Valentine's Day...make it special for all your loved ones  ♥
Here at Pipii we ♥ to turn every day into a special occasion. Valentine's day is yet another one you can have a bit of fun with. Despite it being February, Winter and ... We sincerely hope you are enjoying the new year so far. These next couple of weeks we are embracing all the pretty pink, red, sparkle and hearts of Valentine's Day to get us through these last few weeks of Winter! So why not share it with all your loved ones in all sort of  wonderful ways...
Decorate the house, get crafting, bake or cook a special treat & meal and
most importantly, just have a lovely day together ♥

We have a special treat for you to bake for your loved ones.. One for you and one for me.....

Raspberry Éclairs

These little jewels look so beautiful and taste divine too. Perfect for a Valentine's treat for a special one. Éclairs are made from Choux pastry which is deceptively easy to make, they are typically filled with a sweet vanilla cream known as crème Chantilly, instead of the traditional chocolate or coffee icing we have chose to make a raspberry icing and fill with fresh raspberries for a summer treat.

Éclairs can be prepared in advance: once the unfilled pastries are cooked and cooled, they can be kept in an airtight box for a few days or frozen, it is best to make the Chantilly cream on the day that you are planning on eating the éclairs.

Ingredients

Choux pastry

• 100g plain white flour
• Pinch of salt
• 150ml water
• 75g butter
• 3 free-range eggs, beaten
• 1 extra egg beaten - to brush éclairs before baking

For the crème Chantilly filling

• 50g icing sugar (1 generous tbsp), sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 400ml whipped cream, (measure when whipped)
• A punnet of fresh raspberries

For the Raspberry icing

• 200g icing sugar
• 5-6 raspberries
• 1 -2 tbsp cold water

Method

Choux Pastry

1. 1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and set aside
   2. Place the water and butter in a medium-sized saucepan with high sides, set over a medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts. Allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Add the flour and salt and beat very well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.
   3. Reduce the heat to medium and replace the saucepan, stirring for 1 minute until the mixture starts to ‘fur’ (slightly stick to the base of the pan). Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute.
   4. Pour about one-quarter of the beaten egg into the pan and, using the wooden spoon, beat very well. Add a little more egg and beat well again until the mixture comes back together. Continue to add the egg, beating vigorously all the time, until the mixture has softened, is nice and shiny and has a dropping consistency. (you could well get a tired arm) You may not need to add all the egg or you may need a little extra. If the mixture is too stiff (not enough egg) then the choux pastries will be too heavy, but if the mixture is too wet (too much egg) they will not hold their shape when spooned onto greaseproof paper.
   5. Although the pastry is best used right away, it can be placed in a bowl, covered and chilled for up to 12 hours, until ready to use.

Éclairs

1. 1. 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C Line a baking tray with parchment paper (not greaseproof paper, as the éclairs may stick when cooked).
      2. Place the dough into a piping bag fitted with the plain 5–8mm nozzle and pipe into lengths approximately 10cm long onto the prepared baking tray, spaced about 4cm apart to allow for expansion. Use a small wet knife to stop the dough coming out when you have finished piping each éclair.
      3. Brush the éclairs gently with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C and continue to cook for a further 12-15 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed up, golden and crisp.
      4. Remove the éclairs from the oven and using a skewer or the tip of a small sharp knife, make a hole in the side or the base of each éclair. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes to allow the steam to escape. Transfer the éclairs to a wire rack to cool.
      5. Meanwhile, make the icing. In a bowl mush up 5-6 raspberries with a fork into a paste, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add a little water and stir to mix, adding a little more water if necessary until the icing is spreadable but not too watery.
      6. To make the crème Chantilly filling, fold the sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract into the whipped cream. Chill until you are ready to use it.
      7. When the éclairs are cool, cut the éclairs in half, spoon the crème Chantilly into a clean piping bag fitted with the small, plain nozzle (or use the same nozzle used for piping the éclairs) and pipe the cream onto the half of the éclairs until they are well filled, place 5-6 half raspberries on top of the cream.
      8. Using a small palette knife or spoon that has been standing in a jug of hot water (to make spreading the icing easier), spread the icing over the top of each éclair, dipping the knife into the hot water between each éclair. Serve and watch them being devoured!

More ideas -

For chocolate éclairs follow the recipe above but replace the raspberry icing with chocolate glacé icing and leave out the fresh raspberries

1. 1. 1. • 200g icing sugar
         • 25g cocoa powder
         • 1 -2 tbsp boiling water

Enjoy!

Honeycomb Decorations - True Paper Magic

It is time to create magic... Honeycomb Decorations...
In our view, simply the best Christmas and year round decorations. Honeycomb balls, bells, fans and snowflakes are magic creations. The way the start off as boring looking piles of paper and how they simply unfold and turn into the most fantastic and intricate shapes, is nothing less than magic!

Let the snowflakes be the centrepiece

Fond childhood memories of  multicolored garlands and fans. – Immediately fascinated by their magic. These amazing decorations seemed to disappear for a while and when Pipii launches in 2009, it was one of the products on our wish list to re-introduce…

The popularity of honeycomb decorations has grown hugely since we first started stocking them in 2010 and are now available everywhere in all colours, shapes and sizes. The quality varies greatly, if you buy good quality, they will be made with lovely colour-fast tissue paper and strong card board inners which mean that they will keep year after year and stand the test of time. They will then make great ‘hand me downs’ (hopefully remembered in the same way as we did).
For Christmas, hang snowflakes in all sizes in large windows in our house mixed in with twinkling fairy-lights, it is so beautiful, so simple, so inexpensive and so effective, nothing else can really match a display like it.

Add colour and impact with honeycomb ball galore

Honeycomb balls are hugely popular, all year round …from weddings to Christmas….all colours and sizes. Pipii.co.uk stock honeycomb balls from 48cm (in diameter) right down to 5cm (dia). With the smaller ones you can create dainty little baubles for the tree and branches to making ball garlands also to go round the tree or as part of a mantelpiece garland or swag…

The smaller size honeycomb balls look great on our display tree

The 3 sizes in the middle, 12, 20 and 30cm are the most popular and look great displayed together either as simply table décor…hanging in windows or ceiling in a mix of sizes. The cost goes from 7.50 for the largest 48cm one to 2.49 (for 3) of the mini 5cm ones. 12cm @2.75 / 20cm @3.75 and 30cm @4.75

Lots of our customer use them only folded out halfway and then secured onto a wall or table on both sides of the circle to create a semi circle as part of a room display or they are displayed together with snowflakes or fans for a lovely effect. Hanging a couple of balls together in a variety of sizes creates the most effective display, a quick and easy way to add a bit of wow to a room. They also look great mixed together with snowflakes.

For Christmas the most popular honeycomb ball colour is white closely followed by red but we do see more and more than customers are inspired by magazines such as Living etc to be bold and brave and create with colours hence we have this year expanded our collection of snowflakes to include some real wow colours. We see no end to the interest in honeycomb balls and decorations in general and suspect that they will not disappear for the foreseeable future.

All you have to do is to choose which colours, shape and size is going to adore your home...Enjoy!

Unique Christmas gift wrapping ideas
Have you got everything you need to make
your presents, the best looking ones
under the Christmas tree..? 

Merry Christmas Woodland Recycled Kraft Gift Wrap Paper 

Brown Paper Packages tided up with string, just some of our favourite things...

Brown kraft paper is a great start for your Christmas wrapping. The neutral colour allows you to play around with lots of fun of decorative ideas that will make your Christmas presents special. Beautifully complimented by our Nordic neutral green twig paper - perfect for smaller gifts. 

Large selection of gift wrap, tags, stickers, ribbon and bakers twine 

Kraft bags, perfect for wrapping up gifts

Embellish your presents - fantastic choice of  gift tags, stickers & washi tape

Ribbons & Twines

Recycle...recycle...
Good news our brown kraft wrapping paper is recyclable, even the printed wrapping paper! As it turns our most of wrapping paper is recyclable, just not the ones with metallic embellishments. Just make sure you remove any sticky tape and any other bows before adding to your recycling bin.  

Halloween Fun - The perfect excuse to turn ordinary days & nights into a bit of fun!
Welcome visitors with a carved pumpkin lantern to crate a little bit of atmosphere. 
Invite in the friendly neighbourhood ghosts, gaols, witches & monsters to a table with ghostly delights, set the table with the most brilliant stripy plates, bat cups and bat foil napkins from Ginger Ray & Meri Meri. A backdrop of bats of fluttering bats are perfect to set the scene. Create a Skeleton photo props and hang out with a  life-size cut-out skeleton decorations for a bit of fun, temporary tattoos, Day of Dead balloons & banners, stickers and table decorations. What more could your little house ghosts wish for...

No Halloween is complete without a little recipe... Try to keep you vampire teeth in while you chew on these delicious Toffee Apples...

Recipe for Toffee Apples...

Relive nostalgic childhood memories with these cracking good toffee coated apples. To make them a little different add a little red food dye to the toffee, to get a beautiful red shiny toffee and dust with desiccated coconut.

Ingredients

• 225g demerara sugar
• 110 ml water
• 0.5 tsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 25g butter
• 6 apples
• 6 BBQ sticks, for holding the apples

Method

Please note that making toffee must be approached with caution; toffee gets very, very hot (up to 140 °C) as it is boils!

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a moderate heat. When it has dissolved, stir in the vinegar, syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until it reaches hard-crack stage (138°C) or hardens into a ball when dropped in a bowl of cold water. This should take around 10-15 minutes boiling time.
2. While the syrup is cooking, wash the apples and dry well, pierce each apple with a wooden BBQ stick. Once the toffee is ready, add an optional drop of red food colouring and stir well. Dip each apple into the hot toffee, turning it around in the syrup so that each one is fully coated.
3. Optional; Dust with desiccated coconut
4. Leave to harden on a lightly oiled tray before serving. If bringing the toffee coated apples with you to a bonfire party, why not pack them individually in our pla brown or white paper bags. If you're planning to keep them for a day or two, wrap the apples in cellophane bags.

Something for everyone with Pipii's vast range of biodegradable eco friendly palm leaf and sugar cane tableware, paper straws, cups and napkins, perfect for any festive gathering, whether a 'green eco wedding', outdoor festival and event, birthdays or bbq. Enjoy knowing that you are doing your bit for the planet. Just pop your biodegradable tableware the compost heap after the event, no need for washing up.

Our best selling 26cm round palm leaf plates, Bamboo Cutlery and coconuts seem to be our customers favourites this summer.

Thinking of hosting a eco party or celebration? Look no further, we stock a superb range of eco-friendly, disposable biodegradable & sustainable stylish tableware. Sugar-cane (bagasse) plates & palm-leaf plates & bowls in various sizes and designs, platters & wooden trays. Wooden cutlery, bamboo cutlery packs, cocktail sticks, canapé cones, kraft disposable trays, take-away boxes, kraft boxes with PLA windows, Chinese carry-out boxes with handles and gable boxes. Smart soup cups with lids, brown & white recyclable paper bags with pla window. Great picnic sets with everything you need for a day out. Newsprint fish & chip greaseproof paper & pockets. Large range of biodegradable PLA eco wine glasses, pint glasses and PLA cups. Great choice of paper cups; white single wall cups, brown ripple cups, black ripple cups & craft cups. Inspiring selection of quality paper napkins in various colours and design and not forgetting our superb range of striped paper straws in a rainbow of colours & place-mats and tablecloths.

Are you saying no to plastic straws, but missing a little bit of colour and fun in your summer cocktails? 

Not to worry with Pipii's bio-degradable fun & festive retro paper straws you can still have your straw and be eco-concious.

.

Shop Pipii Straws

For fun colourful paper drinking straws, look no further. Whether you’re in the mood for stripes, plain kraft, dots, or flowers decorating your straws, you’ll find a pack to suit. So, for that chic cocktail party, retro or vintage tea party, birthday, wedding celebration or event, add some stripy, metallic, chevron, star, heart, floral, or polka dot paper straws to your basket. We sell these in packs of 25's, 100's and in bulk.

And what’s more, our paper drinking straws are 100% biodegradable, compostable and sustainable.

What spells early summer more than RHUBARB...
We love it and everything that one can make with rhubarb.
It signifies that summer is coming and taste delicious!

So other than the classic and delicious crumble, cordial & pie, we have 2 gorgeous and very tasty easy recipes to share with you.

Danish Rhubarb Cinnamon Cake:

Cake recipe:
200 g plain flour
125 g butter
200 g sugar
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1 dl milk
For the topping:
30g demerara sugar
Approx 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon

How to make the dough:

• Mix sugar and soft butter well.
• Add eggs.
• Now add flour and baking powder, mix well.
• Finally mix the milk into the mixture.

Prepare the rhubarb:
You will need 3-4 good sized rhubarb stalks for the cake.

• Clean the rhubarb stalks and remove excess 'skin', then cut into inch long pieces.
• Place in sauce pan with approx 2-3 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of demerara sugar.
• Bring gentle to the boil and leave to simmer for approx 5mins. The rhubarb should be soft to touch but not falling apart.
• Cool and drain the liquid from the pan. The rhubarb is now ready to use.

Using a 24cm round (or similar size square) baking tray, fill with half the cake mixture, next arrange a layer of the prepared rhubarb and sprinkle half the demerara sugar and cinnamon over, then using the remaining cake mixture, cover and repeat with rhubarb, cinnamon and sugar on the top. (A light sprinkle of almonds is a lovely add-on too).
Bake on middle shelf in oven for approx 45min at 180 degree Celsius. Be aware that it may be quite gooey in the middle because of the rhubarb so test a few places, a skewer should come out almost clean!

A light sprinkle of icing sugar prior to serving also works beautifully!. Enjoy....

Danish Rhubarb Snitter:

This biscuit type cake is usually made with raspberry jam and is 'world famous' in Denmark. Every baker in Denmark will sell these and for a good reason too...utterly yummy and irresistible.

Biscuit dough:

• 200 g plain flour
• 50 g ground almonds
• 25 g icing sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ real vanilla stick or vanilla sugar
• 150 g butter
• 1 egg yolk

Rhubarb jam:

• 300 g rhubarb
• 150 g jam sugar (with pectin)
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ real vanilla stick or vanilla sugar

Icing:

• 2½ dl icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon soft butter
• Juice of 1 lemon.

Topping:

You can either choose freeze dried raspberries (for the raspberry version or usually they are made with  colourful 100's & 1000's sprinkles.
For the rhubarb version, liquorice powder sprinkled on top is delicious.
You would need 1-2 tablespoons for this recipe.

How to make the rhubarb jam:

• Clean the rhubarb stalks and remove excess 'skin', then cut into small pieces.
• Place in sauce pan with the jam sugar and water. Add the vanilla.
• Bring gentle to the boil and leave to simmer and go soft for approx 5mins. Then leave to boil for another 5-10 mins until thickening, Remove from the heat and leave to cool down completely. Once the jam is beginning to cool down, you can place it in the fridge.
• Once cooled down completely, the rhubarb is now ready to use

How to make:

• Mix plain flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Next then either add the vanilla sugar or the inner vanilla seeds to this mixture.
• Add the butter, already cut into small squares into the mixture and blend into the flour with your fingers until it resembles fine soft slightly wet sand.
• Add the egg yolk and gather the mixture into a ball without over kneeding it.
• Wrap in cling film and leave in fridge for approx 30 mins.
  Now have a cup of tea.....
• Remove from the fridge and split into 2 equal pieces.
• Roll out one half into a square piece approx 4mm thick and place on a baking sheet.
• Repeat for the other half so that the 2 pieces are approx equal sizes and will fit on top of each other nicely.
• Bake just one half for 5mins at 190 degrees celcius. It is ready when it is slightly crusty on top.
• Remove from the oven and spread the rhubarb jam evenly over the top. Now place the second half on top and piece with a fork all over.
• Return to the oven and now bake for a further 15-20mins at 190c till it crusty and lightly golden on top.
• Leave to cool for bit and once it has cooled down to be luke warm to touch, make your icing by mixing soft butter into the icing sugar, then add lemon juice 9 (bit at a time) until the icing has a nice thick consistency but still spreadable, decorate the top of the biscuit with it.
• Finish with any sprinkles that you may wish to add.
• The cake will keep in a biscuit tin for around 5-6 days.

Enjoy x

It is perfect time for you to shop our eco-chic range of tableware, fabric runners & decorations from Pipii as we welcome May and look ahead to a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend, the weather is looking promising - with sunshine and warmer temperatures. Perfect for outdoor entertaining or a trip to the park, beach or a picnic amongst the bluebells.  

Pipii.co.uk have got a large selection of eco chic biodegradable palm and sugarcane plates & bowls, cutlery, napkins cups and glasses perfect for any gathering or get-together. Create a pretty table setting with palm leaf print runner, dainty glass bud vases and rosegold flower garland decorations.

As the evening approaches light the foliage string table lights and candles to create 'hygge'.   

Easter Eggs & Bunnies for your Easter party.

We love these classic papier mache Easter eggs, they open up and allow you to put
anything you wish inside. Not everyone loves chocolate including myself
but fill this with jelly beans and I'm a happy bunny.
But they also allow you to place a little gift, a written promise ...could be 'bake you a cake', or simply 'a walk in the woods' to more elaborate things...either way, both the eggs and the content will no doubt bring joy. The eggs of course also keep for years.

This year we are stocking our all time best selling Beatrix Potter Easter eggs, the cutest retro bunny designs and a very traditional vintage bunny designs which we all recognise
from old decoupages images...choices. choices...!

This years collection of bunny themed tableware is just irresistible...choose from soft pom pom tailed foil bunny cups, bunny plates and napkins, pastel coloured plates and napkins, soft pastel coloured table confetti and pretty sparkling t-light glass in lush pastel....
paper straws etc etc etc...just tooooo good not to have a bunny dressed table this year!