Meeting New Friends, Afternoon Tea & Seaside Biscuits !

My parents have many friends - both old & new - who live in this area of the Eastern Cape, along with family (our cousins - who live nearby - are also farmers - they grow tomatoes in tunnels, along with other veg like butternut squash which they farm out in the open).

As my parents have just moved here, they've had many visitors coming around to see their new home, and I have come to meet some of them during the past week I've been here. One couple, after spending the afternoon with us, said to me on leaving 'Lovely to meet the face behind the blog, it will have a much more personal feel now when we read it, having met you ourselves !' & I felt a bit embarrassed because well, my blog is like my 'online' life and sometimes it's quite strange when 'real' and 'online' life meet rather unexpectedly - if any other bloggers out there can relate to this odd feeling ? (Or is just me who's odd ?!) Anyway, it was lovely to meet people who read my blog & enjoy it .....

So, back to all the visitors .... we have been having lots of afternoon tea's and delicious treats to eat (never mind trying to get rid of the post pregnancy waistline *ahem*) and this is just one of the yummy recipes my Mum made for tea last week. I've called them 'Seaside Biscuits' (Cookies)as they are best enjoyed beside the sea - and I have to admit, nothing tastes quite as good as the food/treats made for you by your Mum .... no matter how old you are !

250 gm Butter, softened

250 gm Icing Sugar, sifted

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

2 1/4 cups Flour, sifted

pinch of Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 cup Raisins

Cream butter & icing sugar together until pale & fluffy. Slowly add the egg & vanilla essence and combine well. Sift the flour, salt & baking powder and add to the mixture. Stir in the raisins. Mix well and press into a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for around 30 minutes (it will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, if you'd like to prepare it well beforehand). Remove, then shape mixture into biscuit shapes as desired, place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 160'C/325'F/Gas Mark 3 for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.