10 Reasons I'm NOT Into NYE.

Some people I know look forward to New Year's Eve like they look forward to their birthdays, to them I say no. I am not a fan of New Year's Eve and here’s a quick rundown as to why...

1.      Pressure to Plan!
Talk about pressure to plan; who are you going out with this year? Where are you guys going? What are you going to wear? Panic! Not to mention the few days before New Year’s Eve when everyone else is talking about their plans and you don’t have any yet. My favourite NYE so far was spent in with some close friends, cocktails and hot dogs. We danced, we drank, we played cards, we ate all kinds of food...What else do you need?

2.      Drink Up!
If you’re planning on going out this New Year, you’re sort of expected to be a certain level of drunk – a level that says you should be screaming out Auld Lang Syne along with the rest of them when the clock strikes. I’m all for a few glasses of fizz and a little wobbly moment when you realise that maybe that last cocktail wasn’t a sensible decision, but when you’ve had so many shots that you think it’s a good idea to lick spilt tequila off the bar maybe it’s time to call a taxi.

3.      Anticlimax?
Whether it’s 11pm, Midnight, 1am... everyone looks the same, her mascara is still running and he’s still got beer splashed on his shirt. Nothing’s new, nothing’s changed, and no one has suddenly developed all their moralistic resolutions.

4.      New Year’s Resolutions.
There’s always the standard ‘Oh, I’m going to lose ten pounds’ or ‘Yes, I’m going to go to the gym every other day!’ but most resolutions tend to circle work, love or finance. Resolutions are like horoscopes; vague, hard to stick to and a little bit pointless. Why make yourself have all of these goals, if the probability of sticking to them is so slim? Make yourself small goals throughout the year – they’re far more likely to be achievable and there’s no January pressure to guilt trip you.

5.      Crapuary.
Of course, January follows New Year’s Eve which can only mean a month of failed resolutions, expensive gym memberships, empty bank accounts, cutbacks left-right-and-center, need I go on?

6.      Phone Service/Taxi’s
Both are very hard to come by come NYE. Between 11pm and 1am there’s so much drama with who sent who a text because everyone is trying to get through on their phones it doesn’t always work. I always forget about Taxi’s being a problem until around 1am; I’m ready to go home, it’s cold outside and the whole of Winchester is having the same thoughts. Taxi’s are gold dust. Maybe just pre-book, if you can’t walk it? (Especially not in those shoes!)

7.      Endless 2014 Round-Ups.
How original, another top 10 images for 2014 list.
Or was it Top 10 YouTube videos?
No? Top 10 films/albums/singles of 2014?

8.      Spring Cleaning.
So you’ve bitten the bullet and taken down the tree – now everything is covered in glitter and dust so you might as well give the room a little spring clean, right? Well, if you’re going to do that room, you might as well do the whole house. Plus the bathrooms. And there you are, in your pyjamas, spending your Sunday spring cleaning your house for the New Year’s festivities.

9.      New Year’s Day Hangovers.
No stores are open, no matter what you need and if they do open, they only open in the morning and let’s face it no one is awake in the morning of New Year’s Day (Especially if you know that as you lay in bed, downstairs there is a plethora of empties and trodden in food waiting for you to clear up). Obviously, quite a large percentage of the population will be spending New Year’s Day either still drunk, or hung over, all putting off their vomit-inducing clear up, we need stores to be open.

10.  Christmas is officially over.
Until NYE, I can pretty much kid myself that it’s still Christmas and people are still wandering around wishing each other Happy Christmas – as soon as NYE is gone, Christmas is suddenly so far away again, and I’m a sucker for Christmas.

I’m sure you’re all judging me for not being the biggest NYE fan, but hey-ho.
It’s not for everyone. Feel free to let me know what YOU think, I'd love to hear what you're up to for NYE, or if you've got any set in stone New Years Traditions...
If you are headed out this Wednesday night please be safe; get home safe and above all have fun.

Happy New Year, buddy. 

Being Honest - Boys & Girls Can Be Friends.

In this installment on WhatLexySaid, I’ll be taking the age-old and long-pondered question of whether the lads and the ladies can be, oh-so-simply, just friends.

Before I elaborate entirely, I should give a small disclaimer that yes, I do believe we can all be friends without wanting to jump each other’s bones. If you disagree, this is your stop on the train of this discussion. Time to hop off; you’re the reason that eleven year olds don’t think they can be friends with the girls in their class because of the ridicule and teasing that their mere friendship can bring.

Anyway, now that we’re left with all the open-minded folk, let’s get down to it. 

Since I started secondary school, earlier than that... since primary school, I’ve had a predominance of male friends. I remember far more of the boys names from primary school than I do the girls. Does that make seven year old me a little sauce-pot? No, it doesn’t. 

Obviously, in Secondary School there came a time when I realised maybe I wanted to spend a little more time with certain guys, but that didn’t mean that I had to feel like that about all of my male friends. I understood that, it’s the people who don’t who seem to be the problem.

My first year at University, I ended up living with a boy as well as four girls. Nothing romantic has ever happened between us, and we’re still good friends to this day. Gasp-shock-horror? What? How is that even possible? This is just the way it is.  As with most of my male friends, we never made the conscious decision to inform the other person that we weren’t attracted to each other, it was unspoken yet known. For the predominance of my third year at University, there were usually more men in my house than there were ladies and my one female housemate and I would often find ourselves coughing and spluttering in a cloud of testosterone and Lynx Africa, among other things.
We weren’t attracted to them and they weren’t either. It was that easy.

My friend Grace reminds me however “if there is a hint of something more on the table it can get messy...” and of course, in true Gracie-fashion, she’s right. But that’s okay too. As long as you’re honest with each other, there doesn’t have to be any drama. As soon as you bring sex and all those feelings into the equation, a million more questions pop up and sometimes, like Rachel says - it’s never off the table but it’s always best to keep communication lines open and talk about it.

Once I’ve been with someone romantically, can we go back to being purely-platonic friends again?
I’m going to go with yes, on this one. Yes you can go back to being friends. Whether you’ve moved on to dating someone new or not, if you want that other person in your life but not in a romantic sense then tell them. Make it happen as best you can, but don’t push it.
Obviously, I understand that if you’re coming out of serious relationship, flipping back into being good friends may be difficult; no one is saying you have to be friends immediately, if at all. Sometimes it’s too hard to get over that person and what they mean/meant to you.

What if I want something more/less than he/she does?
Respect is of utmost importance – to quote another song, you can’t make someone love you if they don’t. But you also can’t make someone not love you. Be respectful of the other person’s feelings if they differ from your own; you might be ready to be friends again, but they might need more time.
Or, if you’ve never been together romantically and one person wants to progress into that and the other doesn’t, then just be honest. Let them hide away for a week and lick their wounds, if that’s what they need, but remind them at the end of the day you’re still friends.

Does being jealous of my friend spending time with their other half mean that I’m attracted to them?
Not at all. You can miss someone’s company and their attention and not be attracted to them. If you used to get Pizza every two-for-Tuesday night, and now Tuesday night has been reallocated to their other half as date night, you’re allowed to miss that time together.

*

With 2015 just around the corner and hurtling towards us like a freight train, I encourage more people to take on the honesty philosophy...

If you want to see someone, tell them.
If you like someone, tell them.
What’s the worst that could happen?
 They don’t feel that way? At least you know.
If you miss someone, tell them.
If you want to call, call.
If you want to chat, then chat.
In the same sense...
If you don’t want to see someone, tell them.
If you don’t miss someone, don’t say it.

If I’ve learned anything recently, it’s to not say something if you don’t mean it.
Don’t say things for the sake of it, people will only get hurt and read into things that don’t mean what they want them to.

After graduating in October, it’s been hard enough entering the big bad world without picking and choosing who you’re going to be friends with based on their sex/sexual preferences. My friends all went back to their parent’s towns after University, I stayed in Winchester, so when it comes to new friends I’ve taken what I can and I’m ever-grateful for them all. I wouldn’t be without them.

Maybe I’m not the best person to be giving out relationship advice, but there’s so much chatter about how there is absolutely no possible way that people of the opposite sex could every be purely friends and it bugs me.

Rant over J the floor is now open to discussion...

REVIEW: Lush Cosmetics - Celebrate Body Lotion & Golden Wonder Ballistic

Being a resident Lush fan and newly employed Christmas Temp has given me the opportunity to not only be able to afford new Lush products, but to also get to try them earlier – everyone’s a winner.

I’ve got my trusty pot of Karma Kream so I never looked into the other lotions but then I met Celebrate and it was a match made in heaven for days when Karma just isn’t quite what I want.
Of course, even though a limited edition Christmas product, the 225g cream comes in the standard Lush black and white pots. When I’m done with Celebrate, I’ll be adding it to the ever-growing pile of ‘clean-black-pots-to-take-back’ pile. If you’re unaware what I’m rambling about, where have you been?

One of Lush’s many recycling schemes involves customers bringing back five empty, clean black pots – we send them back to the factory for recycling and you, as the customer, get a free fresh face mask out of it. I’ll say it again, everyone’s a winner. 

“A sumptuous body lotion with oranges, almond oil and lime. As it’s Christmas we’ve also added a splash of cognac to put you in the festive mood.”
With generous helpings of the citrus ingredients, this slightly thicker lotion packs a whole zesty punch and is the perfect product for getting jazzed up before heading out to your office Christmas Party – leave the whole room wondering, what on earth is that amazing smell?

This lotion is so bright, it’s a refreshing break from all of the predictable ‘christmas’ scented products from companies across the board at this time of the year.  “Lime and Brazilian Orange bring cheer to the body and mind. Almond oil and cocoa butter will moisturise and soften the skin.” Celebrate is packed full of goodness, particularly in Almond Oil which is high in vitamin E which is so good for your skin, along with Fair Trade Organic Cocoa butter. A fully Vegan-friendly product, this just adds to the Vegan range that Lush has curated – working toward creating a better workplace, creating better products.

“This lotion shares its fragrance with Golden Wonder bath bomb making it a perfect way to layer the uplifting blend of essential oils whilst softening the skin. It’s also self-preserving, giving us true cause to celebrate.”

*

Golden Wonder is probably one of, if not, my favourite Ballistic at Lush at the moment. It is a chunky square ballistic, covered in shimmery gold lustre with a cute bow design on top; looks like a little Christmas gift.
If you get the chance to see one in store, give it a shake – you can hear the little secret ballistics inside rattling around.  There are three little different coloured ballistic pebbles, surrounded in a blue ballistic casing, which is then completely covered again in the white and gold ballistic layer, so not only does it smell amazing – it’s awesome to watch, too!  If you’re giving a Golden Wonder as a gift – don’t tell them about all the layers, let it be a surprise! 

Because Golden Wonder is quite big, with such an array of colours and an awesome scent package to boot, this product is perfect for a gift for pretty much anyone - it just keeps on giving.

With the same fragrance as Celebrate body lotion, the uplifting Orange and Lime oils refresh you from spending your days trawling around town doing your Christmas shopping. Or, perhaps you work in retail too and need a break from the world when you get home – if so, this fella is your guy.

Although the original Golden Wonder, retailing at £3.75, does have a cheeky splash of cognac to keep you on your toes, there is an alcohol free version for those inclined. The original should be available in most stores across the UK for sure, and the alcohol-free one I know for sure is available on the Lush Website.

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REVIEW: 1989, Taylor Swift.

There are hundreds of people who have written Taylor Swift off as too-country, too-girly or simply just not their taste. That’s not their fault, they’re entitled to their opinion and this is mine – so let me have it.

Taylor Swift’s 2012 album Red sold 1.21 million copies in the US during it’s first week as well as debuting at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Receiving Grammy Nominations for Album of The Year and Best Country Album weren’t the only accolades; We Are Never Getting Back Together was nominated for Record Of The Year (Grammy) along with Begin Again going on to win Best Country Song (Grammy).

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should know that Taylor herself is no stranger to awards and honours, having previously won;

7 other Grammy’s
15 American Music Awards’s
11 Country Music Awards’s
7 Academy of Country Music Award’s
12 Billboard Music Awards

...as well as two Golden Globe nominations, two back-to-back honours of being ACM’s Entertainer Of The Year and the first ever female to receive the Country Music Association’s Pinnacle Award which has only ever previously been awarded to Garth Brooks in 2005. She was also the first ever candidate to win Billboard’s Woman of the Year twice and when Rolling Stone calls you immortal, telling the world her songs will live on for years – you know you’ve pretty much made it. I

The point is, there’s so much hype every time she releases anything – and rightly. On October 27, 2014 Taylor Swift released 1989; the album she’s been working on for two years. That seems to be her formula now – every two years; we’ve learned to expect a new album.

*

Opening the new album with ‘Welcome To New York’ seems like the logical move – welcome to a new album; new sound, new producers, new style. However, aside from being a pretty cool LGBQT anthem with her discovery that in NYC you can be with whoever you want, the song IMHO is a little lacking. This song was also released before we heard the full album which bothers me. It didn’t fill me with confidence for the record.

Track Two, Blank Space blew my mind. It then went on to be the first post-release song to be given a music video. It’s cheeky and a little reminiscent of a ditty from way back – ‘Permanent Marker’. It’s strong because she knows you’re taking the piss out of her - that’s obvious in the track, even more obvious in the video. She’s more than happy to let you run with that while she sits in one of her five homes and counts her millions of dollars. Both pre-chorus and chorus are brilliantly written and shows that Swift has started to wear her backbone where her wishbone used to be.  The song comes complete with kitsch pen-click mid-chorus, telling you all she’s serious about scrawling your name into her next hit.

Oh my god, look at that face, you look like my next mistake. Loves a game, wanna play?
-
And I know you’ve heard about me, so Hey. Let’s be friends. I’m dying to see how this one ends.

So it’s gonna be forever, or it’s gonna burn down in flames.
You can tell me when it’s over if the highs were worth the pain.
Got a long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane
...but I’ve got a blank space baby – and I’ll write your name.

Out of The Woods was an awesome song – especially in terms of having it as a pre-release. ‘Not a single, but the song that most accurately represents my new record’ Swift said and she was not mistaken – Shake It Off & Welcome To New York give off a slightly younger vibe, but Swift brings back her song writing prowess with Out Of The Woods that has as much catchiness as I Knew You Were Trouble and maybe even more than 22. The vocals in her performance of OOTW on Jimmy Kimmel were so on point which just underlines that Swift is back from touring Red around the world with vengeance. Fans started casting out their theories on which of Taylor’s supposed flights of fancy this one was about; the predominance of them weighing in that Harry Styles was the main inspiration for the album – especially the track not so subtlety titled Style.

You’ve got that James Dean, day dream, look in your eye and I got that red lip classic thing that you like.
-
Long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt and I got my good girl faith and a tight little skirt.

Probably my favourite track of the album is track eight – Bad Blood. Slightly less beat-driven that the majority of the album, Bad Blood brings a similar anger to that of Better Than Revenge and questions her friends who hurt her beyond repair, when she thought they were fighting her corner all along. Betrayal and misplaced trust lace this song way down deep into the stripped bridge and way up into the chanting chorus, which I can only imagine stadiums of crowds roaring when the time comes for Taylor to tour again.

Oh my god, who is she? I get drunk on jealousy.
But you’ll come back each time you leave,
‘Cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

Taylor treats us to her ninth track, singing with a smirk and a tone that sounds a lot like Lana Del Rey. A sunshine- dreamy track, full of breathy vocals, that tells us a story of his hands in her hair and his clothes in her room. 

Baby, I know places we won’t be found, they’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down
 but I know places we can hide.
-
Lights flash and we’ll run for the fences.
Let them say what they want, we won’t hear it.
Loose lips sink ships all the damn time.

I Know Places, although thematically awesome, lacks in production for me – however, some of the best lyrics however are in the chorus – They got the cages, they got the boxes – and guns. They are the hunters, we are the foxes – we run.

It’s poker – you can’t see it in my face, but I’m about to play my ace.
-
The rumours are terrible and cruel, but honey most of them are true.

The DLX edition comes with three extra tracks plus three song writing voice memo’s – the new tracks include Wonderland, You Are In Love and New Romantics. New Romantics screams out the same up tempo pop anthem ways as 22 and begs you to jump up and down singing with your girlfriends to it. Wonderland features new vocal acrobatics for Taylor and it works – it’s a little darker, the lyrics are brilliantly whimsical and there’s a light peppering of Rihanna-esque ‘eh eh eh eh...’ going on in the chorus. What more could you ask for?

Didn’t they tell us don’t rush into things?
Didn’t you flash your green eyes at me?
Haven’t you heard what becomes of curious minds?
I should have slept with one eye open at night.

Unfortunately, Swift made a blunder by teasing fans with most of the best lyrics, so the remainder of the album, barring a few bits here and there, was a small anti-climax. However, songs like Bad Blood and Blank Space make up for it. 

Make no mistakes, this is a pop album. There’s no essence of country in there – although, there are still nuances of Swift’s journalistic writing which is highly apparent in her collaboration with Imogen Heap. All kinds of imagery conjure wine stained dresses, burnt toast, twenty stitches and keeping his shirt... 

A reminder of where Swift started and where she intends to go now she has the world’s attention and no intention of relinquishing it. 

(Disclaimer - All picture credits go to their respective owners, I don't own anything except every Taylor Swift album. So what? Bite me.) 

Graduation; Long Live Class of 2014

“Enjoy your moment...” Jude Davies smiled to me, as I shuffled up next to him on the Cathedral stage.  Remember this moment, I said in the back of my mind; remember this moment and don’t trip.

Tuesday 14^th October was my Graduation day and let me tell you, it’s been a long time coming. Whilst I enjoyed my prom, back in Secondary school, and I had fun – Graduation was my prom. I was far more excited to go into the Cathedral that day than I was to take a bus ride to The Weald Of Kent golf club.

As a congregation, we stood with our shaking hands listening intently to the man whispering our instructions – where to go, how many steps to take, shake with your right hand, don’t forget to smile, don’t panic, don’t trip. With a group of more mature ladies before me in the graduation ceremony, I felt a little more at ease – I’d get to see them do it first so no excuses to screw up. My beautiful friend, who my boyfriend still refers to as Dolphin, was before me on the list too so the excitement within me bubbled for her as she walked to Jude and then as her name was called, to Professor Dame Mary Fagan (DCVO) at centre stage for a quick handshake before being then ushered off stage left to receive her Diploma packet.

Tentatively I stepped forward wincing as the gentleman at the stand called out my name, my full name; Alexandra Guinevere Brookman (pipe down). Right, left, right, left and I heard something I didn’t expect. A little cheer came from the back of the longest nave in the UK and I smiled – my parents, my grandmother and my partner were faces in the crowd that I couldn’t quite make out, but I knew they were there – I could hear them.

“It seems you brought your fan club with you.” Dame Mary Fagan said, shaking my hand.
“It seems so.” I nodded, positively glowing.

Having returned to my seat, my eyes welled up a little. As they read off our names, I couldn’t have been more proud. Proud of my friends for getting through everything that they did, proud of myself for giving the best that I could and proud of my family for supporting me and travelling all the miles to see me graduate.

Getting tickets for my family was a pain – I know some of you will roll your eyes at this, but my parents are divorced and both respectively remarried so that’s four parents before I even think about anyone else. I asked for four which was the maximum ticket allowance for my graduation slot, and told my Mum and Dad that they would be invited (given that I was guaranteed two). When four came in the mail a few weeks before grad, my heart sunk – I wanted my partner to be there, but what about my parents partners, or even my grandmother? Long story short, I sunk to a new level and emailed the graduation organisers playing the ‘divorced’ parents card to see if I could weedle any more tickets – eventually, after no reply, I decided that I was being silly. I’m sure there were other people who didn’t get as many tickets as I did, so I just needed to count myself lucky and make do – luckily both parents understood that I would invite my partner and my grandmother, along with my Mum and Dad to keep things happy and neutral in both camps.

After the ceremony and an emotional ‘clap-out’ from the staff and dignitaries in attendance, I managed to snap a few pictures with friends who graduated the same day, and then it was off to lunch. Returning to River Cottage for a post-graduation meal was the best choice I think I could have made, given the difference in tastes across my family. Having been to River Cottage in it’s opening week, I was pleased to return again but on this occasion with a new menu and at a different time – River Cottage feels different in the day time, in a really nice way. The atmosphere is still sophisticated, clean and happy but there’s a relaxing chilled-out vibe spreading across both floors. They were busy, but definitely not packed – possibly just a standard mid-week lunch time. I didn’t manage to catch our servers’ name, but she was delightfully laid back and more than happy to engage in banter with my Father who thinks he’s just hilarious.

If there was one thing less than brilliant at River Cottage, it would be that there bar was super-understocked. Maybe they just got hit with a big rush and hadn’t anticipated it, but it did create an awkward repetition of “Oh I’m sorry, we’re actually out of that” and “Oh, we’re also out of that too...” Still – River Cottage shines in all other aspects of hospitality.

Waiting three weeks for pictures to come through the post from Official Graduate Photographer Tempest is going to be the longest wait of my life, just because I know there are so many other family members who would love to see them and needless to says selfies with my friends probably just don’t cut it. It’s a week after graduation now and the pictures online have just about stopped surfacing, but then again it was Grad Ball on Friday so I’m in the midst of another surge of photos – some flattering, some not so. Another night of dancing like we knew our lives would never be the same. 

My friends and I have come so far in, what has turned out to be, three very short years. We’ve traded our BOP outfits for our Grad Hats and we threw them into the air with what can only be described as cliché happiness and panic that they might land in a puddle. Although it was raining on the day, that didn’t matter too much - it was annoying before hand, but after it was quite refreshing. The nerves and stress got to me so much, for some reason, that as soon as I was on my own and walking into the Cathedral the sight of my my ex-housemate Demi and my ex-coursemate Sarah turned me to jelly and I couldn’t stop the tears. I’m not even too sure what happened, but full blown ugly-tears happened and that was before the ceremony!
(Even in the term ex-housemate/coursemate makes me feel weird.)

As each person I knew took to the stage, received various screams and shouts from the audience, I couldn’t help but flick mentally through the pictures I had tacked on my university walls of my freshman halls and every room since then – so many different faces painted as so many different jungle animals, not to mention toy story characters as well as bloodied and beaten ‘emergency’ cases and multiple Halloweens to boot.  Over the three years my friends and I have forged a team of rebels and bohemians who can take on pretty much anything and I am so proud of us for coming out the other side of University a better group people. Now I get to look back at the photos surfacing online from this week of us in our glad rags holding our heads up like heroes for our parents to take our pictures.

I distinctly remember looking through the haze of people milling about in their post-graduation glow to my Gracie, who has achieved more than any of us this year, and hear her say to her proud Dad who was snapping away with this fancy DSLR “I just want to go and take pictures with my friends!” – I took this prompt as my cue to bomb her photo.

Speaking of parents, I was reintroduced to Demi’s parents who have always been so generous and lovely, to Sarah’s mother who smiled at me and shouted “Oh, the famous Lex!” and also Brett’s Mum who told me I was “a very brave girl, indeed” for choosing to wear the shoes that I did. The shoes were actually a last minute decision; black pair of lace heels that everyone told me were too high for the occasion – I stand by my decision and I rocked it.

As I draw this mammoth post to an end, I know this is going to be an incredibly morbid thought but it has to be said.  If the time comes when you and I aren’t close anymore, not like we are now, please know how important you all are to me.  Let’s tell our children about all the silly things we did with all the crazy people and show them the pictures to prove it. Thank you to all my friends, my family and everyone in between.

Although what we’ve had this week may have been the end of an era, it was the start of an age.

All the photos used in this blog are courtesy of my friends and I - particularly Sarah White, Katy Loveless, Demi Snape, Mr.Snape, Grace Latter, Mr.Latter and others.
Long Live (We Will Be Remembered) by Taylor Swift.  (Skip to 1:45)

Review: Dinner at River Cottage Canteen

Winchester seems to have a vast number of new restaurants popping up left-right and centre; Cote, Rick Stein and Wagamamas are all set to move in. The most recent, opening just last week in Abbey Gardens, is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Canteen.

 

Having been invited to eat at The Cottage for a pre-opening dry-run, I was very excited to see what they’d done to a building that I’d seen stand empty and unused for so long.

Upon arrival we were met at the door by charming waiting staff who escorted us to the perfect table overlooking the predominance of the restaurant. What was in danger of being a very cold building has been draped in the most beautiful rope lights that show bare filament glowing yellow; the light and candles bounce off white walls and creates an atmosphere of warmth and happiness which is only accentuated by smiley, chatty staff who are happy to advise and suggest dishes. 

Our waiter, Henry, was friendly, happy and knew everything that he should have. His personal recommendations were useful throughout the night and made the whole experience more personable.  It was really nice to go to a nice event but there be an undeniable chilled-out feeling; no one was stressing out or panicking or hovering. 

The menu was larger than expected seven dishes to start, seven for mains, three sharing boards and the choice of six side dishes. Unfortunately (for me) I don’t eat fish and the menu was quite fish heavy, but for anyone else I imagine having the choice was wonderful – everything I saw coming out of the kitchen, including Fish, looked wonderfully presented and very generously portioned. I had the beef brisket which was delightful and still so wonderfully pink in the middle and James has the Wild Boar Chop which needs a steak knife but is beautifully cooked none the less.

 On a wall near our table was a little chalk board which sported the local produce companies – it was nice to know, really nice actually, that people care where their food is coming from. If anyone has seen Hugh’s River Cottage television show, you’ll know how hot he is on local and responsible sourcing. Brimfield’s vegetables is just one of the companies that River Cottage is sourcing produce from – Brimfield’s sell all different kinds of fruits and vegetables as well as a vast variety of bread and eggs (sourced locally and ethically) and have set up shop in Kingsworthy, so not far at all! 

Other flavours and food stuffs that seemed quite popular throughout the River Cottage night were pumpkins and squashes; peppering the menu with autumnal flavours as well as apple and elderflower flavourings stocking up the bar in their own Apple & Elderflower Champagne, Apple Mojitos and more. 

Whilst on the subject of the bar, I’d like to jump-up-and-down praising River Cottage for sourcing local ale too; not just local ale but Saxon Bronze - a local ale made by one man entirely on his own.  Steve used to work for the Flower Pots Brewery in Cheriton that has given us Gooden’s Gold, Perridge Pale and more. Now, he works on his own at his King Alfred’s Brewery in Winall, Winchester brewing his ales less than two miles away from River Cottage.  His Saxon Bronze is so popular that he sometimes struggles to keep up with the demand, other times he has enough spare time to whip up some of his Winchester Pale Ale which is equally as well received. 

Dessert was probably my favourite part of the night – I don’t often eat desserts, but when I do I like to choose carefully. Spoilt for choice at River Cottage we shared the Lavender Pannacotta that came with autumn raspberries, wood sorrel and vanilla shortbread AND we also had some salted caramel ice cream on the side. Salted Caramel by Jude’s Ice Cream is also a cleverly sourced product – Jude’s is from Winchester and there are currently six magnificent flavours. For a company started by one man, who named his company after his wife, they’ve done miraculously! The pannacotta was perfect; again the portioning was huge (I am NOT complaining) and we could only just finish. The lavender flavour was just right and was far from the overwhelming soapy taste you can sometimes get. 

Overall, I had a wonderful time. The guests all seemed happy and excited to see what was in store for them and that’s one of the nicest things – locals being excited about local business that use local produce.  Would I go back? For sure, I’ve already booked a table for my Graduation day so my parents and grandmother can enjoy it too. My Nan’s very opinionated so we’ll see what she makes of it!

So, to everyone at River Cottage especially Henry, Becky and Mark – thank you for a wonderful night. We’ll be back soon and we’re telling everyone how great you are.

How To - Best Bloody Mary's Ever.

How to make the best Bloody Mary you’ll ever have. 

So, everyone knows that a good Bloody Mary is the perfect way to slide into an evening session or maybe even a cheeky pick me up in the afternoon. Either way, there are do’s-and-don’ts.

This is the way I’ve been taught to make a Bloody Mary, with my own preferences thrown in too.

You will need to acquire the following;

-          One bottle of the regular, normal old tomato juice. Britvic or Schweppes is fine, Big Tom is not. Big Tom is already spiced so you don’t really want to use that one if you’re into tailoring your own drink. Also, if you use Big Tom it will make everything I’m about to say entirely irrelevant.

-          A double, or  50ml’s, of regular vodka. Smirnoff,  Absolut ...whatever floats your boat.

-          A ‘little’ splash of Tabasco sauce.

-          A generous splash of Lea & PerrinsWorcestershire Sauce.

-          A sprinkle of Celery Salt, which you can by in the spice section of most full-size supermarkets. By full-size, I mean not a Tesco Metro. You need a proper big boy supermarket.

-          Ice

-          Lemon slice.

-          Celery stick (if you want)

1.       Combine all ingredients except juice and lemon into your glass. Stir.

2.       Pour half of your juice into your glass. Stir.

3.       Fill your glass with juice, stir and add in your lemon.

4.       Slide your celery stick in as an edible-stirer.

5.       Enjoy.

For those who don’t want ice in their juice, try this version. This is the version I make at the bar, or if I’m not being lazy. Me? Lazy? Ahem.

1.    Pour ice, vodka, celery salt, Lea & Perrins and Tabasco into a pint glass.

2.   Pour mixture into another pint glass, and then back again into the original. 

3.   Pour half of your tomato juice into the mixture (still in a pint glass).

4.   Repeat step two.

5.   Add remaining tomato juice.

6.    Repeat step two.

7.    Strain and serve into a half-pint glass, garnish with celery and or lemon.  Your Bloody Mary will be chilled from the ice in the pint glasses and will not have dissolving cubes floating about in it.

8.     Enjoy.

If you would prefer a Virgin Mary, simply follow steps 1 through 8, but don’t add the Vodka at the start. Et voila – the perfect brunch juice drink for your friends on Saturday morning.

If you'd like more recipes for cocktails and things of the like, BBC Online has some good ones, or if you want something a little sexier and daring try out the cocktails on Esquire, who are doing awesome Whiskey Cocktails for Fall at the moment. (which is Autumn to us Brits.) 

Hope you have enjoyed this how-to. I’ve quite enjoyed making it, so maybe there’ll be more of this kind of thing going on. Let me know if you do like this, if you don’t, if you like Bloody Mary’s, if you don’t. Yadda yadda yadda.

It's Okay not to be O.K

It’s in sadness that the internet has been flooded with tributes, posts and comments regarding the untimely loss of Robin Williams; comedy genius and, according to family, friends and cast mates, the nicest man you’d ever meet.

Once someone has killed themselves, it is easy to look back and say you always knew it would happen – the sentiment of ‘always being able to see the sadness around their eyes’ comes far too easily to people who don’t know what else to say. The truth is, unless you followed Robin William’s life closely, you probably didn’t have any inkling that this would be the path he’d take; neither did I.

According to press, and to me it sounds quite likely, Kate Middleton had various counselling sessions before her announcement that she would be joining the Royal Family – a set of strict events that has been put in place to prevent situations like Princess Diana happening again. Whilst pregnant with Prince William, Diana is said to have thrown herself not only down the stairs but also into a glass cabinet before taking further actions to end her life. (Diana did not successfully commit suicide; however she was killed in a car accident in France, August 1997. This incident is surrounded in speculation, controversy and conspiracy but a large percentage of people choose to believe the accident was just that; an accident.) From the outside looking in, it would seem Kate Middleton has adjusted well to life as a Royal and is blossoming into her role as mother to Prince George, born July 2013. However, who is to know what happens behind closed doors; the Robin Williams case illustrates that we don’t.

Certain celebrities have been more open with their depression diagnoses; Demi Lovato, Winona Ryder and Eminem are just to name a few. Lovato sought treatment for Bipolar Disorder, Bulimia and Drug Addiction in October 2010 and has since become a Mental Health advocate, raising awareness of depression and sober living.  Winona Ryder is said to have spiraled into depression after her break-up with actor Johnny Depp, falling asleep with cigarettes lit and setting herself on fire gave her the mindset to seek treatment. 

For more information on mental illness, please have a read of the following links, and don’t be afraid to ask anyone questions –

Mind Charity
http://www.mind.org.uk/

The Mental Health Foundation
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

Rethink Mental Illness
http://www.rethink.org/

This post isn’t meant to be a list of suicidal celebrities and what they’re doing now, it’s meant to be the reassurance that all these once suicidal people are now doing things – they’ve come through it, and most importantly I think they’ve accepted that it’s okay to not be okay. 

I’ll say it again, because I know we all struggle to hear it sometimes. 

It’s okay to not be okay. 

To all my friends that I don’t ask enough - how are you? I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to realise that sometimes that’s all you need. If you have friends you haven’t spoken to in a while – just ask them how they’re doing. Sometimes it’s nice to know that someone’s thinking of you even if it’s just fleeting. I don’t want to be on your mind all the time, just for a minute when you see something that reminds me of you. 

When I get sad, and just because I do it doesn’t mean I’m depressed (people are allowed down days), I try to think about the Hugh Grant quote from Love, Actually. I’m sure you know the one I mean, but I’ll put it in anyway because it’s a nice read. 

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinions are starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.”

If you are sad, and I haven’t noticed, I am sorry. Find someone who you love or who loves you and feel special - because you are, any of you; all of you. I don’t want this post to be gushy and awkward, I just think it’s important that people understand that even in the darkest moments there will always be someone who loves you – even if it is just me.  

Being sad does not make you weird; we all get sad. Sometimes I have days where I can stub my toe ,or run out of coffee, and cry for hours. People of the world, please make sure your friends know that you love them even if it takes extra time out of your day; I can guarantee that it’ll do you good too – good deeds make everyone feel good. 

Want someone to talk to?
Samaritans UK - 08457 909090 (All)
Calm: 0800 585858 (Men, aged 18-35)
HopeLine UK – 0800 068 4141 (Young People, in general)
Me: LTBrookman@gmail.com (Anyone and everyone.) 

For those on the ledge, please realise suicide is final. No second chances, no negotiations, no plea bargains. You are worth more than that. I believe in you.