such a badass 😉 so oxford half marathon October 2018 was in fact the last time I ran, against advice from the hospital I decided to give up running whilst I had a baby on board its not worth the risk to me as id had a few falls in the past.


For now I am really excited to start running again once the little one is here and get fit once again and maybe even enter a race who knows! For now my fundraising total stands at just over £3,000 all for various mental health charities my friend may not be here anymore but I will continue to fundraise in her memory.


Rip Kirsty



Z




xxx

So I’m coming up to 32 weeks in a few days which means only 8 weeks until littleun is due to arrive. I’ve always been shit scared of the thought of giving birth but when I actually got pregnant to be honest it was the last thing on my mind, like all mothers I just wanted my baby to be healthy. Even up until this point I’ve not given labour and the birth a second thought, I know he has to come out  somehow there’s no getting away from that fact.

It would seem rather rude of me to make a blog and not do a post about the other love of my life wouldn’t it? Right now  I’m wondering how I’m going to fill a few paragraphs of writing about my main addiction I suppose you could call it. That’s right I’m talking about the good old English cup of tea! who doesn’t love a hot brew first thing in the morning? I’ve been drinking tea for years and years and I have no plans to give up anytime soon.

We’ve all done it! and why the hell not? we are creating life! I probably do it once a day if not more to be honest poor Mr M is probably sick of it but who cares he’s sat watching the months go past as I get bigger and bigger growing his child, constipated to hell, sleepless nights and boobs so big they are about to pop any day now! what an easy life he’s got right. Guessed what I’m on about yet?


The pregnancy card, we’ve all used it either when we actually need help doing things or are just feeling lazy. I pull the pregnancy card far to often especially when I am feeling lazy, why should I run upstairs to grab my glasses so I can watch TV or make my own cup of tea when I can pull out the trusted pregnancy card and get the hubby to do my dirty work. I’ve even managed to bagsie breakfast in bed every Saturday morning before work, up he comes with a bowl of coco pops and a cuppa tea good lad!


He just loves the moment when I come out with … so you know I’m pregnant, will you run upstairs and grab me a pair of socks, and to be fair to him he never moans or grones he does what he has to do bless him. To be fair to me though 80% of the time when I pull the pregnancy card its for things I genuinely cant do like carry the hover up the stairs, cut the grass or clean the oven which obviously I am gutted about. ( Yeah right!) As you may have read in my last post about mental health and the tough few days I had I really couldn’t face doing any house work I’m very lucky that he is a hands on hubster he managed to tidy up hover the whole house clean the toilets and cut the grass. I came home and didn’t have to lift a finger. how lucky am I !!


I have 10 weeks left of using the pregnancy card and I’m planning on using it wisely mwah ha ha. Its such a shame I cant use strong oven cleaner to get my oven clean that’s been needing doing for ages or take the bins out every week. I do realise am I’m typing this post out its making me look very lazy indeed, just to clarify I do actually do things around the house and do things for myself I want the house and garden to be perfect and ready for when the little man arrives.


So until then I’m going to make the most of being pregnant (and sometimes lazy) and make good use of the husband which I think he secretly enjoys in his own way. So to all the pregnant ladies out there don’t be scared to pull the pregnancy card and get your men helping out!


Z



xxx

I’ve been staring at a blank screen for a while wondering how to write this post, its hard putting your life on show knowing everyone will be reading this and the worries about what people will think. But sod it my new years resolution was to be more honest and not let people push me around so here goes.

I wont go into detail about myself but like I’ve said in past posts my mental health has been reasonably good recently I’ve been loving life except for the few pregnancy related mishaps which I’ve dealt with and got over. Long before I got pregnant and I’m talking maybe 6 or 7 years I’ve had sleep problems sometimes mild where I just cant get to sleep at night to sever insomnia where one weekend last January I didn’t sleep for 72 hours! And no that’s not an exaggeration just ask poor Mr M who stayed up with me looking after me and trying to help me settle me, cuddling me and being supportive. (He deserves a medal for that weekend) Anyway… lack of sleep for me is like the biggest trigger you can imagine.

I’ve been on strong ish sleeping tablets for a few years now prescribed by the doctor and honestly they work wonders! ( I don’t take them during pregnancy for obvious reasons) The only issue with the tablets is they can become addictive so I only used to get prescribed them a few weeks at a time. The other tablets I’m on for my mood are designed to help me sleep which give me that little extra boost when I’m struggling but for some reason when I fell pregnant my sleep problems seemed to straighten themselves out and I slept like a log for the first few months which was great! Just lately as I’m getting bigger and the urge to pee is like every 5 minuets my sleeping habits have started to get bad again and because of this I’m very tired in the day and generally run down but getting up and going to work and having a laugh with my work mates really lifts my spirits I love those guys and I’m going to be so emotional when I hang up my apron for 7 months maternity leave soon.


Sunday night just passed I had probably the worst nights sleep I’ve had in months and Monday morning I woke up in tears exhausted and hating the world. I felt so low, why is this happening to me? I start getting thoughts that … ( please bear in mind I know these are not rational thoughts now I am feeling better)  I start thinking I’m going to die and everyone I love is going to die and what’s the point in having a baby if I might die and leave him motherless? Its ridiculous to think these things could even be true but when you find yourself so mentally exhausted things like this actually feel like reality. I’m quite good at recognising when I’m getting poorly so I try and make sure I do something about it
.

I forced myself out of bed and got on the bus to oxford to have a look round the shops but still I felt so numb and as I’m sat on the bus the baby starts kicking and at that moment I just thought god what kind of mother am I going to be if I get myself in this state when he’s born?
So I get to oxford make a dash for the new shopping centre as per usual I’m dying for a wee. I sat on the toilet and burst into tears and I have no idea why I was crying but I knew I had to sort myself out so I did and had a brief look round the shops and bought a few new things for baby, had a hot chocolate in costa.Trying to think of ideas how to make myself feel better I had an idea of going to the book shop to
see if I  could find a book to read to keep my mind off things. So once back in Witney I had a quick look around the book shop and found 2 books I liked the look of and as soon as I got home I got stuck into one of them. About an hour later I couldn’t put the book down and it had made me forget how I was feeling. HURRAH!