A visit from mijn moeder

We've had the loveliest of weekends, hosting our very first visitor, my incredible mum. who - not put off by missing her first flight, travelling the length of the UK and arriving 12 hours later than planned - adventured her way all the way to us in the Netherlands. I can't tell you just how brilliant it's been to see her!

The weekend was preeettty much spent eating our way around all of our favourite foodie finds (I'm talking about you, De Bakkerswinkel), but we'd also planned a day trip to Amsterdam to see the sights and visit the Anne Frank House. The Netherlands had other plans though - Mum may have successfully travelled the 498 miles from Swansea to Utrecht, but one of the most powerful storms I've ever experienced meant we couldn't make it the 27 miles from Utrecht to Amsterdam. I'm not even kidding - walking to the train station, the wind was so strong we actually got blown SIDEWAYS, something I'd honestly always thought could only happen in cartoons. I stand corrected...but only because the wind finally subsided!

Determined to make it to Amsterdam, we tried again the next day and came to realise just how bad the weather had been. The sight of fallen trees crisscrossing the canals was really quite something to see - seems like we'd had quite a lucky escape.

Thanks to a recommendation from my globetrotting sister, we found a brilliant little spot for a quick lunch, De Laaste Kruimel, just off Rokin (so a great central location). Now, the Dutch bloody love a sandwich, but let me tell you, I'd eat sandwiches every day too if I could get them from De Laaste Kruimel! I went for a local cheese (Sloterdijk) with pesto and salad and it was just gorgeous, really fresh and completely full of flavour. It was a real treat and left me so full I some how managed to resist the window full of cake, something I'm deeply regretting now!

Marching on our now full stomachs, Mum and I strolled around, soaking up Amsterdam until it was time for us to head back to Schiphol (thank goodness for the left luggage lockers at Centraal Station!). It's always hard to say goodbye, but this time, we didn't have to! We all jumped on the same flight home, ready to enjoy a few more days together back in Swansea! See you soon, Netherlands!

De Laaste Kruimel, Langebrugsteeg 4, 1012 GB, Amsterdam

Autumn leaves and summer salads

I'm absolutely loving the gorgeous weather we're getting at the moment - isn't this Indian summer just incredible? I hope it's as lovely back in the UK as it is in Utrecht as we are getting well and truly spoilt!

It does sometimes take my brain a moment to catch up though. Check out the beautiful trees I get to look out at every day...and then look at the delicious summer salad I ate outside for my lunch today. Is it really nearly November!? 



Hey ho - I guess I'll take a bit of a confusion if it means we get to enjoy summery fresh air at lunchtime...it'll be winter for long enough!

I can see a rainbow...

Back home, one of my favourite things to do is to head outside and go for a walk along our beautiful seafront. More often than not, it's a very blustery walk, but rain or shine, it never fails to blow away the cobwebs and just make me feel refreshed and...awake. 

The bay is so mesmerising that it's pretty hard to drag your eyes away from it, but I always make sure I do when I walk past this little row of pretty cottages. I've always had a thing for rainbow colours, so these houses just never fail to bring a smile to my face. Too, too cute.

Canals in Utrecht

The beautiful summery autumn weather is continuing here in Utrecht, creating the most gorgeous snapshots across the canals as the light plays on the water. I couldn't resist stopping to take a view photos on my way to buy a few things for dinner. Gorgeous.

Then, it was on to Albert Heijn, our local supermarket and the minefield that is Dutch bread. I'm so used to either just grabbing a loaf of the usual, adding in something a little more rustic looking if we're having soup, that the multitude of different shapes, names and colours of bread here is exciting but mind boggling - where to start!? Well, with a trusty iPhone and Google Translate, that's where!

And what did I go for, I hear you ask? I sort of bottled it and chose a few slices of rozijnenbrood - raisin bread which I've found is completely delicious for a treat at breakfast time. Does this earn me at least some Dutch points!? 

Cake for Breakfast (or, The Best Office Warming Gift Ever)

Anyone fancy cake for breakfast!?

This is the scene that created Mr. O and I when we arrived back at our new offices in Utrecht this morning. Is there any better way to start the day? Seriously, what is a girl to do - there was no way I could hold myself back and, after plenty of deliberation, I made the princesstarta mine. 

Never seen a princesstarta before? This one's pretty new to me too - it's a Swedish speciality that also pretty popular here in the Netherlands - layers of sponge, creme patisserie, jam and whipped cream, enveloped in the brightest of green marzipans. It feels a little bit like being served a slice of dissected Kermit, but the taste is delicious! I spent the afternoon feeling like Miss. Piggy in more ways than one, but doubt it'll be the last time this cake and I meet. Sorry Kermie.

The Abergavenny Food Festival 2013

Ever so slightly late to the party (fourteen years to be exact), last year Mr. O and I discovered the wonder that is the Abergavenny Food Festival. As a couple who take their eating (slightly too) seriously, this annual event was pretty much Disneyland for us, so to say that we were raring to go for this year's event would be a slight understatement. 

Every year, the festival (now one of the UK's leading food events - seriously, how had I missed this!?) takes over the entirety of Abergavenny's town centre, playing host to stalls from over 200 local producers and to talks and demonstrations from the likes of Magnus Nilsson, Bryn Williams and Valentine Warner. Have I whetted your appetite yet!?

This isn't just any old farmers market - Abergavenny's festival really is something very special. Not only is the town itself quite charming, it's the quality of food and creativity of presentation that makes this feel like a really immersive event. Wandering from the Victorian Market Hall through the streets to the castle this weekend, we stumbled across themed art installations, impromptu tastings of food from around the world, cows resting in pastures, science experiments and chilled out music performances. Between us we sampled thai noodles, burgers and pasta, sitting and eating them on the castle lawns before picking our way through a tray of poffertjes and sipping cocktails from Chase Distillery's stand.

We tried Moroccan M'Hencha, Welsh honey, Spanish ham (from Brindisa) and the most amazing Italian sauces and pestos from Peperoncino (seriously, seriously good). A very special mention must also go to the lovely team from Flavours of Monmouth - what these guys don't know about British cheese just isn't worth knowing, I can tell you!

After a few hours of wandering and grazing, food panic set in at around 4pm, when I realised that my eyes were far bigger than my stomach and there was no way I was going to be able to sample everything I wanted to. We did, however, sneak away with a couple of pies (sadly, I've forgotten who we bought them from) and a couple of mini cheesecakes from La Creme Patisserie. La Creme made our wedding desserts and these badboys brought back some delicious memories. 

If you fancy planning a trip to Abergavenny, the good news is that you don't have to wait as long as next September - the team behind the main event also run a (slightly smaller) Christmas market in December. If you fancy picking up some goodies ahead of the big day, listening to Christmas carols whilst enjoying steaming mugs of mulled wine, put Sunday 8th December in your calendars NOW!

Sunday walk in beautiful Gower

This weekend we were woken up by glorious sunshine pouring in through the windows of our little seaside flat. It was the perfect weather for an escape to the countryside and so we grabbed our sunglasses, mum and dad and jumped into the cars for a short ride into Gower.

For all the love we have for European adventures and exploring new parts of the world, it's weekends like this one that make us realise how lucky we are to call this beautiful peninsula home. Wandering our way around the clifftop path, we were treated to incredible views, lush (in the true sense of the word) green fields, followed by the the bluest of blue waters below. 

It was so lovely being outside in the sunshine, enjoying spending time with our family and making each other smile. Mum and I took photos and gossiped, Dad and Mr. O talked football results and caught each other up on their latest work adventures. We clowned about like kids and let the sea breezes blow away all of the cobwebs, feeling fully refreshed for the new week ahead.

Bundling back into our cars, we headed home for bowls of Dad's famous chicken soup, reminding me of the Sunday evenings of my childhood, when we'd come home from a walk and enjoy a supper of tomato soup in front of 'The Borrowers'. 

The perfect end to a perfect day.

A Patriotic Breakfast

I really do try my best in the mornings. Fruit, porridge oats, almond milk, plus a handful of vitamins and supplements.

But sometimes, you just really need a dirty fry up. This weekend, we celebrated our return to the UK in style!

Easy Chicken Stirfry #thisisnotarecipe

Don't laugh. I know, of course, that there's plenty of reasons why you should - first of all, there's the pretty awful photos. Secondly, there's the fact that these photos (of chicken, diced up onion and...stuff) are accompanying a recipe. A recipe that I am writing up. 

It's this that will make the people who know me laugh the most - I am not the chef in our household. The bit that might make you laugh the most though (aside from the atrocious photography) is the fact that this isn't even a recipe. But what's a girl to do - despite appearances this is in fact a pretty delicious, pretty simple, wholly unauthentic stir fry and it deserves to be heard, dammit!

'How do I join you on this culinary adventure?', I hear you ask. Well, you need to take a bowl and put some stuff in it. We (ha! Mr. O...) normally go with a good glug of groundnut oil (or any fairly neutral, flavourless oil), followed by a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil. Then, into the bowl goes some chopped up ginger, chopped up garlic and as much soy sauce as you fancy.

After checking your fridge to see if there's anything else you should throw in (a bit of fresh chilli is always good), you give the bowl a stir and add in some chopped up chicken breast and diced red onion (I did the red onion! I might not be able to cook, but I can chop!), then leave it to marinade away for a little while in the fridge. 

When you're ready to eat, pop your chicken, plus its marinade, into a hot wok or frying pan and cook. After a few minutes, add your chosen vegetables to the pan and keep cooking until your chicken is thoroughly cooked all the way through. In the meantime, prepare your noodles and, once your chicken and vegetables are ready, toss in your cooked noodles. Give everything a good stir, add in some extra soy sauce or pickled ginger if you're so inclined (I am, Mr. O, not so much).

Then, just tuck in and feel proud of your prowess in the kitchen!

PS This is the look my husband may have given me when he spotted me taking photos of our dinner...

I like to ride my bicycle (well, I will as soon as I learn how to ride it in a straight line..)

I've taken the plunge - I've gone Dutch! Yep, here's my new ride - all fancy, swirly writing, pimped up saddle and moustache handlebars. A real beauty and I'm already in love.

All I need now is a basket on the front and I'm set. Although technically I've also got to learn how to ride the flippin' thing too. No hand brakes - it's all in the feet apparently. I'm smiling in that photo, but even I can see the terror hiding behind my grin...