The Vintage Tea Party

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Angel Adoree asking me if I'd like to have a copy of her new book 'The Vintage Tea Party'. Of course, being a great lover of vintage, tea & cakes I of course replied with a resounding 'yes'!

Angel was on the last series of 'Dragon's Den' & was fortunate enough to obtain an investment to create her dream business The Vintage Patisserie!

She has now turned her hand to writing the perfect book for all of us who love a fabulous tea party whether it be morning, afternoon or evening, with everything from recipes, party decorating ideas & even how to make an apron, wear a headscarf & very importantly, how to style your hair....victory rolls anyone?



The book is filled with lovely photos & quirky illustrations galore providing hours of delicious browsing. I would highly recommend this book as a great addition to your bookshelf & I will certainly be using it as inspiration in the future!


Don't forget that I stock lots of pretty vintage china for perfect tea parties on my website Country Cottage Chic.

Poshest Jumble In Town

We were flying the bunting again last Saturday at the second V&H Vintage Jumble & as one visitor remarked "This is the poshest Jumble Sale ever!"


The vintage cars set the scene & drew much admiration from visitors & passers-by.


There was quite a queue waiting to come in when I opened the doors - it was so busy in the morning, these photos were taken in the afternoon so most stalls were pretty depleted by then.


I came home with eleven empty tubs so my clearing out is off to a good start!


As you can see there were all sorts of goodies on offer & everything was priced at bargain rates.


Visitors were leaving with bulging bags & were asking when the next one would be.


Of course one of the advantages of being a stallholder is having first pick of the goodies before the doors open - I bought one of Viv's lovely purses, a set of pyrex from Jacquie, a mannequin & suitcase from Jo, books from Jane & pillowcases from Lucy.


There was temptation at every turn - I really had to resist buying this sewing machine from Nikki.


The Rangeworthy WI were kept busy serving tea, coffee & delicious homemade cakes with the proceeds going to CJD Research.


There was so much to choose from, something for every taste & every pocket.





Finally, our cutest stallholder, Teddy, who was extremely well behaved!

Watch this space for the next 'Posh' Jumble!

Mis-matched China

With just 5 days to go until the Vintage Jumble Sale, Tamzin & I have been sorting out china for her mis-matched china stall. You will be able to select your own choice of cups, saucers, plates, jugs & sugar bowls to make up your own sets.


Whether you want a single cup & saucer or a set, or saucers for coasters or soap dishes, cups for candles, or plates for cakes, here is your chance to buy some at bargain prices.

Vintage Jumble Sale

I do hope that lots of you will be able to join us at our second Vintage Jumble Sale next Saturday 13th August from 10.30am - 2.00pm.

Many of the V&H dealers will be having a sort out & offering vintage goods at giveaway prices - most items will be under £10!

Toys, books, games, china, glass, haberdashery, ephemera, clothing, textiles & much, much more will be available for your shopping pleasure.

Entrance is free & there will be tea, coffee & delicious homemade cakes served by the Rangeworthy WI in aid of charity.

Find us at Rangeworthy Village Hall, Wotton Rd, Rangeworthy, BS37 7LZ

Don't miss a fun day out!

Acton Court

Dear Readers,

I fear I have been neglecting you of late. Life has been so busy but I thought it was about time to let you know that I am still here & what I have been up to!

Do many of you find that there is something rather lovely to see or visit on your doorstep but you never get around do doing it? Well, almost a stone's throw from my house is a Tudor treasure, Acton Court - I drive past it on a regular basis & if it wasn't for the trees I could see it from my bedroom window, yet I have never been before.

Last week the local WI organised a visit & guided tour so I went along & I was so glad I did!
It is a fascinating building that was built especially for a visit from Henry VIII & Anne Bolyn in 1535 - it was originally a wing of a much larger building but over the years the stone was used to build barns etc as it was eventually used as a farmhouse, so only this specially built wing is still standing (including Henry's personal indoor privy!). The farmers used Henry's dining hall to store cheese!



The gardens are no longer formal but are very prettily filled with wild flowers.


A nice seating area under the trees where you can have tea & cake.



Photography is not allowed inside the building so I can only show you the outside.


This window was recycled from an Abbey destroyed by Henry VIII.

There is also a lovely vegetable garden.

You can just see our very informative & enthusiastic guide who really brought the building's story to life.

Piggy sculptures in the garden.

There is even a resident friendly dog!

I would definitely recommend a visit if you are in the area but do check dates as they aren't open all year round. They do have a website here: www.actoncourt.com