I’ve always loved a list.  And a note book.  I’ve got thousands but lately for some reason I’ve got out of the list habit and I’m not sure why.  My favourite list when I was younger was the holiday packing list.  The clothes part, working out how many tops and shorts I’d need, and then the more exciting part – which books to take… do I take a hairdryer or risk it with what they might have there… do I really need that fifth pair of flip flops…

These days, well recently anyway, the only lists I seem to make are the scrambled ones written in the supermarket car park on the back of a receipt I should have filed ages ago.  So my head quite often now feels a bit jumbled.  I forget things (I very nearly forgot an order this week I have to admit… I remembered in time and it was delivered in time but someone was very nearly lacking in brownie goodness.  And no-one wants to be lacking in brownie goodness.)

I was moaning to my sister the other day about it – half my brain is a flowery wedding mess, the other half consists of uncooked brownie batter.   She said make lists!  Make lists that have stupid little things on just so you can tick the stupid little things off and feel better!  My own pro list tip is this:  if you make a list a little late in the day – add on the stuff you’ve already done.  And then tick it off.  Genius.

Anyway.  Today I wrote a list.  It included things like ‘make lunch’ and ‘make tea’ and even ‘hang the washing out’ alongside ‘make 4 million trays of brownies’ and ‘make 2000 batches of caramel’.  I got on with it all, ticked it all off and here I am at 5.20pm rushing this out so that I can squeeze in a run (yes, a real run, outside and everything. Not even sure who I am anymore.) before dropping my mum somewhere then racing back, prettifying myself up and heading out for dinner.  All in a day’s work.

Seriously, write a list.  It might just change your life.

Nic X

I’m going to put it out there – I’ve got a bit of an addictive personality. I kicked the nicotine habit a year and a half ago (one of my proudest accomplishments I think) but daren’t even look at my caffeine intake… I do love a good coffee. I buy green tea and peppermint tea and all of those virtuous things with the best of intentions but if you try and talk to me in the morning before my coffee don’t expect more than a glare and quite possibly a mouthful of abuse.

My addictive tendencies extend to other aspects of my life too. Like biscuits. I don’t even buy them anymore, I don’t even like to walk down that aisle in the supermarket. I’m an all or nothing kinda girl, and I can’t understand people who open the packet and savour one custard cream with their cup of tea for elevensies. If you let me loose with a pack of custard creams 10 minutes later I’d be sat there surrounded only in crumbs and a cloud of shame…

My main addiction since losing the fags though is one I’ve been nursing since I was about 6. Whenever my parents uttered those words ‘come on; we have to do the food shopping, get your coat on’, my response would always be something along the lines of ‘can I get a magazine??’

Those bright colours and their tempting freebies were just too much to resist. Who wouldn’t want a pink plastic tambourine with a comic on the side? As I got older, late primary school and early secondary, I loved Shout, Sugar and Bliss. Free nail varnishes, free combs (one of which I. Still. Own. ) free God knows what else….

[quick anecdote: once, in primary school, I was sat in the school office over lunch, not sure why, but I was reading one of my magazines (Sugar) and didn’t understand a particular word. So I did the sensible thing and asked my teacher what it meant.  My dad was called, the magazines confiscated never to be bought again until I was older and as far as I was concerned my life was ruined. All I’ll say is the word was on the problem page and it’s probably not something to say to your elderly year 5 teacher.]

Anyway! I progressed to fashion magazines and gossip magazines.  I’ve been through a phase of buying the weekly ones with the intention of winning all the competitions but never actually entering even one. I used to buy every hair magazine when I was getting a haircut. (Not now, Google image saved me on that one)

Now, I buy any magazine to do with food. Or health. Or fitness. Or weddings. All of them. They shout at to me as I try and walk past and grab me in! I can’t resist. I don’t even read them, or I do but approximately 10 months later once I’ve caught up on all the rest I’ve got. Here’s just one box I have filled with magazines I’ve bought but am yet to read…

I’ve got about 3 piles upstairs too, plus more dotted about here and there.  So there you have it. I’d love to say I’m ashamed but I’m not. I opened that box this afternoon and was filled with excitement, especially when I realised I hadn’t even opened the plastic on some of them!

So there you have it. My name is Nicola and I’m an addict.

Bit of a random post tonight but what I want to say is a little bigger than a Facebook status so here goes…

Opening statement: Easter isn’t big enough.  Christmas is huge – the build up, the cost, the decorating, the wrapping, the card writing, the food (one of my favourite parts – since I started cooking Christmas dinner in my own home I feel the need to constantly beat Last Year Me… it’s stressful yet exhilarating…) and ultimately the excitement.  I just reminded myself of a Monica moment in a Friends episode with that Last Year Me thing.  I love Friends.  But back to the point.  Easter isn’t big enough.  We get four days off work (most of us anyway..) and we kind of don’t do enough with them!  If you go into any reputable cheapo pound shop or any beautiful Paperchase store you can buy loads of fancy and fun Easter decorations but who buys them?  My mum, to decorate her stall (she runs simplyTrue Jewellery) because she is forever enthusiastic about everything in the best way possible, but who else?  Maybe families to decorate for Easter Egg hunts for their little ones I guess… but I’m going to hazard a guess that most people don’t decorate for Easter.  And I really, really wish we did.

It’s like Halloween.  I love the way America does it.  In 2014 we were in California for the first part of October and already in some places they had amazing displays outside of the shops – huge scary figures and just such an amount of effort.  I love Halloween but we just don’t bother over here.  It became a bit of a tradition when I was at school that my best friend and I would hold Halloween parties that just we were invited to (no we weren’t really the cool kids….) and we would have loads of sweets, we would dress up a bit and watch scary movies in her lounge in the dark.  And if we are ever both free around Halloween these days then we do the same.  Because it’s fun!

Anyway.  Maybe I’ve eaten too much chocolate today (I don’t have an off switch.  I actually don’t.  And I ordered my wedding dress in a size too small so if you see me with anything other than a bloody apple in my hand between now and September then for God’s sake TACKLE ME).  Maybe the chocolate is what has inspired this post because I’m not entirely sure there’s much of a point to it other than a bit of a vent… I just think that life is pretty hard sometimes but everyone looks forward to Christmas.  I’m not suggesting we go as crazy as we do at Christmas – it can get a little out of hand sometimes – but just a little bigger, you know? A few decorations… a few sweets…. a party… maybe a little fancy dress!  Let’s go a little American on Easter’s ass!

Well that’s pretty much it I think.  To summarise: at Easter let’s decorate, at Halloween let’s dress up and watch scary films, I love Friends a lot and finally, if you see me shovelling food into my mouth then for the sake of the dress, stop me.

Happy Easter y’all ;)

Oh God. It’s been like 5 or 6 months since I last posted. Forgive me brownie fiends for I have sinned.  I’m sorry!

So quite a bit has happened… whether I can remember what exactly is another thing but let’s go with random bullet points and see where we end up…

1. Lots of wedding planning had occurred – ok not strictly business but my personal life tends to spill into my business life especially with this! And no I’m not making my own cake or my own favours – I have hand picked the best market producers ever for those jobs!

2. We attended our first Broadstairs Food Festival and were overwhelmed by the support you all gave and, to be frank, by how many brownies can actually be consumed throughout a 3 day event by the sea. To quote Peter Andre (because why not?) it was ‘insania’.

3. We were battered and bruised by horrific winds in the run up to Christmas! A couple of cancelled events, a lot of clinging to gazebos,  tables and brownies and a fair amount of swearing ensued.

4. Leading on from 3 out of fear the Green Gazebo may well fall apart, a brand spanking new gazebo was purchased! This was probably more exciting than it should have been or would have been for the normal person but oh my I love it. ❤ The old green one is the original – bought in 2011 when I first started trading. It still resides in the garage as I can’t bring myself to formally say goodbye.

5. The Super Brownie was born. Marshmallow baked into brownie to create an even more gooey texture.

Plus a layer of Golden Oreos. Seriously what more do you want? This range is going to be expanded too so keep your eyes peeled!

Ok 5 things for now to keep you going. But I’ll be back. Just like Arnie only with slightly less muscle and a little more sugar.

Nic X

Tomorrow is the third Sunday of the month which means for me it is Rochester Farmers Market!  Only a 5 minute drive from where I live this is my local.  And its the last chance you have to come and see us in our old location, Corporation Street Car Park!  As of September the market will have moved to Blue Boar Lane car park, opposite Casino Rooms.

So make a bit of time tomorrow and come and do some shopping.  We are open from 9am til 1pm and its not just brownies and bars you can buy!  Grab a tea and wander around local crafts handmade by simplyTrue and Gaia Creations, grab a burger from Giggly Pig or a crepe from Kent in Crepe.  Buy a couple of sausage rolls from Dine Thyme and some samosas from Cinnamon Girl to take home.  Stock up on jams and chutneys from Jo’s Preserves and olives from Daniel!  Get your bread from McCarthys and some hot smoked salmon from Margate Smokehouse.  Get tea from Tiger Spring Tea!  Booze from Kent Cider, Nip from the Hip or Kent Ales!  Get your meat from MB Farms or from VJ Game, your fish from Steve the Fish and your veg from Whitegates Farm (I hear they have a variety of plums available now too…!)

I’ve probably forgotten a couple but I hope that’s enough to tempt you!

See you there :)

Nic X

One of my favourite things to do is to wander around shops seeking out new products to play with and today I found a new twist on a retro tuck shop treat, and some different editions of my favourite, the humble Oreo!

Can’t wait to try out some limited edition goodies with these bad boys!

Coming to a Farmers Market near you soon and for a limited time only! ;)

Keep your eyes peeled…!

Nic X

Have you ever been on a holiday that was more than just a holiday?

Around this time last year my now-fiancé and I were reading reviews, booking hotels and planning our route for driving down the West Coast of America through California.

Excited was an understatement! Growing up, my family owned a little touring caravan (seriously, people have porches bigger than this caravan..) and we had many a staycation involving outside toilets, rainy days and board games. I wouldn’t change these trips for the world (let’s say they were character building..) but never in my wildest dreams did I think one day I would go to America,  Land of Dreams, and see some of the best it has to offer for myself.

We experienced breathtaking scenery, amazing food and some of the friendliest people we’ve ever met and I can’t squish all of that into one little blog post… so I’ve decided to start a little mini series just for you guys! Little snapshots of our Cali escapades…

Because when you come home and you actually grieve for a holiday that’s finished then it’s probably worth telling people about it.

This isn’t a travel blog, I know, so the mini series will be interspersed amongst baking posts, market posts, moaning posts… all the usual. And let’s be honest, a lot will revolve around food because I love it and I live for it and if I’m truly honest I’m just a little bit greedy.

So until the next one…. have a nice day y’all!

Nic X