You will need, to serve one:

• Beef meatballs (or Quorn meatballs) if you wish
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 pepper
• A few pieces of cauliflower
• Mushrooms (but I didn't have any at the time lol)
• Half an onion
• 1 bay leaf
• A suitable glug of red wine
• Olives (I really like them so probably used way too much)
• Paprika
• Cayenne Pepper
• Italian herbs
• Garlic Salt
• Tomato Puree

1. Chop the olives, onion, pepper, cauliflower and mushrooms
2. Soften the onions, and then add the other sauce ingredients
3. Cook at a medium heat for around 20 minutes, or until the red wine has reduced a lot
4. Season the meatballs and start cooking them, until they're cooked to your liking, depending on size
5. Add pasta - spaghetti is recommended, and cook until al dente
6. Serve with some fresh basil, with garlic bread or Ana's veggie salad

Today I will be sharing my own recipe for sweet and sour chicken which I make from time to time.

Ingredients:
- Chicken breast ( I used 3 fillets but feel free to use more if you are making a lot)
- Sharwood's Sweet & Sour cooking sauce ( I pick it up from Tesco but I am sure other supermarkets offer it too)
- 1 Aubergine
- 2 courgettes
- Salt and pepper ( and spices of choice)

Recipe:

1. Firstly, cut the chicken breast fillets into small, square chunks. This way the pieces will be able to cook quicker and will absorb more sauce. Place the chicken into a frying pan which should have some oil on it and add half a cup of water. The water will make the chicken softer and the dish will taste nicer ( don't worry, nothing is going to happen to the sauce).
 
2. Immediately after you deal with the chicken, add either a single jar of the sweet and sour sauce or two jars. I usually use two because that way there is more sauce to then go on the rice and I generally prefer it that way but if you are not a fan of an abundance of the sauce, feel free to play around with this step. Mix everything together and let it cook in the pan.



3. Whilst your chicken is cooking with the sauce, it is the time to chop up the aubergine and courgettes. Chop up the courgettes into thin circular pieces and the aubergine into half circular shapes ( it is best if both are thin). Add everything to the frying pan and leave to cook.




4. After 20-25 minutes the dish should be ready. Note: it is okay, and in fact better to add water along the way to make it more of a steamed dish than a fried one. Feel free to add more spices of your choice ( paprika works particularly well as well as some pepper) to add extra flavour.

Enjoy!

Here's one of the most scintillating, beautiful and suspenseful stories you will ever hear, from the unlikeliest of sources: Pret a Manger's Lemon and Ginger Pure Pret Still.


First we have to accept the fact that this is the holy grail of non-alcoholic drinks. It is spicy, it is sweet, it is zesty. It comes at the low low price of £1.75 (semi-low) and is 500ml of utter gorgeousness - the only *slight* problem being that occasionally it leaks in my bag, spreading its radiant spice across all of my belongings.


How did I find this wondrous drink? It is a love story almost as exciting as my love for the Pret juice, where on a sunny London day (who am I kidding, it was overcast and a bit chilly and I was only wearing a skirt and short sleeved top) I was introduced to it at the Pret just off Leicester Square. I *almost* went for a still water and could have missed out, but the particular person I was with recommended it when I asked if it was nice, and thus the addiction was born.

The next exciting twist came when they decided our *thing* was no longer a *thing* and then I didn't know if the zesty drink would be too tragic to drink. Luckily I met up with Ana the following Sunday, and we decided to reappropriate the delightful lemony goodness together.


Update: I went to London this weekend and there were NO PRET JUICES. NONE. They'd been recalled apparently, I don't know and frankly don't care, because this was horrific and I couldn't deal with technicalities. I had to message the thus-far-anonymous enabler of my Pret habit with my shock, and they were equally horrified. I think it is back now though, have no fear, you can sleep easy in your bed tonight.

My recipe blog posts always seem to go down a treat (if you'll pardon the pun) and since my boyfriend and I are currently making cookies I thought I'd share my favourite recipe with you. Please note that  unlike my other recipes this is not a family one, so I do not take credit for it! I am only spreading the deliciousness :)

Ingredients:

• 100g butter, softened
• 75g caster sugar
• 50g muscovado sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 150g self-raising flower
• 100g plain chocolate chips

I am a massive fan of milkshakes, particularly on hot days, so I have collected several recipes over the years and thought I would share my favourites with the blog.

• 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
• 2 handfuls of cherries (preferably frozen)
• A splash of milk