5 reasons why I love Madeleine Shaw

Last week I was invited by Harvey Nics and Madeleine Shaw to celebrate the launch of 'A Year of Beautiful Eating', Madeleine's newest book, at her supper club.

It's not the first time I've been to one of her supper clubs - I went to her first one two years ago to celebrate Get the Glow, one of my favourite cook books to date.

Back in 2015

This time around was a little different as Madeline is expecting her first baby, and so we kicked things off with a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail (I enjoyed mine and then moved swiftly on to prosecco!).

I went with Pam, and we were both really excited for the food - and we weren't disappointed.

For starters, we were treated to a gorgeous 'summer loving bowl' - buckwheat, beetroot, cucumber, mango, hummus, walnut and jalapeno chilli.

I cook with buckwheat flour a lot but would usually opt to have quinoa or lentils instead of buckwheat and this inspired me to incorporate it in my cooking - it's got such a lovely nutty flavour! It was so summery and really filling for a starter - this would make a perfect lunch to take to work.

It was absolutely gorgeous, and really reminded me of the goddess bowl we had last time -

For our main, we had roast cod with asparagus, paprika and green olives.

The cod was absolutely massive!

Just when we thought we couldn't eat any more, we were brought out (the nicest) rice pudding dish I've ever had. I know. Bold claim. It was seriously amazing.

Rhubarb and coconut rice pudding with vanilla, cinnamon, almonds and maple syrup.

I think it would work well as a breakfast dish, and you could potentially swap out the rice for oats?

Anyway. It was gorgeous - the sweet maple syrup cut through the rhubarb and creamy coconut, and I couldn't help but finish every last mouthful...

As well as hosting great supper clubs, there are lots of reasons why I think Madeleine is a great person not just to follow on social, but to include in your cook-book repertoir....

1) She's so lovely and genuine

I know, people say that all the bloody time about 'celebs' and people they're a fan of. But honestly, the three times I've met Madeleine, she's always been so chatty, interested, genuinely happy and full of life. Even last week, after juggling being pregnant with an exhausting book tour, she was smiling, chatting and making time for everyone at the event. I really respect her.

2) Her approach to food and eating is very inclusive

She doesn't preach a certain way of eating, unnecessarily cutting out food groups. Her ethos on eating is centered on foods that nourish your body, making you feel good on the inside and out - I've made loads of her recipes and think they're a great choice if you're entertaining.

3) Her food is absolutely delicious

My faveee recipes include:

* Her poached eggs, quinoa and beetroot bowl

* Thai beef salad with salt and pepper cashews (this was cooked at the first supper club, and oh my goddd it was so good!)

* Mexican bbq grilled corn and quinoa with chilli salsa:

* Mexican mince in lettuce wraps (these are a great Saturday night in meal)

*The raw cherry and chocolate fudge

...and of course the rice pudding in the photos above... oh my gosh!!


4) Her recipes aren't too complicated and extensive

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love people like Gizzi Erskine (the meatball recipe in her Healthy Appetite book is hands down one of my faves), but sometimes, her ingredients list go on forever, and I've found myself Googling a lot of the foods on the list. You know the kind of recipe where you have to go to really obscure shops to get all the right ingredients.

Madeleine's recipes are very simple and easy to follow. They're very attainable and easy to make, and I've found her to be a really accessible chef.

5) Her Instagram is lovely

Don't just follow her for recipes and food inspiration - her daily ramblings and happenings are documented across social, and she's well worth a follow!

Thank you to Harvey Nics for inviting me to share the evening with Madeleine (and for supplying the prosecco ;)), and to Madeleine, for being such a gem.

Negroni tasting with House of Peroni @ Harvey Nichols

Well. If ever there's a cocktail that can help solve a sore throat, I think I had it tonight. I was invited to Harvey Nics by The House of Peroni, to celebrate bringing a little bit of Italy to Manchester.

House of Peroni create cool, quirky pop up events around the UK to celebrate Italian lifestyle, culture, food and drink. If you've read my posts on Rome or Elba Island, you'll know how much I'm absolutely in love with the country. The food, culture and lifestyle absolutely resonates with me and I love the quote "buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici", which roughly translates as good food, good fine, and good friends.

House of Peroni are offering lots of quirky events throughout November, and tonight for us was all about 'The Love Of Negroni' - trying five different negroni cocktails before choosing our favourite.

I'll admit. I don't think I've ever knowingly drank Negroni, so I was intrigued to say the least. I had a stonking cold and headache, and was brought a really warming Winter Garden cocktail upon arrival (their take on mulled wine - Peroni, Brandy, Falernum, lemon, apple and sugar) - and it was lovely.

If like me you aren't too familiar with Negroni, allow me to introduce you... 'sweet vermouth and bitter notes define this bold yet refreshing drink' - a classic recipe would involve;

20ml gin
15ml Peroni Nastro Azzurro
20ml sweet vermouth
20ml Campari
Garnished with an orange peel twist.

It's sophisticatedly sip-worthy and would be the perfect pre-dinner palate cleanser.

After the Winter Garden cocktail, we had some beautiful canapes, including beef tartare, salmon & avocado mousse.

We then moved over to the bar to learn about the history of Negroni and got to try the five variations of the cocktail. Peroni's Master of Mixology, Simone Caporale, talked us through the different notes and flavours in each cocktail.

My favourite two were the Negroni Secco (lime, Peroni, rum, campari & sugar) (pictured below), and the Fruttato (bllueberry extract, Peroni, Vermouth, gin, campari).

It was such a lovely evening, and affirmed my amorous feelings towards Italian culture. Maybe it's the Negroni talking, but regardless - it's definitely worth a visit!

It's not just Negroni tasting though, there's a private dining experience with a 'feasting' menu, Italian brunch (including something called Purgatorio - spicy baked eggs with njud, YUM), a pasta making course and more.

To grab your own slice of Italian action, you need to book on to the events:

The House Of Peroni's Amare l'Italia pop-up from the 9th - 12th November at Harvey Nichols Manchester, here's the link: http://www.harveynichols.com/news/2016/09/27/italian-living/?restaurant=manchester-dining

The guys at Peroni kindly paid for my Negroni experience - but as ever, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Being Mindful on a Monday

I'm writing this the day after Valentine's Day, a day of love and, meaningless commercial gains aside, a day to celebrate your love for someone else - but why can't it be about you?! We're too hard on ourselves too often and we don't give ourselves enough credit.

Which is what this post is all about. Being mindful of you, and taking care of you.

I'm writing this and it also happens to be Monday, the start of the week. Full of new hopes, highs, goals and aspirations but also a day where typically stress levels begin their tremors and rise as we juggle work demands with social callings and potentially, a training schedule; relentless notifications from your phone, never ending to-do lists, flagged emails in your inbox fighting for attention, life admin tasks creeping their way into your mind, keeping momentum to get to the gym after work...

Brain overload? Oh yes.

Usually on a Monday I head straight to the gym after work but last week I did something different. 'Yoga at Dusk' - an event at Harvey Nichols in collaboration with The Well Connected Company. I always love going to events at Harvey Nics, they make you feel so welcomed (you can read about other events like Madeleine Shaw's supper club here, and the time I was invited to a Grey Goose martini making event here).

image credit: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/100557004156124618/

Yoga at Dusk was the perfect opportunity to unwind and chill out after a long, cold Monday.

Run by The Well Connected, who specialise in luxury (I mean amazingly luxury) wellbeing and yoga retreats in the UK (the pictures on their website + instagram will give a pretty awe-inspiring idea), we began with a chat from Nici Hewitson, from the company, about what she wanted to achieve setting up the business, and told us more about what you can expect on one of their wellbeing escapes.

In her words; "We make investing in yourself and your wellbeing, a luxury experience." 

I like the importance they place on investing time for yourself, and everything Nici was saying struck a chord with me.

Before our vinyasa yoga class, we had another talk from Sinead Duffy from Yogandha - a small, independent company specialising in oils to enhance, revive and invigorate the body. Sinead's keen to spread the message that fragrances can be used to enhance your state of mind. We sampled a range of oils - I went for 'Detox' (lemongrass + juniper), to awaken the sense of feelgood, and 'Relax' (lavender + vetiver), to induce a state of sublime calm. I've been rubbing the 'relax' oil on my wrists each night before bed to try and help me sleep better.

Then, it was time to get on the mat. Our class was taught by the incredible Charlie Morgan. I follow Charlie on Instagram and was excited to meet her in the flesh! The class was amazing - it was a really energetic, reviving practise, lots of laughter and left me feeling really relaxed. Sinead rubbed oils on our temples during the savasana and ohmygod it was great.

Also, how nice are Charlie's leggings?

We also got the chance to have a cheeky peak at the activewear range coming in to Harvey Nics this season, whilst drinking green juice. Obvs.

Anyway, it got me thinking that we definitely need to dedicate more time for 'me mindfulness' - but it's so hard to do that when we live such busy lives.

So, when you're not at yoga, or you can't feasibly run a bath and light some candles or even just take five minutes out to chill, how can you be mindful?!

My Mindfulness Inducing Statements

I think the following statements could help you get to a more mindful place, especially if you're having a bit of a down day and nothing seems to be going right...

1) What would you say to your six year old self? I'm  pretty sure you wouldn't tell her / him they're useless / not good enough, or indeed be discouraging - you'd be encouraging and forgiving, so be the same to present you.

2) You're doing ok. Really, you are. There is so much bullshit in the world and so many people get by just on this. So don't stress. Breathe.

3) You are loved. Be it by your boyfriend, mum, dad, sister, brother, best friends; you are loved, and you are special, so don't forget that.

4) What can you learn from this situation? Perhaps you've had a particularly hard day at work, an argument with someone or maybe things just don't seem to be going your way. What can you take as a learning from the situation you're in? I've been doing this lots at work recently, asking myself at the end of each week what I've learnt and how I'm going to put it into practise the following week - it's really cathartic and I've found it very productive.

Do you have any mindfulness quotes you swear by?!

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/68187381836880369/

Madeleine Shaw Event: Supper Club @ Harvey Nichols

Last week, Pamela, Nadia & I enjoyed a delicious evening of food with Madeleine Shaw at her Supper Club hosted by Harvey Nics. Her Get the Glow evening promised four plates and a pudding from her cookbook, cocktails and a talk about the new book, and I'd been looking forward to it for ageees. We were even more excited (read: giggling with massive grins on our faces) to see on the seating plan that our names were on Madeleine's table!

Green Goddess Bowl

We kicked off with soft poached eggs, avo, kale, sesame seeds and a gorgeous dressing. Look at that yolk! 

Mexican BBQ Grilled Corn & Quinoa with chilli salsa

The creamiest quinoa I've ever tasted (it was mixed with natural yoghurt). I'm not usually sweetcorn's number one fan but this was lush, the BBQ flavours brought it to life and the salsa was fresh and tangy.

Thai Beef Salad, salt & pepper cashews

This dish was my favourite. The beef was so tender and juicy, mixed with the chewy salted cashews and wilted greens the textures were spot on! Cannot wait to recreate this.

Spicy Salmon, Cucumber & Yoghurt

I loved this one - it looked so delicate but the flavours were punchy and there was a nice mix of crunch (the cucumber, the salmon edges) and smoothness (the yoghurt and the juicy meat).

Raw Chocolate Cherry Fudge, Vanilla & Coconut Dairy-free Ice-cream

This dessert was insane, I can't do it justice in words - the richness of the dense, yet almost gooey chocolate paired perfectly with cooling creaminess of the icecream. Yes I realise I'm gushing here, but I've attempted to make raw chocolate before and not gonna lie, it tasted rank, so this is a recipe I can't wait to try as it was incredible.

The evening was just what I needed; relaxed and chilled - a room full of people chatting over really, really decent & nourishing food. As well as the food being spot on, both Madeleine and her boyfriend Kieran were so lovely to chat to - a very humble happy couple!

I was gutted as I'd ordered the book from Amazon and it didn't arrive in time - it still hasn't arrived! - but once it's here I can't wait to start bookmarking recipes, especially the raw chocolate fudge...

Date Night: Grey Goose Martini Masterclass @ Harvey Nichols

Last night James and I discovered our favourite type of Martini - wet and stirred, with an olive to garish. I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever ordered one before, but after last night's masterclass, I'm definitely going to try ordering one like a pro...

We were invited for an evening of cocktails & canapes with the Grey Goose clan at Harvey Nics to celebrate the arrival of Grey Goose Boulangerie Francois - a kitch, seemingly innocent 'bread delivery van' - that's actually the world's most intimate Martini bar!

A 'wet' Martini is, if I'm not mistaken, made with more vermouth than vodka (or gin), so gives it a slightly sweeter taste. Garnished with an olive, we both agreed it was a good palette cleanser (because everyone knows cocktails and palette cleansers are synonymous), and our favourite out of the three variations we tasted.

The cute, artisan camionnette is outside Harvey Nichols and open for Martini making from 12 - 8pm and runs from tomorrow (22nd) to Sunday 26th October - it's well worth a visit!