Hache Burger Connoisseurs

Had a girls night out in Chelsea and loved loved loved Hache - a restaurant just near Sophie's Steakhouse on Fulham Road. So quirky and cute decor - huge burgers and a good wine list to keep us chatting all night long, plus homemade desserts and smarties to finish - www.hacheburgers.com apparently there's one in Camden too.

Chocolate? No excuse needed

The Sick Children's Trust is a charity that runs home from homes for the families of seriously ill kids in hospitals across the UK.

So when they told me about a Big Chocolate Tea Party they're running as part of National Chocolate Week in October, I had to know more.

You can involve friends, family or work colleagues and all you do is make an excuse to get people together over a nice cuppa and some chocolate, the better the recipe the more money you can charge and give to this worthwhile cause. More info at http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/ where you can download invitations, posters and donation forms.

Celeb recipes also available...http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/documents/GilesVickers-Jones.pdf

Snail Mail Is Back

If there's one thing that Little Miss Sixpence loves to do, it's window shop.

A while ago now I noticed these fabulous Moving Cards in Liberty of London.

So fresh, so fun, so perfect for sending a personal message to friends and family.

Have a look at http://www.hellolucky.co.uk/ for more beautifully designed, fun greetings and send some recession busting love by good old fashioned snail mail.

Odds On Favourite

A day at the races has to be one of the highlights of an English summer, so when a friend invited me to York's Ebor meet I just couldn't resist.

The only thing LMS needed to give in return was time and creativity - so we set about making this fabulous Strawberries and Champagne hat.

Apparently 17,000 bottles of brut will be sipped / glugged over the four days at Ebor - recession? What recession?

DIY Your Big Day (without the fuss)

A friend has alerted me to a new trend in DIY creative weddings...

Brides need no longer compromise on taste, nor sacrifice fabulous flavours with these lovingly made cakes from celebrity cake maker Mich Turner.

Here's the deal: You buy them at Sainsbury's and personalise them depending on your event theme. So the sky's the limit when it comes to your own sweet creative fancy. Think ribbons, buttons, embellishment galore or just sweet and simple flower decorations.

Mich runs Little Venice Cake Company http://www.lvcc.co.uk/ which is based in Marylebone, London. They do fabulous wedding cakes for a celebrity clientele.

So go to Sainsbury's or log on for LVCC's beautiful online cake selection. Yum.

Ooo and once I figure out how I'll add a DIY teddy bear pdf to add to your cake - wish me luck!

Chutney Mary

You might have guessed that Little Miss Sixpence likes her food. And what better way to prepare for autumn than with a fabulous apple chutney? English apples are coming into season and therefore cheap at the moment - so here's an easy chutney recipe to try at home.

LMS top tip number 1: just make sure it's a good day outside because you'll be smelling the food for a while.

LMS tip 2: Bottle this in mini jam jars, label it and give as personal autumn / christmas pressies.

LMS loves: How the sticky, sugary, fruity mixture turns from raw stuff to a beautiful chutney in a couple of hours.

Bit vague but:

3lbs apples, cored and quartered roughly
1/2lb dark brown sugar
1lb onion, peeled and halved
1/2 litre brown malt vinegar (like the stuff you find in fish and chip shops)

Add all ingredients into a large heavy bottomed pan and simmer down for about 3 hours until you have a sticky goo with not much liquid when you push the back of a spoon with it. Then it's ready to pot into clean jam jars.

This definitely gets better with age - you can leave it for months to mature - enjoy with white cheeses like cheshire and Wensleydale, in sandwiches and especially good on cheese and toast in winter.

Credit Crunch Shopping Part II

Yes I know this post is supposed to help you save money, but there are a few things out there at the moment which have inspired me. All full price - but sometimes you just can't compromise...

Cavallini stationary - I picked up the Paris wrapping paper and will frame it for my wall it's so beautiful. Vintage art at a snip of the price (excuse the pun). http://www.cavallini.com/ Hooray a cost saving for you. Also love this set of rubber sea life stamps - so original.

Visited Primrose Hill in London this weekend - so pretty and no wonder celebs like Kate Moss live there - it's full of fab, family owned shops and great pubs as well as being next to the quirky Camden Market and the oh so lovely in summer Regents' Park Canal.

Ooh and don't forget if you go to visit Primrose Hill itself for great views over London town. Nearest tube is Chalk Farm on the Northern Line.

My favourite shop by far was the Primrose Hill Bakery on Gloucester Avenue - full of beautiful cupcakes and treats for mums and toddlers.

Fortune Cookies

Have rediscovered the random joy of fortune cookies - but can anyone decifer these fortunes, which come courtesy of an old sage called Blue Dragon.

'Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open'.

'The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese'.

and our personal favourite: 'Even the squeaky wheel gets the grease'.

Wise words indeed. Any other pearls of wisdom always appreciated at Little Miss Sixpence.

Lovely Lavender Biscuits

Been baking again.

This time a seasonal treat as my lavender has just finished flowering. Inspired by chef Valentine Warner's BBC 2 programme on what to eat now (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dnk0x) - thought I'd give these a go. They're v tasty and same recipe as the cookies I made earlier on the blog. You just need to pick off the lavender flowers and mash them up in a pestle and mortar before adding to the mix after the egg.

Apparently you can also try lavender ice cream and meringues. Give them a go and let me know how you get on!

Autumn Winter Trend 09

I'm into upcycling this week.

It's a word I keep seeing on stateside websites which I think us Brits have actually been doing for a while without knowing it.

Think adding some quirky antique lace to your dining table, some country style quirky checks to your kitchen decor or renovating those tired but cute chairs you found at a sale...

Charity shopping is just a part of it - finding and reinvigorating vintage style accessories for your home to save on buying brand new, Far East replicas of the things Britain made well in the first place.

My only advice is to keep a cool head when you're shopping and ask yourself will it really fit in / add something to your home? The main mantra here is 'if you love it then buy it'.

The thing is, it's cheap, fun, you're giving back and best of all, the final product is unique to you.

The perfect trend for Autumn / Winter 09.

Inspiration...
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/second-hand-store

Feathers and Frills

I have spent many a lunch hour lost in a Marylebone High Street shop called VV Rouleaux. Full of beads, accessories, ribbons and feathers. They're the perfect way to embellish a bag, hat, shoes or anything really. What more can you ask for to brighten up your day? www.vvrouleaux.com

One to add to the Avoca http://www.avoca.ie/ and Urban Outfitters http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/ type shop - lucky friends who go to the States often rave about http://www.anthropologie.com/ - a quirky clothing and homely place. Have a look at the bed making movie - loving the vintage style.

Grow Your Own

Veg that is. Luckily the mother in law has been doing just that, and is now offering fresh purple sprouting broccoli, peas, lettuces, sweet cabbage and cauliflowers to all those willing to cook them.

The taste is so different to anything you can buy and plus it doesn't cost as much.

Oh, and new potatoes. That's the one I forgot and definitely the favourite flavour so far.

Greens have never tasted so good...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvY311_oLXs&feature=PlayList&p=E751E3D84C593916&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=42

Like this version of the Noisettes new song Never Forget You - forgive the long intro...

Went to a great 40th party last night - the hostess had cooked for all 110 guests - pretty amazing work. She produced some fabulously fiery thai curries - a green one with chicken and a red one with pork medallions, as well as a beansprout, cashew and chilli salad.

Her secret? A cookbook from Avoca - for those of you who've been to Ireland you might know it - a fabulous store with everything from locally sourced cafes to beautifully unique clothes and quirky homely items. It's a bit like Urban Outfitters http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/ but with a more homely feel. Take a look at their website at http://www.avoca.ie/ where you can order their recipe books online. And if you ever do go to Dublin or Belfast make a trip to one of their cafes to experience for yourself.

Cool, relaxed venue

If you're looking for a different place to hold a party in this year and you have a decent budget, check out these tents.

Great look visually and the events I went to and loved were a wild west theme and the second a boho wedding - complete with chill out area and sheesh pipes, check out http://www.papakata.co.uk/ for more.

Great for making an informal wow factor for your guests and apparently just as good in winter as they are in summer.

Busy Bees

It's all go today on the blog, but how beautiful is this lavender - it's in full flower and the bees are going crazy over it today.

I love picking it just after it's flowered it makes a perfect deco for the kitchen and the scent lasts for ever.

Damson Gin

Have just looked at a damson tree outside and there are loads on there - waiting for the autumn so they get ripe and ready for picking. Then I'll make a whole batch of Damson Gin - one of the finest liqueurs you can get in my opinion - and home made Damson or Sloe gin always tastes much better than any you can buy. Perfect.

Obsessed with Etsy

You know when you find out about something for the first time and you just can't get it off your mind? I'm feeling that way about http://www.etsy.com/ - it sells all sorts of handmade items from creative people in the States. I've just bought a fabulous headpiece for a wedding in vintage style gold beads and sequins - just stunning. And perfect if you don't want to look like you've been to Coast yet again for the next nuptuals you attend.

Have a look you'll love it I promise.

Credit crunch clothes shopping

Has anyone noticed that it's a constant sale in every shop you go in at the moment? If not, you're not looking hard enough! I always walk right to the back of the store to make sure I haven't missed those bargains. Shops that often have sale items in at good prices are: Reiss, Whistles, French Connection (and try their outlet stores too)...

I think TK Maxx has started to charge more than it used to - not sure why it's just a hunch - maybe they've expanded too quickly or UK costs have gone up - who knows.

I always try to buy out of season too - you can guarantee that if it's a roasting 30 degrees outside their knitwear will be discounted so keep your eyes peeled and save, save, save!

Happy sale shopping.

Home made biscuits

So I have a spare 20 minutes this morning to do whatever I want...
And although I'm actually on a diet at the moment I decide to bake some vanilla biscuits / cookies - in the shape of hands and feet no less.

I'm reliably told that 'you don't need to buy expensive cookie dough cutters', but believe me they would have helped.

Having lovingly carved out a template on the back of a cereal box I end up making about three in the shape of hands and feet and the remaining 30 in nice round shapes with a cutter.

So there we have it, home made, credit crunch friendly, biscuits...here's the recipe:

200g softened unsalted butter
200g golden caster sugar
1 medium free range egg
400g plain flour
2sp vanilla bean paste (just used extract)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

Cream the butter and sugar together like you would a cake, add the egg and vanilla then gently fold in the flour - combine the mix with your hands. Cover with cling film and chill for 30 mins (very important as it's easier to roll out and cut as I found by not chilling for 30 mins).

Roll out on to a floured surface and cut out, bake for about 10 mins until pale golden.

Smell delicious, waiting for a friend to visit so I can palm them off on them. Let's see how long I can last.

ed: the ones pictured are my second batch - check out the flamingo!!