Seebyzoe - London girl who loves style, beauty, food & life.

A week of Gordon Ramsey and Pedigree Tea

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Phew! We’ll I’m glad that week is over… Hurray for the weekend! As predicted, we were pretty busy all week and unfortunately I had quite a few sleepless nights due to one sick little puppy. I mustn’t grumble though, as we got up to some rather lovely things – All of which involved food. Oink!

On Tuesday, Alex treated me to lunch at Gordon Ramsey’s Maze restaurant, which was delicious. One advantage of freelancing is that you can take time off during the day and just make up the hours whenever you like, which makes getting bookings in popular restaurants a whole lot easier. We were there for the set lunch menu, which comes in at a reasonable £25 for four courses. Obviously the price starts creeping up when you add in drinks, but it really was great value for the quality of service and food that we received. Everything was delicious and I’d definitely recommend adding it to your list of places to eat, if you can.

On Wednesday, we were invited to take a Pedigree Tea for Betsy the Chihuahua’s first Birthday. Yes, I did say Pedigree Tea! Love The Princess in Primrose Hill are big lovers of dogs and as well as offering an afternoon tea for humans they also offer special treats for your dog. We had a really lovely afternoon and again the food was absolutely amazing. We’ll be blogging more about it over on Dog Friendly UK soon, so do keep an eye out for that review.

As Thursday came around I was hoping for a night in, but we’d arranged to meet a few friends at the Miller pub for their relaunch. After having tasted the Street Kitchen’s hot dogs last week, I was really looking forward to getting my hands on another, so dragged my butt out for yet more grub. We had a great night, but alas the hot dog I had didn’t seem to taste as good as the one I’d had the week before. I’m hoping it’s just because they were extremely busy at the launch… They had many mouths to feed and could well have been feeling the stress of it all. Don’t get me wrong, the dog was still tasty and The Miller is worth a visit if you are in the area – I just think I had set my expectations a little high on a very hectic night.

So, there you have it. I’m now catching up on work today, before heading off to review a hotel in Rye for Dog Friendly UK on Sunday. Hopefully next week will involve a little less activity, as I’m known to be a bit of a hermit and it’s all been a bit of a shock to the system!

How was your week? Have you been to any nice restaurants lately?

Duck and foie gras terrine, black pepper poached pear, sauternes gel.

Beetroot soused mackerel, horseradish potato salad, granny smith apple jelly.

Pork belly, razor clams, wasabi, crushed peas, lobster and sake dressing.

Yuzu “tea cake’’, mango & lime jam, lemongrass ice cream.

Birthday Chihuahua at Love The Princess.

Love The Princess Pedigree Tea – Besty’s Birthday cake

Treats for humans and doggie treats to.

Love The Princess Pedigree Tea (Cakes)

So elegant. Face full of cake.

Love The Princess Pedigree Tea – Betsy The Chihuahua

If I Was A Rich Girl – Swimwear

Friday, May 17, 2013

If I was a rich girl (and a skinny girl), I’d be on holiday right now and I’d be wearing some pretty expensive swimwear. Oh. Yes. I. Would.

Alas, I’m not rich girl and I’ve got more than a few lumps and bumps that are better off left in the dark! It’s all this food blogging you see… Does wonders for my taste buds, but zero for a flash looking body, fit for fabulous looking swimwear!

Even though I’m in need of some body repair work, it hasn’t stopped me browsing, so here’s a pick of my favourite Summer bikinis and one piece swimsuits. Aren’t they great!? However, I am just sitting here wondering why there is so much swimwear over £200… I’d need to work a 48 hour day to be able to afford just one *sigh*.

1: Missoni Mare – Royal Blue/Turquoise Triangle Bikini – £240
2: Mouille Santorini – One Piece Swimsuit – £99
3: Matthew Williamson - Digital Blossom printed triangle bikini - £175
4: We Are Handsome - Mustang Scoop One Piece Swimsuit - £214
5: Emilio Pucci – Printed triangle bikini - £240
6: Zimmermann – Wanderlust printed swimsuit – £240

This Little Piggy

Monday, May 13, 2013

I really don’t mean to keep talking about food, but what the hell can this little piggy do about it when I spend so much of my time eating!? We had pretty quiet weekend so decided to head into to Effra Social in Brixton on Sunday to sample some of their food. As a lover of all things vintage, this pub is right up my street – Formerly the Effra Conservative Club and now owned by Antic the pub, Effra has retained most of its vintage charms and I really hope to head back there soon as their Sunday roast was pretty damned great. It’s a dog friendly pub so head on over and read our full review on our Dog Friendly UK site. It really is worth a visit.

This week is looking pretty busy again. Alex is treating me to lunch at Gordon Ramsey’s Maze tomorrow. I’m not sure why, but I’ll take that treat and scoff it right up! Then on Wednesday, our little Chihuahua turns the grand old age of one and luckily for us Love The Princess have invited us to try out their Pedigree Afternoon Tea. Yes, an afternoon tea for the dog in your life (and plenty of grub for humans to). How I’m going to lose any weight over the next few weeks is beyond me!

Somewhere in between all that I have to fit in mountain loads of work and some bedtime reading… I’ve been dying to get started on a few books that I’ve bought, but just never seem to have the time. I’ve got into the habit of reading everyone’s blog posts before bed, so I’ve neglected the big pile of books building by my bed. Must. Read. More.

Anyway, better scoot as there’s much to be done. Did you have a good weekend? What did you get up to?

Effra Social in Brixton

Birthday girl.

This little piggy. Over and out. Oink.

Street Kitchen Hot Dog Menu at The Miller Pub

Saturday, May 11, 2013

I bloody love hot dogs, but I very rarely see them on menus and for some reason I never think to make them at home. When I received an invitation to sample the new Street Kitchen hot dog menu at The Miller pub, I got pretty excited about stuffing my face with some delicious grub and let me tell you they didn’t let me down!

I’m no food expert, but I eat a lot and know what I like. The Boston Hound was definitely my favourite – A hot dog made up of free range pork sausage with slow braised pork belly, red cabbage slaw, celeriac remoulade and barbeque sauce… Phew! The Hound was accompanied by a fennel salad, as were the two other hot dogs that we sampled on the night – We were also treated to drinks, superb lollies by Ice Kitchen and a new exhibition of Pure Evil artwork. Lovely.

The reason for this tasting session? Well, the team behind the Sebright Arms have had such great success with their Lucky Chip kitchen residency that they have decided to relaunch The Miller with these delicious dogs by Street Kitchen. These beasts will be adapted by next week to make the final menu, which is going to be available for all who pass through the pub’s doors… You should be very excited! The menu has been devised especially for the relaunch with ‘gourmet ingredients sourced directly from UK farms and a selection of seasonal salads, sides and slaws’. What’s not to love?

I’m heading back to The Miller next Thursday night for more and if you’d like to join me then just sign up HERE to be added to the guest list for the relaunch evening. Come and taste the delights for yourself and listen to a live set by Night Works and DJ sets from Dollop, Work It and Lovesick. Let me know if you are coming as I would love to finally meet some of you in person!

Bah.. Out of focus, but all I took before we scoffed the lot! Boston Hound.

The Miller – 96 Snowsfields London Bridge, London SE1 3SS

A Long Weekend in Devon

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

We got back from a long weekend in Devon late last night and I thought I’d do a quick picture heavy post because the rest of the week looks set to be pretty busy. Tonight I’m off to the relaunch of the Miller pub in London Bridge for hot dogs by Street Kitchen, ice lollies and art. Tomorrow I’ve been invited to test out Itsu [dining] in Chelsea. It was only last week that I was barely eating a thing and this week seems to be quite the opposite!

We had another relaxing break in Devon, which was much needed, as the past few weeks have been full of one problem after another. There’s nothing like a bit of time by the sea to put things right! Here’s a little of what we got up to…

We ate ice cream by the sea in Babbacombe.

We spent time in Tavistock, and passed by this little beauty.

We visited Padstow on a warm and sunny day, and ate fresh prawns AND fish and chips at Rick Steins.

Ate lots of cheese and drank gin.

Drank Elderflower wine – Produced and bottled in Devon – Then froze it accidentally and had to throw the rest away

I tested out my new Zara bag.

And we stopped somewhere (we can’t remember where!) for a quick leg stretch, before hitting the Devonshire traffic!

Did you have a good Bank Holiday weekend? What did you get up to?

Live Below the Line Challenge. The End.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

So, I managed to get through the whole week and as tough as it was, I didn’t give up! The second half of my Live Below the Line Challenge was quite a mission - I wasn’t based in one place and I forgot quite a few of my ingredients when I stayed over at my Nan’s house on Thursday night. This meant I had to use her only remaining stock cube (that went off in 2011) and I was minus the god awful sausages that I didn’t want anyway, but needed to eat to fill me up. We were driving during meal times so it meant I was eating pretty late and therefore ended up cooking a bowl of rice for dinner one night because I was just too tired to prepare anything else. I like rice, but not that much!

On Thursday and Friday, I was suffering with a pretty heavy headache that just wouldn’t go away and I had extremely low energy levels. I was sick of my meal planning and really disliked everything I ate, so consequently gave up trying and ended up consuming only half of my recommended calorie intake. Not good! I consumed plenty of water and I’m certain my headache was due to the lack of nutrients in my diet. I pretty much gave up and just ate to give myself the energy to move – Not at all what I was meant to be doing, but I did keep under budget at least… I think If I’d had a couple of pounds more, then it would have been a much easier week!

The Live Below the Line Challenge has made me think a lot more about how much food I waste in general and how I really need to plan my shopping a bit more so I’m throwing away less. It made me think a lot about how boring and bland food is without the luxury of herbs and spices, and most of all it made me think about those people that have such low budgets to live on. Food plays a very important part in my life and I really love it, but to so many people it is a great luxury. I took up this challenge to raise awareness for them and I hope it has helped in some small way.

Here’s what I ate over day three, four and five..

Day three:
Breakfast: Banana
Lunch: Carrot, cumin and kidney bean soup
Dinner: Rice, 2 x sausages, roasted carrot

Total Cost: 59p

Day four:
Breakfast: 1Egg and ½ tin beans.
Lunch: Rice and kidney beans burgers – These were not nice!
Dinner: Bowl of rice!

Total Cost: 65p

Day Five
Lunch: Kidney bean, rice, onion, cumin and carrot soup.
Dinner: Egg fried rice with kidney beans

Total cost: 46p

Thanks so much to everyone that sponsored me. I really appreciate it. My sponsor page will remain HERE for some time if you haven’t yet had the time

Read about the first few days of my challenge HERE.

Live Below the Line Challange Update

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

I thought I was being clever by buying a pack of twelve ASDA sausages, but after eating three of the blighters for my Live Below the Line Challenge last night, I’d be more than happy never to see another sausage again! The sausages were 84p, and I thought that would be a great choice to keep me full throughout the week, which they actually do, but the texture isn’t great and consequently are pretty difficult to eat. They actually worked really well in my omelette on day one, but as stand alone sausages… Epic Fail!

After day one, I thought living on £1 a day for food and drink was going to be a breeze. I think my meal choices worked pretty well, and didn’t actually feel any hunger pains or urges to snack. I then realised last night that I actually went over budget by 10p, which was totally down to my bad mathematics and a miscalculation of the price of eggs. I’ll have to make up for it during the week and cut out 10p somewhere else, but that truly annoyed me as I could have done without the extra egg, I’m sure.

Day two however was a little harder. That is why I went all out and added another sausage to my budget. BIG mistake! Too much fat and sodium in them there sausages and I didn’t feel great afterwards. Today is day three and I’m meant to be having another two for dinner… I don’t think I can bring myself to eat them. Let’s see. So far today I’ve just had a banana – I’ m meant to be making a carrot and kidney bean soup for lunch, but I’m not feeling it. I won’t give in, but I may be eating less than I imagined!

Here’s what I have eaten so far and a few charts to show my nutrition intake for my height and weight…

Day one:
Breakfast: Banana
Lunch: Onion fried rice, roasted carrots & sweetcorn
Dinner: 2 Sausage 2 egg omelette without all the good stuff + apple
Drinks: Water, water, water.

Total: £1.10p – 10p over budget FAIL!

Day two:
Lunch: Rice noodle soup with carrots, onion and tinned sweetcorn
Snack: Apple
Dinner: 1 Egg, beans 1/2 tin, Sausage x 3
Drinks: Water

If you’d like to sponsor me, or to read more about Live Below the Line, then head to my page HERE. Every penny counts and if you yourself are living on low funds then I’d be more than happy with just a couple of words of support to get me through!
EDIT: (May 2) Remember I’m trying to do this wheat and potato free – There is a small amount of wheat in the sausages, but not anything like the loaf of bread I’d like to scoff right now!

Bright and Cheery Zara Mini Shopper

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

After buying this Zara dress in store the other week, I decided to browse their website and came across a rather bright and cheery Zara Mini Shopper. I’d seen it in white in their Bluewater store and knew the size would be perfect for me – Bags the size of houses are definitely not a good fit for people under 5ft 2 inches and this one is just right… Unfortunately, I often find I’m lusting after the ones that are far too big for my person!

I’ve been looking for a spring and summer bag for a while. My current black day bag is all doom and gloom and too heavy looking for my lighter wardrobe, so I’m pretty chuffed with this find. It comes in at £22.99, and if you can’t find it in store then head to the Zara website. I generally purchase another item to warrant the free delivery (it’s free over £50) and then simply mail back the things I don’t want. I hate paying postage when it’s for an item that I can’t find in store!

What do you think? It comes in four colours – Black, green, white and orange. Which one would you go for?

I did order it before my below the line challenge, but it too some time to get delivered – So please don’t think I’m splurging the cash on such a sensitive week!

Live Below the Line Shopping List

Monday, April 29, 2013

My Live Below the Line Challenge starts today, so I thought I’d start off the week by sharing my food purchases with you. I had to be pretty careful with my shop because I’m still recovering from my tooth implant and I need to make sure I get enough goodness to help with my recovery. My dentist said that I shouldn’t really be doing it so soon, but I guess not everyone has that option when they are living below the line – I’ll see how I get on anyway.

I did most of my shopping in ASDA and didn’t bother with breakfast cereal and milk because I generally don’t like to open my eyes in the morning, let alone eat! I do have a few breakfasts planned during the week which is where the fruit, eggs and sausages will come in handy. Meat is very much a luxury item, but as they were 84p and there were 12 of them, I thought the sausages would be a good option as they always fill me up. I checked the back of the packet and the ASDA sausages have the same amount of pork as the Richmond sausages we usually eat so that made me feel a little better.

I chose to spend more on my eggs so I could purchase free range – Another luxury, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat barn eggs. It would be pretty easy for me to do this week on a loaf of bread, potatoes, beans and eggs, but, alas I’m not allowed the wheat and potatoes, and that would obviously make my life too easy!
I’ll give you an update midweek and let you know what I’ve done with all of the ingredients. Of course, Alex is highly excited that he gets to chose what he eats for the whole week without me, and he probably has many luxury meals planned!

Wish me luck…

Tinned sweetcorn – 32p
Baked beans – 25p
6 free range eggs – £1
2 bananas – 21p
Long grain rice – 40p
12 Sausages – 84p
2 Onions – 21p
2 Apples – 34p
Carrots 2kg – 92p I’ll be sharing with Alex and using – 37p worth
2 tins kidney beans – 42p
Stock cubes (not in pic) – 15p
rice noodles – 31p

= £4.85 – Leaving 18p for salt, herbs and a clove of garlic from the stock cupboard.

TOTAL: £5 for 5 days.

Zara Dress Full of Neon Cheer

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Yesterday, for the very first time, I managed to purchase something from Zara. Hurrah! It’s one of those stores that makes their clothing a little too big for short people, so I pretty much gave up on buying anything from there quite some time ago. However, when I paid a quick visit to Bluewater yesterday I decided to give it another go and low and behold came out with a dress that I absolutely love! I’m guessing it’s not at the length it should be on me, but that’s OK. It sits well enough and I might take it to the tailor for a slight length alteration… We’ll see if I get that far.

I’m always drawn to really bright patterned clothing and often find it rather hard to carry off, but I honestly don’t care because it cheers me up! Typically the said dress is not available on the Zara website, so Fat Cat and I took some time out to take a picture for this post. I generally struggle to take good photos of clothing, so opted for a balcony shot to get the best lighting (still not a great outcome) - It’s pretty much impossible to open our balcony doors without a certain someone wanting to escape!

Anyway, what do you think? I’ll probably wear it with my dark denim Pepe jacket.

This Zara dress full of neon cheer was £29.99

Recent Posts

Categories

A week of Gordon Ramsey and Pedigree Tea

Saturday, May 18, 2013

If I Was A Rich Girl – Swimwear

Friday, May 17, 2013

This Little Piggy

Monday, May 13, 2013

Street Kitchen Hot Dog Menu at The Miller Pub

Saturday, May 11, 2013

A Long Weekend in Devon

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Live Below the Line Challenge. The End.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Live Below the Line Challange Update

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Bright and Cheery Zara Mini Shopper

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Live Below the Line Shopping List

Monday, April 29, 2013

Zara Dress Full of Neon Cheer

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

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More swimwear related articles from blogs that I read:

Monday, May 13, 2013

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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

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Seebyzoe - London girl who loves style, beauty, food, fashion and life