One of Frost’s favourite things this week was being told about this site, that lets you know what dress size you are, by our writer Alexa Brown. It is a great site where you just move the tab around and it tells you what dress size you are in all of the different stores. From Top Shop to Jigsaw. Have fun!
You can also follow the creator on Twitter
I have always been a huge fan of Pizza Express. Ever since I was a small child I have admired the skill of the chefs as they created their pizzas and I confess I have always wanted to try making one.
You can therefore imagine my excitement when Frost was invited to a demonstration event of Pizza Expresses new Leggera range. Frequent Pizza Express visitors will already be familiar with the Leggera pizzas. A Leggera pizza has the same quantity of toppings as a normal pizza but cuts out a lot of the dough from the centre and replaces it with a scrumptious salad. The result is, a much healthier pizza, more delicious and guilt free pizza with under 500 calories. Following its initial success Pizza Express has now expanded its Leggera range to include five more pizzas.
We arrived at the Pizza Express in Islington to a very warm welcome. After a few drinks we were treated to a demonstration on how to make a Leggera by the extremely skilful and very friendly Leo. The pizza Leo made was the Padana (Tomato Sauce, Spinach, Onions, Goats Cheese, Garlic Oil, Oregano and Black Pepper).
The finished pizza is a work of art
Next it’s our turn. We get to choose which Pizza we want to make from one of the new Leggera options.
Pomodoro Pesto – Light mozzerella and marinated santos tomatoes with fresh basil, pesto and garlic oil
Padana – Spinach, goats cheese and caramelised onions
Pollo Ad Astra – Chicken, sweet peppadew peppers, cajun spices, red onions and garlic oil
American/American Hot – Pepperoni, Mozzarella and Fresh Tomato
Gustosa – Prosciutto cotto ham, light mozzarella and Portobello mushrooms with red peppers
We both go for the Pollo Ad Astra. This is already one of my favourite pizzas and now I have the chance to try it as a Leggera. We arrive at our table greeted by Luigi a friendly young Italian chef who is there to watch over us. First we have to cut and roll the dough into a pizza base. This is much harder than you might imagine. Sure enough, rather than a perfect circle, my base sticks out horribly on one side. Luigi politely offers suggestions. I ask him how long it takes for him to make one and he says the whole pizza is usually finished in five minutes!
With my base roughly the right shape, I’m told to take my dough and fling it between my hands to remove excess flour. Despite our mistakes the whole process is the most fun I’ve had in ages.
15 minutes later our dough is in the pizza tins. We use a cutter to remove a large amount of dough from the centre of our pizzas and it’s on to the ingredients. I greedily add extra bits of everything, particularly the garlic oil which I love. Our pizzas are then whisked off to the oven where it only takes four minutes to cook them. Some rocket, beautiful ricotta salata cheese and balsamic dressing and our pizza is finished.
And wow it tasted amazing. There is something about Pizza Express pizzas (and I’m sure it’s the quality of ingredients) which has always put them far ahead of their rivals. Other pizzas never come close in taste.
My Pollo Ad Astra is delicious. The base is beautifully thin and crispy and provides the perfect platform for the wonderful combination of the succulent chicken mozzarella, tomato sauce, sweet peppers and red onions. The cajun spice gives the dish a delicious extra kick. The addition of the Leggera element provides a wonderful contrast. The rocket and dressing gives the dish a better balance. All in all the PERFECT PIZZA!
As we happily tuck in we are joined by the wonderful Juliet who is a nutritionist. She tells us all the pizzas have under 500 calories despite having the same amount of ingredients as the classic pizzas. This is because of less dough and a scrumptious new lower fat mozzarella they are now using. She also introduces us to the delightful Leggera wines. All with lower calories and slightly less alcohol content. The red being 9.5% and the white 9%. They are delicious and we have soon finished our glasses.
The whole evening was a wonderful experience. It was incredibly well organised and everyone was extremely warm and friendly as I have always found Pizza Express to be.
This is a great British company with real authentic Italian cooking. It offers great value for money. Pizza Express never feels like a chain. Why settle for a shoddy alternative with poor quality ingredients.
Five spiced double cooked quail with poached pears meyer lemon relish
Quail
Bone quails whole marinate in Chinese five spice for 24 hours.
Steam quails for 3 minutes and blast chill
Meyer lemon relish
6 each meyer lemons
2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cooking apple
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 onions
safron pinch
1 tbsp horseraddish
2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp sea salt
2 cup castor sugar
Zest lemons and reserve juice lemons, then place zest juice water and
Vinegar in a non metallic bowl for 24 hours.
Mince all ingredients in robo coup and place on simmer reduce to chutney
Like consistency
Poached Pears
5OO ML of red wine pinot noir is good
1 stick of cinnamom
1 star anise
3 white pepper corns
125 grams of sugar
3 coriander seeds
1 clove
Method
Place all ingredients in pot and simmer allowing all flavours to infuse then add 2 -3 pears peeled leave core in poach slowly do not boil you want a firm texture not soggy.
Dish Presentation
Place quail into hot fryer and fry till skin is golden takes about 2-3 minutes take out and finish in oven for about 4 minutes
Take pears out of poaching liquid and slice into equal segements the lay 1 piece of crispy prosciutto then place crispy quail on top
Then add a small t-spoon of relish on top of quail
Salad garnish
Pick some fresh mint chervil and dill toss in olive oil and a little lemon juice.
The recipe has come from David Spanner, Executive Chef at Livebait Manchester.
Livebait seafood and fresh fish restaurant is housed in a stunning Grade 2 listed building which is tucked away on the edge of Albert Square right in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. The restaurant dedicates its menu mainly to fish and seafood dishes and executive chef, David Spanner is intent on showcasing the true beauty and simplicity of fresh fish. The restaurant boasts an excellent wine and champagne list fit to accompany any seafood feast.
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Master Stock for braised pork belly cucumber pickle seared scallops
5 ltr White chicken stock
500 ml Kecap manis dark soy
400 ml Japanese light soy
200 ml Shaoxing rice wine
80 gm Rock sugar
3 Star anise
3 Cassia bark
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
2 Green Cardamon pods
4 Oranges peel no pith
4 Birds eye chilli whole
2 knobs Ginger peeled
3 knobs Galangal
2 tsp Fennel seeds
Mix all ingredients together and bring to boil/simmer to infuse flavours.
Adjust seasoning. Use 5-6 times for poaching pork bellies.
Wash belly well and pat dry.
Line a tray with baking paper and cover with rock salt
Lay on a bed of rock salt and cover well with more rock salt.
Leave overnight.
Wash belly well to remove salt.
Bring master stock to the boil.
Line a deep tray with baking paper, place the belly in the tray
cover with baking paper and the stock, seal with foil.
Braise for 2- 3 hrs @ 230- 260 F till just tender.
Sweet and Sour Cucumber
Cucumber pickle
20 Continental cucumbers
1 ltr Peanut oil
2 ltr Rice wine vinegar
2 ltr Water
2 kg Sugar
60 cloves Garlic finely sliced across
10 Lombok chilli julienne
30 Birds eye sliced across
15 tbsp Grated ginger
5 tsp Nigela seeds
Peel ,slice cucumbers, no seeds, blanch and refresh. drain well.
Bring to the boil the water sugar oil and vinegar, allow to fully cool.
Combine all ingredients.
Place on a paper lined tray and cover with more paper and press.
Dipping Sauce
1 liter of distilled white vinegar
1 liter of water
1 kilo of sugar
2 lemon grass crushed
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 tomatoes
2 star anise
2 chillies
Coriander stalks
Place 2 lightly seasoned hand dived scallops from Scotland on char grill and cook to just medium, place pork belly with sweet chilli dipping sauce under grill until lightly caramelized then place I piece of belly with cucumber pickle and then add scallop drizzle with sweet chilli reduction. Slowly reduce for 3 – 4 hours till syrup consistency
Place fresh mint leaves and coriander leafs through the pickle cucumber salad garnish with fried crispy shallots.
The recipe has come from David Spanner, Executive Chef at Livebait Manchester.
Livebait seafood and fresh fish restaurant is housed in a stunning Grade 2 listed building which is tucked away on the edge of Albert Square right in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. The restaurant dedicates its menu mainly to fish and seafood dishes and executive chef, David Spanner is intent on showcasing the true beauty and simplicity of fresh fish. The restaurant boasts an excellent wine and champagne list fit to accompany any seafood feast.
Tonight, staff at St Giles’ Trust are celebrating after Royal endorsement from His Royal Highness Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. He has agreed to become Patron of St Giles Trust for 2012 – the very year they will celebrating their 50th Anniversary.
The Duke’s Patronage highlights his interest in affording people of all ages and stages of their lives – and especially those who feel disengaged or excluded from society – the opportunity to develop a sense of purpose and realise their true potential.
Rob Owen, CEO of St Giles Trust, said:
“We are honoured and delighted that the Duke of Cambridge will be our patron for our important 50th anniversary year. By supporting us, he is leading by example in helping some of the most excluded, disadvantaged people in society who really need support. We are very much looking forward to working with Prince William over the coming year.”
This will be the third generation of Royal endorsement St Giles Trust has enjoyed, with previous support from the Queen Mother who opened the original day centre in 1963 and HRH Prince Charles when he opened their premises in Camberwell in 1995.
St Giles Trust started out as a soup kitchen in the crypt of the still standing and used nearby church St Giles Church. St Giles Trust’s work has continually evolved to meet the needs of society’s most vulnerable. Their valued work includes work with the homeless, illiterate, innumerate, gang and community work and supporting people back into work.
As many as one in five of their staff are ex-offenders or ex-service users and they remain an organisation supporting people who have fallen through the gaps in the state’s safety net.
The Prince previously visited the charity in March 2009 when he met clients and staff at the charity’s head office in Camberwell, South London.
The average women spends £130 a year on makeup and Debenhams says 68% of women only replace makeup when it has ran out. But should we really be putting this stuff on our face? Especially when it’s probably years old. Women put 515 different chemicals on their face A DAY.
I never took the expiration dates on makeup very seriously until I read an article in Elle where the writer sent her makeup to a lab to be tested. The results were not pretty, and that bacteria and candida(!) affects your skin. If you want good skin, don’t wear makeup.
Luckily EU guidelines require make up has the expiry date displayed on the label. The little jar on the back of your makeup with the number and ‘M’ next to it is it’s expiration date in months.
A general guide to makeup expiration dates are:
Mascara: six months. (though remember that if you are pumping the wand in and out you will be letting air in and it will let bacteria in. Be very careful with things that go near your eye)
Pencils: 18 months (though I have an eyeliner that has an expiration of 3 years on the back)
Power based make up: 2 years. Though this can be less if you are using your fingers.
Foundation: 3-6 months.
Lipstick: one year
Concealer: 6 months
Don’t ever share cosmetics and make sure the lid is on good and tight. Also store it in a cool, dry place and away from sunlight.
I have always wanted to be one of those women who wear matching underwear everyday, and are always effortlessly stylish. That is not me however, and I have decided being myself is much better. However, I am so busy that I have become obsessed with being organised and keeping everything in it’s place. I started with my wardrobe, and this is what I learned.
Take all of your clothes out of your wardrobe and try everything on. It can be quite overwhelming bringing everything out at once, so you can do half at once, or maybe just a drawer. Everything that doesn’t fit, put in one pile. Be realistic about this pile. Are you going to lose weight? Then put everything else into three other piles.
Keep
Unsure
Charity shop/Ebay/Recycle.
Get ride of stuff that doesn’t suit you, in poor condition and hasn’t been worn in 12 months.
Another good thing to do is have a one in and one out policy. Everything you buy something new, get ride of something old. Keep only a few old clothes for decorating or housework.
Things that need dry cleaning should only be in your wardrobe if you really love them or have money.
Put things that need alterations or mending. As well as shoes that need re-soled.
Everything in the keep pile should be put back in the wardrobe. Arrange the clothes by type, then colour. Everything in the get ride pile should then be put in another three piles (!) sell, give away, and recycle. Sell anything you think you can on Ebay or to a designer outlet, give away the stuff that you are not selling to charity (get gift aid so you can claim it against your tax.) All of the other stuff can be recycled, don’t just throw it away. There are charities that can recycle your old clothes.
Your maybe pile will probably make you indecisive. Ask a friend or a partner for their opinion, put all of the clothes in a bag and hide them away, if you don’t miss it after a few months then throw them out.
Get ride of things that don’t enhance your life.
Sales of sewing machines are up by 50%.
Organise your wardrobe. Buy some Vacuum sacks [£11.78 , lakeland.co.uk] to keep out of season clothes in and get some cedar or Lavender balls to repel moths.
Storage boxes are great and can be bought cheaply. These ones are cheap and can be stacked on top of each other
Sewing kit. Learn how to sew. Take a class in dressmaking.
No wire hangers. They ruin clothes
Keep bags and accessories accessible. Stuff bags and shoes and keep them in their original packaging. Keep bags in the dust covers that they come with.
If you can afford a Hand-held steamer, get one. They are a great investment.
Fold knitwear, once horizontally and then put arms across the body for fewer creases. It will stretch if hung.
Dry-clean only clothes should be removed from packaging as soon as possible, as the chemicals can cause damage.
Get shoes resoled regularly. Buy the most expensive shoes you can afford and then look after them. Buy a shoe tree to keep them in tip-top condition. Wood Shoe Tree
Riding boats never go out of style.
Hang everything in the same direction.
Store clothes with acid-free tissue paper, to keep out moisture and damp.
If your leather shoes are too tight, heat them with a hairdryer and wear them with a thick pair of socks.
Some items of clothing that never go out of fashion.
A pencil skirt
Trench coat.
Plain court shoes
White Shirt
Good quality jeans.
Silk blouse
Pale, fuss-free underwear.
Sharp Blazer
Black Trousers
Little Black dresses.
Hang trousers upside down from clip hangers to avoid creases.
Got any tips of your own?
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