GIN-gle Bells*

Sunday 11 December 2016




It is no secret gin is my absolutely favourite, when Gin Explorer got in touch asking if I was willing to create a Christmas cocktail I was ready.

Gin Explorer is a subscription gin service, gin literally comes to your door. What more do you need? The monthly box includes four gins, two tonics and little snack. The box is made for two people as there is enough for two gins out of each bottle.







'Gin-gle all the way'
I named this cocktail in honour of one of my favourite christmas films, hoping you're all saying "Jamieeee" in Arnie's voice now.






Ingredients:
Herno Gin
Cranberry juice
Gingerale
Ice
Mint (to decorate and pretend you're a little fancy)

Cocktail shaker
Shot measurement
Glasses to serve

Method:
1. Add one shot of Herno gin then equal measurements of cranberry juice and gingerale to your cocktail shaker. The measurements entirely depend on the size of your glass.

2. Whilst listening to 'Christmas (Baby please come home)' by Buble dance and shake your cocktail together.

3. Pop a few ice cubes into your glass then pour your mixed cocktail into the glass. Pop a sprig of mint in and TA DAHH.

Mulled wine
My second drink is in ode to Mulled wine. You cannot have Christmas without a steaming cup of mulled wine whilst walking around Christmas markets. I know a fair few people who aren't a fan of gin (madness I know), so I thought I'd pop another christmassy drink recipe here for you mad folk.




Ingredients:
Two bottles of Mulled Wine
Orange
Two cinnamon sticks
Half a whole nutmeg, grated
Three star anise

Method:
1. Pop both bottles of wine into a large saucepan along with all your spices.

2. Add a few slices of orange to the pan, I also juice half an orange to have a real citrus undertone.

3. Turn the hob onto a medium heat and simmer the wine for around 20 mins, serve and enjoy! I like to serve mine in a clear glass with a handle, cinnamon stick and a wedge of orange.

What is your go to festive drink?

*DISCLAIMER: I was sent the Gin Explorer box in return for this post, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

African snacks*

Wednesday 14 September 2016

With Bake Off currently on our screens (I'm still mourning the move to Channel 4 and loss of Mel & Sure) I am on the hunt for yummy snacks I can munch on Wednesday evenings, mainly so I don't get too jealous watching all the delicious cakes and pastries!

Love Chin Chin are African treats that "crunch like a biscuit but taste like a cake". I was sent four flavours:

Vanilla
Cinnamon
Lemon 
Chilli

I wasn't sure what to expect from these but safe to say I was a happy bunny. The lemon and chilli flavours initially tasted the same as the vanilla one, you are then hit with the after taste. This featured a mild kick from the chilli which was surprisingly delicious, then a lovely soothing lemon tone with the lemon biscuit. The cinnamon biscuit was by far my favourite, it tastes and smells just like Christmas, which is 102 sleeps away just saying. What is there not to love?! 

They are definitely addictive, after my housemates trying them we had to seal them up to make sure we didn't demolish them all! They are ready and waiting for my cup of tea and to be joined by Mary and Paul!

A few thoughts from my housemates/co-workers:

"Lemon and chilli aren't anything special but the vanilla and cinnamon are amazing"

"It actually does crunch like a biscuit but tastes like a cake, it's confusing me. Think cakey shortbread, love it!"

"The kick of the chilli, I never thought I'd like a chilli biscuit but I love chilli chilli.. get it?!"

"I'm not really sold, they don't taste like a cake to me. Isn't a biscuit just a hard cake anyway?"

Now my manager fell slightly in love with these, he was raving around the office about them getting everyone to try one.

I would definitely recommend these biscuits, they are great for sharing and a delicious sweet treat!


*These were gifted to me from Love Chin Chin in return for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Etsy Oxford Street Pop-Up Shop

Wednesday 7 September 2016


With the gorgeous weather in London it seems to be silly to spend time inside shops, solution? We headed to Oxford Street and found ourselves on the roof garden above John Lewis.

I already adore Etsy with the personalised unique gifts I could spend hours browsing the websites, my bank would not thank me though. Fox & Lily stole my heart at this event, with their gorgeous ring dishes and holders. I wanted everything!

I will let the photos speak for themselves of how gorgeous the whole set up was, after all a pictures says a thousand words.


















Recipe | Revolutionary Roasted Chickpeas

Sunday 10 July 2016



Hi I'm Hannah and I have a crisp addiction. I definitely have more of a savoury tooth than sweet, if you put Doritos in front of me I will eat the entire bag. I need to work on my will power I know but we'll save that for another post. I am always on the hunt for savoury health snacks to substitute crisps.. the I stumbled upon roasted chickpeas.

I was skeptical and pretty sure it they would taste awful. I was looking online for a recipe however I found no consistency so I decided to ignore them all and make my own recipe, surprisingly it turned out pretty damn well.. if I do say so myself.

What you'll need:

  • Chickpeas 1 can
  • Coconut oil 1tbsp
  • Paprika
  • Chilli powder
What you'll do:
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees 
  2. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas, then dry on a paper napkin
  3. Pop your coconut oil into a baking tin (or tray) and put into the oven to melt
  4. Add your chickpeas to the baking tin and stir so they are covered in the coconut oil, then sprinkle the spices over the chickpeas (I added about 1tsp of each, but to be honest I just sprinkled until I was happy)
  5. Pop into the oven for 10 min and take them out and stir
  6. Pop them into the oven for another 10 mins and then stir
  7. And one more time, put them in for 10 mins and then take out 
  8. Serve! 




This is a super easy recipe that packs a punch of flavour! I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed these. They definitely settle my crisp craving! 

If you make these I would love to know what you think. 

What is your healthy go-to savoury snack?

Recipe | Scrumptious Stuffed Peppers

Friday 8 July 2016

Looking for meal inspiration? Well look no further, feast your eyes on my turkey stuffed peppers. This is a recipe I've been playing around with for a while but I think I've got it just right and packed with flavour!

What you'll need:
  • Coconut Oil 1tbsp
  • Turkey Mince 500g
  • Kidney beans drained and cleaned 1 can
  • Paprika
  • Chilli powder
  • Veggies of your choice
  • Kallo chicken stock cube
  • Chilli deseeded if you don't like it too spicy
  • Bell pepper X2 
  • Feta

What you'll do: 
  1. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees 
  2. Pop your tbsp of coconut oil into a hot pan and wait for it to melt
  3. Chop up a chilli and pop this into the oil for around a minute
  4. Add your turkey mince to your pan and cook thoroughly 
  5. Crumble your chicken stock cube over the mince and combine (this is for an added punch of flavour without the liquid)
  6. Add your drained kidney beans to the pan and stir in
  7. Add any veggies of your choosing to the mix, I used green beans, corn and mange tout
  8. Add 1tbsp paprika and 1tbsp chilli powder (This is a complete guestimate, I add a LOT of spice to this however I don't measure)
  9. Leave this all to cook for around 10 mins whilst stirring occasionally 
  10. Whilst this is cooking away chop your peppers in half and take all the seeds and weird white bits out. The best way I find to do this is chop in a circle around the stalk and pull that out then you can easily chop it in half
  11. Pop your 4 pepper halves onto a baking tray and then add your turkey mince mixture into each half, bake these for 10 mins (keep your eye on them)
  12. Pull your peppers out the oven and crumble some feta on top of each half then pop them back into the oven for 5 more minutes. 
  13. Take out and enjoy!! 









Now I won't lie to you I have a lot of mixture left over, but you can do lots with it. Make more stuffed peppers (you stuffed pepper machine), add to rice/quinoa, make a quesadilla out of it. I was quite happy eating it with a spoon whilst I was waiting for it to cook.. no shame! 

I am always looking for new recipes I can create or new meal inspiration, I saw a photo of a stuffed pepper with rice on Pinterest which led me to create this recipe. 

If you make it I'd love to know what you think. 

Where do you find your meal inspiration?

Lush Arndale GRAND OPENING

Sunday 12 June 2016

Imagine my excitement when an email landed in my inbox with an invite for the opening of the new Lush store in the Arndale. How could this get any better? Well getting the opportunity to meet Kat and Caitlin was just the cherry on the cake! They are both beautiful, chatty, talented ladies. There was never an awkward moment we just chatted, laughed and snapped photos from the word 'hello'.

Now on to the store itself, it just blew the socks off the other Lush shops I've been to. The layout was much more open so there is no more bumping elbows with people when inhaling the gorgeous bath bombs. My favourite part of the store is definitely the green house they have at the back, growing gorgeous plants by the skin care. We spent a long time in here snapping all the photos we could and taking it all in.

I still cannot get over how incredible the staff were. Everyone was so welcoming and genuinely buzzing about the store. They really made the atmosphere! From a bubble blowing competition (I was totally Queen of the Bubbles!) to hunting down more champagne for us, the staff were SIMPLY THE BEST!

I was like a kid in a sweetie shop, running around (well walking as it was busy but you get the idea), trying out every product I could get my hands on and getting the scoop on all things lush. We were lucky enough to receive a goodie bag to pamper every inch of us including hair, face, lips and body. I felt very spoilt.

I don't want to waffle on too much about the evening itself but rather show you photos, so here goes!


















Have you visited the new store? What is your favourite part?