Callum's feeling 22...

It may seem as though most of my blog is dedicated to birthdays. It's starting to seem this way to me too, but I couldn't not write about my wonderful Callum turning 22 - and doing it in style with a good old fashioned English rainy barbecue.



Gazebo party! Callum and family whipped up an amazing barbecue feast, and there were many cocktails (I may have helped out with this part) and live music courtesy of 'All the Clever Lines'.

They may be a band made up of family friends, but they're not your typical dad-band. They're pretty darn good, and had us all standing out in the rain all night, without minding a bit. They even let Callum have a go, which actually wasn't the disaster we were expecting from his previous karaoke dalliances *cough high school musical*.

Special mention also has to go out to the other band who formed specially to perform their own interpretation of Taylor Swift's '22'...

...and Callum's incredible speech (written by me and McGuigan, filled with awkward stories and inappropriate poetry).

This is quickly becoming one of my favourite birthday traditions...apart from the cocktails and cake, obviously. I might leave you with a recipe or two at the end, after a few more snaps from the night.

So. Sweet.

The best fondue ever. Made inside the bread. OMG. 

Cheese-gasm.

Bathroom Selfies. Had to be done.

One of the most photogenic people ever, Mark.

Twerking. I think...

Callum's interests are apparently quite well known...

Callum is one of my favourite people in the world, and his party, despite being slightly damp, was amazing. Big thanks to the Thomas family and everyone else involved. Hope you're having an amazing time in Amsterdam Cal!

The Bar

The amazingly well stocked bar. I ended up going off menu for most of the night, but I like how fancy the board looked. You can find the recipe for the ginger and lemongrass martini's here. I'm going to give you some fab shot recipes.

Red White and Blue Shots

These are so simple, and make you look like a pro. All it takes is grenadine, blue curacao, and either vodka or sambuca. I used vodka, because sambuca is awful in my opinion. Pour a bit of grenadine in each glass, then pour the curacao down a spoon sitting just on top of the red layer, then the vodka/sambuca down the spoon on top of the blue layer. Pour slowly so they don't mix, and the different densities mean they'll sit one on top of the other (I think if you use sambuca it will sit in the middle, where vodka sits on top). Easy Peasy.

Brain Haemorrhages

These shots look amazing. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but they should look like this:

(Credit here)

How I make them:

Fill a shot glass about 2/3 full with sambuca. Using a bar spoon, dribble Bailey's onto the top (to get the brain effect do it in a few drops). Then pour in using a speed pour. You want a quick drop so it pulls down the Bailey's a bit with it (if you don't have a speed pour put a bit on a spoon and  then drop it in from a height, it has the same effect). These are definitely going to be whipped out at halloween - maybe with some blue curacao to make them 'Alien Brain Haemorrhages...

I learnt a very similar shot in South Africa that uses Frangelico and Amarula (no grenadine), stomach-churningly called the Soweto Toilet (eugh), but it is delicious, and, if you have the ingredients should definitely be tried.

Happy Shotting!

Tuxes and Top Hats

What's better than a fancy party in a big marquee with an unlimited supply of champagne and cosmopolitans? Pretty much nothing.
Except doing the above in a variety of ridiculous hats.

My beautiful cousin Lucy turned 21 recently. Well, about a month ago, but it was celebrated recently with an almighty bash, themed 'Black Tie and Hats'. I'm not really a head-wear gal, and as such was at a bit of a loss. I opted for the 'drunk american' look with a Jack Daniels cowboy stunner that appeared one morning at University. Unfortunately everyone else went for a slightly classier vibe.

Everyone except Ed.

Is that a peacock feather and leopard print adorned pimp hat? Yes. Yes it is. Did he take every opportunity to pimp-pose? Yes. Yes. He. Did.

Typical Welshman, drink in each hand. Apparently it was contagious...

Not to mention bad for the dignity. Expensive Steve Madden heels were ruined and quickly abandoned to avoid face-planting on the dance floor (a fate poor Lucy failed to avoid - but on ones 21st birthday it is your right to fall over as much as you like without judgement). Lucy was certainly, even inebriated, the belle of the ball.

Definite hat envy. And dress envy. And tear-inducing-proud-father-speech envy.

The party was incredible, as we all expected. Great music, great food (dear god the canapés!) and more drinks than you could shake your flat-cap at. So I think it earned some awards...

Best Hat

Obviously the birthday girl.

Best Drunk-Eye

Amanda, you truly earned this.

Best Outrageous Dance Moves

This had to be a three-way tie. Will and Lucy, your efforts were outstanding. But I couldn't let my Dad lose his 'Worst Dancer in the World' title. His enthusiasm is unshakable, as is his dedication to jumping a lot and jazz hands.

Most Drinks Spilled/Most Inappropriate When Drunk

Nicholas. Spilling drinks and smashing glasses? Check. Inappropriate soliciting of his big sisters friends? Check. Passing out in the garden for a while? Check.

He should also win something for his chat-up lines, which I think went along the lines of 'you might as well'...

Top Lad.

Big thank you to my wonderful extended family. Everyone had an amazing time thanks to your hospitality, generosity and general amazing-ness. Happy Birthday Lucy!

Pro Picnic-ing

It's rare that my friend Craig and I are in the same place at the same time, and so we see each other maybe once a year at most. We both happened to be in Salisbury however, and so we decided to celebrate with a picnic by the Cathedral, which is one of my favourite places in the world. Now you can't half-arse a picnic by Salisbury Cathedral - it deserves so much more - so I spent the afternoon rustling up some fancy treats for us.

1. The Londoner's Kali Spera Feta Dip

 I love The Londoner. It's my favourite blog - her recipes are brilliant and I'm completely addicted. I decided to give her feta dip a go, and once again I was not disappointed. It's so simple, just whiz up some feta cheese, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, thyme and a pinch of salt and dig in! You can find the exact recipe on her blog by the link above.

I served it with some celery and cucumber sticks and some hunks of sourdough bread.

2. Sea Bass Ceviche

The wonderful Londoner also has a recipe for this, but it's the simplest thing in the world and I tend to just wing it.

I juiced 2 lemons and a lime, grated a chilli and chopped a handful of coriander and threw it together with a good pinch of sea salt. For the fish I used 2 sea bass fillets, but tuna is also really good, as long as it's super fresh. Just remove the skin, slice into thin strips and mix into the juice/sauce. Then cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours. The citrus juice 'cooks' the fish and you're left with tangy, spicy, deliciousness. Throw in some avocado just before you serve it and bobs your uncle, Ceviche! I love ceviche, I discovered it in Peru where it's kind of a national dish and became a bit obsessed. It's perfect for picnics and barbeques too.

3. Blindin' Bellinis!

This was by far my favourite part (obviously). I did the peaches beforehand as it's pretty messy. You need 3 or 4 really ripe ones, so you can smush them (technical term) through a sieve and collect the juice. I didn't take pictures. Just picture some smushed up peaches. Go on...

You're not actually allowed to drink alcohol on the cathedral grounds so after we did NOT see how high we could pop the cork we did NOT put a bit of puree in the bottom of a glass and then top with prosecco. We certainly did NOT repeat this process throughout the evening, especially NOT with a second bottle.
Wink.

We also had the usual spread of olives, prosciutto, cherries, strawberries...

At night the Cathedral is lit up from underneath, and looks a bit haunted, but still very beautiful.

You can see why I like it so much. When I was a Salisbury shop-girl (incidentally how Craig and I met) I used to come and sit here on my lunch breaks and people watch all the tourists. It's so peaceful, even when it's heaving. Perfect for giggling your way through a catch-up with an old friend. 

Oh hey there James Bond...