The Festive Season

I know I'm a bit late, but the Christmas season gives plenty of opportunities for nice photos and Instagramming!

Here is a selection of my best Christmas bits

Technically this was January - but it looks festive enough!

Party in my Pyjamas

I met a reindeer!

The Nutcracker

One of my favourite local cocktail bars all dressed up for Christmas

Post Christmas dinner spread by

Santa came to visit

The Park Lane Hilton had a nice tree

Christmas in the dark

Pre oven pigs in blankets

Christmas starter - lobster and prawns

Proper roasties

Post oven pigs in blankets

All this chocolate log, just for me!

We only really buy this to set it on fire

Kitty didn't want to miss out

Christmas Evening Spread

Merry Christmas from Kitty!

Tweet Pin It Now!

Domestic Sluttery

Domestic Sluttery...how to cheat your way to the good life, basically my new bible. An amazing coffee table book I discovered a week or so ago.

Split into four sections...Home, Style, Living and Food & Drink this book has everything the modern day working woman needs to survive. Straight talking advice and top tips.

I will of course be updating you when I try the amazing looking recipes but for now here are some of my favourite quips:

Home:

You don't need to be an interior designer to try our tips, you just need a little inspiration, a bit of style and a bottle of wine or two. The rest will come together on its own. For the days that it doesn't, that's what the wine is for.
If you give domestic sluts a choice, laundry and dishes would be the very last thing we did. So we don't always do it - and we don't feel guilty about that either.

Food & Drink:

Domestic Sluts are always thinking about food
Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it's not the best (no meal that starts before 9am ever could be). The wonder that is brunch lets you sleep in on Sunday, eat a glorious mix of the best breakfast goodies AND steak, all while drinking cocktails? Brunch the Domestic Sluts salute you.

Style:

Domestic Sluts don't believe in saving things for best
Number 2 in 'The 10 Style Commandments' = thou shalt not listen to thine mother (sorry Mum, but it's true)

Living:

Regardless of how busy the Domestic Slut gets, we always do our best to remember to laugh. Usually at ourselves
Packing. Ugh
Shop for anything on your lunch break. 8am: Make sure you're looking your best. Rushed shopping can't be done with dry shampooed hair, rubbish shoes and a hungover head. At least start with doing your make up on the train. 11am: Start shopping online while your boss isn't looking

Hands up, who else is a Domestic Slut?
Buy your copy here No coffee table should be without one.

Tweet Pin It Now!

Exotic Dining; Review

I don't often do a lot when I go to my parents, nothing new anyway. I know where I like to eat and tend to avoid going out at all costs. I did however have a guest with me who wanted to see some sites. A shortage of 'interesting' restaurants in Kettering led me to an Indian. There are plenty of decent curry houses. After telling a current local about this plan they suggested exotic dining, a curry house with a difference.

I was informed booking was essential and as I was only 1 day out I'd be lucky to get a table. Luckily booking was easy. When we arrived this is because the place was only half full. 

We started to peruse the extensive menu after a swift look at the wine list that left a lot to be desired we opted for beer...nice and traditional. We decided on starters and mains with a couple of sides, vowing not to get poppadoms or naan bread in order to Keep our appetite. 

As soon as the waiter arrives of course this goes out of the window. 'Do you want a naan with that' errr yes?! And some poppadoms? Yes two please?! What is wrong with us! Said poppadoms arrived and were functional with a nice dippy twist. These were not your standard mango chutneys. They were lovely but all were lacking in a spicy kick. 

When our starters arrived they were presented beautifully. The rabbit was absolutely delicious, tender and perfectly flavoured (if you're wondering yes it does taste just like chicken!) the beef was flavoursome and the portions were just the right size, although now we were feeling pretty full after polishing off the poppadoms. For main we had venison and duck. The venison won hands down on presentation and taste. The duck was a little over done for me I like it pink, but it was curried so what do you expect? As predicted the rice (cumin) and naan absolutely killed us. We were totally stuffed and couldn't finish anything! What let downs. 

There was your standard choice of Indian restaurant deserts, orange filled with sorbet, pinky the plastic penguin and something with lychees. We opted to go without completely defeated. It was a nice change from your standard Indian restaurant. I like what they are doing to cater for the more adventurous and safe diners. 

Atmosphere: 2.5/5

Food: 3/5

Drink: 2/5

Overall: 2.5/5

Tweet Pin It Now!

Working on Monday...a mug's game

As I was recently in Berlin at the film festival over my weekend I took today off in lieu to catch up on some zeds, mooch about and generally make the most of a free Sunday evening not getting the dreaded and oh so familiar 'Sunday night feeling', which for me usually kicks in around 6pm.

This week however Sunday was my Saturday and Monday was to be a lazy Sunday. For this monumental (OK I'm over egging it now) occasion I decided to get out of London. And country air was just bloody brilliant.

We spent most of the day hunting for phantom keys that went missing after everyone came home a little sozzled on Saturday (real Saturday, not my Sunday Saturday...are you keeping up?) however for the more enjoyable part we tootled around my favourite kitchen shop, ate pizza and sunned ourselves in the conservatory (and more digging under sofa cushions, in beds, under stairs, in freezer for keys.)

Lots of Jubilee memorabilia about

Quick hit in Joules...

Why anyone would chose to work Monday's is a mystery. I wonder what will happen first, working Monday's will be abolished or the phantom key thief will reveal itself...

Tweet Pin It Now!