It’s no secret that Mrs B (aka Christie; aka the food half of Simply By Arrangement) makes exceedingly good cake. She often says that she shows she cares through food. Her chocolate brownies used to be posted up to her son in Edinburgh each week and she was most distraught when they couldn’t be flown out to him in Afghanistan. Her courgette cake kept up morale in the final couple of years before our marvellous office closed for good and nobody visits our workshop without eating cake (and that includes the flower delivery driver).

So it will be no surprise to find out that Mrs B is often testing out new recipes. The one here is my own favourite and it’s currently one of the cakes we serve with morning coffee at our floral workshops.

Making good cake and food is not Mrs B’s only way of showing kindness (a quality might I add that she regards very highly in others and apparently the thing that attracted her to Mr B – although he must never know!). Each week she delivers food around the area for the local food bank – a service which, sadly, seems to be needed more than ever.

There is a floral equivalent of the food bank, although even I appreciate that flowers are not a necessity – well, maybe only for people like me! The Floral Angels are a group whose work I much admire. A dedicated team working out of New Covent Garden Flower Market, recreating arrangements from the huge amount of event flowers donated by London florists and distributing them to others to enjoy; for example, those in nursing homes. If I lived anywhere south of Watford Gap I would definitely go along to help. In the meantime, sometimes after our workshops we do have flowers left. That’s entirely my fault because I insist on having a workshop packed full of flowers for all our guests to choose from – a floral banquet of sorts. If I express it in that way Mrs B will understand! If anyone can suggest places or organisations which are within our local area (within 5 miles of Burnley or Hebden Bridge) who might want to use fresh flowers then we would love to try and help. Please email [email protected].