HELMSLEY AND HELMSLEY

 A few weeks ago i had the pleasure of meeting the Helmsley and helmsley girls who were in Dublin promoting their new book 

Hemsley

Hemsley

the Art of eating well 

They gave a demonstration in the Cooks academy in Dublin

You could feel their passion for what they do 

and they are certainly the best possible advertisments for what they preach

Bursting with energy and glowing 

They were so warm and relaxed.

I have made quite a few recipes from the book

and every one has been delicious

I have boiled up some good batches of bone broth

something I used to do all the time but somehow fell out of the habit of.

The bliss balls recipe is now a real favourite and in the demonstartion they made it into a fudge 

sprinkled with cacao nibs on top 

This is now my go to snack 

simply 220g bar  creamed coconut warmed through, 

2 tablespoons tahini 

and a tablespoon raw honey mixed together with a pinch of salt 

and poured into a 8" x 8" square tin 

sprinkle with cacao nibs and refrigerate 

simply delicious

I have also tried their raw avocado chocolate mousse

I loved it but little mouths were not so sure 

have to work on that sugar habit 

The sesame chicken salad was a big hit

Ok so I am not eating like this all the time 

and as I write this a batch of cinnamon pulla dough is resting in the kitchen

But i figure if i can add some of this philosophy into my day 

and swap out 40% of my meals with something they recommend i will be striking a good balance 

In other news summer is here 

and the garden is bursting 

the lake is calling for a swim 

 my garden 

Out for a walk

Country Garden update

You may remember in April I posted this photo of my garden 

 Since then I have done a lot of work 

Update Here

Well I thought you might like to see it

I am not completely happy with everything
way too much green
The apple mint has run riot
I have pulled a lot of it out this morning
but like all gardens this is a work in progress
and well, it's certainly an improvement

STELLA JEAN

FINALLY we are supposed to have some sunshine this weekend 

I am loving these outfits 

and the top knot, lipstick and attitude of the images

and the prints..........

Perfect dressing for summer in Ireland 

All images from STELLA JEAN

x

Pattern at home

Now that Summer is here
Even if it has rained incessantly for the last 2 weeks
I am in the mood to add some colour and pattern in to the house
Shake off the deep hues of winter
with some bright happy prints
Here are some of the pieces on my wish list

This Chair from
Soane
looks very comfy and would make a perfect addition to my living room
I currently have a vintage 3 seater brown leather sofa
which I do love and is very practical with 3 boys and a dog in the house
but sometimes I do lust after something a little more whimsical

While for me it is not practical I do love the idea of switching your Sofa cover for summer
As this is usually the largest piece of furniture in your room
changing the covers can really transform the atmosphere
so from Dark brown I would shake it up with this

 Expensive sofa from here
This is a covered sofa but you could easily get a slip cover made in a similar fabric

To throw on to this I would add

this Anthropologie cushion

and some from
John Robshaw

and we may need a throw
because, well, you know Ireland isn't exactly the warmest place in June
I would head back to John Robshaw for that also
and curl up in one of his vintage quilts

Then I would dot some of these around the room
as coasters
or catch-alls for the bits and bobs one needs to hand

plates from

High street market 

and finally the floor.....
I am being bold here but I do think this yellow rug would really make everything else sing

vintage morrocan rug 

As the walls are charcoal grey I think this would all be rather splendid

Do you change your decor or accessories for summer ?