Iced Coffee time

Iced Coffee

Lately I have been thinking about something very close to my heart on a daily basis, Coffee. If you are someone like me who works from home and is sat at their desk or kitchen table every day, or if you are working in offices up and down the land then there is one thing which fuels all, coffee. It kick start the day and keeps us going when we feel that mid-afternoon lull.

I have been a big coffee fan since what was probably too early an age. When I was growing up my grandparents seemed to be entirely fueled by tea and coffee as neither of them were big eaters. I don’t mean they didn’t like to cook or that they didn’t eat, its just that they consumed way more hot drinks than hot food. Where I come from tea and coffee are a chain habit! So I joined in the coffee habit and fell in love with it.

One of my favourite treat things to do is really simple. I love going to a cafe, maybe with my laptop or a book, sitting down and chilling out for a while as I watch the world go by. When you’r younger there seems a lot more time for that than now but when I get the chance I still like to treat myself. The good thing about having coffee as a treat is that it’s not too expensive. Okay if you go to Starbucks or Pret every morning then it would be! But getting a nice coffee from a local coffee shop just now and then won’t break the bank.

Cappuccino (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My favourite coffee? In winter that has to be a cappuccino, I love pouring on a pack of sugar and watching as it slowly sinks through the foam, giving it a little stir then eating some of the foam with my teaspoon. For the summer there aren’t many things better than an Iced coffee. Sure you can get them from most coffee shops, whether independent or big-chain. The beauty of the iced coffee is that you don’t need any specialist equipment to make one at home too.

Iced Coffee

Ingredients and kit

1 cafetiere to make the coffee in
a bag of your favourite coffee. At the moment I am rocking Taylors of Harrogate’s decaffe

List of Greek dishes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ice
Milk

Recipe

Make a pot of coffee according to the pack instructions and leave it to cool down to room temperature.

Once cool take a glass and half fill with ice. Mix some of the coffee with milk and add to the ice.

Stir and it’s ready to cool you down.

As much as I love coffee I’m afraid to say that coffee doesn’t always like me. The sucky thing is that as much as I’d love to be able to have several cups of the hot black stuff through the day, starting in the morning and continuing through the day, My body doesn’t agree with me. Last year I kept finding I had palpitations, at first they were maybe once or twice a week and I didn’t think too much of it; but as time went on they became almost every day and I did get a bit worried. I saw the Doctor and had a full check up and after lots of tests at the clinic and hospital there wasn’t really anything wrong; the doctor did say that I should cut back on coffee and caffeine in general. Since then I have cut back and though I still have the odd one or two regular coffee’s most of the time I’m now chugging decaff, whether its an instant or cafetiere at home or a decaff Latte  when I go out.

The foodies guide to Brighton

 

I took a week of blogging and work last week as Hana was off work for a week, we thought we’d make the best of the early May bank holiday with a staycation (a holiday where you don’t go on holiday). We had a really lovely time doing a few bits in London and visiting friends too. For me the highlight of the week was our day-trip to Brighton. The moment someone suggests a day here I instantly become an excited 10 year old again so I was really looking forward to this when Hana suggested it. As a kid growing up my grandparents would take me and my brother to Brighton a few times each summer. We’d wander through the lanes, get an ice cream on the beach and play on Brighton Pier. I last went for my birthday treat a couple of years ago, Hana said I could have any foodie treats I wanted all day long (something which I think she regretted a bit later!).

For those who haven’t been before, Brighton sites on the south coast of Britain facing into the English Channel. Which means in the winter it’s a bit cold, wet and miserable; but when the sun comes out it becomes a real mecca for the sun seekers, foodies and families. And with a thriving alternative scene Brighton has a lot to offer everyone, especially those with a hearty appetite!

The Lanes and North Laine.

North Laine, Brighton

Jubilee Clock Tower Brighton

When we come out of the station at the top of the hill we usually make our way down to the big cross roads by the clock tower, from here you can head up to the shopping centre (nice enough but not what you’re in Brighton for) down to the sea (yay!) or over to the maze of small side streets which make up the lanes. When I was younger we would always start our day walking around The Lanes and North Laine areas. They are split into two halves in one side you have lots of little antique shops. This is where my gran would always take us to rummage amongst the independent shops making up this historic part of the town.

On the other side is the cool, funky and very trendy area of the Brighton North Laine, home to a myriad of retro shops. When I had been to Brighton with my grandparents we hadn’t been to this area and it was Hana that first took me down

Cool cakes in North Laine Brighton

here. I really like the part of the town; it is a heady mix of chic and bohemian. I’d recommend this area for its independent cafes serving everything from excellent Gelato and Milkshakes to cakes and treats. Hana got some really lovely Gelato from a café called Gelato Gusto which I tried and it was delicious! I went to a little bakery and had a lovely sausage roll. When Hana first took me here I went a bit crazy with chocolate bar milkshakes, ice creams and cake, nom! I’d say this part of town is best for food on the go, or if you want to sit with a coffee in an uber cool way!

The Seafront

Grilled Sea Bass

I love walking along the seafront at the top of the beach. All the way along the main part, stretching east from the pier there is a good mix of resturants, bars clubs and little stalls where you can pick up fresh shellfish and other fish in small pots. We stopped in for lunch at a restaurant called Santiago which offers excellent daily fish specials and tapas. We plumped for the Sea bass with roasted sweet potatoes and green beans. I thought the food was lovely and a meal for two with a glass of wine each came to just over £40. It might not be the cheapest lunch but the fish was well cooked, the wine was nice and the view over the beach and sea was lovely, so well worth it!

The Pavilion and the Cultural Quarter

Brighton Pavilion

The Pavilion was another part of Brighton I hadn’t been to before Hana took me there. I think as a child we mainly went to the seafront, the pier and the main streets. I’m not sure why we didn’t go here but it’s a nice area to sit outside in the Pavilion gardens and catch a little sun and listen to the buskers.  Across the street from the cultural quarter at the edge of The Lanes we have a cream tea in a lovely little tea room. It looked like somewhere out of an old novel, the walls lined with plates and tables full of cake. As we walked by I saw the enormous cream tea with the biggest scones ever and I couldn’t resist. So in we went. I think you’ll agree the cream tea looks lovely. A very English thing to do on a sunny day! I just about got through my two scones but sadly had to leave the one Hana couldn’t eat (sad face!).

The Evening and the Fringe

In the evening we went to a comedy show in the Brighton Fringe. This is another new thing I have learned about Brighton from Hana, I’m starting to think I didn’t really know it that well despite having been loads of times. We saw a show in one of the pubs by a comedy troop called the Legion of Doom. Very, very funny! I almost died of laughter during a few of their sketches. If they had a site I would link to them but sadly they don’t.

I love taking day trips to Brighton. When the weather is nice I think it is one of the best parts of the country to visit, especially if you have someone to share lots of foodie treats with!

Morning Summertime Smoothie

Smoothie’s and Park life

English: Gunnersbury Park. The pond and building are situated in the south eastern section of the grid square. This section of the park occupies about 40 percent of this grid square. The picture was taken from the south west side of the pond. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wowza what a lovely bank holiday weekend it’s been. For once on a bank holiday the weather was sunny with just a few clouds in the sky over London. Our plan for the day was pretty simple, hit the gym in the morning (after a little lie-in) then pop to the Gunnersbury Park for the afternoon and chill out.

Mission accomplished! I love Gunnersbury Park and the silly thing is that even though it is just a short 20 minute walk from our flat I have only been a handful of times since we moved in. I’m not quite sure why that is. Maybe it doesn’t have the big draw appeal of the Central London parks like Hyde Park, Regent Park or St James Park, or the hipster chic of London Fields, but on a warm sunny day it’s a lovely place for a walk. Whilst most people seem to stay in the smaller area close to the main entrance and in easy reach of all the facilities I often prefer the quieter bottom courner where you are under the cover of huge old tree’s. It might not be the most glamorous spot but it reminds me of places I used to play in, in Harpenden as a kid.

Near the park entrance is a little pavilion cafe where you can get the usual tea, coffee and ice cream’s as well as cakes etc. It’s might not be anything special but it is also a perfectly nice place to stop off and rest your feat after a walk around the park itself.

The park straddles the boroughs of Hounslow and Ealing and sits between Acton and Brentford. Aside from a great expanse of park land to wander around and a large duck pond there are sports facilities for football, tennis, rugby and a pitch and putt golf course. Many years ago the Mansion and Gunnersbury Park Estate were owned by the princess Amelia and the Rothschild family. I am sorry to say that I still haven’t been inside the mansion itself but it is supposed to have beautifully ornate painted ceilings from its Rothschild days.

It’s a park that is more for wandering around, playing games and chilling out in rather than being seen in an uber cool place.

But before we went to the park or to the gym we started the day with an energising fruit and yogurt smoothie. This should make two servings.

Summertime Smoothie

Summer Fruit Smoothie

Fruit Smoothie

Morning Summertime Smoothie

Ingredients
1 Banana
1 glass Orange Juice
Frozen Mixed berries (means you don’t need ice)
generous scoop of fat free Greek Yogurt

Recipe
Pop everything into a blender and blitz till you have a lovely thick smoothie consistency, pour into a glass, garnish with a straw and enjoy!

*The quantities given are rough estimates of what we used to play around with it and adjust the juice/ yogurt portions to thicken to taste.

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