I have to moisturise after a shower immediately or I will shrivel up. Seriously, I will you know.
I have a multitude of lotions and potions in my bathroom and lately I've been reaching for this bad boy - The Body Shop's Blueberry Body Butter. I've used a few of The Body Shop's body butters in the past (shea, vitamin E, almond, coconut...) and they always deliver on long-lasting moisture.
In the post Christmas sales, I snapped this classic old school Body Shop fragranced cream for just a fiver. After applying in the morning, I can smell the blueberries until lunchtime and I my skin is super soft and moisturised all day. It really is one of my favourite products right now. I have the Chocomania one too - it's still sealed and I can't wait to open it!
Wedding Ideas Reader Evening. The Lil Sis and I attended an event hosted by Wedding Ideas Magazine. We were able to chat to some top suppliers in an intimate setting at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in Whitehall. There are some action shots in this gallery. We got our nails done (I love this red Essie shade now!) and got to walk along the beautifully lit up river at Victoria Embankment on our way home. Bliss.
Victoria Embankment / Royal Horseguards Hotel / Nails painted with Essie polish
One Blenheim Terrace - reviewed.Last week, I posted some pictures of my dinner at the West Hampstead Review of One Blenheim Terrace in St John's Wood - see the review here on the West Hampstead Life blog. Verdict: It delivers style and substance. Let's round the score up to 8/10. I'll certainly be going back.
Delicious Spiga. Have I ever had a rubbish meal here? No. I met a close friend, Nath, at The Gallery on Broadhurst Gardens for pre-dinner drinks then went almost next door to Spiga. I had the tagliatelle all' astice (lobster, tomato and chilli tagliatelle). The owner, Sandra is really lovely. I mean, really lovely. I was a bit startled when the Mr burst into the restaurant on his way from football (in his football kit and slightly pongy) to surprise me with an escorted visit home. Lucky me.
Starbucks. I go there too much, and always order the same thing. Chai tea latte. Tall, extra hot and skinny.
Mae by Johanna Hehir. On behalf of the So You're Getting Married blog, Jenny and I attended the launch event of Johanna Hehir's new diffusion line - Mae at her flagship store on Chiltern Street. Full post to follow soon. Here's a sneak peak of some pictures:
Elizabeth Bessant. On Thursday, Jenny and I popped down to Elizabeth Bessant's couture studio in Walton Street, South Kensington to pick a hair accessory from a Your London Wedding competition win. Elizabeth is a lovely lady who hand makes all her pieces - see video here and even dresses three people for the THE recent Royal Wedding. Woohoo!
Le Creuset goodies. I'm now the new owner of a nice oil and vinegar set as well as a cute fridge magnet. Thanks Komal!
Portabello Road Rocks! Yesterday, the besty and I went to Portabello Road for some rummaging. We came across a real vintage treasure trove - Jane Bourvis. There is vintage lace, dresses and corsets dangling everywhere in the store and the shelves are stacked with accessories and jewellery. I don't think it is possible to look at everything! We walked out with three pairs of earrings and a necklace between us. Hopefully I can wear one of the earrings at the wedding?
I got a cover up that I need to try on with my wedding dress, and if it matches I'll be customising it and wearing during my first look portrait session. She got a cute lace trimmed Bambi T Shirt and some furniture for her spare room.
Choice of three earrings all 1920s and1930s from Jane Bourvis / Lace trimmed Bambi top from market stall / Vintage jewel necklace from Jane Bourvis
A little shout out to Johanna of Luva Huva who sells ethical lingerie and loungewear online and in the market. We meant to go back to her stall to get some goodies but we didn't get time, so next time for sure :-)
Slow cooker Sunday. As I write this, I have some vegetables and lamb in the slow cooker. I am totally addicted to Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Anya Potatoes. They're waxy, small, cute and very versatile. I hope this turns out well as it was a freestyle recipe! Only a few hours and I'll know I guess.
Catch up with my shenanigans from last week here. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday
Happy beautiful sunny Sunday! As per, here's the highlights of my week since my last instalment.
Yeehah Cowboy: My Lil Sis just randomly turned up on my doorstep on Sunday. Given that she lives 1.5 hours away from me and must have prior planned coming onto my turf, it baffles me that she only thought of calling me when she was at West Hampstead station. Oh well - you gotta these little sisters, right?
So, she takes her coat off to reveal a questionable outfit - fancy dress as a cowgirl comes to mind. Queue nickname: the Sheriff. I wish I was allowed to post of picture of her, but I had to promise not to. I have a few on my phone (and backed up on iCloud) that make me and Miss Sis laugh all the time! Next time she has a paddy, they're going straight on Facebook... These pictures have single-handedly made my week!
After messing up the magazine collection on my coffee table (you know, smaller magazines like Glamour and Wedding Ideas at the top and normal sized magazines like Vogue and Good Food underneath...) she went off to meet friends locally (hhhmmm, knew she didn't come here just to see me!) and I baked raspberry and apricot drizzle cake in preparation for the other sister's birthday celebrations.
She ended up staying the night, and we watched The Voice and Britain's Got Talent.
Bank holiday birthday bash. Monday morning, I made the icing for the cake before making our way to London Bridge for a train down South. Indian snacks, cake, and babies galore - great day.
My mum's the best cook
Men, Food, Stags: Later that evening, I came back to London with more baggage than I left with - and as usual it was tupperwear boxes full of goodies from my mother to the son she never had. No idea why, he didn't even come to the party.
I found him looking worse for wear on the sofa having come back from a stag in Munich. He perked up after scoffing the treats, telling me how delicious it all was with a mouth full. Lovely.
Sunshiny London. Lots of lovely sunny days this week! On Tuesday evening, I strolled along the riverside near Embankment and through the beautiful Whitehall Gardens. London in the sunshine is so special. It is a rare occurrence but when it happens, it reaffirms that I'm living in the right city. The whole vibe changes. The inhabitants, normally grumpy from the damp tube are now nice happy people.
This city is glorious.
That evening, we made a proper summer dinner: bruscetta to start and chicken salad for main.
Royally speaking. On the day he Queen gave her speech in Parliament, we got some free tickets to see the King's Speech production at the Wyndam's Theatre. The production is pretty much a carbon copy of the film, but I loved the film (possibly because I love Colin Firth and Helena Bonham-Carter...) so I loved this play.
No. 1 Jenny Packham.Last week, I mentioned that I went to the launch of Jenny Packham's collaboration with Debenhams on behalf of Phoebe at So You're Getting Married. See my review of the collection here - and join in the debate. It's a bit controversial. What do you think?
Image courtesy of Debenhams
Whampreview. On Thursday, I attended my first ever West Hampstead Review, organised by the local guru Jonathan at West Hampstead Life. Local people get together to review a local restaurant and along the way we make new friends and be merry. Then Jonathan gathers the score and verdict and writes a blog post.
We met at the Salt House on Abbey Road for a drink and then walked over to One Blenheim Terrace for a three course meal. I leave the food verdict to Jonathan to blog about, but I can confirm that I had a great night out and this is what I ate:
Scampi to start; Lamb for main; Cheese for afters
I need a milkman. For three days in a row, we had no milk. There is no excuse for this really, but I used this fact to allow myself to have cake for breakfast each day and drank Earl Grey with lemon. Delicious. The best way to start your day is happy and satisfied, no?
Domesticated or what? While he gave the garden a tidy yesterday, I baked two small loaves of bread. I cheated (as usual) and used a Wright's packet mix for parmesan and sun dried tomato, added fresh rosemary, extra virgin olive oil and black pepper. I let the machine knead and then allowed it to rise outside and baked it in the normal oven. We ate that with our lunch and some more with breakfast today.
Thank you Liberty! A while back, I mentioned that the lovely people at Liberty has agreed to mend my Liberty Art Print knot watch after I accidently gave it a drowning in the washing machine. Well it turns out that it couldn't be fixed, so they kindly gave me a replacement - I went to pick it up yesterday. Gosh I love that shop - Brilliantly British.
Brixton baby. After Liberty, we headed to Brixton for the (joint) best man's 29th birthday - we went to Courtesan for dinner which is a really cool dim sum place on Atlantic Road. We then hung out in the Brixton Village market with some drinks and finished the night at Market House on Coldharbour Lane. They played Lovely Day by Bill Withers at one point and everyone went crazy - it reminded me of the Tetley Tea ads as well. Brilliant song. We missed the last tube as we were having too much fun so thank goodness for Addison Lee and the iPhone app - we were delivered home safely in the early hours.
The wall at Courtesan
Elderflower Belvoir at Market Place. I love this stuff.
That's all from me. You can read about what I did last week here.
I made this two of these delightful desserts to take to my sister’s family birthday bash after finding it on the final page of this month’s Olive magazine. Each cake makes around 12 servings. I've amended some of the topping ingredients and added the decoration part myself (after my mother complained that I didn't bring any raspberries to decorate the cake - she ran into the rainy garden and grabbed me some mint - genius idea!):
Ingredients per cake:
175g butter
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g raspberries
TOPPING:
450ml whipping cream
200g mascarpone
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 jar apricot jam
DECORATION:
Anything you like! I used some sprigs of mint, but raspberries would really nice as well.
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 180C / fan 160C / gas 4
2. Butter (and line if you wish) a 22cm springform cake tin.
3. Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder until the mixture is light.
4. Beat in the crème fraîche and vanilla,
5. Fold in the raspberries.
6. Spoon the mixture into the tun and level the top.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake is risen, golden and firm.
8. Cool for 5 minutes then release the tin and cool fully.
9. Slide onto a plate and cake stand.
10. Whisk the cream and mascarpone with the icing sugar until it is stiff but spoonable.
11. Add the apricot jam to the bowl in spoonfuls dotting it over the surface and ripple it through the cream.
Caveat Emptor. {Buyer Beware - one of the only things I remember from GCSE Latin!}. Following on from our leak saga last week, it turns out that there was similar issue when the previous owners lived here. They didn't tell us despite us specifically asking them face to face if they had any issues with the upstairs flat. Sigh. We've had quite a few issues (££££) to deal with connected to the age of the property (built in 1870s) since we bought the place last year. Maybe next time we'll get a newer place? Who knows. Just getting a little fed up / bored now.
There was a leak from upstairs into the doorway of this hallway and the lounge last week. Fingers crossed the plumber has sorted it :-)
West Hampstead was featured in the Times Bricks and Mortar section on Friday - the headline read 'An area of choice, not compromise'. When we were renting, we lived in the heart of West / South Hampstead, but could only afford to buy down the Kilburn end (much better value). I will miss the area when we will inevitably have to leave in a few years time - kiddies in a two bed flat just won't work and we can't afford anything bigger here :-(
I was meant to make these: but didn't have time. Must make time.
Bunting biscuits, Good Food Magazine, June 2012
Chilli chicken skewers - ES Magazine, 4 May 2012
BYO Coffee. Don't you just love it when your yummy mummy of two leaves the kids with her hubbie and drives around to your place from St Johns Wood in the pouring rain AND stops off at Carluccio's and grabs coffee and biscuits? I might make a rule that all guests do this.
Mandatory requirement for all guests 1
To make it even better, she had brought me a surprise 3.5 month late birthday present! I lovely beige studded loose jumper and floral scarf. Loved them both!
So new guest rules: coffee, biscuits and bonus presents!
Mandatory requirement 2
Happy Birthday! So, on the same day I received a late birthday present, it was really Miss Sis's 28th birthday - I wrote a little post for that here.
Bake me. I made a kiwifruit and orange drizzle cake. It was delicious. Before it had even cooled, someone had already eaten a section. I was annoyed for a micro-second and then ate some too. The boy's friends loved it and so did his mother who stayed with us for two nights this week.
Thai Beef Curry. This was meant to be the BBC Good Food beef massaman curry but it was too wet to prance about in my wellies on Kilburn High Road to find the stuff, so I bought a red curry paste from Sainsbury's instead. It's slow cooked for two hours and melt in the mouth amazing!
Cleaned the kitchen in the two hour wait while it bubbled away in the oven...
My daffs this week as per:
Baker Brides. Did you read about my favourite potential bridesmaid dresses from Ted Baker? If not, see here.
Pop-up Vintage Fair, Hampstead - I blogged the about lovely fair here.
Mid week dinners need to be quick and easy - especially when we were feeding a lovely house guest as well. So we made Jamie Oliver's chicken fajitas one night and Nigel Slater's aromatic mackerel the the next. I bought the mackerel from Waitrose in Canary Wharf on the way home from work and while the nice fishmonger filleted all my little fishies I wandered around the store and wished I was strong enough to carry home a Belvoir in every flavour...
No 1. Jenny Packham. On behalf of Phoebe Miller, (see her post), me and Jenny (you know, she made those brownies) went to the blogger event to launch the No 1. Jenny Packham bridal collection at Debenhams on Oxford Street. The collection isn't for everyone's taste, but is as cheap as chips (well maybe posh chips in Chelsea). Little write up to follow on Phoebe's blog soon. We finished the evening with dinner at Wagamamas behind Selfridges.
Trying on a head piece.
Can I pull off a feather stole?
Lipstick: Chanel Rouge Allure La Fascinante / Necklace: Accessorize / Cardigan: H&M / Top and skirt: The Gap / Belt: Peekaboo Vintage in Topshop Oxford Circus
Weekend comforts. So the boy got up early - too early - and went to Munich for a stag on Friday morning. No idea why men HAVE to make a weekend of it and go abroad. Anyway, this means I have the house to myself to watch what I want - have totally caught up the Sky+ box now from last week's escapade in Barcelona. Mad Men this week - oh my oh my.
I also ate exactly what I wanted: Pizza and salad / sippy eggs / Marmite soldiers / cake / chocolate / crisps. Yes, it is very bad. But it is a bank holiday isn't it? And it's cold. So it's kinda like Christmas when you're allowed to stuff your face.
Duchess Dress Envy. I am a week late with this one, but I totally love Kate's Matthew Williamson dress.
ES Magazine, 4 May 2012
That's all from me. Here's a round up of what I did last week. Enjoy the rest of your bank holiday weekend!
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