Thursday 31 May 2012

Butterfly Playsuit

I thought I'd share one of my favourite items of clothing, that's ideal for the gorgeous weather we had last weekend. I bought this playsuit last year for about £20 from Ark.


I love this playsuit, the design is so pretty, without being too 'young', and it's so comfy! It's elasticated at the waist giving it some shape but otherwise the fabric is quite loose, perfect for hot days (and great for hiding any barbecue overindulgence!) It's made out of a sort of silky material which is fab for staying cool in.

It's versatile too; the navy colour means it goes nicely with black tights and heels for an evening look at cooler times of the year.

Ark don't have this one in stock any more, but they do have a decent range at the minute here.
I'm particularly tempted to get this one!


Wednesday 30 May 2012

Lime and Coriander Fish Stir Fry

It feels like it's been a long winter in England, but finally the sun is out and so are my summer clothes! With the prospect of actually getting to wear bikinis and summer dresses this year also comes the realisation that I probably need to start getting back into shape. Thankfully I naturally want lighter meals full of vegetables and fresh flavours so eating healthier isn't too difficult. Well... apart from all the ice cream (hey, you've gotta make the most of this weather!) but hopefully this meal can do a bit to balance it out at the very least.

Lime and Coriander Fish Stir Fry 

This stir fry bursting with citrus flavours is light and healthy, perfect for a quick summer dinner.





Serves 2


2 pieces of white fish (I used frozen)
1 bunch (80g) udon noodles
A couple of handfuls of frozen broccoli florets
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3cm ginger, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lime
Bunch of coriander
1 tbsp oil

-Cook the fish according to pack instructions.
-Cook the noodles and broccoli according to pack instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
-Heat the oil in a wok.
-Add the garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for a few minutes, until beginning to soften.
-Add the pepper and cook for a further two minutes.
-Add the fish sauce, mirin and soy sauce along with a splash of water. When the mixture is bubbling, add in the cooked noodles and broccoli.
-Squeeze most of the lime over the noodles. Tear some coriander and add it to the wok. Toss together until the sauce evenly coats everything.
-Divide the stir fry between two plates. Add a piece of fish to each plate and serve with an extra squeeze of lime and and a sprig of coriander.

Sunday 13 May 2012

Turtle Bay, Southampton

I've been meaning to try out this Caribbean restaurant ever since moving to Southampton. Almost a year later and we still hadn't so we decided to check it out last night. The weather has been gorgeous this weekend, so it seemed appropriate to indulge in some barbecue-flavoured food and fruity cocktails.

To start we shared the Pepper Roti, flaky pastry encasing a pepper and potato filling. Nice and light with lovely flavours without being too hot. This was accompanied by a couple of Jumbled Julep cocktails (vodka, passoa, strawberries, mint and apple juice). I love cocktails and these definitely didn't disappoint, fresh and fruity with just the right amount of mint. They're also two for one for a good majority of the day so even more of an excuse to try them out!
For my main I had a burger, topped with pineapple and cheese and served with sweet potato fries and coleslaw. 
I could quite happily have carried on eating those fries for ever, sweet potato is so good, especially with Jerk BBQ sauce. I tried out the pepper sauce as well from the bottles provided on the table - a really nice flavour but wow it's hot!
I recommend the burger if you like them well done - I do, though I did think this one was a bit overcooked even for me. That was probably the only negative I have to say about the meal though, everything else was great. 

Tom had the 1/2 Jerk chicken with rice and peas (which is my new favourite thing, I will definitely have to try and make some soon). The chicken was cooked perfectly, and he got loads, the picture doesn't do it justice. I don't know how anyone could manage the whole chicken!
We didn't try any of the desserts as we went to watch The Avengers afterwards so pudding had to be munchies in the cinema of course. 

Overall the food was full of delicious flavours with lots of fresh ingredients, served in a friendly, laid back environment, perfect for a summer's evening meal. At the moment there's only a Turtle Bay in Southampton and Milton Keynes, but apparently they're opening up in Nottingham and Bristol soon. Great news for me for when I head back home to Nottingham!

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