Lakeland Haul

I hate shopping.

There's nothing more stressful for me than shopping for shoes or clothes; I detest fighting through crowds of people just to reach the tills; and I can never justify to myself spending money that I could save for a rainy day instead. However, for some reason I don't have a problem with a very specific type of shopping.

It takes very little persuasion for me to drop everything and go shopping for kitchen equipment. Baking is my ultimate stress reliever and at times definitely feels like a form of therapy. Over the last few years I've accumulated a ridiculous amount of baking tools, and when it comes to replacing anything or adding to my collection there's only one place I'll entertain going: Lakeland.

You name it, Lakeland has it. After each visit to the hallowed store I come away with all the things I needed, things I didn't know existed, a wish list longer than my arm and buckets of inspiration.

Technical Thursday: Mary's Tiramisu Cake

Well, to say Britain sort of fell apart and almost broke out in riots following Wednesday night's episode of The Great British Bake Off would be a bit of an understatement.

This week was almost certainly GBBO's Red Wedding, leaving the audience a little bit numb.

It's really a bit ridiculous how seriously we - as a nation - take a television series about cake.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 9

Now that I'm fully back in Cheshire and settling into a sort of routine, everything's falling into place and starting to level off.

Primetime Emmy Awards 2014 Best Dressed

I'm concerned I'm starting to say this every year, but there's no getting away from the fact that it really does feel like we're currently in the throes of a golden age for television.

From Breaking Bad to The Good Wife, Veep to Orphan Black, Sherlock to Parks and Recreation, Downton Abbey to Game of Thrones, House of Cards to Modern Family and everything in between, there really is excellent television for every taste imaginable these days. I've always been a devout film fan and never really had much interest in the small screen, but thanks to a Netflix subscription and recently discovering the box sets available on Sky I'm starting to seriously get into television. I devoured Breaking Bad like a meth addict last summer; made my way through two series of Orange is the New Black in a fortnight after my exams finished; desperately caught up on Scandal before the start of the new series on Sky Living a few weeks ago; rewatched all of Downton Abbey after Christmas as "dissertation research"; and fell head over heels for the fictional town of Pawnee in Parks and Recreation. I'm officially addicted.

Move over cinema, my lounge is now the place to be. What a time to be alive!

Manicure Monday: Sweet Pea

I was really naughty last week.

I tripped and fell onto the Selfridges website and before I knew it my basket was full, card details entered and a confirmation email was comfortably sitting in my inbox. A few days ago a beautiful yellow package was delivered by the postman, and I opened it to discover a selection of the nail polishes I've been lusting over all summer.

Dairy-Free Casablanca Cakes

It's stating the obvious, but London's never short of places to eat.

Despite there being a plethora of incredible independent coffee shops and restaurants, the temptation to turn to a chain for convenience is often all too easy a trap to fall into. I've had my fair share of Starbucks before jumping ship and discovering real coffee in the the likes of Monmouth, Notes and Peyton & Byrne. When it comes to food, there's nothing quite as depressing as having to settle for a Boots meal deal or battle your way through the sandwiches aisle at Sainsbury's on a frazzled and hectic lunch break. That's where Leon is an absolute godsend.

Yes, Leon is a chain, and yes, Leon is fast food. But it's not ordinary fast food. Leon offers "naturally fast food" that not only tastes amazing but is also pretty good for you. Inspired by the Mediterranean, the menu focuses on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds and unrefined cereals, and boasts options that are gluten/dairy/wheat free, low in saturated fat and Vegan. If you're in London and stuck for somewhere to eat, then it's definitely worth giving Leon a try.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Ciabatta

I'm notoriously bad at making bread.

I don't have the patience to tolerate proving, hate getting covered in dough when kneading, and am really, really good at even screwing up making bread in a bread maker. I actively avoid doing it, so massively dreaded the Technical Challenge on this week's GBBO: Bread Week.

However, I persevered and my attempt at Paul Hollywood's Ciabatta has made me completely reconsider my previous misgivings. I don't think I've ever been prouder of a first attempt at a recipe, and the fact that it's for a loaf of bread makes me even happier!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 8

Well, this week was a tiny (enormous) bit of a success. 

Manicure Monday: Point Blanc

Rather naively, I had no idea that Calvin Klein even made nail polish.

Last week I was stocking up on Chanel's Dissolvant Doux at Debenhams and needed something else to add to my basket in order to qualify for free delivery, so obviously began perusing the nail polish section looking for something - anything - to help. That's when I discovered 'ck one long wear + shine nail color'. As it's only £9 and the range of colours still left were right up my street, I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go.

What a mistake.

Technical Thursday: Mary's Florentines

By this stage I think it's pretty obvious that I love to bake, and as far as television goes there's nothing quite like The Great British Bake Off.

As it's one of my favourite shows I'm beyond excited that it's back on our screens, and on BBC1 nonetheless! For those that have been living under a rock, GBBO pits twelve homebakers against each other in a 'bake off' every week in a quest to become the weekly Star Baker and ultimately be crowned Britain's Best Amateur Baker. It all sounds very twee, and the pastel KitchenAids, Cath Kidston paraphernalia and union flag bunting adoring the bake off tent don't help dispel the image, but it's more stressful than you think. Each week is a nail-biting hour filled with potential soggy bottoms, 3D biscuits with questionable structural integrity and bizarre flavour combinations you just know will earn a disapproving Mary Berry stare. The bakers often berate themselves for crying over cake but it's easy to understand why: for some insane reason GBBO has moments that seem as tense as the likes of Breaking Bad, Homeland and House of Cards. This is serious stuff, lingering shots of squirrels with enormous nuts aside…

Transformation Tuesday: Week 7

I've had a bad week, there's no getting away from it.

I'm rarely ill, but when I am I feel absolutely terrible. This week I've been ill.

Manicure Monday: Peach Daiquiri

My addiction to Essie is getting a little silly, but given how amazing the polishes are I'm really not bothered!

The Orangery & Kensington Palace

I love my mum.

Over the past 3 years she's come down to London to visit me every couple of months, and I look forward to her visits enormously not only because we get to catch up face to face but because we're able to play at being tourists and shamelessly do all the stereotypically London things I normally avoid. One of my biggest regrets about my time at university here has been focussing too much on studying and not enough time getting to know the city. There's so much I haven't seen and done, so I relish my mum's visits as they give us the perfect opportunity to visit museums and galleries and theatres that normal university life didn't allow me the time to see.

This last visit was particularly special. I'm moving back to Cheshire this weekend, and thus this chapter of my life is coming to an end. Although I definitely plan on returning to London very soon, I'll never be in the city as a student again. As it's the end of an era we knew whatever we ended up doing would have to be special, and there's nothing more British and special than afternoon tea.

I spent ages looking for the right place before deciding on The Orangery at Kensington Palace.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 6

So it turns out that last week's panic over a lack of a weigh-in was all for nothing.

Manicure Monday: Urban Jungle

The last time I used Urban Jungle, a shot of my nails miraculously racked up over 500 likes on Instagram in less than 12 hours: so clearly I'm not the only one totally in love with Essie's stunning summer shade!

Coming Soon

There's nothing I love more than a good film.

I go to the cinema between three and four times a week, and I relish the opportunity to immerse myself in another world for several hours. I'll watch anything, from low-budget indie films to IMAX blockbusters to foreign films with subtitles. The one thing my favourites have in common is that they have nothing in common: my taste is eclectic and I'm willing to try everything and anything on offer. I love both discovering new actors, directors and cinematographers to obsess over, as much as revisiting well loved series and hoping the sequels aren't too much of a disaster.

With only five months left of the year (how did that happen?!) I thought I'd put a list together of the 15 films I'm most looking forward to seeing in what's left of 2014. I'll undoubtedly see more than just the ones outlined below, but these are the ones that have stood out for me at at the moment.