Make it: Easy Easter Treats for Grown-ups with Thorntons

Easter and chocolate go hand in hand, but not all chocolatey treats need to be for the youngsters. When Thorntons got in touch recently and challenged us to create an Easter treat with one of their Chocolate eggs I imagined creating something that the grown-ups could enjoy. When this amazing White Chocolate Lemon Meringue egg arrived, I knew right away what I wanted to make as the centrepiece of my Easter celebrations. 

Two of my favourite desserts are Pavlova and Eton mess, so I decided to make a twist on those classics to include some chocolate lemony goodness! 

To make a White chocolate, Lemon and Raspberry Mess you will need: A Thorntons Lemon Meringue Easter egg, Meringue nests, Double cream, Raspberries, Lemon curd and to add an adult twist a little Gin (optional)

I started by.... breaking up the egg! I know, I know it will be worth it I promise. I kept the pretty centrepiece to use later and broke up the rest of the chocolate into small pieces. 

I also crushed up one large strawberry meringue, mine came in a pack of two, but if you want to use regular nests, two or three nests for the base would work. I settled the meringue over the base of my serving dish.   

Next whip up the double cream and spread it gently over the bed of meringue, mix a little Gin (if you are including it) with the lemon curd and layer that over the cream. Then add some fresh raspberries or strawberries if you prefer before sprinkling the white chocolate pieces over that layer.

Finish off by adding another layer of crushed meringue, you can add any left over cream, lemon curd and fruit as garnish to the top.

I also added some freeze dried strawberry sprinkles to make it look extra special, but you could sprinkle some extra chocolate over the top if you have some left over. How spectacular does it look as a dessert centrepiece for the Easter table. So simple to make, pretty to look at and super tasty. 

If you want to make a smaller version for a fun dessert why not layer up the same ingredients into a jar, everything looks good in a jar!

To add to your party treats why not mix up some zesty cocktails. I made a couple to compliment the sweetness of the meringue. Above you can see my version of a Tom Collins.
To make a TC Fizz mix-
50ml of Gin
25ml of lemon juice
25ml of agarve
top off with bitter lemon
garnish with ice and lemon.

And this is my version of a Moscow Mule, I am calling it a Lemon Meringue Mule!
Mix 25ml of vodka
25ml lemon juice
25ml of  honey, lemon and ginger cordail
50ml of raspberry lemonade
then top off with ginger beer
Garnish with ice, fresh raspberries and mint with a sprinkle of crushed meringue, just for fun!

These treats would also make great menu additions to a Mothers day lunch, which is this weekend if you're in the UK.  Or save them for Easter weekend at the end of the month. I don't know about you but I want a virgin Lemon Meringue Mule every Wednesday! Thanks to Thorntons for setting us the challenge and supplying the Easter egg for this post.

Sammy xxx


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Live it: Rock & Rose

Over the long weekend we got to enjoy some time with friends and family as most of you did I am sure.  One of the places we did this was at Rock & Rose over in Richmond.  We have been before but it is always nice to go back to a place you have really enjoyed and get to eat some lovely food once again.  This time was for a friends birthday and so we knew she would have organised her own dessert treats for us too - extra bonus.

We were seated in a little side room as there were a few of us and it was nice to be a little bit away from the main restaurant - as we can get pretty loud!  We had pre-ordered our food and so there was not any food order waits, which always makes my stomach very happy and made for a simpler life.

The food as always was lovely, I opted for the Chilli Salt Squid to start and Sammy had the Soup of the Day and we both opted for Piri Piri Chicken for main.  Then onto the treats for dessert that our friend Kelly had bought, most of which was handmade.  Cake, marshmallows, cookies, macaroons and fudge, we could just about waddle home afterwards!

We had a great afternoon, full of fun, laughter and cocktails and would definitely recommend Rock & Rose for a visit.  They do get booked up pretty quickly though, so I would also recommend booking in advance.  The staff were lovely and really attentive and so we had all that we needed for a great afternoon.

It's making me hungry all over again!

H

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Foodie July in Instagrams

It has been one fun packed and busy July for both of us, but I will leave what Sammy has been up to, to her.

It has been a blur of hen parties and fun filled days which is always great for the summer months and I got to tick off one of my summer wishlist too, with a visit to the RA Summer show yesterday.

Wherever I have been this month though, I have had lots of food and a few drinks too.  From fish and chips on Brighton pier, cocktails in a teacup and Lemonade in a jar, to seeing a massive Magnum at Summer Streets on Regent Street, London - I can only dream it was a real massive Ice cream.

I think I might need to go for a few extra swims in August!

H

Dreaming of my very own... Bar-cart

I can only dream of one day having a house that would be home to a bar cart.  In our kitchen/dining room we have a large central breakfast bar which houses our alcohol collection so I can't really warrant a bar cart, but oh I can dream... I have created a Pinterest board dedicated to my love of these retro beauties.  ( All the photo links can be found there) One day I will have my bar-cart dreams fore-filled! 

I am no longer a big drinker, in fact over the last few years, I can count on one hand how many times I have had an alcoholic drink. But I do love the odd cocktail and I love making cocktails for my friends, even non-alcoholic ones are so much fun to create. 

Do you have a bar-cart? Fancy having your own? What would you stock it with?? 

Have a lovely weekend.

Sammy xxx