The Five Tea Collection from Bellevue Tea

Us Domestic Sluts are, like most right-thinking individuals, rather fond of tea - if our current logo wasn't a cherry-topped cupcake, I'm pretty sure it would be a red polka-dot teapot. So you can imagine how pleased I was to get FIVE boxes of Bellevue Tea from Domestic Slut Sian as an early birthday gift (she's evangelised about their Breakfast Tea before).

For those unaware, Bellevue Tea is the best tea in the whole wide world. Okay, maybe not in the whole wide world. But it's certainly the best I've tasted. As you'd expect, it isn't exactly cheap - at £2.50 for 25 bags (plus £2.50 P&P - you can only get it online) it isn't for everyday guzzling. That's what makes The Five Tea Collection (£8.50 plus £2.50 P&P) better value. For £11 you'll get 125 bags of damn fine tea - not cheap compared to PG Tips, but it's just better.

And when you've had one of those days at work, waited in the pouring rain for the bus and have soggy socks as a result, knowing that there's a good cuppa at the end of it makes things feel less rubbish.

Domestic Sluttery pester Jacki from Plush Off

You might not think you need a soft toy shaped like pancakes or a sleepy marshmallow, but visiting Plush Off brings on a major case of the wantsies. We chatted to founder and Chief plush-maker Jacki about why those plushes are just so darn cute.

When and why did you start making plushes?

I started making plushes out of necessity really. It was 2006 and mass recalls were happening to a lot of toys that contained lead. Quite a few of my newborn's toys were recalled as well as those belonging to my friend's children. I went on a 'made in China' boycott and tried to think of what I could do to still spoil my child. My extreme beginner sewing skills came to mind, and what better way to get better at something than to practice!

So I went and bought a sewing machine, loads of felt and end rolls of fabric and away I went! I started with the sunny side up egg, and my son loved it. I love anything and everything anthropomorphic so faces went on everything I made! I keep doing it because it enables me to stay home with my son who has Autism; between sewing and teaching him I am kept on my toes each and everyday, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything else in the world!

You have plush versions of everything from french toast to safety cones! Where do you get your inspiration?

Mostly from everyday life. Foods that my son and family love and everyday objects that catch my eye. The pylons came from my sons love for cars and race tracks, I made them and set them up all over the house and he went crazy with excitement - so I knew they would be an instant hit.

What seems to be the most popular plushes?

My top three are pancakes, carrots and Bed Bugs.

Do you have any other craft-y hobbies?

I love to cross-stitch in my down time; though I am more fond of obscure and cutesy designs that you can't just go buy a pattern for in stores. I tend to find pictures online that I like and make a graph of them in photoshop and go from there.

If I could pick a new craft to learn I would have to go with crochet! I want to learn how to crochet so badly; mostly so I can make amigurumi.

Finally, what are your favourite plushes?

My all time fave was an OOAK (One Of A Kind) that I made of a plush version of Genital Warts (pictured left). He turned out so unbelievably cute I couldn't of been happier! My favourite of the regular day to day plushes is definitely carrots; they all seem to have their own personality with their faces and the way their stems are shaped and how they stand and fall.

Check out more of Jacki's adorable plushes in her Etsy store.

Sluttishly Savoury: Prawn and Butternut Curry

Super quick and super tasty, this is properly warming wintery food and it's a very mild curry taste. If you use reduced fat coconut milk, it might almost be called healthy. Kind of.

You will need:

• 15ml sesame oil
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons of Red Thai Curry Paste (or more, to taste)
• 400ml coconut milk
• 250ml of chicken stock, from stock cube or concentrate
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce, Nam Pla
• 350g of butternut squash and sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 200g prawns, fresh or frozen
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 150g mango, cubed
• Chopped fresh coriander

Make it!

• Heat the oil and fry off the onion, add the curry paste
• Whisk in the coconut milk, stock and fish sauce, bring to the boil
• Add the squash and sweet potato, simmer until tender
• Drain the prawns, add to pan and allow it to come back to the boil, then add the lime juice and mango and cook until the prawns are heated through
• Sprinkle on the chopped coriander before serving

If you're extra hungry, serve with noodles or rice, or just enjoy a big bowl of soupy goodness all by itself.

Temporary Secretary: Little Miss Tweet

She's more than tweet, she's gorgeous! The Little Miss Tweet Necklace comes from the divinely whimsical Temporary Secretary, and I'm tempted by so many of her pieces. Maybe the Cut Out Bow Necklace instead?

Home Office: 2010 Lucky Year Diary

Wow, that's the first time I've written 2010. That came around mighty quickly, didn't it? But, if we're going to start talking about Christmas, we might as well start planning for New Year as well. I like New Year. I make great resolutions and manage to keep them for about three days. Great fun. But my favourite thing about the New Year is buying a new diary. I sit and write all of my important dates and birthdays and New Year parties all neatly.

This is the prettiest diary I've seen so far. It's from Puresha and I love the little horseshoe motif on the front. The inside is printing in chocolate brown which is the perfect colour. It'll look classy all year. £18 Well spend, I think.

Sluttishly Easy: Gingerbread Syrup

As far as I'm concerned, the only time I want to go into a Starbucks is around now when they start doling out gingerbread lattes. I don't particularly like the gingerbread in a latte but love it in some steamed milk and wish it wasn't confined to festive times.

But the fabulous Penny Golightly sent me the recipe to make gingerbread syrup meaning Christmassy goodness can be had all year round!

You will need:

• 250ml water
• 150g light brown muscovado sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 whole cloves (optional)

Make it!

• Heat the whole lot gently in a saucepan until all the sugar has dissolved. This will take less than 5 minutes.
• Give it a good stir, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Fish out and discard the cloves, if you're using them, then pour the syrup into a clean jar and cover tightly.

Et voila! Gingerbread syrup! Penny also offered the tip of adding some syrup to a glass of cava or other dry fizzy wine to make a lovely cocktail.

Bollocks to baking: Lantana

I know we usually reserve our Bollocks to Baking series for bakeries and cupcakeries. But we can't ignore Lantana. Because they quite simple serve up the best brownies we've ever eaten in London. Really. I buy them for the girls before we got for cocktails. Alex text me on her bus journey home once just to tell me how yummy her brownie was! A good brownie is so hard to find so they need shouting about! (But for some reason, there's bad ones all over the place - who do we speak to about this?)

Lantana is a cute little Aussie-run cafe on Charlotte Place near Goodge Street in London. There's good coffee and good music. they have free wi-fi too so you can often find a gaggle of Domestic Sluts scribbling away in the corner. But the brownies are why you come here. They're, soft and gooey, but they're not too heavy. They've still got crumbley bits which is so important in a brownie. Now, I know some of you don't like people messing with brownies, and you like them just as they are, but the nuts in this one only make it yummier. You'll just have to trust us on that.

They're £2 to takeaway and £2.20 to eat in. That's a very small price to pay for the yummiest brownies in all of London.

Flickr image from Sjors' photostream. It's his birthday today.