Ten Perfect Summer Drinks

 blueberry lemon fizz / lavender french 75 / watermelon mojito

clementine & red wine spritzers / mint cucumber & lime crush / blackberry meyer lemon gin tonics

 apple & elderflower fizz / iced chamomile sun tea / lemonade with orange blossom water /

and finally this vermontucky lemonade by the fabulous Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen


I'm definitely going to be trying some of these, so many delicious berries everywhere right now....
and with the weather so hot in London, these summery drinks are perfect - and a great way of getting your children to consume lots of fruit (not the alcoholic ones obviously!)

My new favourite food blog Spoon Fork Bacon has some great suggestions for drinks &
delicious fruit ice cubes....

Which one of the above would you choose?
(recipe links available under each image)

Summer Style : Picnic Accessories

1 Voile Bunting/ 2 Kandelini/ 3 Bright Colourful Jars 

all Cox and Cox

Summer is here and here's a selection of some of my favourite picnic accessories....

I especially love the two bottle bag & the glass drinks dispenser.

Lots of bright colours to brighten up your summer table or your holiday....and all very portable.

101 Picnic dishes to make in 20 minutes or less....

Two Bottle Bag /  Extra Large Beach Bag / Extra Large Summer Bag

3 Tier Stacked Glass Drinks Dispenser / Picnic Tote /  Stacking Plastic Wine Glasses

Garden Party Drink Jars / Animal Motif Picnic Blanket / Family Coolbag

Knife, Fork, Spoon Napkins / Picnic Basket / Gelato spoons

Wine & Cheese Basket for Two / Picnic Bag / Paper Cups

Ten Perfect Summer Salads

asian quinoa salad / zucchini, feta & mint salad / quinoa salad with asparagus, peas, avocado & lemon basil dressing

thai coconut cucumber salad / white bean salad with peas & mint / chopped vegetable watermelon & feta salad

moroccan quinoa salad / the perfect picnic pie / sweet potato & couscous salad 

italian potato salad

The weather in London is hot, hot, hot and -  suddenly - all we want to eat are salads, ice lollies & ice cold drinks.

I'm also collecting some great salad recipes to take with me to Italy next month....

here is my round-up of some of the best & tastiest salads to be found on the internet....

enjoy!

(links are provided under each image)

Recipes via....

What Katie Ate

The Soho

Two Peas and Their Pod

Smitten Kitchen

Love and Lemons

Green Kitchen Stories

Kitchen Corners

Summer Style : Eating Al Fresco

 
all images via Pinterest

It only takes a few consecutive hot & sunny days here in London and we've all managed to convince ourselves that summer is here to stay.

There's nothing better than eating al fresco....even the simplest of meals seems to taste better eaten in the open air, preferably in the sunshine. 

Plus possibly a view....of the sea or endless green fields.

A fabulously set table is wonderful but if you haven't the space - or the perfect table - simply take a summery tablecloth and put it on the lawn.

Some colourful/fun plates, some tealights in jam-jars if it's evening-time....

add some french bread, a bowl of salad, some cheeses or meats and a large jug of water flavoured with lemon or lime....

and you have yourself a pretty good picnic.

Above and below are some of my favourite "al fresco" images....

I think simple is the way to go....it doesn't have to be expensive whatsoever and I think the fact that you can throw it all together relatively quickly makes it even more appealing.

Great lighting also adds so much, there are so many options....
alternatively, a row of tea-lights dotted around the table always looks so pretty.

Add multi-coloured or mix & match chairs & tableware,

When we're in the south of France during August, dinner is often on the beach....

and very often consists of just 4 or 5 items....

a baguette, good cheese, tomatoes, salad, olives....

these are the meals & the times that my children remember....me too actually.

There's something special about being outside, the freedom, the space....

these the evenings you want to go on forever.

I cannot wait to be in Italy this summer!!

Food : Kellogg's All Bran Challenge

Kellogg's have launched their All Bran 5 Day Challenge this week in order to encourage us all to think about (and increase) our daily fibre intake....since most of us just aren't getting enough.

* just 10g of wheat bran fibre every day helps reduce digestive transit time

* a single serving of All-Bran contains 3.6g wheat bran fibre

Sign up for the 5 Day Challenge, get tips & facts tailored to your lifestyle by email each day, track your progress and see what a difference increasing your fibre intake by a small but significant amount can make to your diet & how you feel each.

I met up with the lovely people from Kellogg's last week to hear more about the challenge, as always it was fascinating to hear what their nutritionists had to say and I came away with, pardon the pun, plenty of food for thought....namely, I eat nowhere near enough fibre in my diet.

Interesting fact.....the total length of your small intestine is 30 feet long, that's a very long distance for any food to travel, I think it needs all the assistance you can give it!   

There are lots of great flavours, not just the original All Bran....
All Bran Golden Crunch is delicious as is All Bran Red Berries.

Why not sign up online & give it a try? I'm going to!

Happy Week-end.....

Yesterday I had the most fabulous massage, it was blissful.

After a brief consultation, the therapist offered me a choice of aromatherapy oils, telling me to choose with my nose. 

I'm not quite sure what to make of the fact that the oil I chose was best suited to "distressed minds"!! 

I had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon & have vowed to spend more time in the pursuit of such relaxation, it was well worth it.

I was taken to Covent Garden's The Sanctuary spa as a guest of the lovely people at Kellogg's, more of which later on this week. 

This week-end I have a million little jobs to get done, nothing too pressing, the only essential is completing challenge 3 of our Active Family Fitness month and baking a cake for a friend....

bring on the week-end!

Some lovely links....

stunning photos of the Jardins des Tuileries

blackberry crumble with honey whipped mascarpone yogurt

a must-read guide if you are visiting London

five ways with foccaccia 

"french women know how to shape their brows"

"21 rules of entertaining"

croissant bread pudding

15 rustic & beautiful kitchens

caprese grilled cheese & arugula pesto

californian coast

Happy Week-end.....

My week in a nutshell....

lots of blogging 

(thanks to the May blogging challenge), 

finished "Gone Girl" 

(and feeling as though I really need to talk about it with someone!)

fabulous pampering at the gorgeous Aveda LifeStyle & Spa

(definitely need to do that more often)

decided that our summer holiday will be in Italy & we're going to drive there

(time to start planning this adventure now!)

This week-end I'm going to be dress shopping for my daughter and myself for our Italian wedding next month & starting to plan our European summer adventure....

should we take the route under or over the Alps? Go via Belgium or Switzerland? Exciting :)

We will also be continuing our Mark Warner Active Family Blogger Fitness Challenge....

last week-end we rented bikes and cycled around London's Hyde Park, 

this week-end we will be "going green"....

Happy Week-end!

Some lovely links....

It's lunchtime: let's dance....

amaretto poppy seed ice cream 

a beautiful Georgian rectory

a beautiful kitchen makeover 

tea shortbread

discover your love language

pandas perching precariously....

Hampton Court Palace

salt caramel melting chocolate puds

Dior

grilled goats cheese bruschetta

Happy Week-end....

magnolias in Central Park NYC

lemon ricotta thyme pancakes with blueberry sauce

 

San Francisco

a creative garden in a small space

I've had a lot of fun this week taking part in Jenni's Blog Every Day in May challenge....

Lori, Victoria, Mary & Cathi have also joined me in writing their blogs each day according to Jenni's prompts....

Glorious weather in London right now for this 3 day week-end.

I spent today deep in a Hampshire forest exploring gorgeous new holiday cabins - more of that to come - and tomorrow we are heading out on bikes as part of our fitness challenge.

Happy Week-end!    

Some lovely links....

French Toast with Maple Syrup

Rainbow Carrot Summer Rolls

A Few Links

Garlic parmesan knots

Gorgeous London instagrams

Five blogging things you shouldn't be doing

A stunning London home

This video is absolutely lovely...."Good People"

Happy Week-end!

polka dot cake

Boston via here

The London Marathon takes place this week-end, always an inspiring & exciting event....

I'm pretty sure there won't be anyone who on Sunday won't be thinking of Boston....

of the runners, of the survivors & the injured and of those who lost their lives....

 My week-end in 10....

sunshine

coffee

walking

cricket

"Gone Girl"

Jamie Oliver's pasta with chickpeas

birthday cake planning

writing

conversation

sleep

I wish you a happy week-end....

Some lovely links....

A very fabulous LA family home....

The one thing every parent wants....

Chocolate truffle brownies....

A fabulously colourful NYC home....

Things I Wish I'd Known....

Europe in Nine Walks