I always think it rather sad that St George’s Day isn’t celebrated in England like St Patrick’s Day is in Ireland. With everything from national sausage day to national kissing day on the calendar it seems ironic that we don’t attach more importance to St George’s Day... surely it should be a bank holiday?!

As an old Georgian (Pashminas and Pearls went to school at St George’s Ascot) and someone that loves any excuse for a party, I thought St George’s Day was a prime opportunity to get some friends together and celebrate all that is English. With that in mind, I put my thinking cap on to come up with a truly ‘English’ spread.

Immediately all the clichés came to mind – roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, jam roly poly and scones with Cornish clotted cream and jam. But, in P&P’s truly individual way, I decided to go slightly off piste. When one thinks of English cheese, one tends to think of English cheddars and stiltons… And then one’s mind wanders to the creamy French bries and tangy but delicious Italian dolcelatte.

But on my hunt to be individual I discovered that English cheese doesn’t have to be so predictable – in fact it seems there’s a far more interesting world of English cheese out there for fellow cheese lovers like me!

The Cheese Works came up with the perfect solution. They’ve created a St George Hamper for celebrations on 23rd April! The hamper includes traditional Godminster Cheddar, St Eadburgha – that has a deep and rich creaminess and Ragstone, a goats cheese with a lemony tang. Not only does it include all you’d desire for a dinner finished off with cheese but it also includes delicious rosemary crackers and Old Spot Ale Chutney.

And, to put the icing on the cake, they also include a bottle of Three Choirs Special Cuvee (English ‘Champagne’ so to speak!) which in my book beats any French fizz hands down!
A date for your diary, St George’s Day this 23rd April - the perfect reason to enjoy all that is English!

Nesting...

Rather than waste my time off work, I decided to take advantage of my empty days and really concentrate on sorting out my little flat. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a terrible habit of putting things off and sadly putting some finishing touches to my flat has taken the brunt of it! While spring cleaning and the odd bit of DIY (or supervising Green Fingers’ DIY!!!) it occurred to me that we had ignored the spare room and it had become more of a dumping ground than the pretty spare room I had first imagined. The bleak white walls were shouting out for some colour so my first job was to find some paintings or prints to put up.

Rather than trawling art galleries throughout London and taking up all my free time in one go, I decided to have a look on the web instead, at least to find some inspiration. As usual I struck gold and found just what I’d been looking for from the comfort of my sitting room! Graham and Green are a fabulous shop with an equally fabulous on-line shop.

You can find furniture, tableware, pictures and even clothes on it, and the website looks brilliant and is so easy to use. I found the perfect set of pictures to make my spare room look more like the ‘guest room’ Pashminas and Pearls should have! The mirrored frames are much more exciting than just a plain wooden frame and the camellia prints are a little more traditional but really brighten up the room. I also love their 50’s style mirrored furniture, particularly the dressing table/desk.

One job down…if only they were all as much fun doing as picture shopping’s been!

Chocolate Delights...

It seems like an age ago that Lent started…probably seems even longer for if like Pashminas and Pearls you gave up chocolate for Lent. Forty days and forty nights have never felt so eternal and torturous! Thank goodness Easter is almost upon us now and I can go back to my favourite indulgence once again. Going out for dinner hasn’t been quite the same without at least the option of having an indulgent chocolate pudding or at least an After Eight with one’s cappuccino!

Easter is always a family affair for P & P, and for the first time Green Fingers is being subjected to Easter ‘en famille’! With that in mind (and P & P being unable to resist…) I decide to go to Rococo’s on-line shop for Easter chocolate this year. Usually I’m terrible at leaving it until the last minute but having seen the beautiful creations in the window of their King’s Road shop, I thought I’d browse and decide from the comfort of my sofa at home and take advantage of their home delivery. They did not disappoint…

Rococo is heaven to any chocolate lover. Whether your favourite is milk, dark or white, there is something for everyone and the choice is fantastic. There are delicious looking hollow chocolate eggs which would suit everyone, filled with a variety of chocolate and yummy truffles, which come in different sizes too. There is also a version for the younger family members with hollow eggs filled with mini eggs and chocolate animals. For the more sophisticated chocolate eater (and a firm favourite of P & P’s – take note Green Fingers!!), is the Crate of Praline Quails Eggs – such a clever idea, and a mouthful of heaven! The beautiful detail Rococo goes to is impeccable and I spent hours looking at their beautiful creations (albeit with my mouth watering constantly).

Last orders are on Sunday 16th March so don’t leave it too last minute.Hopefully when the package arrives on my doorstep I’ll be able to resist the temptation of a taking a pre-Easter taste!

A Worthwhile Investment...

Having properly settled into my little flat again and feeling thoroughly decadent, I decided to invest in a new set of bed linen to complete my newly decorated abode.

The feeling of curling up on high quality linen is really rather wonderful so rather than going to the Peter Jones linen department (Sloane Square has always had a magnetic effect on P&P!) and not quite being able to stretch to Frette (no pressure Green Fingers), I decided to hit the Cologne and Cotton web store.

Cologne and Cotton did not disappoint my desire. Their beautiful range of colours and patterns are divine; I felt like a school girl in a candy shop! So much so that before I knew it, two sets of bed linen had found their way into my shopping trolley.

I simply love the Waterford collection – 240 thread count cotton percale (for those that don’t know too much about cotton – that’s pretty impressive) and I also slipped in the Spoke set which is 100% linen and fantastically luxurious. I went for the plain white Spoke because it looks so crisp and fresh but their pastels work equally well for those who like a touch of colour. Never before have I wanted to be in bed so much!

For somewhere you spend your all important resting time, it’s more than worth an extra pound or two in indulgence!

All at once...

Poor Green Fingers has a tough time in December and January – not only does he have my birthday and Christmas to find amazing presents for (despite only being four days apart they aren't to be joined into one under any circumstances!!!), he also has the pressure to remember our anniversary in January too! I didn’t need to worry though as he pulled out the stops for all three, which I think is pretty impressive given all three fall in as many weeks!

One always worries a little about that first present given by your other half…thoughts fly through our minds such as, this will show how well he knows me, does he have any taste and how will he react if I want to change it! The all encompassing phrase ‘how lovely!’ is usually all one can manage. A past boyfriend once gave me a leather hand bag (sounds perfect up to that point) with skiers painted on…stemming from my love of skiing, obviously, and handbags. However much thought has gone into it, some must learn that not all loves should be joined together! Needless to say the bag was ‘forgotten’ when leaving for the next skiing holiday, and instead found a home at the back of my wardrobe.

I think one of the best things about special occasions is that it provides the perfect excuse to go to one of your favourite restaurants that you just can’t really justify going to more frequently – at least that’s what my bank manager and GF tell me anyway!

So for our anniversary we ended up at one of my favourites…La Poule au Pot in Pimlico. It has simply got to be one of the best French restaurants in London. Not only is the food exquisite, the atmosphere is so romantic, with low lighting, dripping candles, French waiters (some with French temperament too…all adds to the effect), and delicious wine. Not only did we leave feeling very full (a slight relief that the crème brulee didn’t arrive) and a little tipsy after the slightly unnecessary (but very much appreciated) second bottle of red wine! You can't go wrong for a truly romantic evening out. Boys take note!

Valentine Hints...

It’s getting to that time of year when us girls start to wonder whether, and hope that, our desks will soon be adorned with beautiful flowers and our doormats covered with pink and red envelopes...

Yes, Valentine’s Day is almost upon us once again and only a couple of weeks of ground work time remain within which to give other halves encouragement and hints in every right direction.

Green Fingers seems to have been well trained by she that went before as I’ve never had to go over the top on hint front – beautiful roses turning up last Valentine’s Day (albeit at 5pm - kept me sweating a little bit!) and stunning lilies on our anniversary.

To make every girl’s wish come true this Valentine’s Day, men should have ready at their fingertips, the link to Moyses Stevens – home to some of the most beautiful flowers available to order online.

With Prince Charles’s Royal Warrant (and P&P’s for that matter) Moyses Stevens ticks all the boxes and more – from beautiful bouquets to the surprise of a gift box full of red roses and they take as much care in their packaging as they do in choosing and arranging the flowers.

Their website is lovely too and the photography fabulous; nothing worse than a blurry pic and the embarrassment of a bunch that resembles something from the local petrol station turning up – P&P would never live it down!

And the big bonus of ordering online for the chaps is that their colleagues at work needn’t hear them placing their order – not mention having to dictate the gushing note out loud! That’s worth its weight in gold I say!

Sales Heaven...

Pashminas and Pearls doesn’t do the sales well so when one of my favourite clothes shops went online, I realised that sale shopping couldn’t get any easier than sitting at my desk and browsing through the rails.

Far rather that than having to make a special trip with the masses on a Saturday morning - not to mention the slight headache from a Friday dinner party the night before (Pashminas and Pearls enjoys a glass of sauvingnon blanc or two)!

The Whistles website is fabulous and it’s as good as going to one of their shops – perhaps even better – they’ve tried all their clothes on mannequins so you don’t have to!

I adore their clothes – from simple knits with individual details to gorgeous girlie dresses and skirts for the more dressy occasions. They also do the best t-shirts to wear under knits or for a lazy Saturday or Sunday inside.

Their current sale is fantastic value for money. It’s not just the usual leftovers which sales so often are. They have a good range of dresses, coats, skirts, knitwear, t-shirts – all gorgeous pieces from the Autumn / Winter collection and definitely pieces I had wanted to buy had my bank balance not said no!

With the rain tipping down outside I just couldn’t resist this timeless (P&P doesn’t do die hard fashion) Swing Coat reduced from £220 to £110 saving me over £100 – the perfect amount to put towards a new pashmina!

Yes, we all deserve a pick me up in January.