bloomzy /

Introducing: Stranger London (and a purchase)

Handmade ‘London to Japan’ Coasters, and Parisian Pouch from Stranger London
I love handmade items, and I have so much respect for those who are talented enough to create them. Yet I often find that I’m not drawn to most handmade shops due to the style not suiting my own. However when I came across Stranger London (selling handmade & one-off items) I was automatically drawn in. I knew that this is a brand that would fit into my lifestyle, and onto my dresser. I can’t get enough of the prints that Yasumi uses; they’re so perfectly suited to my style and taste. She handpicks every print and turns them into amazing bags, cases, passport sleeves and more. Yes, there is so much more –  she also sells items that she has found (including vintage pieces) and picked lovingly for the site. It really feels as if Yasumi is letting you step into her own secret magical world. 
I happened to come across her ‘London to Japan’ Coasters, which was incredibly well-timed as I happened to be looking for more items for our lounge. As avid tea drinkers I find that a coaster is always needed, but they often seem a bit old fashioned. So when I stumbled upon Yasumi’s creation I knew I had to have them! The Liberty London and traditional Japanese prints are timeless, and speak volumes about mine and Ben’s life – previously living in Tokyo and now in London. So yes, it did seem that it was made especially for me, something which is not easy to come by. The quality is superb and everything was handled professionally and quickly. So when it arrived I didn’t expect that the service could be any better. Well I was wrong. Yasumi had included a little surprise gift of a Parisian style pouch (another city I’ve lived in and loved), along with a beautifully handwritten note. C’était parfait! I will definitely be purchasing items from the store again. In fact I currently have my eye on: Jurmo Marimekko Tote, Mono Unikko Case, Texture Colour Lines Bracelet, and Stranger Forest Patisserie Tote. Hurry up pay day!
You can check out Yasumi’s creations at Stranger London.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: The Underground Cookery School

I’ve never been into the whole housewife lifestyle – cleaning and chores aren’t for me. Yet I’ve always enjoyed cooking and baking, which means that I cook 99% of the meals in our household. I do it purely for enjoyment, but of course there are times when I can’t be bothered, or I have run out of recipe ideas. Luckily for me I was contacted by The Underground Cookery School to attend one of their classes, where I would be cooking a 3-course meal (sea bream starter, chicken main, and roulade dessert) with some fellow bloggers and writers. I was eager to learn some new skills, and pick up a few recipes whilst I was at it.

The classes are literally held underground, in the basement of a rather unsuspecting building. Walking into the school I was impressed at the clean cut look of the kitchen and the large, inviting dining table. There were some familiar faces in attendance, and some lovely new ones also. We were all handed a glass of prosecco, canapés and an apron – a brief summary of what to expect from the night. After catching up with everyone we were handed our first task for the night – shelling broad beans. It may not sound very glamorous, but in the kitchen everyone has to chip in! Soon after we were split into two groups to start on the Strawberry Meringue Roulade. Luckily Ashleigh-Jayne was in my group – a self-confessed meringue connoisseur. After prepping our meringue we moved onto filleting our fish and preparing our chicken. Now I’d never done either of these things before, but as a sometimes meat-eater I think it’s important to be more hands on with your food, and understand how it is prepared. So I got stuck in, with a lot more enthusiasm than you’d expect from someone who was just handed a dead fish/whole chicken. I won’t go into details as I know some of my readers will be veggie/vegan etc. and I don’t want to cause any upset. After we’d washed our hands (very thoroughly) we went back to our meringue and prepared our cream, which we then smothered on top of the meringue and covered with strawberries, before carefully rolling to complete our roulade.

The cooking part of the class may have been fun, but the real entertainment came when we sat down to eat! My favourite dish of the night had to be the sea bream, with the roulade coming a close second. In fact they were all delicious! We were served by the chefs, and were given a complimentary wine to go with our courses. Conversation flowed, alongside the wine, thanks to the lovely company I shared. Food is fun, but it’s really made by the company you share it with. So a big shout-out goes to Lily, Charlie, Jesse, Lucy, Cassie and Plum! Also, thank you to Anneliese for hosting us, and the wonderful chefs of The Underground Cookery School. I had a night to remember, and I will certainly be trying out some of the skills I learnt, in my own kitchen!

Find out more at The Underground Cookery School.

bloomzy /

Introducing Vivid Drinks: A Matcha a Day…

I don’t usually do posts like this, but I figured it went hand-in-hand with the blog. You might be wondering why that is, and I say, shame on you! If you don’t know of my love of matcha by now, then, well…you’ve probably been doing something productive with your life. Anyway, I do love matcha and I do like to mention it a lot, on the blog, my Twitter, and to anyone who will listen. So when Vivid sent me a crate of their matcha based drinks, I did a little happy dance. 
Vivid Drinks was set up by a fellow matcha lover – James Shillcock.
He decided that it was about time that matcha made it’s big break in the UK. Up until now, it has only been available to health addicts, and those who have the money to afford it – most places that sell matcha have raised the price to extortionate levels. However James wanted it to be available to everyone, in a convenient way. Vivid Drinks was born. Thanks to his expertise in the tea industry, and time travelling in China, he’s the perfect candidate.
So why do I love matcha (green tea powder) so much? 
Not only is it super delicious, but it is full of amazing benefits. It contains a lot less caffeine (only 0.01mg) than coffee, and regular tea. That means it’s a lot better for your body, but don’t fret because it does also give you a healthy boost. I can’t drink highly caffeinated drinks like coffee or coca cola, so this is a great way for me to enjoy it. More importantly though, it is full of antioxidants (130x more than regular green tea), which are wonderfully good for you. Vivid Drinks have managed to keep all of those amazing benefits inside their drinks, whilst adding some healthy tasty flavours to the matcha. Matcha is quite bitter by itself, so pairing it with something sweet, like honey or pear is a really good idea. My personal favourite from the collection is the Lime, Ginger & Honey. In fact it was also the first one I tried when I ordered it at a tea room on Church Street. I didn’t know what to expect, but left with a happy tummy and my matcha craving satisfied. I make sure to drink a matcha a day, why don’t you try doing the same?
You can purchase Vivid Drinks in stores such as WH Smith, Waitrose, Selfridges & Whole Foods for £1.85 each. You may also find them in your local cafe, so keep an eye out, and visit Vivid for more information.
bloomzy /

Now Open: Muji – Islington N1 Store, North London

On Thursday I headed to the Muji Islington N1 press event, which was held just before the customer opening event. This is the first Muji store to come to North London, and I know I am not the only one who is happy with this. You may be sat here right now scratching your head and saying “But Emma, the store has been open since last weekend?!” Well yes, you’d be correct, but Muji decided that it would be better to hold their event a few days later.  When I arrived I noticed a few people had already started queuing, and I was told that the customers are so dedicated they had started queuing over an hour before the event. Now that’s brand loyalty!
The new store has taken a lot of inspiration from the newer London stores, and from their stores in Japan. In fact they even had some of the Muji Japan team come over to give the finishing touches to the store. Looking outside in, the store looks classic and high-end. It’s slightly misleading as the store seems very small from the outside, however the team have made the most of the two floors and the fixtures, leaving the store looking more than spacious inside. The store has a great selection of Muji’s stock, which delighted me greatly; the storage, travel and candle selection is particularly impressive.
Muji is the perfect brand for those who live a modern, urban lifestyle. Selling high quality, minimalistic items from Japan, that could easily rival it’s competitors – I’m looking at you Sweden! I personally adore their storage items, and the little bits and bobs that make my home look better, and run easier. I’ve never bought any of their clothing (they sell women’s & men’s), but I was impressed with their use of French linen, and the quality tailoring of their basics. It’s safe to say I will be back again, and again, to the new Muji Islington N1 store.
Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel for my Muji haul video, coming soon!
bloomzy /

Nuffnang’s 1st Birthday Party

On Saturday afternoon someone let a bunch of bloggers, including myself, lose on the rooftop of Netil House (Netil 360 to be exact). It’s ok, don’t worry, we were given plenty of food and drinks to keep us happy (and snapping photos). Yes, it was Nuffnang’s First Birthday celebrations and we were ready to party!

There were props a plenty, so me, Alex, Honey & Jesse took full advantage. In blogger terms that means a mini photo shoot! So we pranced and posed all over the rooftop with the colourful balloons Nuffnang had provided us. After we had exhausted ourselves and our cameras, we retired to the shade to sip on Pimms and chat with our fellow bloggers. It was so lovely to finally meet Marlene, and catch-up with Steph, Sarah, Sara, Holly, Angela…there’s just too many wonderful Nuffnangers to keep up with! Time flew by as we laughed and swapped anecdotes. We worked up quite the appetite during the day, but thankfully Club Mexicana were on hand to serve us delicious vegan tacos. I am a meat eater, but I adore vegetarian and vegan food, and I was not let down by these tacos. They were scrumptiously spicy, and left me wanting more! Still, after so much savoury food I had room for a little something sweet. Thankfully the amazing Victoria Yum was at Netil Market, which just so happened to be directly below us. So I told everyone about her and convinced them to come down with me and buy up all of her cupcakes!

I’ve wanted to be a member of Nuffnang ever since I found out my girl Cheesie was with them. Unfortunately at that time they were only in Asia. Naturally as soon as I found out they were in the UK I joined straight away! Nuffnang may have only been around in the UK for one year, but they are already pros at hosting events. I feel so relaxed with them, and I know that they would gladly help me (and the others) if I ever needed it. Not only that, but Jesse has already become a good friend of mine – she inspires me so much and I truly believe that we were meant to meet. So thank you Nuffnang, for inspiring me in blogging, helping me meet so many amazing people, and for hosting us at your first birthday party. May it be the first of many! 

bloomzy /

Recipe: Cauliflower Base Pizza (Gluten-Free)

Cauliflower base pizza is something I’ve been toying with the idea of for a while. I first heard about it when a friend told me she had tried her hand at a gluten-free pizza. After reading up on it I found out that all you needed was cauliflower and egg for the base, which excited me greatly, as I can be a bit lazy in the kitchen. So I figured I’d try my hand at it and see what I could come up with on my own. This recipe is completely gluten-free and can be adapted to best fit your personal tastes. It may sound outrageous, but this has now become my favourite kind of pizza. I would gladly choose it over a regular base any day. Sayonara Dominos! Hello gluten-free heaven!

As a reference, most of the seasoning for this is done to taste so I haven’t used any measurements.
I’ve also recommended some alternatives for those who don’t like spice.

Ingredients:
350g Cauliflower – Frozen or Fresh
50g Mozzarella (approx)
3 Baby Tomatoes
1 Large Egg
Pesto (approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons)
Chopped Spring Onions (approx. 2)
Chilli Powder/Paprika
Dried Basil & Oregano
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Clove/s
Parmesan
What you need to do…
Pre-heat your oven to 200c/Gas Mark 7, and line a tray with greaseproof paper.
If you use frozen cauliflower, I would suggest defrosting it/cooking it slightly and squeezing out any excess water. Fresh cauliflower is easier to work with, but I have used frozen in this recipe as it’s just easier to keep a big bag in the freezer. 
After you have prepared your cauliflower cook it in the microwave for 5mins.
Let it cool, then place it in the blender, along with the garlic (I used 2 cloves).
Blend this for about 10 seconds, making sure you are left with crumbs, and not a puree.
Add your cauliflower and garlic mixture to a large bowl. To this add the egg, salt & pepper, dried basil & oregano, parmesan and the chilli powder (or paprika if you’re not a fan of spice) – to taste. Mix this together with a large spoon until you are left with a dough like texture. If you think your mixture is a bit wet, you can always add a little gluten-free self raising flour to bulk it up.
Once you have your mixture ready, roll it into a ball and place it on your lined tray. Press down onto the ball and create a large circle, making sure not to thin it out too much – you want a thickish crust. Don’t worry if it looks a bit messy, the rustic charm will add to the look and texture of the base once it is cooked. Place your ‘dough’ in the oven for around 15mins. Sometimes I turn it around halfway through, to make sure it is cooked evenly. 
Now your base is cooked, you can garnish it! Spread the pesto evenly over the base – you can add a little tomato puree (gluten-free) here if you like. Cut your tomatoes into quarters and scatter them over the pizza. I like to scatter the chopped spring onions over top of this. Finally, break up your mozzarella and cover the pizza with it. 
Bake your pizza in the oven, for around 10mins, until it has browned and the mozzarella has melted.
Cut in half and serve – I like to have it with potatoes or a salad.
This is a super quick and easy recipe that anyone can enjoy – even if you’re not on a gluten-free diet. Trust me! It’s just as filling as a regular pizza, but has a lot less calories and isn’t anywhere near as greasy. It also includes 2 of your 7 a day! 
As always, if you do try it out, tweet me or leave a comment here as I’d love to know what you think!
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Rekorderlig ‘Apple & Guava’ Spirit of Summer Press Event

On Thursday evening I headed to St Paul’s for a beautifully Swedish affair. My favourite fruit cider (who am I kidding? It’s the ONLY cider I drink) Rekorderlig were hosting a press event to celebrate the launch of their new Summer flavour. That meant the fiancé and I were able to take in the amazing views from the Sky Bar (at The Grange Hotel) roof terrace as we sipped on the new Apple & Guava Rekorderlig. It’s juicy, sweet and very unique. After trying the new drink, I wanted to jump straight onto the cocktails (they’re my jam, yo!). Luckily Rekorderlig’s amazing mixologist Joel Persson was on hand to offer us some delicious beverages. My favourite was the Guava Semester, a succulently sweet cocktail made with Rekorderlig’s apple & guava, gin, apple juice, mint leaves, lime juice and sugar syrup. Now all I need is a stocked fridge and a pitcher to make it my drink of the Summer.
Once again Rekorderlig managed to host a chilled and enjoyable event. I loved the decor and more importantly the venue, which was the perfect Summer setting. This Summer I can definitely see myself chilling on a roof terrace with some friends, having a laugh and throwing back the Guava Semesters. Well done Rekorderlig, you’ve outdone yourself again!
Visit Rekorderlig to get your hands on their new flavour this Summer.