Fresh Ingredients,
Bursting with flavour,
IntuNottsBloggers Thai Masterclass.

Hello Lovelies;
I wouldn't say I'm the most adventurous when it comes to food, but Thai has to be one of my favourites when it comes down to preparation and flavour.
I've been to Thaikhun, in the Intu Nottingham centre a few times, and indulged in their vibrant atmosphere, which feels as if you're stepping into that part of the world; And their food has been fantastic every time, with lunchtime offers and treats for the kids, it's really a place for everyone.  

I was kindly invited, with a handful of Nottingham Bloggers, to attend a masterclass at the restaurant. Not exactly knowing what to expect, I will admit I was a little hesitant, but built the confidence to give it a go!
We were welcomed by the staff, who were bright and bubbly, One of them which was Drew, whom hosted our evening; And offered us a fruity cocktail which I believe was named the 'Full Moon'. It was ideally the perfect setting, as we were drinking cocktails on the outdoor terrace, the sunshine lightly beating down upon us. 

With our drinks in tow, we were shown to where all the masterclasses happen; Yes I was pretty much petrified as I regained flashbacks of cookery lessons at school! But, thankfully due to such patient and understanding people around me, I actually realized I can do this, although I don't exactly cook when I'm at home! We had our own little work stations, as well as chef hats and aprons. After being kitted up, we were introduced to one of the Chef's Named M, who was guiding us through the wonderful world of Thai Cuisine. 

The first dish we were making, were fresh prawn rolls, using rice paper, prawns, cucumber, carrot and lettuce. I love prawns, so this was an exciting starter for me to re-create. We cut the ingredients into fine slices while the rice paper was placed into a bowl of water to turn into a slimy/workable texture. We followed the chef step by step, sadly my rolls weren't photography worthy, but did taste scrumptious!

Now we were onto the main course! We were taught to make, Thai red curry. Our workstations were once again set up with the fresh ingredients, and the best thing about this dish, was that we could alter it to our own preference of spice. The maximum heat I ever go for is a korma! So we found out the only way you increase the spice is by adding red chilies to the curry. It was fun to test out the flavour along the way, I actually couldn't believe I made something that tasted ever so good! It was a sweet yet subtle savory sauce and complimented the chicken well whilst it marinated.

And viola! This was definitely picture worthy I think; we plated up our creations and were then led back up to the restaurant area. We were kindly given a bowl of sticky rice to accompany our red curries; I could have eaten this meal over and over again, I was so proud of myself.  I felt that was the best part about the experience, that it doesn't matter how much or less skilled you are in the kitchen; Their masterclass caters for all. Nottingham's Thaikhun provides a cooking school every 2nd Sunday of the month, from 11-1pm where you can also learn to cook a starter and a main. You can find out all the different Thaikhun locations and classes they have to offer here.

They also have an amazing opportunity up for grabs, where you and a friend can win a trip to Thailand! The competition is called #BestSummerEver and just by filling out your details of interest you can get a free Pad Thai! With other scrumptious prizes up for grabs it's something not to be missed.

I'd love to say a big thank you to the Intu Nottingham team for arranging the event and for Thaikhun for the fantastic experience, one which I'll never forget!

Love Ellie xo

Derby is one of the places I like to spend the day at when I can; And I was so thrilled to be invited along to a Bloggers Brunch, hosted by Monet, at Olivers on Friar Gate.
We arranged to all meet at 11.30am, and this was perfect due to travelling and the mixed weather conditions!


Oliver's is a quaint little place along Friar Gate, with one side for take-aways and then another room where you can sit and indulge, taking up the scenery and homemade scents that bring you back to pleasant food memories.
Walking through the quirky phone booth printed door, Myself and Sarah took some shots of the stylish venue, whilst talking to the enthusiastic staff about the day ahead. One by one, the ladies who attended the brunch arrived and we looked over the scrumptious home-baked cakes and decor; I was already falling in love with the place.


We had a long table set up in the middle of the room; With comfortable seating and copper salt and pepper pots with cute menus between them, I was in awe.
The menu had been specially created for the brunch, and I truly felt like a VIP. I love organisation and the menu details packed a lot of excitement, from beginning to end we were catered for completely.


For the first part of the brunch, we were introduced to The Rested Cocktail Company. They produce handcrafted bottles of cocktails, that literally can be just poured over ice; When the cocktails have been created, they let them rest in steel barrels for over 30 days, this gives them a smoother and richer taste. We were shown the current collection which contains a dry martini, The Harvard and The Old Fashioned.


I opted for the old fashioned, which was mixed with soda water. My taste buds had a rush of rum and spice, I'm not much of a drinker so small sips did the trick! We had a wonderful talk, as we found out the story of how two friends made such a practical idea work and win awards for their creations.


The next part of the brunch was the food bit! We were chosen to taste dishes that could become part of Olivers new menu; Starting off, The Peanut butter and Jelly shake!


Now if you follow me on Instagram, you probably came across this picture recently! They were presented in petite glasses on this delightful serving tray. I had to have a waft of the scent, I could smell the rich peanut butter and began to indulge. The only point I'd have to make was that as they used Banana for thickness, it did mask the other flavours out. This was a shame really and may put me off in ordering a full size, but I'm glad that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and just give it a try! I do like the fact that they have put this type of flavour into consideration though as it's a brilliant American classic.


Next we had the smoked salmon with horseradish, soured cream and chives. For a savory dish, this had to be one of my favourites. Everything just worked so beautifully together, cooked to perfection; I would have to order this if they were to place it onto their menu! The egg was cooked just right so that the yolk would work with the fresh salmon, and crispy potatoes; The lightness of the sour cream made it overall refreshing and subtle to taste.


Moving onto the next dish, we had a soft fluffy coconut pancake with roasted rum pineapple and a scoop of vanilla icecream. Absolutely mouthwatering.. I have never tasted anything so sweet and sharp. This was my second favorite of the whole menu, I could eat this daily if I could!

We then had a short interlude where we could let our tummies rest a little for the next dishes; it was very pleasant to talk and sip our cocktails and reflect on the food that we just had.

Credit to Sarah for the picture of the next course

This was a dish I was a little bit nervous for! I've never had black pudding before, so I thought i'd take the plunge and try it. This also came with roast potatoes and applesauce, and I was actually surprised at the taste. The black pudding wasn't as bad as I thought, it tasted quite herby a little like stuffing, and the applesauce complimented it well. I was proud of myself to be a bit more adventurous with food!


Last but not least, we were presented with brioche french toast, with maple roasted apples, and mascarpone. French toast was another thing that I had on my 'to try' list! I absolutely loved it, the brioche bread was sweet to the taste, and the mascarpone was lightly gooey which together melted in the mouth. I couldn't believe how full I was after the brunch, but it was worth it!


Towards the end of the experience, we were given a sheet each to fill out about our thoughts on each dish, to give it a rating and to then add what we would like to see on their new menu. As you could probably gather, to limit it down to one selection was tricky. I'm looking forward to finding out which dish that they add, when I return.
We were given sliders of mini treats, which unfortunately I couldn't eat that much more, but had to get a shot for you all. And beautifully finished off with a coffee; The day was an enjoyable one and intimate, with the amount of bloggers there and the venue's size.



A big thank you to Monet for organizing it and Olivers for the fantastic brunch!
It's a place I'd definitely recommend to all, do feel free to have a browse at their website and maybe pop in if you're ever around Derby!

Love Ellie xo

When I received an email in regards to attending Chino Latino's Birthday celebrations; I couldn't resist the urge! I've not been to Chino's before, But I had heard many wonderful reviews on the food and atmosphere. 

Chino Latino has their venues within 4 locations, Nottingham is one of them and can be found upon Maid Marian Way, right within Park Plaza. They create and serve pan-Asian cuisine, And have created Latin cocktails that will compliment the dishes.
 The email pointed out, that there will be a dress code of red and black which I found exciting and had to hunt the perfect outfit out for the evening! I decided to go with a shocking red shift dress, with bell sleeves, and used a black clinch belt to provide a hourglass effect.

On arrival at the venue, red lanterns gracefully hung across the ceiling, where a walk way led us to two smiling ladies, to take our names and mark us off of the list. Our welcome, was very warm and inviting, as we were offered an alcoholic beverage and watched as the guest list arrived in style. Outside was an outstanding fire performance that literally made us 'ooh' and 'ahh' in her marvelous display; Including the popular fire eating trick which left us speechless.

It was brilliant to see the way that the guests used the dress theme, stylish dresses along with modern statement accessories; The night quickly became busy, as a long outstretched table with freshly caught sushi cleverly positioned upon it, it was definitely center of attention. 

Staff would come around offering delicious canapes of intense flavours, That can only make me wonder what their full menu would be like, as we mingled and conversed; It was great to see a lot of the East Midlands blogging ladies there too as it gave us time to catch up and enjoy the night together.

Within the reception area we were then surprised by their very own Chinese dancing dragon! The dragon dance had to be my own personal highlight of the evening, the live music was so powerful and strong. The costume itself was fantastic, with batting eyelids and moving mouth; Telling a story through it's movements and emotion, it was spectacular.