Another Wagamamas Favourite: Raisukaree

I'm going on holiday tomorrow so I needed to use up as many perishable ingredients in my fridge as possible. Luckily, the ingredients that I had were almost perfect for making Raisukaree (another Wagamamas dish that I love). Raisukaree is a delicious coconut and lime Thai curry that I highly recommend you try and this recipe is a brilliant imitation of the Wagamamas dish.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 250g King prawns (or chicken if preferred - one fillet per person)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp thai red curry paste
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• chopped root ginger
• selection of vegetables (this recipe: 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 1/2 cauliflower)
• 1 chopped onion 
• coconut milk (or creamed coconut but you will need to add milk/soy milk)
• 1 red chilli (or chilli powder/flakes but this is less potent)
• 1 chicken stock cube
• ground coriander
• garam masala
• 1 lime
• rice
• peanut and sesame oil (not essential but adds a lovely, subtle Asian flavour)

Recipe:

1. Prep the vegetables, cutting them into bite-sized chunks and strips to add some texture. Also finely chop the garlic cloves and fresh ginger root.
   

   
   

   

2. Heat the peanut oil and sesame oil in a pan until very hot and add the onion, garlic and ginger. They should sizzle as they hit the pan. I managed to get both the sesame and peanut oil from Lidl very cheaply for £1.19 per bottle recently and you only need to use a small amount.
   
   
   
3. After a few minutes, add the rest of the chopped vegetables. (If you are using chicken, this is the point to add it) Once the vegetables start to cook, add the Thai red curry paste, soy sauce and fish sauce.
   
   
   
4. Turn the heat down to simmer and add the coconut milk, along with any spices you are using (eg, garam masala, ground coriander, chilli powder). Simmer on a low heat and start cooking the rice.


5. Once the rice is almost cooked, add the king prawns. These only need to cook for 3-5 minutes as they start to go tough if they are overcooked.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Once the prawns are cooked, serve with rice and naan bread. Garnish with a wedge of lime and enjoy!
   
   
   
   
   

Wagamamas Cost (per person): £11.75
C-I-Y Cost (per person): £1.65

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Chic Your Room

When I moved into my flat, my bedroom was bright pink and covered in Disney princesses. Hardly ideal for anyone over the age of ten...

It was one of the first things I had to change because the garish colours were keeping me awake at night and it wasn't exactly somewhere I wanted to chill out in or show my friends. However, I had just finished university and I didn't have a job lined up so I needed to do it as cheaply as possible. Here is how I turned my room from a Disney nightmare to a chic and sophisticated chill-out zone on a budget.

First of all I had to get that garish pink off the walls, so I painted the whole room white. This took about three or four coats of paint as it was such a hot pink. I used Wilkinson's own brand white paint as it came in huge cans for about £6 and I needed a lot of it! I probably ended up using two 5L cans of white paint to cover it all. The white made the room seem much larger than before so I decided I would keep that colour and accent it with another colour. I chose one of my favourite colours - mint which cost about £12 from Wilkinson's (look out for offers, I bought it when all paints were 20% off). I painted two of the main walls mint to add a bit of warmth to the room. Already, it looked miles better!

I also had a tapestry, that I had bought from Urban Outfitters whilst I was at university, which I used to cover up one of the white walls to add some pattern and a few brighter colours to the mix. Tapestries are great statement pieces for any room and can be hung on the wall with a few pins or also used as a throw on a bed or sofa - the choice is yours! This tapestry cost me £20 as I was able to nab it in the sale.

Urban Outifitters have a wide range of tapestries
 to brighten your rooms

So now that the walls were looking great, I needed to do some work on the furniture. When I moved in there was a dilapidated chest of drawers that were on their last legs, quite literally! These had to go, so I went at them with a hammer (which really wasn't difficult as they were now mainly held together with glue). I unscrewed the handles and kept hold of these in case I needed them later on. There was also a matching desk, which was just as broken so I took this apart also but salvaged the shelving unit to store DVDs on.

I kept one piece of the original furniture, which was an old red mirror that I had acquired several years ago from some work colleagues. However, this too was showing its age and was in need of a bit of TLC. I bought a can of gold spray paint (also from Wilkinson's - that shop has EVERYTHING!) for £5 and sprayed the frame to make it look a bit more glam.

A bit of gold spray paint helped
revive this old mirror

However, after throwing out half my furniture, I was now in desperate need of some more. New furniture is ridiculously expensive, especially chests of drawers. So I went charity shopping. I managed to acquire all of my furniture from The British Heart Foundation. It didn't all look great at first, but with a bit of imagination and DIY (or rather CIY) you can spruce it up and make it exactly what you want. In total, I spent £60 on furniture and this got me a huge chest of drawers, a bedside table and an ornament shelf.

The bedside table was pretty tacky when I bought it, but I could see it had potential. Its previous owner had sprayed it gold (gold spray paint doesn't look good on everything!!) and they had put a bit of what looked like blue carpet underneath the glass top. I repainted it white, leaving the feet, interior and handle gold. I also removed the scrappy piece of carpet and replaced it with a scrap of Cath Kidston fabric I had that luckily was the perfect size. (Tip: Always fold over the ends of the fabrics to get a neat finish.)

This £15 cabinet just needed a lick
 of paint and a bit of fabric

The chest of drawers was pretty much fine, but it did have some very ugly little grey knobs for handles. I took these off and replaced them with the ones I had salvaged and spray painted gold.

With a new set of knobs, this chest of drawers
 looks great at just £30

The ornament table was perfect, I needed something to display all my trinkets and photos on and this slotted perfectly into one of the corners, this was a very lucky find at only £10.

A great charity shop find at only £10

The finishing touches were also super cheap and easy to come by. I got this great lamp off ebay for £12.99, it's beautiful, gives off a light and casts a lovely pattern on the walls. 

I love this lamp, just £12.99 on eBay

I also use high quality sheets of wrapping paper as posters, this is a cheap way of decorating your walls as they only cost about £3 - a lot of money for wrapping paper, but not so much for a poster! 

Wrapping paper makes great posters

Finally, I remembered that my mum had a lovely pair of curtains from her old house that she was no longer using and I asked if I could have them for my room which she very kindly obliged. So it was goodbye to the Disney Princess blind and hello to free chic silk curtains!

These free curtains went great with the colour scheme

So to completely redecorate and furnish my room it cost about £100. Half of which went to charity, which is great! Always keep an eye out for pieces that have potential and don't be afraid to ask friends and family if they've got anything you might need.

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Cheap Day Out: Brighton

Today I went to Brighton to visit one of my friends. Brighton is a city of temptation if ever there was one, with the Laines, the seafront and an array of delightful restaurants and cafés. You could quite easily spend a fortune in a day trip to Brighton so here are some tips and recommendations on how to have a great time without maxing out your overdraft. 

Dos Sombreros:

I arrived in Brighton at about lunch time so we had a bit of a wander around until we stumbled upon this place. Dos Sombreros serves tasty Mexican food at a very reasonable price, though the decorations were a bit cliché, the food was delicious and they offered a lunch time menu that was half the cost. I had a large chicken fajita served with tortillas and salsa for just £6.

I LOVED their business cards too,
 what a great design.

There was a wide variety of choices to eat and drink and the staff were friendly and laid back, it was a great place to sit and have a catch up over some food.

Beyond Retro:

Beyond Retro: Vintage Clothing Store

After refuelling on some great food, we headed off down the Laines for a spot of shopping. Beyond Retro is a fantastic shop for second hand vintage and retro clothing, they literally stock everything - hats (fedoras, boaters, cloches), shoes (including a wide selection of Doc Martens and Converse), men's & ladies' clothes from all decades of history. If you want to create a truly unique chic look, this is the place to go.

The prices are very reasonable too and quite competitive with high street brands. It's like a much more superior and larger version of the Urban Renewal project by Urban Outfitters. 

The staff are friendly and helpful and all have a great sense of style too, so if vintage clothing is your thing then this is a must visit shop.

You can't miss it - It's bright yellow and huge!

Blackbird Tearooms:

After several hours of trawling the Laines in the sun, we began to get thirsty and my friend recommended a great little tearoom that she knew of called Blackbird. We popped in for a pot of tea and a scone and chilled out in the garden terrace. 

Homemade scones with fresh jam and clotted cream
are one of the many pleasures at Blackbird Tearooms

Blackbird has that great vintage style to it with mismatching chinaware and tarnished old tins and tea strainers. There is a wide choice of seating, with two floors indoors and the outside terrace. All of which is beautifully decorated. 

Quirky vintage items decorate the outside as well
 as the inside of Blackbird.

The staff are quick and attentive and the food is magnificent. Large slabs of homemade cakes and scones bigger than your fist that melt in the mouth. My friend and I both had a cream tea which came to a very reasonable £6 and left us feeling entirely satiated.

They also have an extensive list of loose leaf teas in stock including Assam, Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Chamomile, Jasmine and many others. This is a must visit spot for all tea connoisseurs.

A perfectly brewed cup of Assam tea: A large selection of
 teas are available.

Brighton Pavilion:

If it is your first visit to Brighton, then visiting the Pavilion is a must but be prepared to come away green with envy. The décor inside will have you clamoring to renovate your home ASAP. However, tickets can be quite expensive. An adult ticket to the Pavilion costs £11 per person. 

If you are visiting Brighton with the intention of sightseeing, then I recommend going by train. The train companies have set up a rewards promotion which offers 2 for 1 to attractions all over the country as long as you travel by train and show a valid ticket. (For more information visit Days Out Guide) This is a great money saver as you end up paying half the price if you split it with a friend.

Visit the Days Out Guide for information on 2 for 1 ticket prices to
many of the UK's top attractions, including Brighton Pavilion.

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