What happens on a snowy day in England....

You may be wondering what I get up to when I'm snowed in....well, this year I ended up in the kitchen making a homemade cottage pie from scratch! I'm a huge fan of meat, vegetables and plenty of potato, so this recipe is right up my street.

Little L's Lushious Cottage Pie 

What you'll need to serve 2:
1 red onion
8 chantaney carrots
250g lean beef mince
150g petits pois
3 heaped teaspoons of beef gravy
4 medium Maris Piper potatoes
Goats cheese 

What to do:

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes, put them into a pan of water and boil (for approx. 20mins).
2. Peel and boil the chantenay carrots for approx. 10mins. Once boiled, cut the cooked carrots up into small chunks. 
3. Put a little oil in a frying pan to heat up. Add the beef mince and cook until browned. 
4. Once the mince is browned, add the finely chopped red onions and carrots. 
5. Continue to cook the mince, carrots and onions for a further 5mins. Then make up some gravy; mixing 3 heaped teaspoons with 150ml of hot waters. Stir well. 
6. Add the gravy to the pan and stir.
7. Boil 150g of frozen peas (for approx. 5-10mins) and once cooked, add the peas to the pan. Leave the cottage pie filling mixture to simmer for 10mins. 
8. Take the potatoes off the boil and drain. Add a knob of butter, a sprinkle of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic purée (or chopped garlic), 4 tablespoons of milk and then mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy.
9. Place the mixture of mince and vegetables into an ovenproof dish (I usually fill the dish 3/4 full of the mixture). Then ass the mash on top; remembering to smooth around the edges. 
10. Place in the oven on 200°c for 10mins. 
11. Grate your cheese of choice. Remove the cottage pie from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the mash potato. 
12. Place the pie back on the oven and leave to brown on the top. 
13. Serve and enjoy!

PS: The sprouts are optional!! 

Let me know if you tried out my recipe and loved it too!

Love,

L x

Aussie - A 'Winter Miracle' for my hair....

Until recently I've been loyal to certain hair care brands and I've not been one to branch out into something new. My motto usually is...if something works for you, why change anything? That was the case, until I found myself away from home and running out of my travel shampoo and conditioner. My friend suggested that I tried her travel mini 'Aussie' Miracle Moist set. So I did and I instantly fell in love with the products! Why? Because 1) it made my hair look and feel in tip-top condition and 2) the smell of the product was divine! 

On my return home I scoured the shelves of Boots for the Aussie products and stumbled across two products in particular that sounded right up my street...the Aussie 'Frizz Fixer' and the limited edition 'Winter Miracle'. Even better, if you bought 3 Aussie products in store then you received a free purple Pom-Pom hat - what a deal clincher! 

I have coarse, thick, mid to long length hair which needs lots of taming and defrizzing. So any products that can do this without leaving my hair feeling oily or over-conditioned is indeed a miracle! Let's move onto the products themselves....

The Aussie Frizz Fixer Shampoo and Conditioner

Over the years I have tried so many hair products that claim to defrizz your hair, but actually don't really pull it off without needing to blow dry like a professional or use extra styling products. All of these half hearted attempts have left me disappointed; that was until I discovered this Aussie product! The Aussie tag line of this product is "for unruly, frizzy 'please behave' hair" - exactly how I would describe my hair on my days! The shampoo and conditioner formula contains extracts of blue gum leaves from the Australian eucalyptus tree; which is known for its soothing properties. I currently have two styles of how I wear my hair - the main style is sleek and straight and the other style is natural curls. Usually I find a product that will suit my straight style but not my curly style or vice-versa, so I have to have two products on the go. But not with Aussie....this product works with both styles; taking just enough Frizz off my natural curls to keep the curl definition and keeping my hair frizz free for 2 days when I am rocking the straight tresses look! I've fallen in love with this product so much so that I have already repurchased this twice! 

The Aussie Winter Miracle Shampoo and Condition (Limited Edition)

My hair tends to become greasy after just 2 days so needs washing at least every other day. Particularly at this time of year I find my hair looks dull and dried out after washing or straightening it every other day. With Ginseng extract and Pearl powder, this 'winter miracle' keeps my hair looking shiny, healthy and a little bit sparkly! Who doesn't love a bit of sparkle?! Again, this product is perfectly suited to both of my styles and on the odd occasion I have been able to go an extra day without my hair needing a wash. I'm 3/4 of the way through these bottles already, so I'll definitely be repurchasing this holiday season! 

Well done Aussie; you've given my hair the confidence to shine and sparkle! 

Oh, and that free Pom-Pom hat is super cute and cosy too! So Go grab yourselves this offer at Boots while it's still on and let me know what you think.

Keep Smiling,

L x