Five Foodie Instagrammers you MUST follow

The majority of my social media activity is on instagram, either posting daily photos or scrolling through my followers' posts. Instagram is a great place to get inspired and see the world through different perspectives. Sharing photographs is such a simple concept, but one that is incredibly effective. As an account holder you can express yourself in whichever way you want the social media world to see you, as yourself, a business or as a personality. It can be as personal or as impersonal as you like, and although once upon a time it was frowned upon by photographers, it has become a great platform for amateur and professional photographers alike to share their creative talents and get themselves 'heard'. Some people even make a tonne of money by posting sponsored content on instagram - so it really is a big game changer in social media marketing and the digital world.

Me, I like to post photos that I am proud of, less of the personal family portraits (those photos belong in my scrapbook), and more iconic photos of places I've been, food I've eaten and beautiful moments that I'm desperate to share. I like there to be a slight divide between my personal life and what I share on social media. I don't tend to upload every photograph I take to Facebook, but maybe share one or two on instagram that best some up the night that I can look back on and reminisce.

I follow people who inspire me, whether that be through travel, fashion, fitness, baking or food in general. But mostly food! So I thought I'd share with you five foodie instagrammers who I love to follow and who you should absolutely follow too.

Madeleine Shaw

I first noticed Madeleine doing yoga in a Tanya Burr video. I was interested by her healthy living ethos and bubbly personality, so found her blog, and instagram page which I now follow intently. She uses her instagram page to share recipes, wisdom and photographs in and around London. Loving her instagram page then lead me to buy her new book, Get The Glow, a recipe book and 6 week 'get the glow' challenge full of advice, tips and meal plans.

Deliciously Ella

Ella Woodward, aka Deliciously Ella makes healthy living easy. Her photos are beautiful and as well as foodie pictures, she shares her inspirations, blog pictures and her own products. She's a real advocate for healthy eating and healthy living in general and shares her own healthy eating journey. Like Madeleine, Ella has recently published her own recipe book, and is planning to write several more.

Hannah J Bakes

Hannah is an amazing baker, and in recent years has set up her own baking company, Hannah Bakes - selling beautifully handcrafted celebration cakes and artisan bakes. I grew up with Hannah in a small village in Buckinghamshire, where we went to the same primary school and spent hours running up and down the streets and building dens in our front gardens. We'd occasionally bake using Roald Dahl's cookbook. Hannah's instagram page is all about cake, and showcases her creations in all their glory.

Afternoon Crumbs

Nicole Dodds is Afternoon Crumbs - a baker and blogger 'spreading happiness through cake'. And oh my goodness, she does. Her instagram page documents her everyday life and her cake accomplishments, which are amazing. Every cake is different, and inspired by events and occasions.

Zoe Eats Clean

Zoe Burdon is a blogger and loves healthy food. If you're like me and trying to kickstart a new healthier you, then zoe's blog is a good place to start. She's a student and so the ingredients she uses in her recipes are accessible and affordable. Her instagram page is jam-packed with everything from salads to smoothie bowls and gives me so much inspiration for my own meals.

Be sure to check out the instagram pages of these fabulous five! Who are your favourite instagrammers and what inspires you?

Kate xo

Grandma's Birthday tea party

My sweet Grandma's birthday was last weekend and we wanted to throw her a small party with her nearest and dearest to celebrate her years.

Birthdays are my favourite, and now with a small person in the family I am SO incredibly excited for the next ten years worth of birthdays and parties! Food and drink usually makes up a pretty big part of the occasion, and is a big talking point for an event or party. So it is important to get it right.

We chose an afternoon tea party theme and decorated the dining room with ditsy florals, pink balloons, birthday bunting and confetti. I found the floral napkins in Waitrose - they have a really lovely selection of napkins, paper plates and cups, ideal for parties. I bought the birthday bunting, balloons and confetti from Sainsbury's. Note the tumble dryer pictured in the corner of the room - adds a little je ne sais qouis don't you think?!

I spent the entire day before baking up a storm in the kitchen (quite literally - imagine flour and icing sugar everywhere including my hair and clothes) in preparation. I set out with a plan, and chose three different recipes, as well as scones and a fresh cream victoria sponge layer cake which we made on the day.

For a savoury option, I decided on four different sandwich fillings, and made nine finger sandwiches of each which I displayed on a platter. The fillings were; salmon and cream cheese; egg mayonnaise and cress; ham and cheese; tomato, basil and mozzarella. These were incredibly easy and quick to make on the morning of the party and easily wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge before guests arrived.

Mum was in charge of scone making, and made twelve standard size scones with currants. To make things easier for our guests we cut each scone in half, and spread raspberry jam with a large dollop of clotted cream on top of each.

The lemon sponge recipe came from a trusty Google search. I made it as a tray-bake which I then cut into mini squares, perfect for afternoon tea nibbling. The lemon curd icing was what caught my eye, and although my attempt wasn't quite as pristine as the photograph shown on the recipe, I was happy with how it came out. It went down a treat with my family so I'll definitely be making this again.

I chose a chocolatey option in the form of 'Brookies', a recipe I've used so many times originally shared by beauty blogger, Lily Pebbles. These brownie cookies are bite size and with the icing sugar dusting look really effective at a party. The recipe makes so many! So, aware of how many cakes I'd planned to make, I halved the amounts given and made roughly 30 brookies, and we have a few left over.

Unfortunately, the white chocolate and raspberry cookies just weren't all they cracked up to be. I hadn't used this particular recipe before and my cookies were more scone than biscuit, which was really disappointing. As a result, there were a lot of these left over and I may have to donate them to colleagues at my Mum's office. They certainly looked good though and I think my Dad was quite a fan - thanks Dad!

For Grandma's birthday cake, the main event, the centrepiece, the piece de resistance, I made a fresh cream and strawberry victoria sponge cake - the perfect summer time cake. I followed my Mum's good old sponge recipe: weigh four eggs and use self raising flour, sugar, butter of the same amount plus a drop of vanilla essence. Pour mixture into two sandwich tins and cook on 180 for 25 minutes. Easy peasy. I then whipped double cream and mixed two spoonfuls of strawberry jam with a large punnet of chopped strawberries and used the two to sandwich the two sponges. I used a paper doily to act as a stencil for the top of the cake and sieved icing sugar over the top. My friend bought me the chandelier style birthday candles holder which went really well with the overall party theme and added a bit of glam to the cake. It tasted amazing!

For drinks, we made two large pots of tea and kept it filled up all afternoon, there was juice for the kids and a bottle of prosecco for the adults of course!

The afternoon was really good fun and the food was very well recieved. My Grandma even took home a 'doggy' bag and we have leftovers that will last us all week (I can kiss goodbye to my healthy diet!). It's a great, and a pretty cost effective way to entertain a party of people. This kind of thing could be done for a hen do, baby shower, coffee morning or even at a wedding party - you can be as indulgent as you like! There are so many ideas for hosting an afternoon tea party on Pinterest, one of my favourite places to get ideas for entertaining, recipes and decoration - so if you're planning an event, I'd definitely recommend taking a look if you haven't already. Warning: you'll get hooked!

What was the best party you've been to?

Kate xo

Afternoon Tea at Bournemouth Hycliff Marriott Hotel

★★★

On my birthday, my family treated me to 'Afternoon Tea by the Sea' at the Hycliff hotel, a grand old building part of the Marriott franchise overlooking Bournemouth pier and surrounding coastline. We all dressed up for the occasion and despite the weather being a little on the grey side, we excitedly took in the views as we entered the hotel.

As a hotel guest you are entitled to free parking in the hotel car park by registering your registration number at reception. Afternoon tea was located in the high grill bar on the ground floor of the hotel, with panoramic views of bournemouth beach and the crashing waves.

The afternoon tea menu consisted of the standard high tea components, complete with a selection of assorted finger sandwiches, a combination of plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and jam and a small variety of cakes and puddings. Options of Pimm's, champagne and other hot drinks were also available on request.

We opted for one tier of scones, cakes and sandwiches which would usually be recommended for two people, but judging by the size of other people's portions, we thought better of it! In my experience, afternoon tea is always much more food than you think, and the sweet definitely outweighs the savoury!

After the food and drinks arrived though, we did order another couple of fresh scones, just to be on the safe side!

The lounge area of the bar was well decorated with lavish decor and ornate furnishings with a modern twist. As part of a chain, I did think the interior did lack a bit of character, but it felt welcoming nonetheless. Service was okay, however a large party arrived just after we did which perhaps explained why the waitress tending to us was a little preoccupied at times. We were relaxed so this didn't effect us too much.

Now, I hate to give a bad review but the sandwiches were nothing special, which is surprising but I guess at £16 per person, not at the top end of the spectrum as far as afternoon tea goes. The scones were delicious, especially the plain scones, as they were freshly made and still warm from the oven.

After ploughing my way through the huge scone and several sandwiches, I was already short of room for cake, so allowed myself a breather, calling dibs on my preferred choice - it was my birthday after all! The cake choices were Vanilla, Blackberry and Apple 'Crumble', White Chocolate and Lemon Verbena Cones, Dark Chocolate and Coffee Gateaux Opera, and Lemon, Bloom Gin and Thyme Drizzle cake. The gateaux opera cake was by far my favourite. I'm not usually a coffee lover, but the cake only had a small hint of coffee and was pure indulgence. Thank goodness it was only a miniature! The blackberry and apple crumble was a hit with my parents, it was light and probably the better choice on an already full stomach. We asked for the remaining cakes to be boxed up to take home with us, so nothing went to waste.

Overall, it was a very pleasant afternoon. The scones definitely won it for me, and the lovely views over the sea. I think if I went back for afternoon tea at Hycliff Marriott, I'd order a plate of scones and a large pot of tea. The cake selection was good, but not great, so worth noting if you're after lavish patisserie style cakes. I can only imagine the coastline views on a sunny summers day must be to die for, so maybe even worth visiting for a glass of bubbles and watch the world go by!

Where is your favourite place to go for afternoon tea?

Kate xo