It’s getting cold outside and your skin might be feeling stressed by the vagaries of chilly weather. But dry hands and chapped lips needn’t scream (if they could!). Anyone who says they don’t like the Autumn effect needs to meet these products ASAP…
Category Archives: Lifestyle
Easy Salted Caramel Cupcakes
I’m not one to resist the strong tides of food trends, especially when they bring in caramel that’s (sea) salted. So these salted caramel cupcakes have been begging for exposure since I first made them over the summer. Rich chocolate sponge cupcakes with a super-sweet, very slightly salted caramel buttercream icing. Perfect for Halloween!
Flapjacks Recipe
Flapjacks are the best snack for Autumn. Comforting, chewy, filling and so simple to bake.
Beauty Pick-Me-Ups
Sometimes it’s the little changes in beauty that can make all the difference. Unimpeachably uplifting time savers and luxury skincare champions, gather around my camera and pose/poise to be snapped.
Dreamy Chocolate Sponge and Sauce
Your new favourite Autumnal dessert is here.
It’s a delicious double whammy of chocolate: the most perfect chocolate sponge covered in a silky creamy chocolate sauce. You make the sponge like a tray bake and watch it rise (cake rising in the oven is my favourite show) as it becomes a super springy chocolate cake with an air-whipped, spongey centre. So it’s incredibly light, yet naughtily rich. Super simple and divinely decadent.
If you bake this for friends, pour the chocolate sauce into a jug so everyone can serve their own. A nostalgic nod to childhood days of sponge pudding and custard served at indoor teddy-bear picnics.
Just get ready to divulge the recipe afterwards! (To teddy bears or friends…)
Very Special Pasta Bake
MmmmlettheCLATTERINGofplatesprovidethemusic.
This pasta bake needs little introduction. It’s best described as the most delicious and nutritious macaroni cheese you’ll ever eat. A sort of macaroni cheese-verde. I use elicoidali pasta shapes, which are like a giant version of macaroni, making every mouthful extremely satisfying and substantial, covered in a thick homemade cheese sauce with finely chopped bacon, leeks and spinach. It’s very straightforward and wonderfully indulgent, perfect for an Autumn dinner.
Steak Pie
Everyone needs a good pie recipe up their sleeve (probably folded like an origami jester’s hat – because why not). There’s nothing better than a comforting homemade pie for Sunday lunch in the colder months that sets you up for the busy week ahead. Continue reading Steak Pie
Preppy Fashion
When I open my wardrobe I can feel a bit lost.
It’s organised into sections and subsections, but sometimes that’s not enough. Short of installing actual sartorial signposts (does & Other Stories have a homeware section?) I’m left gripped by indecision and amused by the narrative my fashion choices chronicle. Continue reading Preppy Fashion
Chewy Cookies Recipe
Call off the search – the hunt is over. Here is the recipe for big, chewy cookies. You know, like the ones you buy in the bakery? Except better, because you will have made them, with generous chunks of chocolate instead of little chips. And better still, they’re SO easy to make. I’ve tried baking with both white chocolate and milk chocolate because I wanted an excuse to eat loads of cookies thought it was really important to do proper research for this blog post and I’ve come to the conclusion that both kinds of chocolate work extremely well with this recipe. I also found out that these cookies are washed down perfectly by a homemade vanilla milkshake. Never let it be said that I don’t work for this blog.
The Ultimate Hand Care Guide
My hands. Sometimes good for jazz and flashy haptic flashes. But often not good at bending. My fingers crack and bleed. Skin struggles to stay connected.
As an eczema sufferer for over 10 years, I’ve tried almost every hand cream available from cheap supermarket own brand lotions to high-end luxury hand balms. I’m frequently asked for advice when it comes to hand care simply because everyone knows I’m never without a tube of hand cream on me! So here are my favourite hand creams and I’ve explained my hand care routine that I’ve created over the last few years to help treat my severely dry, inflamed and irritated skin.
