Within the gorgeous gift bag I left with after the wonderful dinner with Antonio Carluccio himself a few weeks ago, were the ingredients to recreate his exquisite pappardelle al funghi-so I gave it a whirl at home.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Life is busy right now. Crazy busy but I've never been happier. I love being rather manic, it's my default mode, and doing what I love: blogging and all that that entails is constantly stretching and stimulating me. I feel ALIVE people!
I want to start by writing how incredibly grateful I am that this blog means wonderful travel opportunities for my family and I which allows us to see and experience parts of the world we've not visited before, both near and far.
Oh my, where to start with our time at the newly opened Rainbow Factory in Farsley, Leeds-as soppy as it sounds I find myself welling up recalling our experience there as it was like no other we've had as family, before.
It was my Dad, George's birthday on Friday so I wanted to arrange something a little bit special for the big man this weekend, and Gorgeous Cottages were just the company to call.
I've recently returned from a incredibly relaxing and restorative break at the Martinhal Beach Resort and Hotel in Sagres, Portugal, where I spent 5 lush days with my favourite lady, my Mum, Vasoulla.
What can I say? I'm pretty impressionable, particularly when it comes to anything health-wise.
I want to feel and OK, look, my best and I've never felt this more since having kids because like all parents, we simply want to be strong and well for our kids, as much as ourselves.
I honestly don't know where to start when writing about our Beaches Resorts' Ocho Rios family holiday because it's literally blown this little family's minds.
The last few weeks have seen my usually pretty healthy way of eating go to pot, with lots more sugar finding its way into my diet from celebratory cakes to afternoon teas and far too much champagne (with my recent 10th wedding anniversary, my brother's engagement and baby cousin's birth)- making me feel sluggish, tired and really not my best, physically and mentally. I've less energy than usual, haven't been sleeping well and my PMT is worse than ever.
It's already Friday again with a new and long weekend upon us with the bank holiday in the UK (yay) so I thought I better share last weekend with you all, and quick!
I love reflecting on our weekends together, our precious family time, where we switch off from the week before, simply hang out, enjoy delicious food, at home, or out, and take in the lush Yorkshire countryside we live in and relax.
We're Greek Orthodox here (I was born in the UK, both my parents are originally Greek Cypriot), and as the Greek Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter falls, not the Gregorian, our Easter fell last Sunday just gone, a week after English Easter.
