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#lostinfoodsupperclub

THE SUPPER CLUB THAT WILL HAVE EVERYONE TALKING AND AN EXTENSIVE WAITING LIST


The two wonderful ladies in the photograph above are Michelle and Lesley, the creative geniuses behind Lost in Food. They met through mutual friends but they soon bonded through their love of food. I met them over a foodie weekend away in St Andrews and I quickly realised that we'd get on like a house on fire! A couple of months ago I got a little message inviting myself and fellow blogging friend Julia from JustJulia to Inverurie to enjoy an afternoon of delectable food and copious amounts of cocktails all put together as the Lost in Food Supper Club.

Upon arrival after being in awe of Lesley's beautiful home and lust worthy kitchen we were treated to a zesty lemon cocktail whipped up by Lesley's husband, as a lover of gin I was excited to see that it was made with Wild Island gin which I had never tried before but I wasn't disappointed. 



To start we were treated to sun-dried tomato and ricotta ravioli with a tomato consommé. Little bit about me, I'm quite a fussy eater and I have never been a fan of tomatoes but I told both Lost in Fooder's that I would go into the afternoon with an open mind and that I'd try absolutely everything and I'm so happy that I did, I devoured the entire dish. The tomato consommé was a lovely light tomato like broth which had taken hours to perfect and it complimented the creamy ravioli perfectly - the starter was paired with a refreshing and summery côtes de provence rosé.


The Main, my favourite dish of all, was a generous breast of corn fed chicken paired with the most unbelievably delicious fondant potatoes upon a bed of buttered leaks and asparagus all drizzled with a light jus. Firstly, I had no idea that leaks could taste so good, I mean I would happily eat that with every meal (it probably has something to do with the butter) - amazing. The chicken itself was mouthwateringly good, it fell off the bone, onto my fork and into my mouth quicker than you could say fondant potatoes which were wonderful, fluffy and full of flavour - I was so impressed (and I even ate the asparagus) it was matched well with a limestone coast chardonnay.


The pièce de résistance was a beautiful lemon pannacotta with raspberry jelly and honeycomb. Well, well well, this was incredible. Across every single dish presentation was perfection and I really liked how the pannacotta and jelly were put together, it just took it to the next level. The sweetness of the jelly and the tartness of the pannacotta went so well together, it's not flavours that I've had together before but I can assure you it won't be the last time. On top and to the side were little pieces of heaven in the form of honeycomb along with lemon curd, lemon thyme and raspberry dust - it was phenomenal! The final pairing of the meal was a lovely desert wine, premières côtes de bordeaux.


I was so impressed with standard of meal as I'm sure anyone would be, the flavours, aromas and company made for an absolutely lovely afternoon and I wouldn't of changed a single thing. You can tell how passionate they both are about food and cooking just by watching them, they float around each other both adding to each dish, very in sync. I can't wait to see what's next for Lost in Food and I wish them both all the success in the world.

Quarterly Catch Up


Again I've been quite quiet on the blog front but after speaking to some of my amazing blogging pals - I'm not going to apologise for it. Life happens and sometimes there's just not enough hours in the day to put everything together in a rambling post. As I have been MIA though I thought I'd pop up a little catch up post to let you know what I've been up to lately, obviously in between all these great things I've also been doing my day job but I didn't think you'd be interested in seeing my hard hat and my steel toe cap boots - but if you do then be sure to let me know (no one will let me know... ).


Lately I've been LOVING reading and I have added quite a few great books to my collection including Ice Cream for Breakfast by Laura Jane Williams. If you feel like you don't have your shit together or that you've just been feeling a bit 'meh' lately then go pick this up and it will do exactly that to you. It's such a feel good book and it leaves you feeling empowered ready to take on anything and everything.

Speaking of empowered, I spent a night eating chocolate, having a cheeky Nando's and a lil' cocktail with two incredible ladies. Katherine and Georgie (click on their names to check out their blogs. Katherine kills it with Fashion and takes you on her journey of modelling and Georgie is a fabulous woman with great taste, humour and has an obsession with all things Beauty). We spent the start of the evening at a Chocolate event which we spent chatting away about all things blogging and having a general catch up then we headed to the wonderful home of chicken, Nando's. It was great speaking away about everything (I mean, everthang) and we didn't want the night to end there so off we popped for a daiquiri at Revolucion de Cuba. Great night spent with great company - I love those girls!

Hello Leabags


One thing I absolutely love is taking photographs. So much so that I completed a night course at my local college doing Conventional Photography. One pain with this is carrying around all the gear and equipment that I have accumulated over time (trust me, there is a lot as I have a tendency to hoard everything even if it's broken) so I have been on the look out for a bag to keep everything in while I'm on the go and Leabags have come to the rescue with this one, the Greensboro backpack!



Leabags is a German company that specialises in hand crafted leather goods for every person for every occasion whether that is your daily commute, your trip to the gym or like me, to hold your camera equipment. The Greensboro is made from genuine buffalo leather, has sturdy leather and canvas straps and padded Velcro inserts so you can section off the inside of the bag which is perfect for keeping your different lenses safe and protected. 

Homemade Chocolate HobNobs

A cup of tea and a chocolate hobnob, it's so fantastically British and so goddamn brilliant!


Ingredients

120g unsalted butter
80g of light brown sugar
2 big teaspoons of golden syrup
100g oats
100g wholemeal flour or regular flour
50g of ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoons of salt

For the Chocolate topping

120g of chocolate of your choice
25g of unsalted butter

Preheat your oven to 120 degrees (fan) Add the butter and the brown sugar in a bowl and mix until creamy and smooth.
Mix in the golden syrup and once it's all combined add in all the dry ingredients and mix.


Once everything is is combined take a small amount and roll it into balls. I went for just smaller than golfballs and they ended up being quite hefty so it completely depends on the size you want. Pop them onto greaseproof paper and make sure they are spread apart as they do expand in the oven. Flatten out the balls until they are about 2 inches in diameter then pop them in the oven for 12 minutes.

Live Adventurously with Go Ape

I'm not the most spontaneous or adventurous person but when I got invited back to do the Go Ape course at Crathes Castle it took me about 12 minutes to scramble the 'tribe' and get it all booked!

Sam, his sister, brother and myself all did the course last year which you can read all about my first impression here (the video is a must watch for the shaky footage alone - it was when I climbed my first tree that I realised that I was scared of heights!). 



Go Ape have 31 locations all across the UK and counting and they have just celebrated their 15th Birthday ( ... happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you). They have 3 locations in Scotland, Aberfoyle home to two of Britain's longest zip-wires, Peebles with some of the highest zip-wires over reservoirs and Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire located in 240 hectares of luscious countryside with an incredible skateboard infused zip-wire!

Micro Family Days



Family is the most important thing to me, everything that we worry about and stress over really doesn't matter and at the end of the day its who you surround yourself with, it's who your cuddled up on the sofa with at night - that's what/who matters. 

St Andrews, a virtual tour

As you may have seen Sam and I were in St Andrews a few weeks ago for a stay at the Fairmont but we decided to stay on a few days more. St Andrews is a home from home for me as my Grandparents  live there and I used to spend weeks walking around the east sands and in and out of the cobbled streets - it brings back great memories of my childhood. 

I thought I'd do a little catch up post to show you the beauty that is St Andrews, a few of my favourite spots and must see's, from the Historic Harbour to the clear blue seas. 



St Andrews is full to the brim of students and as students come and go, as do they're bicycles. Every corner you turn you're more than likely to catch a glimpse of one.

This is the weekend I enrolled Sam as my 'Instagram Husband', slightly reluctant he soon changed his mind and was snap happy. There were a few mid pose change that are quality, trust me, they won't be making a blog post!

The next two photos is of one of the many colourful cobbled streets that connects Market Street to North Street, I love the colourful buildings.

The Historic Harbour is still a working harbour with little fishing boats to large majestic sailing boats. I used to walk by the boats and along the pier every summer.

One of the many University buildings, if I were a student in St Andrews I'd definitely get lost as the 'campus' is massive. As a kid I always pictured myself studying Marine Biology here, sadly that never happened.



Ah Jannettas, the home of the best Ice Cream I have ever tasted! Whatever flavour you fancy I bet you could find it in here. I went for Banana and Parma Violet - it tasted amazing, even in the rain.

I have to tell you something - I have a thing for front doors - small, tall, wooden and colourful. I think they tie the whole look of a house together. (Sad, I know) But St Andrews is the place for bright doors, very Pinterest worthy.

Cue the typical blogger photo - here are my shoes! I snapped up this photo just after Sam and I had hit Fisher and Donaldson's - only the best baker in Scotland! They do a mean sausage roll!

The East Sands. Even on chilly days you can find at least one brave soul surfing, students attempting to fly kites and all of the dog walkers. I used to go on long walks with my Grandad along this beach along with his two Lassie dogs.

Another glimpse of the delicious ice cream this time showing off Sam's, he went for Banana also and Cookies and Cream. If you are in St Andrews you must go to Jannettas - you will regret it if you don't go.

A view of the pier at the Historic Harbour from the Cathedral grounds, I'd love to have this view on a daily basis.

There we have it, a little virtual tour of my favourite spots of St Andrews.

Piccadilly Lilly

(Image courtesy of Piccadilly Lilly)

I love boutique stores and independent businesses and Piccadilly Lilly is one of them. Run by Mia in a little Scottish villiage called Elie, Piccadilly Lilly opened it's doors in July 2016 and they sell a mixture of Women's clothing, jewellery, accessories and hand-crafted interior pieces. The interiors are all handmade by Mia's husband Sandy in his workshop, re-using wood and happily commissioning work taking your ideas and turning them into a reality.
A great thing about the store is that it will keep on growing as Mia finds new designers and talented makers.

A remarkable stay at the Fairmont St Andrews

Scotland is an absolutely beautiful Country and one of my favourite places to travel is St. Andrews in Fife. St. Andrews is a picturesque town that has something for everyone from amazing beaches, the finest foods, a cultured University and the best Luxury Golf and Spa Resort Hotel, Fairmont St Andrews.


Fairmont have hotels all around the world from Azerbaijan to Nairobi from Beijing to the white beaches of Barbados. Fairmont is the leader in the global hospitality industry and are known for their excellence worldwide. Fairmont St Andrews is a 520 acre five star resort that is the epitome of luxury and has spectacular cliff top sea views, views of the town centre and famous cathedral. The resort boasts many different facilities including two championship golf courses, the Kittocks and the Torrence, exemplary dining experiences for every palette, an outstanding Spa with copious treatment choices to complete the whole experience. It really is the crème de la crème and makes a Scottish getaway like no other.

A sweet little upgrade to an Easter Classic, the Hot Cross Bun!

I love walking into a shop or bakery and smelling the sweet spicy scent of Hot Cross Buns, it brings back great memories of my childhood but the only downside of them for me are the raisins and currents. Because Easter is only a month away I wanted to give my twist on the Classic Hot Cross Bun but filling them with chocolate chips instead all topped with a white chocolate cross!


With a sugary glaze, they are perfect fresh from the oven for all the family and to add some more calories to the mix, enjoy with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream - beautiful!

Lunch at the Long Dog, Aberdeen

One of the things I love about being a blogger is the other bloggers that you meet on the way and one of my favourites by far is Laura who writes, the Floral Elephant. She is a lovely genuine person and is extremely talented, I met Laura almost a year ago at a foodie event and I'm pretty sure we've been friends since then even though we didn't speak much at the actual event (typical people of the internet, we started speaking more online than in real life haha).

I love meeting up with Laura and finding out all about what she's been up to so we planned to have an afternoon mulling about Aberdeen together. We decided to head to the Long Dog cafe in Aberdeen's West End as we had both heard AMAZING things about their Freak Shakes and boy, we weren't disappointed! The Long Dog Cafe is a cute little place that is open to everyone with two legs and four, yes that's right you can take your pooch friends along with you and that's one of the fantastic things about it as you can just sit, catch up with your friends while starring at all the dogs in every size!


The thing with the Long Dog cafe is that it's so blooming popular, if you want a seat you've got to be quick but thankfully we managed to grab a table right next to a little white dog - so bloody cute!

After a little chinwag our food arrived, Laura opted for a panini and a bacon roll for myself. They were really good but it's not what we went there for - we were patiently waiting with baited breath for our Freak Shakes! I feel really sorry for the staff that have to wash the jars that have been used for the shakes as they get messy as hell!

Treat your Mum with Thaikhun

Sawasdee (Hello), We love our Mum's and what better way to show them that than winning them a Thaikhun Orange Card - that's free Thaikhun for a year! Yup, an entire year's worth of delicious Thai Street food! Thaikhun have decided to give you the chance of winning this and it couldn't be simpler to enter. All you have to do is submit either a Photo or Video telling them why your mum is Fabulous and why she should win it in no more than five words - this competition closes on Friday the 24th of March so no dilly dallying - enter here! 


Thaikhun have also given you, my readers the chance to win a Family Meal for five up to the value of £100 - whoop whoop! All you have to do is head over to my twitter, retweet my pinned tweet and follow Thaikhun and myself - it's that easy (T's and C's below).

Forget Supermarkets, Super Mums go to Pure Spa!

As cheesy as that sounds it is March which means Mother's Day is just round the corner and you should be thinking up ways to show your Mum just how special she really is (FYI you should be doing this all year round because at some point in your life she's probably washed your undies - you owe her). Instead of the same box of chocolates and corner shop flowers why don't you go that extra mile this year and I know the perfect thing to get her, a Super Mum Spa Package from Pure Spa!


Samuel Parris Soy Wax Candles | Review

There's nothing I love more than sitting in the house watching my favourite movies with candles lit all around and the one I have been loving and edging closer and closer to wherever I'm sitting in the house is my Vanilla and White Rum candle from Samuel Parris!


Samuel Parris set up business in 2016 with the idea of developing products that capture the outdoor lifestyle. Each candle is made with Soy Wax, made by hand and they really have captured nature and this can be seen in the packaging, from the wick right down to the scent - oh what a scent they have! All of the products are sourced from within the UK and mainly from small businesses just like themselves which is fantastic especially these days. Yes there are many candles out there on the market, but with Samuel Parris you really feel that they are made with care and not just churned out for the sake of making a buck or two.

Jamtastic' Jammy Dodger Blondies!

I have been very excited to share this Jamtastic' recipe with you as it is definitely one of my Favourites! I have combined my love of Blondies and Jammy Dodgers and the results are AH-MAZING - if I do say so myself, and I do! The sweetness of the White Chocolate and the chewiness of the Dodger is just heaven in your mouth. 

I'm so happy with how they turned out and I hope you like them just as much as I do. Happy Baking!

An ode to the Woman on the bus in the Donkey hat

I'm an avid bus user, not because I love the metal boxes but that's because I still can't drive, whoops but anyway, because I don't drive, buses are my method of transport. I was away to ask whether or not you've ever been on a bus before but I'm guessing that unless you're the Christian Grey's of the world with a driver at your beck and call then you've definitely been on a least one in your lifetime. (Can you tell I've just seen Fifty Shades Darker, wow wow wee wow, that's a story for another time).

Back to the buses, people from every single walk of life use buses every single day from dawn till dusk. There's old biddies away shopping for the latest deals with their pal Ethel, there's the daily commuter and then there's the rude noisy school kids - ugh, let's just ignore them. But everyone just sits there reading their Kindles or gazing out of the windows - no one really seems happy about being there and I am one of these people, there's nothing really enjoyable about the whole thing but then I saw the Woman in the Donkey Hat who brightened up that particular journey.

Bakery Cakery, the Cake subscription box that you need in your life!

There's about 7.4 Billion people in the world. Let's just say 1.4 billion of them don't like cake, that leaves 5 billion people who I'm sure would agree with me when I say that receiving cake in the post is an amazing thing that everyone needs in their life!! Well that is where Bakery Cakery come into play and thank the lord because it really is an amazing thing!


Bakery Cakery was set up by the lovely Kiara in 2008 and her delicious creations have been stocked in coffee shops, she has had an Etsy store selling unique aprons and cake toppers but in 2016 she decided to solely have one focus and that is the amazing subscription boxes full to the brim of cake! (could you really ask for anything better in life?)

Kraking Krakatoa Experience - why you should dive into the world of Tiki in Aberdeen


"Describe Krakatoa to me in five words?"
Flash ponders this question walking up and down the tiki lounge until he turns rounds all bright eyed, "Neon Drenched Dionysian Tiki", how many words do I have left he asks, "One more" I say.
"Dive". 

They are the five perfect words to sum up Krakatoa, the newest tiki dive bar in Aberdeen.

(image courtesy of Krakatoa)
Krakatoa, previously The Moorings, is located at Trinity Quay, right on the dock front. It's mysterious and cloaked under some bad misconceptions as people associate Krakatoa with a grungy rock and roll bad vibe, but they couldn't be further from the truth as I experienced drinking cocktails while the owner danced away to some 70's Disco. 

Something sweet, crunchy and full of a whole lotta Love, Valentine's Cookie Recipe

It's the month of love and I am proud to say that I am such a sucker for Valentine's Day! Yes I know that you should show your other half love all year round and I do but there's just something about the supermarkets covered in hearts and loved up couples buying each other soppy cards that puts a massive smile on my face!

I had to take advantage of my new Heart shaped cookie cutters from Curated Stories so I whipped up these double chocolate chip, cranberry cookies!

Lash Lift Experience at Pure Spa | Review, AD

You know what's great? A good pamper and that's exactly what I got when I visited Pure Spa in Aberdeen. I was asked along to receive one of their many beauty treatments available and I went for a Lash Lift as I have quite straight stubby lashes plus I have only ever had a lash tint before and the results weren't that dramatic so I was holding out for big results.

Upon arrival I was treated like a VIP and after admiring the nail bar and the multiple varnishes I was introduced to my therapist Agga and shown to my treatment room. The smell in this room was divine, I have no idea what it was but that mixed with the therapeutic music I was transported to an idyllic paradise. Lying on the treatment bed Agga spoke through every single state of my Lash Lift, from a cleanse, to the silicone pads to the treatment itself and as someone who has never had this before it was good to know exactly what was happening. So how does a lash lift work? Well first of all you choose the size of the curl you want from small, medium and large. I chose medium and I would again. A silicone pad is placed on the lid and it helps lift each lash individually, helping them to look voluminous! Your lashes are stuck to the silicone pad for about 40 minutes, the pad gives a heavy feeling on the eyelid but it's in no way painful (it actually helped me relax more). Your eyes have to stay shut for the full treatment and that's probably why I caught some cheeky z's.

Jumping on the Self Love Band Wagon! | Lifestyle

I think every single person struggles with loving themselves at one point in their life. Even if you think someone looks a solid 10 and that they could have no worries in the world, I bet they've still struggled and I know I have. I can't think of a time in my life where I have felt completely happy with myself and how I look, but times are changing! Without trying to sound cheesy AF, 2017 is going to be the year where I change my outlook on myself, I'm jumping on the self love bandwagon and before any eyebrows start twitching I'm not meaning that but I mean I'm going to stop being hard on myself.



Simple Choc Chip Loaf | Recipe

Sundays are for baking and this recipe that I whipped up is maybe just one of my faves! What's better than bread?! Oh yeah that's right, chocolate chips in bread! Sunday's are for Roast dinners and that's exactly what were having tonight so I said I'd bring the desert and I thought this would be the perfect thing to bring!

My top five people to Follow on Instagram | Love List




I did a post like this back last year and I wanted to do it again because I feel the Insta game has been switched up massively and so many people are killin' it! So here are My Top five people that I have fallen head over heels with.


Hannah Gale. I was actually speaking to one of my friends the other day and Hannah popped up in conversation, she has mentioned that she fan girled a little when she was retweeted by her (I have my very own fan girl moments, don't we all?) and this made me want to head on over to instagram to see what beauties she's been posting. Hannah's insta feed is full of beautiful outfit of the day pics with her trusty accessory - her smile. It's a bright, happy feed that makes you just want make them likes rain down on it.

No Bake, No Fuss Millionaire Shortbread | Recipe

There's nothing I like more than being busy in the kitchen on a Sunday morning and that's what I've been doing today. Here is my recipe for No Bake, No Fuss Millionaires Shortbread. This is a really easy and quick recipe to whip up when you have guests coming over or a handy quick one to make with the kids, trust me they will have fun licking the chocolate off of the spoon.


All things 'ooh' and Matte, Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette | Beauty

It may come as a shock but this time last year the only makeup I wore was a light layer of mascara and the odd application of lip balm, I know, not even brows (eek). These days I wear more than that just to run along to the shop! I haven't ventured much into the higher end of makeup as I tend to stick with drugstore and the odd thing from MAC and KIKO but I do have a slight obsession with Urban Decay and when I saw this doing the rounds on the beauty scene I knew it would make a great addition and after a call from my Mum asking if I'd like it for Christmas I made a room for it on my shelf! Introducing, the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette! 


Firstly I must speak about the packaging, it's goddamn gorgeous! Not too bulky and I think it's the perfect size for a medium to large makeup bag, plus there is a decent sized mirror which is always handy. You also get a cute double ended brush which I never tend to use but one end is very dense and small which is perfect for smudging shades along your lash line. 

2017 | Goals and things that aren't going to tick me off anymore | Lifestyle




Happy Flipping New Year! 
What a year 2016 was, to round things up it was full of the Good, the Bad and let's not forget Trump (how could we forget about that wotsit?!) But let's not dwell on the year that has past, let's look forward to all the amazing things that this year could and hopefully will bring!

Personal life, I would love to get our finances all sorted and possibly look into buying a bigger family home. I am a home body so this really excites me. 
I'd love to see more of Scotland this year with the possibility of a Road Trip along the West Coast. 
I'd like my 9-5 become a little less drab but we can't have everything, can we? 
April also starts Primary School this year so this year is going to be full of all the emotions and writing her name on every single belonging!