my week – Scandelights

Cinema, girl’s night and a sunny weekend!

Published on March 4, 2019March 4, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

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The week before last I went down to the New Forest for work on the Monday and as usual it was rainy and grey. Such a shame as it’s so beautiful there otherwise. In the evening I had leftover lasagne for dinner in front of True Detective. Perfect for a Monday night.

On the Tuesday I did some errands and met up with old colleagues for drinks and nibbles at our usual place in the evening.

Wednesday was burger and cinema night. Saw Vice which was so so good!

Thursday was a gorgeous day with blue skies and sunshine and I spent the day working in a café with the sun shining in from the window. Such a treat!

In the evening I met up with two girl friends for wine, nibbles and a takeaway. So lovely to catch up!

I cooked a lot at the weekend, and we saw both Roma (amazing film!) and the Oscars. And we enjoyed some sun of course!

Cooking, series and a lovely weekend!

Published on November 2, 2018November 2, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

Hello,

And sorry for the silence. I’ve spent most of this week in bed being poorly but am finally on the mend. And since I’m behind with my weekly “report” I thought it best to write it up straight away. So, here’s what I got up to last week…

I had a quiet week without too much socialising and I noticed how much more energy I had in the evenings when I just went home to cook (which I did every night) and watched a few episodes of a series or read my book, than when I’m out for dinner and drinks several times a week.

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Cooking wise it was quite simple meals, proper weekday grub, which was nice. I made a batch of tomato sauce on Monday for supper that same evening and the night after (love planning ahead like that!). Half of the tomato sauce was used for shakshuka (isn’t it just the best supper dish?!) with onions and carrots and topped with creme fraiche and feta. Similar recipe here.

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On Tuesday I spiced up the rest of the tomato sauce and used it to make enchiladas. Yum! Wednesday I cooked a new recipe but I want to photograph it again before I put it on the blog, so stay tuned.

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Thursday I had a sudden craving for dauphinoise potatoes and so made a small gratin and ate it with some roasted chicken from the freezer and steamed broccoli.

I continued to watch The Truth of the Harry Quebert Affair (not many episodes left now!) but also started watching Killing Eve on the BBC which is really good!

Friday night we went out for a pub supper before seeing First Man at the cinema. Great film – highly recommend it!

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On Saturday I met up with my foodie friend Anna and her daughter, visiting from Sweden, for some shopping and a lovely afternoon tea at Zetter Townhouse in Marylebone. In the evening I went for drinks before cooking a late pasta supper at home.

Sunday we had a lie-in and a nice cooked breakfast at home before going for a pub lunch and a walk by the river. It was freezing so afterwards we cosied up on the sofa watching Murder on the Orient Express (which wasn’t that great but had an amazing cast) followed by some more of The Handmaid’s Tale. For dinner I made this chicken gratin and for pudding we had vanilla ice cream, homemade raspberry coulis and crushed biscuits, for a bit of crunch.

Apart from the sudden cold weather it was a good week!

Birthday week!

Published on August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

My last week in London before going on holiday was also my birthday week (and my friend Gaby’s) so it was rather busy as I also needed to pack and finish off work at the same time.

I started celebrating my birthday already on the Monday with drinks at Bar Americain followed by dinner at an old favourite; Bocca di Lupo. It was really nice and great food as always and so a real treat!

On Tuesday I mainly packed for holiday but got most of it done which was great!

Wednesday was my actual birthday and after work a few colleagues took me out for drinks before I had dinner with the girls at another old favourite; Kurobuta Chelsea.

Thursday I did errands and finished packing and Friday night I celebrated Gaby’s birthday eating tapas and gelato in Soho. The perfect start to my holiday but I wouldn’t stay out late as my flight was at 7am the next morning. My two weeks in Sweden were wonderful and I will tell you all about it soon!

BBQ, theatre and a(nother) lovely weekend!

Published on July 23, 2018July 23, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

I’m enjoying my summer so much right now, and my holiday hasn’t even started yet. Must be a good sign for the next few weeks!

Monday I had a cheeky after work drink with a colleague, which was much needed. Not the drink in itself but catching up outside of the office.

Tuesday was less indulgent; instead I cooked a simple supper at home, did some chores and tidied up.

Wednesday a friend had us round for a barbecue which was lots of fun and really yummy! Loving all the summer evenings spent in friend’s gardens sipping rosé and chatting away.

On Thursday we first had burgers at Bleecker’s pop-up on the Southbank (love their burgers) before going to National Theatre to see Julie, a modern adaptation of Strindberg’s classic play. It was such a good play and Vanessa Kirby was AMAZING as Julie. Never have 1 hr 25 minutes gone by so fast!

The weekend started with an impromptu dinner at The Orange with friends on Friday night, followed by a lie-in the next morning.

After a late breakfast we walked around Battersea Park and had lunch in the beer garden at The Prince Albert.

Then we went for another stroll and had an ice cream before leaving the park.

In the evening I made some sharing food (caprese, parma parcels with figs and rocket, saucisson, cheese and bread) and we started two new TV series. First The Handmaid’s Tale which was brilliant but so hard to watch I couldn’t watch two episodes in a row, so instead we started on Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, which also was very good.

Yesterday I had another lie-in to make up for the late weeknights, and had a rather chilled out day. For supper I made a slow cooked pasta bolognese with garlic bread and afterwards we saw Incredibles 2 in the cinema!

Theatre, BBQ and sport

Published on July 17, 2018July 17, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

I must admit I feel slightly stressed that it’s already the middle of July. In less than two weeks I go home to Sweden for two weeks and I have quite a lot to do before then, but the main reason I’m stressed is that I don’t want this lovely summer to end! It’s been so lovely and I want it to continue forever.

I’m really looking forward to my weeks in Sweden but London is lovely too at the moment. Last week was busy but fun and one of the highlight was definitely the RAF fly-over on Tuesday to mark their hundred year anniversary. Wow!

In the evening I met up with the girls at Chick ‘n’ Sours for nachos (probably the best ever), fried chicken, cocktails and of course a proper catch-up. It was much needed and so lovely!

On Thursday I was invited to Shakespeare’s The Tempest at an outdoor theatre in Covent Garden. Always nice with some culture!

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And before the theatre we had a quick meal at cosy Polpo nearby. Love those meatballs!

Friday I had a (much needed) night in, with face masks, scented candles and a not great but fine rom-com.

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The weekend was all about sport, apart from the Saturday evening which was all about Tim (the birthday boy) and the barbecue him and Laura had arranged. We had Pimm’s and snacks in the garden, followed by a barbecue complete with burgers and two types of sausages and finished off with proper American s’mores. Yum! When it got dark we ventured inside for board games and champagne.

Sunday started with a lie-in (yes!) followed by a whole afternoon in a lovely beer garden watching both the Wimbledon final and the World Cup final.

It was nice and relaxing with a glass of rosé in hand. Afterwards we went for a little walk, then headed back for homemade club sandwiches and the last episode of Billions. Can’t wait for the next season to start!

Book Club, Street Party and a relaxing weekend

Published on June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

The summer weather seems to have disappeared, but that’s completely normal for midsummer, which is later this week.

Sadly I won’t be celebrating it, but I’m meeting up with friends so it will still be a nice day. There are of course midsummer celebrations in London, but celebrating with lots of people in Hyde Park doesn’t appeal to me.

Monday last week was a quiet one (that’s how I like my Monday’s – the shock of getting up early and going to the office is enough for me) and I made a yummy pasta with cream, sherry and last year’s girolles (picked by my auntie) from the freezer. So yummy and a perfect start to the week!

Tuesday we met up with the book club at Marie-Lou’s and she has prepared a feast as usual. It was lovely to meet up and discuss the book and catch up!

On Wednesday I went to the Motcomb Street Party which was lots of fun with entertainment, charity auction, food stalls and flowing prosecco. All the food stalls looked good but I decided on a brioche bun with roast beef and creamed horseradish. Really yummy!

The rest of the work week was quieter; on Friday I watched the Portugal-Spain game at home and just chilled out. Saturday I met up with Laura in Surbiton for a walk along the river, lovely lunch and a cheeky ice cream. So nice to catch up!

The remainder of the weekend was unplanned which was just lovely. I can’t remember the last time I could catch up on sleep like this, binge on TV series and just chill. Such a treat!

Ah, summer is here!

Published on June 12, 2018June 12, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

How is it June already?! I so want to hit the pause button (at least the days that are sunny!) so the summer can last even longer. Summer is without a doubt my favourite time of year. Finally I can be outside without being cold and wear dresses (without tights!) every day.

Last week was a bit uneventful on the social side (although much needed) so instead the weekend was a busy and fun one!

It was gorgeous weather on Friday and after work I could enjoy the setting sun while playing crazy golf and sipping on rosé. Once it got darker we headed indoors and had lots of steak and red wine for dinner.

Saturday started with my favourite past-time; a lie-in and scrambled eggs for breakfast, followed by quite a long walk in beautiful Richmond Park. We saw deer, swans, squirrels and the rather exotic parakeets that reside there.

But the best part was the view from King Henry’s Mound, and the ice cream we got nearby!

In the evening a friend invited us round for a BBQ and in typical British fashion we sat outside despite the light rain, which luckily didn’t last long. The menu was perfect burgers and sausages, salad and ice cold rosé followed by berries and ice cream.

Sunday was a day of chores and getting ready for the week ahead, and in the evening I finally started watching the third season of Broadchurch. SO good!

Taking it easy…

Published on May 2, 2018May 2, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

This week was very quiet by my standards, and it was much needed. The beginning of the week was quiet. I made sure to walk home from work enjoying all the flowers. I can’t believe the lilacs are flowering already, but it’s so pretty and the scent heavenly.

On Wednesday I tried a new-ish restaurant in Clapham and really enjoyed it, so a write-up is coming soon, but here is a little sneak peak.

It’s not often it happens on Friday a few of colleagues and I had drinks. Always lovely and as it starts early it means you get home early too. I was in bed by 10pm and it was perfect.

Saturday was lovely with a lie-in (so needed to sleep!) and some pampering before meeting up with Gaby for a dim sum lunch at Grand Imperial.

After lunch we met up with Rowena and then spent the afternoon at the Dominique Ansel Bakery escaping the rain and enjoying his delicious cakes!

Sunday was totally unplanned and I stayed in with the company of Netflix and a takeaway from Bleecker. So lovely and needed!

Summer in April!!

Published on April 24, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

The past week was just glorious with blue skies, 25+C degrees and SUNSHINE! It’s sadly over now but it was wonderful as long as it lasted.

On Tuesday it was my turn to host the book group and I thought a summery lemon pasta (I will post the recipe soon) would be appropriate. It went down a treat together with a simple leafy salad and wild garlic bread. Marie-Louise brought a bottle of lovely champagne as well, so it was a rather festive Tuesday!

The next day was sunny and hot, so after work I took the river boat down the Thames and had the first glass of rosé of the season, overlooking the river.

On Friday a group of us had a lovely girlie evening at Gordon’s Wine Bar (where Laura expertly managed to get us a table as soon as we arrived!) with rosé, cheese and lots of chatting. So lovely!

The rest of the weekend was fairly quiet with lie-ins, pizza and champagne on Saturday night and a lovely pub lunch in the sunshine on Sunday.

Spring and snow in the same week!?

Published on March 19, 2018March 20, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

Friday was such a wonderful day here in London; it was 14C and sunny and it felt like Spring really was here. Fast forward until the next day and it was -1C and snow. Most of the snow has melted again now and I really hope this is it. Spring, please come back!

Apart from the weather changes it was a lovely week. I had some time to myself to just relax and catch up on feel good series such as Grey’s Anatomy (don’t judge!), Madam Secretary and Elementary (yes, crime makes me feel good. Any questions on that?).

But I also had quality time with friends. On Tuesday I met up with my friend Laura at Flesh & Buns for sushi, fried squid, steamed buns with duck and wonderful doughnuts with black sugar caramel.

On Friday I had sushi again, at Sticks ‘n Sushi and an early night. Saturday started with a long lie-in and a blissfully quiet morning before I reorganised my whole wardrobe and tidied up at home. So nice to get it done and so needed!

Yesterday I met up with dear friends from Sweden in town. We had a lovely afternoon with lunch at Carluccio’s, a trip to the playground in the snow (!) and tea and cake to warm up afterwards.

So lovely to spend quality time with my friends in London. It’s always such a whirlwind trying to fit everybody in when I go home so this was a real treat!