Tag: homemade

Tulum Eats; Mexico Meets the Med At Ciao Osteria

March 10, 2026

We stumbled across Checkpoint Ciao Osteria following a lovely dinner at their sister pizzeria just down the beach road in Tulum. It was a place so charming that one visit simply wasn’t enough.

We first wandered in for a pre-dinner drink, taking two seats at the bar with no intention of ordering much more. But the moment we spotted the bread basket on the menu, curiosity got the better of us.

This was far from your standard bread and butter situation. Instead it arrived as a beautifully elevated appetiser: warm sourdough bread accompanied by creamy burrata cucumber salad, a delightful mini parmigiana, and of course a side of olives.

Simple ingredients thoughtfully done, the kind of sharing plate that makes you slow down and savour each bite. That little taste of the menu was all it took to convince us we needed to come back for a proper dinner.

The interiors alone are reason enough to visit. The design feels like a dreamy blend of Bali and Morocco, yet somehow still perfectly suited to the laidback spirit of Tulum.

One of my favourite details was the striking sun sculpture above the arched entrance, instantly setting the tone for that Mediterranean meets Mexico atmosphere you are welcomed with inside.

When we returned a few nights later, we were seated in the restaurant’s beautiful indoor-outdoor dining space where the palms sway above and warm evening air drifts through the room.

The central open kitchen feature, something we noticed was a theme across many restaurants in Tulum, gives the whole place an inviting, lively energy.

Naturally, we couldn’t resist ordering the bread again to start. This time it arrived with a slightly different accompaniment, swapping the mini parmigiana for marinated peppers with tonnato sauce, equally delicious and just as indulgent.

For mains I chose the homemade pasta topped with a generously creamy burrata that melted beautifully into the sauce, whilst my boyfriend went for a classic lasagne layered with rich bolognese ragù, a comforting and hearty dish.

And because pasta always calls for something fresh alongside it, we shared the Checkpoint salad of crisp lettuce, tangy orange, sweet apple and crunchy walnuts.

Everything was genuinely divine, from the flavours to the presentation. The experience was made even more memorable with the wonderfully friendly and attentive service, the kind of hospitality that makes you feel welcomed and at ease.

Beautiful interiors, exceptional food, and warm, thoughtful service, Checkpoint Ciao Osteria delivers all three effortlessly. If you’re craving Italian cuisine with a Mediterranean soul while in Tulum, this new spot is absolutely worth a visit ❤

Cosy Season; Warming Fires, Home Cooked Dinners & Long Date Nights In

January 14, 2024

Happy Sunday! It’s been another cosy winter weekend spent snuggled on the sofa watching movies, enjoying warming cups of tea and taking time in the kitchen to cook hearty, nutritious meals. As we find ourselves in this coldest part of the year, I embrace the slower pace of life and really appreciate the small things like getting wrapped up and heading for a drink at the local pub on a Friday night.

Winter fashion is all about layering and brings with it opportunity for accessorising with cute hats and scarves too. I was channelling my inner French girl on Friday with my brown knitted beret to complete this casual chic look I put together. I’m living in neutral tones and rich browns this season.

Stopping by our local pub The Mutton to catchup with my parents on Friday evening, I decided to treat myself to an indulgent Baileys Espresso Martini by the fire.

This was the perfect concoction of smooth roasted coffee mixed with sweet creamy Baileys, a delicious drink to sip as I warmed up by the fire.

Saturday soon rolled around and after finishing my weekly house clean, I curled up on the sofa with a book and hot cup of tea. For me January is about self-care and doing things which bring me happiness, not restriction and punishment which is what society has taught us to engage in during this month of the year.

Instead I choose to indulge in the little things like buying fresh flowers for the house and saying yes to a cocktail at the pub. Life’s too short to be denying ourselves anything which might bring us joy.

Date night this weekend we chose to stay in at home and I cooked us a healthy nutritious meal for two. Cod with a white Pinos Gris wine for her, sirloin steak with a red Malbec wine for him, both served with my special crispy roasted new potatoes, stir fried asparagus tips, broccoli and a rocket salad.

I personally love spending time in the kitchen and feeding myself whole foods which I’ve made from scratch. This meal was hearty, nutritious and super yummy, we both finished every last morsel on our plates before cuddling on the sofa and watching a movie.

So lets change the perspective on January being the month of dieting and removing things we actually enjoy from our weekly routines, and instead think about adding things which nourish your mind, body and soul to bring you pleasure and help you thrive throughout the winter season. Whether it’s adding more colourful vegetables to your meals or simply enjoying a glass of wine on a Sunday evening, be kind to yourself this month and don’t let the pressures of society make you think otherwise. Join the self love club babes ❤

Simple One Ingredient Recipe; Cashew Butter

July 18, 2021

Happy sunny Sunday babes! It’s a scorcher of a weekend here in the UK so I’m taking a little break from the sun and doing some recipe testing. In fact, this can hardly be called a recipe when it literally uses only one ingredient – cashews!

It’s so hard to find a good quality, creamy cashew butter in the supermarket, so I prefer to make my own to achieve that desirable, silky smooth consistency.

Simply roast a batch of raw cashews for 10 minutes and let them cool, before transferring to a blender and whipping them up. It does take quite a bit of blending and mixing, but it’s super satisfying to see the cashews transform from powder, to a sort of dough until finally becoming nut butter.

I’ve always used my Magic Bullet blender which does the job for small batches like this, I just make sure to let it cool a little every so often to avoid over-heating.

My personal preference is to add a generous pinch of salt to my cashew butter to bring out that delicious roasted nut taste, but this is of course optional.

Super simple, cheap and healthy home made cashew butter perfect for drizzling on porridge, dipping apple slices into or even spooning straight from the jar – delish!

Date Night, Steak Night

May 4, 2021

As the weather here in the UK took a rather miserable turn this weekend, the idea of sitting outside in the blustering winds at a local pub wasn’t the most enticing of ways to spend our Saturday evening. So instead we decided to bring date night to us and enjoy the comfort of our beautiful new dining room with a romantic candle lit dinner.

It was the perfect occasion to try out our new black crockery dinner set complete with gorgeous copper cutlery and our Dartington crystal wine glasses. I wanted to keep our table layout simple with those subtle touches of pattern in the Moroccan style coasters and abstract print mini dip bowls.

My look for the evening was casual yet classic, wearing a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and cute leopard print asymmetric crop top to add a little glam. Feeling fresh and flirty with my post lockdown short haircut, I was ready for a cosy date night at home.

Although I eat a predomenantly pescatarian diet, as a treat I do like to indulge in a good piece of chicken or steak every so often to top up those essential vitamins. We got these filet steaks from Lidl which I plated up alongside my special crispy roast new potatoes, charred broccolini, caramelised onions, mushrooms and a rocket salad. These steaks were top quality and cooked to perfection medium-rare, I would call this restaurant standard grub!

Paired with a fruity Merlot French red wine and our favourite chilled tunes playing in the background, this is how date night should be done ❤