miss b loves........St Clement's drizzle cake

My Mum makes the best lemon drizzle cake (she makes three or four at a time for friends) so when I spotted St Clement's drizzle cake  in the Marks and Spencer magazine I knew I had to have a go at this variation. The recipe was actually taken from Jo Pratt's  book 'In the Mood for Entertaining.'.........

miss b loves......Alfie's, Dubai

Alfie's restaurant, lounge and bar, Dubai has recently opened next door to the Dunhill luxury British menswear store in the Boulevard of the iconic Emirates Towers.

via

This is the third Alfie's in the world with the others located in Shanghai and Hong Kong. 

miss b loves .......'Lunch in Paris' by Elizabeth Bard

I came across 'Lunch in Paris' in  WH Smith at the airport as I was searching for a good holiday read (with only ten minutes to boarding!) but I instantly knew this was just my kind of book.


'Lunch in Paris' (A love story with recipes) is a story about a young American woman who falls in love with a Frenchman called Gwendal, Paris and French food. Throughout the book there are mouth-watering recipes for the dishes she learns to create...pork spare ribs glazed in honey and rosemary, summer ratatouille, molten chocolate cakes.......

miss b loves.......... Easter treats

Easter is the time for sweet treats - the sweeter the better for me! Why does chocolate seem to taste even better when it's egg-shaped?.........

I found these cute Easter-themed cupcakes at Hey Little Cupcake Cupcakery and Tea Room in Manchester on Easter Saturday. Delicious flavours and amazingly light texture....maybe I should try one of their classes!

Egg Nest cupcake with a
 vanilla custard centre

Creme Egg cupcake-
so creative!

Of course Easter would not be complete without a bowl of Cadbury Mini Eggs - once you eat one you just can't stop........ 

We always eat hot cross buns (delicious toasted) on Good Friday and continue throughout the weekend! This year I heard that Heston Blumenthal had created his own variation - Earl Grey and mandarin (a perfect combination!) so off we went to the nearest Waitrose supermarket to stock up.....and they certainly exceeded all expectations!

Lindt milk chocolate is another favourite and buying a few little gold bunnies has now become an Easter tradition in our house......

Imagine my surprise on Good Friday when I saw this giant gold bunny outside Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet.

and finally .....this video made me smile......

                                        Happy Easter!

miss b loves...... spring in Istanbul.....part two

Sunday began with a visit to Dolmabahçe Palace, one of the most glamorous palaces in the world (on my must-visit list for quite a while!) and it was the residence of the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. In a stunning location on the banks of the Bosphorus, the white marble façade is so striking.

The Swan Fountain