Charity Shop Finds in Edinburgh

Found the best bargains in a wonderful charity shop today. Bethany Christian Trust have the right idea when it comes to utilising the high volume of high value stock that's available in Edinburgh. In other words, thank goodness for the old ladies of Midlothian who give away MaxMara suits, Calvin Klein winter coats and M&S Autograph woolen goodies.

I was in the BCT Newington shop today, but I've been in the Morningside and Stockbridge branches and they're all full of little gems.

Goodies today:

Mounted North by Northwest Print, £2.

 Daks Collection Wool Jacket, £15

Episode Pencil Dress, £4.50

Best Edinburgh charity shops to see:

• Oxfam Bookshop - Stockbridge - filled with rare editions and classic Vic lit, you won't find a Dan Brown novel in sight.
• Mary's Living and Giving Shop - Stockbridge - Mary Portas' pop-up charity shop with donations from designers, celebrities and the Edinburgh elite, with the likes of Christopher Kane, Ralph Lauren, Pringle hanging on the rails, donated by Jamie Oliver, Grazia magazine, Lauren Lavergne ...you get the picture. 

• Oxfam Music - Stockbridge - Sheet music in a charity shop? Musicians rejoice! It's also got 'decent' vinyl, with classic jazz, funk and rock covered, a pretty good selection of CDs and occasionally musical instruments. Dandy.
• Shelter - Stockbridge and Newington branches - Filled to the brim with Topshop, M&S, Gap, Reiss, Calvin Klein, Thomas Burberry, Barbour etc etc. Menswear is particularly good.
• Oxfam Books - Newington - Given its close proximity to the university, half the shop has been filled with academic books and textbooks. I got a Davidson's Principles and Practicles of Medicine, RRP £46.99 for £6 a few years ago.
• Cancer Research - Morningside - Super place for posh shirts. Thomas Pink, Burberry, Calvin Klein...I don't know why they seem to accumulate here but there's a great selection. 
• St. Columba's Hospice - Morningside - For furniture and bric'a'brac. I'm told that when the rich old people of Morningside die, this is usually where their stuff is given to. I can neither confirm nor deny this but there are lots of lovely old things in there...

Recipe: Nut Roast, Poached Pears

Belated seasonal post - January was too cold and snowy to inspire anything other than overeating and hot toddy consumption.

Had a delicious nut roast for Christmas Day, a super veggie dish that takes minimal effort but is very filling and protein-rich. The 'traditional' dessert of poached pears was made by moi, except I made the mistake of using a very fruity Merlot to poach the pears in, and I think an oaky wine works better, like Rioja, so it doesn't overpower the taste of the pears.


Chestnut Nut Roast
Serves 5

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1-2 small carrots, grated or finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g chestnut puree (or mashed chestnuts)
1-2 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used parsley and thyme)
1 tbsp veggie stock/Bouillon powder
1 egg
1/2 cup (lightly packed) grated cheese
Salt + Pepper

1. Grease and line a loaf tin (about 13 x 22 cm) with baking paper or well greased greaseproof paper. Heat the oven to 200 C.

2. Heat oil in frypan and fry the onion, garlic, celery and carrots for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well.

3. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf tin and bake for 45-60 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes and the turn out onto serving dish. Goes superbly well with roast parsnips and cranberry sauce. I had steamed broccoli on the side too (but I only took a photo of the next day's leftovers, which I had freezer veg with instead).













Poached Pears
Serves 4

1/2 bottle good red wine
4 pears, cored (tricky, but an apple corer does the job)
200 g caster sugar
1 clove

1. Put wine, clove and sugar into pot and bring slowly to a bubble.

2. Add pears upright [takes a bit of fiddly balancing] and leave to simmer for 30 mins, or until pink colour has spread through the pear (make take longer than 30 mins, depending on type of pear and ripeness)

3. Remove pears from pan then boil down remaining wine mixture to a sticky syrup [the proper recipes say reduce it by half]. Pour this over each of the pears and if you want something to top it all off with, add a couple of raspberries to the plate.

Bagel Box

Best. Idea. Ever.

Give an old CD dispenser a thorough clean - a new lunchbox just for bagels (and donuts...)

Tulle Time

[a girlie post]

Tulle is the most feminine of all the materials in the world. A man can looked heavenly in a pair of white brushed cotton trousers during summertime, or iconic in a silk lined tux. But stick a man in tulle and he looks like Frankenfurter. My blog title is rather girly, so, since my blog has almost reached its one year birthday, I am honouring its namesake. Tulle has been used heavily in fashion since the 50s, with voluminous ballgowns, then had a revival in the 1980s with power puffball skirts.  You can hardly step anywhere on the high street, what with the current 80s revival, without seeing a good bit of nylon tulle poking out from the railings. But just how accessible is it to preppy cardigan girls like me?



Grace Kelly in 'Rear Window' with full tulle skirt








Topshop have lots of lingerie inspired dresses which could either work as a...em, winter warmers?...or would look super with a long line granddad cardigan, thick black tights and shoe boots. Maybe with a black slip under, although probably not if your name is Jordan.









USC has only wisely bought in Love Milly stock for Christmas. This tulle-applique vest top is my kind of thing. It adds a little something to a denim skirt and biker boots (I bought myself these awesome boots from Dune in charcoal - so comfy!), and according to Gok Wan (my boyfriend got me a signed book for my birthday - eek!), drawing attention to your shoulders is perfect for pear-shapes like me since it balances out big hips.








Thanks to Urban Outfitters FINALLY opening in Edinburgh, I'm planning a massive post-Christmas sales blowout. I really fancy this cute ballerina style skirt to go with aforementioned biker boots and a big grey cashmere sweater my Mum noticed in Tesco's sale (£25!!). Pale pink and charcoal are, together, the new black. Spread the word.

"Tulle is a lightweight, very fine netting, which is often starched. It can be made of various fibres, including silk, nylon, and rayon. Tulle is most commonly used for veils, gowns (particularly wedding gowns), and ballet tutus. Tulle comes in a wide array of colors and it can also easily be dyed to suit the needs of the consumer. It is readily available from most fabric stores and through special order...The majority of tulle is actually bobbinet, invented in Britain in the early 1800s. Bobbinet is made by wrapping the weft thread around the warp thread, creating a strong hexagonal design which tends not to twist or fall out of shape, because the wrapped threads maintain a state of tension. The result is tulle netting which is lightweight and surprisingly strong and durable for its weight."

C x