Cracking Christmas Pop Ups...

In three days' time it's officially December, which means we're allowed to start going Christmas crazy! I've tried to hold back, only mentioning the C-word when totally necessary, however the time has come for us to start donning some tinsel and ramping up the chrimbo cheer!!

We all know how jam-packed December gets with work socials, tonnes of festive events and Christmas jumper parties galore (fear not if you're on the hunt for your 2014 knit, a post of this year's best will be winging it's way to you shortly), so, we need to be organised to avoid missing out on all the fun!

Christmas themed events are popping up left right and centre but to have any chance of joining in we need to act quick smart! Some are already sold out...proof to be wary of all those Scrooges out there. In fact, I'm starting to think that the 'Bah Humbug' may all be an act to put us off getting to the front of the queue!

Leapfrog the Scrooges and check out 3BM's top 5 favourite seasonal soirees going on right now or coming up very soon...

Berkeley Winter Cinema - I was dying to go to this last year but didn't manage to make it down, so this year it's back at the top of my list! A magical Christmas rooftop cinema complete with wooden handmade cabins, hot water bottles, cashmere blankets, hot chocolate and snacks whilst watching a Christmas favourite! I can't think of anything I would rather do...well perhaps pay an extra £20 for the champagne version!! 

Standard tickets are £50 and give you admission to the 5pm and 7pm seating, bottomless hot chocolate and mince pies. Or pay £75 for a glass of champagne and canapes!

Wilton Pl, Knightbridge, 

London SW1X 7RL

Le Chalet at Selfridges - what more could you want than a cosy candle-lit alpine chalet way up in the sky?! Think twinkly trees, thick tartan blankets, lanterns and fur throws - the perfect ski chic log cabin! Don't expect super festive dishes, officially it has an alpine BBQ theme but I've heard great things about the tiger milk ceviche and the spit roast suckling pig. Oh, and lobster macaroni doesn't sound too bad either! My favourite bit...the hot chocolate bar yum yum yum!!! 

Selfridges Roof Top
400 Oxford Street
London, W1H 6HB

Pop up Screens Notting Hill - if the Berkeley option is slightly out of your price range then this will be right up your street at £20 a ticket. Enter through the back of a wardrobe and into a winter wonderland complete with snow! Fear not it's all snug and cosy indoors with a festive helping of mulled wine and mince pies to get you in the mood! Plus, with a movie line-up of our all time favourites of Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone and Arthur Christmas you're pretty much guaranteed to go back night after night!! 

20th Century Theatre

291 Westbourne Grove, W11 2QA

Night Tales - if dancing in a twinkly-lit gazebo whilst drinking copious amounts of steaming mulled wine and devouring treats from gourmet food stalls sounds like your sort of thing, then have I got a treat for you?! Night Tales delivers all of the above and more...a converted outdoor space in East London filled with wild gardens, live music and far too much fun! They've roped in Patty&Bun, Rum Kitchen, Voodoo Rays and Morty and Bob's to lay on the food and a hot cocktail bar to ensure everyone loses their inhibitions and fills that dance floor! 

288 - 299 Old Street

Shoreditch, EC2A 

Cheese On The Terrace at Kensington Roof Gardens - if like us, you like nothing more than devouring platefuls of cheese over the festive period, this is the perfect way to while away an evening! High up away from all the London bustle The KRG team are serving up baked cheeses and fresh bread with the city's skyline as your backdrop! They've literally got all bases covered with a hot cocktail menu to battle those winter chills! I'm already drooling over the thought of Camembert topped with garlic purée, grated Autumn truffle and bread crumbs - divine!

9 Kensington High Street

London 

W8 5SA

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Yet another week has zoomed by and guess what...we're officially under 12 weeks to Christmas!!! Roll on those cosy cashmere jumpers, steaming mugs of mulled wine and snggly sofa nights in whilst the bitter cold and rain pelts down  outside! 

On the flip side...oh so much to do in 12 weeks...halloween, finding the perfect pair of winter boots and a coat for that matter, Daddy Mouse and HK Mouse's birthdays, picking and wrapping the most perfect Christmas gifts and deciding how to ring in the New Year...wow!  

Argggg...for now lets just be happy that...

This week the Mice have mostly been...

Scouring the shops for some much needed going out gems. During Summer I always find everyone dresses more casually and as Autumn/Winter hits, we all push into next gear towards dressy. That's fine with us, there's nothing that makes a night more fun than a getting ready session with all the girls, wine and emerging dressed to the nines with a whole heap of fabulous fun ahead! 

One of my best girls is moving to Australia with her husband this week. They promise it's just for a for a couple of years (or so they say!) to explore what the other side of the world has to offer...beaches, sun, BBQs and koalas...mmm tough choice!! 

Anyway we'd planned a big farewell dinner, followed by cocktails and night of full on debauchery at The Box which came with strict instructions to glam up! This I love...until I go shopping and find very few choices in the shops! I was on a last minute mission so online wasn't an option, Oxford Circus was all I had! Topshop nothing but crop tops and sequins, Urban Outfitters just casual, casual and a bit more casual, H&M full to brim of knitwear and knitwear only, COS beautiful but mainly workwear and finally my regular saviour Zara...lots of lovely pieces but all suited to daytime chic and nothing expressing a hint of evening glam! After much huffing and puffing I eventually punted for a tux play suit from Zara - with the help of a few safety pins I felt ready to go but it was a struggle...a bit of a worry when the party season is approaching! 

So...when a little Body Frock parcel arrived earlier this week I breathed a sigh of relief...of course they would come up trumps and placate such worries! Now if you don't know Body Frock you really should...we blogged about them last November and they're simply fabulous! Their secret is a pull-you-in slip dress under each style - it's the answer to all our prayers, once you have one you won't stop wearing it believe me! 

We each chose a dress from the new collection, I went for The Jamie £165...

And Middle Mouse chose The Natalie, £255...

Two outfits sorted thanks to Body Frock, now just fifty more to locate!!! 

Itching to get to the cinema and let the movie nights begin! When the cold creeps in, it's less about wandering the streets trying to find that great new bar that's just opened, and more about trotting off to your local cinema to enjoy a great film all cosy and warm! If it's an Everyman cinema then bonus points as this can be done with a glass of wine and nibbles, perfection! 

And it just gets better and better as there's some seriously good films winging their way to our screens which we're all SUPER excited for! 

First up the recently released Gone Girl, I haven't managed to fit it in my diary just yet but we've got a doodle going with the girls to find a date we can all make and I cannot wait!!! The book was amazing, even if I did scream with frustration at the ending whilst lazing in a hammock overlooking peaceful Sri Lankan paddy fields, there's no denying it was one hell of a page turner. Gushing reviews are already claiming it to be the next box office hit and if you didn't love the book you should go anyway as a couple of hours starring at Ben Affleck is never a bad thing! 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is released on 21st October and it can't come sooner! I was very late to the party with this one, never reading the books and only watching the first two last month! If like me, you ignored the hype and carried on re-watching Magic Mike and Crazy Stupid Love instead, then I urge you to get up to speed before the release date! They're ridiculously gripping to the point of me having to pause a number of time to calm down and Jennifer Lawrence is amazing, you fall in love with her as a character, I officially want to be her when I grow up - beautiful, clever and brave!  

Even if it doesn't seem like a film you'd usually like (believe me I'm the queen of rom-coms), give it 10 minutes you you'll be hooked...

Finally, but by no means least, Fifty Shade of Grey! OK it's not the most literary of books and there were many people out there slating it, however to sell 100m copies worldwide you have to be doing something right?! 

I for one will be there in February next year waiting to see the Billionaire Christian Slater seduce innocent student Anastasia Steele, and the fact that Jamie Dornen plays Christian is the icing on the cake! If you're in the office you may want to plug your ear phones in for this trailer and turn your screen so no one can see...!!

Right on that note I'll leave you all to count down the final hours until cocktail o'clock! Have the most fabulous weekend!

The Mice x

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

OMG it's only the....

And we're freaking EXCITED!! In a mere matter of hours you can click 'shut down', exhale, grab a cocktail and bask in the blissful feeling of 48 hours of pure relaxation and FUN!! 

This weekend we're heading home to Daddy Mouse's for a couple of days filled with delicious food, an endless supply of wine (parents never seem to run out?!) and a few peaceful nights sleep in our childhood bedrooms...there seriously is nothing like it!

When we haven't been counting down the days, hours and minutes until the weekend...The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Battling on with our clean eating approach...the getting lean is still to be seen...I'm such a poet! Believe it or not our daily green juices are flowing, gym sessions and morning runs are being squeezed in and our brains are continually whirring coming up with healthy yet tasty dinners! 

It's no easy feat but we seem to be hating the early morning alarms a little less, resisting the slabs of banana loaf in Whole Foods and are teaching our tummies to love a juice breakfast and not rumble from 10am onwards! These days the hardest part is constantly trying to think of new and inventive dinner options...ones we can still look forward to all day but aren't so calorific that they negate all your other good work! 

So I think it's only fair to share those good ones we do find to give you all some inspiration! This one is very easy, open to lots of adaption of whatever is left in the fridge and bursting full of delicious flavour. It's not the most photogenic one for a post but I enjoyed it so much I thought what the hell!! 

Brown Rice Noodle Soup with Spicy Pork and Greens

Below makes 2 large servings - if you're going to eat soup for dinner I believe it should be a large serving!!

You need...

250g pork mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes / fresh chili
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
950ml chicken stock
1-2 handfuls of kale, center ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Sea saly
Fresh ground pepper
120g noodles (wholemeal if you're being healthy!)

How to...

1. Place the pork, garlic, ginger, crushed chilies and cumin in a bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients.

2. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add the pork mixture. Cook for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, stir gently so not to break up too much.

3. Add the chicken stock, bring it to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 mins.

4. Add the kale, spring onions, soy sauce and fish sauce, and cook for 6-8 mins until the greens are wilted. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

5. Meanwhile cook the noodles...

6. Serve the noodles directly into your bowls and ladle the warm soup over them...ENJOY!!

Flying like billyo over to Selfridges to get our mitts on some much desired cinema tickets! Yup you heard it right...Selfridges have opened the first ever department store cinema and they've only gone and paired up with the fabulous Everyman group! 

We're loving that the opening bill of films have been picked by iconic fashion designers...what could be better after a stressful day in the office than settling down in chic surroundings to Marc Jacob's and Oscar De La Renta's favourite movies?!

As it's not just a pop up, the listing will be updated with a mix of all time favourites, new releases and even a preview screening of the new woody Allen film later this month!

Rumour has it you can also order nibbles and a sneaky tipple...PERFECTION!!!

 

Chilling to the amazing new album from Banks, Goddess. Now I know we've sung her praises numerous times before, but she really is something pretty special. With her hauntingly beautiful vocals, raw emotion and distinctive edge, she's the perfect mix of cool.

Listen to a couple of our new obsessions...

Right I think it's about time that you...

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

While you're reading this I'm relaxing by a pool surrounded by Tuscan countryside...it's a tough life but it's all okay because for all of you it's Friday and not only that but also a...

*well it is in England, sorry very one else....

With a super hot weekend just gone, let's keep our fingers tightly crossed for another scorcher. Yes, it may bring out the pasty, beer-bellied men who insist on walking around topless but it also means we can discard our second skin black jeans and float around in pretty dresses with a glass of Prosecco or Pimms (or both) permanently in hand!

When we haven't been secretly performing a sun dance before bed each night...

This week the Mice have mostly been...

Swishing my new summery locks back and forth but in a slightly less energetic way to that of Willow Smith!

I felt it was the perfect time to get a fresh snip and jazz up the colour with more summery hues...that sort of hair PMA may just bring the long hot summer we always dream of!

With a whole host of London options before me, I finally decided to opt for an appointment at Pimps and Pinups in Shoreditch...slightly swayed by the light bulb mirrors and of course the very positive reports from Middle Mouse! It may appear daunting from the outside with the hip tattooed staff, cool music and laid back approach but don't be scared off! They are seriously good at what they do, offer you beer and wine on arrival instead of the usual luke-warm tap water and best of all, they have every magazine imaginable!

Goodbye rat tails and hello balayage blunt chop!

Three hours of ferocious backcombing later (this is how they get the natural faded look) after lots of magazine flicking and people watching, my new locks had arrived! Mr sunshine get your straw hat on because I'm officially ready...

Giggling like a typical bunch of girls and munching our way through far too much popcorn, ice-cream and sweets while watching The Other Woman. A couple of weekends ago we decided to head home and visit Daddy Mouse and in true teenage-style I gathered together Middle Mouse and my bestie Nikki to hit the cinema and watch a good girlie film!

It was the perfect fit...fun, silly and what every girl wishes they could do to their idiot ex-boyfriends! With great casting of Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, it'll have you laughing out loud and wanting to start that long overdue bikini diet immediately! They recreate those real life moments so well (especially the drunk ones) and it doesn't hurt that there's a seriously hot guy with a huge Hampton's beach house too!!

It's not going to win any awards, but it's definitely one to watch with the girls, - although with three gorgeous female leads, I don't think any boyfriends/ husbands would be complaining either.

Perfect feel good film for a rainy Sunday...although hopefully no more of those on the horizon!!!

Loving the new Ella Eyre track 'If I Go' and obsessively playing it over and over, so much so that Middle Mouse is already head over heels, and I suspect our neighbours are too!

We blogged about her amazingness a few months ago and despite playing her on repeat we still haven't tired of her super cool, upbeat tracks...our only complaint - we just want more to devour!

Well as if by magic one appears...

And that's it from us for another week, HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

x

The Mice 

House of Peroni : Take Two...

When I heard the House of Peroni was back for a second season running my reaction was pretty much this...

You may remember my review of The House of Peroni back in July so when my invitation to attend the launch party of part two popped into my 3BM inbox, I RSVPed in a heartbeat. 

The House of Peroni is all about showcasing a new wave of Italian style and creativity. Part two was centred around fashion, film and of course food and drink. Film was a particular focus this time round with the space boasting a luxurious cinema showing a series of contemporary Italian films each evening as well as a weekly, hotly anticipated ticketed film and dining experience but more on that later...!

See what mini mouse and I got up to at the launch party...

But one Peroni outing wasn't enough for me - greedy little mouse - so of course I went back for more... For my second outing, I was treated to an experience fuelled cinema session with my good friend Sarah. So what did that entail?

Well... an exclusive screening of Paolo Sorrentino’s 'The Great Beauty' which is hotly tipped for an Oscar nomination for starters. And as if that wasn't special enough, guests were also promised a lavishly designed 8-course menu created by Italian restaurant, Bottega Wapping. Put the two together and what do you get? ...out of this world food that brings to life the tastes, smells and textures of the film. It really was a completely new way to experience and appreciate film - I'm not so sure that i'll ever be able to go back to bog standard cinema munchings ever again, bye bye popcorn and pick 'n' mix!

We started our Roman inspired film feast by being ushered into a plush and intimate little theatre set up with a scattering of oh so comfy squishy sofas. We settled down into our designated seats and waited, anticipation building by the second, to find out what Peroni had planned for the rest of our evening! First up a bottle of chilled Peroni Nastro Azzurro was presented, well it would be rude not to! Next up the following was placed before our very eyes...

Intriguing...What could be inside a stack of plain white boxes each labelled with a single word?! Well, we were quickly brought up to speed - at key moments in the film one of the House of Peroni girls would walk into the cosy cinema and hold up a sign featuring a word. This word would map back to one of the boxes sitting in front of us, match the word to the box, open it up and consume the contents. How very exciting! Food coupled with this much anticipation was almost too much for me...!

Without further ado the film started to roll...

 

Ten minutes in, and I was starting to get itchy feet - I wanted to uncover the masterpiece sitting inside my first film feast box. Sure enough a couple of minutes later the Peroni girl strode in and held up her first sign. Everyone jumped forward and greedily whipped open their box number one... The 'Cocktail' which contained a dish of scallop, almond crisp bread and a Negroni jelly cube all topped off with raw vegatables marinated in orange juice. Delish. 

And the barrage of gastronomic delights continued apace from there with the likes of... 

Rome's most popular and authentic dish - croquettes with slow cooked tomato sauce, pine nuts, raisins and chocolate breadcrumbs

Tuna tartare, seaweed, oyster water and black squid mayonnaise

Deconstructed carbonara with oozy egg yolk and tortelloni

Lamb cooked in Peroni Nastro Azzurro with Roman-style artichoke

Sadly because I was eating the above in a dark cinema I couldn't take any snaps so I don't have photography to do the dishes justice. BUT what I do have is one single of picture of the piece de resistance - the puds, which consisting off three desserts. My favourite being Gin & Tonic jelly - stiff but inspired...

All in all, an unforgettable experience! It's just a shame The House is closing shop on 30th November so I can't go every week...

House of Peroni

41 Portland Place

Marylebone

London

+44 (0)203 176 2177

www.thehouseofperoni.com