A SIMPLE WINTER PLUM TART RECIPE

December is here at last and this morning I'll wake to excited squeals, little hands looking for chocolate treasures hidden behind paper doors and our annual tree hunt to find the perfect specimen to grace our flat for Christmas. To get in the festive mood I thought it would be good to bunker down and enjoy a treat during this crazy weather we're having at the moment, so I thought I'd share a simple winter plum tart recipe that takes minutes to prep and make. 

This is the perfect recipe for those wanting to indulge a little at very little cost, as there it only takes four ingredient's to create this tasty dish! All you'll need is:

• Just Roll Puff Pastry

• 1-2 Ripened Plums

• Greek Yoghurt

• Organic Maple Syrup

F loves these little tarts and using pre-made roll pastry takes all the hard work out of baking, plus you can cut them to any shape or size making them perfect bites for little ones. This has really got me craving some of the Christmas party food that we'll no doubt indulge in this month. 

To make simply:

• Take your puff pastry out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before baking to allow it to reach room temperature. 

• Cut your plums into slices and set to one side.

• Slice your pastry to the appropriate size and shape. I made three small rectangle tarts for us to snack on. 

• Arrange the slices on your pastry shapes.

• Place on a baking tray with the baking paper provided and bake 10-15 minutes at 170ºC in the oven or until golden brown. 

• The plum slices will look a little dried on the outside but are fleshy and soft on the inside making them delicious. 

• Add a dollop of fat free Greek yoghurt and drizzle in maple syrup. 

Now all you need to do is sit back, pop the kettle on and enjoy. You can find the gold cutlery and chop & serve board here. 

Linking in with #recipeoftheweek

GET WINTER READY WITH A GOOD SLEEP

What does winter mean to you? To me it conjures thoughts of warm throws, dark nights, hot coco and cosy sleeps. There's nothing better than being wrapped up in bed with a good book when it's cold outdoors and hitting the snooze button for those extra few minutes before the day starts, but for me it's a place to rest my head and get winter ready with a good sleep. So when Leesa, the online mattress brand got in touch and asked if I wanted to test out their mattress I jumped at the chance to get my zzz's on.


After a few clicks of a button I ordered our King Size luxury mattress and it couldn't have been easier, all I had to do was sit back and wait for it to be delivered to my door free of charge. Now normally with a product like this I would spend time wandering around stores, listening to some sales spiel while trying to figure out what will fit through the front door.

Instead a super neat box box was delivered to our door with our mattress rolled up inside, making it easy to transport, unwrap and unroll it in the bedroom without the entailing the pivot scene from Friends.

Once unwrapped, the luxury mattress decompresses and all creases fade away leaving us to enjoy this super comfy foam mattress. It's made up from three separate layers: The bottom layer dense core support foam, the middle layer contouring foam and the top layer cooling Avena foam, all wrapped in stylish soft fabric, designed to create the perfect nights sleep.

I loved our mattress and it works perfectly for us as I'm a deep sleeper – it would literally take an earthquake to wake me – and even though I'm often the first to drop off I do tend to move around a lot which tends to wake Paul who is a light sleeper. I found that the top layer seems to absorb any movement creating a peaceful night for both of us, especially if you add a wriggly F into the mix!


Not only does Leesa give you 100 days to try out your mattress at home, ensuring you're happy with your investment and a ten year warranty, but for every ten mattresses sold Leesa donate a mattress to a shelter spreading the joy of sleep to those in need, meaning you can get a good nights sleep and a feel good factor. We loved our so much we'll be buying F one of his own and fingers crossed it will stop him coming into our bed!

Leesa are offering you £50 off your purchase when entering the promotional code wildandgrizzly40 at the checkout and I can honestly say I would definitely recommend this for a hotel bed experience at home.

*I received a mattress from Leesa for review purposes only. All words and opinions are my own.

JOULES PRESS DAY AUTUMN/WINTER 2015

What better way to ease myself into a new month than reminiscing over the Joules Autumn/Winter 2015 Press show. I love heading to press shows, it's one of my favourite perks of my job especially when it's a brand I love and I can share it with you lovely lot.  So a few weeks ago I headed over to London with an excited F in tow to see what would be on trend next season and I wasn't disappointed.  Think stripes, florals, denim and pops of neon, and that's just the clothes! 

The main room had been set up with huge breakfast table laid with a full english and neon Joules branded condiments, which F was convinced you could eat! There was also nutribullet juice bar making smoothies/keeping F happy while I cooed over the new home ware range, think traditional country style served with a modern twist, breathing a new life into your home.

I love the words used to describe the A/W collection, it sounds like the perfect way to welcome the changing seasons and embrace the winter months, especially when wrapped in the softest of fabrics.

Relax. Head outside. Open Air. Unwind. falling Leaves. Switch off. Swirling Winds. Refreshed. New.

F's highlight was the chicken coop where he spent a lot of time entertaining himself by rearranging the neon hens, much to the amusement of the kind folk at Joules who indulged so I could get my camera out and take some snaps of the new collection.

 I particularly loved the bright stripes in the kids range making winter outdoor play fun, and the women's jackets look set to keep you warm and stylish, oh and these boots! It looks like Joules has winter wrapped up, but did we expect anything less? *Nope* 

What's on your winter wish list?

LET'S HIBERNATE // WINTER SLEEP TIPS

Is it just me or is anyone else's bedroom replicating the inside of Santa's grotto? With boxes piled high on wardrobes, bags sticking out from under the bed and with the arrival of a massive tree, furniture from the lounge has migrated its way into our junkroom bedroom making all feel rather cluttered.

This is the only part of the festive season that gets me in a grump, as much as I am never that organised, a super cluttered room full of things that don't belong there means I never feel like I've fully rested, even after some much needed beauty sleep.

So as usual I've been turning to my beloved Pinterest for bedroom interior inspiration in the hopes that something might spur me into a tidying frenzy. I love some of these spaces, so clam, cosy and light *sigh*.

Click to read more.