Oh sweet lord.

Gosh don't Tuesdays come and go so quick. Good job we love cooking, and trying out new recipes. 

We had a few meetings this Tuesday (work & friends), so got up extra early to make something a little special to share. This obviously meant... we baked! And these are indeed very special:

Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Muffins

(with a crumble topping)

We found the recipe on a blog called Joy the Baker, which we promptly then fell in love with. Her photography is stunning, her writing humorous and her cooking is to die for; is she the perfect woman? Go take a look at her site and decide for yourself.

Anyway, less of the girl crush, back to the baking. Even though this recipe has lots of ingredients it was relatively simple in method. One thing that especially excited us about it though, was the use of a new technique. We have made a lot, and we meant a lot of cupcakes over the last few years but we have never been asked to 'brown the butter' before. Not only does it release a delicious nutty smell, it takes a lot of effort out of mixing the batter.

To some lemon, blueberries and poppy seeds might seem like over-kill but the flavours all work fabulously together and each ingredient brings in a different texture. The recipe's creator Joy, says she now puts a crumble topping on everything apart from cheeseburgers and we can see why. It takes the muffins up another level, they are superb. If timed perfectly, the middle of the muffin is light and fluffy while the crumble topping is golden and crunchy.

We delivered our delicious muffins wrapped simply in baking paper and tied with string.. don't they look adorable!

If you decide to make these, we promise you will NOT regret it.

Chris Otley

We always like to follow what our friends are up to, and today we extended that to their siblings too. Our friend Patrick Otley posted a link to his brother Chris's website and upon checking it out we were amazed with what we saw:

"Chris Otley produces highly detailed works on paper in graphite, often on a large scale, with a focus on natural history."

Fish: Graphite on Paper . 2006

North Atlantic Sea Nettle: Graphite on Paper
119 x 70 cm . 2009-10

Barn Owl: Graphite on Paper . 2010

His drawings are absolutely stunning and with such fine detail, it's hard to believe they are actually hand-drawn. The choice of natural history has made for some beautiful studies into texture and technique. We would love to see Chris's art work in real life, perhaps we will commission a piece for our studio space.

Why not head on over to Chris's website and check out all of his work for yourself. And if you are after some inspiration, he has a pretty good blog too.

Those who can, teach

We received these in an email a few days ago and as they made us giggle we thought we would share them with you.. 

 

Inspiration comes from everywhere and anything.

Healthy Snacks

Now that we are spending a lot of time at our 'home office' it is very tempting for us to nip into the kitchen and nibble on anything we can find. Okay, 9.9/10 times it's Anna, but who's counting! With that in mind, for this week's Cooking Tuesday we set ourselves the task of finding a delicious yet healthy snack recipe.

With two 'on the turn' bananas sat in our fruit bowl, we were even more excited to find a recipe that would get the last bit of life out of them too. This Tuesday we cooked:

BANANA FLAPJACKS

Flapjacks always seem a great snack choice from the supermarket but the ready made ones are actually packed full of sugar. We were slightly dubious when we stumbled across a recipe without any added sugar or butter, could they still taste any good?! We just had to try it to find out.

First of all they are so easy to make, why have we never made these before?! To give our flapjacks an extra boost we also added some pumpkins seeds and dried cranberries we had in the cupboard. They were utterly delicious and have definitely helped tone down the daytime 'grasing' in the kitchen. The oats do a great job of filling you up, while the bananas and cranberries satisfy the sweet tooth. Our cupboard shall never be without them again!

They also went down a storm on our trip to the beach and Jacqui even nicknamed them the 'pebble cake' after noticing their similarity to the ground underfoot...

As always, happy cooking!

Milford on Sea

Last week we escaped London and took ourselves off to the South coast to 'be beside the seaside'. But this was no ordinary trip to the beach, we (lightly) packed our rucksacks and jumped on our bikes; this was going to be an actioned packed day.

The plan was to get the 08.35 am train from Waterloo to Brockenhurst, slap bang in the middle of the New Forest. From there we would cycle the 9 miles to Milford on Sea, via a little port town called Lymington.

We arrived in to Brockenhurst just after 10 am to glorious sunshine! After weeks of rain we could not believe our luck, with a light wind it was the perfect day for it. We checked the map and set off cycling towards the sea. Within half a mile we encountered some of the famous New Forest free-roaming ponies holding up the traffic as they trotted down the road. Being on the bikes was great as we could cycle freely with them, what a change to cycling in London.

It was quite an easy ride to Lymington with only a few mild hills and one wrong turn. As the sun was getting hotter it was the perfect time to get off the bikes and explore the little georgian town. We were very tempted by the deep sea Mackerel fishing tour but stayed focused on our goal of a wild swim in the sea and just had a leisurely look around a few shops. One rather odd (and disturbing) thing we spotted in a local 'toy' shop was, not one, but two Golliwog stands. We thought they were banded in the UK?! Well apart from that it was a very lovely and peaceful town, well worth a visit on a sunny day.

From Lymington we continued on to Milford on Sea. The reason we had chosen this spot in the first place was because Jacqui's Grandma had a beach hut we were borrowing for the day, amazing. As we rode up the coast road there was a stunning view of the Isle of Wight and the vast open sea. We eagerly carried our bikes down to the beach and set up camp at the beach hut. First things first, a cup of tea and lunch.

The beach hut was very well stocked with a table and chairs, sun loungers, wind breaks, a little gas stove, various beach toys and a serious looking blow-up boat and oars. Well we just had to take that for a test drive didn't we. Thankfully there was a foot pump so Anna set about blowing it up.

After relaxing in front of the beautiful view for a while it is was time for the wild sea swim. The weather had started to turn and the sky was now covered in cloud, it was now or never. We put on our swimsuits and without a second thought (to chicken out), ran hand-in-hand into the water. Once we had fully submerged ourselves it actually wasn't too cold. The warm weather over the last few weeks must have done its job in keeping the water temperature higher. However, due to the wind that has slowly been picking up, there were plenty of strong waves to battle with. This somewhat limited our attempts at swimming but it was just as fun to try and jump over them trying to avoid being knocked over. Once we had been in and seen how choppy the water was, we decided against taking the boat out. But that didn't stop us sitting in it on shore with a cuppa and pretending we were out at sea.

After drying off (and warming up) we took a stroll down the beach and to our joy the sun started to break through the clouds again. We collected some interesting pebbles and spent a while watching two kite boarders doing their stuff. Then we climbed back up the cliff to the car park at the top for a cheeky ice cream, we were at the beach after all! We tried a very delicious locally-made New Forest Rum and Raisin flavour, yum.

Sadly the time was getting on and we had to begin our journey back to Brockenhurst for our train to London. It was a lovely early evening cycle through the New Forest with plenty things to stop and look at along the way, mainly more ponies. Then at the last mile we came to a giant hill. Luckily for us we were on the right side and sailed down it with the wind in our faces and the sun on our backs, a glorious ending to a very enjoyable ride.

In Brockenhurst we had dinner at a cute little pub while we waited for the train, and that's when the tiredness hit us. Completely worn out from the exercise and sun we sat there recapping our favourite parts of the day feeling very proud.

With slightly pinker faces than when we started, we arrived back into London at 11.30 pm and after a quick (slow) cycle home we were tucked up in bed and fast asleep by midnight. What a fabulous day trip to the beach we had. Here's hoping the sun comes back and we can squeeze in a few more adventures before the summer is over.

The London 2012 Olympic Adverts

The London 2012 Olympics are HERE! (well almost)

With less than one week to go this is the first of, what will probably be, many posts about the London 2012 Olympic Games. Living in London ourselves it is interesting to hear the divide of excitement and annoyance the Games are having on people in the city (if you hadn't realised, we fall on the excited side). That argument aside, we spotted another love/hate Olympic discussion that has popped up recently due to the release of the official Olympic adverts.

First up is the BBC's London 2012 Olympic Games Trailer. Ever since it was launched during half-time of the Euro 2012 final, it has been been a hot topic and for all the wrong reasons. It has come under fire for how similar it is to the famous Lloyd's TSB animated adverts, with people even suggesting there was a under-the-table sponsorship deal. Personally we think that's taking it a little bit too far and that it's probably more a case of borrowed style. Take a look for yourself below:

For us it was less the style but rather the use of animation itself that we found mis-judged. In a time when the world is focusing on people pushing their bodies to new and unbelievable feats, we found it odd that the BBC and Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R (the advertising agency) chose to move away from the use of humans all together. It is the athletes themselves that are the most inspirational part of the Games, and what we believe should be the driving force behind getting more people onside and interested the Olympics (and sport in general).

That leads us on nicely, to the subsequent release of the Channel 4 Paralympic Advert: 'Meet the Superhumans':

We are unable to embed the video but you can watch it here; prepare to be inspired. 

                            

 

It still sends shivers down our spines every time we watch it. Unlike the BBC advert, it has received glowing reviews and quite rightly so. It is beautifully produced, bold and inspirational; a big congratulations to the team at 4creative. These athletes are indeed 'super human' and this empowering video does them the justice they deserve. For us it sums up what sport and the Olympics & Paralympics is all about; passion, dedication and pushing yourself to places you didn't think you could go. But above all, it shows that the Paralympics is not just an add on to the Olympic Games.

We suppose all that's left to say is... Bring on the Games!

Coffee Mornings

After the free Tai Chi classes finished a few weeks ago we have been missing getting up early on a Wednesday and meeting our friends before starting work. So this week we initiated Wednesday Coffee Mornings and ventured out to a little cafe in Elephant & Castle that we have had hour eye on for a while..

The Electric Elephant is a small independently run cafe and gallery located between Elephant & Castle and Kennington tube stations. Louisa, the owner, has given the cafe a lovely friendly feel with a homely, vintage-esque decor and some delightful home cooked food. If you are lucky enough to get some good weather you can even sit outside on the Victorian cobbled yard with the mis-match tables and chairs - love!

We sampled their cappuccinos and can confirm that they make a great cup of coffee! Most of the other cafes in the area are your typical 'greasy spoon caff' specialising in the all important full english rather than their interior and quality of coffee. Which was another reason we are delighted to have found The Electric Elephant. We cannot wait to go back and sample more of the menu..the homemade cakes looked divine and the sausages they were cooking were driving us insane. 

If you are ever in the area and looking for a cute little place to waste away an hour or two (there is free Wifi) we highly recommend this cafe; give us a call and we may even come and join you! 

Stay tuned for reviews on other coffee shops we visit while catching up with our friends. 

China De-brief

As you are probably aware, we have recently returned from 4 months in China. During our adventure in the Far East we worked at Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai, under the world renowned Graham Fink. It had always been our dream to work abroad, and making that dream a reality was a truly invaluable and life changing experience (and one that has proved rather hard to return home from). We made amazing friends in both work and play, and learned more about the world of advertising than we could ever have dreamed of.

 

“Kept in a small bowl the common goldfish will remain small, with more space the fish will grow double, triple or quadruple it’s size.” Big Fish

Below is a summary of our time living and working in Shanghai. For more photos please visit the new 'Ogilvy Shanghai' section on our website or if you would like to know more details about any part of our trip, just drop us an email (we have plenty more stories to tell, including one written on a pair of Lee jeans!).



 

The 3 best things:


1. The people
From the very first minute we felt right at home in Ogilvy SH. As Graham's 'experiment'  from the UK, everyone was excited to have us there and welcomed us with open arms. We worked with extremely talented people across all levels and departments within the agency. Not being the kind of people to let language barriers get in our way, we made friends with everyone we could, even if it meant having conversations consisting entirely of hand gestures and translating apps on our mobile phones!

2. Creative training with Patrick Collister
Graham had arranged for Patrick, ex ECD of Ogilvy London, to come to China and hold a 2 day workshop for the agency, entitled 'How to be creative'. Using both left brain, right brain methods Patrick made us push ourselves and our ideas to new places. We left the workshop feeling refreshed, challenged and buzzing with ideas and inspiration.  
We'd like to say a special thank you to Patrick Collister; it really was a privilege to meet you and be part of your training. 

3. Working on Lee Jeans
The client we spent the most time on at O&M was Lee Jeans, mainly working on the launch of their new Asia Pacific A/W '12 collection called Nightskins. Graham made sure we pushed the ideas as far as we could, even challenging the Chinese laws about the percentage of black allowed on outdoor adverts. A personal highlight for us was meeting the client, the designers and attending an exclusive fashion show announcing the collection. 
We just had word that the artwork is being finalised and the adverts will be released across Asia Pacific in a few months.. very exciting!


The 3 worst things:


1. The Internet 

We were almost driven to insanity due to the terribly slow and temprimental Internet in China. That, added with not being able to access blogs, twitter, YouTube properly, was an annoyance and a hindrance to our work but did mean we were able to spend more time on alternative methods for inspiration and idea generation.

2. Lack of creative resources

We were surprised to find that O&M have a severe shortage of creative resources; one scanner and one colour printer really is not enough for an agency of 600+ employees. However, things are changing in the agency and there are some very exciting people ready to shake things up and invent new things such as black post-it notes!

 

3. A challenging client

Without naming names, we tackled one of our most challenging briefs yet whilst at O&M Shanghai. Working with a team of very senior creatives, idea after idea was sent back from the client with 'tweeks'. As far as we are aware the process is still on going.

 

 

The 3 best things:

1. Food

One of the main factors in us wanting to stay / go back to Shanghai was the food. It was so delicious we can't really put it into words. Having minimal cooking equipment meant we had to eat out for almost every lunch and evening meal. There was plenty of restaurants to tempt us and we made it our mission to try as many as possible. From street cafes to expensive restaurants the quality of cooking was always sky-high and is something we miss everyday. 

2. Chinese New Year

Where better to spend this holiday than in China itself! The Chinese spend the week in much the same way we celebrate Christmas, surrounded by family and eating lots and lots of food. Our CNY kicked off with the O&M party; an elaborate meal and "talent show" for the whole agency in the Shangri-La Hotel. Over the following few days the city emptied as people travelled home and we had our own diners and fireworks with new friends. We spent the last weekend of the holiday in a remote bamboo forest eco retreat, which was pure relaxation.

3. Cheap & reliable transport, living next door to the coolest street in town complete with the best cocktail bar & nightclub in an old bomb shelter, giant indoor markets selling anything & everything, cheap massages/manicure/pedicures, the Avocado Lady selling fresh & imported goods at a reasonable price, 24/7 shops on every corner, a city packed full of art & culture, families of all generations socialising together and a killer skyline 
Okay so we cheated slightly but even this list is seriously edited. There were so many 'best' things about living in Shanghai that we could go on all year..

The 3 worst things:

1. Not speaking Mandarin

Oh how we wish we spoke Chinese, and not just so we could bargain harder on the fake markets! We would have loved to spark up conversations with everyone we met and learned even more about the amazing country we were living in.

2. Smoking in bars & restaurants

Waking up after a night out smelling of smoke is never nice, but lighting up a cigarette at a dinner table is just wrong in our eyes (sorry).

3. Spitting

If you have a weak stomach we suggest you avoid walking down the streets of China. Someone coughing up phlegm and spitting it out in front of you is never too far away.

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Our China adventure was honestly one of the best experiences of our lives and we owe an extra special Xièxie (thank you) to Graham Fink for taking a chance on two ladies from London and helping us realise our dream. We hope to return to Shanghai before too long to visit our friends, explore further and experience more delicious food!