It’s a street known for its bars, charity shops and restaurants, but tucked up in a corner under the bridge on Newland Avenue sits Lydia’s, a cute and quaint cake café. With quirky, charming decor, a cosy atmosphere and an abundance of sweet treats and drinks, it’s the perfect place to relax and catch up with friends, especially on these cold, dark evenings.

When Lydia invited me and some other Hull Bloggers to go along and sample her delicious cakes and join in with some crafting activities, how on earth could I refuse?! A night of cakes and crafting with my friends? Yes please!

[column-group][column][/column][column] [/column][/column-group]We started the night off with some pre-crafting drinks and sweet treats. I opted for a nice mug of hot chocolate, complete with a topping of squirty cream and chocolate sauce, whilst some of the other girls tried the selection of coffees and teas. If you ever stop by here for a hot drink, you’ll be spoilt for choice as they have a little bit of everything! Think nutella hot chocolates, pumpkin spice lattes and orange ice cream tea.

Lydia laid out a selection of her best-sellers to sample, and they were a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. All of Lydia’s cakes are homemade and they look divine. We tucked into lemon meringue cupcake, white chocolate and lime shortbread, Oreo and peanut butter cheesecake and Kinder Bueno cupcake, but my favourite was the classic chocolate brownie. It was so rich, dense and gooey – just how a brownie should be!

After lining our tummies, we settled down for our crafting session. A group of ladies volunteer on the last Tuesday of every month to show you how to craft and crochet, and even provide all of the materials you need too. For just £5, you get to join in with all of the crafting fun and even get a drink and some cake. Winner!

We all dove straight in to the papercrafting, and with Christmas just around the corner, we were tasked with making a Christmas wreath using nothing but paper and PVA glue. As we relived making a mess back in primary school days, peeling dried glue off of our hands and struggling to make something that should have been simple (honestly, it’s harder than it looks!), the ladies were always on hand to help us out and grab us anything we needed, from more paper to a wet wipe for our sticky hands.

[column-group][column][/column][column][/column][/column-group]It’s not just craft night that Lydia’s café hosts. In fact, there are a number of events that take place including film afternoons, quiz nights, language evenings, knitting club and more.

We enjoyed our time so much during the craft evening that Alex and I returned for a quiz night just a couple of nights ago, along with my friend Gina, my brother Robert and his girlfriend, Alice. Together we created the team “Four women and a baby” (my brother’s choice) and paid just £2 between us to take part in the quiz for the night.

There was a really brilliant turn out and it was a lovely bunch of people. The atmosphere was so friendly and teams were chatting between each other throughout the night. Though, naturally, we all got competitive once the quiz began!

[column-group][column][/column][column][/column][/column-group]Having visited Lydia’s only twice (and thoroughly enjoying it both times!), I already know it’s going to become a regular spot for my friends and I to meet up; cakes, drinks and fun all enveloped in a friendly atmosphere… what could be better?!

Which of the cakes would take your fancy? Does Lydia’s sound like the sort of place you’d like to visit?