Archive for month: October, 2019

You are here: Home / 2019 / October
Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board?

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

You already know that I’m a huge fan of P&O Cruises. From attending the naming ceremony of Britannia back in 2015, to a foodie cruise with my pal Erica in 2016 and our gorgeous relaxing break on board elegant Oceana last year, I’ve always loved the cruise line’s effortless knack of making a cruiseholiday seem both glam and unstuffy all at the same time. The food on board is always a highlight, and P&O Cruises’ continued partnership with their brilliant Food Heroes means that as well as tasting their food and drinking the wine they choose, you can even get to set sail with them. I absolutely can’t wait to get on board brand new ship, Iona (especially because I love a bit of Scandi chic), and P&O Cruises have just released details of when the Food Heroes will be sailing, so if you fancy combining your holiday of a lifetime with learning a few tricks from your very own favourite wine expert or master pâtissier, here’s your chance: I’ve got a full list of which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board.

Read more

Weekend wishlist: seasonal sparkle

Weekend wishlist: seasonal sparkle

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

You know me, I’m a minimalist at heart, and a scruffy one at that. If I could go through life in grey joggers and a black jumper I’d be very happy, but I do also have a secret penchant for a bit of sparkle. I hesitate to say that it’s got to be tasteful (is sparkle ever really tasteful?), but done right, a touch of glitter here and there - especially at this time of year- can be a wonderful thing. I thought for this weekend’s wishlist, I’d have a little ferret about and pick some of the sparkly loveliness that’s about right now. Here, then, is my minimalist’s guide to seasonal sparkle.

Read more

Sweet sticky bbq tofu

Sweet, spicy, sticky barbecue tofu

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I have to be honest, I nearly gave up on tofu. The couple of times I tried it, it was flabby and cardboardy and kind of spongy, and didn’t really taste of a lot, so I’ve done a bit of research, and with the help of Charlie’s lovely Amy, who is on her own vegan journey, I’ve now got a couple of tricks up my sleeve to make it super delicious. This recipe takes the sauce from my breaded baked barbecue cauliflower recipe, and teams it with crispy tofu to make a delicious sweet, spicy, sticky barbecue tofu that can be served in wraps with salad, or piled onto rice or baked potatoes, added to a stir fry or even stuffed into sandwiches.

Read more

Where to cruise when in 2020 - a month by month guide

Where to cruise when in 2020 - a month by month guide

/0 Comments/in /by

I’ve had this blog post in the back of my mind for ages. So many people ask me about the best places to cruise at a specific time of year, and while it’s not an exact science, and will also depend on what kind of cruise you’re looking for/what weather you’re after, etc, I thought you might be interested in a rough breakdown of where’s good to cruise and when. And isn’t this time of year just the perfect time to be thinking about grabbing some gorgeous sunshine for next year? So whether you want to get some winter sunshine in January, or whether you need to travel during the summer holidays, and whether you want to chill on laid-back Caribbean beaches or explore historic cities, I’ve got something for you. Here, then, is my guide to where to cruise when in 2020 - split month by month and taking note of school holidays - whether your aim is to travel during them or avoid them, including some fabulous example cruises to get you in the mood.

Read more

Hiker boots

Weekend wishlist: hiker boots

/2 Comments/in , , /by

You know me, I’m all about the investment purchase. I don’t want to buy something rubbish that lasts five minutes and then has to be replaced (yes, Mr E, I’m looking at you and the questionable shower purchase from Ebay). I work hard for my money (sing it, Donna), and I want to invest my hard-earned cash in beautiful, useful items that will last me years. This, my friends, is my excuse for why I am currently drooling over a pair of hiker boots that cost over £300. I know, I know. But this very much brings to mind the story of my Dad and the donkey boots - have I ever told you that one? Every winter, my Dad would bring out these weirdly hairy boots that he said were made of donkey, which made us all do theatrical barfing noises and entreat him to throw the bloody things out. But honestly, we have pictures of him wearing the boots on a skiing trip with my brothers when they were tiny, and as far as I know he was still wearing the boots while he was watching footie on a Sunday morning in his 80s (thank god I didn’t inherit them). Now I’m not suggesting you rush out and invest in a pair of donkey boots, but wow, that’s a seriously sustainable purchase, right?

Read more

Mocha meringue pie

Mocha meringue pie

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

I love the cosy feeling of autumn weekends, when my laptop is packed away and I spend a while pottering around the house, sweeping the floors, tidying up, lighting candles and generally getting the house ready for the weekend. It’s even lovelier when you know you’re going to share that feeling with a good few of your very favourite people, and this weekend we had a get-together for my Mum’s birthday. I love feeding a crowd - I did a big pot of my veggie chilli and another of slow cooked beef chilli, a massive pan (in fact, way too much) of rice, and then just laid out bowls and a ton of accompaniments: sour cream, grated sharp cheddar, tortilla chips and pickled green jalapeno slices for everyone to help themselves. For dessert, I’d seen a pie with a chocolate layer, a vanilla custard layer and a coffee meringue top in a magazine I bought in Seattle, but I didn’t want to make pastry, so I changed it to a biscuit base, simplified a lot of the layers and voila - the mocha meringue pie was born.

Read more

My 10 favourite Universal Orlando experiences

My 10 favourite Universal Orlando experiences that aren’t attractions!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Of course we all visit Universal Orlando Resort, Florida for the brilliant rides (I think Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure has knocked Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts off the top spot in my favourite rides top ten), but there are so many more brilliant things to do and see when you visit the parks. I thought I’d do a quick and very unscientific roundup of my 10 favourite Universal Orlando experiences that aren’t attractions (catchy title, huh?). Admittedly, many of these include eating and drinking (you can’t visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter without sampling a Butterbeer) but I’ve included some shopping and some of my favourite relaxing things to do when you’re in the parks too, so there’s something for everyone. Read more

Easy fish tacos with corn salsa

Easy fish tacos with roasted corn salsa

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

I’m a big fan of easy dinners, especially when I’m busy. Sometimes, like with my mushroom risotto, I like to take my time in the kitchen and really enjoy the process, but others it’s a case of getting something - anything - on the table as soon as possible. I don’t believe, however, that just because you want something easy, it has to be a ready meal. I wrote recently about what I keep in the freezer, and as well as a lot of frozen veg and fruit, there’s also veggie sausages (Linda McCartney are the nicest we’ve tried) and if they’re on spesh, I always grab some of those crispy coated cod fillets (or the big fat Waitrose fish fingers are great too). If you’re on a budget, Lidl do Ocean Trader MSC Certified Chunky Battered Cod Fillets for just £2.49 for 4 decent sized pieces. One of our favourite ways to use them are these easy fish tacos with corn salsa. Ready in as long as it takes for the fish to cook, and with minimal prep too.

Read more

A look at TUI's new river cruises

TUI’s new river cruises: everything we know so far

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

You all know I’m addicted to cruise travel, and one of my favourite cruise lines is TUI’s Marella Cruises. I love the bright, colourful ships, the warm and friendly staff and the fabulous itineraries (you can read all about what I thought of Marella Explorer here), so I was delighted to hear the news that TUI are moving into river cruising with a fleet of three gorgeous river ships that will be setting sail in the summer of 2020. As with their ocean vessels and land-based holidays, TUI does river cruising a bit differently, so I thought I’d take a look at TUI’s new river cruises and check out the ships, cabins, restaurants and itineraries to give you a bit of an idea of what to expect. At the moment, we only have artists’ impressions, but they’re looking pretty spectacular already.

Read more

new hush autumn winter 2019

New hush autumn winter 2019

/0 Comments/in , , /by

So I’m not going to lie, committing to #secondhandseptember has been tough. In fact, because of my work I didn’t quite manage it. Let me explain: if you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I’ve been out in Orlando filming a really exciting project with Attraction Tickets Direct. I’ve been presenting a video with my gorgeous co-presenter Emma Jo Real-Davies which will be a huge guide to all the Universal Orlando resort hotels, and while this was an opportunity of a lifetime, we had to look the part, which included a brief to wear bright colours on camera. ARGH. I don’t own any brightly coloured things so I’m afraid some shopping was in order, and while I kept it to an absolute minimum, I’m afraid I still broke the no shopping rule. I’m going to try and make amends by reselling all the items I’m not going to keep on Ebay, so at least they’ll go to a good home. Another thing that’s tested my resilience has been the release of over 150 new hush autumn winter 2019 styles, which as you would imagine, are all gorgeous.

Read more

WIN APH parking for your next holiday

WIN APH parking for your next holiday (and 15% off airport parking for everyone) *closed*

/60 Comments/in , , , /by

Recently, I told you about Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) and their state of the art new parking facility at London Gatwick Airport. They also very kindly offered one English Mum reader the chance to win airport parking at the new facility. This proved very popular with travellers flying from London Gatwick so the lovely guys at APH have now offered to open their generous offer up to any UK airport where they offer airport parking, so this means whether you’re travelling from Aberdeen, Manchester, Luton, Stansted, or many more, you’ve got the opportunity to win APH parking for your next holiday for nothing!

Read more