NYE with Whittard: G and Tea

Hello! A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive some teas from Whittard, after they saw my Chilly Wishlist post. As soon as they arrived, I knew that I wanted to do something a little bit special with them for the Christmas season. As you may have guessed by the title, this involved adding some booze!

If you still aren't quite sure what you're drinking this New Year's Eve, how about my G and Tea cocktail?

You will need:

Apple and Elderflower Caffeine Free Fruit Infusion*

Gin (I used Heston's Earl Grey and Lemon Gin)

Elderflower Cordial (such as Bottlegreen)

Teapot for loose tea

Spirit Measure 

Slice of lemon

Cute teacups are optional (but adorable!)

1. First, brew your tea. It doesn't matter if you don't have a fancy loose tea teapot like I do, just use a normal pot and a tea strainer. Use a generous scoop per cup and leave to brew for as long as possible until cool. If needed, place the teapot in the fridge or freezer to ensure that the liquid is nice and cold. 

2. Add two shots of gin to a teacup, using your spirit measure (or, hey, just do it by eye, I'm not judging you!) Heston's Earl Grey and Lemon Gin from Waitrose is by far the smoothest and tastiest gin I have ever tried and really adds to the tea theme.

3. Add a splash of Elderflower Cordial, such as Bottlegreen, to add some more gorgeously sweet elderflower flavour.

4. Top up with your cooled Whittard Apple and Elderflower tea. I love this tea - it's smells delicious and tastes just as good. The combination is perfectly balanced and leaves you feeling refreshed and invigorated, thanks to the crisp apple and tangy elderflower. 

5. Add a slice of lemon and enjoy! To add some glamour to your New Year's Eve cocktail, why not add some Champagne for a little extra fizz? Or how about some apple or elderflower flavoured liquor for an extra kick?

What will you be drinking this New Year's Eve? Let me know if you give this cocktail a try, and if you personalise it in any way! Remeber to follow me via Bloglovin so you can keep an eye out for two more tea-themed cocktails coming your way soon.

<3

xx

DIY Christmas Wreath

It's getting rather Christmassy in our household, so today I wanted to share with you one of my yearly traditions - decorating our Christmas wreath:

You will need:

Christmas wreath base

Fir tree branches

Dried orange slices

Red berries

Ribbon
Large ribbon for bow

Scissors

I made the base of the wreath many years ago at a workshop in Wicken Fen, a local National Trust site. Using local willow and reeds, the wreath is both natural and sustainable and provides the base for my decorations. However, if you don't already have something similar, Martha Stewart explains how to make a Christmas wreath using wire as a base instead.

Once your base is ready, we can start the fun part - decorating. This year I decided to use a selection of fir branches from our Christmas tree, rosehip and other red berries, and dried fruit. To dry the fruit, I sliced some oranges and placed them on a wire rack. I then slowly dried them out in a preheated oven at just 80C for about two hours. I kept some of our fir branches left over from trimming our Christmas tree and collected my red berries whilst walking the dog.

First, I began to bulk up the wreath with my fir branches. I threaded the branches under my plaited reeds, which ensured they were kept secure. You could also use wire to keep the branches in place.

Then I began to add some colour with the berries and orange slices. I started with the orange slices by punching holes in each slice and threading it with gold ribbon, which I then tied onto the wreath. To finish off the ribbon, I curled the ends with the blade of the scissors.

I then added my red berries to the wreath by threading the twigs underneath the reeds and into the willow. I arranged them into bunches sporadically around the wreath to add some Christmassy red colour. Finally, I tied a bow on the top of the wreath, added some ribbon to use to hang on the front door and it was finished!

What do you think of my DIY Christmas wreath? Do you make your own or just buy one? I'd love to see your versions!

<3

xx

Access All Asos: Social Media School and Asos HQ

Last weekend, I was over the moon to be invited to Asos HQ in London for 'Social Media School.' As part of Asos' Academy School series, I caught the train from York to Camden for a lecture on social media by Sedge Beswick, followed by a tour of Asos HQ:

Of course, we were greeted by some yummy treats - I particularly enjoyed the social media themed cupcakes - then ushered into the 'classroom' for our talk. However, this wasn't your usual university lecture; we were given 'Social Media Bingo' cards to cross off topics once they were mentioned and ensure we paid attention - a great tip for all teachers out there, as I intensely focused on my card and was ecstatic when I won some Anna Sui Minnie Mouse Hand Cream.

We learnt some fascinating facts about the world of social media and its importance to brands. For example, if Facebook were a country it would be the third largest in the world and over 350 million Snapchats are sent per day - that's a lot of power to be harnessed! Asos of course are great at social media, especially with Twitter where you will be responded to almost instantly whether your comment is positive or negative. As a customer, this means I am far more likely to buy from them as opposed to brands which aren't so responsive, and Asos really understand this.

We were then treated to a tour of Asos HQ. It was a dream come true to trawl through all the offices and studios, and we even got to meet some models and photographers shooting for the 'New In' section. How amazing would it be to work here every day?

Access All Asos applications are now open for 2014, so if you'd like to get behind the scenes at Asos, fill in their application form. You get all the insider gossip from the brand - for example, Asos are launching Asos Helpouts on Monday 16th Dec. You can book a slot via Google Helpouts to chat with a stylist and resolve all your styling, make-up or Christmas gift dilemmas. Yet another example of Asos putting the customer first, and as an Asos Insider, I'm the first to know about it!

You don't have to be a blogger, just an Asos addict like me, so why not apply today and join me?

<3

xx