EXPLORE | Fortnum & Mason

This might sound stupid but I never realised that I'd never been to Fortnum & Mason until I actually went there the other week...ok yeh that definitely sounds stupid but it's true! I think it's because over the years people have told me so much about it that I've built up this picture in my head and it's just got to the point that I felt like I'd actually been there. However the other week I found myself wandering past and had a bit of time to spare so thought I'd pop in and have a bit of a mooch around and I am so glad I did.

Before I even walked in the door it was clear that they take their displays very seriously! The most obvious examples of this are the window displays which I absolutely loved. There were so many little details that, despite me standing and ogling them for goodness knows how long, I still didn't notice until I got home and was looking through my pictures. Who would have thought a display purely focused around food could look this good - I think more shops need to devote window displays to their food sections!

Inside it's easy to see the pride that they take in their displays doesn't only reach as far as the window displays, it's continued throughout the entire store, from their chocolates and desserts to tea and biscuits. The beautiful tiffany blue that they use on the majority of their package - particularly the tea and biscuit tins is simply stunning. I won't lie I definitely got sucked in and bought a tin of biscuits purely for the packaging!

All in all it's an understatement to say that this shop is a delight to visit, displays are positioned far enough apart that it doesn't get too crowded and it's genuinely a shop which is lovely to just wander around and take it all in. I saw a few people downstairs in the cheese and meat section wandering around clearly picking things up for their dinner that evening - oh how I would love Fortnum and Mason to be my local shop that I could just pop to without thinking about it. Unfortunately I don't think that will be happening anytime soon so I'll just have to stick with Sainsbury's for now!

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BAKING | Raspberry Crumble Squares

I got my usual urge to bake on Sunday and after browsing pinterest for a while I decided to try making Raspberry Crumble Squares. I'm a sucker for  a good crumble so the idea of being able to snack on one of these whenever I fancied was enough to get me down to the shops for the necessary ingredients!! 

This is ridiculously easy to make and believe it or not requires only 7 ingredients!! It takes only 10 minutes to prep and then between 30-35minutes cooking time. 

Now lets jump on in... 

Ingredients: 

• 4.5oz plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3oz rolled oats
• 3.8oz light brown sugar
• 4oz unsalted butter
• 8oz raspberry jam

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line an 8x8inch baking tray with greaseproof paper. 

Step 2

Mix together the plain flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl until evenly distributed. Add in the rolled oats and light brown sugar, making sure to break up any lumps of sugar with your fingers. 

Step 3

Add in the butter and work this into the dry mixture using your fingertips - this can get a little messy but it's a lot of fun. It can take some time but be patient, when it's done it should look a little like the below picture. 

Step 4

Add about 3/4 of the mixture to the baking tray and push the mixture down in the tray until it reaches all of the corners - try and keep the layer as even as possible although it's not the end of the world!

Step 5

Add the raspberry jam on top of the crumble mixture and smooth as evenly as possible. Try and keep a border of about 1/4 inch around the edge of the jam (I didn't on my first batch that I photographed but I found that the jam on the edges tended to burn slightly so leaving a gap prevents this).

Step 6

Take the rest of the crumble mixture and sprinkle this over the top of the jam. Again keep this as even as possible, I find that by sprinkling it from a greater height this helps with getting an even spread. Then press this crumble mixture gently into the jam to make sure it is firmly secured.

Step 7

Now place the baking tray in the oven and set the timer. I would suggest checking on it after about 25 minutes just to see how it's doing although it will probably take at least 30 minutes - this can vary between ovens!

Now comes the best bit, take them out of the oven - they should look lovely and golden brown on the top and you might be able to see some of the jam bubbling under the surface slightly depending how thick your top layer is! Let them cool for 20 minutes or so before cutting them, believe me I know it's hard but it'll be worth the wait.

These are absolutely delicious if I do say so myself! I love them with some fresh raspberries as they just add a 'freshness' that lightens the whole thing up. They'd also be lovely with a bit of ice cream!

I'm already planning on making yet another batch but with apricot jam this time! Make sure to send me a picture on twitter or instagram if you make these as I'd love to see how yours turn out! 

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EAT | Coq D'Argent

Last weekend Matthew and I were lucky enough to be invited for dinner at Coq D'Argent for a friends birthday. I decided to make the most of the lighter evenings to take an OOTN. Although we may now be creeping into springtime it as still a little chilly hence the blazer and black tights but this is still one of my favourite outfits for in the evening. 

So from the top my blazer is from Primark and I absolutely love it - it's such a lovely pale peach colour and goes with almost everything and is perfect for spring/summer time. The dress is one of my all time favourites from  a brand called Mimi Chica, I picked it up from TK Maxx just before Christmas. My shoes are super old (hence all the scuffing) but are undoubtedly the most comfortable heels I own - I got them years ago from Monsoon. My clutch is from Osprey, I was given this for my birthday last year by my parents - it's a great colour as it seems to go with most things and is ideal throughout the year. It's big enough to fit my keys, purse, phone and camera which is perfect for things like going to dinner.

This photo shows off the necklace a little better than the last one - it's from New Look, I picked it up in the sale after Christmas. It's perfect for a dress like this as it adds a little bling without being too in your face, also it's really light which I love. I always find myself drawn to big statement necklaces but the weight puts me off as I imagine them to be quite uncomfortable. 

We popped up to a bar called Madison in Bank before dinner. My knowledge of the city is beyond awful seeing as I never have to go up there so I couldn't have been more surprised when we got out of the lift and I looked to my left to see this stunning view of St Pauls - could it be any more beautiful? Unfortunately we didn't get time to have a drink but I highly recommend going up there just for the view if you're ever in the area.

Onto Coq D'Argent, this is a beautiful restaurant up on a rooftop near Bank. Matthew started with St Jacques - scallop and bacon crispy sandwich with braised peas - personally I hate fish but Matthew seemed to love this. I had Tarte - caramelised onion, goats' cheese tart fine, watercress and black olives. This was absolutely delicious, although anything with goats cheese is a winner with me! I wolfed this down so fast I completely forgot to take a picture!

Believe it or not the mains were even better than the starters! Matthew (and almost everyone else for that matter) chose Chevreuil - almond and cacao nib crusted roe deer venison, parsnip puree and Amaretto sauce. I tried some of this and the meat was beautifully cooked so I highly recommend it!

After much back and forth I finally decided on Agneau - slow cooked lamb belly , carrot and cumin puree, rosemary and orange sauce. Lamb is one of my favourite meats and this literally melted in my mouth - it was incredible.

Now at this point in the evening we all got a little carried away on the extensive wine cellar and I forgot to take anymore photos. The bottom line though is that if you have something to celebrate or just fancy something a little more high end this should definitely be on your list! 

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March Favourites

Unusually for me I've been trying a lot of new products this month and the majority of them I've really liked so I thought I'd pop them all in a post so I can share them with all of you. Just a little word of warning, there seems to be a theme of exfoliators running throughout my current favourites. Maybe it's because of the ever encroaching warm weather and I'm starting to panic about getting that lovely glowing skin that we all lust after when we dig our shorts and summer dresses out of the back of the wardrobe! Anyway let's just jump right in...

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