World’s biggest coffee morning is back!

It’s the 28th year of Macmillan Cancer Support’s much-loved fundraiser, which returns on Friday 28 September.

In Wales, last year our coffee mornings, held at our homes, schools and workplaces raised a fantastic £1.2m. An estimated 130,000 people in Wales are currently living with a cancer diagnosis. Money from the coffee mornings help to pay for the specialist cancer nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, cancer information specialists and benefits advisers that work in our communities.

This year we’re encouraging everyone holding a coffee morning to ‘host it your way’. Hold your coffee morning on a date and time, and in a way that works for you!

Hosting a coffee morning is a fun, uncomplicated way of catching up with friends, family and colleagues and raising money to help people living with cancer. All you need is a bite to eat (sweet or savoury) and a cuppa!

There are lots of ways to get involved — go to macmillan.org.uk/coffee to request your Kit and get some tips and inspiration to help you. If you can’t bake, fake it! Throughout September, our headline partner M&S will be selling a selection of limited edition products — including lots of cakes, biscuits and two exclusive mugs — with 10% of proceeds going to Macmillan.

If you can’t host a coffee morning — that’s fine! You can still get involved. Our searchable map on our website will help you find World’s Biggest Coffee Mornings taking place near you.

Thank you to everyone who gets involved: every Coffee Morning changes lives!

Delicious Scoffins (10–20 Scones)

What you need:

300g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 150ml milk, 2 large eggs, 6 tbsps vegetable oil & a little salt to taste

For a Cheese & Bacon Filling:

100g strong cheddar (grated) & 4 slices of bacon (ideally smoked, grilled & chopped)

For a Chorizo & Pepper Filling:

75g sliced chorizo & 1 small red pepper (deseeded & chopped into 1 inch slices)

For a Leek & Cheese Filling:

1 medium leek & 100g strong cheddar (grated)

How you do it:

1. 01. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
2. 02. Put the flour & baking powder into a large bowl & fold your flavours in (cheeses/meats/veggies etc.) If you like a little seasoning, you can add salt at this point.
3. 03. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients until well blended.
4. 04. Fold the dry into the wet until combined, then spoon the mixture equally into the muffin cases.
5. 05. Cook muffins on middle shelf for 20 mins or until the tops are a golden brown. Best served warm.
6. 06. Play about with the flavours in these muffins — some of our favourites are listed here. The cheese would be added as a dry ingredient (unless you used a ‘wet’ cheese like mozzarella). If you’re using bacon, chorizo or peppers, cook for a few minutes first. Cut into pieces & add to the wet ingredients. The leeks can be sliced & softened in a little butter in a frying pan until they’re gently browned. We love cheese & onion, feta & olive, ham & cheddar & sundried tomato & mozzarella. You can also eat like a scone with butter or cream cheese. The possibilities are endless!

Mont Blanc Meringue Kisses (makes 40)

What you need:

120g egg whites (approx. 3 large egg whites), pinch of salt, 200g icing sugar & 1 heaped tsp cocoa powder

For the Filling:

250g tin of sweetened chestnut spread, 300g double cream (whipped to very soft peaks), ½ tsp vanilla extract & 1 or 2 tbsps brandy (optional)

How you do it:

1. 01. Preheat the oven to 120°C/Gas Mark 1.
2. 02. Whisk egg whites with pinch of salt until foamy then add the icing sugar 1tbsp at a time whisking well between each addition until meringue is glossy & thick.
3. 03. Sift the cocoa over the meringue & with large metal spoon fold the meringue over the cocoa a couple of times only (you are not aiming to mix the cocoa in completely, only to create some streaks).
4. 04. Attach the baking parchment to the baking sheets using a little meringue at each corner.
5. 05. Using a large piping bag (or 2 teaspoons), pipe 3cm meringues in neat lines on the baking sheet.
6. 06. Place the meringues in the oven, turn the temperature down to 100C. Bake for around 1 hour until dry. Remove from oven & cool on wire rack.
7. 07. To make the filling, empty chestnut puree into large bowl, add the vanilla extract & brandy & mix well.
8. 08. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to very soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream in two batches into the puree.
9. 09. Pipe or spoon the filling onto half the meringues & sandwich together with the remaining halves.