Birthday Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

After traipsing round both Sainsburys and Tescos for the ingredients, and learning that baking soda and bicarbonate of soda are essentially the same thing, operation birthday bake off began. Jess is out for birthday dinner avec bf so dear readers you've got the exclusive on this one - luckily Jess doesn't read this blog that much #wtf.

Begin by mashing up ripe bananas, mixing in granulated and brown sugar, an egg and oil and an epic amount of peanut butter. Fold in plain flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Then chop up reese's peanut butter cups and fold them in too (best to buy more than you need for inevitable snacking). Drop the mixture into cupcake cases and bake at 190 for approx 20-25 mins.

Meanwhile make the icing - mixing a tub of philadelphia with icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon is delish. Spread on top of the cooled cupcakes, fix birthday banner onto wall with blue tac, write birthday card, prosecco in fridge and voila - a birthday surprise fit for a PR princess. Hummingbird bakery who? Happy birthday de la davis! Eichler Xx

Cusco last breakie

Sorry for the lack of blog posts but we've been busy. Peru-sing the streets of Cusco is a job in itself.

So me and downie rose at 430am in our chic hotel



To start our first day on the Machu Picchu trek. We were greeted with this fine spread.
BTW puffas are massive next season- we might Not be wearing Peter Pilottos but whatevs.






Now it's no veggie breakie at Roast but in times of trekking (I'm an ardent trekker don't you know- kiliman-what?) things you normally wouldn't touch in England become somewhat tasty.

Personally I was a big fan of this pink liquid, was it youghurt? Not sure. Was it strawberry milk? I have no idea. but it was better than their sorry excuse for a sugar puff that nearly removed one of my molars.





See you in the other side...

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Dean Street Delights With Eskimo PR

I have been craving Dean Street Townhouse's avocado on toast ever since creating it in my own kitchen last weekend (see earlier post), so I was overjoyed when Steph and Amanda of Eskimo PR invited me to said PR/Journo haunt on Tuesday. I needed no time to scan the menu, and opted for the aforementioned avocado on toast. This bad boy came with the most perfect poached egg i have ever clapped eyes on (cue egg poaching methods discussion) and a decorative and refreshing slice of lemon. Now, as a lover of a side portion, and for pure research purposes i requested a veggie sausage as an extra. A bomb hit Dean St when the waitress informed me they don't do them (Roast can heave a sigh of relief), so i was forced to order a regular meat one instead. Not entirely sure how well it went with avocado on toast but Greg Wallace didn't get to masterchef fame by staying menu safe, did he. Down the hatch it went along with a yummy ginger and orange juice and a (skinny) flat white. One MINOR pointer though DSTH - get this dish out fast, the avocado has a tendency to make the egg go cold, fine if you like to woolf it down, not so if you're a ladylike diner and like to take ones time. On the whole absolutely de-lish, perfect company and certainly set me up for a day of appointments in the rain. Eichler hearts Eskimo.

Fancy A Dip?

As you know, the Look fash team love a spread so when the lovely Helen from The Dip Society asked us if we'd like to try their range of delicious dips we bit her hand off.

Like us, Helen is a stylist as well as food expert so we knew we were onto a winner before the beauties even reached the Bluefin. And she goes to prove, fashion types do eat (take note rival glossies).




With chickpea and chilli, sweet-beet, smoked mackerel and wasapea (gettit?!) we were spoiled for choice but like any other (read lesser) food bloggers we obviously had to try each dip several times over before being able to come to an accurate conclusion on our thoughts.




Well, what can we say. The dips are bloody delicious that's what.



Fresh ingredients, bit of a kick, the right kind of thick consistency that is lacked by it's supermarket counterparts - the dips were given an all round high five. Hey, there's a reason why Selfridges stock these bad boys..... Nope, you won't find these in your average Spar fridge aisle.



Admittedly the smoked mackerel one takes a bit of getting used to but hey the Selfridges foodhall shopper has a sophisticated palette and so do we.




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A Narrow Escape

So after whinging that the turtle never takes me anywhere, he tells me he's booked me a meal at Gordon Ramseys 'the narrow' in limehouse.

Now my first thought wasnt, 'oh how lovely a nice meal by the river' but instead 'F**K!

The conversation went as follow:
Him: I've booked us into the narrow for dinner at 7, ok with you?
Me: lovely sweets but I'm barred from there.
Him: barred?! What for.
Me: Fighting, but I'm sure they won't remember.

So I cautiously headed down to limehouse, hoping they wouldn't remember the last time I was here, when 10 of us were thrown out by 7pm.

Luckily for me they didn't seem to notice but probably were too busy spitting in our food after Adis continuous complaints anyway.

Our drinks were late

Table was shit and we weren't allowed to move even though the restaurant was empty.

And my request for adding toms into my green salad where responded with 'we have no tomatoes in the kitchen.' Adi went an almost beetroot colour in anger

At least they had his favourite thing on the menu to soften the blow.





Due to the semi hangover from the Epic leaving drinks... And much to adis annoyance I wanted to order a bit of everything
Mini sausages
Mac and cheese
Coleslaw
Mixed salad - sans tomato










Tasty but all in all a below average dine out...

Come on Gordon pick it up... I bet Gregg Wallace wouldn't let his standards slip like this #swoon #thefuturemrswallace #adiwho?

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Toast Marathon: Avacado on Toast

I'm going through a toast for breakfast streak at the moment. Yesterday i had FOUR slices, two with jam at home and two with crunchy peanut butter an hour and a half later in the office. Didn't have a hangover either, quelle surprise since it had been the Nellists MC departure drinks - at which i spent a large amount of time discussing with Mark Mills (blog photographer - actual name, Mike) my plans to be obese. for a journalist i really can talk some crap.
Anyway, this morning I opted for avacado and tomato on toast. You can't see it very well, but I ASSURE you butter is present. Housemate suggested i "put a cheeky poached egg on top a la dean street townhouse." #wishidthoughtofthat. At least it gives me an excuse to have toast again tomorrow. Like i needed one.

Eichler

Have a jar

Last night was the Nellist's leaving party. She's off to the land where designer labels aren't blasphemy, joining the Marie Claire fashion department. Anyway. In true Look fash dept style we had a right knees up mother brown to send her off. Fi recommended the bar, Casita, in East London (yes, yet again East ffs). It was the size of a shoe box but did have some charm to it and the unusual choice


of jars instead of wine glasses. Apparently this was to save space, as opposed to being east London cool (whatevs). I kind of got used to it but it was rather thick to get your lips around. In west London we use jars for more traditional pursuits like storing jam. There was no food whatsoever apart from some nuts Andrews had to buy from the pub across the road. V high turnout from the usual suspects plus some extras and one gate crasher who was abused (bet he didn't reckon on that when he ignored the 'closed for a private party' sign. Nob). All in all an excellent eve and testament to the joy of Nellist. We love you! And we'll miss you. ZA



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