KATECOOKS: EASY BANANA BREAD

I have tried and failed many-a-time with Banana bread, you would think it would be super easy to get  right, "shove it all in a mixer and cook" they said, "it's easy they said" but i've always struggled with consistency, its either too soggy, too tasteless or just burns to a crisp, however I won't be defeated by the bloody stuff and after some persistence and (ALOT) of swearing I think were onto a winner with this recipe and nailed the crispy edge and moist (ewww hate that word but the thesaurus wasn't helping me out today!) inside.

: YOU WILL NEED :

. 4 Ripe Bananas

. 1 Cup White Sugar

. 2 Eggs

. 1 1/2 Cups Plain Flour

. 1/2 TSP Baking Powder

. 1/2 Cup Of Melted Butter

. 1 TSP Vanilla Paste

: HOW TO :

1. Preheat oven to 160(Fan), Add Sugar and Melted Butter into a mixer and cream together until you get a paste.

2. Break the Bananas into chunks and add to your paste, then add the eggs and Vanilla Paste, mix together well.

3. In another bowl add your flour and baking powder and stir together, then sieve into your wet mixture.

4. Pour mixture into a lined or greased loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes (this sounds like a long time but this was the gamechanger and where I think I was going wrong previously).

Allow to cool completely (or if you like it filthy and squidgy then be my guest and eat it warm) 

Grab a cuppa and enjoy (!)

THE £5 TROUSERS EVERY GIRL NEEDS

Yep you heard right, £5 for a pair of trousers (!) Where the bloody hell from I hear you cry (?)
 I will let you into a little secret and an absolute gem of a shop called Everything 5 Pounds, where yes, you guessed it, EVERYTHING is Five English Pounds (!!!!!) You may have seen them on TV recently advertising their website or you might have already heard of them and have a wardrobe full of their stuff, either way you NEED to get on the website now and pick up these awesome culottes(!)...well after you have finished reading this post (Wink,wink).

I absolutely ADORE culottes, I find them extremely easy to style wether it's for a day at work, a day out with the girls or even for a night on the town they literally go with everything in my wardrobe and I find myself reaching for them on the daily ( I also nabbed myself this black pair, you can never have too many pairs, right?) and while we are on the subject of bargains these trainers were also an absolute steal, again at £5, IKR (!) Unfortunately I have a feeling they have sold out but keep your eyes peeled as they have new stock every day, you never know what you might find and as it's so cheap, that guilty feeling of spending all of this months wages on one website isn't so bad, is it? Imagine how much you can get for your money (!) 

So what are you waiting for (?) Get your bums over and get spending, i've even got a discount code for you too (thank me later) you can get an extra 5% off using the Code 'KATEFIVE' but hurry, it lasts for a limited time only (!)

Have you shopped with Everything 5 Pounds before? How was your experience?Do you agree these are the £5 Trousers every girl needs? 

Let me know what you buy, i'd love to see.

DINING: HANBAO, WORCESTER

         hánbāo-Hamburger
Looking for some of the best burgers in the Midlands? Look no further, Welcome to HANBAO.

I will be honest, I've never really rated Burgers, I've tried a lot but I never crave them, never make them at home and to be completely honest, I feel like there is a lot of fuss made about them and the majority out there are (in my eyes) pretty underwhelming AKA Shite!! However, when a new restaurant opens in our city we have to try it and let me tell you, it left us far from disappointed.

The thing that initially drew us to HANBAO (other than the HUGE burgers) was the interior, it's extremely dark inside boasting black walls, graffiti and industrial fixtures and fittings, very trendy and right up my street. Not to mention the extensive range of cocktails and I can vouch that they are bloody lovely! Onto the food...

Right, If you do decide to go I will pre-warn you...It's a messy affair! The food is absolutely delicious but just be ready to have half of it up your face and all over your hands. They do provide gloves which I think is a great idea and i'll be certainly wearing them next time we go (Lesson learned last time). That aside we went for the Hong Kong Phooey and the ODB with a side of Twerk Wings and BBC Fries, aren't the names cool? The Burgers were incredible, full of flavour and tender, the chicken wings were the best chicken wings I have ever tried, a very bold statement but the flavour ran all the way through rather than sitting on the surface like most wings and as for the fries? I just wanted to bury my face in them, JUST LOOK AT THEM! Carb heaven!
Another thing we loved is the price point, you get a hell of a lot for your money, HANBAO definitely stands apart from most burger joints and is a must visit if you are passing. Oh and don't forget the £5 Cocktails from 5pm-7pm Daily, what's not to love?

Dining in Worcester has never looked so good (!!) Have you visited HANBAO before? 

4 STEPS TO PERFECT BROWS

I think it's safe to say that brows are a huge part of the beauty industry these days and lets be honest, if you don't spend hours preening, pruning or booking in for the latest treatment then are you even a girl? I recently had these beautiful YSL brow products land on my doorstep and yes I instantly fell in love with the packaging (who wouldn't) but more importantly the products themselves are outstanding. 

Here's my 4 step process to get the perfect, bushy brows...

1. Take the Couture Brow Palette and your preferred shade and start carving out the shape you want your brows to be, I tend to draw a feint line underneath and brush upwards creating the effect of brow hairs. don't forget to comb through as you go to blur out any harsh lines.

2. Take the Dessin Des Sourcils Pencil and fill in any gaps you may have missed or to create a sharper line, make sure your pencil is super sharp to mimic real hairs.

3. Now this is where your fullness comes in, get the lid off that Couture Brow Marker and get creating some depth. I am very light handed with this as it is quite a thick marker but done carefully it can create the best definition and makes your brows look very natural, you can even use this product on its own for a 'I woke up like this' vibe.

4. Now for the pièce de résistance, the Couture Brow Mascara is my favourite thing in the collection, it keeps those unruly hairs in place and keeps those products locked in place for hours! What more could you ask for? Brush in upwards motions to create that bushy, beachy look, A La Cara Delevnigne.

Have you tried the YSL Brow products? How did you get on? I would love to see your pictures if you re-create this look, tag me on Instagram @KateLouiseBlog

KATECOOKS: MINI MATCHA DOUGHNUTS

Matcha has been floating around the food scene for quite a while now and me being me shrugged it off and wasn't overly bothered if I tried it or not, especially when it came to teas and coffees, I like my cup of tea to be strong, sugary and English with zero health benefits! However when I found out you could put Matcha in pretty much any dessert my ignorance shifted and I instantly wanted to bake a batch of green doughnuts...who wouldn't?

1. Preheat oven to 160 (Fan Oven) Add all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine. In a separate bowl whisk your wet ingredients together and then add your wet mixture into the dry mixture.

2. Pop your batter mix into a piping bag and fill your doughnut ring tray 1/2 way up in each little section, don't overfill otherwise your ring doughnuts won't have holes in!!!

3. Pop into oven on the middle tray for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked remove from oven and leave to completely cool, then it's time for the fun bit, time to get dipping. Mix all Glaze ingredients together and dip each doughnut upside down, if you want an extra thick coating wait for the first coat to dry and then give them another dip. I added flaked Almonds to mine but you can leave them as they are or add anything you desire.

Let me know if you try these out, they are extremely simple, take no time at all and most importantly they taste AMAZING!! 

Get your Matcha at The Matcha Reserve you won't be disappointed!! Get 15% off your order using the code "MatchaKate"

FOODIE GUIDE: BATH,UK

Bath lies pretty much on our doorstep and remains a place i've never visited (Well, until now) at just over an hours drive i'm not entirely sure why i've never got around to going, it's always been one of those places on my 'to-do list' I just guess it slipped to the bottom of the list which it shouldn't of as it's one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited and wish i'd of gone sooner.

The streets are awash with beautiful stone buildings which are filled with history, tonnes of places to eat and most importantly....shopping heaven. We arrived mid morning and headed straight to fill our faces at Hunter & Sons.
14/15 Milsom Place, Bath BA1 1BZ

Can we just take a moment for the decor of this place?!?! I'm not going to lie, i'm a huge fan of the industrial look I know some people aren't into it but Hunter & Sons have nailed it and made it look awesome inside, as for the food, it was exactly what we were craving. If you do happen to find yourself in Bath and brunch (or a beer) is your thing you HAVE to go, it's hidden up a little nook away from the hustle and bustle and they also welcome dogs, a huge bonus for us!

I opted for the Avo, Eggs and Bacon on toast which can I just say was bloody amazing and Paul had the Confit Duck Leg which was incredible and I kind of wish i'd had it too, there was a bit of stealing of each others food and fork fighting in an effort to get the best of both, so much so, that I forgot to photograph Paul's meal...whoops.

After scoffing and chin wagging we headed out to start our day of mooching and dribbling over the beautiful houses, our bank balances certainly wouldn't stretch to living in Bath but one can always dream, right? Anyway, being the organised freak that I am I had already scouted out a few places I wanted to visit, first off was The Foodie Bugle which is a beautiful little shop tucked away in Abbey Street, it boasts the most divine homeware, stationary, speciality teas and all that good stuff, it even has a cute cafe inside so you can shop and enjoy tea and cakes at the same time, no better way to kill an hour or two don't you think? 
2 Abbey St, Bath BA1 1NN

If that doesn't tickle your tastebuds then there are literally hundreds of other places to eat in Bath including the ever so famous Sally Lunn's, The Courtyard Cafe, and Society Cafe, just to name a few.

We fell in love with the Decor (and cakes!!!) in Society Cafe, if you have ever been in you will know its pretty small but the way they have decorated it is perfect, from the statement bike on the wall to cosy seating downstairs and the glass wall looking out into the arcade makes it excellent for my favourite past time....PEOPLE WATCHING!

The Corridor,19 High Street,Bath,BA15AJ

If you are a coffee lover then you need to visit, oh and the tea isn't too shabby either. 
This was our last pit stop before hitting the road home, we fuelled up on cakes and beverages and headed back to our humble abode. 
I can honestly say, I fell in love with Bath as soon as we arrived. It's like a little London but much prettier and less hectic which I adore! We will be visiting again very soon.

If you have any recommendations of where to go I would love to hear them

Much Love