Favourite Foodie TV Shows

 I am a huge fan of watching cookery shows, it’s something that James and I love to do together and it feels vaguely educational so I don’t feel like I’m just staring at the TV! 

This article from The Guardian website caught my eye earlier, it says that X of us have been inspired to cook more after watching cookery shows. This is definitely true of myself and below I have listed a few of my favourites to watch:

The Great British Bake Off

You can’t go far wrong with this show. Mary Berry, cakes and expensive cooking equipment all float my boat plus the bakers are amateurs. It is refreshing to watch a show where people occasionally make mistakes, especially as they are all mistakes we’ve all made before. Finish it off with a dusting of the comedians Mel & Sue and this show keeps me happy all summer! (Does anyone else have full debriefs of this show in the office the morning after?!)

River Cottage and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

There is a chance I love this show because I love the kitchen it is set in. But also the food that is cooked seems hearty and wholesome plus I really enjoy watching Hugh as a chef. One of my favourite dishes that he cooks is Chicken with Tomatoes and Taragon. It is pretty easy to make and really yummy. Let me know how you get on if you give it a try.

Jamie Oliver

I love all Jamie Oliver shows, he comes across as such a nice guy in all his programmes and makes cooking simple. He has definitely inspired me to try new things and I have a fair few of his cookery books.

Great British Menu

This show is one of mine and James’ favourites to watch together. It features professional chefs from all regions of the UK to win the opportunity to cook a course for an important themed banquet, for example this years banquet was for the D-Day Veterans. I don’t think I will ever attempt any of the amazing food that is cooked on this show, but I seriously enjoy dreaming about the food that they produce and the banter between the judges is always great fun.

I must also give a shout out to one of the shows that got me into cooking at a young age which is Two Fat Ladies. You can’t go far wrong with two women cooking delicious food and riding around on a motorbike with side-car.  

What are your favourite cookery shows?

Bella x

Our Engagement Story

This March some friends and I went for a long weekend in the Lake District, little did I know that it would be this weekend that James would finally propose!

Watching the proposal

I say finally because James and I had been discussing marriage for a while, I knew it would happen eventually, but I just didn’t know exactly when. (If anyone is a control freak like me you can imagine how frustrating this was for me!).
So I was just waiting to be proposed to, which meant that for a while every time we did anything I thought he might propose and was subsequently disappointed when he then didn’t. It got to a point where I was convincing myself at every event all the reasons he wouldn’t propose!

So imagine my surprise when we were on a walk with friends – surely he won’t do it when friends are around – and he called me over to look at something – I thought it would be a dead sheep – and he proposed! It completely threw me and I actually forgot to even say yes I was so overwhelmed! I am so glad he did it this way as it really was unexpected, plus my friends – who were all in on the secret – were able to take photos of him popping the question.

We finished our walk and when back to our beautiful cottages to celebrate the only way we know how, bubbles and board games!

I have now been engaged for four months now and wedding planning is in full swing, so expect numerous posts on here detailing my plans and excitement!

Have any of you got engaged recently? Or are any of you in the same position as I was where you are waiting for it to happen!

Bella x

Ps. The cottages we stayed in were part of the Hyning Estate near Kendal, I can not recommend them highly enough, it was great. You can find a link to their website here.

Pps. Here are a few photos of our trip to the Lakes.

Cycle Hack - Penny in Yo Pants

Thanks to this blog post from A Cup of Jo, I was able to cycle home comfortably in a skirt for the first time ever yesterday!

Normally every time I set off from work in a skirt and say I am going to wear it home all my colleagues roll their eyes and say they are looking forward to hearing about it tomorrow! I have tried to sit on my skirt, hold my skirt with my hand and even tuck it into the leg holes in my knickers at one point (Note: Do NOT try this!).

So the simple trick in the video below is a game changer for me and I love it!

Penny In Yo Pants from Johanna Holtan on Vimeo.

Thanks to Jo for bringing it to my attention and to the girls for making the video. I am one happy cyclist!

Bella x

Living La Bella Vita

So, today I decided to start a blog...

...aaaaaand then hit a brick wall.

What do I write? Who will see it? Will people like me?

Making the decision to start writing this actually feels like the first day of school, standing on the edge of the playground clinging to my mum's legs. But time to be a big girl and give it a go!

So, Hello, Bienvenue, Willkommen, this is my blog.

Let's start with introductions, here are me and my loves through the eyes of Instagram:

Me and my Fiancé (still can't get used to that word!)

I love cooking (and eating). Recipe and restaurant recommendations are always massively appreciated.

I have a dream to one day have a huge dining table and throw dinner parties.
I love having friends round for food. In particular murder mysteries always go down well!

Reading and eating cake is a keen pastime of mine...

Not being particularly sport I can handle a bike and a pair of skis but that is about it! (the 'fairies' on the ski lift are my lovely mum and sister.)

So there you have it, me through instagram. 

Looking forward to properly getting stuck in to blogging, and tips and tricks would be great, feel free to leave a comment!

Bella x