Cook book challenge | Pearl barley broth

I’ve got into a bit of a funk with the cook book challenge, I’ve definitely got some favourites. Today’s challenge is from Hugh’s Veg book, which I’ve already made a few things from. It’s a gud’un! I had a lot of the ingredients leftover from a recent juice, so it was relatively in expensive to make.

Ingredients: butter//onion//bay leaf//thyme//celery//carrot//parsnip//ground coriander//nutmeg//cayenne pepper//ground mace//pearl barley//vegetable stock//parsley

Taste: This was so creamy without any dairy (bar a smidge of butter), and rich and velvety, it kind of reminded me of a hearty, earthy wholesome dish, perfect for a cold winter’s night, or after you’ve got in from somewhere cold and need a bit of comfort.

Good: Despite a bit of faff chopping up the veggies so small, everything else was easy to put together and then just leave to simmer away. As I mentioned, I had everything in the cupboards and didn’t need to go out and buy anything, so it was perfect to just whip together, and creating a healthy meal from without any forward planning.

Time taken: Maybe 45 mins or so, so nothing terrible, and you can  leave it to simmer for 40 mins!

Likeness to the book: My best yet I think, bar my awful croutons!

Improvements: Hugh (we’re on first name terms now you see) suggests using some sautéed mushrooms instead of croutons, and I definitely want to make another batch with those on top. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing!

Cost: I’m not sure how much this cost as I had nearly everything in my cupboards, which made it a really cheap meal for me, but I’d imagine it wouldn’t cost much to buy the bits you needed if you had all the herbs and spices to hand.

Overall score: 5/5. Simple, easy, cheap, filling, and healthy. What more could you want>

Cook book challenge | Raid the larder bean and spelt broth

This week’s recipe challenge comes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Veg book (currently a steal at £5 on amazon!) that I got the year before last for Christmas. I loved the TV show that accompanied it, and I’ve made quite a few meals from it over the past year. The recipe appealed to me as I didn’t need to go out and buy loads of ingredients, I genuinely had everything in my cupboard already!

Ingredients: Vegetable stock//spelt or pearl barley//carrot//frozen peas//kale or spinach//tin of white beans//salt and pepper

Taste: Warm, comforting, and healthy.

Good: Very easy to follow, incredibly cheap, and perfect for nights when you don’t really know what to have without much effort, and so comforting for a winter night! I actually subbed out the carrot and frozen peas for a cup of mixed frozen veg which worked just as well, and made it perhaps even easier!

Time taken: As long as it takes the barley to simmer and soften, so maybe 20 mins. Super easy!

Likeness to the book: Pretty good I would say, what do you think?

Improvements: I think I overcooked mine as my beans went a little tough and crunchy. Perhaps I’d add them end nearer the end next time.

Cost: I’m not 100% sure on this one as I had all the ingredients in my cupboard, so don’t know how to calculate quite?!?!

Overall score: 5/5. Loved it and would definitely make it again without a doubt! Another successful cook!

2013 | A year in review

2013 has been a pretty busy year for me, that’s for sure. I love reading everyone else’s year in review posts, so I hope you enjoy me sharing my 2013 memories.

January: I welcomed in the year celebrating down in Brighton with the family watching Rocky Horror, I think it probably tops my all time favourite way to spend NYE! I also moved house, sharing with a train spotter, which proved to give me plenty of stories to share!

February: I attended the #lbloggersbrunch at the beginning of February, and got to meet so many lovely bloggers, which was great fun. My muffins came to visit for a weekend and we had a great time up in London at Vinopolis, and all got pretty tipsy. I also attended two rugby matches with work, including helping to organise an international match which was an incredible experience, and to end the month I went to the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies awards!

March: In March I went to London zoo for a day trip, had a lovely meal at Roast with an old friend, and went on holiday to Cyprus for ten days (1, 2, 3, 4) with my Mum and Dad.

April: An exciting month where I completed my first ever half marathon in Croydon, a proud achievement to say the least. I also went to a really fun wine tasting at La Gourmetteria (highly recommend), went to see The Magic Numbers at The Globe for Shakespeare’s birthday, and spent a lovely relaxing weekend with a friend in Gloucester.

May: The bank holiday weekend in May was spent in London having my first afternoon tea, and a trip to see Wicked, a great time! I also attended a triathlon training day which was a brilliant experience, and I’m not sure I would have completed my triathlon in July without it. There was also an absolutely brilliant weekend camping with my muffins in Oxford, learning how to do keg stands, having a bbq, and enjoying a trip to Blenheim Palace. The month ended with a weekend home to celebrate my brother’s birthday!

June: June started off rather traumatically for me, when I had to get my hair done three times in a week. I think it’s scarred me a little bit, even now! I also spent an evening at a bowls tournament with work, which was very good fun, and way harder than it looks! I also attended a chocolate workshop at Chocolart with Megan, and found a new flat to move into.

July: The month started with a wonderful week in Italy, visiting Elba, Siena for Palio, and Florence. It was a busy week travelling round, but I was grateful to get my Italian fix for the year. Straight after landing I went off for a weekend to see Rocky Horror, and then Michael Buble at the o2 with Mum and Dad. The following weekend I moved house, for the second time in 2013, which was an exciting experience. The remainder of the month was spent preparing for probably the best thing I did the whole year, completing the London Triathlon! What an achievement, I am beyond proud of myself, and what made it all the better was that my Mum and Dad came to watch me, which was lovely!

August: Quiet on the blog due to a lack of internet and also quiet life-wise, which made a nice change from a hectic July. I spent a day visiting Denbies vineyard with Megan, tried some BMF classes, did a little rowing, went to a close friend’s wedding, and went on plenty of bike rides in the countryside.

September: The first of the month saw me participate in a Dragonboat race, dressed as a bunny, which was brilliant fun! I also went to see the One Direction film (sorry, not sorry), and went home for a weekend to get two more doses of my favourite band, The Magic Numbers, first in Exeter, and then in Falmouth. I also went to another wine tasting with a local ladies club which was brilliant, and then finished the month spending it with my bestest when she came to visit.

October: Another active start to the month, completing my second half marathon, Royal Parks, which I put considerably more effort into training, and got a PB! The following day I flew to Cyprus for another two weeks with the family, which was a great way to relax after running 13 miles! I also went out for dinner with my favourite fishy Ellie to Bodeans, and started a beautiful friendship! That same week I saw The Magic Numbers for the fourth and final time of the year, up in London at the Screen on the Green, a truly great night. The month ended with a trip home for a funeral, which took nine hours to get to, after my car broke down, and another rugby match, England vs Australia.

November: The month started celebrating bonfire night at Brockham with friends, same as last year, which was good fun! I also went on another trip to Denbies, and a trip to Bristol to see Jaguar Skills for my friend’s birthday. In the middle of the month I competed in Brighton 10K, which I didn’t feel I had trained for, but still crushed my PB in 63 minutes! Throughout the month I had an obsession with Mad Men, which saw me watch three series in record time. I also took part in my first 5 in 5, which was an experience to say the least! Weekends and evenings were also spent sloe picking, and cooking up a storm preparing some handmade goodies for Christmas. At the end of the month I attended my first Thanksgiving meal, which was great fun, and lots of giggles were had!

December: Always a busy month, and this year was no exception. I spent a weekend in Birmingham with my muffins celebrating my birthday, published my first (and so far only) youtube video, and travelled home for a week of R&R with the family, and friends, including the beautiful Alice. I also spent most of the month whatsapping some gorgeous girlies, who made December a much easier month for me to get through, thank you girls! I saw in the New Year quietly, in contrast to 2012/3, watching films and cooking, which was just what I fancied really. 

If you’ve done a round up of your year let me know, I love reading them!

Review | The Northcote, Clapham

For my Christmas party with work, we headed for lunch at The Northcote, in Clapham. It’s really close to Clapham Junction station which made it perfect for everyone to get to. I’d been to The Northcote once before, around February, and had a lovely Sunday roast there so I had high hopes. Our Christmas meal consisted of a starter, main, and mince pie. Plus plenty of drinks!

I started off the day with a gorgeous glass of Château Le Gardera, Bordeaux Superior 2009  (posting full details so I can remember to buy some more if I see it for sale!). I love a really marmitey wine, if that makes sense? and this definitely was. And, because it’s Christmas, we had some bubbles.

For my starter I had ‘lightly spiced parsnip soup, onion bhajis and mint yogurt’.  The presentation of the dish was fantastic, I’d love to get some little kilner jars like this when I entertain at my place and make soup. Which is pretty much never. Maybe in the future… The soup was really tasty, albeit a little spicy, it was a good job they had the yogurt dip on the side! Other starters gave me a little food envy, including tart tartan, quail, and the seafood cocktail.

For my main I chose the ‘cassoulet of cured salt marsh lamb, pearl barley and celery’ and it was so delicious. I wouldn’t normally chose lamb, but I figured you have so much turkey at this time of year it would be nice to have something different. The lamb was really flavourful, and I loved the pearl barley underneath. Plus, it wasn’t a stingey portion which definitely helps! On the side there were some really delicious veggies. I particularly liked the potatoes, and very often I’m not a big potato eater! Again, some of the other mains looks really good too, I wouldn’t have been disappointed to have any of them served up to me.

Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of the mince pie, but they were served warm and homemade, much nicer than a standard shop bought.

I would definitely recommend The Northcote as a venue for a function, I had a really fun Christmas party there. They had a great private room upstairs, although the noise from the street outside was a little distracting at times, but you can’t help that. I hope to go back again in the future for another Sunday roast, or maybe some Saturday night drinks!

Where did you go and what did you do for your Christmas party? I’ve done pubs, Greek restaurants, Italian restaurants, and theatre trips, all out big parties, but this was a top favourite!

Empties

Over the past few months I’ve been making a concerted effort to use up my stash of beauty products. I thought it might be interesting to take a look back on the things I used up and my thoughts.

Garnier body glow. I know this product has been around forever and a day, but I really like it. I know it smells like biscuits, so much so a driving instructor once said he could smell baking when we were in the car together on a warm day! But, the colour it gives me is lovely, and it doesn’t streak. It’s quite easy to avoid the dark elbow/ankle/knee situation, and when it’s on offer I always pick it up by the bucketload!

Soap and Glory body milk. I got this last Christmas in a Soap and Glory set and it took me forever and a day to finish it up. It absorbs into the skin very quickly, it smells lovely, and it doesn’t make me feel all sticky. I’d buy it again when I need some more. I loved it so much when it looked like it was nearly empty I cut the tub in half so I could get every last bit out!

Simple face moisturiser. I bought this as a cheap alternative when my Liz Earle ran out. I really loved this, and it felt so light on my face, and again absorbed in very easily. It did sweat off my face when I was exercising and got hot, but it held my make up on pretty well. Oh the major plus side, it didn’t bring me out in spots, always a winner in my eyes!

Botanics Soothing Eye make up remover. Eurgh I really hated this. I’m surprised I saw it through to the end! It was so oily and made my eyes sting every time I used it. It left a really horrible residue on my eyes, I definitely won’t be buying it again.

Batiste blush. How can you go wrong with Batiste dry shampoo? The answer? You can’t. I love the Batiste range, and will continue to repurchase as soon as my stocks run out.

Neutrogena visibly clear daily scrub. Again, this is another cheap product I bought when I ran out of Liz Earle. I use it mainly when I have a shower, and it makes my face feel so squeaky clean. It smells really nice too, which is always a bonus. I would definitely consider repurchasing if I ever needed a quick face wash fix.

Original source vanilla milk and raspberry shower gel. Again, something I bought whilst on offer. See, I can be pretty thrifty when I try! Words cannot describe how much I loved this shower gel, which is silly really, it’s only a shower gel. Every time I used it, it felt like I was treating myself. To the extent I was sad when it started to run low and I started being very sparing with it. Oh, and the smell? Incredible! This will definitely be repurchased, time, and time again.

Johnson’s gentle cleansing baby wipes. Yes, they’re for babies, but grown ups can use them too. They’re so versatile, you can use them on your face, after the gym for a quick clean up, and so many other things. Love these, and have already rebought!

Victoria Secret’s scents. I got these when I was in the airport coming back from Crete last summer, so I’ve had them over a year. They lasted a really long time, and they smell lovely. I’d definitely rebuy these again if I saw them in an airport.

Rimmel wake me up foundation. I bought this after seen rave reviews on blogs and vlogs when I ran out of my favourite Bare Minerals make up. I hadn’t used a liquid foundation in a few years, so it took some getting used to. Once I got used to it I really liked it, it was really easy to put on. I did find it sweated off a lot more than my Bare Minerals when I got hot though.

Anything you can recommend?

5 in 5 | the review

Sorry it’s a bit later than planned, but here’s my overall review of 5 in 5. For those who don’t know, 5 in 5 is a juice detox plan created by the Juicemaster, Jason Vale, designed to help people lose 5lbs in 5days.

If you read my daily recaps you’ll know I found the first day really hard. I attempted to give up coffee, which didn’t last, and I made it to 5pm before caving and having some mash potato. After that first day I found the following days two and three easier, I kept drinking coffee which definitely helped. I didn’t even drink the prescribed four juices a day, I found I was a bit sick after the third one and just stuck to tea (and a cheeky bovril) throughout the evenings. Day four I had some food in the evening and day five was a complete failure, my head just wasn’t in it that day, and sometimes life is too short!

I enjoyed the majority of the juices, some were definitely nicer than others, and after the first day I decided not to add any avocado to my juices, which definitely improved them. I don’t know what I did wrong but the avocado in that first juice was almost enough to put me off the whole week! I probably would have been put off if I hadn’t have spent all the money on fruit and veg!!! I think I spent about £40 in total for the five days of juices, so about £8 a day. But I didn’t use up all the stuff in my fridge, so this week I’ve spent about £11 which should last me.

So as I alluded to above, I will be continuing to juice again this week. I have a few social engagements like lunches and dinners, so I will be juicing around these. I won’t be quite as strict as the first week, but on my meals out I will plan on eating healthy choices and trying not to undo all the work of the juices. I also didn’t really do any exercise last week, so I think eating a little more proper food will give me the energy to exercise, something that’s really important to me.

So did I lose 5 in 5? Yes! I actually lost 5lbs after 3 full days of juicing, and I lost an inch off my waist. However, after my weekend of indulgences with friends I’ve probably undone all the good of the juice diet! I am keen to get under a certain number on the scale, and I’m not too far off, so I plan on a combination of juices, healthy meals, and exercise to get below that number.

Review | Body Shop | Deep sleep mist

I bought this deep sleep mist almost a year ago, when I was having trouble getting a good night’s sleep. A few spritzes on your pillow and duvet smells absolutely heavenly, and it’s definitely the stuff deep sleep is made of. The mist smells strong, but not overpowering, and makes you feel so relaxed and peaceful. I don’t really have a problem getting to sleep anymore, I think perhaps because I do a lot more exercise outdoors and I also don’t have a TV in my room to distract me. But, if ever I want to have a really nice pamper evening and relax and unwind, the first thing I do is spray a little of this on my pillow before bed and I drift off to the land of dreams. A definite must for anyone who is in need of relaxing and a good night’s sleep!

Afternoon tea, 140 Park Lane

As you all know, I’m a massive fan of Groupon! I recently saw a deal for an afternoon tea Groupon that involved gin. Sounds like my kind of deal!

I went a couple of weeks ago with Ryan and we had a great time. It was my first afternoon tea so I wasn’t 100% what to expect, but I’ll definitely go to another one.

The afternoon tea was at 140 Park Lane, as part of the Marriott hotel.

Gin cocktails to start, served in a tea pot.

Regular tea, served in a regular tea pot.

Excited at the arrival of the food! Cakes on the top shelf, scones and crumpets in the middle and sandwiches on the bottom.

A hot, buttery scone, with clotted cream and jam. Served the Devon way, of course!

I was actually surprised at how filling all the food was. I couldn’t finish my amount, I was so full!

Ryan and I spent the rest of the afternoon going round London, enjoying the M&M world, cocktails at Dirty Martini and to top off the day – tickets to Wicked!

Have you ever been to an afternoon tea?

Celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday with a Whirligig

Last weekend I celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday in style at The Globe. It was a pretty awesome night filled with magic, mayhem and music.

We started the celebrations with dinner at Tas restaurant on Borough High Street. Originally we had planned to go to Wagamama’s (my Mum’s favourite), but when we realised a Wagamama’s was opening up near where they live very soon we decided to try somewhere different and non-chain. After searching round on Google and TripAdviser we settled on Tas as it is so close to The Globe.

There is so much choice on the menu I found it really, really hard to decide what to have.

The ginormous menu!

In the end I was torn between two chicken casserole dishes and the sea bass with lentils. I ended up getting talked into sharing the chicken kebab and one of the chicken casserole dishes – both delicious!

For our starters we all decided to share lots of meze dishes. They were all delicious, but I particularly loved the hummus and the halloumi. Yum!

Hummus, halloumi, tabbouleh, bread, bulgar wheat

My little meze plate

Chicken casserole, chicken kebab, lamb and puree aubergine

My plate! I had this x 2. Oops!

The food at Tas was really very good. The chicken kebab was so succulent and tender, and the chicken casserole had whole almonds in it which was a really good addition. I am glad I got to share both dishes, they were so tasty. I tried a little bit of my Dad’s lamb and aubergine puree which was very good too. I’m not sure what they did to the aubergine’s but they almost tasted barbequed and smokey. Unusual but pretty tasty.

After dinner at Tas we made the short walk over to The Globe. We really couldn’t have been much luckier with the weather, it was dry, sunny and warm. Perfect for spending a few hours outside having a good time!

I’ve always wanted to go to The Globe and the inside of it is just as spectacular as I imagined. It really felt like stepping back in time and there was such an atmosphere inside, it was truly magical.

Isn’t it beautiful inside?

The evening started with Barry and Stuart from the TV show The Magician’s. I haven’t seen their TV show before although I think I did recognise them a little from adverts or something. Anywho, they were absolutely brilliant! Their tricks and jokes were a little skin crawling at a time, but in a good/funny way and my whole family were laughing at all their tricks!

Next up was a musician and actor called Johnny Flynn. Now, I had never heard of Johnny Flynn before but it appears he had a big following as there were lots of girls in the audience who knew all the words. To be honest, his type of music wasn’t for me. It was a little mournful and a bit ‘samey’. If you like his music, I apologise!

Next up was another magician and mind reader, Chris Cox. I didn’t find him all that funny and I didn’t take any photos I’m afraid. Meh!

Afterwards was Piff the Magic Dragon. Piff reminded me a lot of Jack Dee, and I really enjoyed his act, particularly his little dog Mr Piffle!

And finally on the stage came my favourite band – The Magic Numbers! I think I’ve seen them a grand total of 10 times now and they never fail to disappoint me. They played music from their new, unreleased fourth album and some old classics too. The venue was absolutely amazing to see them perform in, it was truly magical.

Sorry for the poor photos of them, it was pretty dark by this point at night! I have plenty of photos of the band jamming from previous gigs I can share with you at another time. But I have to say, they were all fantastic and I am so excited for their new album to come out. As soon as they release tour dates in the South East you can bet I’ll be there!!

So that was Shakespeare’s birthday, it was a pretty cool night. Although for a Sunday I was pretty tired getting back to work at 1am. Totally worth it!

Beautiful Creatures

(source)

Last week I went to see Beautiful Creatures with a girl from work. I didn’t know much about the film before I went, apart from that it was based on a book and similar to the Twilight style books that are so popular at the moment.

I have to say, I loved this film! I loved the story, although I love all the Twilight style stories too ! I liked that the lead actress seemed so normal, and a good actress too, especially compared to Kristen Stewart. The lead actor, playing Ethan, is gorgeous and so cute – I loved his accent in the film and the love story between the two of them. I’m a sucker for things like that, especially being a single girl!

The film left with quite a lot of unanswered questions, so I’m already looking forward to the next film.

Apparently the film is very different to the books, as always, and my work colleague said the books are a lot better, as is so often the case. I’m definitely going to read the books next too, plus it means I get to find out the whole story a lot quicker! I normally read the books before films, so I’m interested to see how I like it…

I’m a really big fan of the supernatural film craze that there is right now, so I definitely want to see Hansel & Gretel next.

Have you seen/read Beautiful Creatures? Do you prefer to read the book before seeing the film?