Basket - Primroses

Gumpaste Basket

(with GP flowers – Primroses)

Materials/equipment

Gum paste Cornstarch in a muslin bag

Edible glue plus brush Vegetable fat

Small amount of fondant Soft brown sugar (colored dark brown)

Paste food colours Toothpicks

Tweezers Artist pallet knife

Rolling pin Rolling out board

Clay gun plus rope tip Small pliers

5 Primrose buds Patty tin

3 Primrose flowers

10 Primrose leaves (various sizes)

Lightly dust the inside of a patty tin with cornstarch.

Roll out a piece of gum paste and line the patty tin.

Trim the gum paste level with the top of the patty tin.

Transfer the moulded gum paste to the outside of the patty tin (dusted with cornstarch).

Use a toothpick (use the side of the toothpick not the point) and mark lines around the moulded gum paste.

Use a pair of tweezers and pinch vertical lines between the horizontal lines made with the toothpick.

Once the base of the basket has dried (24 hrs).

Measure the diameter of the basket and make a pattern for the handle.

Grease the inside of the clay gun and the rope tip with vegetable fat.

Soften the gum paste for the clay gun, by dipping the piece of gum paste into the edible glue a few times (kneading after each time) also knead in a little bit of vegetable fat. The gum paste needs to start sticking to your hands/fingers.

Place the gum paste into the clay gun fitted with the rope tip.

Once the gum paste has been extruded, twist the rope.

Place the twisted rope of gum paste over the pattern (you have drawn) and cut to size.

Leave to dry (24 hrs).

Paint a line of edible glue along the top edge of the dried basket base.

Create another twisted gum paste rope and attach

Paint a spot of edible glue on the tips of the dried basket handle and insert into the twisted rope (ensure one tip of the handle is position over the join in the twisted rope on the edge of the basket).

Take a small piece of gum paste and roll a sausage.

Fold the sausage in half and twist into a rope.

Paint a line of edible glue around the base of the basket handles and on the inside of the basket (side).

Take the small twisted gum paste rope and secure (this is to support the handle and tidy up the join).

Leave to dry (24 hrs).

Paint the inside of the basket with edible glue.

Fill the basket with a piece fondant.

Paint the surface of the fondant with edible glue and cover with the soft brown sugar (which has been colored with dark brown paste food coloring).

Using the floristry scissors reduce the length of wire on the leaves to ½ of an inch

Carefully bend the wires to a 90 deg. Angle.

Dip the wire into the edible glue and position the leaf in the basket.

N.B. the wire should not be seen.

Carefully adjust the angle of the primrose flower heads using a pair of pliers.

Dip the tips of the primrose stem (wire) into the edible glue.

Position the flowers in the basket.

N.B. primrose leaves/flowers/buds all sprout/grow from the centre of the plant (ensure all wires are positioned in the centre).

Reduce the length of the stems on the primrose buds.

Dip the tips of the stems (wire) into the edible glue.

Position the buds around the flowers.

Add the remaining leaves.

Completed primrose basket (front/back view)