Adventuring Around the New Forest

Before moving to Southampton last year I'd never properly been down to this part of the country, so the whole area was new to me. Almost a year on and we realised due to one thing or another we still hadn't ventured into the New Forest yet, which is one thing we definitely wanted to do before we move this summer (again!).

We decided to go on a little road trip this weekend and check out as much of it as we could. Obviously it's a busy weekend here in England and plenty of other people had decided to do the same, which made the atmosphere in the little villages and pubs that bit more enjoyable.

We stopped off first at Lyndhurst, only a few miles outside of Southampton.

We spent the afternoon driving around other parts of the New Forest...

Before ending up back towards Lyndhurst and stopping off for a pub dinner...

I think another trip is necessary before we move this summer!

I hope you're all making the most of your four-day weekend too :)

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!

Lime and Coriander Fish Stir Fry

It feels like it's been a long winter in England, but finally the sun is out and so are my summer clothes! With the prospect of actually getting to wear bikinis and summer dresses this year also comes the realisation that I probably need to start getting back into shape. Thankfully I naturally want lighter meals full of vegetables and fresh flavours so eating healthier isn't too difficult. Well... apart from all the ice cream (hey, you've gotta make the most of this weather!) but hopefully this meal can do a bit to balance it out at the very least.

Lime and Coriander Fish Stir Fry 

This stir fry bursting with citrus flavours is light and healthy, perfect for a quick summer dinner.

Serves 2


2 pieces of white fish (I used frozen)
1 bunch (80g) udon noodles
A couple of handfuls of frozen broccoli florets
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3cm ginger, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lime
Bunch of coriander
1 tbsp oil

-Cook the fish according to pack instructions.
-Cook the noodles and broccoli according to pack instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
-Heat the oil in a wok.
-Add the garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for a few minutes, until beginning to soften.
-Add the pepper and cook for a further two minutes.
-Add the fish sauce, mirin and soy sauce along with a splash of water. When the mixture is bubbling, add in the cooked noodles and broccoli.
-Squeeze most of the lime over the noodles. Tear some coriander and add it to the wok. Toss together until the sauce evenly coats everything.
-Divide the stir fry between two plates. Add a piece of fish to each plate and serve with an extra squeeze of lime and and a sprig of coriander.

Turtle Bay, Southampton

I've been meaning to try out this Caribbean restaurant ever since moving to Southampton. Almost a year later and we still hadn't so we decided to check it out last night. The weather has been gorgeous this weekend, so it seemed appropriate to indulge in some barbecue-flavoured food and fruity cocktails.

To start we shared the Pepper Roti, flaky pastry encasing a pepper and potato filling. Nice and light with lovely flavours without being too hot. This was accompanied by a couple of Jumbled Julep cocktails (vodka, passoa, strawberries, mint and apple juice). I love cocktails and these definitely didn't disappoint, fresh and fruity with just the right amount of mint. They're also two for one for a good majority of the day so even more of an excuse to try them out!

For my main I had a burger, topped with pineapple and cheese and served with sweet potato fries and coleslaw. 

I could quite happily have carried on eating those fries for ever, sweet potato is so good, especially with Jerk BBQ sauce. I tried out the pepper sauce as well from the bottles provided on the table - a really nice flavour but wow it's hot!

I recommend the burger if you like them well done - I do, though I did think this one was a bit overcooked even for me. That was probably the only negative I have to say about the meal though, everything else was great. 

Tom had the 1/2 Jerk chicken with rice and peas (which is my new favourite thing, I will definitely have to try and make some soon). The chicken was cooked perfectly, and he got loads, the picture doesn't do it justice. I don't know how anyone could manage the whole chicken!

We didn't try any of the desserts as we went to watch The Avengers afterwards so pudding had to be munchies in the cinema of course. 

Overall the food was full of delicious flavours with lots of fresh ingredients, served in a friendly, laid back environment, perfect for a summer's evening meal. At the moment there's only a Turtle Bay in Southampton and Milton Keynes, but apparently they're opening up in Nottingham and Bristol soon. Great news for me for when I head back home to Nottingham!

Fave Recipes from the Web

I thought I'd do a little round up of some of the recipes I've come across this week that I can't wait to try out. These are either from blogs I follow, or just ones I came across via Pinterest.

Firstly, Two Peas and Their Pod's recipe for Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzels!

After my trip to Berlin I've been craving soft pretzels but haven't yet had chance to try making my own. I've found a few recipes for them, but the addition of rosemary to these sounds so delish that I'm probably going to try using this one first. The cheese sauce that accompanies the pretzels is tempting enough for me to try these out by itself!

Avoid the Raspberri Cupcakes' blog if you're trying to cut down on sweet things - her recipes are the ultimate cakes and desserts for indulging in and instantly make me start craving home-made goodies, none more so than the Rolo Chocolate Brownie Cake posted recently.

This cake has everything you could ever want - chocolate, caramel, topped with 4(!) tubes of Rolos - I'm wowed every time I look at it. I think we all have those days where a slice of something as decadent as this is in order, so I may have to save the recipe for a day like that. Otherwise I don't think I could justify eating this!                                  

I love Joy the Baker's blog - fab recipes accompanied by her lovely down-to-earth writing. I need to make these Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with a Creamy Peanut Butter Filling.

Peanut butter is a major treat for me - I don't buy it often because my fiancé doesn't like it, and I end up eating my way through the jar so quickly it's probably for the best it's not always in the flat! I intended to make some peanut butter cookies last time I had some. Unfortunately I ended up eating too much of the jar before I could - whoops! I am determined to make some next time though, and the combination of peanut butter with oats sounds like it might just satisfy all my peanut butter cookie cravings. Plus, my philosophy is oats in a cookie equals a healthier cookie, and therefore more can be eaten. Don't have to worry about my fiancé not eating them then!

If you're on Pinterest you may have also seen these Cinco de Mayo Piñata Cookies. 

These look so much fun, I think it's such a cute idea for a themed party. The dough takes more effort than usual but the effect is stunning so when I've got time I may have to attempt these.

I'll finish this post with Lentil & Chickpea curry, another recipe I found through Pinterest. Partly so you don't get the impression I only ever cook and eat cakes and cookies. 

I'm not a vegetarian, and most meals I can't imagine without some sort of meat. However for me curries are the thing I can make without meat and not miss it at all. Instead I tip loads of vegetables in it and bulk it up with chickpeas. This recipe looks like a fancier version of the kind of curries I currently make. I haven't used lentils before and have only recently tried out coconut milk so this will be nice to try out as something slightly different to what I usually put together for dinner. 

I hope this post possibly introduced you to a new blog, or just gave a little bit of cooking inspiration. If there's any good food blogs or recipes you've come across and think are worth sharing, please let me know!  :)

Chicken Fajita Pasties

Last weekend consisted of lots of baking - pizza, cookies, and these spicy pasties. I love Mexican food, so decided to give a fajita filling to a pasty recipe I'd used before. A sprinkle of turmeric and paprika are added to a shortcrust pastry to give it some colour and a flavour complimentary to a salsa-drizzled chicken, onion and pepper filling. These are filling enough (and moreish enough!) to be dinner on their own, or would be nice as a different sort of side dish as part of a Mexican night.

Chicken Fajita Pasties


Makes roughly 25

For the pastry: (Adapted from The Great British Bake Off book)
225g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon paprika
125g chilled butter, diced
About 4 tablespoons icy water

For the filling: 
1 chicken breast, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 red pepper,  chopped finely
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
A sprinkle of chilli powder, to taste
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

Salsa
Egg, beaten to glaze
Oil, for the pan
Sour cream, to serve

-To make the pastry, sift the flour, salt, turmeric and paprika into a large bowl.

-Using our fingertips, rub the diced butter into the flour a bit at a time until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

-Stir in enough of the cold water to bring the mix together into a soft, but not sticky dough. Wrap in clingfilm and keep in the fridge until needed. 

-To make the filling, heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the garlic and onions and fry until soft.

-Add the peppers and chicken and fry for a minute. 

-Add the barbecue sauce and the spices and mix until everything is fully coated. Continue to fry until the chicken is cooked through. Put aside.

-Now to put the pasties together! Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. 

-Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured worktop to a few millimetres thick. These are only small pasties so you don't want to just have a mouthful of pastry, but the pastry needs to be thick enough to contain the filling comfortably. 

-Using an 8cm cutter, cut rounds from the pastry. Keep re-rolling the remaining dough until it is all used up.

-Place a small splodge of salsa in the centre of the round. Add a teaspoon of the chicken mix, leaving a border around the filling. 

-Brush a little of the beaten egg around this border, then fold the pastry over the top of the filling, making a semi-circle. 

-Press the edges firmly together. If you like use a fork to gently do this and create a pattern.

-Make holes in the top with a fork to allow steam to escape while cooking. Glaze with the beaten egg. Line on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

-Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is a golden colour and crisp. Serve with sour cream and extra salsa.

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Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything

If you haven't checked this book out and are interested in anything science-y I definitely recommend it. Impressively, the author manages to do what he claims, covering everything from the beginnings of the universe to the evolution of human beings, stopping off along the way to describe how the significant discoveries that make up our current knowledge of the world took place (though judging by the personalities of some of the scientists described it's a wonder in itself we've found out this much!).

As so much is covered, there will probably be some parts you'll find more interesting than others - the geek in me loved the bits about space and DNA, though I have to say, I'm not one to get excited about rocks. The entertaining style of Bill Bryson's writing manages to keep all of the material engaging however, with just the right amount of information about each topic without getting bogged down in anything.

Accessible and enjoyable - who would of thought this could be said about science?