Lifestyle

Every family’s got their traditions, right? Well, for my family it’s Bonfire Night.

I think the general consensus is that fireworks are for homes with children (at least that’s the statement I get a lot when I tell people my Bonfire Night plans) but we’re a bunch of big kids I guess! We love an evening of fireworks; naff ones from the supermarket peppered with a collection of huge, grossly expensive ones that we manage to find every year from word-of-mouth pop up stalls found in remote locations. I mean I’m sure they’re legit…

If there’s one thing that I absolutely cannot stand, more so than the average person, it’s waste.

For better or worse, it plays such a huge part in my behaviour. It’s the reason I would rather clear my plate and feel uncomfortably full than scrape perfectly good food into the bin. It’s the reason I have bags and boxes and utterly useless packaging stuffed under my bed and in my cupboards. It’s why I continue to wear the same old (but perfectly good) fur coat year after year whilst my far more fashionable friends sport something new each season.

You know me, I love (thankfully, or else writing a food blog wouldn’t be much use) talking about food all year round. I don’t think there’s a single waking minute where food doesn’t cross my mind! For the majority however there’s more peaks and troughs in the interest of edibles; my blog traffic alone is testament to that, with January being a quieter month for any of my more indulgent recipes. (Healthy recipes on the other hand go bonkers!)

As you guys know I’ve been collaborating with Panasonic for a little while now, reviewing their oh so shiny kitchen appliances. To date I’ve tested out and shared by thoughts with you on a blender, a food processor, a juicer and a steam oven… all of which I was really impressed with for how robust and beautiful they are. But going slightly off piste from the usual kitchen apparatus, I was recently gifted a portable speaker to review.

My dad does well for special occasions. Whilst the rest of us in the family have birthdays either side of Christmas when it’s dark and cold and no one has any money to do anything, my dad is a Spring baby. This weekend, as I thought back to being lucky enough to just see the sun on Mother’s day, I couldn’t help think that dad’s are very lucky indeed to have a Summer date dedicated to them!

Not long until we take a day to remind our dear ol’ dads how much we love them! Are you all sorted? Perhaps life has been ultra hectic and you’ve not had a chance to think about it, or maybe you’re desperate to do something a bit different to your usual repertoire. Whatever reason you might be in need of some inspiration, I’ve got you covered with some of my recommendations for treating your dad:

One mild Saturday morning in April I got up and drove into the Warwickshire countryside, where nestled away amid beautiful rolling yellow fields and rickety red brick buildings is an incredibly interesting story to be told.

Bloody hell, does this restaurant have impact! I mean how often do you drive through acres of deer scattered grounds to get to your dinner reservations?

What I’ve been up to close to home over the last few weeks…