Coffee, Cream and Breakfast in Bed

When it comes to special occasions I am all about the small details and the little things you can do to show your loved ones how much you care. It doesn't have to be a big grand gesture or something expensive but rather a home-made card or breakfast in bed, which is always my preference over anything else, so for this Fathers Day I have planned something a little extra special. Both John and I are big coffee fans, I mean who isn't when you have kids, hello caffeine! We have been trying to refine the art of coffee making at home and I recently upgraded our ageing coffee machine to a Krups Nespresso Prodigy & Milk coffee machine and will hopefully master latte art soon but for now I thought I would put something quick and easy together for Fathers Day as I know I will be short of time with the two kids running around wanting to help. Pancakes in our house is a regular thing on Sunday mornings so I thought I would get creative with my go-to American style pancake......

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Pregnancy Update - Week 14

So as I write this I am actually around 14 1/2 weeks into my second pregnancy journey. Thankfully most of the morning sickness and nausea has now passed but to be honest I am still craving very salty food and have not been eating as healthy as I normally would and I have put on weight quicker than expected, unlike my first pregnancy were I actually lost weight, but who knows maybe it means we are having a girl? I have been struggling with fatigue of late due to slightly lower iron which I have supplemented with Pregnacare and Spatone which does seem to be making a small improvement. Also I thought it would be fun to see what I looked like around this time during my pregnancy with Mr A - I love this photo which was taken on a little day trip to Tintern and the Wye Valley - I think both John and I look a lot younger. Because my waist is starting to get a little wider this week has been all about getting in top of any possible stretch marks, I have to say I was extremely lucky......

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A super simple summer delight

So when I think of summer I think of fresh fruit, apples, watermelon and strawberries and cream. I find we are so busy in summer but I wanted to make sure we had time to sit down and enjoy the little things of which eating el fresco is my favourite but when your short for time whipping something up that is as easy and tasty as this little summer delight makes those moments even better. When M&S gave me a little challenge to embrace summer flavours this is what popped to mind Literally all you need for this super scrummy Blueberry creamed Meringue is Meringue nests Double or whipping cream Sicilian Lemon Curd Fresh blueberries 1. In a bowl whip the cream into peaks and fold in the lemon curd to your desired taste 2. Spoon the cream and curd mixture into the nests 3. Top with fresh blueberries and there we go - a lovely, indulgent and super quick summer delight. Is there anything better than enjoying good food outside with the people you love...I think not ......

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Wimbledon - A Summer Institution

Strawberries and cream, a perfect dish for Wimbledon ( image ) Ever since I can remember my mother, who was a Welsh expat living in South Africa at the time would by the "special Wimbledon newspaper" with the double page pullout that we would fill in every day to see who had made it through the next round. Even though Wimbledon is very much a British tradition, in South Africa it was very much apart of our lives to from a young age. Both my brother and I had tennis lessons when we were children, in fact my brother did quite well at club level and with the constant sun in South Africa you can imagine it's a very popular and accessible sport and both of us loved it and still have a game every now and than. Wimbledon to us was two weeks spent as a family, excited about the matches and keeping fingers crossed for the odd South African player to make it past the first two rounds at the tournament and even today I still get that same sense of excitement and antic......

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