Qu-in-know-a, Keen-wah, whatever it's called salad

Again a dine inspired by super chef Marco Testa. I've never made this before but turned out super tasty even I do say so myself...

And also rather adventurous for the girl who when she first moved to London had to call her mum and tell her someone had just ordered a 'aubergine sandwich', turns out its not your average sardine paste down here.

Boil up some quinoa




Griddle and chop up halloumi




Mix in with roasted veg, courgette, peppers, tomatoes




And dress with oil, lemon juice, chilli, red onion and coriander and seasoning.





Mix all together and that's the weeks pack up sorted.





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Post Look Party Carb Fest

As detailed in Hughesy's informative post (not sure what the pogo thing is about tbh) we were all feeling a bit 'jaded' in the off this morning. We all got in late...and i mean late - even our neighbouring monthly titles were in before us. Anyway, after my sausage sanger from brekkie went down, the fashion and beauty assistant pack totted/stumbled down to the refo to bid farewell to looks lovely online assistant Lissa. Club sandwiches were a popular choice but me and Rachel Story opted for cheese burgers. With chips, obvs - lets not waste away now. It was a liquid lunch for Sarah Ridge who had some form of juice - appaz nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, and I wont lie i did feel a bit sick after. The guilt soon subsided as by the time 7 floors in a lift went by it was time for a Lola's cupcake. Well, it is Look's bday after all. #dietstartsmonday

A Romantic Weekend Break

So me, Snake, Stuffbags (that's how you say it in Africans, tres chic!) and Manners hit the highway to the Cotswolds for a weekend break in Woodstock. Which, as it transpired, isn't the place where the festival used to happen. That one's in America apaz.

The weekend included a lunch in a pub, where I opted for a duck egg salad. It was actually a scotch egg with salad. Annoying I had thought that "Scotch Duck Egg Salad" meant that the duck had come from Glasgow. Didn't realise the bloody thing would be breaded

Anyway this was followed by afternoon tea in Hampers (heard of it? No? We went 3 times - in an hour. They wouldn't seat us the first 2 so the third time we snuck in a back entrance. We showed Hampers godammit) and then a 5 course meal with palette cleansers (posh).


After a really long walk to Blenheim Palace and turning back once we hit the car park (£20 entry, that's a total of £80 for all 4 of us -  you could practically build your own palace for that) we were ready for our dine at The Feathers. Which for the record is a very nice hotel with nice furniture but a bad taste in rugs. We also got an amazing deal through our new fave website www.livingsocial.com

Salmon mousse with risotto balls in a bed of "sand". Hmm...

A butternut squash mini soup which tasted like Horlicks. YUM.

Snake and smoked organic salmon.

Discussions  included whether or not the Manley/Stofbergs should get a nanny in order to get a dog (Pet's idea of course), the extortionate prices of elephant ornaments in neighbouring shops and how well the Indians do tonic water. I told you - very civilised and grown up.

Above, Sam with stone sea bass. Below, assiette of suckling pig (aka pork). 

#badjew

Hmm can't quite remember this course- it was a palette cleanser of sort (what did I say posh!)

Bitter chocolate pave!

As if we hadn't eaten enough time for the British cheese board.

After lots of wine, vodka, whiskeys etc we retired to bed (or floor in the Manley/Stofbergs case - weird).

A very lovely civilised weekend all round

A birthday hangover bacon sarnie

Today this bacon sandwich is my bff. The morning after turning 32 (yes anon was correct I was still clinging onto 31 last week) at quite possibly the biggest EVER bash held for moi. Oh alright it was actually in aid of LOOK's 5th birthday but we managed to tag mine on too.

So today only bacon will fix this sore head, and having taken the day in preparation of a MONSTER hangover over, I shall spend the day on my lonesome meaning... 1. I actually drew this ketchup heart for myself (loser) 2. I am bored already. 3 I can't even spend the day watching jezza kyle because I can't work my own frigging tv! (still puzzles me why sooo many remotes/wires are needed- Alfie?).

Still acting like a student (note 32 +1 day) I even stole the bacon from another member of my household, making for an even tastier treat. The one who made me these deliciously moist cakes, 2 which i pigged out on at 3am.

Oh and what a night. The after-party ending is a little blurry, but fragmented memories are... 'Sexy pout' zoe's army roll entrance into the black cab (still laughing!), finding my long lost pogo dancing twin- Hannah 'can see again' Eichler, Downie's impressive eye roll into back of head, and dancing on the sofa with Rachel 'so much bag envy' in quite possibly the wankiest club known to humankind- the kinda place where 4 G&T's cost £60!

So until next year, 'no blog' is signing off.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental

So let me first start by apologising for non personal pics (google images to the rescue). I'm afraid that at such a fine dining room I didn't think taking pictures was appropriate and I was also worried they (the waiters! Other diners!) would think I'd never been out to dinner anywhere other than Wimpy if I did. One of my dining partners Lucy didn't feel this shame and so was snapping away like a Japanese tourist at Buck Pal (but then she's the kind of gal who wears jeans with contrasting legs - one leopard one black FYI - so is quite used to people looking at her) - anyway I digress.

Heston's 'Dinner' is based on those old classics from centuries past (like Powdered Duck - no, me neither), which are then given the Heston treatment. For instance, my dining partners Holly from Boudoir PR, Charlotte from Missguided, Hannah never-blog, and the aforementioned Lucy Two-legs had the curiously titled 'Meat fruit' to start.

I can't remember which century this is meant to be from but it's basically chicken liver pate dressed up as a satsuma. Now I don't reckon the chef in the 14th (or whenever) century gave his menu the fancy dress treatment (they had jesters for entertainment in those days after all) but you see what I mean when I say it's been given a touch of the Heston's.

I had the appetisingly titled 'Rice and flesh' for my starter which dated from the 11th century (who knew?).

It was rice, calfs tail and saffron which sounds disgusting but was actually one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten, coming in the form of a kind of risotto perfection. I tried the meat fruit too and it was an incredibly rich but delicate orangey chicken liver pate (a bit like terry's chocolate orange for carnivores). Other starters included things like cod throat with bits and bobs, but I'm afraid that's non pour moi as they said in Versailles in the 17thc.

Next the mains: I'm afraid this is where I went for the boring choice: rib eye steak with mushroom ketchup and triple cooked chips as I figured it would probably be delicious and also nothing else really floated my boat as i do confess to being a slight Neanderthal when it comes to strange food. Others had Beef Anglaise which was helpfully translated by the waiter as Beef English (look, we might look stupid but we do speak French ffs). Anyway this was an on the bone beef joint that had been cooked for 50 hours but yet was still pink on the inside. Now, how do you do that - or as Charlotte said, "How'd d'you do that - on a sunburnt man?" Quite possibly Char - wouldn't put it past him.  Anyway that's for Heston to know and us to enjoy.

Finally being the gluttons we are, everyone also had pudding. I went for the cheese selection as I haven't really got a sweet tooth. I can't really remember what everyone else had exactly, although Han's was something to do with rhubarb done many ways. Wouldn't be my first choice but that's just how Han rolls - this is the girl who, after all, once brought in homemade mushroom and almond soup once for lunch. Yummy. Anyway all in all it was an absolutely delicious dine and a total treat so thank you Missguided. That is how to do a press dinner.


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Location:Mandarin Oriental

Babbington House.... Where dreams are made.

For a much needed break...( that magazine wears us into the ground I tell ya.) I headed to the wonderful Babb House with Mother Nellist in Somerset for a long weekend of relaxation. What was supposed to be her Xmas pressie turned out a lot more damaging to her purse than first imagined. But hey.. Only daughter and all that.

Before the obvs food lowdown Here's some pretty things in pictures.






























Is it a towel, or a chair? it's both.. Genius.




And the food.... Delish and not even that pricey!


The breakie table



Fruit and muesli ( that I think was actually broken up flapjack) Greek yoghurt and stewed apple.







A Kate Andrews breakfast fave



A Jodie Nellist breakfast fave







A light lunch of Bloody Mary heaven and a fish finger sarnie.








Afternoon tea for two.. The most amazing cookies but I ate them before the piccy




And for dinner



Monkfish with caper dressing and courgette fritters




With a side of honey mustard chipolates... Mother nellist protested at the combo... But I must of got my weird combos from someone. And for only £3 .... I could live on that shit.





All in all a high brow weekend of pampering and relaxation...




Til next time Babbington .....

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A London Fields Lunch

A little bit hungover from elderflower cocktails the night before and seeing as it was a nice day we decided to take a stroll to Broadway Market for some lunch. Unfortunately so had everyone else. After nearly throwing a whitey by the food stalls to busy and far to bright, we settled on the one with the smallest queue, probs not the best idea but all I could cope with in my fragile state.

Hog roast with rocket salad should of been in a ciabatta but being a wheato that ain't for me....

We washed it down with a couple of ciders, well when in Rome and all that.

All in all a fun outing for all until the sun went in and we got a bit cold.