Hog Hollow Lodge at Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

The other day, me and the Boy were reminiscing about our time in South Africa, the adventures and most important the food and luxury accommodation! South Africa is home to three of my top five favourite hotels I have stayed in so far (Camp Bay Retreat and Bayethe in Shamwari) so I want to share with you our experience of the Hog Hollow Lodge in Plettenberg Bay. 

stunning - low clouds and dense forest

These private lodges with roaring fires ad balconies overlooking the forest, and the little touches that make a hotel stay cute  (my favourite being tubs of popcorn and biscuits, the hot water bottle at night and a bed time story left on our pillow), the stay here was oh so comfy and absolutely welcoming. I didn't want to leave!!! 

roaring fires in the rooms 

cute - bedtime story on the pillows 

Bee pollen - the new buzz word in superfood

When I read in the stylist that “bee pollen” was taken by the likes of Victoria Beckham, intrigued, I set out to find a little more information about this. If the celebs are at it, it is usually a great beauty product, health wonder or anti-ager!

After some digging around, turns out that actually it is a superfood and not just weird celebrity fad.

super powered bees! 

Why is it a superfood? 

One of the most interesting facts about bee pollen is that it cannot be created in a lab. This is nature showing us that natural wins over manmade! It is as if the bees add some mysterious "extra" magic of their own.

Bee pollen is approximately 40% protein and is considered one of nature's most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans and has an antibiotic type properties. It also contains free amino acids, vitamins, including B-complex, and folic acid.

Green Organics bee pollen

Cultures throughout the world know the powerful benefits of bee pollen and its uses range from  

• improving endurance and vitality
• extending longevity
• aiding recovery from chronic illness
• reducing cravings and addictions
• regulating the intestines
• preventing infectious diseases such as the cold and flu

Pop-up outdoor cinema - Vauxhall, London (free event!)

Picnics. Parks. Lazy evenings.

There is something magical about summer evenings that makes us Brits want to spend every possibly minute of the day, enjoying the outdoors. And it seems that organisers and events have caught on to that as there is a plethora of outdoor activities and pop ups sprouting in London. I love it.

a bunch of girls, loving mean girls 

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens 

Tuesday evening, a group of us girlies descended into the park at Vauxhall for a perfect pop up cinema experience. With the weather on our side, blankets, an epic picnic and Mean Girls, this is what long summer days are about. And the best bit – totally free!

Yes, not one penny was charged for this!

the park was packed! 

I had forgotten how funny Mean Girls was too, with hilarious sarcastic one-liners and dry characters such as the head-teacher. This is Lindsey Lohan in her hay day (before the melt downs, crack and DUIs I believe).

We took our own picnic, though it was advertised that there would be food stalls. Caterers clearly didn’t get the memo at how lucrative this would be as there was only one food van! If you are planning on going, I strongly suggest you take your own picnic (and booze).You can also hire blankets and deck chairs for a reasonable price.

enjoying our picnic dinner 

"Polo in the Park", Fulham, London

The polo is something I have always wanted to see and being so close to the Polo in the Park at Hurlingham Park in Fulham, we decided to make the most of it and headed there on the Saturday.

Whilst enjoy our smoked salmon and bagels we looked out the window to the most disappointing view of the rain pouring out of a grey grey sky. But by the time we arrived at the Park at 2pm, the rain had gone to reveal glorious sunshine and a blue fresh sky. Perfect for Pimms, cocktails and watching a bit of polo. Yay.

polo action shot!

Charlie, Steph and Me

The park is large enough to feel that you have your own space but small enough that it is easy to navigate and find your friends. We started off by hitting the Mahiki bar and ordering a round of zombies, a delicious blend of fruity flavours and absinthe strangely enough.

Steph and Charlie at 'Mahiki' bar

yes, I do require three straws for my zombie

Fashion forward -
I like to match my drink to my outfit!!!!

Sweet n savoury cheesey courgette vegetable muffins

If you follow me on twitter, instagram or facebook you might have seen that last week me and my work colleagues donned our pinnies for a spot of baking for our charity bake sale (which I am pleased to say we made our target!)

One of my creations was some sweet n savoury cheesy courgette muffins. A blend of sweet but with a touch of spice thanks to the mustard, these seemed to be quite a hit in the office. 

cheese and courgette is a winning combo 

Personally for me, I found that they were a touch too sweet so next time I think I will cut down on the sugar, but that is personal preference so you might have to have an experiment. 

This recipe is so simple, it is just a case of popping all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing well! That's it! 

still moist on the inside 

Simple overnight oats (great for on the go or time saving)

I have always been a fan of porridge and find it a great belly filler plus the perfect warming stodgy fuel you need in the morning on a winter day. But as the days are getting warmer (sort of) and you want to maximise your day, you might be keen to try “over night oats”. 

layer it up for a pretty breakfast 

I had seen a few recipes and blog posts with their overnight oats recipes and it really couldn’t be any simpler! It is a classic bung-in-a-bowl-and-leave, the kind of cooking I am a fan of!

In a bowl, stir together one part porridge oats to 1 part dairy free milk (soya and almond are my favs). Also add a touch of flavour, such as cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa nibs or honey.

Time Delay micellar water: review

I can’t express enough the importance of cleansing and thoroughly taking off the dirt after a day out and about. Even when you have washed your face with a good face wash, the likelihood is that there will still be a little bit of grime clinging to your face. Don’t believe me – then use micellar water after your usual face wash.

Looking like just a tube of mineral water, this is a soft and gentle cleanser. Even after I have washed my face, running a cotton pa d of micellar water over my face still leaves the cotton pad looking like this....

Eurgh.

Recently I have been using Time Delay micellar water.

cleanse with micellar water

It contains soothing aloe vera and is fragrance and colour free. I have found that it has been doing a good job on cleansing my skin deep deep down without upsetting the moisture in my skin as they are free of soap and alcohol (so gentle alternative).  

Beetroot and raspberry smoothie recipe

I am a massive fan of veggie smoothies since a trip where my lovely aunt Miriam where she gave me my first kale smoothie. Since then I have been on a quest to discover more great flavours. There’s been some great ones, like my avocado creation, but there has also been some disasters, like my spinach and cucumber pond like mess.

I topped mine with cocoa nibs 

But this experimental one turned out pretty well! It’s quite a thick one, which is how I like my smoothies, as I feel like I am really consuming my vitamins!!

Toy Shop, Putney (pulled pork, skin on fries and manwiches)

Last week, after we woke up particularly hungry after We Are Festival (which was amazing by the way) we decided that our hunger for carbs could only be satisfied by some heart food in the form of burgers and chips. Cue our trip to The Toy Shop, in Putney.

the open front makes perfect people watching! 

This is somewhere I have been meaning to go for ages, since I moved to the area in September actually. Every day I pass the row of tempting eateries on Putney High Street and one by one, I am determined to eat my way through them.

Eating out in Cape Town, South Africa

I did what any self respecting food lover would do on my honeymoon and that was eat, eat and eat some more.

We were lucky enough to eat some amazing food in Cape Town, some restaurants we visited on recommendation and others by chance. On our transfer from the airport to the hotel, our driver told me I was going to put on 10kg from all the good food. I put on ½ stone and the Boy put on 5 kg so he was kind of right.

Part of the wonderful experience in Cape Town was all the fantastic food so I want to share with you my recommendations for eating out in Cape Town.

Restaurant at our hotel Camps Bay Retreat

Having just arrived off a long flight and tired (ok, I wasn’t – I slept the whole way from London, I am one of those irritating people that can sleep on planes), we decided to eat at the hotel. Whilst this was a choice of laziness, it was a delicious meal and would actually recommend trying this  place if you come to Cape Town.

The view of the sea, glistening in the moonlight and the tranquil greenery was a warm welcome to the trip. I went for the salmon and the Boy had a classic mac n cheese with a twist of apple sauce and potato.

salmon topped with mango salsa

apple sauce with mac n cheese - it works!