Author: Danielle Aneka

Saturday Scenes In Surrey; The Ivy Asia Guildford

June 23, 2024

Happy Sunday! I’m still on a high from the most perfect date night yesterday evening in the picturesque town of Guildford, Surrey.

With the sun glowing over Guildford Castle at golden hour, we wanted to enjoy an aperitif on the terrace of The Ivy Castle View. However we settled on a seat at the beautiful feature bar inside given outside was fully booked.

I enjoyed a beefeater pink grapefruit gin and slimline tonic and we shared some olives and rosemary almonds for a pre-dinner nibble.

With 8pm reservations, we finished up our drinks and headed next door to The Ivy Asia for our dinner date. The Ivy is always a treat and never disappoints on the service, food and a buzzing atmosphere complete with exquisite interiors.

We were sat at the counter top overlooking the kitchen where they make the sushi fresh to order and we had a great view across the restaurant too, wonderfully bustling with Saturday night vibes.

To start we shared the duck spring rolls and wonton crackers with a delicious dip. To drink I was on the red wine whilst my boyfriend had a yummy sweet lychee mocktail.

The Ivy Asia offers small plates to share, so it’s a lovely way to get a taste of lots of different dishes. We chose the spicy tuna sushi roll, honey glazed chicken skewers, miso marinated aubergine, sticky rice and chilli noodles.

Everything was so tasty and beautifully presented, but for me the aubergine dish was my favourite and my boyfriend particularly enjoyed the glazed chicken skewers.

As always, The Ivy Asia didn’t disappoint on delivering an overall seamless experience making for the most delightful date night with my boyfriend.

I was a very happy girly indeed; cheers to Saturday date night goals ❤

My Three Ingredient Rawnola

June 16, 2024

This week I’m sharing with you my super quick, easy and affordable recipe for Rawnola. Using just store cupboard staples and a high powered blender, this mixture can also be used for making bliss balls to have on hand for an energy boost snack, without the hidden nasties found in packaged products.

Store the Rawnola in an airtight container and enjoy as a topping on yoghurt, mixed with your favourite cereal or even straight from the jar because believe me when I say, this tastes like cookie dough!

To see how I make it, head over to watch the full video on my YouTube Channel here – https://youtu.be/7rsGanV00Sk?si=oiRdHkcXux81mFtU

Burger Season; The Perfect Recipe

June 9, 2024

When it comes to burgers, it’s all about the condiments. Whether it’s a beef burger, chicken burger or vegan mock meat burger, pickles and salad are a an absolute must.

Loaded in a brioche bun I stacked baby gem lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion rings, the vegan patty, gherkins, burger relish and bbq sauce. Served with homemade potato wedges and plenty of salad, this was the perfect date night fakeaway dinner.

Classic, simple, to the point; that’s how you do burger night at home ❤

Date Night Perfection; Pub Garden, Paloma Cocktail & Pasta Bolognese

June 2, 2024

This Saturday evening we kicked off date night in a local pub garden sipping cocktails and discussing plans for a trip we’re taking to Monaco in September.

It wasn’t the warmest of summer evenings, so I wore this asymmetric oatmeal sweater from Bershka paired with these Abercrombie & Fitch dark wash jeans tucked into my Stradivarius cowboy boots.

A silk neckerchief from Le Scarf and my Coach cross body signature print handbag completed the country girl chic aesthetic this ensemble was giving.

With a Paloma as a special on the aperitifs menu, I couldn’t resist one of my favourite cocktails ideal for an early summer’s evening.

Consisting of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda, a Paloma is the perfect twist of sweet and sour whilst being aesthetically pleasing with its gorgeous pastel pink hue.

Earlier that afternoon I had already cooked a beef bolognese from scratch which was waiting on the hob ready to dish up when we got home.

Leaving it to sit for a few hours allowed the flavours to develop and made for a deliciously rich bolognese sauce.

Whist the linguine boiled, I laid the table and prepared the rocket, parmesan and pickled onion salad dressed in balsamic vinegar.

The final dish went down a treat and we had plenty leftover for the fridge and freezer. I didn’t follow a recipe but I’ve cooked bolognese with my mum many times and the secret is lots of garlic, plenty of basil and a generous few splashes of red wine whilst it cooks down.

Bellies full of linguine bolognese, we reclined on the sofa to watch a movie as we enjoyed the rest of our red wine and some choccie for dessert.

A cute country pub garden, pretty pink cocktails, a hearty pasta dinner and our favourite red wine whilst cosying up on the sofa, what more could you want from date night? Cheers to the weekend ❤

May Diaries; A Weekend in my Life

May 27, 2024

Happy May Day Bank Holiday! Come along with me for a fun little weekend in my life vlog as I make the most of this glorious springtime sunshine with family and friends.

I show you some new updates from our house and garden, before taking my Mini for a roof-down spin and visiting our local pub garden blossoming at this time of year.

We then had a social Saturday with an afternoon drinks do at a friend’s, followed by our first BBQ of the year at home which we invited my parents to join us for… get ready for some tipsy salad making by my mum!

So grab a wine or perhaps a cocktail this evening and get in the springtime mood with this fun and wholesome weekend vlog – https://youtu.be/go00tDUGNg8?si=zNDilTaXOL2YPJXk

My Summer Ab Shred; 10 Minute Workout Routine

May 19, 2024

Summer is just around the corner so it’s time to get in our best shape ready for the season ahead. This workout is only ten minutes and targets all areas of the core muscles whilst getting a little sweat on too. Implement this into your morning routine daily and your abs will be popping before you know it. Make sure to take note of the tips and tricks on screen along the way to help you make the most of this short but spicy workout!

Checkout the video on my YouTube channel here – https://youtu.be/V6MGh9CUcpo?si=1OUaBUQZtqZf1kiG

Springtime Feels; Summer on the Horizon

May 12, 2024

I’m a Summer girl through and through, so nothing makes me happier than gloriously sunny Springtime days knowing Summer is just around the corner.

With little signs of Spring throughout April, here in the UK we’ve been anticipating the warmer weather for a long time now. Finally our wishes came true earlier this week and over the weekend, as we’ve been showered with stunning sunshine and temperatures we usually only get in the height of Summer.

Our local pub The Mutton opened their garden on Friday and treated us regulars to a spread of their new garden bites menu, the most delightful way to welcome in the weekend!

I was so excited to be getting the garden furniture out at home too and enjoying al fresco drinks soaking up the sun over the weekend.

Soon we’ll be going on countryside bike rides again, firing up the BBQ and celebrating the summer with friends and family; bring on those euphoric summertime vibes ❤

Summer Holiday Booked; Santorini Greece

April 28, 2024

As we near the month of May, this gloomy English weather is not giving way for Spring which we can only hope means a hot summer coming our way. In the meantime, I needed another holiday to look forward to so I got researching into our options for a European get away in mid July.

After considering the South of France as well as other Greek Islands, we settled on the beautiful Island of Santorini. Whilst I’m aware it is a very popular holiday destination and won’t be cheap, Santorini is simply iconic with its white brick towns set against the vivid blue ocean, not to mention it’s incredibly romantic too.

We’ve treated ourselves to a deluxe suite with hot tub and sea views at Cresanto Luxury Suites, just outside of the capital Fira. I can’t wait for sunbathing in our own private paradise and sundowners in the hot tub with those breathtaking views.

It will be a week of pure bliss in stunning sunshine enjoying delicious Greek food and wine whilst soaking up endless sunsets; bring on Euro Summer 24 ❤

The Weekend Wine Down

April 21, 2024

Happy Sunday! As quickly as the weekend rolls around, it’s coming to an end before you know it. Saturday evening is date night for us, so we enjoyed a weekend wine down at the local wine bar followed by an Indian for dinner.

At 7pm we headed for sundown drinks at Auriol Wines, a local wine shop in our village which recently expanded into a wine bar; I’m thrilled to finally have a sophisticated wine bar just on our doorstep.

It might be April, but there is still very much a chill in the air so I wrapped up warm for al fresco pre-dinner drinks.

I wore my oversized grey trench coat from Nakd with a pair of dark wash Hollister jeans, a black off the shoulder blouse from Pretty Little Thing, Maroon square toe ASOS boot heels, a Stradivarius check print baker boy hat and my signature print Coach Mira handbag.

With the light spring evening and pretty sunset, we decided to sit out in the cosy huts and stayed warm with the heated fur blankets.

I enjoyed a delicious glass of Sicilian white wine, whilst my boyfriend sampled three different reds with the flight taster.

We walked over the road for our 8pm reservations at the Monsoon Indian restaurant in Hartley Wintney where it was buzzing on a Saturday night. After some popadoms to start as we browsed the menu, I had a vegetable bhuna curry with green salad, whilst my boyfriend had his usual chicken korma with peshwari naan and coconut rice to share.

Sometimes the simplest of date nights are the most wholesome and fun and every once in a while nothing beats indulging in a classic curry at the local Indian. Cheers to the weekend wine down ❤

A Night in the Cotswolds

April 14, 2024

This weekend I had the pleasure of being invited along with my boyfriend to stay at the De Vere Hotel Cotswold Water Park. Nestled in the heart of 152 lakes that spread across the unique Cotswolds Water Park, its the perfect escape from the city surrounded by the honey-coloured villages and gently rolling hills of The Cotswolds.

Arriving late on Friday afternoon, we were greeted with a bottle of English Sparkling wine and personalised robes in our room.

After a quick dip in the spa pool, we popped the bubbly and enjoyed a drink on our balcony overlooking the serene scenes of the lake.

A quick outfit change and I was ready for 7pm drinks. I wore a pair of white Topshop jeans, a lace peplum Miss Selfridge cami top, Django and Juliette black mules and my velvet green Sandro handbag.

Whilst enjoying our drinks and scrumptious canapés, we were shown around the gorgeous event spaces where we are looking to host an event later this year.

I really liked the main ballroom with exposed brickwork and lovely bright furnishings with a view over the lake.

At 8pm we were treated to a private seated dinner with our group of about 15 other clients. Starter was sharing antipasti boards which is my favourite kind of appetiser and they didn’t disappoint.

For main course I had the seabass with a miso broth and dessert was a delicious chocolate fondue. All the food was exquisite and the service impeccable.

Thank you to the sales team at De Vere Cotswold Water Park for hosting such a wonderful evening and looking after us so well during our stay.

I’d highly recommend a trip to The Cotswolds for a weekend staycay in the UK and this hotel is the perfect destination with plenty to do in the surrounding area too, including all the fun water-sports on the lakes during summer. To book, visit their website here – https://www.devere.co.uk/cotswold-water-park-hotel