OOTD: Purple glasses

Outfit:
Khaki trench coat: Primark (similar)
Blue soft jeans: George At Asda* (similar)
Orange bird print chiffon shirt: River Island (similar)
Grey leather ankle boots: Office (similar)
Red and navy checked scarf: Accessorize (similar)
Purple cat eye glasses: London Retro*
Black leather Bayswater: Mulberry

As a glasses wearer since the tender age of 11, I appreciate a good pair of specs. I like to have a few on rotation at once. After all you wouldn't wear the same t-shirt everyday right? They have to stand out, have a slightly retro shape and thick rimmed to get my seal of approval. That means the Bakerloo frames from London Retro tick all the boxes. I'm on my third pair of glasses from the brand and I really can't fault them at all. The delivery is always impeccable and they have such a gorgeous selection of glasses.

November is looking to be a busy month. Just how I like it. I've got a good chunk of freelance work scheduled in, lots of fun events planned, exciting things happening with the blog and of course, Christmas shopping to start. The dreaded C word has started to take over my life. How on earth is it that time again?

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Exploring the UK: Loch Ness, The Highlands, Scotland

Another post about my trip to Scotland! We arrived at Inverness Airport around 11am and after picking up our hire we drive into the city for a city bite to eat before meeting our friend. After stuffing our faces at The Filling Station - similar to Frankie and Bennies - we hit the road in search of Loch Ness.

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area but thanks to it's sheer depth, it's the largest one in volume in the British Isles. Safe to say, it's pretty impressive to see in the flesh. It's most famous for its mythical sea creature that's said to loiter in the water - the Loch Ness Monster. Known affectionately was Nessie, there have been many reported sighting over the years. Sadly she stayed hidden whilst we were there!

While we were there, we hopped on a Jacobite Cruise* to help us see the loch in all its glory. We boarded the boat at the Clansman Harbour before being take on an hour long cruise around the loch. Despite a drizzly day, it was brilliant. The information on the loudspeaker was top notch - they even threw in some traditional Scottish music for good measure! The boat sailed over the ruins of Urquhart Castle so we could have a closer look and learn about its turbulent history.

A great way to see the sights of Loch Ness!

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OOTD: Pink floral dress

Outfit:

Pink floral midi dress: Topshop (similar)
Quilted faux leather jacket: Zara (similar)
Suede and leather heeled ankle boots: Ravel via TK Maxx (similar)
Black leather Bayswater: Mulberry

I've been trying very hard to keep this dress off my body lately. Pub with friends? Out comes the dress. Trip into London? Out comes the dress. Going to see a Whitney Houston tribute night like tonight? Out comes the dress. So really a dress for everything. That's the excuse I told myself when I treated myself to it. You can always find an excuse whilst shopping.

Looks like it's tights and ankle boots weather for another 6 months. And scarves. And gloves. And thick coats. Can you tell I'm not excited at the prospect?! But it does mean a little bit of shopping to update my wardrobe. Now that is something that excites me.

Thanks to the ever so lovely Sarah for snapping these pictures.

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Recipe: Halloween themed cocktails with Funkin

Ready made fruit mixer connoisseurs Funkin offered to send me a selection of their products to help celebrate Halloween. I didn't need to be asked twice! They've put together special party packs to help make it easier for you to enjoy your bash rather than spending all night rustling up the drinks.

My personal favourite was the Murder A Midori-to so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's so quick and simple to make meaning it'll be perfect to pop in a punch bowl for your guests to help yourself.

Ingredients:
50ml Midori
100ml Funkin Mojito cocktail mixer
Mint leaves to garnish

Method:
1. Fill the glass with cubed ice.

2. Add all the listed ingredients and stir well.

3. Add the mint garnish and voila!

There are plenty more recipes on the website. The mixers aren't just for spooky occasions!

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Recipe: Spanish inspired sausage casserole

Bonfire night is coming up soon. The evening conjures up images of snuggly scarfs, sizzling hotdogs,  warm fires, spicy chilli con carne, fizzling sparklers and tasty sausage casseroles. Sausage experts Heck sent me a little hamper of their range and challenged me to put together a recipe. The great thing is the sausages are gluten free so no one has to miss out!

The Smokey Paprika Chicken Chipolatas immediately caught my attention so I decided to rustle together a sausage casserole with a Spanish twist. As I'm loosely following Slimming World again too - well trying too! - it's free on the plan and packed with lots of vegetable goodness.

Ingredients:
2 cans of tinned tomatos
1 can of chickpeas
1 pack of Smokey Paprika Chicken Chipolatas*
2 courgettes
1 pack of mushrooms
Chilli powder to your taste
2 red onions
2 red peppers
Frylight

Feeds 4 with leftovers!

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees if using a fan oven. Chop the peppers, courgettes, mushrooms and red onions and place in a large casserole dish sprayed with frylight. Season to taste. Fry them for 5-6 minutes.

2. Place the sausages under the grill and cooked for 15 minutes, turning frequently.

3. Chop the mushrooms and place in the casserole dish with the other vegetables. Pour in both cans of chopped tomatoes. Season with the chilli powder to your taste. Add some extra paprika too if you fancy it! Cook for around 5-6 minutes.

4.  Pop in the chickpeas and cook for around three minutes.

5. Chop the sausages up and place in the dish before popping the oven. Cook for around 20 minutes until bubbling.

6. Serve with rosemary roasted potato cubes.

I'd love to know if you make this, drop me a tweet!

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Why a little self-praise goes a long way

Bigging yourself is hard isn't it? As a Brit I'm very self-deprecating and find it difficult to accept compliments gracelessly. I like to to think it's what makes us so charming as a nation. Some might disagree. Someone tells me that my dress looks nice? I often reply that's it's only an old Primark number and it was the only thing that didn't need ironing. Someone tells me that they enjoyed an article I've written? I often rip it to pieces and say oh I wish I'd popped this in.

We're often told that no one likes a bragger. No one likes someone who is overconfident about their abilities, their looks and their work. But sometimes you have to believe in yourself. Because if you don't believe you're capable of doing amazing things or that all your hard work has made into a little star, how do you expect anyone else too?

I often feel like a bit of a fraud. I work in an industry that is very subjective. One person could love your writing whereas another might think it needs a lot of work. That's what happens when you work in a creative industry. There is no right or wrong answer as colleagues all have different things that they look out for. I admit that my confidence was knocked following my redundancy and I seriously considered a career change. But then I freelanced at a handful of places and after seeing my work published, I began to think maybe I wasn't so bad at this writing lark after all. I just needed to believe in myself. To tell myself that I do have the skills and I'm actually not too shabby at stringing a few words together. It's incredible how much of a weight was lifted off my shoulders after I allowed myself to feel proud. How much my confidence grew.

It doesn't make yourself a bad person to praise your abilities. To say you know what? I'm actually bloody good at doing this and I don't care who knows. It's not about being a big head. It's about being proud at how far you've come and that your efforts have finally paid off.

You've got this. You just have to admit it yourself.

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Review: Paesan, Exmouth Market

Exmouth Market is fast becoming one of my favourite foodie haunts in the city so when I was invited down to try out the delights of Paesan, I couldn't say yes quick enough. The Italian kitchen boasts a snazzy restaurant upstairs but we trudged down into the basement to enjoy the cocktail bar. With lots of cocktails. Lots and lots of cocktails.

Specialising in small plates, the restaurant totally spoiled us. After sampling a good few cocktails on the menu - the Basil Grande a personal highlight! - we got stuck into a feast. The antipasti came out first overflowing with moorish fennel salami, freshly baked focaccia smothered in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salty prosciutto and spicy soppressata piccante. A complete attack on the tastebuds in the most perfect way.

Pasta was up next. I always find pasta is incredibly hard to execute in a restaurant. I very rarely leave wowed by a pasta dish and find they often come up short. Well, not at Paesan! I was blown away by the hand cut el dente Pappardelle pasta with a generous helping of melt-in-your-mouth, rich braised rabbit paired with nutty wild mushrooms. I had more than my fair share of this dish!

Although not pictured, I've got to give a shout out to the tender steak tagliata too. With peppery rocket, balsamic vinegar and a scattering of rich parmesan, it totally converted this girl. Definitely one to choose if you don't fancy a pasta dish.

The moist, citrus lemon cake was the perfect end to such a gorgeous meal. I may have nicked a triamasu too. You know, just to make sure it passed the test.

Paesan also have a lunchtime stall outside the restaurant for those who work in the area. At just £5 for an enormous portion and a different option daily, it seems a crime not to try it out!

Thanks so much for the invite guys!

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Recipe: Chorizo, Black Pudding and Fried Egg Salad

I was contacted by Florette Salad to see if I wanted to put together recipe. There's lots of salad recipes on their website! I said yes and racked my brains to come up with a hearty dish that wouldn't leave me feeling peckish an hour later. I got the inspiration for this recipe from a delicious salad I had while I was in Scotland. I tweaked it a little and came up with this tasty recipe.

Ingredients:
Handful of Florette crispy leaves*
Some chunky chorizo
1 fried egg
4 slices of black pudding
Frylight

1. Pop the black pudding and chrozio in a frying pan laced with frylight oil. Fry for a couple of minutes until the fried egg is ready.

2. Lace another frying pan with frylight and crack an egg. Once it's suitably cooked, start arranging an handful of salad leaves on a place.

3. Scatter the chorizo and black pudding over the leaves before popping the fried egg on top. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.

Let me know if you make it! It's something nice and quick to make for lunch when you have lots of things to do. Like watching Netflix...

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Exploring the UK: Golspie, Sutherland, The Highlands, Scotland

Last week I travelled up to The Highlands to visit an old school friend who's a teacher up there. It was the furthest North I'd ever ventured in the UK and what a sight for sore eyes the region is! We travelled around to quite a few little towns so I thought I'd concentrate on each one in a few posts.

The Highlands had been on my bucket list for a while so I was looking forward to doing plenty of exploring. We headed to Golspie as we had tickets to see the stunning Dunrobin Castle* at the bottom of the town. The fairytale castle perched above walled gardens dates back to over an incredible 700 years ago. It has been the home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland since the 13th century - making Dunrobin one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland. At 11am and 2pm there's an incredible falconry show put on in the grounds. To be honest, I wasn't really prepared to be impressed. Birds? Pah! I'd seen an owl one before and it was a little bit boring. But this one? This one was amazing. The gentleman was so knowledgable and made it fun. The falcon flew straight over my boyfriends head, just skimming his hair.

After refuelling on a jacket potato and plenty of cake, we headed to the Big Burn in search of waterfalls. The walk is only a 2.5km round trip through lush, green woodland. Pack sensible shoes - not *ahem* boots with a heel - and don't forget your camera. The scenery was absolutely stunning on every corner you turn. There's just something so relaxing and mesmerising about watching the loud waterfall echoing in your ears. After being rewarded by an impressive, gushing waterfall it was well worth the muddy boots!

We drove back as the sun was setting, leaving the sandy beach in the distance. There was more exploring to do in the morning!

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Money doesn't always equal happiness

Money. Money makes the world go round. Or so everyone leads you to believe. I was one of these people who spent money like water. I wanted to do everything and anything. I still do. But I don't have a full time job. So that makes it kinda hard.

At first I was unbelievably upset that I couldn't have my monthly spree on ASOS, treat myself to a Pret baguette or go out for spontaneous Friday night drinks. I moped around whining and sulking about the fact my bank account wasn't regularly being topped up by wages.  But then all my family, boyfriend and friends rallied round me. I realised money wasn't the centre of my happiness. They were.

When everything comes crashing down around you, you start to question where you are in life and how you get out of the rut, these are the people who have your back. They're the people who help you realise nothing's the end of the world. You just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get back on the life road full steam ahead. They help you belly laugh, smile until your jaw aches and help you get back in the game. If they're lovely boys, they may even buy you a beautiful bunch of flowers to let you know they're thinking of you. Or if they're good parents they'll bring you home a bottle of perfume from their travels and treat you to dominos to cheer you up. Or friends who send you hilarious memes to remind you why you're friends in the first place.

Next time you feel down about your lack of friends, remember money isn't central to your happiness. The people you surround yourself by are. Don't take them for granted.

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