48 hours in Prague…

Prague is a must-see city – it has endless history & architecture, amazing food & drink and breathtaking views across & all around the city! 
Here is a short guide to the city with restaurant recommendations, sightseeing and travel tips!

After our flight touched down we headed straight for a taxi – make sure you get a taxi with the 40/28/6 tariff clearly visible on the outside of the car, and check the driver name too. (It’s always good to have googled your route too so you don’t get take on a full car journey around Prague. (Never hail one on the street either as you can be charged through the roof!)

Next time though we will be getting the Metro & Bus because if your hotel is pretty central and you only have hand luggage, you can buy a daily travel card which is only 130k which works out around £4.30 or a three day card for around 300k (£10). This gives you travel on buses, the metro and all trams too… meaning you can get a bus number 100 to Zličín where you can then pick up a 20 minute Metro ride straight into town. Easy! The whole tram system is pretty great too with plenty of stops and most hoteliers are very helpful with where your nearest stop is too! 

Food and drink was extremely reasonable too! For a couple of pounds we got great street food and found Czech dishes that tasted amazing too! (Watch out for places that don’t display their prices though as we got stung on our second day where we walked the entire city for some of the best views!)

Clout out the chilly air whilst visiting city with this mouth-watering Clam Chowder with chunky bread from @theirishtimesbarprague situated close to the famous Charles Bridge (15th century) down a small side street. Sit under heaters and a blanket and enjoy whilst the world goes by! 

Fancy Vietnamese? Then head to must-visit restaurant @redhotchilli_bistro 🌶 We had some of the tastiest food from the whole of our trip here! Inc this amazing vegetable tempura and a beautiful coconut spicy curry with rice… We will be heading there again next time we visit again for sure!

Whilst you’re out sightseeing – take a walk up to the Petrin tower, a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower, there is a monastery near by which you can take a look at and the view is breathtaking. You can walk up over the Charles bridge, past the castle and up the hill towards the monastery, and either walk back through the park, and gardens or take the funicular railway (also included in your travel ticket) back down the hill. You will find many of the older trams running along the lines at the bottom there too – so take the chance to get a seat on one of the original cars as opposed to a lot of the newer tramcars which run along most of the lines… 

Now take a moment and book your trip to this amazing city…

 

Indulge yourself in tasty treats in SW London

A short post – but we had to bring you this delightful Eton Mess with sharp raspberries and crisp, chewy meringue – the perfect after dinner treat available at No29 Power Station West 

Now is really the perfect time to start considering restaurants and small businesses that you can support once the pandemic ends, or during if they are providing a takeaway and delivery service.

Celebrate British grown tomatoes with some tasty recipes!

Mid May was #britishtomatofortnight and we delved head first into enjoying tasty british grown sweet tomatoes, with this tasty piccolo and lemonade tomato and soft cheese bagel…  Thanks to @britishtomatoes and @standagencyuk who sent us the most juicy fresh selection of these sweet vine tomatoes (the varieties are listed below)!

 

Piccolo – a premium cherry tomato on the vine… Very sweet with a distinctive flavour that provides a long lasting experience. The best in its class, a real favourite for snaking and salads, but can also be used in a range of hot dishes.

Lemonade – Yellow Cherry/Baby Plum (on the vine) A real break from the norm. A pale almost translucent yellow fruit that has an amazing flavour unlike anything else. A real crunch when bitten into and a wonderful addition to brighten any dish

Royal Star – Speciality Orange Cherry (on the vine) With a colour that is so unusual and a flavour to match, this variety provides a point of difference on both colour and taste, it is a lovely addition to any salad.

Join us in discovering some more amazing recipes below!

SEAFOOD & TOMATO PASTA
Seafood pasta is always a classic, only made better with great British tomatoes. This deliciously simple dish combines the two for a perfect summer dish!

Serves 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking: 15 minutes

3tbsp olive oil
4 British Large Vine Tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
Few drops of balsamic vinegar
160g small scallops
180g tagliatelle or linguine
200g cooked, peeled prawns
2tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish
6-8 British Piccolo Tomatoes, halved
30g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped tomatoes and red onion and cook over a low heat for 10-12 minutes, until very soft, adding a splash of water if needed. Season with salt, pepper and a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
2 Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle or linguine in lightly salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes, until tender.
3 Add the scallops to the tomato mixture and cook for 2 minutes, then add the prawns, parsley and piccolo tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, until heated through.
4 Drain the pasta. Gently stir through the tomato mixture and share between two warmed serving bowls or plates. Serve, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and extra parsley.

Cook’s tip: No scallops available? Use a few more prawns and add a handful of thawed frozen peas. To skin tomatoes, put them into a heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water and leave for 15-20 seconds, then drain. The skins will be easy to peel away.

———

BRITISH TOMATO SHAKSHUKA
Perfect for breakfast or brunch, this British tomato recipe tastes fantastic with crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices.

Serves 4 Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking: 25 minutes
Suitable for vegetarians

500g British medium vine tomatoes
2tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
1/2tsp cumin seeds
1tsp mild chilli powder
1tbsp tomato puree
2tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish
4 large eggs
50g feta cheese, crumbed
150g thick Greek-style yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve

1 Halve the British tomatoes and set to one side.
2 Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan that has a lid. Gently fry the onions,
garlic and peppers in the covered pan for about 10 minutes, or until very soft.
3 Add the cumin seeds, chilli powder, tomato puree and parsley, stirring well.
Season. Add the tomatoes and cook over a medium heat for about 8-10
minutes, uncovered, adding a splash of water if it begins to look too dry.
4 Stir well, then make 4 spaces among the ingredients. Crack the eggs into
these spaces and cook gently for a further 8-10 minutes, until set. If you like,
grill the top for a few moments to set the surface of the eggs.
5 To serve, crumble the feta cheese on top and sprinkle with extra parsley.
Season with a little extra black pepper. Put the yogurt into a bowl and sprinkle
with a little chilli powder. Serve alongside the Shakshuka with crusty bread.
Cook’s tip: This is great as a sharing dish, where everyone just eats straight
from the pan!

Whatever you do – make sure you try your local tomatoes. Don’t refrigerate them, no matter how tempted you are either, as they loose their true flavour. Do what you can to support and celebrate British Tomatoes all year round!

Have Salmon-else this festive season

This festive feast is Salmon-else… tuck into @lafamigliarana New Salmon & Ricotta fresh tortelloni. Tasting of freshly smoked salmon thanks to the chopped not blitzed centres this is fabulous served with just a drizzle of olive oil; it’s our absolute favourite filled tortelloni because it’s full of flavour, ready in two minutes and simply served with a drizzle of oil that’s all it needs!

Available exclusively in Sainsburys stores nationwide

If you’re feeling extra special and you’re feeling the pressure to impress this Christmas try this creamy lemon and prosecco recipe…

RECIPE

SALMON TORTELLONI WITH PROSECCO & CREAMY LEMON SAUCE 

 

Difficulty level: Easy 

Cooking and preparation time: 15 minutes

Serves 2 

INGREDIENTS

1 pack of La Famiglia Rana Smoked Salmon & Ricotta Tortelloni1 shallot peeled and chopped1 tbsp butter 125 ml Proseccopeel of 1 organic lemon cut into strips2 tbsp lemon juice125 ml crème fraiche chives choppedsalt and pepper 

METHOD

Melt butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat and sauté the shallot for about two minutes until soft and fragrant. Add lemon peel and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add Prosecco and lemon juice, bring to boil and lower heat to medium. Simmer for a couple of minutes, add crème fraiche, stir well and cook for a few more minutes until slightly thickened.

In the meantime, cook the tortelloni for two minutes in a large pot of salted boiling water. Strain delicately with a skimmer and tip them into the pan along with two tbsp of pasta cooking water. Mix delicately,

Divide between two plates, garnish with chives and serve. 

Super tasty… don’t you agree?

Relax and unwind with Sanctuary Spa

🛁 As the weather gets chillier what’s better than a nice hot bath to relax and unwind with some candles burning bright like this @sanctuaryspa signature scent heart candle from their Christmas collection this year! 🛁

Sanctuary Spa Signature Scent heart candle, £6 at Boots stores nationwide

 

#homesweethome #homelife #decor #bath #candles #candle #asof #asofreckles #discoverunder1k #discoverunder5k #follow #autumn #coolweather #bath #bathroominspo #fromwhereistand #christmasgifts

Hello 2019… and hello new! Dive into Everhot kitchens for every home.

2019 has made a call for house renovation, and a kick up the bum for us as we’ve had some exciting news over Christmas – and we need to be ready for another little person joining the family!

Kitchen may not be first on our priority but we’ve been looking at every option we have… and the cold bitter weather and the need to ever be a bit more energy friendly to assist with the bills had led us to look at the full range of Everhot cookers…

An Everhot is a cooker where the kettle’s always poised to make a fresh coffee, where cakes are evenly baked and where the family can warm their hands while you enjoy a glass of wine.  Providing the beating, warm heart of the kitchen, it will quietly provide a steady heat all-day while using less than half the energy of a comparable range cooker.

A good range cooker should last a lifetime. Instead of needing 35 amps of electricity – like its major rivals – an Everhot is designed to work on a ‘trickle feed’ of less than 13 amps. This means (quite apart from much lower energy bills) it is particularly well suited to running off solar panels and water turbines. (Which could also lead into our VERY future plans – but will keep the cooker relevant to our household forever)

Everhot say that their blue sky thinking means that its cookers are also easy to control and great to cook on and there is no need for servicing or any complicated flues or pipes – making it easy to take your Everhot with you when you move home too.

We spotted this gorgeous just launched NEW Marine Blue cooker (they offer 15 colour options so there really is an Everhot for every kitchen – see below) which would look fabulous in a new modern or even a country kitchen. The marine blue would look amazing in a sea/river side kitchen looking our onto the scenery.

Everhot cookers, fifteen colours are: Dusky Pink, Fern Green, Aubergine, Black, Blue, Burgundy, Cream, Dove Grey, Graphite, Green, Sage, White, Teal and the NEW Victoria and Marine Blues.

Everhot 150 (Marine Blue), from £10,275; Everhot 90 (Dusky Pink), from £6,575; Everhot 100+ (Aubergine), £7,695;; Everhot 110 (Teal), from £8,775

Buy yours now or find out more online at www.everhot.co.uk

The Electric Jukebox that serves up fun for the whole family!

The Electric Jukebox that serves up fun for the whole family!

Stuck for the perfect gift this Christmas? Then check out this @roximusic gadget – perfect for the entire family it’s a music trivia quiz, music streaming device and karaoke machine all-in-one that plugs straight into your tv! It’s simple and easy to use… and you can start playing straight out of the box!

ROXI is the ultimate family entertainment hub. In just two minutes, you can enjoy unlimited music streaming for a year without the hassle of having to subscribe to the likes of Spotify. Unlike traditional music streaming services, it enables friends and family to listen, sing and play together, powering the experience through the TV. Music is constantly updated from every decade and genre in a jampacked catalogue containing 29 million tracks. You can also take inspiration from your favourite music artist as ROXI tastemakers like Robbie Williams have created their own special playlists. 

Extra features: 

• Music trivia game, ‘Name That Tune’ – hours of fun for the family as you test your knowledge naming music from different decades and genres
• The remote doubles as a microphone so you can ‘Sing with the Stars’ – with tens of millions of tracks to choose from and on screen lyrics, it serves up hours of endless karaoke fun 
• ROXI believes music has the ability to help kids with learning difficulties, improve confidence and even aid spatial awareness. That’s why ROXI has installed a music therapy feature to the device, for all your ambient soundscape needs

ROXI – Music System, £99.95 – tryroxi.co.uk / Amazon.co.uk

Putting the microscope on the mind of a fashion superstar…

British designer Alexander McQueen’s  life is on full display in this new docu-film, out now on DVD… perfect for the fashionista in your life, it tells the tale of the once tailor’s rise to fame and huge success right through to his untimely death in 2014. Packed full of real footage and detail… it’s one not to miss for the most curious of us all…

Available now, from £10 at Amazon.co.uk

Eathai… at Busaba

Whenever you visit The O2 London make sure you stop by Busaba Bangkok Thai

This is their amazing #Asian #Salmon fillet in a sweet soy and pear glaze, spring onion salad and jasmine rice… it’s melt-in-the mouth and tastes divine! They have multiple locations across London including Soho so you have absolutely no excuses not to take a trip!

Get your roast at a Vintage Inn…

With Sunday fast approaching… book your roast at Shawfarm Vintageinn or any local Vintage Inn. They’re delicious and packed full of veggies and a generous helping of your chosen meat!

Dreamy desserts spotted!

Dreamy dessert spotted! An indulgent dark chocolate brownie topped with caramel popcorn, & accompanied by a light honeycomb ice cream is my kind of heaven… you can try yours @the_chiquito

Book online at https://www.chiquito.co.uk/book

Pop the corks of gorgeous scent in your homes with I Love Cosmetics…

Candles can bring the feeling of warmth and the scent of care to your home… iloveofficial have just expanded on their collection of gorgeous scents into candles and reed diffusers!! Presented in a drawstring bag, these make for perfect gifts to yourself & others! They are super gifts for those living the Vegan lifestyle too – being vegan, cruelty free and no nasties  in the UK made products.

Elderflower fizz is a light and clean fragrance great for every single room! I love describe the fragrance as… As the rain gives way to bright sunshine, and the air is filled with the creamy vapour of lacy elderflowers, it is time to embrace the rejuvenating spirit of summer with this delightful presse, blending luscious fruits and watery cucumber, with delicate floral interludes. This vibrant fruity accord has opening notes of apple & cucumber, leading to a heart of lemony elderflowers and jasmine to create a beautiful floral freshness.

(It truly is delightful – and we have not only the home scents but some of the cosmetic beauty range too… unfortunately not all of them… YET!)

Add to your collection of Elderflower Fizz & other fabulous scents, from £5, online at ilovecosmetics.co.uk

*Keep your eyes peeled this November and December for other fab Christmas gifting ideas!