The January 5

Happy new year!  Kicking off 2026 as I mean to go on (aren’t we all?!) with five monthly favourites – what I’m shopping, cooking, watching, reading and wearing…

SHOP

I mentioned on Instagram yesterday that I like to treat myself to a little end of year bonus – being self-employed means you gotta do it for yourself right?  With my wedding anniversary at the end of this month, I found myself drawn to love inspired knits – all with discounts running right now – hurrah.  Truthfully, I couldn’t decide so ordered both the Farm Rio (such a great sale price) as well as the Boden number which is just so adorable for an in person try on/comparison.  I will report back…

COOK

The father-in-law is notoriously tricky to cook for…  and he comes for dinner once a week.  I challenged him to create a list of ingredients and meals that he likes to give us all a helping hand in family meal planning and that list is still pending George BUT he did give me a head start on the vegetables with an exhaustive list of butter beans, mushrooms (which the mother-in-law despises), marrowfat peas (which I despise) and spinach.

I scoured Pinterest for a butter bean spinach combo and came up with these Marry Me Butter Beans.  I made them recently and topped them with crumbed chicken thighs (I dipped them in flour followed by egg then blitzed cornflakes and bread with a dash of smoked paprika for the crumb before roasting them in the oven).

They were a hit.

I think this dish hits that sweet spot between fresh and tasty with a little nod to comfort as we slide through the depths of January – plus it works for the veggies too.  Do let me know if you try it.

image c/o The Dinner Bite

WATCH

I read something today about how being excited for things equals a happy life.  Honestly, I get excited about lots of things; the big things yes but also the small things – my afternoon coffee, a ray of sunshine, a snowflake…  and this show.  Banjo & Ro’s Grand Island Hotel is so high up my list this month – I can’t flipping wait to tell you the truth.

READ

Other than my tax return figures (which have formed a reasonable part of my January reading thus far), I am deep into The Goldfinch right now.  It is most definitely the longest book I have read in my 43 years and, even though I have been at it for over a month, alas, I am not in a position to recommend it or not yet.

That being said, the husband did gift me ‘The Stylish Life : Skiing‘ book for Christmas, which is mostly pictures and I’ve ‘read’ cover to cover.  Just a glorious January coffee table book.  Do I cover the tennis one?  Yes, yes I do.

WEAR

We were so lucky to spend a week in the French Alps skiing over new year and, even though we had no fresh snow, it arrived in Scotland as soon as we got home.  I had plenty of practice with my cold weather layers on that trip and have absolutely continued that now we’re home and dealing with the minus temps here too.

Quick shout out to :

• The absolute best winter knit which is somehow down to £15 in the sale (not mad I bought it full price because I have worn it HEAPS already)
• The greatest of all time winter warrior coat (tipping the scale in the other direction as a huge investment but I bought mine 4 years ago now and it is still going strong – honestly the perfect toasty, properly waterproof winter coat with a really great coverage hood)
• The softest triangle scarves that just make every winter look chic
• Uniqlo socks and heattech layers – cult status for a reason and very budget friendly
• A gorgeous Scottish made beanie – I got the most cheerful colour but there’s a whole rainbow of delightful hues to choose from
• Sheepskin boots all day, inside and out – I have a few Emu pairs which come out every winter but, if I was buying a new pair, I would 100% be going for these sale beauties
• Last but not least, the Strathberry – the designer bag every Scot (at least) should have in their wardrobe – my little burgundy baby is on sale now too and has not left my side in a month; the quality and craftsmanship is just perfection.

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