Simply, having a wonderful Christmas tiiiiimmmeee...

Ah, things are really starting to feel Christmassy now. The drop in temperature and plenty of crisp sunny days has helped to boost my Christmas feeling - that and seeing plenty of Londoners in Christmas jumpers when in the pub!

This cold weather has also left me wanting to purchase some skin treats - that and a stupid Dermatologist prescribing me Retinol cream when she shouldn't have, I must take my hat off to women who voluntarily pay for a chemical peel. Stupid and so not worth it- my Retinol supplies have since made their way quickly to the bin.

But there is a knight -ess in shining armour within the affordable skin product world: Liz Earle. I am sighing in adoration for this brand as I type this. Liz Earle uses naturally active ingredients to give your face a big metaphorical hug- whatever your skin type. After the Retinol incident- I looked like a burn victim and so needed emergency rehydration/soothing STAT (always wanted to find a way to use that word in a sentence, ER anyone?) and a Bag of magic was soon in my grasp..

Christmas Shopping in London 2012

So, this year I am determined to find and buy as many christmas presents as possible without setting foot on trusty old Oxford Street. Don't get me wrong- OS and Regent street are fabulous and i feel very lucky to be there in 20 minutes via a bus but I don't think i can be bothered with the crowds this year, also The Boy simply would not come with me if I even suggested the West end and I need someone to hold my bags ;) .

So, if you are visiting London or a Dweller such as myself, then here are a few spots I have been browsing (yes i did say browsing when talking about Christmas Shopping):

TTN Visits: Taste of Christmas 2012

I thought I would rest my tired feet by blogging about my visit today to Taste of Christmas 2012 at the Excel Centre, London. I had a lovely time last year, and when i saw 'lastminute.com' was doing a ticket offer for this years- i snapped a pair of tickets up.

TTN Visits: 'Pret-a-Portea' at The Berkeley

As this Post has been made possible due to it being a present given to The Boy for his birthday, I let him choose a song for the title and I am pleased to see he chose a Rolling Stones tune (5 years and I have trained him well)...

I feel this post needs little writing as I am hoping my photos will attempt to show off how fabulous the experience really was. This afternoon tea has a wonderful twist to its menu by encorporating the current fashions into its food- Food AND Fashion? Totally up my street! I'm not going to go into too much menu detail as I wouldnt want to totally ruin the surprise for anyone thinking of booking this but I do feel you need to know:

1. One of the Sandwiches is Crab and Olive - it took me a number of plate refills (3) to work this out and i left feeling considerably heavier than when I arrived
2. This was a gift bought for The Boy- and he loved it. Admittedly he didnt really give a hoot about the fashion presentation but he did love the funky atomosphere and delicious cakes
3. You can have refills- so don't feel disheartened when you see the small-ish stack presented to you- I was so happy when they told me that yes, I could have another round and more tea
4. The china is designed by Paul Smith- I loved it and was very very tempted to try sneak a tea cup in my handbag but decided against it (FYI I do not make a habit of stealing)

It's a new dawn, Its a new day, It's a new life for me.....

Who are you? I imagine you mutter. What time do you call this? I hear you think. Where on earth have you been?? Well I am thinking this to myself....

So- according to Blogger my last post was in April... and since then I have been in a some-what sticky situation. One that has taken me until now to be able to blog about. So why am I choosing to blog now? Well it's nearly Christmas and I have a LOT to say and share about presents, food tips and fun things.. but first I really must get this out the way so that I can move on..... (also just an excuse for me to use an obscene amount of full stops in one post)...

TTN Visits: MEATLiquor, London

Why hello there!! So, its been a busy busy few weeks but i did manage to visit a restaurant that i had to tell you all about. Just behind Oxford street- near to 'Forever21' is a restaurant that goes by the name 'MeatLiquor'. In fact, i feel the word 'resturant' is slightly inappropriate as its more like some deep south dark drinking hole that you can imagine having a appearance in a film like the 'Hangover' (or something along those lines).... basically its amazing and definitely one for the man in your life- although its not exactly 'romantic date night' venue...

So, what do you need to know?
1. You cant book. so get there early (about 5ish) to avoid a massive wait.
2. Drinks are served in jam jars - even wine.
3. Its dark. Very dark in side- which totally adds to the vibe.
4. There aren't any plates. Yes- no plates. So don't wear anything white!!
5. Its bloody cool.

The food was everything you would expect from a eatery with the name 'MeatLiquor'... although not as greasy as i expected. I ordered the 'Dead hippy' burger....

What I bought March 2012...

I am so so so excited about my very recent purchases made in Topshop today- so i thought i would jump on the old blogger to tell you ALL about them.....

'AEROBIC' Wedge trainers, £48, Topshop

Zara Lust List March 2012

Its a friday night and for this poor nutritionist, pay day is still a week away and so am keeping company with Carrie & Co away from the temptation of Shoreditch nightlife.
British summer time offically starts this Sunday, eeeeeeeeee, (dont forget we loose an hour peeps) cue: long lazy days in the parks of London with a ice box of  picnic food/beers and maybe a cheeky game of Badminton thrown in for good measure. My lord, I LOVE summer- I feel like this winter has dragged on for far too long and as much as it means the end of my beloved fur coat wearing days (for a few months at least) it also means that the shops are full of wonderful skin flashing garments that i am itching to have in my grasp.

Usually when blogging i make a B-line for the delciousness that is Topshop but this time its all about Zara (also one of my favourite high street stores)  after checking out their latest drop of fashion glorious-ness i simply HAD to share with you all the latest additions to my ever-growing wish list...

Crossover back tee, £15.99

Lust list... March 2012

Following up with a cheeky double post session..... Fashion is next on my mind.

Can i firstly say how gutted i was/am to not have anything from the Marni for H&M collection in my wardrobe... BIG SAD FACES. I do understand the concept of collaborations but seriously, whoever decides the stock levels for these things needs another training session- most of the collection sold out in the first day. This means that for fellow workers- we had no hope in hell of having the time to get down to the stores last Thursday. But hey, more money in my pocket to spend on these beauties.....

Topshop £26.00



TTN Reviews: East London Steak Company

Hello! Remember me? Yes I am alive! Call off the search party, TTN is back!!

Its been a mad few months to start off 2012.... The job has taken a (albeit slight) step up but its my personal life that has really gone in to overdrive. After viewing past photos from NYE 2011/12 I was genuinely horrified at the evidence before me. I had got fat. Yes, I have always been in the curvaceous category but my lord, WHY did no one point the very blatant fact out to me that i had moved back in to the 'more rolls than a bakery' category??

So, 6 weeks of high protein dieting and once again signing my life away to the gym- i am now 1 stone lighter and one very happy lady! Actually, I'm not referring to my new habits as a 'diet' - the word is far too negative and short term for my liking.... instead I prefer to use 'lifestyle' (far more positive and long term, I think). Ive discovered that I actually thrive on goal setting, for every Kilo I shed I treated myself at the weekend (cue: many weekends of dancing and cocktailing with good friends). I still have a goal to reach but I'm getting there. I am hoping to transfer this new self-realisation in to my working life and get myself where i want to be career-wise (however long that will take).

ANYWAY, enough about my fat cells!!

Ill be posting about food and fashion today... first up FOOD...

With my high protein lifestyle the need for meat in my fridge has increased but the problem is actually being able to afford it without a) breaking the bank and b) spending my whole weekend travelling around London trying to actually get the stuff.... enter: The East London Steak Company (ELSCO)!

Check out their website for full details and don't be put off by their name, they deliver outside the M25 as well!

Basically, the concept is brilliantly simple- you order a box of meat from their website, free delivery if you are within the M25, select a delivery time (5:00- 8:30 am or 6pm-8pm, so no need to request time off work to collect your delivery), supply your details... and VOILA! Fresh meat delivered to your door!

I personally love the little cards you get in each bundle- handwritten to tell you the source of the meat and even the farm the animal lived.... it may put some of you off but whats wrong with knowing that your meat was once very much looked after and not from some random battery farm in deepest darkest Peru??

Needless to say the meat was DIVINE and I'm looking forward to placing my next order. This box was £26 and included steak sauce and steak rub as well as 4 burgers, 4 sausages, 2 rump steaks and 2 sirloins.... my tummy is rumbling as i type!
Red meat (regardless of bad press in recent days) is amazing for you and everyone should aim to have at least 2 portions a week in their diets- full of Iron, Zinc and is obviously rich in protein so its a winner for all... well except vegetarians... I don't think they would be too pleased!

Lots of Love

xxx TTN xxx

What I got for Christmas 2011...

Yes yes, I am aware that i have completely missed the time frame for bloggers showing off their Christmas presents but hey- 'better late than never'. So, Christmas time for me also means Birthday time aka double whammy of presents in 48 hours!

Here is my turn at showing off my favourite treats that i was lucky enough to receive during Christmas 2011...

Samsung Netbook