Snow Day

A perfect day hanging out with my boy. School was cancelled so we went sledging, had snowball fights, brief   moments of drama concerning cold toes...

...then all was forgotten with hot chocolates and blankets, in front of Beauty and the Beast.

I ALWAYS wanted a massive library like the one Beast has. I'm sure most little girls dreamed of the happily ever after - but I wanted that library! Such a geek.

They Are Getting Married

We spent the weekend with our wonderful family, celebrating the engagement of my brother and his partner Lucy. They're an adorable couple, and happen to make excellent hosts, too. So on Saturday night we were treated to dinner of spaghetti and tricolore salad, followed by homemade meringues and fruit. Then it all got a bit less civilized when the sticking-of-spoons-on-faces started...

Family members arrived from both sides the next day, and we enjoyed homemade pasties, quiches, and cakes - including Lorraine Pascal's Oreo brownies which I'd been dying to try; a Baileys and white chocolate cheesecake that a relative of Lucy's has been given strict instruction to send me the recipe of; and little heart-shaped Victoria sponges that made all the women coo quite hysterically. Oh, and champagne of course! Although I regretted that slightly when Toby and I had to rush for our late night train home!
 Totally worth it to spend some time with my brother though. Congratulations Adam and Lucy! xxx

Pools and Polperro

Well we're home from the sea, and I'm missing it already. Luckily the sun came out in the last few days, so we spent a very happy day at the beach in Looe. Laying on the sand, burying our feet, rockpooling, walking out to sea, eating ice creams, watching the boats go by....life at it's best, surely?

Then, a lovely evening in the nearby village of Polperro. This is a real working fishing village and is very small, so feels less touristy than Padstow and was certainly much quieter.

We found a very old, creaky and crooked fisherman's tavern on the seafront, serving local fish and seafood. Having bagged the best window table, we could sit and watch the fisherman bringing in their evening catches (this elicited different reactions from us..my Dad and I thought of how fresh and delicious they would be, whilst my Mum was grossed out. She's not the biggest fish fan. Toby was more interested in the boats themselves)

So in true form my Dad and I each had the seafood platter, which included (and this is a big claim here) The Best Scallops I Have Ever Had. Cooked in garlic butter and bacon. Just truly heavenly.

Oh take me back...

Cornish Coast

Yet again, I've been a rather neglectful blogger of late. But at least this week I've had an excuse, as I've been having a relaxing time away in Cornwall with the Wonderboy and my parents.

Yesterday we took a visit to Padstow, which is a great place for wandering around the little shops, pubs and cafes...especially when there are enormous Cornish scones to be had.

Oh, and of course Rick Stein has taken over the place. He has a seafood restaurant, cafe, deli, patisserie, shop and fish and chip takeaway. Yes it was expensive, but it was very good. And the only time in my life that my fish and chips have come with a lemon wedge and parsley garnish!

Farewell Lunch

Before we knew it, it was time for Adam and Lucy to leave. We had a farewell lunch at One Beaufort in Bath. Very reasonably priced and beautiful decor inside, with a tastefully done gastro pub feel. My Mum and Auntie also came down for the day, and guess what? They've taken my darling Toby to stay with my Mum and Dad for the weekend, giving me a very welcome few days off! Hhmm it may be time for another case of When Good Mums Go Bad! Excellent fish and chips and a homemade tartare sauce that converted me one of my least favourite condiments...

..and a very excessive chocolate fondant with chocolate ice cream.

I think toby's going to miss his uncle!

Pesto and Goats Cheese Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Parma Ham

These wonderful people have been staying with us for a few days.... ...my brother and his girlfriend in case you were wondering, aka Uncle Adam and Auntie Lucy. So we made the most of a sunny day and drove to Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire. We took long walks through the trees (which mostly involved Adam and Toby playing hide and seek very noisily), had a spot of lunch, and did some crafting. Musn't forget the crafting. I think we enjoyed this way more than any sensible adult should have...

Then just enough sun left to chill in the garden with some tea.

And bubbles. Oh yeah, tea and bubbles. That's how we roll.

For dinner I prepared these chicken breasts. Simply slice through the middle so that they open out. Now spread with basil pesto:

Add some soft crumbly goats cheese and two fresh basil leaves per breast:

Wrap each breast in two slices of parma ham. Secure with a cocktail stick and place onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, then cook in an oven pre-heated to 180'C for 45 minutes.

Before putting the chicken in the oven, I par-boiled some new potatoes. Then roasted in the oven with some herbs, garlic and olive oil for about the same the time as the chicken.

Serve with some salad, wine, and happy faces!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas everyone! We've had a lovely few days so far, with plenty of food, drink, laughter, playing in the snow and dancing to the Wii! Here's just a few pics from our Christmas- mostly food related, of course.

I made some mince pies using the mincemeat that I made a couple of weeks ago (you can find the recipe elsewhere on the blog). For a change, I used puff pastry instead of shortcrust, which resulted in light, fluffy mince pies with a crusty sugar topping. We ate them warm from the oven so as you can imagine they didn't last too long!

Christmas brunch-scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with toasted muffins, criossants and champagne.

Best time of the day: presents!

I know I only ate this yesterday, but I could totally eat this all over again...

Dad's random new tradition that he's just decided to introduce-a scratch card in an envelope for each person at the table, to be scratched after dinner. Slightly odd but actually adds some excitement to the end of the meal!

Hope you've all had a good one! Now roll on New Year...