, fastening the sides together with double-sided sticky tape. You can also decorate the bases of the cakes with Smarties or Jelly Tots.Recipe from The Ultimate Ribbon Book by Annabel Lewis (Conran Octopus, £9.95). Ribbons by VV Rouleaux.

attach to the tops of traditional chopsticks, or the Eddingtons Chopstick Buddy, £4.99, from Amazon. Holdstick are attached at the top, like a tong, so are easier for all ages – £4.99 from Amazon.2. Take a tip from your favourite child-friendly Chinese

)One or two 12-hole deep muffin tins1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5, and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.2. Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, set on a low speed, beat together

icing sugar, sifted50 g unsalted butter, at room temperature125 g cream cheese, coldMakes enough to frost 12 cupcakes(double the recipe for 20-cm cake)Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or

We Love Food by Kirsty Manning-Wilcox and Peta Heine (Hardie Grant, £16.99) is full of recipes, tips, and practical information on how to grow your own vegetables and herbs, as well as getting children to understand that food is a process from soil

whites in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until it reaches at least 60˚C/140˚F on a sugar thermometer. Pour into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use an electric whisk and bowl). Beat until

with the cocktail sticks. Peel the paper case off the mini cupcake and attach the cupcake to the muzzle with the cocktail sticks. Arrange the mini Swiss rolls so that there are two placed upright at the front and two flat at the back to make the legs. Reserve 3

and cookies. We also use it for sticking cake tiers together, attaching decorations and images, filling gaps and even for covering up mistakes. It’s invaluable.This recipe makes enough royal icing to decorate around 20 cookies if you are using several colours

, such as vanilla or orange zest, in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until it’s creamy in texture. Don’t overwork, or the cookies will spread during baking. Beat in the egg, sieve in the flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms. Gather it into a

thermometer. Pour into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use an electric whisk and bowl). Beat until the mixture has doubled in volume, cooled and will stand in stiff peaks – this will take about 3 minutes. Gradually add the butter