Hope you all had a great halloween!

Welcome to everyone from Groupon

I'm so excited at the response to my Groupon campaign, and just wanted to welcome everyone who is planning to visit us over the next few months to enjoy their luxury high tea.

Groupon have advised that they inadvertently sent out the wrong telephone number to everyone who bought a voucher - I hope this hasn't caused too much hassle and as you can see, my contact details are on the side panel here.

I really am looking forward to welcoming you all personally to the tearoom. I have put my heart and soul into this little space and really hope that you enjoy your visit here. Please remember to phone/email me to reserve your table.

Again, huge welcomes to you all!

Launching The Loovre - a wee exhibition space...

......opening soon for private viewings!

I'm hoping that artists across all media would like to showcase their work in the first of a series of exhibitions in what is possibly the wee'est gallery of its kind in Glasgow.

Housed here inside The Hidden Lane Tearoom's little lavatory, the theme for the inaugural exhibition is 'vintage' and submitted works should be 8 inches by 8 inches unframed, or 12 x 12 inches framed. You can hand in work until 20th November. The Exhibition starts 1st December, and if you would like to sell your art, please provide an indication of the price you would like.

If you are a regular here, you'll know that The Hidden Lane Tearoom, has fast become a haven for art and craft aficionado's, given its location in one of Glasgow's creative 'lane' communities just off Argyle Street. My own collection of vintage crockery shares display space with homebaking and works of art from up and coming artists, photographers and craftspeople.

Exhibitor works should be handed in to me, Kirsty Fitzgerald at The Hidden Lane Tearoom, 1103 Argyle Street, Glasgow. Alternatively, email me: thehiddenlanetearoom@hotmail.com

Halloween capers and pumpkins.

This year, Halloween is on a Sunday. As I've just started opening 7 days a week I'm feeling a big bit excited at the fun we can have here at The Hidden Lane Tearoom.

The starting point is a pumpkin competition for children, and I'm hoping to get enough parents/children entering on the 31st so that we can line the entire lane with pumpkins little and large. There's also going to be a prize for best fancy dress - adult and children. So get your claws out.

Food wise, I'm open to suggestions. Definitely some finger foods (sawn off finger biscuits with very realistic nails.) Some ghostly meringues - they're already for sale in the tearoom. Maybe some worms and some eyeballs: need to start digging for some.

The best Halloween I ever did have was when I was about 9 and we lived on a farm. My playroom was an enormous empty barn that I could decorate to my hearts content. Down below was a series of stone arches which mum bedecked with spiders and skeletons and various nasty body parts. Ghoul music welcomed my friends. We dooked for apples in black slime and tried to bite marshmallows that were hung from fish wire. Some were dipped in mustard and set your mouth on fire. (That was mean, dad!)

So I like Halloween and as I like baking also, am looking forward to getting creative! I'd be interested to hear any food suggestions you might have (no matter how gross!) and also any ideas you have for some little people fun on the day. And NO! I don't think chilli spiked toffee apples are a good idea. Or maybe I do. MWWAHHHHAAHA.

Lovely lovely crockery

When I opened The Hidden Lane Tearoom, my grandad raided every single charity shop for vintage teasets and teapots to compliment my own collection of crockery that I had been building up just because I loved it. The delicate patterns; the prettiness; the etiquette.

So now I have lots and lots. I'm always grateful to people who drop by with the odd bits and pieces for me and I swap my shelves around every day, so that no teacup ever has to endure that left on the shelf, wallflower feeling.

I've recently started hiring out my crockery for weddings and for tea parties. But mostly, I let people drink tea and eat cake from china bits and pieces that make me happy. My teacups do, however, make lovely lovely vases.

Fairy cakes and wedding cakes

I've been perfecting my fairy cakes recently as they sell so well in the tearoom. I recently had a huge order for 400 for a company in Glasgow which tested me to the limit - both in terms of making them and storing them. The end result though is that I am now something of a fairy cake expert.

My favourite toppings are probably quite girly - obviously for the wedding market it's not surprising, and I love particularly the pastel colours and the bright pinks. But I also play around quite a lot with the cakes themselves and in order to make the 400 f

airy cakes a bit special I experimented with apple and cinnamon, red velvet, carrot and honey and chocolate brownie cakes.

Am now practicing some fairly ghoulish ones for next week. Along with some interesting 'finger' foods that should send a shiver down the spine!