I’ve previously blogged about staying in the beautiful Quigley Suite at Redcastle Hotel in County Donegal and how much I love it so I was delighted when hubby said he’d booked us in again for a little mini break. As it’s only an hour and a half drive from where we live it’s ideal for a short break without having to book flights etc. I packed some magazines and my kindle along with candles and some homemade macarons as we…
French Macarons are notoriously tricky to get right and I’d read so much about how difficult they are to make that I must admit it really put me off attempting them. After seeing an IG friend saying she had a foolproof recipe I decided to give them a go. I watched a few YouTube tutorials and took careful note of all the tips before I started but like many recipes it’s really a case of trial and error and it’s…
It’s that time of year again, the changing of the seasons and when you start to feel a nip in the air. It’s my favourite time of year and I’ll take it over summer anytime. Cosy nights in with log fires, candles, blankets and hot drinks are my idea of bliss. I always start to burn my cinnamon Yankee candles in October and I feel that Christmas music is perfectly acceptable from anytime in November!! I absolutely love the Christmas…
I’m a huge fan of Biscuiteers and had previously ordered their gorgeous little pink duck biscuits for my daughter Rebecca’s baby shower last year so I was delighted when they sent me their Butterfly box of biscuits to incorporate into a vintage tea party. Each biscuit is a little handcrafted work of art and they definitely add a touch of class to any special event. The biscuits come in a beautiful presentation tin which is lovely to keep long after the biscuits…
When Bloom & Wild sent me their gorgeous Anoushka bouquet with the brief to style it up as part of their ‘back to flower school’ campaign I was thrilled as playing with flowers is one of my favourite pastimes! The flowers arrived beautifully wrapped in a box and I couldn’t wait to get started. The Anoushka is made up of Miss Piggy roses, spray roses, alstroemeria and phlox. The colours are beautifully vibrant and looked stunning just arranged in a…
Ingredients 200g crushed biscuits 75g butter 250g mascarpone cheese 250g full fat Philadelphia 284ml double cream 300g white chocolate 200g raspberries Method Mix melted butter & crushed biscuits and press into greased loose bottomed tin Put cream, mascarpone & philadelphia into a bowl and combine with electric mixer on a very low setting as it over whips very easily and becomes too thick. Melt the white choc and stir through the cream mixture until combined. Spoon half of mixture over…
As my mum is very ill and sometimes has to go into hospital at short notice I didn’t want to travel too far on our holidays this year. My sister Joanna lives in Scotland and she is brilliant at coming over to stay and help out with changing mums dressings etc while I’m away but I like to know I can jump in the car and get back home fairly quickly so this was obviously a factor when deciding where…
This is the same chocolate cake recipe as my previous blog just with a different topping. I’ve tried so many different chocolate frosting/icing recipes but this is definitely my favourite so far. Ingredients 4.5 oz light soft brown sugar 170g evaporated milk 9 oz chocolate (in small pieces) 2 oz soft butter few drops vanilla extract Method Combine sugar & evaporated milk in a heavy saucepan. Heat gently till sugar dissolves and bring to boil & simmer on low heat…
I love getting my recipe books out on a Saturday night and doing a little bit of baking. There’s nothing nicer than the smell of home baking wafting through the house and I usually make a dessert for Sunday lunch if we are having family or friends round. Hubby is in charge of the Sunday roast and I’m the pastry chef! I usually make a pavlova or cheesecake but my little 3 year old grandson is obsessed with chocolate cake…
As my husband travels a lot with work he usually likes to relax at home over the weekend and we don’t tend to go far. I hate shopping when it’s busy so we usually avoid town and head to the garden centre for a late breakfast or an early lunch. This weekend I decided to make a picnic and we went a run down the coast to the beautiful little village of Portballintrae. Portballintrae is a beautiful seaside village in…