A day out in Leeds

I'm one of those people who hates routine, getting up, going to work/college, coming home, having something to eat and then going to bed. I think sometimes it's really nice to do something different. When my friend said they were going to Leeds for a University interview I jumped at the chance to go, purely for what I had heard about Leeds. A 2 hour car journey later, getting lost a couple of times and we made it. Here is what I got up to.

So our first point of call was Nandos. Something about spending two hours in a car makes you crave chicken...or maybe that's just me? As non-adventourus as we were going for a Nandos it didn't dissapoint. I tried to Peach Iced Tea and it was so good! 

 In true Nandos style I went for a single hot chicken wrap with peri peri chips and garlic bread. Doesn't get any better than that! Kinda wish we were a little more patient because we found a Byron Burger and a Wagamama soon after which would have also went down well!

After asking the waiter in Nandos where the best places were to shop, we found our way to the Trinity Centre and well...it all went down hill for my bank card then.

The centre was HUGE! It had literally every shop you could want both inside and out. We ended up spending nearly three hours here so it's no surprise I spent so much money! 

I thought the Urban Outfitters in Newcastle was good but genuinely this is the best I've been in. It literally had everything. From vintage, re-claimed shirts to a music room and a whole section of cool books and homeware items, it was great. Could have spent hours in there...and probably hundreds of pounds if I didn't stop myself. I found a baseball T with burgundy long arms perfect for layering, so I snapped that up and left before I could buy anything else.

  Then of course it had to happen...we found a Topman. Again, Newcastle's Topman is big, but this one was huge. They had a suit department, longline T's, a whole section for boots, shoes and bags I was in my element. I ended up settling for a oversized longline white T with tartan detailing on the bottom. Perfect with some black skinnies and sneaks.

 We then found ourselves in River Island and with two purchases already in the bag, I was on the lookout for something different. After wanting a bomber jacket for a while, I was so surprised to find one in the sale for just £15. It fit perfectly so I had to snap that up! I also was looking at their jeans which gave me an idea to rip some of my old black skinnies instead of buying some.

 Feeling the strain of all the shopping, it was time for a coffee stop.

 We opted for Cafe Nero for a change. I had gotten 9 stamps from buying coffee's before so my 10th drink was free. I went for the banana and caramel frappe and it was unreal. Literally so sweet but perfect none the less. Made it taste even better knowing it was free.

Surely we could squeeze a couple more shops in before we had to go back? We ducked into H&M and I had to restrain myself from buying another T-Shirt which I liked but probably didn't need. I opted for a smart layered look with a trench and shirt/jumper combo. I thought ahead so didn't go for a heavy thick coat and some comfy boots for walking. I'm wearing: 

Coat Boohoo Man

Jumper ASOS

Shirt ZARA

Jeans Topman

Boots Boohoo 

Bag ASOS

 The LUSH window display looked too good not to have a wander in. Sure enough we caved and bought some bath bombs. I chose the Fizzbanger which reminded me of sherbet lemons I used to eat when I was younger.

 The workers in the Leeds store were super friendly, giving us demonstrations of the bath bombs. I always look at the gift sets because they look so good!

 Wandering back from a serious shop, I found myself in the American section of Tesco where they sold all kinds of crazy flavour sweets. I went for some S'more flavoured Pop-Tarts and some white chocolate vanilla Oreos.

 I think I'm a little bit in love with Leeds and definitely will be going back soon. It was so nice to have a day off from college and have a wander around somewhere new. Leeds, I'll soon be returning!

Thanks for reading,

Luke. 

Salted Caramel Brownie Milkshake

Genuinely I think I have to take the time to admit that I might have a slight addiction to milkshakes. I probably drink wayyy more then I should but let's be honest, who can blame me. There is nothing better than taking your favourite sweet treat whether that be a chocolate bar, brownie or cookie, and blitzing it up with some milk and ice cream. It doesn't get any better. I used to love a milkshake shop in town where I used to live and they served any kind of milkshake imaginable, the day it closed I was actually gutted. So...I have to get my fix somewhere, thus is bring you "The Chocolate and Salted Caramel Brownie Milkshake".

Ingredients: (Makes 1 large glass)

3 scoops of good quality Vanilla ice cream 

150ml of Milk

5-6 small chunks of brownie (save some for the topping)

Whipped Cream

Salted Caramel Sauce (Or regular caramel sauce & a pinch of salt)

Equipment:

Any kind of liquidiser or blender

Method:

1. First start by scooping three scoops of your ice cream into your blender. 

 2. Then measure out 150 millilitres of milk into a jug and pop that into your blender.

 3. Now take your brownie chunks, I got these from ASDA for £1, you can make your own of course and put those into the blender too. You might want to break them up slightly if your blender isn't very powerful.

 4. Now add your caramel sauce, This is Starbucks own but I also have M&S salted caramel which would also work really well in this shake.

 5. I added a banana to mine for extra flavour but by all means you can leave this out. Maybe adding some chocolate sauce would be nice but this is completely customisable. Blend the shake till all of the mixture looks smooth. You can just pulse it so you keep some whole brownie chunks, that works well too.

 6. Now drizzle your cup with caramel sauce, this is completely optional but looks great once you pour your milkshake into the glass.

6. Top your shake with whipped cream, as you can see I went a little bit over board but you can never have enough whipped cream in my opinion. 

7. Top the shake with some of the remaining crumbled brownie pieces and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

I know this probably isn't the healthiest drink out there but it's good to treat yourself now and again. This would be really nice with some Malteasers in or even replace the vanilla ice cream for a truly indulgent shake! 

Be sure to take a picture and tag me in this if you make this drink,

Enjoy,

Luke. 

Tango Restaurant Review

Incase you hadn't already guessed, I'm addicted to Instagram. I'm always on the hunt for new places to eat and drink. Recently I found myself on a fellow bloggers profile and they had a photo of their from a restaurant called 'Tango". I clicked on the location and saw a stream of unbelievably mouth watering looking food and amazing drinks. I instantly knew this was my kind of thing. Couple of days later and a trip to Durham's cobbled street's was planned. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who showed us to an available table.

The decor I can only describe as being vintage with a modern urban twist. Comfy leather seats, dark oak tables, bird-cage chandelliers and a sixties jazz band sound track playing in the background, first impressions couldn't have been better.

 The beer kegs were a nice touch, as well as the glass wear lined up on the shelf all made for a really nice surrounding. We placed a drink order, which came in mason jars...it's little touches that set Tango apart from the crowd. The iced tea was perfect, thirst quenching and just what I needed.

The menu is split into two sections "bar" and "dough" (sandwiches). Again, a perfect idea so you can find something no matter what your appetite. After toying with the idea of going for some smokey ribs, I caved and went for the infamous "The Tango Classic" which came with haystack bacon, melting cheese, haystack onions and BBQ sauce. Yes please! We also ordered Nachos, "The Brit Burger" and some cheese nuggets which sounded heavily. 

The food arrived promptly and we couldn't wait to dig in. All the dishes were served on these industrial baking sheets which I think is a really great touch. 

 The burger was super juicy and perfectly cooked. I chose to go for the brioche bun, keeping it classic. The fries were crisp and there was ample in the pot it came in. I tried my friends nachos and they were super indulgent. Coated in cheese, guac and sprinkled with peppers and chilli they were perfect.

The prices were reasonable for central Durham and I felt completely satisfied after. I think they could give the likes of TGI burgers and GBK a run for their money. Give Tango a visit if you're in the local area, situated at the bottom of Elvet Bridge, it is the perfect go to for some homely, classic grub! 

Check out Tango's website for booking and other information http://www.tangodurham.co.uk/find-us/

Thanks for reading,

Luke. 

Nutella Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

The inventor of the chocolatey, gooey, hazelnut spread that we all know and love must be rolling in money right now just from the amount I buy alone. You will never see the kitchen in our house without a jar of Nutella in it. I got a huge jar for Christmas, I'm talking 1kg of the stuff so I've been trying to think of things to use it in. I know I featured Nutella cookies on my blog before but these ones are stuffed so when you bite into them, you are anointed with a mouthful of gooey Nutella, perfect warmed up with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.

Ingredients: (Makes 10-12 Cookies)

115g Butter

135g Granulated Sugar

280g Plain Flour

200g Chocolate Chips

2 Eggs

Jar of Nutella 

1tsp Vanilla Extract

1tsp Baking Soda

 Method: 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees or 350F. Start by creaming the butter and sugar together till pale and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer but a wooden spoon works just as well.

 2. Now add your egg's, one by one so the mixture doesn't curdle. Then beat in your vanilla.

 3. Then pour in the flour and baking soda and stir well.

 4. Now it's time for the chocolate chips. Empty them into the cookie mix and fold them through.

 Of course you have to take a quick photo for Instagram purposes!

 5. Now grab a baking sheet and line it with greaseproof paper or grease a tin with some butter or cooking spray. Grab a hand full of the mixture, flatten it out in your hand and pop a spoonful of Nutella in the middle. Then simply fold the edges over the Nutella and place them on a baking sheet.

 6. Repeat this process until you have all of the mixture in balls filled with Nutella. If the mixture is too wet to handle, add some more flour and beat until it forms a firmer dough.

 7. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

 8. Leave them to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

These genuinely are the nicest cookies I have ever made. When they are fresh out of the oven they are the best because the Nutella is still warm and gooey. If you make these be aware that they will go very very quickly, so there is a chance you might need to make some more. 

Enjoy, 

Luke.