I'm BACK!

Sorry I've been away for a little while but I am officially back! Here is a little sneak peek at what I've been up to whilst I have been away:

A Chain with a Difference

Large restaurant chains are often a hit or miss. Commercial crap or a restaurant which feels like an exclusive. And that is exactly the note which Côte has struck. Opening only a couple of weeks ago in Bath, this fine brasserie has already proved a hit with the locals – and particularly myself.

With French cuisine in abundance, Côte is a perfect little hideaway – on a summer evening on their terrace or inside their beautifully decorated restaurant when there is a chill in the air. The steaks have proved an awesome hit with my friends who described the filet as ‘to-die-for’ after another friend asked whether it was worth a visit. For the vegetarians amongst us, the choices are limited – yet delectable. The risotto vert includes all the finest summer vegetables, with an addition of watercress and rocket to top the creamy plate off perfectly. The wine list is strong and our waitress was very knowledgeable in recommending a brilliant red for the evening.

Perhaps most impressive is the dessert list – with their special crème caramel and a rich, yet fabulous iced berries with white chocolate sauce. Côte’s can be found all over England, yet doesn’t feel like a huge chain which has aged over the years. Instead, you are treated like their first guest on every visit.

Bye Bye Curls

I have always said that I was born with 'bad-hair genes.' Curly, unruly, frizzy and totally annoying. When I was growing up my Mum would rake through my hair with watermelon spray and a wide-toothed comb. With an Italian background it was really no surprise that I came out with what looks to be in pictures, a wig on my head.

When I was young I used to hear: 'It will grow out;' 'The curls were drop.' Liars, I used to think, and it turns out, I was right. When I hit 16 the frustration of never being able to do anything with my unruly curls reached fever-pitch. I longed for the sleek, straight hair that every other bloody person in my class seemed to have.

So I did a little research. I would do anything to get results and I stumbled across Yuko. Yuko is a Japanese permanent straightening system which promises to ditch the frizz and the curls. And let me tell you, it works just a treat.

Four years ago I decided to take the risk and bite the bullet. The decision was one of the best of my life and I have returned every year for a touch-up when my curls grow out from the root. Every time I leave I am surprised at the quality and how brilliantly the treatment works on my locks.

Now remember, getting a cowboy to perform this treatment on your hair is a major mistake. So do your research. But trust me, if you're looking for a hair-changing treatment, make Yuko your friend.

Biscuiteer Anyone?

Just last week I came home to a little surprise from one of the loveliest people in my world:



These beautifully decorated biscuits were brilliantly made by the people that you will find here: http://www.biscuiteers.com/ They say that you should 'say it with icing' and that's exactly what my friend did after I'd been poorly for a quite a while.

Each individual biscuit is perfectly made and iced into an individual item. My 'get well' kit included miniature slippers, a thermometer and plaster. And just as my friend said 'it's certainly better than the real scary medical things.' That I know to be true.

I just can't imagine a better gift to come home to, it put quite a smile on my face and when I tucked into them last night, the smile got bigger. They not only look beautiful, but taste gorgeous too. The icing is to-die for and the biscuit? Oh so perfect.

So thank you to my great friend and to the wonderful people at Biscuiteers who came up with such a brilliant and innovative idea. Their designs are endless and they even create personalised biscuits for the likes of you and me.

Give them a little glance, I'm sure you will be whipping out your credit card and putting it through their online checkout soon.

I'm off to eat a slipper. 

Because I Deserve It

Sometimes in life, you just fancy a little (well, not quite so little) treat. You feel that you have been good enough to award yourself with some of your hard earned (come on, come on) cash which is, just sitting in your bank account.

Well that was exactly the kind of mood that I was in today -

I just deserved it

And so, I treated myself to this little maxi:

At £100 this certainly isn't the cheapest in Warehouse's range - but it certainly is the best. This Magnolia Print Maxi Dress fits like a dream with a metal ring around the neck - it falls over everything which you want it to fall over and is the perfect length, colour and material for a warm summer night.

It truly is a treat to wear, how can you not adore this beauty? Well I certainly couldn't and it is now hanging in my closet waiting for its first outing.

Chef's Picnic

Now when I do a picnic, I do it up good. I'm not talking sarnies, sausage rolls and quavers, no, no, no, no. It's more of a luxury salad, stuffed artichoke kind of affair. I do them, how they should be done:



Now that is what you call picnic food. I'm talking potato wedge and green bean salad with a vinaigrette dressing, pea and various parmesan rice cakes, fruit skewers, lemon and herb drumsticks, greeen chilli and walnut salad with white beans. melon and cucumber salad and a fajita assortment.

Don't be jealous, you may get an invite next time. But be sure to like this kinda food because in my house, that's just how we roll.

Windsor Wedding Fever

Don't know if you heard, but there's a little wedding come up. Two people called Wills and Kate? The mind boggles.

So in celebration, I took myself to Windsor to see just what all the fuss was about.

Here is what I got up to:



For top ice cream visit Mauds and for a top lunch, head to the Two Brewers - located at the top of the Long Walk - adjacent to the castle gates.

Scared of the Sun with THESE Legs

When the sun came out last week everybody rejoiced, I swear I heard a little delight across the whole of the UK as people ditched the bus and decided to walk instead to work, and finally dug out those last year sandals which we didn't expect to have to use for another couple of months.

But somewhere inside, I felt a little dread and a lot of worry. I was certianly nowhere near summer ready. I was as white as a ghost, nails not quite the perfect colour and winter clothes still being worn. So, I figured, if I was ever going to brace the UK's pavements again, I had better get prepared and get myself ready.

TASK 1: TAN
I'm not much of a sunbed user, I've heard the horror stories and to be honest they have stuck. As for fake-tan I swear I am the only person in the world who it doesn't work on. Think ridiculously dark and streaky and you're thinking about me when I give it a go. So instead, I popped along to trusty Boots and gave this a whirl:

This is St. Tropez's gradual mousse tanner. It slides on like a little dream and a little goes a long way. It gives you that kind of summer-kissed look, not the I've-just-come-home-from-the-sun look which we all want to keep away from.

TASK 2: NAILS
I am a slight nail-obsesser, I'm talking, probably paint them about three times a week. My nail polish collection is utterly ridiculous and I probably haven't seen my bare nails in about 5 years. So when the sun put its hat on it was time for some summer colour baby! This is what I'm talking about:

Yes, I'm talking block orange and bring purple, from my best nail friend, Barry M.

TASK 3: SUMMER CLOTHING
My summer sandals from last year were looking well past their sell-by date and so I thought, there really is no better excuse, to visit the beloved Topshop.

LONG MAY THE SUN SHINE.

Mama's BBQ

If there's one thing my Mum does well, it's a BBQ. It is big, it is huge, it is yummy. We're not just talking sausages and burgers, on no my friend, the list is endless. Olives, 5 types of cheeses, a variety of sausages, marinated chickens, homemade italian bread, raspberry and stilton salads...the food just keeps coming and coming. So when the sun shone on the weekend, I knew for certain that dinner was going to be a big event - and I was right: