I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Deep in the depths of our (small amount) of kitchen storage, lies a wondrous contraption that doesn't see the light of day nearly enough. It's not a bread maker, slow cooker or blender...it's our ice cream making machine.

I can hear your cries of shock and incredulity - how is this thing not seeing constant action, churning out an endless stream of delicious ice creamy goodness? I know, I know, it's practically a crime against humanity, especially given our love of the cold stuff.

Having made a mediocre batch of chocolate ice cream pretty soon after buying the machine last year, Mr. O and I decided that 2013 would be the year of the ice cream machine. So far, we've managed to make one more batch - we're dreaming big, as you can see! 

But what a batch it was! Inspired by Mr. O's love of oatmeal raisin cookies and the best ice cream I ever tasted (at Creole Creamery in New Orleans, just in case you wondering...), we chose a recipe for Oatmeal Raisin ice cream, which I found on Brown Eyed Baker's blog and which she adapted from David Lebovitz's book 'The Perfect Scoop'.

Tempted to make your own ice cream? Our machine is an attachment to our Kitchenaid, so it's easy to use but requires pre-freezing before you can make anything. Means being spontaneous is a bit tricky (maybe this is why I'm not running my own ice cream empire already...?), but it not the size of a house, so there's that. And it makes a nice fluffy ice cream which, if you eat it straight from the machine (rather than freezing it in a tub) is perfectly melty, just the way I like it. The Oatmeal Raisin recipe is recommended - next time I might try adding some cookie chunks though too.

Also, a warning - ice cream making is a messy business:

Shocking.

National Burger Day 2013

I can hear your collective groans...yep, I'm eating another burger. This is a food obsession that seems set to run and run in our little household.

But this time it wasn't my fault! I mean, who in their right minds would pass up this invitation!?:

'Fancy a burger now or later? Happy National Burger Day, love Mum xxxxxxx'

Well, certainly not Mr. O and I, that's for sure. We RSVP'd to that bad boy faster than you could say 'pass the ketchup'.

A woman after my own heart, Mum's burgers were homemade and a darn sight tastier than the ones I whipped up last month. Guess what though? Yep, I once again forgot to find out which recipe she followed. If I had to put money on it though, I think it might have been come from Jamie's America. That seems a pretty good place to start anyway.

Burgers grilling, we set to slicing and dicing a wide variety of toppings. Turns out I can't get enough of gherkins on my burgers these days, having spent the first 25 years of my life diligently picking the little buggers out of any burger that graced my plate. Now? Bring on the pickle!

Seriously, aside from the poor lighting and dodgy photo composition, how good does that burger look!? And the fries? My father's speciality - the taste of childhood dinners when Dad was left in charge!

Want to get involved in the National Burger Day fun? Set your reminders now for Wednesday 27th August 2014! Or, you know, just have your own celebrations a little early - there's nothing like forward planning and good prep work!

Keep on truckin'

Fancy hiring a van, filling it to bursting point with home furnishings and industrial equipment, driving it 500 miles across five countries, unpacking it all, taking an overnight break, completing two trips to Ikea, then driving it all the way back to your starting point? No? Funnily enough, I didn't think so!

This was the Great Road Trip of 2013, Mr. O and I and a large selection of CDs and snacks. I do so love a road trip (the allure of buying mounds of chocolate and M&S service station lunches has a lot to answer for), but this one pushed it, even for me. Talk about a numb bum! The M25 on a Friday evening and nearly running out of petrol 40 miles from home were both fun times too. Oh, we've got stories for the grandkids!

We laughed an awful lot though and I was very proud of Mr. O for doing most of the driving (I'm generally pretty crap at maps, but I've got a geography degree, so I was chief navigator - no wrong turns, woohoo!). One of the loveliest parts of our trip was a delicious picnic in the back of the van, in a Carrefour car park near Calais. Shouldn't have been romantic, but strangely, it was. I think it must have been the heat and the fact that we were eating actual food, not McDonald's or packet sandwiches.

Mmmm, look at that picnic! Fresh bread, rotisserie potatoes, ham and pate (I asked for 'un petit peu', but this wasn't good enough for the nice French man behind the counter, who completely ignored my gesticulating and cut me a proper wedge - clearly I wasn't being French enough for his appetite), croissants for breakfast at home the next day, wine for Mr. O and orange syrup for me (the taste of childhood holidays). What you can't see, of course, is the mounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, just out of shot, obviously...

Another lovely moment of our trip? Seeing this sight as we crossed the bridge back home. Never mind the fact we still had an hour and half to go, it was the beginning of the home straight, woop woop!

Hitting the streets in Uplands

Mr. O and I were finally in town at the right time to catch Swansea's newest street market in Uplands this weekend! We missed the first one last month, but I've been really excited to experience this new event, especially as the organisers seem to be very keen to create a market that not only gives local traders a chance to show of their wares, but that utilises public space for arts and culture and that also provides a platform for community growth and regeneration in this creative area of the city.

The market this morning was absolutely buzzing with an incredible atmosphere, lots of people out on the streets, chatting and seemingly just enjoying being part of the event itself. The market is already oversubscribed, with a waiting list for pitches, but of the traders that were there, there was a good mix of food producers, craft and homeware stalls. I was also really impressed by how many local shops had taken pitches (The Lazy Frog and The Gower Kitchen, to name just two) and how the effect of the market seemed to be spilling beyond the stalls themselves and into all the nearby cafes and restaurants - exactly as the organisers had hoped, I'm sure!

I'm pretty rubbish at taking photos at markets, because I'm always worried about how annoyed the stallholders might get - silly I know and something I'm going to have to try had to get over.

After wandering for about an hour, taking it all in, we decided to stop for lunch at The Gower Kitchen - hard to resist as it's pretty much our favourite restaurant in Swansea, but also because there weren't as many street food options as we'd expected. Lunch was delicious though - just look at Mr. O's pork dish! I, of course, couldn't resist a burger, especially as I had the chance to add not only bacon, but Welsh rarebit too. Unbelievably good, something which Dad agreed with me on!

Sod's law, we're probably going to miss the next couple of markets too, but I'm really looking forward to coming back in a few months time to see how this new event continues to grow.

Uplands Market (last Saturday of every month, except August when it's the 3rd Saturday), Gwydr Square, Uplands, Swansea SA2 0HD

The Gower Kitchen, 39 Uplands Crescent, Uplands, Swansea SA2 0NP

French patisserie, Dutch bakers, Welsh backdrop...

Mr. O has been away on business in The Netherlands without me. Though I've really missed him, the upshot to this (other than a couple of nights of having THE WHOLE BED TO MYSELF) is that he brought me home some presents. Some rather beautiful, edible presents in fact.

We took these gorgeous little macarons out into the sunshine and felt rather decadent as we ate them sat on a wall overlooking the sea. It was quite a step up from a cone of chips and a wooden fork. He's pretty worried that I'm going to get used to this sort of high flying living - moi!?

Looking for a French patisserie in Utrecht? Mr. O got these from Bond en Smolders in the city centre (and assures me that there are plenty of other patisserie-style treats for me to choose from there too, woohoo!).

Bond en Smolders, Lijnmarkt 9, 3511 KE Utrecht, The Netherlands

Lunch at Cafe Ninety Three

Mum, Daisy and I have been making the most of all being in the same place at the same time over the last week, especially whilst the weather is so incredibly lovely. A recent lunch hour catch up took place at Cafe Ninety Three on Newton Road in Mumbles.

Cafe Ninety Three has been open for a couple of years, but, after a slightly awkward first visit, Mr. O and I have never been back. Now that's something I'm sorry for - turns out they serve up some pretty good cakes! We managed to restrain ourselves on this occasion (though I'm told people travel to Mumbles especially for their Chocolate and Guinness cake), but just look at how pretty their salads are...

I went for the Warm Chorizo option, whilst Daisy had Salad 93 and Mum chose the Chef's salad. All were colourful enough to feel healthy, yet had just enough of the good stuff to be delicious too. Virtuous food and a not quite so virtuous gossip led to the perfect girls' lunch.

Cafe Ninety Three, 93 Newton Road, Mumbles, Swansea SA3 5TW

Summer evening in Swansea

These summer evening are just so beautiful, aren't they? One evening this week I was able to escape outside right as the sun was starting to set and the light was gorgeous, especially as I watched the little boats bobbing about on the water. I tried to just enjoy the moment, but couldn't resist sharing the few snaps that I did take...

It's evenings like this that make me absolutely love where we live...leaving is going to be tough!

The Coalhouse, Oxwich

If there's one thing that should be abundantly clear from the pages of this blog, it's the fact that I properly love my food. Sadly, my cooking leaves a little to be desired (I'm blessed - Mr. O is a fantastic chef), but when it comes to eating good food, I'm your girl.

So, you can imagine how excitedly I've been listening to news of a new restaurant, recently opened at Oxwich Bay. The Coalhouse occupies an old 19th century building, right on the beach itself. When the invite came to join the ladies of my family for lunch, they didn't need to ask me twice!

We picked a beautifully sunny day for it and the weather really made the restaurant sing. Light and airy, with some quirky decor thrown into the mix, the indoor space felt welcoming and relaxed with other diners close enough to create an atmosphere, but not so close that you could hear peoples' conversations. It really reminded me of beachside restaurants in Australia, a fact helped by the large doorways opening up onto the outdoor terrace. We weren't lucky enough to bag a table in a window, so we ate our lunch indoors before moving outside for coffee and dessert.

So far, so good. The only downside for me was the food itself and, unfortunately, for this I have no one to blame but myself. Coalhouse's menus focus on (very!) locally sourced fish and seafood and so for someone with an aversion to both, as you can imagine my choices were a little limited. I went for the club sandwich, which looked great and tasted fine, but it was a very standard cafe lunch. The fish dishes chosen by my sister, mum and grandma though looked incredible and - I'm reliably informed - tasted incredible too. I was left feeling that they've rightly focussed on what they are passionate about, but that it would have been great if the non-fish option didn't seem like quite so much of an afterthought in comparison.

For dessert we shared a Creme Caramel and Marmalade and Frangipane tart. Both were delicious! We loved eating them overlooking the sea and soon wished we hadn't decided to share.We also were big fans of the mustard-coloured tea cosy that came our way.

Service during our visit was fine, though I've also heard others say not so great things, though hopefully these are just teething problems that will settle down quickly.

Other than that, it's great that Coalhouse seems to be taking what its doing so seriously and that there's another restaurant in Swansea where good food is matched by great surroundings. So often in this city you'll come across places with no ambition and no thought behind what they're offering and so this new restaurant is a really welcome addition. I only wish I liked fish.

The Coalhouse, Oxwich Beach, Gower SA3 1LS

UPDATE: A few months on and there seem to be more meat options on the menu! Hooray!

Not going anywhere yet...enjoying a taste of home

One of Swansea's most prized possession, culinary or otherwise, is Joe's Ice Cream. I like to keep this under my hat, but growing up I wasn't the biggest fan...a fact that nearly had me disowned by my father several times over the years, I'm sure.

Well, we live and learn - turns out the vanilla ice cream they serve up here is really something very special. Very special indeed. Soft, smooth and the richest, creamiest ice cream you'll ever have the pleasure of eating. The only obstacle to your enjoyment will be the winding queue of expectant ice cream fans, heading out the door and down the street of all of their locations on a busy summer day! Worth the wait, let me tell you.

The décor feels like you've stepped back in time and not necessarily in a good way, but with the beautiful Swansea Bay on their doorstep, takeaway is the perfect option. Joe's now offers quite a few different flavours, but it's the vanilla that's the knockout. Even more so when you go for the Hazelnut Fudge Sundae...vanilla ice cream teamed with Nutella. Need I say more!? My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Joe's Ice Cream, 526 Mumbles Road, Mumbles, Swansea SA3 4DH

A European adventure

Well, we've been on a bit of an adventure! And not just any adventure, but an adventure that looks set to change the course of our lives for at least the next few months.

Mr. O and I are going Dutch! Literally going Dutch, starting to work for a company based in the Netherlands. We're not moving there, but from September we'll be spending a few weeks at a time out in the city of Utrecht.

We are so excited! We've been fancying doing something different for quite a long time and this is just the perfect opportunity for us - a non-scary introduction to moving away from everything we know without actually having to transport our whole lives abroad. That's the beauty of it, we won't actually be moving. We get to keep our lovely flat and spend weeks at a time at home, with regular sojourns across to the continent.

So, in the midst of all this excitement, it seemed only right that we went and visited our new city! You know what? I think Mr. O and I are going to be very happy here.

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We started our first afternoon in Utrecht with a lunch stop at the popular bakery, De Bakkerswinkel. This was such a pretty spot for lunch, with cute little tables lining the outside of the shop and overlooking a small canal. We studied the menu for quite some time, before both deciding on the roast beef sandwich. Oh my word, this sandwich was a thing of beauty and I now appreciate quite how seriously the Dutch take their 'broodjes' (seriously, it's pretty difficult to find a non-sandwichy lunch). I have a feeling De Bakkerswinkel will become a favourite of ours.

Tummies satisfied, we set about tackling the Domtoren, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, right in the heart of Utrecht. The tower is pretty beautiful from outside, but we loved our guided tour up to the top - we saw the most gorgeous stained glass windows, mahoosive clanging bells and had an incredible view out across the city. It was a great way to have a nosey of our new neighbourhood!

I'm pretty certain that climbing up and down the Domtoren's 465 steps (phew!) meant I burnt up more than enough calories to fully enjoy the large slice of carrot cake that we treated ourselves to at Barbeton later that afternoon. We loved the modern look of this cafe, particularly the cool map of Utrecht on the wall. And Mr. O practically had to drag me away from the most stunning vase of flowers!

So many lovely treats! So many more to look forward to!

De Bakkerswinkel, Wittevrouwenstraat 2, 3512 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands

Domtoren, Domplein, 3521 JC Utrecht, The Netherlands

Barbeton, Korte Jansstraat 13-15, 3512 GM Utrecht, The Netherlands