chocolate box

A little while ago, the cutest little present arrived in the post for me. A black sleek box wrapped up in a bright red ribbon, I was definitely intrigued - and very pleasantly surprised when I opened it to find that it was full of lovely sweet things!
Something you should perhaps know about me is that I have the biggest sweet tooth you'll ever find; I don't think the word 'chocoholic' even begins to cover it. The lovely people from Gift Box Galore picked up on this and very kindly sent me a version of their Chocolate and Truffle Gift Box, packed full of tasty things for me to try. Amazing, right? 
 In my very lovely box, pictured above, was:

• Ko-Koá Caramel & Milk Chocolate Truffles
• Original Scottish Butter Tablet
• Columba Cream Hand-made Cream Liqueur Fudge
• Chocolate Crumbly Fudge

Of course, past taking a few photos and unpacking the box, I undertook the task of taste-testing all the products (what a hard life)... and I can say that it all tastes absolutely delicious - with my personal favourite being the Chocolate Crumbly Fudge.

A Scottish company, Gift Box Galore supplies hampers and gift boxes to customers all over the UK in what I think is a really novel idea. Sometimes you can feel a bit daunted at the prospect of someone's birthday or Christmas coming up when you're completely out of ideas, but Gift Box Galore have a range of loads of different gift boxes that you can order, personalise with a message or greeting, and send out to the lucky recipient - there's pretty much guaranteed to be something to suit everyone, catering for a range of different tastes and interests.
Of course, on account of my ridiculously sweet tooth I received a lovely chocolate and truffle gift box - but there are also gift boxes and hampers full of sweets, jewellery, cosmetics and toiletries and DVDs, as well as themed hampers, such as retro sweet selections and gifts 'for him' or 'for her'.
The best bit is that the prices are really quite reasonable too, considering that each box or hamper is packed full of goodies and is presented beautifully - prices for gifts start from £8.99.


Thanks to Gift Box Galore for sending me this gift box. Thoughts and comments are my own.

banoffee pie / recipe corner

Mm, banoffee pie - don't you just love it? I've gone a bit crazy for it recently and so thought I'd share my banoffee pie recipe with you. It's a bit embarrassing, but up until a few months ago I always thought that banoffee pie was banana and coffee - which I hate - and which meant that I never even tried it. When I found a recipe and saw that instead of coffee, the magic ingredient was toffee, I knew I had to make it... and I'm glad I did! It's delicious (even if I do say so myself)!

Want to have a go at making it? Here's my easy recipe - and do let me know how you get on with it if you have a go!

To make banoffee pie, you'll need...

• 300g / 10oz butter




• 250g / 8oz digestive biscuits




• 175g / 6oz caster sugar




• 425g / 14oz can condensed milk




• 2 bananas




• 1 tablespoon lemon juice




• 150ml (1/4 pint) whipping cream




• 25g / 1oz dark chocolate, grated

And here's how you go about making the pie...

1. Start by making the crumb case. Weigh out the digestive biscuits and crush them with a rolling pin to make them into crumbs. Next, melt 125g / 4oz butter in a saucepan and stir in the crumbs.

2. Press the crumbs into the base of a 20cm (8 inch) round flan tin, and put it in the fridge until it firms - roughly for about an hour.

3. Next, the filling. Put the rest of the butter and the caster sugar in a saucepan and heat it gently, stirring it, until the butter's melted. Stir in the condensed milk and bring it to the boil; then let it simmer for around 10 minutes until the mixture's a deep caramel colour.

4. Pour the caramel into the basea and leave it to cool, then chill until it's set.

5. Slice the bananas and toss them in the lemon juice. Put a quarter of the bananas aside for decorating the pie, and spread the rest over the filling.

6. Whip the cream and spread it over the top; then decorate with the rest of the bananas and sprinkle with chocolate.

And you're done! Cut a slice of the pie, tuck in, and enjoy...

Mock Turtle

Lovely readers, let me introduce you to my favourite tearoom. Regular browsers of this blog will know that I love my tea, and with that of course my tearooms, and go to a lot - and so my favourite one has to be pretty special. Well, the vintage-inspired Mock Turtle in Brighton really is.

Why? Here's a whole list of reasons...

• Its location. It's in Brighton - my favourite quirky town and my old home for three wonderful university years - and two minutes away from the sea, so it's perfect for popping into before or after a trip to the beach. It's also near The Lanes, so perfectly positioned for a bit of vintage shopping around tea time too.
  


• The colour scheme. Blue walls, dark wooden tables, blue and white china - it's a mix of seaside and vintage which works perfectly.
  


• The tea. Lovely teasets and delicious loose leaf tea, and each teapot also comes with another jug full of hot water (and you can ask for more, still, if you want), so you don't have to worry about spending more money ordering another pot of tea if you want to have more than a few cups.



• The cakes. There's a huge selection, from the traditionals like lemon and Victoria Sponge to the more unusual - think banana cake, apple and chocolate, and carrot and ginger. And they're all lovely and light.



• The price - a pot of tea and a cake will set you back about £4, which really isn't too bad at all.



• The atmosphere - finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Mock Turtle has a lovely, relaxed vibe to it; somewhere where you feel like you could sit all afternoon and completely switch off.

If you're ever in Brighton, do pay it a visit.

Where's your favourite place to get tea?

Restaurant Review: Samarqand

Have you ever tried Uzbek food? Up until very recently, I can't say I ever had - or particularly had ever realised that I wanted to.
Finding myself standing outside restaurant Samarqand, though, I have to say that I was intrigued. Located near London's Bond Street station, it's an inconspicuous little place tucked away amidst the standard Italian chains, Indian restaurants and English pubs - and a welcome change.

With the menu positioned on a stand outside two large black double doors at street level, those deciding that the food takes their fancy then venture down a dark wooden staircase into the basement restaurant below. It's all rather mysterious and atmospheric.

Soft lighting, cushions, intricate patterns and wooden decorations all set a very calming scene, with impeccable and friendly service; but, of course, we were here for the food, the most important thing about any restaurant. And, luckily enough for Samarqand, their food is delicious.

Ordering a round of starters, we tried a variety of dishes, such as the Choochwara, aromatic grilled meat dumplings with soya dressing and mixed leaves, and the Funchoza, a spicy rice noodle dish with beef and carrots that delivered quite a kick.
Moving onto mains, we deliberated over the menu for quite a while - so much looked great, and the starters had really whetted our appetite. Despite very nearly going for the Manty - steamed lamb dumplings with Asian herbs and yoghurt dressing - and being incredibly tempted by the Alanga, fried minced meat laid on handmade pasta sheets served with yoghurt, the most traditional dish was the one that eventually caught my eye.
I have to admit that it was the name I saw at the top of the menu which made me laughingly choose it at first. Plov. I'd never heard of a plov, but the friendly waiter told me it was the most famous, most typical - and, best of all, most delicious - dish on the menu.Well, with that recommendation, how could I resist?

Half an hour and a glass of rather nice wine later, I was presented with a huge plate full of perfectly cooked rice, chunky lamb pieces, spiced onions, carrots and chillis and a cool refreshing tomato side salad. Beautifully presented on a gorgeous blue china dish - a rather novel step away from the usual plain white restaurant dining plate - it was a perfectly size portion and really did taste great.
Unusual in its flavour combinations, if there had to be a criticism of the dish it would have to be that it could have done with a sauce or something similar - it was a little dry, but perhaps that's just how the cuisine is (my experience of Uzbek food is, after all, really very limited). That, and perhaps also the fact that I mistakenly chewed and swallowed a whole chilli, which ruined my taste buds for the remainder of the dish (but I acknowledge that as my own stupid fault!)

Bond Street is notorious for being a bit pricy; and the fact that I was dining out with a selection of lawyers and bankers didn't exactly help keep the cost down to my media industry salary budget. However, sometimes paying a little more than you usually would is justified when it's a really unusual dining experience you're not bound to experience again too soon - and this is the case with Samarqand. Starters came in between £9 and £15 each, with mains averaging around the £14 mark, without sides.

Would I make Uzbek cuisine a regular choice of mine? I can't say I liked it quite that much, although it was really good, and definitely worth a try. And besides, it's always good to try something different; after all, when's the last time you tried Uzbek, Russian or Mongolian cuisine?

You can visit Samarqand's website - and find out more information including location and booking availability - here.

bourne & hollingsworth

Unsuspecting but intriguing, Bourne and Hollingsworth has realised a goal that many cocktail bars strive for but rarely manage to achieve; it is, quite simply, different. Yes, it may be so small that there’s hardly enough room to swing a cat, let alone dance to a gramophone record - and yes, it may be teetering slightly on the worse side of shabby chic - but its dedication and enthusiasm for quirky cool in the heart of media London makes this a stand-out venue.

After several recommendations from friends and colleagues, and finding ourselves near Goodge Steet and in the mood for a cocktail one Friday night, we decided to pay the small bar on Rathbone Street a visit. Tucked away in a basement on a street corner next to a busy restaurant, it's very easy to miss completely; we ourselves had mistakenly wandered past twice, ending up, confused, near the BT tower or down some long-forgotten alleyway.

Realising after we ventured down the stairs to the Bourne & Hollingsworth basement that we'd be sharing the place with exactly eight others, we soon found that a situation which would have been off-putting in any other Central London bar at 10pm on a Friday actually felt strangely and intimately endearing at Bourne and Hollingsworth.

After all, set out like a crazed long-lost great Aunt’s lounge that was in need of a spot of decorating some 50 years ago, it’s definitely a step away from the loud pubs and booming music of the modern world outside. This place has a way of warmly luring you in, with teacups on tables, floral wallpaper, frilly lampshades and framed needlework on the walls. Oh, and the promise of a Jammie Dodger with your cocktail, of course.

Propped up against the bar, we listened to the DJ - a choice of entertainment which may seem slightly out of place, but, like everything in this strange juxtaposition of a Central London bar, it just works - and examined the origami-like folded paper menu. Pleasantly surprised by the variety of different and unique cocktails that were on offer, little symbols by each cocktail to show how it’s served is particularly appealing if you're someone who chooses drinks on appearances and names over the actual contents. Alongside the normal cocktail glass, there are drinks in an array of different objects, and we chose one in a jam jar and one in a tea cup - a floral tea cup, no less, with a saucer and a piece of shortbread. Impressive, and tasty, the cocktails themselves are strong and not really too expensive for London prices - we paid just under £15 for two.

Incredibly friendly barmen are also on hand to take pity on any bewildered first-timers gazing round in bemused wonder at the place, and it’s certainly good fun to watch staff who wouldn’t look out of place in a modern bar making cocktails next to plates of biscuits, paper napkins, cupcakes and china teapots.

This is all very quirky and endearing, but why, really, does Bourne & Hollingsworth work so well? Apart from its individuality and its good, strong cocktails, its best feature must be its immediate appeal to the latest craze for all things vintage-inspired; although, like similar venues elsewhere, it refrains from doing this in a pretentious way, and instead evokes a kind of effortless chic. It has the ability to feel like your own little secret hideaway, whilst being extremely popular and doing a very good trade; and that’s quite some paradox to pull off.

Is it any coincidence that almost everyone who’s recommended me to go to this place has, at some point, lived in Brighton? Not at all; it has a sense of the hippy eccentric about it, and you can’t help feeling that Central London could do with more naturally quirky places like Bourne and Hollingsworth amidst all its commercial chains.

Or maybe, instead, the point is that B&H really is one of a kind - maybe it is that, after all, which makes it one of Central London’s most effortlessly cool bars.

If you’d like to visit, have a look at Bourne & Hollingsworth’s website - it’s an extremely basic landing page, but, again, this is all part of the charm.

And a P.S: a little name check here for Alex, the first person to mention Bourne and Hollingsworth to me.

como agua para chocolate

The last weekend before Christmas, I caught wind of the fact that there was a chocolate festival in London. Yes, that's right. A chocolate festival. A celebration of all things chocolatey. Rows and rows of stalls of the stuff being sold - complete with free samples and tasters galore. And, being a girl who fits the term "chocoholic" in every single way, it was really no surprise that I soon found myself down at Southbank, wandering around in awe.

As amazing as the Chocolate Festival was (and it was amazing, as I hope you can tell by the sheer amount of yummy photos I took), we were a little dismayed at how expensive everything was - after all, we're only just out of the student lifestyle and mentality, and are used to thinking of Lindt chocolate as "splashing out a bit" in terms of price (oh dear).

Imagine my face when, after I had a free sample of what I can only describe as heaven - luxury lemon curd dark chocolate - I went to buy some, only to find out that a small box would set me back nearing £20. Ouch.
Our cunning plan was then to taste as much as we could, and treat ourselves to one expensive bar of chocolate; because it all tasted so delicious, it would be worth the price. And so, a few hours, a hot chocolate, a box of churros con chocolate and a whole load of free samples later, we came away from the festival with two bars of the best chocolate I have ever tasted in my life - from pioneering organic chocolate company Original Beans.

I really urge you to check them out, if you're a chocolate lover - or, to be honest, even if you're not, because this stuff will convert you. Not only is the chocolate actually the most delicious I have ever tasted (and I've tasted a lot), it's completely organic, and each bar has a fantastic system whereby for each bar that is sold, the company will plant a tree. Simply enter a code on the back of your bar into a form on their website and you can see where your bar's tree has been planted - love it! So: great chocolate, great for the environment, and great for the local people in the countries that produce chocolate too - have a look at this article for more information.

What's the best chocolate you've ever tasted?

Pudding Porn

Why is it that whenever you're trying to eat sensibly (for a change), you find yourself craving things you know you shouldn't really eat - in particular, I've been craving rich, extravagant desserts all day, like the ones I had in the New Forest.
And that reminded me - time to post photos of one of the most delicious desserts I've had in a long time. I went to a gorgeous little pub, had the most amazing Sunday Roast, and then ordered this rather impressive trio of English desserts for pudding. Consisting of sticky toffee pudding, chocolate sponge cake and the rather humorously named but gorgeous-tasting spotted dick, it was quite a combination (and rather a lot of food!)

What pudding porn have you had or been craving recently?

spooky / cake

Happy Halloween! Saw these extremely cute cupcakes in Brighton today, when my boyfriend and I visited for the day. Was very tempted to try them, but resisted - I have, after all, already had some cupcakes this week (delivered to work to celebrate Halloween - how amazing!)


Also saw these cute pumpkins outside a restaurant today - makes me want to try carving a pumpkin! I'm not really doing anything for Halloween this year, which is a bit of a shame, but was witness to a great "zombie walk" in Brighton today - it's an annual event where some 3,000 people dress up as zombies and walk from the train station to the seafront (about a mile's walk). It was amazing, and certainly something worth seeing, albeit actually slightly scary - some of the costumes were very convincing and there was a lot of jumping out at people and such! What are you up to for Halloween this year?

this is what the snow made me do

I'll be honest, I was feeling a little sorry for myself this evening. My plans to go for drinks in town had to be cancelled because we're currently getting the worst snow here for thirty years, and my friend and I rationalised that even if we managed to meet up, we might not get back home again too easily. Hence, I find myself at home with no plans, and a little bored... so, hello cupcakes! Red and bright pink and pale pink icing, sprinkles and flowers - the perfect pick-me-up. And they taste really good too, even if I do say so myself ;)