Sluttishly Simple: Hot Prawn Cocktail

My 1964 post-modernist cliff-top home is currently undergoing a loving make-over to perfectly blend my 1960s/1970s vintage retro furniture with lots of bright, white walls, clean lines and 21st century technology. In honour of this conglomeration of eras, I’m attempting to put a modern twist on some of the classic dishes of the 60s and 70s.

First up? The humble prawn cocktail. Away goes the tiny frozen prawns and watery seafood sauce (which, for the uninitiated amongst us, is essentially just a blend of ketchup and mayonnaise), and in come some Eastern influence, spicy flavours and big, juicy FRESH shell-on prawns. Yum!

You’ll need (to feed 4):

• 16 fresh shell-on prawns
• 2 red chilli peppers
• 4 large garlic cloves
• Pinch of cumin seeds
• Salt and pepper
• Sprinkle of ginger powder
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lettuce to garnish

Make it!

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Seal the cumin seeds, then add the chopped garlic and chilli peppers (I left the seeds in, but you don’t have to!).
• Add the prawns, salt and pepper and fry together for about 5 minutes, turning the prawns once. Cook until the shells are nicely pink.
• Garnish your dish with the lettuce and serve, leaving in the garlic and chilli for additional colour and flavour.

Etsy Pick: Sweet Beastiary

Whilst recently doing some very important research, aka browsing for beautiful things on the internet, I stumbled across the wonderfully quirky Sweet Beastiary on Etsy. And how sweet is this Miss Fox brooch, which costs £22.28.

I must confess I have always had an eye for the boys and, whilst perhaps not conventionally handsome, Henri is strangely appealing.

Or if you more impressed by a titled gent then Lord James is bound to tickle your fancy. Either way one of these chaps could be gracing your lapel for a mere £20.37.

All the Sweet Beastiary pieces are hand sculpted, hand painted and made to order, so in effect you are wearing a completely unique piece of art. Which is pretty darn cool in my book.

Design Porn: Matchcarden

If you were watching The Apprentice last night, you might have seen a familiar product. Early last year, we featured Postcarden on Domestic Sluttery, and you guys loved it. I think we even got to see Aimee Furnival, Postcarden's designer on our telly for a few seconds. I'm absolutely thrilled she's doing so well, and now there's a new (and even more adorable) product from Another Studio.

The Matchcarden may have a slightly tenuous name, but it's twice as cute as its bigger Postcarden sister. Lookit:


Tiny townhouses! Each one is £3.95, but if you wanted a Matchcarden townhouse trio (for little village building on your desk, obviously) then this little set will cost you £11.50.


A little bicycle by a church! You can put him where you feel like, and even design your village church how you want, because your little kit looks like this when it arrives:


The village shop is my favourite:


I want to build a little cress village. I absolutely love the Postcardens, but imagine getting a little tiny matchbox as a present, to create the tiniest desk garden ever. It's the perfect office gift when you want to say something like 'thanks for not telling the boss I was still drunk in the staff meeting yesterday'. Tiny matchbox garden shaped presents will make excellent thank yous and I want them all.

REfreshments

As a rule, I love most things I spot on REfound. It's an excellent shop for all things vintage-y and unusual, but it doesn't hike the prices up. Their web layout is awful, but I forgive them seconds after I find something that I immediately what to buy.

This week, I've been snooping around the REfreshments section. It doesn't matter if I need them, I can't help buying cups and glasses and kitchen things. They're like a little snippet of design that doesn't cost lots, and doesn't take up too much space. Here are my favourite buys at the moment.


I never get sick of old milk bottles, but the airtight stoppers on these make them worthwhile. The small ones are £8 each.


You'll use a lemon squeezer more than you realise. Better make it a pretty one. One that's only £5.


These green milk glass cakestands are lovely. And they're not twee, which is always a good thing. Best of all, you buy them separately, so they can be used for larger cakes too.


After finding vintage jelly moulds earlier this week, and wishing I had some tiny rabbit moulds, I've found some! And they're just £5.50 each for the very little ones. They look a bit like they're going to war, which is weird.

Tatty Devine has wings!

After the debate earlier this week about Tatty Devine and Swank Jewellery, I thought I'd write about something a little Tatty, just to even things up a little. And the main something I'm coveting at the moment is this pair of pewter Pegasus earrings.

They're studs, but they dangle down slightly meaning that your ears will look like they have little wings attached. It's a good thing, I promise. Especially if they're poking through your hair. They're also mirrored, which will give them a really interesting shine (or just accidentally shine light into people's eyes while you're walking down the street and make them a blind for a second). They're £30 and they're very cute indeed.

Getting Trollied

I like the idea of my own drinks trolley. They're always fun. Whether you're on a plane, or even on a train going nowhere exciting, the drinks trolley makes your journey a little better (never go for the wine in little bottles, always the gin and tonic, do not trust that wine).

There's also a bit of a cocktail hour feeling about trollies, isn't there? Some wonderful offices even have a drinks trolley at the end of a Friday, but I don't get that because of working at home (it just becomes drinking on your own, that's not great).

I think Rose & Grey are trying to tell me to use this galvanised steel trolley as extra shelving in the kitchen, which is a very clever idea. But in reality, I'd use it for a wine bucket, drinks and spirits and my cocktail shaker. That's a much better idea than putting plates on it, don't you think?

Cocktail hour would move to a whole new level if I had this. But it's £465. So instead I'm going to have to resort to a bottle of bubbly on my desk. I'm blaming Rose & Grey personally.

Dream Dress: Patterned Swelle Shift Dress

I also find the cutest things in the Swelle Boutique. I'm smitten with this blue gown, this lace dress and this blue skirt. Everything in the shop is like finding a treasure at the back of your friend's wardrobe and being allowed to borrow it (as long as you treat it nicely). The dresses are special, unique and always look like they're much more expensive than they really are.

But it's this patterned dress that I'm most taken with. It's so flattering, and the colours are lovely. I also really like the ruffled sleeves and hem. It's an absolutely perfect day dress. I think I'd wear this dress on dates. The little row of vintage glass buttons down the front is a really cute touch.

Like this cute little dress? It's £85 and it's a one off in a size 10, so it you want it to be yours then you'll have to be very quick. And if you're not quick enough, have a read of The Swelle Life instead.