Tuesday 28 August 2012

Silk

This is one of my favourite places in London, aptly named as it's based in an old courthouse and serves food found along the silk route. You can also enjoy pre-dinner cocktails ordered at the bar and drunk inside jail cells with jeans-wearing tables.

 
Dinner is eaten in the courtroom where little has changed since the trials of Oscar Wilde, Mick Jagger and John Lennon. The menu now boasts an afternoon tea.
 
 
 
Tea for two includes sweet and savoury dishes to share with a Japanese flavour. So if you want to try something different and like sushi and Green tea pound cake then give this place a go.
 


Saturday 25 August 2012

Tea doesn't have to be taxing

Last week when I found myself very thirsty at 3 o' clock whilst driving through the English countryside on a rare sunny day I saw this

 
and had to stop for an afternoon tea.
 
Afternoon tea doesn't always have to be the grand old hotel affair. The best ones are usually spontaneous, relaxed and kitsch.

 
Goes to show, you don't need a 108 piece matching china set to host your own little treat.
 

We were at Kilver Court for a spot of Designer Outlet shopping. I nabbed myself a new Mulberry Wallet with leather as soft as a baby's bottom.

On the way home we caught a free glimpse of stonehenge



Thursday 23 August 2012

Jean Paul Gaultier

La Perla is a luxurious lingerie brand which continues to collaborate with Jean Paul Gaultier year after year. JPG is an awesome underwear designer and if you've ever coveted Milla Jovovich's costumes from the film The Fifth Element then this is your year.


The Marin range in the Gaultier collection at La Perla is very similar and also comes is a range of colours....

JP Gaultier is probably most famous for his design of that cone bra which was based on an antique breastplate worn by Italian soldiers and is very similar to 1950s bullet bras.


Unfortunately if you're looking for your own pair to give you that 50s silhouette, it was part of his collection a couple of years ago. Luckily for me I was Lingerie shopping in Paris at the time and managed to bag myself one. I'll tell you more about that trip later.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Wedding favours

It's not a good sign when all of your friends are getting married and you're not. Then again you do get see a few weddings up close and personal and perhaps steal a few ideas.

At the latest event, as we sat down at our tables for the wedding breakfast I was looking for the usual bag of sugared almonds when I saw this...


With a little golden chocolate heart (eaten) wrapped in golden ribbon (on wrist).

As a tea lover I thought it was a great idea. Even managed to convince the lovely gentleman sitting next to me to give me his. So now I have two!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Summer in'vest'ment

We've just had the hottest days of the year so far in the UK so we're still making full use of vests and other skimpy tops. Although in trying to keep cool, we're risking odd tan lines especially when bra straps are on show which is when these little converters come in handy



They turn any standard bra into a racer back so worth investing in but the problem is you need to be super flexible to get them on.

So it's great to see this in La Perla's Autumn/Winter 2012 collection

Saturday 18 August 2012

High Tea by the High Seas

As I mentioned earlier I recently celebrated my birthday and there was only one place to do it this summer .... at the Olympics (wearing my new knickers). The only tickets I could get on the day were for the sailing down in Weymouth and Portland. A long drive from London but thankfully the weather made it worth it.


With all good birthdays there is always cake although this year was slightly different as it was the first time since being a child that it was bought ready-made.


I know, I know... not what you want to hear from a cake blogger but there is a reason for this. I had to choose between cake or scotch eggs and as you can't buy pork free scotch eggs there was only one way to get around the dilemma. I did add a twist by using cute little quail eggs.

You'll need:
12 quail eggs
250g sausage meat (I used chicken mince flavoured with dried herbs and paprika)
2 spring onions
Panko breadcrumbs
Flour, for dusting
1 hen's egg

First, boil your quail eggs for 2 mins. No more, no less. It's important to get the timing right. When the time is up plunge them into cold water to stop them cooking and to cool them so they can be peeled.


 Be gentle with them as they can be delicate.


Next take each egg and with a teaspoon of the sausagemeat, begin to mould the meat so that it surrounds the egg completely. Once this has been done for all the eggs you'll be ready to breadcrumb.

In three different bowls, put flour, beaten hen's egg and breadcrumbs. Place the sausagemeat covered eggs first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. If you like a crunchier coating place in the egg and breadcrumbs again before semi-shallow frying for 4-6 mins.


These were enjoyed with a beetroot relish carried to the venue in a little jam jar. Followed by the birthday cake with a cup of tea.

Thursday 16 August 2012

The Other Cup

You've probably gathered from my last post that I like all types of underwear from comfy boy shorts to sexy see through bras so now it's time to explain my other love.... Afternoon Tea!


Every year around Christmas I venture into London hotels in search of clotted cream, teas from far flung fields and a luxurious sit down. Here are a few of my favourites:

1) The Ritz - We had prime position in The Palm Court and had a great view of everything and everyone seated at the top of the grand 1920s hall. I will always be impressed by the waiters who could tell which tea was in which teapot, on a tray of many, just by the aroma of the rising steam.

2) The Dorchester - this felt very luxurious as it had a very warm atmosphere. We were celebrating a birthday whilst here and were amazed at the complimentary cake brought to our table with candle et al.

3) The Four Seasons - this was the first place I ever had tea and as a novice I was wowed by the service, the several courses, the tinkering piano and will always be one of my favourite places to lounge.

When not at these lush surroundings I make do and bake my own cakes and make sure the kettle always boiled for a good cuppa and have recently taken a shine to decorating them.

Sunday 12 August 2012

My superpower

A recent study has shown that the average British woman has 16 different bras in her underwear drawer. A recent count of my underwear drawer shows that I have a lot more! With matching knickers! It's no wonder really, when I always seem to find myself in the lingerie department in any department store without even trying. (Call it a superpower if you will.)

On a recent shopping trip I treated myself to an irresistible pair of expensive knickers for my birthday, adding to this ever-increasing collection of brassieres and knickers and so.....

this blog is born.

By the way my knickers were made by Bordelle and are very in keeping with the Shades of Grey craze that's hitting Britain at the moment (not that I'm a fan I must stress!!)

Bordelle underwear