MACAROON MAG

"Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker Man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with a "B". And put it in the oven for the birthday girl and me!"

We all remember this classic nursery rhyme from our youth. Just like we remember playing Baker Baker, making mudpies in the garden, or begging our Mums to let us help her bake in the kitchen! Childhood memories are made in an icing-sugar sprinkled kitchen, with the smell of baking in the oven, being allowed to lick the wooden spoon or scoop out the last blobs of icing from a stainless steel mixing bowl! 

So what better way to treat your little girl to a nostalgic, classic, old-fashioned party than to plan her a Baker Baker birthday celebration. And Macaroon's gorgeous pink and white striped Patisserie birthday invitation is the perfect start to your celebration. Personalised with the birthday girl's photograph and inviting their friends to join them in their Patisserie, it sets the tone for an afternoon of baking, icing and good old-fashioned fun.

The joy of this party theme is that it takes very little planning - almost all of the party decor will come directly from your own kitchen. Transform your birthday party setting in to a pop-up Patisserie, using kitchen utensils, baking trays, cake tins and chalk boards. Use an old iron or wooden garden potting stand as your Baker's rack, hang aprons on its edges and fill its shelves with cook-books, cake tins & even a kitchen scale. For a homely touch, pop the Patisserie "Specials" up on a chalk board.

Instead of giving party guests a party pack when they leave, a lovely touch at this party is to give them each their own apron or little chef's hat when they arrive. Macaroon's matching personalised Patisserie stickers are a great way to label each child's apron.

Classic white cake boxes, available flat-packed for assembly from your local baking store, are the perfect way to send the day's baking home with each guest. Buy a medium to small size and pretty them up with a striped Patisserie ribbon and a personalised Macaroon goodie bag sticker, thanking each guest for coming to your party.

Macaroon's range of Patisserie party stationery allows you to coordinate your invitation, thank you notes and stickers - the personalised Patisserie stickers can be used throughout your party: pop them on each apron, personalise your refreshments (individual pink milks look fantastic personalised with Patisserie stickers) and use them to turn your cake boxes in to a personalised take-home treat. Macaroon also has a gorgeous range of woven ribbons to choose from to pretty up your Patisserie - tie them in bows on the base of cake stands and around your cake boxes for a girly touch.

When planning your party food, try to keep to the pink and white theme. Little girls love pink milk with twirly straws. Pile tiered cake stands with pink and white marshmallows, pink and white meringues, pastel cupcakes and pretty iced biscuits. Serve pink puddings in muffin trays and use your cake tins and mixing bowls as containers for your popcorn and crisps. 

Most importantly, let them bake! Lay a long party table at the right height for the littlies (and preferably covered in a laminated table cloth) with piles of cookie cutters, sprinkles and toppings - smarties, jelly tots and M&M's work well. Give every child a big ball of biscuit dough and a rolling pin and allow them to roll out their dough and cut out their own biscuit shapes. While their biscuits are baking in your oven, give them all ready-baked cupcakes to ice and decorate, or let them each decorate their own pre-baked gingerbread man. 

Your party guests will be busy for hours icing and decorating. There is nothing better than good old-fashioned messy fun! Let them each work on a disposable paper plate and once they have finished with their baking, you can pop it in to their individual cake boxes for a take-home treat.

And for the birthday cake - a simple round cake iced in pretty pink icing, piled high with pink and white meringues or marshmallows, and decorated in theme with tiny gingerbread men around the side of the cake. When cut, each child will get a yummy slice of cake and a gingerbread man. Such an easy cake to make, but one that is sure to delight the birthday girl and her friends. 

Every little girl's dream - to play freely with flour, castor sugar, dough, rollers, cutters, sprinkles, edible glitter and sweeties.  And overall, a simple party to plan and host - using utensils from your kitchen, bits & bobs from around your home and personalised with Macaroon's range of pretty Patisserie stationery - the icing on the cake!