Shoes. Who doesn’t love them? From Casual Flats to Killer Heels…. all girls love them, some more than others. Personally, I have a love hate relationship with shoes. In my younger years, I used to walk around for hours in 5 inch heels with no problem, I could walk all around the malls in Kuwait with my killer heels, my feet never once hurt.

Fast forward a good few years later & a fractured coccyx, I had to give up my love of killer heels. I now rarely wear them because my feet & back end up killing me after an hour. It’s a shame really, why do killer heels need to look so pretty? Christian Louboutin teases me with shoes that I can never wear.

Instead, the 5’7 me wears flats on a day to day basis. Sure, I’m tall enough to not really need heels, but sometimes you want a little boost. Right?

In my work place, heels are not wise, especially with the amount of walking you need to do from one end to the other to get a good cup of coffee & food, so flats are the best thing ever to guarantee pain free toes. I was recently asked by Next to review a pair of shoes from their online collection. What girl could say no to a pair of shoes? Not me that’s for sure!

After browsing hundreds of shoes, wondering if I should get a pair of killer heels then being unable to walk in them, the practical me decided to get a pair of tan coloured loafers (approx £18) which I can colour co-ordinate with black & tan clothes (I’m a huge believer in colour co-ordination FYI!) in the office. Flat, so the potential of ripping my feet apart is limited & of course a pair that look good (you do get some hideous flat shoes!).

48 hours after ordering, they arrived at home. I took them out the box and my first thought was that they look even better than in the photograph online. The colour is a very intense tan colour which looks great with the clothes that I’d co-ordinate the shoes with. I tried them on and walked up and down the hall way to break them in a little.

Normally with wearing shoes for the first time, your feet would hurt after a while, but this was not the case with these shoes. Even after walking around for a good hour, my feet didn’t pinch, my heels didn’t rub or start burning which normally happens to me.

I ordered a Size 7 (41) and sometimes, depending on the style they can fit perfectly or be too tight, these fit perfectly. I was a little hesitant at first after I ordered the size, then I thought to myself, if they don’t fit me perfectly, then my mom could have them as she is a perfect Size 7.

Luckily for me, my mom never got to steal the shoes. She did however, model them for me so I could take photographs….

I have since worn the shoes to work several times, walked from one end of the campus to the other, went shopping after work in them & my feet are still in one piece, for a change! They were a great work wear choice & I’ve purchased a few other pairs of flat shoes from Next with the same pain free results.

Perfect.

Have you ever been to a Restaurant which leaves a lasting impression on you & your friends for days, weeks and months? A Restaurant you can’t stop thinking about and recommend to everybody and anybody who’d listen.

Piccolino’s in Newcastle is just that.

A few months ago, I was recommended Piccolino’s by Club Individual while I was away on Business in Newcastle for 2 months. As a lover of one of their sister Restaurants, The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Glasgow, I couldn’t say no!

Via twitter, I booked a table (always handy!) for my friends who recently moved to Newcastle & myself. When we arrived, we were sat at the bar & given glasses of complimentary Rose Prosecco before sitting down and ordering. Looking at the menu, there was a lot of variety & it was hard choosing. I think we spent a good 15 minutes trying to pick!

For Starters, I ordered Calamari Fritti (£6.95), my friend Emma ordered Bruschetta Con Pomodoro (£5.25) & her husband Rory ordered Caprese which is a Tomato & Mozzarella Salad (£6.75). The dishes were presented beautifully, I instantly fell in love with the Calamari & the homemade mayonnaise which accompanied it. If I really had to find fault, the batter of the Calamari was a little too salty for my personal taste but it didn’t stop me from loving every single bite.

My friends loved their Starters as well. The Mozzarella was fresh, the basil pesto drizzled over it teased your mouth with a whole lot of flavours. The Bruschetta was equally as good. The amount of garlic on the tomatoes was perfect, very ripe, fresh and it was a great size as well. Usually when you order Bruschetta, it is usually too small or too big.

After the plates were taken away, our Main Courses arrived around 10 minutes later, the perfect amount of time to wait I think, not too soon so you are still digesting food & not too long that you are starving. It was really hard for me to choose my Main but I decided to try Linguine ai Gamberetti which is Sautéed King Prawns, Chilli, Garlic & Parsley (£12.50). Emma ordered Nodino di Vitello which is a 12oz Veal Chop, grilled with Rosemary & Lemon Butter and Hand Cut Fries (£21.95). Rory ordered one of the specials of the day which I don’t honestly remember the name of but it was a white fish (sea bass maybe?) oven cooked in baking parchment paper alongside herbs, garlic, vegetables & capers.

My main course was full of flavour, the linguine was cooked perfectly to my liking, the prawns were a great size & they didn’t scrape on the quantity I was served either. The thing I loved most about my order was the fact that minimal ingredients were used in something that had so much flavour, good simple food.

Emma’s Veal was literally to die for. I had a good few slices of it after begging her to try it & I have to tell you, I instantly fell in love. To me, that dish alone summed up my love of Piccolino in a few bites. Can you literally be that in love with a veal chop? Hell yes. It was very simple, full of flavour & cooked perfectly. Emma was also madly in love with her Veal Chop and also loved the mayo I had with my Calamari so much she asked the waiter if she could have some so she could dip her fries in it LOL. Oh it was good. So good.

Rory’s fishy dish (sorry I have no clue what it was!) was nice. I’m not a huge fan of fish so I never tried it but he really enjoyed it. The amount of capers that the fish was cooked in, made it very salty but not overpowering. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, melting in your mouth & the dish was a good size. Once again, the dish was full of flavour. Sometimes with fish, it can be very bland but this was not the case at Piccolino.

Main Courses done & it was safe to say that we were all stuffed. I wasn’t going to have any dessert, however, as soon as I saw that they had Pistachio Gelato (£5.50) on the menu, my eyes instantly lit up. How could I not eat my favourite gelato? I adore anything Pistachio. The Gelato was so smooth and creamy, I could have eaten more but alas, other than licking the bowl clean or ordering more Gelato, I didn’t I would have loved Pistachio Gelato with little grounded bits of Pistachio through it instead of being all smooth, but hey…. smooth is just as good! It was served with a Pistachio Biscotti which was nice & crunchy. Maybe the next time I go, they’ll have little bits in the Gelato for me? *wink wink*

Emma ordered Tiramisu (£6.20). It was light, fluffy, full of flavour from the coffee & smelt amazing. It was served with a light custard & you could have licked the plate clean as with everything we ate that day!

It’s safe to say that after that meal, Piccolino is one of my favourite Restaurants EVER. I am also quite lucky that I travel to Newcastle a lot with my new job so I will be able to visit Piccolino’s more often. My next trip? Next week! I can’t wait! The first thing I did was let them know I’d be booking a table I would without question, advise everyone and anyone to visit this Restaurant. You’ll leave with a smile on your face & it will not disappoint.

Piccolino’s is located in Stockbridge House, Trinity Gardens, Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2HJ. You can also visit their website, facebook & twitter pages for more information.

Those of you who follow me on twitter knew of my ongoing saga of trying to find a new digital camera. Thankfully, 3 weeks later, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a digital camera that I saw from the very start which impressed me. After buying the camera from Currys, I was approached asking if I’d like to review their website for them, so I thought… why not! I am after all a consumer. I buy from that store, I’m a recent buyer & I’m as good as any person to show my experiences on using the website. I purchased the PANASONIC Lumix DMC-FZ45 Hybrid Super Zoom Digital Camera & it’s love at first snap.

I’ve decided to jazz things up a little & made a video post showing a run through of the website from my eyes showcasing the best digital cameras, the cheap cameras, compact digital cameras to the best compact camera with the joys of listening to my voice. I am pretty exhausted after getting up at 5:30am all week, so sorry if I make you fall asleep, it’s not intentional

So in summary, I loved how detailed the website was in regards to the amount of information that is given per camera. I love how you can narrow your searches down quickly & easily, also viewing other cameras that people have viewed alongside the one you are currently viewing giving you other options within the same price range. I had hoped that the website would have shown more photographs of the actual digital cameras, maybe a 360 degree angle video image so you can see how big the camera is, the buttons etc, but so you have a better idea in your head what you will be receiving.

I loved the fact that the reviews given are very well laid out, they are from confirmed buyers of the camera who give open & honest reviews based on their experiences with the camera and give marks on a variety of different aspects. Another feature which is great is being able to ask a buyer how they find the camera, it’s one thing reading all the specs, but being able to ask someone who bought the camera how they find it & put it to use is an amazing feature.

One thing I didn’t like was that I had problems trying to compare different brands of cameras, I may have been doing something wrong but I couldn’t figure out how to compare a Nikon Camera to the Camera I later ended up buying. Maybe a complete n00b, but every time I clicked the little button and then went to another camera, it reset my selection making it impossible for me. That is a feature that I’d like to see improved (or discussed in more detail on how to use if it exists!).

When doing the screen recording & demoing the check out cart, I would have liked to been told when stock is likely to be back in store, a form or something to ask when it would be next in store, sign up on a waiting list for the product or be notified when it is next in stock which websites like Amazon do.

Overall, my experience as a consumer with Currys was great. My camera was shipped on Next Day Delivery & I haven’t regretted my purchase one bit, well…. maybe the fact I haven’t been able to go out & about with it as much as I’d like due to work and crazy weather conditions!

Working in IT & Coffee are a natural partnership. I can sit at my desk at work, drink over 6 cups a day then go home and have some more. I crave coffee, I want coffee, I love coffee and I find people who don’t, strange. I was recently sent 250g of Guatemala Finca Santa Clara Genuine Antigua Coffee from Kopi who are a monthly gourmet coffee company & spent an entire evening drinking an obscene amount of coffee within a brink of overdosing, enjoying every last mouthful

Kopi love coffee. Our premium bean habit warms us up, wakes us up and inspires us to shake things up. Too long we’ve put up with one-size-fits-all coffee from supermarkets and only danced around posher brews. Until now.

Kopi are dedicated to bringing you outstanding single-estate coffees from around the world. Beautiful, freshly-roasted brews you won’t find in the usual places – delivered straight to your doorstep, once a month.

We also share our insider knowledge on how to get the best out of your coffee – how to make it, how to enjoy its perkily unique characteristics – and reveal some of the remarkable stories behind each one. All for the price of two grande lattes and a banana muffin.

Guatemala Finca Santa Clara Genuine Antigua Coffee was their October blend which is described as “a lovely full body, filling the mouth with a generous, lingering velvetiness & prized for its pronounced, well balanced chocolatey/spicy acidity”. One thing I love about Kopi is that you can learn all about the coffee you are drinking. The website explains where the coffee originates from, the history behind it, how it is prepared and processed which is something you generally wouldn’t expect to find.

So the tasting began. I got my cafetière, put 4 scoops of freshly grounded coffee beans into it, topped it all up with water & let it settle for a few minutes before pushing the plunger down. I poured a cup, added a tiny bit of milk & waited. The first thing that hit me was the smell of the coffee. It was amazing. One of my favourite things ever is the smell of fresh coffee. I took a sip & as the coffee was described, it was velvety & very very drinkable. I poured over 8 cups of the coffee in the end & kept wanting more. Addicted? Yes. I’ve never tried Guatemalan coffee before and probably would never have if it wasn’t introduced to me by Kopi.

I love the idea of Kopi. What better way of being introduced to a variety of different coffees from all over the world by being sent a surprise 250g package monthly along with a little booklet describing it in detail? Kopi have a team of dedicated “professional coffee gurus” (I so want that job!) who have close relationships with the world’s best coffee regions and farmers. The coffee they select, from over 80 countries worldwide, is not available at your local supermarket so you’ve probably never been introduced to it before, making it extremely special.

Our focus is obsessively on unearthing outstanding original coffees – well-farmed top quality beans that have an amazing aroma, taste and a strong story. They could be from award- winning single estates or simple small co-operative farms – wherever the best beans are at that time of year.

Kopi is a monthly subscription service & subscriptions start at £9 a month for a 250g bag of coffee, you can choose between grounded or beans depending on your preference. Your coffee is posted to you around the 14th of every month, you can cancel your subscription at any time if you are not happy & you can even gift a subscription of coffee to someone, an amazing gift for a coffee addict in your life!

Last night I attended the Press & Blogger Private Screening of 50/50 at Cineworld in Glasgow. Before going to see the movie, I checked out the trailer online and was left wondering whether or not I actually wanted to go see the movie. The trailer didn’t scream WOW to me but after seeing the movie, I’m glad I went. Moral of what I learnt? Never fully judge a movie by it’s trailer.

Inspired by a true story, 50/50 is the story of a young man who turns a devastating illness into a unique opportunity to experience life. Adam’s (Joseph Gordon Levitt) best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen), uses Adam’s condition to lure girls into sympathy sex, his overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston) loses sight of him in her own fears, his otherwise-occupied girlfriend, Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) tries to distract herself with an increasingly frantic social life, and Katherine (Anna Kendrick), the young therapist assigned to his case, struggles to keep up with the needs of her third client ever in an unexpectedly funny movie that reminds us that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

Cancer is a complete bitch & this movie certainly makes you think. Written by Will Reiser, Seth Rogen’s real-life close friend, the movie is roughly based on their own experiences and how they handled Reiser’s cancer diagnosis six years ago. The on screen acting between Joseph Gordon Levitt & Seth Rogen is magic. The film tackles the harsh and depressing journey of cancer with scenes that are hard to watch at times, making you think of those in your life who are or have tackled cancer in the past, however it isn’t meant to be depressing. The film is about positivity and humour is mixed into the movie throughout, especially in scenes where Seth Rogen’s character uses his friends illness to try and score girls. A very honest movie which is both touching & hilarious. One of the best movies I have seen for a while. Go check it out. I’m sure you won’t regret it!

50/50 is released on November 25th in the UK

Pasta, the carbs of happiness. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love pasta (well, unless you live a Gluten-Free life!). My favourite? Tagliatelle, Linguine & Penne. So when the chance came up to transform myself into a pasta making Italian Goddess, I snapped it & headed to The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Princes Square for the evening. Slightly ignoring the fact that I am neither Italian or a Goddess, but my very vivid imagination allowed me to dream!

I arrived with my friend with no idea what we would be doing (or let ourselves in for!) & sat down with a complementary glass of Shiraz Mouvedre Percheron Red Wine from South Africa (small glass £4.25, large glass £5.75 & entire bottle for £15.50). I took one sip of it & I fell instantly in love. I rarely drink alcohol but my oh my if I could have hugged that glass of wine, I would have. My love affair with that wine began.

We were then shown into the function room with 7 other class members and met by the Head Chef & his Boss who was here for the occasion. Tables were laid out with the key ingredients for our pasta adventure along with aprons and paper chef hats. The chefs then spoke about the history of pasta and discussed various types of pasta before demonstrating how to make the dough for pasta. It was then left up to us to make our own! Scary thought!

The ratio that they use to make Pasta is 100g strong flour to 1 egg, pretty basic. Flour was poured onto the table, a well made & egg cracked into the middle making a well. The mixture was then worked on a flour bench until it all comes together resulting in a smooth ball (same texture as a boob, according to the chef!). The dough is then cut in half, patted with flour with the palm of your hands then you are ready to pass it through the pasta machine changing numbers from the highest to lowest passing it through several times on each number. We were told that some places pass it through the machine around 20 times which seems a little excessive but I’m sure the pasta would have been so smooth and silky! Stephen and I opted for 6 times. Passing, folding, passing again, dusting with flour, passing, folding on repeat until we got the pasta as thin as we wanted. I decided to make ravioli whereas Stephen decided to make Spaghetti, Tortellini & a letter P for Pasta with leftovers. My ravioli was stuffed with Ricotta Cheese & Spinach, cut & then folded over. Egg yolk was then used to stick the ends together before using a cutter to make little wiggly corners. That is when it got a little difficult! The room was so warm that the pasta started being sticky so we had to keep flouring the table to rescue our pasta. Thankfully it was all in 1 piece and we put it onto our trays for the judging panel! Nerve racking getting our pasta judged by appearance, consistency & texture when it was the very first time we EVER made pasta.

While the judging was taking place, we all sat down to dinner. For appetizers, Bread with Olive Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar dip and Olives in Garlic & Herbs. For main course, I decided on Linguine ai gamberetti (Sauteed king prawns, chilli, garlic & parsley). Stephen had Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (Slow-cooked beef & tomato ragu). Both dishes were amazing. I’ve always loved eating at The Restaurant Bar & Grill but this was the first time I ever ate pasta there. I was not disappointed at all. The king prawns were cooked perfectly, the pasta so soft and silky & the herbs complimented it all. Stephen’s ragu was the perfect mix of beef, tomatoes, garlic & herbs. I kept stealing some of his it was that good! After the main course we had a little break before dessert & I abused my love of Shiraz Mouvedre Percheron ordering a few LARGE glasses of it. It is the type of wine that is rather dangerous because it is so easy to drink. I loved it so much, I had to ask Rosanna the Events Manager to send me the name of it the next day as there was no way I would have remembered it. Tipsy on red wine is so much fun! I still have a love affair with that wine, every time I go to the restaurant, I have to have a glass of it with dinner. But enough about that wine, the dessert needs to be discussed! I had the Summer Fruits pudding with clotted cream & Stephen had the Limoncello Cheesecake. Aaah puddings how I adore thee! I think that is the quickest I’ve ever ate something & wish I ate it all over again. The meal as a whole was superb & I couldn’t shut up about it for days afterwards!

The entire event was a huge success. Sadly Stephen & I didn’t win first place in the judging competition but we all left with goodie bags which had an apron, a recipe guide on making pasta at home, a £10 voucher to use within the restaurant & a little box of chocolates. I had an amazing time at the event put on by Rosanna & would recommend it to anyone wishing to do something different one evening! The event & dinner lasted around 4 hours and cost £30 which is a bargain if you think about it! The food within The Restaurant Bar & Grill is by far my favourite in Glasgow & even if you can’t make it to any of the events they put on, I would recommend that you have dinner there at least once. I found the restaurant by chance & haven’t looked back. To die for.

I have to say a huge thank you to Rosanna & the chefs for putting on a great event! Can’t wait until I get to the next one…. cocktails anyone? *hiccup*

Flowers. What girl on earth doesn’t love receiving them? I love how they brighten up any room, they smell amazing & when you are feeling down, they instantly put a smile on your face. So when I was asked if I would review an online shop that delivers flowers, I snapped it up. Who could really say no to flowers?

Wiggly Wigglers is an award-winning, natural gardening company based on Lower Blakemere Farm in Herefordshire. They supply everything that they need straight from their farm & in this instance, grow their own flowers which go into their bouquets.

Each gorgeous, unique arrangement is made using what is available locally and seasonally. Our generous bouquets are wrapped in craft paper, hand tied with a big raffia bow and come with a message card. Wiggly bouquets are despatched on an overnight courier service with their own small reservoir of water and absorbent pad in our specially designed packaging to ensure they arrive in perfect condition.

I started off by going onto their website & taking a look through everything they had to offer. With the floral bouquets, they have sizes ranging from small to large which is good if you don’t want to spend so much money, but still want to have a pretty bouquet! I was given a free large bouquet to review for the company & my mom pretty much had her eyes set on it before it was even delivered!

The Wiggly Wigglers website is very informative giving you information about eco-living, growing your own vegetables & gardening tips as well as an online shop dedicated to those various topics and much more! The simplistic layout is easy on your eyes & very easy to navigation throughout. I love the fact that each section is extremely detailed giving you handy tips & also reviews from other customers on their purchasing experience. The reviews are a welcome addition as sometimes when you buy things online from stores you haven’t used before, you have no clue what the end product will look like & if it will actually live up to it’s description.

I ordered the flowers & picked my delivery slot, awaiting their arrival. I love that you can choose an allocated time slot just like when you online supermarket shop. It means that you do not need to be stuck at home all day waiting for your goodies! My delivery then arrived on the day I requested by next day delivery (I opted for a Tuesday & they were posted out out the Monday).

The flowers were packed very well within specially designed packaging along with a reservoir of water and a absorbent pad to ensure ultimate freshness. The box was a little bashed when I received it but I put that down to the delivery guys who do not care if something is fragile or not! I opened the box slowly and was met by a wonderful smell. The color contrast of all the flowers in the bouquet was amazing. The blues, purples, greens & yellows worked wonderful together. Giant Sunflowers were the main attraction (my mom’s favourite!). I was 100% happy with the bouquet which was all homegrown within the grounds of Wiggly Wigglers & would recommend them to anyone wishing to send a bouquet with a difference to someone in their life!

On Sunday night, I finally got to see one of my favourite singers; Adele in concert. I’ve been dying to see her in concert since her debut album came out however I was never that lucky! Way back in February when I knew she was coming to Glasgow in April, I tried to get tickets but they all sold out. A few weeks later, they released tickets for her September show & I woke up really early to get the pre-sale tickets to ensure I got them! For months & months I waited, finally the show date came around at Glasgow’s O2 Academy & she didn’t disappoint. She is flawless!

Before she hit the stage, two support acts; The Civil Wars & Amos Lee entertained the audience. I had never heard of either of them before Sunday but they impressed me. The Civil Wars consist of Joy Williams and John Paul White who sang songs from their album Barton Hollow which was released in February in the States. I loved their voices together, great soulful voices & harmonies. They also sang a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean with a country feel to it which was amazing! Amos Lee to me sounds like a black soul singer from New Orleans in a white guys body. His voice is insane! He sang songs from his album Mission Bell which debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts the week it was released. My favourite off his album is Flowers which is really soulful (a must must must hear!). He also sang a cover of Ain’t No Sunshine which is one of my all time favourite songs originally by Bill Withers (but I like the Al Green version!). One thing I hated though was the fact that most of the crowd were talking really loud during their performances. I’d say 80% didn’t really care they were up on stage & to me, it was pretty rude of them but I guess all they were interested in was Adele.

Adele came on stage at 9pm opening with Hometown Glory from her album 19, she sang a range of songs from 19 & 21 including, Chasing Pavements, Make You Feel My Love, My Same, If It Hadn’t Been For Love, Rolling In The Deep, Someone like You & a cover of one of her favourite songs I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt & Love Song by The Cure. I wish she sang for longer & longer. I could honestly listen to her on repeat all day long & not get sick of her.

Even though she had to cancel dates at the beginning of her UK tour due to another chest infection, she didn’t let that phase her. Instead she laughed & joked about it with the crowd saying “I had to cancel six of the dates on the tour. I won’t bore you with the details but I had to phlegm all over the audience in Leicester”. Her infectious laugh made everyone laugh along with her while sipping warm honey throughout, even if she wished she had a large glass (bottle!) of red wine!

Throughout the concert, she took the time to chat away to the crowd, told us how much of a w*nker her ex-boyfriend was, how she has started slowly becoming friends with her ex for the best & the stories behind some of her hits. She was so down to earth unlike other “stars” in the music industry & it was really refreshing to finally get the chance to see her like that, live.

Her voice was incredible live, it was breathtaking. You have to see her live in concert if you haven’t already because it is completely utterly unbelievable the powerfulness & soulfulness of her voice that leaves everyone with goosebumps & in awe of her. My friend Gillian & I were lucky that we got to the very front of the stage before the concert started so got an amazing view, wish we were a little more to the centre of the stage rather than to the left but at least we were front row & not all the way back in amongst the crowd.

The best part of the concert was when she sang Someone Like You, she started singing, then stopped a few seconds into it saying “sorry, my first ever sing-a-long to this was in Glasgow’s ABC in April, so do it louder, let’s do it again…”. The entire crowd then sang throughout the song, it was insane! The atmosphere was indescribable. At points, she stopped singing, letting the crowd take over & you could tell she was totally overwhelmed at everyone singing her song. When the song finished, everyone was clapping like crazy, cheering, banging their feet & she started crying saying “Thank you very much Glasgow, you’re so kind, thank you! I couldn’t hear myself throughout that”

I did nothing but snap photos & take videos of her so I could watch it all back again & again. I’m so glad that the majority of the photos came out really well. I’ve posted the photos I took at the concert below & the videos will be uploaded in another blog post because there are so many of them, don’t want you all overdosing!

Adele is hands down amazingly beautiful both inside & out. Fact.

Everyone who knows me & reads my blog knows that I love to cook. When I was approached & asked if I wanted to review products from an online meat company The Blackface Meat Company who were going to send me products to cook with, I instantly said YES!

The Blackface Meat Company believes passionately in the link between a healthy landscape and the highest quality meat. The two are so closely bound that the flavour of our products is of the land itself: the heather and the berries; the wild grasses and fresh waters of the burns found in the most beautiful, unspoilt regions of Britain.

We are a small family business, rearing Blackface sheep and Galloway cattle on our heather clad hill farm in the South West of Scotland. We supply a wide range of high quality, oven-ready game from selected Scottish estates and we also source slow grown ‘Iron Age’ pork and Christmas turkeys from nearby farms. This is the lamb, mutton, game, beef and pork enjoyed by our ancestors, now available all over the UK via our efficient home delivery service.

We are also long term, trusted suppliers to some of London’s best-loved restaurants, including The Ivy, Fergus Henderson’s St. John and Rowley Leigh’s Cafe des Anglais.

All of the meat from Blackface is traceable. They breed and rear their own beef, mutton and lamb. Game is sourced from various selected estates within Scotland known to the company so that they can know the quality of the produce they handle. They also source pork and turkeys from local suppliers. The meat is then matured in a traditional way where it is hung at controlled temperatures to develop flavours and tenderness. Blackface can also butcher meat to your requirements free of charge for your ease (which is great if you hate cutting raw meat like I do hahaha!)

As previous stated, Blackface run an online ordering service selling a variety of different meats. All meats bought are then sent out vacuum sealed within insulated boxes with ice-gel packs to help keep the meat cool. On top of that, they also have full cooking instructions and recipes on their website for their produce which will complement their meat. You can also call them to place an order as well which is pretty good if you aren’t too sure about online meat shopping or want some advice before purchasing. It would be ideal for Christmas & New Year time!

I was sent 1 kilogram of Blackface Mutton. I haven’t had mutton for years, I think the last time I had it was when I was a little kid living in Singapore & our old maid Suriya who was from Indonesian used to make us mutton curries. Yum! Mutton has a very unique taste, very powerful tastes and can be cooked & served just like lamb. It’s best slow cooking it for hours to achieve the best tenderness.

There were a few little hiccups when I was sent the products, the Use By date stated July, so I sent a panic email to Kathryn over at Blackface incase it was the wrong order. She stated that the labelling machines were playing up but the meat was within it’s Use By date & was only packaged the day before. Panic over. Everyone makes mistakes.

With the mutton, I decided to make Achari Gosht which is a Pickled Mutton Curry from India & Pakistan. I love curries so what better use of the meat than one of my all time favourites! The recipe is pretty straight forward & the end result is amazing! The meat turned out extremely tender with amazing flavours. Mutton is starting to come back into fashion within the UK & is a great alternative to Beef & Lamb. Blackface makes it so easily available to you along with lots of other products at great prices. Huge Thumbs Up!

Ingredients:
1 kg Diced Mutton
6 Whole Red Chillies
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1 tsp Onion Seeds (stocked at Asian supermarkets)
5 Cloves
7 tsps Mustard Oil
4 small Onions, chopped
2 inch piece of Ginger, chopped
5 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder
4 medium Tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Dry roast the red chillies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, onion seeds and cloves separately. Cool slightly and grind coarsely to create your masala powder.

2. Heat the mustard oil in a thick-bottomed pan until starts to smoke, cool and heat it again. Add the onions and sauté until brown. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to sauté. Add coarsely ground masala powder. Cook for half a minute, stirring all the time. Add mutton, cook on high heat till mutton pieces are well browned. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and mix well. Cook till oil leaves the masala.

3. Add two and half cups of water, bring it to a boil and cover. Cook on medium heat till the mutton is almost done. Add tomatoes, place everything into an oven proof dish & cook at around 160 degrees for 1 hour (or longer if you wish depending on tenderness).

4. At the end, add lemon juice and mix together. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves & rice.

I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. As a little kid, I was born with really fine & thin hair, the type of hair you could hardly do anything with. I’ve lived in different continents where the weather has had huge effects on my hair, be it frizzy from humidity to dry & course living in the Middle East. My hair has also gone from poker straight as a kid to thick and wavy as it is in my adult years.

My natural hair colour is a mix of 3 different colours; brown, blonde & red, however, it’s rather dull therefore, every now & then I dye it to get some life into it. The problem is, my hair is so thick as well that no matter what I actually do, I always end up sticking it up in a ponytail because it get’s to the stage that you can’t really do much else with it!

I’ve been back in Glasgow since 2006 & I’ve still not found a hairdresser that I’m 100% happy with. I think with anything, when you do find a place that you really like, you will always go back time & time again. Sadly, I’ve never really had that experience with a hair salon. Until now.

My hair was getting way too long & unmanageable, so I decided that it was about time that I did something about it. I looked around at different salons in the area such as Sasson’s & Alan Edwards which are two of the popular salons in Glasgow but decided to try Bowers & Peacock instead after striking up conversations with them on Twitter (plus the fact they were cheaper!).

Upon talking with them, it turned out that Bowers & Peacock was actually a re-brand & they were in the process of renovating the existing salon. The salon used to be called ‘Jar Hair’ run by 3 different partners. From that, John & Rocco (the J & R of Jar, just incase you didn’t get that!) decided to take over the salon by themselves. Bowers & Peacock was then born, re-opening on June 14th 2011 after a massive revamp & re-branding.

I made an appointment with Bowers & Peacock for last Friday. In my head, I had already decided that I wanted to change my hair up a bit. I was pretty much bored with my current hair style & colouring but had no clue what to do with it. One thing I did know was that I didn’t want to cut it really short again as on lazy days, I like tying it in a messy ponytail, especially in the office.

After getting lost trying to figure out where Bowers & Peacock’s was situated, I eventually made it on time for my 1pm appointment. I was greeted by a friendly receptionist & shown the waiting area while Rocco (who was going to be doing my hair) was finishing up with someone else. I was then asked if I wanted a drink & talked into trying one of the homemade brownie’s that they have in the salon (later I found out that it was Rocco’s partner Craig who made them, to die for!).

I had a little chat about my hair with Rocco before we started, I told him that my scalp has become really dry the past few months after taking antibiotics for a chest infection I had which flared up my skin & since then, I haven’t been able to get rid of it. Rocco recommended a product to me which they ran out of, but gave me the name of it to buy it myself somewhere else which was great (I’ve since managed to get a hold of the product & can’t wait to try it out!). We then discussed possible hair colours I could go for. I personally like dark colours, I wanted something darker but with a lot of shine. Rocco then recommended warm rich colours based on my skin colouring & told me the difference between the different brown colourings around in relation to skin colours. The colour “Iced Tea” by L’Oreal really stood out to me & it was the exact one Rocco was thinking about as well as it was a high gloss shine & warm.

While he was putting the colour on my hair, we spoke about the re-vamp of the salon & told me that all the furniture was custom-made by his friends. I really loved the purple seat in the waiting area, that was my overall favourite. The old school barbershop chairs were re-covered with customisations, the mirror’s with the built in storage for appliances were really nice as well. There were even illustrations of a peacock & a bower bird throughout the salon which gave it a big personal touch based on the surnames of both owners. Unique artwork was also featured on the walls which another friend of the owners created. Everything revolved around a colour scheme of black, grey and purple & had a real boutique salon feel to it. I loved the fact that the entire salon had personal touches to it, it wasn’t the run of the mill salon, but one which a lot of love & effort was put into it to create. Just like the homemade batch of brownie’s which are given out to all customers

After all the colouring was put on my hair, I had to have this random ultraviolet machine just above my head for a while (I honestly can’t remember what it was called!) until the hair dye set. After it was all washed off, the hair cutting began! I asked for around 2/3 inches to be taken off, my hair thinned a little bit & my long fringe at the front layered a bit more. One thing that has never happened to me before is the fact that Rocco actually asked how I style my hair & if I normally blow dry etc. Usually salon’s just blow-dry it straight for you & use hair straighteners as well if you don’t have visible curly hair. However, Rocco asked me questions that made me go “oh!”. When styling my hair, I usually have the top half straight & the bottom half wavy with big curls for volume without using any extra hair products. So when blowdrying, Rocco put big waves into my hair using the rounded hairbrush, something I’ve never seen before (usually it’s all done by hair straighteners!).

Finished product? I loved it! In total, it cost £109 to colour, cut & style my hair which is pretty reasonable based on the quality of the finished product. The colour looked great against my skin tone, the cut was really good, my head felt instantly lighter, my hair had an amazing shine to it & the way it was styled was perfect for me! My hair once again had life! I knew half was through the hair cut & blow dry that I had finally found a salon that was perfect for me. One that took the time to get to know it’s clients, give recommendations & suggestions for the client based on questions asked. That is key & now I’ve found a keeper!

Bowers & Peacock is located on:
57-61 King Street
Glasgow
G1 5RA

Tel: 0141-552 6789

Note: Thanks to Rocco for taking photos of my hair & letting me take photos of the salon for my blog afterwards