Guests were invited along for complimentary drinks, nibbles and a tour of their amazing studio space. 

Karina Molby said: “This  celebration of  our new studio launch included showcasing some of our upcoming designs for Spring Summer 2022. We also gave our guests the chance to shop our current collection as well as some discounted styles from our previous season! As our website closes during the week and only opens Sunday at 6pm, it gave them the chance to finally make a purchase in person, it also allowed the Molby team to meet some of our fantastic customers who have supported us from the very beginning. During the evening our guests generously donated to humanitarian charities in support of the Ukraine.

“We have been very keen to host a Molby event for some time but because of covid restrictions its been impossible, so it was so exciting to be able to finally  welcome our friends and family and show off our brilliant premises! A fantastic evening!”

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Litters Éclairs is the only dedicated éclair Shop in the North West with the desire to create some interestingly beautiful éclairs. In our charmingly small shop, we have an open style kitchen where our handcrafted éclairs are baked with precision, generously filled and decorated with an intricate finish.

Was there a particular moment when you decided to become a chef?

I was 22 when I got my first kitchen job, and I instantly knew it was the right career path for me. I loved the fast-paced environment, working with a team of chefs and being creative with cooking.  I remember loving it so much that I changed my dining room into a second kitchen, it was like walking into a restaurant kitchen… stainless steel tables, commercial fridge and freezer, Vac Pac machine, pasta machine and pastry oven – I had it all. On my days off I would be making big pans of jus from the beef bones I got from the butchers.  I treated it like I was a head chef at home but really, I was still a commis in the workplace it was great haha. I was just consumed with cooking and learning.

What qualities do you think you need to be a pastry chef?

Passion is a definite. If you don’t have love for what you do then you’re not able to keep pushing forward. Patience would be another, success comes from failing and this is something I had to do many of times so I had to be very patient throughout the learning curves.

Why just Éclairs?

I get asked this a lot. I had previously put my hand to making celebratory cakes, boxes of chocolates and other desserts but it wasn’t until I started making choux pastries and witnessing the challenges that came with it – it just woke my soul up haha. They fascinated me with how they baked to be hollow on the inside, the crisp outer shell and the clean lines running over the éclair, they just looked pretty to me even in their basic form.  

I knew I wanted to master them to this degree, so I put all my focus into it. The aim was to master them to the point I could make 1 or 100 éclairs which all looked uniform in size and shape, hollow on the inside and evenly risen with clean lines. This wasn’t as simple to achieve as I first thought, and I quickly realised the challenges I would face.  It has taken a lot of failed attempts for me to learn how to get them right and I mean a lot. 

I didn’t move onto the glazes until I had mastered the choux first but when I got the chance to see the éclair dipped, they became even more beautiful. Having 5 different coloured éclairs lined up together was like art to me. I also realised if I hadn’t spent all my time mastering the choux to be crack free and evenly risen, they would not have had that elegant appearance they did. The glaze can hide a multitude of sins, but I knew I didn’t want to hide behind any of it. So, it was such a fist pumping moment that the hard work was paying off.

Next came the filling choices I could use and suddenly, I had all these beautiful éclairs in front of me with endless possibilities of what else I could do with them.  That was when I had the eureka moment of wanting to open a business making éclairs. I also knew there was nothing like this in the North West-  a shop that’s just solely focused on éclairs and I thought it would be something great to bring to Merseyside.  I know there are a lot of pastry lovers around and I wanted customers to experience the new creative twist I had given the éclair.

What is the most rewarding part of having an éclair shop?

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing a customer enjoys eating the work you have created. When I hear the door clang and I know it’s a customer coming into the shop, it’s a great feeling knowing someone has chosen to come and try a Littlers Éclair.  A few times a customer has asked if it’s OK if they can take a photo of inside the display fridge, and I’m like yes sure you can. That made me smile. 

Do you have a favourite Éclair?

I probably enjoy one of my éclairs most Friday and Saturdays when I’m open haha.  I have such a sweet tooth, but I always tend to go for the Lemon Meringue Éclair.  The sharp, tangy citrus gets my taste buds going and the balance of the sweet meringue just does it for me. The customers favourite tends to be the Strawberry éclair and secondly, the Hazelnut Crunch.

Does it take along time to make the éclairs?

Yes, it does.  I am open two days a week at the moment, and I spend the other 5 days preparing recipes some of which can take up to two days to make.  

You have had the shop open for 6 months now, how has it been?

At the beginning it was quite overwhelming, but I do feel I have settled into it more. I am the only chef at the moment so having 7 different flavoured éclairs, some with 4 components on each to prepare, I had to be very strict in how I manage my time.  I also work on the till when I’m open, so I don’t get much room to make mistakes – I have to be extremely organised. 

Do you have any inspirational role models?

If there was a chef I would like to meet it would be Marco Pierre White or Heston Blumenthal.

What are the most important considerations when crafting your éclairs?

I tend to consider the éclair from a customer’s buying perspective. I ask myself, what would they want from each éclair and why would they buy one. I focus equally on presentation and flavour as a lot of people buy with their eyes first then I have to make sure I meet the expectations of flavour and mouth feel. I like to think my éclairs are seen as a full dessert that you could get from any restaurant menu.

Lucy Littler’s Éclairs

15-17 Wallasey Road

Liscard

Tel: 07897 032929

littlerseclairs.co.uk

The post Wirral Life talk to Lucy Littler of Littler’s Éclairs about her exquisite new creations. appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

In the 1960s, when there were few activities available in Wirral for children or adults with a learning disability, Ken began a social club, along with some local parents. This evolved into the weekly Crossbow Club, a place where people with learning disabilities could meet and make friends. Activities included bingo, table tennis, darts, crafts and the highlight of the year, a fantastic holiday to Devon.

As the Crossbow Club developed and grew, its reach expanded to offer additional support and advice to people with learning disabilities, their carers and their families too.

To this day, some of the original club members are still meeting up with friends at Crossbow. To many people, Ken and all the volunteers have become an extended family. There cannot be many people who have kept something going through the dedication and commitment of the same small volunteer team for almost 60 years.  This is an astonishing contribution to the local community. The Crossbow Club attendees think the world of Ken and believe him to be an absolute legend.

Crossbow Club member Ken Oxton who has been going to the club since its start, said,

“I have been going to the club nearly every week for over 50 years, since the club started. They are all lovely, kind, helpful people. They are very patient with all the people at the club.  They help me to write letters to my friends. They looked out for me when my mum died a few years ago. In March Ken phoned me to tell me that my best friend had died.  I was very upset, but Ken was very kind.  I really like going to the club to meet up with my friends, colour in my colouring books, play bingo and do jigsaws.  Other people at the club play darts and snooker and dance. Lots of people go to the club so they must all enjoy it!”

Gwen Seller, Chair of Wirral Mencap said, 

“Ken has always brought a calm, insightful voice to our trustee board. For many years he has generously given his time as trustee while also running the Crossbow Club. He and his wife Lynda have contributed to the charity by volunteering in many and varied ways. A particular highlight was seeing Ken dressed as an elf when Gordale Garden Centre kindly offered Wirral Mencap the opportunity to fundraise by running their grotto! Ken’s knowledge of Wirral Mencap and especially of the people who come to Crossbow is invaluable. He is a kind and compassionate man who has been at the heart of Crossbow Club and Wirral Mencap. He will be sorely missed by myself and the rest of the board.”

Sharon Nicholson, CEO of Wirral Mencap said, 

“Ken’s support and good guidance on the board has been fantastic. I was new in post at the start of 2019 and Ken’s experience and knowledge was invaluable as we navigated our way through the impact of the pandemic and various lockdowns.  Ken had planned to step down earlier. Thankfully he didn’t!  Ken will be missed on the board however I am pleased to say he will still be volunteering at Crossbow occasionally.  We can’t let him go entirely – just yet!”

Wirral Mencap began as a small parent led group, which registered as a charity in 1963. Today the charity is based in an office in Market Street, Birkenhead where staff and volunteers work to promote equality for people with a learning disability – helping them to discover new opportunities, make new friends and feel valued and safe in their community.

Despite disruption from the pandemic, Crossbow Club is still going strong today, with about 25 people with learning disabilities regularly attending every Wednesday night. If you or someone you know would be interested in coming along, or if you are interested in volunteering, call Wirral Mencap to find out more on 0151 666 1829.

The post Wirral Mencap Celebrates a Super Volunteer appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

The Royal couple will visit Birkenhead on what will be their first official trip to Merseyside after accepting an invitation from local MP Frank Field.

They are due to see first-hand what’s being done to fight poverty and help young people in the town as well as meet war veterans.

The pair will visit the Wilfred Owen World War I memorial in Hamilton Park followed by Tomorrow’s Women Wirral – a charity committed to reducing female imprisonment and offending.

They will then drop in to see Wirral Life Award winners The Hive, Wirral Youth Zone – a facility for young people aged between 8-19, and up to 25 with a disability.

The post Wirral Welcomes Prince Harry and Meghan! appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

The 15th annual festive spectacular takes place on Sunday 2 December – when up to 10,000 festive runners will make their way through the estate of the Grade I Listed attraction.

Organisers BTR Liverpool have changed the established route due to the closure of Churchill Flyover for essential works – and are delighted to welcome Royal Albert Dock Liverpool as part of this year’s event.

Clare Rawlinson, Head of Marketing & Business Development at the Royal Albert Dock said:

“The BTR Liverpool Santa Dash is one of the most iconic events on the city’s annual calendar, with many local families seeing it as the official start to their Christmas celebrations. Royal Albert Dock Liverpool is thrilled to be supporting the event and becoming part of the route for the first time. We look forward to welcoming thousands of jolly Santas through the estate on 2 December!”

For the second successive year, Arriva North West has also got into the festive spirit by kindly offering Santas free travel on the Arriva bus network across Merseyside throughout Santa Dash day.

To claim complimentary bus travel to or from the city centre, Santas must be wearing their Santa suit and race number or afterwards their finishers’ medal.

Lisa Pearson, Head of Marketing, Arriva North West and Wales, added:

“The Santa Dash is such a great event that really unites the people of Liverpool, which is why we are so delighted to be able to help support the city by offering free travel to all those in their Santa suits and race numbers on the day of the dash.”

The BTR Liverpool Santa Dash on Sunday 2 December starts at 9.30am. Santas will gather on the start line at Pier Head Liverpool, part of the city’s iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site. Radio City Breakfast Show hosts Leanne and Dave will officially start the event.

The post Santa Dash to Include the Royal Albert Dock! appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

Prince Edward joined staff and volunteers at Bridge Community Wellness Gardens and Farm to officially open The Earl of Chester Hydroponics Unit.

The commercial hydroponics unit, the first of its kind in Cheshire, is a method of growing plants without soil by using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.

Plants can be grown with only their roots exposed to the solution. Staff and volunteers at the farm are growing fruit, vegetables and exotic micro greens using hydroponics to order for high end restaurants in Cheshire.

During his visit, Prince Edward was given a tour of the farm where he met staff and volunteers before unveiling a plaque on the site marking the official Royal visit.

The social enterprise, based on Mill Lane in Ellesmere Port, is a working horticulture farm with organic principles which first began operating in 2014. The charity’s main purpose is to create permanent and sustainable jobs for the long-term unemployed by growing and selling fruit, vegetables, salads and herbs to the local community.

It also provides a therapeutic environment for people suffering from a range of mental health conditions, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as those with mental and physical learning disabilities.

One of the people helped by the farm and introduced to Prince Edward was 22 year old Chris Jones from Saughall. His place is sponsored by British energy specialist EA Technology, which is headquartered in Capenhurst.

Chris’s mother, Michelle Jones, said:

“Chris works at the farm four days a week and it has transformed not only his life, but the life of his family. He has learnt to grow all sorts of vegetables, takes a huge pride in his work and, most importantly, the job has given him a sense of normality.”

Francis Ball, Chairman of Bridge Community Wellness Gardens and Farm, said:

“I’m incredibly proud of what our team of staff and volunteers have achieved here. Pretty much every day we are reduced to tears by the gratitude of a client, or client’s parent or carer, who gain so much benefit from spending just a few hours with us. It’s inspiring and it drives us on to Grow Better Lives.”

Since it opened, the charity has worked with hundreds of people of all ages, from school children with severe behaviour problems, CCGs and GPs engaged in social prescribing, social services and the long-term unemployed – helping them through what are often extremely difficult times.

The post Prince Edward Drops in to visit an Ellesmere Port Charity. appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

Published in 97 countries and more than 33 languages, with international sales passing 330 million copies, He is the only author to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction.

During the talk, Lord Archer spoke about how he became one of the youngest Members of Parliament and how, after a poor investment he was left on the brink of bankruptcy.  This led to the start of his literary career, when he sat down to write his first novel ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less’. The debut novel sold to 17 countries within a year and was later televised by the BBC.  ‘Kane and Abel,’ one of Jeffrey’s biggest selling novels became a number one bestseller in hardcover and paperback all over the world.

The latest novel ‘Heads you Win’ has a final twist that it claims will shock even the most ardent readers and is said to be the author’s most ambitious and creative work since ‘Kane and Abel’.

Jeffrey is the latest in a number of high-profile speakers who have recently visited the Birkenhead School which have included TV presenter and broadcaster, Clare Balding, TV presenter and actor, Sir Tony Robinson, World Snooker Champion, John Parrott and leading illustrator, Chris Riddell.  On Tuesday 20^th November, the School is welcoming TV Presenter, Kate Humble, in conjunction with Linghams and tickets are available for this public event through Linghams by calling 0151 342 7290.

The post Jeffrey Archer Reveals Latest Book at The Birkenhead School. appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

More than 600 influential people that shape the lifestyle of the Wirral, Liverpool and Chester region attended the ceremony sponsored by Westminster Associates and H.R Owen Lamborghini, to celebrate the inspirational people and businesses in the local area.

Wirral Life magazine has been celebrating the best of the local lifestyle since 2016 and has been championing the businesses and individuals who make the local area such a vibrant place to live, work and visit.

Headline sponsor, Westminster Associates were delighted to recognise the hard work of those who entered.

Paul Thompson said:

“Westminster Associates would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ for allowing us to play a part in the fantastic Wirral Life Awards on Thursday, 1st November 2018 at the Hillbark Hotel.At a time when people in this world are building walls, creating laws that discriminate, and treating other human beings as less than equal, it’s easy to focus on the negative. And let’s face it – fear + ignorance = hate. It’s a simple equation.”

Kevin Bill said:

“At this event, Wirral Life Magazine brought together people from ages 8 to 90 for six hours of magic and regardless of our backgrounds, political views, specialisms, income, gender, sexual orientation or race we celebrated successes, together. We’re so proud to have been in the room where something magical happened and can’t wait to continue the journey with all of you.”

Categories included: Arts, Business, Charity, Education, Hair & Beauty, Food & Drink, Health & Wellbeing, Leisure & tourism, Legal & Financial, Property & Home, Retail, Pride of Wirral 2018, Lifetime Achievement 2018 and Platinum Award 2018.

Click here for a full list of our 2018 winners.

The post The Wirral Life Awards – Who Won What? appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

Demonstrations by North-west Food Champion and award-winning Chef Paul Askew were very well-received and attracted many guests. Paul cooked up some of his signature recipes including Burton Marsh Lamb and Asian Marinated Tofu.

Over 25 local producers attended the Farmers’ Market selling a diverse range of food products; from international cuisine to indulgent cakes.

Customers were given the opportunity to sample food, watch demonstrations and enjoy the warm atmosphere Gordale provided.  To find out more about Gordale, visit www.gordale.co.uk or call 0151 336 2116.

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My wife is from here, so the Hillbark Hotel is our second home. We stay there about half a dozen times a year visiting family. We spend quite a bit of time zig zagging around the area visiting Louise’s old friends and stuff.

I have a soft spot for the place. It’s really beautiful. My favourite part is the Wirral coast. I hugely enjoy walking along it – it’s one of my guilty pleasures (they’re always the simple ones, like sneaking a cheese and onion pasty in the car). New Brighton is a lovely spot. In fact I’ve got a great photo of New Brighton by the photographer Martin Parr at home.

I have worked in Liverpool lots of times over the years but not the Wirral. It’s more of a destination really, you must have a reason to go there.

You made 20 series of Time Team and many more historical documentaries including the award-winning “Tony Robinson’s Time Walks”, and “Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty” about World War One. You’ve even made one about the Wild West! So, what impresses you about the Wirral?

I particularly like the Viking place names, Tranmere, Thingwall, Meols, West Kirby, Heswall etc. A lot of southerners know about the Scottish coast and Cornwall, but the Vikings also came to the North West. There are so many village names in Wirral relating to the Vikings and I’m fascinated by that.

I’ve spent 20 years in archaeology and I don’t think you can ever be finished with the subject even though I’m not making that kind of programme now. It’s a special way of looking at the landscape. You can never lose interest in archaeology when you see the world through those eyes.

I think a lot of the Wirral is under-dug and under-explored, so if anyone finds a Viking mast in their back garden then be sure to give me a call – don’t just dig it up it by yourself!

Were you always interested in history as a child?

I have always been fascinated by history even before I knew what the word meant.  The interest came from my Mum and Dad. I mean, I was an only child growing up in London after the war. I was born in 1946 so WW2 wasn’t a distant memory, and they both had lots of stories about their wartime experiences.

My mum was in the WAAF and my Dad was and RAF fitter in Scotland. They met loads of people that they would never have met if they hadn’t been mobilised. I started to realise that there was a time when I didn’t exist, and I was part of human history. When I realised you could actually get marks at school for this thing called history I was amazed!

What was your childhood like?

Being an only child meant that my mum and dad had time to focus on me. There was always a showbiz aspect in the house because Dad had learned to play boogie piano in the war, and Mum had immersed herself in amateur dramatics. This was an enormous advantage to me.

I became a child actor. My first professional appearance was at the age of 13 in the original version of the stage musical “Oliver!”. Then I went on to drama school at the Central School of Speech and Drama. I spent a number of years in repertory theatre after that.

Do you prefer TV or the stage?

I have a bit of a butterfly mind and I love moving from thing to thing and getting engrossed in whatever my current project is. That’s always the most interesting thing to me. Due to the fact that I work across a number of mediums and genres I’m always finding out interesting things and learning interesting new skills. I’ve been lucky enough to do a wide variety of things outside of acting too and not a lot of my contemporaries get to do that.

Would you consider yourself lucky?

I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to do the things I’ve done! In fact, I think I’m the luckiest person I know! The other day I got off the train and left my suitcase behind, so I ran all the way back to the station and believe it or not, the train was still at the platform and my case was safe and sound, so I just picked it up and jumped back in a taxi! Lucky? I think so.

How about if you had £1 for every person who asked you whether you had a cunning plan?

Yes – it’s certainly become my catchphrase! There’s a reason why I called my autobiography “No Cunning Plan”. People ask me about it all the time but what most don’t realise is that ‘I have a cunning plan’ didn’t become Baldrick’s catchphrase until the third series of Blackadder. Looking back, it all seems preordained, as if Blackadder was always going to be a success. But at the time we didn’t have a clue how it was going to be received.

In fact, the first series wasn’t even that popular! It wasn’t until the second series that it started to take off.

But amazing fun though?

You would assume it was good fun and of course it was intoxicating, but in actual fact it was incredibly focused work. We were all perfectionists. It was like playing for Real Madrid given the quality of the writers and actors you were working with. Every episode was about trying to be funnier, more engaging, more literate.

The bar felt very high. Everyone else was 10 years younger than me, and I realised straight away what calibre of people I was working with, despite a lot of them not really being known to television at that time. There was Rowan (Atkinson) Stephen (Fry) and Hugh (Laurie) who were pretty new to the the industry and Tim McInnerny was at the National Theatre so was known as a character actor but weren’t famous or anything. There were just so much fresh talent there!

I remember being in the lunch queue at the BBC one day – and this was in the days when every programme was rehearsed in the same place in Acton, West London. So you’d see all sorts of people in the canteen – and Victoria Wood, bless her, was behind me and just leaned over and said, ‘You and I will never be Romeo and Juliet, we will always be known as the little one and the fat one.’

What was it like working with the late, great Rik Mayall?

Like a grenade going off! I mean he was just dazzling! He could rehearse something, and it would be like bam! Then he’d just stop and wink at you!

Do you have a most embarrassing moment?

Yes, but it’s not a Blackadder one. The full story I’ve included in my autobiography, but I’ll just say it involves me being locked outside a theatre in the middle of the night with no clothes on!

Since Blackadder, your career has remained hugely varied from being awarded a BAFTA for your TV writing, touring your one-man stage show, to touching on political issues such as your documentary on care for the elderly. How important is it to raise awareness of these issues?

I’ve been an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society since 2008 and this time of year, the depths of the winter, is a terrible time for many elderly people. I found out a great deal about issues to do with the elderly when I was making the documentary “Me and My Mum.”

The problems of loneliness, the cold and mobility difficulties for elderly people are not going away and it’s important that people don’t forget that.

You are politically active and have been a Labour Party supporter for many years. What are your thoughts on Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition?

Well I’ve always been critical of Jeremy but that’s the beauty of a large party like the Labour party, you can criticise and put your point of view across but at the end of the day you’re loyal to the party. I’ve even campaigned on the Wirral!

I’m starting to wonder how you fit it all in, and I’m not surprised you were presented with the “Outstanding Contribution by an Individual” award by the Museums and Heritage Association. You’ve also written 30 children’s books. Is it difficult to write successful books for children?

The series of books that I’ve been writing for the last 6-7 years is called Tony Robinson’s Weird World of Wonders and it looks at everything extraordinary weird or funny.

It’s not that it’s difficult to write for children, but I like to try and breathe life into what would otherwise be considered a dull subject. Although it’s not that the subject itself is dull, it’s just sometimes it can be told in a really boring way.

You’ve got to scrape away at the tedium in the same way as you would scrape away at a dull brown painted bannister to reveal the beautiful wood underneath. Things aren’t dull, they just seem so and when you find out more about them everything becomes interesting!

What’s next for you then? Is there anything left to achieve!

Well I guess my main ambition is to do more things I haven’t done yet. I wouldn’t mind a character part in an HBO series. I’m starting to feel left out that all my friends have been in Game of Thrones! Nor was I in any of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy – even though he’s a fan and owns an original Baldrick costume!

My next project is for Channel 5, and it takes me all over England exploring the country’s Cathedrals. I’m really looking forward to it. It includes Liverpool, so I’ll be back in my second home soon!

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