A piece of cake for the Queen

It's a traditional January engagement for the Queen and this year, it was a piece of cake. As she joined the Sandringham and West Newton Women's Institute for their meeting, as she nearly always does in the weeks after Christmas, the Queen was given her first birthday cake of the year. And as this is a big birthday with several big parties lined up, we can expect a lot more cake for the Queen in the weeks and months to come.

Cake number one for her 90th birthday was presented to the Queen in Norfolk this week

The first delicacy to help her celebrate her 90th birthday, which takes place on April 21st, was an iced fruit cake. And her hosts also provided champagne to toast her big day with. And with the Women's Institute's stellar reputation for cake, this was a slice to savour as celebrations for her big day got under way - three months early.

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The Queen usually visits her local WI in the middle of January and this year she heard from guest speaker, TV presenter Sian Williams, who said she had been so nervous the last time she met the monarch that she nodded her head, bowed and curtsied, all at the same time. And she admitted to nerves this time round too but was determine to put on a good show.

ICYMI - @sianwilliams100 reflects on WI meeting with HM The Queen https://t.co/kxl4h8xsoT #Royals @WomensInstitute pic.twitter.com/7jFKXyFn56

— 5News (@5_News) January 21, 2016

There will be many more cakes between now and April and even more after that as the national celebrations for the Queen's 90th take place in May and June and include a huge picnic in the Mall to celebrate her nine decades and counting and raise a glass to her record breaking reign. In her Christmas speech, the Queen said she had been warned she would hear 'Happy Birthday' sung to her many times in 2016. We can expect lots of cake, too. The party is already getting started.