Celebrate: Singles' Guide to Valentine's Day

Hey foodies,  

With Valentine's Day looming and International Marriage Week in full swing, it's hard to not to indulge in a few heart shaped chocolates, but many people are mistaken in thinking that February 14th is exclusively for couples. Aside from it being my Dad's birthday, and this year it's a big one(!), this much derided holiday is actually about love, which as we know can be shared with anyone (or anything) in your life that you care deeply about.

So why not spend this weekend celebrating love, rather than cheapening romance?

This guide is more about single's success, rather than single's survival. Why shouldn't everyone celebrate, spread the love and take advantage of some fabulous deals on tasty, sweet treats! 
A little self gifting



Valentine’s Day is great for taking advantage of the many special offers or events. Why not plan a catch up with your friends - a girly night with fizz sounds great to me! Each year, restaurants, bars, and cinemas try to capitalize on the holiday by offering couples special discounts, but you can cheat the system by grouping up with some mates and getting yourselves a tasty dinner deal or even 2 for 1 cinema tickets. There are so many delicious Valentines gift ideas you can enjoy with your friends; a bottle of the finest fizz or maybe some heart shaped chocolates.  I can never say no to chocolate truffles!

Fancy something a little more extravagant?  Treat yourself to a spa treatment! There's always a fantastic array of spa deals for Valentine’s Day. All offers for couples? Pair up with a buddy and enjoy some well deserved pampering together.

Watch a ‘romantic’ film

This year for Valentine’s Day, Netflix is specially curating a selection of romantic films for couples to enjoy, but as we all know most romantic comedies are a little cliche. For the best selection, go off course from the typical recommendations, although Disney's Up and About Time are firm favourites of mine!

Even in adventure, action and horror films you'll find love. Alien is a great story about love and honour, but in the context and setting of a barren mining planet completely swarmed with bloodthirsty and terrifying predatory creatures. Or think about Fight Club, a charming story of a blossoming bromance between the protagonist and a figment of his imagination. Both these alternative films have great romantic storylines, if a little unusual!

Share the love



















Take a little time on Valentine’s Day to share the love with the people that are important to you. Get together with close friends and family, share a cuppa over a box of tasty biscuits, get messy in the kitchen with some tasty Valentine's themed baking or hit the town with your besties.


Don't forget your grandparents! Cake always goes down a treat, if they haven't beat you too it! Whatever the activity, share it with those important, can't do without people in your life.

Escape


This picture is taken from gentle stroll through Sheffield earlier this year, with my boyfriend's giant schnauzer, Titch.

And no, I don't mean escape from Valentine's Day. Why not take a trip, just because you can! There’s nothing holding you back, so spend some time getting away from your familiar settings and delve deep into your adventurous spirit. Get on the train and explore the nearby towns. Take a train out into countryside and fill up on fresh air. Aside from being a great adventure, this can be very therapeutic and help develop your well-being and mindfulness. Being a Yorkshire girl, I'm surrounded by beautiful, idyllic country villages and nothing quite beats a Bakewell tart in Bakewell!

It's all about embracing love this Valentine's Day and making the most of another fabulous February weekend. What have you foodies got planned?

Lots of Valentine's love, 

Jess <3

365 New Days = 365 New Challenges

Hello foodies,

It's been a while since I last blogged and as always, a lot has happened!

I think it would crash blogger if I tried to explain it all in one post, so expect a few posts reminiscent of 2014, just to bring you up to speed.

So it's a new year and after days of thinking of the 365 ahead, or should I say 341 now, I have finally chosen a few inspiring resolutions.

To help me choose these cheeky challenges, I reflected heavily on some of my favourite moments of 2014. I'd say my top three were:

• Disneyland Paris for my 21st birthday - who doesn't enjoy the magical kingdom?!
• Teaching culinary arts in the USA and meeting the most beautiful friends
• Celebrating my graduation, with delicious food, plenty of drink and my incredible family

So a pretty amazing year! How could I top those incredible experiences?

Well, the past few years I have been learning, leaning on others, absorbing information and setting myself up for my future. 2015 is now a year for growth - using the knowledge and learning to progress myself, my business, my career and my aspirations. So five top resolutions to inspire 2015 would have to be:

• Appreciate every day - not only because I love the film About Time, go watch it NOW if you haven't seen it, but because whilst I was in the US, I had plenty of time to reflect on what mattered most to me. Family, friends and of course - food! Don't let anything come between those all important F's.
• Share - it's incredible how social our society has become, but yet what we are sharing is so fickle. I haven't shared enough with you guys, I owe a little more time to sharing not only fantastic recipes and pictures of tasty food, but my passion and enthusiasm for life and yet again, anything edible.
• Explore - I've always been a bit of a home girl and although it's not a problem, over the last year I've learnt that a house is but a shell and it's the people that make it a home. Those people will forever be with me, wherever I go, so I want 2015 to be all about new adventures. Some may be small, like to visit my new camp besties around the UK and others may not even be physical journeys, but small steps exploring new ventures. So watch this space.

I promise this year to be my best blogging yet. It's like the all important light bulb has finally been switched on and I'm ready to begin a new journey, with all the wonderful and exciting challenges ahead.

What's your New Year's resolution? Make it count!

Keep calm, we are all in this journey through time together.

Love

Jess xo

Dad's Love Cake too!

Evening foodies,

Just a little catch up as work is busy as ever. Thought I would post a picture of the cake I did for my Dad last month. As you might have guessed, we have a sweet tooth - I say it runs in the family! That obviously means I HAVE to bake for family birthdays - a party without cake is but a meeting, Julia Child, are you with me foodies?!?!

I made a very simple victoria sponge, sticking to the classics for my parents as they LOVE it. As a little girl my Dad and I took pictures of trees and he used to hold me up to the top of my growing sunflower in the garden. A simply sentimental cake...

Keep calm and bake a message...

Love,

Jess

xxx

Melodramatic May...

Evening my wonderful Foodie followers,

I hope you all have managed to make the most of the minimal sun May has offered this year, but both bank holidays at least were warm!

At this beginning of the month, 5th May, I turned my back on my teen years and embraced the years ahead, as a twenty year old. Scary thought, but the blossom in my front garden is beautiful! (See behind my head...)

 As it was MY birthday, I made chocolate fudge cake, as it's my ultimate favourite. I trialled some delicious Quark mixed cake pops and covered in ganache; perfection. I cored the cake and filled it with mini chocolate cupcakes, sprinkled with glitter and edged the base with caramel curls. My tasty little birthday treat, for myself! I did share it though, I'm not that selfish!

I got some fabulous presents, which were mainly, funnily enough, food related. Even my family understand my obsession. I got some topsy turvy tins, Red Velvet Cupcake wine, a new cupcake caddy and a gorgeous Le Creuset dish, of the boyfriend. Oh, and don't let me forget my NEW cake airbrush gun! My pink Dinkie Doodle, alongside my nerdy gifts,  including Alice in Wonderland psychologist essays.

I celebrated my birthday with family. My parents surprised me with a trip to a gorgeous Thai restaurant in Leeds, Thai Edge, after a Pink Princess champagne cocktail in Harvey Nichols. We finished the evening in the Skybar overlooking Leeds, two rather drunk ladies and too rather amused men.

The food was fantastic, soft lobster in noodles, thai green curry; just scrumptious. Everything was beautifully seasoned, lots of spice and full of flavour. I will definitely be going back!

 Above you can see the 'famous', as my mum would call it, Creme Caramel cocktail special, which was a pretty amazing drink. Smooth and silky on the palette and deadly alcoholic! I tried a pomegranate daquiri to finish too, see below. It was mind blowing-ly strong, yet subtly sweet, with a hint of sour lime. What better way to celebrate.

Apologies for the delay in my post, I have been a little ill these last few days with sinusitis and busy with a new influx of orders, the latter being slightly more exciting! I have applied to write for an online culture based magazine and have been working on my business model and developing new ideas. So much in the pipeline, so little time for a busy bee.

For now, not forever..

Love RVB xo

BBC AMAZINGLY Good Food...

Hello foodies <3

Thought I'd delve back into 2012 one last time to tell you about my BBC antics! It was amazing! Two whole weeks in the Capital, living the London dream with one of the best foodie fanatic teams in the UK.

After being a persistent and annoying little foodie fan, they finally emailed me back and offered me a two week internship, in their Hammersmith/Kensington base, London and as you can imagine - I did not refuse. I got two weeks off University and packed my bags. A long time coming and well worth the wait.

Luckily for me, I am a huge fan of big cities and London is like a dream to me. I love the rush, fast paced lifestyle, get up and go, musicals (I'm a huge fan!) and of course - the food! BBC Good Food brought most of my fave bits (I only sang on my own!) to life and the experience really does leave me a little speechless!

I got the opportunity to contact PR teams, answer customer enquiries, search the online and paper recipe/magazine archives. They were so welcoming! It was very relaxed, almost informal but you could tell everyone got their heads down and got stuck in with the foodie fun. I was allowed in the kitchens, helped test drive a few things to go in up and coming editions and was even given a few proper editorial tasks!!!

I was given the opportunity to look round the BBC Good Food show, which was spectacular and I got to meet a few of my face chefs and bakers! Inspiring to see all the talent out their and all the opportunities, just waiting to be ceased!

I've known a while now that food journalism is where I ultimately want to end up, alongside my beautiful baking business, of course! Experiences like this are ridiculously sought after and by having the confidence to put yourself out their, opportunities will find you eventually!

Since November, I have had meetings with a wonderful woman from the Sheffield Telegraph, making connections about having some work published about me and my business. Very exciting stuff! Also, as of last week I have some even more exciting news! Delicious magazine, after three years of persistent emailing, have contacted me about doing an internship with them. They've been incredibly friendly and have basically offered whatever I want! I have never been so excited! This year really is my year it seems.

Have you had any experiences like this or made any New Years resolutions, thinking this is your year?
Don't hesitate to get in touch! I'd love to hear all about it! To celebrate one success, is to inspire a million.

Keep calm and keep inspired...

Cheeky picture of me and my auntie in Hertfordshire this last November <3 Family visits in the South!

Love & best wishes this 2013,

RVB

xox