Great British Bake Off star shares recipe for happy away days

Another fantastic week away in the caravan.  We started the week with a visit to a Patisserie in Cheltenham, writes Great British Bake Off past contestant Karen Wright...

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My 'Bake Off' friend Terry and I were taken aback by the sheer beauty of the products they make.

We were gowned up, including disposable pixie socks, so looked like scientists in a lab!

We got lucky as we were given a selection of cakes to take back to the caravan site to sample.

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Next day was an active one and we had a walk along the top of the Malvern Hills.  Not too arduous, although I did chicken out and let Terry and John scale the beacon without me.

We had a feast of a BBQ that night as it was our last evening together. Next day Terry returned home, and we continued our travels south.

We arrived at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site near Portsmouth, called Rookesbury Park. We got set up and organised and settled down to making our plans for this area.

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Day one we investigated Porchester Castle, originally a medieval castle which was built on a Roman Site. It was strategically positioned to defend Portsmouth, and very interesting indeed.

Next day we had the best time though. We went to the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth - home of among other things, HMS Victory, and the Mary Rose.

I remembered a visit to the Victory as a child in the sixties, but of course back then, Tudor warship the Mary Rose was still undiscovered on the seabed after sinking over four hundred years ago.

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We purchased our Mary Rose tickets online, so were sure of our time slot. The museum is so fascinating and there are over 19,000 items that were found during excavation and recovery.  All on display, including the full skeleton of the ship's dog, thought to be a whippet that was kept on board as a rat catcher.

After the museum we took a trip on a boat around the harbour. This was great, I love boat trips. The commentary was very full and interesting.

We sailed by the aircraft carriers, tugs, banana boats and the ferries. We saw the Spinnaker tower and a yacht that can be hired for only £650,000 per week, plus fuel!

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Food wise I have been very busy in the kitchen. I am still trying to use up Elgars’ apples from last week! I have made apple biscuits, apple puddings and savoury meals with an apple element.

We also managed to catch up with a friend from our France days, Janise. She lives nearby and we had the opportunity for a catch up and took it. All brilliant.

Tomorrow we move on to the Brighton site. It's family time as we have three birthdays this week. We will be able to stay within the group of six and will spend as much time out of doors and away from crowds as possible.

I have lots of presents to wrap so I'd better make a start..

I continue to blog this trip on my website www.karenwrightbakes.co.uk