Cronuts, Crodoughs and Brownutters.

This is probably not the best time to be writing this post. After a weekend of a horrific amount of sugar and my inability to last a day without some form of chocolate, I'm making a really conscious effort to cut sweet stuff out. I'm genuinely getting all hypochondria-ish about my poor blood sugar levels. I come unstuck when people buy me brownie slices from Brick Lane and insist on office cake sales, but I reallyyy am trying.

I've decided to give myself two treat days a week - Tuesday (for treat Tuesday with Bela) and Friday. Because it's Friday. And I'll definitely need it by the end of the week, along with a large glass of wine.

That's fair, right?!

So instead of eating the stuff, I've taken to googling and reading about the stuff. Cue my new found obsession with Joy the Baker, and obsessing over Shu's obsession with Cronuts. That's a lot of obsessiveness. Below are two of Joy's recipes I genuinely need in my life:

Apple and cinnamon baked doughnuts

Chocolate, peanut butter cookie dough and toasted marshmallow cupcakes. I KNOW.

If you haven't already heard of Joy the Baker, you need to get on it. I first started following her on Instagram and then became hooked on her blog. The photography is amazing and all her recipes look incredible. The only annoying thing is the quantities are all done in American cups, which is still something I haven't worked out how to convert...

Cronuts are the croissant-doughnut hybrid that took America by storm, and saw people camping out to buy one. (Or several and ship them across the world). Tsk tsk. Then we had the Starbucks/Bea's of Bloomsbury Duffin controversy (vote Bea's), and now Shu has delighted on the UK cronut - the Crodough from Rinkoff Bakery. She's just told me there's a bakery thats sell them in Soho too. I may just have to sleep until Friday.

Rinkoff Crodoughs, over on Shulikesclothes

This all got Shu and I chatting the other week about these hybrids, and I think we came up with the most ingenious one yet. It combines the three ULTIMATE things of delight; doughnuts, brownie and, yep, peanut butter. All hail the Brownutter. Not only does it have an amazing name, but tell me you can't already taste it just from that description. See, you can't. Rich, gooey brownie hiding a dollop of creamy PB all encased in a crisp, sugar dusted doughnut coat. Me oh my.

If anyone (Starbucks) takes this as their own before we have time to make and patent this concoction, I will bring you down.

Anyway, back to my grapes.

x

My first... Pumpkin.

This weekend roundup is a bit of a cheat, as it actually starts on Thursday. But I reckon all weekends should start on a Thursday.

We were meant to go and see Mickey Flannagan live but the show got cancelled, so instead we joined the queue on Wardour  Street for Busaba Eathai, which ended up being a pretty good second best. I'd been recommended the Thai calamari, and so dutifully ordered it as a side alongside a prawn and coconut stir fry. Honestly? I could have eaten 3 bowls of the calamari and not have felt an ounce of remorse. Quite honestly the best calamari I think could exist. So soft, slightly spicy and ridiculously moreish. Go, go, eat.

We spent the weekend at my cousin's, who has the world's best 2 year old as well as her own handmade card company - Ruby Rose Cards. Saturday morning consisted of dancing to One Direction, playing hide and seek, nattering over craft ideas, making cards and eating wayyy too many chocolate fingers. 

This was before... PUMPKIN CARVING!  I got a bit lot carried away and insisted on top secrecy of designs until the big reveal. Amelie the world's best 2 year old naturally pointed at my moustached design as her favourite. But then she also pointed at it when I asked which was the most rubbish. Hmm.

All this was topped off with coming home and making flapjack for work's version of GBBO today.

I was rather hoping the office might have been blown away Wizard of Oz style, but sadly not.

 Oh well, at least there's cake...

x

Merrily We Roll Along UK Premiere

Last night I got my gladrags on and tottered on down to the Odeon cinema in Haymarket for the UK premiere of Merrily We Roll Along. Does anyone else have a boyfriend who gets stroppy if you're taller than them in heels. And therefore makes you totter across cobbled streets solo. Or just me?

So this was my first ever premiere, and I'd love to say I was invited because of my witty and wonderful blog, but actually I'm the sister of the co-founder of Digital Theatre - the extraordinary company that filmed and produced the movie.

Because of this fact I'm not going to be biased after this one teenie statement. Promise.  It was bloomingly utterly brilliant.

Merrily We Roll Along is a West End musical which has been a huge hit both here in London and in Broadway. Filmed during live shows, seeing it on big screen is an amazing amalgamation of theatre and cinema.

The cast were also in the audience, providing an amazing atmosphere and the occasional whoop. If I was watching myself on big screen I'd be dancing on my seat and whooping til the cows came home.

Check out this link to find out which of your local cinemas it's being screened at.

Then it was off to the Haymarket Hotel ('s swimming pool) for an after party of too much wine and not enough humous and Parma ham. (No amount of humous and Parma ham is ever enough)...

What I wore: 

Jacquard skater dress - Zara

Heels - New Look

Lippy (the reddest lip I've ever dared wear) - Barry M shade 163

Necklace - DIYd out of an old chain and a pearl bracelet (all broken, swapped about and put back together)

Pretending to get papped...

Just mingling with Mumma Shaw by the pool, y'know...

The pool. It's with pride I announce I didn't even dip a toe.

Sorry for the rubbish photo quality, I was trying to play it cool and take them 'subtly' ...

x

When I Grow Up...

When you think about it, the transition between being a child and not being a child is REALLY ODD. When does it happen? You must just wake up on certain days, and that is the last day you ever ever do something. You must wake up all innocently, not knowing or realising that you will never have an imaginary tea party again, or get invited to a party with a ropey clown and jelly, or play out on the street, or get pocket money, or eat a mini milk...

Don't get me wrong, there are many things I love about being grown up. (I use that phrase lightly). I love playing house for real, and not having a curfew, and being able to eat PopTarts for breakfast, but there are A LOT of things I miss about being a child.

Here are some of my biggest misses:

- Having NOTHING to worry about other than who was going to be my best friend for  
  that day, and whether my parents would notice that I was trying to sneak out to school 
  in my jelly shoes. (They always did.)

- Saturday night: I was allowed to eat my tea in front of Generation Game. This was a big  
  deal. It would always consist of  sandwiches cut into triangles, probably some pom bears 
  and something from the Sainsbury's bakery counter. YES.

- Knowing my Mum had all the answers, and knowing she would sort all my problems. 
  (Lies, she still does this.)

- MAKING DENS. Although I'd spend ages in the planning and design processes and then  
  about three minutes actually in there before I got bored.

- You want to wear sparkly purple leggings and a neon green floral top with socks and 
  sandals. Go for it Olwen. Stick-on earrings? Why not. You're seven years old. You can 
  officially wear what you like and not be judged.

- It being acceptable to make up dance routines to Boyzone.

- It being acceptable to spend hours giving Girl World a makeover.

- Having the life ambition of being a shop keeper or sailor.

If my future children don't want to do any of the above, I honestly think I'll be heartbroken.

x 

I Made A Clock!

After months of talking about it, this is my first DIY post on Flossie Teapot, and I managed to rustle up an actual ticking clock!

I can't really remember where I got the idea for this from, but one day I decided to stick a bit of wrapping paper to a bit of foam board and get myself on eBay and buy some clock parts...

It's the easiest thing to do, and as I already had the card, glue and wrapping paper it cost me all of £4.99 for the clock parts. (You can get them cheaper, but I wanted to get mine from the UK). I was going to attach numbers, but thought it would look too busy with the print so have left it for now.

If you know me, I apologise in advance for the fact that you will very most likely be receiving a handmade clock for Christmas...

x

You will need:

Patterned paper/ a photo/ wrapping paper. I got mine from Magma

Template. (I used a  plate.)

Spray glue. (Or I suppose PVA will work)

Clock parts. I bought mine from putaclockinit on eBay

What to do:

Use your template to make 2 circles... 1x foam board and 1x paper

Glue the paper to the foam board

Add numbers (optional)
Pierce a hole in the centre

Attach clock parts according to instructions

Hang on a wall
Done!

October Wishlist

This month I am WELL into my winter warmers already. The sudden change to cold and rain brought me running to my jumpers and slippers faster than you can say nana. So it comes as no surprise that this month's wishlist looks somewhat cosier than the last few. 

They're not numbered, sorry, but it's pretty easy to work out...

I love a masculine shoe, and these Office chelsea boots look perfect for afternoon rambles around the country estate, before a nice cup of earl grey.
Office - £70 

If you've not checked out the Ohh Deer website yet, then after you've read this head over for a nosey. They have some brilliant artists on there, and I can't actually get enough of their cushions. 
Ohh Deer - £35 

Cobalt blue has been around for a while, but I'm still not tired of it. Simple, flattering and versatile, this Topshop tee shift dress is ticking allll of my blue dress boxes. 
Topshop - £45

I know I'm not alone in this... I have a need to get a new coat every winter. I always love the one I buy, but by the next year it's just not quite tickling my pickle. Love, love, love and love this oversized Zara one.  
Zara - £79.99

Joy always have something on their site that makes me smile. I'm all for a pinafore, and the unique, slightly retro pattern on this is just darn joyful. Har. 
Joy - £42

I have to mention this... if you zoom in on this picture, the model's legs are pretty hairy! (See, models have hairy legs too!) Huzzah. But that aside, you'll find me this winter in a pair of these, nursing a hot chocolate and humming Christmas carols to my heart's content.
Urban Outfitters - £14

I need some fairy lights (preferably daisy...) to gradually wake me up in a morning. Going from a warm duvet and pitch dark room to full on lighting is NOT GOOD for my morning moods.
Urban Outfitters - £15

Carrying on the daisy theme, I love me a floral print and this is the perfect way to inject it into an Autumn wardrobe. Statement, oversized and bloomin' marvellous. 
Urban Outfitters - £42

x

I Made Bread!

I'm either getting creative, or I'm turning into a massive nana/housewife. I'm really not sure which it is. Recently I've gone on a bit of a  mission to cook more healthy homemade meals, make stuff, organise my bills and, most recently, MAKE BREAD!

I'm fed up of bread going mouldy (see, massive moaning Nana), and inspired by my love of GBBO I decided to hit Asda up for a bread tin and get making my own.

Now I started very simply, and with the help of the silver fox that is Paul Hollywood, made a rather successful plan white loaf! Oo and indeed er.

IT'S SO EASY! I don't know why I've never done it before. Actually I do, and it's probably something to do with the fact that I used to have other ways of filling up three hours of my life...

All you need is bread flour, yeast, salt, warm water and a few hours, all of which all comes in at about £2.50 max, and I've calculated that one pack of flour will make me 3 loves of bread. (You don't have to stand around for three hours don't worry, it just takes a while to prove but you can leave it be while it's doing its thing.)

I used GBBO tips, and this recipe over on BBC Good Food.

The kneading of the dough counts as my work out for the week, and it's actually amazing to get your head around how it all works with the yeast going all alive and it all growing and turning into something actually lovely and edible! 

I reckon the world is now my bread oyster, so I want to try out all the bread flavours possible. On the list so far:

Olive

Sundried tomato

Parmesan

Pesto

Focaccia

Cheese caramilsed onion

Nutty wholemeal

Cinnamon

Banana

Hooray for underage nanas!

x

Zara Florals

Happy Monday! (If there's such a thing?)

I'm not going to make a habit of this - partly because I don't have enough clothes, partly because I am the world's worst serious poser, and partly because I pose in front of a carrier bag and a lamp - but here's an OOTD post! (That stands for Outfit of the Day if you're reading, Mum).

I'm fed up of my only trouser option being jeans, and had been on the look out for something different for a while when I spotted these little floral gems in Zara. At £29.99 they were a bit of an impulse buy, but I lovelovelove them. They sit just above the hip, are tapered without being skinny or over-baggy, show just the right amount of ankle, and work wonders on my non-existent bottom.

After wearing them to work and feeling like they should see a bit of party action, I wore them this weekend for dinner and drinks and fell in love with them a little bit more. I think they thanked me too after getting to experience the sights and sounds of Soho nightlife. 

The only downside with this outfit was that my Wahaca food baby had nowhere to hide....

x

Body - Miss Selfridge
Trousers - Zara (BUY HERE)
Ankle boots - Primark
Bag - eBay

The Food Baby Returns: Embankment Real Food Market

This evening I met up with the rather wonderful Shu from shulikesclothes, who I haven't seen for approximately AN AGE. She is my fellow food baby friend, the girl who introduced me to the delights of banana pancakes, and the only person who shared in, and sympathised with my unhealthy peanut butter obsession for a good few months. We also made a rather brilliant fluffy bunny video together. I did worry for a while that our friendship was based solely on food, but then we also realised we had a shared love for cocktails. Hmm.

Anywayyyy, she recommended we head to the embankment for a romantic Friday night food session, (maybe I was right...). Tucked away behind the Southbank Centre by the Thames, I had an incredible Korean burrito full of spicy pork belly and rice, followed by cinnamon sugar-dusted churros and chocolate dipping sauce. (She made me.) Shu had a confit duck brioche with goats cheese made by some lovely French boys. I'm a sucker for the French accent. Definitely heading there next time s'il vous plait.

We then stumbled across the Shouthbank Centre shop, which is ALMOST as good as Tiger. Think duvet covers you can draw on, books about angry crayons and cloud and scissor shaped cushions!

Although nowhere near as big as Borough Market, it's a lovely place to pop down to after work, and is full of deli stands, sausages, cheese, chorizo, beers and cake stalls... basically all the things you need of a Friday evening.
Also, you can guarantee a nice romantic walk back over the thames afterwards. 

I think at night, lit up by all the twinkly lights, is the only time I fall in love a little bit with London. 

Anyway, enough mush. Byeeee!

x