Macaroon Heaven

The first time I ever saw a macaroon, I fell in love before I had even tasted one. They just looked absolutely heavenly in the beautiful variety of colours and flavours – my mouth is watering as I type! From then on, I had been obsessed, they just tasted too amazing! The only problem is, I found they are fairly hard to come across. So, you can imagine my delight when I found a whole counter full in Selfridges in the Bullring, Birmingham. I couldn’t resist, I had to buy some! My housemates called me crazy for spending so much on so little, but they had not tasted them – and I wasn’t willing to share!

The Birmingham counter was fulfilling enough, but nothing can beat the Ladurée Parisian tearoom in Harrods, London. The tearoom looked stunning and the food looked amazing but I couldn’t wait long enough to get my hands on the delicious macaroons. Unfortunately, we skipped the tearoom experience – but there is always next time! In sensing my excitement, Jessell couldn’t help but treat me to a box!

I have to say, the only problem I had with Ladurée was that there was way too much choice! Jessell and I stood staring for ages trying to choose and ended up buying almost every flavour available. We chose the following flavours, which included:

Chocolate

Praline

Orange Blossom

Lime

Raspberry

Lemon

Vanilla

Rose Petal

Madagascar Chocolate

Strawberry & Cream

Cognac

Apple

I think a couple of these flavours were seasonal ones, as we visited fairly close to Valentine’s Day, including the Cognac macaroon which was my favourite!

As if my birthday hadn’t been fulfilled with enough macaroon love, my constant expression for my love for them didn’t go unnoticed. My gorgeous friends decided to make me some for my birthday and they really were delicious!

If you haven’t tried macaroons before, you are definitely missing out. So, the next chance you get, don’t pass and splash out – they are definitely worth it!

Love Always

xx

Surprise Chelsea Birthday Weekend!

I celebrated my 20^th birthday just over a month ago, so this post is slightly delayed, but I couldn't resist telling you all about the lovely trip my boyfriend, Jessell, had organised. I am a bit of a reality TV addict and love watching Made in Chelsea on E4 (new series starting soon – can’t wait!). Despite Jessell avoiding the show at all costs, he decided to treat me to a weekend in Chelsea and it was fantastic! I knew we were travelling to London but he kept every other detail very secret and he definitely didn't disappoint.

DAY ONE

When we arrived, we checked straight into our hotel – the MillenniumBailey’s Hotel. It was lovely and looked exactly like a traditional Victorian London townhouse.

As if the hotel wasn't amazing enough, we found out we had been upgraded to a Club Room which made our stay feel extra special.

We grabbed some lunch and took a stroll around. Chelsea is absolutely beautiful – I love the tall pristine white townhouses with their huge doors and the cute boutique shops and restaurants.

We made our way back to our hotel to relax before the night ahead which was also a surprise for my birthday treat! It wasn’t long before we completely crashed out on the huge, comfy bed. We got ready and departed in search of the secret location – I still had absolutely no idea, although Jessell had informed me we were seeing a show. We arrived at the Royal Albert Hall. Even though it was raining, it didn’t take anything away from the beauty of the building which was brightly lit up and shining.

Jessell revealed we were seeing the new Cirque du Soleil show – Kooza. I have been to a few of these shows before, but this was definitely one of my favourites!

Unfortunately there are no pictures of the show but even if we were allowed to take some shots we probably wouldn’t have – it is definitely one of those shows where you have to see it to believe it! The performances included contortionists, tightrope walkers, dancers, acrobatics, wheel-runners and a lot more. These may sound like normal boring circus acts but they all have a huge twist making the acts all the more exciting and gripping. You couldn’t take your eyes off it and I was definitely disappointed when it came to an end. I would recommend seeing a Cirque du Soleil show at least once, they really are fantastic!

DAY TWO

The following day, we prepared ourselves for a busy schedule. We made our way to the London Sea Life Aquarium. We couldn’t help but take some scenic pictures on the way. Again, it was another gloomy day but we never let that ruin our plans!

The Aquarium was really fun but I would definitely recommend getting there early as it does get very busy – especially on a Saturday! We wondered through a maze of fish, penguins, turtles, sharks, rays and even a crocodiles. There’s plenty to see and learn about!

After, we walked a bit further ready to join the queue for the London Eye! I had been on the London Eye once before with my family but it was a first for Jessell and we both really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the weather was very dull and gloomy but you could still see for miles around, it really is a must do!

Before proceeding to one of our final stops, we took a detour to see all the amazing street performers. They had dancers, various acts and a lot of live statues which are usually my favourite – how they stand still all day  and without talking is beyond comprehension! To our surprise though, we saw something completely different through the form of a singing human bear. He looked amazing and completely stood out from the other performers.

Our final stop was the beautiful Harrods – just walking around made me smile ear to ear. It really is such an amazing store with one-of-a-kind items, lovely places to eat and plenty to see. Some personal favourites had to be the pet spa and of course Ladurée where Jessell treated me to a tasty box of macaroons – yum!

We made it back to our hotel just in time to get ready for dinner – a further surprise for my birthday and a final celebration of the lovely trip we had had together. Jessell took me to the most fantastic restaurant which I feel deserves a post in its own right, so you will have to wait for that one!

DAY THREE

After the most relaxing lie-in we had had in ages, we got ready to depart from our beautiful hotel and made our way back to reality. I had such a lovely trip and I think you may agree – Jessell did an amazing job!

Love Always

xx

Nando's

So, as some of you may know, if you are from Leicester or the Midland region in general, you are considered strange if you dislike Nando’s. Lucky for you, I’m not strange and love a good visit to Nando’s and purchasing an absolute feast! I fail to understand how anyone can dislike an entire restaurant which specialises in chicken and the tastiest sauces. In all honesty, if you do not like chicken, then this probably isn't the place to go, but for those of you who do and haven’t visited your local Nando’s, you are definitely missing out in my opinion!

"Home of the legendary, Portuguese flame-grilled  PERI-PERI chicken"

I am more of a medium girl when I eat but I can handle hot which is just as tasty with a little extra heat. When I visit with my friends, one of them in particular can handle extra-hot without flinching or sweating – I don’t know how she does it!

There is plenty to choose from including burgers, pittas, wraps and salads as well as a selection of vegetarian options. I love going to amazing restaurants and eating lovely, tasty food, but sometimes nothing is more fulfilling than a classic half a chicken with medium marinade and a giant plate of chips!

The worst thing is – I usually eat more than this!

Love Always

xx

Cadbury Creme Egg Heart-Shaped Brownies

So, it is almost Easter Sunday and for most of us we know that means a day full of family and a lot of chocolate! I often forget about Easter as a major holiday but when it comes round I love it, especially seeing the beautiful lambs in the fields and the lovely range of Easter eggs to choose for our loved ones. This year feels slightly different however, the snow is still settled outside and it doesn't really feel like Spring at all.

I needed cheering up and what better at this time of year then the beloved Cadbury Creme Egg. It is a classic at Easter time and is one of my favourites. I had heard about the ‘Creme Egg Brownie’ craze on Facebook and wanted to try it for myself! It is also important for me to say at this early stage in my blogging that I am coeliac which means I cannot eat anything with wheat or gluten! This was a major problem at first, especially with my massive sweet-tooth of cakes, biscuits and desserts but there are plenty of ways around it! The recipe is wheat and gluten free and it turned out pretty well, so here we go. 

Ingredients:

225g dark chocolate

225g butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3 creme eggs

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees/gas mark 3. Melt the chocolate and butter together over a low heat in a bowl over a saucepan with water.

2. When fully melted until smooth, take the pan off the heat and mix in the vanilla extract and sugar. Let it cool a little.

3. Beat the already beaten eggs into the pan.

4. Turn into heart-shaped brownie pan.

5. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

6. Whilst baking, cut three cream eggs in half lengthwise.

7. Take the brownies out of the oven and place each creme egg half on top of the brownie – gooey side up!

8. Put the brownies back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

9. Take out when fully baked and set aside to cool. Once cool, pop them out of the pan and they are ready to serve – yum!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did – I know it lifted me with Easter spirit. Happy Easter!

Love Always

xx

About Me

Hello! My name is Lauren and I am 20 years old. I live in Leicester although I am currently studying in Birmingham. I am studying law so when I actually have some spare time, I love spending time with my amazing family, friends and boyfriend! I am obsessed with the latest fashion trends and enjoy having a good bake every now and again. That is a good bake in terms of the cupcake kind but I do love a good bake in the sun on wonderful travels!

I started this blog as I was inspired by so many others on the internet. They are always amazing to turn to for the latest fashion news or some great recipes and I really wanted to be a part of that and show some of my own ideas.

I hope you enjoy what I have to say in the many years of blogging to come!

Love Always

xx