hot chilli and garden flowers

We have been eating quite a lot of spicy food recently as a result of this.....

Of course, as with all produce all the chilli's have ripened at once so I am trying madly to incorporate them into everything I make.  They are also really hot, I suppose its because they are fresh - all fruit and veg tastes so much better picked straight from the plant. So yesterday I took a few off and had a go at drying them.  I put them in a roasting pan and put them on the top of the aga for 24 hours and this is what I have..

they seem to have dried pretty well so I am going to put them in a bag in the store cupboard and see how they keep.  I will also be making chilli jam and infusing some oil.  You can tell I'm a good Yorkshire lass and hate waste!

After the hideous weather we have been having of late I went into the garden and rescued some of the most battered of the peonies.  We have loads of flowers this year but the weather has not been kind to them and the very heavy heads have been forced downward, so I thought better in my dining room than  as food for the slugs!

I don't know the variety as they were in the garden when we arrived, but they have the most heavenly scent, and some have either a pale coral, or pale pink centre.  I adore peonies, I just wish they lasted longer.

I also picked a few of the climbing roses that grow along the side fence.  They look really poorly this year - I think the mildew has got the better of them and when the flowers have gone I thing a good prune is in order, although my record with pruning roses is really bad - in that usually I manage to kill them - but as this is a climber I'm hoping I'll have a bit more success.

Well this seems to have turned into a bit of a gardening post today, maybe its because so far today its hasn't rained, so I'd better scoot out there again before it does, bye for now!!

baking the easy way

I love baking muffins, they are so easy.  You just throw everything into a bowl, give it a quick mix, load your muffin cases, bake and 14 mins later you have a fab tray of yummy muffins ready to eat!  I often make them first thing for breakfast they are that fast.

I made these the other afternoon when I had a sweet craving but nothing in the cupboard to satisfy it.

All the ingredients in one bowl

That after a quick mix look like this....

Fresh out of the oven....

...and ready to eat!!

They are fruit muffins made with the only fruit in the house a couple of very ripe nectarines, which to be honest could have done with being a little firmer but still tasted delish :)

here's the recipe:

2 cups (300g) self raising flour

3/4 cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar

2 nectarines, stone removed, chopped - skin on

1 egg lightly beaten

3/4 (180ml) cup plain yoghurt + milk mix (about 1/2 and 1/2)

1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil

Put muffin cases into muffin tin.

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl, stir in other ingredients.

Spoon mixture into muffin tin.  

Bake in moderately hot oven for approx 20mins. (I have an Aga thats why they cook quicker!)

Remove from oven, leave in muffin tin for a few mins to cool a little then either put on cooling rack to finish cooling or eat warm from oven ENJOY.....

Beach Style

Even though our English weather seems to have given up on summer there are many of you out there that are lucky enough to be heading off to sunnier climates and with that comes the perennial problem of packing.  With most airlines now restricting how much luggage we take (by charging us a fortune for more than carry on) its always an advantage if we are able to take items that are useful for more than one thing.  So today I thought I would show you what you can do with the simple wrap.

Here is one of our silk and cotton wraps.  Wear it as a scarf when you are leaving for the airport and whilst traveling on the plane.

Then, with a bit of wrapping and tying, you can use it as a sarong....

.....or as a halter top ....

you just take the wrap, put it around your neck, with the two long ends in the front, cross them over at the front and tie at back, then arrange the fulness to preserve your modesty ....

and if your feeling confident you can tie it around your head, to protect your hair from the sun and cover beach frizz

and you can tie it around your waist to give a pop of colour to trousers/shorts/dress....

And finally, around your shoulders against either the heat of the day or a cool evening breeze, or even just those persistent mozzies!!

Just make sure your wrap is soft so it drapes and generously sized and you have yourself a very versatile addition to your wardrobe that will take up very little space in your suitcase.

Summer Shopping

Well, I've finally given in to the weather and stopped looking at all those lovely light summer clothes and instead headed to M&S to check out the sale rales and picked up a couple of lovely lightweight jumpers. One in a lovely bright emerald green and the other in a light turquoise (light teal? decide for yourself!).  The necklace is from last season at M&S and goes with absolutely everything and the shoes were this years bargain buy which I wear all the time.  So at least the colours make me feel summery even if the weather doesn't ........

Its been a frustrating past week, with mistakes from suppliers and therefore, bespoke orders backing up because they tend to need special fabrics or colours I don't stock.  Still, I'm hoping for a clear run this week, wish me luck!!

A weekend in the sun!

Its been a while since I've said hello here on my blog.  Life's been a bit difficult these last few months, as I've had an injury which has seriously curtailed my mobility and meant that a few things have had to be put on hold.  But I'm well on the road to recovery and beginning to get back into the swing of things, and hope to be back talking to you and letting you know what things I have in store for the next few months.  I'm hoping to introduce some new products soon which I think are very exciting - I hope you do too.

Whitby Harbour

View from our window

We had a wonderful weekend at Whitby which is one of my most favourite places in the world.  We were joined by our two daughters and rented a great apartment, it was really spacious in a perfect position with lovely views.  (you can see it here).  The weather forecast for the east coast of Yorkshire was colder than for the rest of the country so we went stocked up with jumpers and hoped for the best.  Well the best certainly arrived!  As you can see from the pictures we had clear blue skies and lots of lovely warm sun.

Whitby Abbey

It really is a lovely place to visit.  It has lots of history (it was the place Captain Cook set sail from, as well as its amazing Abbey), with lots of lovely little streets filled with interesting shops and some fabulous places to eat, many of which we took advantage of.  They have some interesting events through the year which I'll tell you about another time.

On our way home we spent the afternoon in York.  There was a food festival on so we were able to stock up on lots of locally produced food.  Our daughters caught the train back to London from there and we made our way home to finish of our trip sat in the garden enjoying our dinner and the odd glass.

Hope you had as much fun as us this weekend, bye for now....

Mary Quant, Mad Hatters and Phantoms!

Last weekend was incredibly busy but lots of fun.  We went to stay with our daughters in  London and they had planned lots of things for us.  I went down on Thursday as I wanted to visit the Ideal Homes Exhibition which was on at Earls Court.  Its a long time since I visited and I have to say I was a bit disappointed.  There didn't seem to be as many home related stands as I remember, and in fact, if it hadn't been for the large fashion and beauty section (yep, I don't know how that fits in either!) it would have seemed quite empty.  Still I had a most enjoyable time with daughter two and we still managed to buy things.

Friday evening was a joy. We had tickets for the Mary Quant talk at the V&A.  Sorry about the grainy photo, it was taken on my iPhone from quite a way back, but I wanted to have something to show.  She was truly a visionary.  It seems a bit cliched to say she revolutionised fashion but she truly did.  The clothes she designed were so different to anything that had proceeded them, both in terms of style and fabrics.  She was very keen on using different fabrics together, for example, tweed with soft silks.  She also developed a way of bonding silk crepe to give it structure and make it easier to work with.  She was also the first person to use plastics for fashion clothes.  And of course there was no way a woman could wear the stockings and suspenders that were worn then with the mini skirt!  She told us how she used to get tights from theatrical shops for her models to wear, until the hosiery companies caught on.

She has written her autobiography and I look forward to reading it because apart from the iconic clothes she designed she was also a part of the whole 60's scene that saw in change in almost every area of life and had a profound impact on womens lives.

As if that wasn't enough, on Saturday we had the most amazing afternoon tea at the Sandersons Hotel which was based on The Mad Hatters Tea Party!

Rainbow sandwiches, little bottles of fruit puree with drink me on and lollies that taste both hot and cold in your mouth.  Yummy cakes and some of the best scones I have tasted, rounded off with a glass of champagne (or an amazing cocktail) and tea, all served in the conservatory.    I can definitely recommend   it.  And if you do visit go into the lift - its interesting to say the least.  The bar is also quite cool.

Now, still keeping up?  We finished off our Saturday by seeing the wonderful Phantom of The Opera.  Its an amazing production and Sofia Escobar, who played Christine has the most beautiful voice. Its been running for 25 years this year but still seems fresh.

I hope your weekend was as much fun as ours.  Now its back to work and a different type of fun.

Thinking of proposing!

Well its that time again when we get an extra day in the year and traditionally its the day when the girls get to propose to the man in their life.  So girls, if your man's dragging his heals on the wedding  front then todays the day........

I caught the fashion segment on the Lorraine show this morning and they were featuring peplums which are big fashion news for this coming season.  For the uninitiated, a peplum is an extra bit of fabric attached around the waist that gently flairs out.  A good example of the style is this one from Zara (Zara black peplum dress).  It's a great style if you carry an extra bit of weight around your stomach, as it covers this area whilst still giving a nice lean silhouette. Also the defined waist with the gentle flair helps those of us who don't have much in the way of a waist. There are also lots of tops in this style out there, which paired with a pencil skirt or trousers combines comfort with style. You don't have to be young to wear this style, I think its a great look for the more mature woman - just maybe a little longer than this one! I think I might be hitting the shops for a try on session, if I'm successful I will post my purchase(s).

A springlike day!!

I know we British are obsessed with the weather but it seems to be that this year in particular we never seem to know what is happening from day to day.  Even the forecasters are backing their options giving us various scenarios, usually from either end of the spectrum!  Still I love it when the spring flowers come into the shops, you can import your own little bit of sunshine with a bunch of daffodils and you really know that the long dark days are coming to an end.

Last week I had an extra treat when our youngest daughter came up for a few days visit.  It was nice to shop and gossip in person.  We took the train over to Manchester for a little bit of retail therapy and a long enjoyable lunch at Harvey Nichols.  The food, as always was first class, and the desserts - they always have something a little bit different.  Daughter had a chocolate confection with peanut butter marshmallow, and I had a beetroot sorbet wrapped in white chocolate on a bed of chocolate soil (not the real thing, it was chocolate cake crumbs).  Now before you go ugh, let me assure you that even if you are not a great fan of beetroot, the combination of the white chocolate with it is a pleasure to the taste buds.  You also get an amazing red tongue from the red coloured dusting! (it appeals to the child in me!!).

If you ever go to Manchester do visit - it has the most amazing views over the Cathedral area of the city.

Another new year!

Its amazing how quickly they seem to come around!  We always try to get away over the holiday period and so on Christmas eve headed to the Alps for our yearly skiing fix.  I love being in the mountains, the scale and beauty fills me with awe, the air is so crisp and clear and we were fortunate to have lovely sunny weather for most of the week.  Of course, it decided to snow on the day we were due to leave so a rather long and delayed journey home ensued, but this is the first time in all the years we have skied that this has happened so we cannot complain - well not too much!

view from our hotel window

The weather since we got back has been crazy to say the least, with the wind taking out the greenhouse and the rain soaking the garden and making it impossible to work in for some time to come.  So its lovely to escape into designing for our spring/summer range and seeing all the lovely summer products come to life.   We will be giving you a preview very soon as to what we have planned, we hope you will be as excited as we are.