Exploring Notting Hill Carnival

I know...This post is more than a little late. I’ve been a little busy exploring, and am totally guilty of neglecting the blog this summer. I’ve also had a lot of life changes, all for the good, and have been focusing on forging happinness, proving to myself that it really is a choice.

But enough about that…I wanted to share with you some photos from August’s Notting Hill Carnival, an event I have been going to for years now. It truly is a very unique event that captures one of the many cultural spirits of London.

It's all about the legs

Glossy pin lovers Wilkinson Sword asked me to put forward some of my favourite 'leg moments', so I thought I would do this by also showing you my journey through the last few weeks in Italy and Turkey.

To inspire me, they sent me a beautiful little package containing a their HydroSilk Bikini trimmer and shaver (£7.49 at Boots), the Nip + Fab Shimmer Leg Fix, a Topshop voucher and a selfie stick. I have to say I was a little reluctant to use the stick but absolutely loved it at the end of my holiday...they really are brilliant for group photos!

The Nip & Fab leg shimmer was a pleasant surprise too, as it gave a very subtle but lovely glow to my legs and especially once my tan had set in. It was perfect to apply just before going out for dinner.

First stop ...Sicilia!

The rebirth of Monster?

Wearing...

Zara T Shirt

One Teaspoon Wilde Bandit Shorts

Zara Heels

Vintage belt

Last week I was invited to a lovely dinner at the Ham Yard Hotel, by the Monster team. I was very excited about this as I already had a pair of headphones that I love, but little did I know that I was about to meet Noel Lee, the innovator himself, and be inspired by the story of Monster, their humble beginnings and honest, passionate business.

Krispy Kreme ChocoLATE

Hello there! I've been a little absent of late...if I'm honest, this thing called life got in the way! But I'm BACK and oh look here is ANOTHER food post...what can I say, I eat a lot! I promise there will be lots more dreamy shopping posts and beauty bits up very soon.

For now...let me take you on a special and pretty epic experience I had this week. It was pretty much the best Monday you could have wished for.

Krispy Kreme invited a few of us to the Ham Yard Hotel (if you haven't been there you must go!) for an intimate sit down four course dinner...but with a twist! Yes, as you may have guessed, every course was made up of one of their new limited edition chocomania doughnuts, plus a paired cocktail.

Food: Healthy spiralized cinnamon carrot dessert

As mentioned in my last post with two delicious and simple recipes, Tabasco got in touch with me and asked if I would like to be part of their new campaign called #FunWithFlavour, which is all about celebrating Tabasco Pepper Sauce’s ability to transform almost any dish. 

The iconic and natural sauce is made from just three ingredients – chilli peppers, salt and vinegar – and has been enhancing dishes all over the world since 1868. All I had to do was create three dishes infused by Tabasco sauce, including a bit of a challenge which was the dessert! The first thing I thought to myself was 'how the hell do I make a dessert with Tabasco??' but a quick google search made me realise people like spicy desserts more than I thought! You can pretty much spice up any pudding which is pretty clever, sort of like Heston Blumenthal style!

I got a really neat spiralizer from Tabasco so wanted to keep this theme going throughout my entire menu. The spiralizer I used was a little tough to spin at first, but after a few tries it became easier. It spiralizes carrots, cucumber and any other soft fruit or veg quite easily, but potatoes may be a challenge. I'm sure you could do the same thing with a peeler, but this is way more fun and makes food a little bit more interesting. It's really easy to clean, too.

This recipe is free of refined sugar (honey used as sweetener), gluten free and dairy free. You can choose to add Tabasco, or just have it without!

I hope you like this little carrot dessert, as originally made by Twirly Bites. It really surprised me and it was yummy!

SPIRALIZED CINNAMON CARROT DESSERT

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 large peeled carrot

2 tablespoons +1/4 teaspoon coconut oil

1 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• Tabasco Original Red Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Spiralize your carrot/s and get them ready. Place them in a pan with 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil and sauté for 5 minutes.

2. While the carrots are cooking, put the remaining coconut oil, honey and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in another pot. Place on a low heat and stir constantly until ingredients melt and the sauce has formed (max 5 minutes). Avoid burning, overcooking or boiling the sauce or honey by keeping the heat low and stirring continuously. This is really important as the honey will get a different texture and flavour if it starts ti boil.

3. Remove the ready sauce and add it to the carrots. Keep stirring on medium heat for around 15 minutes, and make sure you serve it warm as the coconut oil will go solid if you leave it out. 

4. Add as much Tabasco as you wish, or sprinkle some chia seeds on top, or raisins, bananas, whatever tickles your fancy! This is a very sweet dessert so a small amount of it was sufficient to satisfy a sweet tooth!

Check out more recipe ideas and tips on Tabasco's Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/TabascoUK