On making Buzzy Bees with Annabel Karmel

So …. I went to this blogger event in London. Traffic was bad and I arrived about an hour late. As I walked up to the Georgian House, I reached into the caverns of my bag in search of a mint. Rummaging around I found, oh, what’s that? A gumi bear? Ouch! What the blank is that? I pulled out the name badge from the last blogger event.

Thank God some nice person handed me a steaming cup of coffee as soon as I arrived. I was just getting my barrings when I turned round to stare straight down at a waif of a woman with a big smile and equally big blond tresses. She said hello. This woman looked way too finished to be a mum blogger. Then the light went off.

OMG, you’re Annabel Karmel! I blurted out. I remembered something about her in the email from the PR agency, and wished I had actually read the brief. It must be her, she looked exactly like the little photo in the back of all those cook books. Only smaller. Tiny. Like Minnie Mouse, with blond hair. My mouth felt dry.

ANNABEL KARMEL. For those of you who don’t know, she’s an icon in mummy world. When my girls were babies, you HAD to have Feeding Your Baby And Toddler, along with a Mamas and Papas pram and a Baby Bjorn carrier. I’m convinced my oldest will eat almost anything because I had a freezer full of Annabel-inspired homemade purees like sweet potato, carrot and broccoli and apricot and semolina. “You’re small,” was all I could manage to eek out.

The poor woman must be used to tongue-tied middle-aged mums blurting out the obvious. “Not small — Petite,” and then Annabel took my hand and led me over to the Aga and said we were going to make Buzzy Bees. OMG, I thought I had died and gone to kids cookery heaven. I felt like I was about to jump into one of her toddler cook books, and navigate our way around mini pizzas, heart shaped chicken nuggets and jelly boats (I’ve done them all).

I immediately thought of my lipstick, and how by the end of the morning and after all that coffee it was probably faded (why I thought Annabel Karmel would care about my lipstick is beyond me). Annabel showed me a sample of what we were going to make. Basically a bee shape made out of crushed Shreddies. I mumbled something about how my girls would Iove these, and then just stood there awkwardly. Annabel handed me Shreddies in a zip lock bag and a rolling pin. I took the bag, still in my self-induced trance. We both smiled. Then it dawned on me. You idiot she wants YOU to crush the Shreddies with the rolling pin.

So, aided by Sally, we melted butter, mini marshmallows and peanut butter. I don’t think Sally was in the same trance I was in.  The result was a sticky goo that could be used by the country’s best builders. We formed them into little balls, put on two Shreddies for wings, then used black and yellow icing to make stripes. And that’s how I made Buzzy Bees with Annabel Karmel. I made it back in time for school pickup and told anyone who would listen that I just met ANNABEL KARMEL, as really only those at the school gate would understand the significance.

When we finally got home, and I passed our hall mirror, I realised how silly it was for me to be worried about my lipstick. In the rush to get the girls to school and out the door, I had actually forgotten to put on ANY makeup. Nothing. Nada. Not a shreddie. Oh well, you look at the photo and let me know what you think. Did I look OK?

Shreddies Buzzy Bees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooling time: 20 minutes

Makes: 8 bees = 4 servings

Per serving of two bees with fruit 134 kcal 7% GDA) 1.9g fat (3% GDA) 0.6g saturates (3% GDA) 18.4 sugars (22% GDA) 0.1g salt (3% GDA) Wholegrain servings: ½ serving

Ingredients

40g Shreddies

25g mini marshmallows

1 tsp smooth peanut butter (you can leave this out if anyone has allergies)

Half tsp of butter

To decorate 16 Shreddies for wings 20g black writing icing for the strips 10g yellow writing icing for the strips Fruit 2 clementines cut into slices 4 strawberries cut into slices 1 large kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into slices

1. Put the Shreddies into a freezer bag and crush them using a rolling pin.  Put the marshmallows, peanut butter and butter in a small saucepan and melt, stirring over a medium low heat (be a bit patient here!). Tip in the Shreddies and mix together.

2. Divide into 8 portions and shape into balls with one end slightly flatter and wider. Whilst the mixture is still warm, insert the wings by making a small hole with a knife and pressing in one whole Shreddies for each wing. Stick the bee bodies on the end of a wooden stick.

3. Leave to cool and firm up.

4. Finally draw eyes with the black writing icing and make bee stripes using the black and yellow writing icing.

5. Serve the Shreddies Buzzy Bees standing up in a glass with fruit on sticks such as slices of clementines, strawberries and kiwi.