Farmyard party - Celebrate the Old MacDonald Way

"Mud" pies
We Googled a recipe for "whoopie pies" which is a cupcake/cookie treat rumoured to have originated in 1920s USA when Amish women would put them in farmers' lunch boxes. The men would then declare "whoopie" upon discovering this clever version of a cupcake - icing in the middle so it wouldn't get smudged off on the way through the fields. We filled ours with chocolate butter cream "mud".

Food and decorations
Clothing from Charlie & Me, Pumpkin Patch, and JK Kids Gumboots from Skellerup (see www.redband.co.nz for stockists), straw hats from Spotlight

Props: Tin pails, grass mats, drinks crate and wooden picket fence boxes from www.poprocparties.co.nz. Other wooden boxes and baskets stylist's own

Schleich farm animals from Mainly Toys, www.mainlytoys.co.nz.

Wooden animals, gingham fabric, hessian and supplies to make windmills, all from Spotlight

Party stationery, balloons, cupcake holders and straws from www.poppyseed.co.nz and www.sweetpeaparties.co.nz

Toffee Apples from www.bluebellscakery.co.nz

Favours
Old MacDonald's guests all got to take home a bucket of goodies. We found cute tin pails at Pop Roc Parties, available in a range of colours. We filled the buckets with milk bottle sweets (from thecandyman.co.nz), cute cow pencils we found at our local pharmacy and remarkably life-like Schleich baby farm animals from Mainly Toys. Each bucket said "thanks for coming" on a little animal blackboard we made out of wooden animal shapes from Spotlight painted with blackboard paint.

Food and drink
Farmers are known for their healthy appetites so we prepared a menu of tasty, satisfying treats. It included corn on the cob, fruit kebabs, toffee apples, popcorn, cup cakes and, of course, a birthday cake fit for a farmer. We also ate:

Cake and cupcakes from www.citycake.com

Pigs in blankets
Wrap cocktail sausages in squares of flaky pastry, sealed with a brush of egg yolk. Place on a lined baking tray and bake at 200˚C for about 20 minutes.

'Lil rice piggies
We were inspired by Only Organic's Strawberry Yoghurt Mini Rice Cakes for this treat. With some mini marshmallows and tube of chocolate fudge writing gel, we created little rice piggies that were almost too cute to eat! We used a small squirt of fudge icing to glue a marshmallow nose and ears on each mini rice cake, two small blobs for eyes, and voilà, Miss Piggies!