Tea time

Saturday afternoon in central London. The sun was shining and I was spending time with my good friend. We decided to go out for our tradition of afternoon tea which we do each time we meet up.

This time we chose to go to Sketch just off of Regents street. This place has 5 restaurants and bars and is very quirky and unique. Even the toilets are egg shaped pods which when you enter you can hear a voice talking to you through speakers.

The restaurant we were sat in had a very mix matched and kind of retro decor to it. Every table, chair and light were different. Even every set of china varied. But the restaurant did have a very comfortable vibe and we easily spent the whole afternoon enjoying ourselves.

We chose the afternoon tea menu and enjoyed tea in postbox shaped teapots which added to the charm and quirkiness. The tea itself was a lovely mix of sandwiches, marshmallows, chocolate and other mini deserts including a scone. Although I couldn't finish all of it that wasn't it say it wasn't well enjoyed!

I would definitely want to come back here. Probably for dinner and drinks which sounded just as interesting and enticing.

Sun has got his hat on

Finally the Olympics are almost here and finally we have sun! It may have taken to the end of July but it is here and we are hoping it stays!

So the sun comes out and we all fall in to one of two categories. We are either from the camp of ‘any of bit of sun is an excuse to get naked!’ or the camp of ‘omg the sun is shining what on earth am I going to wear?!’

Some people see an inch of sun and feel the need to get the hot pants and belly tops on while the rest of us are still jackets. However there is no denying that summer wear is needed in these temperatures.

But what to wear?!

Magazines are full of articles on summer clothes and the trends for this year. These often include what to wear on holiday in an exotic location and show bold prints, floaty fabrics and jewel colours. However these items are not always practical for everyday life in the real world. I may think a bright purple print dress with a turban and chunky gold jewellery looks fabulous on a model in a magazine editorial piece, but walking down the high street on a summer’s day – not so much.

For us regular folk it’s about being comfortable and cool whilst feeling stylish. We often also have to factor in the issue of work. Magazines may show summers spent abroad, but for the majority of us we are working for the most of the summer and if lucky get a week or two away.

Depending on where you work can be an issue of what to wear. Many offices now have a laid back approach to clothing and all year around is the casual look. This makes it easier for both men and women to be comfortable in the heat.

If you work in an office where there is a dress code, summer wear takes a bit more thought. For women a structured sleeveless dress, pencil skirt and sleeveless blouse or wide legged trousers and cool shirt can adhere to the dress code whilst still being comfortable and practical.

If you are lucky enough not to be in work and enjoying the sun, here are my top five pieces of clothing for summer 2012, without a pair of hot pants or belly tops in sight!

                                                 1. Bright Blazers

2. Peplum Dresses

3. Floral Trousers

4. Pastel Colours

5. Sports Wear

Cookie Monster

Everyone loves a good cookie. Whether with a glass of milk or warm with ice cream, chocolate chip cookies can provide that sweet treat you are looking for.

I like my cookies to be crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. They must be cooked but still have that slight cookie dough texture. I also like them with a mix of chocolate chips - dark, milk and white.

This recipe I found perfectly combines the texture and flavours I enjoy in a cookie and are also simple to make. The dough itself can be frozen and defrosted at another time to make the cookies when you want.

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g light brown sugar
• 2tbsp golden syrup
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 160g self-raising flour
• 150g chocolate, milk, dark or white broken into 0.5cm chunks

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat the golden syrup into the butter and sugar with the vanilla essence. Mix in flour and chocolate chunks until just combined.
3. Take a teaspoonful of the mixture, roll it into a ball, then place onto a greased baking tray, flattening it slightly with the palm of your hand. Repeat with the remaining dough, allowing plenty of room for the cookies to spread while baking.
4. Bake for 12 mins until golden brown.
5. Allow chocolate chip cookies to cool on the tray for few mins before transferring them to a wire rack.

Source: http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/138328/Chocolate-chip-cookies

What makes these cookies chewy and gives them a hint of toffee is the addition of golden syrup. It makes the cookies feel like traditional American style cookies rather than the hard biscuit or cake type ones you may find mass produced.

These cookies don't last long whenever I make them and can be served either hot or cold but will last up to a week when stored in an air tight container.

Don't rain on my parade

So Britain is under a deluge of rain at the moment. Actually it doesn't appear to have stopped for at least the past couple of months, and it doesn't look like it will be stopping any time soon.

The fears of a summer drought are gone and instead we fear for summer floods. The idea of spending two weeks in the sun has never seemed to be so appealing.This is a typical British summer and throws all our plans of sandals and maxi dresses out of the window.

But what do you wear when the rain is falling and you want to be both practical and stylish? Here are my rain essentials to keep you dry and not looking like a five year old splashing in puddles or an old lady with her tartan mac.

1. Wellies

Now im not a welly sales person but if I was I would be selling Hunter Wellies by the welly load! These Wellies are classics. Fantastically made, fantastically stylish and worm by fantastic celebs and mere mortals alike. Go for classic black or pillar box red.

2. Waterproof Jacket

I think there are so many different types of waterproof jackets out there which can be practical and still look good. You can go for a mac, but to be honest these are really only suitable for a light shower when you can quickly get under cover. When the rain is at the stage of torrential and you have to get from A to B outside the best thing is a proper waterproof jacket made for the outdoors. There are some great brands including North Face, Columbia, Regatta and Berghaus which have a range of styles, colours and price ranges for every pocket.

3. Umbrella

Eh eh eh. Come on you know I couldn't resist breaking out in to a bit of Rihanna! But on another note what could be more synonymous with the rain than the umbrella. They come in all different sizes and colours and can actually be used in the rain or sun to offer shade. I would definitely suggest having one umbrella which you can fit in to a handbag and another which offers more protection from the wind and a heavy downpour. Fulton make great affordable umbrellas in every design you can imagine.


Despite this talk of fabulous waterproofs I'm going to do my sun dance now and pray for the summer outfits to come back out of the closet!