Zakira’s Tea Towel

When I asked Zakira if she would like to be a Guest Tea Towel, this wasn’t a random choice.  I have known Zakira since 1999, when she was an Apprentice Administrator.  I have seen her get married, have children and get promotion.  But most importantly, I know that Zakira is an amazing baker; she makes and elaborately decorates cakes for all sorts of occasions.  I can say this with confidence because she made me the most incredible cake for my retirement, reflecting my love of tea and tea rooms.  All bakers use a profusion of tea towels; this was going to be a dead cert.  Her reply was “Unfortunately I don’t have many tea towels and the ones I do are just the normal boring three-in-a-pack ones that get used, washed and then inevitably thrown away because they are so old.  So no special ones with stories”. OK that’s fine I thought but then 10 days later comes another email “I was looking through my cake pictures and found the attached picture where I have used a tea towel for display purposes/as a prop for my son’s cake – an alternative use for a tea towel”.  I am really excited by this and I have to say I think the white tea towel with the grey and black stripes is really quite elegant and sophisticated.

Then she says “There is also a picture of a yellow tea towel that Jane gave me as part of a gift.  She has cross-stitched ‘Star Baker’ and attached it to the tea towel.  As you can see there is a cartoon of me next to it”.  You see every tea towel does tell a story and I love this one from Zakira who really doesn’t know how good she is at cake-making and cake decorating (but the rest of us do).  The yellow tea tea towel follows in the tradition of how tea towels originated, hand embroidered, to become heirlooms eventually. Keep it safe.  Thank you Zakira.