Technical Thursday: Paul's Baguettes

If I was on The Great British Bake Off, last week would undoubtedly have been my last in the tent. Bread really is my nemesis, and Paul Hollywood's Baguettes almost defeated me this week. After two days in the kitchen I emerged downtrodden, baffled and quite frankly bored with the whole process.

And, to add insult to injury I was left with 8 loaves of ciabatta that looked nothing like the intended baguettes. What a disaster.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 61

From a blogging point of view I really dread these weeks  - the ones when everything plods along as normal - as such uneventful weeks really do translate to horrendously boring posts.

Apologies in advance...

Technical Thursday: Paul's Arlettes

Last week was biscuit week on The Great British Bake Off, and the weekend in the tent was bookended by variations of biscotti in the Signature Bake and intricate biscuit boxes in the Showstopper. In the middle though, was the humble Technical Challenge where the bakers were tasked with creating 8 of Paul Hollywood's Arlettes - "classic" French wafer-thin cinnamon biscuits.

I thought this would be particularly tricky as I really don't have the patience for waiting for dough to chill in the fridge repeatedly, but it ended up being reminiscent of last year's Schichttorte - lots of relatively easy steps that lead to a striking yet simple bake.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 60

Surprisingly (not really) I’ve continued to take to Cycle 1 extremely well, and have continued in the same manner as last weeks post… Who am I?!

Technical Thursday: Mary's Frosted Walnut Cake

Guess what's back...

Technical Thursday, woop woop!

Admittedly, it's not half as original this time around as everybody in Britain seems to be doing exactly the same thing and baking along with the new series of The Great British Bake Off too... I don't mind though: I think it's fantastic that baking has become so popular!

I love the Technical Challenges, and I'm hoping this series has just as many bizarre, fiendishly difficult and beautiful concoctions as the last. I'm definitely a better baker because of my previous attempt at these, so fingers crossed the coming months provide even more of an education into all things bread, pastry, biscuits, cake and everything in between.

So, without further ado: here's my version of the very first Technical Challenge of the series, Mary Berry's Frosted Walnut Cake.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 59

Now I have the first week of The Body Coach's 90 Day SSS plan under my belt, I think I can admit that I'm feeling pretty fantastic about it all. What is happening?!

The Ciné File Vol. 36

After an unexpectedly long absence, The Ciné File is back! Woop woop!

As it's been nearly a month, reviewing absolutely everything I'd seen would make for a pretty lengthy post, so instead I'm just sticking to films currently in cinemas this week. Plus, as life seems to be constantly getting the better of me, The Ciné File is going to be a little different from now on... all will be explained below!

The films reviewed this week are:

Ant-Man (4*) // Self-Less (2*) // Eden (4*) // Slow West (3*) // Southpaw (3*) // Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (5*) // Fantastic Four (2*)

Transformation Tuesday: Week 58

This week went well!

I'm now officially no longer doing LighterLife, and I've started The Body Coach's 90 Day SSS. If that's not progress then I don't know what is!

Coming Soon: August 2015

Summer - if you can even call it that: the north is freezing - is in full swing, and with it comes a slew of blockbusters, quirky indie films and yet another nail in the coffin of Adam Sandler's career... Whether the cinema is the ideal place to hide from the heat or take solace from the rain, it's definitely the place to be this August!

Continuing with this bizarre new tradition of unnecessary reboots, Fantastic Four hits screens next week with a stellar new cast; the Griswolds go on holiday yet again even though I think at this stage everyone wishes they wouldn't in Vacation; and Guy Ritchie brings the Cold War back with a stylish and action-packed remake of the classic 1960s espionage series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

However, all is not lost as August also offers a number of brilliant original films (hooray!). In a controversial twist, The Diary of a Teenage Girl was granted an 18 rating last week by the BBFC, thus alienating the majority of its intended audience. It's been met with widespread critical acclaim, so if you're lucky enough to be over the age limit then it looks like it's well worth a watch. Two fearless American comediennes steal the spotlight this month, writing and starring in vastly different yet equally unmissable movies: Greta Gerwig in Mistress America and Amy Schumer in Trainwreck. Then there's the latest John Green young adult adaptation featuring model of the moment Cara Delevingne, Paper Towns; and the birth of NWA in Straight Outta Compton.

Plus, most excitingly, 45 Years is released both in cinemas and on demand. The moving martial drama won Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay the Silver Bears for Best Actress and Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, and with an overwhelming positive reception it's safe to say that it's the must-watch film of the month.