It's been over 30 years since I last made these edible hats. The recipe and creativity belongs to my mother. I am so proud to share them, but it took a while for me to bring myself to do it. I know if I see them appear on a recipe blog or social media, it will affect me a little. They were so integral to our childhood (that of my 3 sisters and I). Whenever there was a special occasion, they would come out. Back in the 80's edible decorations were very minimal. We used to have little sugar coated jelly sweets in lots of different colours, and our Mam used to wrap liquorice strands around the t ..read more

One of the greatest challenges a lot of people find when starting out on a vegan lifestyle is; what to eat! It's a daunting feeling when you embrace a new dietary change. All of a sudden the core of your meals, in this case, meat and dairy products, are suddenly gone. So many of the vegan groups on Facebook are filled with newbies to the vegan community, unsure of what to eat. And worried that they're not meeting their nutritional needs. This often means that many newbies to the lifestyle tend to stick to the same meals week in, week out. In this blog post, I want to share some tips for creati ..read more

Even though it may not feel like it this year, it's Christmas. And just because we can't have the large gatherings we may be used to at this time of year, we can still enjoy the best foodie season of the year. In this special blog post, I am sharing 8 ideas for your festive buffet table. You can of course add in the usual nibbles such as crisps, nuts, cheese boards or other favourites, but when it comes to the party food, it is always nice when it's home made. All of these bites are easy to assemble and each contains 5 ingredients or less. Apart from the Gingerbread Cream Fruit Shots. ON THE M ..read more

This is a bumper blog post, packed with inspiration and ideas for dining in style and of course 100% vegan too! Here's one I prepared earlier! I used to work in events, and we often used to cater for guests on a large scale. I have seen it all, from simple bowls of crisps, right up to fine dining banquet. This year is an odd one. We're all so ready for it to end, but also a little perturbed by the impending fear of lockdown. Either way, it won't be the Christmas any of us would have expected back in January! Grazing tables seem to have gone from a rare sight, to a fully fledged craze. They're ..read more

As we are all suddenly plunged into a state of panic, scenes that have been coming to the press this last week have caused me to share this post. The majority of us will recover should we catch Covid-19, however the vulnerable in our community need our help. I watched a video upon waking up this morning on YouTube. Three women fighting over toilet rolls in a supermarket. This photo of an old lady picking from the leftovers on a shelf deeply saddened me. pregnant and compromised members of society A photo of an elderly woman surrounded by empty shelves has gone viral. Picture: Facebook We're ..read more

Fun fact: if you touch an olive, it is not considered as 'virgin' or 'extra virgin'. And yet UK supermarkets can still sell it as so! Earlier in 2019 I was invited on a press trip to Spain, by the London Office of ICEX (the Institute for Foreign Trade and Investment, which is a division of the Spanish Ministry of Industry Trade and Tourism). Linares being situated in 'Jaen', the famous olive oil region of Spain. The trip was organised by this government office to share the story of the olive oil harvested in traditional methods for the last 2000 years, for maximum quality, while not compromis ..read more

We arrived in Palermo, Sicily on 7th of September and booked on B&B close to the airport. And for the next 8 days nothing else was planned or booked. This is the story of our adventure, and our new found love for this incredible island. If you're planning your next trip to Sicily and asking all kinds of questions, allow me to share with your the highs and lows, successes and failures and some advice from our 7 day trip. From where to go, what to pack and must-see spots, to carbon offsetting, breaking down on motorways and throwing caution to the wind. Grab a coffee and a notebook and let ..read more

I recently attended a seminar hosted at King's College which explored a well-discussed topic among the vegan community - ' Can a Plant Based Diet Save Modern Civilisation?'. When sharing that title with my non-vegan friends, the response was a mixture of smirks and looks of bewilderment. While many of us understand the importance of cutting out meat, mainly because we've done it. Having reaped the benefits and have the blood tests to prove it, the majority of our society simply refuses to believe the facts in front of them. Regardless of how much sound scientific evidence they are shown, it s ..read more

We're born, there's a space and then we die. What happens in that space will make an impact, and the best part is, we get to decide what it will be. It was Earth Day recently. That means something different to everyone, be it about people, our planet or animals, each of us draw conclusions based on what moves us emotionally about our planet. For me it is all three. Campaigns such as Earth Day encourage us to stop and look around us and take action. They make us re-asses our impact on the world around us and remind us of the power we posses to drive change in our community. Whenever a big disa ..read more

What's vegan, cheesy and full to the brim with delicious food? Nope, I 'aint talking about little ol' me, I am talking about the newly launched Vegan Cheese Afternoon Tea I was invited to try out last week at The Georgian House, London. With all of the hustle and bustle blogging brings (it isn't all launch parties and free food), it also has its delights too. The Georgian House is nestled between Victoria and Sloane Square, on the picturesque St. George's Drive. The house has recently become popular with fans of wizarding. I will reveal why later! Keep reading to find out more information abo ..read more