Archive for month: August, 2016

You are here: Home / 2016 / August
Easy summer dinners: grilled plaice with mushroom rice and peach salsa

This week I have been mostly eating: easy summer dinners

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

This last week before we head off on our long-awaited cruise has been a bit strange. We’ve barely seen the boys as they’ve been spending time making the most of their last few days of freedom before education beckons again, and I feel a bit like I’m in limbo: like I know that this really is the last of our English summer and that when I come home it will properly be autumn. Already, as we’re walking the dog, the blackberries are ripe and ready to pick, and even on a really hot day, there’s that little nip in the air when the sun goes in. I’m still loving quick, healthy eating and we’ve been packing away easy summer dinners of warm salads, fish and stir fries. Read more →

The one with the day in Paris

/9 Comments/in , , /by

So I don’t know if you remember, but a while back, I set Sam a little challenge: head to Paris using the Eurostar’s offer of a day trip to Paris and Brussels for just £58 return, and go and do exciting things without spending any money (we gave him money for lunch and metro/bus tickets). Here’s how he and Georgie (a girl he really likes) got on:

Read more →

The late summer getaway edit

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

I’ve loved spending the summer at home. I really feel like we’ve been ‘nesting’ in our little house, getting things sorted and finishing a few bits off. We’ve finally planted trees and climbers to disguise our ugly garden fences and Mr E has painted my office a beautiful periwinkle blue and spent ages upcycling old pieces of furniture and shelving from Ebay. The end result is my dream mix of all the colours I absolutely love. I’m so pleased with it. For the rest of the house, we’ve been choosing flooring after living with a fetching mix of lino/carpet/bare concrete since the wall came down between the kitchen and dining room, and I’ve been baking, cooking and working - all the things I love! I’ll be honest though, I’m starting to get itchy feet and we’re all collectively getting VERY excited for our late summer getaway - a cruise on the beautiful Celebrity Eclipse. Read more →

Soft wholemeal rolls - an easy, step by step recipe

Slow and easy soft wholemeal rolls

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

So GBBO is back on our screens tonight and I’m completely over-excited! I LOVE baking (and watching other people baking) and I particularly love making bread, don’t you? It’s the ultimate slow food. I do feel that I’m rather chained to the internet, what with blogging and writing and, well, Instagramming and stuff (I know, it’s totally my own doing), so sometimes it’s just nice to switch off and have a lovely potter in the kitchen. Bread baking can’t be rushed and it forces you to relax and gives you plenty of head clearing time. These easy soft wholemeal rolls are based on my ‘quick and easy soft bread rolls’ recipe, published back in 2010 and since archived. I often get lovely emails from people asking where they went, and keep meaning to update the recipe (and the horrific photography - and the dodgy title - I prefer slow bread to quick bread!) so I made a batch yesterday and feel rather chuffed to be able to have one topped with smashed avo and a poached egg for my breakfast today!

Read more →

Afternoon tea with MBNA Thames Clippers

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Last week I headed up to London in the sunshine to do a little messing about in boats. I always feel that I don’t really go to London enough - from our local train station it takes a little over half an hour to get into Euston, and unlike some of my unluckier friends, our service provider, London Midland, is really excellent: on time, clean and efficient. In a happy coincidence, it was also Afternoon Tea Week (I know, who knew that was a thing?) and I made my way to London Bridge pier to hop on board and enjoy a rather delicious afternoon tea with MBNA Thames Clippers.

Read more →

Vegetable curry with runner beans and sweetcorn

This week I have been mostly eating…

/0 Comments/in , , /by

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s SO much easier to eat healthily in the summer isn’t it? We’re such lazy eaters and it really suits us - I’ll bake a load of chicken breasts and we’ll have them hot with the yummy easy rice dish above (you might have seen it if you follow me on Instagram), and when the boys come in they just slice them and stuff them into baguettes with a load of salad. Easy peasy. Here, then, for your viewing pleasure is the latest instalment of ‘this week, I have been mostly eating…’

Read more →

The NSPCC’s Pantosaurus campaign

/0 Comments/in , /by

Talking to your children about stuff like child abuse is really, really tough. I can remember feeling really worried about broaching the subject, but also really wanting to let them know that they can always talk to us, especially if another adult ever made them feel uncomfortable or wanted them to keep a secret. Enter the NSPCC’s very clever Pantosauras campaign. I know this is a bit off topic for me, but I just thought the campaign was SO brilliant, it really deserves to be shared.

Read more →

hush autumn 2016

The new hush autumn 2016 collection

/0 Comments/in , , /by

So a while back, when I was telling you about Christmas in July, I mentioned that I’d bumped into the lovely guys from hush homewear at the John Lewis Christmas event, where they were celebrating their new partnership (hush concessions will be opening in the Birmingham, Chelmsford, Leeds, Oxford Street and Peter Jones stores) and caught a sneaky peek of the new hush autumn 2016 collection. Today, though, there’s even more excitement as it’s time to get a proper look at the gorgeousness. Hurrah! Mr E and I were only saying the other day that it seems weird, given the current scorchio weather, that there are blackberries on the bushes and machines in the fields finishing the harvest. I don’t feel like I’m properly done with summer yet, but then I look at all the lovely new collections and think that maybe it will be nice when autumn arrives after all!

Read more →

What to expect on your first cruise

What to expect on your first cruise

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

So, you’re about to set off on your first proper adventure at sea? Exciting! Cruising can seem like a strange and foreign world, and many first-time cruisers will be wondering all sorts of things: how they’ll spend all that time on board/whether they’ll get bored/lost//fat/feel sick/spend loads of money/whatever. Rest assured that cruise ships today are better equipped than ever before, with exciting activities, delicious food and top notch tipples right at your fingertips. In order to give you more of an insight into what you can expect from your time at sea, here’s my slightly tongue in cheek rundown of what to expect on your first cruise, particularly your first 48 hours at sea.

Read more →

Here Cafe Berkhamsted

Our top five foodie experiences in Berkhamsted

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

As usual, I’d like to start by saying that I’m not ‘reviewing’ these restaurants. I don’t see myself as any kind of food critic, we just love to eat out and share the experiences that we’ve had. We live quite near Berkhamsted: one of the prettiest towns in the Chilterns (if you’re in London, it’s literally half an hour from Euston and full of lovely places to eat - you should come!) and often visit the market (fruit and veg on Saturday is amazing) and for dinner at one of the fabulous restaurants.

If you’re thinking of visiting Berkhamsted and the surrounding Chilterns, or just generally heading to the south of England, do check this really useful interactive south of England travel map, complete with loads of ideas for attractions to see, activities to do, and more suggestions for places to eat too.

Here are our top five foodie experiences in Berkhamsted:

Read more →

Ratatouille rooftops in Paris

Win a family day trip to Paris with Eurostar *CLOSED*

/84 Comments/in , , , /by

How are your summer holidays going? Apparently there’s going to be a little mini heatwave next week. Got anything planned? Want to win a family day trip to Paris with Eurostar? Or how about a day trip to Brussels? The lovely chaps at Eurostar are encouraging us Brits to head off and explore Europe. I’ve challenged Sam to spend a day in Paris next week doing as many free things as he possibly can - update coming very soon, but until then, fancy doing the same? Throughout August, you can jump on board Eurostar for a day trip to Paris and Brussels for just £58 return, spend 8 hours exploring and then hop back on the train and be home before bedtime. Kids under 4 even travel for free! To celebrate, I’ve got a family ticket to give away!

Read more →

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights: a terrifying sneak peek

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

This week, Mr E and I travelled to the lovely Soho Hotel in London (have you been there before? It’s SO funky! Plus we saw beautiful Kate Beckinsale chatting away with a couple of mates in the lobby and she gave me the most gorgeous smile). Anyway we were in London to find out more about Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Florida.

Read more →

Summer Champagne and sparkling wine on test (with help from my family)

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Last Friday, we decided to throw a little bash to test out some sparkling wines. There’s nothing nicer on a summer evening than a glass of fizz and - unsurprisingly, my family were quick to volunteer when the subject of a party with a little tasting of some summer Champagne and sparkling wine was mentioned. As usual, I was completely useless and didn’t take any photos (apart from a very blurry selfie), but we had a fab time and discovered loads of wonderful summer sparklers for you. Here are our top tips:

Read more →

camping

The Ultimate Camping Guide from Halfords

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Let’s talk camping, shall we? When I was a kid, not even old enough to be a Brownie (oh, how I wanted to be a Brownie), my Mum was the Brown Owl of our local Brownie pack and every year, we’d accompany her on the annual camping holiday in Wales. I absolutely loved it: eating sausages and beans out of a tin bowl, not having to have my hair washed and basically running feral for a week without a care in the world. And how many times have I been camping as an adult? Erm… zero. So when The Ultimate Camping Guide from Halfords plopped onto my doormat, I wasn’t at all sure what to think.

Read more →

Cabin baggage only: the art of packing light

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

On his recent trip to Barcelona (great fun had by all, nobody died or got hurt or fell of a balcony, phew) Charlie was travelling with cabin baggage only, so we very carefully checked the baggage sizes allowed by the airline for his suitcase. He was on a pretty tight budget anyway, so he didn’t want to risk any extra charges. Trouble is, then we completely forgot about the liquids restrictions and he got all the gorgeous Ultrasun UK suncream that I gave him confiscated. ARGH! My sister in law told me a story recently of her Mum treating herself to a hideously expensive Crème de la Mer moisturiser and then completely forgetting about the restrictions and getting it taken away. Can you imagine?

Read more →