Monthly Archives: June 2014

crop it like it’s hot!

13th June 2014
Well, here’s an outfit I never saw myself wearing, let alone posting! I’ve been trying to experiment more lately, moving out of my comfort zone in the hope that it will help to improve my confidence and body image…the weather isn’t good enough to wear this outfit much but the Sunday before last was just about warm enough…come on Summer, hurry up!

Trousers & Bralet: New Look | Flip-Flops: Havianas

I’ve been on the hunt for some cool lightweight trousers for ages and New Look had several pairs I loved. It was these black and white ones that really grabbed me though as they fitted better than any others- they were also the cheapest at only £12.99, seriously, New Look are so good right now for affordable fashion!
For someone who owns a lot of shoes I somehow don’t have a pair of plain black sandals and so it was my old faithful Havianas that ended up completing this look (if you can call it complete). I don’t think I could ever buy another brand of flip-flops after discovering how comfortable these are- I also have two pink pairs!
I’m not sure how often I’ll be sporting a bralet, especially in public but this outfit made me feel more good about myself than it did bad. A bit more exercise and toning and I think I’ll feel much better anyway, I’m still a bit lazy when it comes to motivation but I’m getting there!

end

Posted in life, life stuff, outfits

Permalink 6 Comments

Summer of Flavour with M&S

12th June 2014
Ok, so there is clearly a theme to my posts this week…I love Summer and all the fresher, lighter foods around, even when the weather doesn’t match! As well as providing me with a free lunch, Marks and Spencer also invited me to take part in their Summer of Flavour by providing me with the ingredients to make one of their fabulous sounding recipes.
Summer of Flavour is all about celebrating flavour, and as well as enjoying what we know and love, putting a new twist on traditional dishes. I chose to make a dessert that involved folding blueberries and lemon curd in to lightly crushed meringues and whipped cream then freezing it. It sounded like heaven…and tasted like it too!
Ingredients:
8 meringue nests (Cook with M&S)
300ml double or whipping cream (although the Bristol store had neither so was subbed with pre-whipped cream and that worked just as well!)
325g jar Sicilian lemon curd
180g blueberries
1. Lightly crush the meringues and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold in the lemon curd and the blueberries.
3. Now fold in the crushed meringues. Spoon into a 900g/2lb loaf tin lined and over-hanging with cling film. Open-freeze until firm then fold the overhang of cling film over, wrap again and freeze until ready to serve.
4. Alternatively spoon into 8 ramekin dishes, cover tightly with cling film and freeze.
5. Transfer the frozen loaf to the fridge 30 minutes before slicing. Ramekins are best left to stand at room temperature 10 minutes or so before spooning into.
This was one of the easiest desserts I’ve ever made and tasted so fresh, despite being really quite naughty! The lemon curd complemented the blueberries perfectly and the meringue gave a crunchy, chewy texture. I imagine that you could substitute the blueberries quite happily with raspberries too…let me know if you give that a go, or if you follow this recipe to the letter.
What are your favourite flavour combinations?

end

Posted in food, M&S, recipes

Permalink 5 Comments

Los Pollos

11th June 2014
Up until the time I had my back surgery I had never watched a single episode of Breaking Bad and didn’t really have any interest in doing so. Boredom got to me though, and thanks to twitter friend’s recommendations and a bit of persuasion from Ben I watched the pilot episode and promptly got hooked.
Fast forward ten days and Ben and I had watched every episode in all five series of the show; I’ve never binge watched anything like that before and I doubt I ever will again…thankfully I didn’t have anything better to be doing with my time at that point!

Tee: eBay | Jeans: New Look | Shoes: Converse

It’s my brother who is to blame for this tee, or rather his girlfriend is because she bought him one and suddenly I need one as well! You can now find these in Primark, but I got mine on eBay for around £7 (cheaper than the Primark ones!). I mostly wear it to slouch around the house in, but it seemed to go perfectly with these acid wash jeans I picked up in New Look the other week; I’m struggling a bit with jeans at the moment but I loved the colour of these and for £12.99 I decided to bite the bullet and hope my confidence improves in time.
These Converse often get overlooked amongst all my other shoes, but again they seemed a perfect match for these jeans and I really must make the effort to wear them more- such a fun colour! You really can’t go wrong with Converse for comfort, these aren’t the classic hi-tops but still have the same iconic coolness about them.
Which TV shows had you hooked? I was going to ask for suggestions as to what to watch next, but I don’t think I dare!

end

Posted in life, outfits, shoes

Permalink 6 Comments

Lunching with M&S

10th June 2014
For some reason food from Marks and Spencer never lets me down. I think this comes from growing up with it as a luxury as to this day it’s always a treat rather than an every day occurrence. I’m sure this would change if I ever move somewhere that has an M&S nearby, but as it involves a bus ride in to town it’s a rare treat.
Marks and Spencer have recently added to their food on the move range and were lovely enough to arrange some samples for me to collect on a recent trip in to town, with the not so difficult task of reviewing it on the blog…honestly, sometimes blogging is such a chore!
I love sushi, so the M&S team’s selection for me was perfect! I am so rubbish at capturing photos of food (practice time for me!) but this looked so delicious…and I confirm it tastes amazing. I really loved the Futomaki selection with a honey, ginger and chilli dressing (£3.50 per pack) as you got a good variety of pieces to try and the dressing added an extra dimension to the flavour; I find shop bought sushi can be on the bland side. The Salmon and Prawn Nigri (£3.50) was also excellent, the best shop bought Nigri I’ve tried and perfectly accompanied by good old soy sauce. I sadly couldn’t try the Yakatori Chicken Skewers (£2.00) as they had nuts on them, my bad for not mentioning that allergy but Ben reaped the benefits and gave them the thumbs up!
The new range from Marks and Spencer focuses on fresh and flavour packed lunches. As well as the sushi there is also a range of American inspired delights such as pulled pork and crunchy slaw on a soft white roll (£3.30) and some fantastic looking Bento boxes.
I try not to buy my lunch too often, but usually treat myself once a week. I wish I lived closer to a M&S as I’d love to explore this range further, I always find a long day at work is made better by an luxurious (well, not home made) lunch!
What do you guys do for lunch? Any one else agree nobody does food quite like M&S? Pass me the Percy Pigs!

end

Posted in food, M&S, review

Permalink 11 Comments

Vintage Queen

09th June 2014
I do love vintage clothing, but I don’t really have the patience for trekking around endless shops in the hope of finding something worth buying at an affordable price. Put me on eBay though, and I can procrastinate for hours from my armchair and occasionally I manage to grab a bargain.

Dress: eBay | Shoes: Shellys via Sarenza

If I remember rightly I paid about 99p + postage for this dress a few years ago. I was drawn to the print of it, although the fabric isn’t the nicest texture in the world the midi length and nipped in waist makes up for it. I love to pair the dress with bright shoes, just like these Shellys ones which are super old now, easily my comfiest heels I’m delighted to be back in them!
I can’t believe we’ve rolled round to yet another Monday. I’m looking forward to seeing my parents, as they got home from Portugal in the early hours but I have work to get through first…pass the coffee!
Vintage lovers, where is best for bargains? eBay isn’t as cheap and cheerful as it used to be and I’d love to pick up a few “new” pieces.

end

Posted in life, outfits

Permalink 10 Comments