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Nozstock Hidden Valley’s 5 Top Attractions 2018

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You may remember that a year or two back my younger brother Josh covered Livestock Festival for me, he did such a good job that this year he will be covering Nozstock on my behalf. This is his preview of this years festival. Over to you Josh:

Nozstock’s 20th anniversary speaks volumes of a successful festival that’s stuck to its origins and has continued to deliver on excellence year in, year out. The festival is deemed more of a 3 day, non-stop party as opposed to a festival, but don’t be mistaken for thinking the line-up isn’t utterly impeccable. I was really chuffed o be asked to review the festival in all of its glory and am overly excited to attend. This blog post is going to show the five things I’m personally most excited about for Nozstock 2018. The festival won the ‘Mind Blowing Spectacle’ award last year so there’s a lot to live up too. Judging by the lineup, it’s not going to disappoint…

Goldfrapp

Electronic duo Goldfrapp offers a unique twist to the festival game with eclectic music that everyone will know. The duo’s hit single ‘Ooh La La’ gained the band notable success. The song has been used in many high-end adverts, making it a catchy feel-good anthem that’ll have the crowds going crazy. Goldfrapp has many classics which will make for a groovy night for certain.

Notable Track – Ooh La La

Chase and Status (DJ SET)

When asked about drum and bass, only one name springs to mind. Chase & Status have absolutely dominated the industry for over 10 years. The duo has created some of the most recognisable music in the UK in recent years. Their hard work and consistent deliverance of brilliant music have led to many accolades and festival headline shows. Chase and Status are on most peoples ‘to see list’ as they always put on a show.

Notable Track – Blind Faith

Dub Pistols

Dub Pistols have been on the festival circuit for years and continue to impress with their hard-working ethos and dreamy drum and bass sounds. 2017 saw the outfit release ‘Crazy Diamond’ an album that seems almost perfectly designed for summer days in festival fields. The band bring trumpets, feel-good rhythms and atmospheric anthems, destined to be the highlight of the weekend for many.

Notable Track –  Mucky Weekend

We Are Scientists

The band’s genre is hard to decipher, what I do know is We Are Scientists are utterly sublime live. They offer a mix of post-punk/indie and electronic to create music to dance to. The band wreak of nostalgia from the early 2000’s and despite being around for over 15 years are continuing to release brilliant music.  The band are no stranger to playing big crowds, this will be their first appearance at Nozstock and we’re all very excited for what’s inevitably going to be a brilliant performance.

Notable Track – No Wait At Five Leaves

Grandmaster Flash

Innovator of hip-hop Grandmaster Flash is going to be headlining ‘The Garden Stage’ much to the excitement of fans.  Since his debut over 40 years ago, he has pioneered the way hip-hop has been created and has cultivated a generation. Grandmaster Flash is renowned for his on-stage performances and getting the crowd going. It’s going to be a sight to see, a groovy one at that.

Notable Track – White Lines

 

Notable Mentions

The Blockheads- Cult heroes will be bringing ‘sex, drugs and rock n roll’ to Nozstock.

Oh my God! It’s the Church- Funky evangelists will provide a sermon with a smile.

S.P.Y- D&B with a surprising pure sound that’s incredibly unique and utterly divine.

Black Sun Empire – Netherlands D&B heroes are intending on flushing down the Cubicles stage with ‘dramatic neurofunk’.

Catholic Action – The Scottish outfit offer a unique twist on modern day alternative music.

The Selecter – There’s not ‘Too Much Pressure’ on these to deliver, everyone knows they will..

Reginald D Hunter – Guaranteed to have fans in hysterics.

Exploring The Welsh Food & Drink Scene

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I’ve just returned from a press trip around South Wales, exploring vineyards and farms and eating incredible food. The trip was organised by Food and Drink Wales and it was a lot of fun being a tourist in my home country. I have a full post with a recipe using delicious Welsh ingredients coming up next week but first I wanted to share a few photos of the trip to whet your appetite shall we say…

Day 1 we arrived at Jabajak Vineyard in Llanboidy. I can’t recall ever having such a warm, friendly welcome and the trip was brief but special. It is the kind of place where you want to turn your phone off and relax for a week. With nothing more pressing than deciding which book to read or which wine to have with dinner:

The food was amazing too:

http://jabajak.co.uk

Day 2 began drizzly and grey with an early start to head down to Pembrokeshire and to visit the new potato farms. Luckily by the time we arrived some blue skies began to show. We visited Windmill farm run by Will Richards and son Ed. It was interesting to learn the differences in the potatoes and we even had a top storage tip from Will: If you buy potatoes still covered in soil you can dig a hole and store them in your garden for up to a month ..and they are still super fresh!

The farm overlooks St Bride’s Haven which is incredibly beautiful:

Our next stop was the beautiful Gower and The Britannia Inn where I enjoyed a rather sumptuous Steak and Ale Pie:

With full bellies we moved on to Weobley Castle, the home of Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and a long walk onto the marsh was just what we needed. We watched the lamb grazing on Sorrel and Samphire and nibbled a little ourselves.

After an enjoyable afternoon spent learning all about the lambs, playing with puppies and almost off-roading in the back of trailer we were off to our destination for the night. Llanerch Vineyard. Llanerch is very different to Jabajak with a slightly more corporate vibe but beautifully laid out and modern. The rooms were simply decorated, large and airy with a huge super comfy bed. White Stuff toiletries and an abundance of coffee and hot chocolate treats were welcomed gladly! Our evening meal was spectacular, with my starter being my favourite part of the meal. I’ll tell you lots more about the food and wine in my next post.

Our final day was spent visiting Ruth and Andrew of Cwm Farm and their unit in Pontardawe. I’ve met the couple on a number of occasions at local food markets and festivals and I have always been impressed by their incredible passion for food and their business. They create unique and delicious products using meat reared on their farms as well as seasonal and local ingredients. My fave is the Nduja!

We finished the trip with a food and wine pairing, followed by a vineyard tour at Llanerch. More to come on that and what I thought..

Thanks to Food and Drink Wales and everyone who looked after us during our trip.

  • This trip was covered by Food and Drink Wales and I have been compensated for my time.

A Food Filled Weekend In Belfast – Belfeast 2018

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I’ve recently returned from the ultimate food filled weekend in Belfast. I was invited as a guest of Tourism Ireland along with Kacie from The Rare Welshbit to check out the first year of Belfeast Food and Drink festival.

Held in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, Belfeast celebrated the best of local food and drink. We sat through fascinating food demonstrations, strolled around the artisan food market and ate at Michelin starred restaurants…oh and I may have eaten the best ever Pork Crackling that exists anywhere.

The day started with a very early flight from Cardiff, the sun was shining, I had a window seat and the day had a good vibe about it. And coffee…lots of coffee.

On arrival in Belfast we checked into The Bullitt, a too cool for school boutique hotel right in the centre of Belfast. Every aspect of the hotel has been carefully considered with both style and comfort in mind and I’d love to return. The rooms are modern, airy and the bathrooms whilst missing a bath are huge with gorgeous rainfall showers – for once I actually enjoyed the shower experience. Breakfast in the Bullitt is slightly different to other hotels, you hang a slip on your door each day to say what time you would like your breakfast bag to be delivered. The breakfast bag contains juice, fruit and oats and yoghurt which is great if you are in a rush or not too hungry in the mornings.

After checking in and enjoying a blissful cup of Irish Breakfast tea we headed to our first stop on the itinerary – The Belfast Food Tour. The Belfast food tour is such an experience, you meet at the market and get taken on a whirlwind tour of food and drink in Belfast. Getting to try things I wouldn’t have normally chosen was my favourite part. Here are a few pics of the tour:

The most incredible brownies I have EVER tasted from Co Couture. We just had a small chunk but it was so rich that it satisfied every sweet craving that I have.

A selection of some of Ireland’s best cheeses:

Our hostess with the mostess:

This was an ulster fry on a stick from the Market and it was absolutely delicious, worth a visit JUST for that:

belfast food

We also visited some proper old fashioned pubs and this fairly special whisky shop:

After the food tour, when we were already indecently full we called into The Curated Kitchen. The Curated Kitchen had only been open a few weeks when we arrived but word of mouth spreads quickly and this place is popular and for very good reason. It’s a bit different, they have a weekly menu made up of recipes from cookbooks that they love. This is how they describe themselves:

We search at home and abroad for cookbooks, produce and ingredients that are remarkable not just for their taste but also for their story, something that we then aim to celebrate and share with our guests.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Curated Kitchen; good food for the social & curious.

If this was in my local area I could see myself there once a week easily! Our first visit was brief and we had coffee served with deep fried italian dumplings – like doughnuts almost:

We headed back to the hotel soon after to relax before what I would consider the highlight of our visit – dinner at The Ox.

Before dinner we headed to an incredible hotel for cocktails. The Merchant is probably up there with being one of the fanciest hotels I’ve stepped foot in and the cocktail menu is spectacular. It was just the right way to start off a great night.

The Ox is a bit special. Opened in 2013 by good friends Stephen Toman and Alain, it has won a whole host of awards and acclaim in the last five years. Including a Michelin star. It is probably one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten and I’ve had my fair share. But it isn’t stuffy or uptight in the way that you can find in similar restaurants and thats what makes it great. The kitchen is open, the staff friendly and full of smiles and food and wine knowledge. It is a pleasure to dine here and that is before we even get to the food. We were served dishes including seasonal ingredients produced in an incredibly appetising way. The scallop bisque was special as was the Mourne Mountain Lamb and my 70% chocolate dessert served with Jerusalem Artichoke ice cream just blew me away. Every morsel of food was tasty, packed with flavour and thought. The wine to accompany was excellent although as usual I could not keep up with the rest of the table. It was the perfect end to a food filled day.

Day two began with glorious sunshine streaming through my window, we definitely chose the right time to visit Belfast. With the memories of yesterday and the incredible coffee still in our heads we decided to go for a cooked breakfast in The Curated Kitchen to start our day off right. And YES that was the best decision. I could eat this cooked breakfast over and over. I opted for Boxty ( a traditional Irish potato pancake) served with kale in a delightfully creamy sauce and it was mouthwateringly good. So good I want to go back right now and eat it again.

After breakfast we headed to The Mac Belfast for some food demonstrations which were part of the food festival. I LOVE food demos and could easily sit for hours watching. Funnily enough one of the chefs began making Boxty soon after we sat down and I was very glad I had a full belly as it smelled delicious.

After a few hours of demos we headed out into the artisan food quarter, where of course we ate more food:

The food quarter was full of stalls selling cheeses and chutneys as well as brownies, cakes and drinks. It was gloriously sunny and there was a happy, family vibe around the area.

Next up on our itinerary was a cheese and beer pairing at The Black Box. One of the events you could book as part of Belfeast and run by Boundary Brewery and Mike’s Fancy Cheese Co. Now this was a lot of fun. I love cheese, any kind of cheese and I think my favourite was one which was rolled in ash..sounds very weird but tastes amazing. The beer was fairly strong and we walked out feeling ever so slightly giggly.

Dinner that evening was at Babel inside of the Bullitt. I do love when you can have a meal at your hotel especially when you are feeling a bit worn out from the day. Babel was lively and buzzing on a Saturday night although I was so full of food that I struggled to eat much …but I had an amazing Coffee cocktail to finish. Following on from Babel we headed to Cave which is the wine bar attached to The Ox, it was a lovely way to end the day and it was their 5th birthday so we helped to celebrate and even had a slice of cake!

The next day we woke early and headed off to Titanic Belfast. This was a really different experience and I am glad we went. I did find it a little harrowing in parts but that is to be expected and mainly it was just interesting. The building itself is rather spectacular and I couldn’t resist taking a few photos outside:

After our visit we were zooming off once more and this time it was to Belfast Cookery School for a seafood chowder workshop as part of Belfeast. Despite a late arrival after some transport problems we really enjoyed watching the process and eating the results!

Our next stop was at the Ulster museum to visit the Game Of Thrones tapestry. I’ve been exited about this since they first launched it last year and it was so much fun for an obsessive GOT fan to stroll around the rather impressive tapestry.

After our museum visit we headed to our final stop. The Bull & Ram restaurant. By the time we sat down it is fair to say we were absolutely exhausted. It had been a very busy weekend and we were hungry and tired. The Bull & Ram was the ideal end to the weekend. The food was off the scale good. Like how you imagine the perfect Sunday lunch to be. I started with pork crackling which is going take some beating, I would be surprised if I find it that good again served with homemade apple sauce and followed by a beef dinner with ALL the trimmings.

And then it was time to head home, weary and around half a stone heavier I think!

Thanks to Tourism Ireland and everyone who hosted us and treated us with such warmth and welcome. I’ll be back for sure!

  • My trip was sponsored by Tourism Ireland.

10 Brilliant BBQ Sides

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I don’t know about you but if I’m attending a BBQ I am all about the side dishes..yes I love a good burger or chicken thigh but you’ll be far more likely to find me hovering around the potato salad and the dips..oh the dips. Below I have shared with you some of my favourite BBQ sides from myself and my fellow food bloggers, hope you enjoy!

Vegan Potato Salad from The Veg Space

bbq sides

Sautéed Butter Bean Salad from Veggie Desserts

Creamy Beet Hummus from Little Sunny Kitchen:

Vegan Coronation Coleslaw from The Veg Space

Smokey BBQ Potatoes from Family Friends Food

Cous Cous Salad & Yoghurt Dip from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

Summer Salad with Grilled Veggies from Family Friends Food:

Cucumber Roll Ups with a Garlic, Mint & Feta Filling

Strawberry, Cucumber & Mint Salad With Pimm’s Dressing from Foodie Quine

Finishing with my Chicken Pesto Halloumi Kebabs:

bbq sides

 

 

Festival Food Tips & Ideas

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The first time I went to a festival (Blissfields back in 2011) I think I half filled the car with food and cooking equipment. I seriously overpacked and had no clue on how to do it the easy way. Since then I have been to quite a few festivals and have upped my festival food game each time. Now it is important to remember that festivals these days have incredible food on offer so if cooking by the side of your tent doesn’t appeal well there are lots and lots of options, both healthy and indulgent so you will do just fine. I, however quite like being able to cook meals outdoors and enjoy them tent side whilst also having the occasional meal or snack from a stall and financially it helps me keep to a reasonable budget too.

I have put together a selection of tips and ideas, both from myself and fellow food bloggers to help you plan your festival food for the season ahead. Some will seem obvious but hopefully you will get one or two new ideas along the way.

Freeze everything. Butter, Bacon, Sausages and Milk as well as juices and any bottled drinks freeze well and will keep your cool bag cool without having to add extra bulk with cool packs. I should add that cocktail pouches are especially handy and squish in those little gaps.

Prepare and cook two filling meals before you go, one ready for your first night after setting up camp and one frozen for later in your trip. Bolognese, stews and curries are the best options for this.

festival food

Pre grate your cheese, dice your veggies and portion them up. It is so much easier to make a meal without all of your kitchen equipment when you have everything chopped or diced and ready to cook.

Tin foil is your friend. Washing up facilities on festival sites aren’t always close to hand so sometimes I will line my pans with foil when cooking greasy food like bacon and sausages, yes this isn’t especially environmentally friendly but it’s not something I do at home and foil can be recycled so I don’t feel too bad about it.

Dried fruit and nuts make more sense than a huge basket of fruit. Over ripe fruit in a tent can be a little grim, apples are fairly hardy but bananas will stink up quite quickly.

Take a good, sturdy water bottle for each person, every festival has multiple filling up spots. No need to buy bottled water on site.

Take a bag of tortilla chips, a tub of salsa and some grated cheese and make campfire nachos. So simple but delicious!

For a few days eat cereal bars instead of actual cereal, less milk needed and a lot less mess. Or just opt for bacon!

Make a traybake such as brownies or lemon drizzle cake before you go and cut into squares ready for when you need that sugary energy burst. Those types of cakes tend to stay moist for longer.

Take tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Hot drinks taste better sat outside a tent on a bright, warm morning. It is a fact. Also you kids will be up as soon as the sun rises so ..be prepared with ALL the caffeine.

In terms of equipment you need at the very minimum:

  • bbq or camping stove
  • 1 small saucepan
  • 1 frying pan
  • tongs/spatula for turning
  • cups, bowls and plates ( 1 per person )
  • cutlery including 1 sharp knife and a tin opener
  • foil
  • 2 tea towels
  • washing up liquid

Take time to read the festivals rules and guidelines, some will have dedicated cooking areas, which makes sense when lots of festival camping sites look like this:

Helen from Fuss Free Flavours says:

Make sure every member of the family has a mini packet of wet wipes and some cheap unscented nappy bags in their pocket – so useful for small amounts of messy trash, or for wrapping half eaten food in for later.

Jane from The Hedgecombers says:

Festival food is renowned for being expensive, so if you’re on a tight budget aim to eat out just once a day.
If you have some way of cooking food in your tent there are all kinds of easy one pot camping meals you can make, otherwise just aim to get the calories in with easy no-cook foods. Protein bars, pre made pasta salads and sandwiches. It’s also worth popping some just-add-water foods too (think pot noodles, cup a soup, hot choc sachets) in your kit too. Stall holders will happily fill them up with hot water for a little donation and a big smile.

10 Delicious Camping Recipes

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It is about that time of year when the weather gets a little kinder ( not a lot mind you ) and you can start to plan out camping trips and festivals. I’ve rounded up 10 camping recipes to help with your planning from top UK Food Bloggers.

Starting off with this Chocolate Orange Campfire Cake from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary because camping or not dessert is still needed.

As is breakfast, make your first meal of the day an easy one with these Overnight Oats from Hedgecombers:

As much as bacon and sausages tend to fill a lot of my meal plans when camping its always nice to have some veggie options and these Curried Lentils from Rough Measures look fab:

Another Lentil based dish from Veggie Desserts with this Lentil and Tomato stew:

And one more recipe from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary, these Middle Eastern Spiced Camp Fire Chickpeas sounds amazing!

Fancy something a little indulgent? How about this Coconut, Prawn & Spinach Camping Risotto from Foodie Quine?

This next two recipes both feature in this post from my blog which you can find here:

First up cheesy stovetop potatoes:

And Camping Frittata:

One Pot Camping Mac N Cheese from Hedgecombers

And finishing up with a Simple Flatbread Recipe from Hedgecombers. I make flatbreads a lot at home but wouldn’t have thought to make them whilst camping. These look delicious and so simple!

 

Movies, Meals & Muddling Through Life – April 2018

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It’s between about two months since my last ramble about what I’ve been watching, reading, eating and drinking. It has been a busy and rather stressful time and I have an awful lot on my mind but I am trying once again to turn to my writing, my hobbies and exercise to help clear my muddled mind.

Without further waffle about me and my silly brain let’s get straight to the important stuff:

Movies

I have re watched The Greatest Showman because it’s awesome. I imagine it will be something I watch over and over. The girls love it too and Chloe often wanders around the house singing This Is Meeeeee. And that is it for movies..which is quite shocking for me. I need to get back into the swing of watching films and going to the cinema but quite often I settle for a book or a quick episode of something these days.

TV

Thanks to the wonder of Netflix I have almost re watched every Friends episode. I am now on season 9 and loving it just as much this time around. Also on Netflix I have watched Humanity – Ricky Gervais and the Seth Rogen special.. I forget what it’s called. I have also discovered real trash TV in the form of last years Love Island and woah it is addictive. Proper mindless telly which really does make you escape reality a little.

Books

I am reading more. It was something I really wanted to do this year so I am happy to say I am doing it. I’ll write more about books soon but I have recently read Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine ( which is outstanding ) and I am on the final Harry Potter. I am also enjoying reading magazines such as Simple Things with a cup of tea.

Food

Hmm. Where do I start with this? My appetite really decreases when I am under stress and I have somehow managed to lose over 10lbs in the last three months. I am working on getting it back to normal and eating little and often on days when I just don’t get hungry enough for large meals. That being said I have had some incredible food over the last month. I ate at Michelin Starred restaurant The Ox in Belfast on a press trip and wow it was one of the best meals I have had. Chef Stevie Toman is creating some magic with the tasting menu and I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area but book early!

At home I haven’t created many new dishes but I have made quite a lot of bread and indulgent, comfort food like dauphinoise and lasagne.

Music

I’m still a little stuck on the Greatest Showman soundtrack and I have a playlist of massively cheese 80’s tunes that I am playing over and over.

Everything Else

Life is stressful and hard at times. Right now is one of those times. It will pass, I know that but right now it is hard. I have started with a new fitness challenge, not to lose weight or to get super toned but for my general and more importantly mental health. I am aiming to walk 10k steps a minimum of five days a week which sounds easy I’m sure but it really isn’t. 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles. Last week I blasted through my aim with an average of 9.7k steps every day rather than just five days and I am going to try and repeat that this week. There are some days where I only do about 4k but then others when I do over 18 so it balances out. The days I walk I feel brighter, more energised and I just have a clearer mind.

I thought I’d finish off with a couple of products I have been using and loving lately:

Primark sleep mask. Was reluctant to try this and kind of expected to wake up a greasy mess but actually yay. Great results. Bargain price. Also..it smells like marzipan!

And one more..also Primark. Overnight lip treatment – I’ve never really had any lip problems but I’ve felt a difference since using this, much softer and supple. Recommended.

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The Mid 30’s Panic

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The title is a little misleading.

You see I am just about to hit my mid 30’s. Next month I turn 35. 35 …which still seems kind of astonishing. I mean I feel like I am in my early twenties in lots of ways. We all do I guess. But I think I have an exceptionally young soul. Yes that means childish.

I thought I’d feel a lot more uncomfortable about getting older than I actually am. Because there isn’t that sense of panic. I’m not worried about getting older really. In fact I embrace it in lots of ways. 35 is still pretty young in the scheme of life.

I know that life throws really tough times at all of us. I know the bad things that can happen and have and possibly will happen again.

And I am both stronger and weaker for it. Stronger because I’ve made it out the other side, somewhat intact. Weaker because parts break when things happen and perhaps never fully recover.

I never used to believe when people said you stopped worrying so much about what everybody else thinks as the years go by. So much of my twenties was eaten up by thoughts of inadequacy, my elder siblings all had better jobs or just seemed to get on with life more easily than I did. I constantly compared my body, weight and beauty with others. And now well.. I still feel inadequate at times, I still have body hating days but I can brush it off now. I am me. I am not anybody else. I cannot hope to have longer legs but I can enjoy being petite and focus on my good points. It is all about acceptance I guess. It takes a long time to accept yourself and all of your flaws. Imagined or real.

The only thing that really worries me about getting older, is that it means my parents are also getting older. That is my biggest problem with the passing of time. And I can worry on that at 2am when every problem in the world seems massive or I can start to accept it as a part of life and enjoy my wonderful parents and family right now without worrying about what happens in 10/20/30 years.

I’ve accepted that I am unlikely to be rich unless my lottery plan falls into place but that I really am ok with that. I don’t need a lot of money or material goods to be satisfied in life. I know that my belly will always show signs of pregnancy and birth and whilst I am not going to give up on getting in better shape I am also not going to beat myself up about it. Because for having carried two kids in such a short space of time it’s actually not that bad.

I asked on Twitter earlier today whether women were happier with how they looked and less worried what people thought about them in their 30’s than in their 20’s. The poll is still running but so far is an overwhelming yes.

I questioned this a few weeks ago, am I where I expected to be in life? Am I where I thought aged 16 that I would be aged 35? No. I am not, but it’s alright. Life doesn’t go as planned for many people. You can still make it what you want to be though.  Make it something.

 

Filed Under: Life ·

A Focus On Welsh Bloggers: The Rare Welsh Bit

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This is the first in a series of posts about Welsh food and travel bloggers. We have an excellent blogging community here in South Wales and I wanted to be able to introduce some of my favourites to you so that you can get to know them too!

Kacie is the author of The Rare Welsh Bit and her social media channels alone will make you drool. I’ve let her take over from here on answering a few questions and telling us what she loves about blogging. You’ll find her social links at the end of the post so go follow her, you won’t regret it.

Why did you start blogging?

I first began blogging because I was studying journalism at university and I wanted to develop a portfolio of published writing to show potential employers, and one of my careers advisors suggested I start a blog as a way of achieving this.

What has been your favourite experience as a result of blogging?

Even seven years into blogging, I still get excited whenever I meet someone new and they tell me they recognise the name of my blog, or that they read it. I also love it when readers contact me to thank me for reviews I’ve written which have inspired them to visit particular restaurants or destinations and they have gone on to have an amazing time there.

I am very lucky to be able to travel with my job too, and I recently went on a fantastic press trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland with Becky from Munchies and Munchkins.

Boxty in Belfast:

While we were there, we attended BelFeast Food and Drink Festival, went on the Belfast Food Tour and ate at a number of fantastic restaurants, including the Michelin-starred OX Belfast and the Bull and Ram – home to what could be Belfast’s best roast dinner. We even found time for a spot of beer and cheese tasting, and a seafood chowder workshop at Belfast Cookery School. You’ll be able to read all about it soon over on my blog! 

In May, I will be covering Grenada Chocolate Festival and I can’t wait!

What do you think of the blogging community?

On the whole, the blogging community is very friendly and supportive, both on a local and national scale. Connecting with like-minded individuals is one of the things I enjoy the most about blogging and I have become close friends with a few of the bloggers who I have got to know over the years. 

If I am ever struggling with something blogging-related or just need a bit of advice, there is always another blogger that I can turn to for help, and I often help others out too.

Lamb Cawl at Milk and Sugar Cardiff.

How has blogging changed since you started?

The popularity of blogging has skyrocketed within the past 3-4 years. When I first began blogging, there weren’t a great deal of blogs around, but nowadays, there are thousands of blogs all over the world, covering just about every topic you can think of. 

Whereas blogging used to be (for the large part) centred around hobbies and interests, it is now a way of making an income for many, including myself. However, making an income from blogging is hard work and so if you’re not genuinely passionate about what you’re blogging about in the first place, it’s very difficult to make money out of it. You need to love it so much, that you don’t mind spending all your spare time working on it – as that’s what it might take at times!
As the quantity of blogs has increased, it’s also become more important to share content across a range of platforms. When I first began blogging, I would write a post and then share it to my personal Facebook page and Twitter. These days, I spend much more time promoting my posts across several different platforms; it’s no longer just about producing quality content, but about knowing how best to promote it to your audience too.

Where would you like to see your blog in five years?

In five years’ time, I’d love to see my blog attracting a bigger audience, enabling me to monetise my blog more successfully through affiliate marketing, so I can use the income from this to cover my running costs and produce an income, as opposed to concentrating primarily on sponsored content.

I also hope that I will have become better at video by then! I find the idea of editing video a little daunting, but I really need to get into it because it has huge potential in terms of helping me to improve my content.

One of the recipes on my site, Baked Brie in Puff Pastry:

Find me on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Favourite posts:

 Black Bean, Coconut and Sweetcorn Stew The Occasional Vegan
Grenada Chocolate Festival
North East Wales Year of the Sea Food Challenge
 Hungry in Hamburg: 5 of the Best Places to Eat
 A Guide to Eating Out in Lagos, Algarve

Dealing With Allergies – Three Years On

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It has been quite a while since I have written about the girls on here. The blog has taken more of a food and travel swing and as they get older I am more and more aware of what I write about them for obvious reasons.

I did however want to write an update about Chloe. I wrote about her allergies and the problems resulting from it a few years ago and I thought it would be good and perhaps helpful for other parents of children with allergies to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.

Chloe was born a healthy baby after a number of health scares during pregnancy and it was an immense relief that she was alright. She was a wonderfully happy and loving baby and slept well for long stretches in the night. I was almost a little smug.

However it didn’t last and when she hit 7 months old she began to change. Her sleep became erratic and frequently disturbed and not like you expect from all babies but 20-30 wake ups every single night. Then the sickness began and for ten long months she was sick most days. And it hits you. You are walking around in a sleep deprived state, angry and on the edge of tears. You feel helpless for not being able to comfort and soothe your child. We began cutting out food groups, dairy was the first to go, quickly followed by soya, banana and eggs. A small improvement showed but the sickness continued, the night pain, the many nights when she would lay curled in a ball to ease her discomfort and being unable to keep her hands and feet still unless they were held. Looking back it looks like a really long nightmare. Finally we began to see bigger improvements after we eliminated all gluten and her consultant ran another batch of tests before deciding some scopes were necessary, now this simple procedure can be tricky on a baby/toddler and because of that it required general anaesthesia. It is hard to explain how frightening it is to watch your little one be put to sleep in front of you.

All went smoothly but the tests showed that Chloe had an extreme amount of damage to her stomach, oesophagus and bowel. Damage which is in line with a coeliac. However as we had cut out gluten for over 6 weeks before the operation they couldn’t be 100% sure. Due to the damage we were told Chloe would need at least five years off gluten even if other food groups were eventually reintroduced.

You would think that with the results we needed and the food groups eliminated that life would become easier. But it was still a battle, we had a daughter who was incredibly clingy and dependent on us, who still barely slept. Who still had a weakened immune system and damaged belly, who was pale and thin and who only had to have a small cold to instantly lose all of the weight she had begun to gain. It was difficult to see when it would improve. Meal times were a battle to find foods which would nourish, fatten and yet also avoid dairy, gluten, soya and eggs ( and banana ). Eating out was out of the question, no restaurants or food outlets locally catered to all of those needs. Taking her to birthday parties or family meals involved almost military precision planning. It was exhausting.

And I know that there are bigger problems. Children with more serious illnesses. Of course I know that. But this was our problem and it felt huge.

As the months went on and Chloe became a little stronger and a little more rosy cheeked we were told to try introducing some of the food groups. Dairy and Soya were a big no no with instant sickness, but we managed to reintroduce egg ( slowly ) and that meant we could buy her a normal sliced loaf of bread. Such a small thing it may seem but baking loaves of bread each week took time and effort, and I was struggling myself at this time.

It has been a very slow process with Chloe and improving her health. It is always hard making others understand, understand when you choose to take your own food with you because the thought of her food being contaminated is scary. It has been a pain reading and re reading ingredient panels every single day. Hard to make her big sister Izzy understand that sometimes we can’t just grab a treat from the shops because there isn’t anything suitable for her sister.

But you know what? She is a wonderful and happy child. Fiery and full of life. Always happy to accept that she can’t have the birthday cake that her friends bring into school. To understand that sometimes there isn’t anything in the shop for her but that we will always have a replacement for her, wherever she is. She has taught us to educate ourselves and our own families on the importance of cross contamination with gluten especially. She is an utter joy to be around, just like her sister. Her big sister who tells people that Chloe can’t have certain foods and checks if she can have something if she’s not sure. Who has hidden around doorways eating party bag treats that her sister can’t enjoy so as not to upset her.

Two years on and we have managed to introduce bananas, dairy and soya and although dairy is only a recent change it is absolutely incredible to see her enjoying butter and hot chocolates and CHEESE. Gluten may be years off ( based on an awful reaction she had after eating something she shouldn’t recently ) or it may not ever be an option but that is manageable. She is living at a time when gluten free menus are extensive and the ranges in shops whilst expensive are varied. We are lucky and others less so with more extreme allergies. But even just with one allergen to avoid it can be so time consuming and at times mind boggling as the simplest of products contain wheat and barley for no apparent reason, when manufacturers change ingredients or factory processes just as it becomes a favourite product. It can be hard but it is a minor hassle in the grand scheme of things.

She looks like a healthy four year old again. She is independent and happy, she understands her allergies and deals with it in a way which makes everyone proud of her. even her sleep has slowly improved, it can still be a bit of a battle but it is one hundred times better than it was.

I wish I had read stories like this 3 years ago, to see that it can get better and it really does get easier. That shopping bills will forever be more expensive but you just learn to look around more, explore the naturally gluten free products and cook more from scratch. Things do improve, even if just in the sense that you just get used to doing things differently.

 

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