Afternoon Crumbs is all about family. Our roots are in our families’ kitchens which - lets face it - is everybody’s favourite place! I (Maria!) couldn’t help but notice that whenever I’m in my kitchen, my husband, Kieran, seems to suddenly appear from whatever engine he has his head in and clears the worktop of 'testers' of whatever I happen to be baking at the time. Anybody who knows Kieran knows that he's at his happiest when he's building, destroying, 'optimising', welding, or re-purposing anything into his latest project. The solution to your most obscure engineering or mechanical problem can undoubtedly be found in the carnage of an Aladdin's cave that is his shed. Who knew there were so many purposes for the trusty cable tie?!

The start of Afternoon Crumbs coincides with a drunken admission from Kieran the weekend before our then baby's first Christmas. He had won a flat-bed trailer on eBay, topped with a full day's travel for collection -joy! That, coupled with the hard-hitting realisation that I had to go back to work in the new year and had fulfilled none of my 'crafting' intentions I'd so excitedly 'Pinterested' about whilst being off for the 8 months prior.

The exception being Fearne's Christening.

Fearne is our little (not-so-little) girl who turned our world upside-down in April 2015 when she made her dramatic entrance to the world. After spending the summer drinking much coffee (okay-and gin) and changing many nappies, we thought it about time to get her christened and my mind suddenly morphed into that aforementioned Pinterest board. With some invaluable help from friends and family, we pulled together an afternoon tea of fizz, homemade scones, jam and cream, sandwiches and cake teamed with polka dots, vintage crockery and bunting aplenty. It was perfect and just how we'd imagined it.

I always choose a scone with jam and cream when I'm out in coffee shops; it's always been a fave. Maybe it's because it's the first thing our Mam taught us how to bake when we were little (or at least enthusiastically encouraged us whilst watching us spread flour and marg on every available surface) and I'd noticed a spot where I'd like to fit in at the gorgeous food fayres and markets that the North East boasts.

Afternoon Crumbs started as a quick sketch up on the back of a serviette whilst out for dinner on our wedding anniversary and now quite literally a dream come true, getting proper cream teas into the North East. We’ve existed in a few different configurations from Beach Hut to vintage bicycle and now we’re in a Classic Landrover.

The juxtaposition of ‘Dainty Scone X Absolute-Machine-of-a-Vehicle’ is intentional.

We’re either at markets, sporting events or there as a local delivery service for whatever you might need in the scone-world.