Green grass of home

My middle boy is seven tomorrow.

He would be excited if there wasn't the small matter of the scots poetry recital competition that is taking place in the afternoon. He's fair worried a'boot that, poor wee loon.

Anyway, I spent tonight making cakes; a large rectangular chocolate cake which will hopefully resemble a football pitch by his party on Saturday, eighteen cupcakes - one each for those coming to the party, and a vanilla sandwich sponge with a big 7 made out of jelly tots on the top, for tomorrow after school.

I was planning on dying coconut green to make the grass for the top of the football pitch cake (I'm pretty sure my mum did something similar for my big brother many years ago), but well coconut is really expensive these days so I didn't want to risk wasting it. My clever friend who was round for coffee this morning told my the trick of dying sponge mix green and then whizzing it up into a breadcrumbs type mixture. It looks great, and along with the chocolate icing underneath should really look like a muddy football field.

Speaking of my big brother, a special mention of him today, on this his fortieth birthday :)