Fabulous Friday Food: Plum and Earl Grey Tea Ice cream

In celebration of the royal newlyweds I tried to find the most regal recipe I could! And this ice cream flavoured with plums and earl grey from The Telegraph really fits the bill! What could be more English? This is perfect for your dinner party or regal celebration!

I would love to find out what is on the menu at the palace for tonights soiree hosted by Prince Charles - I'm sure its totally fabulous!

The Telegraph

Here's the recipe from The Telegraph

Ingredients

1 Earl Grey tea bag

75ml whipping cream

75g Greek yogurt

Wash the plums, cut them in half and put them, skin-side up, in a wide, shallow pan along with 150ml of water, the sugar and the vanilla pod. Heat to just below boiling point, then reduce the heat, add the Earl Grey tea bag and poach the plums, turning them once, for 15-20 minutes or until they are soft. Remove and discard the tea bag and allow the mixture to cool. Remove the stones from the plums and discard the vanilla pod (or reserve for some other use). Put the plums and their syrup into a blender and purée, then add the cream and the yogurt. Strain, then churn in an ice-cream machine till firm, or follow the still-freezing method. Put the ice-cream in a sealed container and cover the top with waxed or grease-proof paper. Transfer the container to the freezer until needed
 
Happy Weekend everyone!
 
Rachie xo

Flower Cone Invitations

I loved these flower cone invitations from You are my fave blog that I found via A Diary of Lovely - they are such a cute and lovely idea to invite your friends to a soiree!

Click here for the how to.  Its super simple but such an original idea. Loving the spring like spotty yellow fabric too!

You are my fave

Happy Thursday All!

Rachie xo

Wedding Wednesday - What kind of wedding?

In the last couple of years I have been to four weddings, planned three hen nights (where I have scoured the wedding blogs for ideas) and been bridesmaid three times! In fact I have a whole email folder of things I like! Surely then you would think this would mean I would have more of an idea of what I actually want for my own day.

Sure I'd thought about alot about our wedding before we got engaged (hey - we have been together nearly 5 years!) But always in that vague, unlimited budget, ambiguous, lots of different scenarios way. Sometimes it would on be wine estate near Capetown, sometimes outdoors at a finca in Mallorca, sometimes a chic city wedding and sometimes a Surrey Marquee that I can decorate a million different ways. See how different they are!!

The things is I can see the merits of all these weddings - I know I can make them all fabulous but which one is the one - the one that I will look back on as the most perfect of them all.

You and your wedding

Hiremarquee.co.uk

http://www.clarebrehenyphotography.com/ via Love My Dress

L'avenida

Unfortunately this post doesn't have a fabulous ending - where I tell you I have found our perfect venue - we haven't found it yet but I'll be sure to keep you informed every step of the way when I finally decide what it is I do what!

At least no doubts about the groom :-)

Rachie xo

Royal Thankyou card!

It's totally royal wedding fever in the UK and this blog is no exception! I am soooo looking forward to it!!

I found these great cards on The Pretty Blog which have that royal flavour! Perfect for the host if you are going to a royal wedding party or to give to any wannabe princesses out there.

Hope you love these. Click here to go to The Pretty Blog  and download the printable. Make sure you also check out all their pretty things! :-)

Happy Tuesday All!

Rachie xo

Gelato Themed Bridal Shower

How excited are you about the royal wedding? Are you having a street party or celebration? Do let me know what you are doing!

Anyway this post is dedicated to Kate Middleton, our newest princess. I hope you get a bridal shower as fabulous as this gelato themed one featured on Ruffled by the ladies at Enjoy Events Co !!

http://www.enjoyeventsco.com/

http://www.enjoyeventsco.com/



http://www.enjoyeventsco.com/

http://www.enjoyeventsco.com/

Aren't the details totally beautiful. The colour palate is delicious and I'm loving all the paper goods. Click here to see more and to get the full details.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday

Rachie xo

Fantastic Friday Food: Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats

Happy Good Friday!

Now I'm not apologising for this sweet as you like Easter recipe because really eating is what you do at Easter!!  And at least its a break from the chocolate (??!)

This is also great if you are looking for an easy make to entertain the kids or if you are feeling a bit lazy!

Kelloggs

Rice Krispie Easter Egg treats (found via Amy Atlas)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies®
Canned frosting or decorating gel
Assorted sweeties

Click here for the method

To view more of my Easter recipes click here and here!

Happy Easter everyone

Rachie xo

Last Minute Easter Crafty ideas

Hi all!

If you are searching for some last minute Easter table decorating ideas then I have just the thing for you.

Check out these bowls that I found via Martha Stewart  that look like Easter nests. All you do is cover the outside of a small bowl with double sided tape and then wrap some wool around it (they used mohair) so it hides the bowl, then just tuck the wool in.  Fill with chocolate eggs or even real eggs for your breakfast table.

Isn't this just such a cute idea?  They would look lovely using small bowls on each place setting.

What are you doing for Easter?

Rachie xo

Wedding Wednesday - Initial Flower Thoughts

Is it me or has Wedding Wednesday come round so quickly this week? Its been a whirlwind of researching and visiting venues and trying to clear some head space to think about what we really want! - Much more difficult than it sounds!

And... I finally have my engagement ring back after it being re sized! So happy its back on my finger! :-)

Anyway I've been thinking a little bit about flowers mainly because I keep seeing beautiful bouquets. I have a couple of displays in the house at the moment that my lovely friends gave me (Thank you so much Rosie Peach and KT)  You can see in the bottom picture below that I also added some Camellia from the garden - aren't they beautiful!

Having such lovely displays around the house reminds me how much I love them. I know that picking my flowers and talking to the florist is going to be something that I really enjoy in the run up to the big day!

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

Here are a couple of bouquets that I completely love...

I think anenomes are so striking with the black in the middle and lovely for a city wedding

niceflowerspics.info

The colour of these peonies is stunning!

wholeflowers.com

Black/White Anemones, Fuschia Peonies and Yellow Craspedia - nearly all of my fave flowers in one!!

JL designs

Happy Wednesday

Rachie xo

The Blue Room - Work in Progress

Remember this post where I talk about painting the study navy?

Well its officially a work in progress....

A Chi Chi Affair


Not only is my lovely man painting the walls but he also put up the coving too.  Apparently the corner angles were a bit tricky but the coving really adds the finishing touch to the room. It looks so much better already especially since the original room was painted light blue with clouds and a rainbow on the wall!

We did have a bit of a tricky issue with the paint (which is Midnight by Sanctuary at Homebase) The different tins seemed to be different shades of the blue which was very irritating - we had to try and blend one colour into the other. Luckily it looks okay! Phew!

A Chi Chi Affair

 
I cant wait to share the finished room with you - we still need to add pictures, a radiator cover,  shelves and purchase a lamp and light shade, Oh and window dressings.. So plenty to do!

Hope you enjoyed a sneak peak into my home!

Rachie xo

Stylish civil partnership

Hi everyone!

Loved this civil partnership wedding at my dream venue The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs by 100 Layer cake.  There are some gorgeous details and I particularly love the masculine muted tones of the colour palate.

http://www.featherlove.com/

The stationery really fits the tone of the wedding. Love the rustic vibe. Super stylish

http://www.featherlove.com/

http://www.featherlove.com/

The different textures of flowers and shrubs in the shot glasses displayed on the burlap runner in the middle of the table are such a great decorative idea.
 

http://www.featherlove.com/

Do check out more details at 100 Layer Cake.

Happy Monday all!

Rachie xo

Fantastic Friday Food: Easter Bunny Biscuits!

Easter for me is a bit of a foodie holiday - way more relaxed than Christmas we like to have a big Sunday roast - normally a leg of lamb and then an indulgent pudding and lots of Easter eggs! Yummy!

Anyway if you're with the family this Easter and not cooking - I thought these Easter Bunny Biscuits would be lovely to give as a gift to the host or just to make yourself with the kiddies.

Waitrose

Here's the recipe!  (from Waitrose)

125g softened butter

75g caster sugar, plus 1-2 tbsp for sprinkling

1 egg, separated

200g plain flour, sifted

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp mixed spice

Zest of 1 lemon

75g currants

2 tbsp milk

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, using a wooden spoon or electric hand whisk, until pale and fluffy.

2.Beat in the egg yolk, reserving the white. Then, using a round-bladed knife, gently stir in the sifted flour, spices, lemon zest and currants. Gradually stir in the milk until the dough starts to come together – you may need slightly less, or a little more, milk.

3.Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and knead gently until smooth. Roll out to about 5mm thick then cut out the biscuits using a rabbit-shaped cutter, a 7.5cm round cutter, or shape of your choice.

4.Place the biscuits on 2-3 greased baking trays and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Whisk the reserved egg white very slightly, brush lightly over the biscuits then sprinkle with sugar. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until just golden. Remove and place on a cooling rack

Happy Weekend all!

Rachie xo

Decorating made easy!

Sometimes the simplest party decorating ideas are the best so when I stumbled across this How to make bunting and drink flags from The Sweetest Occasion blog I knew I was onto a winner.

The Sweetest Occasion

The Sweetest Occasion

The paper used in this is totally gorgeous but I also think it would work well with wallpaper. You can pick up a 10 metre roll on eBay or somewhere like Wilkinson for only a few pounds and there are so many varieties you could easily tie it into your colour scheme.

The Sweetest Occasion

The Sweetest Occasion

I think I shall be stealing this for my friends hen night next month.

Make sure you click here for the full tutorial and more pics!

Rachie xo

Wedding Wednesday - the beginning!

Hi all

Happy Wednesday!  As some of you know I recently got engaged :-) so I thought I would make Wednesday's into a post about the wedding planning.  We're definitely getting married at some point next year (possibly spring/summer) so I have lots of time and lots of posts to share with you!

Anyway to set the scene here is a little bit about where we got engaged...

We were holidaying in Barbados - staying at a gorgeous hotel called The House. It was such a stylish place - think white washed walls, white frette linens, wooden decking against the azure sea, and it had such a relaxed vibe!  Now can I just add that we don't stay at these kinds of places all the time so I did have a hint that there might be something going on. ;-)

Elegant hotels

Elegant Hotels 

Elegant hotels

On the Tuesday night the boy tells me he had booked dinner at The Cliff - an amazing restaurant very close by but difficult to get a reservation (even on a Tuesday!)  I dressed up especially -  wearing a coral dress from Ted Baker and it was here he popped the question  - after a delicious meal, sitting on a sofa sipping cocktails overlooking the sea.  And of course I said yes!

Here are a couple of pictures of The Cliff - I have since found out that Mr and Mrs Smith say its among the world's most romantic dining experience. I can vouch for that!!

Next week I'll share with you my initial thoughts on the big day

Rachie xo

PS: If you follow me on twitter you may have got a sneak peak of The ring !

Writing a letter?

When was the last time you wrote a letter? I don't mean sending a card - I send ALOT of cards - I mean like a proper old fashioned sit down and think about what you want to say letter...

My sister actually sent out thank you letters for her wedding and they were so sweet and personal it got me thinking that I would like some writing paper.

Here's my pick of some lovely writing sets out there!

How beautiful is this Laduree writing set from Harrods?  It includes pastel coloured paper, and even some stickers. Very stylish!

Harrods

This set by Cavallini & Co reminds me of writing to my pen pals around the world when I was little. Available from The Paperie 

The Paperie

I do love a monogram and these personalised initial notelets from theletteroom at Not on the high street are lovely!

theletteroom

And a bit more contemporary is this fun set from studioahisma at Etsy  It includes stickers and fun envelopes. Isn't it cute?

etsy.com

Have you written any letters recently?

Rachie xo

A Spring Shower

I havent featured a baby shower in a while so was looking for a really great one to inspire you! And here it is found by Paiges of Style via Hostess with the Mostess blog.

The background used for the dessert table was a shower curtain from Target - this is such a great idea - I'll be stealing this. And its so pretty and really sets the scene for a girly shower.  The upside down umbrella is such a lovely prop and I adore the pastel colours.

http://www.paigesofstyle.com/

There are some great details here like the striped straws, the bunting and the personalised water bottles.

http://www.paigesofstyle.com/

http://www.paigesofstyle.com/

One of the best ideas i have seen in ages are these little fruit pies in jars. Paige shares the tutorial here - arent they gorgeous and they look really yummy?  Love how the cupcake wrappers tie in with the theme.

http://www.paigesofstyle.com/

The invitation sets the tone...  And whats a baby shower without cupcakes?

http://www.paigesofstyle.com/

What a beautiful shower. For more details and the full how to : Click here.

Who is excited for the start of a new week? :-)

Rachie xo

Fabulous Friday Food: Bajan Rum Punch

In a little bit of an ode to Barbados (that I came back from last week) I thought today's recipe post would be Bajan Rum Punch! We drank ALOT of this on holiday especially as we were celebrating getting engaged!!  In fact this is a picture of the drink they gave us when we arrived at our hotel to check in.  Truly blissful!

A Chi Chi Affair

Bajan Run Punch

Ingredients:

(Makes about 2 1/2 quarts)

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 cups simple syrup (equal parts white sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves)

3 cups dark rum

4 cups water

A few dashes of Angostura bitters

Grated nutmeg

Method:

Combine the lime juice, syrup, rum, water, and bitters, and stir well in a tall pitcher. Pour into ice-filled glasses and grate nutmeg to garnish.

Oh to be back in Barbados now...!

Happy Weekend All

Rachie xo

Royal Wedding Street Party anyone?

Is anyone else really getting quite excited by the upcoming royal wedding? I am!! I just cant wait to see all the decor and the dress and the atmosphere! Its going to be amazing!!

We're going to have a little do at our house to watch the celebrations and even my mum and dad are having a street party! I've told my mum she should make cucumber sandwiches - hee hee!

Where to go to get all the little bits and bobs for your party??  Pipii of course - they always have such a great selection of items which are often hard to come by in the UK

Here are my faves!

These fabulous straws which will make your Pimms cocktail look super stylish! Perfect to toast the happy couple!


Pipii


And have a look at this cute cupcake topper selection to make your cucumber sandwiches suitably lovely



Pipii



Pipii

Pipii

What is a street party without bunting?  And this cotton bunting reminds me of the streets parties in the 50's. so retro! Love the napkins too!

Pipii

Pipii

Do go and have a look at the Pipii website! Its brill!

Are you planning anything for the royal wedding? - Would love to know!
Rachie xo