Brighton Rocks, Pancakes and Berts!!!

I spent a very nice and relaxing weekend in Brighton with Mr. C's sister and her lovely husband. After what were a few very busy days, it was nice to get away for a day or two and to just relax and catch up with them both. It is a very exciting time for them as they are moving to their lovely new house! Horray for them!

Brighton is a really lovely place to visit. Apart from the world famous Brighton Pier there is loads to do. Walk along the seafront prom and see all the little beach huts that are so well known. The Lanes are a cornucopia of fudge shops, boutiques, record stores and so much else that it is impossible to list it all. (I must plug the fab leather shop where I bought a Mulberry look-a-like bag for all of £30) If you go, you have to visit the Royal Pavilion, which is a building that is similar in look to the Taj Mahal. It is bang in the middle of the city (this is where Mr. C's sister got married last year!) The vibe in the city is very relaxed and it is the place that the London pretties spend their weekends. I can highly recommend it. Fly to Gatwick and the train will bring you to Brighton or Hove in about 30 mins. Check out http://www.visitbrighton.com/ for more information on things to do and places to stay.


I arrived late on Friday night after an awful flight (I hate flying anyway so any flight as far as I am concerned is awful) so it was an early night. I was only delighted on Saturday morning when breakfast was served to me, and consisted of freshly made pancakes with chocolate and strawberries! Can you credit it? Warm light pancakes, with a few squares of melted chocolate wrapped up and served with chopped strawberries and blackberries, and a large mug of strong, hot coffee. I am going to attempt the same for Mr C tonight, it being pancake Tuesday and all that! I will, hopefully, have perfectly formed pancakes to report on tomorrow....


The recipe that I have used to make my batter (which is resting in the fridge as we speak) is from Nigella's Feast book and calls for :

30g of melted unsalted butter,

150g plain flour,

1 large egg

325ml of milk.

Melt the butter and leave aside to cool.

In a large bowl, sieve the flour to get lots of air in it. Make a well in the middle and break the egg into the centre. Whisk it around until it starts to come together and slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously, to ensure that there are no lumps. You may find that a second person comes in very handy at this point to hold the bowl!!

Once the mixture is all combined, pour in the melted butter and whisk a little more. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge until ready to make. I made my batter yesterday for use today so here's hoping!

While I was in Brighton, Mr C's sister, who is as, if not more enthusiastic about baking and cooking than me, brought me to the wonder that is Berts Homestore. Situated on George Street in Hove, it is a little Aladins cave of all things kitsch, and very very useful for the home, especially the kitchen. Very large cookie cutters for 85p, Jam pot covers and preserving kits, floral bowls. I was like a deer in the headlights. Who could live without a magnetic measurement conversion chart that tells you the weight of fluid ounces??? Not me!

Check out http://www.bertshomestore.co.uk/ for more information and if you are like me, and can't resist a bargain, go the next time you are there! However, probably best not to only have hand luggage as it will be very hard to leave things behind!!!

Orls xxx