FOOD || SPICED ORANGE HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE (AD)

*This post is sponsored and includes a gifted product.

I'm probably the biggest fan of chocolate and spice at the same time haha. I can't go a day without having something sweet as a treat, but I also have to have some sort of spice in my meals too so I thought why not combine the two? So I came up with my own little twist on a regular orange hot chocolate which I hope you will love as much as I do.

You will need:
Hot chocolate powder
Orange zest or essence
Ground cinnamon (I use Schwartz)
Milk of your choice

Method:

1. Measure out a mug (or two if you are treating someone else) of milk and pour it into a pan. Heat up the milk on slow heat and gently bring to boil.

2. While the milk is heating up, grate a tablespoon worth of orange zest (around half an orange) and add into the pan. You can add half a teaspoon of orange essence into the milk instead if you don't have any fresh oranges available.

3. Add 3 heaped teaspoons of the hot chocolate powder and half a teaspoon of cinnamon into the boiling milk and turn down the heat.

4. Stir the mixture constantly until it is fully heated. I like my hot chocolate very hot to warm up in winter so I usually keep it on the heat for 5 minutes after boiling.

5. Pour half the drink into your favourite mug and add any extras you desire. I usually add a generous helping of whipped cream and marshmallows with orange zest and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Tip: If you are using fresh orange zest and don't like pulp-like texture then make sure you strain the mixture through a sieve before serving to ensure your hot drink is smooth.

This is my favourite hot drink to have during Winter. I find that it warms me up from the very first sip I take, but it's also quite filling so makes a great dessert or breakfast for all chocolate lovers.

As this post is a collaboration with Schwartz, I wanted to clarify that I buy all of my seasonings from this brand anyway. I believe that Schwartz offers the best quality and variety of herbs and spices on the market. You can purchase the Schwartz Ground Cinnamon spice that I have used in my recipe here.

*This post is sponsored and includes a gifted product, however, all my opinions are genuine and my own. This post does not include affiliate links.

What is your favourite Wintery drink? Have you ever made a spiced orange hot chocolate? Let me know if you're going to try my recipe!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

FOOD || CURIOUS MANOR AFTERNOON TEA IN NOTTINGHAM

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of trying out a boozy afternoon tea at Curious Manor in Nottingham, thanks to the lovely team at Gemini. This was a part of a very fun day out which included a mini flashmob style fashion show (which was bloody amazing).

I've been wanting to go to Curious Manor for a while but the price has put me off (it was around £20 pp), so you can imagine how excited I was to finally try it out with some fellow blogging gals. 

We started off with a glass of prosecco each (I don't drink alcohol so I passed mine on) and then we were asked for any dietary requirements. At the time I did not have any special requirements so I was given the standard afternoon tea to share with another blogger. 

My platter included: cream cheese and salmon or cucumber sandwiches, and egg mayo sandwiches. There were also a couple of different savoury pastries but I'm not the biggest fan of pastry so I didn't give it a try. Obviously, there were scones (do you say sconnes or scohnes?) which were very yummy, alongside macaroons, red velvet cake, pain au chocolate and a coffee & walnut cake. I believe that all platters had different sandwiches and cakes because we all had different dietary requirements, but there was something there for everyone including vegans, celiacs and lactose-intolerant people.

Of course me being me, I had about 5 cups of tea with my food hehe. I find that tea outside of home always tastes better, would you agree? Now I really want to get myself a cute set of teacups and saucers to serve when I have some friends around. I’d love to host my own little afternoon tea party! I’d feel like such an adult 😂

The décor inside was absolutely beautiful. It was so different from anything I have seen before and gave me proper inspo for when I have my own house!

*I have since found out that sadly, Curious Manor does not offer afternoon tea anymore. This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own, however, I was treated to the afternoon free of charge by Gemini PR & Marketing.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

BLOGMAS 2017 || DAY 16 - THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES (ZOELLA'S RECIPE)

These might not be the most appetising-looking cookies in the world, but they sure do taste good! I always make some festive treats this time of the year, so I thought it'd be useful if I shared with you my favourite sugar cookie recipe.
This is actually a recipe I got from Zoella's blog and I absolutely love how these came out (taste-wise) as I'm not the best at decorating cakes due to lack of equipment but hopefully I'll be able to share more recipes with you in my new house soon.

You will need these ingredients for the cookie batter:
140g Icing Sugar
250g Butter (cut into chunks)
1 Egg Yolk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
375g Plain Flour

For the icing:
225g Icing Sugar
1 Egg White
Cold Water

The Method:

Preheat the oven to 190oC.

In a mixing bowl, add butter, icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Once you're happy with the consistency of the batter, start adding in the flour bit by bit and mix it in until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in cling film and set aside in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
Spread some flour onto a worktop/chopping board and roll out the dough with a rolling pin (I don't have a rolling pin so I used a cucumber wrapped in cling film hahaha - desperate times call for desperate measures!). Once you roll out the dough, pick your favourite festive cookie cutters and start carving out some shapes. I actually used a pumpkin cutter as I couldn't find any festive ones, so I tried to turn them into baubles but as you can see in pictures they look like something a 5-year-old would make haha. Now that you have your cookies cut out and ready to bake, place them on a baking tray laid out with baking paper to avoid sticking and pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
While the cookies are in the oven, you can now make the icing mixture. In a bowl, mix in the icing sugar and the egg white until smooth. If you find the consistency a little bit too thick then you can add a bit of cold water to make it more spreadable. Once you have a perfect consistency, put the icing into a piping bag and decorate your cookies once they're cool. And voilá! 

Obviously, my cookies don't look good at all (it's okay I already laughed at my failure), but they really do taste great and are very easy to make! I feel like this is an easy family task everyone would enjoy - especially when it comes to decorating.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || BAKERDAYS PERSONALISED LETTERBOX CAKE - HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR EVERYONE

Halloween is definitely one of my favourite holidays, and when it was combined with cake by Bakerdays my life was made. I was asked to pick a design and flavour of cake to try out, so I picked this gorgeous Halloween design on a chocolate chip goodness.

Now, the size of this cake is perfect if you want to surprise a loved one with a little treat as you can have it delivered straight to their door and have it posted through the letterbox. Unfortunately. My postman was clearly daydreaming as he didn’t deliver my cake until I had to reschedule the delivery as he did not read the sign ‘fits through letterboxes’ on the box and labelled it as ‘too big’ - I had to wait an extra few days for my chocolate cake!!

Once my cake arrived I was super excited to put it to the test! Will it still be fresh? Will it taste nice? Will the design look good? Read on to find out...

I thought the cake looked very cute, it was the perfect size to be a treat for 4 people, but me being my greedy self I ended up having half the cake the day I received it, haha. It looked very moist and gooey on the inside which is honestly my most favourite thing about this cake! It smelt amazing as soon as I opened the box, the chocolaty smell was so overwhelming that I couldn’t wait to try it out. 

I really enjoyed the cake, it tasted like a chocolate fudge cake you’d get at a posh restaurant. The icing was very sweet and slightly chewy which I also like in a cake, but because I had such a big piece for pudding I found myself not being able to finish it! You can also try the cakes with a bit of custard or any type of sauce you like, but be careful to not overdo it like I had as it might ruin your experience.

These amazing letterbox cakes also come in big sizes for big events such as Christmas parties. I know for a fact that I’ll be ordering one for Christmas Day! Another great thing about them is that they last up to 2 weeks from delivery, so you can order it before Christmas and keep it in your cupboard and it will still stay fresh for the special day.

You can get your own letterbox cake from Bakerdays here, make sure to specify any allergies etc. when you create your order.

Have you tried a letterbox cake before? What’s your favourite type of cake?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

CHEAP AND HEALTHY SNACKS THAT WILL STOP YOUR CRAVINGS

So, you've clicked on this post and now you're wondering what snacks can be 1. yummy, 2. healthy, and 3. cheap all at the same time? Well sit back and relax hun, because you're in for a treat (no pun intended)! I usually do my food shopping in Tesco as it's close to my workplace and house, but since I'm moving to a new place in September my closest shop will be Aldi (I'm very happy about this). As you can see, these things were all bought at Aldi on my recent trip for some vegetables but as you can see the trip took a different turn and I ended up buying some goodies - #NoRegrets.

Ever since trying Popchips for the first time in my life this year (and loving them obviously), and hearing from many influencers that Aldi does a cheaper version I had to try some out. They come in two flavours - BBQ and Sour Cream & Chive - the BBQ are my and Kieran's favourite, and at only £1.29 they're a bargain! Aldi's Pop Outs are made with a lot less fat and are actually a healthy alternative to regular crisps so you can still enjoy yourself and indulge in some heavenly crisp sandwiches.

Talking about a crisp heaven, I came across these sweet chili gluten free rice cakes which are AMAZING. I've always been a big fan of rice cakes and usually tend to go for slightly salted rice cakes or plain with a bit of peanut butter to taste but these are great on their own as either a lunchtime or late-night snack. As I mentioned above, these are also gluten free so anyone can enjoy them! - they also come in a few different flavours but this one sounded the most appetising to me, and at only 79p per packet you cannot go wrong!

I used to be obsessed with peanut butter but since literally over-dosing on it a couple of years ago I stopped buying it and would only have it on special occasions. When I came across this wonderful jar of Wholenut Smooth Peanut Butter which has no added sugar, I had to buy it. It's great on toast, mixed in a smoothie or protein shake, with porridge - the combinations are endless! It tastes very nutty which I personally love and know that even Kieran will eat it if it's mixed in with his food! I believe this only cost me £1.29 on offer with the usual price being around £1.50 which s still very affordable.

Cacao powder was on my shopping list for a while but I wasn't going to buy any until we had settled in our new flat but seeing it in Aldi for only £1.99 I had to buy it - come on now! It only has 37 calories per 10 grams which is pretty good, especially if you like to add it to unflavoured protein or porridge. I bought it to make a healthier version of brownies or granola bars that taste good so my little brother and sister can enjoy them as well as the adults.

I feel like I've saved the best 'til last! These are honestly the best brownie bars I have ever tried and believe me when I say I've tried a LOT 😳 They are gluten free, soya free, vegetarian, and it says milk free so I guess they're also vegan? But make sure you check the ingredients list before you buy them as they may contain some traces of animal produce. It's like they're a cheaper version of the Nakd bars which are pricey but oh-so-delicious! I believe these only cost £1.49 for 3 bars so it comes up to 50p per bar which for a healthy snack is fantastic - my university sells a piece of fruit for 80p so I'd much rather stock up on these and carry a packet around in my handbag to snack on inbetween lectures for an instant energy boost.

Have you tried any of the snacks I mentioned above? Did any of them tickle your fancy? I know for a fact that I'll be getting some more of these during our weekly food shop as you can't go wrong with tasty, healthy AND cheap snacks like these.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

RECIPE || QUICK AND EASY ROCKY ROAD

As most of you will already know, I've got a massive sweet tooth. I love anything to do with chocolate - whether it's solid or liquid haha - but one of my all time favourites has to be Rocky Road.

I didn't research any recipes for this as I know that many people like to put either raisins, nuts or jelly tots in there. I'm all about the chocolate chips and marshmallows!!

Ingredients:

- Marshmallows

- Chocolate Chips

- Digestive Biscuits

- Milk Chocolate 

Method:

- Take a few biscuits and crush them in a bowl

- Add the chocolate chips and marshmallows to the bowl with crushed biscuits

- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl on the stove

- Pour the melted chocolate in the biscuit mixture and mix 

- Empty the bowl in a square dish

- Leave to cool

- Serve!

That's how easy and quick this recipe is! So if you have guests coming over and want to whip some dessert up quickly without putting too much effort in then here you go! This is also a great treat for the little ones, and perfect for lunch boxes!

What's your favourite pudding?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

FOOD || FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SMOOTHIE BOWL - FAIL!

Good Morning Everybody!

I've been getting so much inspo from Instagram smoothie bowl pages that I wanted to create my own.

Smoothies are a massive part of my life anyway, I tend to have at least 3 a week because they give me lots of energy and just make my mornings 10 x better!

For this smoothie bowl I had used:

-a handful of frozen berries

-half a frozen banana

-almond and coconut soya milk

-special K cereal with red berries

This is what has come out of it! I don't know about you but I think that's acceptable for my first attempt haha!! At the end of the day, it was really yummy and healthy and filled me up for the whole morning!

Have you tried a smoothie bowl? How did it turn out? 

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Review || Turtle Bay Carribean Restaurant

Morning, Lovelies!

I love food. It is my passion. Good food is something that I cannot resist and after hearing so many positive comments about Turtle Bay in Nottingham, I just had to finally pay them a visit!

I have previously been to Turtle Bay, but only for drinks rather than food on a number of occasions. Their cocktails are to DIE for! Kieran and I were lucky enough to make it just on time for Happy Hour which meant that we got our drinks 2 for 1.

We shared our started as neither of us can ever finish a starter to ourselves with a main! We went for the vegetable stuffed rotis which were delicious. They were quite spicy, but that's what made them so incredible and yummy!

For the main, I chose the seafood curry as I wanted something light. It was nice, however the massive prawn creeped me out a bit and slightly put me off my meal.

Kieran went for the chicken (surprise, surprise). He really enjoyed it, however he did complain about the size of the meal as it was rather small and he had asked for fries but received sweet potato fries which he doesn't usually like, but actually scoffed them in under 5 minutes! I tried one and I really liked them so I don't blame him at all!

Overall, the food was good but not amazing. But what can you expect for the price? It was quite cheap. The service on the other hand was great. The waiter kept coming back to our table asking if there was anything else we needed and if the food was alright. So, thank you Turtle Bay Nottingham for providing us with lovely service!

Have you been to Turtle Bay? What did you think of their food and service?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Recent Meals Out

Hey guys!

Due to being a super busy student I haven't had much time to eat proper meals at home so as a result I've been eating out quite often. My favourite place was propably Fat Cat in Nottingham City Centre.

 

I went out to Fat Cat twice in one week, the first time with my girl friends Evie and Ama

rah, and the second time with the boyfriend. The first night we ordered a round of never ending cocktails/mocktails and a platter of nachos with jalapeños, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. They were so delicious that the second time I went with Kieran we ordered some too!

Me and my lovely went for a pizza to share and nachos to start off with. Of course the food was delicious as always, and I am planning on returning there very soon!

Next up is one of my all time favourite restaurants - Zizi's. I love the food there, it is so rich and full of flavour and the staff always seem very friendly. I went there twice, once with my good friend Safina, and the second time with Kieran (we appreciate good grub). Me and Safina ordered a garlic bread platter which was to die for. The sweetness of the caramelised onions contrasted very well with the bitterness of the flat bread and garlic.

For our mains we chose a pizza each (obviously). It was crispy, full of toppings and it melted in our mouths with each bite.

                   

What other way to end our lunch date than to celebrate with a bottle of wine? 

When me and my other half went to Zizi's in the evening for a lovely meal I chose a chicken, parma ham and spinach calzone which was out of this world. It was so yummy that I will definitely recommend it to any pizza lover.

Kieran went for a bacon wrapped chicken kiev with roasted baby potatoes which according to him was also very delicious!!

Another one of my favourite restaurants is Bella Italia and that's where I usually end up with, with my best friend Jess. The started was very small. It was a selection of mushrooms covered in garlic with sour dough bread. There wasn't a lot of it however it was rather tasty.

On the other hand, the calzone I went for wasn't the best. It was soggy and didn't have a lot of filling on the inside, bearing in mind there was a piece of chicken stuck on the outside of the crust and some tomato puree poured on top of it which made it taste odd and even more soggy than without it.. I wasn't impressed with the food this time and am hoping for a big improvement on my next visit.

My most recent visit was to Chutney which is an Indian restaurant/takeaway. I chose the Tajj Mahal which was a mixture of beef, lamb and chicken with spicy potatoes. It was lovely, however I could not handle the spice for too long!

And here's a cute picture of me and Kieran promoting Chutney's charity event to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust in the name of Brian and Musa.

Have you guys been out anywhere nice recently? Any restaurant recommendations?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Pre-University Celebrations

Good Evening Fashionistas!

I wanted to share with you one of the most special night out I've had recently. It was for one of my best friend Robyn's 18th birthday meal and we had such a blast! Our friendship group is so perfect, I wouldn't change it for the world. As we have all decided to do something different with our lives this year, we won't be able to see each other as often as we used to which makes me very sad as I just cannot live without those girlies! They are the butter to my toast and the milk to my tea with a hint of brandy ;) For our last night out together we went to celebrate Robyn's birthday at the Fat Cat Restaurant which gives 50% off on food and 20% off on drinks with an NUS card! How amazing is that?! The food was amazing. We all ordered a round of cocktails, and mocktails is some cases! Overall we had virgin strawberry daquiris, pina coladas, and screaming orgasms. They were all so delicious!! You cannot go wrong with a 2 4 1 offer! I ordered garlic green beans as my side and a avocado chicken couscous salad as the main. OH MY GOD were they delicious or what?! It was the nicest meal I've had in ages, it was so girly and cute I loved it!!! For dessert I ordered the apple crumble which came in a milkshake glass with ice cream!! Oh sweet Jesus, it was the best apple crumble I've had in my entire life! It was just so perfect, I can't even describe it. I reckon that's what rainbows taste like!!! Anyway, I've attached some photos from my night out in this post, hope you guys enjoyed reading about my fantastic night out!!

Cute little outfit, very appropriate for raving at Rock City!!

Lots of love,

Maya xo