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team favourites – the autumn edition

3th November 2023
It's been a season of celebrations here at LEM HQ...

It’s that time of year where we take over Lydia’s blog and share our recommendations from this season’s finds. As always, we hope that you enjoy the read!

Team LEM x

Carrie


Official best friend and Chief Operating Officer at LEM Online, I like to think that I’m the glue that keeps this business together. I’m also quite the expert in drinking alcoholic grape juice and herding small, energetic dogs.

SKIN TYPE – Normal to dry, prone to sensitivity with weather changes or hormonal fluctuations.

HAIR TYPE – Half wavy, half curly, fine but lots and lots of it.

MAINTENANCE LEVEL – Minimal effort always!

INTERESTS – Food and wine, cooking, my little Bolly Moo and Tatti, hiking, travelling, date days with my friends, staycations.

BEAUTY – I think anyone that knows me knows that I won’t leave the house without a pop of red somewhere. Usually that means my red glasses but if I’m glasses free, it has to be a red lip. Finding my ‘signature’ red colour has taken years of trialling different ones but I think I’m set for life since discovering Mac Lady Danger just over a year ago. Also, with a name like that, I feel I can take on the world!

BOOK – If you have been hiding under a rock in the reading world for the last few years and somehow missed the Richard Osman hype, please allow me to encourage you to absolutely join the hype! The Thursday Murder Club set of four novels has had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions but also, for me, is total inspiration to grow old slightly disgracefully whilst still embracing life every step of the way. I wholly imagine my late Grandma would have been totally on board with being part of a crime solving group within her own care home. It was a totally joyous read from cover to cover and the perfect way to spend many hours by the fire with a glass of red on a Sunday afternoon.

RESTAURANT – A recent staycation to Deal in Kent was solely booked having heard incredible things about a restaurant there called The Rose in Deal. Though we (and the dogs) loved Deal wholeheartedly for a number of reasons (and will absolutely return for the beauty and calm of the place) this restaurant stood out by a country mile. Both my partner and I agreed the food was one of the best meals we have had outside the Michelin guide in this country. Inventive and imaginative seasonal food, cooked exceptionally well and served in a relaxed but vibrant setting. I loved it!

FOOD OR DRINK ITEM – Currently, I’m loving mixing up the gluten free pasta in our household with Buckwheat pasta – a pasta with a nuttier flavour and more texture. It’s something a bit different for a mid-week dinner and like any pasta, can be made super quickly! It’s particularly good in a pasta bake as it doesn’t go mushy!

I also have recently discovered Ramona’s Jalepeno Houmous. It’s the best Houmous ever in my opinion and I’m scooping it on blooming everything in sight.

NEW PURCHASE – Dare I say the C word in Autumn but here goes..! Having finally completed some building work at my home this year, Christmas Day will be spent at home for the first time. Just me, the man and our fur babies in our new orangery for the main meal. I have often thought that table decorations on Christmas Day end up slightly lost in amongst the feast being spread out so have purchased this table clamp so that I can decorate over the table and not on it. Right now, I’m thinking fairy lights, paper lanterns and a few baubles hung from it!

PODCAST – I’ve been out of the podcast game for a while having opted for audiobooks more, but I was drawn to the Diary Of A CEO episode with Chris Van Tullekan regarding the crisis surrounding ultra processed food. It’s a wake up call and as much as I’ve always had an interest in food and nutrition, I found this down to earth in a ‘non preachy way’. So much so that it has made me rethink a few snack choices and go-to craving curbers!

RECIPE – At the end of a particularly busy week recently, I opened the fridge to find only courgettes and carrots left out of our fresh produce. Never one to be deterred, I quickly had a search online for recipes using both and found this Courgette Dal recipe and these spiced carrot fritters. It was an absolutely banging dinner (if I do say so myself) and super fast to make using mainly cupboard staples!

I also want to give a shout out to this recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen (a vegan blogger) as it FINALLY converted my partner to enjoying tofu. Where I’m not vegan, I did use an egg to bind the breadcrumbs (which I swapped for gluten free breadcrumbs, likewise with the flour). It was a delicious and super simple meal.

Fi

I’m the Content Editor for Lydia and the LEM team, which means that I oversee, populate and manage Lydia’s blog as well as various creative projects within the business. It’s one of those ‘inspiration comes from everywhere’ kind of jobs, so back-to-back coffees throughout the morning and Carrie/Lydia/Satin’s baking throughout the afternoon helps to keep me focused on the task at hand.

SKIN TYPE – Normal/Fair – leave me for 10 minutes in the sun and I’ll fry like a tomato!

HAIR TYPE – As my hairdresser always says, “you don’t have thick hair Fi, you just have a ton of it..!”

MAINTENANCE LEVEL – Minimal effort/the basics unless I’m going out out, in which case I might go wild and curl my hair!

INTERESTS – Cooking, exercise (I rotate between HIIT, yoga, pilates, running and horse riding), discovering new coffee shops, supporting indie businesses and spending time with family/ friends/fur babies.

BEAUTY – In recent months, as my hair has returned to its ‘natural’ state, it’s become more and more curly which has come hand-in-hand with more and more knots – especially when it’s wet. With that in mind, I’ve started using the IGK ‘Good Behaviour 4-in-1’ prep spray post-shower which is helping massively. That being said, if you have thick hair like me, it still takes me a good 5 minutes to brush through my hair after a shower (compared to up to 10-15 minutes!) so even though it’s definitely made a huge difference, I’ve still got my work cut out!

I’ve also been using the ‘Calm Magnesium’ body moisturiser from The White Company post-shower in recent weeks and it does exactly what it says on the bottle. As the night’s draw in, it’s the perfect accompaniment to my ‘post-shower, put your pjs on’ evening ritual that will no doubt become more cherished as the temperatures drop.

BOOK – Call me a suck up but I hear that ‘Evergreen’ by Lydia Millen is pretty good..!

PODCAST – I was very much expecting an interview with the ‘celebrity chef’ version of Delia Smith when I tuned into her episode on The High Performance podcast a few days ago. Instead, it was a conversation with a woman who – like most women – can’t and shouldn’t be boxed. As someone who seeks out alone time to recharge, I found her thoughts on the power of solitude and quiet, comforting. Her attitude to chairing Norwich City Football Club and killing criticism with kindness, inspiring. And her willingness to speak her mind and delve into politics, refreshing.

If you’re struggling to make sense of the headlines right now, ‘The Rest Is Politics’ is well worth a listen, too.

RESTAURANT – If you find yourself in North Cornwall anytime soon, my partner and I had a lovely meal at St Kew Inn in Bodwin during a recent long weekend away for our anniversary. Built in the 15th century, you can expect low ceilings, lots of beams and the distinct and oh so comforting smell of a log fire throughout the building. With all of the ingredients sourced locally and cooked on an open fireplace, the food was pretty special too.

Satin

I’m Lydia’s PA – a job where no two days are the same! Whether it’s going all Marie Kondo on Lydia’s dressing room or making sure that The Millen-Gordon’s day-to-day life runs smoothly, there’s always a random task ready and waiting for me. Earl grey and hot chocolates power me through.

SKIN TYPE – Normal to combination with some pigmentation in summer!

HAIR TYPE – I’m naturally curly but that quickly becomes frizzy if I don’t use hair products on a daily basis!

MAINTENANCE LEVEL – I blow dry my hair after every hair wash but once it’s straight, I’d say I’m low maintenance!

INTERESTS – Hunting down vintage pieces (namely clothes, fabrics and furniture!) I also love shopping, traveling and spending time with my friends and family.

BEAUTY – Beauty Pie’s Eye Make Up Remover is amazing! It’s oil based and removes your eye makeup very gently but thoroughly. Compared to so many products these days, it’s reasonably priced too.

I’ve always used a liquid concealer but decided to try Jones Road’s ‘Face Pencil’ out and I have to say I was not disappointed. The brand describes this as an ‘everything stick’ and it really is. I mainly use it as a concealer and to minimise brown spots on my face. It’s very lightweight and perfect for days where you don’t want to wear foundation. I’ve found that you need to make sure your skin is very well moisturised though, otherwise it won’t work as well.

NEW PURCHASE – I finally succumbed to the pressure and bought a Ninja Air Fryer this month and it has completely changed my life! I save so much time. There is no need to turn my oven on for just cooking a few fish fingers plus everything cooks beautifully in it. I would definitely recommend the dual ones. I wish I had bought it years ago!

BOOK – ‘Then She Was Gone’ by Lisa Jewell. As a quick synopsis, almost ten years after her 15 year old daughter went missing, the main character starts a new relationship only to discover that she can’t carry on till she answers lingering questions about the past and goes on to discover what really happened to her daughter. It was dark, tense and creepy but I did enjoy the read.

RECIPE – At this time of the year I do love a bowl of soup! I normally create my own and loved the one I made the other day. This Jamie Oliver recipe is the closest recipe that I could find to share.

RESTAURANT – There is a very good reason why there are constant queues outside Dishoom – It really is worth a visit if you’ve not yet been. The food is amazing and the staff are super friendly. I had their famous breakfast Naan (The Naan bread bacon sandwich) and it was so delicious. If you are in King’s Cross (or London in general – there’s a few dotted around) it’s definitely worth a visit. We would definitely go back again.

QUOTE – ‘Darkness can not drive darkness, only light can do that. Hate can not drive hate, only love can do that.
Dr.Martin Luther king Jr.

That’s all for this season! With Christmas fast approaching, we look forward to sharing our Winter favourites soon!

Want to see Lydia’s recent favourites? Take a look at her latest Shopping Edit here…

 

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