Homemade Pumpkin Spiced Latte That Tastes Just Like The Real Deal
As much as we enjoy the seasonal ritual of wandering down to our local coffee house and queuing for a PSL, there’s something extra cosy about shuffling into the kitchen and brewing your own signature fall cuppa from the comfort of your own home, swaddled in a dressing gown.
Klaxon: it’s October, which means we all get to be unapologetically basic about Autumn now and not be judged for it. Praise be.
We will quote F. Scott Fitzgerald like he’s a fond uncle of ours and clog our camera roll up with leaves glorious leaves
We will wear the coats and the knitwear and happily get claggy armpits in the process because it’s still slightly too sunny. We will quote F. Scott Fitzgerald like he’s a fond uncle of ours and clog our camera roll up with leaves glorious leaves because we are walking talking October clichés and ain’t nothing 2020 can do about it.
We’ve already drunk enough pumpkin spice latte to sink a battleship and yet we still want more because it warms our soul in a way that only a spicy caffeinated winter squash can.
There’s something extra cosy about shuffling into the kitchen and brewing your own signature fall cuppa
As much as we enjoy the seasonal ritual of wandering down to our local coffee house and queuing for a PSL, there’s something extra cosy about shuffling into the kitchen and brewing your own signature fall cuppa from the comfort of your own home, swaddled in a dressing gown. Not to mention the coin you’ll save on that daily Starbucks habit.
Here’s how to make our budget-friendly homemade PSL!
SERVES 2
PREP:
5 MINS COOK:
10 MINS
EASY
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
2 cups of milk (dairy or non-dairy)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see instructions)
1 cup strong hot coffee
Whipped cream, chocolate powder, and cinnamon sticks, for serving
Start by heating your milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spices on the hob
To make pumpkin pie spice add 4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and give them a mix. Store them in an airtight container.
When hot combine the pumpkin spice milk with your coffee
Divide the mixture between two mugs and decorate however you wish, we went for whipped cream a sprinkling of chocolate powder and a cinnamon stick!
The Snug As A Bug Knitwear Pieces We’re Lusting Over
As the crisp, chilly mornings become the norm and we're opting for pumpkin spice lattes over iced coffee, we've reached peak layering season and we are frankly thrilled about it.
In the words of our favourite ogre, Shrek (just in case you know multiple green, swamp loving residents) layers are EVERYTHING. As the crisp, chilly mornings become the norm and we’re opting for pumpkin spice lattes over iced coffee, we’ve reached peak layering season and we are frankly thrilled about it.
Not only does an extra cardi or knit feel like a comforting hug on an early morning, but it also offers endless styling potential to switch things up, mix and match and clash to your heart’s content.
We’re talking slim fit turtlenecks under t-shirts, cardigans to warm up a summer dress and oversized jumpers roomie enough to huddle into whilst waiting for the morning bus. Adjusting and envisioning your fave existing pieces in different, versatile looks along with new season ‘add to basket IMMEDIATELY’ items make the morning ‘what shall I wear to WFH today?’ a little more satisfying.
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Which of our picks for this week is high on your lust list?
Halloween is fast approaching and we're more than ready to get the spook fest underway but let's face it, carving those fleshy Jack-o'-lanterns is h-a-r-d work. Seeds, seeds everywhere.
This year we’re ditching traditional pumpkin carving in favour of something faff-free
We’ve carved some very questionable creepy eyes and wonky teeth in our time, so this year we’re ditching traditional pumpkin carving in favour of some faff-free, longer-lasting alternatives. Because there’s only so much pumpkin soup a girl can have in one week.
Care to join us on our quest? Gather your ghoulfriends, put on some bewitching tunes and get your witch-craft on with these no-carve pumpkin ideas.
Yarn Pumpkin
A glue-free craft is a craft we can get on board with! These yarn pumpkins are easy to create and make for beautiful centrepieces or Halloween shelf décor.
Simply wrap orange yarn around your hands multiple times until you reach the end of the thread.
Cut a separate piece of yarn approximately 10 inches long to wrap around the middle of your bundle. Thread it through the gap in the bundle where your hand is then bring the two ends together, securing with a double knot.
Cut a green or brown pipe cleaner for the stem and place it on top of your bundle, looping it underneath the knot.
Fold the pipe cleaner in half then twist the ends together to create a thick stem. You can also use green/brown yarn instead if you don’t have pipe cleaners.
Why not hang them on a little string garland.
Stuck for ideas on how to display your gourd-geous creations? Why not hang them on a little string garland. If you’ve got it, haunt it!
Clay Pumpkin
We can’t promise it’ll be anything like that romantic scene in Ghost, mostly because Patrick Swayze won’t be there but we can promise it’ll be fun, at least and 10 times easier and iconic in its own way.
Using air dry clay, take a rolling pin or something cylindrical to flatten it out.
With slightly wet hands, knead into a pumpkin-shaped ball. Once you’re pleased with your pumpkin shape, now’s the time to add in all the ridges and grooves to make it look like the real deal.
Using a pencil, a skewer, a blunt knife edge or any other handy sculpting utensils you have in your kitchen, score your clay with vertical lines from top to bottom. Once you’re happy with the texture, you can add some detail to the top for the stem.
Form a little indent at the top of your pumpkin using your fingers. Roll out a tiny piece of clay into a cone shape for the stalk and pinch it onto the top of your pumpkin to secure.
Leave to dry for 48 hours before painting. It’s as easy as bibbidi bobbidi boo.
Toilet Roll Pumpkin
You’ll never look at your toilet roll in the same way once you’ve seen it in all its Halloween glad rags.
Simply unravel the sheets of tissue and roll them back up to create some texture. Then wrap and fold a fabric of your choice around the roll, tucking into the top as you go. You may need to trim any excess fabric beforehand to get a neater finish.
Repeat until you’ve completely covered the roll and finish with a twig, branch or cinnamon stick placed in the top for the stem. And you’re done. Crappy Halloween, indeed!
Painted Pumpkin
Your creative genius knows no bounds when it comes to painting ‘kins. The limit does not exist.
You can buy an eerie looking ghost pumpkin or paint one white if you want a blank canvas to work with. Alternatively, you can’t go far wrong with a classic spooky face or a black cat motif.
From paint splatters and creepy neon shades to spider webs and glitter-dipped stems – you can go as simple or as innovative as you like.
What pumpkin carving alternatives will you be making this Halloween? Let us know in the comments below!
We caught up with Juno Dawson,the author of our October Zoella Book Club pick 'Wonderland'.
First off, how are you and how have you been coping in 2020?
I’m not going to lie, this year is shit. Pretending it’s been character-building feels like a betrayal of the people who’ve been really badly let down by our leaders this year. On a personal level, my dad got sick, my wedding had to be postponed and the government scrapped plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act. This has not been my favourite year.
Can you tell us about your latest novel Wonderland?
I can! It’s a radical retelling of Alice in Wonderland where Wonderland is an exclusive, elite festival – sort of like Coachella. Alice goes there in search of her crush, a girl called Bunny and has all sorts of debauched adventures along the way. Perfect if you liked Euphoria or Gossip Girl.
You have an incredible body of works, what is the process like for writing a new book?
I spend a little time ‘dipping my toe’ with a new novel. It’s like dating. You have to get a feel for the characters and decide if you want to commit to them.
What do you like most about writing YA fiction?
I like that it’s a transformative time. That’s what my novels have in common – the characters undergo some form of evolution and end a different person than they started. I’m also a fan of the high school movie – from Heathers to Clueless to Buffy.
You’re a huge advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, do you have any recommendations for people who would like more books with LGBTQ+ characters?
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is beautifully written and pretty much anything by David Levithan – Every Day and Two Boys Kissing are my favourites. However, if you haven’t read Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series, you have such a treat in store. They’re the ultimate novels about finding your own family and place in the world.
What are you currently working on?
I can’t really say too much – but I have a new novel on the go and a bunch of TV projects.
What are your top tips for switching off and relaxing?
These Toffee Apple Cupcakes Are What Autumn Dreams Are Made Of
Packed with comforting cinnamon flavours and tart apple and drizzled with caramel frosting!
They’ve pretty much cemented themselves as one of our favourite fall treats
Toffee apple cupcakes for Autumn? Ground-breaking. Oh but they are, so much so they’ve pretty much cemented themselves as one of our favourite fall treats. Ok, daily fall treats if we’re going to be pedantic about it.
We don’t use this word lightly because, well, we know we have a national aversion to it but in this case, we must rise to the challenge because the occasion calls for it. They are moist.
From their frosted top to their soft and fluffy bottoms, they are m-o-i-s-t through and through. There. We did it. Used the worst adjective in the English language and nothing awful happened. 2020 – it’s the year of personal growth, fellas.
Packed with comforting cinnamon flavours and tart apple and drizzled with caramel frosting, they’re the ideal bitesize snack for elevenses… and twelveses and oneses. You get the idea.
They’re the ideal bitesize snack for elevenses!
SERVES
PREP:
COOK:
EASY
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
125g unsalted butter, softened
300g self-raising flour
2tsp ground cinnamon
225g light brown sugar
120ml maple syrup
4 eggs
170g grated apples (around 3 medium apples)
For the frosting:
175g unsalted butter, softened
350g icing sugar
2tbsp Dulce de leche
2tbsp whole milk
Brown sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 175°C and pop your paper cases in to your cupcake pan
Beat your butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between, followed by the flour, cinnamon and maple syrup,
Mix until all the ingredients are fully combined then fold in the grated apple.
Fill each case to 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes until risen and springy when touched. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to a baking rack to finish cooling.
To make the frosting mix the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until pale and soft. Add the icing sugar, syrup and milk. Turn the mixer on low and gradually increase the speed. Whip for 5 minutes, if the frosting looks too stiff add a splash more milk until you reach a nice piping consistency.
Once the cupcakes have cooled fill a piping bag, fitted with an open star nozzle with the maple syrup frosting and pipe each cupcake with a swirl. Drizzle each cake with some caramel sauce and chopped toffee pieces.
These staple pieces come in many shapes and sizes, and this week we're sharing our hero products of the collar world, whether it be striking shirts, cosy jumpers or dressed down blouses.
Layering is one of the biggest pros of cool weather dressing, and this season we’re head over heels for all things statement collars and their versatility across multiple ‘gram-worthy’ lewks. These staple pieces come in many shapes and sizes, and this week we’re sharing our hero products of the collar world, whether it be striking shirts, cosy jumpers or dressed down blouses.
Whilst the likes of Ms Chung has been rocking far pricier versions of this style for years, the high street has some very welcome chic and stylish offerings to add some trend-led fashion to your wardrobe without breaking the bank. And whilst shopping IRL still proves tricky, finding the perfect versatile piece like the humble collared shirt has the potential to transform multiple outfits and offer real longevity to your A/W wardrobe! What’s not to love?!
Zoe
I bought this chunky knit statement collar cardigan as I loved the buttons up the front and I’ve been really into autumnal knitwear recently. Paired with my Topshop flared jeans and buttoned up to the top, I think it gives quite a 70’s vibe! I’m going to dig out a beret too as I think this might top off the entire outfit!
I’ve picked this super pretty pink shirt from H&M with a gorgeous collar. As it’s so sweet I’ve decided to pair it with some rough wash mom jeans khaki Chelsea boots and a matching hat. Throw on another shirt for good measure because the more the merrier when it comes to layers!
I used to be obsessed with the Peter Pan / Pixi collars back in the day! I’ve styled this ruffle trim knit from Zara with black jeans, penny loafers and an oversized trench for a pared-back, understated look that lets the frou-frou collar do its thing, while the rest of the outfit takes a minimal back seat.
I love a good cardigan and especially one which has been jazzed up with a statement collar and some chunky buttons, and I’m obsessed with this one from And Other Stories. I’ve styled it with some straight leg black jeans and a pair of chunky Dr Martens for an effortless but stylish look.
I’ve combined girly and masculine with this look which is a combo I always find makes the most ‘me’ and comfortable outfits. The statement collar and ruffles are made more cutesy with the floral print and balanced out by the slouchy jeans and oversized blazer. I love chucking one on when it’s not quite cool enough for a proper coat yet and this one ties in nicely with the chunky trainers! A failsafe autumn look!
September Book Club 2020: Queenie by Candice Carty Williams
This month, we had the pleasure of reading Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams – winner of the British Book Awards Book of the Year.
September’s book club pick needs no introduction but we’re going to serve you one up anyway. This month, we had the pleasure of reading Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams – winner of the British Book Awards Book of the Year.
It tells the tale of 25-year-old, Queenie Jenkins, a Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle-class peers. When she takes a break from her long-term boyfriend, Tom, her life starts to unravel and she seeks comfort in all the wrong places, including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth.
Find out how Team Zoella enjoyed one of the most anticipated reads of 2020!
Darcey
I absolutely loved Queenie! I inhaled this book within a few days and found myself not wanting to put it down as I was so invested in Queenie’s life. Carty-Williams explores so many issues so perfectly, from mental health, to consent and to racism, you really feel as if you follow Queenie navigating through these issues, which seem to have entangled themselves throughout all aspects of her life. This book isn’t short either of some hilarious moments, Queenie and her friends feel so real and that’s what makes this book so engrossing too, I almost felt as if I was her friend too trying to help her through this difficult time. Would 100% recommend!
Rating – 4/5 Would you recommend? Yes
Lareese
Well, what a knock-your-socks-off debut from Carty-Williams! Queenie is a luminous and timely novel, sparkling with honesty and grit. I felt immediately engrossed and invested in Queenie’s complex character; her lived experience, her vulnerability, her humour and her often hilarious missteps. Carty-Williams does such an incredible job of handling a variety of nuanced topics, and in doing so she writes a very real, raw and flawed protagonist you’ll be utterly gutted to leave behind.
Rating – 3.5/5 Would you recommend? Yes
Danielle
Being named debut novel of the year AND book of the year is obviously amazing but it comes with the downside of people having SO much expectation when they pick up the book. Similarly to ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ I picked up Queenie when it was at the peak of the hype! Right off the bat the characters we’re completely fully fleshed and for me, the best part of the book. I loved how Candice played with dialogue in the form of texts and emails making it feel truly modern as that is where so many of our conversations take place. Queenie made a great protagonist and she was extremely likeable, I found it both frustrating and upsetting when she wound up in awful situations, but they were realistic and unfortunately common. Definitely give Queenie a read but try and squirrel away the hype and any notion that it has a ‘Bridget Jones’ vibe.
Rating – 3.5/5 Would you recommend? Yes
Maddie
Queenie was hailed as the modern age Bridget Jones’ diary, a story of a mid 20s Jamaican British woman living in London. Queenie is stumbling through life, making mistakes (repeatedly) and that’s what makes her real and believable as a character. Where Bridget Jones is fairly lighthearted and surface level, Queenie goes into some very dark places with regards to mental health, trauma and sexual encounters. That being said there are a few amazingly cringe and hilarious moments speckled throughout and the general tone of the book is written in a way that makes you feel like you’re one of Queenie’s friends and I really did feel attached to her by the end.
We’re all for giving in to our basic bitch instincts and just letting October run amok with our senses. With that in mind, here are 20 things to do this month.
There’s just something about those crisp days and all that hygge hype
Listen, when it comes to Autumn, we all shamelessly lose our sh*t. There’s just something about those crisp days and all that hygge hype that gets the people going. So why fight it?
We’re all for giving in to our basic bitch instincts and just letting October run amok with our senses. With that in mind, here are 20 things to do this month.
1 Transition your Insta feed. Go get that autumn aesthetic
2 Watch Enola Holmes – it’s the cosy, comforting, feminist film we all need rn. God bless you, Netflix.
3 Delight in the breath-taking television that is Bake Off
4 Stock up on your pumpkin scented candles. Get hoardin’ those sweet gourdy wicks
5 Start using the word hygge to describe everything again…
6 Even though you’re not entirely convinced you know how to pronounce it, so you just end up making a noise that sounds partly like a word but mostly like a burp
7 Turn your clocks back an hour…
8 And have the great bi-annual debate – wait, does this mean we’re gaining an hour or losing an hour? Nobody knows. Just hibernate, eat your cinnamon buns and be done with it
9 Stand in the shower for 10 minutes longer than you need to because it’s cold out there and the journey to the towel is just too treacherous
10 Collect a bunch of conkers for absolutely no reason other than LOOK HOW SHINY THEY ARE
11 Proceed to test out conker vs spider theory
12 Conveniently forget to shave. Armpits ‘n’ legs are hibernating, why disturb them?
13 Consider how the socks and sandals thing is actually really rather practical
14 Dedicate at least one caption to F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall”
15 (Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it) Take a photo stood in a pile of leaves. Extra points if there’s a squirrel present
16 Buy a new knit and convince yourself you’ll wear it all the time, even though it’s itchy af. Narrator: she will never wear it
17 Wee yourself a little bit at the thought of pumpkin picking
18 Reunite with the Sanderson Sisters. All these years later and here we are, still finding Thackery Binx attractive
19 Cook up some pumpkin pancakes. We know a great little recipe. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
20 Spook up your home ready for Halloween with seasonal touches. Translation: hang up a bat garland and some of that really annoying cobweb stuff on your mantel, sigh and sit back down again
The Ultimate Hygge Inspired Autumnal And Christmas Bedding
There's nothing quite like sliding into your favourite bed sheets and blankets, whether it be your 3pm WFH slump or a 9pm early nighter.
Ahhh- that fresh sheet feeling. There’s nothing quite like sliding into your favourite bed sheets and blankets, whether it be your 3pm WFH slump or a 9pm early nighter, creating an oasis of a bedroom that allows you to fully switch off is something worth investing in.
We’re rushing to pimp out our bed situ and revel in the comfort of a weighted blanket!
Whilst the summer saw us ditch the duvet and camp out next to a fan or window, the comfort of a cool, rainy day means we’re rushing to pimp out our bed situ and revel in the comfort of a weighted blanket and cuppa in hand. We’ve swapped notes with the Danish to channel the ultimate in hygge living into our homes this season because now more than ever is a time to lean in and enjoy the moments of rest, recuperation and reflection that have come with such a turbulent year.
Here’s to replicating that dreamy hotel bed feeling every day- apologies in advance if it makes your 7am alarm feel all the more tempting to snooze.
10 Scary Reads to Sink Your Fangs Into This Halloween
From spine-chilling Stephen King classics to freaky fiction guaranteed to have you sleeping with the light on, here’s a round-up of the boo-kish delights to gorge on this Halloween.
Seeking a deliciously dark, macabre tale featuring characters and plots you’d rather hide from than sit in your bedroom with? Glad to be acquainted.
Those with a nervous disposition should probs sit this one out.
From spine-chilling Stephen King classics to freaky fiction guaranteed to have you sleeping with the light on, here’s a round-up of the boo-kish delights to gorge on this Halloween. Those with a nervous disposition should probs sit this one out. Go cuddle some kittens for a while.
Let’s ease you in gently! Despite the title, this is not your average run of the mill scary monster novel. This is a moving classic that’ll have you mopping up your tears with the nearest fake spiderweb or black cat you can find. Who knew a tree could make you so emotional.
Misery by Stephen King
Nobody does the stick-your-book-in-the-freezer fiction quite like Stephen King. Misery is about a famous novelist who crashes his car in a snowstorm and is rescued by none other than his mentally-unstable number one fan.
Paul Sheldon has plans to make the transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction. Annie Wilkes, Sheldon’s self-proclaimed number one fan, rescues the author from the scene of a car accident. The former nurse takes care of him in her remote house, but becomes irate when she discovers that the author has killed Misery off in his latest book. Annie keeps Sheldon prisoner while forcing him to write a book that brings Misery back to life. If you’re after a book that will be best placed locked in a cupboard with a padlock, this is a good shout.
Our Zoella Book Club read for October! A modern reworking of a classic tale, this is one literary rabbit hole you’ll be all too glad to stumble down. When Alice’s troubled best friend Bunny goes missing, she becomes obsessed with finding her. She begins retracing her steps and looking for clues in her pigeonhole when she discovers an invitation to Wonderland: the elite party to end all parties. Could this lead her to Bunny? Or is this really a case of finding herself?
The Deaths of December is the ultimate anti-Christmas gift, all wrapped up with a bloody bow to boot. When an advent calendar arrives at the police station, DC Becky Greene makes a gruelling discovery behind each door. As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them… It’s an absolute cracker.
Action, suspense, plot, this book has it all going on. The first in a five-book thriller series by Gregg Hurtwitz, Orphan X is the story of Evan Smoak, who joined a top-secret operation known as the ‘Orphan Program’ when he was 12. Raised and trained as an Orphan, he was sent to bad places to do things the government denied ever happened. Then, he broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear. But someone is on his trail. If the blurb’s anything to go by, you’re in for a nail-biting read.
A gripping high-school thriller like no other, The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow is a book you’ll want to devour in one fell swoop.
Illumen Hall is an elite boarding school of tradition and achievement. But tragedy strikes when the body of a student is found dead on the beach – and on her back is a tattoo of a magpie. For new student Audrey, it is just another strange and unsettling thing about her new surroundings, along with the secrets the school seems to hide and its weird obsession with magpies. For her roommate Ivy, the death of her friend Lola is just one thing she desperately wants to get past – and having a new student asking questions and cluttering up her personal space is not helping a bit. But the two girls are forced into an unlikely alliance when a mysterious podcast airs, with one sinister headline: I KNOW WHO KILLED LOLA. AND ONE OF YOU IS NEXT.
Chanting a ghost’s name five times in front of a candlelit mirror at a spooky boarding school… Never going to end well, guys. Asking for trouble, that! When Bobbie, her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to summon the legendary ghost, Bloody Mary, for a Halloween dare, it looks like nothing eerie happens, until Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror that says: five days. Read it at your own risk, preferably five days before Halloween for peak paranoia.
A dark YA novel with one utterly compelling unreliable narrator. Seventeen-year-old Hannah Gold has always been treated like a grown up. As the only child of two New York professionals, she’s been traveling the world and functioning as a miniature adult since the day she was born. But that was then. Now, Hannah has been checked into a remote treatment facility, stripped of all autonomy and confined to a single room. Hannah knows there’s been a mistake. What happened to her roommate that summer was an accident. As soon as the doctor and judge figure out that she isn’t a danger to herself or others, she can get back to her life of promise and start her final year at school. Until then, she’s determined to win over the staff and earn some privileges so she doesn’t lose her mind to boredom.
But then she’s assigned a new roommate. At first, Lucy is the perfect project to keep Hannah’s focus off all she is missing at home. But Lucy may be the one person who can make Hannah confront the secrets she’s avoiding – and the dangerous games that landed her in confinement in the first place.
It’ll have you second-guessing yourself right the way through.
A missing girl, a desperate family, a detective at breaking point – this one’s got all the ticking-clock appeal you could ever want in your Halloween reading. If you liked The Fall, you’ll be all over this crime fiction treat. It’s the stuff of nightmares, in a good way.
Now a major Netflix series, Shirley Jackson’s best-known novel is as creepy and unsettling as they come. There’s nothing like a slow-burning psychological horror to scare the bejesus out of you.
What haunting reads will you be sinking your teeth into this Halloween?
SERVES 2
PREP:
5 MINS
COOK:
10 MINS
EASY
INGREDIENTS
