Tag: Chocolate

Lifestyle

WINE TASTING WEEKEND

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WINE TASTING WEEKEND

If you are looking for something a bit different to do in London, we would definitely recommend a wine tasting experience. We had an entertaining and tipsy Saturday afternoon spent wine tasting at London’s Wine Cottage. The day was held at The Oval cricket ground which has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it was opened in 1845.

We kicked our day off with tequila.. yes tequila! If you really want to let your hair down definitely go for it. You have the option to choose if you would like to have a session tequila tasting before the actual wine tasting and we chose to do just that lol.

Now, for the wines. We enjoyed luxury Wine, Champagne & Port, paired with Cheese and Truffles. Each wine complimented the cheeses so well and not forgetting the port and truffles. We drank Port from a chocolate cup which went down very well. The wines and port were finely selected by our wine connoisseurs. The wines are exclusively selected and imported directly from some of the best châteaux and award winning vineyards from around the world.

Our wine tasting experience was not only fun and entertaining. The day was also educational and informative. You will not only be leaving the venue tipsy, but with your new found wine knowledge you will become a wine connoisseur in your own right.

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Shelley & Michelle xx

Food

EASY TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

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Supermarkets are fully stocked with flour! That can only mean one thing.. more baking. We’ve been taking the more healthier route for the last few weeks by switching cakes for smoothies (see in our previous post) which we have thoroughly enjoyed, but have missed baking and obviously eating cake. So when we saw the shelves filled with flour, we had to get back to our new found love during lockdown. Our first thought was to have a go at baking chocolate chip muffins which is so quick and easy to make.

1: Pre-heat your oven to 250°F. You want the oven to be as hot as possible to set the edge of the muffins so it rises nicely.

2: Place a sieve into a mixing bowl and add two-three quarter cups of plain flour that is 330 grams. One teaspoon of salt and one tablespoon of baking powder. Then begin to sieve the contents into the bowl then whisk for a few seconds.

3: Add one and a quarter cup of whole milk to another bowl followed by half a cup or 113 grams of unsalted butter that has been melted. You can melt the butter in a microwave or an oven. Then add one cup or 200 grams of granulated sugar and whisk the contents.

4: Now It is time for the eggs, crack two large eggs into your mixture as well as one quarter cup of sour cream or plain yogurt. It helps keep the muffins extra moist. We hate the word moist but it really does lol. Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract. Vanilla extract just gives that extra flavour you need. Begin to mix.

5: Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and then whisk until it’s almost combined. It’s now time for the best part of the whole ingredients.. the chocolate chips. You need one and a half cups of chocolate chips or more, It’s totally up to you. Then add to your mixture. Save a handful of your chocolate chips to the side to sprinkle on top later. Start to mix with a spatula not a whisk.

6: Scoop and fill your mixture into the paper muffin cups. Lastly sprinkle the chocolate chips you saved to the top of your muffin mixture.

7: We made 12 muffins altogether and had mixture left over and decided to make a small cake. We greased a baking tin and applied baking paper, then added the rest of the mixture to the tin. We placed the muffins and cake into the preheated oven at the same time.

8: Your muffins should be in the oven for 5 minutes at 250°F then reduce your oven to 200°F – The muffins should be in there for 25 minutes .

This is yet another quick and easy to make cake/muffin that tastes amazing! We enjoyed the cake for dessert which went down nicely with cream. Our chocolate chip muffins took no longer than twenty minutes to prep and thirty minutes to bake.

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Shelley & Michelle xx

Lifestyle

London Diaries Part Two: Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason

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As we were feeling rather royal after our Buckingham Palace tour, we decided to stick with our royal theme and complete our day by having a Champagne Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly, London.

Fortnum & Mason is one of London’s most recognised department stores and is also known for it’s world renowned Afternoon Tea. We both knew that we had to experience this upmarket Tea Salon for ourselves.

Located on the fourth floor, we entered The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Room, that has a very grand black piano near the entrance, with the pianist playing softly that added to the calm ambience of the room. A very nice touch!

Our Tearista sat us at a very elegant table, with very comfy sofas and chairs.
Champagne (accompanied with a glass of water) as we didn’t want to get too tipsy!

Our Tearista talked us through the menu and the various teas that are on offer. We opted for the Queen Anne Blend (this tea was created in 1907) and has a very smooth flavour. We also chose Jubilee Blend, that had a sweet taste and was very golden in colour. Both teas were in a form of tea leaves.

We were both brought a three-tier platter, with a delectable assortment of finger sandwiches, cakes and scones, served with strawberry and raspberry jam. The scones were also accompanied with the most delicious clotted cream that we have ever tasted!

We both ordered a second helping of sandwiches and have to admit we struggled to finish them all…but the best part of the experience was that you could refill on tea, cakes, scones and sandwiches as many times as you wanted too. Definite treat.

We were offered complimentary chocolate cake to take home (which we certainly did not refuse), plus all the cakes that we didn’t finish we were also able to take with us. You most certainly get your money’s worth and we must say Fortnum & Mason were very generous with their servings.

So if you are looking to treat a loved one or just want a nice afternoon out in London, we would certainly recommend the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason. It truly is a lovely experience and is quintessentially British, you will not be disappointed.

Fourth Floor, Fortnum & Mason 181 Piccadilly, London, W1A 1ER

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Shelley & Michelle xx