From
eating at his Jamie’s Italians that
are littered across the country to owning nearly all of his amazing recipe
books, I’ve always been a Jamie Oliver’s fan. Last weekend it was my mum and
dads 29th Wedding anniversary, and because my dad was out of the
country doing an amazing cycling effort for charity, myself and my sister Kate
thought we’d treat her to a lovely lunch at Jamie’s Watergate Bay restaurant,
Fifteen.
I’d
heard a lot about Fifteen and all the amazing work that goes with the two
restaurants in London and Cornwall. Set up without the purpose of financial
gain, all profits from Fifteen go to the Cornwall Foundation of
Promise, which plucks young people from disadvantaged and difficult situations
and trains them up to become great chefs. I love both Jamie’s food and the Fifteen
story so I knew we’d be in for an amazing afternoon of food.
To
start, the location was beautiful. The entire restaurant was surrounded by
floor to ceiling windows giving picturesque views of Watergate Bay and the restaurant
itself was littered with water balloon like light fixtures, and an ornate
wooden tree trunk reception desk welcoming you in its friendly atmosphere. In
terms of pricing, yes it is more than Jamie’s Italians, but at £26 for two
courses (three for £32) we found it really reasonable, as we knew we’d receive
some delectable food. After scoffing down the perfect Mojito (mum was on the
Daiquri’s and my sister was on Raspberry Refreshers) at the bar, we sat down
with rumbling tummies in front of the sea view ready to tuck in to lunch.
Onto
the food, and yep you guessed it- it was delicious. I started off with the
‘Mozzarella di bufala with fennel, zucchini and Amalfi lemon’ followed by
delicately stuffed artichoke hearts with rocket and the tastiest tomato sauce I
have ever had. Mum had the ‘Ricotta
gnocchi ‘alla Norma’, Vulscombe goats cheese’ for main, and when I say the
gnocchi was amazing I mean it was that perfectly light it resembled of what I
think clouds would taste like. Kate went for the seafood special pasta of the
day- and you can bet that all was all responsibly sourced as Fifteen is
supported by the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide and makes careful use of
Cornwall’s marine resources. Going in with the intention to have a desert, I
hate to say that all three of us were that stuffed we couldn’t eat another
mouthful. Finishing lunch with a creamy cappuccino overlooking the sea, it was
the perfect ending to an extraordinary dining experience.
We
had the most incredible time at Fifteen- it was the perfect place to celebrate
(which we were most definitely doing that day) and to spend time with loved ones.
Despite Jamie Oliver getting a lot of stick, there is no denying that this
initiative of his is outstanding. Us Brits hardly needed another excuse to go
down to the South West for a weekend at the beach, but this is definitely
another.
Get
all the information about Jamie’s Fifteen here.
Have
you been to Fifteen in Cornwall or London before? What did you think?
A
x
This Greek lovin' ain't stopping yet hunz... Sorry 'bout it!
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| Polaroids & Camera : Instax Mini | Shoes: Birkenstock | Sunglasses: Quay |
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| Bikini: Missguided |
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| Sunglasses: Quay Australia | Nail Varnish: Barry M |
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| Jamie Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarer | Monochrome Bikini: Primark |
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| Dress: Missguided |
While I used to be a big fan of classic Italian food, Greece has quickly become my new favourite. Stuffed peppers, tzatziki, fresh seafood straight out of the marina, mousakka, feta cheese, fresh kebabs with big fat pitta breads…. What more could a foodie like me ask for?
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| Jamie's shirt: All Saints |
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| Playsuit: New Look | Beltt: ASOS | Bag: Missguided | Espadrilles: ASOS |
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| Bracelet: Links London | Watch: Daniel Wellington | Bangle: & Other Stories
Thank
you ASOS for creating the world’s most perfect espadrilles: when I looked down
at my feet they were glinting in the sun looking perfectly embroidered with the
Chanel inspired beading. If that isn’t what love is I don’t know what is...
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If
there were two killer buys from my holiday in Samos it has to be this amazing
mesh high-waisted bikini from Missguided and my deck chair-esque playsuit from
New Look. As you guys know I’m a sucker for texture and stripes so these two
beauties quickly became a firm favourites within my holiday wardrobe. The
Bardot style top of the playsuit is super flattering- they’ve been littered all
over the Catwalks and high street this season- plus teaming it up the ASOS belt
I picked up a few weeks ago, really nips in my waist to give it more shape. I love
the stripes on this playsuit, and while I do slightly resemble a deck chair
when I wear it, I’m loving it! #sorrynotsorry. Next up is this perfect Missguided
mesh bikini. Before you say it, yes it’s not great for tan lines, but I can’t
get enough of this bikini as it hides the bottom of my stomach which is the part
of my body I hate and the mesh crop was perfect thrown on with just some
shorts to go to the beach bar for a bev or two.
Greece,
all I can say is that I love you and I want to come back to living the Greek
holiday dream immediately… Good job I’m off to Corfu with my best mate for four
days next week then ay?! (smirky emoji) Blog post to follow of course!
Have any of you guys
been to Greece this year? What did you think?
A x
Oh
Greece, you are a beautiful whimsical paradise where summer holidays do come
true. As I mentioned the other week the better half and myself jetted off from
London to Samos, Greece to get some much-needed time of relaxation and vitamin
D. I thought I’d put together a little photo diary of some of the beautiful
scenery we were surrounded by for the week- the edits on these photos are so
minor they hardly needed tweaking it was that picture perfect!
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| Jamie's Shorts: Ralph Lauren | Sunglasses: Ray Ban |
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| Dress: Topshop |
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| Crop: Topshop | Shorts: Missguided | Bag: Urban Outfitters |
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| Jamie (left to right) T-Shirt: Farah | Short: Urban Outfitters | Navy Tee: All Saints |
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| Culottes: Zara | Espadrilles: ASOS | Body: Urban Outfitters | Belt: Zara | Lipstick: Bobbi Brown in Watermelon |
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| Dress: Missguided | Espadrilles: ASOS |
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| Shorts: Missguided | Shoes: Zara | Body & Bag: Urban Outfitters | Lipstick: Bobbi Brown Pink Sand |
While
I’ve been to Greece when I was younger, going to such a beautiful place when
slightly older (but definitely not wiser)
made me realise just how perfect it is. I shall definitely be returning and luckily
my after holiday blues will be short lived: I’ve spontaneously bought a ticket
to Corfu to see my best mate and her family for a long weekend so I am beyond
excited. As you can see from the photos the boyf took (photographer boyfriend in the making!?) the weather was amazing
everyday: at least high forties and still thirties in the evening so it was
short shorts, crops and dresses every single day.
I
took so many photos while we were away so I thought I’d spread out my Greek love
on two blog posts. Keep your eyes peeled on Sunday when I’ll be uploading part
two of our Greek adventure with plenty of outfits and greek scenery to match.
Happy Friday my loves, and in the words of the Greeks ‘Εβίβα‘!
A x
Happy Tuesday my
loves!
Last
month after a few days off in May and my birthday on the 7th I
completely forgot to do my monthly favourites, so here I am back on track and
back to tell you guys what I’ve been reaching for the most this month. There’s
a bit of a mix as usual: few bits you’ll have noticed from my birthday haul and
the odd new item in the mix, so lets get going…
Top: Zara | Belt: ASOS
First
up, clothing and accessories. As you already know from my Bardot blog post
here, I’m a sucker for an off the shoulder number. I picked up this beauty in Zara back in May
and I’ve been wearing it all the time in June- I love the white and light blue
stripe and it looks super cute thrown over some ripped black denim jeans,
backpack and trainers. Off topic, if you haven’t been to Zara they’ve got their
mid season sale on at the moment and they’ve got loads of amazing pieces
amongst the madness- including this blue beauty. Next up
is this cowgirl inspired belt from ASOS. Do I need another black leather belt?
Probably not, but when the silver details has this cute decoration it's hard to say no. My bad.
Nail Varnish: Miracle Growth | Lipstick: Bobbi Brown in Pink Sand | Shampoo: Daddy-O by Lush
I
don’t need to remind you I love Lush, I go on about it all the time (soz) but this is the new contribution
to my Lush family I’ve got going on in my bathroom. Ash blonde hair is hard to
maintain so I’m keeping it from getting brassy with this Daddy-O shampoo. Not
only does it do exactly as it says on the bottle, but oh my god it smells
delicious. Seriously love this stuff! Next up is this Miracle Growth nail
varnish I picked up from Sallys’s- my nails have been so weak lately so I’ve
been lathering this stuff on like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve seen a massive
improvement in my nails after only 3(ish) weeks of using it and couldn’t
recommend it enough if you’re after a nail strengthener that doesn’t break the
bank. Last but by no means least, meet my new favourite everyday pink nude:
Pink Sand. I’m not normally one for a light pink lip but this has a slight
orange tone that makes it perfect for spring and for any outfit I
throw on. Thanks Bobbi Brown xoxo
Camera: Nikon Coolpix S9900 | Book: Love x Life x Style by Garance Dore
This
year I massively suffered the Glastonbury blues- despite trying to get a ticket
on the first release and the re-sale I wasn’t one of the fortunate few who
managed to go this year. The only bonus of not going was being warm and cosy
with a nice bathroom to use, but that didn’t reassure me too much. I was
however, super impressed with the BBC coverage this year- Adele bossed it and
Fatboy Slim’s set looked too epic so I’m glad I managed to have a little slice
of the action. Next year WILL be my
year. Next up (probably unsurprisingly)
is my Nikon Coolpix S9900: I think I’ve used it every single day since getting
it for my birthday and I don’t have enough positive words to say about it. It
provides all the basic requirements I need to get beautiful shots without
lugging my SLR around and I love the in-built wifi that makes Instagram
shooting even easier… LOVE. Last but not least is the stunning Love x
Life x Style by Garance Dore. As one of my favourite French photographers and
illustrators this book ticks all the boxes for me- thoughtful words, beautiful
photography and, of course, perfect minimalist inspired fashion. Not only does
it read effortlessly, but its also the ultimate coffee table book to show off
in your living room.
Blogger of the month: Isabella Thorsden
(Read Isabella's blog here)
Now
if I could be one blogger at the moment, it would be Isabella Thorsden. I fell
a little bit in love with her and her fashion sense when she became an ASOS
stylist a while ago. While she has unfortunately left ASOS (sob) my girl crush
is having no signs of fading despite her moving back to Denmark. The obvious
thing is that she dresses impeccably: she has that laid back not try hard style
absolutely on point and the photography that features on her blog on emphasises
her unique style even further: beautiful doorways as backgrounds, perfect coffee shop flatlays and awesome OOTDs
makes her blog my ultimate favourite at the moment. Alongside fashion she also
writes a lot about interior design: her Pinterest page is definitely worth a
follow too for any home inspo. Please keep blogging forever Isabella and I
shall forever be a smitten reader.
Quote of the Month
'Jobs fill your pocket, adventures fill your soul'
- Jaime Lynn Betty
After
what feels like years since we booked to go away, the better half and myself
are finally off to Greece on
Wednesday. Eeeeeee! I cannot waif to soak
up some much needed Vitamin D, lounge around a beach all day, eat endless
amounts of halloumi, drink one too many cocktails and create some amazing blog
content. For obvious reasons I will be pretty quiet for the next week or so as
I'm giving my laptop a much needed break, but I shall be back soon with some of the
adventures we got up to. Until then add me on snapchat to take a peek at what I
get up to: @alexx_hughes.
Have a wonderful week
my lovelies, and I’ll see you when I’m a
little browner and probably half a stone fatter..
A x
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