Plus Size Picks: Five Brands You May Not Have Heard of Yet

While more retailers are now stocking larger sizes, there's still a dearth of decent plus size fashion in the UK. It can be a bit boring to visit the same three or four shops again and again when you're on the hunt for new clothes. So this week, I'm highlighting five lesser known retailers who may just stock your perfect plus size outfit. Some of these are UK retailers, others are international ones who offer reasonable shipping to the UK. And, while obsessive shoppers may well know all of these already, they'll hopefully be new to a fair few of you!

Taking Shape

If you're bored of the UK plus size holy trinity (Evans, Simply Be, ASOS Curve), then Taking Shape is a good alternative. It does have its fair share of yawnsome tunic tees and waterfall cardigans, but what plus size retailer doesn't? If you can see past the 'classics', there are also printed sundresses, floral day dresses, flippy '40s style skirts and summer maxis. Prices mostly come in at under £80 and they stock up to a 26.

Ashley Stewart

This is one of those angst-inducing "why isn't this a UK brand?!" kind of shops. The selection is huge and the swimwear and separates are particularly good, and the use of colour is great. The good news is - with a whole outfit for under $100 - you can afford to think about the occasional splurge on international shipping. If you do, please treat yourself to the polka dot skirted swimsuit. Because it'd be rude not to.

Ruche

If you've ever looked at the pretty dresses at Anthropologie and wished they came in bigger sizes, Ruche is your transatlantic saviour. Their 'Curvy Plus' range may be small, but it contains some real gems, particularly in the retro party dress department! The sizing can be a little limited and stock seems to sell out before you can say "I'll have the black stripy one please" but it's definitely worth a look for special occasions. International shipping is based on weight (so bear this in mind when choosing fabrics - jersey maxis will be pricey).

Elvi

Your new place to go for workwear, Elvi does a good line in tailored dresses, the occasional killer party frock (see the red floral dress above - I'm a sucker for jacquard as it sits so well without creasing) and pretty blouses. Of all the retailers on this list, it skews the oldest, so if you're looking for slightly longer hemlines and less trend-driven fashion that'll stand the test of time, this is the one for you!

MYNT1972

This brand started out mostly as a denim label, and has slowly branched out into other tailored pieces and street fashion. A recent collaboration with a group of plus size bloggers resulted in some really cool pieces, among them a see-through mac, a pink leather biker jacket and the above convertible coat that zips off into different styles. Their jeans and trousers remain the key pieces, so if you're fed up of struggling with badly fitting jeans elsewhere, MYNT1972 are your saviours!

Top Lunch Recipes

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, lunch must be the most taken for granted. We know that we'll eat lunch, we'll find something, and we don't give it much thought. Most of the time it's a beige pasta salad from the corner shop, a greasy panini from the local cafe or a powdery jacket potato from the staff canteen. Not any more! After reading this round-up of brilliant lunch recipes there's no excuse for a crap lunch ever again.

All too often sandwiches are slightly squashed affairs with sad fillings. Actually, when they're done right, sandwiches are really very exciting - like the shooter's sandwich. You don't need a boring old sliced white loaf either, we've made the most exciting sandwiches with naans and chapatis. While we've at it, Vada Pau and paratha aren't technically sandwiches, but they are filled bread so I'm counting them as lunch.

I once cooked fish fingers in the staff room toaster: it worked, but it's not something I'd recommend. Unless you really, really want a fish finger sandwich. We've got a gluten free version, too, so nobody misses out.

Salad needn't be boring, we've already established that. Our Tex Mex salad is delicious and filling and uses up all those extra bits in the fridge, as does our Mediterranean buckwheat salad. A Buddha bowl is a great way to have a varied lunch, filled with all kinds of tasty things. Our prawn and avocado salad is a winner on warm days, don't forget to toss the avocado in lemon juice so it lasts until lunchtime.

A (big) slice of savoury tart with a few salad leaves is a great lunch that's easy to chuck together. Try not to eat all of this red onion and Emmental tart at dinner the night before and you can throw the leftovers in a lunch box. Same goes for our salmon and broccoli and pear and Dolcelatte tarts. Vegetarians - make a couple of extra spinach and feta tartlets and lunch is sorted! Of course, a few sausage rolls would be equally welcome at lunchtime (leaves are optional).

I've worked in an office with a fully equipped staff kitchen, complete with toastie maker and another that didn't even have a kettle. You don't need any cooking facilities to bring soup to work in a flask and it's a welcome lunch while the weather is still chilly. Sweet potato and sweetcorn, spicy bean, honey spiced pumpkin and roast tomato, chill and cumin soups are all good choices when you need to warm up.

Our sausage, chorizo and red lentil soup is a chuck-it-all-in kind of soup that would bubble away quite happily on the hob while you browse unicorns on Etsy work from home. Italian wedding soup requires a little more attention, but it's entirely worth it. French onion soup is one of my absolute favourite lunches, but it can be time consuming to make. We've got a cheaty version for those days when you need lunch with little effort.

One of the benefits of working from home, aside from staying in your pyjamas until 11am, is the fact that there's no limit to what you have for lunch. That said, I'd happily eat stuffed sweet potatoes and croque monsieur potatoes every day. If that sounds like too much cheese for your liking, try our gorgeous samosa stuffed potatoes instead. If you want to take any of these to the office, you'll be pleased to know that they all microwave well.

Want more great recipe ideas? Check out the rest of our top ten posts.

Sluttishly Sweet: Earl Grey Milk Jam

With Mother's Day just around the corner, it's time to think about what we'll serve our beloved mamas for breakfast in bed on Sunday. I'm here to help with quite simply the easiest, tastiest, cheatiest and Sluttiest spread for scones, crumpets, toast, and spoons.

Milk jam is like dulce de leche or confiture de lait - milk and sugar at its most basic. But why faff when you can just buy condensed milk? Why indeed. The creative cookery door is wide open for you to experiment with your own flavours - I've listed some suggestions below - and my choice of Earl Grey adds a delicate but distinct tea taste which is both unusual and comforting.

Beware: this is very moreish indeed. You may become addicted, and if you do, I accept no responsibility.

Earl Grey Milk Jam (makes one small jar)
Preparation time: Less than 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
You will need:

• A 397g tin of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Earl Grey teabag
• 5 tbsp boiling water

Make it!

1. Over a very low flame, and in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, gently heat the condensed milk, stirring pretty much constantly. Get it to a simmer and keep going until it's reduced to a thick, gloopy consistency. 
2. Meanwhile, steep your teabag in the boiling water - I gave mine five minutes for maximum flavour. 
3. Take the condensed milk off the heat, pour in the tea (not the bag or the leaves - just the watery bit!), and whisk for about a minute until smooth.
4. Transfer to a sterilised jar or other container, and leave to cool before placing in the fridge. It'll be ready to eat after a couple of hours, but overnight is best.

Not to be too smug, but I am in possession of a dedicated Mother's Day plate. 

Tips

• In a sealed jar, your milk jam should last in the fridge for 1-2 weeks - some people keep it longer, so use your judgement! (It'll never last that long, anyway - you'll have eaten it.)
• Experiment with flavours! Here are some suggestions to get you going...
• Coffee: brew up espresso using the same quantity of hot water above.
• Chai: exactly like this recipe, but using a chai teabag or chai concentrate. Or go with Assam, Darjeeling, perhaps even green or matcha tea.
• Add a little salt to the reduced condensed milk for a salted caramel flavour.
• Rose or lavender flavouring or syrup, or even some petals, will give you a gorgeous floral scent and taste.
• A cardamom pod, cinnamon stick, star anise, or even a lump of ginger added to the condensed milk while it's heating will make a sweetly-scented, spicy milk jam.
• BOOZE: I haven't tried this, so can't vouch for it, but why not? Whisky, rum, Baileys, coffee liqueur... the possibilities are endless. I quite fancy it with Malibu. Yes, really.

Do report back if you try another flavour!

Sluttishly Sweet: Blood-Orange Meringue Posset

For years and years I have made the most Traditional of Old English desserts – lemon posset – as my fail safe, trusted pudding. I am lazy, so any dessert that can be made with only three (yes, I said it, three!) ingredients is going to be my friend.

Lemons.
Sugar.
Cream.

That's all you need.

But, as with most things done repeatedly for years and years, it becomes reliable and a tad dull. I decided it was time to get zesty and give the posset a makeover. Now, we have had some excellent variations on posset in the past but what I came up with was this time can only be described as a hybrid between a lemon meringue pie and an orange posset. It's really delicious and as easy as lemon meringue (non-pie) to make. Nice with biscuits of various descriptions.

Note: You will need a small kitchen blow torch. If you don't have one – just get one. You can pretend you're in Flashdance AND they also come in handy for things like chargrilling peppers, barbecuing corn and getting things out of moulds.

Blood Orange Meringue Posset (makes 3)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: over an hour

• 300ml double cream
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 blood orange, juiced and zested
• 2 egg whites
• 100g sugar

Make it!

• Combine the cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil on a very low heat.
• Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the orange and lemon juice and zest.
• Transfer to pretty ramekins (I like to use dinky coffee cups) and chill for at least an hour (overnight is best).
• When your possets are chilled, you can crack on with the meringue.
• Over a ban-marie, combine the egg whites and sugar, stir until the sugar has dissolved.
• Whisk the sugary egg whites until they are stiff and shiny.
• Top the possets with a generous amount of meringue and use a blow torch to colour and cook the meringue.

Design Geekery: Video Game Soaps

Going straight to the top of Tuesday's 'things that are bloody brilliant and more than a bit overpriced but I don't care because I really want them anyway' list are these amazing video game soaps. Soaps shaped like Gameboy cartridges! In actual cartridge cases! Oh you're ticking my boxes in the most unexpected of ways, Firebox.

Earthworm Jim soap! He's vegan-friendly and smell of citrus.

Pokemon! Gotta catch 'em all! Seven, actually. Including Zelda and Kirby. All the classics.

The little Gameboy soaps are £8.99 each, which is undoubtedly a lot of money really bloody expensive for a teeny soap. You're paying for novelty factor here but I think these are done so well that I don't mind as much as I probably should.

Didn't have a Gameboy growing up? Have slightly bigger hands than you did when you were ten? Then you'll need SNES soap.

We played Street Fighter 2 and drank pina coladas in The Old School Yard at our birthday party this month. I do not remember the music being as shit as this:

Wow. All I want to do now is drink cream soda and play until I can't feel my tiny thumbs. Hadouken!

Zelda was the best game franchise there ever was. I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. With my mighty Phantom sword.

SNES soaps are £12.99 (I know, shush now, look how brilliant) and I want them all. They're available for pre-order at the moment so buy now and they'll arrive this time next month. Do any of you still have a SNES? Please can I come over after work and have a go on it?

Sluttishly Savoury: Cheddar & Black Pepper Pretzels

Sometimes in life there's nothing better than warm, bready things straight out of the oven. Cue the pretzel! Like a bagel with more panache. We've even themed them for those times when a rose shaped roll is an absolute necessity.

Here, they're combined with mature cheddar, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt into a chewy, moreish, satisfying bread hit. Perfect for weekends. Or weekdays. They're best when eaten fresh out of the oven (could you even contemplate leaving them to cool?), with a bit of butter.

Cheddar & Black Pepper Pretzels (Makes 8 large)

Preparation time: 1 hour 40 minutes (with rising time)

Cooking time: 12-14 minutes

You will need:

• 375ml warm water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 heaped tsp active dry yeast
• 385g strong bread flour
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• A lot of water (about 2.5 litres)
• 60g bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg yolk and splash of water for egg wash
• Sea salt flakes
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated

Make it!

1. Mix together the water, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl and leave for 5 minutes or so until foaming slightly.
2. Add in the flour, butter and black pepper and knead well for 5-10 minutes until the dough is elastic and is no longer sticking to the edges of the bowl. Add in a little more flour if it's too sticky.
3. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place somewhere warm to rise for about an hour, until doubled in size. 
4. Preheat the oven to 230 C / 450 F / Gas Mark 8. Line two baking sheets with lightly oiled baking parchment. (Try not to use greaseproof paper as a substitute, the pretzels will stick!)
5. Bring the litres of water and bicarbonate of soda to the boil.
6. Beat together the egg yolk and water in a separate bowl. 
7. Gently knead half of the cheddar into the dough, then separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. 
8. Roll each piece into a 2 foot rope and twist into a pretzel shape, pinching the edges together. (Check out the awesome Canadian musac in that video...)
9. Use a slotted spoon to drop each pretzel into the water and boil for 30 seconds before placing on the baking sheets. 
10. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt, the remaining cheddar and a grind of pepper. 
11. Bake for 12-14 minutes until deep brown.
12. Try to leave them to cool for 5 minutes ... wait, who are we kidding? Eat them warm with butter and swoon in delight. 

Jackets for the British Spring and Summer Time

With British Summer Time happening at the weekend, let's celebrate in the most British way possible: with a new coat. Unlike our European cousins, we know that the majority of our 'summertime' will be spent being optimistic but goosepimply. So, although your new spring/summer coat will be lightweight, the decision over its purchase is most definitely not.

For a cheering design, it would be hard to beat the joyous combination of the gorgeous coral and the playful polka dots used on The Whitepepper's swing coat, £80 (it also comes in a more practical navy, for when the reality of what British summertime is actually like kicks in).

For more spots, Kling has a coat entirely covered in them, checks too. This design works out at roughly £113 including shipping to the UK from Spain. (The Whitepepper have a nice checked number as well.)

Those &Other Stories striped flats have given me something of an obsession with black and white stripes. It's all zebras, zebra crossings and this spring trench in my life at the moment. This is £103.20 from Boden but ASOS have a cheaper version with bigger and bolder stripes, or Joy do preppy style proud with their Eden blazer.

Trench coats are a spring coat classic. This version from &Other Stories, £79, is available in the more traditional beige and black, but I'm in love with it in this brightest blue.

Singing and dancing in the rain is always more fun if your coat has a bit of a swish about it, like the flare on this houndstooth skirted mac. The price however, is cheerfully far from swish, available for £40 from Florence & Fred at Tesco.

And for when it's raining cats and dogs, naturally you'll need a mac covered with them. This cat city trench is from Modcloth and costs just over £90 including the shipping to UK. Topshop can provide the accessorising umbrella.

Topshop can also handle some spring colours too. This tailored lightweight coat will make you look cuter than a newly hatched chick. Or at least as yellow. It's £75.

I've got a bit of a high street crush on River Island at the moment, which has some surprising treats in store. This lovely kimono jacket is only £35, and also comes in a hot pink. (Oasis have a similar style drape jacket.)

This jacquard coat from Zara, meanwhile, looks minty fresh and is yours for £89.99.

There's masses of bomber jacket styles around at the moment, many of which echo too closely the styles I wore in the early 90s - when, basically, I had no style - for me to take them seriously. I could be tempted by Jovanna's youth culture bomber jacket (though the name obviously puts me off a bit) for its great pattern and slogan-free appearance. It's £70 through the Topshop website.

How nice would it be if the next few months resembled this butterfly blossom jacket, £70 from Oasis? And, if they don't, I'm just going to wear this and pretend they do anyway. Even if I'm sat inside my house because it's raining outside, again.