King prawn curry laksa

If you don’t already know this about me, you should probably learn that I love seafood. Not a particularly controversial claim, I know, but an important one nonetheless. And if there’s something I enjoy more than a juicy prawn, mussel or lobster, it’s all of the above with the addition of a bit of spice….

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Spicy vegetable peanut soup

I’m sure I’m not alone in my surprise (and slight disappointment) at the postponing of spring. As this frosty winter weather rears its ugly head, I don’t know about you, but I’m craving proper cold weather fare – a hot bowl of steaming soup that warms you from the inside out. But I’m starting to…

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A week in London

I confess, I can be kinda terrible at this content planning thing (in my personal life, anyway – it’s kinda my job at work). It can be difficult to find the time, will and energy to write things to a deadline when you’re doing it for yourself. You can’t force the chatty voice or thoughtful…

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Friday date night at Oxford Brasserie, Southampton

Going out to dinner is one of my favourite ways to indulge. I spend most of my waking hours thinking about food in some way, whether it’s planning a menu for my week of home cooked meals, thinking about how best to avoid disappointment in the work canteen, or giving into my garlic pizza bread…

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The true meaning of Valentine’s Day

I’m the kind of person that isn’t really sure about romance. I don’t quite buy into the soppy declarations of love, the nauseating social media posts or the heavy-handed commercialised message that gets thrust down our throats as the 14th of February comes hurtling round again. I saw a heart-shaped punnet of strawberries in a…

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HDL COOKS: Huevos Rancheros

A weekend brunch is really the most comforting thing. Whether you’re gearing up for a busy day, nursing a hangover or just want to unleash your inner middle-class white woman, brunch is ever the solution to your weekend woes. Brunch has always promised that little bit more than the traditionally beige breakfast plate. I’m not…

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My breast reduction journey

I’ve deliberately waited a long time to write this post. Even now, I’m wondering if this is the right time, because the ‘journey’ of my breasts is far from over (I mean, they’re with me for the rest of my life) and I don’t know how I’m going to feel in six months, a year,…

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HDL COOKS: Dijon cream chicken with duck fat roast potatoes

If there’s anything I pride myself on, other than my rapid mental absorption of odd facts akin to one of the QI elves, it’s my roast potatoes. I’ve tried many a roastie, and I’ve met many a person who stubbornly will not concede that anything but their mum’s roast potatoes are the best. Until they’ve…

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Actually no, don’t treat yo self

Sometimes I think that people really don’t comprehend how difficult it is being a twenty-something at this particular point in history. Alongside the usual twenty-something anxieties that have probably affected every generation preceding us, about making decisions on careers, marriage, babies, mortgages, health and what we’re going to do when our parents die, there’s now…

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Bonfire night and a small, but important discovery

Hi, my name is Hattie. I hate loud noises but love sparkly things. You can see how this might make bonfire night a time of particularly conflicting feelings for me. Usually, what pushes the 5th of November over into my long, long list of dislikes is that it’s in winter, and winter is absolutely categorically…

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