24 Days of Christmas: Day 9- Bad Santa

Warning: today’s choice is most definitely not one to watch with the family, not unless they are very liberal.

If you’re looking for a conventional film full of holiday cheer and good-will this is not the one for you. Whereas if you like your Santa with a touch of alcoholism and swearing then step this way!

My mother is a self confessed ‘Grinch’ at Christmas and as a result she loves this film. Billy Bob Thornton plays the aforementioned Bad Santa who with his partner in crime elf Marcus (Tony Cox), use their positions as an store Santa and his helper to rob a different department store every year. I won’t say anything else except there’s plenty of interesting characters including a barmaid with a Santa fetish, a child who’s a few chocolates short of a full advent calendar and a wise cracking security guard.

It’s a lewd, outrageous and weird film, but the reason behind the film’s success is that it’s just really bloody funny. The humour is darker than a lump of coal but it is endlessly quotable, and still manages to deliver on the Christmassy feels without any cheesiness.

It’s ideal for people like my mum who find the idea of any cheese or sentiment at Christmas intolerable, or for those who fancy something different than a typical Christmas film, or just a really good laugh.

24 Days of Christmas Films: Day 4-Edward Scissorhands

“Before he came down here, it never snowed.” When people think of Edward Scissorhands it’s often the iconic scene of Winona Ryder’s Kim dancing in the snow that comes to mind, and it’s largely because of that magical winter imagery that I chose it for Day 4.

Romance has played a large part in the previous three films on this list and this film is no exception. It takes the age old tale of the social outcast falling for the beautiful popular girl, but thanks to the incredible Danny Elfman score and the real life chemistry between the two leads, Edward and Kim’s romance transcends the norm to a coupling that has been described as nothing short of iconic. Plus I defy anyone to not feel Christmassy as they watch Kim dance in the snow that Edward creates from his sculptures, as he shows his affection the only way he knows how.

It is in the third act of the film, as the Christmas festivities near its peak that Burton chooses for the climax of his narrative, as Edward moves from a novelty to a threat in the eyes of the neighbourhood. Burton uses this festive setting to emphasise Edward’s role as social outcast, a theme which is common in Christmas films to align him with those who in real life feel at odds with Christmas and the forced family festivity it induces.

As the hysteria in the town reaches fever pitch, Edward retreats back to his secluded, solitary existence and his castle to attempt to repair the damage he’s done, and in doing so sacrifices his only hope at love and companionship. It’s a bittersweet ending as although there is no typical happy ending for the couple, in contrast to the other films on this list, we are sated by learning at the end of the film that even after many years have passed, Edward still continues to craft ice sculptures in his castle purely so his beloved Kim may continue to dance in the snow. Now I don’t know about you, but as far as romantic, festive endings go I think that’s a pretty good one.

Whether you love this film for its social commentary or simply for the beautiful Tim Burton imagery and Danny Elfman score, this film truly has something for everyone and I think provides the perfect dose of escapism for those cold Wintery evenings.

 

Life Lessons and Back from Hiatus

Well it’s certainly been a while hasn’t it. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind lately what with working full time and running around the country for various things and it’s certainly been an eye-opening experience, so I thought I’d share a little about what I’ve learnt from these recent weeks.
Firstly I had the interview for the job of my dreams which I came tantalisingly close to, which was the epitome of a double edged sword. Although it would’ve taken a lot of sacrifice it would’ve been the biggest stepping stone to getting the career I want, but the silver lining was that despite my disbelief I now know that at least I’m capable of getting myself on that track.
The next week was a blur of Birthdays (guess who’s finally 22) and interviews, by the end of which I’d managed to land myself a social media internship. Perhaps it was a result of my eagerness to prove that I was still moving forward, that I eagerly accepted the role without properly considering the overall requirements. The following weekend I headed to Manchester to see one of my best friends which was a chaotic yet lovely trip, which combined good food and friends (not to mention a few blog photos)!
But when I came back and started the internship, although the nature of it meant that luckily I could work from home as I had explained that I had a full-time job, I found that a lot more was expected of me than initially indicated. I worked at it for a week but it meant that I was at my job all day then working for the internships all night before heading to bed to do it all over again. I was putting so much work in at both jobs that I was burning out and without any feedback or encouragement I was really struggling. Considering the amount of work I was putting in for the internship for no pay or even contact, I felt that I was being put in a position where I was being taken advantage of, and gaining no experience or chance to learn in return. After a lot of thought I decided that it wasn’t worth it and that I had to quit, as I was burning out and as a result things that I loved like this blog were being abandoned.
It’s weird that you can learn so much in so little time but that’s why I wanted to write this post as I guess as this is my place on the internet where I feel I can write about these types of things. Plus I don’t know whether it’s a result of being 22 and a full blown adult now but I’m proud of the fact that although it was hard, I was able to make the decision to quit and have faith in myself that it was worth the risk. Only time will tell whether it was the right choice but it’s something that I would definitely preach as a life lesson to anyone my age or anyone who is struggling to make their way that as cheesy as it is, there’s nothing more important than knowing your own worth. It takes a lot of courage to not being afraid to make the hard and scary decisions and fingers crossed that this time it pays off for me in the end. But at least in the mean time I’m looking forward to getting back to the things I love namely this blog. Thank you for reading this little ramble, I know it’s a little more personal than the things I usually write on here but I hope that it’ll be something to relate to or some help if any of you are ever in a similar situation. Now to get back to the job search…

Autumnal Spiced Apple and Plum Pie

There’s something about the change in the weather that immediately has me reaching for a cookery book. After  a bit of tinkering I came up with this, my spiced apple and plum pie which is to me epitomizes everything that’s good about Autumn.

This is the best season for plums and mixed with the apples and spices they combine to make a pie that’s perfect for a winter treat, and one that always proves a hit with my family and friends! Not  to mention that there’s something just so comforting about a slice of pie with custard of ice cream that makes it the food equivalent of a hug, and the perfect medicine to chase those winter blues away.

What You’re Going To Need

For the Short Crust Pastry

255g plain flour

Pinch of salt

140g hard butter

6 tsp cold water

For the Filling

5 Cooking Apples

2 Sweet Apples (I used Braeburns but any sweet apple would be just as good)

6 Plums (You can add slightly more or less depending on taste)

2 1/2 Tbsp of Cornflour

175g of Sugar (I prefer golden caster as it gives it a caramely taste)

155g of Brown Sugar (I used Demerara which is also perfect for giving a caramel flavour)

2tsp of Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg (About 2 good pinches)

Milk to glaze

Then it’s time to get down to business!

For the pastry I cheated and sifted my flour and salt into my food processor and added the butter until the mixture resembled breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a food processor just use your fingers instead, they work just as well! Slowly add the water until the mixture is combined then tip the pastry out onto a floured surface and lightly knead. Then clingfilm it and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool and relax the dough.

Then it’s time to prepare the filling. After peeling the apples core them and the plums, then loosely chop them and throw them into a deep saucepan. Add the sugar, cornflour and spices until the fruit has softened and the juices have combined to form a caramely liquid. Once the liquid had thickened and the fruit has softened take the fruit off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and remove a third for the topping. I prefer my pies to be open topped so I only removed about a quarter but feel free to decorate however you want! Roll out the pastry and line your tin (tip using the rolling pin to help you lift the pastry makes it much easier), then line it on top with greaseproof paper and baking beads, and pop it in the over for about 10 minutes. As you can see I didn’t have any baking beads so I improvised with linseed but rice works just as well.

Once it’s slightly coloured, remove the beads and paper from the pastry and glaze it with your milk. Cook it for a further 5 minutes until the pastry is fully dried out.

Meanwhile you can roll out the lid or decoration for your pie, and once it’s out of the oven you can fill and top it! I like to use a slotted spoon as it’s great to remove the excess liquid that can make your pie soggy, then I add my lid or decoration and bake it for 40-45 minutes. But make sure if you’re using a lid you mark a hole in the top to let the steam escape.

But then voila, an autumnal spiced pie, perfect for those cold winter evenings, all that’s left is to serve it up!Af.

I hope you enjoyed this post as I’m really trying to get back to posting recipes as I really enjoy it and Winter recipes are some of my favourites to make. I would love to know if any of you give it a go and what you think, or even your favourite recipes as I’m always on the look out for new ones!

A Day In Brighton

For years I have been seeing hundreds of posts and videos of bloggers raving about Brighton, not to mention the hundreds of beautiful instagrams taken of it. As a result it has long been number one on my list of must-go places in the UK, so of course when the chance came for a brief day trip I jumped at the chance! I thought it’d make a nice beginners guide to Brighton and give me a chance to share with you the best places I managed to stumble upon during my day.

 

Mange Tout

This was one that came highly recommended by pretty much every blogger who’s written about Brighton, and when we turned the corner from the car park to see it opposite I knew it was fate. With a varied yet simple, fresh menu it ticks every box and was the perfect brunch fix. Not to mention it has some of the best coffee I’ve ever had which was served with some delicious homemade meringues! This is the perfect option for the pickiest of friends not to mention those who like things a little on the healthier side, all in all putting our trip off to a great start.

 

Magazine

This for me was literally the stuff dreams are made of, a shop dedicated to magazines! This is the hardcore stuff though, no Grazia or Elle to be found here, only slightly obscure yet beautifully made magazines covering everything from fashion to film. Some of them are more like books than conventional magazines, and although I finally manage to whittle it down to one (trust me it took a while) I could have easily left with half the store. Whether or not you’re a magazine obsessive like me I cannot recommend it enough even if just to look and try something new!

 

The Flour Pot

By this point we’d done enough walking that we were ready for another snack so as soon as I saw The Flour Pot bakery I knew that it was the answer to our prayers. This was another one I’d seen highly recommended by multiple bloggers so I had to pop it and grab a few treats for later. There was an amazing of variety of both savoury and sweet treats and a great gluten-free selection as well (which in hindsight I can thoroughly recommend as some of the best coeliac bakery products I’ve had).

 

Bert’s Homestore

This is one for those who love all things home, Bert’s has everything from baking supplies to decorations, to toys. It’s one of those places that is impossible to leave without at least a little something, not to mention it’s just a lovely place to look around while you’re reminded of all the things you don’t need but really want. I am so distraught that these stores are only in Brighton, but it’s probably better for my bank account.

 

Edited

After Bert’s I was definitely in the homeware mood and Edited was perfect to give me that fix. It’s like a combination of all the coolest stuff you’d find on Etsy all in one place. With a brilliant mix of the quaint and quirky there’s something for every style, and left me really wishing that I could fit one of those giant ice cream cushions in the car with me.

 

Brighton Pier

One of the last places we managed to hit is probably one of the most famous places in Brighton, the beach! It is one of the most picturesque beaches so I couldn’t resist having a ride on the merry-go-round and a go on a couple of the arcade games while I was there. A must have for anyone visiting, it was the perfect way to reflect on the events of the day while enjoying the picturesque scenery. Plus it’s a great place to visit if you’re a big kid like me and can’t resist a ride or two.

 

The Brighton Pavilion

This is a bit of a cheaty one as we didn’t actually manage to go inside because they were renovating, but the gardens alone were worth the visit. The building itself is so stunning I can’t wait to come back and see the inside, but for the meantime I was perfectly content to wander around the grounds and take some pictures. It was definitely the perfect way to end my first trip to Brighton.

I hope you enjoyed this post and it hopefully gave you a few ideas of where to go if you’ve never been to Brighton before. I enjoyed it so much I’m thinking of doing some more “In a Day” guides, so let me know if you’d like to see some more of them and where I should go next. Also please let me know your favourite places in Brighton too as I’m already compiling a list of where to go for next time!

Cinema Under The Sky

Little known fact about me is that I am completely and totally obsessed with movies in any shape, way or form. I’m also a complete sucker for anything novelty, so the concept of an outdoor cinema is pretty much a match made in heaven for me.

For my childhood best friend’s 21st birthday present I thought I’d get her something a little different and when I found an outdoor showing of Little Shop of Horrors, the film that first made us best friends I knew it was fate. So under the guise of a mysterious trip to London, I whisked her off to Camden for a night under the stars.

Under a blanket of lights it perfectly set the magical scene of the evening, but before we hunkered down for the night we couldn’t help but have a look at everything else that was on offer.

And of course we couldn’t help but take a few pictures (I mean what’s a best friend if not to act as a part-time photographer)!

The more eagled eye of you might notice that this is my newly purchased jumper courtesy of Wish Wish Wish from the bloggers market, which I have to say is so cosy I’m going to be wearing it all Winter.

Once we’d had our fill of sights we needed something to fill our bellies and as soon as I saw the Honest burgers sign our fate was sealed.

A tucked away literal hole in the wall with the coolest looking group of people you’ve ever seen it has a completely inclusive atmosphere where you can pull up a seat and enjoy the atmosphere and food (that is if you can find one).

While Olivia went for the plain beef I went for the eponymous Honest, a mouth-watering combination of beef, bacon, mature cheddar, onion relish and pickled cucumber. I can tell you honest-ly (sorry had to be done) it is on the top 3 burgers of my life list, which considering how many burgers I eat is a pretty great honour. Not to mention the rosemary fries, which I must say I was slightly dubious about, but turned out to be one of the best chip combinations ever, made even better by the fact we got a massive sack of them each.

With our feast in tow we hired some blankets and snuggled down on our deckchairs to relive our childhood.The atmosphere and setting was so perfect I will definitely be heading back soon and with showings until the 4th of everything from Grease to Amy I can’t recommend enough that you swing by (and grab a burger while your there)!

The Bloggers Market-Take Two

In January the lovely girls behind What Olivia Did, Shiny Thoughts, Dearest Deer, Wish Wish Wish and I Want You To Know organised a bloggers market where bloggers and readers could come meet the girls, have a little shop, and generally just have a lovely time. I was heart-broken that I couldn’t make it as I was still in Belfast at university, so as soon as they announced a second one I got very excited, especially when they asked for volunteers to help and I got chosen!

Although it was a bit of an early start, any tiredness was instantly forgotten as soon as I arrived at the beautiful Hoxton hotel and met all the girls who were completely lovely and welcoming (and would you believe it even prettier in real life!)

They arranged a lovely breakfast for us so we could all get introduced which was great as we were able to get to know a little more about everyone and have a moment of calm before the craziness began. Afterwards, fully fed and settled my fellow helpers and I set about helping the girls set up as well as making the venue as pretty as possible (not that it needed much help).

As there were some lovely treats provided by Krispy Kreme, Appletiser and Yo Sushi we laid those out (and of course took multiple instagrams along the way).

We finished setting up just in time for a quick first snoop at what was on offer, and of course a few cheeky purchases before people started arriving, and next thing we knew the market had begun!

With girls from Benefit doing makeup top ups, Joël Benjamin who’d done the last market doing amazing braids, Emma Block doing some adorable illustrations as well as the delicious treats and the girls’ stalls, it was a big hit!

Everyone was so lovely and seemed to love all the different things on offer and it was so nice to see everyone hanging out and mingling with everyone.

Although it was quite hectic in the beginning with everyone desperate to get first look at all the goodies on offer, it eventually calmed down as the day went on and became more of a relaxed vibe which was solidified when Liv introduced the beautiful and talented Shannon Wardrop who came out and played a gorgeous acoustic set.

There was such a lovely atmosphere as everyone stopped what they were doing and just sat and listened to Shannon’s beautiful and haunting songs. All too soon the event was winding up and in a scene that was reminiscent of the end of 60 Minute Makeover, we packed and tidied everything up as quickly as we could to get out of the venue on time. It was so sad to say goodbye to the girls and also my lovely fellow helpers; Paige, Ron and Anne-Sophie (who you can check out here, here and here) but I left with the type of contentment that only happens after a really, really lovely day.

Not to mention I got all these goodies!

I cannot recommend that if there is another bloggers market soon, (which hopefully there will be as this was such a success) that you get there anyway you can as it’s the loveliest mix of people, clothes and stalls you find anywhere. It’s certainly going to take a long time for me to come down from this high anyway!