Weekly Love: Week 184

Wow it has been a busy couple of weeks! You know those times when you simply have too much to do, you can’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is getting so cold outside that you just want to snuggle under the duvet with a good book, cashmere bed socks and a hot mug of tea? Yeah, I don’t really have time for that right now either, but can I recommend that you make a whole chicken cooked in milk with a mountain of brown rice and veggies for dinner this weekend as it is basically a hug on a plate? I know it sounds odd, but I made Diana Henry’s version from A Bird in the Hand on Wednesday night and it instantly made my life better. Also, The Kitchn pulls apart, assesses and shares Jaime Oliver’s cult version here.

1. Stopping to remember how truly awe-inspiring Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are as I run in and out of them for meetings. | 2. Rainbow blooms this week outside of Liberty’s. | 3. A simply divine orange blossom ice cream at The Palomar in Soho – look out for a few review of our utterly delicious meal next week. | 4. Bringing all of the squash we grew that are too small to cook in from the cold to decorate the house. | 5. Lazy Sunday bath time tip: if you’re throwing out an old bunch of roses, choose the best preserved rose, discard the outer petals, and the rest will still be great to scatter into your bath water. | 6. Speaking of roses, crazy that the miniature rose I was given this Summer has blooms that start out dark pink, but lighten as they open.

• Why when I spend so much time in Soho have I never been to Lina stores before?
• Cara, a fourth generation butcher talks us through buying, preparing and cooking meat. 
• Carrie spent her birthday in Cambridge, and obviously the photos she took are stunning. She also spent a really beautiful, really luxurious weekend in Rome.
• Kristabel’s post on some of the mistakes she made starting out as a full time blogger is a must read for anyone who runs their blog as a business, and is full of helpful links. 
• Also, Fashionista asks what exactly is the difference between a blogger and an influencer.
• This writer tried using a flip phone for a week in 2016.
• San Francisco? I’m jealous that you’re home to this stunning raw bar. 
• A sneak peek into Diana Henry’s cookbook collection.
• Also, there is another great ‘at home with Diana Henry’ in the New York Times.
• I need to start making freezer packet meals. 
• Here are 21, utterly genius recipes from Food 52. 
• Also, continuing her residency at Food 52, Deb from Smitten Kitchen on the 5 times over the years she really put her foot in it with her blog recipes. 
• More food culture from Deb: even if you never make the recipe, her account of how she researched the method and culture of her Russian Honey Cake is a great read. 
• Yaya and Lloyd have found 10 great, secret places to visit in Edinburgh (and you can find my tips for visiting the city here!)
• Also, the boys went to the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and it looked magical.

7. Mummy daughter, pre-shopping trip lunch at Cafe Monico. | 8. Speaking to tastemakers at Pinterest on a panel with Amazon and Boden about how you can use affiliates and brand partnerships to make money from your Pinterest account. I took loads of notes from the other speakers of the evening, so I’ll be sure to put together a full, comprehensive ‘A Bloggers Guide To Earning Affiliate Income On Pinterest’ blog post soon. | 9. Baking an ‘informal’ (as Mary Berry would say!) Lemon & Pistachio Cake on a Sunday afternoon. | 10. Sunny skies and interesting architecture in Deal. | 11. A weekend of delicious veggie meals from Riverford Organic and .delicious Magazine‘s recipe box – you can read my full review here. | 12. All of the fish specials on a Friday night at The Duke William in Ickham.

• Gray Malin is *the* person you want to put together a Palm Springs city guide, right?
• London? Tania had a date night at Union Street Cafe and it looks like an excellent call.
• This literary agent has 7 great tips for getting more out of your cookbooks. 
• Also, Food 52’s new manifesto for reviewing cookbooks on their site is much needed.
• Yet more from Food 52: they discuss if you can trust cooking times given on food packets. 
• Rose visited an old tuna factory in Sicily and it is actually pretty awesome. Also, all of the food she ate in Italy are things I wish I could eat every day.
• Also from her trip: how to spend a layover in Palermo in style.
• Media Marmalade on the ins and outs of a successful blogger to brand pitch. (via Kristabel)
• Into the Gloss schools us on all of the important skincare: this is why you’re breaking out.
• Forbidden Forest Chocolate Butterbeer Cake. Need I say any more?
• If you’re visiting New York any time soon, Olivia’s 5 most recent picks look like a sure thing to hit up while you’re exploring the city.
• This is why we carve pumpkins at Halloween.
• The fascinating rise and fall of the Clarisonic: 2012’s must have beauty brush. 
• Here is a flow chart which helps you work out if an internet recipe will work. 
• Maria writes about how there are not really any truly ‘foolproof’ recipes.
• The Cupcakes & Cashmere team have put together a round up of their favourite tacos in Los Angeles. I’ve bookmarked this, and you can find some of mine at Blue Plate Taco.
• David Lebovitz writes about the Parisian love for cold toast.

For more delicious links, make sure you subscribe to my monthly newsletter. In other news, what have you been enjoying this week, and what do you have planned for the weekend? I’ve had a really busy two weeks, so I’m just looking forward to a quiet one at home before the new week kicks off again!

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