Transformation Tuesday: Week 14

This week's result on the scales seemed disappointing, but honestly, it's completely understandable.

Manicure Monday: The ELLE Grey

I never normally trust nail polishes that come free with a magazine.

London Fashion Week S/S15

"London Fashion Week is so different from any of the others. Compared to the strictness in New York, London seems freer from commercial constraints. Truer to the process, to street style, to a sense of humour." - Alexa Chung

There's something about London Fashion Week that makes the city up its game and prove its fashion credentials.

London is undoubtedly one of the most fashionable places in the world - all year round - but for some reason in September it simply glows.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Povitica

This week's Povitica did to me what the Baked Alaska did to Iain a few weeks ago.

Safe to say, I'm now well acquainted with the bin in the kitchen.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 13

Finally, I'm back on track.

After last week's major wobble I'm well and truly back in the game and 100% committed once again to weight loss. This positivity has worked wonders on the scales.

Manicure Monday: Graphic Berry

There's something really magical and autumnal about a deep, rich berry on your nails for September, and let's be honest, if you're going to do it properly then you might as well hand the reigns over to Dior...

Black Bottom Cupcakes

This week it's been National Cupcake Week.

Therefore the obvious thing for me to do would be to bake cupcakes - after all, I'm practically morally obligated to given the nature of the week.

I can't remember when I bought this book, but it's fabulous. The Hummingbird Bakery has the best cupcakes around, and their books are filled with American-style cupcakes with inventive flavours, and their recipes are guaranteed to be a success no matter what your level of baking. This one, Cupcakes and Muffins, has a small selection of the best Hummingbird recipes, and as I hadn't tried Black Bottom Cupcakes before I knew this was the perfect opportunity to see what they're like.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Kouign Amann

This week's Technical Challenge on GBBO seemed to be more of a psychological test rather than one that demanded an in-depth knowledge of millions of different skills and an ability to work under extreme time constraints. 

Having to wait around for hours as dough rose and repeatedly chilled in the fridge was a real test of my patience, but it's definitely worth it in the end as these pastries went down a treat! Originating in Breton, France, in the 1800s Kouign Amann (pronounced QUEEN-ah-mahn) contain layers of butter and sugar folded into a yeast dough, making incredibly sweet individual flaky pastries. 

New York Fashion Week S/S15

"Every year the women of New York leave the past behind and look forward to the future… This is known as Fashion Week."

I doubt there's ever a more appropriate time to quote Carrie Bradshaw than during New York Fashion Week.

From September 4th to September 11th a selection of the world's greatest designers kicked off fashion month by showcasing their S/S 15 collections in the city that never sleeps.

It's not just the clothes that were breathtaking - the shows themselves were a spectacle to behold. From Marc Jacobs presenting his army to his audience sat on bubblegum pink shag pile carpeted benches and wearing Beats by Dr Dre headphones, to Tommy Hilfiger's homage to Glastonbury and DKNY's unmistakably New York inspired collection, the bar really was raised sky high. Veteran street-style photographer Bill Cunningham rendered many fashion editors star struck, and the celebrities were out in force on the FROW, from regulars Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo, to relative newbies on the fashion radar like Uzo Uduba.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 12

This is the type of post I’ve dreaded writing.

It’s the type of week I could conveniently be too busy to write about or just fundamentally pretend didn’t happen.

Technical Thursday: Mary's Prinsesstårta

When I first read the recipe for this week's Technical Challenge I really, really hoped it was a joke.

The prospect of making custard, jam, sponge and marzipan from scratch all for a cake I'd never heard of - let alone had any idea how to pronounce properly - seemed all too daunting of a task and completely impossible. It turns out the cake itself certainly isn't impossible, but doing it within the time the contestants were allocated on The Great British Bake Off is ludicrous! Just waiting for the various elements to cool enough to use takes forever, and the constant washing up of bowls and saucepans is a massive faff!

It's no exaggeration: this cake dominated the entire day.

However despite the decades to took to make, this Prisesstårta was an enormous success and looks rather pretty so I don't mind blogging it below!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 11

This week is another example of me being irrationally disappointed in myself.

Manicure Monday: Lilacism

I know I've been harping on about autumn - it is, after all my favourite season - but when it came down to it I couldn't resist one last week with a pastel shade adorning my fingers, particularly as the weather this week seems very reminiscent of summer.

Self-Saucing Jaffa Pudding

For me, there's no better way to spend a lazy Sunday than baking.

Despite weather forecasts predicting sun and warm temperatures over the coming week, we're definitely moving into autumn even though Britain is desperately clinging onto summer. However there's no denying the fact that we're heading towards a season of beautiful fallen leaves, evenings curled up under blankets watching Downton Abbey and the inevitable exciting countdown to Christmas.

As the nights become colder and darker there's nothing better this time of year than being a bit naughty and occasionally indulging in good old fashioned comfort food. Step forward the Self-Saucing Jaffa Pudding, the answer to all your autumn comfort food needs in the form of a rich chocolate-orange sponge floating on top of a thick chocolate sauce. Served steaming hot with a dollop of ice cream it's the ideal accompaniment to a night in on the sofa binge watching your favourite show.

Technical Thursday: Paul's Mini Pear Pies

This week's GBBO Technical Challenge looked deceptively easy; after all it's just poached pears artfully wrapped in pastry. How hard can it be?

The answer: hard. It's Paul Hollywood's recipe so obviously it was never going to be a walk in the park!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 10

Unfortunately, I have nothing particularly spectacular to report this week: it's been pretty much business as usual.

Manicure Monday: Fifth Avenue

This week's polish was a bit of a no-brainer.