Moose Coffee

06:30

This weekend is my Birthday weekend which is very exciting so I like to celebrate as much as possible and my new found love for brunch was a perfect way to celebrate!
My housemate and I recently discovered Moose Coffee which is located in New York Street in Manchester! It does amazing brunch and there's always a queue which is a good sign!

The first time I went I had pancakes and this time I went for my favourite Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon! My housemate had french toast last time and said it was looovely and this time went for pancakes which sadly she couldn't finished, so of course I gave her a helping hand!

We have been on a Saturday morning both times which isn't wise as its going to be super busy. Sadly I can't recommend a good time to go on a weekday as I haven't been yet but I imagine its slightly less busy! We arrived around half 10 in the hope the wait would be less than 45 minutes but sadly we were told it was 40 minutes, but it is definitely worth the wait! They have a good system where they put your name on a list so you're allocated a time to come back and you're free to wonder, which we did, as the city centre is so near! However they do say if you're not there when your name is called then you do lose your place so its best to try and get back just 10/15 mins before your allotted time!

The prices are a bit pricier than the average brunch I would say but its totally worth it! I highly recommend this place and check out their menu here

So here are a few pictures from my lovely brunch! Sorry I only took a few I just couldn't wait to dig in!

Blueberry Pancakes and Maple Syrup

New Hampshire Eggs

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Afternoon Tea

04:30

I am a hugeeee fan of afternoon tea, I just cannot get enough, as soon as the word teas mention i'm there! The scone is a staple in afternoon tea and a British classic! I find that mastering the scone can be difficult and you need to get the right recipe for you! I have luckily found that and believe I get it right everytime!

I have also accompanied my scones with yummy raspberry and strawberry jam! I always believe jam was difficult but its so simple! I did mess up a bit with the strawberry jam, after i'd made it and trawled the internet to find a recipe which didn't involve soaking the strawberries overnight my mum told me that makes the nicest jam she's tasted! Silly me but also an excuse to try again!

So i'll start with the jam, I got the cute little jars at Home Bargains for 39p, definitely a bargain! I used these two recipes, Strawberry Jam was from Jamie Oliver, a personal favourite! I don't use jam sugar just plain sugar and add in some lemon to replace the pectin found in jam sugar! For the Raspberry Jam I found this simple one, I already had an idea but always good to follow a recipe for reassurance. Again I also added in some lemon juice to allow for higher success in setting. A top tip I l learnt from my grandmother is to place a slight slither of jam on a clean, fridge cold plate and place it back in the fridge for 5 mins and if i has formed a skin then its setting and ready to be taken off! If not just put it back on for a few minutes! I also wasn't aware that if your jam isn't setting you can reboil it to help the setting process, which is very helpful i'd say! Hopefully these recipes prove as successful for you as they did for me! I also believe that this BBC Food Recipe is a good recipe to follow for soaking strawberries overnight to make even yummier jam!

Now onto the scones, I used a recipe from book. I always add sultanas to my scones, they're just not scones without for me! But obviously if you're not a fan just take them out!

The ingredients needed are:

Self Raising Flour
Baking Powder
Soft butter or margarine
Salt
Milk
Sultanas

First of all sift in your flour & baking powder in your bowl and add in the butter and rub it together with your fingertips until it forms fine bread crumbs. I also like to add a tablespoon of sugar at this point for extra sweetness, ( I have a very big sweet tooth). I also add a pinch of salt at this point. Once this is all mixed add in the sultanas! I then add in the milk, this can get a bit messy so I usually mix it with a spatula and once its formed a good consistency roll it out on a floured surface to about a couple of cm's thickness. Cut them out with whatever cutters you have, I've used a nice heart one here. You usually get around 10-12 scones i'd say, a mixture of sizes.

Place them in the oven, on around 180 degrees, for 15-20 minutes until they are lightly browned. Take them out once they are cooked and leave to cool for a bit but they taste delicious when still warm and top with your lovely jam and clotted cream if you're feeling cheeky! Accompany with a cup of tea and have yourself a lovely British cake!

I Like Short Shorts

04:30

I love shorts shorts. Shorts are amazing, I just have found a new sudden love for them and theres so many options to choose from on the high street! Here's some of my favourite shorts i've found so far!

River Island are doing well on the short front, offering a wide range of prints and very flattering styles for shorts all at a fairly average price!

I love stripes, anything striped and i'm there and these striped shorts are no exception!

I don't usually choose floral shorts but I really love these for some reason, I think I am really attracted to the colours chosen in this pair.

I recently purchased these and looks are very misleading, they may look like pyjamas but they're very flattering and a lovely silky feel! I was also lucky to get 20% off them with the recent student offer by unidays!

I do love a bit of fringing, especially with festival season coming up! These are a perfect style for a festival look and i love the added silk stripe pattern.

A printed shorts is necessary for summer! I love these ones from New Look, the rich colours in the print really sell them to me!

I saw these in person and fell in love with them, they look so much nicer than in the photo! I feel this is a pair from New Look which haven't had any justice done to them in the photos, which is a shame!

Finally this pair from Asos are in the sale! I think they're perfect for summer events whether smart or casual but they're a great find in the sale!

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Proper Tea

10:00

Today I was so excited as I was going to see my friend and we planned on going for tea and cake, my fav yayay! Originally we planned to go to Sugar Junction in Northern Quarter, Manchester, but sadly when we got there it was quite a long wait, but doesn't worry me, always an excuse to go back!

Living in Manchester everyone knows that Northern Quarter has some great places for tea and brunch, my personal favourite is Home Sweet Home for brunch and Richmond Tea Rooms for tea! But we thought with such a huge selection of places to go for tea why not try somewhere else, so I suggested Proper Tea which is next to the Cathedral and is not overly known but its lovely! Its very spacious inside with lots of light, which I always enjoy, even if it is raining, which sadly it was today but the huge amount of windows made it feel nice and airy and fresh!

I always have the classic when I go for tea, which is tea and a scone but this time my friend persuaded me to have a full afternoon tea, it doesn't take that much persuading really. I was so excited as I just love trying new afternoon tea's everywhere!

It was no let down! It had little mini cakes which were so cute and even a macaroon! There was also the choice of vegetarian or meat sandwiches, I chose vegetarian which were lovely! One was brie and caramelised onion chutney and the other hummus with red peppers! Yummmmy, my friend had the meat option and she had the caramelised onion sandwich too and also a chicken and pesto one!

The cakes were great, all the classic cakes you'd expect to get but mini, which is a fabulous idea! We had a red velvet, pistachio carrot cake and of course a chocolate one! They were gorgeous! i sadly only managed one but luckily I got to bring them home! Finally there were the scones! They were cut in the shapes of hearts, so cute, my favourite way to see scones served lately! We were given two and a pot of clotted cream and strawberry jam! I had a tippling earl grey tea and the teapot it came in was glass and lose leaf and you even got a timer with it to tell you when your tea had reached its ideal brewing time! What more could you want?

This afternoon tea cost £16 which wasn't extortionate I would say, if anything it was value for money considering the amount of food you got along with the tastiness of it! I highly recommend going here, even if it is just for a pot of tea! The space is just so lovely and the staff delightful!

Here are some photos I took of my tea I took with my iphone!

Leave a Comment afternoon tea, british, cake, chocolate cake, english, food, manchester, proper tea, review, scones, tea, tearoom

Instagram Favourites

12:38

Ever since I studied textiles at GCSE and before that really, I have loved fashion illustrations. I have managed to create my own style of illustration throughout the years and recently Instagram has a whole load of amazing illustrators who post amaaazing sketches.

I thought i'd write a blog post about these as this is a real passion of mine and I just think they're a great addition to your instagram homepage.

So first up I have an illustrator called Jess Illustrator, her Instagram Page. Her posts vary, from illustrations to pictures of her set up and studio, which are really inspiring and enjoyable to see how she works and the spaces she uses.

Here are some examples of her posts

Next up is Katie Rodgers also known as Paper Fashion on Instagram. This is possibly my favourite, she doesn't only do fashion sketches on paper she does it on various items, like bags, seen in an example below. I love her style and the fact all of her illustrations are fashion based and she uses glitter, because everyone loves glitter!

Oh also I almost forgot, her sketches are actually available to buy! Which is amazzzzing!

Grace Ciao has developed an amazing way to illustrate by incorporating flowers in her illustrations! They're all just so pretty and fresh! Its just great! Ive tried to create some myself inspired by her and they work really well! Check it out

Blairz is great, her illustrations weirdly remind me of the bratz dolls, in a good way of course, her models in the sketches present an attitude and come across a bit bad ass but they are awesome still

Megan Hess shouts parisian style in her sketches I think and her instagram page isn't just her illustrations but its a lifestyle page too which is enjoyable too!

I also loove the fact she did some illustrations for the recent Cinderella movie, which i loveeee and highly recommend going to see! I think the costumes in it are just so magical!

I hope you've enjoyed this post and hopefully inspired you to follow them on Instagram! I just love fashion illustration and hope I have widened your eyes to it and you understand a bit more about who I am and my passions!

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Bloomin Brilliant Bread

15:44

I love bread but making it is another thing! Mastering the art of bread is a tricky thing but luckily my mum is a very talented bread maker so has passed on all her knowledge to me!

I would say the key is in the proving and kneading, something you need to master inorder to make excellent bread!

I decided to go for some tomato bread as when I have been to Italy they always have such gorgeous tomato bread and I wanted to try and recreate my own!

I found an easy recipe online to follow, by Paul Hollywood, the master bread maker supposedly! I chose one which didn't need a bread mixer but its my birthday soon so i'm hoping to receive one there, so excitteeed!

I didn't add olives as I don't like them, however how hard I try I just can't grow to love or even like them! Maybe one day though...

The recipe made two very generous sized loaves which were both very yummy!

So follow the recipe linked and hopefully you'll be able to create your own bloomin bread!

Enjoy

I've shared some tips on my recipe adjustments and techniques along with the photos!

This is my first rising, so you can see its quite big but has a lot to go! I find the best technique to kneading is just generally pull it around and beat into it whilst turning the dough over and out all the time. I don't believe theres one particular technique its just however you feel you can do it!

This is after ive proved it once and added in the tomatoes. Sometimes if my bread isn't proving enough I put it by a radiator to try and speed the process up, but not directly because then you over rise it! A tip if your bread becomes dry is to put a wet teatowel over the top of the bowl and always oil your cling film to keep in some moisture and stop it going dry!