Stanley Park, Giants vs Beavers & Muffins!

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Stanley Park_VancouverBeaver LakeStanley Park VancouverMy back is killing me! That is one way of describing the last few days but it is all completely worth it. I’m feeling much more settled and am really enjoying being here. The first two days weren’t easy. On Friday night I was messaging people back home to say I’d made the wrong decision and I should just come straight back. However after having a few days exploring, meeting people and discovering places I’d have to say the place is growing on me. Of course, I’m not working yet so everything is going to be painted a bit rosy but I hope that even when I do start my job I will still be able to explore this beautiful city. Continue reading

The journey of getting to Vancouver and exploring Downtown

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Downtown VancouverLove Eat LiveWell it’s been a long time getting here and now I finally am it still doesn’t quite seem real! It’s all quite daunting moving to a new place by yourself but it’s still early days yet so I’ll see how I feel in a couple of days time! The last few days since leaving work went far too quickly, it dawned on me that I had a lot to do and not as much time as I thought to do it in! The weekend was spent with loved ones. I was treated extremely special on Saturday with a full blown 3 course meal by Craig and he also gave me a beautiful travel journal to take with me. Continue reading

This time next week I’ll be in Vancouver!

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Vancouver at NightIt’s only 3 days until I fly off to Vancouver and I can definitely say that the last two weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions! Since handing my notice in at work, my head has been backwards and forwards wondering if I’ve made the right decision, questioning why I’ve been wanting to try moving to Vancouver for a period of time and second guessing quite a lot. At the same time 2015 has also been scary but exciting, liberating and full of incredible moments spent with loved ones and friends that i have appreciated more than I think I would’ve done if I did not have this trip planned.

I think the worries I’m having at the moment are down to the realisation that this is actually happening! I’ve talked about it for so long and now that I’m actually doing it I’m not quite believing I am going. I also still feel quite underprepared since I have not been taking any time to sit down and do stuff but rather I’ve been having a wonderful time out and about constantly, seeing friends, going for drinks and just spending my time anywhere other than sitting down at home with my computer and mapping out where it is I want to stay and what I will be doing.
I have made some enquiries regarding work and have a few people to meet up with when I arrive which is a positive but the worries such as, will my bank card work ok? Will I be able to find a flat share easily enough? What happens if I get to the border and they don’t let me enter do stop me from feeling as excited as I could be at this point! I suppose this lack of sitting down and planning has meant I haven’t been allowing myself to get as excited as I want to be because I am still clinging on to what I have here and am scared of leaping into the unknown. At the same time, what people keep telling me and what I really do need to keep telling myself is that, I am so fortunate to be doing this, to be able to follow a dream that I have wanted to do for such a long time. Even if I go for 3 months and decide I miss Craig too much or that Vancouver just isn’t for me I can always come back but this experience is one that I can keep with me for the rest of my life and I need to try looking forward and not back.

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Pistachio and Olive Oil Cake

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pistachio and olive oil  cake pistachio & olive oil cake

The theme for this month’s Cake Club was savouries due to the idea of everyone trying to be good in January after an indulgent Christmas. I joined cake club this time last year and there were some delicious savoury cakes as well as a few sweetish ones such as courgette cake. I do like my savoury but have a huge sweet tooth and therefore wanted to think about a sweet cake that could fit in with a savoury theme which hadn’t been done before.
It just so happened that the week before Cake Club I went for dinner at Ask and they had a new dessert option which was Pistachio and Olive Oil Cake. A huge lover of pistachios, especially pistachio ice cream, I was straight away curious to see what it would be like. Turns out I didn’t actually end up getting Pistachio Cake but at least I now had a cake to find a recipe for for Cake Club!

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Moving to Vancouver!

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So I’ve been talking about it for the past 4 years (on and off) and now I’m finally doing it. I’m moving to Vancouver! Even just typing it out still doesn’t make it completely real in my head but it is actually happening. My flights are booked, I’ve handed my notice in at work and have started looking at places to explore and possibly move to as well as started to realise I’ve got a lot to do!
vancouver
I’ve always been the kind of person who works best under pressure and I’m using that as my excuse for getting everything done in the last few weeks but the truth is I only fully decided I was definitely going to do this a couple of months ago.
rainforest-vancouver-island-canada_I applied for the visa last year before I started a new job and then found I wasn’t ready to leave, plus I have strong ties here, a great bunch of friends, family and a boyfriend of 3 years who I love. Therefore why go? The truth is going to Canada has been something I’ve wanted to do since I landed back in the UK after 7 months of travelling 5 years go.
I had some of the happiest times of my life on the road exploring different countries and meeting new people. I spent two months travelling around Asia, eating some of the best food I’ve ever had, meeting incredible people and seeing stunning scenery. In Australia I fell in love with Melbourne and Byron Bay where I lived in a caravan and worked at the local market selling coffee which was brewed less than a few hundred feet from where I slept. In New Zealand I pushed my fear level through a threshold (I’m not sure I would do today) skydiving over Franz Joseph at sunrise, bungee jumping 134m and hiking up mountains where I saw the most incredible scenery not even a camera can do justice in Queenstown. I finished my 7 months of travelling with a 4 week adventure across America with Trek America, who I would highly recommend. Not only did we mange to go to 21 states in 21 days, breakfast in Albuquerque counting as one, but I met people on that trek who are my close friends to this day. I walked blindfolded to the edge of the Grand Canyon and opened my eyes to look across at the most breathtaking sight where half of it was covered in snow and the other half was a mix of burnt orange and sunrise colours. I danced down streets of New Orleans and ate the tastiest cheesecake in my life in Juniors in Times Square. I went hiking in national parks, ate hot dogs at a baseball game in Texas and stepped into Elvis Presley’s grand mansion, Graceland, in Memphis and quite simply had the best time of my life.

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Persimmon, Yoghurt & Pecan Cake

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Persimmon Yoghurt & Pecan cake

Persimmons are fast becoming my favourite fruit as not only are they healthy but they double up as a sweet treat too. It was my mum who introduced them to me a year ago and the first time I ever heard the word persimmon used before. To a lot of people they call them sharon fruit but persimmons are slightly different.
In Greek their name means “divine food” or “fruit of the gods.” A delicious autumnal fruit, they are perfect for using in cakes as they add a sweetness to a basic sponge and keep it moist and light. Before baking this cake I had the intention of making a gooseberry cake however I left shopping too late on a Sunday and by the time I arrived all of the gooseberries were out of stock. I knew I wanted to try a different fruit to the usual I do that being raspberries & strawberries so when I saw the persimmons I thought I would experiment with them.

Persimmon & Yoghurt Cake

This cake is adapted from the raspberry layered cake I made previously and I decided to make a yoghurt icing with only a little sugar rather than a buttercream filling which makes it a healthier and lighter cake. I loved the raspberry cake last time as the texture of the cake is beautifully light and with this new recipe it worked just as well if not better, I like to think, with the persimmons and yoghurt icing. Continue reading

A Christmas Down Under: Brown Rice, Pine Nut & Cranberry Salad with a Lime, Soy & Ginger Dressing

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Happy New Year everyone! A bit of a late blog post in this case as I have been half way across the world with limited access to Internet but very easy access to food and ice cream, (not so good for the waist line!) This was my second Christmas in Sydney and a completely different experience to the first. Five years ago I spent my Christmas morning in a hostel with 2 of my best friends. We had a great morning together but I did feel homesick and it’s a very strange feeling to see Christmas decorations up in places with the sunlight beaming onto them. I never imagined I’d come back to Australia again and never thought I’d see the day where all my family would be together for Christmas on the other side of the world! Christmas Salads sweet potato salad vodka berry daquri We did Christmas a little differently this year and it was really one of the loveliest days. As we had all spent so much on flights we decided to only spend $5 on each other for a Christmas present. I received cat hand warmers from my mum (bought back home) in contrast to a summer dress (from my brother and his fiancé) which definitely came in handy. We all woke up at different times, some of us went to mass, I went out of curiosity to see if the Australians do mass any different (answer no, a slightly shorter service and more casual dress but pretty much the same!) which was followed by a beautiful walk from Clovelly beach to Bondi beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with hardly any clouds in the sky. My dad put his feet in the sea for the first time in his life and my brothers and I spent the morning diving into waves and in my case getting burnt (I never learn!) fluffy Continue reading

Christmas Spiced Parsnip & Maple Cake

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IMG_7453parsnip and maple cakemaple & parnsip cake

December 15th was the last Clandestine Cake club for year 2014 and it was definitely a merry and festive occasion. I was in two minds as to whether I was going to be able to attend it as it was taking place the day after I arrived back from Berlin, two days before I was due to set off to Australia, I was suffering from tooth ache and finally the 15th was also my Christmas Day with Craig. However somehow or another I managed to fit it in and I’m so glad I did. Continue reading

Fruit & Nut Christmas Tiffins

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Christmas TiffinsAs I’m writing this now I can’t quite believe it’s the 1st December already, honestly where has this year gone ? It feels like only a few nights ago I was sitting here writing out my new year’s resolutions for the year ahead and now there’s only one month left until we start it all over again and better yet only 24 days until Christmas! I haven’t felt in the Christmas spirit yet this year. I’m normally singing the songs by mid October but it’s slightly different this year as no Christmas decorations will be going up in our family home as we are all flying over to Australia! Even though our flights are booked I still don’t believe it’s actually happening.Fruit & Nut Tiffins Continue reading

BBC Good Food Show 2014

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BBC Good Food Show 2014Grk BrosChesnutsWoodhouse Farm hog roast This year marked my third year entering the magical BBC Good Food Show where once again I was blown away by the amount of food producers, some old, many new who were there to exhibit their goods and show off their products. Kensington Olympia was as busy as ever with masses of people coming to get a sample of some of the finest produce across the UK as well as kitchen utensils and present ideas just in time before Christmas. As you can probably tell I am a huge fan of the BBC Good Food Shows and also look forward to this time of year and heading out to make a full day of going around the exhibition. With two floors full of stalls it’s very easy to lose yourself in wandering round, talking, sampling and spending your money but it’s all worth it.Casa Cannoli Interview stage BBC Good Food Show Continue reading