What Sophie Said

Andy and I are trying to eat a bit more healthily at the moment, and I’m trying to build up some tasty new dishes ready for when we can move back in together very soon. I made this one on a Friday night, and it’s full of flavour. I have no idea where the original recipe was from, I’ve had it written down for ages… although the final result doesn’t bear much resemblance to the original! Here’s the ingredients, to serve two: Juice of a lime 1tsp smoked paprika Salt and pepper ½ red pepper, chopped 4tbsp sweetcorn 200g chicken breast, sliced 1tsp chilli powder 1tsp tomato puree 1tsp sunflower oil Small bunch parsley, chopped 1 carrot, diced For the dressing: 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper Put the chicken in a bowl with the lime juice, spices, tomato puree and salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes, the longer the better to enhance the flavour. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and thoroug...

As usual, I’m racing through books, so without further ado, here are the latest things I’ve conquered from my reading list. The Return, Victoria Hislop This is one of those books I’ve seen plenty of people and family members reading over the years – Hislop is certainly popular. This novel is split between the present day and the Spanish Civil War during 1936. Both stories are fully constructed, and are linked in ways that become clear as you read on. The majority of the novel was the Civil War section, which I definitely preferred as it’s a topic I’ve never really read much about. This story is really gripping, it’s a family saga of lots of secrets and revelations. I can’t say much more as there are some unexpected twists, but it’s beautifully told. The Night Climbers, Ivo Stourton James is a new student at Cambridge, and is selected by the ‘Tudor Night Climbers, a secretive society, who become his new friends. He falls for one member, Jessica, and ...

Isn’t it a great feeling when somebody gives you a thoughtful gift, that you weren’t expecting and that you love? Well for lucky old me that’s happened twice in the last few weeks, so I’m feeling very spoiled! My university friend Anthea spent her Christmas in Germany, and a box arrived a couple of weeks into January… Inside was a gorgeous little packet of biscuits from her favourite German bakery, and a candle. The candle is a hand-carved wax in the shape of an elephant, and is made up of such beautiful colours that fit perfectly in my room. Then, less than a week later, I was reunited with my fabulous school friend Alex, who has spent her time since about August in Singapore and India (she’s rather a jetsetter). There are 5 of us in our ‘left over from school friendship group’, and Alex had got the four of us personalised gifts. The others received trousers, a bag, a scarf, and she had chosen me a clutch bag. She matched them so well to our tastes, although d...

A new month means a new challenge! We’re a couple of days into the month and I’m doing well so far, so hopefully writing it down will persuade me even more to continue. The challenge: to drink 2-3 glasses of juice, and 4-5 glasses of water, per day. The water is a fairly normal step. It’s all I really drink, but I don’t feel like I drink enough of it. Obviously, some days I will need a little more or less, depending on what I am doing, but I want to make more of an effort to get the hydration my body needs. It seems everybody is doing ‘juice cleanses’ at the moment, and whilst I don’t think I’d ever go as far as that, I can see the benefits of drinking juices. I’m pretty fussy, so I’ve picked up three tasty ones from Morrisons. They are from the store’s own range, and are 100% fresh, pressed juice, not from concentrate. I picked up red berries, clementine, and cloudy apple juices. They’re all so tasty, and after a few days of drinking them regularly I do feel more alert an...

Time for my next challenge update! January’s goals were focused on beginning to take control of my panicking, and trying to take positive steps forward, and I’ve had mixed success. Point number one was to go to the doctors, chat about what’s going on, and discuss some kind of talking therapy. I did that, and was lucky to get a great doctor, who immediately made me feel so calm. He referred me to a local place for some CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). I’ve had one session so far, but may write about it in a little more depth once I’m really starting to learn any techniques, or can see it making a difference. This was definitely a massive step to take, so I’m really pleased about that. Point two was yoga, and that one has just not happened. I do have a tendency, whilst I’m worrying so much, to put off certain things. It’s something I’m trying to sort out, but this was something that fell by the wayside. I got as far as emailing to confirm the times of a local class, but on h...

I completely lost track of time this weekend and didn’t post this on Saturday. I had a lovely relaxing weekend full of food and laziness, and it was fabulous! Anyway, here is the latest instalment of my reading list… One Foot Wrong, Sofie Laguna This is such a unique novel. As I read so much, and so widely, and studied literature at university, it’s very rare that I find a book that doesn’t at all remind me of anything else. This, however, filled that gap. It is told through the perspective of an 18 year-old girl who has a very limited vocabulary and a mind underdeveloped for her age. When Hester enters mainstream schooling, she begins to learn new things, and that there are certain things she cannot tell her parents. One huge secret grows throughout the novel until she makes a break for freedom. The voice of the novel was well-crafted, and sustained brilliantly, which is something that can be very difficult to get right. It’s really quite eerie, as you begin to rea...

In December, I had an evening with my friend Jen at Gusto in Cheadle Hulme. A popular chain, it’s a place we know we’ll get good food and enjoy a nice atmosphere. Cheadle Hulme’s Gusto is situated on a main road, and has a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, often covered in beautiful little lights. It is large, high-ceilinged, and with heavy wooden furniture. Gusto has an extensive menu, making it perfect for even the fussiest of eaters, and it means you can try something different each time. We decided to go classic on this trip – I opted for a pepperoni pizza, and Jen a Gusto burger. When it’s pouring down and freezing outside, all you want is brilliant comfort food! The food was yummy as expected, and we both jumped at the chance to check the dessert menu. Jen had the hazelnut brownie, and I had little mini donuts. They come with chocolate and cream, but I don’t like cream so was given double chocolate – I’m not complaining at that on...