Ice Cream Memories

My very earliest memory is holding a bowl of ice cream while chasing my brother around the garden of our house on a hot summer's day.  I even remember the bowl it was in.  My mum had this willow pattern set and I remember trying to scrape the little men in the boats off with my spoon.

I guess I must have been 3 or 4 years old.  

Fast forward 30 years and I still love scraping the bowl after tucking into some ice cream! (Who doesn't?!)  

I often remember things place-marked by a bowl of ice cream actually.  I love hot pudding with ice cream melting over the top in the winter, then in the summer I love a nice bowl of ice cream or sorbet to cool down with after a long day at the beach... 

Living in the Cotswolds, Winstones Ice Cream is a hands down favourite which I've been eating since I was little.  A local brand that I've been proud to grow up with and seeing Winstones today and still eating their amazing flavours (that they bring out all the time) always makes me smile.

So of course I was too excited when Ben Vear of Winstones Ice Cream family fame, bought out his new book 'Ice Cream' and other frozen delights this month.  How cool is this guy?  He's young, he's cool and he makes amazing ice cream.  I bet Harry Styles couldn't do that ;)

Watch my Vlog review below for a sneak preview of the delicious pages of ice creaminess.

The vanilla ice cream recipe is from Ben's book, and the Simple Peach Syrup over the top is below.  (Then over the top of that I crumbled some gluten free ginger biscuits from Waitrose).

Click here for the FREE recipe card Download 'Simple Peach Ice Cream Syrup'.

Ice Cream by Ben Vear is published by Absolute Press, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. Hardback, £20. Photography by Mike Cooper.

Enjoy the sunshine, and check this out - Winstones Ice Cream parlour is open until 7pm throughout the summer.  So no excuses not to have an ice cream supper on Rodborough Common.  

Kitchen Crushes - Bazaar Style

You know, I am a little bit obsessed with looking at pretty kitchens and dining tables.  Some people love shoes and handbags; I love a colourful, bright kitchen, a good Belfast sink and a driftwood dining table.  Maybe it’s the cook in me - the kitchen is really my home office.

One of my favourite books and interior stylists (for my kitchen crushes) is Selina Lake.  Her books Pretty Pastel Style and Homespun Style are my favourite interior styling flicks and now I’ve discovered another, Bazaar Style!  I’m going to need another bookcase for all these books!

On the Bank Holiday weekend, I went to a few car boot sales and vintage fairs -  I just love browsing brick-a-brack and finding really beautiful pre-loved pieces I can re-love! Don’t you?

So Bazaar Style is about decorating with market and vintage finds and so much more – In this book stylist Selina and writer Joanna Simmons show you how vibrant rooms furnished with intriguing pieces from different eras and cultures, mixed with vintage and retro influences, inspired by a French brocante or Moroccan bazaar can really spice up your interior spaces.  It’s really a beamingly colouful book, which has made me think of hot sunny afternoons with some alfresco dining and delicious Moroccan inspired food.

These are just a few of my favourite eye candy pieces from the book.

There’s so many more beautiful rooms to flick though!

Bazaar Style by Selina Lake is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from www.rylandpeters.com

I've been browser window shopping.... Kitchen Crushes

Ok, I admit it . I've been on Browser Window shopping expedition.  And discovered these beauties!

I've been cooking up leftovers these past few days and really not been too inspired at all.  I did cook up a delicious ratatouille this evening though from a bunch of courgettes, red onions, peppers (that were going a bit soft) and some leeks (Mmm leeks, I'm really into leaks at the moment, stick them in anything and they make it so sweet tasting!)  And a tin of tomatoes and some tomato paste.  A slosh of balsamic and some cheese on top - and it was like melting veg heaven. (Sorry I didn't take a photo, I was too hungry and by the time I thought about it, it was all gone - yum yum.)

A ::  I LOVE this so much.  I've wanted to try a coffee pot for some time, but not sure how to use one - any tips?  I love coffee and I love aquamarine.  So this is just too damn perfect.  It's from Anthropologie online (not discovered Anthrophologie yet? Oh my, you really must, it's one of those amazing shops from America that haven't come over to the UK yet.   I discovered it in New York two years ago and I bought this really cute sweater there which has a pocket (like a kangaroo) on the front that you can keep you hands warm in.  I'm wearing it now actually... I LIVE in this sweater. One of those buys where you totally get your money's worth.

B ::  One of my favourite cookbooks is Yotam Ottolenghi's 'Plenty', and I have yet to get his new book Jerusalem.  I'm in need of some new cooking inspiration so think this will do the trick.  Jerusalem is written by the fabulous Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi and Published by Ebury Press.  On the Amazon page you can view pages of the book too!  Really tasty looking food!

C ::  I love this book - Phaidon books just do the coolest covers, don't they?  And this one's all about recipes with eggs.  I love eggs;  Full of Chromium (which gives you lots of get-up-and-go energy and iron too).  I eat scrambled eggs with spinach wilted through for brekkie every morning which really sustains me all morning until lunch.)  How to Boil an Egg is by Rose Bakery and published by Phaidon.

D :: KitchenAid does it again.  My favourite colour and my favourite mixer!  I've had my Artisan KitchenAid mixer for 3 years now and it just makes everything you put in it so fluffy; from cakes, to mash potato to egg whites.  Mine's not this colour, but I wish it was! They've just bought out a new range with heaps of other cool gadgets.  Take a look.

Right, must close the browser window now before anything else catches my eye!  Have a great weekend and I'll see you bright and early for more lovely food and kitchen inspiration on Monday!

Pretty inspired by pastel kitchens

Hey everyone! It’s that time of the week where I daydream about pretty kitchens that I wish were my own.  So, imagine my excitement when I came across Interior Stylist Selina Lake and her candy coloured, vintage and retro style inspired rooms recently!

I really wish this was my kitchen.  Look at the Belfast sink! (You know how much I’d love a Belfast sink like that!)  The pops of pretty pastel colours just make me want to get into that kitchen and bake something special.  And I’d invite you all over, of course!

And look at these dining room tables – the colours, the styling, the vintage feel… Wow.  Really inspirational!  You wouldn’t want to eat out ever again!

Selina has just launched her colorful new book, Pretty Pastel Style, and the photography in it is beautiful  (these photos are a selection of my favourites from the book).  It’s full of ideas on how to use a pastel palette, with handmade, vintage, modern, simple and retro styles.  Definitely what I need to style my new place - you know how I said I’m still trying to work out where to put everything!

She is already a best-selling author with three previous books, Bazaar Style, Romantic Style and Homespun Style all enjoying great success.  Interiors and style blogging queen Holly Becker at Decor8 blog is a big fan and I can totally see why.  You just want to hop right into the photographs and hang out in Selina’s beautiful rooms with her!

I absolutely love this retro pink coffee machine (you know how much I love good coffee too!)  I can almost smell the espresso.  Fancy a cup?

And check out this cheesecake.  I would need a serious amount of willpower not to indulge in that pretty pink thing!

If, like me, you find this cheesecake pretty inspiring - I found this gluten free cheesecake recipe on one of my favourite vegetarian foodie sites Green Kitchen Stories.  Go try it, it’s incredible (and almost healthy).

Pretty Pastel Style by Selina Lake is published by Ryland Peters & Small and is available from www.rylandpeters.com