Blog name change - My Bloomin' Blog to Dinky Danni

So, I had a little change of plan for my blog and decided to change the name to Dinky Danni.

As some of you may know, I have recently started my own creative consultancy called Bloomin’ Creative – hence why my blog was called My Bloomin’ Blog (consistency and all that jazz).

Well, my lovely (and very patient) fiancé, Tom, is building my business website for me at the moment. While planning it, we quickly realised that it would really make much more sense for my business blog to be called ‘My Bloomin’ Blog.’

That way, I can make sure that whatever I write about on there is relevant to my business – for example, the posts about my favourite PR stories. It’s a good way of separating my two lots of readers – those who like my lifestyle and recipe/review posts might not be interested in PR stunts and vice versa.

The only annoying thing about changing the URL is that I’ve now lost the lovely comments that made me smile! Although, at least I didn’t lose all my posts and have to start over again! That would be REALLY annoying.

I decided on the name Dinky Danni because ‘dinky’ is probably the perfect word to describe me as I am teeny tiny. It’s my ‘USP’ I guess!

So anyway, not much is really going to change with this blog, the focus will just be on lifestyle – reviews, recipes, wellbeing etc! I think (I hope) it will work well J Danni x

Lessons I have learnt from my first month of blogging

My blog turned one month old at the weekend. I know it’s not a very long time to have been blogging, but it's another exciting blog milestone and feels like a small victory for me. As I said in my first post, I’d been wanting to start a blog for a really long time but I kept putting it off because I didn’t want to start one and then forget to post regularly. Luckily, however, I’ve found that I absolutely love blogging and I’m confident that I’ll keep it up.

Here’s what I’ve learnt from my first month in the blogosphere:

Happy habit

Apparently it takes 21 days of doing something to turn it into a habit. Although I haven’t written a post every day, I’ve been trying to write at least two every week and I’ve also been jotting down ideas whenever they pop into my head (usually when I’m about to fall sleep, why does that always happen?!) Now that I’ve passed the one month milestone and the habit-forming 21 days, I’m pretty certain that I'll have plenty of topics to write about on a regular basis.

Fantastic feedback

Something that has given me a mahoosive boost is the lovely response I’ve had! My fab friends and wonderful family have been supportive, of course, but I’ve also had great feedback from lots of people online, fellow bloggers, local businesses and even a couple of old friends I haven’t spoken to for years.

Conquering the fear

I think the scary thing about blogging is that you are really putting yourself out there. I had ‘blog fear’ at first and I think that was partly why I didn’t start one for so long. I guess the whole thing with blogging is that you just have to be confident and hope you are writing something that people will want to read! It’s a crazy thought that people from all around the world are reading your posts. I have a fair few readers in the USA, Netherlands and Australia (hello over there *waves*) which is really cool.

Time and targets

Blogging can be quite time-consuming, especially if it’s a photo-heavy post. For example, my blog about homemade sushi took a while to put together, as I wanted really strong images to go with it. Instead of my phone, I used my new Canon, then by the time I’d uploaded and edited the pictures, it was much later than the deadline I’d given myself to finish the post. As I work from home, I’ve managed to fit blogging into my routine, so I’ll write a post either in the morning before I start my work, or in the evening after dinner, or sometimes I’ll write a few in one go on a quiet Saturday or Sunday.

Yummy homemade maki sushi!

The timing to upload the posts has to be right too. There’s no point posting one when nobody will have time to read it, for example, on a Monday morning. The analytics tool on Blogger is really useful for monitoring visitor numbers and audience reach, so I now have a good idea about the ideal days and times to post.

What to write about?

It can be a little tough when you don’t have a ‘specialism’ as such. If you specialise in writing about something specific, like food or beauty, for example, it’s probably a bit easier to tap into that market and readership. At first, I was a little worried that I didn’t have one core subject to focus on. Who knows, I might end up making my blog a bit more specific in the future, but for now, it’s actually quite nice having the freedom to write about whatever takes my fancy!

Popular posts

My two most popular blog posts (so far) are my reviews of the Sun Inn and Linthwaite House Hotel, so I’ll definitely carry on writing reviews of restaurants in my local area. A few years ago, when I was a journalist on my local paper in Southport, I had my own food column and I’d write loads of restaurant reviews for it, so it’s actually a nice blast from the past to be writing them again!

Our gorgeous afternoon tea at Linthwaite House Hotel

They are the lessons I’ve learnt from my first month in blogging. I’m really chuffed to have had more than 1,000 views and I hope that number will continue to grow. I know I said this when I reached 500 views (and I promise I’ll calm down about the overexcited blog milestones) but I just wanted to say thanks for reading my blog and for giving me super feedback. You are a lovely lot, you are! x

Recipe: Homemade sushi is soy much fun!

A sushi night was something Tom and I had been meaning to do for ages, but we kept putting it off because it seemed like such a palaver. Then, last weekend, we discovered it was actually a lot easier than we thought it was going to be and definitely worth the effort.

We grabbed a bamboo mat, dug out some chopsticks and made a delicious selection of sushi: prawn maki, tuna maki, smoked salmon maki, and prawn & asparagus uramaki.

To make maki sushi, you will need the following ingredients:

• A filling of your choosing – e.g. prawn, tuna, smoked salmon, asparagus, avocado, peppers, cucumber, crab.
• A hairdryer (all will be explained…)
• A bamboo mat
• Cling film
• Nori – 3 sheets
• Sushi rice – three cups
• Water – three cups
• Rice vinegar – 120ml
• Sugar – 3tbsp
• Sea salt – 1 tbsp

The first step is to cook the rice (this is where the hairdryer comes in!) Pop the rice into a sieve and wash it several times until the water runs clear. Depending on the timescale you’re working to, drain the rice and soak it in cold water for an hour or two – if you’re in a rush, then half an hour is fine. Afterwards, put the rice into a pan with an equal volume of water and bring to the boil. Then, put it on the lowest heat, pop the lid on and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. When the time is up, all the water should be fully absorbed. Put the rice into a flat-based bowl and add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Then (this is the odd part) plug your hairdryer in, put it on a low/cold setting and place it over the rice to cool it down.

When your rice is done, the fun begins! If you are using a bamboo mat, cover it in cling film – do this carefully and make sure it is tight, as it stops the rice from getting stuck in the grooves of the mat! Place the nori along the bottom half of the mat. 

Scoop half a handful of rice with either a spoon or your hands (if you’re using your hands, have a bowl of cold water handy to stop the rice sticking to your fingers). Place the rice in a thin, even layer all over the sheet, but leave 5-7cm at the bottom of the sheet clear.

This is the part when you can decide which ingredients you would like in your maki. For our sushi, we didn’t have to do much prep, we only had to steam the asparagus and sear the tuna. When you have chosen your roll filling, cut it into thin slices and place it down the middle of the nori in a neat line.

Now you’re ready to roll, eek!

Start rolling with the mat from the bottom edge, do it slowly and carefully, little by little. Keep opening the mat to make sure it is rolled tightly, with no gaps. When you reach the end of the nori, remove it from the mat and pop it in the fridge for around 20 to 30 minutes. Then, take it out and place it on a chopping board. Cut six to eight pieces and remember to rinse your knife under the tap after each slice – this will help you cut through the rice and the nori.

You now have maki sushi! Hurrah! Enjoy with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. Yum! 

Restaurant Review: Venison with chocolate ganache, who’d have thought it? Culinary surprises at the Sun Inn, Kirkby Lonsdale

I think it’s quite a rare occasion that you go out for dinner and you are genuinely (and delightfully) surprised by the menu.

You tend to know what you’re getting if you opt for Italian, Indian, Mexican, Thai, etc. So when we booked a table for two at the Sun Inn, we expected the usual British homemade favourites. How wrong we were! The menu is filled with unusual, but seriously scrumptious, combinations.

Take my starter, for instance, I had scallops with roasted mooli, pickled kohlrabi and peanut puree. The puree, served with a few whole peanuts too, emphasised a flavour in the scallops that I had never tasted before. The roasted mooli and pickled kohlrabi also added an exotic edge to the dish.

For his starter, Tom opted for the veal sweetbreads, which were served with black pudding, carrot puree, walnut and mushrooms. He had never tried sweetbreads before and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Our meal was well-matched to a bottle of 2013 Tapiz Malbec – an aromatic and intensely fruity red, with hints of vanilla. It balanced the flavours of the red meat we had for our main course.

Now, our main course – “Venison loin, chocolate ganache, potato croquette, figs and Brussels sprouts choucroute” – was quite the revelation. The venison was cooked beautifully rare, just how I like it, and was presented upon a chocolate ganache that was spread along the plate. The depth of flavour in the red meat was excellently complemented by the sweetness of the chocolate. It was literally a perfect combination. The Brussels sprouts and potato croquette were also really tasty, but it was the venison and chocolate pairing that was the showstopper for me.

After finishing our main courses, we had a little break before dessert and admired our surroundings. The Sun Inn is full of character, with roaring fires, big leather chairs and classic country décor. If you walk past its prime spot on Market Street in Kirkby Lonsdale, you can peek through the windows and see how warm and inviting it is (so inviting, in fact, that it’s always pretty busy!) I’d definitely recommend booking a table in advance, especially if it’s a weekend, as it’s very popular with locals and visitors.

Dessert was a tricky one for Tom due to his egg allergy. The menu states that the restaurant has allergy information for each course and our waiter quickly identified that Tom would struggle to eat any of them, but that he would inform the chef to see what he could rustle up. Tom was then presented with a light and tasty fruit salad, with orange slices, melon, pineapple, figs, sorbet and fresh mint leaves. It went down well, Tom said it was just what he fancied after a filling meal.

As the evening centred on fantastic food combinations, I was pleased to see my personal favourite on the menu. Two words… Salted. Caramel. (I’m salivating just thinking about it). The dessert was a salted caramel tart, with praline cream and a macaroon. Salted caramel was a huge food trend in 2014 and it still ticks all the boxes for me. My dessert certainly didn’t disappoint, I loved how the saltiness harmonised the sweet caramel. The tart’s pastry, the cream and the chocolate macaroon were all light as air, so even though there were three elements to the dessert, it didn’t seem at all heavy (which was good, as I was feeling pretty full from the starter and main course).

If you appreciate truly good food and are curious to experiment with combinations of ingredients that you might not have tried before, then I’d recommend booking a table at the Sun Inn without a second thought. Our meal was, quite simply, a foodie’s dream.

The Sun Inn, 6 Market Street, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, LA6 2AU 

Restaurant Review: A romantic Valentine’s Day afternoon tea at Linthwaite, Windermere

Picture perfect scenery. A cold glass of champagne. Cute finger sandwiches. Delicious homemade cakes and scones.

That was what Tom and I were treated to when we spent a romantic afternoon at the Linthwaite House Hotel on Valentine’s Day.

We arrived at the hotel early, so we were able to choose where we wanted to sit. There was plenty of space in the bright and airy conservatory, the peaceful veranda, or the cosy lounge, complete with comfy sofas and roaring fires. We decided to sit in the small veranda, with its large windows offering unspoilt views of the surrounding landscape – a picture perfect backdrop of Lake Windermere. Our table was right next to a heater, so it was nice and toasty and we felt as though we were sat outside on a hot summer’s day instead of a chilly February afternoon.

A friendly waitress took our booking reference and Tom reminded her about his egg allergy. We were initially a little concerned about going for afternoon tea – cakes and sweet treats aren't usually the most ideal options for somebody who can’t eat their core ingredient! However, our waitress reassured us that their chef had prepared some delicious alternatives for him.

Soon afterwards, we were served a chilled glass of Baron de Beaupré Champagne. After a toast, we sat back and admired the magnificent scenery. We had the veranda to ourselves, as the other guests had opted to sit in either the conservatory or the lounge. It was quiet and relaxing, an ideal atmosphere for a romantic afternoon.

A selection of finger sandwiches – smoked salmon, ham, egg mayonnaise (cheese & chutney for Tom) and cucumber – were brought to our table. They were tasty and light, exactly what you’d expect from a traditional afternoon tea.

When we finished our sandwiches and bubbles, we ordered a pot of Earl Grey for me and a coffee for Tom. They were well-timed with our sweet treats – which were perfectly presented on a silver three-tier cake stand. My homemade selection included sultana and plain scones with damson jam and clotted cream, cinnamon yoghurt with apple compote, chocolate & pistachio brownie, lemon meringue tart, blackberry mousse and a carrot, walnut & raisin cake. They were all really yummy, but my favourite was probably the homemade sultana scone, closely followed by the chocolate & pistachio brownie.

The chef did a fantastic job of replacing the desserts for Tom. Quite a few places we’ve been to have just written it off and given him an unimaginative alternative. Not in this case. Tom had a beautifully presented plate with a chocolate cheesecake, raspberry & Chantilly cream biscuit, strawberries & cream shortbread and a burnt sugar-topped lemon panna cotta. Tom was really pleased with the effort that the chef had clearly gone to and said his favourite was definitely the lemon panna cotta – a special treat for him, as panna cotta often has egg in.

Both Tom and I were pleasantly surprised by the homemade yoghurt. My first reaction was to shun it. I wanted naughty calorific treats that I could devour then feel bad about for hours afterwards, not yoghurt! But it was seriously delicious – spiced with cinnamon and complemented beautifully with tangy apple. I could’ve eaten two helpings!

After two leisurely hours and a doggy bag filled with the treats we couldn’t quite manage, we wandered around the grounds of the hotel and admired the spectacular scenery. When it started to get dark, we headed back to the car but made a promise that we’d definitely be back again soon!

Afternoon tea at Linthwaite House Hotel costs £18.95 (or £26 with a glass of champagne) and is available from 2:30pm to 5:30pm www.linthwaite.com

PR Story of the Week: Fifty Shades of… B&Q

A film has been released today called Fifty Shades of Grey. You might not have heard of it, it hasn’t been overhyped *at all*.

I’m probably going to watch it this weekend, but I don’t have high expectations. I found the book a struggle. I read it to see what all the fuss was about, but it wasn't my cuppa tea. However, I do respect E.L. James for finding a gap in a crowded market. She must’ve done something right because now she’s laughing all the way to the bank!

I have picked the following stunt as my favourite PR story because it’s a great example of a brand piggybacking onto a current trend.

Earlier this week, a supposed memo was leaked from the B&Q head office. It warned staff of a possible surge of customers buying rope, cable ties and duct tape, following the release of Fifty Shades of Grey. Managers and staff were advised to “anticipate the need for extra stock,” “familiarise themselves with the contents” of the film and “assist customers in a polite, helpful and respectful manner.”

The memo generated coverage in a range of different outlets, including the Metro, ITV, Mirror, MailOnline, The Guardian and many others.

B&Q later admitted that it was a stunt and released a light-hearted statement, stating they “would have confessed to this sooner, but our hands were tied.”

Not only has the hardware store achieved vast publicity, it has also demonstrated a sense of humour. Something a lot of brands forget to do these days.

Are you going to watch Fifty Shades of Grey this weekend? Did you enjoy the books? x

Bloomin' heck, 500 blog views!

This is just a quick one to say yippee! I’m celebrating my first blog milestone!

I’ve hit 500 views and I am reet chuffed... Almost as chuffed as this little mouse:

Pic: Bored Panda

Thank you to anyone who is taking the time to read my posts. I hope you’re enjoying them and I’m looking forward to writing lots more! 

I welcome any feedback in the comments below or you can follow me on Twitter (@D_Manning) or Instagram (Daniellagrams).

Danni x

Why everybody should feel the love on Valentine’s Day

Ever since I flipped my calendar over to February, I’ve noticed article after article slamming Valentine’s Day. Apparently it’s overrated, overpriced… one writer even called it ‘evil’!

I love Valentine’s Day and no, it’s not just because I’m engaged. I loved it even when I was a little kid and I loved it every year that I was single.

Valentine’s Day is effectively a day to celebrate love. It doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a £40 bouquet of roses, or go for dinner at a restaurant that has put its prices through the roof.

It also certainly doesn't mean that you can’t enjoy it if you don’t have a significant other. I hope that everybody has someone in their life that they love – family member, friend, even a pet! Why not throw yourself into the Valentines spirit and spend the day doing something fun with them? 

Valentine’s Day can be the perfect opportunity to appreciate how lucky you are to have lovely people in your life and there are so many easy and fun ways to celebrate that.

Food

If you don’t fancy eating out, why not make a tasty treat for your favourite family member or best friend? You could cook their favourite dinner, bake a cake, or even look through some recipe books and create something new together. Inviting people round for afternoon tea is a lovely treat and it’s so easy to put together – just make a few finger sandwiches and you can always buy scones and cupcakes if you can’t be bothered with the hassle of baking them.

Flowers

I find it so annoying that my favourite flowers (roses) are ludicrously priced in February. However, there are loads of lovely flowers in season at the same time, such as wild primroses, delphinium, hydrangea and chrysanthemums. You could nip out to the local florist and buy a bunch to decorate your lounge or bedroom.

Cards

To order a personalised card online, you’re looking at around £5 minimum, but it can be just as fun and much cheaper to make your own. Instead of the usual soppy message, write a funny poem to make a parent, sibling or friend smile.

Movies

Some of the best films in the world are love stories. Curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine, your favourite person and some yummy treats, and take your pick:

• When Harry Met Sally
• Sleepless in Seattle
• Love Actually
• Notting Hill
• Pretty Woman
• Titanic
• The Notebook
• Gone with the Wind
• Casablanca
• Brief Encounter
• Roman Holiday
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Bridget Jones’s Diary
• Dirty Dancing

Books

Again, there are some fantastic books that are based on great love stories and there’s something for everyone. You could order one online, pick it up from a shop, download it to your kindle, or check out your local library selection:

• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
• Persuasion – Jane Austen
• Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
• Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
• Twilight – Stephanie Meyer
• Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
• Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
• The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks
• The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
• Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
• A Room with a View – E.M. Forster

Fun activities

There are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities that won’t break the bank. You could get together with your family or friends and play a fun board game or charades, go for a walk, visit an exhibition or a gallery, watch old home videos, or explore a new place you haven’t been to before.

If you’re still not feeling the Valentines spirit and none of those ideas have tickled your fancy, then here are some funny dog pictures to cheer you up…

I hope everyone has a really lovely Valentine’s Day! x

PR Story of the Week: A pop-up restaurant is the right ingredient for PR stunt success

Two brands have announced they will be opening pop-up restaurants this month. McVitie’s will let customers pay for their order with a hug in its ‘Cuddle Café,' while Game of Thrones fans have the chance to sample the finest Westeros delicacies in a specially themed banquet event.

A tried and tested method of securing excellent media coverage, pop-up restaurants tick four boxes that are vital for successful PR stunts:

1. Photo opportunities – think happy guests getting stuck into the activities, strong food/drink images (ideal for Instagram) and staff members dressed according to the theme, as well as celebrity guests or endorsements. A picture speaks a thousand words and you are much more likely to secure coverage if you send an eye-catching image alongside a press release.
2. Word of mouth – both online and offline. The goal is to get people actually talking to each other, as well as spreading the word online via platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. As above, attention-grabbing photo opportunities are likely to encourage consumers to show a picture to their friends, or post it online.
3. Multimedia potential – instead of firing off a bog-standard press release, a pop-up restaurant has the potential to achieve vast coverage in a variety of different mediums. For example, you could create a timelapse video demonstrating how the pop-up restaurant was created, or a vlog featuring an interview with the CEO of the company, visitor experiences, or even a chef demonstrating recipes for the food that was served at the restaurant. 
4. Measurable results – results can be measured online, for example, by monitoring how many people have ‘mentioned’ a hashtag, or the number of ‘retweets’ and ‘likes.’ In terms of offline measurement, the number of sales, visitors, registrations or enquiries (depending on the nature of the business) can be tracked.

Which pop-up restaurant would you rather go to? I love a good hug, but I’m also a huge Game of Thrones fan (although the poached veal tongue on the menu doesn’t sound overly enticing…)

Book Review: The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

I am a little bit divided over this book. It had been on my reading list for a while, then when I was in North Wales with my fiancé and in-laws recently, I spotted it in a charity shop for 50p! (It was book-fate!)

When I started reading it, I hadn’t seen the film (I’m definitely going to watch it this weekend) and I hadn’t read any reviews, which was good because it meant I was completely neutral and free to make up my own mind. That was definitely the best way to do it because after I finished the book, I checked out some online reviews and it got pretty slated.

Firstly, I really like the format, it is quirky and unusual. There are six protagonists, six chapters and six Austen novels. Each chapter focuses on a particular character’s back-story, as well as a book club meeting in which the group members discuss the chosen novel of the month. It works well because you feel as though you really get to know each character – who they are, why they act the way they do and what Austen means to them. If you are familiar with Austen’s work, you will notice parallels between the experiences of each character and each novel. 

A few of the reviews I read moaned about the lack of an actual plot in the book. I can understand this to an extent, it doesn’t follow the usual conventions of storytelling in the way that there are no ups and downs, or dramatic situations which bring all the characters together. But on the other hand, it’s actually quite refreshing to read a book that is sensible and realistic. Karen Joy Fowler demonstrates that there doesn’t always have to be a life-changing experience to make a book entertaining. It can simply focus on normality and everyday activities, such as being part of a book club.

The concept of the book is exploring characters, as opposed to an exciting plot. Each character is on their own individual journey to happiness. They discover that Austen helps them all, just in different ways.

In conclusion, The Jane Austen Book Club was a fun and enjoyable read. It also made me want to revisit Austen’s novels, as I haven’t read them for years. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s a fan of Austen and is looking for a pleasant, uplifting book. But don’t pick it up if you want to read something with a riveting and unpredictable plot.

PR Story of the Week: The power of social media

This week, I have two joint favourite PR stories and I believe they both reinforce the power of social media.

The first was Taylor Herring’s plan to wake up sleepy commuters going about their usual morning routine by placing a life-sized polar bear on the Tube! The stunt was an eye-catching way to promote Fortitude, a new series on Sky Atlantic. Commuters were presented with an unbelievable and picture-perfect moment to tweet, share on Instagram, post on Facebook or send to friends. Social media is a fantastic tool for spreading the right messages and this stunt was a great way to encourage the public to do just that.

Image: London Evening Standard

The second is the Marc Jacobs Spring 2015 campaign, in which all 11 of the ‘models’ from around the world were cast directly from social media sites such as Instagram. It is the second time the fashion designer has done this, with the first #CastMeMarc campaign attracting 70,000 entries. What an excellent way to encourage brand promotion through word-of-mouth (both online and offline) and increase audience engagement. It’s also hugely refreshing to see ‘real’ people in a fashion campaign who, I'm sure, will benefit massively from the exposure – as opposed to the usual choice of models and celebrities who don’t usually need the boost to their career or bank balance.