Since we weren’t having a ‘proper’ party for Evelina, I didn’t go too mad on decorations or food but I still couldn’t have people come without doing *something*; that’s just not my way!

I re-used the bunting we used at Evelina’s Baptism and put up some pink and cream balloons – already, things are looking like a birthday party! We opened up the cards which had already arrived and I managed to get a helium balloon in the morning.

I made her birthday cake on Saturday night (the sponge layers at least) so that I didn’t have to do it in the morning. I used Caroline’s always popular Blueberry Nutella Cake recipe which went down very well. I cut out an ‘e’ from some cardboard so when I dusted the cake in icing sugar, it made it a bit more personalised.

For nibbles, I chose to serve dips and chips, essentially. The dips included White Bean Dip, Homemade Hummus and Hot Spinach Dip. I made some Cheese Chips as well as serving bread sticks, nuts, crackers and Cheddar cubes.  It seemed to go down well – it was only when everyone left that I remembered I had bought in a load of crudités – broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, celery, mini sweetcorn and sugar snaps – which would have made the spread look a lot healthier!

For drinks, we served the usual hot drinks along with white and red Rioja, Belvoir Ginger Beer and Fenitmans Rose Lemonade and Dandelion and Burdock – proper party drinks!

Visit Mama Kate for more pictures of the big day.