Sunday 12 January 2014

An Instagramming Sort Of Weekend

This weekend the pooch and I packed up my little car and headed off to my grandparents in the country for some much needed R&R. I used to come here every other weekend with my sister when we were younger and spent endless hours roaming the countryside on the horses and making jumping courses for our dogs. I definitely don't come back here as much as I should but when I do we make the most of it:

    

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Brunch at Brickwood - SW4

I haven't moved out of home yet but luckily a lot of my friends live in town so I get to disappear for weekends quite a lot. After one particularly messy night at infernos we headed a few doors down from my friend Rosie's flat to Brickwood for the best poached eggs I've ever had.





 Where's your favourite place for brunch in London?

Sunday 5 January 2014

Lazy Sunday: Buttermilk Pancakes

More often than not I skip breakfast. Naughty I know, but I'll do anything for an extra half hour in bed. On the weekends though I come into my own and one of my all time favourites is pancakes. I am rubbish at making the thin ones, they always get stuck to the pan so I stick to the classic American kind. You can even make the batter the night before and leave in the fridge (there's that extra half hour again). 


What you'll need:

  • 125g plain flour
  • 250ml buttermilk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 egg
  • 50g butter
(Serves 4) 

Sift the flour, salt and bicarb into a bowl. Then melt the butter in the microwave and add to the flour mix along with the egg and buttermilk. Lightly whisk together, the batter should be thick and spongy but doesn't need to be completely smooth.

Put a frying pan on a nice high heat and grease with a knob of butter. Let it melt then drop a ladle full of mixture into the pan. Fry for a few minutes, until brown then flip. 

Serve with maple syrup, bacon and strawberries.

Thursday 2 January 2014

Super Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup

Well happy new year everyone! Have you all recovered? My mum hasn't been very well (actual sickness, not an extended hangover I promise) so I made a batch of chicken noodle soup which is perfect for when you're feeling a bit under the weather. It has hits of ginger and chilli so isn't as bland as your everyday chicken soup and will perk you up in no time. Plus is has the added bonus of containing less that 250 calories per portion.


What you'll need:

  • 2 pints of chicken stock
  • 2 chicken legs
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 chilli
  • 1-2 nests of dried egg noodles
  • 2 tbsp sweetcorn
  • 2 mushrooms
  • 2 spring onions
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
(Serves 2) 

Pour the stock into a pan and add the chicken. Finely chop the ginger and garlic and add that too. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. While this is cooking slice the rest of your ingredients (they'll look like sunshine on a plate).


When the chicken is tender, transfer to a chopping board and shred using two forks. Return it to the pan, add the noodles, sweetcorn, mushrooms, soy and half the spring onions. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the noodles are cooked. If you think that it needs a bit more water just add some from the kettle. 

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle over the chilli's and remaining spring onions.