Mac n Cheese - Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g macaroni pasta
• 180ml single cream
• 100g half fat crème fraîche
• 1tsp English mustard
• 200g half fat medium cheese, grated
• 4 slices cooked ham, cut in 1cm cubes
• 1tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch salt

Method to the madness 

Fill a large saucepan with water. Add a splash of olive oil and bring to the boil. Add the dried macaroni and cook as per packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

In a separate pan, add the single cream, English mustard and crème fraîche and slowly melt over a low heat. 

Add most of the grated cheese to the cream mixture, reserving some for later, and stir until all the cheese is fully incorporated. Add the chopped ham to the cream mixture and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. 

Mix the cooked hot macaroni pasta with the cream and ham mixture and place in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle some more grated cheese on top and place under a hot grill for 4–6 minutes until a golden crisp surface forms. 

Gobble it all up as quick as you can.

xxx

Hello Miss Mint

So some very exciting news - I have been asked to be a contributor/writer for a new website called hellomissmint.com which is coming to a computer screen near you in January 2014.

I have been asked to be the writer of a weekly travel section - which will be called 'Wanderlust' with lots of little travel tips and my reviews of countries. I will also be writing a column called 'The London Monologues' which will discuss life in the big city.

As well as the travel column you must all make sure you tune into the other ladies columns which will be covering all of the below.

It's going to be filled with lots of fun things which will enrich your lives and make you wonder how you ever lived without the sound advice of the Miss Mint team.

I am honoured to be asked to take part of this fresh project and it gives me a chance to write more which is so great because I love any excuse to have a chatter. Also don't worry I will still be posting my usual waffle on here.

Make sure that you all tune in - I will post the link when we are up and running in January. I know you are as excited as I am!

xxx

#SaveTheDay

So of course it is a very exciting day because it's the Day of the Doctor!

And in honour of this momentous occasion we baked a cake, and what a fine cake it is.

The recipe was just a simple traditional Victoria sponge but I doubled up to make 2 cakes, so I used:

Ingredients

5 free-range egg
340g/12oz caster sugar,
340g/12oz self-raising flour
340g/12oz softened butter
1 tub of Betty Crockers Vanilla Buttercream (I was being lazy!)
1 bottle of blue food colouring

 Method to the madness

This is a bit of a simple one -

Make up the mixture by whisking all the ingredients together. Making silly faces in the mixture is optional.

Bake half the mixture and the wash out the tin and bake the second cake - I used a loaf tin for this purpose. I baked them for 30 minutes and then let them cool before cutting of any raised cake so you have a flat base and then turned one of the cakes upside down so they fitted together.

I then mixed the food colouring in until I it turned blue. It's not as dark as I liked but I only had half a bottle so this was the colour I got. 

 
The next step was to cover both cakes with the blue icing

Before drawing on a Tardis using a piping bag.

 
And there we have it! A lovely Tardis cake!

 
Happy Day of the Doctor!

xxx

November Favourites

It is getting so close to Christmas now I can almost smell the fake pine smell on my plastic Christmas tree but before December comes November which means it's time for another favourites post.

So let's get started!

I have a few fashion favourites this month. Winter is my favourite time because it means I can hide under jumpers and there is no nicer feeling than being snuggly warm to me.

This beautiful rose covered jumper (£13) was a Primark find and is thin enough that it isn't too bulky under a coat but keeps you warm.

Next is this bold statement top. Long sleeved - I do love a long sleeve and I also love lions!

Look at it. Just look. How could I resist?! Another Primark buy at 10.

And finally the best thing I have ever bought, the pièce de résistance. Not going to lie I had a bit of a battle with myself about whether I should buy this as it was a little bit on the pricey side at £95 - although I used my student discount so it went down to £85  but still it was worth it. Because it is beautiful.

Fluffy Fluffy Fluffy. This Topshop coat is so warm, at the moment perhaps a little too warm on the tube, but I don't mind really because you couldn't tear it off me. If I could sit at work wrapped up in it then I would. The fluffy liner detaches from the parka so it can be used as a spring coat as well, and the parka is waxed treated to keep off those pesky raindrops which seem to be coming along. Plus the hood is furry and massive. It's pretty darn perfect and probably my top favourite thing this month.

Next on the list is my favourite food/drink. What with the winter creeping in I have gone back to drinking tea. Unlike the majority of the British public I *shock horror* don't really like tea that much. But with the days getting decidedly colder I need something to warm my hands. With that in mind I have found a new favourite tea which just screams Christmas.

It tastes just like it says on the box of apples and cinnamon and wonderful times.

This leads on to another favourite which smells so good I want to eat it. Obviously Yankee Candle are renowned for the delicious smells that they can't help but give out. I have asked for a large one to go on my Christmas list so I am very excited about opening that on Christmas Day. I prefer sweet smelling candles so this is perfect for me, although I'm sure not to everyone's smell. 

Which leads to my final favourite(s) of the month - Music. I've got a couple of songs which I am listening to non-stop. They have really suited my mood this month which has been slightly melancholy.

Berlin - RY X

Sail - Awolnation

And there we have it, a few things that I like this month. Next month will be my Christmas favourites! I am just a little bit excited - can you tell?

xxx

Please mind the gap

It is with some regret that we don't seem to do an awful lot in London but when we do we make sure it's  good.

I booked this trip about 6 months ago for mine and Leigh's anniversary present and the day finally came. I had booked us to go on an abandoned underground tour at Aldwych. The station opened in 1907 and closed in 1994 and in that time it has been used for a majority of things, not just the obvious means of transport.

We went in at ticket hall level and from the minute you walk through the door you can almost smell the history of the place and as a huge lover of the past it was quite thrilling to know I was walking in history. The ticket hall still contains all the original flooring and tilling work and is exactly how it was when it opened. 

The station closed in 1994 as there was a considerable lack of use and the original lifts needed to be repaired at a cost that was much greater than the worth of keeping the station open. As such the only access to the platforms is by 162 steps spiraling down into the ground - 92ft below street level.

Round and round we went until finally we were on the ground level where the lifts would have dropped the passengers off before heading back up again. As I have lived here for about 2 and a half years now I think I can safely say that I barely give being underground a thought, but when you are able to look up an elevator shaft and see just how far down you are it is quite daunting indeed.

We walked through the tunnels towards Platform 1 and the first thing you noticed is that apart from the echo of the group's voices it was so quiet. No announcements, no rumbling of tubes - it was quite surreal. 

 
We entered Platform 1 and were immediately transported back as the tour guide took time to explain to us how Aldwych station was used as a shelter in WWI and II. The station actually stopped being used as an underground line in September 1940, during WWII, and at its largest capacity used to hold 1500 people who slept in 3 tier bunk beds along the platform. There were some beautiful old posters of the time as well which added to the whole atmosphere. During its peak use the station had a first aid post, canteen and library. There was also entertainment provided, including a night where George Formby held a concert and Londoners sat on the tracks to watch him perform. This performance was broadcasted by the BBC across London.

The station was also used as a storage space during the war with Buckingham Palace storing their bone china, and the V&A storing priceless works of art in its walls. As well as being an incredible place of history the station is also used as a film set including Atonement, V for Vendetta and 28 Weeks Later. This well known tune and music video was also filmed on the tracks and tunnels.

We walked through to Platform 2 which was all sealed off but the track was still exposed and its the original track that was first placed in 1907. At the end of the tunnel we were able to go through a to an 'overflow' section - which was built in, in case the train didn't stop! We also got to walk through the tunnels which were built for passengers to reach the platforms and lifts but were never finished because there just wasn't a need for them in the end.

After trudging back up 162 steps were emerged back in the ticket hall and got to stand in the stationary lift where they used to sell the tickets after they realised there wasn't a point in having the ticket hall open due to the lack of public traffic through the station.

It was so such a good experience and I'm so glad we did it. As a lover of history and with Leigh's love of trains it was really interesting and the fact that few people have experienced it makes it special. 

We got free entry into the London Transport Museum with our ticket so we decided to go and have a wander around which was fun - apart from the children who kept stealing my go on all of the interactive games..... not cool, little children.

It was lovely to actually get out and spend the day doing something and I will say now as I always say - we really must do more!

xxx

Spooky weekend

Quite a late post but I was a) hungover this weekend and b)attempting to write an essay.

This is my 3^rd real Halloween – my parents also stood by the fact that it is an American tradition and therefore I was never allowed to trick or treat. I am a little bit old for that now but I can still carve pumpkins and get dressed up for Halloween parties!

As usual I went for the cuter pumpkin faces and Leigh went for a Dr Who themed one this year! We also had to have the obligatory shot of our cat ~ Pumpkin ~ named because we got her this time last year and it was just too cute not too!

We also went to a Halloween party over in Hoxton with a group of friends. Getting ready together was really fun with everyone’s outfits coming together. I had a bit of a panic on Friday as I couldn’t find my corset so I had to rush out at lunch and buy a dress (like I need an excuse?!) I also found time to do my nails in typical Halloween fashion......

I think the overall look was quite good though even though by the end of the night my makeup was completely melted and all down my face.

 We went to Primrose Hill to watch the fireworks across London on the Saturday. It is always a good spot for not only admiring the view, especially at night as it’s beautiful but because there is always a lovely atmosphere up there as everyone takes in the stretch of twinkly lights that is London. Unfortunately my camera is not good enough to capture fireworks going off in the distance so here is one from last year instead!    

xxx