Recipe: Cheese and Bacon Soup

This is the first recipe i tried from the new books i got from Marks and Spencer and it was it was a hit. All three of us enjoyed it.

This would serve 4 people so we just halved it for us.

2 tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves

1 large onion

250g/9oz bacon, chopped

2 large leeks, sliced(we didn't use these as Phil won't eat them!)

2 tbsp plain flour

1 litre vegetable stock-i used baby stock cubes as they are low salt

450g/ 1lb of potatoes, chopped

100ml double cream

300g grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a medium sized pan over a mediumm heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until slightly softened, then add the bacon and leek and cook for around 3 minutes while stirring.

In a bowl mix the flour with a small amount of the stock to form a smooth paste and then stir this into the pan, cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Then pour in the rest of the stock and add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cook through.

Stir in the cream and cook for 5 minutes and then gradually stir in the cheese until it has melted. Remove from the heat and serve garnished with a small amount of grated cheese.

I didn't add salt or pepper as Seb was having some of the soup but to be honest i don't think the soup needs it.

I served it with some lovely sweet cheese bread.

Red, red wine

Three outfit posts in a row, that is a rarity these days!

This outfit is a bit autumnal for August but the weather called for it.

Printed dress- c/o Matalan, Berry cardigan-Primark

Dressing table necklace-ASOS

Opaques-New Look, Black patant loafers- c/o Matalan

xxx

Leopard and lace

Yesterday as Phil was working all day, me and Seb went to my mums for a roast dinner.

When i got dressed the weather was gorgeous, sunshine and blue skies so i went bare legged.

Cream lace dress-Primark

Leopard skinny belt- c/o Matalan

Then just before we left the sky turned grey so i added some opaques.

Black patant loafers- c/o Matalan

I love, love, love this dress.

Today we've been been to see the ducks and on the swings, then walked into town, and tonight we've cooked the most gorgeous soup, it was so good I'm going to do a post this week with the recipe. Phil is off work tomorrow too, hopefully we'll get some sunshine!
xxx

Dewsbury-on-sea

Every year our town hosts a free event named Dewsbury-on-sea, they build a beach in the centre of town complete with beach huts and deckchairs, there are donkey rides, a funfair, face painting and even free sticks of rock. I've never been before but this year we decided to take Seb along for a play, he loved the sand, much of it was eaten.

It was really fantastic to see our rundown town full of people enjoying themselves.

Such an event required an outfit that could be covered in sand and water!

Polka dot dress-Dorothy Perkins, Black leggings-New Look, Pink cardi-Zara

Bow belt-Topshop

Today Phils been at work all day so me and Seb have been to my mums for a roast dinner. I actually love what i wore today so will post outfit photos tomorrow.

What have you been upto?
xxx

Nail of the day

Oh how i love this colour, looking at my nails makes me smile :)

China Glaze- For Audrey

New buys-photo heavy!

Yesterday was Phils day off and it was gorgeous so we went to Wakefield for some lunch.

While there we had a look in the shops, i wanted to use my No.7 voucher in Boots and also wanted some tights. Typically i found other things to buy.

Shoes from New Look. These are much nicer then the photo shows, the colour is fab and the heel is a great height.

Tights for Autumn from New Look

Blingy earrings, again from New Look

I ordered this animal print scarf from the ASOS sale, its really lovely but quite similar to others that i have, so i might give it to my mum

I picked up this dress in Topshop, it has a cut out back. I'm hoping for a good night out soon so will probably wear this then

I spent my No.7 voucher on this polish and i also picked up a polish in Topshop, i'll do posts with these in soon

Day cream and night cream, Palmers Cocoa Butter and Max Factor Mascara

I wouldn't normally post this but this shower gel smells amazing and its on offer for £1 in boots at the minute

Phil got me this giant cookie maker last week, i can't wait to use it!

I got these recepie books in the M&S sale for £1 each

And last but not least, we got a new pushchair! This is for me really as our other pushchair is a proper one that comes in more then one piece(can be made into a pram, and you can use the car seat on it) much as i love it, its heavy and big and a pain to get in and out when i'm on my own as we have to go up a flight of stairs to get out. This folds up tiny and in one piece.

What have you been buying?

xxxx

Florals and studs

Heres what i wore on Sunday.

To be honest i feel a bit blah about my clothes at the moment, my stomach is still not the same since having Seb and my boobs are still bigger. The result is that my clothes fit but not as well as they used too so i find myself wearing the same things again and again. However i'm now making sure i find the time to do a bit of excercise each day, i don't think my stomach area will ever go back entirely as i really did have a massive bump for my body but hopefully it will help me to feel better about myself.

I'll start with my shoes as these are my favourite part of my outfit!

Black studded sandals-Primark(excuse my toenails, i was letting them breathe!)

Gold key necklace- c/o Matalan
Black floral dress-New Look

xxxxx

Simply swim

You may remember a while ago that i reviewed a swimming costume from Simply Beach, well i have also been given the chance to review another costume from their sister site, Simply Swim, which sells yet more lovely swimwear which is more practical.

As regular readers will know we often take Seb swimming so practical swimwear is a must, nobody wants to accidently flash the lifeguards.

After looking through all of the swimsuits i chose the Speedo Luxe Claudezine in Kiki Pink as currently i only have black costumes.

Firstly i'd like to praise how fast the delivery is. It came within 2 days and was well packaged.

Onto the costume! I really liked wearing this, the neckline was flattering and i like the pretty ruffle detailing on the v. My favourite part about the costume is the tummy control! Not very sexy i know, but as my stomach still isn't back to normal from being pregnant it made me feel alot more slimline and confident in the pool.

To summarise, this costumme is practical yet pretty which in my book is a great combo.

If you are in need of a costume go check out the site here.

Pretty in print

Wooo its Friday! What is everyone doing this weekend?

Me and Phil are going to a party tomorrow night so Seb is going to stay at my parents, so no 6am alarm call for me!

I'm also on the hunt for a new pushchair, i never realised it would be so exciting!

Print dress- c/o Matalan, Black leggings- c/o Matalan

Mirrored heart necklace- Charity shop

Jewelled black pumps-Topshop
Whatever you get upto, enjoy! xxx

Ins and Outs

Its been a while...

Ins
Love film- I joined last month on the basic package and am loving it so far. This week i've received Black Swan to watch.

Seb getting older- This is an in and an out! He is nearly crawling, has learnt to throw things, can roll a ball to me, oh and he has 2 teeth! We got him a paddling pool and filled it with 300 balls, its huge and he loves it!

Great British Bake Off- The new series started on Tuesday, it makes me want to run to the kitchen and bake. Matalan Leggings- These are really fab, the comfiest i've found.

Palmers Cocoa Butter- This is my number one body lotion, i've strayed many times but always come back to it. I also use the baby version on Seb when i do baby massage after his bath.

Outs
Earache- last week and over the weekend i had horrible ear ache. It seems to have calmed down for now. Its such an annoying pain :(

Spots- I am 27 and yet i have 2 huge spots on my forehead, argghhh!

Matalan

Matalan is quickly becoming a brand i go to more and more often, recent buys include tights, a swimming costume, pj's and bookends for Sebs room. I've been finding myself browsing their website more regularly and bookmarking items.

So i was tres excited when the rather kind people at Matalan recently offered me a voucher to spend instore.

Here are the bits i chose.

Print dress, this hangs so nicely on me, and the colours are lovely for AW, lookout for an outfit post with this over the weekend

Leopard belt- i've had one on my wishlist forever!

Black patant loafers-terrible photo but these are lovely, very similar to some i've seen in Topshop, again look out for these in an outfit post.
2 pairs of black leggings, i've never tried Matalan leggings before but these are really fab, comfy and not too thin



Cute socks and hair accessories. They also had the cutest socks to go under wellies instore.



And last but not least, sweeties!

Do you shop at Matalan? Any top buys?

xxx

Don't forget to follow me on twitter

My username is Sebsmummy

xxxx

Stay safe

This is just a quick post to say that i hope everyone is safe after the hideous events over the last few days xxx

Nail of the day:Models Own

Models Own in Cement Mixer

I loooooove this, easy to apply and stays put, excuse the terrible painting!

What nail polish are you wearing?xxx

Cream and tan

I wore this a few days ago for lunch and a bit of shopping. Shame i had to wear the leggings as the ridiculous weather couldn't make its mind up.

Cream dress with mesh-Topshop, Cream and tan belt-Forever 21

Leggings-New Look

Tan brogues-Primark
It isn't the most practical dress as everytime i picked up Seb the mesh bit pulled down and flashed my bra.
Its the weekend!! What are your plans?
Phil is working all weekend so i'lm going to my mums for one of the days, maybe go for a nice walk depending on the weather.

New buys and some freebies

I've managed to buy a few new bits this week, after our trip to Leeds at the weekend and then on Tuesday we popped out to lunch and had a quick look in the shops.

Firstly, is my amazing new necklace!! Phil actually got me this, lovely boy!

At the weekend i picked up this necklace in the Accessorize sale for £3. I love the colours.

I also got these in Primark, i'm not entirely sure they suit me, but they are super comfy and i love them.

We also popped into Lush to buy some bath bombs for Seb and Phil wanted to get something for his mum. At the till we both got given a free bag of products! I think they were getting rid of old stock, we got a solid shampoo, 2 bath bombs, a massage bar, 2 lip tints, a lip balm and some ultrabalm.

Finally i grabbed this lovely leopard scarf in H&M, i can't wait to wear it with my leather jacket.

Forever 21 were offering free delivery last week, so i made a tiny order from them as i've been wanting this necklace.

Also grabbed a couple of pairs of socks.

The final thing is these 2 nail polishes from ASOS, they were both in the sale so a total bargain and i got free next day delivery. The shades are Nyla Nude and Cement Mixer.

What have you been buying?

Its Phils birthday today, the poor thing won't be home until 9pm but i've made him a brownie cake and we're going to have an indoor picnic when he gets home.

xxx