How to Style your Dining Table for Spring

Hi all and welcome back to The Tea Cozy Kitchen. I hope you are all having a wonderful week. March is upon us and that means spring is right around the corner, hopefully! The sun has even made an appearance where I live, it's still freezing but at least it's showing it's face reminding us that it will be back soon. In light of this, I was inspired by Arhaus to share my spring tablescape ideas. So, today I will be showing you a couple of ways to style your dining table for spring. The dining table is the heart of the home in my opinion, well, it is in my house anyway. Decisions are made there, serious discussions had, laughs aplenty and of course delicious grub consumed, so it makes sense that we would want to dress this area a little for spring, bringing the colour into the home before it officially makes its debut outside. And with Easter on it's way there will surely be lots of family feasts and lunches to let your new tablescaping skills run wild.

Cue a lot of yellow daffodils (i'm obsessed with daffodils at the moment)...

I set my table up for a spring afternoon tea as this would be a great idea for Mother's Day or even Easter Sunday. Can you tell that I really love dressing my table and hosting foodie gatherings?

I love old teapots filled with fresh flowers, set on cake stands. You can have just one like in the picture or three on different heights of cake stands as an amazing centrepiece! I love this vintage china teapot that I found in a Charity shop. It even featured on tables at my wedding.

I really feel that tin cans are totally underrated. There are so many ways you can recycle them and they are completely FREE! I love them styled with ribbons and flowers and placed on stacks of vintage books!

Pretty glass jars can be recycled as well into cute little vases!

Spring is the perfect time to get out all your floral china to lend a little pop of colour to your table. Teacups and milk jugs can also act as mini vases when filled with fresh blooms.

Brightly coloured tablecloths are also a good way of brightening up a dark wood table for spring. Here I used a vintage floral tablecloth with a natural table runner from IKEA over the top. You only get a little of the floral pattern on either side of the table runner so it's not too much or too clashy!

I also like the idea of recycling old milk bottles with flowers and ribbons to dress the table. I'm all about recycling!

Another way of updating your dining area if you've got a wee bit of money to do so (unlike me!) you could invest in a new dining table or a new tableware set.  Arhaus have an amazing selection of dining tables and some beautiful tableware collections. I think when it comes to dining tables something big (if you have space for it) and light in colour is nice for spring, so you can entertain your whole family at once and have a lovely light coloured table with pops of bright florals. Here are some of my favourite dining tables...

Zinc Alloy Rectangle Table with Weldon Base

Pietro Dining Table in Bleached Oak

I would absolutely love this one, would be absolutely perfect with my house!

Copper Verdigris Rectangle Table with Weldon Base

Here are some of my favourite tableware sets...

Avignon White Dinnerware

Avignon Octagon Aqua Dinnerware

Oh be still my beating heart, these two colours would work perfectly together on my dream table above for a wonderful spring table scene.

If you would like any more inspiration, check out my Pinterest page, The Tea Cozy Kitchen, I have a whole board dedicated to my spring tablescape inspiration. I hope you enjoyed this post, it was something a little different for me. I would love to know any of your tips for decorating your spring tables, please do share them in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading,

Rachael xx.

Hello 2017!

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are all doing well! I'm back with some thoughts for 2017, you've probably seen a lot of these kind of posts floating about the blogosphere. As I have already said I love the new year, I love a chance to evaluate my life and discover what's working, what isn't and any improvements I can make. Usually, I make a whole list of resolutions that I never keep and end up feeling pretty deflated that I haven't achieved enough during the year! Leading to the feeling that I am not enough, my life is not enough! However, this year i'm doing things slightly differently and setting myself five (yes only five!) ideas that I want to keep at the forefront of my mind this year! I'm not doing any fad diets, planning to lose any weight or exercise a certain number of times a week. These sorts of goals for me are unhealthy and doomed to fail. So what am I going to do this year, I hear you ask, well read on...

Spend more time outside

I live in the most beautiful country (it's true, you really should visit sometime!). Northern Ireland has many gorgeous beaches, forests, fields, mountains, parks and walks all within a short drive away (one perk of living in a small country!). I really am so lucky to live here. One of the things I would like to do this year is to spend more time outdoors appreciating this beautiful scenery. Whether that be a short and brisk cold evening walk in the winter or a long dander round the coast in the summer, i'm totally up for anything. I love my country and want to see everything it has to offer.

Read 12 books this year

Reading for me sort of fell by the wayside in 2016, but i'm hoping to re-ignite my passion for literature in 2017. I think that 12 books a year is a pretty good target, I've nearly finished my first one, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (amazing, in case you were wondering!). I'm a pretty fast reader, an English Degree can do that to a person. Once I get into a book there is no stopping me! So, if you have any recommendations please feel free to comment down below!

My health is my wealth

This idea is something I was thinking a lot about in 2016 as I was not taking care of myself like I should have been. In 2017 I just want to focus on my health, not in the diet 'I need to eat more healthily' sense, i'm very happy with my diet but in the case of my mind. I want to learn to think more positively, embrace life and enjoy it fully. Another thing I want to get cracked is a sleep routine. I could literally sleep all the time, anywhere, so I just want to get a nice clean sleep. What does this mean I here you ask? Well, going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time, and spending some time before bed clearing my head of thoughts and worries from the day.

Love more

Quite a simple one really I just want to love more! Love life more and all the people and animals that live in it! Whether that be my lovely hubby, my family, my friends, my pets or even strangers. This is such an easy one to say but probably the most difficult one to live out, people can be a little mean and rude (working in retail taught me that) but everyone needs a little bit of love.

Simplicity

I think many people are thinking about this for the new year! In 2017 I want to get away from endless consumption and the constant feeling of not having enough stuff! I want to reduce the amount of clothes that I have and work to free myself of all the clutter I have amassed over the years. Simplicity also refers to the approach I want to have to life, enjoy the simple things and simple joys in life. Simple, hopefully!

So, there you go, some things that I am thinking about going into the new year! It's maybe a bit late but I didn't want to jump into committing myself to anything, these are well considered goals for the year! What are your goals for the year, i would love to know? Sorry that this post got a little personal I will be back with the foodieness soon, until then, thank you for reading,

Rachael xx.

5 Homemade Gift Ideas

Hello! It's officially less than a week to Christmas now, yay!! I'm heading up to my parents house this afternoon for the week, i'm so excited, it's the first time in about 5 years that I will be able to spend so much time at home over Christmas, yay! Hubby will be joining me later on in the week as he still has work (booo!), so I have a few days of girly fun with my sisters! Coffee will be drank, cake will be eaten, Christmas movies will be watched and I will have many cuddles with the cute pups. This is also why I will not be posting a meal plan this week. In light of it being so close to Christmas and you probably have all your Christmas shopping done (right?!) I have brought you a post today of my favourite easy and quick home-made gift ideas. These have all been featured on the blog throughout the years and are all perfect for gift giving. So let's get on with the show...

CHILLI JAM

I love chilli jam it is such a great gift to give especially around Christmas time. It goes perfectly with leftover cold meats and cheeses, so it will definitely get used in all those cheeseboards. It's also great to use as a marinade for cooking meats or in stir-frys. You can find my favourite recipe here. Nigella also has a really good recipe in her Nigella Christmas Recipe book. Without fail, I make this jam every Christmas, I even made it for wedding favours at my wedding. It's a great one to start now as it can keep for a good month, meaning you can focus on more important things like cooking that turkey.

CANDYCANE CHOCOLATE BARK

Chocolate bark is probably the easiest thing in the world to make and looks fantastic. This one is particularly easy, this is a great gift to give kids or to get them to help make to keep them occupied over the holidays. You can find my recipe here. The bark looks great bashed up into a random shapes and popped in little sweetie bags tied up with ribbon. This is also a good one to make now as it can keep pretty well.

PEANUT BUTTER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA

A slightly more practical option, this would be great to make if you were going to stay with someone over the holidays. On Christmas morning you could produce a big batch of this to feed everyone, yum yum! It tastes delicious and looks pretty good, to make it even more festive you could add in some festive sprinkles. How cute would that look? This would also be a good recipe to make for hampers. You can find my recipe here.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING OREO TRUFFLES

These truffles always go down a treat! You try and have one but you just can't stop! They look so cute and are so tasty, they are perfect with a wee cup of coffee in the afternoon or after dinner. They are so easy to make and keep for about a week in the fridge so they could also be rustled up now and would be ready to gift at Christmas. These would also be great as festive party favours. I love making these as they look much more impressive than they actually are to make. Here's how I make them. Go on give'em a go and your family and friends will be well impressed.

TEALIGHT CANDLE HOLDER

Not an edible gift but a cute one none the less. These tea light holders are so easy to make and are very versatile, they can be changed up for every season or person. For Christmas gifts, you could put stars, antlers, snowmen or anything festive really. You could even spell out merry Christmas for a mantle piece or table display. The light they give of is so subtle, and is perfect for hygge-ish winter evenings. Your friends and family will be really impressed that you made something so cute out of recycled materials. Find out how I made them here. Crafted presents are great to receive as you know the person has put so much time, effort and thought into making them for you!

Well, there you have it, five great home-made gifts that are both easy, inexpensive and tasty/cute that your family and friends will love this Christmas. Do let me know if you give any of these a try this holiday season. Also, I would really love to know what you are making as gifts this year, I'm always looking for new ideas :). I've already made a HUGE batch of the chilli jam but I think I will also be making a big batch of the truffles this week and maybe some chocolate bark. You really can't go wrong with lots of chocolate at Christmas :). I will be back soon with another what I eat in a day post which will probably feature a lot of yummy festive grub.Thank you so much for reading and I hope you are having a wonderful festive season thus far!

Rachael xx.

November Foodie Favourites

Hi all!! So, it's that time of the month again where I give you a run down of all the foodie and not so foodie things which I have been loving! November was a very cold and dreary month here in Northern Ireland. Christmas festivities were in reaching distance but we still had a lot to get through! I spent a lot of time curled up indoors in front of the fire watching TV, reading books and drinking tea (I really could hibernate in the winter). So here's what I have been loving this month...

Peppermint Tea

There's nothing like a steaming cup of peppermint tea in the evening to relax both the mind and the stomach! I find that having a cup of tea before bed helps me sleep and also settles my meal before hitting the hay! This one from Tesco is great in taste and value (so cheap)! I used to only go for the fancy branded tea but this one is just as good as the brands that cost 3 times as much!

TV favourite- The Missing

The BBC really hit the nail on the head with this drama! Set over the span of about 10 years in a couple of different European countries, this drama keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end! I absolutely loved it and I couldn't work out the plot, which is fab news for me as I always end up guessing what happens! I don't want to go into too much detail about what happens (spoilers!) but it basically surrounds a family in the army in Germany when their daughter goes missing. It's a lot more complicated than that obviously with lots of twists and turns that had me hooked! I think it's still on BBC IPlayer so you should definitely check it out. (also GILMORE GIRLS!!!! Don't get me started that's a whole other blog post!)

Book Favourite- The Muse by Jessie Burton

Let me just start of by saying that I love Jessie Burton, her writing style is amazing, you really feel like you are immersed in the novel with the characters! If you haven't read her first novel, The Miniaturist, you should (go read it now!). Her second novel doesn't disappoint either, set in two different decades in two different countries, this novel is pure escapism! The novel explores many different themes and gives you a bit of everything. Also, how gorgeous is that cover?

Tesco Chocolate

Let it be known that I am a complete chocoholic, anything chocolatey and I am there in a heartbeat! So imagine my delight when Tesco brought out a new range of chocolates, I just had to try it. It's so reasonably priced compared to my favourites (Green and Blacks, Lindt etc) that I was a little sceptical about the taste BUT it's delicious. The great thing about this chocolate is it's yummy when eaten on it's own but also great for baking. They have many different flavours, my favourite (it didn't hang around long enough for a picture) is the salted caramel flavour and the hazelnut flavour, so yummy! They are only £1 for a bar, which is amazing value for good quality chocolate! I love nothing more than sitting down in the evening with the hubby, a big mug of tea (or red wine!), a bar of chocolate and watching a good film/ TV show binge!

Candle from Sainsbury's

I spotted this candle in Sainsbury's one evening, it was reduced, it was festive and I need candles like I need a hole in the head, so of course I bought it! I'm so glad I had that moment of weakness, it smells deliciously festive! The scent is lovely and lingers all over the house when the candle is lit! I can't remember what the scent is, all I can describe it as is the most Christmassy smell EVER. And it was only £7.50 for a beautifully gilded gold, 3 wick candle, WIN!

Film Favourite- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Raise your hand if you're a Harry Potter nerd?? Just me then (my hand is waving like mad!). When this movie came out I was so excited, it brought back all that Harry Potter excitement. The movie did not disappoint, it was magical and I cheered at every Harry Potter reference in the film (sad, I know). I won't say very much about it, I've been told I give away spoilers too easily, just go and see it if you love Harry Potter or want a magical movie to while away an afternoon.

Wheaten Bread

Last but by no means least, I have been loving making my own wheaten bread! Wheaten bread is a Northern Irish delicacy that I can't believe it has taken me 26 years to master and cherish. It's so delicious and I love that I can rustle it up so quickly! It's perfect with soup or eggs or avocado or anything really, it's just so versatile! You can find my favourite recipe here. I also love that it's quite healthy, the recipe contains oats and wholemeal flour so is full of fibre and I know exactly what goes in to it! You should give it a try sometime.

There you go, that is just some of the things which I have been loving in November, I hope I have given you some food for thought and maybe gave you some ideas. What have you been loving this month? Any recommendations are more than welcome in the comments down below :).

Hope you are having a wonderful day,

Rachael xx.