Category: Food

Mallorca Diaries; Love from the Golden Cost

September 18, 2022

Last week we finally got away on our late summer holiday to Spain. Visiting the stunning island of Mallorca, we stayed in the Southern town of Cala D’or which literally translates to the coast of gold, and you can see why…

Our adult only hotel Alua Soul Mallorca Resort located in the cove of Cala Egos, had it’s very own little beach meaning dreamy ocean dips on the daily.

We explored the local town of Cala D’or by day and of course did a spot of shopping in the boutique shops lining those gorgeous Spanish streets.

Everyday we were treated to the incredible all inclusive buffet at our hotel including all the veggies and salad you could imagine, as well as live cooking stations and plenty of fresh fruits and desserts; we really were spoilt for choice!

Not to mention the numerous cocktails we had on repeat all day long, because that’s what holidays all about right?

My boyfriend took a liking to a Tequila Sunrise and needless to say, the Spanish measures certainly are generous.

We also experienced the local nightlife on Friday evening and visited some awesome spots I’d found using the location on Instagram. My favourite was this fun bar called Lola giving major Bali island life vibes, I’m obsessed.

On Saturday we were feeling a little delicate following a night on the town til the early hours, so we grabbed a floaty and snorkel and just spent the day soaking up the sun in that blue blue ocean.

That evening, we went for a quiet stroll around the picturesque streets with those pretty pink flower vine walls and typical Spanish style villas; dream holiday home goals right there.

A golden hour twilight twinkle, palms and a sick Jeep, I was in heaven.

Brekky with a view everyday and I was in my element with all of the fresh fruits and different yoghurt flavours the hotel had to offer. Equally my boyfriend was pleased with the full english breakfast options.

The weather in early September is still scorching in Mallorca, so there was plenty of salty beach bum days basking in that balmy Spanish sun.

On Sunday we booked a boat trip for only £25 each which turned out to be fantastic value for 4 hours out on the water.

Getting picked up from the bay of our hotel, we visited another town along the coast (where I proceeded to jump a 10 meter cliff!), stopped off in the middle of the ocean for a swim and slides off the boat, and got dropped back to our hotel by sundown. A top day out at sea!

Sunday evening we treated ourselves to dinner out at the Marina where we had a wonderful meal complete with a scenic view of the bay too.

I had a delicious traditional seafood Paella which has to be done when in Spain, whilst my boyfriend enjoyed an exquisite cut of fillet steak.

I really do love island life, I’m thinking my next tattoo might just have to be a palm tree or a wave.

Our final day we spent making the most of the beach and hotel pools.

Not forgetting a final few cocktails of course…

And savouring our last meals from that tremendous array of food for our all inclusive package.

Freshly cooked fish, beautifully presented charcuterie boards at lunch, and a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit every night were my personal highlights from the buffet.

And just like that, it was sundown over our final day in Mallorca.

We had the most fabulous holiday together experiencing the best of Cala D’or and the lovely hospitality of Alua Soul Mallorca Resort.

These are our magical moments made in Mallorca, love from the golden coast xx

We’ll be back soon ❤

Festival Fun; All Points East London

August 28, 2022

Summer festival season was in full swing down south of the UK this weekend with Reading, Victorious and All Points East all kicking off over the late August bank holiday. Me and my girlfriends joined the crowds heading to All Points East in London this Saturday dressed in our festival gear and glittered up, ready to party summer festi style again.

After getting ready together at my friend’s flat in Islington, we arrived at Victoria Park where the afternoon sun was shining and good vibes were in the air; it felt great to be back at a festival again soaking up that awesome atmosphere.

I love festival fashion as an excuse to go all out and express yourself with fun outfits and different accessories. I kept the base of my outfit simple with denim Levi shorts and a layered crop-top, leaving my statement Stradivarius cowboy boots to do the talking. A cute lace choker, coin chain belt, curly hair with a gold leave headband and glitter eye gems completed my look.

My girlfriends looked fabulous in their stunning outfits too, it was so fun getting all dressed up and hyped for a festival together again. Tinnies in hand and golden hour upon us, you couldn’t wipe the grins off our faces as we grooved along to Charlie XCX.

My festival fuel of choice was Island Poke where I got their classic ahi tuna bowl with all the toppings. This nutritious, colourful meal was so delicious and provided me with all the good energy for a night of more dancing ahead.

At 8pm one of my favourite DJs Fred Again was playing in the tented stage. Unfortunately the venue was packed out and it was near impossible to get inside without being pushed and shoved. Now I know what crowds are like and I’ve been to my fair share of big festivals, but this year’s All Points East festival was clearly overbooked and there shouldn’t have been that many tickets issued.

Thankfully Disclosure headlining on the main stage made up for our experience at Fred Again as we finally had the space to dance together in our group without being pushed all over the place. Sam Smith made an appearance and they put on a fantastic show to close the evening. Overall a wonderful day out with my girls partying at a music festival altogether again like old times; cheers to the memories ❤

Summertime Eats

August 14, 2022

These past few weeks in the UK have been a scorcher with temperatures hitting over 33 degrees on many days and the humidity pretty unbearable when you don’t have a pool to jump into! With this ongoing heatwave I’ve eaten even more fresh fruits, colourful salads and delicious seafood, so I thought I’d share a few of my favourite meals from this week to give you some yummy inspo too.

During summer I tend to swap my usual oatmeal bowl for a refreshing smoothie bowl. Just take a frozen banana, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, a splash of soya milk and blend to make the most dreamy purple bowl of sweet goodness, best served in a coconut bowl for that aesthetic photo. I topped mine with more blueberries, strawberries, nana chips and toasted nut mix, but you can top your bowl with whatever you have going in the cupboard really.

Friday evening was a night with my girls and my friend made the most delicious teriyaki salmon buddha bowls for us. In the bowls she started with a bed of grains layered with the edamame beans, spring onion, cucumber, avocado and then topped it off with the crispy baked salmon pieces marinated in soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, lime and sriracha. Paired with a few bottles of bubbles whilst catching up with the girls, this was a simply divine way to wind down from the work week.

You can’t let a heatwave pass by in England without doing a classic BBQ, so that’s exactly what we did this weekend back at my parents house. As always it was a team effort to put together this wonderful spread of incredible food.

Dad was on the Weber barbecuing the chicken, sausages, trout, prawns, corns, mushrooms and courgettes, whilst my mum and I were in the kitchen assembling all of the accompaniments. We had new potatoes, an artichoke parma ham salad, and my speciality as always was the greek salad. I even roasted up some padron peppers to graze on whilst we cooked and sipped our rose wine in the sunshine – this is what summer is all about!

So that’s a taster of what I’ve been eating this week and as you can see, my meals are always full of colour to pack in those nutrients and make me feel good. Whilst I like a glass or two of wine over the weekend, I also make sure to nourish my body with healthy, fresh, wholesome food as this is what makes me feel amazing from the inside out; balance is key 🙂

London Town; Summer in the City

July 31, 2022

Happy Sunday babes! I can’t believe it’s already the final day of July… where is summer going? This Saturday me and my boyfriend took a little day trip into London town to make use of our Buy A Gift vouchers we had for a Thames river cruise and the London Eye.

We started the day with a quick browse on Bond Street before heading to Carnaby Street for lunch at Kingly Court. We had our favourite vegan burritos in town from Club Mexicana, a fully vegan Mexican restaurant chain which even meat eaters will love.

From Westminster Pier we then caught a City Cruise boat for a tour down the river. It was great to see the city from a different perspective on the river and the live tour guide commentary was very interesting and actually quite amusing too.

Despite it being overcast, it was in fact a very warm and pleasant summers day in London. Following our cruise down the Thames, unfortunately we didn’t make it in time for the London Eye which to our surprise, closes at 6pm! So instead we went to Between the Bridges on Southbank for pre-dinner drinks, naughty chippies and some live music.

For dinner I booked us a table at Cote located at Hays Galleria with a terrace over looking London Bridge. It was lovely warm summers evening perfect for an al fresco dinner riverside.

I had my favourite Paillard Salad served with chargrilled chicken breast, French beans, endive, lettuce, hazelnuts, croûtons, tarragon and caper dressing. My boyfriend had the classic minute steak served pink with garlic butter, peppercorn sauce and frites. As usual the food at Cote was divine and service was fantastic, French cuisine at its finest!

I couldn’t resist a cheeky Espresso Martini to finish my meal. We had a long train journey back so this was more than necessary and the perfect way to end our summers day in the city, as those stunning golden hues showered the sky at sundown ❤

Cheers to my Gals; Always & Forever

July 17, 2022

This Saturday I hosted a long overdue night with my girls complete with prosecco, sunshine, delicious food, catchups and plenty of laughs as always.

We started the evening at mine with sundown drinks in the garden. I put out a few nibbles, got some tunes going and chilled the bubbles ready to pop when the girlies arrived at 6pm.

As the glistening light of golden hour was upon us, we chatted away and enjoyed the final hour of sunlight whilst grazing on yummy snacks and sipping our prosecco, the picture perfect summer evening setup.

I had booked a local pub for dinner at 8pm, so we finished up in the garden and locked the house before getting a lift to The Leather Bottle.

I booked a terrace table as the long summer evenings are heating up and an al fresco dinner is a must. We were on a high from the bubbles and now onto the red wine, so it was cheesy drunken grins all round!

It was a long wait for the food, but we were so occupied nattering away to even care. We went straight into mains and I had the prawn and chorizo salad served with harissa chickpeas. A nice light dish on such a warm summers night and super tasty too.

Following this, the other girls had desert and I had yet more wine… safe to say we were pretty tipsy by the end of the meal. It was a fabulous night with my girlies and I feel so lucky to have such close friends who keep me sane and keep me wild; always and forever love. ❤

Howdy Summer; Cowboy Boot Moment

July 10, 2022

The UK sun is here to stay as it’s set to be a scorching few weeks of glorious sunshine ahead. So with the first heatwave this weekend, I booked an al fresco dinner date with my boyfriend at the Bel and the Dragon in Odiham.

Cowboy boots are having a major comeback and I’m here for it! I finally got a pair from Stradivarius and I’m obsessed; they go with everything from jeans and shorts, to cute dresses and skirts.

With it being almost thirty degrees on Saturday, I paired my boots with denim shorts, a white tank and my oversized Jaeger blazer to keep the chill off my shoulders later into the evening.

We sat outside in the quaint courtyard of the pub which was buzzing on this stunning summers day. I enjoyed a crisp glass of white wine as we browsed the menu and soaked up the wonderful atmosphere.

For dinner I chose a delicious linguine of Devon crab served with spring onions and chopped chilli & garlic, whilst my boyfriend had the grilled 9oz Hampshire ribeye steak medium-rare served with triple-cooked chips and peppercorn sauce.

We also shared a side of roasted broccoli with chilli and garlic. The food was exquisite and the service impeccable, definitely a step-up from your average pub and it felt like such a treat. Very satisfied customers indeed.

We enjoyed another drink together there in the final hours of daylight before heading over to another pub for more drinks with friends. A perfect little summer’s date night with my boyfriend.

I just love getting dressed up and experimenting with cute outfits for our date nights. I’ve always loved my fashion and so these fun evenings out are a chance to get creative and feel fabulous in my carefully curated wardrobe of clothes – cheers to expressing yourself! ❤

Sunshine Pub Biking Days

June 19, 2022

With a mini heatwave hitting England at the end of this week, we made the most of the sunshine and rode our bikes to the pub after work on Friday evening.

I’m lucky enough to ride my boyfriend’s electric bike, which is such a luxury and certainly helps having that extra boost after a drink or two at the pub!

Of course with the glorious weather comes the inevitable hayfever which was out in full force on Friday. From the minute we got to the pub I could not stop sneezing, ugh it’s the worst!

A much needed glass of crisp white wine for me and a refreshing mojito cocktail for my boyfriend, it was the perfect summer evening aperitif whilst soaking up the sun.

Back home we enjoyed a pizza and salad in the garden whilst watching Love Island on my iPad as the sunset; a dreamy little summer setup ❤

Paris Foodie; Pasta, Wine & All Things Fine

June 5, 2022

With only 48 hours in the French capital of gastronomy, we did our best to sample the most famous of Parisian cuisine during our short weekend stay in the city. First up, we got our day started with a morning coffee and exquisite croissant at the best bakery in town, Boulangerie Fabrication Traditionnelle, just a short walk from our hotel.

A picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower was a must, so we popped into a Franprix convenience store and put together a spread of typical French snack food; baguette, cheese, ham, olives and strawberries. What a picture perfect setup sat in the sunshine overlooking the Eiffel Tower as we grazed our picnic.

That evening we found ourselves in a local French restaurant A La Cloche D’Or, sitting outside on a warm summers evening taking in that buzzing Parisian atmosphere on a Saturday night.

As a famous delicacy of France, we had to share the French onion soup to start and it certainly didn’t disappoint, the cheese-pull was a spectacle in itself!

For Sunday brunch we headed to Le Recrutement Cafe with that iconic view of the Eiffel Tower framed by the beautiful streets of Paris.

We enjoyed sundown drinks before dinner back where we were staying in the quiet, quaint courtyard of Hotel Mademoiselle.

To compliment our vino we shared a delicious platter of classic charcuterie; a selection of fine meats, salad, cherry tomatoes, warm French stick and President butter – il est parfait!

For our final night dinner in the centre of the city, we stumbled across this very popular local Italian restaurant, Firmine.

I had a simple yet superb linguine bolognese with a generous sprinkling of parmesan, whilst my boyfriend had a fantastic Margherita pizza. Back to basics never tasted so good, delicieux!

With the Eiffel Tower light show every hour on the hour, we made ourselves comfortable at a nearby cocktail bar called Frame Brasserie. Here we indulged in many wonderful cocktails, including a personalised concoction made exclusively for us by the lovely bartender, before we headed to the final light show at midnight.

Paris is most definitely a foodie’s paradise with such a variety of fantastic restaurants and street food options to choose from. Produce is fresh and exquisitely prepared, we barley had time to scratch the surface of this city’s fabulous food scene. I can’t wait to visit Paris again and try more of their famous pastries, Nutella crepes, macaroons from Laduree and of course my favourite, moules frites!

Easter Weekend Wind Down

April 18, 2022

Happy bank holiday Monday babes! It’s the end of the long Easter weekend and I’ve really enjoyed the extra time off indulging in good food in the company of family and friends. The sun has been shining too, so I’ve had my soft top down on the Mini Cooper and been on a few countryside cruises, it’s such a good feeling!

On Good Friday, we kicked the weekend off with a pub meal at our favourite local with our parents. I had the chicken salad with a honey mustard dressing along with a side of sweet potato fries and white wine. It was a fabulous evening of catchups and laughs, we were at the table for over 3 hours.

Saturday was another beautiful day, so I went to spend a few hours at the bike jumps with my boyfriend and his mates soaking up the sun as we had some drinks and I watched them ride.

And just like that, it was Easter Sunday and we were off to my Auntie’s in Surrey for a roast dinner.

I always love to visit my Auntie’s home which was looking as gorgeous as ever with the exquisitely laid dining table ready for a feast.

We had a premium cut of beef with all the traditional roast dinner trimmings including crispy potatoes, sweet parsnips, buttered leeks, steamed cabbage, fresh peas and carrots, pickled onions and lashings of gravy – what a treat!

Before I knew it, we were back home breaking into our Lindor chocolate bunnies with a cuppa and ready for an early night. A truly wholesome Easter weekend spent with family indulging in yummy food, guzzling drinks and soaking up the glorious sunshine ❤

The Ivy; Alice in Wonderland Vibes

April 10, 2022

This weekend I decided to go all out for our date night and booked The Ivy Castle View in Guildford. I had tried to book The Ivy Asia a few weeks back, but with a three month waiting list to get a reservation there, I was happy with the regular Ivy restaurant we know and always enjoy.

I’m obsessed with the art deco inspired interiors featuring eclectic artwork and a vibrant colour palette, I was definitely getting Alice in Wonderland vibes as soon as we arrived at The Ivy Castle View.

Even the ladies bathrooms were decorated with opulent wallpaper and this stunning ceiling of roses, they are just too beautiful not to take a picture of.

The place was buzzing on a Saturday night, yet we were still treated to the same friendly and attentive service from the hosts and our waiters who looked after us for the evening.

We had this lovely, romantic round table for two right by the window overlooking the castle. I was lusting over these gorgeous green palm leaf print sofa chairs too, it really is an interior lovers heaven, every corner of the place there is something different to admire.

To start, we had a cocktail each and of course I couldn’t resist my favourite Espresso Martini in their special salted caramel flavour. My boyfriend had the Surrey Passion made with passionfruit, vodka and rum, a super fruity sweet concoction and showstopper served with a flaming top!

Whilst we don’t usually get starters, we did order the salt-crusted sourdough bread to nibble alongside our cocktails. To our delight they served an entire loaf freshly warmed straight from the oven – sometimes the simple things done well are the most satisfying, it was exquisite.

For mains I actually went for two starters: Roasted Scallops served with crispy potato rösti, pea purée, parmesan sauce and grated truffle, accompanied by a big basket of the Zucchini Fritti. This was a tasty combination of flavours which I paired with a glass of their house white wine from Carinena, Spain.

My boyfriend ordered the Korean Glazed Chicken served with pickled mooli, sesame, avocado and jalapeño sauce, citrus mayonnaise as well as some thick cut chunky chips. Safe to say we devoured the lot and savoured every delectable bite.

Our evening at The Ivy Castle View was wonderful with everything from the drinks and food to the service and experience, it was a 10/10 for me.

The Ivy Collection has a number of restaurants in handpicked locations across the UK, serving modern British cuisine, reflecting the same inimitable service and vibrant surroundings for which The Ivy is loved and revered. A top destination for a boujee date night full of photo opportunities ❤