sparkle

I love jewellery - from chunky plastic and wood right through to diamonds and gold. But I like unusual pieces, something you don't see all the time. I came across Kabiri when browsing for peridot pieces - very difficult to find - and spotted this ring. It is not peridot but I do think it is very beautiful - and their site contains a wide range of styles from very reasonable prices (£40-15,000).

Wall stickers - scandi living

Came across a company called Scandi Living who do wall stickers. I spotted the one below and thought it was cool - bright and simple.

amazing garlic bread

This recipe is 'borrowed' from a starter we had at the Sheriffmuir Inn - see my review for more on an excellent meal and restaurant. I love garlic and this brings out the sweetness of the garlic - there is no sharp hotness here - and with the cold tart tomatoes it really is the best garlic bread I have tasted.

ingredients - serves 4

4 garlic bulbs
16 cherry tomatoes
olive oil - 2 tbsp
splash of balsamic vinegar
3-4 leaves of basil
ciabatta bread - shop bought or, if you are feeling adventurous, home baked. I use Jamie Oliver's recipe.

Pop the whole garlic bulbs onto a baking sheet and roast in an oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Chop up the cherry tomatoes and mix in a bowl with the other ingredients and leave to sit while the garlic roasts.

Five minutes before the garlic is finished roasting, slice up the ciabatta, pop on a baking sheet and toast in the grill.

Take out the garlic and slice off the tops of the bulbs. Set a bulb on each plate with a slice or two of bread and a spoonful of tomatoe mixture on the side.

To eat, you just pop out the individual cloves and spread them onto the bread - they will be lovely and soft and spread like a good butter. Then scoop up a wee bit of tomatoe. The crunchy bread, soft, sweet and delicate garlic and sharp tomatoes is an amazing trio that together makes for a tasty morsel that whets the appetite perfectly for your main course.

I also think that if you want to make this into a more substantial lunch dish, serve it with a platter of cured meats, olives and some cheeses.

portmeirion

I love Portmeirion - I have several pieces including a Totem coffee set - the coffee pot is beuatiful with its tall cylindrical pot and slender, gently curved spout. Well, this year is the 50th birthday of the company and to celebrate they have reproduced some of their most iconic designs including Totem, Magic City and Dolphin. It reminds you of how innovative the company was and is - from today's collections I do love 'crazy daisy' although I think I would mix it in with plain white crockery as it is very busy.

sausage rolls

There is nothing better than something hot in pastry to take the edge of winter chills. I made these over Christmas and we had them as a snack after our Christmas walk. They freeze really well and do taste better than shop bought - even though I cheat and use ready made puff pastry.

block of frozen puff pastry
sausage meat
handful of herbs e.g. sage, parsley, thyme
onion, finely chopped
pepper
some milk
an oven warmed to a mod/high heat - on my currently rubbish cooker it took gas mark 7 to get anywhere

Defrost the puff pastry as per the packet instructions

Chop up your selection of herbs - you can chop them up really finely if you like - I personally like mine a wee bit bigger

Empty your sausagemeat into a bowl - season with the pepper, mix, then add in your herbs and onion and mix again


Rest the sausage meat for about ten minutes

Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle - I make mine so that the length would make 3-4 rolls and the width two sets of rolls - this way you will get 6-8 each time and making the pastry not too big to handle but not so small you aren't making the best use of your time.


Remove your sausagemeat from the bowl and split into balls - 2-3 balls - and then roll a ball into a sausage shape that is the same length as your pastry. Lay on the pastry, take the outside edge of the length side, and fold over the meat. Make sure you leave a bit of overlap with the bottom layer of pastry to press together. Take your pastry brush, dip in teh milk, and run along the length edge and then score the bottom pastry layer to separate it from the rest of the pastry.

Press home the two length edges - I tuck them under then flip the roll and give it a wee press.

Cut your roll into 3 or 4 depending on how big you want your sausage rolls - then take a pair of scissors and snip along the tops to make sure there is an escape for any steam that builds up. I usually have 2-3 snips a roll.


Place on a warm baking tray and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes - I find your eye is a better judge than timings on when they are ready. They should be golden and sizzling.

tips for keeping warm

It is sooooo cold! I am very glad I am off and not having to face the daily commute and can slob out in my hoodie. I hate hate hate being cold and so have various ways of keeping cosy. Here are my favourites:

Hot water bottle - yes, turning the heating on is a no brainer but a hot water bottle will heat you up asap and really helps to defrost toes. I have one from Boots that comes with a furry red and white spot cover. If I am really cold I tuck it up my jumper for an extra blast of heat!

Wooly leggings - if you have long johns wear them. If you don't, and can't quite bring yourself to buy some, the trend for leggings means you can get a wide selection of woollen leggings. You can wear them under your favourite comfy trousers.

Socks - wool walking socks are excellent for keeping toes cosy. The trick is to not have them too tight - in fact I like to steal Andy's as it means there is plenty of room for air to circulate and warm up. If they are too tight they will cut off your circulation which is already struggling as it is in the cold.

Layer up - loose layers are much better than one big thick layer. Layers trap air that gets warmed up and creates insulation. A merino wool base layer long sleeved top under a fleece is a good start.

Mittens - mittens are maybe seen as children's gloves but they are much more effective at keeping you warm. I prefer the ones you get where it is a pair of fingerless mits with a mitten covering you pull over your fingers. This means that if you have to do something that requires full finger movement, you don't have to either take your gloves off or struggle with woolly challenged fingers. The fact that your fingers mingle in the mitt mean they share warmth rather than being trapped in their own lonely chilly wool finger. I got mine from Monsoon Accessorize although you can probably get some that are more robust from outdoorsy shops.

Hot tea - I have posted before about making a right proper pot of tea. It is even more important when trying to conserve and create heat to warm the pot and your cup before making and serving your tea. In this weather dishes become very chilled and will therefore leach heat out of your food and hot drinks. So also warm plates before serving dinner etc.

Have a bath - having a lovely warm bath is often the only time when I feel completely toasty and warm. It works a treat in cold weather. My key tips are to swirl warm water arond the bath before starting to fill - like warming a giant pot for tea! - so the bath has the chill taken off it. Make sure the bath is warm but not to hot - you don't want chilblains. I fill 2/3 full to a medium temp, get in, then add hot water as required. If you plunge icy toes into very hot water you could end up with painful feet. To make the bath more special than just a way to heat up, I add bubbles and light the room with candles. Make sure your towel and pyjamas/clothes are hanging on the radiator so you don't go from warm bath to chilled clothes and have your slippers ready to avoid cold tiles!

An electric blanket - some people don't like these but I love them. You can get them with two sides if you have a partner that doesn't like them or has different temp needs. Mine has a pre-heat setting so that you can warm the bed safely before hitting the sack.

Slippers - I love slippers. But you do have to be careful that you buy good ones. You don't want to buy slippers that don't have good grips or support. You might just be wearing them in the house but you should still think about how safe they are for your feet. I love the sheepskin boots from M&S - they have in-built support, have a rubber sole and are super cosy. They are so good even my slipper-hating husband has been converted. After stealing mine for several weeks Santa brought him a pair for Christmas!

Soup - a bowl of soup is the most warming thing I think to have. A basic tomatoe soup is really easy to make and, of course, there is always good old heinz! Warm the bowl before serving so it doesn't cool too quickly.

A hat - not only does a hat keep you cosy and warm, it means you don't have to do your hair!!!

Fourth Element - this isn't a serious suggestion (unless you are keeping warm beyond nipping out to the shops) but I have Fourth Element arctic base layers for diving and I have used them for going out walking this Christmas and I think they might get an airing today. They are the warmest tops, leggings, hats etc ever.


So, as you can tell, I am very focused on staying warm! And, although it seems like going outside is madness in this cold, going for a brisk walk followed by hot chocolate will be a good start to keeping your system moving and keeping you warm alongside all my other wee tricks.

the sherrifmuir inn

Before Christmas, we went for dinner with my friend Michelle and her partner Rob. We are still finding our way restaurant-wise and Michelle suggested the Sherrifmuir Inn. I had heard the Inn mentioned as a good place to go and so it proved - tucked up in the wee hamlet of Sheriffmuir is a fantastic pub/restaurant that does really excellent food with a great ambience.

I like places where you get good food but in relaxed surroundings and that is what we got. The woman who runs the place - I didn't catch her name - was cheery and welcoming and even when we were the last table left she didn't rush us out the door.

The first course was garlic bread - but not as you would normally recognise it. Two thick slices of good bread were served with a tomatoe salad and a whole roasted bulb of garlic. The top was sliced off and to eat you squeezed out the soft roasted garlic and then spread it on your bread. The roasting had essentially turned each clove into a wee soft nub of garlic spread. Delicious. Rob had the garlic mushrooms - mushrooms grilled and popped on a kebab skewer and dressed with garlic - they looked amazing.

For our mains we had fish and chips. I have never liked mushy peas and usually ask for the peas to be left off the plate. I forgot this time and had a wee panic when I saw them on the plate. However, I am so glad I tasted them. These were not mashed beyond recognition peas that had been canned or frozen. The fresh green taste was like a wee mouthful of spring and cut nicely across the batter of the fish.

After such amazing food, I couldn't manage a whole pudding to myself and so shared a sticky toffee pudding with Michelle. It was truly yummy - hot, sweet and dripping in sauce. The coffees were also excellent - often it is the coffee that will tip me from pleseantly satisfied into heartburn territory as it is so often badly served, but this coffee topped off the meal to perfection. Strong but not 'burnt' it is clear whoever is working the espresso knows what they are doing.

The bill was £25 a head - which given the three courses, standard of food and the bottle of wine we had was an excellent price. We will definitely be going back.