Friday Favorites // #2

I mentioned in my Time for a Catch-up post, February has not been my favourite month. So I decided to include my March calender in my Friday Favourites because it reminds me that a new month is a fresh start! I love this calender, all of the images in the calender are by Art Nouveau, which I love! This particular one is by Privat Livemont.

The last of my roses from Valentines Day – I am very proud that I have been able to keep even these four alive for two whole weeks! It was such a lovely surprise when I was greeted at the door with a bouquet of roses. I have never had flowers delivered to my house before – I hope Adam realises I will be expecting this every year now …

This a shorter Friday Favourites than I will be posting in the future but I have just been so busy I wasn’t able to include more this week. Next week I will make sure that I make time to tell you what I have been loving that week.

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

Time for a Catch-up // February

Just a little Instagram round-up …

This month has had its ups and downs! 

I am looking into having the blog re-designed as at the moment it looks pretty amateur. I’m compiling a Pintrest board so that the designer will have more of an idea of what it is I want. So, hopefully, by time of our next little catch-up at the end of March Promise of a New Day will be looking marvellous after her face-lift. I have really enjoyed my first month of blogging and I am glad that I started Promise of a New Day. I still have a lot to learn but I hope that the more I post the more confident I will become!

I have been having a bit of a hard time this month as I have felt terribly unhappy in my shared house at university. I am planning on spending a few of the upcoming weekends at home to recuperate and cheer myself up in the company of friends and family.

My dissertation is due frighteningly soon and I am starting to feel the dreaded dissertation stress. The whole thing is 12,000 words (not a million as my granddad keeps saying) but my biggest issue is that I keep altering my question and so make a large chunk of my research irrelevant (will I ever learn!) I will be posting soon about how to overcome this stress so hopefully you will enjoy and I will be able to heed my own advice.

I am planning to post more regularly, as well as including more beauty and fashion content because I feel at the moment the blog is very weighted towards food (don’t get me wrong I love a lunch date!). Also thank-you for everyone who has taken the time to read Promise of a New Day and have followed the blog. So this is goodbye for now but I will be checking in again soon. xx

I have included some links below of all my posts from February if you want to have a little peak …

February on Promise of a New Day:

• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/lost-in-paris/
• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/embrace-your-quirks/
• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/trinity-kitchen-leeds/
• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/valentines-strawberry-and-blueberry-cake-with-white-chocolate-ganache/
• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/friday_favourites/
• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/tribeca/
• https://promiseofanewday.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/the-smugglers-cove-liverpool/

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

The Smuggler’s Cove // Liverpool

Hi my lovelies x

On Saturday my boyfriend Adam and I headed off to one of Liverpool’s newest additions, The Smugglers Cove. Located in the Britannia Pavilion on the Albert Dock it is only fitting that the theme of The Smuggler’s Cove be based around Liverpool’s maritime history. The bar, the tables and the walls are constructed from dark wood that you would expect of any pirate ship and the huge leather chairs leave you feeling like the captain of your very own vessel. There are small touches of the theme all around you, from the way your food is presented to the small references to Pirates of the Caribbean on the menu (But why is all the Rum gone…?). I wanted to take more photographs but the restaurant was completely full so I wasn’t able to take as many as I wanted to, but this is simply a testimony to how well-received this new addition has been in the city.

We shared the pate and chutney to start which arrived on a beach of wood chips, with the chutney served in a clam shell and the pate in a miniature bucket. There was something sprinkled on top of the pate to give the impression of sand, I have no idea as to what it was but it was delicious. I then moved on to have a Prawn hanging kebab which I must highly recommend. The kebab arrives, hanging –of course, with a bowl of seasoned chips beneath, over which you pour a generous helping of garlic butter. This is not something to choose if you are on a first date as although it is delectable– there is a lot of garlic!

The Smugglers Cove offers a myriad of cocktails and I will hopefully be returning soon to sample a few more. If you are not in the mood for something alcoholic the mock-tails on offer are equally as good. I ordered a Mint and Strawberry Crush that consisted of fresh mint, strawberry puree, lime juice, strawberry syrup, apple juice and ginger beer. In my opinion this is the one if you are not opting for an actual cocktail. There is some sweetness from the strawberries but the ginger beer and apple juice give it a sharper kick, whilst the mint (which I think is delicious in most cocktails/mock-tails) makes the whole drink refreshingly perfect. Adam ordered the Pineapple and Mango Colada which was too sweet for me but I still found it just as equally refreshing and he loved it.

The Smuggler’s Cove is part of the ‘New World Trading Co’ as is The Botanist in Leeds, which is completely different in style but is just as interesting and definitely worth a visit. As the name suggests The Botanist is based around the theme of botany and is dotted with plants, with a shabby-chic décor. What I really like about New World Trading Co. restaurants is that you can expect consistency in the quality and menu as you would in any chain, but due to the uniqueness of each incarnation you don’t feel as though you are visiting just another mass-produced establishment.

Have you ever been to The Smugglers Cove? Have you been to the Botanist?

http://thesmugglerscove.uk.com/

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

TriBeCa // Bar and Pizzeria

Hello my lovelies x

Since I posted on the 15th February I have been rather stressed with writing my dissertation and as I hadn’t been home for nearly a month I was starting to get rather home-sick. So on Thursday afternoon I got the train from Leeds to Liverpool to spend some quality time with my family and my boyfriend (who I miss a lot while I am away but don’t tell them – we don’t want it to go to their heads).

Today I went for lunch with my Mum at TriBeCa Bar and Pizzeria in Liverpool for a well-needed catch-up. The decor has a 1970s vibe (my mum informed me that she had that very same lamp and that very same wallpaper). The walls are adorned with a myriad clocks and retro wind-around phones which all add to the impression that you have been transported through time as you munch down on your pizza.

We were going to my sister’s for dinner in the evening so we decided (quite sensibly) to just order one starter and pizza to share as not to over-face ourselves. The menu ordered us to  ‘Sit Eat Pizza Now’ and we happily complied.  We went for the Hogg Roast Pizza which was amazing! It had slow roasted pork, stilton, watercress & bramly apple sauce, and was finished with pork crackling. It was the beautiful love child of a Hogg Roast sandwich and a pizza … and it was incredible!

They also offer a great range of cocktails and specialty beers. We didn’t have the pleasure to try any of these as we were being very good with our lemonade and tonic water, but I have tried some of the cocktails on offer in the past and as far as I can remember they were rather tasty.

TriBeCa also has a sister restaurant on Smithdown Road called ‘Neon Jamon’ which serves great authentic Spanish tapas, and I can personally confirm that the food there is amazing. Hopefully I will be returning there soon and I can provide you with some photos to prove it.

Find out more about TriBeCa: http://www.tribeca-liverpool.co.uk/index.html

So if you are ever in Liverpool and in need of pizza and a cocktail, Tribeca is one to consider.

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

Friday Favourites

Yellow Bee Printed Fashion Dress // £18.06

Lapel Color Blocking Grid Long-Sleeve Dress // £23.05

Eyes Printing O-Neck A-Line Dress // £19.31

Apricot Sunflower Embroidery Dress // £20.56

Black Big Pendulum Round Collar Short Sleeve Dress // £16.82

Color Blocking Label Chiffon Dress // £16.82

Hi my lovelies x

I have decided that every Friday I will post my ‘Friday Favourites’ as a weekly instalment of what has been tickling my fancy over the past seven days. This week I discovered a retail site called 6KS via ‘One in a Million’ blog which I found whilst browsing Lookbook.nu. I loved the items on offer and as the prices were so reasonable, they were all bargains. I have chosen my favourite six items for this week’s ‘Friday Favourites’ instalment which I think I may be purchasing very soon.

The ‘Yellow Bee’ printed dress is my favourite as I think the colour is so vibrant and would be perfect for summer, whilst I think the bee print is a welcome alternative to summer florals.

6KS also offers free shipping worldwide and if that wasn’t good enough, when you sign up you get a further 16% off. You can find the specific items featured above on the 6KS website by clicking on the images.

All images are from the 6KS website.

What is your favourite item? What was your Friday Favourite?

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

Valentine’s Day: Strawberry and Blueberry Cake with White Chocolate Ganache

White Chocolate Ganache

• 200g white chocolate (any will do but I used Morrison’s own and it worked a treat)
• 100ml double cream
• 1/2 spoon vanilla extract

Cake

• 200g caster sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• 200g unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 handfuls of blueberries (there is no exact amount)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Filling

• 200ml whipping cream
• Chopped strawberries (I used two small boxes, for both the filling and decoration, but it depends on the size of your strawberries)

Decoration

• Strawberries
• 50g caster sugar

To make the ganache … Bring water to the boil. Add your chocolate (all chopped up), vanilla extract and cream to a bowl, then place the bowl over the boiling water. Heat until the chocolate is all melted, stirring to ensure that the cream is completely incorporated. Then refrigerate until cooled and spreadable.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Time to make the cake … Cream the butter and sugar until it is smooth. Add the vanilla extract and a quarter of your flour at a time, adding 1 egg each time and whisk until smooth. Throw in two handfuls of blueberries and fold into the mixture.

Line your cake tin with baking parchment and pour in your cake mixture. Pop in the oven for around 20 minutes. This may differ slightly depending on your oven so keep a eye on your cake. The cake is cooked when it a skewer when inserted comes out clean.

When your cake is cooked pop it onto a metal rack to cool. The blueberries tend to sink to the bottom of the cake so you get this beautiful speckled effect.

Whip that cream … Whilst the cake is cooling pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until it is thick. If it is the right consistency it should not have much movement when you tip the bowl but don’t hold it over your head as a test – it is not meringue!

Prepare your toppings … Place a pan on a low to medium heat and add a handful of blueberries and the sugar. Stir continuously until the sugar has completely melted and coated the blueberries. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. Now its time for the strawberries. For the edges and the top of the cake cut the strawberries length-ways so that you have whole, thin slices. You will need around 20 of these for the edges and 8 for the top.

Constructing the cake … Cut your sponge in two using a bread knife and place one half on a flat serving dish/surface. Using a spatula cover each half of the cake in a layer of half of the whipped cream. Then cut strawberries length-ways into quarters and arrange across one of the layers of cream. Place the half of the cake without the strawberries onto the other.

Time for the ganache … Spread the ganache using a spatula over the top of the cake and then all around the sides. This can be quite messy but don’t worry – no matter what it looks like it tastes amazing! Take the 8 strawberries and arrange them in a circle on the top of the cake. Now for the tricky part. Arrange the remaining sliced strawberries around the sides so that they form a sort of crown. Finally, take your sugary blueberries (which should now have cooled) and pile in the center of the strawberry circle on the top of the cake.

Et Voila!

Today was Valentines Day. I wasn’t able to spend the day with my boyfriend Adam as he had to work but I did get to enjoy a girls’ Valentines with my housemates. One of them surprised me in the morning with a chocolate rose (see this via my Instagram) which was such a lovely surprise, and then my other housemate provided us with home-made cocktails which were sublime! (This is what should happen every Friday) We topped the night off by watching ’10 Things I Hate About You’ and ‘Sliding Doors’ – who needs the boyfriend when you can watch Heath Ledger sing ‘Can’t take my eyes off you.’

As a treat I wanted to make them a Valentines cake. I was initially going to bake something in a heart shape but I decided this was too cliche. Instead I opted to incorporate two ingredients that I associate with Valentines Day into a cake. Strawberries and chocolate! I have tried in the past to use strawberries in cake mixtures and it has not gone well, so I opted to use blueberries instead as these would add an additional colour, texture and taste to the cake.

This cake may not be the most beautiful but it tastes phenomenal! I usually find some sponge cakes slightly dry but this was light and the cream kept any dryness at bay. The strawberries gave it a wonderful freshness, whilst the sugary blueberries and white chocolate ganache added sweetness without it being overwhelming.

If I was to make this cake again I would half the cake ingredients between two separate cake tins so that the blueberries are more evenly distributed throughout, as they have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the cake.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and enjoyed my ‘Strawberry and Blueberry Cake’ recipe.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day? Did you like this recipe? Would you attempt it yourself?

Lots of love,

Hannah xx

Trinity Kitchen // Leeds

Trinity Kitchen is in Trinity, Leeds, and boasts a mix of restaurants and street vans. Me and Adam were spoilt for choice when we arrived at Trinity Kitchen! There are just so many options and they all look so tantalizingly tasty. We had to do two laps in order to come to a decision as to where we wanted to eat – at one point we considered ordering from them all but we decided our tummies and coin purses were not up to the challenge.

After some long deliberations we decided to eat at ‘Pho’ which serves Vietnamese street food, I ordered the Bun Cha Gio Tom: Bun Noodles with King Prawns. I had no idea what Bun Noodles were until the menu kindly explained to me that they are “an attack on the senses with contrasting textures, temperatures, colour and flavours.” I was still confused!

Basically, the vermicelli rice noodles are served at room temperature and are accompanied by fresh herbs, carrots, beansprouts, crisp lettuce and in my case king prawns. You then have a hot topping which you can pour over your noodles to add an extra dimension. The whole dish is finished off with a sprinkling of roasted peanuts and fried shallots.

Adam ordered the Pho Tai Chin: Steak and Brisket Noodle Soup. Pho, which apparently is pronounced ‘fur’, is a Vietnamese noodle soup dish that comes with a side of fresh herbs for you to add as you see fit. I wasn’t able to take a photo of the Pho Tai Chin as Adam does not stop to breathe when he eats and so his food had disappeared before I had a chance. Everything was delicious and unbelievably fresh. To top it all off we both had the Pineapple, apple and mint freshly made juice which were phenomenal!

Although we were both incredibly full (the portions at Pho are incredibly generous) we soldiered on and ordered cake for dessert at the Marvellous Tea Cakes Shed. I had the Strawberry Victoria Sponge with a Jasmine tea, whilst Adam indulged with the chocolate brownie and a Banoffee Pie Milkshake from The Magnificent Milkshake Co. The ‘Shed’ is adorable – adorned with bunting, filled with vintage china, and the staff serve your tea and cakes dressed in 1950s attire. If you enable your tunnel vision you may think you had stumbled upon a 1950s tea party …

The great thing about Trinity Kitchen is the abundance of choice and the luxury of being able to purchase your lunch, dessert and beverage from separate establishments which are all only a stones throw away from one-another. I am planning to return to Trinity Kitchen very soon as there as still so many places and delicacies that I am excited to try. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the great variety on offer but remember there is always next time – it isn’t going anywhere!

You can find Trinity on Albion Street, Leeds, LS1 5AT.

http://trinityleeds.com/food-and-drink/trinity-kitchen

Leeds

http://trinityleeds.com/shops/marvellous-tea-cakes-shed

http://www.magshake.co.uk/

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

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Embrace your Quirks

I started ‘Promise of a New Day’ just for fun and had no clear idea of what direction I was going to take it in, but as I add more posts I feel it is becoming more like a lifestyle blog.

I love lifestyle blogs and avidly read them but what I have noticed is that they always seem so seamlessly perfect! This is one of the main reasons I enjoy to read them – I like browsing through photos of interesting restaurants and bars, admiring what the bloggers are wearing. But as I feel this is becoming a lifestyle-ish blog I think I need to lay out the direction I plan to take.

‘Promise of a New Day’ will be my take on life – yes I will post about restaurants and bars, my trips around and about, the colossal amount of food I consume and a few recipes that no-one really has time to make – but I also want to embrace all my quirks and imperfections that make me who I am.

To kick things off I want to outline some of my quirks that make me an awkward individual …

My lack of spatial awareness means I can’t walk out of a room without banging my hip on the door handle, I have long-ago accepted that I will always be that girl with the weird bruise on her leg and no idea how she got it, and I have perfected my awkward wave when people say hi, which basically consists of me holding my hand up like I am about to take an oath – I find people sometimes find this off-putting!

I can’t even perform simple exercises!

I attempted to complete the 30 day squat challenge as my bum is rather non-existent, my mum says I look athletic I think an ironing board is closer to the mark. This was not a successful endeavor!

I failed on day 1! I think that I may be the only person on Earth who falls over whilst attempting to do a squat.

Every-time I attempted one I would raise up onto my tip-toes, bow to my invisible master and then slowly topple over like a solitary tree. In conclusion it was a disaster but at least I provided the neighbour in the bedroom opposite some comedic entertainment. I even asked my boyfriend to hold my heels down but I just fell over him and accidentally knew-ed him in the stomach. Sorry about that Adam!

The moral of this story is that not everyone is destined to have a behind like Kim Kardashian and to all those out there who feel they are the only ones unable to squat – YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

So this blog will not only present the beautiful side of life but also embrace all the quirks and awkward moments that come with it too!

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

Lost in Paris

I recently visited Paris with my boyfriend Adam.Our visit was fleeting – only there for three days – but we fell in love with the city and hopefully will be returning soon. I have included a selection of the photographs that we took whilst we were there. There are none of us as we simply looked terrible, and decided such disheveled looks should not be forced upon the world. The reason for this was that it rained almost constantly and the wind was a force to be reckoned with. But in true British spirit, we braved the elements and ignored the fact that I now looked like 1980s Morrissey, as my full fringe was now a very large quiff!

On our way to Notre Dame we came across these love locks on the River Seine. We didn’t have a padlock to hand, so as everyone was securing their relationships forever to this little bridge we just gave each other ‘the nod’, a mutual recognition that we guess our relationship is secure  –  not quite as romantic! My main thought was not how romantic it was but how had these locks compromised the structural integrity of the bridge – I think I need a love injection asap!

This is on the opposite side of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. Adam informed me that this location has featured on a number of skate videos – he was very excited! I was less impressed, not knowing my kick-flip from my flip-flop.

The Pantheon. We arrived at 10 AM sharp – which I must advise is the best time to go as there is practically no-one else there. You can then admire The Pantheon in all it’s glory without fighting your way through crowds or trying to take photographs over people’s inconveniently positioned heads.

The crypt below ‘The Pantheon’. The crypt is a labyrinth which draws you in. I was very excited to see the tomb of Henri Rousseau because his 1891 painting ‘Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)’ at Tate London has always been a personal favourite of mine. Marie Curie is also enshrined here, and although there is one other woman laid to rest in the crypt with her husband, Marie Curie is the only woman to be honored in this ways solely on the basis of her own merits.

The Louvre was my favourite place in the whole of Paris! I cannot describe how jaw-droppingly awe inspiring it is and photos do not do it’s splendor justice. The artwork in The Louvre was fantastic but what I found most impressive was the building itself. The scale, diversity and grandeur of this former palace leaves you speechless. Unfortunately the photographs that we took of the Pyramid did not turn out due to the poor weather conditions outside, but take my word for it – it is amazing! If you are aged 16-25 and from the EU entry is free, you just have to show your passports on entry to the museum. If you fit this criteria do not queue  up at the ticket stand as you do not need a ticket! We made this mistake and queued for around half an hour, just to be told at he kiosk that we did not need a ticket – so learn from our mistake.

Napoleon III ‘s apartments in the Louvre were unbelievably decadent. A steward asked me to stop using my flash so some of the photos are slightly blurred.

We were slightly disappointed that we did not see Quasimodo when we visited Notre Dame – just another of Disney’s broken promises. On a serious note – Notre Dame is a must see in Paris!

The best metro station to get off at for Pere Lachaise Cemetery is probably Pere Lachaise or Gambetta, both of which are on metro line 3 going towards Gallieni. The cemetery is beautifully calm and the variation of the tombs continues to intrigue as you turn every corner. We were searching for Jim Morrison’s grave from ‘The Doors’ but we couldn’t find it in the labyrinth of Lachaise, though we did find the final resting place of Oscar Wilde.

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx