Beautifully wonky

For this post we’re back at the Argentine Ambassador’s Residence for another of the exhibits for London Design Week - each of the artists’ work was stunning, and their placement had clearly been carefully thought through.

These ‘beautifully wonky’ glass urns are by Chris Day and are titled ‘Under the Influence’ and they’re well named - it’s easy to see why. The glass is blown and sculpted onto a copper base, and copper wire and rope give them their delightful shape.

And the light from the full length windows on this sunny day really made them sing. The whole room full.

Each was beautiful, and I’m not sure I could choose a favourite - though I’m equally sure I couldn’t afford even one of them!

Reasons to be cheerful: Blood oranges

January is, I think, my least favourite month. It follows what is a very social month, and just as I'm getting into my swing everyone disappears and the weather often takes a turn for the worse. This month already we've seen off a light sprinkling of snow, and colder temperatures are forecast and I've just spent a couple of days in somewhere where the daily high was a negative.  Brrrr. 

So you might be thinking what I've found to be cheerful about. Well, as it often is, it's something really quite simple. And that's freshly squeezed orange juice from blood oranges. Not only does the colour make me smile, it tastes delicious too. 

It's a great start to the weekend and I'm sure it tastes even better because they have a relatively short season, only really appearing in our local greengrocers in January and February.  Plus it gives me a good reason to use my new water glasses from Habitat in a more colourful way!

I do like the simple things in life, so juicing blood oranges is a good place to start, but you don't have to stop there. I've been looking around for other ways to enjoy them, and I couldn't get past this blood orange syrup pudding from Cherished by Me.

A blood orange syrup pudding

I like how it's a syrup pudding that's not steamed, which means it takes less time to cook and you can also make it with gluten free flour. But mostly I like it because it plays to the sweetness of the blood oranges and because the pretty flesh is still on show, and not because as Nova says, it's a generous sized dessert. Oh, ok, maybe it's a little bit of that too...

Image credit: Cherished by me

Enjoy 10% off your first order from Habitat

Last week I told you about my new red wine glasses and how by using the following link you can enjoy 10% off your first order from Habitat , no strings attached.

Don't forget to make the most of this offer - and let me know what you buy, and how you enjoy your blood oranges.

* This is a collaborative post but all views and opinions are my own

Celebrating January with new wine glasses

If you're taking part in Dry January, then I apologise, this probably isn't the post for you. And while I agree it's a great initiative that raises both money and awareness for the charities involved, and brings personal benefits too, it's not something for me. I'm not saying never, just not now.

Part of that reason is because I find January can often be hard anyway, after the social month that precedes it the stark contrast is often already tricky to deal with. This year though the other reason is I've some stunning new wine glasses, which I couldn't wait to use.

I mean, just look.

HAMBURG RED WINE GLASSES FROM HABITAT

If they look familiar, then you have seen them here before. They were on the table at the Habitat Supper Club I went to in December. And I was impressed with them then; their modern design, which is delicate enough but yet still angular and chunky enough to stand out. That evening I was pretty sure that MOH would like them too, even though for glassware he's more of a traditionalist, liking fine stemmed glassware. But as we've found out - with a few smashes - the glasses that we use most regularly need to be robust for everyday (or every weekend) use.

I bought the red wine glasses and they are big, only just about fitting into our kitchen cupboard. Their capacity is 54cl, which when ordering online meant very little to me. If you're keen on a more modest sized glass then I think the 31cl white wine glasses would be a good alternative.

And contrary to popular opinion, the larger glasses don't encourage us to drink more. I mean, when the bottle's empty, it's empty, isn't it?

You can enjoy 10% off your first order from Habitat

I left the Supper Club with a voucher from Habitat which I used against my purchase of these glasses and and a set of water glasses in the same range (more on those another day). By using the following link you can enjoy 10% off your first order from Habitat , no strings attached.

What will you buy?

* This is a collaborative post, but all views and opinions are my own.