Non-alcoholic summer drinks with Luscombe*

Do you guys remember that way back in mid June I went to my first ever real blogger event, aka bloggers ball? On our way into the event, some PRs from Luscombe drinks invited us in with a cheeky shot of non-alcoholic fizz to get our taste buds tingling. I was so impressed by the taste and how kind they were, that I reached out to the brand to thank them for the welcome, and they were so lovely that they even sent me some full sized bottle samples to try out!
Although I do love a good glass of white wine or two, there are always times at which you want something a little more flavoursome than water, but you just can't drink alcohol. I'm talking about the ol' Sunday night before work on a Monday, or a picnic in the summer sun that you've had to drive to. Ugh. 
I love a good elderflower presse or cordial in the summer. Pair that with some ice and a long straw and you've got yourself a very happy, chilled out Steph. It's one of those drinks that actually makes me feel as though I'm doing this whole adulting thing correctly because y'know, it's a soft drink that isn't squash or lemonade. Luscombe's wild elderflower bubbly* is one that they suggest can be used as an alcohol-free champagne alternative for big events and honestly? As much as I love a good glass of champers (who doesn't?), I think I'd be hard picked to choose between the two.
I was super excited to get to tasting the drinks Luscombe sent over as they're all natural, organic and made in Devon. I've spoken before about how much I love supporting UK brands because it not only helps businesses here grow, but also cuts back on my carbon footprint. This collaboration even had the boyfriend excited. We split each bottle between us and even drunk it out of wine glasses to make it a special treat of an evening when we didn't fancy actual alcohol. 
The Sicilian lemonade* was his favourite, with its bitter tang and smooth consistency. This one was bubble-free and made for such a lovely soft drink when we had our little heatwave last week! Drinking real lemonade will always remind me of visiting Camden, as I usually pick up a glass at a stall there, so this had a little added value for me!
My least favourite of the four I got to try had to be strawberry crush*. I'm a big lover of strawberry flavoured anything, but this had a fair amount of lemon in it too, which gave it a tang that I just wasn't a fan of. However, it was still a refreshing drink to come straight out of the fridge, mmmm.
And, finally, I got to give the Damascene rose bubbly* a try. My boyfriend was really apprehensive about this one, and there were a lot of 'ew, why would they put rose in a drink, bleurgh I'm going to hate it'. But, in actual fact the rose flavour was fairly subtle, and I would definitely say this would be an interesting alcohol free drink to serve at a wedding or party. I know I'd be intrigued at trying a flavour that you rarely come across, and again, it was nice and bubbly, and almost had me tricked into believing it could have been alcoholic.
Have you tried any of Luscombe's range?
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Brownie Skewers and Pineapple Mimosas | Summer Treats

I am a snacker. There's no two ways about it really: I'd rather graze all day on small meals than *shock horror* be confined to only eating real meals a couple of times a day. It's probably down to my hatred for routine, but also has a lot to do with my general love of all things food. 
As summer started to hit in the UK (I say that now mid torrential downpour, but it did happen for a week or so, I promise), I really got the urge to try my hand at making some cocktails. If you've read my final cocktail night post, you'll know that I love the idea of making my own cocktails! Plus, I'd seen some really cute brownie skewer recipes on Pinterest, and just HAD to give them a whirl.
So, I set about to baking and creating to bring you these goodies, which, btw, pair perfectly for when you have guests over. Not only are they the perfect sweet nibbles, put this cocktail is remarkably easy to make. Before y'all cocktail buffs get all aggressive on my butt, these are only 'sort of' mimosas, as they contain sparkling wine rather than champagne #sorrynotsorry. 
The brownies
 I used Zoella's white chocolate brownie recipe for the brownies, which is fast become my favourite brownie recipe of all time. Seriously, you need to give them a try. My housemates devoured them, and I practically had to elbow my way through to get a peek. 
So, once you've got all of your brownies whipped up, ready and cut into squares, you can get started on the skewers. Be very careful when skewering the brownies; they're a little fragile and it took me three or four heavy handed attempts before I was careful enough to get one on without it crumbling. Then chop some strawberries in half and get your marshmallows ready. I used a pattern of marshmallow - brownie - strawberry - marshmallow - brownie - strawberry. You can arrange it in any way you desire. 
Then you're good to go. If you're feeling super fancy, drizzle the skewers with a compote or melted chocolate.
The mimosas (ish)
What you'll need: - Sparkling wine - Pineapple juice - Lemonade
You're totally welcome to use homemade lemonade or pineapple juice for this, and it would be totally #culinarygoals, but I just wanted a quick and simple cocktail making session, so went for the shop bought varieties. 
Traditionally the cocktails would be served in champagne glasses, but you can use whatever kind you want! You basically fill the glass up one third with sparkling wine, then one third with pineapple juice, and finally one third with lemonade. We garnished ours with a piece of kiwi fruit (going for a tropical vibe naturally), but why not experiment?
I really hope you enjoyed this post - let me know if you give either recipe a go! 
What's your favourite snack to make for guests?
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Goodbye Sis | Final Cocktail Night

A couple of weeks ago saw me nerve-wrackingly sending my little sister off to uni 5(!) hours away from where I live after she spent the summer staying in my student house with me. So, we decided to do something a little special for her send off and make our own cocktails. Not only was this fun to do, but we got to control exactly what went into them, so there were no nasty surprises. Although alcohol, as with everything, is best in moderation, it is still something which I choose to consume as part of my diet and overall aim to nourish myself inside and out.
So, here's what we made:
Classic woo woo (pictured bottom):  25ml vodka 25 peach schnapps Cranberry and orange juice in equal measure
Cloudy Apple Tang (pictured top): 25ml gin of choice 25ml elderflower cordial Cloudy apple juice
The second was a little different and absolutely gorgeous - elderflower is such an amazing flavour and I would definitely recommend giving this a go!

Back to Basics | Day Three

Yesterday wasn't exactly 'perfect' for my detox week I'm not going to lie. I wasn't able to post my blog piece because I took my sister out with my boyfriend and our future housemate to our favourite bar. Hence the slight breakdown in my detox yesterday. However, I avoided the temptation to mix my drinks, especially having ones with yeast in them as well as avoiding my usual post drinking takeaway stop out (*cries*). I've gotten to the point now where the thought of putting fast food into my body is actually repellent because I cannot know what has gone into it.

So, aside from yesterday evening, it was a pretty good day for the detox yesterday, and I'm really starting to feel the effects of it. I walked for a couple of hours with my sister charity shop clothes shopping on my tight student budget. When she picked up a massive faux fur coat for a tenner you knew it was going to be a great day.

Finally, I'm making sure that I don't take last night's excesses into today. I've started the day off with a spinach, blueberry and ginger tea. Hopefully this will help to start and balance my body out again.

Love and Light

Steph