December News - Budapest and Goulash

Hello to everyone!! Sorry for the absence of the blog!  Life and work took over and when you're running things yourself it's sometimes all a crazy juggle... I'm determined to make the monthly blog happen monthly, not yearly next year.... :-)

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So grab a cuppa and sit back for some Budapest travel info, a Winter Goulash recipe, a beauty and denim recommendation, and of course a few updates from le tee!

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Our Merino Travel wraps are one of our most popular items, often selling out. Knitted here in Scotland using the finest Merino wool we have eight lovely colours to choose from, some classic neutrals and a gorgeous new mid pink and cornflour blue.

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It’s a true classic wardrobe staple you can use throughout the year. I took mine on holiday to Rome in September this year to use as a lovely lightweight shawl. It was perfect thrown over a sun dress. I’m now using the wrap throughout the winter as a super cosy scarf. They really are that versatile.

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We’ve also made our latest wraps in a soft slightly finer knit, so they don’t feel bulky when used as a scarf, and can be rolled up very easily to fit in a large hand bag for travelling, or just having to hand on a spring/summer day.

We still have our fabulous sale running with 50% off all our roll neck and crew neck jumpers. Super soft and easy to wear. All made sustainably in Scotland. They will be your wardrobe staple in the coming chiller months.

Our red crew neck is the perfect way to add colour in Winter and will look great thrown over a fun breton long sleeve top in the Spring.

Or why not treat yourself to a super versatile black roll neck. Fab with white jeans in winter, or perfect for work wear with a smart pair of trousers.

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Looking for a last minute super easy gift? We have just 3 of our recycled cashmere scarves left! Now only £35 (usually £55). All our recycled cashmere scarves are unisex, so they are perfect for any men in your life as well!

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We've been asked so often about more tees for next year, thank you! I'm excited to say we have a new crew neck and v neck tees, a new long sleeve breton top and a new super soft sweatshirt, all arriving in the Spring. We've taken everything you loved previously, and added a few little tweaks and refinements based on your feedback. They are all being made sustainably in Portugal in a production house using solar panels for power. All will be 100% cotton, and will have a new super cute logo that will be on the sleeve of all our cotton wear going forward. Can't wait to show you more next month!

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I've been using this Nails.Inc 45 second polish for a few months now and really recomend them. I can't manage to wait for normal polish to dry without smudging.... and I needed to save money by not going to the salon for a bit. This is the best alternative I've found. I can normally stretch it out for a week without starting again - with a few little touch ups around the tips every few days. This red is a perfect festive pick me up and having lived in London previously I love the playful names of the colours. This one is "Mayfair made me do it". A great little treat for yourself, or a lovely little gift for someone else.

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I had been looking for a great pair of classic flared jeans for sometime. I wanted something that would last the test of time, be good for winter and summer, not too flared, not too high waisted, not too tight on the thighs.... it was quite a big wish list! I came across these Esprit ones at a great price and they have been worn on repeat for the last month. I sized up for a looser fit as I like to tuck a lot of things in. I would say I'm a size 10 normally, but I ordered a 29 and these feel nicely slouchy for me. They were also very long as I'm only 5ft 3", but at the reduced price I was happy to have these taken up. I'm currently wearing these jeans with one of our classic navy roll necks, and looking forward to wearing them with one of our new bretons or tees in the spring. Currently on sale reduced from £69.99 to £29.99.

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This month's travel recommendation is for a city break. Last year I was lucky to be able to travel to Budapest for a friend’s 50th and we had such a great time.

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Although we went in November, I highly recommend Budapest as a city break at any time of year. For background my father was Hungarian and whilst growing up we were extremely lucky to spend every summer there visiting relatives.  They were idyllic holidays with lots of cousins, sunshine and great food! My father escaped from Budapest aged 18 during the Hungarian revolution back in 1956. During that time it's estimated over 200,000 people fled. He was in all terms of the word a refugee, and was always grateful to the UK for taking him in, and letting him form a life and career here.

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I had never been to Budapest in the Winter before, so this was all really new to me! Our trip to Budapest was a 3 day long weekend, and that was a perfect amount of time to get a real feel for the city and squeeze in a few of the main sights.

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We arrived at Budapest airport on Friday early afternoon, and after some confusion managed to work out which bus to get into the city!  The ticket machines for the buses are right outside the terminal and next to the bus stop. Once on the bus it was really straightforward and a very quick and cheap way of getting from the airport into the centre.

Budapest itself is split into two halves by the majestic river Danube; Buda and Pest. We had rented an apartment in Pest for the three of us.  It was in a really easy location to get to, and was spacious and warm, as well as nicely decorated and well equipped. If anyone would like details of this please just drop me an email through the website.

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For our first afternoon we stopped and had a drink at a nice square with a few restaurants and bars scattered around the square itself - "List Ferenz Ter". It was chilly in November, but dry, so we sat outside with heaters and rugs and enjoyed a few Aperol Spritz.

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We had pre-booked a wine bar/restaurant for that evening called “Kiosk” which is right on the Danube.  Being November we ate inside, but in the Summer this has a huge outside terrace facing the river and is a really buzzing place to have a drink and food at any time of year.  The inside of Kiosk does not disappoint.  It is formed from an old building that has had many uses in the past. In 1717 it was a school, and pre dating that - below the current day kitchens lie a long forgotten old Turkish baths. With it's colossal ceiling height and industrial vibe, it has a really eclectic look and feel.  The food is classic Hungarian dishes with a modern twist.  Having not been to Budapest for some time I went for double Paprika!… Goulash soup to start followed by Paprika Chicken.  Both were delicious and I have given a nice easy recipe for Goulash meatballs below too. It’s one of our family staples in the Winter. You can use beef stewing steak as well, but I often find the meatballs are cheaper and quicker these days!

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The next day we headed out from our apartment and walked via the old Jewish Synagogue on Dohany Utca (Street).  This is a stunning building and we stopped at a little café opposite called Bistro Synago for coffee and pastries. Breakfast with a view! 

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We then headed to Vaci Utca, the main shopping street in Budapest. This is perfect for a wander about, and has all the main shops you would get anywhere in Europe. It definitely felt as if the prices were cheaper than in the UK. In fact everything in Budapest felt really reasonably priced, especially eating out. 

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Having had a really good look in all the shops we headed for some lunch at the beautiful old Café Gerbeaud. This grand old cafe was first opened in 1858 and has all the grandeur of a bygone era.

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It is a lovely place to sit and chat, with someone playing the piano in the background, and beautiful interiors. I had frankfurters for lunch which were so good, and they also do lots of other snacks and soups. Their cakes are truly amazing, and they also have a gorgeous chocolate shop attached to the cafe which we couldn’t not visit on our way out.

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To walk off lunch we headed down towards the Danube in the hope of going across the Famous Chain bridge to Buda to see the old Royal Palace (now a museum), and the Fisherman’s Bastian (an old fortified turreted stone wall). 

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This is a really beautiful and very old part of Budapest often called “O” Buda or “Old” Buda. The Fishermans Bastian in O Buda also has amazing viewing points across the city and the Danube from there. Unfortunately as we approached the Danube on the Past side we realised the Chain bridge was closed for maintenance, and a deep fog had descended on the city, meaning we wouldn't see the view. It all felt very atmospheric, and a bit like being on an old Kafka movie set! We decided to leave O Buda for another time, but if you get the chance to go to Fishermans Bastian I would highly recommend visiting this area if you can.

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Instead we walked along the Pest side of the Danube towards the Houses of Parliament, another amazing building overlooking the river. There is also now a small museum under the parliament buildings that is free to enter. It gives some of the history of the revolution and what happened many years ago in the main square around the parliament buildings.

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Whilst walking this way we also came across a very moving monument on the edge of the river bank itself.  “Shoes on the Danube”.

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From the Danube we then headed back into Pest away from the river, walking past the magnificent Houses of parliament and on to Zrinyi Utica (Street) for a late afternoon drink and early supper. This is a great street in Winter or Summer, and has a lovely view to Saint Stephen's Basilica at the end.

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There were some great bars on this street, and we had more Hungarian food in the form of plates of salamis and cheese, and shared a speciality dish made of pasta, lardons and cottage cheese.  I'm sure this sounds a strange mix, but it was always a favourite of mine growing up and it was as delicious as I remember. On leaving the bar we saw they were serving hot white wine “Feher Bor” to takeaway.

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This smelt so good that we felt it was definitely necessary to sample some and so we had a cup each to keep us warm as we walked along to the “Ruin” bars.

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The ruin bars started in the early 2000s, during which time the inner part of VII District had many abandoned buildings. These have now been transformed into a collection of street food and drinks kiosks.  We went to Szimpla Kert which is considered to be one of the first pioneers. It was a great place to be, though we definitely added to the overall age by quite some years!...

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The next day our flight wasn’t until late so we planned to visit the spa baths and chill. Hungary and Budapest are world famous for their spas.  The pools are filled from hot springs deep in the ground, which themselves are warmed by natural heat emanating from the earth. During the water's long journey across deep mountain areas before it resurfaces, the water that is used in each thermal bath in Budapest is filled with dissolved minerals picked up from rocks. This is thought to add to the special restorative powers of the baths themselves.

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Following our spa visit we just had time to have one last final meal before heading to the airport for our evening flight. We headed back to List Ferenz Ter as this was near the bus stop to the airport. We ate at Menza a nice modern wine bar/restaurant. We all had traditional Goulash stew with Nokedli which was delicious. Nokedli is very similar to Spatzli and almost a cross between pasta and dumplings.

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I also ate at Ghetto Goulash whilst in Budapest this summer and would 100% recommend a visit there, it's always busy so try and book ahead if possible. Another great cafe bar for the summer is Cafe Vian. It is a mixture of Hungarian and French dishes, literally my ultimate food choices all on one menu!  It has a great location on the sunny side of the street, which makes it perfect for cocktails enjoyed outside under the shade of a verandah.

This is just a snapshot of Budapest and there are so many amazing things to see and do. If possible I would also suggest taking a night cruise along the Danube, just for early evening drinks. The views on a summer evening really are beautiful.

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If you make it to Budapest I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did.

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In the meantime I hope you enjoy the goulash meatballs recipe below!

Thanks for reading. Sarah x

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There is nothing like a good beef goulash stew, but meat has become so expensive these days, and it also takes a good few hours to cook, so I often make goulash with meatballs these days. It adds a nice twist and is perfect with pasta on a cold Winter night.

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For the meatballs - I just buy these ready made, most supermarkets have good priced versions in the chilled meat section. I buy the uncooked beef mince ones, not the cooked Swedish ones as they are a different flavour.

First brown the meatballs in a pan, remove and set aside. These don't need to cook, just get a bit of colour. Then add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. If you want to add a finely sliced red or yellow pepper this would be the time to add this in - just before the onions are finished cooking so the peppers also fry for a little while. Once the onions and peppers are softened add one clove of peeled garlic (remove this at the end of cooking). Then add 1 level tablespoon of floor and mix around. Add to this the passata, paprika and beef stock, mix well, and finally add the meatballs back in to the sauce. Place the pan back on the hob to very slowly simmer for 1/2hr. Alternatively pop into a low oven for 1hr, or the slow oven of an Aga. Serve with pasta of your choice and a nice spoon or two of sour cream across the top.

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16 ready made beef meatballs - or add as many as you need! (This serves 4)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 large red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1 level tablespoon of flour

1 small carton of passata 

400ml beef stock

Sour cream to serve