Skin Food Smoothie

Everyone seems to be on the smoothie bandwagon these days and since I have fallen out of love with my usual breakfast of marmite on toast I thought I would resurrect an old favourite. 

My aim with smoothies is to try and include as many colours in the vegetables and fruits as possible to get as many types of nutrients and possible. 

I call this my skin food smoothie as it is filled with ingredients that are suppose to bring out the best in your skin. 

With omega-3 oils for hydration (particularly important for the vegetarians out there), beta carotene for smoother skin and ellagic acid for skin firming. This smoothie comes in at about 192 calories depending upon the size of your measuring cup. 

 Makes 1 smoothie

Ingredients 

2tbsp of chia seeds

1/2 cup of strawberries

1/2 cup of blue berries

1 cup of spinach 

1 cup coconut water 

Put all the ingredients in a blender whizz it up into a smoothie consistency and serve. 

Top tips

You can use froozen berries for a chilled smoothie plus you tend to get more for your money and they don't need to be in season. 

You can add the contents of a probiotic capsule for added digestive help. 

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Gomshall Mill

Surrey is littered with twee little villages that look like they were part of the film set of the Holiday. Over the years my mother has taken us on various tours of the Surrey/Kent area finding nooks and crannies to take us to.

One of her favourite locations is Gomshall Mill which is where my brother Chris, my Mum, my grandfather and I went to on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Yes those are old stocks outside. 

The pub comes with the soundtrack of running water as the converted mill dating back to Medival times is still operational with the River Tillingbourne continuing to run underneath.

The weather was beautiful but there was a bite in the air so we sat inside by the bar which has all of the paraphernalia you expect from and old world pub in deepest darkest Surrey. 

Chris was all too happy to have his photo taken. 

Mum was much happier. 

We ordered cream teas, which came in a respectable tea pot and cups with mini shortbreads. The shortbreads melted into a crumbly goodness in your mouth. 

Then the main even arrived the scones with pots of raspberry jam and enough clotted cream to keep even Chris happy. 

Chris and I snuck into the resturaunt before leaving to take photos of the mill in action. 

All in all it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and you can even take your dogs along if you want. Like these two, who stayed at home this time. 

However after three weeks of cream tea/afternoon tea in a row I think I need a break from a scone. However I have just made plans with my sister-in-law and mum for afternoon tea in June! 

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To Mayfair we go

Last weekend I headed down to London again for a catch up with J. I have to confess I was completely lazy and left all the planning to her.

She booked us into The Chesterfield in Mayfair for afternoon tea. The Chesterfield could not be more different to the Sanderson's Mad Hatter Tea or the Tetley's understated afair. Instead it is about as old school as it gets. 

The lobby is a place of marble and gilt where your coats are taken to the cloak room before you enter the Butler's restaurant at the rear.  

You are provided with your menu from which you have your pick of teas and champagne. 

                        

We went for the Rose champagne and I picked the Earl Grey. 

       

They kindly made me a plate of my own vegetarian sandwiches (which they placed I front of me). Which for the record were the best range of vegetarian sandwiches I have discovered at a cream tea including not only the traditional cucumber and egg but also roasted vegetable with pesto and chedder and chutney. 

     

In respect of the scones there was your traditional version but also a chocolate chip variety. 

                                 

And the sweets well as you will see there was a layer of sweets with one each of the many varieties including; popcorn merringe lollipop (my favourite), blueberry, carotcake cupcake, mini eclaire, fruit tart and many more. 

If you wanted any more of a particular sandwich, tea or sweet you simply had to  ask and it would be brought over in the block of an eye. The service was immaculate and the food delishous. They even made us a doggy bag of the items that out eyes had been too big for our stomachs to finish. 

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Mama Wilson's Chocolate Fudge Pudding

For some unknown reason whenever the subject of my mother's cooking comes up I start referring to her as Mama Wilson. as if she has some how morphed into an Italian cookery goddess or southern belle indulging in deep fried meals rather than the all sing all dancing Home Counties mother that she is.

But boy can that woman cook and even more than that she enjoys cooking, happily whipping up a batch of cheese scones to accompany meals as an after thought.

Having come home for Easter I have been treated to Mama Wilson's baking and I thought I would sneak into the kitchen and share one of her recipes.

I have no idea of the origins of this recipe but it has been in my mothers battered and smudged handwritten recipe book for as long as I can remember. It is the baking equivalent of getting home after a long day at work and pulling on sweats and old t shirt and snugging up on the sofa with a blanket. In short it is pure and unadulterated comfort food that is so simple you can pull it together in one bowl (and a measuring jug) and relax.

This recipe makes a light chocolate sponge which comes with a thick syrupy chocolate sauce that adds to the comfort level. Serve alone or with a scoop of ice cream that will melt into the mix. Mama Wilson often serves it with some single cream but to be honest the recipe really doesn't need it.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
Pudding
3oz margarine
2oz self raising flour
1oz cocoa powder
3oz caster sugar
1 large egg

Sauce
2 oz brown sugar
1/2 oz cocoa powder
11/2 oz walnuts chopped
1/2 pint of hot black coffee
2oz caster sugar

Heat the oven on a moderate heat (325oF: Gas Mark 3)

1 Grease a 2 pint dish
2 place a the pudding ingredients together in one bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon until mixed and place in the dish
3 Sprinkle the brown sugar, cocoa powder and chopped walnuts for the sauce over the pudding mix in the dish
4 mix the remaining caster sugar and hot coffee together and pour over the pudding
5 Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes

Enjoy!

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Something for Nothing part 1

When my friend Jane lived in London we would meet up for "free days". A free day is when you do as much as possible without spending any money. Ok so there may well have been a coffee and cake thrown in but we would essentially amuse ourselves for as little cost as possible.

In London it's so easy as there are amazing museums and gallery's that are free to visit, the Tate was a particular favourite as Jane was based in Pimlico.

Outside of London it gets a little bit more difficult as there is not as much choice or range of options especially in colder months. So I thought I would start to put together a mini series of freebie ideas with additional extras for those with £5 or £10 to spend based around Leeds.

Free days for Culture Vultures
 

1.Galleries/Museums
This is probably the easiest to pull off as most large towns have at least one free museum or Gallery to perambulate around as you flit between masterpieces and the weird and the wonderful. In Leeds you can pick between the Gallery , Henry Moore Institute and the Museum which are all easily walkable. I prefer the Gallery which has a mix of new and old as well as a modern installation. If you have the use of a car why not visit the Hepworth or Yorkshire Sculpture park.

£5 to spend
After all that walking rest your feet in the Tiled Hall in the Gallery and tuck into a cup of tea and scone.

2. Do a Photo Tour
Grab a camera or you phone and walk around the city centre taking pictures as you go.  How often do you actually look up and enjoy the architecture in the city you live in? Give yourself a Theme and take images of the sights you see that for in that theme. Or take a book out from the local library on the history of your city and use that to take a tour stopping to capture images as you go.

If you are an Instagram fan create an photo your/treasure hunt for your friends to follow around town.

£10 to spend
For those posting to Instagram Sticky 9 will convert 9 of your images into magnets for £9.99 which you can then adorn your fridge with to remind you of your tour.

3. Wonder around a world Heritage Site
If you have the use of a car or are willing to hop on a train go visit Saltaire. Looking around Salts Mill is free and you can soak up the atmosphere for nothing. The village also makes the most of its heritage and there are often free events such as the Saltaire Advent and festival that enable you to learn some of the towns history whilst saving your pennies. 

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A little bit of the Tetley

I have lost track of the number of cream teas I have had in the last three years; there have been birthday cream teas, hen do cream teas, a mad hatter themed cream tea and why the hell not cream teas but I have never had cream tea in Leeds... Well until now.

I was in The Tetley one lazy Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago when I saw this

Yes a cream tea with the option of a G n'T so I immediately text my friend to let her know. Then and there we arrange a weekend for her to come and visit for a catch up.

So she traveled up on Friday night and we stayed in drinking gin, red wine and eating tapas before crashing out. On Saturday we hit the shops with the aim of getting RM a dress to wear to a wedding. I did not really take any photos of this but if your interested she got this amazing dress and necklace from Topshop. We also popped into paperchase and yes they are bunny ears.

We headed to the Tetley and ordered Two Afternoon Teas with Fizz for the princely sum of £14.00. Yes that is correct £14.00 with the added bonus of being in an art space that you can wonder round for free.

This is not a delicate dainty afternoon tea served on expensive fine china but it is a satisfy feast with a sufficiently Yorkshire theme to the sweets for it to satisfy even the most seasoned of afternoon tea goers. We sat in the bar area which is decorated with prices of Tetley and Leeds history

The Fizz was suitably crisp

And there was a tower of food. My pictures do not do justice to how big the scones were. But that is getting slightly ahead of myself.

The Tea came with three little sandwiches and the staff very kindly accommodated the fact that I don't eat meat and gave me extra cheese and salmons sandwiches. RM however informs me that the salted beef and horseradish sandwich was incredible.

We then hit a bit of a snag as we could not remember the correct order to eat a afternoon tea. A google on the phone later and we tucked into the scones.

The butter, jam and clotted cream came presented on a wooden block which I think I will replicate on another occasion.

Personally I'm of the jam then cream school of scone dressing

There was lashings of good Yorkshire quality tea

Then finally we reached the sweets; macaroons, Parkin, berries and a battenburgh slice.

The macaroons were exceptional and nicely offset by the berries but I was pretty much defeated by the scone so I picked at the remainder and I am happy to report the were excellent.

As we left the heavens opened.

For anyone looking for something to do on a lazy weekend I would highly recommend this affordable treat. How have you treated yourself this weekend?

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