Let's Start With This One...

Hey Lovelies,

Food is something that most people spend a lot of time thinking about. In our house and before I got ill, I definitely did. In fact, I still think about it a lot now. But with different eyes.

Having and recovering from an eating disorder is like being a child again. You have to reintroduce flavours, textures and food combinations that you may have never experienced or forgotten all about. Something that can be hard to do, I won’t lie.

Plus, when it comes to cooking, finding a recipe that is quick and easy, but full of the nutrients my body currently needs is important. So, when HelloFresh got in touch with me about their new bunch of recipe boxes and ideas, to see if I would like to test one, I said yes.

After searching through their website at all the latest boxes they have for super meals for one, two or more people, I decided to pick one my mum would enjoy. I didn’t feel ready to enjoy a recipe just yet, but I knew my mum would be more than happy to take part in making their 10 Minute Express Chicken Noodles.


Part of their Asian range, the Chicken Noodles with Mangetout, had only eight ingredients to include and six simple steps to follow. With all the steps laid out on their website, it was a breeze to get it all set up and on the go right away.

Starting the recipe by boiling the water for the noodles, the recipe calls for the spring onions to be thinly chopped and the peanuts to be crushed first. With the noodles bubbling away, we then placed the chicken into a hot frying pan, before simply adding in the Mangetout and remaining vegetable for a few minutes.

As these cooked, I kept an eye on the pan, whilst my mum drained the noodles and poured them into vegetable mixture. We then applied the sauces to give it the flavour kick it needed. After a few extra minutes to allow it all to combine, it was ready to be placed into a bowl, where my mum topped it off with the peanuts and lime juice.

All together the recipe did literally take 10 minutes and my mum enjoyed it as a light lunch dish. Happy with the flavour and the way in which it took little time at all, she was quick to add that it would be a great dish if you didn’t want to cook a big meal after work or the school run. For her, she said it was good for when she comes back from the hospital after visiting me, due to the long commute from London.


HelloFresh has a whole host more recipes like this. Plus, with the added addition of the boxes full of the ingredients being provided for each one, you never have to leave the house or wait to enjoy it again. I loved the idea of getting a classic family-sized meal out of this and think it would be perfect for a date night at home or on big holidays such as Easter or Christmas when the supermarkets can get crazy.

Seeing my mum enjoy the dish so much made me super happy. She doesn’t normally enjoy dishes like this, because they are often complicated. However, she really loved the taste and said it saved her money on what probably would have cost more at a takeaway or restaurant. I think she also secretly loved that she made it as well.

When I can enjoy the recipes that HelloFresh has, I will definitely be making a lot of them. I loved that me and my mum made this dish together. It felt so homely and the ingredients allowed us to find something new. Noodles are the perfect dish for any day of the week too, so they can be prepared whenever you fancy them.


To find out more about the recipes HelloFresh has to offer, including lasagne, chilli and more head to their website lovelies! Plus, for a short while, you can enjoy an exclusive discount of 10% off any box you choose. Just use the following link to order: https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/plans/?c=OS10OFF

Let me know if you find a recipe to try lovelies and don’t forget to share your pictures with me on here or on social when you make them! I love to see what you all create!

Good Morning Lovelies,

As many of us prepare to tuck into some delicious pancakes, I was thinking that it might be nice to change things up this year! I mean why go for several little ones, when you could make giant ones like those in the film Uncle Buck?

After looking all over the internet I managed to find the perfect recipe and I think this one may just change your Pancake Day forever! Look below to see how to make the ultimate feast for up to 10 people…

Equipment Needed:

• 50" Non-Stick Pan
• Spatula
• Mixing Bowl
• Ladle
• Whisk
• Plate
• Measuring Cups
• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon

Ingredients to Use:

• 6 Eggs
• 6 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 2 1/2 Cups Milk
• 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 6 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• Oil or Cooking Spray for Frying Pan
• Butter, Syrup or Toppings of Your Choice

How to Make Them:

1. Start by whisking the eggs in a large bowl. Then add in the sugar, salt, butter, and milk and whisk until well-combined.
2. Next add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the mixture. Whisk to create a batter with a medium thickness that has a creamy consistency.
3. When ready, heat a 15" non-stick frying pan on a low heat across two burners. Once warm enough spray the pan with cooking spray or pour in the oil coating the base of the pan. 
4. Pour two cups of batter into the pan, and distribute evenly with a spatula. Cook the pancake for seven minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
5. Loosen all sides of the pancake with a spatula, and slide onto a larger pizza pan. Flip pancake back onto the pan on low, and cook for an additional seven minutes.
6. Transfer pancake to a plate and repeat for one more pancake. Stack pancakes, and top with butter and syrup.

Hey Lovelies, 

• 135g/4¾Oz Plain Flour - For Extra-Fluffy Pancakes Change to Self-Raising Flour But Still Use The Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• ½ Tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Caster Sugar
• 130ml/4½Fl Oz Milk
• 1 Large Egg, Lightly Beaten
• 2 Tbsp Melted Butter or Olive Oil (Plus, Extra for Cooking)
• Toppings of Your Choice – Maple Syrup, Jam, Sugar and Lemon, Honey, Ice Cream etc…

• Mixing Bowl (x2)
• Sieve
• Whisk
• Microwavable Bowl
• Fork
• Ladle
• Non-Stick Frying Pan
• Plate
• Spatula

1. Start by sifting the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar in a large bowl.
2. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and egg, before adding in the melted butter. Whisk until mixed together.
3. Add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and beat with a fork until it forms a smooth batter. Leave to stand for a few minutes.
4. On a medium heat, add a small amount of butter to a non-stick frying pan. Once melted, add a ladle of batter. You can make two at a time by adding another if your pan is big enough. The batter mixture should be very thick at this point.
5. Once the pancakes begin to bubble, turn them over (or flip them if feeling brave) and cook on both sides until golden brown and it has risen to about 1cm/½in thick.
6. Repeat the two previous steps until all the batter is gone. To make sure the pancakes stay warm, you could heat your oven to a small setting, however, it is best to dish them up as freshly as you can lovelies.
7. When you are ready to dish them up, simply add the topping of your choice and enjoy!

Hey Lovelies, 

• 175g/6oz Plain Flour
• 75g/2½oz Chilled Butter
• 2-3 Tbsp Cold Water

• 1 Tbsp Raspberry Jam
• 125g/4½oz Butter
• 125g/4½ oz Caster Sugar
• 125g/4½oz Ground Almonds
• 1 Free-Range Egg, Beaten
• ½ Tsp Almond Extract
• 50g/1¾oz Flaked Almonds

• 80g/2¾oz Icing Sugar
• 2½ Tsp Cold Water

• Mixing Bowl x2
• Rolling Pin
• Sieve
• Mixing Spoon
• Tin Foil
• 20cm/8in Flan Tin
• Baking Beans
• Saucepan
• Piping Bag

1. Start by preheating your oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (180C fan).
2. First, start by making the pastry. In the mixing bowl, ass the butter and flour, rubbing together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add in the water to make a soft dough.
3. Using the extra flour to coat your work surface and rolling pin, roll out the dough and line your flan tin. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
4. Once your dough has rested, line the pastry with foil and add in baking beans. Cook blind for 15 minutes, before removing the beans and foil and cooking for five more to dry it out. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
5. After it has rested for a bit, begin to add your fillings. Layer the base of the pastry with a thick layer of raspberry or strawberry jam.
6. Taking a saucepan, add in your butter and melt it. Then remove from the heat and add in the sugar, before also adding the ground almonds, egg and almond extract. Pour the mixture onto the jam in the tin and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
7. Return the tin to the oven for 35 minutes. If the almonds begin to brown to fast or look like they are burning, cover the tart with foil loosely to prevent it.
8. Whilst the tart is baking, start to make the icing for the top. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add in the cold water and place it into the piping bag.
9. Remove the tart from the oven when done and allow to cool. Once ready, pipe the icing over the top in a zig-zag pattern.
10. Then serve up with ice cream, custard or on its own, for a perfect pudding!

Good Afternoon Lovelies,

Valentine’s Day has arrived and whether you are spending it with your partner or besties, now is the best time to watch these romantic features! Whether it be in the cinema or at home, the following films never fail to create that loving mood every year.

Dirty Dancing: Nothing beats the dance at the end of this film. Sure, to get you and those you are spending the most romantic day of the year up and dancing with, as Johnny and Baby’s romance plays out on screen.

The Notebook: The first of two Ryan Gosling films on this list, this classic will forever earn its place as one of the romantic films of all time. Whilst there is a sadness to it, the scene in the rain will make anyone’s heart stop and fall in love with it.

La La Land: If the music doesn’t make you fall under this spell's charms, the romance between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s characters will. Tragic but incredible, the sun will shine bright, even in the cold of February with this love story.


10 Things I Hate About You: Two words – Heath Ledger! Singing his heart out in the role that earned him his legendary status in Hollywood, this film has gone down in history for its portrayal of teen romance. It will make you smile for days after watching it. Fact!

Bridget Jones’s Diary: Bridget Jones is a true hero of mine! Battling the attention of two men, whilst finding a new job and getting to grips with her crazy family makes for some entertaining viewing that still makes it a great Valentine’s film nearly 20 years on. Plus, as my mum would point out it has Colin Firth in it.

To All The Boys: PS I Still Love You: Gather the girls round, order or make some yummy food and snuggle up with this sequel to the original Netflix hit. Based on the best-selling book, it will not disappoint, as it stays very true to the story. A film that will have you feeling the love in no time.


Crazy Rich Asians: Beautiful landscapes and an epic love story, mixed with comedy and madness, this feature tells the story of Rachel, who discovers that her boyfriend Nick has been hiding a secret fortune. There are lots of reasons to watch this, but the wedding scene will have you gasping.

Call Me by Your Name: If you haven’t seen this love story yet, do so! Not only will it have you falling under its charm from the Italian landscape, but the heartbreaking love story between the two male characters in the film will.

Hey Lovelies, 

Hey Lovelies, 

Taking audiences on a disturbing look at racism, Farming, out today on DVD and digitally, is a drama that shows the horrors faced by a young Nigerian boy growing up in Essex, as he joins a white skinhead gang.

Given up by his parents, in hopes, he will live a better life in England, Enitan (Damson Idris), is faced with both mental and physical torture. Faced with neglection as a child, the only way Enitan feels he can continue, without the brutality of it is to join the Tilbury Skins. A local gang led by the crazed Levi (John Dagleish). A figure who truly knows no bounds when it comes to violence.

Throughout the feature, elements truly leave you shocked. From the powder placed onto the young boy’s face to the horrors in which the young men create, it is a powerful way of making you think about the world in which we live in. Nothing is right. The world is bleak and dark. Even when it does try to give the audience a moment of relief, it seems like the world has already closed off from any redemption and nothing is going to be right again.

It also doesn’t help that lots of the characters fail to be developed enough. They are not given the action on screen in which they need. They are just these brual faces who only want what is best for them. Even if that is them seeking freedom.

Farming is a feature that packs a punch, yet it doesn’t always do it in the right way. Hard to watch for many reasons, the film doesn’t know when to release its audience members from its grip of darkness. Watch with caution but do view.

Hey Lovelies, 

Quietly taking the film festival by storm, Giant Little Ones, out on DVD and digitally today tells a coming out story that really packs a punch. Faced with the reactions from his friends, family and the entire school, Franky (Josh Wiggins), is left struggling when an experience with his best friend becomes twisted in a way that leaves a true impact on his life.

Having just turned 16, Franky and his best friend Ballas (Darren Mann) are trying to survive the everyday aspects of teenage life. Both have girlfriends, yet Ballas is the only one who claims to have had sex with his. When a drunken night leads the pair to end up in the same bed though, Franky is faced with trying to discover his sexuality all over again. Something that isn’t helped when Ballas claims to all those around him that Franky came onto him.

The film touches on many aspects of a teenager’s life, but it is the trauma in which you see Franky going through that really affects you. Knowing the truth as an audience member makes the plot frustrating at times, yet you embrace the powerful tropes in which the story is trying to convey. It is a clever coming of age piece that tries to test not only its character's emotions but your own as a viewer.

Character-wise it is easy to forget the adult side of the story, which whilst it does have its own take, doesn’t really add much to the whole plot. It is simply the superb acting from Wiggins that makes the film what it is. Without him, there wouldn’t be much to make of the film, to be honest. It does much touch on lots that we have already seen on screen when reflecting back on viewing it.

Take it or leave it is the main idea with this film. With a fantastic performance from Wiggins, one will not be disappointed. However, the story and its ideas may not stimulate the feature as much as you would have hoped.

Hey Lovelies,

So many shows nowadays are trying to work out how Game of Thrones became so popular and copying the formula for their own pieces. With its war filled scenes, book matching plot lines and likable characters, it is easy to see why they are trying to do this. However, in an attempt to match up to the ratings that GOT gives them, Sky Atlantic’s drama Britannia, which releases its first and second series today on DVD and digitally, doesn’t quite live up to it.

Portraying the Roman takeover of England, the show captures those within the battle and those being affected by it. With comical undertones and bloody wars, there are a lot of similarities to GOT, but there is something about this that doesn’t quite stick. Maybe it is the comedy or the way in which the storyline is played out, but over the course of the first season, you may find yourself drifting off.

It is a show that never has a focus. When you think that you have got to grips with what the show may be trying to achieve it completely flips it. One minute you are seeing the serious sides of the war before a comical element drops in and ruins what could be the gem in the show.

The cast is, however, a great team, with David Morrissey, Fortunato Cerlino and Kelly Reilly all leading the way with their superb acting. Yet, they can’t save the chill that is not only spread on the screen but off the screen too. There is however one very beautiful thing about this show and that is the female leading characters. Whilst the men head to war, the women in the shown scheme and plan their own takedown in epic fashion.

Britannia has a lot of faults within it, which could be easily solved, but for something to enjoy whilst you wait for GOT it might do the trick. Girl power is fantastic and it will make you smile, but it doesn’t compare to other shows of recent times.

Hey Lovelies,

A good dessert is something that takes hours to make most of the time. There is nothing better than seeing everyone around you enjoy a piece of something you have taken the time to make. However, there are also moments where it is nice to make something a little simpler.

Something that whilst it may have taken a while to produce can be enjoyed in a matter of moments. When we were little this came in the fashion of a fabulous old-fashioned Angel Delight pudding. Straight from the packet and made in moments. Strawberry. Chocolate. The best flavour of all – Butterscotch. You just couldn’t beat them.

As I’ve started to come to terms with eating a variety of foods again, I would love to be able to challenge myself to this old favourite. I am not there yet, but I see it somewhere in my future. Maybe even in a homemade version, like this recipe, I found to share with you all. The perfect dessert that takes no time at all to enjoy on this cosy Sunday night...

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 Tbsp Cornflour
• 3 Tbsp Sugar – Change to Brown Sugar for Butterscotch Flavour
• 1 Pint Milk
• 1/2 Pint Whipped Cream (Optional)
• 4 Tbsp Cocoa – For Chocolate Flavour
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract – For Vanilla Flavour

Tools

• Saucepan
• Mixing Spoon
• Large Bowl
• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon
• Measuring Jug

Method

1. In a saucepan, mix together all of the dry ingredients, before adding in the milk. 
2. You can change the flavours, by adding in the cocoa powder for chocolate, changing the sugar to brown for butterscotch or adding in the vanilla extract at this point. You can also make the recipe lighter, by removing the whipped cream.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat.
4. Once the ingredients have become thick, allow to cool, before folding in the whipped cream. Then leave it to set in the fridge for around 20 minutes, before tucking in.