The Londoner's Rock Salt Roast Chicken

There's nothing I like better than a good Sunday Roast and this one from Rosie (The Londoner) is a corker! It was super easy and enjoyable to make and really freaking tasty. As a kid I used to love picking at the crispy skin while my Mum or Dad were carving up the chicken, so this recipe took me back but also reminded me of my love for crackling as the skin turns into a chicken version of crackling, and let me tell you it was such an indulgence! If I had my food processor here I would have stripped all the skin off and whizzed it up to make chicken salt to be used for all sorts! This chicken has lasted one meal on Sunday and 3 lunches for 2 people this week, which is really good for us students! 

Find the recipe and get cooking here!

DeliciouslyElla Recipe: Sweet Potato, Lentil and Coconut Curry.

I'm sorry, but these sorts of things are always hard to get attractive pictures of, I am a student and don't own fancy bowls, a fancy kitchen, hell, I don't even have a dining table so sorry it doesn't look too appetising on the plate! It's darn tasty though...

This week I'm doing something a bit different in my kitchen so I thought I'd share it on the blog. I've started being very good and planning my weeks meals in the hope that I would save money on my shopping and not end up eating delicious things like tempura prawns, home-made pizza and pork wellingtons monday-wednesday and then pasta with frozen peas thursday and friday because I've eaten all the nice ingredients :/

And let me tell you, it's working, like really working, we have been saving over a third on our food shop bill and have found we buy less but eat better and are able to buy things I would never normally think we could afford like a whole chicken and a bottle of wine (which I bought for a recipe, not just to drink! ...) 

So with this in mind I have planned my meals this week and they are all recipes from food blogs. I have some awesome cook books but lately I have also found some blogs with recipes that rock. So as a sort of 'series' here, I'm going to be recipe-testing what I find in the food blog world, and share my findings!  Here is one of them...

Sweet potato, lentil and coconut curry by DeliciouslyElla. If you like healthy food that tastes good, Ella is for you! Click through to find her recipe. I found this super easy to make and really tasty to eat. There are a load of really interesting looking recipes on Ella's blog that I can't wait to try out - healthy brownies that don't even need an oven being one of them! And do-it-yourself almond milk... 

Beauty Empties.

I have some beauty empties! Get the skinny on each of these products...

Byron Burger.

For menu, info, prices etc check out their website: Byron

So the other day we went to Byron for a burger treat after some toil in the library. I had been wanting to go and try it out for some time, plus lately for some reason I've been craving burgers a lot (we'd actually also been to Atomic Burger a few nights before! Ssshh). 

One of the reasons I wanted to try it out was to sample their Craft Beers. As the president of my uni's real ale society I felt it was my duty... 

I went for what I think is a popular one at Byron (my research includes lots of instagram photos), the Brew Dog Dead Pony Club, which is a fruity pale ale and not too dissimilar to what we picked as Ale of the Year at the Oxford Beer Festival back in October. Charlie picked a stout, which would have been my choice also if picking for my own penchant and I obviously had a taste and thought it was ridiculously tasty. So the ale sampling was a success!

On to the burgers. Charlie went for the Byron, which looked incredible with double burger, bacon and cheese dripping off it *drools*. I went for the slightly more modest cheeseburger which was also delish. For sides we opted for skin-on chips and mac 'n' cheese to share. It was a really filling meal, so I didn't bother with dessert (plus I'm generally not bothered about dessert) but Charlie went for the cheesecake, and I did have a cheeky bite and it was incredible! 

So there you go, awesome burgers, puds AND good beer. What more can you ask for, really? Now, click below to see the burger foodporn goodness....

Itsu Miso Soup Review

Review. I got this instant miso soup in my January Birchbox and thought it was a cool idea to have an instant soup from a paste rather than a powder. It was super easy to make and did taste like miso soup, but was too salty. I don't think I'd ever buy this as it was around the same price as in a restaurant. Nice idea but instant soup isn't for me!

Lazy Tart(an).

Oversize batwing jumper - Asos, tartan leggings - missguided, chelsea boots - Asos. 

Lazy. Leggings and an oversize comfy jumper are the perfect combo for a lazy day. Even though I snapped these at home I was going out so couldn't go for ultimate comfort in PJs or sweatpants! 

What is your favourite 'lazy' outfit? 

Birchbox, January.

January Birchbox.

Samples. I'm fairly new to the beauty world, having only just learned in the past year about proper skincare routines and how important (and enjoyable) they can be, how to apply liquid foundation most effectively and the joys of face transformation in the way of contours and crease (cringe). On my journey of beauty discovery helpful things have included blogs reviewing products so I can walk into Boots and make it look like I know what I'm looking at now, Youtube for teaching me how to clean my face properly and make it look good (cheers) and Birchbox for allowing me to try all sorts of wonders I would never find on my own. A few of my favourite things (stop singing, keep reading) I've had the chance to try with Birchbox so far have been the Egyptian Magic cream, oh my goodness it is literally magic and Laura Mercier long lash mascara - I struggle to find mascaras I like and this is my absolute daily favourite now. 

So I thought that from now on I would do a post about what I get in my monthly Birchbox, what I think of the bits etc. And because I have to rip it open as soon as it arrives at my door, the photos will be from my instagram for these posts!

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Cold, Bright Oxford.

faux fur - Asos (old), retro coat - Topshop (old), houndstooth pencil skirt - ?, boots - Asos.

Library. Snapped these on my way home from the library. I did some work in the Vere Harmsworth this morning as I felt like a change from the Bodleian where I usually go. I'm trying to get as much of my dissertation done as I can before the semester starts up again as it is going to be crazy busy being my last semester. I can't believe I'm almost ready to graduate! Still no idea what I am going to end up doing, but I'll get there. 

We finally had some sun in Oxford today as you can see by my squinting and frowning! It is still bloody cold though, hence the faux fur!

Tempura Battered King Prawns with a Hot Pepper Paste Sauce.

The Taste. I didn't really know what to call this as it was just something I threw together after feeling inspired! Whatever you want to call it, it's darn tasty! Fat, juicy tempura battered king prawns in a hot pepper paste-based sauce with some veggies and drizzled with sesame oil, which adds a distinctive flavour. It's a lighter but still filling meal, if you wanted to add to it just pop some noodles or rice into the mix! So how do we do it? Click below to keep reading!

Comme ci, comme ça.

Hat - Bank, Tshirt - Asos, Trousers - Asos

Friday. Today I haven't done much, really need to get some dissertation work done as I'm supposed to be sending a chapter off to my supervisor soon. These are a couple of recent purchases from Asos - Comme ci comme ca tshirt and these amazing pair of black high-waisted tailored looking trousers. I found them in the sale and they only had a size 6 left so they are a bit of a squeeze but worth it!

I'm off to Manchester next weekend to visit a friend, anyone got any recommendations for what to see, shop, eat there?

My ASOS 'Saved' Items.

ASOS Allusion Leather Chelsea Shoe Boots in Tan

Style. If anyone has it, it's Asos. They have been my favourite one-stop style shop for years. What I love most about Asos is that they really do cater for everyone, regardless of shape, age, budget you can find something that suits your needs! My Asos 'saved items' is my favourite and least favourite thing. I love that I can save my favourite things to go back to and look at, esoecially if I'm too skint to buy them as soon as I see them, but it is a dangerous place as many things, many many things find their way there, and then of course, I want them all! Here are just a few of the things currently lingering in my 'saved items' list! 

As I'm nosey, I'd love to know what you have stored away in your Asos 'saved items', so leave me a comment below (and provide links if you dare...).

Tuesday feels like Sunday.

Cape - Topshop (old), Faux Leather Jacket - Topshop (old), Playsuit - eBay, Tights - Primark, Boots - ASOS.

Outfit. Another year, another crack at photographing outfits. Actually, I used to do this a lot and the only reason I stopped was because I didn't have a camera at uni until about 6 months ago (making that 2 and half odd years without a camera!). So now I'm jumping back on the bandwagon and have swapped my tripod for my boyfriend to take pictures - he isn't too clued up on taking pics (and it's only a point and shoot!) So bare with that until he gets the hang of composition and lighting etc... (these took some editing!). If you would like to have a look at some of my previous outfit photos you can check out my Lookbook and possibly have a laugh as they are from a few years back!

RECIPE: WARM CHICKPEA, SPINACH & MUSHROOM SALAD

Lunch. This morning I have been perusing a new blog I came across via a friend on Facebook. This blog DeliciouslyElla is a plethora of healthy eating, I mean really healthy - no processed anything, no dairy, no meat. It might not sound great put like that but there are some lovely looking recipes on there and tips on eating healthily. Check out her 'About' section to find out why she lives this uber healthy lifestyle. 

So anyway, I was feeling inspired, especially since I have been wanting to eat more healthily after a couple of weeks of massive roast dinners, crisps, chocolates and other Christmassy treats. I confess I haven't followed one of Ella's recipes as I didn't have certain ingredients but inspiration is enough for me, I like to throw a few things together and see what I end up with sometimes and making a 'warm salad' was definitely an experiment for me! Find out how easy it is to make this tasty little lunch...

CROMWELLS, SHREWSBURY.

Dinner. There is nothing I love more than food, whether that is cooking it or going out for meals. This time it was the latter and it was a corker. Charlie and I were in my hometown, Shrewsbury for New Year and his birthday is also on New Year's day, so we decided to have a nice meal out. I haven't been in Shrewsbury much for the past couple of years so didn't really know where was good, but after a few recommendations and popping in for a nosey, Cromwells looked promising. 

FEDORA.

 Hats. I have been enjoying hats recently and this fedora is my latest purchase, courtesy of the sales. It is the widest brimmed hat I have ever donned and as witchy as it looks, I rather like it.

Are you a fedora fan?

What I Want.

Burberry Coat

2014 Fashion. My new year's resolution to step outside my comfort zone definitely stretches to fashion. Being at uni in Oxford has really relaxed my style as most students dress super casually. When I first went to uni almost 3 years ago I was into 1940s style but gave it up pretty soon as I felt so overdressed wherever I went, even on nights out! Now that is all changing and I am getting back to wearing what I want, whatever I want!

New Year, New Hair.

Chop chop. This morning I had a long overdue haircut, I hadn't been for a trim since May! *slaps wrist* Although I think my hair looked fine long, I really can't be doing with maintaining long hair. I'm not sure how well shorter hair suits me but I'm going to experiment with styling to find the best ways to wear it. When it's shorter I tend to do more with it, once it gets too long I just get frustrated! Plus I think short hair looks much cuter with hats!

My 2013.

My 2013...

REVIEW: SOAP & GLORY WISH UPON A JAR