A Right Good G'Noshing

At Look mag we're all about the sharing. Be it styling kits, ideas and on occasion boyfriends (oh sorry was I not supposed to say owt?). So when these well posh dips arrived from G'Nosh (no relation to Tony's caff in Hollyoaks) we were all happy to share the love.
The options were black bean or sun dried tomato and basil so natch we necked both.
Eichler liked the black bean, I was more of a tomato kinda gal. Either way Tesco hummus can do one... There's a new dip in taaaan.
Totes posh as well, these babies are made from PROPER ingredients, none of your store cupboard shiz. AND they are stocked in Whole Foods and Selfridges so that says it all really.
Thanks G'Nosh. You made a dreary afternoon delightful.








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Molly Microwave

Gibbs house has yet another kitchen bitch with the arrival of Molly Microwave. We have been without a microwave for 6 months, and the arrival of a new one hasn't come soon enough - reheating leftovers by steaming them is unproductive, slow, and quite frankly, boring. Welcome home Molly! £40 well spent. Also new additions are commemorative Jubilee champagne flutes. Thanks Daily Mail tokens. Eichler x

Post LFW Detox

In the words of Wil.I.Am, you can go hard or you can go home, and after spending my Friday night talking all things red carpet at LFW, I was ready to hit the bottle harder than a relapsing alcoholic. I met up with Jess and Mitchell post date night at our local and successfully boshed a bottle of wine in approximately 30 minutes. Thirsty much? So as you can expect I feel slightly ropey this morning. Thankfully Mitchell was on hand to head down to Bertie & Boo, Balhams finest coffee shop, to pick us up smoothies. I opted for raspberry detox and this bad boy did exactly what it said on the paper coffee cup. Practically ready for round two now. Once I can drag myself off the sofa, obvs. Eichler.

Submission Of the Week: Charlotte's Fried Halloumi

Coming back from the Shire a few weeks ago I was moaning about the weight of my suitcase, I have an issue with overpacking for a weekend in the countryside. When I got back to Brixton I realised that mother Keohane had in fact stuffed it with a couple of beautiful home grown courgettes, home grown runner beans, home grown & home pickled beetroot, a few different chilli jams, some grain mustard & a packet of halloumi cheese. I love that woman. So I decided to treat little Stace to a tasty dinner. Also the boyf brought me a basil plant that somehow hasn't died...yet. I made fried halloumi with a capers, lime & corriander dressing and grilled tomatoes with olive oil, garlic & basil. It's super easy to make & my little Stace was tres impressed. All you need is a big bunch of corriander, a teaspoon or grain mustard (cheers mama), a couple of cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of capers, the zest & juice of 1 lime, olive oil & white wine vinegar. Chop it all up & mix it up in a jug, chuck it in the fridge for 30 mins & it's done. Slice the tomatoes, grill them bottom up then top up till they start to soften, put olive oil, crushed garlic, basil, salt & pepper on top & chuck back under. (Watch the basil doesn't burn. Slice the halloumi, not too thin, drop it in a tiny bit of flour & black pepper, & fry in a hot pan till golden. Chuck it on a plate & plonk the dressing on top. Delicious. Although we've both eaten enough garlic to keep Dracular at bay for a least 2 weeks....sexy.

Le outnet avec le balcon.

So off we went to new posh joint the Balcon with the Outnet gang. Think a more sound proofed Wolseley. Apart from the many Lols (mainly surrounding who is a closeted gay and who isn't in the celeb world.... Ermmmm Ronaldo and his hot pants please stand up) we ate a tone of amazing grub.
Of note in particular was a double baked Stilton soufflé... think Eichler would have sold her mother for a another. The lip-smacking sounds she was making next to me were worse than teenagers on a cinema back row #getaroom. Also my omelette and chips was a killer combo (got to love an 80's classic). To be fair every dish including our apricot soufflé was done with a perfected flair. Kate even made out with her cappuccino...Jake you've got to start upping your game mate. Merci the Balcon, Merci beaucoup our lovely friends at the Outnet we'll be seeing you both very soon.

Birthday Blog

I entered another dreaded year with the red wine hangover from hell on Monday. Luckily Jess was on hand with a birthday sausage sandwich - made with award winning sausages from Burley produce market FYI - to nurse me back to good-ish health.

I received some excellent presents - a massive bottle of Bombay Sapphire from Karl (brother) which made me feel a bit queasy given red wine hangover, and most excitingly a food blender from Liz (sister), which will take my blogging into a whole new world. Pretty much Editor in chief of this blog anyway. BBC good food is calling.

Then Les (mum) took us all out for lunch at The Coat & Badge in Putney, aka the hottest pub in the world - thankfully it was due to an air con fault, although I did begin to panic it was the onset of the hot flushes. Jess assured me I'd been to this pub for her birthday last year, although I'm still failing to remember any aspect of the night whatsoever. Again - thankfully this memory loss was booze not age induced. Anyway, myself, Les, and Karl all had burgers, Liz had a chicken and bacon sandwich and chips (must be watching her weight), and Jess had a mushroom and spinach wellington. Oliver (nephew of dreams) opted for the, er, milk.

Afterwards, we went for a stomp around Richmond Park - Les and Liz were mega jels of the sheer amount of deer. In London deer are pretty sacred, in Bucks, they're lunch. Thank god Rich (dad) didn't come or he'd of had the entire lot in the back of the BMW quicker than you can say Bambi.

When I got home, Luce and Jess had prepared a surprise spread of my favourite food - that's cheese - and prosecco. They bought me some lovely flowers, and then we sat in our pyjamas eating the birthday cake made by Les and watching four weddings and a funeral. Doesn't get more rock n roll than this gals.

THEN the next day I had a lovely spread at work and was given my very first Diptyque candle by team LOOK.

S Club 27 ain't so bad really. Still one of the youngest at work anyway, age brackets all over the shop.

Eichler x

THE MOTHER LAND

I got emotional when high street fashion store Esprit asked me to go to my mother land Germany. Yes, dear readers, my surname really is as exotic as it sounds.

So myself and some other journos (lucked out when Nellist and Lucy Reber, Red mags shopping ed extraordinaire got an invite too #dreamteam).

Given the fact that childhood trips to Germany involved a diet of Nutella sandwiches, bratwurst, teddybear ham, gherkins, and was the location of the very first time I ate cow tongue and also a dog biscuit (not in the same meal), whilst my relatives booze cupboards contained bottles with such high alcohol content they had skull and cross bones printed on the front, I knew what to expect. Us Germans have got the fine cuisine thing down.

So a cheese baguette on the plane and FRENCH fancies in the bedroom (cakes not antics) weren't the best start.

However, things improved beyond my wildest dreams at the Esprit party, with a spread to end all spreads (LOOK mag birthday spreads aside, obvs).
There was literally a food stand for every possible taste - chinese, indian, mini burgers, italian, salad bar, general meat bar, cheese, puddings. My god it was good. I loved the attention to detail too, all the glasses and crockery were mismatched. I assume this was a nod to the shabby chic look, not an attempt to cut corners to supply for the colossal quantity of booze, the champers quite literally flowed all night, a bit like Nellist's love for Mark Ronson who performed at the do and did an excellent job of avoiding any form of eye contact with Nellist, despite her attempts.

On the way out we checked out the pudding bar, and had mega lolz with Jodie sinking her finger into a perfs chocolate tart and me smearing said tart all over my face. Appaz we didn't get the memo about it being rude to play with our food. I really hope my mum isn't reading this.

Danke, Deutschland! Eichler Xxxxxxxxxxx

A Surrey Sunday

I love being single and bored. I can ruin my loved up friends nesting by gatecrashing their Sunday lunches.

Last Sunday, I hit up Surrey for lunch with Jess and the man in her life Harry Windsor. I mean, Mark Mitchell. We went to The Dolphin, Mitchell's local - where it would appear he knows everyone, including the bar staff quite intimately I understand. Sorry Jess.

Mitchell ordered the burger, although failed to use a knife and fork or hands for that matter. Brought up or dragged up? #carnivorous.

I had the delicious roast beef, and Jess had roast butternut squash. Absolute let down of a roast dinner if you ask me, she's not even a vegetarian. The apple and rhubarb crumble was a bit disappointing, and Jess agreed. "I've been eating home made crumbles for 26 years, and that is not a crumble."
Mitchells cheeseboard was far more tempting however, especially with the creation of his ground breaking 'super cracker.' cheese on cheese, topped with celery and strawberries. He EVEN saved half of it for Jess. Now that's what I call love 2012.
Eichler x

A breakfast graze with M&S

To prove that I am not in fact, an urban fashion myth, The Bean aka the blogs biggest fan (she has it bookmarked on her phone) asked me to out to brekkie at the Grazing Goat on Thursday. Not quite sure who, she thought, was borrowing copious amounts of samples from store each week but I suppose those high street catwalks do look unbelievably good.

On the food front, newly wed Kerry opted for avocado on toast, I'm a bit hungover Nat went for mushrooms on toast, and I had spicy sausage bubble and squeak with poached egg. And whilst the dining experience was excellent as always, I always like going to breakfast with M&S as it's always a good excuse to sit down and have a good old gossip. Like I need one working at britain's biggest selling fashion weekly. Grazia who?

I also learned about some exciting food based prospects at Your M&S, including melon flavoured grapes and a scotch egg with a runny egg. Yep, a runny egg. Really hope that news isn't embargoed, the daily mail will have my guts for their old lady garters. Looking forward to sampling that bad boy - the scotch egg, not the garters.

Same time next week gals?
The Real Hannah Eichler x

The Woodland Hen Wonderland

So.. The Andrews is getting wed, and I was given the responsibility of organising, the London hen. So to fit in with the Woodland theme wedding I decided to throw a 'wind in the willows' themed hen.
Her favourite book? Errrrrrm well she's never read it but I'm sure she'd like it anyway. Actually scrap that if it's not written by jilly cooper she just ain't interested. #highbrow #yesshedidgetafirstatuni
The day started off at the babestation barge owned by toppers, the most eligible bachelor in London. Form a queue gals this ones a keeper.




I was badger .... Obvs, fi rabbit for teeth reasons and Kate was in a wedding dress Jill found for £20 in Newcastle. You've gotta love the north (also weirdly this isn't that dissimilar to Kate's actual dress, look away snake)
After the Lolz on the barge, and what Lolz they were, it's not often you'll see zexxxy aird in a 3/4 length short, pulled up socks and a loafer. We headed to change studios, courtesy of jonny storey where Emma Edwards, event organiser extrodinaire had decked the whole place out like a forest... It looked amaze.. So good infact Kate didn't speak for the first 20 mins and just sat in awe. Beat that Richmond posse.




We sat down to the woodland dine, take a theme and run with it that's what I say.
We were greeted with wild
Berry bellinis








And then chowed down on Wild mushrooms, oak smoked salmon, berry frangipani this meal was off da hook.




All the little animals were happy.




















The bride still in awe- but impressed I catered the full menu to her tastes and not mine.. Well to be hons I'm not sure
You could forage for chicken Kiev and chips.


After this the picture taking stopped, the dancing started, the classic party trick of spinning Eichler round on the floor like a turned over tortoise began.
Kate threw her bouquet about 8 times which Aird continued to catch.... Errrrm Nate dawg she's trying to tell you something.....
Walking through hoxton to get a cab home dressed as a badger seemed normal by the end of the night... But then again there was probs a couple of east London twats dreSsed the same way.
Amazing hen... Bring on the wedding. Baton has passed, let's just hope youre party plannings as good as mine andrews.
Tune in for tales of the woodland part 2. Out November. Eeeeeeek NELLIST
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone