After a Comforter? Try chocolate and Pure imagination

When the weather takes a turn for the chilly, where do you find your Comfort? A hot bath? A family size bar of Dairy Milk? Cwtching under a blanket with a loved one? 

I've always been a fan of the cwtch (or cuddle) - especially if it occurs under a cosy blanket, with amaretto spiked hot chocolate following a hot bath. I'm just greedy, but you knew that already! A couple of weeks back, the Lush Spa on Kings Road invited me to the launch of their new treatment The Comforter? (their question mark) I was surprised initially, but as it contains a serious amount of chocolate felt that it fitted right in here on the blog.

The temperatures outside took a dip as we were greeted by the lovely team, offered cocktails and sweeties aplenty while we were introduced to the treatment. The Comforter? is a hot chocolate scrub based treatment - the scrub is a cocoa based and adzuki bean bar that is melted over gentle heat and then massaged into the skin. Once washed off with warm flannels, a rose massage bar is then applied. It's blissful, I was lucky enough to have a trial on my arm with the lovely Chiara, and then my raffle ticket was pulled out of the basket so I also had the backs of my legs done. As the treatment is warm it really is gorgeous in this chilly weather, and I can only imagine how relaxing the full thing would be. 

The chocolate scrub isn't a sickly scent - it's nothing like being rubbed down with a bar of Cadbury's finest, it's a far more perfumery take on cocoa, with a background note from tangerine oil and a slight bitterness from the tamarind. The rose massage bar is straight up rose and shea butter gorgeousness, and given the opportunity I would smother myself in it. The two products combined mean you leave rose scented and touchably soft (this M can attest to) 

It wouldn't do the chocolatey, rosey goodness justice if I were to ignore the music. You know how much music means to me - as reflected here on the blog on all too many occaisions - well this treatment is set to music, but not just any music, the music of childhood - Pure Imagination, Hushabye Mountain... the list goes on, evoking memories of my childhood and rainy Bank Holidays spent watching musicals. 

So as much as I love my amaretto spiked hot chocolate that I will be curling up with before bed tonight, I have to say if you have the time try the Lush take on rose creams and try The Comforter?

Interesting note: the tamarind from the hot chocolate scrub is the secret ingredient in Lifechanging soup. True story. 

All photo credits to Julie Falzon whose pictures were far, far better than my own.

I was invited to the Kings Road Spa launch of the Comforter, but have not received any payment for this post and all opinions are my own. 

Baby it's cold outside: Butternut Squash, chicken and barley casserole

It's snowed. Hurrah. I am over the prettiness in record time this year (without nary a snowball fight nor even a snoman) owing to this stupid *insert swearing here* migraine which is now on its sixth week of hanging around. However, the fact that I would miserably cocoon myself in my duvet and hibernate until spring arrives doesn't help M, who needs to eat. As I *suppose* do I. This means that I got up on my steps (yes, I'm that short) and got the slow cooker out of the top of the cupboard. Casserole it is.

I like casserole done in the slow cooker for lots of reasons. You can chuck stuff in, first thing in the morning and when you get home, shazam! Dinner is ready. Pretty much infallible, you can chuck most inseason ingredients in the dish, add some stock and then there you are, casserole. Increase your veggies, to make it healthier, to up the comfort factor add some philly cheese, double cream, or even Greek yoghurt towards the end of cooking.

This is a favourite recipe of mine, based on a long lost recipe card from a supermarket. In fact I have to tell you that I have no idea if it resembles the original any longer. There is plenty you could do differently, and if you don't have a slow cooker it transfers beautifully to a hob on a low heat or an oven. If I wanted to be fancy (as in serve it up to anyone other than myself and M) I'd flour and brown the chicken off in a frying pan first. I always serve this with greens, steamed lightly. This recipe easily serves 6 and it freezes beautifully.

Pantry casserole

350g chicken thigh fillets, chopped into bite size pieces and either, floured and browned off in a pan, or thrown, sleepily into the slow cooker
1 Butternut squash, peeled and diced (although that said, as my wrist - yes, still broken - wouldn't let me get a knife through it I chopped it up into siz pieces and put those through the food processor)
4 big leeks, sliced into pound coin thicknesses
750ml(ish) chicken stock - either from a leftover roast, or a stock cube. Just watch your salt if it's a cube
Half a mug (about 100g) of barley
150g boursin garlic and herb soft cheese
Salt and pepper

Prep your veggies, and chicken and put these in the slow cooker.
Cover with the stock
Add the barley and season with salt and pepper
Cook on high for about 4 hours, then add the cheese, and stir in, and cook for another 2 hours on low

This results in soft, yielding meat, sweet vegetables and a slightly creamy gravy. The perfect dinner for when it's cold outside *belts*