Tuesday 10 December 2013

Winter Arts Market

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Liverpool is no exception. The city streets are alight with the bright festive lights and the streets have come alive with the festivities.
Christmas shopping is one of my all time favourite parts of the build up to Christmas. Winter & Christmas markets have become an institution in England, and the Liverpool streets are alive with the hustle and bustle of festively charged shoppers. 


Tuesday 19 November 2013

Guilt Free Pizza

Sometimes you just fancy eating something which is very naughty for you. We have all been there, a tub of Ben and Jerrys with a spoon as our weapon of choice. 

But what if I told you, you can have something which looks and tastes naughty but in fact is unbelievably healthy, and therefore, not naughty but nice. 

Friday 15 November 2013

We believe we can fly

You're flying without wings!


I am a sucker for unusual gifts. I love getting someone something which is different and they would least expect. I tend to stray well away from the ordinary socks/tie/aftershave for James, and last Christmas I got him a voucher for a day of indoor skydiving! 

Monday 4 November 2013

Skinny Vegetarian Burger & Fries



Meat Free Mondays is now officially my favourite food day of the week, taking over from Roast Sundays, which are on hold whilst I'm at University!

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Soup, Glorious Soup


'Only the pure in heart can make a good soup'

- Ludwig Van Beethoven




Another week, another meat free monday! 

This week I decided to make one of my new favourite meals, lentil and sweet potato curried soup. The flavours in this dish are really powerful, and make a wonderful light meal after a long cold autumn day.

Monday 21 October 2013

Vegetarian Carb Free Spag Bol

Meat Free Mondays have transformed my Monday diet, making me appreciate the taste of veggie food, and I'm becoming an avid supporter of the cause!

This week I decided to try a veggie spin on one of my, and the majority of students so it seems, favourite meals, spaghetti bolognese! 



Date Night

After a week of essay writing, philosophy presentations and general university based fun, I decided to take a trip South to visit James in Oxford!

Our long distance relationship means every three weeks or so when we see one another it has almost come customary for us to go out for a date night, usually for a meal!

One of our favourite places to visit together is Pizza Express. Delicious food, reasonable prices and the Oxford Golden Cross restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and beautiful historical features. 

And what better excuse than the new autumn menu to get us back to our favourite Italian pit stop. 


Tuesday 15 October 2013

Meat Free Mondays

'One day a week can make a world of difference.' 


I have discovered over the past month or so that Instagram is more useful than one would first believe. Rather than being purely a means of stalking friends & celebrities a like, I find it useful for healthy breakfast ideas, dinner recipes and fitness inspiration. However one thing caught my eye over all the other delicious dishes, a concept which I was introduced to through Jamie Oliver's instagram page. 

Wednesday 11 September 2013

The Orchard Tea Gardens

I only know that you may lie 
Day-long and watch the Cambridge sky, 
And, flower-lulled in sleepy grass, 
Hear the cool lapse of hours pass, 
Until the centuries blend and blur 
In Grantchester, in Grantchester 
-Rupert Brooke

On a beautifully sunny day this summer, my grandparents whisked my sister and I away for a day. A day out with the grandparents is one of those little treats I've always enjoyed, and this one was no exception. 


We headed towards Grantchester, Cambridge, to a little but very famous tea garden. The Orchard prides itself on being the place 'where more people have taken tea than anywhere else in the world'. The list of famous poets, writers and philosophers who have lunched here is very impressive, and as literature lovers we all revelled in the fact that Woolf, Brooke and Forster had sat where we were about to sit! 

Monday 9 September 2013

Flowers in our hair at Godiva Festival

I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

Once I had finally got over my european travel blues and started my summer job, I decided a weekend away to see my university best friend was a must. 
Luckily enough, my visit to see Emma collided with the Godiva music festival in Coventry, just down the rode from Emma's home. We dressed up in our summer brights and headed down to the festival, excited to drink the day away. I'm not a fan of big festivals (shock horror). The concept of 5 days without washing, camping and being hungover isn't really my cup of tea, so a day festival is an absolutely fabulous alternative!


Sunday 8 September 2013

Final destination, Roma!

When thou art at Rome, do as they do at Rome
- Miguel de Cervantes 


Our european summer trip was almost over, and our last stop was none other than Rome. We enjoyed our last interrailing train journey discussing what we had planned, and munching on olive breadsticks!

Arriving at our last hostel/campsite, we soon searched down the pool and had a relaxing hour or two just watching the world go by.




Saturday 7 September 2013

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venice

A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him.
-Arthur Symons


(Before continuing this post, let me just apologise for the huge gap in time between this and my last post. I have had an action packed summer, which I will be spending the next few days twittering on about on my blog, so please enjoy my new posts and again sorry for the wait!)

After visiting the city of love, I thought depature would break my heart into a million pieces, leaving me weeping and mourning the loss of such a beautiful beautiful place. 

Luckily enough, Molly and I's next stop was another of the most romantic and almost fantasy like city of Venice. 
Venice is quite like no where else.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Our Parisian love deepens (Montmatre's fault)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

With our previous day in Paris engulfed with trips to the most recognisable landmarks and areas of Paris, Molly and I decided to spend our second day exploring a more cultural part of Paris, the famous district of Montmatre.

This area of Paris is most renowned as the artists corner, many famous artists lived and painted in this neighbourhood, our favourite being Vincent Van Gogh! 

We climbed the steps to reach the top and get a good view of La Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Turning around revealed the most beautiful view of Paris, so we sat and pondered along with the many, many tourists nearby.


Friday 2 August 2013

Our love affair with Paris

'Paris is always a good idea'
- Audrey Hepburn


With our European adventure now well under way, Molly and I headed to the city of love as our next stop. We were greatly anticipating our trip here due to the extent at which people rave about the city. And we were not left disappointed.

Thursday 25 July 2013

Amsterdam, a city of freedom

There's nothing I like more when travelling around than to just simply relax and enjoy myself. I honestly don't think there is anywhere in the world where you can do this quite as well as in the wonderful city of Amsterdam. 


Sunday 7 July 2013

Tally Ho England, first stop Berlin.

'Not all those who wander are lost'
               - J. R. R. Tolkien

 I have always wanted to travel. I have been lucky enough to visit quite a few places with my family, on school trips, holidays with friends, but got a real itch of the travelling bug when I visited India for a month long expedition. Throughout all these adventures, my twin sister Molly has been by my side (minus one trip to croatia earlier this year!!). It just made sense when we started discussing travel plans for the summer for us to embark on an adventure together. 

Monday 24 June 2013

The Last Supper

 "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."                                                                                               -Augustine of Hippo


 After the excitement of our first year at University, my sister and I were more than glad to be back home. The fresh air and fields were a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of our university cities, and we embraced the sun with days spent in the garden and going on long bike rides. 
But the calm of being home was soon replaced with the inevitable nerves and utter excitement for our 2 week European adventure. My twin sister and I had decided to book a trip with Euroventure to go inter-railing around western Europe. There will be many blogs about my trip once I return, from places all around Europe as we are visiting Germany, France, Holland and Italy (so lots of foodie blogs too!!). 

Saturday 8 June 2013

Sunshine, shopping and sushi!



That feeling of absolute freedom from summer exams and/or coursework is quite unbeatable. If you ever see students happy as can be in the middle of the day, without the indication of alcohol consumption, their exams have most probably just finished! 
The freedom to do whatever you want all day, and all night for a whole 4 months is exciting, but rather daunting at the same time. But before the fear and realisation of what will we do for the rest of the summer, my best friend and I decided to have an adventure day in Liverpool.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

End of freshers blues

 The sweet taste of freedom- it tastes a lot like cocktails.


 The last few weeks of term are always tricky. As a student you are constantly pushed for time, trying to cram as much revision in as possible, that you start to forget how quickly the end of term is coming, and once exams finish it really bites you on the (metaphorical) bum.

My absence from blogging has been due to a combination of revising and panicking. I have never been good with nerves, I am such a worrier and find it terribly difficult to sleep while stressed. As always, my mum was there to offer me sound advice, telling me to keep calm, stay focused but remember, 'it's only first year'. I started to feel relieved thinking of '40%' and so relaxed, if only slightly. My other stress busters were exercise, and my wonderful friends.






Saturday 18 May 2013

Home wasn't built in a day (& neither was it's food)

A house is made of bricks and beams,
A home is made of love and dreams.


I am, and always will be, a home girl. As much as I've always wished to travel the world and see exotic places, taste strange foods and embrace exciting new cultures, I have always known exactly where my heart lies. I know a lot of people say this, but there really is no place like home!

I have also always known, or from since I can remember, that I have wanted to go to University. Although I wasn't sure where or to read what, I just always knew. Perhaps it was the drilling in of my grammar school education, or the exciting thought of being completely engrossed in studying something you love. But I think, well I know, that most of it is down to the love of my home. My mum has always taught me that I can do anything I want if I put my mind to it, and without her care, encouragement and love I wouldn't be at University, this I also know for sure.
 With my twin sister and Mum on our 18th

Monday 13 May 2013

End of Season Awards Night

'All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.'
                                                                            - Henry Ellis

There is nothing I like more than fancy food, cocktails and mingling with my friends. After a year of hard work and dedication, the Liverpool Foxes Cheerleading committee decided it was time to host an awards meal to celebrate all of our hard work.

What better way to celebrate than with fabulous food, fancy cocktails and fashionable friends down at Panam Bar/Restaurant on the Albert Docks. My fellow University cheerleaders and I got dolled up and headed down to the windy heart of sophisticated Liverpudlian restaurants and night life. 


Sunday 12 May 2013

Atomic by name



‘And you found he was an Oxford man’
-F. Scott Fitzgerald: Great Gatsby

(Firstly, apologies for my lack of blogging over the past week. What with the stress of university exams taking over almost every waking thought, I have had little time to think about/do anything else!)

There is nothing which beats exam stress and end of fresher year blues like a nice weekend away. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit many a wonderful place to visit my friends and family, but Oxford is by far my favourite. Being in a long distance relationship isn’t easy, but the prospect of long weekends in Oxford seems to speed time up somewhat.

So last Thursday after a long week of lectures and revising, I boarded the train down South. The weather was absolutely wonderful, allowing a stroll along the river side and a few early evening drinks in the beer gardens of Oxford. I recommend the Head of the River pub which is along the river Thames, not far from the city centre, whose beer garden is far superior to most.
I could go on about Oxford all day, the beauty of the architecture, the cobbled pavements and the little cafes hidden from the busy streets of the centre. However, this blog is largely about one thing. Burgers.


Friday 3 May 2013

Looks good enough to eat

Looks good enough to eat!


Spring cleaning, for your face


Freshers are renowned for their intense drinking and corresponding unhealthy life style. As much fun as it is to get merry and dance the night away one too many times a week, the consequences for our bodies are hard to ignore. My flat mates and I had noticed a poor deterioration in the condition of our skin, and as we mutually cried out for a skin saviour, I thought some tasty antioxidants were just what we needed! We decided to try some blemish busting smoothies and home-made face masks to get our skin back on track. After scouring the internet and finding several colourful but expensive sounding smoothies, we settled on adapting some simpler, and of course cheaper, recipes to fit in with our tightening bank balances.


Sunday 28 April 2013

First ever post



The loftiest towers rise from the ground

-Chinese Proverb


As a student, I fully understand the immense difficulty of beginning a task. Whether an essay, presentation or simply tidying your room, the evil grips of the procrastination monster are never far behind our wills and best intentions. So when I decided to begin a blog I instantly recognised the hurdle of my first ‘blog post’, particularly as a blogging virgin.


After much deliberation, I decided writing a blog would entail a number of benefits. The obvious ones come to mind; improving writing skills, a hobby to keep me busy and a way to make a footprint on the seemingly endless stretch of sand of the Internet. But I want this blog to be more than just moaning/ bragging about what I’ve been up to. Therefore, I decided on making it a quintessentially English blog. I’ll write about eateries, drinking holes, entertainment and shopping, all centred around a student budget within this great country. The majority will be linked to Liverpool, as the place of my undergraduate study, however those cities I visit to see family/friends will also be included.
So now the difficult introduction is over, I can begin the excitement of writing a blog.
Rosie
x