the lbd

From left to right, top to bottom: Bluejuice - Lace Corsage dress, Princess Polly - She's The One dress, TFNC London - Bandeau Sweetheart Sequin dress from ASOS, Lucy in the Sky - Sorceress dress, Esther - Lace Lover Cocktail dress, Shakuhachi - Split Sleeve Cape dress, Nasty Gal - Dolman Wrap dress, Beginning Boutique - Little Black Pleated dress, Nookie - Last Chance dress.

An absolute essential in every girl’s wardrobe is the little black dress – these are a couple of my favourites for a weekend filled with fun and frivolity.

Thil

xx

a date with the bald man

Toffee Choc-Nut Waffle - warm Belgian waffle drizzled with toffee, served with ice cream, caramelised pecans and pure melted chocolate.

Pink Granita Icy Shake (passionfruit and strawberries) and White Shake Icy Shake (lychee and coconut).

Euphoria Banana Split Waffle Sundae - double vanilla ice cream scoops, waffle squares, crunchy waffle balls, gooey toffee and fresh bananas, served with pure melted chocolate and caramelised pecans.

Toffee Apple Crepes - crepes filled with cinnamon apples and toffee, drizzled with pure melted chocolate, served with ice cream.

Max's Classic Hot Chocolate with Milk Chocolate.

Tutti-Frutti Waffles - warm Belgian waffles drizzled with pure melted chocolate, served with ice cream, fresh strawberries and bananas.

No matter how many times I’ve suffered from a chocolate overdose as a result of visiting Max Brenner, I just keep going back for more. There’s just something about the bald man and his delicious food and drink that prevent me from staying away. Some say I should learn some self-control, but I say pigging out on the chocolatey goodness Max has to offer should be enjoyed frequently.

Thil

xx

celebrate with chocolate

A perfect combination of rich chocolate mud cake with hints of hazelnut, covered in smooth dark chocolate ganache, decorated with dark chocolate panels and topped with white chocolate shavings and dark chocolate curls. This was the cake I treated my dad to for his birthday last month.

The cake itself was easy enough to make, but the decorating side of things was quite time consuming. I struggled a lot creating the chocolate curls and eventually gave up – there must be some sort of art involved in making them look perfect. I managed to get enough good looking chocolate curls to form a border, and ended up using white chocolate shavings for the rest of the topping. I also found that making extra chocolate panels came in handy because some of the panels I made were either too thin or easily broken. For a final touch, I found some thick white ribbon and simply tied it around the cake.

Overall, an absolutely delicious and visually appealing cake, perfect to treat a loved one on a special occasion. Having attempted this recipe once, I’d definitely make it again.

xx

the day for love

"The spaces between your fingers were created so that another's could fill them in".

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

xx

anna campbell

From the very moment I set my eyes on an Anna Campbell dress years ago, I have been absolutely in love with her stunning handmade designs. There’s just something about the intricate embellishments, gorgeous materials and impeccable detail involved, making her dresses so unique and elegant.

Now to start saving up to purchase one of these amazing creations...

Thil

xx

the nutella trio

This one is for the nutella lovers. Three simple recipes all using nutella - must be nutella heaven, right?

The nutella mug cake (introduced to me by a lovely friend) is the easiest of the three recipes to make and is literally ready in a couple of minutes, which is perfect if you’re looking for a quick fix for a chocolate and/or hazelnut craving. It’s also great on a cold or rainy day because you can eat it straight from the microwave when it’s still warm and gooey (depending on how long you’ve let it cook for). I found the three tablespoons of oil a bit disheartening, but if you do end up making this mug cake, you’ll know it’s worth it. I topped mine with some whipped cream and nutella.

The second recipe is for nutella cheesecake brownies, which as the name suggests, consists of a cheesecake layer on top of a brownie layer. My tip is to make sure the cream cheese is fully softened before you use it, otherwise it may lead to a lumpy cheesecake mixture like mine did. Thankfully that didn’t alter the taste at all. With a rich brownie layer, this treat would be perfect for a summer picnic or barbecue.

And finally, why not replace chocolate chips with your own homemade nutella chips to make some nutella chip cookies? The nutella chips worked out great and the cookie dough tasted delish. I was pretty disappointed though because the cookies didn’t rise at all when cooking and ending up resembling flat pancakes, despite my attempts at correcting the dough mixture. I’d recommend sticking to using baking soda instead of trying to substitute self-raising flour into the recipe like me. So although they weren’t very attractive cookies, they were still really yummy and ideal to accompany a cup of tea.

If you’re attempting all three recipes, you’ll need a 700g jar of nutella. Enjoy!

xx