Loseley Park

I mentioned Loseley Park to a couple of people to see what they thought of this place before I went to visit. The response I got from 100% of the people surveyed was, and I quote, “Aren’t they the ice cream people?”. Well with that kind of review how could I not go. And people, you are correct they do make ice cream!! How have I not heard of them?!

I visited the park during the Spring Garden Fair so I only got to see the garden but it was a gorgeous one. There was a wedding in the house when I visited which means the inside must be as gorgeous as the outside. Both are open to the general public from 1 May. If you do visit you must take time to sit by the moat. A peaceful beautiful blue corner of the grounds. A perfect place to enjoy a small tub of ice cream.

Vicky Sponge

I don’t understand why on your birthday you are expected to bring your own cakes and treats into the office for everyone else to enjoy. Surely they should be giving you things. So when a work colleague asked me to bake a cake for the office to celebrate her birthday, it made sense to me.

I was given free rein but obviously I had to make a little extra effort in honour of this occasion. I took inspiration from my latest culinary heroine, Anna Olson, and piped chocolate decorations. Then I took advice from  Mary Berry who always says you should top your cake with the flavours found inside so I used chocolate covered strawberries to dot around the edge. Finally for added indulgence, forget cigarillos, chocolate fingers are far tastier and cheaper!

The cake was kept simple, something that everyone would like. A victoria sponge layered with strawberries inkeeping with the day her birthday falls; St George’s Day. Victoria sponge is a bit like a football formation but with 4 extra players. all you need to remember is 4-4-4-2. That’s the ratio of butter, sugar, flour and eggs. This will be enough batter for 2 seven inch pans.

I’m sure you all know how to make this basic recipe by just putting all the ingredients in one bowl and beat or here are my little tips:

1) Beat the sugar and butter together thoroughly until the sugar slightly dissolves and is less grainy. The mixture may turn a little paler too.

2) Add the beaten eggs in slowly so as not to curdle the mixture but don’t worry if it does as….

3) folding in the flour until it’s just combined will sort this out.

4) Pour into pans and bake at 180C until a skewer comes out clean.

Spring Workwear

This is one dress that I always get complimented on no matter how many times I wear it to the office. It’s great for a Spring day as it’s bright and sunny and yet made of quite thick cotton to keep you warm when a fresh, crisp breeze blows. It also has a perfectly placed curve to make my bottom look just that little bit curvier and perkier.

The dress is from Karen Millen outlet in Freeport, Essex similar here and shoes are Manolos.

You and Whose Tartan Army

Dress: Oasis, Top: New Look (worn under dress), Shoes: Salvatore Ferragammo

The weather is definitely changing and things are heating up so I’m getting the last few wears out of my winter wardrobe before lighter, brighter fabrics take their place.  I can finally take off the base layer of my outfit and go to work with bare arms and pair it with skin coloured tights. Also I find this instantly brightens up the look for those sunnier spring days. Easy season transition.

A shinier belt also helps. The belt in the picture below is made from ring pulls from drink cans. You can get yours from the bottletops charity webiste here.

It’s time to make sure the last bits of fuzz are pulled and plucked.

Dairy-Free Breakfast Bars

You may remember from my last food post that I’m on a Spring detox. There’s only one thing that I like for breakfast on this diet other than a pile of berries on rye bread with honey and that’s porridge. However porridge is not the quickest to prepare and there is no way I am waking up early to slave away behind a hot stove. Also those 1 minute microwaveable pre-packaged porridge pots are exactly what I’m trying to avoid on this detox plan. That’s where my breakfast bars save the day.

They do disappear quickly but they’re packed with only good things so you can’t feel too guilty.

To make around 16 bars you’ll need:

• 400g porridge oats
• 200g dried fruit (I picked a packet or dried strawberries, cranberries and goji berries)
• 200g tofu
• 100ml sunflower or coconut oil
• 3 tbsp agave syrup or honey

Start by preheating the oven to 190C/gas mark 5 and lining a baking tray (18cmx25cm) with greaseproof paper.

Then stir all the ingredients together thoroughly so that everything is covered in a sticky glaze and spread out evenly in the baking tray.

Score out lines in the mix before placing in the oven for 25 minutes as this will make it easier to break apart once they’re cooked.

When the mixed turns golden remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before cutting into pieces. Store in an airtight tin which should keep your breakfast fresh for the whole week. Grab and go.

Isle of Wight

As I was driving around the Hampshire and Surrey border I saw a road sign. Portsmouth 39 miles and I realised I was closer to the seaside than my London home. So at the end of the weekend with a little bit of sunshine left I ventured to Portsmouth plus a little bit further to the Isle of Wight.

My car on the ferry

The ferry journey took 40 minutes so we had a bit of time to watch the other boats sail by and plan our spontaneous trip.

We decided on visiting the Needles and took the chairlift down to the coast.

We also took a boat trip to take a closer look at the Needles. 

This lump of stone looks like it’s giving the finger

The last building on the island before the stretch of needles has now been turned into a tea room. Would love to have gone there but time was limited.

We also managed to catch a glass blowing demonstration which was fascinating. Really recommend it. With all the white hot ovens it was a perfect place to warm up too. I was desperate to fill a glass ornament with coloured sand and managed to do that too. I was so excited about it I forgot to take any pictures.

We also planned to visit Osborne House and the Garlic Farm but we ran out of time. We did consider staying the night but obligations the next day meant we took a stroll along another stretch of coast with chip shop chips and ice cream and even bumped into a celebrity before heading back for our ferry.

Hopefully when the weather’s better I’ll be returning.

Dressing Room

I went home to London again last weekend. It’s not because I don’t like my flat in Surrey. Just the opposite. I love the spacious yet cosy bedroom with the vast cupboard and drawer space but it just can’t compare to the dressing room I have at my mum’s house.

I don’t care what they say about built-in wardrobes, I love them. I have a cupboard for my coats and jackets, a cupboard for handbags, a cupboard for off season clothing, a shelf for jumpers, a few more for shoes and an extra long rail for everything else. I’ve also stuck on hooks so I can put together outfits with ease. Over the door hooks were a great addition too.

I have a separate chest of drawers for my vast collection of underwear. Yes I’m a bit of a tart!

And I’ve strategically positioned all my jewellery near the bedroom door so I don’t forget to accessorise on my way out.  Sunglasses, necklaces and scarves.

You may notice the Louboutins at the bottom there. Those were my sister’s beautiful as they are they’re also terrible for walking in.  I couldn’t let her get rid of them so I bought them off her solely for ornamental reasons.

I had to move the dressing table to the bedroom so that I could make room for my latest birthday present. It matches better with my monochrome bedroom anyway.

And here is my latest pressie, my dressmaker’s doll. Again hats and stoles are positioned near the door for last minute accessorising.

Happy, Dopey & Sneezy

Remember the recent bout of good weather we had that was perfectly timed for the weekend? I knew it wouldn’t last long so I made the most of it by going for a warming long walk at Frensham Ponds. This was the filming location for parts of Snow White and the Huntsman so I went to see what Kristen Stewart saw of Surrey.

The paths were very sandy and the scenery was very orange. I felt like I took a wrong turning and ended up in the Nevada desert.

Yay sunshine.

Where’s the (D-I-) Y

I have moved on from the monochrome look albeit onto something even less adventurous. All black. However I love the 60s; the Beatles and the fashion and this is my workwear nod to it.

I am wearing my YSL pinstripe skirt (I’m calling it YSL as it still had the Y when I bought it), my zara neoprene jumper (altered by my own fair hands, see below) and my ferragammo python skin steel heels.

The zara jumper originally looked like this…

I altered it to make it look like this….

by sticking in velcro, the type that has a sticky back. First I folded under the excess jumper and made sure it wasn’t too long or too short.

Once I was happy that the correct amount of jumper was tucked under for the right length, I stuck in velcro in little pieces all the way round. Not taking in the side seams gives the jumper a more 60s sihouette. Perfect and couldn’t be simpler.

Bengali Dahl

I am on a Spring Clean Detox. No dairy, no meat, no gluten and no sugar. That’s why I sought out my mum’s recipe for dahl. There are many reasons to love dahl. It’s a warming bowl of lentils that’s more filling than soup, low in fat, a good source of protein and even quenches my thirst. So if you want to try something this weekend that’s even quicker than ordering an Indian takeaway. For 2 people you’ll need:

• 1 cup of lentils
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Chilli flakes or birds eye chilli

Wash the lentils till the water runs clear to remove most of the starch.

Place the washed lentils in a saucepan with 5 cups of water. Slice the onion and place in the saucepan with the lentils and add salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil skimming the foam off the top as it heats up.  

Once it has boiled, lower the heat, add the turmeric….

… and add chilli flakes to taste. I used a heaped teaspoon. Or pierce a birds eye chilli and add to the pot.

Then simmer with the lid on until cooked.

To test whether it’s cooked squeeze a grain between two fingers. If it’s easy to squeeze all the way through it’s done. It should take around 10-15 minutes of simmering. For an even more healthy version you can add vegetables to the dahl, such as spinach, courgettes etc, for the last 5 minutes.

Finishing touch: Fry chopped onions in a little oil till golden brown

Add 2 cloves of sliced garlic to the onions and fry for a couple more minutes. 

Then add this mix to the cooked dahl and serve with rice.