Hello Miss Jordan End of Year Reader Survey

So, we've come to the end of another wonderful year; a year which just so happens to be the year I started blogging! So I thought, what better way to end the year than with a survey for you, the lovely readers, to let me know your thoughts and feelings about the blog and where it's going. 

Underneath the Tree - Food

Because if there wasn't a Christmas gift post dedicated entirely to food, it just wouldn't be Hello Miss Jordan, would it?

Underneath the Tree - Home

Let me start off by saying I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, then I hope you had a fantastic December 25th, whatever you may have been doing!

I wasn't going to do one of these 'What I Got for Christmas' posts, mainly because I'm terrified that it will come across as bragging. But, as it was highly requested, with many people saying they are some of their favourite posts, I decided I would write about my gifts anyway. I am going to divide the gifts into different categories, so you aren't swamped with a shed load of pictures in one, with normal posts running in between! 

Please know that I am extremely grateful and lucky to have received such beautiful gifts from so many lovely people! I won't be featuring every gift I received in this series, as some will be saved for their own review posts. 

So, without further ado...

Merry Christmas from Hello Miss Jordan

A couple of months ago, shortly after my first photoshoot with my friend Martin, my best friend Olivia (who you might remember from my visit to Leeds Castle) texted me with the idea for a Christmas themed shoot where she could do my hair and makeup, as well as make a few props. Obviously I jumped at the chance and was super excited to get my festive face on, even though these were taken in November. But you know, it's me.

The Tree of Memories

One Christmas tradition from my childhood that I will always hold near to my heart is the decorating of the tree. Once the lights have been untangled, it's everyone's favourite bit, right? Something even more special, that I've decided to adopt for my own now that I've left home, is purchasing a Christmas tree ornament for every place we visit. 

When I was little, my mum would always try to find a Christmas ornament wherever we went, meaning she has now accumulated a great load of decorations for her extremely large Christmas tree. Our little 6ft Asda tree is significantly less extravagant, but it still means a lot. The original story behind the tree is that when we first moved into our house I came home from work to find that all the furniture had been put up, all the clothes were away, and this tree was standing in the living room, fully decorated by my boyfriend and parents.  

Winter Pastels

Before shooting this post, I hadn't worn makeup for about a week. For me, this is a pretty big step, both in having the confidence to go bare faced and also in learning not to care what people think. Despite this, I have to say, having a whole day on Monday where I could paint my face on with every product I have in my makeup bag was pretty spectacular. Although this still isn't a lot, if I'm honest. 

My Little Box by Fleur De Force

I came home from work on Saturday night to what can only be described as an early Christmas present to myself from My Little Box. When I saw the gorgeous pastel box, I was so excited to open it...until I remembered that it was pitch black outside. This meant I had to wait until morning to open it up so I could take proper unboxing photos. Blogging is a sacrifice, kids. 

Casa Don Carlos Tapas, Brighton

On another dreary day in Brighton, my boyfriend and I decided it was time to treat ourselves to a meal out. He had literally visited this restaurant about four days prior to our visit, and he loved it so much that he brought me back.

We meandered the empty lanes of Brighton, huddling together in the cold, until we finally reached the tiny little restaurant. 

Casa Don Carlos is another restaurant in Brighton that I've walked past a million times but I've never thought to stop and go in there. 

Inside the decor is cosy and simple, with red checkered clothes and big menus with Spanish headers. 

After we had chosen our dishes (we opted for two each), they offered us some bread which we accepted. Warm, crusty bread with perhaps the best garlic aioli I've ever tasted in my life. I would have happily had just the bread. 

The food here comes out when it's ready, so you know it hasn't been sitting in the kitchen, and you can tell by how fresh it all is. The first dish to arrive was deep fried squid. 

With a sprinkling of lemon juice...

The next two dishes arrived in the biggest tapas bowls I've ever seen. Each of these is probably a meal in itself for somebody like me.

I went straight for the patatas bravas, my favourite tapas dish. Crispy potatoes smothered in a rich, spicy tomato sauce and soured cream. They were truly the best I've ever had.

And of course I had a spoonful of mushrooms with chorizo; simple, yet amazing.

But the real star of the show was the paella. 

It had the most amazing flavour and was adorned with fresh mussles, prawns and chicken.

I have to say that Casa Don Carlos have some of the best tapas I've ever had in my life. And that's saying something. If you're ever in Brighton and fancy a spot of lunch, be sure to check them out. Our bill only came to around £23 which I think is extremely reasonable for the amount of food you are given. My only regret is that we couldn't finish all of the dishes, no matter how delicious they were. 

I'm so hungry after writing this. The things I do for blogging. 

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Holy Cheesemas, Byron

You may remember my first visit to Byron earlier this year when I discovered their amazing speciality burger 'The B-Rex', which I proclaimed the best burger I've ever had. 

Well, the burger craving came back, and we all made our way to Byron, Bluewater, for a spot of lunch. The place was a buzz with people and I looked down to find myself immediately struck by the glory of what was Holy Cheesemas. I couldn't miss it, really. 

The Byron Christmas special was described as an extravagant, double bacon cheeseburger, containing not one...not two...not three...but FOUR different types of cheese. My boyfriend, who is the toned-down equivalent of Man vs. Food, couldn't help himself and ordered one up. He asked if it was big, to which the waiter replied, "Yeah, it's pretty big". The man did not lie. 

The towering chaos that was Holy Cheesemas was brought to the table, where we all marvelled at the most stunning display of burger artwork I have ever seen. 

If you were wondering which cheese had made a home of this burger, it was mature Cheddar, American cheese, Red Leicester and Monterey Jack PLUS the Cheesemas sauce.  

Although the Cheesemas was clearly the star of the show, we have to pay particular attention to it's accompaniments. We went for courgette fries, which I really didn't know what to expect with. 

I kind of thought they would be a healthier option but boy was I wrong! Deep fried and crispy, they tasted absolutely delicious, but do not order if you are on a health kick. These things were saturated in fat. 

I also ordered hand-cut, skin-on chips, which were absolutely delicious. 

My dad, who was perhaps less-adventurous, ordered the Classic burger, which was sweet and simple, but still delicious. 

And if you thought, "Nah, that Cheesemas malarkey is way too big to even hold!" here is my boyfriend demonstrating the art of holding a double cheeseburger with two slices of bacon and salad in it. 

He did pretty well I think! And he finished before all of us...somehow. 

The Holy Cheesemas is only available for a limited time, so if you love cheese, this is quite clearly the burger for you. I can't recommend Byron enough if you're a burger lover. They're still up there with the very best. 

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Christmas at Harrods

I suppose you could say that visiting the windows of Harrods around Christmas time is a bit of a tradition. But I honestly think there is nothing more magical. 

Even now, at the age of 20 years old, I still get excited when I see a giant, patchwork rocking horse in a shop window that actually rocks. Or a carousel of unicorns, or a tiny home for little mice in dresses and waistcoats. Maybe it's the story lover in me, but I do think there's nothing better. 

We visited Harrods after Winter Wonderland (where you can also find my outfit details), for a spot of lunch. We asked a doorman where we could find a good place to eat that was also affordable, and he recommended Sandwich, by Tom Dixon. 

Non-surprisingly, they sell a lot of sandwiches, but they also sell cakes and breakfast. 

The coffee is a decent size as well, because there's nothing worse than buying a coffee that comes up in an espresso cup. 

I'm also a bit in love with the crockery in this place. Just look at that mug. 

We promptly ordered. My boyfriend had a roast beef sandwich. A word of warning that if you don't ask for your sandwich to be hot, they won't bring it hot. Ollie forgot to ask so it came out very cold. Nonetheless, he said it tasted great. 

While my dad had pulled pork, which he did ask for hot, so it came out so. Another example of beautiful crockery there, I love the speckled effect. 

I went for something off the breakfast side of the menu; soft boiled duck eggs with Black Combe ham soldiers. 

I would never think to wrap ham around a crusty soldier, but it actually worked really well. It was absolutely delicious. 

Gotta love a runny egg.

After finishing off our food, we went for a little stroll around the outside of Harrods, taking in all of the beautiful displays. In some of the windows it really was snowing! 

I fell in love with the miniature families of mice who had inhabited the building. I hope they didn't mind me taking a few snaps...

And those cakes really do look good enough to eat. 

If I were I mouse, I think this one would be me:

Red dress, hair bow, singing lessons. Sounds about right.

Saying that, I really wouldn't mind this dress.

The attention to detail and the thought that goes into all of these windows is absolutely incredible. Every little detail has been accounted for, and I really don't care if it's just advertising and I'm being sold something. At least they've put heaps of imagination into it.

We left London with enough Christmas spirit to last the rest of the year, and with a severe craving for mince pies and a warm bed. London's pretty cold, you know.

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Winter Wonderland

"Sleigh bells ring...are you listening?"

Even though I visited Winter Wonderland in November, I held off posting this until December 1st, because I have self control. 

Who am I kidding? I've been itching to write this post ever since I got back from Hyde Park. Prepare yourself, there are pictures galore, so you may want to grab a hot chocolate.

If you're not from England, or aren't aware of the national phenomenon that is Winter Wonderland, then it's basically a big old funfair in the middle of Hyde Park in London, with added stalls, bearing all manners of sparkling candy and handcrafted goods. 

We went up to London on what was probably one of the dreariest days of November, which didn't add too much Christmas spirit. But the rows of wooden huts adorned with garlands did attempt to make up for it.

The phone box Christmas decoration was my favourite, but rocking in at a whopping £15 I couldn't really justify it. 

We also arrived early, around 10am, which meant the whole place was pretty much dead to the world. This wasn't so good for atmosphere, but perfect for taking outfit photos. 

My new parka is pretty much the star of the show. Completely lined with sheepskin and with the fluffiest hood even an eskimo would be jealous of, it's the perfect Winter coat. Plus it pulls in at the waist, which means I don't look like a walking bean bag.

Parka - Miss Selfridge || Hat, Scarf & Gloves - Lipsy || Bag - Michael Kors || Boots - totally forgot where these are from but similar here.

We continued to stroll through the streets, attempting to make the most of the grey skies.

I also picked up what can now be named as the worst hot chocolate of my life. Looked pretty in a picture, but what I was given was essentially warm milk with about half a teaspoon of chocolate powder in it (if that!). The best bit was the flake and whipped cream. It was definitely not worth the £3.30 we paid. 

The candy stalls are glorious on the eye, though.

Pounds of fudge chopped into delectable squares and begging to be taken home. 

I'm going to be honest and say that at this point, I was a bit disappointed. I wasn't sure what I was expecting from Winter Wonderland. I knew it was going to be overpriced and I knew it would be technically just rides and stalls, but the market consisted of essentially the same six shops repeated over and over. And I don't mind paying a bit more because of where I am, but only when the food or drink is good. 

I'm now going to admit something that I never thought I'd say. 

I began to wish that we'd gone when there had been more people. 

I'm a bit of a lone ranger and I love experiencing things all by myself so I can absorb it all without the persistent shoving and annoyances of mass crowds. 

We returned after afternoon tea and walked back through the event towards the car park, and I'm so glad we did. 

Lit up in the late afternoon darkness, the miserable empty place we had visited earlier was utterly transformed. The place was bustling with people and Christmas cheer was definitely in the air. 

I would happily stick my entire face in these.

The skyline was illuminated by the arch of the Ferris wheel, and the crowds which I thought I'd hate made me smile. 

Do you wanna build a snowman? 

I could tell he liked warm hugs. 

As we headed to the car, I felt full of festive joy and I was so happy that we decided to walk back through the event. The morning is definitely not the right time of day to visit this, as the lights and the people really do make it something special. 

Winter Wonderland is running all the way until the 4th of January, so hitch up a sleigh and get yourself to London!

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