Recipe: smoked mackerel and chive quiche

The summer may have been a bit hit and miss this year but you've still got to take advantage of the hot weather when it appears! One of my favourite things to do when the sun starts to shine is to eat al-fresco. A dish that always reminds me of summer is a quiche. This time I opted for a smoked mackerel and chive dish from one of my favourite cookbooks, Faye Makes It Easy. I actually almost followed this to the letter which is very unusual for me but everything from Faye's cookbook is great the way it is.

Paired with some refreshing Galvanina*, the quiche went down a treat! Offering organic flavours - in beautiful embossed bottles - such as Red grapefruit, Ruby orange, Sicilian clementine and Sicilian lemonade, the 100% fruit drinks are absolutely delicious. My personal favourite is the Sicilian Clementine - so fruity!

Ingredients:
1 pack of ready rolled shortcrust pastry
2 large eggs, beaten
200g smoked mackerel fillets
100ml milk
200ml half-fat creme fraiche
I bunch of chives, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees for a fan oven/ 220 degrees/gas mark 7.

2. Roll out the pastry and line a small tart dish, roughly trim the edges. Prick the base a few times with a fork and blind bake - with baking beads and a sheet of parchment paper - it for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the paper and beads once baked and brush with beaten egg before baking for another five minutes. Set aside once cooked.

4. To make the filling, take the skin off the mackerel, tear the fish into little pieces and scatter over the pastry base.

5. In a large jug, whisk the milk, eggs, creme fraiche and chives with a couple of grinds of pepper and a few pinches of sea salt.

6. Bake for 25 minutes on a baking tray until the top is golden and set.

7. Cut into wedges and serve with a fresh salad - I've gone for roasted vegetable and goats cheese - and a homemade potato salad to up the carb intake!

Please do let me know if you make it, simple drop me a tweet!

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OOTD: blue chevron shirt

Outfit:
Blue chevron shirt: Boohoo* (similar)
Beige midi trench coat: ASOS
Distressed blue denim jeans: F&F (similar)
Gold pointed leather loafers: Topshop
Poppy red Lily bag: Mulberry

This is a weekend staple for me. My shirt collection is slightly getting out of control. It's a simple, comfortable outfit that's perfect for mooching around town and meeting friends. The holes in these jeans are getting bigger and bigger but that's exactly how I like them. I'm dreading the day they fall apart on me. I wore this for Hello Kitty afternoon tea with my favourite blogger pals but more on that gem later on in the week. These gold leather loafers are the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. They were an absolute pain to break in and I think my feet weeped for about five days. But once that was over, they fit like a glove so it's worth taking on the pain for a while. Something to bear in mind if you feel like taking the plunge!

Today I am off to Copenhagen for three days and am so excited to finally visit Scandinavia. I booked the trip for my boyfriend's birthday so looking forward to eating out way around the city and coming back 10 stone heavier. We're going to try and take it easy to make sure we come back relaxed. Which means no ridiculously early alarms and lots of lounging around the apartment eating Danish pastries. Most of the trip is planed around food stops but we do have a few must-visits on our list. See you on the flip side guys!

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Recipe: cous cous, rocket and feta salad with harissa dressing

I've only recently become a salad convert. I used to avoid them like a plague but I think I just hadn't experimented much. Warm vegetables, cous cous or pasta, leaves and a good dressing is what works for me. A little bit of cheese makes everything ten times better too! Lakeland sent me a handy Kilner salad on the go airtight jar. With a small metal cup that slots in the top, it's the perfect trick to combat a soggy salad. No more sacrifices for lunch at work!

Ingredients:
1/2 bag of mixed salad leaves
100g sweetcorn
50g cous cous
100g feta cheese

For the dressing:
1/2 teaspoon of harissa paste
A pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

1. Cook the sweetcorn in a pan with boiling hot water. This should take about 10 minutes. Let it cool down.

2. Cook the cous cous according to packet instructions. Let it cool down.

3. Layer the heaviest items first. So start with the cous cous then the sweetcorn, and salad leaves.

4. Put the chopped feta cheese in a separate tub.

5. To make the dressing, mix all three ingredients together and pour into the silver dish that slots into the top of the jar.

It couldn't be simpler! It's a really filling salad for a work lunch - the salty feta cheese and spicy harissa work perfectly together. As always, I'd love to know if you make it so please do tweet me.

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