And so we find ourselves on the final day of the year and ready to ring in 2025 at midnight. This year has been beyond brilliant and I hope you guys have enjoyed coming along with me for the best bits of 2024 through my vlogs here on YouTube.
In this second instalment of Vlogmas, festivities are in full swing as I host friends for a wine & cheese night, enjoy more cosy date nights with my boyfriend, and help my parents prepare to host the family for Christmas Day.
Expect all the indulgent food and drinks, lots of cute winter outfits and not forgetting when we see my dad playing Santa in the local town for charity!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too and I can’t wait to share another adventure filled year ahead on YouTube, starting with an epic trip to Bali and my big 30th birthday in January.
The December Diaries are here and I thought I’d split this month’s vlog into a two part ‘Vlogmas’. As soon as the festive season begins its all about celebrating the year that’s been and embracing the merry times with colleagues, friends and family.
It might only be the first two weeks of December, but in this instalment of Vlogmas I fully embrace the festive season with cute interiors decor, cosy winter date nights with old school Christmas movies and plenty of fun work parties.
So grab a warming cuppa or maybe a cheeky baileys, and come along with me for the silly season diaries!
With just over a week to go until Christmas Day, silly season is well and truly in full swing! Last week I had two Christmas parties in London with work, so I thought I’d share with you what we got up to and how we got into the jolly festive spirit.
Last Tuesday was our member’s Christmas Social event at Hijingo Bingo in Shoreditch. We chose this activity as something different and immersive to mix up the usual networking format.
Starting at 11:30am, guests enjoyed drinks in the bar until they were ushered through the illuminated tunnel and seated in the main room for bingo.
Unlike typical bingo, there are dancers and a ‘bot’ who introduces each game and explains the rules as well as the prizes up for grabs. From a holiday for two or up to £500 cash, the prizes were very desirable and got everyone enthusiastic to play the games.
After the first few games there was a break for food served in the main room. This was a selection of festive inspired bites including pigs in blankets with a miso maple glaze, and turkey roulade with a cranberry puree.
The second round of games commenced before the event concluded at 2:30pm. Short but sweet, the bingo games were great fun and we had fantastic feedback from our guests who really enjoyed the afternoon.
I’d highly recommend Hijingo Bingo as a venue not just for the fun and immersive bingo experience, but also for the brilliant management team who were very well organised, super friendly and worked hard to deliver our event seamlessly – https://www.hijingo.com
Moving onto our second festive party of the week, on Thursday we went back to Shoreditch for our staff party at an escape room followed by a dinner. We met at BOXPARK beforehand and enjoyed some street food for lunch, as well as a few drinks to kick off celebrations.
At 2:30pm we were booked for our session at the escape rooms at which point we split into our teams and were assigned our rooms. My team’s room had the theme of time travel and our mission was to travel back in time to Paris to locate the weapon used for a murder. We all got very into the story and enjoyed the challenge of solving the mystery as a team.
Our dinner reservation at 5pm was for a pasta restaurant called Noci in Shoreditch. To start I had the endive salad with grapes, walnuts and a pistachio dressing which although was a generous portion for an entree, was still the perfect light bite to begin the meal.
My pasta of choice for the main course was strozzapreti with tomato, taggiasca olives, fried aubergine and a vegan cream cheese on top. The pasta was deliciously fresh, the sauce was very tasty and everything was served nice and hot.
For dessert I had the plant-based chocolate mousse with olive oil, sea salt and toasted almonds, a gorgeously rich and chocolatey note to finish on – https://nocirestaurant.co.uk
The night continued on at another bar in Shoreditch where the drinks continued to flow and we had a very merry time indeed. Needless to say, we know how to live up to the fun and games of silly season!
Another weekend has come and gone and now the countdown to Christmas is on. We kicked off the festive season by putting our Christmas tree up on the 1st of the month and enjoyed a cute and cosy date night this first full weekend in December.
We braved the stormy conditions and ventured over to Farnham for Saturday evening reservations at Jack & Alice.
The town was bustling despite such adverse weather and the twinkling Christmas lights made it feel very festive indeed.
My fit for the evening was my favourite dark wash flared Stradivarius jeans, this long sleeve backless mushroom colour top from Bershka,Stradivarius cowboy boots, vintage inspired oversized gold ASOS earrings, a cute chocolate brown knitted beret from Urban Outfitters and my velvet green Sandro handbag.
To complete the fit I stayed warm in my new caramel brown faux fur which I brought a few sizes up to get that chic, oversized look.
As a family run business that prides itself on working with the best local suppliers to deliver high quality fresh food and drinks, I have been keen to try this place since it opened and we weren’t disappointed.
Greeted with a warm welcome from our lovely waitress, we were seated at a table for two by the window amongst many other diners on a busy Saturday night, making for a fabulous atmosphere.
I started with an Espresso Martini as I haven’t had one for a while and with it being date night, how could I not. Needless to say, that look of love in my eyes tells you this martini hit the spot.
Being our first time, the waitress explained the extensive menu offering lots of options including fish, meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes too. They recommend about three plates each, so we ordered two plates each plus two sides as well.
I chose the roasted butternut squash with Dorstone goats cheese, caramelised onion and hazelnuts, the padron peppers (of course) and a side salad, whilst my boyfriend had the buttermilk chicken tenders with kastu dip, the duck tacos with cucumber salsa and hoisin sauce, and a side of fries.
Everything came together and you could tell it was freshly prepared as it was all perfectly hot and beautifully presented. We agreed our favourite dish had to be the duck tacos which were a delicious mexican take on the classic duck pancakes.
We decided to order an additional plate as we had room for more and we wanted to try the wild boar tortellini with a rich red wine mushroom sauce. The pasta tasted homemade and the parmesan crisp garnish was the perfect cheesy pairing to complete this exquisite dish.
We were delighted with our experience at Jack & Alice from the friendly and attentive staff, to the tasty selection of light bites which you could tell were made from the freshest ingredients. A great date night spot for something a bit different with a varied menu to suit all tastes. Checkout their website here – https://jackandalice.co.uk/farnham/
Our cosy December evening continued back home as we lit the fire, opened a bottle of red and watched my favourite Christmas movie The Holiday; the festive season is in full swing! ❤
Winter season is here so its time to get cosy and embrace cute winter fashion, indulge in foodie delights and soak up the wonderful family time.
I might be a summer girl at heart, but I can certainly get on board when it comes to snuggling in front of a film on a cold winters night, or perhaps treating myself to a cheeky cheeseboard…or two!
So grab a hot choccie, a warming cuppa or even a glass of red, and enjoy coming along with me for a jam packed social month of November.
Since its humble beginnings on the charming Kings Road in Chelsea, Megan’s has branched out to open its doors throughout London and to neighbourhoods beyond. So with their newest restaurant opening in our local town of Farnham in Surrey, I couldn’t wait to try their stunning Mediteranian inspired menu amongst the beautifully aesthetic interiors I’d seen on Instagram.
Stepping into the bustling restaurant on a Saturday night we were welcomed with the warming glow of twinkling fairy lights, beautiful mosaic tiling and big bamboo hanging lampshades, giving the restaurant that Mediterranean chic vibe.
We were seated on the sofa booths just in front of the bar and with it being date night, I got a little dressed up for the occasion in my backless brown Stradivarius top, paired with my NEUW black jeans tucked into my faux snake skin pointed long boots.
To start we shared a portion of the padron peppers which were the perfect appetiser, you can’t go wrong with classic padrons.
For main course I opted for the warm butternut grain bowl served with mixed grains, kale, harissa hummus, shakshouka beans, slaw and cherrybell chillies. Beautifully presented with those vibrant colours and so delicious with every bite, this warming bowl of goodness was 10/10.
My boyfriend ordered the open chicken chargrilled thigh kebab served on flatbread with slaw, pickles, harissa hummus, garlic yoghurt and a side of skinny fries. He thoroughly enjoyed his dish too and put it up there as one of the best kebabs he’s had at a restaurant in our area.
Service was very friendly and effortlessly smooth despite the extremely busy peak time of a Saturday evening.
Everything was divine from the scrumptious food and lovely service, to the wonderful interiors and buzzing atmosphere; Megan’s On West Street is the idyllic date night spot in Surrey ❤
After almost four years with my trusty iPhone 12 Mini, I’ve finally upgraded to the newest iPhone model and this time I’ve gone pro. With the amount I use my iPhone for photos and filming I opted for the 16 Pro instead of investing in a new camera.
So come along as I setup my new fancy iPhone, get to grips with the upgraded features and most importantly test the highly rated camera including cinematic mode, slow motion, portrait mode and incredible HD & 4K quality. This is really going to up my photography and filming content game!
Classic, fun, sexy; animal print is a wardrobe staple and I find myself particularly drawn to it when picking my date night fit.
This Saturday we were heading into Farnham town for pre-dinner drinks at The Wine Yard before 8pm reservations at Cote.
I based my look around a new pair of leopard print kitten heel slingbacks which I wore with Stradivarius vintage style jeans, this leopard print aysemmetric top, statement gold chunky hoops and my Coach signature motif tan handbag to complete the look.
At The Wine Yard we shared a beautiful bottle of Primitivo red wine along with a small cheese board as a tasty appetiser.
I ordered the Breton fish stew with a side of fries and broccolini to share, whilst my boyfriend had the classic minute steak with peppercorn sauce and fries too.
The atmosphere was buzzing on a Saturday night and the service was friendly and attentive as always at Cote. I’d highly recommend the fish stew for any seafood lovers as a wonderfully warming and tasty dish which is fresh and healthy too.
Date night scenes like these make me so happy, nothing beats an old school evening of wining and dining with your loved one ❤
Cosy season is here which means the winter wardrobe is back so I can say hello again to my favourite chunky knits, fun faux fur coats and beloved collection of boots for all occasions.
I’ve always been a lover of all shades of browns from lighter camel and tan tones, to deeper rich hues and even maroon. So you can imagine my delight when the Autumn/Winter 24 runways displayed a luscious palette of delicious brown hues throughout many collections, reflected in the fashion week street style too.
A recent order from ASOS reflects my current obsession for earthy tones with this stone coloured maxi cardigan, a deep dark brown backless long sleeve top by Stradivarius, and this stylish button through peplum waistcoat in a classic brown stripe fabric.
I styled my new long cardigan by ASOS Design with a pair of khaki Jamie jeans by Topshop, a striped bandeau top from H&M and this cute chocolate brown knitted beret from Urban Outfitters a few years ago; a chic accessory which will never go out of style.
Another new addition to my wardrobe recently was also this oversized rich brown knitted vest featuring statement gold buttons and large front pockets, super handy for popping my phone in too.
I channeled my inner country cowgirl with a pair of brown cowboy boots from Stradivarius tucked into a pair of high waisted dark wash ripped jeans by Abercrombie & Fitch. A simple outfit combo which nods to the current trends but tailored to my personal style.
We’re even seeing chocolate brown replacing black interiors as it pairs perfectly with so many neutral tones and creates a cosy vibe for spaces inside the home. Needless to say, chocolate brown is here to stay as the go-to neutral shade, elevating even the simplest of outfits to give your look that effortless, cool girl aesthetic ❤
Majestic; having or showing impressive beauty or scale…and Monaco sure was that in every way!
From the grand beauty of the famous Monte-Carlo Casino Square, to the magnificent Prince’s Palace overlooking the stunning harbour filled with millionaire’s super yachts, every corner of the city is a spotless, picture perfect moment.
So here is a completion of those cinematic scenes from our holiday to Monaco, complete with slow motion clips to fully channel my inner Bond Girl starring in her own music video.
Dani Aneka 