Autumn Cookid EDIT #2 Pumpkin and Autumn Veg Soup

Making soup is one of the best things about autumn. Getting the kitchen really warm by cooking hearty meals. Pumpkin soup is a big favourite and especially seasonal with Halloween around the corner. Here is my take on a hearty pumpkin soup.

Yummy autumn lunch!

Autumn Cooking EDIT #3 Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Happy Halloween! As winter starts to draw in my intake of hot beverages goes through the roof. I will never get bored of tea and coffee but it's fun to spice things up a little. I love the spiced pumpkin lattes they do at starbucks but they do tend to eat through my wallet a little. My solution was to buy the syrup (mine was about £10 online) and do it myself! 

Nothing better on a rainy Halloween right?

An Edinburgh Winter

Arthur's seat from the window

"England's Most Romantic Ruin" Kenilworth Castle

Kenilworth Castle has been called "England's most romantic ruin", here are some pictures I took of it last winter at sunset. There's something very Arthurian about it ...

A view of the castle walls, battlements and moat

Dinner Party Ideas #1 Easy Salmon and Roast Potatoes

This recipe is a useful, quick, yet impressive piece for a dinner party or just something a little fancy for a treat. Really quick to make and can be done in advance, just give it a little panache when serving and you can enjoy you're own party without being glued to the oven.

Fun with Cocktails #1 Cranberry Tart

Making cocktails is really fun. Inventing cocktails is really dangerous. So here's an easy recipe for a citrusy, sweet and sour drink that's tastes a little like sherbet.

What you will need:

• 1 1/2 measures gin
• 1 measure triple sec
• 1/2 measure lime juice
• Dash angostura bitters
• Dash cranberry bitters

Autumn Cooking EDIT: Butternut Squash Risotto

One of the best things about Autumn is Autumn cooking. Cold weather food for chilly days to get a nice glow going in the kitchen. Butternut squash is that little bit cheaper this time of year so I though I'd experiment with a risotto.

You will need:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 white onion
• 700 ml chicken stock with white wine/cider
• 300 grams risotto rice
• Salt and pepper
• Sage
• Grated cheese (I used mature cheddar)

Step 1:

Cut up the squash into chunks and scoop out the seeds

Addicted to? #1 Lush Products

Can you have too much of a good thing? Surely not! That is my philosophy with beauty products, if you're on to a good thing why not just keep going? One of my favourite brands for this is Lush. That shop is like crack to me I just can't help going inside and grabbing samples of stuff to try and so far I have not been dissapointed. Lush is a quirky place and on occasion I do smell or poke things that make me wonder why they came into being. So, to help you pick through the mine field, here are some of my favourite buys from Lush.

World of Books gave me a cup of tea!

Autumn Beauty: Can't live without....

As winter starts to draw in there are a few things I gravitate towards to banish the winter dryness and cheer up cold weather blues. These should also keep your purse happy as each item is under £10.

My Interrail Adventure in Panoramas

This summer just gone, I went travelling with a friend throughout the south of Europe for a month. Naturally I wanted to take a fairly indestructible camera to survive backpacks and trains. What I soon discovered was the panorama setting which I fell in love with. These are some of my favourite panoramas from the trip, hope you enjoy.

The Parthenon in Athens was the first major site we saw, my friend is right in the middle if you can spot her.

Finland, an undiscovered Landscape

 On my visit to Finland this summer I got a little trigger happy and thought I'd share some of my favourite pictures. The quality of light was really different so I had a go at capturing it. Hope you enjoy.

A sunny day reflected in the lake