Exploring the UK: Freeport Outlet Centre, Braintree, Essex

As much as I love the Big Smoke, I'm a little partial to my home county of Essex. Despite our reputation among others... I love exploring old favourites and new to me parts - it's home to some cracking places. One old favourite is the Freeport outlet centre in Braintree so when they got in touch to see if I fancied a day out, I quickly said yes.

Armed with a very generous voucher, I set off shop until I dropped. Freeport is home to a whole host of shops from homeware to beauty and fashion to electrical, there really is something for everyone. Lots of well-known retailers boast a shop at the outlet village. Ted baker, Adidas, Barbour, French Connection, Vans, M&S, Karen Millen and Hobbs are to name but a few. Thanks to my trip to Cologne coming up in a few days, I was on the hunt for some new bits and pieces to take there. Luckily I had no trouble finding things for my trip.

On the hunt for some comfortable shoes, something I don't own much of, I headed to Vans to treat myself to some plimsols. I was greeted with such a huge selection of different colours and styles and finally settled on a pair of plain black slim fit shoes. Then off to The Body Shop I went to stock up on some beauty bits and bobs for my holidays. The hand luggage restrictions get me every time. Finally I decided to treat my boyfriend to a new adidas zip up jumper to say thank you for being the chauffeur for the day. Not bad right?

Freeport really is a great day out, it's less than a hour from London on the train and savings can be up to 60% off the retail price. It's a fantastic place to get all your favourite fashion brands at a good discount. It means you can buy more right?! There's such a great selection of shops and new ones are opening all the time. It's easy to navigate and thanks to the industrial estate opposite, there's some fantastic places to eat - and even a cinema if you fancy relaxing after all that shopping!

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Recipe: Ultimate mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is one of my all-time favourite comfort dishes. It's so hard to get right but when it's cook to perfectly, it tastes heavenly. Just not the most photogenic of food dishes! So when I was kindly sent some Norwegian Jarlsberg cheese I decided to attempt it for the first time. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe as a base. Jarlsberg is a great cheese to use because it still keeps it's intense nutty flavour when it's melted.

Feeds 4

Ingredients:
20g butter
1.5 heaped tbsp plain flour
4 tsp of lazy garlic
3 bay leaves
1 pint of semi-skimmed milk
300g macaroni pasta
1 pack of cherry tomatoes
4 rashers of bacon
Splash of Worcester sauce
150g grated Jarlsberg cheese*
100g grated parmesan cheese
1 big handful of breadcrumbs
Olive oil

Method:

1. Grill the bacon under the grill until it is nice and crispy. Once cooked, put aside to cool down.

2. While the bacon is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat, add the flour then turn the heat up to medium. Keep staring until you get a paste like mixture.

3. Add the garlic and keep stirring until the garlic is nice and golden. Add the bay leaves.

4. Slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce is lovely and smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and then leave it to simmer. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Preheat the oven to around 200 degrees.

5. Boil some water and add the pasta. Cook to the packet instructions.

6. Meanwhile roughly chop the tomatoes and bacon. Season them with salt and pepper to your taste.

7. Once the pasts is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Then add the grated cheeses, tomatoes, bacon and Worcester sauce.

8. Make sure the sauce isn't too thick as it will thicken in the oven. Add some water if you need too.

9. Transfer the mixture into a oven-proof casserole pan before popping in the oven for around 30 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and golden brown.

10. Whilst it cooked, heat some olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat before popping in the breadcrumbs. Stir and toss the breadcrumbs around until they're crispy but not too burnt!

11. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the finished mac and cheese for a lovely cranky topping before tucking in. Enjoy!

As always, please do let me me know if you give this a whirl and drop me a tweet!

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Hotel review: Qbic Hotel London City, Aldgate East, East London

I love a staycation in London so when my boyfriend and I booked ourselves gig tickets on our anniversary night I decided to throw caution to the wind and look for a hotel for the night. I came across Qbic Hotel London City. Based in Aldgate East, it was the perfect location from home. Only about 45 minutes on the tube and ridiculously close to Duck and Waffle for our brunch the next day. Brick Lane is one of my favourite areas in London so it was a good excuse to have a wander around the markets the next day.

For just over £100 a night per room, we opted for the second cheapest. Gotta have some luxury on an anniversary night right! I wanted something that looked a little quirky, stylish and had character. Chain hotels can feel sterile and boring. I think Qbic ticked all the boxes. I loved all the fun little touches hidden around the hotel such as the teddy do not disturb sign, the hosepipe lamp at the end of the bed, postcards of the local area and the slightly awkward lady above the bed - her eyes felt like they followed me around the room.

The bed was enormous and the room was spacious and light - something that some city hotels fail to get right. They can feel cramped and gloomy. I had a great nights sleep and it was a struggle to get up in the morning.

I couldn't fault the staff and they were even kind enough to let us leave our suitcases there the next while we explored the city - without charge! Checking in and out was a breeze and the free coffee machine on each floor was a lovely touch. I'd definitely recommend booking a room if you're ever visiting London - it's nice to have somewhere a little bit cool to head home after a day in the city.

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