to think that charging £30 for a dozen cupcakes is ridiculous?

[melpomene]

extortionate cupcakes

They're not even particularly special; they look as if my 6-year-old dd could have made them. And they haven't even used coloured cases.

I liked the "Best Teacher in the World" wooden heart at £17.99... I shall purchase them for teachers and TA's for both my younger DC's and maybe one for DS1's fave lecturer

bradfords baker is very nice i agree

"I agree. Having received a copy of the catalogue through the post, I thought it should be renamed Not-On-The-Internet-Either-Much-Longer(-Especially-In-A-Recession).

It was the £30 gift for my cleaner that got me....., that and the £50 gift for my aunt they suggested."

I agree - NOTHS never fails to surprise me with their pricing and suggestions. My DP thinks it's absolutely outrageous. I can be frivolous sometimes and have bought things from there, but rarely are they worth the money - like the cupcakes, apparently.

I get so many catalogues full of overpriced yet beautiful things - Graham & Green, Cox & Cox etc. - and wonder who is keeping these companies going, especially during a recession.

Sprocketandtubbs, that Lola's stuff looks absolutely to die for.

I've just spent 10 mins looking through the site, and my stomach is growling (even though I've just eaten) I WANT cupcakes...and how much would my DD love this giant cupcake cake for her birthday.

...wonders if I could make something similar with shop bought sponge and copious amounts of buttercream, or would it look ridiculous...

www.firebox.com have giant cupcake tins

Do you think it has any sort of filling inside... or just plain sponge?
I'd have a go with layers of sponge... buttercream covers a multitude of sins!

look at these

I have to walk past this shop in cov garden

ok I don't have to, but sometimes I do just to torture myself!

they are just bog standard fairy cakes. worlds gawn mad!

They're so pretty!

I know sea! and the shop is always busy. They must be doing a roaring trade.

What is sad is that I normally make cakes when it's my birthday at work (when I can be arsed - sometimes I really enjoy cooking!). And now a few people have bought those cupcakes and I think people regard my home baked ones as inferior (the fuckers - they can just have what they are given ).

Think they are doing a disservice to the humble not so perfect but still delicious cup cake!

I have a cake decorating/bakery business as a second job and there is NO WAY I would charge £30 for those. My husband could have made those. I charge £2 per cupcake and they are massive, topped with a lot of icing and lots of decoration. They take me ages.

Total and utter ripoff and completely unjustifiable.

OP - i looked at your link and i confess that i have had these (or more precisely the ones on the right in pink/purple pastels.
i can't comment on whether they were worth it as i did not pay for them. i would not buy fairy cakes (which is what they are really) for that price full stop; even if they were spinkled with gold-leaf (i am sure those prob exist too).
were they nice? yes rather than yes . very sweet indeed (in all ways) and with a very high ratio of topping:cake which i would never agree to if i were making them. dh and ds were more keen. if given them again i would not exactly refuse them but i bake some decent cakes myself which are actually yummier, take less than half an hour from start to finish.

AvadaKedavra, thankyou for the link to the giant cupcake tin, who knew such a thing existed...pondering whether its worth the £30...or should I just buy one ready made??