Five Favourites: Summer Salads

We're coming towards mid-July and I've suddenly realised over half the year has disappeared. Um how did that happen exactly? Good thing is, we're well into summer and also into the (in my opinion) best season for produce. There are so many delicious fruits and vegetables in season in these months, it makes having salads an absolute treat that just isn't quite the same in winter. I've definitely been enjoying some recently so I thought I'd share a few of my favourites, some of which are even better going into autumn to use all the upcoming seasonal veg...

Photo and recipe from Deliciously Ella

1. Aubergine, sun-dried tomato and pine nut salad from Deliciously Ella
I love sun-dried tomatoes, and I go through regular phases of being pretty obsessed with roasted aubergine so this is a dream. The chunky veg makes for a surprisingly filling salad and the tomatoes and pine nuts give this the most amazing flavours. Very moreish!

Photo and recipe from Tesco Real Food

2. Crab (or prawn), mango and avocado salad from Tesco Real Food
I cannot describe how incredible this tastes. The first time I tried this, we made it as a starter for a dinner party and I absolutely feel in love with the flavours. Anything that contains avocados is always an instant hit with me but with the chilli, lime and mangoes? Absolutely heavenly! I've never actually done this dish with crab, I've used prawns but I've been assured both tastes incredible and so light. Perfect for summer.

Photo and recipe from BBC Good Food

3. Feta tabbouleh and aubergines from BBC Good Food
Sorry, it's the aubergines again! But combined with feta gives this dish a bit of a greek flavour. Maybe not a salad in the traditional leaves-sense, but definitely a delicious cold dish which can be enjoyed in the sun. 

Photo and recipe from Minimalist Baker

4. Kale salad with crispy chickpeas from Minimalist Baker
If someone said food porn to me, this photo is basically what I would imagine. Baked chickpeas are my fairly newly discovered favourite snacks and additions to meals. Add them to the superfood kale, and you automatically have a winner. So yum. 

Photo and recipe from Cookie + Kate

5. Caprese pasta salad from Cookie + Kate
I don't think there is actually a combination more heavenly than perfectly ripe summer tomatoes and basil. I actually prefer this pasta salad cold, and I've also tried feta instead of mozzarella which is pretty incredible. Either way is delicious though, and so simple and quick. Kate is onto a winner with this one!


What are your favourite foods in summer? Comment below if you know of any great recipes!

Five Favourites: Paris

It's pretty much a Paris-themed week on the blog due to my recent return so I thought I'd continue with this week's Five Favourites dedicated to my favourite places/things to do in Paris. So if you're planning a trip, here's five ideas for you:

1. Have a cocktail in La Favorite
Absolutely my favourite bar in Le Marais. It's been my haunt for a while, throughout my placement year and when I returned this week. It's a little pricey but Happy Hour (7pm to 9pm) solves that, plus they really are seriously good cocktails. I can also vouch for the mocktails being incredible too, and are also included in Happy Hour. Find details on their website here.

2. Eat Ladurée macarons

When people say they are the best in Paris, they're not wrong. I reckon there are a few independent patisseries that equal them but they are worth their name and, if you're going to try macarons while in France (which you should!) then they may as well be Ladurée with their many enticing flavours. If you can drag your eyes away from the pastel coloured rainbow of macarons then they also do other patisseries and bakes, as pictured above. Find the nearest shop here.

3. Cycle around Le Marais
I was persuaded by a friend to do this on my year abroad and was so pleased I did! I love Le Marais anyway but if you're brave enough to jump on one of the Velibs (find one close to Le Marais by Saint Paul metro stop) it gives a totally different view of this pretty area. The streets are far quieter too so you can worry less about traffic! 

4. Sit on one of the bridges
It almost doesn't matter which one because they all give a different but gorgeous perspective of Paris. Watch the sun go down, or come up and it'll be magical. Watching the sun go down the night before my birthday was truly memorable!



5. Visit Shakespeare and Company bookshop
If you're a Literature student, or just love books, you'll love this little bookshop. It is a bit of a tourist trap and there are other equally cute bookshops in Paris but this is easy to find, and is next to Notre Dame to just pop in. Its history and charming nooks, along with its dedicated reading spaces make it a book-lover's dream. Make sure to go as soon as it opens for a quieter experience. Click here for their website.


Hope I've given you some ideas for your trip to Paris! Do you have any favourite haunts? I'd love to hear them!

Five Favourites: Smoothies

Happy Friday everyone! Today's Five Favourites are my top smoothie choices. I like to play around with recipes depending on what I actually have in the fridge/freezer but these are definitely firm favourites for me. All healthy, delicious and thick treats which are sure to get your day off to a good start! I love topping mine with leftover fruit, and/or seeds. Some of these don't require more unusual ingredients like chia or flax seeds, although I've found that buying these in means I have them on hand for a great breakfast boost and they last me ages!

Fit Foodie Finds

Creamy Strawberry Chia Smoothie from Fit Foodie Finds. Super creamy and yummy. The chia seeds can be left out, just be aware that they help to thicken it up a bit.

Simple Green Smoothies

Mango Green Smoothie from Simple Green Smoothies. Get your greens in with this one and you won't even taste it. Mango is one of my favourite fruits so this definitely brings a great start to my mornings!

Martha Stewart

Blueberry Banana Smoothie from Martha Stewart. This is incredibly easy and only has three ingredients. Quick, simple and failsafe with the perfect combination of blueberries and bananas.

Deliciously Ella

Cacao, Banana and Avocado Smoothie from Deliciously Ella. Always my go-to site for any kind of healthy recipe, Ella nails combining sweet, dessert-like flavours with a nutritious kick. 

Minimalist Baker

Summer Berry Smoothie from Minimalist Baker. Perfect for summer with all those berries coming into season. If I had a swimming pool, this is what I would sip on lounging in the sun.

I hope something's caught your eye here! All of these websites are great for finding other healthy recipes, whether you're looking for meal ideas or healthy snacking options. Do you have a favourites smoothie recipe? Let me know below! 

The perfect West Country break

I'm fortunate to have some lovely family and friends over Bath/Bristol way who hosted me for my penultimate week before heading back to university. All I can say is that they both know me incredibly well. Tearooms and cute cafés made up the majority of my stays and I'm not complaining a bit.

I started in Bristol with my friend who showed me the more upmarket Clifton first of all. With its little boutiques and independent stores, this was an undoubtable hit with me. She also introduced me to an up-and-coming café chain Boston Tea Party, which was simply a delight. So much yumminess and not many pennies so it made brunch a total hit with me. Think freshly made, balanced portions, sustainable restaurant awards etc... It's pretty awesome. Boston Tea Party, you need to hurry up and open in Cambridge ASAP.

Scotch pancakes with compote and Greek yoghurt for brunch, courtesy of Boston Tea Party. 

Being a tourist at Bristol suspension bridge.

After spending a night in Bristol, I headed over to Bath to stay with family. I've always loved Bath, and in my little dreamworld I envisage myself with a property in the centre one day. Oh I'm just going to go ahead and say it - I want one on the Crescent. Yeah, I know I know but I've always been a dreamer. I'd be equally as happy on Great Pulteney Street. Life ambitions and all that. Anyway, the point is that as a country girl, this is one city (alongside Cambridge and Paris) that I adore. So when I was also taken out into more rural Wiltshire to visit the village of Lacock, I could not have been a happier girl. Combining my perfect city break with rural and historic cuteness? I couldn't imagine anything better.

I had no idea little Lacock existed if I'm honest but turns out it's been the movie set for some kind of major productions. Most notably parts of Harry Potter were filmed there, but the recent Wolf Hall was also shot in Lacock along with the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, and Cranford. We happened to go on a beautiful day when there wasn't a cloud in the sky which made the village and abbey look all the more special, especially the early blooms in the gardens. Considering we went on a Saturday it was also fairly quiet as well so looking around the abbey, we basically had the place to ourselves. 

I have to say though, the village itself was the highlight for me. Owned almost entirely by the National Trust, it is like being transported back in time, minus the cars. There was such a quirky array of shops, from soap and gift shops, to antiques and recycling shops. Even though it's owned by the National Trust, there was still such a lovely village-vibe, the one I know and love. I saw several homes with books or plants outside for sale, where people would simply 'post cash through letterbox' to buy. Slowly restoring faith in humanity one plant/book at a time. It was just the most friendly, beautiful place to wander around and I was totally taken with all the period buildings. 

A special mention must be made for the King John's Hunting Lodge. The oldest house in the village, it's home to the most gorgeous tea room and garden. Because it was such a lovely day, we sat in the garden both times (yes, we ended up going back again for afternoon tea later!) and each time didn't disappoint. They serve proper tea, none of this teabag stuff, and delicious fresh food, handmade by the team on the spot I was assured. I had a mediterranean style tart with a special slaw and incredible side salad, it was utterly yum. If you're visiting Lacock, I cannot recommend this place enough. The staff were lovely and attentive, the food and cake excellent, and the atmosphere was so absolutely English and cute that I actually came away feeling sad it was so far away from home and wouldn't be able to go again anytime soon.

 

Bath, Bristol, you exceeded expectations. I'm an Eastern girl at heart but clearly there's potential to be a Western convert!

Graze box review

This has been a long time coming and I'm pleased to report it has not disappointed! Graze boxes have been around for a little while now and I absolutely love the concept. The idea is that every week, or every fortnight because you can alter how often you receive them, Graze send you a postbox-sized package of four different healthy snacks. Being a bit of a health-nut, this was enough to get my attention. But it gets better - you can even give your preferences on the snacks they send you, 'binning' anything you definitely wouldn't like (for me that was anything wasabi-based!), marking 'try' on anything that looks interesting, or 'liking' or 'loving' anything you know would be super scrummy. These last options can also be marked with the option to send soon so you could even get them in your next box. 

Based on these choices, Graze go away and pick the snacks to give you a balanced box and I think the best part is that it was a total surprise about what I was going to receive. And it was a very good surprise when I saw I'd been sent the following: Super Berries, Carrot Cake with an Afternoon Tea infusion, Herby Bread Basket and the special Graze Brownie. I can already confirm that the carrot cake and tea are super good. I don't even have to feel guilty having it as a mid-morning snack because their perfectly-portioned packs means I'm getting a healthy dose of goodness that sees me through to my next meal.

I think £3.99 for a box, it's actually not badly priced either plus you can usually find a deal somewhere where you get your first box for free. There's also the choice to get a Light box, which are snacks all lower in calories, and there are now even Breakfast and Kids boxes. If for any reason you're away, or don't want a box one week, there's also an amazing option to postpone your next box! I thought I'd write this review because I couldn't find much about the concept when I first tried to look into it, so I wanted to let everyone know that these really are worth trying! If you love the idea of little guilt-free, nutritious snacks arriving through the postbox and brightening up your day I would totally recommend giving it a go, especially since it's usually easy to get your first one for free!

Easter weekend fun

When I come home for the big holidays, my family go mad with me because I launch into full-on 'let's-do-cute-family-fun-things-and-be-adorable' mode. I like making big deals out of occasions like Christmas and New Year, but more recently Halloween and Easter too. I started asking what Easter plans we had weeks ago and when I was faced with two parents who laughed and said they hadn't even thought about it yet, I challenged myself with the task of planning something. Starting with a long run early Sunday morning, we spent the bank holiday making the most of the weather (hello sunshine! we've missed you!) and taking advantage of the fact we were all together as a family.

Mum made the effort to do an Easter tree this year which was super sweet to arrive home to, and we bought some new decorations from Tesco too- the upside-down sheep and chicks in the photo that we couldn't get to hang properly! 

I actually did my first proper roast for our evening meal (took me long enough, I know). I was determined to make everything perfect and thought I'd nailed the timings, but typically it didn't go completely to plan. But, all things considered, and when it was finally all ready, I think I did a pretty awesome job! The roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, broccoli and red onion) were delicious, and were by far my favourite part of the meal. The gammon was super tender and the honey glaze I added topped it off perfectly. Yumm. Oh, and of course it was followed by chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Mum even managed to find me a white chocolate Lindt bunny which seem to have been difficult to track down this year. If they ever stop selling these, my heart will break.

Our miniature pony, Rupert, was also subjected to the Easter fun. I didn't expect him to look this cute - my heart positively melted. Unfortunately, I think he pulls them off better than me.

Like the rest of the British population, Easter Monday was spent in the great outdoors enjoying the glorious sunshine that finally arrived in England. Yay! We went for a bike ride, even managing to drag my brother with us too! It was my first cycle ride in a long time, and definitely my first since I've been properly running and become a bit of an exercise enthusiast so it was a fantastic feeling to find cycling so much easier than I remember! And it was great to be able to get out into the beautiful countryside that surrounds our little village.

Easter is fast becoming equally as exciting as Christmas for me. I get far too carried away with all the potential family time, good food and fun things. How was your Easter? Did you have any special plans, or just get down with all the chocolate?!