Haul: Food Treats and Little Accessories

So on Saturday I had an outing to our local huge shopping centre, literally every shop you can imagine is there. I have to admit, I do love a good shopping trip! I always end up buying more food than any other item and Saturday was no exception.

 

My brother recommended a Juice Bar he had been to before, saying they did really good fruit Smoothies. I fancied a change from my usual iced coffee or Frappuccino so I went for the "Strawberry Dream" Smoothie and I wasn't disappointed.

The smootheis are made with 100% natural, healthy ingredients so you don't have to worry about any nasties in your drink. They honestly are so filling and taste AMAZING! The regular drinks start from £3.65 which I think is about normal for a drink this size.

 Surprise surprise I then went into Topman...it's safe to say I cannot resist a look in even if I don't buy anything. I had been wanting some sun glasses for a while now, I already had some Rayban Wayfarer's but I have had them for about 2 years so I needed an update. I quite liked the 'Retro' and 'Urban' look these glasses have with the half frames and gold details so I had to get them. They were £12 but I got them for £10.80 with student discount.

I then had a sneaky look in River Island as I noticed they added some new lines to their sale. I really didn't need anymore clothes but I did look at their jewellery section and saw these bracelets. They were £3 for the pack of 2 and they're like a cotton/woven rope style. I really like them as I think adding little pop's of colour into an outfit can make a huge difference (as you can probably tell by my neon orange laces).

It was then time for a snack and I had been wanting a pretzel from 'Mr Pretzel' for a long time now, but never got round to trying one. I saw that there was no queue so I went to look at the menu. Vanilla Sugar and Cinnamon sugar both took my eye at first but then I saw Nutella and well...that was the decision made. They're super sweet and filling and of course managed to get the infamous 'Nutella Moustache' whilst eating it. Mr Pretzel's actually tweeted me saying that they ran after someone with a napkin because they had Nutella on their forehead....Which made me feel slightly better and did make me laugh!

I honestly am in love with Nike's at the moment. I recently got some for my birthday and I am wanting to add to my collection. I was just browsing in JD Sports when I saw these, Burgundy Nike Roshe Run's. I literally have never wanted a pair of shoes so bad. The only problem was that they're £70 and well...I think I'm going to have to save up for a loooong time before I can get them.

 

I hope you enjoyed this little mini haul, I think i might do more of them in future if I buy anything worth writing about. Thanks for reading,

 

Luke.

 

Jamie's Italian Restaurant

Italian Food is my thing, there is no denying it. After some thought I think it's safe to say, it's my favourite type of food. I wouldn't be surprised if I had some Italian gene in my family as we all love Italian food too. Not too long ago, I walked past a restaurant that was owned by one of my of my favourite TV chefs, Jamie Oliver. As a food writer, photographer, chef and father he is someone I idolise a lot. A few weeks later my friend said that he had just opened an Italian in Newcastle, she had been and said the food was amazing so I was eager to try it out. 3 visits later, a gold membership and lot's of full stomachs it's safe to say it's up there with one of my favourite restaurants of all time.

  What I like is that every restaurants interior is different, no two restaurants are the same. As a firm believer that what your restaurant interior design looks like, adds to the overall experience of the meal, Jamie's doesn't disappoint. This is the bar area where you can enjoy light bites, cocktails and freshly brewed coffee.

The interior I would summarise as being "Rustic Industrial/Urban Italian". From things like the hanging cured meats that make you feel like you're in a restaurant in the back streets of Venice to the contrasting modern painted walls and heavy duty iron staircase and light fittings. The vibe is amazing! There is so much natural light, you have a great view of the pass to see all the delicious food being taken out and the booming city outside. You don't feel to crammed in or too over crowded. It ticks all the boxes.  

They have an amazing drinks menu and highly skilled bar staff that offers drinks ranging from cocktails, Italian wines, beers and spirits to home made juices. Every time I go, I get their 'Homemade Lemonade' it's so thirst quenching and has great flavour!

As we were Gold Card members, we were lucky enough to be given a free appetiser of 'Pea and Ham Risotto'. Served in little espresso cups, it's a great idea as it wet's your appetite for the main meal.

The menu has great choice to say the least. They cover every part of Italian food from steaks, to salads to your obligatory pasta's and pizza's. Every-time I go I get something different. There are just too many things to try to just get the same thing. I was going to go for a 'Sausage Parpadelli' but my friend pointed out a board with pizza's listed on. I jumped at the chance to try one and I wasn't disappointed! 2 Pizza's, 2 Italian Burgers and 4 portions of Posh Chips please.

 

The pizza was hands down one of the best I've tasted. I loved the stone baked crust and the thinness off the base. Some might say a margarita pizza is a boring choice but if it's done right, it's the perfect choice! Lashings of sundried tomato sauce with Mozzarella and Basil and a finishing of black pepper was my idea of heaven! The 'Posh Chips' were delicious too, skins kept on they are tossed in garlic and parsley and are a joy to eat!

This is a picture from a previous visit where I ordered the 'Penne Pomodoro' which is a tomato and buffalo mozzarella pasta with basil and toasted bread crumbs. It was amazing, I've also had the Italian Burger which again was so nice!

If you're looking for a place that's got great atmosphere, friendly staff, amazing quality food and drink and generally a nice place to visit, Jamie's Italian is the one for you. They are always opening restaurants so I'm sure there will be one near you or one opening soon.

 

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this little review.

 

Luke.

Review: Urbanears Plattan Headphones

I kinda am an impulse buyer...it has to be said. Sometimes I buy things without fully thinking about whether I really need it or not. I bought these headphones on a whim after seeing 'Pointless Blog' a YouTuber I watch, buy 3 pairs of them in 3 different colours. They looked really cool so I thought I'd give them a go, I'm very glad I did!

 

'Urbanears' are an independent Swedish company that specialise in all things audio. They believe in delivering outstanding quality sound with a range of colours to fit your style and personality.

In the box you get:

Plattan Headphones

Urbanears brand sticker

Audio jack adapter

Ubranears products booklet and warranty.

 

The sound quality of the headphones is amazing to say the least for the price. I got these from Amazon, their RRP is £49.99 and I got them new for £29.75. They seem to be a general 'all-rounder' headphone; combining the perfect levels of bass and clarity that give these headphones a premium feel. The headband itself if quilted and fully adjustable which means you can wear them for long periods of time without getting a headache!

You can follow my Instagram: "luke_catleugh" for daily photos of what I get up to.

These headphones are feature packed too, they fold up which means they are perfect for travelling and listening on the go! I know what it's like to struggle with space in my bag, so these will be ideal for school or college as they take up minimal space so if I have a free study period I can whip these out and enjoy my music even more.

 
 

You really do get a lot for you money with these headphones. They have an inline microphone and play/pause button so you won't need to get your phone/iPod out to change songs, another great feature. They also use a 3.5mm audio jack so it fits near enough every device out there. I have a variety of music in my library and it seemed to perform well delivering sound that felt real and not "tinny" like some cheaper headphones do.

 

They also have another audio jack in the left ear phone so anyone who wants to share what you're listening to can just plug their earphones into yours and you're instantly sharing your music, no more of this one earphone each malarkey!

These headphones really are perfect all rounder's! They provide amazing, crisp sound matched with eye catching colours and designs and tonnes of features, I really would recommend them to anyone thinking about getting some.

 

As ever, Thanks for reading,

 

Luke.

Caramel Frappuccino Heaven.

As a HUGE Starbucks and Coffee fanatic, nothing would make me more happy than sipping on an ice cold blended coffee brew with lashings of caramel syrup and whipped cream.

When the weather is like how it has been recently, I tend to go for cold coffee over hot coffee, so when the sun is blaring and you need your daily dose of caffeine and sugar, this recipe is perfect for you.

Ingredients:

1 Bottle of Caramel Sauce (5 tbsp)

1 cup of Ice

200ml of milk

100ml of espresso or instant coffee

Whipped Cream

2 tbsp of Caramel Syrup

 

Equipment:

Blender or Liquidiser

Starbucks Cup & Straw or your favourite cup.

 

Method:

1. Start by brewing your coffee or espresso depending on which type of coffee you are using. If you aren't keen on coffee, completely leave this stage out. I use Nescafe, around 3tsp works well for me. Set that aside to cool down whilst you make a start with your other ingredients.

 

2. Now pour your milk into your blender. I use the cup as a guide, this is their 'Grande Size' and I fill up to the first line.

 

 

 

3. Now add your caramel syrup, you can get this in most Starbucks stores or online or even supermarkets sell it now. I use the cup as a guide so I know where to fill up to. If you like it really 'caramelly' not sure if that's a word but we'll go with it, then feel free to add more but don't forget to taste otherwise it might be too sweet.

4. Now pour in your coffee that has cooled down to room temperature. If you have left out the coffee, a great idea to have a cream base is to add vanilla ice cream or condensed milk.

5. Blend all your ingredients together for 1 minute till the mixture is smooth and there are no ice cubes remaining.

6. Whilst the mixture is blending, you can pour your caramel sauce into your cup of choice. I re-use the cups I get when I visit the stores, but you can use any cup you want. Swirl the sauce round the cup by keeping a constant pouring motion but rotating your cup on it's side.

7. Now pour the blended mixture into your cup, stopping just below the lip of the cup so you have room for the whipped cream.

8. You can top your drink with whipped cream or leave this out for a healthier option but it tasted soo good with it on.

9. Now top the whipped cream with more caramel sauce so that it swirls around the cream.

 



10. As you can probably tell...I kinda like caramel sauce. And that's it, Put your lid and straw on and enjoy.

 

I love Frappuccino's! There is nothing better than relaxing in the sun with this in your hand. And they are so versatile, you can customise them to any flavours you enjoy. Some popular ones are Mocha, Strawberry & Cream, Chocolate...the list is endless. Leave me a comment saying what your favourite is and if you have any flavours you'd like me to make.

Once again, thank you so much for reading and for over 2200 views on this blog, That's insane!

 

Luke.

Jack Wills: Radcliffe Phone Case Review

I love Jack Wills. I need to get that out there right now, one thing however that I don't love is how expensive, all be it very nice the items are to buy. I had been eyeing up an iPhone 5 phone case for a while on the site however I couldn't bring myself to pay £19.50 for it.

Then as if by magic, they launched their annual 'JackPot' summer sale where loads of their items had been added to the sale. Including the phone case I had been looking at. It was reduced from £19.50 to £8.

I then thought, I will use my student discount too from 'UniDays' and get 15% off. It worked out at £6.40 for the case but then it was £4 delivery charge from online. Which kinda made no sense to I decided to order it to be delivered too a store and pick it up as the store near me didn't have the one I wanted. I saved over £13 and really was chuffed with my purchase.

The case itself is a red hard cover that leaves complete access to your headphone port, volume buttons, charging port and lock button. You also get a screen protector, cloth and 'squeegee' to apply the protector with. I had already applied mine so that's why it wasn't in the box.

 It has an anchor print all over the top and a large cut out for the camera with a black surrounding ring to prevent flash back.

I love iPhone cases, I cant have a bare iPhone because I'm ridiculously clumsy and end up dropping my phone all the time. So to find a case that was both practical and stylish was a win win for me.

Jack Wills still have a sale on now so if you head over to their site you may still be able to pick up a bargain!

http://www.jackwills.com/en-gb/home

Thanks for reading,

Luke.

Birthday Weekend: Meal Number 3

July 13th 2014

With my birthday over, and my brothers just beginning, I was looking forward to the day being about celebrating his 21st. After he opened his cards, He was surprised off his Girlfriend with a giant Millies cookie which are to die for. This one was White Chocolate and Raspberry.

We then had a little outing to a retail park close by where I tried the new 'Banana Yoghurt Frappuccino' from Starbuck's summer range. As I love anything banana flavoured, I really enjoyed it! It tasted like a yoghurt I used to eat when I was younger.

We headed back to go to for an Indian Meal. It's a restaurant that I have been to once before and the food was sooo good. Here is what I wore:



Jeans: Black Skinnies, Primark £10
Shoes: Burgundy Converse, £45

Shirt: Slim fit Denim Shirt, Topman, £18

 

Watch: ASOS, Travellers Watch, Present

I chose to go for fairly smart with elements of casual wear. A slim fit shirt is essential in a wardrobe as you can dress it up or down. You could roll up the sleeves and unbutton it with a t-shirt underneath for a relaxed look. Or, button it to the top and match it with a dark blazer for a smart meal or night out.

 

It was great to have everyone close around us. We all chose four different curries, and had a massive sharing feast between us all.

 

 

Here are the cupcakes that someone at my brothers work made for him, they tasted soooo good I had to have one. Apparently they own their own cupcake business...something I've always dreamed of having so no wonder they tasted that good!

 

 

And that's it, 3 amazing days that I wish I could re-live. Amazing people, amazing food, amazing presents. It really was an amazing birthday weekend for us both. Thank you so much for reading if you have gotten this far.

 

More posts will be coming soon including recipe's and style look books.

 

Again, thanks for reading,

 

Luke.