Sunday, 31 March 2013

easter


Happy Easter everyone! Hope you have all enjoyed lots of chocolate eggs and bunnies! This is how I decorated our dining room this year. This basket of flowers, we bought from a nursery, has made a fabulous centrepiece for the table; so colourful and bright. I put duck eggs in a bowl and an egg on each plate with table names on. So cute!


For lunch we decided to have roast chicken with pearl barley, instead of lamb, for a change. I used a recipe from the River Cottage Everyday cookbook. It was delicious and I will definitely make it again as it went down a treat with the family. Empty plates all round!

For dessert we had a chocolate nest cake and chocolate mini egg buns. I did cheat here as I went to Marks and Spencers and saw this heavenly cake and thought to myself that it would so much better (and easier) to buy this.

I decorated the sideboard with chocolate eggs and daffodils, it is really versatile as I can dress it up for any occasion. My girls think I am obsessed with bunting but I love it and it always makes the room look inviting and pretty.

What have you done for Easter this year?


Friday, 29 March 2013

spring wedding outfit

A perfect bang on trend outfit for a spring wedding. I have picked this dress as it can be worn throughout the season for other occasions too because of its versatility.

The yellow and white work very well together and white is the colour to be wearing this spring.
Combined with a white clutch and gold jewellery; definitely belle of the ball time!

White leather high heels - Schuh - £60.00
White double metal bar clutch bag - River Island -  £28.00
Gold tone drop earrings - River Island - £10.00


Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Monday, 25 March 2013

how to make chocolate and hazelnut cups












These chocolate and hazelnut cups can be a luxurious dessert for a dinner party or an indulgent treat.
Ingredients
60g caster sugar

2 large eggs separated

100g of 70% dark chocolate - keep 15g back for grating

150g of O% fat Greek-style yogurt

50g of crushed hazelnuts

  1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.
  2. After the chocolate has cooled a little (go careful here) whisk the melted chocolate into the egg yolks.Then, fold in the yogurt until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl to stiff peaks. Fold this with a metal spoon into the chocolate mixture, adding the hazelnuts.
  4. Put the mixture into four espresso cups and place in the fridge for an hour or so.
  5. Serve with a sprinkle of grated chocolate.
     This is a recipe I made when friends came for dinner. Luscious, velvety and smooth. 



Thursday, 21 March 2013

small sighs

Here are a few of my favourite small sighs I thought I would share with you this week. 

A lovely cocoa butter selection set from a close friend. Mad e with Fairtrade ingredients, the smell of the cocoa butter lasts all day, is not greasy and leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised. I will definitely be buying this for myself.
In love with Lush, their bath bombs are good enough to eat! My favourite product has to be the 'French Kiss' bubble bar. It is so gorgeous to lie back in the bath with the calming scent of lavender after a long day at work.
A poster from the upcoming theatre play 'The 39 Steps.' We have booked tickets to see this, the reviews for it are very good so we thought we would give it a go. It has won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy so I'm looking forward to a good laugh! I will let you know what it is like.
Part of my Mothers Day present from my lovely girls. I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful bouquet from the florist and they gave me this pretty rose too. It's such a vivid colour of pink! It has pride of place alongside the bouquet. 



Sunday, 17 March 2013

rainy sunday

What to do with myself on a rainy Sunday?

I love to pass the time reading in one of my favourite places in the house; our bedroom window seat. From here I read, daydream, plan ideas for blog posts and people watch. The book I am reading at the moment is 'A Year in High Heels.' I love this book, it is a twelve month guide to year round fabulousness!

Experimenting with new recipes is another favourite hobby of mine, I have more time to cook or bake something a little more elaborate. Tonight S and I are cooking a meal together, he will usually concentrate on the main and I will prepare the dessert.

As I am sat here watching the world go by, the rain has turned to snow so I think its time for a hot chocolate with a dash of Baileys Irish Cream (a small touch for St Patrick's Day.)

What do you do on rainy Sundays?



Monday, 11 March 2013

style, shop and eat



My style, shop and eat outfit! This is the outfit I chose to wear in the city shopping for the day. Versatile, comfortable, warm and easy to change in and out of when trying clothes on; all important when shopping!

I purchased this jersey skirt last year and had not found anything I liked to go with it, until last week that is! I was wandering around River Island (not looking for anything in particular) and I saw this top. As soon as I saw the way it was shaped a lightbulb came on in my head and I remembered this skirt and thought it would work well with it. Paired with the jacket and this checked scarf (that I borrowed from S), I felt it all worked well together on a very chilly day!

We stopped off for a spot of lunch at a lovely deli called Marmadukes. A lovely touch was a warm blanket to wrap around you which was very welcome as it was chilly! I chose a Greek salad with grilled halloumi sandwich and S had a roast pork and melted cheese one with a gorgeous dip. They were absolutely delicious; we will definitely be visiting again soon.

It is a lovely place to sit, people watch and have a coffee break and a piece of cake; unfortunately we were too full to try some but they looked delicious! We will save that for our next visit!


The fountain in the city centre is stunning, it is surrounded by gardens and places to sit so in the summer it is a great place to have a picnic.



Can you see the police box in the picture? It is the only one left in the city centre and I love the quirkiness and colour of it. There is always something new to explore in a city, don't you think?

Jacket - Topshop (similar here)
Skirt - River Island (similar here)
Scarf - (Borrowed from S)
Bag - Primark (wardrobe)
Boots - New Look (wardrobe)
Sunglasses - Primark (wardrobe)
Ring - H&M (wardrobe)
Tights - H&M


Wednesday, 6 March 2013

how to make turkish delight vodka


I'm counting the days down to when it's ready to drink! I will let you know how it tastes!

Any ideas of what little nibbles would go well with this tipple?