Summer Breeze - sunshine, weddings & celebrations

Well, that's more like it! Summer sun all weekend and today. There's nothing like a bit of sunshine to make me feel that all is well with the world. I have had the most wonderful weekend. A beautiful Cotswolds wedding on the hottest day of the year, a world-beating first barbecue of the season and to top it all off another pretty major reason for my family to celebrate. Today's is a pic-heavy post!

Dress - Diane von Furstenburg, Jacket - Rag&Bone,
Bag - ASOS, Shoes - Shoemint.

My wedding outfit was a riot of colourblock (although, in 23 degree sunshine that jacket was a bit surplus to requirements). My jacket and dress were Yoox designer bargain finds and that bag was a half price ASOS steal (still available too - link here.

The wedding was of our dear friends Scott and Hayley at the breathtakingly beautiful Kingscote Barn near Tetbury. Hayley had rallied round her talented crafty friends to design and make lots of little touches and created a gorgeously homespun feeling Vintage Tea Party theme (complete with vintage crockery and the couples own blend of tea as favours). The sun shone (on my Best Man hubbies woolen kilt-clad legs) and the day was absolutely perfect.

I got surreptitiously snapped by my super-talented photographer friend Aniko. Look at the beautiful evening light she's captured.

So that was Saturday. Yesterday was equally glorious, so after picking up our little Wrens from my babysitting sister's house we decided to BBQ in the garden. We made a speedy sweep of Waitrose for some ingredients and with some major improvisation and cupboard rummaging I came up with the perfect kofta recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the koftas:

250g lamb mince

250g pork mince

50g crumbled feta cheese

3 tbsp chopped soft dried apricots

2 tbsp pinenuts

1 tsp cumin seed

2 tsp Bart's Baharat spice mix

1 tsp sea salt

For the feta and mint yoghurt sauce:

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt

50g crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 large lemon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chopped fresh mint

pinch of salt

(Mix the ingredients together well with a fork or whisk)

Flatbreads and cucumber & tomato salad to serve.

To make the koftas, mix all the ingredients together well in a large bowl (I used my hands - best to get stuck right in with this!). Form into sausage shapes and form each sausage around a flat bamboo skewer (you should get 10 or so). Cook for around 15 minutes on a BBQ or griddle, turning regularly until cooked through. Serve on flatbreads with a little salad, topped with the yoghurt sauce and a little chilli sauce if you like things a little spicy! Wrap and devour greedily these gorgeous little golden nugget-spiked meaty morsels.

As if a sunshiney barbecue and Aperol Spritz-filled Sunday wasn't a good enough way to end the week, the night got even better. With a prosecco in hand I watched on TV as my brilliant big brother Matthew Gravelle stepped onto the Theatre Royal Drury Lane stage to collect a BAFTA for Best Drama with the rest of the Broadchurch cast (he played Joe Miller, the killer). To say my family and I are proud, would be beyond understatement. We are beaming. Like I said, it was a good weekend.

There he is on the far left HOLDING A BAFTA!!!!!!