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Showing posts from May, 2017

White Chocolate Apricot Bread and Butter Pudding

  I'm standing in the showers of the Ulster Rugby Team and wondering to myself how did I get here? This is not what I expected when I pulled up to the impressive Kingspan Stadium this morning.  I was at Kingspan for a trade show; a cake trade show! My favourite kind.  Andrew Ingredients  are an all Ireland baking supplier and they had kindly invited me down to check out the show, sample a few a goodies and take a tour of the stadium while we were there. This is how I find myself surrounded by the surprisingly faint musky smell of 22 sweaty rugby blokes while my companions took selfies in the changing rooms. It was surreal but it was a fantastic surprise.      The show itself was a treasure trove of culinary delights. From Brazilian Pao de Queijo (cheesy rolls) to chocolate muffins, fresh doughnuts, to traditional soft baps (or rolls if you're not from Northern Ireland). They even had sugar free offerings such as Madeira and a whole table full of Gluten

My first Facial - yes it was a dermalogica one!

  You would think that for somebody as openly keen on skincare that I would have had a facial before now. Yet this is just the latest seemingly normal adult experience that I seem to have skipped whilst growing up; things always got in the way. I finally bit the bullet and booked a dermalogica facial and entered the salon full of excitement. Dermalogica is the best isn't it? That's what they say. Therefore it had to be Dermalogica. I fill out the pre-assessment forms and handed them over stifling an urge to just shout "Do whatever you want, just fix me!" I smile instead and follow her in to the treatment room.  There are flamingoes everywhere. That makes sense, this place is called Flamingo Beauty after all.  It somehow perfectly borders kitsch and class and instantly I feel relaxed. My therapist, Rachael, explains how the treatment will work and leaves me to strip down as far as I want and climb in to the bed. It's heated.  I may very well fall aslee