#Blogmas 3: Brunch at Counter

As part of the Bloggers Hangout I had the wonderful opportunity to go to brunch at a nice little restaurant/bar called Counter*. It is situated within the Vauxhall Arches in London, right next to the tube station. We arrived here after roughly at 10:30 after our sleepover at a secret location in Putney for breakfast followed by a 'make your own' bellini and a choice of dessert. Our mountain of bags were taken off us and stored behind the reception as we entered the venue, which was really appreciated as we had a lot of goodies with us. This means you can shop until you drop and pop by on your way home without the worry of trying to fit all your bags round the table.

The restaurant was quaint with modern touches and a warming atmosphere. We were greeted at the door by a wonderful gentleman who showed us to our table, that he had prepared especially for us. Filled with beautiful flowers and neatly arranged tableware, the table was nothing but inviting. We were given a menu where we could choose from a choice of sweet or savoury options including pancakes and french bread right through to baked eggs and pesto.

We were served quickly by the most pleasant waiters with smiles on their faces, ready to make sure we had a relaxed and enjoyable time. We were given a pot of tea followed by a fresh juice of our choice, while we pondered over the extensive menu. In the mean time we got to meet the owner of the restaurant who was full of personality and had a loving passion for his brand, which was really endearing. He later took us to look around his neighbouring bar which is quiet during the day, but really comes to life at night. If you love a night out that is a bit unexpected, stop by sometime. I assure you, you wont be disappointed.


I decided to go with eggs benedict for my main as I wanted something savoury and comforting on the palette. This really hit the spot and tasted as delicious as it looked. The poached eggs weren't perfectly runny as I would have liked but I let it go as the rest of it was so tasty that it did not matter.

Rachel being pescatarian decided to go for the baked eggs with truffle mushrooms and walnut pesto. I loved the quirky touch of the pan that it was served in, to give it a rustic feel. This looked like a great option for those who like to avoid anything too heavy before lunchtime.

Brogan decided to go for the apple and cinnamon stuffed toast with candied walnuts which looked and smelt absolutely amazing! I can imagine that being the perfect brunch during the Christmas season as it definitely has a festive touch to it. I'm surprised I didn't ask to try some thinking about it now.

We were then privileged enough to make an alcoholic beverage mid morning with our own make your own bellini, which consisted of peach and prosecco. We added in a peach puree to a glass that had a slice of peach already in it and topped it with my favourite kind of bubbles. I thought it was delicious and would be great addition to your meal if you were with your girlfriends celebrating a birthday or new job.

I was personally too full to the brim with food to even comtemplate the dessert menu but it did all look so delicious. So while Rachel tucked into what looked like the best apple pie, ever we chatted all things blogging while we finished our bellinis and juices.

It was great to not feel rushed and to take all the time we needed to enjoy our experience, which is quite hard to find in a busy city like London where the turn around is so quick. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if your looking for a nice quiet spot to catch up with friends or family. It is right next to Vauxhall station, so no need to worry about rolling home after you have eaten yourself into a food coma.

Thank you to Danielle for inviting and organising this for us and to Counter for hosting the brunch. It really was the icing on the cake to a great weekend.

Happy Thursday everyone! The week is almost over and it will soon be time for lay ins, Christmas films and hot chocolate, I just cant wait....

Love Khrissie x

(All images are my own unless stated)

British Baking - Chockie Tea

So its the weekend and whats better than chilling out and doing a spot of baking? The good thing about having three housemates is that they can test all my creations for me so I know your getting the best recipes, I am sure they will agree.

Today I have a recipe for you that is quintessentially British! Its important to be proud of where you come from, because it makes you who you are, from the accent to the humour and quirky ways of doing things. There are lots of things about Britain that I love, one of the main things being tea! On my trip to Asia I don't think I had a cup of the good stuff the whole time I was away, mainly because they just don't make it the same over there. Green tea on the other hand is pretty nice but I love the proper builders tea with a dash of milk and one sugar. (I'm not particular at all!)

This is a really tasty cookie recipe and tastes like your drinking a cup of tea without actually drinking it. Its a weird concept but it really works. I dipped the cookie in tea coloured chocolate to add an indulgent feel to the cookie and to make it feel as if its been dipped in the tea. Everyone loves chocolate so you can't go wrong, but if you have not got much of a sweet tooth you can leave it off.

Ingredients: (Makes 12)
125g butter
3 black tea bags
100g light brown soft sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
100g white chocolate
100g milk chocolate

To make:
1/ Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2/ Melt the butter in a pan or microwave (dont boil). Once all melted add in tea leaves
from the tea bags and mixed until combined. Wait a few minutes for the butter to cool.
3/ Add the sugars to the bowl and mix in the butter and tea mixture until blended.
4/ Combine the egg and vanilla into the mix and stir well.
5/ Sift in the flour and stir in slowly until combined into a dough.
6/ Either roll out the dough into a sausage shape and cut into even cookies or roll into little balls and squash slightly.
7/ Place the cookies on a baking tray, giving enough room between the cookies as they will spread.
8/ Cook for 7-10 minutes depending how soft or crunchy you want them.
9/ While the cooking are baking heat up a pan of water and melt the chocolate in a bowl above the water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl otherwise the chocolate will burn. Melt the white chocolate first, adding in the milk chocolate to achieve your perfect tea colour.
10/ Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before dunking them in the chocolate and allowing them to cool (if you can)
There you have it! Your very own British biscuit!

 

These really are tasty! and if you want more of a biscuit just give them a little longer in the oven. 

Now I am looking at these again I'm going to have to bake some as I have some spare dough left over from making this batch. If you want to refrigerate the dough like I do and make them fresh each time you fancy one then you can. Your friends will love you for it to!

I hope you enjoyed this British recipe and like the taste of them as much as me and my friends do. 

So what do you think of using usual flavours in cookies and biscuits? Do let me know if you make them, I'd love to see some pictures.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Love Khrissie x

Blogmas Stocking Filler: Mello Mallo #Khristmas

Happy Sunday! The time has come where preparations for Christmas get underway and what a better place to start than stocking fillers? These are the gifts you can buy friends or family to open which are little presents to open before the main present. Now this year I am having a big family christmas and there are a lot of people to buy for but although money can be tight, you can still give gifts which are meaningful and cost a fraction of the price.

Here are some marshmallows* and a couple of hot chocolate sticks* from a new start up company called Mello Mallo who hand make these tasty mellos in a small town called Bedfordshire. This started with a 'desire to spread happiness through the love of taste-tingling treats', and I can tell you they definitely do that! Here are some of the flavours that Laura (the chief Mallo maker) sells on her website here.

Now when I received these in the post I was so excited! Especially as there was raspberry and white chocolate, orange chocolate and a white chocolate stick! My favourite! You can enjoy these on their own as a cheeky snack or add them to a hot chocolate using the sticks. What a perfect idea!

All you do is fill up a cup of milk of your choice, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes or heat it up on the stove until hot. Add in your stick and swirl it around until all the chocolate has melted off the stick! How delicious does this look?

Once melted you can enjoy it on its own or pop in some marshmallows for some extra flavour. I melted the white hot chocolate stick and paired it with the white chocolate and raspberry mallows. It was so delicious and something I would love to enjoy on the morning of christmas when everyone is waking up and getting excited about the day.

Here you have it! A perfect treat for any of the family to enjoy! They are home made with simple ingredients, gluten free and best of all, they are so moreish! So 'take a moment to Mello out, you deserve it!'

You can buy different sets on the Mallo store with lots of other flavours available including some new festive flavours! You can purchase these little bags of mallos (4 per pack) for only £2 each or 3 packs for £5! The stirrers are only £1.50. A wonderful affordable treat that will surprise anyone when opening their stocking on Christmas morning! I know I want to get some for sure. You can check out the store here. Thank you Laura for sending me some to try, I can tell they are going to go down great with all my friends and family!

Here is my first Christmas post! I'm so excited!
If you would like to see more posts where I share affordable stocking and gift ideas as well as DIY decorations then leave me a comment below and I will get straight onto it.

I will be using the #khristmas, as I feel I have a fortunate name that I just have to use it so I will be creating a chat throughout December where we can talk everything Christmas..woo! Keep an eye out on my twitter.

Love
Khrissie x