What Sophie Said

Depression and anxiety are a huge issue for many people, and I myself have been diagnosed with both. However, there's still so much misunderstanding around the topic of mental health, and that's why I'm so passionate about talking about it . The more we talk about mental health, the more we as a society will understand and the more we can help those around us who are struggling. One of the ways I love to learn about new things and broaden my horizons is through listening to podcasts, and I wanted to share a couple of episodes of one of those podcasts. Ladies Who Lunch is a podcast hosted by YouTubers Ingrid Nilsen and Cat Valdes, on which they focus on a different topic each week. They've covered politics, friendships, relationships, sexuality and makeup. They're two close friends having a chat, openly discussing topics people often shy away from, or don't know how to talk about. I absolutely love their honesty, and within the last six months or so th...

Burger time again! I posted not too long ago about the most incredible Spiced Chickpea Burgers , and realised I haven't yet shared chickpea burger attempt number one, so here we are now. I had tried these Jamie Oliver burgers first, ambitiously named 'The Best Vegan Burger'... but this recipe didn't go quite to plan. The idea was good, the ingredients were nice, but I think the quantities were all wrong. Firstly, it called for far too much sweetcorn. A big 340g tin, alongside only one tin of chickpeas. The overall effect was a sweetcorn burger. Don't get me wrong, I like sweetcorn, but I don't want a sweetcorn FLAVOURED burger, to the point I can taste nothing else. Also, there was far too much moisture, meaning they took a long time to cook and never reached the ideal firmness of a burger. I'm going to share it here because it has potential to become a firm favourite, but will add commentary throughout of what I will change the second t...

Having shared this week about my daily ritual of spending at least 30 minutes of reading a day , it seemed about time to share my next reading list and some of the pages I've been turning. The Lake House, Kate Morton This book falls into the style Morton does well; two stories unfold at once, one of a missing child in the 30s and the second set 70 years later. The stories clearly have some kind of connection, but that's revealed only very slowly. It's certainly gripping and interesting, and there are some lovely passages of description.  Whilst I enjoyed the read, as I have with Morton's previous novels, the style and formula are very distinctive and familiar, and it felt a little predictable towards the end. If you're looking for some escapism, though, a decent story and some good little twists, it's worth picking up. Reasons to Stay Alive, Matt Haig This book is raved about by so many, and for very good reason. I'm not actually goi...

Growing up, I was always a bookworm. I loved reading and I was a fast reader, so I would devour book after book. I'd build dens with my sister and sit in there to read book after book after book. English literature was always my 'thing' academically, and that's what I continued on to study at university. After leaving university almost four years ago, my reading levels definitely decreased. Part of the reason was I just needed a break. I had been reading such huge quantities and reading things TO discuss, write about and be examined on. At the same time, my lifestyle wasn't in a very good place overall. My anxiety had kicked in for the first time and my overall way of living and mindset were extremely unhealthy. Add in working full time and the excuses of never having enough time to read, and the number of books I was getting through decreased dramatically. I started reading properly again a couple of years ago, when I moved to London, as my tube...

On the evening I made this pasta, the plan had been to make courgetti with tomato, basil and balsamic. But then there were no courgettes in the shops. And then my balsamic reduction went to pot. So I improvised with what I had in front of me. The result was the most simple, fresh, delicious spaghetti dish. It almost didn't feel worth posting about, but I think it can be so easy to forget the really simple things once you've got into a pattern of trying to experiment with your meals more. Ingredients: spaghetti 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely minced black pepper and sea salt, to taste 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 large tomatoes, chopped This doesn't really need instructions: olive oil in a pan, add the garlic, tomatoes, then cooked spaghetti and finish with basil and lemon juice! It made a really nice change to a thicker tomato-based sauce, and felt like a very fresh, light dinner for an easy evening...

Last week, my dad booked the pair of us last minute tickets to Twelfth Night at the Royal Exchange Theatre. We love theatre, we love that particular theatre and we are fans of Shakespeare. This offering did not let us down. Before I start, the show is running for about another week, so grab your tickets right now. I was surprised by the amount of empty seats there were when we went - this production deserves to be sold out night after night. Shakespeare's plays have been performed again and again, retold in many ways and reimagined by so many performers. I've seen my fair share of both the very good and the very poor! I'd put this up with my very favourites. I'm usually someone who leans towards the tragedies rather than the comedies, and I think that's because comedy can arguably be more difficult to get right. This truly was 'Shakespeare done right'. It was bawdy, rowdy, musical, lively... it felt like a true celebration of the way these play...