Stylist Live 2015

Me and two best friends had a day out to Stylist Live, which was a new event for 2015 set up by Stylist Magazine. The event was held at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

The event was a mix of fashion, travel, beauty and food which is the essence of the Stylist Magazine. We were welcomed by friendly faces who gave us a free tote bag, an event guide and also a card to give us a free glass of bubbly!

We started by getting our bearings and having a little wander around checking out the stands and ended up at the Benefit stall. We spoke to such a lovely lady who was very knowledgable and super friendly. She showed us how to have perfect eyebrows and also what benetint looks like as a natural lippy. She then took us to another stand to have a sample of gin!

We sampled some gin and then sampled a number of different types of vermouth. The man on the vermouth stand was extremely knowledgable and passionate about the brand and we sampled different types in different ways - some straight and some with tonic water. And then stumbled across a photo booth, which no one else seemed to have noticed and we jumped straight into it taking some hilarious pictures. We decided to use the booth three times so we could all have a copy - by this time a long queue had formed, oops!

By this point we were ready for the talk by Madeline Shaw, so made out way to Learning Lab1 only to find out it was full already and there were only enough seats for 70 people.

So instead we headed to Pukka to sample a variety of teas and get some samples. After this we then want to watch the catwalk.

We were lucky enough to get front row seas - FROW! They had organised the fashion show around 5 key themes the stylists had picked up from various fashion weeks around the globe. We were provided with the details of all the clothes worn and got all geeky with our pens highlighting the pieces we liked! However some of our favourites were super expensive and nothing we would ever afford at the moment!

After the catwalk we were feeling peckish so headed to feast street where we sampled a little too much Green and Blacks chocolate and watched them make delicious truffles. There was not very many food places or places to get lunch, apart from Mac n Smack that had the longest queue ever. We decided to leave and pop out for some grub, so we headed to M and S. We created the most delicious baguettes ever and sat in the cafe cutting up bread, cheese and ham with plastic forks!!

We then headed back to the show, with the aim to attend a talk, however again the talk was full and people had been queuing for an hour to get a seat with their first come first serve system. Next time bigger rooms for the talks please as we didn't get to attend a single talk session! :)

We ended our day at the Tangle Teezer stand where we met the founder of the company and he showed us how to use his new hairbrush to make your hair super soft but volumous!

Before leaving we took some fun photos that made it look like you were on the front cover of Stylist Magazine! 

Paris the city of Love

So I was having a day reminiscing and looking through old pictures and decided I would write about the day me and my brother spent in wonderful Paris.

We arrived off the Eurostar at 11.30 and decided to head straight for some food, when in Paris right?! We had been recommended this place called Bouillon Chartier which is a super old brasserie that gets very busy so its recommended you go early. We walked from the station to the Monmartre area the Brasserie is located in. We arrived and were taken to our seats. This place is fascinating, they  cram you in like sardines and we were sat on a table with a family of 4. We ordered our food and it came within seconds, it’s a bit like posh fast food! I went for the steak and chips and my brother chose the chicken and chips. It tasted divine with the creamy peppercorn chips and such amazing value!

After leaving, we headed to Sacre Coeur as we were already in the Monmartre area and took some pictures before heading to the famous Moulin Rouge.

From here we took a long walk to the Arc de Triomphe stopping in some beautiful gardens on route witnessing someone get married! We then ambled along the river to see the Eiffel Tower, which was absolutely heaving. As we have both climbed it before we decided just to chill in the gardens instead and enjoy the sunshine.

We then walked back along the river passing by the Musee D’orsey and the Louvre and then stopping at what was once the love lock bridge – so sad to see it all boarded up, but people are still attempting to put their lock somewhere!

We then went onto the two Islands, firstly stopping to see Notre Dame and then onto Ile St Louis where we enjoyed some crepes and then bought some snacks from the Boulangerie, I bought my favorite – Brioche!

By this point it was time to get the train home. It was amazing how much of Paris we managed to see, and we did it all on foot. Didn’t get a bus or train once!

Paris is definitely one of my favourite cities to visit, however next I would like to visit an Eastern European city…… any suggestions?!

Christmas Day

I worked on Christmas Eve until 1.45, then took the long and boring drive from Sheffield to home. I had Radio 1 to keep me company which lots of good Christmas tunes.

I came home and cooked the family delicious Shepherds Pie Jackets which went down a treat.

We then did our usual Christmas tradition of watching a Christmas film with lots of delicious snacks. We watched Four Christmasses for the first time which was hilarious! We also set the table for Christmas Day.

On Christmas morning we awoke at 8.30 (much later than when we were kids!) and opened our stockings.  I got lots of makeup and baking things and also Jamie Oliver's Comfort Food recipe book. 
My favourite was my onesie from Marks and Spencer. As I am short its from the kids section! I am getting Ugg Boots when I finally get my discount from work. 

Stole my brothers glasses

 For Christmas dinner we had fish for starter, I had a salmon terrine and smoked salmon, another Christmas tradition!

Then we had the main course, the full roast works and it was yummy, turkey, gammon, potatoes, pigs in blankets, red cabbage, parsnips and carrots :) I was so stuffed!

Without gravy

With gravy

We then took some cute family photos, my brother has been in Vietnam for a year so it was nice to have us all back together. 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS ALL!! xoxo

BBC Good Food Show Birmingham 2014

On Thursday uni took us to to the Good Food show for the day. We had to meet at super early and took the coach all the way from Sheffield to Birmingham, though mighty traffic! 

We arrived and decided to be tactical with our day and worked our way up and down the Isles looking at the stands and tasting lotsa yummy food!

At 11 we went to the Cakes and Bakes stage to watch Phil Vickery do some gluten free cooking. Seeing as I should follow a gluten free diet I found it very interesting as I struggle to bake now I shouldn't eat wheat products (I still do, and suffer the consequences but it's worth it for a slice of cake now and then!). However Phil gave lots of tips of what to add to the batter to make it fluffy and not dry. Phil cooked a plum cake and then a plain sponge (but with ricotta cheese?!!) topped with a sticky coffee and brandy glaze! I would definitely try both and may have to invest in Phil's gluten free baking book!! 

We them continued to look at the stalls. I was too scared to take pictures of the stalls as I was told off for taking pictures before, so didn't really get many of the day!

However a couple of stalls stood out to me. The gluten free baking stand called Delicious Alchemy had the most amazing brownies!! This company make a number of gluten free baking kits and also bread mixes and porridge. I will be putting in an order for Christmas I think!

Additionally the Tarte and Berry stand looked fantastic, I follow them on instagram and it was great to see the actual stand and the products they make. 

The final stand was Curry Dave's Naan Bread Pizza, I think this is such a fabulous idea and the pizza tasted delicious. I love curry and I love pizza so this is the perfect combination, I will most definitely be buying this in store. 

At 2 we had tickets to the Hairy Bikers show, personally I didn't think it was that great and wasn't amazed by what they cooked! I am only a fan of their Asian cooking book, which is excellent by the way! I didn't really find any of their jokes funny and have been to better live shows at previous Good Food shows. 

Overall I had a fabulous day out and enjoyed it all! xoxo

Bills Restaurant Watford

So a new Bills has opened in the closest town to me - Watford. Our closest Bills was in St Albans but we had never visited it. Tonight was the first visit to any Bills restaurant for my family (except for myself, I have been to the one in Hammersmith, London!).

Anyway, the Bills has not even been opened a month. It is situated on the high street in a unit where Holland and Barratt used to be. They have done up the place so well, and it looks like a traditional Bills decor wise. Huge silver pipes on the ceiling, a warm out vintage feel to the walls and lots of cool things hanging everywhere. Not to forget the shelves selling lots of Bills items including chocolate, olive oil and wine.
My favourite section was the super long table which had a beautiful chandelier above it, I took a picture because the whole area looked so nice!

The atmosphere was great, and I did not feel like I was in the centre of (grotty!) Watford, the music was fab and the staff were super friendly.

For main I had the half chicken, served with winter slaw and sweet potato fries. Personally I thought it was too spicy for my palette, however my little brother loved it. However the sweet potato fries were divine.

My brother has the mushroom risotto which was delicious and my dad had the BBQ ribs which were also very tasty. My mum had the chicken kebabs on couscous, however I did not try hers. She said it tasted great though!

For dessert both my brother and I had the cinnamon doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce. I shouldn't really eat dairy or wheat, so am feeling the effects now. However I tell you, it was so worth it!! The cinnamon doughnuts were warm and soft. They did not really taste very 'cinnamonmy' so if you don't like cinnamon I do not really think this would be an issue! The chocolate sauce was rich and warm too, perfect for dipping the donuts in!

We all had a lovely evening, and will certainly be returning! xoxo

American Farewell Dinner

Sorry I have not posted in a while, I have been super super busy. Finishing my last week at placement and preparing myself to fly to America for 3 months on Tuesday!

Tonight I made my family a farewell American themed dinner. Of course we had burgers for main! I made the beef burgers myself and served them with melted cheddar cheese and bacon. The burgers were served with curly fries - yum!

For pudding we had chocolate brownies and Oreo milkshakes - both of which recipes feature on previous blog posts.

I decorated the table with American flags and gave everyone place names with famous Americans!

I am getting super excited to fly out to America and want to be there now! I am working at Walt Disney World Florida for 2 months, before travelling the West Coast and ending in New York. Going to be the best Summer ever! I have started a separate blog solely for posts about my travels which you can see here!

Good night! xoxo