What’s cooking?

Yes kids, that time of year has rolled around again. Once again several brave souls, Alex, Darren, and WAG Roger, have opted to push hair out of their faces for prostate cancer charity.

You can quickly and easily donate online to their cause by clicking their names, above, or you can donate to the entire team by clicking here.

Don’t worry; it’s a thoroughly reputable site that’s been doing this for years. And we promise not to sell your details to Russian fraudsters.

Well, maybe a few.

The theme for this year’s Movember Gala party will be…. well… actually never mind. All you need to know is that we’ll be going in drag.

 

In the meantime, I have to immediately work out a half-baked excuse as to why we’re allowed to blog about Movember, when this blog is officially about Technology PR.

Without further delay, I therefore present to you, a picture of a robot with a moustache….

… or some such jazz. Meh.

The point is, EML is a thoroughly charitable company that gets behind several worthwhile causes every year. Alex, Darren and Roger would be delighted if you’d take the time to donate as much as you can spare to the cause.

Mo photos soon, you lucky people.

BAKE-OFF FINALS – WE HAVE A WINNER!

After a hard few months of slogging through every cake known to man we’re finally at the Bake-off final.

This is a momentous occasion in the EML office, which really sorts the men from the boys. Which was particularly difficult this time around, as both finalists were ladies.

Marked in the  calendar as EML’s holiest of holy days, the Bake-off final saw two truly outstanding entries.

Juliet really went down the Cheesecake route; always a popular way to go, but surprised everyone by preparing both a savoury bacon and tomato cheesecake and a sweet Blueberry and lime cheesecake. Siobhan followed up with a stunning lemon cake.

And this year’s winner is. JULIET!

Later this week we shall all bear witness to the presentation of the famed EML Bake-off silver cake slice, which shall be engraved with Juliet’s name to remain immortal on the wall of our office.

VERDICTS:

This is the toughest vote ever. siobhan’s lemon pound cake was just moist enough, just sweet enough and just everything enough.but my vote is to juliet for the softest, smoothest, lightest and tastiest cheesecake in the world.

OK, this is a tough one…. perhaps we need a rematch next week just to be sure? I really enjoyed Siobhan’s pound-cake and on any normal bake-off, against mere baking mortals, she’d win oven-gloves down. However, Juliet’s unusual cheesy bacon savoury option was like an English breakfast, all rolled up in a cheesecake. To have that followed up by a delicious cheesecake covered in blueberries….inspiration!   Juliet, you have my vote.

I’d like to vote Siobhan for champion!  I’m not usually that keen on lemon cake, but this one was delicious.  Juliet’s offerings were lovely too, but not being a fan of cheesecakes (not Juliet’s fault, just me being fussy!) means that my vote goes to the Gaffan.

A worthy final with three fantastic offerings.  Siobhan’s pound cake was lovely, light and tasty.  Difficult to see that being cooked better.  Juliet’s savoury cheesecake was brilliant, lovely idea and well executed but… the blueberry and lime cheesecake is the cake they  serve in heaven.  It was magnificent: great mix of flavours, light, good texture.  Juliet gets my vote.

Cheesecake will always win in my books, and these were exceptionally well put-together. Juliet gets my vote.

Top efforts from both bakers, deserved finalists. My vote though goes to Juliet for the Blueberry cheese cake, tasty but not over powering and perfect Monday morning food. (However it’s not so good when you accidentally mix it with the bacon one)

Juliet brought home the bacon, winning won my vote hands down with her baked cheesecakes – totally satisfying!

Juliet’s savory cheesecake was delicious and means she just shades my vote, even though I wasn’t so keen on the sweet one.

THE SEMI-FINALS

Over the past couple of weeks the semi-finals of the bake-off have taken place and we have two people through to the final which takes place on Monday 10th August.  In competition will be Siobhan and Juliet. Juliet has a tough task ahead of her as Siobhan is a past winner so knows all the tricks to get those vital important votes.

The comments on the semis are:

Siobhan’s lemon tart was absolutely delicious – I almost licked my plate clean (OK, OK, I did) A tang-tastic delight.  Great effort from Ben – muffins were lovely and fluffy

As delightful as the muffins are, my vote has to go for the lemon meringue pie. A gorgeously tart tart.

Voting against Ben’s mum seems wrong but Siobhan’s lemon meringue was delicious and definitely gets my vote this week

It has to be the lemon meringue tart – always my favourite and this was an excellent example.

My vote goes to Siobhan’s meringue – not too heavy and really tasty.

I’d like to vote for Siobhan this week, although it has been a really tough to decide.  Ben’s muffins were lovely and flavourful and I was impressed that we got two different flavours, but I have to go with my taste-buds and Gaffan’s lemon meringue pie which was delicious, really light and sweet.

Siobhan’s carefully crafted creation wins the day, though I do like Ben’s mum’s muffins…

Presentation of both entries was excellent this week but my preference for lemon meringue won through so Siobhan gets my vote, of the two entries by Ben’s mum I liked the blueberry bun best.

Juliet never disappoints and this morning was no exception. Her three way chocolate cookies are just bloody gorgeous, and the right consistency of crunchiness and chewiness. And then the cheese biscuits, what can I say, light, tasty, baking perfection! I’ve already had a second helping of each!

I agree with ALL of the above – brilliant baking (as always) Juliet.  I can’t believe I booked a holiday on the day of the final! Danger for me and my belly as I know they’ll be none left on the Tuesday

Delicious. I especially loved the cheese biscuits, the way to my heart is with cheese!

The cookies were crumbly and the chocolate melted in my mouth

I have nothing to say other than both of Juliet’s efforts were very, very nice… particularly the cheesy option

I loved the savoury biccies. Very tasty indeed. Didn’t try the choccy ones, but they also looked great

Biscuity goodness all round – delicious cookies, delicious cheesy things = me very happy with my morning’s snacks

Top efforts from Juliet, the cheese things were lovely and well topped off with the sauce thing as well

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 6th July 2009

Here we are, the last of the quarter finals and Ben’s scrummy chocolate/raspberry/marscapone combination has beaten director David’s excellent almond Greek biscuits – called kourabies apparently.  Last week’s round was a resounding win for Siobhan with a bakewell tart to die for. A cakeless week next week and then into the semis.

This week’s comments:

Ben. a winning combination!

I wasn’t sure if I’d like David’s Greek biccies but they were very very nice. However Ben’s chocolate cake was one of the nicest I’ve ever eaten and has to get my vote this time around.

Ben’s cake is this week’s winner for me, the choc cake was moist and the vanilla topping was lush!  David’s contribution was good too, but not liking nuts made my decision a little easier.

I have to admire David’s biscuits for innovation. Nuts and sugar ain’t something we see much of. And boy was there sugar.
However, a rich, chocolatey chocolate cake slathered in vanilla mascapone and raspberries?! There can be only one.
Ben wins for me. My only regret is that there wasn’t more of his cake to smear around my bloated face. Bang goes my diet again.

this is the hardest one yet! gooey chocolately toothsomeness or crispy bites of delectability? arrrr…. david’s bikkies then…

David’s powdery Greek things were nicely unusual, he wins for me – Ben’s Mum sure can cook though.

I’m still not sure what one to go for – I enjoyed both very much. I could deliberate all day long but I think that ultimately David’s greek biscuits just clinch it

Ben’s all the way (sorry David) Very soft and sticky – YUM!

Very close.  Perfect biscuity things and the chocolate cake was fantastic.  WHo to vote for? Ben’s cake by a raspberry.

A difficult choice today and my initial impression was definitely for the choc and rasp combo but as I got into the almondy biscuits I enjoyed them more and more so it is the snowy Greek things that do it for me today.

My vote this week goes to Ben, really tasty chocolate cake with just the right topping so that it wasn’t too sweet first thing in the morning.

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 22nd June 2009

The next quarter final saw an absolute feast from Sarah-Jane and Sara – just what we needed to fuel us for the week ahead.  Sara-Jane baked a medley of muffins, blueberry and walnut, banana and honey, and Sa went overboard with homemade veggie pates, jam, curd and baked rolls.  We have not been able to move from our desks! 

Once again it was a very close-run thing but Sa just pipped Sarah-Jane to win this round and move on into the semi-finals.

Comments:
Really really tough call today, and I haven’t even tried the jam! The chestnut pate was amazing but the banana muffins just about edge it.

Alright, so it’s not cake. But thank you Sa for opening my eyes to the delicious potential of vegetarian pates. Baking bread was impressive enough. Making four types of delicious condiment was above and beyond. Though should the pates influence our decision. Were they baked?

Despite thinking that SJ’s muffins, particularly the honey ones, were absolutely scrumptious – vote has to go to Sa for her bread rolls with various accompaniments.

Can I please vote for SJ, her muffins were delicious and perfect for Monday morning breakfast.

Tough one this week, both contestants brought something to the table that was partial to. but my final vote goes to sa not only for her excellent buns (hur hur) but also for the veggie-ness, quality and quantity of the dips.

I was determined to base my judgement purely on the baked element of both submissions this week, but then had to include the beer and cheese pate in the calculation as it was particularly noteworthy.  Both Sarah Jane’s cakes were very good, I liked the one without the berries best – however Sa’s bread was great (particularly as it was not baked today) so gets my vote this week.

Credit to SJ for some fine muffins but my vote has to go to Sa – lovely rolls and amazing pate (especially the chestnut one)

Major food related dilemmas this week!  Sa astounded me with the sheer choice of homemade food – it was immense and to say that I can’t stand stilton, the pate was delicious (not so sure about the cat dish it was served in though!)  I also loved the red wine and chestnut pate and the homemade bread.  Sarah-Jane’s muffins were delicious – the walnut and banana one was my favourite.  I am going for…. Sa no, SJ, no, Sa, no, SJ… OK – SJ wins it! I simply have a weakness for walnuts (and most other foods)

Thought SJ’s blueberry muffins were great (alas, anything with cooked banana is a no-go area for me) but Sa’s sweet and savoury spread won the day, especially the nut pate and amazing lemon/lime curd.

I am going to give my vote to Sarah-Jane. All the food was excellent today, but I am a sucker for muffins and the banana, walnutty one was delicious.

My vote to Sarah-Jane and her selection of tasty muffins

Again close, Sarah-Jane’s muffins were brilliant but Sara gets it, by providing a full meal with bread, two home made preserves, two pates.  The stilton and Guinness pate was lovely, serving it in a cat dish was off putting.

EML in exercise shock

Over the months the ‘What’s cooking’ page of our blog has seen a multitude of different things. Cake, charity cake, moustaches, cake, biscuits, moustaches and of course, cake. However this post contains no cake or facial hair…

Earlier this week EML sailed into unchartered waters with its first ever sports team,  for a 5-a-side football tournament organised by our client PubliTronic. The tournament was held at the Goals football centre near Wembley and saw EML up against the likes of MTV, QVC and Nickelodeon. Being a company of only 16 we didn’t fancy our chances.

We somehow scraped together a squad of 6 along with a manager who brought us oranges and some supporters, then assembled ready for our first game against PubliTronic. Now one of the key rules for any PR agency is to always look after your client and make sure you go out of your way to keep them happy. Ever the professionals EML then proceeded to beat said client 8-2.

Next up was MTV, the group favourites. They had already beaten Nickelodeon in their first game so the crowd, numbering at least 5, were expecting a close one. After a tense start EML went on to win 4-0 all but sealing progress to the semi-finals. EML’s place in the semi-final was secured in the final group game against kids TV channel Nickelodeon, with EML chalking up a 4-1 victory.

After a quick break (and visit to the buffet and bar) it was time for EML’s semi-final against shopping channel QVC. In a hard fought game QVC emerged 2-0 winners and went through to play MTV who won the other semi final on penalties. The final was the day’s closest game, and with only a few minutes remaining QVC got the goal and held on to win 1-0.

So not a bad outing for EML’s first ever sports team and our thanks go to PubliTronic for organising what was a great evening’s worth of entertainment.

ROUND TWO – THE RESULTS – MONDAY 15th  June 2009

We are now into the quarter finals of the bake-off and it was Juliet versus Alex.  Alex produced a well iced and decorated Victoria Sponge, though he swore it was a Madeira cake, whilst Juliet went for the sweet and savoury scones option. With cream and jam to spread on the sweet ones and cream cheese for the savoury ones you could say that Juliet was playing to the masses.

Well, it worked and she moves effortlessly through to the semi-finals.

The comments are:

Juliet’s cheese scones were truly great.  Really nice consistency, just the right amount of cheesiness. Juliet gets my vote.
Juliet – home baked always has to get the win. Also, the cheesy scones were yummy.
My vote goes to Juliet. Home baked always gets extra brownie points but the scones were amazing.
Juliet for the best scones I have ever eaten. The savoury ones especially were superb.  Good effort to Alex for a very well decorated cake.
It has got to be Juliet and her scones for me – especially the cheese and chive. Yum!!
Even though he can’t win the creative presentation of the Madeira cake deserves a nod to Alex, but the scones (with goo) get my vote, hedging the sweet/savoury divide was perhaps not necessary – next time Juliet big fat cheesy scones would do!
Juliet – for the effort and catering to sweet AND savory (the madeira cake was very yummy though )
It has to be Juliet, sorry Alex!  The savoury scones were lovely and really hit the spot!
Scones and iced madeira cake?!  It’s like I’ve died and not only have I gone to heaven, but heaven’s made of cake (and you’re allowed to eat it – I’d be like a [dead angelic] cow, grazing on a field of cake)
Perhaps both could win so we have another opportunity for more scones and iced madeira cake? Both were delicious, and not an easy choice – but my vote goes to Alex and his madeira cake.
Scones all the way – delicious and I loved the cheesy one.  Nice touch on the Philli cream cheese Juliet. hmmmm.

THE RESULTS – MONDAY 1st June 2009

It is the last bake-off of the first round and it was a feast as visiting Caroline joined in as well and we had cup cakes, pear and stilton tart and multi-choc brownies.  Nobody needed lunch today.

The result was unexpected as for the first time in the history of EML baking a chocolate offering has won and Sarah-Jane pipped Richard’s tart for a place in the next round which starts in two weeks.

Comments:

Apart from my waistline, there are no losers today – struggling to reach my keyboard after sampling them all – just trying to finish SJ’s yummy triple chocolate cake. My vote has to go with Richard’s savoury tarts – but special thanks to Caroline for baking cupcakes and making this a real Monday morning feast….Why did I bring lunch again?

This week my vote goes to Sarah Jane, she has achieved the impossible and got me to eat nuts and enjoy them!  The fudge pieces in the brownies were also inspired. YUM!

hmmm… another tough one this week. let me start with a resounding round of applause for caroline who in trooper fashion entered the lists with gusto with her nostalgic cupcakes. i was particularly impressed with the one with “EML” on in icing. but after typing “pear and stilton tarts” and deleting it for “triple choc brownies” – im going to have to plump for the brownies. chocolatey goodness – not too dense. a lovely sink-your-teeth in feeling.

Well done Caroline for getting in the spirit but this week much as I like Cheese I have to vote for chocolate, congratulations Sarah-Jane for being brave and putting nuts in too!  Couldn’t eat a whole one though.

A delightful array of goodies. I’m a savoury woman at heart though so my vote has to go to RP.

Both entries superb. Chocolate brownies will always win in my estimation. Just right; soft, squidgy, moist. Yum yum yum.

I am going to vote for the DELICIOUSLY soft and chocolatey Brownie – the addition of the pecans was a great idea, well done SJ!
I thought Richard’s pastry was, as usual, very nice but I despise (I know, strong word) Stilton. Bad times. Caroline’s cupcakes were a sterling effort though and made up for the lingering taste of Stilton. Hmm – good Monday morning eating.

Good efforts all round. I thought I’d be voting for Richard’s savory option as I love all things cheesy but the chocolate brownies blew me away. Sarah-Jane it is.

Top efforts from all bakers today, don’t think I’ll need any lunch after that feast. The tart’s were excellent but I’m not a huge fan of stilton so my vote goes to Caroline’s bakewell tart type things, with SJ’s super heavy super chocolatey brownies a close second.

The cup cakes were a great addition to the bake-off and added to the complications of the day. I really thought that Richard’s tarts looked most tempting but then I had S-J’s brownies and I had to go back and have a bit of each again to make up my mind. However, in the end the brownies did it for me the tart was excellent but was missing the wow factor that the chocolate had.

Although the pastries were packed with two ingredients I don’t like, stilton and pears, I found them very subtle and enjoyable. However vote goes to Sarah Jane for her triple chocolate brownies! Marvelous just marvelous.

THE RESULTS – TUESDAY 26th 2009

After a long weekend away the denizens of EML really felt they had lost time to make up for. And boy did they make up for it. An exceptional round of entries that almost had a hung vote from the staff.

Despite wrongly calling a draw initially, the eventual winner was David.

Votes below:

This gets said a lot, and I’ve said it before, but never really meant it: Today really, really was a tough decision. Ultimately I think David’s cakes win on technical expertise; they were moist, light, fluffy…. In every respect David’s cakes were bakery-perfect.
However, technique cannot beat my preference for tasty caramel shortcakes. Selection should be at least 50% of the competition, and I simply prefer caramel shortcake. Siobhan wins in my estimation.

A really difficult choice this week, both were delicious and gave me quite the sugar rush!  I think I have to go for the caramel shortbreads though, I could probably scoff them all day whilst I the cupcakes were quite sickly so I could probably only manage about five.

Unholy amounts of sugar this week, so kudos to both contestants.
Both cakes were delicious, but I have to say that I prefer cupcakes to caramel so I vote for David’s cakey goodness.

I loooooove caramel shortbread and Siobhan’s was no exception but David’s moist cups of creamy goodness win my vote. They were delicious.

My vote goes to Siobhan. David’s cakes were tasty but just too sweet for my liking. I think I’ve slipped into some sort of sugar coma after this morning’s cakes.

I’m voting for Siobhan’s shortcake, good combination of textures and nice presentation, David’s buns were impressive too – you don’t get many of them to the pound do you!

A superior way to start the week.  Surprisingly, David’s cupcakes eclipse Siobhan’s flat things.   Eating both put me into a sugar coma.

I vote for David. Siobhan’s offering was very tasty but a bit rich for the time of day. David’s safe cupcakes hit the spot.
I’ll pick David’s cupcakes – very fluffy and light but i wasn’t a fan of the icing! Siobhan’s shortbread was a very good effort but would have been better after lunch instead.

THE RESULTS – MONDAY 18th May 2009

With Eurovision out of the way, and a long weekend ahead, the EML’ers entered the week in fine spirits today, with a selection of baked goodies that could only make things better.

And what a pair of entries. Chris cooked up a delcious batch of shortbread, and Juliet a fine, fine victoria sponge with cream and strawberry filling.

The EML’ers are a varied bunch in terms of their likes and dislikes. Being a devious tactician Chris attempted to play the field by cooking several varieties of his shortbread; plain, choc chip, and lemon and orange. It seemed like a foregone conclusion. But Juliet’s clever decision to play the middle ground won the day, and the Victoria Sponge crippled its crumbly counterpart.

Here’s a selection of the EML’ers votes:

Tough decision but Juliet’s cake wins – lovely and light and summery.  Shortbread was very tasty too but someone has to win.

Unfortunately I’m not a fan of sponge or shortbread, but Chris’ offering was original and clearly a lot of thought had been put into pleasing the office.
Chris wins for me!

Hum I really liked Chris’ shortbread, only tried the chocolate one but it was GOOD. Saying that vote has to go to Juliet for her summery sponge.

I think I was in the mood for something soft and moist which I why I vote for juliet’s toothsome and soft sponge with strawberries in the middle. excellent stuff. but a nod to chris for his shortbready effort too.

Personally, I am a huge shortbread fan but I have to say that the winner for me definitely has to be the gorgeous summery cake.  But good effort on Chris’ part making all those varieties!

Whilst Juliet’s sponge was light and fluffy and creamy and strawberry-y and everything a sponge should be, Chris’ citrus shortbread was so delightful it has to be the runaway winner for me.

What a great Monday (hmmm).  I vote for Chief’s shortbreads – they were buttery and truly delicious plus I liked that there was a variety of flavours (all the more to eat and test).  I’m sure Hetty and Flo (the chickens) will share in the pride that comes from baking such delights. Juliet’s cake wasn’t far behind – soft and tasty sponge. The strawberries went down very well too!

This is a really difficult decision.
I really enjoyed both Juliet’s cream & strawberry-loaded cake and Chris’s selection of shortcake. Both of them hit the spot and I’d happily eat either of them all day (ignoring that I’d be rushed into hospital by the end of the day).
My vote goes with Juliet, no Chris, no Juliet, no Chris…..For the first time, I think it’s a draw!

Top efforts from both bakers today, I am a big fan of shortbread but today the sponge cake gets my vote. Really light and tasty- just what you need on a Monday morning.

I am really torn this week, two excellent entries. The sponge was delicious and the shortbread went perfectly with my tea this morning.
But I’m going to give my vote to Chris’ shortbread – I haven’t had any for ages, and then three varieties come along at once…

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 11th May 2009

A fine week of baked deliciousness. Katie ruled the roost with her outstanding Red Velvet Cake. More cochineal-based food colouring went into that dessert that you could shake a tasty stick at.

This is also the first time in a while EML has had a ‘clean sweep’. Despite an excellent Fudge Brownies entry from Stacey, Katie’s red cake won unanimously! Well done Katiekins!

This win was particularly well-earned, given that Katie apparently destroyed half of her kitchen, and ended up splattered with red colouring, in the pursuit of culinary excellence.

The verdicts:

I am traditionally a chocolate person but in this instance I have to vote for Katies red devil cake. Thge richness and deliciously moist texture, combined with the not-too-sweet icing was deliciously divine. The chocolate brownies were tasty too but on the whole as staz herself pointed out a bit burnt, thus sort of diminishing their value for me.

Katie’s Chainsaw massacre cake wins it, but Stacey’s brownies were lovely, much better than advertised.

Think it has to go to Katie. Stacey’s brownies were however very yummy and if I hadn’t known that they were a little burnt I’m not sure I would have really noticed. But the vote goes to Robertson for the wonderful red velvet cake that looked and tasted fantastic.

The decision wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be. Stacey’s brownies survived a duff oven and weren’t bad at all, but the winner for me this week is Katie’s very creamy four-layered cake of redness.

My vote goes to Katie and her red thing. Very moist and tasty. Good effort by Staz though – they really weren’t bad.

Katie’s cake, well worth the mess.

Katie – Her cake was moist and tasty (exactly what I look for in a sponge), wasn’t too keen on the yoghurty icing stuff on the outside though.

Stacey – I saw past the burnt edges…. and I found fudge – I dont like fudge. This is unfortunate for Stazzle.

KATIE FOR THE WIN!

I have to vote for the big red cake.  A delicious and novel entry. Not sure I want to know what’s actually in it altogether mind…

Despite Stazz’s efforts to put me off, the brownies were actually quite nice, although my vote this week has to go to Katie, absolutely delicious big red cake thing.

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 27th April 2009

Week two and the cake baking is well under way.  This week Anu brought in an excellent coffee and walnut cake, which she got up at 5:30 to make, and Sa a rich Guinness and ginger cake.  After much deliberation, and mastication, Sa was voted the winner this week.

Comments:

This is a tricky one for me as I could tell the Ginger cake was a really good one, the texture was great and if you like ginger then it would have been delicious, unfortunately I don’t.  The coffee cake was lovely and soft and not overwhelmingly coffee-e, so this week it gets my vote.

Goes to Sa. I was certain I’d like the coffee cake more but Sa’s Guinness and ginger cake was just fantastic.

Tough call again this week but I’m not a massive fan of coffee and I am a big fan of Guiness so Sa gets my vote.

Tough, I enjoyed both but Sara’s ginger cake was light and fluffy and gets the vote.

My vote goes to Sa – very tasty.

I love ginger, I vote for Sa’s very nice cake.  Anu’s excellent cake was very nice too but it didn’t contain much ginger.

This is a tricky one for me as I could tell the Ginger cake was a really good one, the texture was great and if you like ginger then it would have been delicious, unfortunately I don’t.  The coffee cake was lovely and soft and not overwhelmingly coffee-e, so this week it gets my vote.

The choice of coffee or ginger is a difficult one as both are cake favourites for me.  However, although the coffee cake was very light, the softness of the Guinness and ginger one did it for me.

I have to vote for Anu this week. Normally I don’t like coffee cake and I love ginger, but Anu’s cake is really good!

My vote goes to Anu for a tasty coffee and walnut cake (and made at 5.30am I hear).  I liked Sara’s Guinness and ginger cake but though nice texture slightly too gingery (for me).

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 20th April 2009

The Monday Munchies are back and our first winner is Ben with a stupendously good baked cheesecake. He was up against Andrew who produced an excellent mince tart with extremely fine homemade pastry under difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, we all set upon the food so quickly we omitted to take a photo so you will just have to read our comments to get the flavour of the day.

Cheesecake was superb. Can’t comment on the mincemeat pie, not veggie-safe.
Well done Ben (and his Mum) from a cheesecake convert!
Cheesecake -  Well a cheesecake will always win, this on was lovely and I could taste the eggs.  On the flip side the base was a bit thick and on the dry side. Mince pie – surprisingly tasty but the cheesecake gets my vote.
Really tough call, the mincemeat pie was much nicer than I anticipated but Ben’s giant cheesecake gets my vote.
Benjamin’s mum’s cheesy cake wins and hands down for me…. but I admire Andrew’s effort, it was nice. If I’d have raided my cupboards and tried to throw something together last minute it would probably have consisted of cat treats and tinned tomatoes.
Ben’s baking bonanza did it for me, though the biscuit base was a bit heavy.  Excellent pastry from Andrew once again.
The humongous cheesecake from Ben has to win the day – and all that cream.

EML raises £400 for Movember!

Nothing lasts forever, in the words of Roderick Thorp / Sidney Sheldon / Echo & The Bunnymen. And, even if they could, some things just shouldn’t.

It’s hard to resist shouting out ‘Happy Movember!’ to any stranger I see on the tube sporting novelty fuzz. It might, after all, be a permanent feature, rather than a joke. I’ve also almost got used to the odd looks I get on public transport; the people edging away, not sitting next to me.

And so it is with some regret that team EML enters the final day of Movember. But everything must go. On Sunday the Mos are off in preparation for Decemberween. I’m taking mine out the back and shooting it.

Our group has raised a very respectable £400 for mens prostate cancer charities, which is what it’s all about. Thanks to everyone for their generous donations. All we had to do was look daft. The right men for the right job…

The fine organisers of Movember are throwing a big fancy dress party in central London for everyone that raised enough money. As we raised a shedload, the EML team gets to go! Thereafter top hats, canes and monacles required only a short leap of logic. It was either that or go as pirates.

So, anyway, that’d explain the photos.

As of Monday EML will no longer have to put up with our Mos, and we won’t need to be embarrassed to go to client meetings. It’s the end of an era. It’s a fine charity, and a fun way to raise money for a good cause. We encourage everyone to take part in Movember next year (www.movember.com). After all, how bad can you look?

WE INTERRUPT THIS MO-BROADCAST TO BRING YOU NEWS OF BAKED GOODS

On Tuesday 18th Movember EML held a special, one-off, bake off extravaganza to raise money for Children in Need. I’m delighted to announce that we raised  a total of £132 by selling our cakes (I can’t tell you how much it hurt us to share our cakes with others, but hey, it was for charity). The event was such a success that we could really only conclude that Pudsey was the winner. Comments on the yumminess included:

Too many cakes… too little time. I had my fair share this morning after donating but then I had to sit on a conference call surrounded by the sugary delights, without munching on them – pure torture but all for a good cause!

Because I could not stay I have not had the full sugar rush that everyone else has had but I did enjoy Richard’s upmarket cheese and ham pinwheels, of which I nicked two before I left, and thought Paula’s sausage rolls were a good rival to mine.

I think the lack of competitive pressure produced some of the best quality baking this competition has seen, I particularly liked the tea-bread and the savoury pastry offering.  I believe the chocolate and sweets concoction probably needs a government warning; health food it is not.  The pink cake with dolly mixture topping seemed surprisingly popular.

Absolutely fantastic.  Can’t move now.  Can’t eat lunch.  Need sleep.

What a spread, tried everything and went into a virtual coma from the sugar intake.  Expecting a low around 3pm.

And, on this special occasion, we have feedback from our friends and buyers of cake at Immedia: “I would just like to let you know how much Immedia Kingston enjoyed your baked goods! I especially enjoyed the wonderful sausage rolls, the amazing lemon pound cake, the massive sugar rush inducing rocky roads, and the very cute blueberry cupcakes. We think you could make a lot of money by selling us your food for elevenses on a daily basis! Can’t wait for next year!”

MOVEMBER – 20th Movember 2008

The beards are off – Movember part 3

It had to happen eventually, after two weeks of solid beard growth the mos have arrived. As predicted by Alex in the last update, they look quite ridiculous. Ben looks like a cast member from The Dam Busters, I’m just a tweed jacket away from being a geography teacher and Alex looks like a backup singer from the Wurzels. Neither of these are good looks.

It’s actually surprising the strange looks people give you on the train to work when you look like this, I’d like to think it’s admiration but I suspect not. Maybe they’re all just jealous.

Having never had a beard of any variety I have started to notice strange things like how it catches your line of sight when you look down – like a small woodland animal has decided to spend the day on your top lip. Also if you’re a Guiness drinker it sometimes leaves traces in your mo when you take a large swig. Very classy.

With just over a week to go, how bad can they get….

MOVEMBER – 14th Movember 2008

Few people seem to realise the amount of effort that goes into looking sexy. Mos don’t grow themselves y’know. Except, well, I guess they kind’ve do.

It’s week two of the office’s Movember efforts; and the team has already raised a substantial amount of money. Hurrah! Except the EML Mo bros are now beginning to look like tramps. Proper tramps. Not your Hollywood stuck-on-beard types. No. We just look dirty.

By the way, Ben was ill on the day this picture was taken, but still managed to volunteer an image of himself.

We knew this phase would come. It’s like growing your hair long. Everyone knows that between ’sensible hair’ and ‘long flowing locks’ you have to go through an intermediary period where you look like Tim Robbins from Eraserhead.

Actually, beardy-goodness seems to invite celebrity comparisons. A client laughed at me the other day for looking like a rubbish version of Boris Becker. Ben is slowly turning into Freddy Mercury, whereas Darren is about one beanie from becoming Compo from Last of the Summer Wine. My Dad has had a beard for some forty years. I’m not sure how. I can only speak for myself, but the itching is driving me crazy.

Anyway, this weekend is the weekend of truth. Ben and Darren are off to Mo’s Emporium in central London for a ‘free moustache styling’. I’m going to wait until after a client meeting, on Monday. Wish us luck. We may not recognise ourselves.

MOVEMBER – 6th Movember 2008

November is a time for charity events, the most obvious being Children in Need.

However three of EML’s finest are taking part in ‘Movember’, an Aussie idea that has been growing in popularity on these shores for some time now. The idea is simple, throughout the month of November, you grow a moustache and collect sponsorship for The Prostate Cancer Charity. Easy.

The mo has been worn with finesse and style over the years by people such as Albert Einstein, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Freddy Mercury, Quincy Jones, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Selleck and of course, Hitler.

However, the three intrepid EML boys don’t look good or sensible with a mo. In fact I suspect we’ll look ridiculous.

Men’s health is a major issue. Did you know:

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. 35,000 men are diagnosed every year and one man dies every hour
• 1 in 11 UK men will be diagnosed in their lifetime
• The money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men’s health issues and donated to The Prostate Cancer Charity which will have an enormous impact on many men’s lives and the awareness will help us to fight prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.

Every penny (or pound) counts. To donate to one of the three boys, click their names here: Darren, Alex, Ben.

This is the photo of the three as of 04/11/08. Left to right – Ben, Darren and Alex. The stubble has now gone way past the ‘designer’ stage and just looks silly.

Check back next week for another update….

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 29th September 2008 – THE FINAL

Today was crunch time, the final of the pastry bake-offs, time to find out who had the lightest fingers in the company. It was a three-way all male competition with MD Richard Parker, director Andrew Shephard and account exec Ben Smith spending the weekend over a hot stove to ensure a high standard of baked goods to accompany the Monday meeting.

The winner was Richard and it definitely was not a fix as you will see from the comments below. Watch this space for your opportunity to help us decide what we should be baking next.

Comments:
An absolutely amazing final, and all 3 bakers should be very proud of their efforts indeed. But there has to be a winner and my vote goes to:
1 – Ben, for his amazingly tasty baclava.
2 – Richard, for his spicy pasty
3 – Andrew, for his time and patience spent forming the swan shapes. Very pretty.

Wow. Categorically. Wow. That’s all I can say.
I’m voting in the exact reverse order I thought I would.
1st place – Andrews mouse-swans`: Low on quantity, which is a minus. But they were both delicate, well-presented and multi-textured. A faint hint of brandy-snaps, sweet cream and pastry. I’d've served it to the queen… Except she probably would’ve frowned upon the eating of swans.
2nd place – Richard’s curries pastry-things. Beautiful, and very interesting. Just the right size and consistency. I also like the bold move of eschewing vegetarian bribery. Go for the jugular, as it were.
3rd place – Despite coming last, I still loved Ben’s baclava. And he brought it in prodigious quantities. The only reason I put it last was because, on a very even playing-field, his was the least-risky maneuver. Baclava involves so much sugar, you could sew a dead cat into them and it’d taste amazing.

1st – Andrew: I love the filling that Andrew used, also – it really has to be an A+ for effort. Not only tasty, but beautiful offering too
2nd – Richard: Being a savory (some would say un-savory) girl – Richard’s pasties are a close second to Andrew’s swans
3rd – Bens nutty goods. Very good effort but a bit too sweet for me

1st Andrew’s swans. They were very well presented and just right…not too rich but not too plain. The pastry was home made and they were delicious!
2nd Ben’s sweet nutty slices – even though they were very rich, they were very creative!
3rd was Richard’s pasties, they were extremely yummy and don’t deserve to come third, but some one has to could defiantly eat 10 in a row!

Andrew in 3rd. First and second is a very tough decision but I’m going to go for savory over sweet and give Richard and his pasties the nod over a very very fine effort by Ben’s mum.

1st – Richard – just tasted REALLY good!
2nd – Andrew – custard swans…genius!
3rd – Ben (too hard to eat!)

1. Richard – really tasty, i love a bit of savoury in the AM
2. Ben – they looked great and tasted pretty damn good as well but it just misses out on the top spot for me as it was possibly verging on sickly sweet
3. Andrew – great effort, very pretty to look at

1st – Richard
Crispy pastry with yummy spicy mince filling. Hearty Monday morning grub – Winner.
2nd – Andrew
What a spectacle – points for the swan presentation, very fitting here on the banks of the Thames. Also, lovely cream custard filling but I picked savoury at the last hurdle.
A VERY memorable sausage and spinach pie entry that got Andrew through to the final too! I vote, make that again.
3rd – Ben
Lovely choice here on the pistachio but I think the explanation of how much butter and honey went into it, made me feel a bit sickly. Well done for getting to the all-men last round.

1st – Richard
Crispy pastry with yummy spicy mince filling. Hearty Monday morning grub – Winner.
2nd – Andrew
What a spectacle – points for the swan presentation, very fitting here on the banks of the Thames. Also, lovely cream custard filling but I picked savoury at the last hurdle.
3rd – Ben
Lovely choice here on the pistachio but I think the explanation of how much butter and honey went into it, made me feel a bit sickly. Well done for getting to the all-men last round.

1st – Richard – Arguably one of the best bakers at EML, Richard has consistently excelled with every round. For a competition that started as a way to bring sweet things into the office as frequently as possible, this pastry bake off has turned the tables around completely and the savory treat gets my no 1 vote.
2nd Andrew – A for effort and taste. Another sign of Andrew’s fine craftsmanship. I wouldn’t have dared to even try something as fiddly!
3rd Ben – Now I’m not a big fan of nuts or honey but this was really delicious. I will be more open minded in future. Well done Ben, you definitely deserved a place in the final.

1st RP’s creation
It contains meat and tastes good, what more do I need to say. Winner!
2nd Andrew’s creation
Creamy swans? – nice presentation Mr. S. Lost out due to being poncey and could have won if it was topped with shavings of swan meat…..
3rd Ben’s creation
Your Mum makes a nice baklava, but I’m not a baklava fan

Very high standard this week, was infinitely impressed with all three offerings. However there has to be a winner and for me it was Richard’s pasties, the spicy mince was really quite tasty. Second place goes to Andrew’s swans, top marks for presentation, and third goes to Ben.

Andrew hit the spot for me with excellent not-too-sweet confectioner’s custard and elegant swans – easy to eat. Ben’s baklava was very good and will keep me going all day. Richard’s offering was enticingly aromatic but a bit dry on the mouth – could have been even more full of meat.

THE RESULTS – MONDAY, 22nd September 2008

Today saw the last of the semi-finals with MD Richard Parker up against account manager Katie Robertson. Richard produced a magnificent domed cheese, leek and potato pie which Katie opted for the multi quiche offering.

Don’t miss next week’s three-way final which is an all-male event. Bring it on!

Comments are:
Richard not only stayed sober and made the effort but he beat “Sainsburys Robertson’s” trident entry – cunning use of low cost ingredients too. Perhaps we should put a budget limit on the final?

I vote for Richard. Looked great, tasted great even if the potato to cheese/leek ratio was a little high.

Richard’s potato, leek and cheese upside-down pie wins my vote – extremely tasty and the pastry was cooked to perfection.

It has to be the man-sized leek cheese and potato pie. Very impressive effort

Richard’s interesting pie…..could have benefited from some meat but still today’s winner. Nice quiche-triplet from Katie, but can’t help feeling the taste is just too familiar…..

Despite a valiant last minute effort by Katie, my vote goes to RP for a truly scrumptious 3 cheese pie. It reminded me of myself – not much to look at from the outside, but very, very effective. ha hahahaaa

Richard’s pie was truly excellent, bursting with flavour. Katie made a good choice of tarts, but Richard wins this week.

RP pie.

I’m not allowed to vote am I, if so I’d vote for Richard!

The quiches were certainly nice, especially the one with bacon in it. But Richard’s entry was both unusual and very tasty. For sheer effort and imagination, as well as the fact it was very nice, Richard wins for me this week.

Richard’s dome/flying saucer wins the day. Bit heavy on the potato but seasonal and tasty. Particularly liked the egg-wash.