Happy bank holiday babes! I can’t believe it’s coming to the end of August already, where has summer gone? I kicked off the long weekend with Friday drinks at the pub followed by a girls night with my bestie on Saturday evening.
I wore my pink Stradivarius flared jeans to brighten up yet another grey August day, and paired these with this tie back Nakd grey vest and my chunky pearl sliders.
Despite the overcast weather, it was still warm enough to sit outside and enjoy a few drinks and snacks together at sunset. It’s not a girl dinner without nibbles and I won’t be missing any opportunity to put out a mezze of picky bits in my favourite bowls.
Following our holiday to Mallorca, me and the girls have been obsessed in a Greek Salad. Quick, easy, healthy and delicious, this is the ultimate girl dinner moment.
To accompany our big bowl of goodness, I heated up a sun-dried tomato flatbread for our carbs and served it with some Italian salad leaves too.
This was the perfect girl dinner to graze and enjoy as we chatted away and reminisced about our wonderful Mallorca memories from our holiday a few weeks back; cheers to cute girl dinners ❤
When it comes to hosting, preparation is key to pulling off a seamless evening which you too can enjoy alongside the company of your guests. This Friday evening we invited our parents to the house for a BBQ, so I wanted to be on my top hosting game to impress!
I got to planning what we were going to cook a week prior so we could do the food shop during the week and have plenty of time to prep in advance. I made sure all areas were covered including drinks, nibbles and decor, as well as the BBQ food itself.
For nibbles I put together a grazing board of crisps, nuts, crackers, olives, antipasti and dips. I love any excuse to buy a mezze of snacks and use my assortment of cute bowls to put them out in for guests to enjoy. And don’t forget to put out some side plates, coasters, napkins and candles to set the mood later in the evening; it’s all in the detail.
Once we did the shop a few days prior to the date, I decided what dish each element of the BBQ was going to go into because there are so many different components which make up a barbecue spread. I laid everything out the night before and labelled exactly what dish was going into what, so I knew we had every base covered.
On the menu for the main event we had: marinated chicken thighs, chicken skewers, veggie skewers, corn cobs, beef burgers, vegan burgers, roasted new potatoes, green avocado salad and of course, my favourite Greek salad.
On the morning of the BBQ, I prepped the veggie skewers, new potatoes, green salad and Greek salad so these were all ready to go straight from the fridge. That just left the barbecuing itself and the potatoes to be cooked in the oven on the night.
I was then ready to lay the table complete with wine glasses, water glasses, napkins and not forgetting the condiment tray with all the dips and dressings you could wish for with a BBQ.
Despite the cloudy day, the rain held off and we were able to get out the garden furniture and sit outside whilst my boyfriend did his thing on the BBQ.
It was a very warm, humid evening, so I wore this daisy print skirt with a simple black vest, a green short sleeve overshirt, chunky pearl sliders and a pair of sunnies to complete the BBQ fit. I wanted to get a bit dressed up but also be comfy for running around doing my hostessing duties on the night.
At 7pm our guests arrived so we got the BBQ fired up and the potatoes in the oven. I could finally take a breath at this point and enjoy catching up with our parents as everything else was all ready to go; the joy of being super prepared!
The evening went seamlessly and everyone had a wonderful time together. My Greek salad was a highlight as well as my special roasted crispy new potatoes which are always a crowd pleaser. So if you’re hosting a BBQ or dinner party anytime soon, follow these preparation tips and you’ll be sure to have a fun and stress free evening with your guests too; cheers to that! ❤
Last week, me and my two best girlfriends jetted off to the stunning Spanish island of Mallorca for five days in the town of Alcudia. We’ve been besties since we were in infant school, so we get on like sisters and couldn’t wait to be going on a proper girls vacay together this summer.
Arriving at a busy Gatwick Airport on Friday 4th August, we treated ourselves to the lounge for bottomless pre-flight bubbles and a bite to eat at leisure, before our plane departed that afternoon. Holiday mode was on!
We didn’t stop nattering the entire journey and before we knew it, we had arrived at our hotel later that evening following a smooth flight and transfer with easyJet. The next morning we awoke fresh and ready for a day of sunbathing at our hotel.
We stayed at Sol de Alcudia Apartments where we shared a room complete with a kitchenette and balcony. Whilst this is a family resort, it wasn’t too busy and the staff were friendly and helpful too.
I was very happy with the gym which was just down the corridor from our room and almost always empty, so I had the space to myself for my morning workouts.
We spent most mornings getting in our sunbathing time whilst reading our books, cooling off in the pool and chatting away of course.
The hotel was a five minute walk from the main beach of Alcudia, so we took a stroll there on the first day to see that golden white sand and dip our feet in the ocean.
After a refreshing glass of Sangria for me and Spanish beers for the girls, we found a nearby Lidl to stock up on essential holiday snacks and food for lunches.
This is what holiday lunches are all about; a mezze of picky bits including crisps, crackers, hummus, olives, cold meats, cheese, grapes, bread and of course, the iconic tub of Aioli. Sat out on our balcony soaking up the Spanish sun and chatting with my girlies with a wine in hand, now that’s an ideal holiday scene right there!
If you’re a regular here you’ll know I’m a salad lover and when I’m holiday, it’s all about a Greek Salad, so I suggested we do this for our balcony lunch one day. We just went to the local grocery store where we managed to get some tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and feta. Usually I would put oregano and lashings of olive oil on my Greek Salad, but seasoning wise we could only find salt in the shop, so instead my friend came up with the idea of mashing the feta with the juice of a lemon and some of the salty olive brine. This was a delicious twist on a classic and definitely something I’ll try again at home too.
It was so fun getting glammed up for warm summer evenings out with the girls. My friend did my hair a few times with her Dyson Air Wrap and I’m obsessed, I might have to get one for myself now.
On the Sunday night we decided to book a nice dinner out at Ca’an Matevet just over in Port d’Alcudia. As usual I did my research on Instagram to find the trendiest looking place and this restaurant was our kinda vibe.
I love being a bit more experimental and playful with my holiday outfits, so for this occasion I wore my leopard print swimsuit as a body paired with my Stradivarius wrap skort, chunky pearl sliders, a pair of oversized gold shell drop earrings and my Dune woven white handbag. My girlfriends are so effortlessly cool and always look very trendy in all black and neutral tones. How cute that my friend’s pearl hair clips matched my pearl sliders. ❤
We were seated at our table outside overlooking the port as the sunset and a live band played, setting the perfect evening dinner mood at golden hour.
Being in Spain we couldn’t resist ordering a number of incredible tapas to share. We all agreed potatoes bravos were a must as well as the fresh scallops. The toasted bread with cured Mahón cheese, sobrasada from the island and honey, was simply divine.
This goat’s cheese salad with walnuts, hazelnuts, capers and homemade fig jam was a highlight for me. We also got the garlic prawns, olives and some bread with Aioli to accompany our meal. Service was great, I couldn’t fault anything and don’t be fooled, we ate every last bit – us girls like our food!
We finished up with a round of cocktails instead of dessert as we were full from our feast. I had a Paloma whilst the girls had a Mojito and a Tommy’s Margarita which we enjoyed as the sun went down and the live band continued their second set. The staff were so friendly and attentive, the food was amazing and the ambience on point; I’d highly recommend visiting C’an Matevet if you’re in the area –https://canmatevet.com.
The weather was perfect during our stay reaching highs of 30 degrees, so a classic orange ice pop was the ideal poolside refreshment.
Another night, another bar, and on this evening we actually stumbled across this fun hotel bar just around the corner with another live band playing. They were called Von Bros and played reggae style covers, we were loving it!
Once again my besties were looking super stylish in chic black outfits, whilst I was in a baby blue mini dress bringing a splash of colour to the group.
On our final day we got up early to visit the markets in the Old Town of Alcudia.
There was so much to explore, from beautiful fresh produce to lots of gorgeous clothes and jewellery from local sellers.
My friend bagged herself a lovely cream crochet top and I got a white crochet cutout Grecian style dress.
I just wish I had a local market back home selling fresh fruit and veg as marvellous as this!
And not to mention the variety of olives to choose from, I was in my element.
The streets of Old Town Alcudia are so picturesque lined with ancient buildings, blooming bright flowers climbing the walls and exotic plants in terracotta pots.
We stopped for a morning coffee at a cute cafe where two coffees and a water was less than 4 Euros!
It was scorching hot so we took it in turns with my friend’s ‘World’s biggest diva’ hand fan. 😀
I’m also loving this headscarf on my friend giving market girl vibes paired with her gingham playsuit, so cute. ❤
We then explored more of the town and took a walk up on the ancient walls which boarder the Old Town of Alcudia.
I saw an old open air theatre and decided to put my gymnastics practice to good use with a handstand balance centre stage.
For lunch we found a quieter restaurant with a courtyard off the beaten track.
I had this simple but super tasty green salad and a refreshing Coke Zero.
Our final afternoon we spent back by our hotel pool soaking up the final few hours of Spanish sun.
I also brought this floppy hat on our way out of the markets which is exactly what I was looking for, I can’t wait to wear it on my next holiday.
We had a chilled dinner at our hotel before packing that night, as our transfer back to Palma Airport the next morning was at 7am.
We had a fantastic time in Mallorca together with plenty of chats, giggles, sunbathing, good food and drinks, pool time, reading, relaxing and just having lots of fun. Thank you girlies for such a wonderful trip, lets get planning girls vacay 2024! ❤ ❤ ❤
Dani Aneka 