Ellie Kate | Leeds Lifestyle, Food, Beauty and Fashion Blog

The Gin Explorer Club: January Box Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 10:00:00 +0000

If you think back to summer last year, then you may remember that I wrote a blog post about my first ever Gin Festival, which took place in Leeds. It was a completely new experience for me as I had only ever been to beer festivals before - but me and Martin had a whale of a time, and since then my appreciation for gin has grown tenfold. Now, if I'm not having a beer as my alcoholic beverage, then you can bet that it is a gin I'm having! Over the last eight months or so, I've managed to try some truly exceptional gins, but I'm always curious about trying new ones. This is where the Gin Explorer Club steps in! I was asked if I'd like to review their January box*, and of course I grabbed the chance with both hands. Now, I had indeed (and mentioned in said blog post linked above) heard of the Gin Explorer Club, but didn't get to spend a lot of time at their stand at the festival as it was too busy. Therefore, I didn't know exactly what I was going to get in my exciting new box - I deliberately didn't look online in order to not spoil myself! Continue reading to find out what was in the box and my thoughts on it.

Before I delve into the contents of the box however, let's talk about the packaging. When it arrived, I didn't even know that it was the box at first, as the outer packaging was absolutely huge! I was grateful that it was well protected, but it did seem quite excessive - I'd like to see the Gin Explorer Club cut down on this in the future. However, once I wrestled my way inside, my box finally rose up to greet me. I really liked the design of the box - it was designed to mimic an old-fashioned suitcase, and put me in mind of a traveller setting off on their adventures! Now, as mentioned previous, I had no idea what to expect from this box - I didn't know whether it was going to be one full size bottle, or a few smaller ones. I was very pleased to discover that it was the latter! I know there are other gin subscription boxes that offer you the former each month; but I think the downside to that is if you don't end up liking the product, you're stuck with a big bottle and nowhere for it to go. I like the idea of being able to try a few gins each month, and by the end of it picking a favourite to potentially buy a full size bottle of - this you can do directly from the Gin Festival website. Inside each box for the month comes a pamphlet, telling you all about the products included in the box. This not only tells you what you are getting, but some interesting information about the products in question and some suggestions as to what to do with them. January's theme was "Ginuary", and celebrated making it to the end of "Dry January" and rewarding yourself with a nice glass of gin and tonic. I never participated in it, but I wasn't going to turn their advice down! It also takes you on the journey around the world, starting from Bedale, through Thornbury, Chiswick and finishing at Still Bay (a total of 6374 miles!) with the four gins that are in the box. I really liked the pamphlet, and think that it adds a nice touch to the box - I love to read everything there is to know about new products that I receive!

So, let's get into what's actually in the box, shall we? I will get to the gins in a moment, but first let me tell you what was included with them. The mixer of choice for any gin is of course a tonic, and in this box there were two new ones for me to try, both from The London Essence Co. I've never heard of this brand before, let alone tried anything from them, so I was excited to have these with my new gins. The London Essence Co aim to produce drinks that are both low in calories and naturally sweet, to provide the most authentic flavour. The variations included in January's box were the Classic and Grapefruit & Rosemary; the latter sounded particularly interesting to me, as I had never tried a flavoured tonic before. I couldn't wait to get stuck in! Next up was a packet of Spare Fruit Pear Crisps, again a product I have never heard of before. The ethos behind this product is rather brilliant; the company buys fruit that supermarkets won't accept, and that would otherwise be going to waste. From all this fruit (and there will be a lot - think how many will not look perfect, but will still taste fine?), they produce these 100% natural, air-dried crisps that have no added sugar or other flavourings. It's a simple idea, but one that I've personally never seen done before. These tasted great, really fresh and full of flavour; I would never have guessed that they were made from 'wonky' fruit! The final two products were two teas from The English Tea Shop; Organic Super Berries and Organic Calming Blend. Now, I'm sorry to admit that I don't really have anything to say about these two products, as I don't like tea - sadly even ones as lovely sounding as these! However, these have been passed on to those who will appreciate them, so they haven't gone to waste.

Finally, we're onto the gins - this is what we're all here for, right? All of these bottles were a generous 50ml each; enough for two servings from each one, giving you eight gin and tonics in total. First up is the Inverroche Gin Amber, 43%. Hailing from South Africa, Inverroche Distillery lies in the convergence between the Goukou River and the Indian Ocean, near the resort of Stillbay. The star ingredient in their gins is Fynbos, a type of vegetation that grows specifically in the Western Cape of South Africa. The Fynbos used to create the Gin Amber is selected from the coastal regions (meaning it is more aromatic and spicy), and the spirit undergoes a secondary infusion with this strain of Fynbos before bottling. This is why it has the unusual deep, amber tone that characterises this gin. I tried this gin with the classic London Essence Co. tonic and it was a surprise to me, as I had never tasted anything like it before. If I'm honest, it was a little too dry and bitter for my taste, but I noticed a pleasant warmth that I've not found in any other gin. A really unusual gin that I'm really happy to have tried!

Next is Masons Slow Distilled Sloe Gin, 42%. This is a company that I'm familiar with as they are based in Yorkshire (represent!), and I have tried their Original Yorkshire Gin before. This Sloe edition is their latest addition to the family, and is limited edition - so it will not be around forever! This gin is a bit unusual in comparison to other sloe gins, as the production process is slightly different. Instead of infusing the gin with sloes, as is traditionally so, Masons distill their sloes with Harrogate spring water and juniper - which is grown in their own garden. This is more like the traditional 'London Dry' method, and in turn produces a warming, mellow gin with a natural sweetness. This was my second favourite out of the four, and I believe that you can really taste the difference between this and other sloe gins. Sometimes the sweetness can taste artificial, but not so in this case. I tried this with a classic and an elderflower tonic, and preferred it with the latter.

Third in line is the 6 O'Clock Damson Gin, 26%. Obviously the first thing to note is its striking colour, which looked beautiful when served in a balloon glass. Using their 6 O'Clock Original Gin as a base, it is still made in the traditional way; using hand-picked British damsons and sugar to bring out the natural flavour. It doesn't taste dissimilar to the Masons Sloe Gin, but I found this to be a lot sweeter. However, it still had a rich dryness to it, which made it incredibly well balanced. This was my favourite gin out of them all, and I'm hoping that I will be able to afford to buy myself a full size bottle in the future! I've already recommended this gin to others, and very highly recommend it for any gin aficionados out there. I need to try and find their original gin now!

Last, but no means least, is Sipsmith's V.J.O.P., 57.7%. This was the strongest ABV of them all, and you could sure taste it! Standing for 'Very Junipery Over Proof', this gin, as the name suggests, contains a lot more juniper berries than their London Dry - three times more, in fact - and is distilled in three stages. The end result is an extremely aromatic gin, that worked beautifully with the Grapefruit & Rosemary tonic. Having tried their London Dry gin before, I was curious to see how this compared, and also to other London Dry gins I've had in the past. This was definitely a more heavy-going gin than the other three, but this was by no means a bad thing - the flavours really shone through, even when paired with a flavoured tonic. I found it to be extremely decadent (without being overpowering) and without losing any of the high quality that Sipsmith is known for - quite an achievement. If you're looking for a gin that will immediately impress, this is the one for you.

These four gins lasted me for the month, and I have to say that I was really happy with the products that I received. Each gin was unique - some from familiar names, and some from not - but there was no "standard" gin here, which to be honest I was a little apprehensive about receiving. These are gins that are not going to be readily available in your nearest supermarket, and that was exactly what I was looking for from this box. I really enjoyed exploring the individual flavour profiles of each gin, and it has helped me on the journey of discovering what I like and don't like to have. I'm not a picky person, and am always willing to try something once - and this box has allowed me to do that! I was pleased to discover one gin that I really, really enjoyed - enough to want to own a full size bottle - that I would have never tried elsewhere. So, in short; if you enjoy your gin and are looking to shake things up and try something new, I would highly recommend the Gin Explorer Club. It offers good value for money, and is an excellent way to begin your gin journey and open yourself up to a whole new world!

The Gin Explorer Club is a monthly subscription service costing £24.99 per month.
Visit their website for more information and to subscribe!

Disclaimer: This box was sent to me for reviewing purposes, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

A Glamorous Evening at #BonPrixOnTheRocks

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 10:00:00 +0000

This year seems to have been the one for fashion-based blogger events, and I for one am not complaining! They're pretty much the only time that I can get glammed up these days, and they're always a lot of fun. The event this time around was called #BonPrixOnTheRocks (I loved the name!), and was held in Leeds for bloggers from the surrounding areas. Before I had even clicked open the email, I thought - "What on earth am I going to wear?" I don't really own anything dressy these days; my wardrobe is quite casual, to say the least, and as mentioned, I very rarely get dressed up for an evening. However, my fears were unfounded; not only had I been invited along, but Bon Prix were going to supply a dress for me to wear for the occasion as well! As you can imagine, I was straight onto the party dresses section of their website, ready to hunt down that perfect dress.

The event was held at the Malmaison hotel in Leeds city centre, which you may remember I reviewed last year. When we arrived, I noticed that the foyer and restaurant had changed a little, but apart from that, it was much the same. We were greeted by Jennie, and straight away we were posing on the steps to have a group picture taken by Matt, the photographer from Search Laboratory. It didn't take too much persuading - we are bloggers, after all! - and throughout the evening, it was wonderful to have someone to take some pictures for us. Afterwards, we headed upstairs to be greeted by Alice, who was in the event space waiting for us. The space was split into two rooms - one full of comfy seating, and the other all set up into a makeshift cocktail bar! This made us all very excited for the evening ahead. Not only we were going to spend time mingling with fellow bloggers, but we were going to be given a cocktail masterclass in making not one, but two cocktails!

Before I go into the event, I ought to tell you about my dress, hadn't I? I have to admit, I spent far longer than I should have on Bon Prix's website, going back and forth between options. There was one dress that I kept coming back to - the Organza Shell Evening Dress in Black*. I had never worn anything like it before in my life, so I was a bit concerned about being able to pull it off. However, at the time there was still a good month to go until the event, so I figured that I would choose that one, and I could always request a different one if I didn't like it. When it arrived and I tried it on, I loved it - although I needed to find the right shapewear to go underneath! - and started to plan what else to wear with it. I kept the jewellery simple and chose a gold bow necklace from M&Co, and a few gold stacking rings from Primark. The dress was screaming for a bit of Hollywood glamour, so I popped on some red nail varnish (on the bus - it was easily my worst paint job yet!), created a slightly smokey eye and applied some red lipstick. It's been a while since I went to town on my makeup, so my skills were a little rusty! I was really pleased with my dress; it was extremely comfortable, and it had quite a lot of stretch so it fitted nicely without bunching up too much whenever I sat down. I loved the cut-out back detail as well, which showed off a bit of skin but still allowed me to wear a regular bra underneath! I got a lot of compliments on it throughout the evening, and I felt like a princess. Now that I know I can wear a dress like this, I'll definitely feel more inclined to wear something similar again in the future - as and when the occasion calls for it!

After we had been topped up with champagne and admiring everyone else's dresses, it was time for us to make our first cocktail! We were split up into two groups; I was in the second group, so the first cocktail that we were going to make was the "Sassy Sapphire Frocktail", served in a tall glass and consisting of Bombay Sapphire, ginger beer, lime juice, sugar syrup and mint leaves. It was described to us as being very similar to a Mojito, but using gin instead of rum. We were first shown how to do it properly by the bartender, then we went up in groups of three to give it a try for ourselves. I'm not going to lie and pretend I'm any good at this sort of thing, but we were given help and guidance along the way so I managed somehow not to muck it up. The hardest bit was shaking up the cocktail mixture; you've really got to put your back into it, so it's really hard on the arms! The hard work was worth it though, as at the end we had ourselves a delicious cocktail each. It was one of those ones that I could have had two or three of without any trouble, it was that good! We all had a good laugh doing it, and I think the bartender was a star for putting up with us giggling, loud girls - patience of a saint, that one.

We weren't just getting spoilt with drinks that evening, oh no. The restaurant at the Malmaison had laid on some canapés for us as well, to whet our appetite whilst sipping at our cocktails. Having eaten at the hotel before, I knew that the food was good and I was pleased to see that this was still the case. Sliders, calamari, bruschetta... it was all polished off in mere minutes! In between making cocktails, I got to catch up with some of my favourite bloggers and get to know some new ones, which is always great at an event like this. At the event, I assumed that there would be a few of us that had managed to pick the same dress - but somehow, everyone had managed to choose something different! Everyone looked amazing, and it was great to hear first-hand how everyone found the fit and quality. We also got to browse the latest Bon Prix catalogue, which showcased the new collection, and get to know the brand a bit better. We were also supplied with more wine (as if the champagne and cocktails weren't enough!), so we were well and truly looked after for the evening.

The second cocktail that was lined up for us was the "Pretty in Pink Frocktail", served in a martini glass and consisting of Absolut Citron, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice. This was appropriately named, as it was bright pink! This again required a lot of effort to get all of the ingredients mixed up, but the finishing touch was yet to come. To garnish our cocktail, we needed to light a piece of orange skin with a lighter, and then drop it into the drink. This was much more difficult than it sounds, as we had to flick the lighter on with the index finger rather than the thumb, hold the flame close enough, then drop it as soon as it caught fire! The look of concentration on my face in the picture above says it all. We all had varying degrees of success, but I'm proud to say that I got awarded with the compliment of "the best one yet" out of the group! I did catch the end of my finger with the flame, mind you... but it was totally worth it. This cocktail was a lot stronger than the previous one, and it went to my head pretty quickly! It didn't help either that we were encouraged to have a shot of Absolut Citron whilst making our cocktails, so it's not surprising that by the end of the night I was a bit tipsy!

This event was honestly one of the best ones that I've ever been to as a blogger. It was the right mixture of mingling and planned activities, so the evening flew by really quickly. I loved the fact that we could all see each other in our outfits, and see how each person had chosen to style their dress up. Bon Prix certainly seem to have something for everyone, no matter what your style or occasion, and all for a very reasonable price point too. Some other events that I've been to in the past have just had clothing on a rail to look at, but seeing the dresses on real women of all shapes and sizes was so much better than that, and a fantastic way to showcase the brand. At the end of the night, we were generously gifted a goody bag from Bon Prix to take with us too. This contained two miniatures of gin and Chambord, as well as a beautiful cocktail glass so that we can have a go at making our own cocktails at home! It truly was a wonderful event, and I want to say thank you to Search Laboratory and Bon Prix for the invitation. Be sure to check out Bon Prix's write-up of the event on their blog!

MOD Pizza Leeds

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 10:00:00 +0000

I know guys, another post about food... I do write about other things on occasion, I promise!! Between you and me, though, I was super excited to be invited to try out MOD Pizza. I missed the launch of the restaurant back in June, and ever since various friends and coworkers have been and told me how great it is. "Why haven't you gone yet, you need to go!", they'd say. Well, I just hadn't had the chance yet. In my mind, me and Martin would go when there was a film we wanted to see (there is a VUE cinema in the same complex), and go chow down on some pizza afterwards. It was never a formulated plan, but that was the way it was going to go down when it did happen. Someone must have been smiling down on me, because I received an email a few weeks ago, asking if I would like to come along and review the restaurant. Me and Martin really wanted to go see Doctor Strange one weekend in the near future - so, at last, the plan came together! Keep reading to find out how we got on.

After seeing Doctor Strange (would highly recommend, by the way!), we headed across the complex for our first ever MOD Pizza experience. If I remember rightly, the building used to house a Harvester's restaurant before, which I had never been to. Rather unusually, it is close by to the resident Pizza Hut; which I have been to before, and wasn't overly impressed with. It is also next door to a Five Guys - which I also need to get around to trying one day - so it does well at fitting in with the rest of the crowd. One thing that struck me immediately was how bright and inviting the restaurant looked. We were greeted by all of the staff with a cheery "hello!" as soon as we walked in the door, so that immediately made us feel very welcome! I loved the decor inside, too; it reminded me in a way of Smoke Barbecue, which I reviewed earlier this year. It definitely had an "American" feel, with neon signs and bright, colourful, graffiti-style artwork on the walls, as you would expect - its story did begin in America, after all. The dining area is very simple, with no fuss, no pretence and even no cutlery - we don't do a Donald Trump and eat pizza with such things, you either eat it with your hands, or don't bother at all!

Before I tell you about the food, let me tell you first about how MOD Pizza works. Have you ever been to a Subway? It's a similar concept to that. You can choose either a pizza or a salad, and each of those is a set price - no matter how many toppings you have on it. So, whether you like good old cheese and tomato, or want to go all out with the meat feast, it will always be the same price! I loved this, and think it's a brilliant concept. Our pizza size (the MOD), was £7.47, for example - even though me and Martin had very different things on our pizzas. There are currently nine pre-made pizza options options on the menu, that you can order just how it comes, or you can modify according to your tastes - again, at no extra cost. Pretty neat, huh? When it's time to get started on the toppings, the choices are seemingly endless. Want some roasted, tender stem broccoli? Sure, why not. How about some chickpeas? Go on, throw some on there. Every possible topping you could think of for a pizza, they probably have at MOD - it was a bit overwhelming I admit, but you can have a lot of fun with it! If you're finding yourself spoilt for choice and can't decide what to have, the staff are extremely helpful and will make suggestions and recommendations for you. Once you have finally decided on the toppings, you can then add sauce and/or spices on top, and off into the pizza oven it goes. As extras, you can get garlic strips, and of course a drink with your meal. When we were there, the staff were trialling a new buzzer system, instead of calling out your name. This seemed to work perfectly, as less than ten minutes later our pizzas had arrived!

Now, onto the bit you've been waiting for, the pizzas. To start, we shared some garlic strips, with some "Sri-Rancha" sauce for dipping. This was just right for me, as I love a bit of spice, but it doesn't love me. This hit the nail on the head, delivering that kick without any of the pure mouth-burning sensation that Martin usually craves! I'm afraid that my pizza didn't photograph very well - the lack of colours makes it look quite unappealing! - but it was spectacular. I chose "The Dominic"; white sauce, asiago cheese, fresh chopped basil, red onion, tomatoes and mild sausage. However, I asked for it without the onions and tomatoes, and instead added black olives, mushroom, chicken, roast garlic and oregano. I won't pretend that I knew what I was doing when choosing these toppings, I just went for ones that I really like! I've never had a white sauce pizza before, so that was new to me. It was honestly one of the best pizzas that I've had in a long time; I could immediately tell that the ingredients used were fresh, and it makes such a difference on a dish like this. The pizzas do not take very long to cook, so having that freshness coming through was definitely something I was looking for, and it was spot on. I would have preferred mine little bit more well done, but the base was firm all the way through, and wasn't sad or limp looking - or worst still, raw in the middle! For Martin and his pizza, well, lets just say that he went all out. He started from scratch, and chose pizza sauce, mozzarella, chicken, jalapenos, chickpeas, asiago cheese, parmasan and blue cheese, topped with buffalo sauce. He wolfed his down so quick, that I had only just made it halfway through mine - it's safe to say that he enjoyed it! He isn't keen on a lot of vegetables, so to be able to pick his own and not spend ten minutes picking some off was a nice change, to say the least. Again, it was big on flavour thanks to the fresh ingredients, and the size of the pizzas were just right for us.

Feeling quite full, we didn't want a full dessert (the only option was cinnamon strips, but with a choice of dips), so instead decided to have a milkshake each. These were quite a bit filling than I had anticipated, so I neglected to finish mine! There is a choice of either vanilla, chocolate or strawberry milkshakes - which you can either have as they are, or add on a "mix-in". We both chose a vanilla milkshake, but I had mine with salted caramel and Martin had chocolate coffee crunch. I was expecting this to be blended in as a flavour to the milkshake, which it was, but there were also pieces at the bottom for you to eat too! Martin's had coffee beans at the bottom of his milkshake, which I have to admit was quite unexpected. The milkshakes really were good (definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!), but if I had to make a criticism, it's that the straws were too narrow. Because of these "bits" in the bottom of the cup, it was very difficult to drink through them! Still, there are worse problems to have, and I successfully gave myself brain-freeze from trying to drink it all. Good times! So, all in all, if you're looking for somewhere fun and relaxed to try next time you fancy a meal out, I'd highly recommend trying MOD Pizza. Not only is the food excellent and very reasonably priced, but it is served quickly - perfect if you're a bit short on time - and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. It's perfect for couples, friends and families alike, and it's an excellent choice even for the most fussiest of eaters. I have no doubt that we will be back again in the future; my only regret is that I waited so long to give it a go!

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Thai Fine Dining at Chaophraya Leeds

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 10:00:00 +0000

More often than not, when I am invited to blogger events, I can't make them. They're often held during the week, when I'm working - it always frustrates me! Having received an email inviting me to the VIP new menu launch at Chaophraya a few weeks ago, it was yet another email I had to reply with my regretful decline to. However, this case was different - I was emailed back asking if I'd like to come along and try another time! This cheered me up no end, and I of course accepted their very kind offer. As such, I was able to review on a weekend, when both me and Martin could go and enjoy an evening of new and exciting food and experiences. I've never really eaten Thai food before - only dabbled in a couple of dishes here and there, and nothing truly authentic - so I was very excited to be dining at one of the most well known Thai restaurants in Leeds.

Tucked away on Swinegate in Leeds city centre, if I'm honest I'd never really paid it much attention before. It's in an area of Leeds that I don't tend to visit very often, and when I have, I've been on the way to somewhere else. However, the exterior is really quite eye-catching, with large bay windows showing customers eating Thai food in the traditional manner (seated on the floor as opposed to sitting at a table). Once you venture inside, the decor is overwhelmingly beautiful and unique - or at least it was to my eyes. Fish tanks on the walls, statues on every corner, stunning artwork everywhere you looked. Amongst all this however, it was very clean and elegant; the tables themselves were simple, with fresh flowers adorning each one. When we arrived we were taken straight upstairs, and given time to peruse the menu and order ourselves some drinks. Beer drinkers we are, so beer is what we chose; a Lowlander IPA for me, brewed with coriander and white tea, and a Little Creatures Pale Ale for Martin. I was impressed that Chaophraya offered something other than the usual suspects and was quite happy with the selection, but Martin thought that they could offer more. More choice is always good, but these two beers we chose I thought went very well with our food, so no complaints from me!

We were taking some time to decide what to eat (I was more indecisive than usual because it all sounded good!), so to keep us going we were brought some crackers. I want to say that they were prawn crackers, but they were unlike any that I'd ever had before. They were complimented with a subtly spicy dip, and were soon demolished before we'd even finished choosing what we wanted to eat from the menu! The menus themselves are unlike any I have seen before, with wooden covers and opening out into one large sheet. The menu guides you through a journey - explaining how the restaurant takes its name from the main waterway in Thailand - and begins with small plates, or what we more commonly know as starters. Chaophraya recommend choosing a dish each and sharing amongst your company, so that's what we did! I chose the soft shell crab and squid tempura, with wing bean and asparagus tempura and chilli and lime avocado dip. When this arrived, I thought that it was a rather large portion of food. However, once I started to work my way through I realised that it was very light, thanks to the crispy batter, and full of unusual and interesting flavours. Surprisingly, my favourite part of the dish was the asparagus tempura; I think it's because I've never had it that way before, and it made me see asparagus in a whole new light! The dip was also something special, adding a sharp bite that really brought the dish to life. Martin ordered the steamed prawn and pork dumplings, topped with fried garlic and a sweet soy sauce. Now, if anything has garlic on it, Martin is all over it - and this dish was right up his street. These were very rich in flavour, but like the tempura were surprisingly light in texture. Steamed dumplings are a favourite of ours, and these were among the best that I've ever had. The garlic came through but not too strongly, and was balanced well with the sweetness of the sauce. The meat inside was perfectly cooked; so well in fact, that it was like they were part of the dumplings themselves. The dumplings soaked up the soy sauce and the garlic, so that every bite was succulent and intense; not a dry patch was in sight, which to me was a very good thing.

Next on our journey through Thai cuisine was the main course. I really didn't know what to choose; to be honest, I found the mains selection a bit overwhelming, in the sense that there were a lot of dishes featured. In the end, I decided to go for a Thai classic and chose the Chicken Pad Thai - stir-fried rice noodles in tamarind sauce, with chicken, spring onions, carrots, egg, tofu, sweet turnip and bean sprouts, topped with pickled vegetables. As you can see, there were a lot of ingredients in this dish, and I was curious to see how they would all work together. I was expecting an abundance of complex flavours, but in actual fact it was a very simple and elegant dish. No one flavour overpowered another, but instead all worked together to create the classic that it is known to be. I did particularly enjoy the chicken, which was tender and juicy; quite impressive I thought, as the cuts of meat were quite large for such a dish. The pickled vegetables were an appreciated bonus, and worked well with the dish as a whole. Martin chose the crispy pork belly with Thai basil, served with a side of steamed noodles. Created with sugar snap peas, peppers, fresh chillies, garlic and hot basil leaves, it surprised us both when it arrived on a bed of - what I guessed to be - pak choi! However, this didn't put him off and he soon got stuck in. The pork belly was, in his opinion, absolutely perfect. Like with the chicken in my dish, the meat was tender on the inside, but suitably crisp on the outer and delicately enhanced by the chilli and garlic sauce. Pork belly is one of Martin's favourite dishes, so when he finds a good one, I soon know about it! I had a try, and even though I'm not usually a fan of pork belly, it got a big thumbs-up from me. The steamed noodles, with fried garlic and soy sauce, accompanied this dish perfectly, and made for an extremely satisfying meal.

To finish, we were tempted with the dessert menu - not that I needed much persuasion! I decided to go for something that I'd never have before, which was the Thai dessert sampler; Thai pancakes, with pandan leaf custard and mango sticky rice. Along with all of the other dishes, this was so beautifully presented, that it almost looked too good to eat. The pancakes had an unusual texture, but in a good way; the taste as well as this reminded me of a sweet that I've had before, but can't place. The custard inside was smooth and creamy, as you would expect, but not as sweet as I had anticipated. This paired beautifully with the fresh mango, and again with the sticky rice. This reminded me a lot of rice pudding, but much lighter and with a beautiful, delicate flavour. If you ever visit Chaophraya, you simply must try this dessert - it was sublime. With my final course I decided to try out one of their cocktails, and one in particular had caught my eye; the Mockingbird (In a Cage), made with Jinzu gin, Maraschino, pink grapefruit juice, cherry and soda. The cocktail itself sounded delicious, but I was really curious about how it was going to be presented! When it arrived, it really made me laugh - it was indeed in a cage, just like the menu said. It was a bit of a gimmick and actually a little inconvenient to drink out of, but it was good fun and it would certainly draw attention at a party table! For Martin's dessert, he ordered the White Chocolate Box; white chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis, on butter shortbread and served with a mini macaroon and passion fruit syrup. The mousse was firm, so it held its ground very well, but soft and melted easily in the mouth. The raspberry coulis, which I was expecting to be drizzled on the top, was actually inside the mousse itself, adding a sweet tang to the dish - the same could be said for the passion fruit syrup. The shortbread was crumbly but added some much-needed crunch, and the mini macaroon I thought complimented the mousse quite well. Martin's cocktail was far less showy than mine, but was equally as delectable. Featuring in the list of after-dinner cocktails, the Mexican Pudding was created with Ron Zacapa, Frangelico, cream, agave, espresso and chocolate. It was definitely more of a man's cocktail if there ever was one, and even though I declined to taste it, I was assured that it packed a lot of punch - both in flavour and in alcoholic content!

My first visit to Chaophraya (Martin had dined there before, but it was a very long time ago) - and my first true foray into Thai cuisine - was certainly an eye-opening experience for me. The atmosphere of the restaurant was quite unlike any other that I had been in, and made you feel like you weren't in Leeds at all, but on a completely different continent. I imagine this is amplified when you seated and dine in a traditional Thai fashion, and it's something I would love to do one day. The food, as mentioned previous was all beautifully presented; it is clear to see that Chaophraya really do believe in taking you on their journey throughout the menu, exploring the dishes in all their complexity, and the presentation definitely lived up to my expectations. The quality of the food was excellent, and the ingredients used were fresh - always a good thing in a restaurant of this standing. I would say that the prices are a little higher than what I would expect to pay, but for your money you are getting a unique experience, and it would be the perfect treat for that special occasion. We had a lovely evening at Chaophraya Leeds, sampling the finest in Thai cuisine, and I can't wait to visit again in the future.

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Celebrating National Chocolate Week at FireLake

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 09:00:00 +0000

When one receives an email, inviting you to a chocolate-themed dinner, what is one to do? Say yes, of course! I'm the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth - and especially for chocolate. As I'm sat here writing this post, I may or may not be working through a rather large bar of Milka chocolate! However, I'm more used to having chocolate as a dessert, not as part of a main meal. It's not something that I've ever tried before, so my interest was piqued straight away. In celebration of National Chocolate Week, the FireLake restaurant at the Radisson Blu hotel in Leeds showcased a chocolate-themed menu, designed to entice and delight. I was invited to sample it one evening, along with a select few - read on to find out my thoughts on this rather special menu.

Before I delve into the food, allow me to give you my thoughts on the restaurant itself. If I'm honest, I didn't know anything about the restaurant at all. I had never heard of it; I knew that Radisson Blu must have a restaurant within the hotel, but I'd certainly never given it any thought. As it turns out, it's quite the hidden gem in the city centre, and I'm sorry to have missed out on it. It's very elegant and modern, with high ceilings, unique artwork and a welcoming atmosphere. There is a bar area, with comfortable seating, and the main restaurant itself is a mixture of long tables and intimate booths. The restaurant prides itself on its cocktail menu (I was soon to discover why!), as well as using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. The style of the usual menu is heavily inspired by its North American heritage, and features a range of dishes cooked on an open flame. However, they are proud of the fact that they are based in Leeds, and the names of some of the dishes made me chuckle - for example "A Nice Piece of Tuna", which couldn't sound more Yorkshire if it tried!

To start off the evening, we were seated at the bar. We were promised that a chocolate cocktail was on its way, and I think we were all really looking forward to seeing what it was going to be like! It certainly didn't disappoint; a Chocolate Martini, made with vanilla vodka, chocolate custard and Creme de Cacao. It was a simple affair - a garnish of mint, and that was all - but we soon discovered that there was more to it than meets the eye. I can safely say, hand on heart, that this was the best chocolate cocktail I've ever had. Have you ever had a Frijj chocolate milkshake? It tasted pretty much exactly like that, only with a boozy undertone. It was smooth, creamy, and extremely decadent; I could have had three or four of these, and been very happy with that. However, I didn't want to ruin my appetite for the impending chocolate menu, so I behaved myself and just stuck to this one. But oh, how I savoured it; I was very sad to see it go when I reached the bottom of my glass.

Soon, we were led through into the restaurant, and seated at a prime spot right in front of the open kitchen. I was very happy with this, as I love to see my food being prepared - it adds a whole new level of excitement to the meal. We got chatting to the waitresses whilst waiting for our food, and it immediately came across to me that they were very passionate and knowledgeable about what the restaurant has to offer. Throw in a bit of Yorkshire humour, and you have some great service to match the quality of the restaurant. To keep us going, we had some bread rolls with olive oil, which I was careful to not overindulge in! Our starters quickly arrived, and I knew that I had chosen well. As with all three dishes that I chose, this was created specifically for National Chocolate Week; chicken and truffle terrine, with chocolate and blackberries. I've not had terrine for a very long time; but if this one was anything to go by, I've been missing out. The terrine was very soft and creamy, but with a little bit of texture from the meat, which I really enjoyed. The chocolate was quite intense; slightly bitter, and very rich, complimenting the sharpness of the blackberries beautifully. Alongside this was crackling of some sort - I'm going to guess at chicken skin, but me being me, I completely forgot to ask our waitress to clarify. Whatever it was, it was absolutely delicious and was perfectly crisp, with a good crunch all the way through.

Now, we're onto the runaway star of the show - the main course. Yorkshire grouse, homemade black pudding, carrots, pickled berries and chocolate jus. I've never had the opportunity to try grouse before, so this was a special treat and I was very much looking forward to it. When I turned around at some point to look at the menu, I caught sight of the chef preparing my meal; this whet my appetite even further, and I was dying to get stuck in! This dish was nothing short of spectacular. Not only was it beautifully presented, but it tasted even better than it looked. The grouse was cooked to perfection, blushing a rosy hue and tender all the way through. I've never tasted meat like it; it had the most wonderful texture, that I can't even think of any words to describe it. It had a subtle game flavour, but it wasn't as strong as I had anticipated - which is a good thing. The black pudding was dark, rich and extremely succulent. It looked rather large on the plate, but actually by the time the dish was done, I thought that it was about the right amount. I certainly wouldn't have wanted any more, but less would have been a bit of a stretch. The rainbow carrots were sweet and juicy, and paired beautifully with the meat in particular. All of this was sat on a bed of chocolate jus, and I was brought some more on the side to add if I wished. I did, of course, but in reality this wasn't necessary; there was plenty enough on the plate already. This was a touch sweeter than the one that accompanied the starter, but it was still dark and almost malty in flavour. As a whole, the dish was more savoury that I thought it would be; it didn't feel like I was eating chocolate in a way, because it all worked so well together. These ingredients were destined for one another!

Last, and by no means least, it was time for dessert. I thought by this point that I would have been well and truly sick of the chocolate, but that wasn't the case. Because the chocolate jus in the previous dishes had been darker and therefore more bitter, it actually set me right up for wanting something sweet! I wasn't disappointed with this dessert; the Trio of Chocolate, consisting of chocolate ice cream, brownie and mousse, was everything I could have asked for. It was an exploration of textures and sensations if there ever was one; the biting cold of the ice cream compared to the velvety soft texture of the mousse was pretty unusual. However, I would be hard pushed to tell you my favourite part of this dish, as it was all excellent! The brownie definitely had the most intense chocolate flavour out of the trio, with a slightly crunchy outer and gooey centre - just the way I like it. It was only a small portion, but it was definitely enough. The mousse wobbled dangerously on the plate, but it stood firm and was superbly creamy throughout. I did have a bit of trouble with chasing the ice cream around the plate (maybe it would have been easier in a separate, small bowl?), as it started to melt pretty fast - but was spot on with the flavour. It sure was an indulgent dessert, but it didn't take long for me to polish off the plate!

I love being invited to restaurants such as this, as they're always full of surprises. I would never have chosen FireLake as somewhere to eat in Leeds city centre, but in the future it's definitely one I'll consider. For a restaurant that is part of a hotel, they could have played it safe and offered up a range of dishes that everyone will love. That isn't to say that they don't do that - on the regular menu, they serve your usual dishes such as burgers and fish and chips - but they also serve some more unusual dishes too. Special menus like this are always a bonus to any restaurant, but I'm pleased to see that this hotel restaurant are branching out and trying something new, to compliment their existing menu. Sadly this chocolate-themed menu is no longer available, but they have started to showcase their festive menu - and I have to say that it looks pretty good! I had a wonderful evening at the FireLake restaurant at Radisson Blu, and hope to visit again in the future. Be sure to check out their website for more information about the restaurant, and view their current menus!

Disclaimer: My meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Autumn/Winter Knitwear with Matalan

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:00:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I am totally ready for the colder months. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of sunshine, but this summer it has been unbearably humid - even up here in Yorkshire - and I, for one, am glad to leave it behind. Bring on the cosy winter nights, snuggled up in as many layers as I can manage and sipping a delicious hot drink! I've always enjoyed autumn/winter fashion more than summer's, and this year is no exception. Knitwear is something that I have an awful lot of in my autumn/winter wardrobe, as I like to layer up when I can. There's nothing like the unpredictable British weather; one minute it's freezing cold and cloudy, the next it's cracking the flags! As such, layering is a good option as it allows for these ever-changing conditions. It's around this time of year that I put my summer clothing away, and bring out the autumn and winter pieces - so, when Matalan got in touch with me about featuring their new range of knitwear, it really couldn't have been better timed! Read on to find out more about the collection, and what pieces I have chosen from the range.

Before we go into the clothing, I just wanted to point out how difficult it was for me to choose just a couple of items! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I love Matalan and have done for years. My mum used to shop there very regularly, and sometimes if I was with her whilst out shopping, I would go into a store with her and have a browse around. What I love about Matalan is that they have come a long way in the last few years, and have really upped their game in terms of following the current trends. I used to think of Matalan as being a safe option, good for basics, but not much else. Now, they have beautiful statement pieces that look a lot more expensive than they are (such as this jacket - isn't the print stunning?), and are excellent quality too. Some of my favourite clothing over the years has come from Matalan - this dress is one of them - and I can see myself shopping there for years to come. Now, one of my favourite autumnal pieces from Matalan is a tan and burgundy checkered shawl, that I love to wear over one of my many burgundy jumpers. The problem is, it only looks good with said jumpers, and this year I was going to keep my eye out for a black or grey one that would work with everything. Enter this Papaya Curve Patterned Knitted Kimono*, priced at just £22.

As soon as it arrived, I knew I was onto a winner. The fabric is thick and luxuriously soft; perfect for snuggling up in and protecting yourself from the cold, harsh winds. I wanted something with shorter 'sleeves', as longer ones tend to annoy me after a while and I end up shoving them up past my elbows anyway. If I want longer sleeves for the colder weather, I like having the option to wear them underneath - like I'm doing here. I love the print of this kimono; it's bold enough for it to be recognisable as a pattern, but the subdued tones of grey and black stop it from being too intense, and making your eyes hurt when you look at it! Of course it goes with black, but I know that it will also go with the more colourful pieces in my wardrobe too (the model on the website is wearing it with a burgundy top and it looks lovely). Now, the only downside to this item is that is part of their plus-size range, meaning that it is not available to anyone smaller than an 18. Now, I am an 18 so this works perfectly for me, but I have found a not too dissimilar one (although it is more white than grey) in their regular range that might tickle your fancy if you're smaller than I. This is one of those pieces that I know I will wear to death over the next few months, and I'm so pleased that I finally have a staple layering piece like this in my wardrobe.

As well as layering pieces, I also like to collect jumpers - it's quite frankly embarrassing, how many I have stowed away. Usually, I will choose a lighter style, with a longer length, so I actually have only one or two "regular" jumpers. When I spotted this Falmer V Neck Jumper*, £20, online, I fell in love with it straight away. Not only is it burgundy, but it is unlike any other jumper that I own because it has a v-neck. All of my jumpers are either roll-neck or rounded, so I was looking forward to introducing this option to my wardrobe. As it turned out, this style of neckline is actually quite flattering for me; because I have a bigger bust, it prevents me from looking too top heavy. It also allows me to wear a pretty necklace with it should I want to, but isn't so low-cut that I'll have all manner of breezes blowing in and making me cold. I can still wear this with a scarf when the weather does take a turn for the worse, so this is a win-win all around. The only thing I wasn't so sure about were the ties on each side. My hips are the widest part of my body and as such I don't like to draw attention to them, but I needn't have worried. The ties are quite subtle, and because they are the same colour as the jumper, they're not really very noticeable. I have come to like this detail since wearing it; it makes the piece a little more unique.

Despite not being as longer length as I would usually go for, this is actually pretty much spot-on for me. It's long enough to drape over the bits I'd rather people didn't see, but it doesn't drown me either. Again, like the kimono, the fabric is lovely and soft and not scratchy at all. I only wore a vest top underneath this, but I didn't have any problems at all - and I would be quite happy to wear it on its own if needs be. I adore the flecked detail on the fabric, as for me this is a truly traditional autumn/winter design. If it was one solid colour, I think it would look too blocky and not be particularly flattering, especially as the fabric is really quite thick. I did actually get a bit warm in this jumper once me and Martin had made it back home after taking the pictures, so this is definitely one that I will be getting out again a little later in the year! Again, I got this in a size 18 and it fits perfectly; it is extremely comfortable and has quite a bit of stretch, but not so much that it looks baggy and shapeless. Now that I've got one jumper like this, I've got my eye on a couple more; I especially love this colour block one and for Christmas, this little star print number. If you're looking for some style inspiration for this autumn/winter, check out Matalan's Knitwear Guide and get a sneak peek of what's to hit the shelves over the coming months!

Should you buy prescription glasses online?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 09:00:00 +0000

Unfortunately for me, I've been a prescription glasses wearer ever since I was around eight years old. I remember the day that something was wrong very vividly; I was at school, and sat at the back of the classroom. In that lesson, the teacher was writing on the whiteboard, and we had to copy it down/make notes about whatever it was. I remember putting my hand up, and telling the teacher that I couldn't read what they were writing. I was moved closer to the front of the room and the rest of the day passed by. Unbeknownst to me, my teacher said something to my mum after school, and not long after that I went for an eyesight test. My first pair of glasses were very girly, with patterned pink and purple frames - I thought that they were wonderful! I couldn't believe how much better my vision was after I started wearing my glasses all the time, and I was the envy of my school friends for being the only one to do so. Fast forward some years, and I've had a love/hate relationship with glasses. As soon as I was old enough to wear contact lenses, I did, and I wore them as much as I could get away with up until about a year ago. Last year, my eyes started to get irritated and sore whilst I was at work, and it was due to the nature of what I do. To give my eyes a break, I wore my glasses one day and even though I didn't like how they looked at all, the relief I felt was immense. So, I promised myself that I would find some that I would like, and wear all the time - or at least to work. I booked an appointment at the opticians, got an updated prescription and went hunting for glasses online. The rest, as they say, is history!

Now, you might think that buying eyeglasses online is a risky business, but these days the quality is just as good as the ones you would find at your opticians. I've bought my glasses from various places around the web, but had yet to try GlassesShop. I think they had missed my radar because I assumed that it was a US-only site; but whilst they are based in the US, they do ship to the UK too. So, I spent some time browsing their styles and seeing if I could find any that would suit me. I know roughly what I like, and what suits me, so narrowing it down to a few choices wasn't too difficult. I ended up with two frontrunners; the Muskegon Oval in Black, and the Hyannis Rectangle in Brown*. As you can see from the pictures, I chose the latter, and that is because that I wanted a pair of brown or tortoiseshell glasses. You see, I already had a black pair, so I felt the need to expand my styles a bit. There were a couple of things about this particular pair that I liked, apart from the colour. First, was that the nose pieces were clear, and thus would be less obvious than the black pair that I was wearing at the time. Secondly, the style is very classic (let's call it Wayfarer), and thought would work well with my face shape.

Now, something to note about me and my prescription is that I am really very short-sighted. This means that the lenses of any glasses that I buy have to be thinned, for comfort and also for the look, as well - thick lenses make your eyes look smaller and stick out behind the frame of the glasses. GlassesShop have the option to have any lenses thinned for around £10 extra, or you can have them extra thinned for another £30. This is only generally recommended if you have very poor vision, which luckily mine isn't just yet! As such, I requested mine to be thinned - which was no problem at all - and I excitedly awaited their arrival. I expected to be waiting for quite some time for my glasses, but I was happily surprised to find them through my letterbox less than a week later - very impressive, considering the distance that they were travelling. The outer packaging wasn't the most glamorous, but of course what really matters is what the glasses themselves are like. They came fully intact, and well protected in a sturdy, plastic case and a cleaning cloth. When I removed the glasses from the case, I was immediately impressed by the quality of the frames. The hinges were strong, the screws were all tightly in place and there were no rough edges to the plastic, like I have found in other glasses that I've had. The glass was of high quality too, with no distortion around the sides of the lens and were sat firmly in the frame.

Going back to the style, and this is the obvious downside to buying prescription glasses online. They are not physically available for you to try on, and that can prove to be a little tricky. However, GlassesShop have a neat little interface where you can upload a picture of yourself, and it pastes the frame of the glasses over it, which you can then tweak to see how they would look on you. Now, it's not going to give a completely true representation - no website ever could - but it certainly gives you an idea as to what styles and shapes would work best for you. When I tried these on, I was surprised to find that they were a bit bigger than what I had imagined, but that wasn't - and still isn't - as issue for me. The imagery on the website was extremely accurate, even down to the tone of the frames, and I don't honestly think they could do any better with that. It's always a bit of a gamble when buying online, and I was happy that in this case, it paid off. I have since worn them daily for the past few weeks, and I can honestly say that I have not had a single problem with them. They still feel and look just as good as they did when they arrived. The arms haven't loosened at all, the glass is still clear and scratch free, and most importantly, my vision is perfect and they're extremely comfortable. I have had glasses in the past that have pinched the bridge of my nose and behind my ears, giving me headaches, but that definitely is not the case with these! I'm extremely happy with my new glasses, and am looking to invest in the other pair that I had my eye on in the near future. A girl can never have too many pairs of glasses, right?

To answer the question of the title of this post - yes, I truly think you should buy prescription glasses online. There are some scare stories out there, but after buying several pairs myself, I can tell you that I have never had a problem with my any of my glasses. The quality has always been up to scratch, my vision is clear and I'm certainly not causing my eyesight any damage whatsoever (like some media outlets claim). These glasses are no exception to that, and now that I am aware of GlassesShop, I will definitely be buying from them in the future. They often work out much, much cheaper than ones you buy from the opticians, too - because you are buying direct from the manufacturer, and not having to contend with inflated sales prices that the stores put on. Also, as well as stocking regular glasses, GlassesShop also have an excellent range of prescription sunglasses too. This pleases me, because usually I can only find glasses frames that allow the option for tints to be added; not a range of frames specifically designed for sunglasses wear. The choices for prescription sunglasses in stores are limited at best (and frankly ugly at worse), so to have that choice is amazing. If you fancy treating yourself to some lovely new glasses, use the code GSHOT50 for 50% off glasses and sunglasses, with free lenses too!

What do you think about buying prescription glasses online? Have you ever bought any yourself? Did you have a good experience, or bad? Let me know in the comments below!

La Redoute Summer Party

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 09:00:00 +0000

It's not too often that I get to attend a blogger event, but over the years I have learnt how to spot a good one from a bad one. Spoiler alert: This was a bloody good one! When the email pinged into my inbox for the La Redoute Summer Party, I couldn't say yes fast enough. That email, and the ones that followed, were very secretive; it only specified the date, time and meeting place for the event. It turned out that we were going to meet in Leeds train station and be whisked away to a secret location, all set up for their summer party. I have to say, they did very well at keeping us all guessing, and nothing at all was given away about the venue. It certainly made us all very excited and curious to see what was to come! I arrived at the station just after 6pm on that Saturday night, to be met by Beth, from the PR team. After a few more bloggers had arrived, we were led out of the station and onto a minibus (We must have looked quite funny to passers-by), and off we went to our secret venue. We were promised that it wasn't far away, and they were right. The venue turned out to be the New Craven Hall, just out of the city centre, which I believe has only opened recently and specialises as a wedding venue. It was the perfect space for the event, and as you will see in the photos, was decorated beautifully.

Once we had made it inside and stopped gawking at the twinkling fairy lights, we were handed an Aperol Spritz (one of my favourites - yum!), and given a chance to look around and snap those all-important pictures. It was all kept very minimal, but with plenty of space for mingling with other bloggers, it just worked really well. Dotted around the room were clothing rails, with items from La Redoute's Autumn/Winter collection. A quick sneak peek threw up a few favourites for me that I couldn't wait to have a proper look at later. There was also an area displaying their beautiful homeware collection; I have to admit that I didn't know that La Redoute had such a range, and they had some truly gorgeous pieces that wouldn't look out of place in a Parisian's boudoir. I absolutely adored the geometric cushion covers that were on display, as well as the matching chairs. Also available to hand were more pre-made drinks, and also a bar that could whisk up a number of delicious sounding cocktails - we were well and truly spoilt. The event was quite relaxed, which a much prefer to a regimented affair: We were able to browse their collections at whatever pace we liked, drink in hand if we were so inclined, and really get a feel for the products. I've been to fashion events in the past where items were just held up by the organisers and talked about - I'm pleased to say that this definitely wasn't the case here!

In case you were thinking that was it, well, think again! Also at the party were a couple of lovely ladies from Molton Brown, one of my favourite brands, offering hand massages using a range of their products. I'm already very familiar with the brand so passed up the opportunity to let someone else have a go, but it was really nice to see La Redoute working with another brand to offer us the best possible experience. It helped to bring the whole party together, and it fitted well into the evening. We also weren't left going hungry at this event - popcorn and other sweet snacks were readily available for us to stick our teeth into, which somehow I managed to keep myself away from altogether. However, another surprise sweet treat was going to be coming along later in the evening, which I'll tell you about a little further down the post! There was also little dishes brought around throughout the event that well and truly kept any hunger pangs at bay - each of them as unique as the next, and extremely tasty too. I may have had two servings of this dish photographed above, it was so good!

Now onto the main reason why you're reading this blog post - the clothing. As expected from an Autumn/Winter collection, there was lots of deep russet tones, with flashes of mustard yellow and deep burgundy. However, I was surprised to find some pretty, delicate pieces within the range, with shades of periwinkle blue and sparkling gold. We were invited by La Redoute to choose an item from the range, to try on and have photographed by the resident photographer, David Lindsay. Not only that, but once we had found our perfect item, we were allowed to keep it too! There were two pieces that caught my eye; the first being the atelier R Printed Button-Through Dress. I fell in love with the print, and I'm starting to really enjoy blue in my wardrobe so it was love at first sight for me. However, being a button-up dress, I had a feeling that I was going to struggle with it over my bust. Sadly I was right - it fitted perfectly on the arms and waist, but there was no way it was going to do up over my bust! However, my friend Rachel tried it on and it looked stunning on her. The second item that caught my attention was the R édition Printed Maxi Dress*. I loved the print and the bow detail on the neckline, but worried that it might drown me. It turned out to be the perfect length, but as I had to size up (not available in my usual size), it was a little looser than I would have liked around the waist. However, I knew that a slim waist belt would fix that, so this was the one that I decided to keep! It's unlike anything else that I have in my wardrobe, and not what I would usually wear as a result. I know that looking online I would never have chosen this dress for myself, but I'm glad that I took a chance on it in real life! I swished about in it all evening, and thoroughly confused Martin when I came home, wearing a different dress to the one I had left in.

As if we weren't being spoilt enough, there was yet another surprise for us. I was sat outside with some of my fellow bloggers when I spotted an unusual vehicle pulling up. If you hadn't already guessed, it was an ice cream van! A proper old-fashioned one too, with '99' ice creams and as many sprinkles as you could manage. It didn't take long after it started playing it's twinkly tune for all of the rest of the bloggers to run outside to see what was going on - we were like kids on Christmas Day! Soon enough, we were all stuffing our face with our ice creams, trying ever so carefully not to spill any on our beautiful new clothes (I can proudly say that I managed to avoid this). I think we were all guilty of snapping our rapidly-melting ice creams, to put all over Instagram and Snapchat; well, we're bloggers, it's to be expected! Afterwards, the evening was rounded off with the handing-out of many generous prizes. This included amongst others a £250 La Redoute voucher, and a styling session with a top hair salon. Sadly I didn't win myself any of those, but no one went home empty handed as we were all handed a generous goody bag as we left. Included in mine was a beautiful black, suede, fringed backpack, which unfortunately I can't find a link to online. However, I will try and feature it in a blog post in the future!

I think it's safe to say that I had a wonderful time at the La Redoute Summer Party. I got to catch up with some of my favourite bloggers, drink amazing cocktails and eat delicious food, as well as try on some beautiful clothes. I've even got myself some inspiration for home décor, thanks to their gorgeous homeware! Make sure to check out their latest collections online; at the time of writing, selected items from their Autumn range have 25% off with the code NEW. Thank you to everyone at La Redoute, and the PR team for putting on such a fantastic event, and for your incredible generosity throughout the evening. I can't wait for the next one already!

Gin Festival Leeds 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 09:00:00 +0000

Now, as you can imagine, I love a good beer festival. I've been to a few over the last couple of years, but I didn't know that there were ones for gin, too! When I got an email inviting me along to the Gin Festival at Leeds Town Hall, I of course couldn't pass up the opportunity. I used to hate gin - and I mean, really hate it. The smell would make me screw up my nose in disgust, and I wouldn't let a drop of it pass my lips. Then, one fateful day, Martin made me try some (I can't remember what gin it was but I was assured it was a good one), and from that day on, I was a fan. He even bought me a bottle of Marks & Spencer's Pink Gin for my birthday one year! Usually the best I can manage is Bombay Sapphire, which isn't amazing let's be honest, but serves me well enough on the rare occasion that I fancy a gin instead of a beer. I've been intrigued in the past about all the different variations that are available, but have never really found the opportunity to try them out. Much like beer, I think that gin is having a revival; it was often seen as an old person's drink, and not that enjoyable. But now, it is becoming more mainstream, and there are hundreds of different types available, as well as distilleries all across the world.

So, one Saturday evening, Martin and I went along to our first ever gin festival. Boasting over 100 gins, it's the largest of its kind in the UK and I didn't know what to expect! I hoped, if anything, it would be in a similar vein to the Leeds International Beer Festival, which was held in the same venue. There were definite similarities, but it was overall a bit smaller, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. First of all, when we arrived, we went to go get what we needed for the festival. The glasses were certainly a lot bigger than I was expecting, but I wasn't going to complain! I didn't know this before the festival, but they are stemmed to help keep the drink cool, which when you think about it makes a lot of sense. We were also given a copy of 'The Gin Book' and a pen each, which detailed every single gin that was available at the festival. You name it, they probably had it there - as well as a few more besides, and so many that I had never heard of! The festival required the purchase of tokens before you headed to the bar, which were then exchanged for the drink of your choice. What I wasn't expecting was the way that the drinks were served, which I thought was quite clever. I assumed that once you'd chosen your gin, it would be measured out, topped up with tonic and away you went. Whilst indeed the gin was measured out, the tonic was up to you. It gave us a chance to try the gins neat if we wished, to really get to grips with the flavours involved, before adding the tonic ourselves in whatever quantity we desired. Ice was also added and a garnish suited and recommended to the gin (extremely important!), topping off the whole experience.

Of course, a drinks festival isn't just about the alcohol - not in this day and age, at least. Throughout the evening, there was regular entertainment in the form of performing musicians, providing a range of hits in their own unique styles. Martin took a liking to one in particular that was doing a punchy rendition of one of his favourite songs, so that went down very well. There was a 'Selfie Pod' up on the main stage, which you and your friends could crowd together on and get a keepsake picture to take home as a memoir of the event. Aptly named 'Ginstagram' (it couldn't have been anything else, could it?), me and Martin decided not to get one done, but everyone we saw go up there looked like they were having a lot of fun! All around the venue were different stalls set up; one for making gin cocktails, the 'Gin Explorer'; a subscription box for gin, memorabilia such as signs, books and candles, and a few that were showcasing different gins, such as Brockmans and Thomas Dakin. I'm ashamed to say that we didn't spend much time at all at these stalls - but that's because we were having so much fun otherwise! Next time, I would definitely want to try at least one of the gin cocktails, because they did sound absolutely fantastic. 'The Martimes', which was featured in The Gin Book, would definitely have been up Martin's street - made up of Old Tom Gin, Vermouth and Angostura Aromatic Bitters. Something a bit more fruity wouldn't have gone amiss myself, but as it was I was really quite happy with what we did get to try.

There was also an 'Off Licence', which allowed you to buy a bottle of your favourite gin and take it home with you to enjoy. There was one gin that we enjoyed so much that Martin did actually go and buy it - it was probably the most he's ever spent on a bottle of alcohol in his life, but it was truly special and it would have been wrong to leave it behind. I'll be telling you which one it was a little further on in the post, so keep reading! Finally, there were a variety of food stalls that were dotted around the venue. Downstairs in the basement were Alimento; Spanish-inspired street food which consisted mainly of platters of meat and cheese. Burgers were also available, although I have absolutely no recollection of who they were by unfortunately. I was a bit disappointed with this, to tell you the truth; at the Leeds International Beer Festival there was a lot of choice food wise, and definitely something for everyone. However, with only two choices of the Gin Festival, I felt that this could definitely be improved upon next year. Upstairs, Edward Street Bakery had some mouthwatering goodies that we just couldn't resist; a box of cakes and brownies came home with us, and I can honestly say that they were absolutely fantastic. Martin also grabbed a bag of Habanero Chilli pork crackling from The Snaffling Pig Co, just because he'd never seen anything like it before. Again, they were really good, but a bit too spicy for me!

Well, I suppose I'd best tell you about some of the wonderful gins that we got to try, hadn't I? The festival was split into four bars, A-D. We made it our mission to try at least one gin from each - and if I'm quite honest with you, I have no idea whether we managed it or not! I guess that's alcohol for you. However, there are definite stand-out favourites that I took away from the festival. The first of these was the Pink Pepper Gin, from Cognac in France. This stood out to me immediately as it sounded so interesting; peppery notes are often found in gin, but I was curious to see if pink pepper would be any different. It was quite a bit sweeter than I expected, and Martin commented that he found it too floral. I understood what he meant - it was a very perfumed gin, but I loved it. It still had a spiced note due to the pink pepper, but neither element was too intense and worked well with the added garnish of lemon. One of Martin's favourites was Tarquin's Single Estate Cornish Tea Gin, from Cornwall. This was a limited edition gin made especially for the Gin Festival, so of course Martin couldn't pass it up. This one was quite zesty, and had a definite sharpness to it that the Pink Pepper one didn't. The garnish of hibiscus flowers I thought was an unusual one, but somehow it worked well, bringing out an earthy tone to the gin. Lastly, our joint top favourite of the evening was Dà Mhìle Seaweed Gin, from Llandysul, Wales. This sounded so unusual, that it was one of the first that we tried. Combining notes of lemon, thyme, salt and pepper, it exploded on the tongue and was so incredibly fresh and crisp throughout. Drinking this was very dangerous, as it was so refreshing that it wasn't like drinking alcohol at all! It was a bottle of this that Martin bought to bring home with us - we've yet to crack it open, but I'm really hoping that we can soon, so I can relive that moment of trying it for the first time again. I can say, with all honesty, that it was the best gin that I've ever had.

Me and Martin really enjoyed our time at the Gin Festival, and I'm personally really glad that I took a step out of my comfort zone and experimented with different kinds of gin. It's a really unique experience to be able to try such a huge range all in one place, and not one that I'm sure you can get elsewhere. I'm definitely an even bigger fan of gin than I was before, and will make a point of trying even more as and when the opportunities to do so arise. It's certainly not a drink for everyone, that I am aware of, but going to this event really opened my eyes as to how many ways it can be enjoyed. For example, if you're not a fan of tonic, you can try mixing your gin with ginger ale - something I will definitely be trying in the future! Sadly, Gin Festival won't be returning to Leeds until next year, but if you live elsewhere in the country, don't fret! London, Birmingham and Sheffield are just a few of the cities that the Gin Festival will be travelling to, so head over to their events page to see where your nearest one will be. Don't have one near you? Then you can visit their online store and purchase some of the gins and memorabilia that we came across at the event. I'm pleased to see that our beloved Seaweed Gin is on there; I have a feeling that we will be wanting to buy some more before the next event comes along!

The Beer Isle: Discover British Beer

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 09:30:00 +0000

Now, we all know that you can get subscription boxes for beauty products - but did you know what you can get ones for alcohol too? Seeing as my choice of beverage is beer, I was pleasantly surprised to come across The Beer Isle on Instagram. If I remember rightly, they liked a couple of pictures on my Instagram feed, and I always make a point of checking out the profiles of people who do so. I got in touch and asked if I could review one of their boxes, and Charles, the owner, very kindly sent me one along to try. It has taken me and Martin a while to work through it (among the many other beers that we have in our stash!), but finally I can tell you all about it. Read on to find out more about The Beer Isle Subscription Club and what makes it different to the rest!

The Beer Isle is a fantastic way to discover the best of what British microbreweries have to offer, without having to leave your home. Instead of having to trail around all the different shops (although admittedly I do quite enjoy that), a box of twelve mixed beers gets delivered to your door. Every month, The Beer Isle focuses on a different region of Britain; offering a mixture of beers from different breweries within that region. For example, in June the box featured beers from North West England; Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. The box is quite sizeable, as you would expect, but the beers are well packaged and were clearly handled with care, as every bottle arrived intact. The first item to greet you is the "Drinks Menu", which is actually extremely informative and interesting to read. Inside it details the list of beers that you receive within the box; a short blurb about the brewery that makes the beer, a descriptor of the beer in question and a scoring box, which allows you to mark the beer out of ten. The Beer Isle also encourage you to take a picture of your scores and send them in online, which they then use to discover your favourite beer of the month. Also included in the box is a really neat little bottle opener, which is of course a necessity to get into all of those bottles!

Well, let's dive straight into the beers, shall we? First up is Brewsmith Anvil Ale, 4.5%. This is described as a "Brown hoppy bitter", which sounds interesting enough. Brewed with five hops in total, this certainly wasn't short on the hoppy flavour, but it was surprisingly fruity, which I wasn't expecting at all. It didn't pour anywhere near as dark as I was expecting, given the description - it was definitely more amber than brown! I gave this beer from Bury, Greater Manchester 7/10. Also from Greater Manchester, we have Ticketybrew Pale Ale, 5.5%. This surprised me in the opposite way to the Anvil Ale by being darker than the name gives it credit for, thanks to the addition of caramelised malt. This led to a slightly sweetened flavour that brought down the bitterness of the hops, and a citrus aroma. As the label suggests, there is a floral element to the nose, but I couldn't taste it at all in the beer. I gave this beer 5/10; not because it was bad, it just wasn't very exciting.

Another pale ale comes next, this time in the form of Blackjack Rabbit Hunt, 4.4%. I was previously unaware of Blackjack before having this beer, so I was keen to give it a go. This exploded everywhere when I opened the bottle, and upon first pour I was a bit disappointed. However, I added a little of the sediment from the bottom of the bottle, and this made a huge difference. It is definitely bitter and very hoppy, but light on the tongue and quite refreshing. I got a fruity note, but couldn't quite place it. The score for this beer was 6/10 - marked down one because it fought back! Another Manchester beer is from one of my favourite breweries; Cloudwater Keyworth's Early Lager, 4.8%. I had high hopes for this, and I wasn't disappointed. This is definitely a summer beer, and for a lager (which I'm not a fan of usually), this is extremely drinkable. It is also slightly malty to boot, which very much contributes to why I enjoyed it so much! This earned a very respectable score of 7/10.

Two more breweries that I was unfamiliar with before this box - the first of which is ShinDigger West Coast Pale, 4.7%. Again, hailing from Manchester, the name is a nod to the American hops used to brew this beer. This is what I would describe as a very 'clean' drink; it has a strong bitter aroma, but the taste is extremely crisp and bursting with hints of tropical fruit. I also got a taste of biscuit and toffee, along with an abundance of hops in the finish. This was one of the top beers out of the box for me, scoring 8/10. However, it was beaten quite spectacularly by First Chop ChaiPA, 4.8%. The first smell of this is Christmas; Chai tea, ginger and cinnamon make up the nose of this most unusual beer. It is definitely not for everyone, but I found it to be absolutely wonderful. It has all of these warming spices, yet isn't heavy in the slightest and is incredibly big on flavour. It's certainly unique and a bet that paid off well - this beer got the top score for this box of 9/10. It lost a point because one was quite enough; if I were to have two, it would have easily turned sickly due to its intensity.

Next up are two very different beers; starting off with Liverpool Craft Beer Co. Love Lane Pale, 4.7%. I remember trying one of their beers last year at the Beertown Malton festival, but I don't think it was this one. This is one of their original brews, and a good staple for any respectable brewing company. Interesting fact; this beer was originally brewed under a railway bridge on Liverpool's Love Lane, hence the name! Whole leaf citrus hops makes up the majority of the flavour, and on the end tags on a malted biscuit aftertaste. If I'm honest, this wasn't 'pale ale' territory for me, but it scored 6/10 and was pleasant nonetheless. Runaway Brewery American Brown Ale, 5.7% is another American style addition to the box, and one that I enjoyed immensely. This is extremely malty, with a very discernable note of caramel and a slight hint of coffee. It was unusually sharp, but it somehow seemed to work in favour of this brew. Another excellent beer, with a score of 8/10.

Another one of my favourite breweries made it into this subscription box; Mad Hatter Penny Lane Pale, 3.9%. This is the lightest ABV out of all of the beers, but it certainly didn't lack impact. As is usually prominent in pale ales, this is light, hoppy, and with a fruity aroma, but quite dry in the mouth. It's certainly a very easy to drink beer, and two or three of these could be had without any trouble at all. There's definitely no complaints from me about this one, and it scored the second highest out of the pales in this selection at 7/10. The only beer that I actually didn't taste at all is Blackjack Deer Hunter, 5.4%. This is a coffee saison and as such was never going to touch my lips, so I let Martin have this one all to himself. Isn't he lucky! This impressed him instantly with a powerful punch of espresso, and poured light in colour. He gave this one full marks on his beer app, so I would assume on that basis he would have given this one 10/10. However, this one doesn't count for my score!

Ticketybrew Blonde, 5.8% is one of the last ones I tried, and I'm sorry to say that this was an utter disappointment. I didn't actually smell it whilst pouring the beer, but as soon as I lifted it to my lips, it was distinctly unpleasant. Still, some food smells horrible but tastes good, so being a good sport I gave it a try anyway. I genuinely don't know if this was off, or whether it really tastes like vinegar, but I'm going to suggest the former. This can happen to any beer, but it was immediately apparent that something wasn't right about this one. I couldn't finish it (to be honest, I couldn't really start it!), so it gets a score of 1/10. Last but definitely not least, was the Off Beat Oddball Red, 4.2%. The creation of a female brewer, this is a ruby red ale that has a lovely spicy undertone to compliment the abundance of Columbus hops. Definitely a beer for the colder months, but still very enjoyable at this time of year. This is quite an intense beer for the percentage, but one that I could have easily had another of! This certainly gives other red ales a run for their money, scoring 8/10.

So, what did I think of my first ever beer subscription box? I love the idea behind The Beer Isle, and think they've definitely found a gap in the market that needed to be catered to. It's an excellent way of being able to try beers from parts of the country that you may never get to visit, and supporting those microbreweries that are all over Britain. My criticisms of the box are that a lot of the beers were of the same style; out of the twelve in the box, five of those were pale ales, which would start to get very repetitive if drunk over a shorter period of time than I had. In the future, I would like to see a greater selection of styles of ales, as I know that there are many, many variations to choose from. Bigger breweries like Mad Hatter and Cloudwater do such an amazing range of beers, it was a shame that the two most basic styles were chosen. I also didn't know how to feel about two beers from the same brewery being included in the box; I'd like to think that there were more breweries to choose from for this region, but perhaps there wasn't. The upside to this, was that the two beers chosen from the same brewery were very different in style, so that got a thumbs up from me there. All in all, I very much enjoyed The Beer Isle's Subscription Club, and would definitely be interested in giving it another go in the future. Even though I'm from Leeds, I'd be curious to see what a box focusing on Yorkshire beers would contain!

The Beer Isle Subscription Box is available from their website. Prices start from £36 per month, but you can save by signing up for three or twelve months at a time. Sign up to their newsletter and save £5 off your first case!

A Taste of Things to Come at Northern Monk

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 09:00:00 +0000

When exploring what Leeds city centre has to offer, it's easy to forget about the many businesses that thrive just outside of the main shopping district. Based in Holbeck and about a 10-to-15 minute walk from the shops is Northern Monk Refectory, that opened its doors in 2014. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength; not only with creating fantastic and unusual beers within the brewery, but showcasing the best that the north has to offer in their Refectory Tap Room. It has been one of my favourite places to visit in Leeds since its inception, and I'm always itching to get my hands on their latest beers if I'm not able to pay them a visit at the refectory. However, they not only serve up some of the best beers that Leeds has to offer; their food is something special as well, and from today, it's starting an exciting new chapter in the history of Northern Monk.

In the past, Northern Monk's food has been provided by the excellent Grub & Grog Shop; they have now taken residency at Sheaf St Cafeteria, leaving a spot open for some exciting new potential. Enter Northern Monk's new head chef, Gavin Jackson; who has created an entirely new menu, focusing on seasonal food and local produce. I was invited down to the refectory on Monday night to try their food before opening the kitchens to the public today; which I have to say, I felt very privileged to be doing so. I wholeheartedly support Northern Monk on whatever venture they come up with next, and so to be trying their new menu - a big step for the company when the food was already very popular - was a wonderful opportunity and very exciting indeed.

After trying one of their new beers that is due to launch within the next couple of weeks (The 822 Double IPA if you're wondering - will be available in cans as well as draft, and you simply must try it when it launches!), we headed upstairs to the refectory tap room and kitchens, which had been decorated beautifully especially for us. This menu is focusing on small plates, paired or brewed with Northern Monk's own beers, and will be changing frequently to reflect on the current season's best produce. It's so refreshing to see a company that is passionate about pairing beer with food, much like you would traditionally with wine. It is slowly becoming more and more popular, and I can tell that by Northern Monk doing this, it will not only create a wave through the craft beer industry, but through the food and restaurant industry as well. After seeing for myself how well it can be done, I wouldn't be surprised if other businesses catch on and start doing this for themselves. So, after settling down and being told about the menu and how it came about, it was time to try the food; all six courses of it!

First up was the Slow Baked Trout and Pickled Cucumber, dressed with Sea Herbs. Believe it or not, this was my first time trying trout, as I had been brought up as a vegetarian and had yet come across the opportunity to do so. The trout was absolutely delicious, soft and falling apart with barely any persuasion needed; if all trout tastes this good, I would not hesitate in having it again. The pickled cucumbers sharp and crunchy, contrasting wonderfully with the fish and complimenting the sea herbs beautifully. These were unlike anything I had ever tasted before, and helped to bring the whole dish together without becoming overwhelming. This was paired with the 'Banh Mi' Thai Gose, a collaboration between Northern Monk and Banh Mi Booth for Leeds Indie Food 2016. I had desperately wanted to try this beer and never found it, so I was very happy indeed to be presented it with such beautiful food. Flavoured with basil and lime, it was zesty and sour, with a hint of saltiness that I have not come across in any other beer. When paired with the trout, it brought out the 'seafood' element of the dish, and makes you sit up and take notice; I doubt that you will find a more unusual combination!

Up next was the Venison Tartare with Dijon Mustard and Shallots, served with Quail Egg Yolk, Parsley, Chard Leek and Rye Bread Crisps. I've never had venison in tartare form before - in fact, I don't think anyone at the event had - so this was a new experience. I'm used to venison tasting very 'gamey' and it has taken me some getting used to, but this wasn't the case with this dish. Still big on the flavour, this venison - sourced from a Yorkshire National Park - has been softened by the addition of the leek and egg yolk (which passed the runny yolk test with flying colours), and for me was really quite unusual. However, when paired with the mustard and crisps, a little taste of familiarity crept back in and some of that peppery flavour from the mustard brought it back up a notch. The contrast in textures was also pleasing, and helped to bring this dish up to outstanding quality. The flavours are quite complex, but right on point and it paired beautifully with the New World IPA, with its intense notes of pine and grapefruit, as well as a bitter aftertaste. Also worthy of an honourable mention was the Beer Bread from Edward Street Bakery and Home Smoked Salted Butter, which had everyone in awe for such a simple accompaniment. As bread and butter goes, it really couldn't be beaten.

The third course out of six was the Broad Bean Waffles with Oak Smoked Goat's Cheese, Pea Purée and Nasturtiums. This was I think the smallest dish out of them all, but what it lacked in size, it more than made up in flavour. I have never known broad beans to carry such an intense flavour; every mouthful needs to be savoured in order to appreciate the uniqueness of this dish. The texture of the waffles was surprisingly light, which was completely unexpected. The goat's cheese was creamy and suitably smoky, bringing out the earthy notes of the broad bean waffles and sweetness of the pea puree. The nasturtiums were also a surprise, being quite peppery and adding an unusual twist to the dish; not only in the flavour but in the presentation as well. The beer that was paired with this was the 'Northern Star' Mocha Porter; created with ground coffee beans from North Star Coffee Micro Coffee Roasters, it is rich and full bodied with hints of hazelnut and dark chocolate. Now, if you know me, then you know that I don't like coffee in any way shape or form - and unfortunately that includes beer. However, being a good sport I had a couple of sips with my food and you know what? I liked it. For me, the food toned down the bitterness from the coffee, and brought out those sweeter notes. As I remarked at the time, it must be a true testament to how good the food was to make me like a beer that I didn't otherwise - and therefore this dish took pride of place as my favourite course from the evening.

More fish was next, this time in the form of Poached Cod with Pistachio Nut Butter, Grilled Spring Onion, Roasted Pistachios and Lemon. Knowing how good the trout was, I had high hopes for the cod, and I'm pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed. Light in texture with soft, white flesh, it behaved near enough exactly the same as the trout, with falling apart to the touch. Usually I'm not a fan of nuts, but in this instance the nuttiness of the butter really enhanced the fish, and brought it out to its true potential. The flavours were very delicate overall, especially in comparison to some of the other dishes from the evening, but enjoying some of the roasted pistachios helped to add in little punches of flavour. The texture of the butter was smooth but with a defined grittiness, which I personally really enjoyed; so much so that I was mopping it up with some leftover bread when the dish was finished! The only part of this dish that I didn't like was the spring onion - and that's because I don't like spring onion at all, no matter what it is paired with. However, I was assured from fellow diners that it was truly excellent, so please don't let my distaste of the vegetable put you off. The beer of choice with this course was the well-known 'Eternal' Session IPA, a light blonde pale ale that is surprisingly hoppy for such lightness. As suggested by the name, this beer is very easy to drink and you won't get bored after a few pints of this - although your head might not thank you for it the next day! The abundance of hops in this beer worked really well with the pistachio, bringing out the bitterness of the nut; both in roasted and in butter form.

Last in the main courses was the Pan Fried Duck Breast with Carrot Purée, Sautéed Carrots, Fennel and Jus. This dish was quite a bit sweeter than I had imagined; the carrots had been cooked for only a short period of time, so they were crunchy and fragrant rather than savoury, which I wouldn't have ordinarily paired with duck. The purée only added to this, but was much more intense in flavour and somehow it just all seemed to work. The duck was beautifully cooked, blushing pink with the most pristine skin that I have ever seen. However, whilst the flavour of the duck worked for me, the texture didn't. I'm not keen at all on what I would call "fatty" meats; this and pork belly are the two instances of this for me. The chewy meat is something that I just cannot get on board with, which is a shame as the flavour really was outstanding. However, if you like duck, then I can guarantee that you will absolutely love this - even I can appreciate that it has been prepared and cooked by a chef with real talent and skill. I also had to leave the fennel, so overall this wasn't a dish that I would order for myself in the future; but considering how much I enjoyed all of the other courses, I can live with not liking one of them! The beer that was paired with this dish was truly special; the 'Heathen' IPA, which clocking in at 7.2%, was the strongest out of all of the ones that we tried. If you're familiar with the 'Faith' IPA, then this is Faith's big sister; brewed with my favourite hop, Citra, this packs a tropical fruit punch that almost knocks you for six. This is an absolutely incredible beer, and one to truly savour - I have two cans of it and I can't wait to enjoy it again! This was the winning beer for me from the event - and it was about to come up against some stiff competition.

To finish off with, we couldn't leave without squeezing in some dessert - even though I think we were all pretty full by this point! However, this menu was about to go out with a bang; Vanilla Yogurt topped with Strawberry and Black Pepper Ice Cream from Northern Bloc, Strawberry Compote, Macerated Strawberries and Elderflower Fritter. Where do I start with this dish? Obviously the strawberry was going to be the top flavour, and it was in abundance. Somehow, however, it wasn't overpowering and I think I know why this was the case; the ice cream from Northern Bloc. Amongst all the sweetness was this sudden kick of black pepper, and it was utterly mind blowing. I've heard of the combination of strawberry and black pepper before but never quite believed that it would work - but it really does. The other unique twist to this dish was the elderflower fritter, which was absolutely incredible. As strange as it felt to be eating what was essentially deep fried flowers, it was sweet but in a completely different way to the strawberry. I've never had anything like it, and something like this I would expect of a Michelin-starred restaurant; bringing a dish up to the next level by throwing something so unusual into the mix. I absolutely loved it, and it was the perfect end to the six course meal. The final beer of the night was one that I had been desperate to try since it was released; the 'Neopolitan' Ice Cream Pale. If you're thinking "That can't possibly work" - I can assure you, it absolutely can! Brewed in collaboration with Little Leeds Beer House, this is brewed with 30kg of strawberries and chocolate sauce from York Cocoa House, with lactose for a creamy vanilla base. Believe me when I say that somehow, incredibly, it really does taste of proper ice cream. As I said to Brian Dickson, the head brewer, I don't know how they have managed to brew a beer that has these sweet flavours but is still light and not sickly in the slightest. A really fantastic beer that everyone simply must try - even if it's just to say that that you've had a beer that tastes of ice cream!

I think it is safe to say that I am thoroughly impressed with Northern Monk's new refectory menu. Grub & Grog will undoubtedly be missed, but in its place is a fresh, exciting menu that I truly believe will only get even better over time. Their new head chef, Gavin Jackson seems very well suited to Northern Monk; creating a stunning menu, using local produce that is designed specifically to pair with the beers that are being brewed. It's a unique and exciting partnership, and I'm really excited to see what they come up with in the future - because if this first menu is anything to go by, it's going to blow everyone out of the water. This new menu launches today after being closed this week for refurbishment, so get down to Northern Monk Refectory and give this new food menu a try - with the perfectly matched beers, of course - I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Ladbrokes Great Gatsby Casino Night - #HoldEm4Charity

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 10:00:00 +0000

I don't often get the chance to get all dressed up these days, so when an invite landed in my inbox offering me the chance to do so, I was really, really excited! The event in question was a Great Gatsby Themed Charity Casino Night, hosted by Ladbrokes Poker. It fell on a Saturday (if you are a blogger, you know how rare this is), so I could actually attend for once! It was to be held in the Doubletree Hilton Leeds, which I had never actually been to before, so this got me even more excited about the event. Even though we weren't going to be playing with real money - good job, really - the winner at the end of the night would be able to donate £500 to a charity of their choice, which is such a wonderful thing to do for a blogger event. So, not only was the night due to be filled with lots of fun, games and getting all glammed up with my fellow bloggers, it was all for a good cause too.

Making your way into town whilst in very dressed up attire is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you! The event was due to start at 5pm, so I had to leave home before 4pm in order to make it in time. I got a few funny looks at the bus stop and another one from my taxi driver, but it was worth it! I actually ended up arriving a little early, so took refuge in the toilets in the lobby of the hotel to touch up my make up and sort my clothing out, as I had gotten a little ruffled from the journey. There I managed to bump into the lovely Rebecca, who I had never met before, and we had a good giggle before heading upstairs together. It turned out that the event was going to be held in the Sky Lounge, which was very exciting as it meant that we were in for some amazing views. Once we arrived, we were greeted with a glass of champagne, and waited for everyone else to trickle in. Everyone looked absolutely amazing, and it was very surreal to be surrounded by so many glamorous men and women whilst everyone else in the Sky Lounge were in jeans and tshirts! Soon enough, we were shown into our private room, where the poker tables (provided by Casino Hire UK) were all set up and waiting for us to begin.

Now, I had never played poker before, so this was going to be a steep learning curve for me. To be quite honest, I still don't really understand it but I got away with bluffing it for quite a while! Everyone was split up into groups, and once we had all sat down, our dealer explained the rules to us. We had a practice round to get to grips with it (again, lost on me I'm afraid), before we were playing "for real". To begin with, I did really quite well and had a healthy stack of chips in front of me. Everyone on my table was calling me out and saying that I must have played before, but it really was just beginner's luck, I promise! I was sat between Carolanne, who seemed to know a bit more than I did, and Bryony who knew nothing at all about the game, like me. The hosts certainly knew how to keep a big group of bloggers happy too, by bringing around glasses of wine to sip and canapés to nibble at throughout the game. Between us all on the table we managed to play a good few rounds before we had a break, and by the time that came around I still had a fairly respectable amount of chips left to play with.

During the break, many of us took the opportunity to step outside and take in the amazing views that we had from our own little balcony. I had never seen Leeds from this high up before, so to me it was pretty spectacular! Of course, being bloggers the cameras came out, and many photos were taken. With a little help from Lucy and her fancy ring light, we managed to get some pretty good shots of us in our outfits - thanks again, Lucy! My outfit was actually a "Plan B" scenario, as the dress that I had ordered specifically for the event didn't arrive in time, which I was pretty gutted about. Luckily, I already had an inkling that it wasn't going to turn up, and so I managed to create this instead. The dress was a charity shop bargain at only £2.50, which I came across when I was dropping off some items to be donated - I may never wear it again, but I don't mind for that price. The shrug I managed to dig out from the back of my wardrobe, as well as the lace gloves and shoes, which I hadn't worn in years. The pearls again I already had, and were an absolute essential to the outfit; you can't have 1920's without pearls, right? Finally, the scarf was actually in the goody bag that I received from a La Redoute event before Christmas, and was ecstatic when I found it, as it brought the whole outfit together. I was aiming to emulate this style from Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby - whether I pulled it off, I don't know but I certainly made the best out of what I had! I was also quite pleased with my make up for the evening too - after a little online research, I discovered that the 1920's girls were all about the red lip and smokey eyes, so that's what I did. It was really fun to go to town with my make up for a change, as I usually try and wear as little as possible!

After we had all pranced around on the balcony in our glad rags, and gawped in amazement at the magician that the hosts had rustled up for us, it was time to get back to the game. Quite a few people had moved around or were out of the game, so Lucinda ended up joining our table for the chance to win. My beginner's luck had finally run out, and I bowed out after one more round and lost all of my chips. I wasn't too sad though, as I had a glass of wine in my hand and some awesome girls to cheer on! Soon, the games were over, and it was time for the winners to group together onto one table for the final rounds. One by one, people bowed out of the game until it was down to two people, and everyone crowded around to watch. Remember Bryony, who I was sat next to at the beginning? Well, she had managed to get right to the end and was up against Karl; the atmosphere was tense, let me tell you! On the second to last round, Karl went all in and Bryony called his bluff, winning that round. Finally, Karl went all in blind and Bryony did too - everyone was waiting impatiently with bated breath to see who was going to be crowned the winner. It was Bryony! She had been dealt an ace, and as such emerged victorious. Having played with her at the beginning of the evening, I was over the moon to see her win and have £500 donated to the charity of her choice courtesy of Ladbrokes, which turned out to be Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

I think it is safe to say that I had an absolutely fantastic evening at the Great Gatsby Casino Night. Blogger events like this are so much fun, because you get to hang out with your favourite people, and be thoroughly entertained whilst doing so! It was truly one of the best events I've ever been to, as it was so different to the usual blogger event. At the end of the night, we were all sent away with a goody bag too, which was incredibly generous. As mentioned previous, we were not playing with real money, and to be honest I'm not sure that I ever would; I like taking risks, but not with my money and I can't put it where my mouth is! If you play poker or take part in any other form of gambling, please gamble responsibly and remember that when the fun stops - stop. Thank you to Ladbrokes Poker, Jennie at Search Labs and the Doubletree Hilton for a wonderful evening!

Sunday Roast at Nation of Shopkeepers

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 10:00:00 +0000

I have made it my mission in life to find the best Sunday roast in Leeds - and even though personally for me there have been a few close contenders, I have yet to find one that has blown me away. My favourite so far is one that I have yet to review, but I'm sure that I will get around to it someday! The story behind this blog post is that I was browsing Twitter one day, and saw an interesting looking tweet on my timeline; Nation of Shopkeepers were asking for food bloggers who dabble in photography to get in touch. Well, that describes me pretty much to a tee, so I duly did so (I have to admit that I was intrigued). The offer was pretty straight forward - a free Sunday lunch, in exchange for some photos and possibly a review if I wanted to. Well, I figured "why not?" and hey, I can never turn down the offer of free food! Also, good content for this blog is always a bonus. So, a couple of weeks ago, me and Martin headed down to Nation of Shopkeepers to try their Sunday roast.

Me and Martin have been to Nation of Shopkeepers before, on numerous occasions, and have even eaten there before. However, I was unaware of what the situation was with their Sunday roasts; it turns out that they did do them before, but they stopped doing them for a while. Now, they've brought them back, hence why I was asked to take some pictures, to help promote this. Nation of Shopkeepers is an interesting bar to say the least, with quirky decor but a warm and friendly atmosphere. When we arrived, we went straight to the bar and was soon greeted by a friendly female bartender, who got us sorted with our food and drink. The Sunday roast menu looked promising, and we had no trouble deciding what we wanted. We were a little disappointed, however, to learn that even though it was only 2pm, that they had run out of the pork and only had one portion of chicken left. So, Martin chose the beef with extra Cumberland & gingerbread stuffing and chipolatas, and I had the chicken - both of us opted to give the cauliflower cheese a go as well. To wash this down, we both went for the same beer, unusually; a pint of Drygate's Bearface Lager, which was a safe option to go with the food. We decided to take advantage of the mild weather and sit outside on the patio, but not before we were offered a shot of (alcohol free) Bloody Mary to keep us going! This was unexpected but a great touch from Nation of Shopkeepers, who actually seem to care if you have a raging hangover (we did not, but that didn't matter).

Before long our food had arrived, which was a good job because we were seriously hungry! The plates were certainly piled high, so the portions were hardly on the skimpy side - as such, this got a big thumbs up from both of us. However, me and Martin were not left overly impressed with their Sunday roast, and there were several reasons why. The meat was well flavoured, but I did find my chicken to be a bit dry in some places. This was nothing that adding gravy couldn't solve, but I've definitely had better elsewhere. Martin's beef was well done, and I think that he would have preferred it a little pinker in the middle, but this wasn't offered as an option to him. The vegetables were particularly disappointing - they were clearly not fresh, and looked to me as if they were a "steam in a bag" job that you can buy from supermarkets; therefore they were quite bland, and some were undercooked by quite some way. Perhaps I've gotten a bit snobbish with my Sunday roasts, but the least that I expect is fresh vegetables that have been prepared on site, and these weren't. The roast potatoes again were just fine, but they weren't as crispy on the edge as I would have liked. The homemade Yorkshire fell flat for me - not literally, as it was quite overdone and therefore as dry as a bone. Yorkshire puddings are meant to be light and fluffy, and these ones were tough and chewy, and I have to say not all that pleasant. The stuffing balls and chipolatas were tasty enough, but to me the stuffing balls didn't taste any different to what I would usually have at home - quite a disappointment, when I was expecting them to be really special! Lastly, the cauliflower cheese rounded off our disappointing meal by just being a bit too bland. This sounds like a harsh criticism as cauliflower is considered by most to be quite a bland vegetable, but Martin has been converted to this dish by excellent ones in the past - and this one from Nation of Shopkeepers didn't live up to what he imagined or had hoped for. Again, like the other vegetables, the cauliflower was undercooked and we didn't manage to eat it all.

My review of Nation of Shopkeepers' Sunday roast does seem quite harsh, but all in all it was just not what we expected it to be. We know that this place can do excellent food; their fried chicken is to die for, as well as their chorizo mac and cheese - which, looking at their current menu, they don't do anymore, which is a real shame. I hope that this is only teething problems for Nation of Shopkeepers, and given time and feedback they can work to improve on their Sunday roasts. It has the potential to be pretty damn good, if they improved on the quality of their ingredients and took a little more care when cooking. This was by no means the worst Sunday roast I've ever had, far from it - but both me and Martin expected a lot more based on our previous experiences, and as such we were disappointed. When you factor in the prices as well, we've definitely had better elsewhere for the same amount. What I would say to you, if you're looking to give Nation of Shopkeepers a go, is for now, skip the Sunday roast and go for some of their fried chicken instead - that, I can wholeheartedly recommend, but sadly, not the Sunday roasts just yet. Better still, go for the relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff and great beer!

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

How I edit my Instagram photos

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 10:00:00 +0000

If you asked me what my favourite app was, without hesitation I would say Instagram. Photography is a big part of my life, and Instagram is, for me at least, the best way of sharing the photos that I'm proud of online. There is a massive community of like-minded people for every kind of niche, whether it be photos of food, New York, knitting, beer... you name it, there will be other people taking photos of it on Instagram. You also get to connect with people from around the world; just the other day I was helping someone who came from Los Angeles, and I regularly check out people's feeds who do not live in the same country as me. I've had a few questions recently from people on Instagram, asking about how I edit my photos and what apps I use to do so. My process is not as complicated or as long-winded as some people's, but if you're unfamiliar with the apps that I use, then you may well find this post helpful! So, without further ado, let me take you through how I edit my Instagram photos.

Before I start, I want to point something out: I do not have a "themed" Instagram account. I did give it a go, for a while (if you scroll back through my feed you may well be able to spot it), but I grew tired with it and moved on. I do have a few favourite filters that I use regularly and I will talk about later in the post, but generally speaking I edit each photo on a separate basis. This means that I use whichever filter and editing technique that I think looks best for that particular photo. That being said, there are some things I do that I apply to almost every picture I upload, and the apps I use are always the same - and this is what I will be talking about in this blog post. Talking of apps, let's start there. There are two apps other than Instagram that I use for editing my photos; VSCO and Snapseed. VSCO is an app that I have used for quite some time; probably around a year or so, and it continues to serve me very well. It offers a good range of editing options and filters, and once you get the hang of the app's design, it is very easy to use. Snapseed on the other hand is very new to me, within the last couple of weeks, really. It offers me even greater control than what VSCO can offer, including the use of a "dodge and burn" tool, which I have started to use to fine tune my images in precise areas. I'm still getting used to the app so I have not fully explored its potential yet, but I will show you how I've been using it in addition to VSCO.

It is worth mentioning here that pretty much every photo I upload onto my Instagram, I have taken it with my Canon G7X. This camera has WiFi uploading capabilities, allowing me to instantly grab my photos off my camera and put them straight onto my phone, which is so easy to do. My phone camera just isn't good enough quality for the majority of the pictures I would like to take, often blowing out highlights and distorting the image due to its wide angle lens. The G7X is an expensive camera, but it fits in my pocket and therefore goes with me everywhere; meaning that I rarely have the problem of not being able to capture a picture spontaneously. So, after I have transferred the images I would like to upload onto my phone, I open up VSCO and import the pictures into the app. VSCO has a library of images that you have imported, so at any point you can go back and re-edit an image again if you so wish, or share it onto other social media networks such as Facebook. This feature is particularly useful as it saves you precious time; instead of saving the image, opening the required app, finding it in your gallery and uploading it, VSCO allows you to do all of that within the app itself.

So, once I have loaded my photo in VSCO, I begin the editing process by pressing the icon on the bottom left hand corner of the screen. This takes you to the filter gallery, where just like Instagram you can choose a filter to overlay your image. I tend to go back and forth through all the filters, often a couple of times before making my selection - making sure that it is the one that will bring the photo to its best potential. I do have a few favourite filters; ACG/Nikelab, A6/Analog and KK1/Krochet Kids are used quite often on my feed. ACG leans quite purple but really brings out the full range of highlights and shadows, so it works well on images that have a lot of fine detail. A6 brings the saturation of the image down but is very contrasted - making the whites bright and the shadows deep. KK1 is very warm toned so it works well on images that feature a lot of oranges or reds, and in this instance is what I used here. If you tap the filter icon again you adjust the strength of the filter - sometimes having it on full (+12) can be a bit too intense, so I often knock it down a few notches to suit my tastes.

Once I have settled on a filter that I like, it's time to get a little more in-depth. If you tap the upwards arrow in the white box at the bottom of the screen and select the spanner icon, it brings up the editing suite, which allows you to fine tune your image. This is where you will find things such as brightness, contrast, sharpen, fade and much more. Now, what I do specifically for each image is different, but generally there are certain things that I will do for every photo, to one degree or another. I will increase the brightness, but usually not by too much - enough to bring details out, but not enough to blow out any highlights. This usually means that I have to increase the contrast, to bring the shadows back down. Increasing the saturation is usually done here, again only by a small measure. I will also straighten up the image if I need to; when taking a photo, I find it difficult to align it perfectly so this helps to correct any misjudgements. I don't crop nor sharpen the image in VSCO, as I allow Instagram to do the cropping for me, and I prefer the more precise control of Instagram's own sharpening tool rather than VSCO's incremented one. Now, sometimes, that will be nearly the end of my editing process and I will then upload the image to Instagram. An image might not necessarily need any more done to it than that, and if I am happy with the result that VSCO gives me, then I won't take it any further. However, in this case I will be taking the image into Snapseed, and correcting some problems that I have come across with the image.

If you bring up that white box with the arrow again, there is a tick symbol that you can tap that will take you back to the image library. This has saved your edits, so you should be able to see your newly edited image ready for you to use. By tapping on the image again, you can press the circular icon in the bottom right hand corner, which brings up a number of options. A useful function to keep in mind for if you do have a themed Instagram is the "Copy Edits" button, which does exactly that - it takes whatever you have done to that picture, and allows you to paste that onto another image - saving you a lot of time and effort! I rarely use it myself these days, but was extraordinarily helpful when I did have a go at theming my Instagram. However, what I'm going to do here is press "Share", and it brings up a variety of options. You can share the image straight to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Email, but if you scroll down a "More" option appears, and this is what I click on. Doing so brings up all of the other apps that I might want to transfer the image to - which in this case is going to be Snapseed. Once I have done that it opens up Snapseed, with my image loaded onto the screen and ready to edit. You want to start off by pressing the large, circular icon with the pencil, which will bring up the editing screen.

On the editing screen of Snapseed, there are a variety of tools you can use. I'm tending to stick to just the one at the moment, which is the brush tool. Have you ever had an image that you wish was a little bit brighter in certain areas, but turning up the brightness on the whole image ruins it? That is exactly what this tool is for - amongst other things. In this example, I'm going to be using the "dodge" tool to brighten up the right side of Zak's face, which is in shadow (left to you and me). I'm also going to try and "burn", or darken, the white area of the other side of his face, where he has caught the light. You can also use the tool to control the colour saturation, exposure and the colour temperature - the latter two I have not used yet, however. By using the arrows highlighted at the bottom of the screen, you can control the intensity of the brush. Numbers 5 and 10 are to lighten, or "dodge" the image, the eraser is to undo any mistakes, and numbers -5 and -10 are to darken, or "burn" the image. You then use the tool to paint over the areas that you want to correct. If there's a very precise area that you want to fix, you can pinch zoom the image and therefore decrease the size of the brush. To see where you have corrected in the image, tap the eye in the bottom right of the screen, and it shows you where you have used the tool. Pretty neat, huh? So, once I have corrected the areas that needed fixing, I press the tick to save that edit, and press the circular pencil icon again to load up the editing screen once more.

If you scroll down this editing screen, you will see a list of filters appear. Each of them offer something different, with almost endless options within each category, and you could spend hours going through them all and playing around! HDR-scape is excellent for landscapes and anything that has a lot of detail - I used it lightly on this image to bring out the full range of shadows and highlights. My favourite collection by far however is "Grainy film", and that is what I ended up using on this image. I won't necessarily always use more than one filter, but I like playing around with the different effects to find something that makes my image unique; sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Often, I will take a look at all the filters and decide that none of them are working for me! This collection of filters are named much like VSCO (you've got to wonder which one came first), but Snapseed have a far greater range of free options. I've not used Snapseed long enough yet to have any favourites, but in this instance I decided that the B03 worked well on this image. However, it was far too intense for my liking, and I needed to bring it down so it didn't look quite so harsh. To do this, press on the image and drag your finger up or down on the screen. Doing this opens up the editing options; in this case, the strength of the grain and the strength of the filter. Once you have selected your option, let go and then press on the image again, but this time swipe it to the left or right. This changes the intensity of whatever option you selected. I always take the grain down to 0, as I'm not using the filter for this purpose, and I take the filter down from +80 to +56, which is much more to my liking. Once you're done, press the tick icon to save your changes.

At this point, you should see at the top of the screen, above your image a number in a white box. Tapping this shows you all the edits that you have made, and you can go back through them should you wish to. Say you weren't happy with the brush tools you had used? Click on the "Brush" box, and either delete that layer, or edit it again. This is not something I've used very much, but it's a very useful feature to have if you're quite indecisive! When you're ready to upload your photo to Instagram, press the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the screen, press "Share" and select Instagram from the menu. This will then load the image into Instagram, where I usually have a couple of final tweaks to do. As we all know, Instagram now offers both landscape and portrait formats as well as the traditional square, and I am a big fan of this change. My preferred format is portrait, as it offers the most impact, but it depends on the subject of the image to how it is best framed. In this instance I decided that it looked better in a square, but you can pinch zoom or use the arrows icon on the left to change it to whatever you prefer. I find the "rule of thirds" grid to be quite helpful sometimes, as it helps establish a focusing point to your image. Here, I want Zak's left eye to be the focus, so I set it to be towards the top left of the image. Ideally, the eye should be at the exact point where the lines intersect for maximum impact, but it threw the image off to the left too much for my liking, so this was the compromise I settled on. Press the arrow on the top right, and it brings you to the the familiar Instagram editing screen.

One of my favourite tools to use is the sun icon, which seems to be some magic tool that instantly makes your image look better. I'm not sure exactly what it does, but if I could hazard a guess I would say it increases the brightness and contrast in one go, but it nearly always looks fantastic. On this image however, I decide not to use it and fine tune the details myself. This is where I will finally use the "sharpen" tool, as it shows the most accurately on Instagram out of all the apps I have tried, and you can be very precise. I also decide here that I would like to increase the brightness and contrast a little, and this is after I have viewed the image on a white background. To do this, you need to press the arrow in the top right corner as if you have finished the image, then press the little thumbnail of the image next to where you write your caption. I often find that my image looks a little dark once I see it on white, compared to the grey (which is how it will be seen on Instagram), so I can go back and adjust the brightness and contrast. After that, it is ready to upload and the image is complete!

If you've made it this far through the post (well done you!), and are thinking "All of that must take AGES to do!" - well, it depends on how you look at it. If you take photography (and Instagram) seriously like I do, then spending ten minutes to edit an image is really no time at all. Obviously, sometimes an image is nearly perfect straight out of the camera and only takes me a couple of minutes to do, and sometimes, like with this image, there are elements that need fixing before I am happy with it. As I whole, I absolutely love using Instagram and am very happy with my feed. Themed it is not, but that doesn't matter to me - I love having somewhere that I can document my life, and show off the images that I'm proud of. You may use Instagram like how I do or you may not, but I hope that this post was helpful to you, and it gave you some idea of how you can edit an image to its best potential. If you have any questions, about how to use the apps I've talked about or editing my images, leave them in the comments section below, send me a tweet or leave me a comment on my Instagram!

Getting Dirty at Smoke Barbecue Leeds

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Last month, a very exciting invitation with an intriguing subject landed in my inbox. Its subject was titled "Ellie - Do you want to get dirty?" Don't I ever. The invite was from Smoke Barbecue Leeds, who invited me and a plus one to sample authentic, open pit American barbecue food and beer with them at their exclusive blogger event. Well, you didn't need to ask me twice! Two of my favourite things combined into one evening was simply too good to pass up. I had heard of Smoke Barbecue before but had never visited, probably because it is tucked away behind the Merrion shopping centre in Leeds. Call it a hidden gem if you will, because this restaurant quite frankly knocks other barbecue restaurants out of the water - yes, I'm saying that it's even better than Red's, and I really do love that place! A bold claim? Perhaps, but with good reason; let me tell you why.

But, before I do, a little bit of background story. Smoke Barbecue started in December 2013 in the fellow Yorkshire city of Sheffield, after a visit two years before to the home of barbecue; Austin, Texas. Following its success, Smoke Barbecue Leeds opened in October 2015. With the tagline "Put the fork down... It's time to get dirty!", their aim is simple; deliver the best quality, authentic wood smoked meat in true American style, using a unique smoke and secret spices on their open pit barbecue. No gas here! Having tried a wide variety of dishes from various barbecue restaurants over the last couple of years, I like to think that I'm pretty well informed when it comes to telling the good from the bad. Leeds in particular is not at all short on the barbecue restaurant front, and as such Smoke Barbecue has a lot of stiff competition. I've had some real disappointments in the past, but on the flipside some excellent dishes too. So, I went in with an open mind - and a very hungry tummy!

When we arrived, I was immediately impressed with the decor. I love all manner of mismatched items, and this place does it like no other. Washing machine drums for light fittings, wooden pallet benches and tables, logs of wood in the ceiling - this place had it all. It had a very industrial feel and I really liked it, and it was very fitting for the theme of the restaurant. However, our table did have quite the wobble on it, which became slightly problematic throughout our meal! Pride of place along the right hand wall is the bold, spray painted tagline and the bar, where you could wait with a drink if your table wasn't ready. However, the star of the show was tucked away down the back of the restaurant; the open kitchen, where if you so chose you could sit and watch your food being made in front of you. I did spot that there was no microwaves (at least as far as I could see), which was a good sign - this meant that everything coming out the kitchen would be fresh. The smell coming from it was incredible, and certainly made us hungry. We were sat a little further up but still had a pretty good view of the action, and seeing the big pile of meat that you can spot in the picture above only whet our appetite further!

There was a plan of action for the evening, and it wasn't long before one of the owners, Duka, came over and introduced herself. It's rare that we get to meet the owners of the restaurants face to face, so this was a touch that was very much appreciated - it helped as well that she was so friendly and clearly has such a passion for the food. She got us sorted with our drinks too, as a beer was included with our food. The beer selection was bad at all, but a little lacking for a restaurant that advertises its beer with its food; three draughts, and six bottles/cans to choose from. Me and Martin both went for a bottle of Camden Hells Lager, one that we have had before and therefore a safe choice for us. There was also more beers to come, but I will tell you about those a little later. Duka then told us what we would be trying between us; the Smoke Sharer Plate, usually £30. Looking at it written there innocently on the menu, we thought that sounded good, but pretty standard... until it arrived.

There is no other way to describe the size of this platter other than effin' huge! The plate was nearly as big as my forearm is long, if that helps you with the sense of scale at all. I had to stand up to take a picture of the whole thing, as there was no way it was all getting in the frame. Making up this monstrous plate of meat was pulled pork, baby back ribs, chicken thighs, house hot link sausage and a barbecue turkey leg, which was quite frankly the biggest piece of meat I've ever seen. As if all that wasn't enough, served along with this was a portion of twice cooked chips, pickled 'slaw and a jalapeno corn bread muffin, just to round the whole thing off. I don't think I've ever seen Martin stunned into silence before - well done Smoke! It was difficult to know where to start so we just got stuck right in, and got well and truly dirty. As a whole, it was absolutely incredible and there wasn't a bad item throughout. The hot link sausages were my personal favourite, which was hot as the name suggests but not overly so, and you can tell that the quality of the meat used is superb. The chicken thighs were succulent and moist, with wonderfully charred skin and delicious smokey flavour. I think that the ribs were Martin's favourites, with their evident smoke ring and the meat just fell off the bone, with very little effort required - a big thumbs up from us. The pulled pork bun was to be honest a little lost amongst the rest of the food, but it had a good sweetness and wasn't dry at all. However, the turkey leg is what defeated us in the end, as it was just so monstrous that it was impossible to eat it all - talk about getting your money's worth! Martin ended up taking it home and getting two more meals out of it, so he was thrilled with that. The meat again was cooked well and smoked beautifully, and much like the ribs actually took very little work to get off the bone.

I would not have chosen the jalapeno corn bred muffin as a side for myself as I thought that I didn't like corn bread, but I was wrong. Corn bread that I've had in the past from another restaurant has been dry, and way too stodgy to go with such a filling meal. However, this muffin was served warm and with added butter, it was like heaven on earth. Sweet, light and fluffy, it was punctuated with little kicks of the pepper throughout and I was well and truly converted. If I can find one that beats that, I will be amazed! The chips was also pretty good, but by the time I got around to them they had gone a bit soggy - which is a shame, but they tasted fantastic all the same. I washed them down with generous helpings of the house Smoke Barbecue Sauce, which is one of the best barbecue sauces I've ever had. The description "Sweet with a bit of heat!" sums it perfectly, and it was right up my street. I was absolutely beside myself with delight when I realised that I was taking one home with me in the goody bag! Finally, the 'slaw was good in my eyes, but Martin wasn't so keen. To be fair to Smoke, Martin is a difficult man to please when it comes to the slaw because he's not usually a fan of it, but I quite enjoyed it. Nothing groundbreaking, but a lot nicer than another restaurant's that I had tried recently. Along with our meal we also had a taster flight of their three draught beers; Freedom Organic, an English lager; Smoke American Red, a red lager and American Savior, a pale ale. Out of these three, there was an easy winner with the Smoke American Red with its distinct smoked flavour, which I've only ever tasted a few times before.

When we had finally thrown in the towel and admitted defeat, we sat there and congratulated ourselves on a job well done on tackling all of that food. But, what was that making its way out of the kitchen...? Puddings?! Somebody help us. On our plate was a selection of the various puddings that they offer, which included Peanut Butter Cheesecake, Chocolate Brownie, S'mores and Rocky Road Ice Cream. Neither us like peanut butter so I'm afraid that one was out (apart from me tasting a little of the chocolate off the top), but I particularly enjoyed the S'mores, which admittedly I had never had before and was a whole new concept to me. It was hard work getting the marshmallow off the spoon though, I can tell you! The chocolate brownie was was gooey and rich as you would expect, and we both really enjoyed the ice cream, although it had melted into a big, sticky mess by the time we got around to it. With places like this it is rare that we give the desserts a try, so it was nice to get a sample of everything to see what we would like best. The cheesecake did look fantastic even though we didn't like the flavour, but this changes regularly so I would love to go back and try a flavour I would like one day.

I think it's safe to say that our exit from the restaurant was not graceful; by this I mean that we waddled out of there, knowing that the food baby was imminent! We really enjoyed our time at Smoke Barbecue, and had a fantastic evening trying the best of what they had to offer. The Smoke Sharer Platter that we had would have been easily enough for three or maybe even four people, but even between two it is a reasonable price of £15 per head. Me and Martin have both paid more for food that hasn't been anywhere near as good, and we have never left feeling so full! If you're looking for a true taste of the American barbecue brought to your doorstep, this is it - and I don't think it could really get any better than this. On my next visit (I will definitely be going again!), I really want to try a different dish, such as one of the burgers or even their chilli, to see how the quality compares to the barbecued meat. Smoke Barbecue is a little out of the way if you're heading into the main city centre, but it is well and truly worth the trip and also perfectly placed for the First Direct Arena that is across the road. In either case, I highly recommend that you give this newest barbecue joint in Leeds a go!

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Black Swan Leeds

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Black Swan is one of those places that I've heard so much about, and have been meaning to go to. I remember a few months ago, they launched a new menu and I was so jealous of everyone's pictures, because the food looked so good! Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and an invitation to attend the launch of their latest menu arrived in my inbox. I was unable to attend the event thanks to work, but they kindly allowed me to come in and try it at a later date, which me and Martin did one Saturday. I was really looking forward to seeing what new creations Black Swan had come up with, along with trying some dishes that are still available from previous menus; there was a particular one I had in mind. Read on to find out what I thought about Black Swan Leeds!

I had actually been to Black Swan before, as part of a blogger event before Christmas. This was held upstairs, which features a spacious restaurant, and therefore I had seen very little of their downstairs area. Nestled in the bustling heart of Call Lane, Black Swan fits in perfectly with the surrounding bars, food joints and other businesses that have given this street a new lease of life. In terms of decor, think exposed bricks, dark wooden tables, splashes of teal and wonderful mismatched seating throughout. It's certainly quirky, what with the huge drawings of animals on some of the walls, and I loved it. It is very warm and inviting, rustic yet charming, and there's certainly no airs and graces. Behind the bar are dozens of old metal signs, which I think me and Martin took a couple of minutes to look at properly whilst ordering drinks, as well as exposed piping at pretty much every turn. I particularly liked the beer poster on the wall near where we were sat, detailing all the different types of beer and examples of ones that fit into each category. I want to hunt it down and have one for my own!

Talking of beer, we were spoilt for choice with their selection - even more so than usual. There were, I believe ten ales on tap, which form part of the specials board and are on constant rotation. Featuring beers from down the road to the far east coast of America and everywhere in between, craft beer is definitely something that Black Swan take very seriously - and rightly so, too! There was also, of course, a huge number available in bottles, if none of the ones of tap tickled your fancy. I spotted one of my favourites on tap pretty much as soon as we walked in, and I couldn't resist; Magic Rock Grapefruit High Wire, a spin off of their original High Wire West Coast Pale Ale. Bursting with notes of lychee, mango and an extra touch of grapefruit, it ends with a delightfully crisp, bitter finish that I adore. It's the perfect summer drink, but that wasn't going to stop me drinking it in winter! Martin went for something much more appropriate for the winter months with Partizan Porter; coming in at 5.5%, this was dark, heavy and had lingering notes of coffee and dark chocolate. It wasn't for me (not a fan of coffee, even in beer), but it was right up Martin's street and he truly took his time to enjoy it.

Onto the food, which was of course what we were there for! The menu is fairly small and concise, offering a select few, really thought out options rather than an overwhelming variation of dishes. However, within this selection is something for everyone, from burgers to vegetarian lasagne, so you will more than likely find something that you will like. Everything on the starters menu sounded delicious, but I had one particular dish in mind - which Martin promptly chose for himself! Back to the drawing board for me. I ended up going for the Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi, with artichoke purée and artichoke crisps. I've never tried artichoke before, so I was unsure as to whether I would like it. However, I needn't have worried - at least if it always tastes this good! I don't know what the folk at Black Swan do to give their dishes such incredible and intense flavours, but this was only the beginning of what was to come. The artichoke purée was so smooth and creamy, it practically melted in the mouth. Instead of being bland like some gnocchi that I've had in the past, this one was beautifully savoury and was only enhanced by the adorned spinach. This is definitely the dish to choose if you are a vegetarian; but even if you're not, like me, try it anyway - I think that you will be surprised! Martin's dish, that he stole from right under my nose, was the Black Pudding Potato Cake, which was the dish that I saw so many pictures of when Black Swan launched their previous menu. Topped with a fried duck egg, with capers and Henderson's butter, it looked and smelled to die for. The egg passed the runny yolk test with flying colours, and the potato cake was cooked to perfection; light and fluffy, with a surprise slice of black pudding in the middle! We were expecting it to be mixed in with the potato cake, so Martin enjoyed that very much. The black pudding was rich and of excellent quality, and the capers added an unusual kick that I wouldn't have thought to include with this dish. It worked extremely well, and it's safe to say that the dish was demolished very quickly indeed.

Before choosing our mains, we decided to get another drink to enjoy with our dishes. Martin got chatting to one of the bar tenders and he highly recommended Mikkeller/Grassroots Wheat is the New Hops IPA, and convinced Martin to get a pint - which worked out at an eyewatering £9! With obvious aromas of wheat and citrus, this Chardonnay barrel aged beer ticked all the right boxes for Martin, and was very easy to drink. A little later on I went for Ilkley Brewery Tribus, brewed with three variations of hops. This had a strong tropical fruit aroma and taste, and whilst it might not have been the perfect choice to go with my main, it was extremely enjoyable nonetheless. After deliberating for a little while, I chose the Roast Chicken Breast for my main, served with a pancetta rosti, roasted shallots, mushroom purée and crispy kale. When it arrived, I was surprised to be given such a beautifully presented dish - this definitely would not look out of place in a far more expensive restaurant. Now, what I'm about to say I do not say lightly; but this was, genuinely, the best chicken that I have ever had. All too many times, I've been disappointed with dry, tasteless meat, but that was far from the case here. The breast was so tender and moist, with crisp, intensely flavoured skin. I've never tasted chicken quite like it! The pancetta rosti did not disappoint with obvious bites of smoked meat, and worked very well with the earthy mushroom purée that was underneath. The roasted shallots, much like the capers in Martin's starter, added an interesting twist to the dish and somehow didn't manage to overpower the other flavours. I also loved the varying textures between the crispy kale and tender chicken breast - as a whole, the dish worked so well and I will definitely be coming back to have it again; it really was that good. As for Martin, he chose the Black Swan Mixed Grill; beer sausage, rump steak, beer brined chicken, tomato and twice cooked beef dripping chips with added peppercorn sauce. Martin asked for his steak to be cooked medium well, and this is exactly what he got; resulting in a juicy and tender steak that didn't last for very long! I think the beer sausage was his favourite part of the dish, and even made a point of strongly recommending it to friends that we met up with afterwards. I did sneak a bite and can confirm that it was absolutely delicious - even if you don't like beer, you will definitely appreciate how well it enhances the flavour of the meat. The chicken tasted very different to what I had but was equally as tasty, just lacking in the strong herbal flavour that came through from mine. Finally, the chips received a big thumbs up for being twice cooked. Soft in the middle and crispy on the outside, they were just right and there was a generous amount too - perfect for mopping up the last of the peppercorn sauce!

After the starter and the main course, to be honest we were not sure that we wanted a dessert. We gave it a few minutes, and in the end decided to just share one between us. The hostess highly recommended the Sticky Toffee Pudding, so we that's what we went for. Let's put it this way, by the time we had finished it, we wished that we had gotten one each! Served with bourbon vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce, the sponge was as soft and as sweet as you would expect - no complaints there. I didn't even mind the dates that were hidden inside, as they had been baked in so well you could barely distinguish between the textures (which is what I really dislike in this instance). The sauce was truly excellent, and you could really taste the salt. We spent a good few minutes making sure that we had every last drop - quite entertaining when there was two spoons fighting over it! The bourbon vanilla ice cream was the perfect accompaniment to the toffee pudding, although I couldn't taste the bourbon as much as I would have liked. As a whole, it was a sticky toffee pudding done well; it satisfied my sweet tooth, it was comforting and familiar, and we couldn't ask for anything more than that. Next time, I want to try the dark chocolate tart, to see how it compares to others that I've tried.

All in all, I was left extremely impressed with Black Swan. I went in not really knowing what to expect, only with the promise of excellent food from reading reviews online, but I was not disappointed. Black Swan is the perfect venue to visit if you're looking for somewhere with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, but don't want to compromise on the quality of the food and drink. As mentioned previous, these dishes would definitely not be out of place in a more expensive restaurant, and I have experienced inferior quality food at other places for much more than you would pay for this. This, combined with a fantastic beer selection and knowledgeable, helpful staff, made for a wonderful dining experience and I honestly can't recommend Black Swan enough. It has already rocketed to the top of my favourites list for places to dine in Leeds, and it truly deserves to be up there with the best. Whether you're going in to try some of the amazing beers that they have on offer, popping in for lunch or sitting down for an evening meal, I guarantee that you will thoroughly enjoy your time there.

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Getting Pie Eyed with The Street Food Cookbook (Plus WIN a copy for yourself!)

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:00:00 +0000

I love food. I don't think that there is a person alive who doesn't, but I have a particularly keen interest - as you can probably tell if you are a regular reader of this blog. I love exploring and experiencing different cuisines and flavours, and will nearly always try something once. I've never been a fussy eater, and there isn't much I don't like. However, I do have a problem that impends my culinary journey; I am absolutely terrible at cooking. I mean, really. It isn't for lack of trying - there have been many recipes attempted over the years, and whilst the results have always been edible, there's always been something to go wrong along the way. As such, when asked if I was interested in reviewing or following a recipe from The Street Food Cookbook*, I said that I would review. However, Martin was pretty keen on giving one of the recipes a go, and so that's what we did!

After flicking through the book and contemplating various options, we chose a recipe from Pie Eyed; the Beef Brisket, Black Sheep Ale and Chilli Chorizo Jam Pie. It's a very "us" dish; we both love pies, beef and obviously, beer! It was the perfect option for us. The cookbook itself is actually a northern edition, meaning that it celebrates the best northern street food, from Manchester to York and everywhere in between. Not only does it provide recipes for a wide variety of dishes, it also gives you a rundown of each street food vendor, detailing their story and how they came to be where they are today. It makes for an interesting read, especially when I was reading about some familiar faces. Their stories are inspirational, and make you want to get into the street food business yourself! For each vendor, the book features one or two recipes that they create and sell themselves - if you visit Pie Eyed's website, for example, you will see the pie we recreated right there on their menu. Hailing from Martin's favourite place, Sheffield, Pie Eyed is the brainchild of Jack Norman, who wanted to put the humble pie on the street food map. A proper pie is a true British delicacy, and Pie Eyed are proud to say that all their vegetables are locally sourced, their meat comes from a local butcher and their pastry is all-butter, and all homemade. I'm really hoping that one day we manage to come across Pie Eyed, so we can see how our creation compared to the real deal! I can only hope that we did them proud - we tried our best.

For our pie, we obviously needed to gather some ingredients together. A few items we already had ready to go, but the majority of it Martin managed to pick up for us. As the pastry was going to be homemade (no shop-bought here!), we had to factor that into our ingredients list, too. For the filling, we needed beef brisket, onions, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, mustard powder, chorizo jam, beef stock and of course, the beer. Martin did actually pick up a bottle of the Black Sheep Ale, but discovered this bottle of Blitzen (also from Black Sheep) hiding in a cupboard and we decided to use that instead. I was surprised that he found the chorizo jam, as we knew it existed but didn't know if it was still being sold! The recipe also specified that we used mushrooms and parsley, but Martin particularly dislikes mushrooms so we left those out - and there was no parsley to be found in the supermarket! We also ended up using garlic paste instead of garlic cloves, but I liked to think that it made little difference to the end result. After we had got everything that we needed, it was time to get cooking!

Me and Martin ended up making different parts of the pie (leaving the easiest part to me, of course). Martin diced up the beef brisket and coated it with a mixture of plain flour, mustard powder, salt and pepper. This was then browned in a frying pan and transferred to an ovenproof dish. Next came the vegetables, and these were chopped up into small pieces and cooked in the same frying pan for 2-3 minutes. This is where we went wrong the first time, as we added in the sweet potato when it should have been added in much later, but no harm was done in the end. As for me, I was in charge of making the pastry, which is surprisingly easy to make. To a large mixing bowl I added the flour, butter and a pinch of salt and mixed together until it formed a breadcrumb consistency. I then added some water, little by little until the mixture formed a neat ball of dough. This was then transferred to a floured surface and kneaded four to five times, before wrapping in cling film and refrigerated. It needs to be left in the fridge for thirty minutes minimum, but we left it in until we needed it some hours later.

The filling still had some more work to be done to it, so after I had made the pastry, I helped Martin with this. To the beef and vegetables we needed to add the beef stock and beer, as well as Henderson's Relish and tomato purée. I made the stock and measured out the beer; out of a 500ml bottle we only needed 200ml, so we had to drink the rest - what a shame! We also needed 200ml of the stock, and what we professionally measured out as a generous squirt of tomato puree, so in the dish they went. Once everything was added in, we transferred it to the oven to cook for three hours at 180°C. After this three hours was up, according to the recipe this was when we were meant to add the sweet potatoes, mushrooms and parsley. Even though we had nothing to add in, we still took it out and just gave it a stir to see how it was doing, and to make sure everything was getting cooked through evenly. It was starting to smell really, really good at this point, and I have to admit that I sneaked in a little taste! We dropped the oven temperature down to 160°C, and left it to cook for a further two hours.

After the long five hours was up, our pie filling was finally ready and it was time to prepare the pastry. Martin rolled it out as thin as he dared, but we quickly came to realise that there was going to be nowhere near enough. We had bought a large pie tin for the occasion, and in hindsight it was too big. So, we ended up making the same amount of pastry again! We greased the pie tin with some butter and lined it with the pastry, before putting in the cooled filling. This is the point where you add the chorizo jam, and what did we do? Forget it! By the time we realised it was too late, so we just had it on the side - which I think actually turned out better in the end. We then rolled the rest of the pastry over the top, where it promptly fell to pieces. Oops! We salvaged what we could, and patched the whole thing up with bits of pastry. It did not look pretty - as you can see from the pictures - but we got there in the end! The top was washed with egg, and it went back in the oven at 200°C for a final thirty minutes, allowing the pastry to golden. Finally, our pie was ready! I have to admit that I was unsure that it had worked, but despite our mistakes it worked out perfectly. The meat was tender and moist, the flavour of the beer really came through and the pastry was crumbly and buttery. The chorizo jam on the side gave it a unique twist and worked so well with the rest of the flavours, it was like they were destined to be together. I have no idea how we managed to pull it off, but it was absolutely delicious and we would definitely make it again. It got a thumbs up from Martin's family who all had a slice, and there was clean plates all around!

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Jamie's Italian Leeds

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Throughout the many years that I've been travelling through Leeds city centre, there's always been one building that has caught my eye. I believe a few years ago it was a solicitors, but the building that now houses Jamie's Italian is really quite unique on Park Row. There are many establishments that line both sides of the street, including banks, bars and coffee shops, but for some reason or another this one has stood out to me. I think it's because it's directly next to a crossing, and the building itself is quite striking and ornate. When it became Jamie's Italian, I wanted to go inside and see what it was like! I'm also a fan of Jamie Oliver's cooking (the man himself, not so much), so naturally was curious to see how it translates to a restaurant menu. So, when I was invited to come down and give the restaurant a review, I was really looking forward to giving it a go.

Upon entry, I was quite impressed with the restaurant. The decor was neutral and fairly simple, although it had a high ornate ceiling and the tiled floor is definitely a nod to the restaurant's Italian roots. I was expecting the "Jamie" brand to be seen pretty much everywhere, and whilst it is certainly visible, it's not as overwhelming as I expected it to be; only as much as other chain restaurants. However, we were seated near a section that had a display of his recipe books, as you can see in the image above. These were for sale at £12 each, which I imagine is the RRP, and not unexpected to see. He has so many, it would have been strange to not see any at all! I liked that there was an open kitchen that allows you to see the team at work, and there was a variety of bread out on display; it gives the restaurant a more personal touch, and it feels less like a chain. As a whole, the feel of the restaurant is not particularly awe-inspiring, but perfectly pleasant and suitable for pretty much all tastes.

If you have been following this blog for a while (or follow me on social media), then you will know that me and Martin are both beer drinkers. With the boom in recent years of excellent beers being widely available, we now partly judge a restaurant on what beers they offer to compliment their dishes; much like you would traditionally have with wine. The beer selection on the menu was looking quite lacking, with only three options, but from that I chose the Libertà; Jamie's Italian own lager, brewed with Bramling Cross hops and flavoured with acacia honey. This turned out to be an excellent choice that worked well with the traditional Italian flavours of the food, and I was quite impressed. Our server saved the day, however, by informing us that they did have a selection of local beers on offer - and we were instantly much happier. Martin chose Leeds Brewery's Midnight Bell, an old favourite - a dark mild flavoured with crystal and chocolate malts. I think it worked quite well with Martin's more hearty choices for his food; at least he certainly had no complaints about it, anyway!

Onto the food! I was spoilt for choice with the starters menu, as there is a very varied selection and I can honestly say that I would have eaten anything from it. It's not often that I can say that! However, to start us off Martin suggested that we get the Artisan Breads to share, as he had eaten at this restaurant before and remembered really enjoying it. This turned out to be a good recommendation, as it was truly delicious. There were five types of bread, ranging from focaccia to sourdough, served with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and an olive tapenade. The tapenade in particular was fantastic, and really helped to bring out the characteristics of each bread. As well as this, we decided to have a starter each too, and Martin's decision was made thanks to the recommendation of our server, who sang the praises of their Pumpkin Risotto. Slow roasted pumpkin with chilli, sage and garlic, with creamy pumpkin risotto and topped with amaretti biscuits, parmesan and crispy sage. Once it arrived, I have to admit that I was quite jealous! With such soft and creamy risotto, the added crunch of the biscuits helped to break that texture up a bit and provide a unique dish. The pumpkin was clear to note as was the added garlic, but personally I didn't pick out the flavours of chilli and sage. My choice was the Crispy Squid, with garlic and lemon mayonnaise, chilli, parsley and fried garlic. The batter on the squid was light yet crispy, and the chilli on this occasion was very noticable both on the plate and in taste! The only thing I wasn't satisfied with was the mayonnaise, which in all honesty was a little bland; it would have been better to have the sharp contrast of lemon with the chilli and garlic, but overall the starter was still very enjoyable.

The main course was what I was really itching to get my teeth into, and having sneaked a look at the menu beforehand I knew exactly what I wanted. The Turkey Milanese kept jumping out at me from the menu, as it is everything that I love; turkey stuffed with prosciutto and provolone, breadcrumbed and topped with a fried egg and black truffle. I expected this to be of a reasonable size, but I got a shock when it arrived; it was huge! The egg passed the test with its runny yolk, so that was a good start. The meat was cooked well, however after a few mouthfuls the dish started to taste really bland. Even with the egg and black truffle, there was little to no flavour at all, and I was honestly contemplating giving up. However, once I made my way more into the middle of the dish, there it was - flavour! The provolone cheese as it turned out was entirely in the middle, and not spread out evenly. I was also disappointed to note that I could not taste the prosciutto at all; in fact I had forgotten it was in the dish in the first place. So, all in all, a disappointing main and I did end up leaving some as the portion was just too big. Martin chose Gennaro's Famous Porchetta; slow cooked pork belly filled with garlic and chilli and herbs, served with roasted root vegetables, spiced apple sauce and salsa verde. The pork belly was tender, rich and much more full of flavour than my turkey was, improved with the addition of the apple sauce; a traditional accompaniment that went down well. However, the root vegetables were undercooked and whilst they had a delicious savoury, herbal quality thanks to the salsa verde, the texture was unpleasant and really let the meal down. For our sides, I had the Polenta Chips and Martin had the Chilli Fries. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't ordered any sides due to the size of my main, and as such I only managed to have a few before handing them over to Martin. These were tasty enough but definitely could have benefitted from some seasoning, which Martin did himself with salt and pepper and noted how it improved them greatly. The fries went down a storm as I expected, and the portion was just the right size to accompany Martin's meal.

After my disappointing main, I was ready to grab a dessert with both hands, and hope that it would rectify the situation! As a result, my choice was a rather comforting option; the Amalfi Lemon Meringue Cheesecake, which couldn't be more comfort food if it tried! This was a mascarpone and lemon cheesecake topped with meringue, served with lemon curd and blackcurrants. This again was another large portion of food, but I was pretty happy with that this time. I don't like a cheesecake to be too strongly flavoured as it can be overwhelming, so the subtle lemon flavour of the "cheese" in this one was very much appreciated. If I liked, I could amp it up a notch by scooping up a little of the lemon curd and blackcurrants, which added a delightfully fruity yet tangy edge. The meringue on top was a little too soft for my personal taste, but hit the right spot in terms of sweetness. With this I also had a shot of Italian Limoncello (not pictured), which rounded off the dessert nicely. Martin went for the Vin Santo Tiramisu, made with Vin Santo, chocolate shavings and orange zest. I neglected to try any of it myself as I don't like tiramisu, but Martin assured me on multiple occasions that it was delicious. Not too intense, and most importantly not too sweet; the bowl was scraped clean in a matter of minutes! With his dessert Martin ordered a Chilli and Blood Orange Margarita; tequila, Triple Sec and lime juice with chilli and blood orange infused sugar syrup. To say that Martin enjoyed this cocktail would be an understatement; he said that it was one of the best he had ever had! Considering that generally Martin is not one for cocktails, that really is saying something. He could have quite happily have sipped his way through several more, but sadly our bank balance didn't allow for that! I was happily surprised that even though this is a chain restaurant, they are still more than capable of creating a unique and pretty special cocktail.

So, overall, what are my thoughts on Jamie's Italian? The food was mostly as I had expected; traditional dishes with a "Jamie" twist, and quite a few I had not seen or heard of before. There were the usual dishes to be seen on the menu too, such as pasta and burgers, so there is something to please everyone - even the most fussy of eaters. It was a shame that the mains were a disappointment, but the other elements of the meal helped to improve this and as a whole, we had an enjoyable evening. Would I go again? Now that I have been and satisfied my curiousity, probably not; and there are so many independent restaurants and eateries in the city centre, I don't think I would need to. For the future, I would like to see the experimental dishes on the menu expanded upon, to really make this restaurant unique and stand out from the crowd. The menu had a good variety of options, but it is lacking that "oomph" that Jamie puts into his meals, such as unusual flavour combinations and use of herbs and spices from around the world. It felt a little too typical "Italian restaurant" to me, and I expected a bit more. That being said, it is still a lovely restaurant and a good, safe choice for Leeds city centre.

Disclaimer: Our meal was partially complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Outfit of the Day: Scarlett & Jo

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Dress: Scarlett & Jo
Tights: Primark
Shoes: Deichmann
Bracelet: Martin James
Rings: Pandora
Watch: Watchshop

Do you have that one item in your wardrobe, that you know that you can fall back on when you have "nothing to wear"? I have a feeling that this dress is going to be one of them. Admittedly, it's a tad dressy for day-to-day wear, but I find that I struggle the most when it comes to events and other occasions. This dress, called the "2 in 1 Floral Dress", is from Scarlett & Jo, who have been in trouble with bloggers recently. I do not support or condone their actions towards bloggers in any way, and it is with some trepidation that I'm writing this post at all. It just saddens me when a brand that has gotten to where they are because of bloggers, turns around and basically stabs them in the back for all their hard work. I know quite a few people who have been personally affected by the situation, and I don't like to see that happen. That being said, I still appreciate their designs and high quality clothing; I bought this dress before the majority of the situation came to light, and it made me feel good when I tried it on, so I kept it. Will I buy from Scarlett & Jo again? Who knows. It's hard to say.

Moving on; I have been after one of these "2 in 1" dresses for quite some time - probably for about a year, in fact. I have tried to keep an eye on their sales in the past to snatch one up, but whenever they've been reduced, I've always missed them! They recently ran a 50% off deal across their entire range, and I had a look on their website to see if, by chance, they had any of these styles. It turns out that they had this beauty in stock in my size, and it was down to £32.50 from £65; with free next day delivery too, it was too good a deal to pass up. It is not in the colours I would usually go for, but I figured that if it fitted right and made me feel good, then it would be worth keeping. I tried it on as soon as it arrived, and I instantly fell in love. I ordered my regular size 16, and it fits me beautifully. I was surprised to find that the sleeves are generously sized; usually I struggle with clothing that have tighter arms but fit perfectly everywhere else, so this made a nice change. It features a wide, elasticated waistband that really helps to pull you in and give you the classic "hourglass" figure with a more defined waist; something that I've not seen on me for quite some time! I worried that it was going to feel uncomfortable, but it feels much like a pair of shaping underwear; holding you in, but not digging in at all.

However, the star of the show has to be the skirt; with a gorgeous print, it's floaty and voluptous, and all the better for it. In the pictures I am pulling it out a bit to show it off, but on it's own it still has a lovely shape, and is the perfect length for me, too. The fabric is very light, meaning that it can have a lining and a petticoat underneath and not be too bulky, which can often be the case with designs like these. After not being so sure about the print at first, I have really come around to it; it just goes to show that you should try things that you wouldn't normally, as you may end up loving them! The detail in the print is incredible, and the colours all compliment each other beautifully. Despite the bright colours, this dress is so easy to wear and I know that I will be getting it out time and time again. The stretch jersey top also helps to make it extremely comfortable, too, which plays a big factor in what I wear these days. It's hassle free, and that's exactly what I like in an outfit.

The shoes featured in this post are an old favourite of mine; I've had them since mid-2014 and they still serve me very well. They're not leather, but they barely have a mark on them and for heeled shoes, I find them very comfortable to wear. They also go with everything, even jeans, and so I don't think I could ever let them go! For jewellery, I wore a bracelet that I got for Christmas from Martin James; I came across it at work, and it caught my eye because it matches my Pandora ring pretty much exactly. It has barely left my wrist ever since - I'm sorry that I didn't manage to include a better photo, but I will try and remember to include one in my next outfit post! My watch and rings are the same as usual, from Casio and Pandora, and like my new bracelet I am hardly ever seen without them. I had intended to wear a necklace with this outfit, but completely forgot to pick one up and as such, had to go without. Something small and dainty would work well here, to show off the sweetheart neckline. This dress does not need many accessories at all (you could get away without any, even), which makes it a great option for a last-minute event, or in my case - when you simply don't know what else to wear!

The Fold Up Ballet Flats from Sinderella Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 11:00:00 +0000

We've all been there. There's an event to go to, you're planning a swanky evening out, or even having a night out on the tiles (A rare occasion for me these days, I must admit). You dig out your best heels, coordinate your outfit perfectly and off you totter feeling fabulous. However, when you come across an uneven cobbled street, or you've had a few too many cocktails, you start to curse yourself. Why did I wear these godforsaken shoes? My feet hurt. I can't walk properly. I really wish I'd worn flats - I'm never wearing heels again. Well, this is where Sinderella Shoes would come to the rescue! The concept of folding shoes is not new, of course - I believe that they have been a thing for quite some years now. However, I've never owned a pair myself and there has been more than one occasion where I wished I did, so I could change into something more comfortable. However, being comfortable doesn't mean having to forsake looking stylish - as this jazzy number will show you!

These shoes are pretty much what you would expect; extremely functional, but they manage to look pretty at the same time. I chose the Leopard Print Ballerina Flats* in my usual size 7, which fit perfectly. They come extremely well packaged - unlike your regular flats which usually just come on their own - with a cloth carry bag, and a plastic zipped case that keep them safe and protected. If I was going out and putting these into my handbag, I just use the cloth carry bag, as it minimises bulk. When folded, they go down to about half the size of the shoe which obviously makes carrying them around a lot easier, and would save space in your luggage too if you were going on holiday or something similar. The heels fold very easily into the front of the shoe as the sole is very flexible, yet it is still sturdy and I don't see it cracking or coming apart any time soon. My only concern was that with wear, the underside of the shoes obviously become dirty/wet and would therefore end up inside the shoe, but actually that hasn't really been a problem at all. A quick wipe down with the bag usually does the trick, or I just wait until I get home and give the whole shoe a once over. In truth, unless you're planning on wearing them in mud (obviously not a good idea!), the shoes don't tend to harbour much dirt or water at all.

Sinderella Shoes was started in 2015, when they realised that the prices of ballet flats were on the rise, despite the quality seemingly getting worse. I know first hand that this is true; I've had many pairs from Primark, for example that were so uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. This is because they're often flimsy, with little or no cushioning on the sole to protect your feet and it often felt like I was wearing no shoes at all - and not in a good way. Strangely, I usually have problems with them rubbing, too, especially if I'm wearing them with bare feet. Where Sinderella Shoes stand out from the crowd is with this increase in quality and comfort, to really give your feet a break when you get out of those painful heels! These feature cushioning at the ball of the foot, padding at the heel and a memory foam sole throughout, which really does make a difference when you wear them for a while like I have. Usually my feet are aching and sore after a few hours wear, but in comparison these are like wearing slippers! The only downside I feel is that they don't have any support for the arch of your foot, which I do need, but I can manage just fine without. They're also elasticated around the tops, which to me looks a bit funny sometimes but for the comfort, it's absolutely worth it. No rubbing, extra flexibility and of course it makes them easier to fold - it's a small price to pay for the convenience of having feet that don't hurt!

In short, if you regularly wear heels and your feet suffer because of doing so, you need a pair of these in your life. As mentioned, nights out these days are few and far between, and less so when I have the occasion to wear heels. However, back a few years ago when most of my weekends were spent tottering around the streets of Leeds wearing ridiculous heels, these would have been my saviour. No more walking around with no shoes on at the end of the night (don't judge, we've all been there)! I've taken to wearing them on my way home from work, when I've had enough of being on my feet in heels all day. Not only that, but they're excellent, comfortable flats just to wear as normal too, without switching from heels. They come in a variety of colour ways and styles should the leopard print versions not be for you - I myself was tempted by the quilted black pair, but seeing as I have black ballet flats coming out of my ears, I decided to mix it up a bit. That, and I've had a penchant for leopard print shoes lately, so I couldn't resist. Invest in a pair of these instead of buying cheap ones from the high street next time you need some ballet flats - I promise that your feet will thank you for it!

Sinderella Fold Up Ballet Flats are available from their website and are currently on sale for £19.99 instead of £29.99

The Photographs That Never Made It, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 11:00:00 +0000

I was having a think recently about what blog posts I'm going to be writing over the next few weeks, and I was struggling. To give myself some inspiration, I decided to go back through some of my posts from the last year or so, and see if anything needed revisiting, or expanded upon. I didn't come across too much but I did find this post - The Photographs That Never Made It, Part 1. I remember creating that post, and thought it was about six months ago - no, it was almost a year! It's amazing how time flies; I genuinely didn't realise it had been that long. There are lots of pictures that I have taken since that blog post that have never seen the light of day, and it's about time that they were. As I talked about in that first post, I absolutely love taking photographs purely as a hobby, and that of course includes for this blog too. Over the last year, however, I have started to put more and more pictures that I'm proud of onto my Instagram, and I've really enjoyed using it more because of this. If you go back through my Instagram timeline you will see some absolutely shocking pictures, and I wasn't using the platform effectively. Now, I'm pleased to say that I am, and I feel a lot happier about using it as a promotional tool for this blog once in a while. All that being said, however, not all of my pictures end up on there and there are quite a few languishing on my computer that I want to get out into the world and to be seen. So, enjoy this very picture heavy post - and I will try to get this little series to be a more regular occurrence in the future.

All pictures were taken with the Canon Powershot G7X - read my blog post about it here

Sunset in Whitby, North Yorkshire

Arcade Wins in Whitby, North Yorkshire

Martin in Whitby, North Yorkshire

Sunset II in Whitby, North Yorkshire

Total Solar Eclipse on March 20th, 2015

Tree Roots at Swinsty Reservoir, North Yorkshire

Holly with a small stick at Swinsty Reservoir, North Yorkshire

White Flowers at Swinsty Reservoir, North Yorkshire

Cookie the Cat in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Bubbleology in Leeds Trinity Shopping Centre, West Yorkshire

Raindrops in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Misty Evening in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Austin Car Emblem at the Otley Vintage Transport Extravaganza, West Yorkshire

Eurasian Eagle Owl at the Otley Vintage Transport Extravaganza, West Yorkshire

Zak in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Fluffy Plants in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Christmas Market Carousel in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Dodgems in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Lush Bath Bomb at the Lush Leeds Christmas Event

Long Island Iced Teas at the Leeds La Redoute Blogger Christmas Party

Sleepy Zak in Leeds, West Yorkshire

Snowy Hills on the way to Hawes, North Yorkshire

Turtle Bay Leeds

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 11:00:00 +0000

As a blogger that loves to write about food, it's pretty shameful to say that I don't give chain restaurants much of a chance. Having eaten in nothing but these for as long as I can remember, these days I try to find new, independent places to try, and often overlook chain restaurants. That being said, I'm always happy to give one a chance, and this post is one such occasion. If you look back on my previous posts, you will see that I have reviewed chain restaurants before and have been happily surprised, so when I was asked if I would like to review the new Turtle Bay restaurant that opened in Leeds, I couldn't wait to give it a try. They have restaurants based all over the country, in cities such as York, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. I have actually visited a Turtle Bay before, in Leicester, with two of my friends from university. I had not however tried the food before, only taken advantage of their "2 for 1" cocktails, so this was a whole new experience for me!

Turtle Bay Leeds opened on 15th December 2015; I was actually invited to their blogger event a few days before, but I couldn't make it. Instead, I was asked if I would like to review a meal at a later date, which was incredibly kind of them to ask - it's very rare that it happens! We were able to make it down on Sunday 20th, so not too long after it opened - and it already seemed to be incredibly popular, even at the late hour that we were going. I have to say that I didn't really know what to expect, as I had never had true Caribbean food before, and knew it could be spicy. I'm not the best with heat if I'm honest (I'd love to be but for some reason I get violent hiccups when I eat spicy food - please tell me I'm not the only one?!), but I'm always happy to try new things. When we arrived, I was immediately impressed with the decor - I loved the eclectic mixture of colours, textures and artwork that were apparent as soon as you walked in the door. From tyres on the walls, to fairy lights hanging from the windows, large portraits and funky wallpaper, it was pretty hectic but somehow it all works. I definitely got the "Caribbean" vibe that they promote so strongly in their restaurants (and rightly so), and the atmosphere matched that; full of laughter, upbeat music and the smell of amazing food was forever in the air.

During our visit, we were looked after by an amazing server called Grace, who went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we wanted - and more, as it turned out! She really took her time to get to know us, and ask us about ourselves, which was a nice touch. We were also introduced to the restaurant and floor managers as well, which was a little unexpected but again, very much appreciated. This has never happened in any previous restaurants I've reviewed before, so we weren't expecting it at all! First, Grace got us started off with a cocktail each, and I fancied trying something that I normally wouldn't go for. I decided to pay homage to my time spent at university, sipping coconut rum cocktails with my friend, and chose the Koko Colada; Koko Kanu white rum, pineapple, coconut & cream and grated nutmeg. This was so sweet and creamy, it made it very easy to drink and I had to work hard at not downing it too quickly! It's definitely one to choose if you have a sweet tooth, or want a drink to help balance out the spiciness of the food, which I found that this did extremely well. Martin's first cocktail was the Rude Boy, consisting of 126 proof Wray & Nephew rum, Woods 100 rum, Falernum and fresh lime, served Martini style. Two rums were certainly going to make it into a pretty strong cocktail, and I wasn't wrong. Let's put it this way, you only needed that small glass to send you to happy places! The sweetness of the syrup toned it down a little, but it's definitely one to sip delicately at, unlike mine.

I had already been eyeing up the starters, so knew exactly what I wanted; the Jamaican Fried Bait, served with fresh lime and coriander mayonnaise. This dish is an old favourite of mine, and I wanted to play it safe to start off with, knowing I would be trying something completely new for my main. These were excellent, with crunchy batter and distinctively strong taste, but I have to say that they were no different to any other I'd had elsewhere. I was expecting a spicy Caribbean twist, but actually I'm glad that it wasn't there, for reasons you will see later! However, I thought that the portion was generously sized - definitely enough for two to share - which I can only ever see as a good thing. Martin was a bit braver than me and went for the Pepper Roti; oven baked "buss up shut" roti, potatoes, carrots, peppers, cheese and scotch bonnet. Now, he's well and truly a lover of spicy food, the hotter the better, and these sounded right up his alley. I took a bite or two (for reviewing purposes, y'know) and it nearly blew my head off; there was some serious spice! Despite this, however, you could still get a feel for all of the flavours and the wrap roti around the stew-like filling did help to bring this intense heat down just a tad. It would have far too much for me, especially with what I was just about to order for my main, but Martin took great pleasure in demolishing every last morsel and really enjoyed it.

Whilst my starter was easy to choose, I spent quite a bit more time over my main. I really did want to try something I'd never had before, and push myself out of my comfort zone with something that I knew would be quite spicy (that's pretty much all of the menu, mind you). I had never tried goat meat before, and after asking Martin what it would be like and his assurance that I would enjoy it, I decided to give the Our Curry Goat a try. Made with pieces of marinated goat cooked in curry spices, scotch bonnet, potatoes, carrots, rice 'n' peas, sweet onion chutney and served with Caribbean dumplings, it was definitely something new for me and luckily I didn't have to wait long for it to arrive. This is actually one of their "One Pot" dishes, which as the name suggests, means that the meal is served in a pot much like it would be served in the Caribbean. My thought on first bite was "wow - this is very tasty!", and then the heat hit me. It's not one for the faint of heart - or maybe it is, and I'm just a wimp! But it almost had a sweetness to it thanks to the onion chutney, and the ratio of vegetables to meat was spot on. As for the meat, it was not nearly as chewy as I expected it to be; in fact, it wasn't really chewy at all. It almost melted in the mouth, and had such a wonderful, unique flavour that I really loved. It was juicy, succulent and all around delicious - my gamble paid off! The dumplings to me were really unusual, and unlike any other that I'd seen before. They appeared to be deep fried in batter, allowing the outer to be crunchy and the inner to be soft - and they was still warm too. For Martin, he chose the Jerk Pork Belly, which is not actually listed on the menu they currently have available on the website so I can't give you the finer details. However, I can tell you that it was served with extra crackling, slaw and he chose to have it with sweet potato fries, as he's not a fan of rice. Being described as "jerk" meant that it was obviously going to be hot, and that's exactly what it was! He downed quite a bit of water and his second cocktail whilst eating this meal, but he loved it all the same and loves a challenge. The pork was lovely and tender, and the crackling really was the icing on the cake; naughty, but oh so good. Again, the portion size was substantial, almost to the point where he was considering whether or not to have a dessert afterwards - however, as you will see, he was soon tempted!

Having successfully demolished our mains, I was well and truly in the need of something to cool myself down, as my mouth was on fire! I told you that I was no good with heat. We had just ordered our desserts, and were sat having a chat about the meal, when we got something special delivered to us; a Rum Tasting Board, with four different kinds of rum and a can of Ting to wash it all down with. This was a completely unexpected surprise! I'm ashamed to say that between the cocktails, and this extra addition of rum, we ended up getting pretty tipsy and I'm ashamed to say that I don't really have any idea what the different rums were! All that I remember was that the clear one that you can see peeking out at the back of the board was the strongest (I want to say at 40% ABV, but I could be wrong), and another one was The Kraken rum, which I'm familiar with but had not yet tried. I know that I had a favourite, which I think was a coconut one, and I ended up drinking that with the Ting after I had tried them all on their own. It's safe to say that me and Martin left the restaurant more than a bit giddy, which is a sign of a good evening if there ever was one. However, before we were to leave we had a delicious pudding each to devour; Martin was quickly persuaded into trying the Caymanas Rum Cake, made with rum caramel and served with vanilla ice cream. This was so good, that I regretted not getting it myself and wanted to steal it all! It reminded me of a treacle sponge, but with a boozy undertone that set itself apart from the others. It was gone in seconds, so it well and truly won us both over! I opted for the Lemon & Lime Tart, served with passion fruit sauce. This was tasty enough, but included fruit peel which I'm not overly keen on; this is just a personal preference, but I would have enjoyed it more without it. The filling was creamy and smooth, and the pastry was perfect, but I probably wouldn't order it again - not now that I know how good the rum cake is!

Overall, we left feeling extremely impressed by Turtle Bay. The service was outstanding, and we were treated so well from everyone we met. I'd like to think that everyone who visits the restaurant would receive excellent service too; whilst eating I did nosey in on other people's tables and it certainly seemed to be the case. The staff were so upbeat, cheerful and lively, I don't know how they have the energy to do it! I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the cuisine but surprised myself by really doing so; it's unlike anything I've ever tried before and definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I will say that if you don't like spicy food or can't tolerate it at all, then Turtle Bay is not for you - it's part of the culture and very much ingrained in the dishes that they create, but there are lighter dishes available. If you don't go for the food, then you must go for the cocktails. Take advantage of their "2 for 1 happy hour" (which I believe is every day after 10pm, but again I could be wrong), and you'll be singing by the time you walk out of the door. They have some fantastic creations, and I don't think there's many that I wouldn't enjoy. Of course, rum is at the heart of what they do, but there are so many varieties available, that I guarantee that you'll be able to find one that you like. We will definitely be back again in the future, and highly recommend Turtle Bay to anyone looking for something that bit different in Leeds!

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.

Three Christmas Presents from UGG Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 11:00:00 +0000

Back in November, I was invited by UGG to visit their store in Leeds city centre for a Christmas themed event. It was a very intimate affair, with only me and two other bloggers in attendance, so this gave me a great opportunity to get to know the brand better. I didn't really know anything about UGG, to be quite honest; only that they were responsible for the infamous boots that were rampant during the 2000's. I have to admit, I have seen so many knock offs throughout my time, I was quite put off! In fact, that is something that I was told at the event; apart from Louis Vuitton, UGG boots are the most counterfeited products in the world - which I had suspected, but didn't know for sure that this was the case. By visiting the store, I hoped to be able to put this preconception to rights, see what other products they offered and what makes them such a successful brand.

The Leeds store is based right in the heart of the shopping district, in the beautiful Victoria Quarter. I thought that I would have to search for ages to find the store, but it surprised me by being quite a bit bigger than I had imagined. The event was held early on a weekday morning, which is something that I've ever experienced before; usually events based in a store are held in the evening, and I have to say that this made a refreshing change. With the store being empty, I had the privilege of being able to explore and learn more about the products and that is something that I really appreciate being able to do. The store is beautifully laid out, with plenty of space available to browse, try on items, and display after display of shoes, boots and accessories to fully showcase the range. I was surprised to learn that not only do they make footwear, but UGG also make items such as wallets, gloves, handbags and hats, to name just a few. Many of these items - although not all - feature their signature sheepskin lining, which I can tell you know is the softest thing I have ever felt - I may have been going around the store sticking my hands into the boots just to feel it, which must have looked quite odd! Not only do they sell their Classic range that everyone knows, but also more "fashionable" styles such as knee highs, heeled and laced boots; there is such an enormous variety, it's quite staggering to see it all at once.

To start off the event, I was shown around the store, and shown some of these items that I mentioned, as well as their bestselling ranges and new lines for the winter season. My favourite out of these were the the Pendleton range, which you can see in the image directly above in the form of men's slippers. UGG partnered with Pendleton to create a collection that reflects on the successes of both brands. These items feature a custom Pendleton jaquard that represents the waves and mountains of California, where UGG was founded. I also fell in love with their Classic Short Leather Boots, and I was also impressed with their men's footwear collection - there are many more styles than I had anticipated, and I'm ashamed that I had pigeon-holed the brand into just one of their styles. Visiting the store really opened my eyes as to how big their range actually is, and the quality and craftsmanship that goes into each design is impeccable. As a thank you for coming to the event, I was given the opportunity to choose a pair of slippers to take home with me that day, which was extremely generous of them. The Scuffette II in Midnight had caught my eye earlier on when I was being shown around, as I loved the colour and the style. When I tried them on, I knew that they were the pair for me! I have had many "slipper boot" styles in the past, that require quite some effort to get your foot inside, but I've never really gotten along with them as they made my feet too warm. With these, they have the lovely, soft, cosy lining that UGG is known for, but because they are open back, they still allow air to circulate and I've been finding these extremely comfortable to wear. The best picture that I have of them is on my Instagram from when I first got them; it's safe to say that they have barely left my feet since, and that I can't be without them. Never thought I'd say that about a pair of £75 slippers! The quality is outstanding, and truly a case of "you get what you pay for".

The main part of the event was to make ourselves a Christmas wreath each - with more than a little bit of help, of course. There was all manner of natural products for us to use to create our wreath; dried flowers, fruit, cinnamon sticks and more. Of course, there was plenty of glittery items too, and I wasted no time in getting my hands covered in it. Believe it or not, I've never made or decorated a Christmas wreath before, so I was very excited to get stuck in! The others seemed to have a colour theme to their designs, but I went overboard and used pretty much everything that was available to us. The beauty of it was, somehow it still managed to look great - even though I had put so many things onto it! A bow was added on for me (far too complicated for me to handle), and the final product is available for you to see above. I have to admit, I was quite proud of it! I ended up taking it to work to hang up, where it took pride of place for a few days. It smelled amazing too, as not only were the decorations made out of natural products, but the wreath as well was made out of real pine. I have to admit, I did get a few funny looks taking it to work in a huge UGG carrier bag on the bus, but it was worth it!

Finally, as well as the slippers and making a Christmas wreath (as if they weren't generous enough!), at a later date I was also gifted a pair of Classic UGG boots all of my very own. This is so we could see the results of their monogramming service, which is something I thought I would never own in my lifetime - a pair of Classic UGGs with my initials on them! I was unable to get the monogramming done in store, as the required equipment hadn't arrived, but I was very keen to see what they turned out like once finished. I chose the Classic Short in Black; I had originally asked for the Leather version mentioned previous, but the monogramming was unable to be done on these due to the thickness of the fabric. When they arrived, I was surprised to see that my initials had been blind stitched on - I was expecting them to be printed on somehow, so I was impressed with that! The initials are on the top outer of the left boot, and whilst it is noticeable, it's not so obvious that it cheapens the look of the boot - it blends right in, and that I really like. As for the boots themselves - I have worn them now on several occasions, and, like the slippers, I have been converted. The real sheepskin lining keeps your feet cosy and warm throughout the winter season, as well as making the boots extremely comfortable to wear. The only downside that I have come across is that they are not waterproof. They can withstand some exposure light rain and even snow, as I've discovered, but they cannot be worn in really wet weather. However, you can purchase some Sheepskin Stain & Water Repellent Spray to use on your boots, which I will be doing the next time I'm near the store. When I do this, I'm hopeful that I can continue to wear them throughout the rest of the winter season, before I have to put them away for the summer! I really do love them, and I'm so glad that I had been given the opportunity to learn more about the brand and to try them for myself. I am well and truly converted!

Soap & Glory's SOAPER Christmas Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:00:00 +0000

Back in the day, when this blog was all about beauty, I used to rave about Soap & Glory on a regular basis. A quick search of my blog should give you some indication, as I wrote about the brand quite a lot (although please don't, the formatting and general quality of the posts is abysmal)! I think that my first ever blog post on here was about their 'Breakfast Scrub' - so yeah, it's been a while. The brand doesn't get much of a mention these days because I rarely write about beauty products any more, but several of their make up items are still daily staples for me. So, you can imagine the nostalgia I felt when I received an email, asking me if I'd like to come down that weekend to take part in a special Christmas event with the brand. There was mention of my face being on one of their most popular products; how could I say no to that?! I was intrigued, so that Saturday I went down to go find out more.

When I had received the email, it said to look out for a "20 foot Christmas present" set up on Albion Street, just outside the Boots store in Leeds city centre. I had originally planned to go down for lunchtime, before heading to another blogger event, but when I came up to it, it was super busy and because I was running late, I had to come back later in the day. When I did come back, it was still busy, but I managed to squeeze in and have a chat with the girls running the show. Run in collabration with Boots, the Soap & Glory Soaper Christmas Celebration was offering members of the public an opportunity to practice their make up skills in their glamorous and fabulously pink dressing room, and take a look at their products which were on display. After having some fun with the make up, you could upload a selfie with the hashtag #DiscoverMore, and take home a 'Kissmas Cracker'. It looked like so much fun, but sadly I was running short on time and couldn't stay to have a play around with the products; but I am very familiar with the products anyway so I wasn't too disappointed. This was taking place on one side of this giant Christmas present, but on the other side was something even more fun - and I got the chance to take part!

It was here where I found out what the email was referring to, when it said that I could have my face on one of their products. The product in question was 'Clean On Me', which is actually one of my favourite shower products of all time - the scent takes me on a trip down memory lane, let me tell you! There was a photobooth studio set up, and inside it was a bubble bath where you could sit and have your picture taken! Complete with glittery "bath foam", balloons floating above your head and even a shower with running water, it was really quite surreal. To have my picture taken, I had to sit in the bath (there was a seat for me to plonk myself awkwardly on), and pull my most glamorous Soap & Glory pose. As you can see from the pictures, I look very silly - but it was such a giggle to do! Next, I inputted my details on the interactive screen, and decided what I wanted my bottle to say - I chose "Bubbly Ellie", but there were several options. Before I knew it, my personalised label had been printed out and I was handed my very own, unique bottle of one of my favourite products! I have to admit, it was the highlight of my day.

I've uploaded the actual label that was created for my bottle above, so you can have a good laugh at me and my rather giddy face. If you had told me in the past that one day I would have my face on a Soap & Glory product, I never would have believed you! It's safe to say that I will be keeping this bottle long after I have finished using the product up - I mean, how can I ever throw it away? It's quite possibly the coolest thing I'll ever own, and a great reminder of the event. It was a shame that I couldn't stay around for longer, but from talking to the girls who were running it, it was extremely popular and everyone I saw left with a smile on their face - all in the spirit of Christmas. As well as my bottle of 'Clean On Me', I was given a 20% off voucher to use on Soap & Glory products in Boots, which was a lovely extra surprise. Immediately after leaving the event, I went into Boots and bought myself two bottles of my favourite cleanser, 'Peaches & Clean' - it was on a "Buy one get one half price" offer too, so they turned out to be an absolute steal! I really hope that they run this event again next year, but make it even bigger and better - perhaps over more days, so that more people could come down and see what Soap & Glory have to offer.

Psssst: Until 17th December, you can buy Soap & Glory's massive Christmas gift set, "It's the Whole She-Bang!", for half price for £30, instead of £60! At the time of writing, there is stock still available online at Boots.

Bundobust New Menu Launch for November 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Myers) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 11:00:00 +0000

With so many new food and drink places popping up in Leeds, it's easy to forget about tried and tested favourites. This is definitely the case for me with Bundobust, where I have not visited since the summer. A friend was in hospital at the time, so we took advantage of their take-out option and took her some food, and enjoyed something to eat there ourselves. A few weeks ago, I was invited to try the new additions to their food menu, which you may remember that I have done before in February of this year. In that post, I talked more extensively about Bundobust's origins, what they offer and how they operate; there's little sense in repeating myself, so feel free to check it out if you're looking for more information. So, what's on the new menu?

Before we get into the food, however, let's first talk about the drink. Bundobust pride themselves on serving a wide selection and variety of beers, and change up the tap selection on a regular basis. Beers from local breweries feature pretty much constantly, but beers from around the world can be found both on tap and in bottles or cans in the fridges. I had heard about the Cloudwater DIPA online, so when I saw it on tap in Bundobust there was really no other option for me! I did, however, not see the percentage as it was written on the pump clip very small, so I foolishly tried to order myself a pint without really thinking about it. Needless to say that the percentage was pointed out to me and I quickly went for a half instead! It is an IPA (Indian Pale Ale), so it was as expected, pouring with a warm golden colour and with a thin white head. Citrus aromas are immediately apparent, and it went beautifully with the Indian food due to its fruity, herbal notes. Striking a fine balance between bitter and sweet, it is easily one one of my favourites from Cloudwater - and I've had quite a few! Martin went for a half of Moo Let The Dogs Stout, which is a collabration between Ilkley Brewery and ShuffleDog (BrewDog's newest bar in Leeds). Being a coffee milk stout, I didn't try any myself, but it seemed to be very smooth and not too bitter from the coffee, although strongly scented. Faith especially was a big fan of it, which gives you an indication of how good it was!

First up were the Paneer and Mushroom Tikka Kebabs, which I believe are the first ones to feature on the menu at Bundobust - although I may be mistaken. Obviously featuring Paneer cheese and mushrooms, these also had red peppers, marinated in yoghurt curd and tikka masala. It has only been in recent months that I have come around to liking red peppers, which previously I would have left, so I was able to enjoy the whole dish. This was quite a mild dish, with the flavours brought out with the sauce that they had been marinated in. The pieces of Paneer were generously sized (and my favourite part of this dish), and the mushrooms and peppers had been cooked well. Overall, it was quite simple but very satisfying, and definitely one I would order again. It is also worth mentioning that this, and all the other dishes I write about in this post, are gluten free and are marked as such.

Next was a dish that really piqued my curiousity, the Punjabi Kadhi. This was described as a warm yoghurt soup, cooked with onions, coriander seeds and ginger, served with Gobi Dhaji dumplings. I've never had an Indian soup before (to be quite honest, I didn't even know it was a thing as I'm not too familiar with Indian food), so this was a totally new experience for me. Upon first taste I thought that it was really quite spicy, but as we worked our way through it seemed to get milder and milder - or maybe I was getting used to it? Like a good soup should be, it was rich, comforting and surprisingly creamy. As for the dumplings, they really made the dish and helped to add a bit of sustenance. I would say that there were more dumplings than soup, so it seemed to me that the soup was more like a sauce. If it had been advertised as such, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. However, it was a really pleasant surprise and a truly fantastic dish, and I applaud Bundobust for introducing something a bit different to the menu.

The Tarka Dhal & Rice was next for us to try, and I was keen to see how this compared to the Dhal & Rice that I had tried in February. Just like the original, this is a lentil based curry, but this time is cooked with an oil tempered in cumin, garlic and chilli, and therefore was a lot lighter in colour. Also, this time mixed lentils are used, instead of black. Still served on basmati rice, I honestly couldn't tell you out of the two which one I prefer. Considering they have the same basic make up, they really do differ immensely in flavour. This one was a touch spicier, but was still extremely filling and really warmed you up. I really enjoyed the cumin in this version, as it added a more traditional Indian flavour, but missed the unusual hint of ginger from last time. It is really down to personal preference as to which one you would choose, but both are excellent choices and I like that there is that option to choose. In either case, it is these dishes that have enabled me to start enjoying lentils again, after years of hating them!

Mine and Martin's favourite dish by far was the Biryani Bhaji Balls, and it's easy to see why. Comprising of rolled rice, flavoured with whole spices and rose, this was a dish that I knew that we would really enjoy. The rolled rice is fried and then served with a spicy tomato sauce, with what I believe are crispy onions on top. Every single bite of this dish made me crave the next one, and it was almost too good to share! Frying the rice balls gave them a wonderful crispy texture, and the inside was amazingly soft. I couldn't really taste the rose if I'm honest, just a slightly floral hint, but they did carry a bit of spice. It was another dish that was quite filling, and the sauce was spicy, but not so much that it didn't allow the flavour of the rice balls to come through. I would have happily eaten more of these on their own, but this dish didn't strike me as particularly Indian - or at least not conventionally so. However, this could well be a good thing as it offers that extra bit of variety to an otherwise fairly traditional menu. I will be back for more!

Last but by no means least, was the Chole Bhatura; chickpeas in a onion and tomato sauce, served with soft Indian flatbread. Along with lentils, I never used to be keen on chickpeas - it was the texture that really set my teeth on edge. I'm still not overly keen on them to this day, but I managed to enjoy this dish thanks to the flatbread. The sauce that the chickpeas were in was delicious, and I have sneaking suspicion that there is more than just onion and tomatoes in there. It had an underlying spiciness that makes it clear that it hails from an Indian background, and it was I think the spiciest dish out of the five. The flatbread I was particularly keen to try, as it was gluten free and I've never tried gluten free bread before. The texture was pleasant but I could tell that it was gluten free - I can't quite put my finger on what was different about it, but to me it was noticeable. That being said, it was delicious and worked incredibly well with the chickpea curry. Out of the five new additions to the new menu I'm not sure that I would order this again, simply because it didn't particularly stand out to me, but it was still very tasty.

So, to round off, how did I find these newest additions to the menu? There was certainly nothing that I disliked, that's for sure, and I had a definite stand out dish. In comparison to what they launched back in February, though, I think that there was a lot more variety in the types of dishes offered last time, and I was a little disappointed that there wasn't such a range this time. However, all of these additions bring something new to the existing menu, and compliment existing dishes nicely. The prices are really quite reasonable, and the joy of it is that you can have as much or as little as you like. I believe that they run a continuous offer of "two dishes for £7" during lunchtime hours, where this would probably suffice, but for an evening meal you can have one or two more and take advantage of sampling more of the menu. As always, the food is fantastic quality and when paired with excellent beer, I will always recommend Bundobust to anyone looking for somewhere a bit different to eat and drink in Leeds.

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.