1. Muddle the sugar and the mint leaves with a pestle and mortar.
2. Put a handful of crushed ice into two glasses. 
3. In a separate jug, mix the lime juice and mint mix together.
4. Pour into the glasses, then top up with soda water.

Day 21 of my '90 days of summer 2015' posts; breakfast outdoors. This is definitely one of my summer loves. I love eating breakfast outdoors and taking the time to relax and enjoy every minute. I think this is such a great start to the day and I wish I could start everyday like this, but unfortunately the weather lets us down on a regular basis.

Coffee, croissants and jam; what could be better!

Day 17 of my '90 days of summer' posts; burger and a beer. In our house, summer means it's burger season. I just love a good, juicy burger with homemade wedges and washed down with an ice, cold beer.

Day 14 of my '90 days of summer' posts; make lemon curd. I just love the fresh, zingy taste of homemade lemon curd. Apart from it being incredibly simple and quick to make, it is utterly heavenly. All you need is a spoon or some hot, buttered toast.

My favourite tried and tasted many times recipe is on the BBC food website here. Sunshine food at its best.

What's a girl to do on her birthday! Start the day with some delicious cupcakes from Fancie, of course. Blueberry, lemon curd, vanilla, caramel; so many to choose from. I doubt if these cupcakes will last the day!

Have a great day lovelies!

Day 5 of my '90 days of summer' posts; make bread. If you can't be in Italy for the summer, you can bring a taste of it home with this delicious piadina. It is so easy to whip up for lunch or supper even if you have never made bread before. So simple yet so tasty.

If you want to try it, find the recipe in Save With Jamie.

Method

1. To make the crisps, put the torn pittas on a baking tray and drizzle with the oil. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 C.
2. Place feta in a small dish and scatter over the thyme, chilli and garlic. 
3. Drizzle with the oil and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Toss the salad ingredients in a bowl and top with the feta.
5. Serve with the pitta crisps.

This week has been a very busy and tiring one so I was very happy to say hello to the weekend! We don't have many plans for this weekend except maybe an out to a bluebell wood if the weather permits. I am quite happy to spend time recharging my batteries and pottering around the house and garden. I'm such a party animal!

Here is what I've been enjoying this week:

1. Cut the rhubarb into roughly 6in lengths and place in a roasting tin with half a teacup of water and the sugar. 
2. Place in a preheated oven (200C/400F/Gas 6) and roast until it is soft enough to stab with a fork, about 10-15 minutes. Allow it to cool, drain and set aside the cooking juices.
3. Dip the skin side of each mackerel fillet into the flour to coat. Place the mackerel fillet, skin side down, in a pan of heated oil. Scatter over the rosemary. Add the roasted rhubarb to the side of the pan to heat through, then add the capers.
4. Turn the mackerel after two minutes and then cook for another minute or two. Add the sherry vinegar and allow it just to come to the boil. 
5. Remove the mackerel and rhubarb and add a little of the reserved juices to the pan. Scrap round the pan with a wooden spoon to lift the crispy bits. Serve straightaway, with the sauce over the mackerel and the rhubarb on the side.

As a lot of you know, or if you follow me on Instagram, one of my favourite parts of the week are my weekend breakfasts. It feels so good to be able to eat outside in the garden again. I'm sure food tastes better when eating alfresco! Croissants, fruit, smoothies and coffee! What more could a girl want!

My last post was all about choosing the right cafetiere and I'm really pleased to say we have found the perfect one. We chose the Bodum Chambord and we are so glad we did. It pours perfectly, no drips and spills, which makes it perfect for breakfast in bed. I definitely recommend it. I happened to be shopping in TK Maxx and I spotted it at the bargain price of £19 instead of the Amazon price of £44! Although, I still drool over the copper plated version of this one but it's quite a bit more expensive!

A good, hearty breakfast is always needed when a girl is busy looking for wedding dresses! It's exciting times ahead for us as we plan our summer wedding. This dress business is trickier than I thought!

Have a great week lovelies!

A classic, warming pudding just right for Autumn evenings especially now that it's turning a little chillier. I used damsons from my trees in the garden and apples given to me by my neighbours but I'm sure other fruits would work well too.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Peel and core the apples, damsons/plums, apples and pears, then cut them into large pieces. Halve and stone the damsons, leaving the skin on. 
3. Put into a large saucepan with the butter, sugar, spices and bay leaves. Stir it all together and stew for 20 to 30 minutes covered. When the fruit is soft, take out the bay leaves and place to one side.
4. For the batter, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well, then fold in the flour. 
5. Place half the fruit into the bottom of an ovenproof dish (without the juices) then top with the batter. Finally, spoon over the remaining fruit and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and risen. 
6. Using a knife, slice open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into a bowl. Pour in the cream and whisk together with the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks. Stir in the whisky.

Serve warm with lots of the cream and a little of the fruit juices. Delicious! Clean plates are guaranteed! Enjoy!

What a view we had as we were sat eating our picnic. The steam train runs from Corfe Castle to Swanage and is a real step back in time. I would recommend a trip as it runs through some beautiful scenery and has the old fashioned carriages which I loved.

One of my favourite things to do on holiday in Greece is to sunbathe on the beach and drink iced coffees, that the best bars make so well. Now that summer has arrived I wanted a little of the holiday feeling at home, but when I searched on Google for how to make iced coffees, there was little that inspired me. Should I use espresso, ground coffee or instant; milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk or cream? So, I made up my own recipes.

To make this iced latte, which is quite large, I added three teaspoons of high quality instant coffee and 3/4 of a mug of milk to a measuring jug. Then I added two dessert spoons of condensed milk and two teaspoons of vanilla flavoured syrup. You could use sugar instead of the syrup. Whichever you choose, the sugar is what helps to create the foam that is all part of the look. Then I used a hand blender, to mix and froth it all up, for about thirty seconds or so.

I then filled the jar with ice and slowly poured in the coffee to the top. Absolutely delicious! A perfect summer drink. Once you try it, you will be hooked!


What is your favourite iced coffee/latte?

Have a great week lovelies.

This little dish is so modest that it barely needs a recipe. I made it as a starter last weekend, but it also makes a light, tasty supper. There are all manner of ways in which you can glam it up, but this is the humble eggs in pots.


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Season the creme fraiche with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, and place a tablespoon full in the bottom of of a ramekin dish.
3. Crack one egg on top and add another tablespoon of the creme fraiche. Sprinkle a little salt, pepper and nutmeg on top. Do this for both pots and place the pots in a dish of lukewarm water that comes halfway up the pots.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
5. Add a teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce to garnish and top with chopped parsley.