I love hosting coffee mornings for my girlfriends. Especially on cold mornings with the wood burner on at full blast, as we try and exchange our news over the lovely chaos of children running around the kitchen table.
During gatherings like these, I tend to focus much more on the children and the food, which works well, but not so much on drinks and other areas. So I was keen to check out tips from Tassimo’s Perfect Host Panel (which features Chef John Torode, coffee expert Hazel Middleton and Millie Mackintosh) to brush up on my hosting skills. They share seasonal recipes, kitchen hacks and tips on drinks and being the perfect host.
So during my most recent coffee morning I put quite a few of their tips into action
- Create a great ambiance – which I did easily via some Christmas decorations on the table, lamps and Christmas music.
- Serve crowd pleasing mini pastries for ease – IÂ prepared and served John’s ham and cheese bread pudding.
- Put out a selection of great hot drinks – a drinks and cookie corner including coffees and teas and of course children’s tea aka roiboos.
- I also added in a girlfriend’s tip of throwing in a children’s treasure hunt, which meant we had 20 mins of quiet grown up times to really dig in to those cookies and to savor that second cup of coffee.
And the morning went like a dream. It felt rather luxurious to sit round and have our own cafe style coffee on tap, along with the ham and cheese bread puddings and gorgeous cookies, and every now and then singing along to Christmas music. Even the kiddoes joined in with the sing along after their treasure hunt.
The mums were so impressed that one of them promptly borrowed the Tassimo machine for the book club morning she was hosting the following weekend. Now that is what I call a result.
Do pop over to Tassimo for some more perfect host tips, easy recipes and great selection of hot drinks.
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Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to fan assisted 140C / 160C / 325 F / gas 3.
- Remove the crusts from the bread, cutting each slice into strips
- Mix together the cheese and ham in a separate bowl.
- Grease the muffin moulds well with salted butter.
- Start to layer the moulds with first a couple of strips of bread, then the ham and cheese mix until each mould is 3/4 full.
- Then top each mould with the egg custard mixture (from step two) and leave to soak for 10 minutes, so the bread absorbs the mixture.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow them to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Pairs well with horseradish cream and a Tassimo Costa Latte.
Thanks to Tassimo for sending me a machine and some vouchers to recreate the recipe. All opinions are my own.
Janie says
11/12/2014 at 7:33 amGreat tips there Bintu, and I LOVE the look of those cookies 🙂
Janie x
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 4:08 pmYou cant go wrong with cookies and cafe style coffee right?
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
11/12/2014 at 7:40 amI never considered making a savoury bread pudding before, great idea!
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 4:07 pmIt was a novel idea to me too and worked well with the coffee.
the house that never rests says
11/12/2014 at 8:47 amSounds perfect, i love bread pudding, great idea i will have to give this a try.
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 4:06 pm😀
Stephen says
11/12/2014 at 9:20 amThis sounds really nice I have to say and when I saw the name of it, I instantly wanted to not like it!
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 3:57 pmIt is a strange but totally works idea :D.
Vanesther - Bangers & Mash says
11/12/2014 at 10:12 amI’d so love to come over to yours for a coffee morning – they sound fab! And my daughters think rooibos is kids’ tea too! They feel so grown up when they drink it. I’ve never tried a savoury bread pudding before, but I’ve just got to give this a go…
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 3:56 pmYou are very welcome Vanesther and I have about 5 packs of rooibos for the children to drink.
Helen says
11/12/2014 at 12:03 pmWe’re veggie, so I’d have to do this without the meat, but it sounds like a great idea. Your coffee morning sounds so civilised 🙂 I can only dream….
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 3:55 pmHey, the luxury coffee on ta and the treasure hunt totally did it.
nazima says
11/12/2014 at 3:39 pmlovely ideas – I dont eat ham but am sure cheesy bread pudding could be adapted to a veggie idea. Clever idea Bintu!
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 3:52 pmI think it would work without the ham too.
Glamorous Glutton says
11/12/2014 at 4:11 pmGreat tips and I bet you had a fab time being as organised as that. I love the john Torode recipe, printed and in the note book!! GG
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 6:44 pmIt is a rather unique take on things right?
Mike says
11/12/2014 at 5:30 pmThis is absolutely brilliant, Bintu! OMG it sounds absolutely delicious. I’m usually not a bread pudding fan but I would dive into this without any hesitation. You need to do mail order food 🙂 Have a great day! 🙂
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 5:47 pmHey Mike, now that is an idea.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
11/12/2014 at 7:22 pmSo coffee at yours is it Bintu? When can I come around?
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 11:34 pmAny day, everyday Helen. You are always welcome.
Lucy - BakingQueen74 says
11/12/2014 at 10:22 pmGreat tips here! I have a Tassimo machine and am rather fond of my morning caramel lattes 🙂
Bintu says
11/12/2014 at 11:35 pmOoooooh, I have yet to try the caramel lattes.
Elsa says
12/12/2014 at 1:16 amThis looks perfect, B. I’ll definitely be doing a variation of this on Christmas morning. Oooooh with hot chocolate
Bintu says
12/12/2014 at 9:12 amYeap – I think I will so be doing the same.
Zainab says
12/12/2014 at 3:11 amI love these hosting tips!!
Bintu says
12/12/2014 at 9:12 amThe tips do make life so much easier.
fashion-mommy says
12/12/2014 at 9:17 amI’d love an invite to your coffee morning, it looks so fabulous and I bet the food is great.
Bintu says
12/12/2014 at 1:06 pmMaybe we can all have a virtual coffee morning?
Tracey says
12/12/2014 at 9:36 amCan I pop along to your next one, please!;) Sounds fab. Great tips from the experts. Tx
Bintu says
12/12/2014 at 1:07 pmThat virtual coffee morning is looking more and more likely. Yeap great tips from the perfect host panel.
Sharon says
13/12/2014 at 1:42 amI love the idea of the drinks and cookie corner. That’s a good idea. Ham and cheese bread pudding…that sounds interesting and tasty.
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
13/12/2014 at 10:06 pmThis is a great looking bread pudding Bintu!!
Akaleistar says
15/12/2014 at 2:41 amCute mugs! The ham and cheese bread pudding sounds delicious 🙂
Choclette says
15/12/2014 at 10:24 amThat’s weird, I’m sure I commented on this post when you first did it – hey ho! Love your photos as always, it all looks so pretty and inviting. I grew up on cheese pudding, but not with ham in it. Haven’t had it for years. Right now, I want one of your biscuits and a nice cup of rooibos.
Jess @UsedYorkCity says
15/12/2014 at 8:28 pmWhat a lovely idea to host the ladies over for coffee and breakfast! This is a nice way to take the pressure off of cooking an entire dinner–and still gives the rest of the day to get things done. Thanks for the idea!
Rachel says
16/12/2014 at 8:57 amI’m not sure whether I like the sound of this or not, but I want to try it x