Citrus and Sugar Summer Days

Popping back home for a few days meant time to catch up with friends and family over lots of good food. In Nottingham there's plenty to choose from. One night consisted of amazing tapas at Las Iguanas, including fried plantain (new favourite!), a chorizo dish with plenty of ciabatta, and of course, nachos. The perfect meal to enjoy while chatting and trying out some delicious cocktails. An evening spent at a country pub is also always a must, especially in this beautiful weather. We finished our meal with a slice of red velvet cheesecake, with just the right amount of creaminess and sweetness to not be overwhelming.

Time was also spent on purely relaxing, enjoying the sunshine in the garden with a new foodie magazine. After what seems like a long time of being uninspired in the kitchen, turning to the same few old favourites each night that were quick to make and eat in between revision sessions, I can't wait to try out new recipes and ingredients.

A cake in the June issue of delicious magazine caught my eye, a simple bake enhanced with the summery flavours of lemons and blueberries, two of my favourite additions to a cake batter. The lemon is tangy and light, while the blueberries burst and make the cake moist and colourful.

My tin was too small for all the mix, so I ended up with cupcakes as well, never a bad thing! A sprinkling of lemon zest on top of the icing is an easy pretty way to decorate these cakes. Just the sort of thing to enjoy on a sunny afternoon with an ice-cold drink.

What are your favourite summer flavours for cooking and baking?

Barcelona!

Hola!

I've been super busy lately due to moving this month and popping home to catch up with family and friends. In between the madness, my best friend and I hopped on a plane and had a few days off in sunny Spain. While we planned to spend most of our time in Salou soaking up some rays by the pool or on the beach, cocktails in hand, after a couple of lazy days we couldn't resist the opportunity to get the train to Barcelona before flying home.

After figuring out the public transport and stocking up on hay fever tablets (I love Spain but it turns out it doesn't like me!), we arrived in Barcelona, ready to explore.

As we only had a few hours there and were oblivious to what was actually in the city, we wandered around narrow streets, getting distracted by each new one until we'd completely lost all sense of direction.

In need of refreshment we drifted through the market, in awe at the mountains of large colourful fruits, before deciding on passion fruit ice cream to head back into the sunshine with.

We didn't get chance to check out many of the sights of Barcelona, but I loved what I saw of the city and will definitely have to come back to discover more of it's hidden shops and try out lots more food!

Hope you're having a lovely summer!

Butterfly Playsuit

I thought I'd share one of my favourite items of clothing, that's ideal for the gorgeous weather we had last weekend. I bought this playsuit last year for about £20 from Ark.

I love this playsuit, the design is so pretty, without being too 'young', and it's so comfy! It's elasticated at the waist giving it some shape but otherwise the fabric is quite loose, perfect for hot days (and great for hiding any barbecue overindulgence!) It's made out of a sort of silky material which is fab for staying cool in.

It's versatile too; the navy colour means it goes nicely with black tights and heels for an evening look at cooler times of the year.

Ark don't have this one in stock any more, but they do have a decent range at the minute here.
I'm particularly tempted to get this one!