Brunching and Lunching

With the sudden realisation of how quickly my time in Newcastle is going, I promised myself that I would make the most of this year. 

Until recently I've always thought that Newcastle only really has the generic, chain cafes and restaurants. Admittedly, the unique places are well hidden, however they're definitely worth the search. 

This week I've had my fair share of brunching and lunching, starting at Olive and Bean. 

'Olive and Bean is a coffee shop, bespoke sandwich bar and delicatessen all rolled into one'

Escaping from the library, Becca and I went to Olive and Bean for lunch. With an extensive menu, we were spoilt for choice and the decision was hard. I settled for the homemade humous, falafel and sun-blushed tomato salad and it did not disappoint.

The selection of sweet treats was too much. Cakes, tiffin, brownies, cheesecake - they had it all. As always, our eyes were far bigger than our stomachs. Not letting anything go to waste, we resorted to taking doggy bags home!

Next was birthday brunch at Jam Jar in Jesmond. Having been for dinner before, I had no doubt that brunch would be equally as good. Serving full english, pancakes and eggs florentine, Jam Jar is the perfect wake up call. 

Last up was lunch at ARLO, also in Jesmond. This bistro and cafe is a real hidden beauty. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, ARLO is decorated in a quirky yet quaint way. 

This was the perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. Catering for all, the lunch menu offers soup, sandwiches, quiche, salads and more. Make sure you leave room for the amazing cakes!

The Sloppy Lola 

Toulouse sausage Bolognese, toasted ciabatta, melted cheddar, salad & crisps

Crumbled Feta, Hummus, Sun blushed Tomato and Roast Vegetable Soft Open Tortilla

Homemade Gifts

It's January which means it's exam time.

Luckily this year I only have one exam so I'm making the most of my time at home, taking the more chilled approach to revision...

I decided to use my time productively and with one of my closest friends birthdays just around the corner, I got creative. 

I've always been a fan of homemade presents, it's such a great way to save money and add a personal touch. Some things - cushions in particular are often nicer when made yourself as you can choose the material you like and add whatever you fancy.

Having never made one myself, I took on the challenge of making a cushion. 

Mum and I made use of material we already had, along with a selection of buttons which I decided to use to form a heart for the centre of the cushion. 

Putting my hand sewing skills to test, I sewed on each button individually - turns out secondary school textiles classes were useful after all.

And there we have it, a homemade present which looks just as good as anything shop-bought! 

Gingerbread Grotto

Christmas at home means one thing - food galore.

After many years of failed attempts at Gingerbread houses, we decided to give it another go.

Mary Berry did us proud and provided us with the perfect recipe. 

All you need is..

375g unsalted butter

300 g dark muscovado sugar 

150g golden syrup

900g plain flour

1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tbsp ground ginger

And of course, anything you fancy to decorate your creation with (chocolate buttons, jazzies, smarties)

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a large pan

 Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger together

Make a well and pour the melted butter into the flour mixture

Mix until incorporated, then knead into a firm dough

Split the dough into 5 even sections

Roll each piece out so its approximately 3/4cm thick. Use the template and cut around each piece using a sharp knife

Do this for each section - the front, back, sides and roof

Place on greaseproof paper and bake for 8 minutes, take out the oven and trim the edges. Place back until golden brown and firm

  

Remember to use all the trimmings to make the chimney, christmas trees, gingerbread men, snowmen, whatever you fancy

Whilst waiting to cool, make your royal icing using 3 egg whites, 675g icing sugar and 3 tbsp of lemon juice. Make sure you beat until very stiff - it is the key to assemble your entire house!

Use the icing to stick on any decorations and create the tiling for your roof

Pipe the icing onto all edges and assemble carefully. Be generous with the icing and hold it together to make sure it sticks properly (help will be needed)

Use the frosting to create a snow effect on all edges

The Chau's gingerbread grotto

University Preparations

Living in halls for the past year was so much fun and don't get me wrong I wouldn't have done it any other way. However, being in a boxy room whilst sharing toilets, showers and a kitchen between 20 girls wasn't quite so fun.

So as you can imagine, I am very much looking forward to moving into a house with 6 of my closest friends. Obviously when you're renting a house it's difficult to decorate the rooms as you're pretty restricted with what you can change. Wanting to make my bedroom my own, I decided that bunting would be a nice touch. 

Having never sewn before, I set myself the challenge of making my own bunting using a vintage tablecloth which we found on eBay. 

Cut out a series of triangles from the patterned fabric

Take two fabric triangles (I used an old bed sheet for the back of the bunting) and place them with their right sides facing inwards. Stitch them together leaving the top open. 

Trim the seam at the lower edge of the triangle point

Turn the right sides out and press with an iron

Now assemble the bunting. To make your binding fold a strip of cotton tape (2.5cm wide)  in half  lengthways and press with an iron

Place the top edge of each triangle inside the folded binding and sew through the binding and triangles

Make sure that the triangles are evenly spaced along the binding and you leave length at either end for hanging