The Isle of Wight Festival is a yearly event on my home turf, and it's something I really look forward to! I'm a huge fan of music - growing up my dad was a music super-fan, blasting tunes from the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, MC Hammer etc (in fact, he took me to my first ever concert to see Muse, so when I won tickets to Live 8 in 2005 on the radio, I took him... more about that another time maybe!).

There's always an eclectic mix of music on in my house, but you can't beat a live beat, especially when it involves an ice-cold beer, some mates and the sunshine! 2024's IW Festival was epic; it was one of the best festivals I've ever been to, from the weather, food and music, to the people, organisation and portaloos... they were porcelain, oooooh posh!

The highlight for me this year was Green Day. I entered a punky/rocky/skatery stage at some point growing up, and I remember having my CD walkman with all their albums carefully placed in alphabetical order in a CD holder! The Prodigy were also fantastic, Jessie J had an incredible presence on stage, The Darkness were brilliant, and I loved the Electro Love tent - always something to sing your heart out to in there! I'm too sensible/boring to camp as my lovely bed is down the road!

If you get a chance to experience the IW Festival, give it a go.

Bridgeton Season 3! The fashion - absolutely incredible costume department -, the romance, the non-existent use of phones/tech, the raunchiness, the scandals! I love everything about it! I give it 9.5/10. Watch it on Netflix.

Re-watching Game of Thrones! It's even better the second time around!

New illustrated lion wall art in three colourways. Comes with or without a frame and/or mount. Stay wild!

Lagom Chef on TikTok (@lagomchef). I have been a fan of his for years! He is a quirky chef, very down-to-earth, and just creates easy-to-cook food that tastes amazing. Plus, he's funny and doesn't like to waste grub!

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE NUTTY BALLS OF JOY!

This recipe is ready in 5 minutes and doesn't need to be baked or cooked, but the ingredients do need to be blended in a food processor or something like a Nutribullet (Amazon link https://amzn.to/45Wxo16). 

I bought the following ingredients from either Lidl or my local health shop. You can use mixed nuts, or just one type; I have used cashews, pecans, roasted hazelnuts and walnuts. You could even add dried fruits if you're feeling fancy. I like to do 2 batches at once because they get scoffed very quickly!

I have added Amazon links if you'd rather not nip to the shops and let the joy of online shopping do its thang. What you'll need:



Raw nuts

https://amzn.to/4cwyCmn

Large, soft dates (Deglet Nour or Medjool dates)

https://amzn.to/4cV1zYV

Raw, organic Cacao Powder

https://amzn.to/3xThgRA

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of mixed nuts

1 cup of dates

2 tablespoons of Cacao

Food processor

(Method below)

METHOD:

Blend the nuts in the food processor first. Add the cacao and dates, then blend again until it reaches a crumbly consistency. Push and mould into balls. Leave them on the side in an air tight box, or in the fridge. The end!

And that's it for June! Lots of love x