What Sophie Said

London is a busy place. It’s full of people, full of events, full of tourist attractions. Whether you’re a born and bred Londoner, or move to the capital for work, family, or a whole host of other reasons, there are so many people calling this place home. Since August, I’ve been one of them. I moved here for work, a week before starting my new job, and to say the few months since then have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. I can count on one hand the number of days I’ve had totally free, to do nothing at all. Don’t get me wrong, the things I’ve been doing have been my choice, and I’ve loved it, but sometimes I’m left wishing I had a bit more time to do nothing. What’s so silly about that thought is that it’s totally in my control. I don’t HAVE to book so many theatre trips, or arrange so many meals out, or catch up with three different people in a week. But there’s something about the pace of this city that makes you feel like if you don’t do things ...

I can’t believe these photos have been sitting waiting to be blogged for so long… Andy and I made them on Valentine’s weekend, oops! Anyway, they were so yummy, and the most simple cupcakes. If you want simple, tasty cakes, keep on reading. The recipe is based on one from a Women’s Weekly baking book I found on my mum’s bookshelf a while ago. To make 8, you will need: 150g self-raising flour 90g butter, softened 1tsp vanilla extract 110g caster sugar 2 eggs 2tbsp milk For the buttercream  - This made FAR more than we used, so feel free to cut it back a little - 125g butter, softened 240g icing sugar 2tbsp milk Preheat oven to 160C for a fan oven. Line 8 holes of a muffin pan with paper cases and set aside. Sift flour into a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on a low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is smooth and pale. ...

Sometimes when it gets to teatime after a week of work, simplicity is the key. A few weeks ago I tried out this really simple chilli beef and bean tortillas recipe, which I originally spotted in Sainsbury’s magazine. With a couple of adaptations, here’s the meal we ate: To serve 2, you will need: 1 red onion, sliced Olive oil 1 small garlic clove, crushed 250g lean mince 400g kidney beans in chilli sauce 100ml water 4 flour tortillas Grated cheddar, and anything else you want to serve with In a large pan, fry the onion in a little olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and mince, stirring until the meat has browned. Add the kidney beans and 100ml water, turn the heat down and simmer the mince for 20 minutes. Towards the end of the 20 minutes, griddle both sides of the tortilla wraps. Serve the chilli topped with grated cheese, wrap into the tortillas and enjoy. This was beyond simple, and is so fi...

This is a meal I made for me and my sister when our parents were away. Kate had a fairly quick turnaround and needed something filling and quick. It has a nice kick to it, and tastes really fresh. To serve 4, you will need: 1 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbsp mild curry paste 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed Handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped (we used grated ginger root) 400g can chopped tomatoes 500g fresh spinach, stalks removed and leaves chopped 250ml cold water Naan bread, to serve - we had Asda’s garlic and coriander naans, which were very tasty! Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat and fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 4-5 minutes, stirring until golden. Add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, 250ml cold water and the chickpeas. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minute...

This is one of my complete go-to, easy recipes. It’s unbelievably quick, and tastes fresh and filling. Plus, it has feta cheese in it, which is just the best. The cheat is the use of the Tilda rice, which adds some extra flavour and saves more time. I initially found this on a site like Good Food using different rice and veg, and then have adapted it a little each time I’ve made it to suit my mood or the people eating it. To serve 2, you will need: 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved Handful rocket leaves, and extra to serve 1tbsp olive oil 125g feta cheese – I tend to vary how much depending on how sticky I want it! 1 red pepper, diced Tilda lime and coriander rice (one of the ‘2mins in the microwave’ packs) 200g (1/2 can) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed Pour the olive oil into a deep non-stick frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and diced pepper and gently fry. Stir in a generous handful of rocket leaves. When ...

Next up, it’s another pasta recipe! A couple of weeks ago some of my girlfriends came round in the evening before one returned to uni, and I wanted to make something simple and tasty, that wouldn’t involve me standing over the stove and excluded from the general conversation. Everyone had had long days of work or uni, and so we needed something tasty. I have no idea where I got this initial recipe from, but I took the basis of it and threw in my own substitutions or alterations, and it seemed to go down well. I’ve got more into making sauces for pasta recently. It can be so cheap and easy to throw in a sauce that I had fallen into the trap of doing that, but it’s so inexpensive to make your own sauce, and it has an extra edge of tastiness. For this recipe, which serves about 4, you will need: 4 cloves garlic, crushed 400g can chopped tomatoes 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 400-450g amori pasta (twirls) 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp crushed chillies 2 courgettes, dice...