Walkabout - Reading, Berkshire {restaurant review}

Walkabout is an Australian bar and restaurant and taking a step inside makes you wish it was off the side of a beach somewhere in Australia! It was recently refurbished and looks great inside and out! I think that it is a great place to go to watch sports, a place to go to after work and hang out with friends, and looks like it would make an awesome party venue!

Not only has it been refurbished, but it has recently updated it's menu! So, when my friend, Alyssia, asked me if I would like to visit with her I couldn't say no! The menu could be best described as bar food and that isn't a bad thing, contrary to how other people feel or think about bar food it's great and I happen to love burgers, nachos, wings, chips and more!

We skipped appetisers this time, although I had a hard time passing up the nachos, they call them Billy Can Nachos Stack and they top them with not only cheese, but macaroni and cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, sweetcorn, jalapeños, chilli, and spring onions! That will definitely be a must-have to for my next visit.

What I did decide on is The Roo - which is a kangaroo burger it tasted more gamey then a beef burger and I was told that it would taste like that and I couldn't find a different word to describe it so I used it here! It is definitely something I had never tried before and if you haven't and you are an adventurous foodie give it a try! The sweet potato fries were crispy and a perfect side!

Alyssia tried the Parmi Burger which was huge!! And she enjoyed throughly! With our burgers we tried a few cocktails I couldn't resist The Jaffa Can which is Sanpellegrino Aranciata mixed with Absoult Vodka, Kahlua and Triple Sec, garnished with an orange wedge which looks a little silly, but it's proof you aren't just drinking a can of Sanpellegrino Aranciata!

Before we left we decided to try a dessert Alyssia couldn't resist the Freakshake that is a vanilla and chocolate fudge milkshake, the glass is covered in Nutella and smarties, and it's topped with a slice of chocolate fudge cake, double chocolate chip cookie, candy floss, cream, mini marshmallows and chocolate sauce! It was huge!!

I wasn't as adventurous with dessert as I was with dinner and went for the Lamington Sundae, which is chunks of chocolate brownie dusted in coconut, and topped with chocolate sauce and ice cream! It was one of the best brownies I have ever had! Rich and dense and better because it was coated in coconut! Highly recommended!!

Overall it was a great night out with drinks, cocktails like the Jaffa Can and Sex on Bondi Beach (Smirnoff Red Vodka and Archers Peach Schnapps shaken with strawberries, limes and a dash of cranberry juice) pictured below, great food, and great atmosphere! If you're looking for a quick bite after work or over the weekend I would suggest stopping in!!

The Walkabout

Wiston Terrace 

off Friar Street 

Reading 

RG1 1DG

*My friend Alyssia from AlyssiaRose {lifestyle blog} was invited to The Walkabout to review it and she invited me along as her guest and it's just a bonus that I am a blogger as well! I was not asked to review and all opinions are my own for further information please visit my contact/policy page above.

Peanut Butter and Banana Milkshake

So, my good friend loves milkshakes. We talked forever about making one of those popular monster milkshakes ... you know the ones with the cups covered in chocolate and sprinkles and has cookies or doughnuts sticking out the top? We were totally pumped for it and we were like yay let's definitely do it! 

However, in the end it looked like a lot of effort for a milkshake. We weren't in the mood for all the faff and to be honest all the sugar. So, we made just what we wanted a simple peanut butter and banana milkshake. 

For this milkshake I literally blended some peanut butter, a banana, vanilla ice cream, and a dash or so of milk. Topped it with whipped cream and some dry roasted peanuts. Dry roasted because that is what was in the cupboard! I couldn't tell you how much I used of each ingredient and let's face it for a milkshake do you need to know? 

I believe you can use as much of or as little of each that you want and once it's blended it will still taste great! 

Do you have to have a recipe to follow? Let me know in the comments below! 

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes & Kids on Social Media

It's sometimes hard for me to remember my life before social media. It's also weird for me to know my girls will never a life without it. Recently they have been asking me for phones, they are 8 and 6! I felt like a right old fuddy duddy explaining to them that I didn't have a cell/mobile phone until I was 20 years old and that when I was there age cell/mobile phones weren't widely available.

They were more widely popular by the time I was 20, but I was one of the last of my friends to get a phone. I really hated the idea of people thinking they could get ahold of me 24/7 and now I live on social media sites that inform strangers of my whereabouts. What a turn around!

Myspace was a thing just as I was leaving high school and my friends in college had live journal accounts. If you had told me then that I would have stuck to writing a blog for nearly 5 years I would have thought you were crazy. I can't help but be grateful for being almost literally the last generation to grow up without Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It's somewhat disturbing to me to know that my girls know what all three of those things are and I have never sat down and told them about them. We took a big step last Christmas and their grandmother bought them Kindle Fires. They love them! The first thing they did was vlog all their Christmas presents.

You read that right. They charged their Kindles and the first thing they did was video themselves showing off the rest of their Christmas presents. So, now when they bake with me they video it. Or as much as I will let them video it. They took turns videoing each other decorating the cupcakes and then when I set them up for photos they were right there with me taking pictures.

Part of me loves it and part of me is sad that it's normal for them. I like to think that I maintain a balance of online and real life for myself as much as for them. We are strict on how much time they get to spend online, playing video games, and TV. I don't keep it from them completely because it's just not the world we live in, but it doesn't have to be the end all of everything.

This half term we've been outside everyday rain or shine. Maybe a day out or just to the park, but we haven't just sat around. Early last week it was just to wet outside and to keep them from udder boredom we made cupcakes and they got to choose whichever ones they wanted!

After looking though almost every baking book I own (which is a lot - just see the tab up above (it hasn't been updated recently either so it's just an estimate of how many books I own!)) they wanted to make Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook Home Sweet Home.

They are super sweet! If I ever make them again, I'd probably cut some of the sugar out! However, they are super good too! They taste exactly like a Strawberry Milkshake. I didn't taste it in the actual cake so might not be necessary, but I followed their instructions.

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes were all the rage 3 years ago when the book was published. So, a bit behind the times, but they were so good! If you'd like to try them out here is the recipe:

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes

70g unsalted butter, room temperature
210g plain flour
250g caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
210ml milk
2 large eggs
40g strawberry milkshake powder (Nesquik)

Heat the oven to 170C and line your muffin tin. Be prepared that this recipe makes between 12-16 cupcakes. Beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until it resembles bread crumbs. In a separate jug mix the milk, eggs, and milkshake powder together. Gradually pour in half of the liquid mixture into the dry mixture while beating continually (low speed for stand mixers.) Beat on medium for a few minutes to remove any lumps before gradually adding the rest of the liquid mixture - again on a low speed.
Fill the cupcake cases two thirds full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Use the skewer test to determine if the cupcakes are cooked through. Once baked leave in the tin to cool for about 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack - leave to cool completely before frosting.

frosting
500g icing sugar, sifted
160g unsalted butter, room temperature
50ml milk
100g strawberry milkshake powder (Nesquik)
mini marshmallows to decorate
paper or candy straws to decorate

Beat the butter until soft before adding a little bit of the icing sugar. Continue to gradually add the rest of the icing sugar, beat until smooth. In a jug whisk the milk and milkshake powder together. Pour the mixture into the butter/icing sugar mixture and beat on medium/high until smooth and fluffy.
Fill a piping bag and nozzle with the frosting and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes before decorating with mini marshmallows and straws!

notes: Recipe is adapted from the hummingbird baker Home Sweet Home - I reviewed the book here! They are some of my favourite books check them all out on the hummingbird bakery website!

Udi's Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

These are a batch of gluten free but oh so chocolaty cupcakes!

I made these with Udi’s Chocolate Flavour Cake Mix and topped them with Sugar and Crumbs gluten free Chocolate Milkshake natural flavored icing sugar.

I thought about putting “Frosting! A butt load of frosting!” (Vanellope von Schweetz) on these cupcakes, but I don’t always like that much frosting.

Sometimes you just want cake.

Plus I have this really cool Baker’s Dusting Wand that I have wanted to try out! It totally made me feel like a baking fairy! No lie.

Udi’s Cake Mixes are a great way for people with gluten sensitivities! Just because one cannot have gluten does not mean they should miss out on cake of any kind!

This is something I feel really strongly about. 

These cupcakes have a very rich chocolate flavour and were a perfect accompaniment to my coffee.

Udi’s Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 box of Udi’s Gluten Free Rich & Delicious Chocolate Flavour Cake Mix

Plus the ingredients on the back of the box

1 tbsp of Sugar and Crumbs Milkshake flavoured Icing Sugar

Follow the baking instructions on the box for cupcakes. Then fill the magic dusting wand with icing sugar and dust away! Enjoy! 

The back of the box also has some great suggestions on how to take these cupcakes from yum to yummy. Or something like that! So, if you or someone you love or at least like has gluten sensitivities then you should brighten up their day by bringing them some of these amazing cupcakes!! 

I had way too much fun with that dusting wand! Now I will have to think of something else to use it on! 

notes: Udi’s have a great range of Gluten-Free products they launched here in the UK earlier this year. Check out the first post I did for them here and here! Also check out my instagram as I try out some of their other products! All the products (cake mix, baker’s dusting wand, and flavoured icing sugar) were sent for my review please see my contact/policy page for more details.