Recently I was invited to Jamies Italian in Cardiff to review their menu. We have visited Jamies Italian in Cardiff many times before, and also a few of their other branches in Bristol and Bath. The chain run by Jamie Oliver was founded in Oxford in 2008 and has grown to over 40 branches around the country. Jamies Italian pride itself on using fresh seasonal ingredients to make their rustic Italian dishes with a menu rooted in authenticity. 

At the moment they have a great lunchtime menu on - the 'super lunch' menu is £10.95 for two courses and £12.95 for three courses and runs Monday to Friday from 12 to 6pm.

When we arrived at the restaurant they had our reservation (always a good sign!) and we were shown to the table. Many people were sitting outside as it was a lovely day but I prefer to sit in the restaurant, watching the chefs working away and people watching.



Our waiter Ahmed was very cheerful and was like a breath of fresh air. I explained I was a Jamies Italian gold member and he swiped my card to see what tasters I was entitled to that month. 



He brought over a taster of bruschetta with peas and pesto which tasted very fresh, you could really taste the herbs.

The Jamies Italian gold membership club is well worth signing up for if you are a frequent visitor. It gives you free tasters every time you visit, priority booking and monthly rewards. The first time I visited we had a taster of a new bruschetta and also a glass of wine which was very enjoyable. The tasters are for the whole party too!





My husband had the primavera bruschetta. Lemony courgette, peas & beans with hazelnut & lovage pesto & Bella Lodi which is a cheese also known as black parmesan. He really enjoyed this dish, the combination of flavours was excellent, and it had a fresh vegetable taste, with crunch from the bruschetta. 



The main course ordered by my husband was the Turkey Milanese. The free-range turkey escalope was stuffed with prosciutto & fontal cheese, then dipped in bread crumbs and fried. It was served with a free-range egg & shavings of black truffles on top with some salad on the side.

This dish was larger than he expected and he didn't really need Jamie's classic 'funky chips' that he ordered as well, but they were delicious still. The Turkey Milanese was pretty much what you expect from a turkey escalope. There was a thin layer of cheese under the breadcrumbs, and this had a subtle flavour.  I personally think this dish would appeal well to children and those that like simple well-cooked food, without a myriad of spices, herbs and flavourings. The dish was good but didn't have the wow factor for me.


The 'funky chips' my husband ordered as an accompaniment were delicious. Big proper chunky chips, fried more than once for that crispy taste and topped with shavings of garlic and herbs. We always order these when we visit as they are superb.


I haven't had prawn linguini at this restaurant before so I was really looking forward to this. 

It is described as 'fried garlicky prawns & Scottish langoustine tails with fennel, tomatoes, chilli, saffron, fish broth & lemony rocket. The dish was packed full of flavour and the rocket on the top really added to the dish. The tomato-based sauce as the base was very authentic tasting. The linguini was served al dente which I was pleased about, but I felt it could have been done with more langoustine tails, in the dish. I did feel the price of this could have been a little cheaper as it was £14.95.



The Italian steak and fries and the lemon polenta cake were on the super lunch menu.

The steak came with a generous portion of garlic butter and the fries were well seasoned. My son really enjoyed this dish. The steak was flash grilled and served with herby heirloom tomato salsa, rocket, parmesan and the aforementioned fries. If you are looking for a thick juicy steak this isn't it, but it was still incredibly tasty and value for money when you think it's part of the 2 courses for £10.95 menu.



My favourite dish overall was the orange blossom polenta cake. Polenta cake studded with candied fruit served with whipped crème fraîche & pomegranate. I have had this before at the restaurant and it is a favourite of mine. The cake is quite dense but don't let that put you off, if it was light and airy it would disintegrate with the orange essence.  What I love about this dish is the gorgeous orange taste which makes it very fragrant and delicious. The whipped creme fraiche adds a lightness to this dish and the orange slices and pomegranate top it off well, the latter adding a little crunch.

Today in my Meet The Bloggers series I am interviewing Charlotte from The Social Snob blog.

• 250g Quorn Meat Free Southern Burgers
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
• 1 courgette, cut into batons
• ½ red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
• ⅓ cup (83ml) low fat Greek style yoghurt
• 1 tbsp (15ml) lemon zest
• 2 large wraps, warmed
• 1 cup (250ml) rocket leaves

Method

1. Pop your Quorn Meat Free Southern Burgers onto the BBQ over a moderate heat for 8-10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile drizzle your prepared peppers, courgette and onion with oil and cook over the heat of the BBQ for 10-15 minutes. Use a skewer or a grill basket to keep them from rolling around. 
3. Combine your yoghurt and lemon zest then spread a layer onto each of your tortilla wraps. Add some peppery rocket, then your cooked vegetables and finally add slices of Quorn Meat Free Southern Burgers. 
4. Securely wrap up your burger and enjoy! 

• Copyright: concept w Shutterstock

I have to admit I have never been glamping.... but that is all about to change. I'm going glamping with Feather Down Farms very soon.

I've worn glasses since I was 7 and I have worn makeup since I was 14 every day since. I now have glasses and contact lenses and my makeup differs for both.  Here are my tips for those people who never feel as good in their glasses as they do in their contact lenses from https://www.feelgoodcontacts.com/, I hope you like the post.

Make Up Tips for Glasses Wearers

Your make up will differ if you are long sighted or short-sighted, there isn't one look for people who wear glasses. 



Short sighted make up tips

If you are short sighted and have difficulty seeing far away, your eyes will look smaller in glasses. This means you need to focus on making your eyes look bigger unless they are huge already.

Using a white liner on the inner rim of your eyes can make your eyes look bigger. I especially pay attention to the corners of my eyes. A lighter eyeshadow close to the lashes will make them look bigger and a dark liner all around the outside of the eyes can make your eyes pop. 

It's important to frame the eyes so if you have eyelash curlers, which can be picked up cheaply if you do not have any, use them to open the eyes. A great volumising mascara like Benefit Roller lash will really help too. The trademarked Hook 'N Roll brush grabs, separates and lifts curls and it lasts all day.

Long-sighted make up tips

If you are long sighted and able to see well far away but not close up, your eyes will look bigger in glasses. You need makeup that will flatter your eyes but minimise them. 

Using a dark liner on the inside of the eye and brown eyeshadow on the lid will make your eyes look smaller.

It's very important that your eye makeup is blended well as everything is magnified. Ensure your mascara is natural looking and not clumpy, I do this by using a clean mascara wand after applying my mascara to go back my lashes. 

Invest in a magnifying mirror

Invest in a good magnifying mirror so you can see exactly how the makeup is applied. This is especially important if you travel a lot as not every hotel bathroom will have one.

Under your eyes

Glasses can cast shadows under your eyes, to combat this use an illuminating concealer under your eyes and in the corners and blend well. Touche Eclat by YSL is a makeup artist favourite, I also like L'oreal Touche Magique which does the same job but is considerably cheaper.

Red marks on your nose

The less foundation you put on your nose the better as your glasses will rest on your nose. A matt foundation on the nose area helps to prevent the area get oily and thus your glasses could slip. 

If you do not have a matt foundation, powder the area lightly to help absorb oil and set the foundation.

Brows

If your glass frames cover your brows you don't need to be too careful but a good groomed eyebrow will frame your eyes beautifully. If you are long-sighted any stray hairs will show up so be sure that you pluck any stray hairs under your brow line.

So here are some of my make up tips for glasses wearers. Do you wear glasses? What do you think of my tips?

* PR Collaboration. 
Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net