How To Be Human by Ruby Wax | BOOK REVIEW

A truly fascinating yet hilarious book about the depths of our mind and why as humans we do the things we do. This is Ruby Wax at her finest, a long with a monk and neuroscientist too! 

Struggling with anxiety and depression for years, Ruby Wax took it by the helm, enrolled at Oxford University to study mindfulness, graduated and now has 3 books to her name helping the cause. 

This is her most recent title which focuses on the brain and why it acts the way it does. The book is split into 12 chapters and covers the following topics:

• Evolution
• Thoughts
• Emotions
• The Body
• Compassion
• Relationships
• Sex
• Kids
• Addiction
• The Future
• Mindfulness Exercises
• Forgiveness

Each chapter begins with Ruby hilariously explaining the topic and then giving a personal insight into her own life. She gives tips and advice within each chapter and also includes an interview between her, the monk and the neuroscientist, where they discuss the topic at hand. 

All the interviews are pretty fun and most of the time its Ruby acting like she knows nothing (when she knows a hell of a lot!); the monk (Thubten) advising on the more mindful aspects and then the neuroscientists giving us the facts about the brain. I really enjoyed these sections and have learnt so much. One thing that I will never forget and which I couldn't quite believe was -

"We share 30% of our DNA with yeast."

Yes, yeast. 

Moving on... I'd recommend this book for anyone who either loves to learn more about our thought processes as well as wanting to become more mindful. There are some excellent exercises from Ruby and the monk.

How to be Human by Ruby Wax, published by Penguin Life is available now. You can buy a hardcover copy from Amazon UK* for £7.00

I was sent this book from the publisher Penguin Life for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.

*this link is an affiliate link meaning I'll receive a small profit if you buy from it.

Have you read any of Ruby Wax's other titles? Did they help you to become more mindful? What's your opinion on mindfulness?

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton | BOOK REVIEW

A hilarious read for anyone who grew up in the 90s/00s having to deal with that scratchy tone of the dial-up; for those who would jump straight onto MSN to talk their friends as soon as they got home from school, and when grown-up, would spend evenings staying out late, drinking in random houses at house parties with people you don't know. You'll be nodding your head at every page turn.

Everything I know About Love is not fiction, it's the story of the early life of Dolly Alderton, growing up in the 90s in the suburbs of London with dial-up internet and MSN as the best way to communicate with friends. It then moves on to drinking late into the night, taking risks, falling in love with the wrong people; hangovers that last days but you still just carry on drinking. Dolly describes feelings of inadequacy, pleasing people just to be liked and finally finding freedom. 

I really think anyone who grew up in this era will find parts of this book they can relate to, even if you weren't as reckless as Dolly.

I loved this book so much that I really was hooked after the first few pages. Here's one of my favourite first paragraphs -

"For some, the sound that defined their adolescence was the joyful shrieks of their siblings playing in the garden. For others, it was the chain rattle of their much-loved biked, hobbling along hills and vales. Some will recall birdsong as they walked to school, or the sound of laughing and footballs being kicked in the playground. For me, it was the sound of AOL dial-up internet."

TRUE THAT!! I can 100% relate to this. Who else is the same??

In case you didn't know already, Dolly Alderton is a 29 year-old UK journalist who has written for The Sunday Times, Marie Claire, Grazia, Glamour + more, covering a range of topics from love, dating and sex, to celebrities, feminism, books and TV. 

Dolly described her book on instagram the day it was released, and I just wanted to share it with you as it's the best description and I just really want you all to read it!! I obviously can't describe it any better than the author herself - 

"it's a book about love, but it's not really about men. It's about growing up in the suburbs and growing up on the internet. It's about not being about to face the reality of life and, instead, escaping into fantasy. It's about women and drinking recklessness and tribalism and long nights and high adventure. It's about shame and inadequacy and feeling like you're not enough. It's about feeling left behind. It's about falling in love with a job. It's about dancing in the kitchen and eating fried egg sandwiches and getting hangovers and being uncool in Camden Town and mice infestations and corner shop and prank texts. It's about needless drama and bad decisions; people-pleasing and validation-seeking. It's about loss and saying goodbye and accepting change. It's about growing up with friends and being in bad bands with friends. It's about learning to ask for help. It's about finding a home at last and it's about finding freedom too. It's about gratitude. It's about the last decade of my life. It's a love story. It's everything I know about love." - Dolly Alderton (Instagram)

Everything I Know about Love by Dolly Alderton, published by Fig Tree (Penguin UK) is available now. You can buy a hardcover version from Amazon UK* for £6.49.

I received this book from Fig Tree via Netgalley. All opinions are un-biased and my own.

*This is an affiliate link meaning I will gain a small profit if you buy from it.

Did you grow up in the 90s/00s too? What are your best memories of this decade?

Weekly Meal Plan | February 12th

Half-term has officially begun and so that means I have Fabio here with me this week. It'll be nice to enjoy some time together, despite the cold weather! Today its nice and sunny though but still freezing cold. Anywho, last week's meal plan went down pretty well:

The Waitrose sticky fig, prosciutto and parmesan rib of beef was so so yummy, I wish they did it all-year-round. The beef was so tender from having been wrapped in the prosciutto, and the sweet flavours from the fig really went well with the saltiness of the ham. 
The mela al forno was, on the other hand, ok. It wasn't anything to write home about. I think next time I need to leave the apples to cook for a bit longer as they were slightly harder than expected. 

The salmon with broccoli, lime, ginger, chilli and garlic went down really well! Everyone really enjoyed it. I'm definitely going to be making more meals from The Roasting Tin cookbook - it's so easy to just throw everything in the pan as one!
The chocolate puds were also really good. I'd made them before so I knew what to expect. They didn't take me too long to make either. Most people would think, what a faff to make straight after dinner but for me, It's something I really enjoy so it doesn't feel like a chore. 

Five Guys was as yummy as always. I ended up having the small bacon cheeseburger and I finally decided to try one of their milkshakes. I  chose the vanilla one with oreo and omg, It was SO good. Definitely will be having more of those.

Fabio wasn't feeling great after work, so I made the Mac n Cheese instead. We'd had it before so I knew we'd enjoy it. His parents really liked it too, despite it not being a proper Italian dish. 

The Indian, Delhi Heights, was super yummy as always, and again, Fabio's parents really enjoyed it. Their naan bread is just perfection. I could eat it any day of the week!

On Saturday we headed off to Daylesford Organic Farm in Kingham and had lunch there. I had a flat-iron chicken breast with kale which was light but surprisingly filling. Everyone really enjoyed themselves there; it's always a lovely treat to visit. In the evening we had a bits and bobs dinner of: cheeses, salami, scotch eggs, bread and the leftover Indian food. 

Yesterday we had lunch at our nearby pub (a small roast dinner) and then went out to The Ivy for dinner. The Ivy is always impressive. For starters I had a classic prawn cocktail and then went on to have the crab linguine and ended with a simple creme brûlée. Everything was superb, apart from the creme brûlée which was a tad grainy (but I still ate it!) We finished it off with coffee (I had mine with cream as I don't often have it!)

Next week's meals are a bit all-over the place. I'm going to be cooking from a couple of bloggers and then one meal is going to a recipe for my food blog (Jess Eats and Travels). The rest I've left blank because we just don't know what we're doing!

Monday

No plan for Monday as Fabio's parents are still here and so we'll just play it by ear for what we want to do. 

Tuesday

We bought some lamb steaks coated in a minty marinade from Morrisons and so we'll have those with some vegetables I expect! Since it's pancake day, I'm playing it simple and will cook these Fluffy American Pancakes from the petit cook. I'll then add my own toppings; probably Nutella! If you're in need of pancake inspiration, I've compiled the 50 best pancake recipes from UK food bloggers on my other blog. I've categorised them into different types to make it easier for choosing!

Wednesday

Today i'll be making some recipes for my food blog (see above). I'm starting a new series where I cook from every country of the world, and since I have to do everything in order, I'm of course starting with the letter 'A' and so will first cook dishes from Afghanistan. I'm not going to give away what exactly though! You'll have to look out for the posts. Hehe.

UPDATE - Now that they've been posted, here's what I cooked: 

Afghan-inspired Kidney Bean Slow Cooker Casserole

Spinach and Yoghurt Flatbreads

Thursday

As I usually cook something I've seen on a linky I link up to, I'm going to try the Caribbean chicken with pineapple salsa from Once Upon A Food Blog. I'm craving summertime at the moment (as is most people) and I think this will be the perfect antidote to transport us off to a Caribbean island!


Friday

No plans for Friday. I'll leave it blank as we'll probably have a takeaway being the weekend and all! 

What are your plans for the week? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing what other people are eating! It gives me inspiration!

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Let's have a chat... Victoria Austin

I'm really loving reading all your interview answers! So many people have commented saying that it's really great to learn about other bloggers, how they work and their opinions on topics etc.. 

I have been thinking about re-writing the interview questions as I wrote the current ones a year or so ago and I'd like to ask questions you want to know about other bloggers. That's not to say I don't like the current questions but these were all from my head! I want to know what you think!

What would you like to ask other bloggers? Let me know in the comments! 

Today on the blog I'll be talking to Victoria Austin, a lifestyle blogger who blogs at http://blog.victoriaaustin.co.uk/ from the South West of England, in Devon (near my home county of Cornwall!)
It's great to talk to another Southern blogger (nothing against Northern bloggers, just for the record!)

Victoria blogs about topics such as fashion, beauty, homeware, books, DIY and the outdoors. She's also a keen gardener and a lover of photography, and of course I quizzed her on this; so read on to find out where Victoria suggests are brilliant places to take photos in Devon.

Here's Victoria doing some she loves: gardening! Credit - Victoria.

Drop what you're doing, go make that cup of tea (i'll still be here when you get back!), put your feet up for a second and read on to find out how Victoria likes to blog.

The wonderful Victoria Austin. Credit- Victoria.

First things first, how would you describe your blog?

It's a lifestyle blog with a general mix of content from fashion to beauty, the outdoors and more.

So, how long have you been blogging for?

On and off for a number of years. My current blog is around 6 months old now. 

Full time or spare time blogger?
Somewhere in-between.

What was your main reason for starting your blog?
I just really wanted to get back into blogging. I missed creating content.

Content-creating is the best! Do you have a blogging schedule or do you write what you fancy at the time?
Sometimes I'll already have an idea for content I want to do, other times it's a spur of the moment thing, like oh let's blog about that today.

I'm the same! Are you a sofa blogger or do you prefer to sit in an office?
I'm usually sat with my laptop on my bed.

Can't beat a bit of bed-blogging! So where would your ideal place to blog be?
Blogging at the beach sounds fun! I'm lucky to live right near the sea - perhaps i'll give that a go sometime this year. 

I miss the sea.. What's your blogging daily routine? How do you manage your time?
I don't really have a routine. I tend to blog in-between whatever else I'm doing.

We've been chatting for a while now... do you want a cup of coffee, a brew or something herbal? 
Decaf coffee cappuccino; milk and sugar.

Yes! A fellow coffee drinker. So let's talk about future plans. Where do you see your blog in the next few years?
I'd love for it to continue to grow.

If you could develop your blog in any way, what would you do? 
Wouldn't that be amazing. I've already sold some of my art before in a non-blogging way, but to do merchandise, I'd love that! My own stationary line; that would be brilliant.

That's great! Where do you find inspo to write a blog post?
It's often when I've bought something that I really like and I'm like oh, I could blog about that.

Do you always find it easy coming up with ideas?
Ideas come and go. After blogging everyday in October for Blogtober, I struggled a bit for a while with thinking of ideas for content. 

Totally get that. Any advice for those who find it difficult?
Get a piece of paper and write down a list of prompt ideas; look back at older content - what do you normally write about? If you're a book blogger, you could read a book and post a review or perhaps try and think of a how-to post you think people might find useful.

Great advice! So, how do you interact with other bloggers? 
I love to join in with Twitter chats. I think more people do find out about you with those and it's great interacting with other bloggers as well.

I need to join in with more Twitter chats myself. Have you ever collaborated with another blogger? And how would you approach another blogger? 
I've recently sent a guest post to another blogger, Maud (My Passion Projects). Twitter is great for collaborating with other bloggers (it's how I asked to be a part of this interview series!). I love collaborating with other bloggers though, so if anyone reading this would like to collab with me, let me know!

I love Twitter too! Do you have a blogging idol?
There are several that I think, "wow, I'd love to be as cool as you" when their blogs have amazing photography and brilliant content.

Do you think it's better to blog about everything and anything or to focus on a niche?
I could never stick to just one niche. I've got too many different interests and I'd like to write about whatever I want at any given time.

Let's talk about money now. What do you think is the biggest cost in blogging?
Your time probably; putting posts together, sometimes it's quicker than others. I don't mind though because it's something I love doing.

Time is precious. So, have you attended any blogging events?
I haven't yet but i'd love to attend some brand or general blogger events.

Do you feel it's difficult to be in know about events?
I have a habit of finding out about events on the day they're happening, which is obviously a bit late. Where do you find out about them?

For me, usually on blogging Facebook groups. I'd recommend joining some! I haven't actually to been to any myself yet. Do you feel that there should be more acknowledgement and promotion of bloggers in the press?
I think there should; a lot of hard work goes into blogs.

Blogs are used a lot these days to talk about issues such as mental health. If you could use your blog as a platform to talk about something perhaps taboo, what would you talk about and why?
I'm not sure actually. I tend to stick to more light-hearted topics on my blog.

That's fair enough! Any tips for a novice blogger starting out?
Find your own style; what makes you *you* in the blogging world.

Thank you so much Victoria! I've actually learnt a lot from this. 

Since Victoria is a keen photographer and lives in the beautiful county of Devon, I asked her for her recommendations on best places to take photographs there -

Top 3 places to take photographs in Devonshire

Beautiful Dawlish in Devonshire. Credit - Victoria.

1. Dawlish: not only have you got the seafront and coastline, there are cliffs you can walk up as well. Also, if you're into wildlife there's the lawn area and next to it you'll find some water, where there are all number of waterfowl, including the Dawlish Black Swan.

2. Dawlish Warren: just along the coastline from Dawlish but it has a nature reserve and lovely sandy paths to go walking on.

3. Stover Country Park is a place I've visited for a few years now; it's a wonderful walkway. The main area pretty much goes round in a circle but there are plenty of paths off of it to explore as well. A brilliant place to see wildlife too.

Thank you Victoria! Go check out Victoria's blog at http://blog.victoriaaustin.co.uk / Victoria tweets at @victoriaxaustin 

Come back next week to hear from a Cotswoldian foodie blogger. If you want to take part, drop me a tweet with your email address @fessjarmer 

Baby Boom by Helen Wallen | BOOK REVIEW

A light-hearted read that will have you cry-laughing every second. A must-read for any mothers-to-be or someone who has a best friend who is expecting. You'll relate so bad.

I know what you're thinking.. Jess, why so many book reviews about women having babies? Got something to tell us? Well, no I haven't. Sorry to disappoint! I'm just really enjoying reading these types of books right now because I know in the future it might be me texting my friends over WhatsApp to ask.. is this normal?? It's research, okay!

Here's a brief overview of the book in question (no spoilers)-

Baby Boom follows the lives of 3 very different friends:

Emily - she unexpectedly finds out she's pregnant but it's not quite the breeze she dreamed it would be.

Molly - finds out she's pregnant also. She didn't plan it but adapts to it more than Emily seems to..

Liz -  stuck in a bit of a rut. She finds out the man she's dating is hiding her from more than one thing.

The story follows their hilarious chats on WhatsApp (their support network) and how they adapt with what life throws at them. It's a real millennial Mum-read, as there are so many timely aspects to the book.  

Every chapter is told from the point of the view of each friend. I especially like it when authors do this as it makes it a lot easier to connect with all the characters, rather than just one main character. 

Baby Boom was written by a fellow blogger, which made me love it ten times more! Helen Wallen blogs at Just A Normal Mummy. What a lovely thing to have come out of blogging!

Baby Boom by Helen Wallen, published by Hodder and Stoughton, is available now. You can buy a paperback edition on Amazon* for £5.59.

I received this book from Hodder and Stoughton via Netgalley. All opinions are unbiased and my own.

*this is an affiliate link, meaning i'll receive a small profit if you buy from it. 

Would you consider reading this book if you were expecting a baby? Would you buy it for a friend?

Weekly Meal Plan | Mainly Italian

Last week I was saying to you all about how crazy it is that it's the next week already, well this week I think went by pretty slowly! It seems like ages ago that we ate the Philly Cheesesteak from last week's meal plan! Which, by the way, was everything I had wished and hoped for! It really reminded me of the one I ate in Philly last year. It also made quite a lot, enough for Fabio and I to have one lunch out of it the next day, and also managed to freeze a tub!

The baked falafel turned out so well and was super simple too! I'm definitely going to make them again, now that I know how to do it! No leftovers though!

I really enjoyed cooking the Aloo Methi and using methi (fenugreek) as an ingredient. I think next time though I need to cook the potatoes for longer. Managed to get one lunch out of it which I had the next day. I decided to serve it with a chapati bought from Morrisons the night before.

I think the meal of the week though had to be the aromatic lamb and warm grain salad from A Mummy Too. Fabio and I loved it so much that we ate all four portions! It really was yummy. 

This week I'm going to be following recipes from recipe books I have at home here, as well as a website. The reason is because we have Fabio's parents staying with us from Monday evening, and there are certain recipes I want to make! I'll be back the following week cooking from other blogger's recipes, as that's what this plan is all about usually!
So for obvious reasons I can't put links to some of the recipes but I will leave links to the books.

*all links with an asterix are affiliate links meaning I receive a small profit if you buy from it.

Monday

We've had a Waitrose Christmas Sticky Fig, Prosciutto and Parmesan Rib of Beef sitting in the freezer since December. I saw it in the shop just before New Year, reduced from £36.72 down to £27.54. I grabbed it because we never eat anything as extravagant as that, and we knew we'd have it when Fabio's parents arrive, as his Dad is a fan of beef. Also it sounds interesting with the parmesan, fig and prosciutto. I'm going to serve it with roast potatoes, french trimmed beans, sprouting broccoli and sweet cauliflower stalks which I found in Waitrose today. They looked pretty cool. Of course will also add Yorkshire puds and beef gravy too. Definitely will be giving his parents the British experience. 

I'm also going to make Mela Al Forno(apples in the oven) from the Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy*. I know his parents like their fruit and this recipe is from the alp region where his Dad is from. I also thought it'd be nice and light to serve after a big roast.

Tuesday

We were recently gifted The Roasting Tin Simple One Dish Dinners* by Rukmini Iyer as a belated Christmas present from Fabio's younger bro. I'm eager to try a recipe from it and I thought it would be a good idea to when Fabio's parents are here, since they're all quick and easy, throw everything in one pan type-recipes. We all love fish so i'm going to make the stem-roasted salmon & broccoli with lime, ginger, garlic and chilli. 

I'm also going to do a chocolate pud dessert from the Greedy Italians book again (link above). I've really wanted to make this for a while so I think whilst we have guests, it's the perfect time.


Wednesday

I'm not going to cook this evening! We're going to get out of the house and take his parent's to try Five Guys in Cheltenham as we think they'll love it! 

Thursday

Fabio wants to cook the Mac N Cheese he did for me a few weeks back, to show his parents he can cook! It really was good the last time he made it, so I'm excited for this again!

Friday

We're off out again this evening to the Indian that we love in Cheltenham: Delhi Heights. Honestly, it's one of the best Indian takeaways around. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post a pic or two of it in the past. I'm in love with it! Fabio's parents love Indian food too, especially his Dad as they lived in the Middle East for 30 years and Indian food is one of the main staple diets out there! It's more popular than Middle Eastern food!

Saturday

We'll probably head off to Daylesford Farm in Kingham in the daytime but in the evening i'm planning on making Pizza delle Alpi (gruyere, creme fraiche, salami and red onion) from Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy. I've bought some frozen pizza dough from Waitrose, just in case we're back late and can't be bothered to make it ourselves.

Sunday

As a treat, I've booked us all in for dinner at The Ivy in Cheltenham. We don't see his parents often so we thought, why not! We went there once on New Year's Eve and were super impressed with the food and service. I'm really excited to go back! The cocktails are a dream!

What are your plans for meals next week? Let me know in the comments!

PIN ME! PLEASE?

Let's have a chat... Larayeeb Ali

Larayeeb's home town in Essex. Credit - Larayeeb.

I'm excited to say that the 'let's have a chat series' is finally back! All of the interviews have been my most read posts for ages, which must mean you all enjoy reading them! I'm going to try and keep it going for a lot longer this time though. I think it's so interesting to hear more about individual bloggers in detail, be it small-sized bloggers doing it as a hobby, to full-time bloggers who are making money from it. I believe you can learn from all. I want to delve deep into each blogger's minds and hopefully you'll come away having learnt something. You can see it like a blogger fact-file!

Anyways, enough talking from me as I'm about to hand you over to my first blogger interview of the new series, Larayeeb Ali, who writes about 'anything and everything' at www.larayeebali.wixsite.com/larayeebali such as who was the best dressed at the Golden Globes to the books she wants to read in 2018. 

So go grab yourself a coffee or a cuppa, whichever you prefer because we're about to begin.

Larayeeb Ali looking gorgeous. Credit - Larayeeb Ali.

First things first, how would you describe your blog?

It's a mix of me. I talk about various types of topics, from fashion to lifestyle and health.

So, how long have you been blogging for?

I've been blogging since I was little, making blog pages and publishing it and then completely forgetting about blogging! Back in 2016 I decided to re-start from square one and in June it'll be 3 years since I officially started blogging. 

Full time or spare time blogger?
Part-time because I'm in college.

What was your main reason for starting your blog?
I don't really have a main reason, I just made it in a moment of boredom!

Do you have a blogging schedule or do you write what you fancy at the time?
I always upload my blog posts at 6:30pm GMT but the days change according to the month.

Are you a sofa blogger or do you prefer to sit in an office?
Neither, I blog at my dining table...

So where would your ideal place to blog be?
For me right now, it's my dining table!

What's your blogging daily routine? How do you manage your time?
I don't know how I manage my time, I just do!

We've been chatting for a while now... do you want a cup of coffee, a brew or something herbal? 
I hate tea (all types of tea) and I'm not allowed to drink coffee, so can I say neither?

Okay, well I'm going to have a herbal tea! let's talk about future plans. Where do you see your blog in the next year? And the next 10 years?
I tend not to think about things like this but I feel I might have a few ideas, but I don't want to tell anyone in case it doesn't work out.

If you could develop your blog in any way, what would you do? 
I've honestly never thought about it but when I do, you'll be the first to know!

I feel honoured! Where do you find inspo to write a blog post?
I go to Twitter, blogger's posts and the internet but if none of those options work, i'll just leave it and come back later on in the day.

Do you always find it easy coming up with ideas?
No, I used to but not anymore. It's super hard now to come up with blog post ideas.

Yeah it can sometimes be hard to be original. Any advice for those who find it difficult?
Just believe and don't force your brain to work if it's over-tired.

Exactly. So, how do you interact with other bloggers? 
I interact with other bloggers via Twitter and sometimes Instagram. It's the best thing for any time of blogger ever!

Twitter is great! Have you ever collaborated with another blogger? And how would you approach another blogger? 
I've collaborated with A Simple Hijabi. You can read the post here. But I've never really approached another blogger and vice versa; they've just tweeted if anyone wants to collaborate on a blog post and I guess I was just there at the right time.

Do you have a blogging idol?
I love reading Whimsical September (Erica Despain) because her blog is so easy to read, and this might be hella cheesy but when I read her posts I feel peace and calm.

I'll have to check her blog out! Thanks Larayeeb. Do you think it's better to blog about everything and anything or to focus on a niche?
I think it depends on the writer. I personally write about anything I feel like.

Let's talk about money now. What do you think is the biggest cost in blogging?
The biggest cost of blogging have to be either the camera or the domain.

Completely agree there. So, have you attended any blogging events?
I didn't know there were any blogging events but to be honest, at this moment in my life, I'm not bothered about events.

I've heard they're great fun! Do you feel that there should be more acknowledgement and promotion of bloggers in the press?
Yes, 1000%! Why not?

Blogs are used a lot these days to talk about issues such as mental health. If you could use your blog as a platform to talk about something perhaps taboo, what would you talk about and why?
I would chat about invisible conditions/disabilities because I see normal, everyday people are put to one side when it comes to this, while all the celebrities are brought to shine yet again, earning more publicity because they are 'famous'. Oh and also politicians.. (i'm always up for a debate!)

Haha, I can see that! Great answer though. Any tips for a novice blogger starting out?
I have a whole blog post about this called Tips & Tricks for a Beginner (Sort of)

I'll give that a read! I've really enjoyed this chat but just one more question since you write about fashion, what are your top 3 recommendations of shops to visit in your hometown?
It would have to be Zara, Primark and Forever 21.

Thank you Larayeeb! If you want to check out Larayeeb Ali, visit https://larayeebali.wixsite.com/larayeebali / Larayeeb tweets at @larayeebali

And don't forget to come back next week for another exciting interview that I've got lined up! If you want to take part, drop me a tweet with your email address @fessjarmer