Technical Thursday: Paul's Flaounes

Another episode of Bake Off, another opportunity to make a recipe I've never heard of and have absolutely no clue how to pronounce... Pastry week saw the bakers tackle Paul Hollywood's Flaounes - Cypriot cheese-filled pastries flavoured with a mix of decidedly difficult to find Greek spices.

This week really confirmed for me that I'm going to have to become creative with these Technical Challenges in order to actually make the best version of them I possibly can. The previous episode called for Gluten Free-Pitta, but even after searching in multiple health-food shops and enormous supermarkets several crucial ingredients either eluded me (Nigella seeds were a mystery despite now being readily available in both my local Tesco and Waitrose) or were way too expensive (Psyllium powder in Holland & Barrett cost around £15 and I only needed to use a tenth of the pouch). As a result I decided not to make them, instead going for normal pitta. A work trip meant that I didn't have time to blog my results last Thursday but needless to say they were a success. However, they weren't exactly within the specific remits of the challenge.

Thus from now on I've decided to definitely alter the recipes so that I can feasibly complete them and simultaneously not use up all my savings in the process. This will mean finding alternative ingredients when others are too expensive/impossible to locate and essentially making do. Hopefully this will work out well!

Transformation Tuesday: Week 64

For me, there's nothing worse than the feeling of total helplessness and overwhelming panic that my head seems to default to whenever I start to minutely veer off track. It doesn't take much to make me believe that I'm going to drown in my head and that there's no conceivable way out of the abyss - it's my fault that I feel like this (I've failed again) and I deserve to suffer. However, as awful as I felt last week in the throes of a complete meltdown, I think I needed it in order to push my head back in the right direction.

Transformation Tuesday: Week 63

I don't really know how to approach writing about this week.

I've had much better weeks in the past that have really concerned people when I've written about them, so I'm a little uncomfortable going into too much detail about the current state of my head for fear of unnecessarily worrying anyone...

Coming Soon: September 2015

It's September (how?!): the month of transitions and new stationary. Summer is (almost) over, leaving behind the bland remakes, superhero movies and epic action blockbusters that seem to have characterised the last few months. In their place are Sundance hits and IMAX extravaganzas: the sorts of films that bridge the gap between the pure entertainment of the summer and the upcoming seriousness of awards season.

Achieving the perfect blend of charm, humour and emotion this month is Sundance darling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, opening today. I was lucky enough to see a preview screening last week and spent the first half of the film laughing and the final twenty minutes ugly crying with mascara running down my face. It's sweet, tender and will hit you right in the feels: it should be at the top of your September film list! Offsetting that this weekend is stoner comedy American Ultra, reboot of the Transporter franchise - sadly without Jason Statham - The Transporter Refuelled, Meryl Streep's ageing rockstar movie Ricki and the Flash, and tense thriller No Escape. September kicks off with a pretty diverse selection of films, so there's definitely something for everyone!

Other notable movies this month include Woody Allen's latest creation featuring Emma Stone and Joaquin Pheonix, Irrational Man; Bill Bryson comedy A Walk In the Woods; and Tom Hardy seeing double as the Kray twins in Legend. Towards the end of the month there are a number of critically acclaimed films: Oscar-nominated Estonian war drama Tangerines, eviction drama starring Andrew Garfield 99 Homes, and the based-on-a-true-story Captive.

Plus, there are the IMAX epics of Everest and The Martian, both of which look like they should be seen on the biggest screen possible! As ever, click below for trailers and synopsis of the best films hitting U.K. cinemas this month...

Technical Thursday: Mary's Spanische Windtorte

I've made meringue a couple of times before, and each time I've ended up with a brown, dry mess that I've had to jazz up with sprinkles or crush into a pudding to disguise the fact that it's a total disaster. Therefore, when this Technical Challenge was revealed it's probably understandable that I panicked slightly! It had the potential to go extremely wrong, but luckily for me it did the exact opposite! (If it's not already obvious, I am beyond thrilled about this!)

I'm not sure if it's my new oven or if I've finally mastered meringue, but either way this ended up being one of the prettiest challenges to date, and one that's really surprised me. Mary's delicate layers of French and Swiss meringue filled with a strawberry/raspberry/cream centre were basically heaven on a cake stand. *insert heart-eyed emoji here*

Transformation Tuesday: Week 62

This week I completed Cycle 1 of the 90 Day SSS, and to say I have mixed feelings about it would be a bit of an understatement.

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.