Why The Mouse & The Cake?
(the inspirational bit)The name “The Mouse & The Cake” comes from the title of one of my favourite poems, which was written by Eliza Cook and is the story of a greedy mouse. The moral of the story being that we should all share more – something that certainly holds true generally, but especially with wedding cakes There are many traditions relating to a Wedding Cake but ultimately it is for sharing amongst guests. Whether it’s a simple one-tier cake or a multi-level culinary masterpiece, you can “have your cake and eat it”.
I worked as a nanny for many years and the story of The Mouse & The Cake was always a great favourite with the children who would ask for it to be repeated so they could join in at the crucial point and shout out the fate of the poor greedy mouse. Ever since, this childhood tale with an understandable moral, has remained a firm favourite with me.
Eliza Cook was a prolific writer and had many books of poetry published. She lived from 1818-1889 and was ahead of her time – she fought for the right to education for girls and to improve conditions of the poorest workers.
The Mouse and The Cake - By Eliza Cook (1818-1889)
A mouse found a beautiful piece of plum cake,
The richest and sweetest that mortal could make;
‘Twas heavy with citron and fragrant with spice,
And covered with sugar all sparkling as ice.
‘My stars!’ cried the mouse, while his eyes beamed with glee,
‘Here’s a treasure I’ve found: what a feast it will be;
But, hark! there’s a noise, ’tis my brothers at play;
So I’ll hide with the cake, lest they wander this way.’
‘Not a bit shall they have, for I know I can eat
Every morsel myself, and I’ll have such a treat.’
So off went the mouse as he held the cake fast;
While his hungry young brothers went scampering past.
He nibbled, and nibbled, and panted, but still
He kept gulping it down till he made himself ill;
Yet he swallowed it all, and ’tis easy to guess,
He was soon so unwell that he groaned with distress.
His family heard him, and as he grew worse,
They sent for the doctor, who made him rehearse,
How he’d eaten the cake to the very last crumb,
Without giving his playmates and relatives some.
‘Ah me!’ cried the doctor, ‘advice is too late;
You must die before long, so prepare for your fate.
If you had but divided the cake with your brothers,
‘Twould have done you no harm, and been good for the others.’
‘Had you shared it, the treat had been wholesome enough;
But eaten by one, it was dangerous stuff;
So prepare for the worst…’; and the word had scarce fled,
When the doctor turned round, and the patient was dead.
Now all little people the lesson may take,
And some large ones may learn from the mouse and the cake;
Not to be over-selfish with what we may gain,
Or the best of our pleasures may turn into pain.
Contact me now to book your delicious wedding cake
I'm Vikki, call me on 07815 840 795
Email me at hello@themouseandthecake.com
Or use the contact form here
