Caramel Dip

Nothing says fall quite like a caramel apple... or pretzel... or in fact pretty much anything coated in caramel.

Today I'm sharing my super quick and easy caramel dip recipe, which I made for our recent Halloween pumpkin carving party. 

There are only three ingredients and it takes approximately 2.3 seconds to make.

Ingredients:

1. One 280g pack cream cheese (I used full fat but reduced fat will probably work just as well)
2. One can of carnation caramel
3. A little brown sugar to taste (optional)

Method:

Just put the caramel and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix together until combined.  Add the brown sugar and mix again if you want it a little sweeter. 

Serve with sliced apples, pretzels and anything else you fancy, then watch it disappear!

Denim + leopard

Denim shirts are so versatile. Dress them up with maxi skirt or a statement necklace and you've got a cute date outfit, or dress down with jeggings, flats and a scarf for a casual day running errands.

Denim shirt: New Look

Leopard flats: Next

Bracelet: Jack Wills

Wellies + blanket scarf

Another oldie but a goodie. I can't get enough of the blanket scarf, it's so great for that inbetween weather when it's too warm for a coat but a little too cool to go out in just a sweater. 

And of course wellies are a must for the wet English weather.

Scarf: New Look (last year)

Boots: Joules

I bought this scarf a year ago and still love it just as much as the day I bought it.  It's tartan on one side and houndstooth on the other, so basically two scarves for the price of one. Or half price in my mind.  

That's my justification anyway.

Skeleton cookies

How cute are these? 

I mean, seriously.

And so simple to make for Halloween. I used this recipe for chocolate sugar cookies that I found on Pinterest (although any sugar or gingerbread cookie recipe will do) and then just piped on melted white chocolate for the bones. 

Despite my best attempts I STILL can't get my sugar cookies to keep perfect shape. I was patient and chilled the dough and everything. My cookies are just destined to lose their shape and expand a little. Probably a bit like my waistline after eating 10 of these ;-)

House Renovation - Kitchen Reveal

You remember that time we bought a house that had barely been touched since the 1950's and decided it would be fun to fix it up? Yeah, we're talking a full-on rip it out, knock the walls down, extend it, reconfigure it, re-wire it, re-plumb it, basically knock it down and start again sort of situation. It probably would have been cheaper and easier to have bulldozed and rebuilt, but there's just something about giving an unloved house a new lease of life. 

Starting with the Kitchen. Here's the before...

That cooker hood gets me every time.

Here's the (almost) finished product...

 We extended the kitchen to almost three times the original size and added an orangery roof light to get a bit more natural light into the room.

If you follow me on Pinterest you will know that I love industrial décor. In a perfect world we'd have bought an old warehouse and converted it, but the Berkshire suburbs don't exactly have many of those lying.  So instead we added some exposed brick and played pretend.

Shelves - Homebase

Artificial herbs and galvanized pots - Ikea

Beef butcher cuts print - old but similar here

Spot relief cups and saucers - Design House Stockholm

Wall lights - ASTRO Serifos lights

There are still a few more touches to add, but we're beyond thrilled with the final look.

Sources:

Kitchen units - Optiplan (Genoa gloss)

Island butcher block countertop - solid walnut

Sink countertop - solid white quartz

Appliances - Bosch

Fridge - Smeg

Dual zone wine fridge - Capel

Stools - Dunelm

Lights - DAR Gaucho pendant light

Butcher trolley - John Lewis

Breton stripes + statement necklace

Working in law isn't all shoulder pads, high pony tails and power suits like it used to be, but I am expected to dress at least business-casual to the office.  However, on days when I know I have no client meetings I tend to lean more towards the casual end of the spectrum. When I say casual, I mean roll out of bed, drop M off at nursery and do my hair in the car, sort of thing. 

I've often been known to rock up in leggings and a casual top, paired with smart shoes and a statement necklace in the hope that the outfit will somehow end up looking office appropriate.

Today was one of those days..

Necklace: H&M

Breton stripe top: H&M

Bag: Michael Kors Selma bag

Shoes: H&M

I THINK I got away with it. And hey, it is Friday ;-)

Easy Baked Camembert

When you've got guests over for drinks there's nothing easier and more comforting than a baked Camembert to enjoy with a glass of wine, especially during the Holidays.

Here's my go-to recipe for quick and easy baked Camembert:

Ingredients:

Whole Camembert in a box

1 clove garlic, sliced thinly

Fresh thyme (approx. 2-3 sprigs)

Olive oil (approx. 1 tablespoon)

Rustic French bread, sliced

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F/gas 6
2. Remove all plastic and paper packaging from the cheese and put it back in it's box, leaving the lid off.
3. Score the top of the cheese in a cross hatch pattern and stud with the sliced garlic. 
4. Sprinkle over the thyme and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Place the cheese (still in its box) on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes, until the centre of the cheese is melted.
6. Serve the warm cheese with the sliced bread.

It's really that simple!

I love to serve it with a quick charcuterie board for added deliciousness!

Enjoy!