Thank you sooo much to everyone who turned up to my ‘Evening at the Races’ fundraiser which I organised last week at the marvellous ‘Queen of Bradgate’ pub in Leicester. Waiting for guests to arrive was just like when you have a birthday party at school and you fear that you have just potentially committed social suicide. Luckily, they arrived, they betted and they bid. And after a minor sound commentary issue, which resulted in me delivering my strongest audition for Channel Four racing with lines such as ‘the horses are racing as only horses can’, the night got well under way!
Altogether the night raised £3000 for Prostate Cancer UK & Movember, who I’m supporting, which means we’ve just about smashed the target we set for our charity cycle ride! Bike Ride Challenge
A big THANK YOU to;
Queen of Bradgate,
Leicester City Football Club,
Leicester Tigers,
Stuart Broad,
Nottingham Arena,
Chino Latino
Nottingham Theatre Royal,
Police Watches,
Cellini Leicester
BMI Regional
Eden Hall Spa
Everards,
Showcase Cinema Leicester,
Twinlakes &
Alton Towers
And for all these wonderful photos thank you Ed Brown Photography
This year more than ever I’m extremely excited about the Great British Bake Off returning. Not just because the idyllic English country garden setting reminds us that we are still in the season of summer. Or that, in a rather peculiar way I’m oddly attracted to the silver haired hard man of baking Paul Hollywood. But largely because it’s only this year that I actually started having a bash at baking myself. And not only were people rather impressed with my results (cappuchino meringue cupcakes were a definite life highlight for many) but I really, REALLY enjoyed it. The sense of achievement, the (mostly) relaxing methodic process and of course, the regular taste testing. I always amaze/scare myself at how much buttercream I can eat in one go.
So I realised this week I haven’t done a good bake for a while, mainly as with the heat I haven’t craved cakes as much. Well…not enough to bake a batch. Plus we decided to have a bake off competitiono on the show. So I decided to find a summer alternative. And obviously I stumbled across Pimms cupcakes! It doesn’t get any more British, middle class and twee than that. M & S will be snapping these up in no time…
For the cupcakes:
150g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
15g cornflour
zest of 1 small orange
175g soft unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
100g mixed raspberries and strawberries, hulled, roughly chopped and lightly crushed, plus 3 extra whole strawberries, sliced, and 12 raspberries to decorate
For the Pimm’s syrup:
150ml Pimm’s
50g caster sugar
For the Pimm’s buttercream:
275g unsalted butter, softened
50ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature
2 tbsp Pimm’s
350g icing sugar
To decorate:
baby mint leaves
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake tray with gold or silver foil cupcake cases.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and cornflour into a large bowl. Stir in the orange zest.
In a separate bowl, using an electric whisk, cream the soft butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Alternately whisk in the beaten eggs and the flour mixture until combined. Fold in the lightly crushed fruit.
Divide the mixture evenly among the cupcake cases. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Squeeze in a quick oven baking selfie
While the cupcakes are baking, make the syrup. Gently heat the Pimm’s with the sugar in a medium saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and let it bubble for 5-7 minutes until thick and syrupy. Pour the syrup into a small jug.
As soon as the cupcakes come out of the oven, prick the tops a few times with a toothpick and brush them with the Pimm’s syrup.
Leave to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the buttercream. Using an electric whisk, mix together the butter, milk and Pimm’s in a medium bowl until smooth. On a low speed, gradually add the icing sugar and continue to beat until smooth and thick. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle.
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, generously pipe each one with the icing, then decorate with sliced strawberries, raspberries and the baby mint leaves.
Ta da!
GET IN ME
This month I was asked to contribute towards the debate that Radio 2’s Sara Cox ignited, by criticising pop star ‘Pitbull’ (the name tells you a lot if you’re unaware of his ‘music’) and the sexist lyrics in his songs. I was delighted to have the opportunity to wade into a discussion that has riled me greatly recently. Especially after my previous blog rant regarding female pop stars such as Rihanna, Miley and Beyonce and the impression they give to impressionable young women. From his music alone, there’s a very strong argument to ban ‘Pitbull’, but here’s the more damaging reason we really shouldn’t be entertaining his dross offerings.
Here was my piece.
Should radio stations ban songs with sexist lyrics?
YES, says Gem 106 Radio Presenter Amy Voce
My co-host and I recently broadcast our radio show live from a primary school and the kids were singing along to all the songs. When Bruno Mars’ Lazy Song came on, we looked on in horror as children aged between five and nine recited: ‘Meet a really nice girl, have some really nice sex’. And that’s just Bruno Mars!
I can’t imagine how a parent deals with their child regurgitating a Pitbull song, because when you consciously listen to the majority of pop songs, they’re disgusting.
And while Pitbull isn’t the only pop star guilty of over-sexualising music, he is taking it to a whole new and, frankly, concerning level with explicit lyrics and videos filled with near-naked women.
Worryingly, some females in the industry are making this situation even worse. Take Miley ‘ooh-look-at-me-I’m-wearing-dental-floss-so-you-can-see-my-anatomy’ Cyrus and Rihanna. Their incredibly sexual performances are letting the side down.
It’s like artists are involved in a competition to see who can push the boundaries the most, all without a second’s thought of the damage they’re causing to impressionable young girls.
Music is incredibly powerful and pop stars need to realise that they’re making a lasting impression. Kids absorb everything and if they believe this is how women should behave or be treated, that’s going to have devastating consequences.
So I entirely agree with Sara Cox and think it’s time radio stations banned this kind of offensive drivel, full stop.
This year marks the fifth year anniversary to losing my Dad to prostate cancer. I don’t really know why it should feel any different to the second, third or fourth year, but it does. I suppose five years feels like a significant unit of time. Of which the pain and heartbreak of losing a parent should probably have healed? Whilst life inevitably goes on and I strive to continue to make the very most of my time on earth, that five years still feels like yesterday. I still miss and think about him every single day. I still feel shock that it actually happened. I still feel cheated and sometimes angry that he was taken too soon. My life choices, thought processes and personality are still moulded by him and I don’t think it’ll ever quite sink in that he’s actually gone.
When Dad was diagnosed, up until his death, I had the uneasy feeling of total helplessness. The only thing that felt that helped was using my position at work to raise the awareness as much as I could and in turn fundraise for Prostate Cancer charities to help spare other men and families such pain. Then, after Dads death, if I’m honest I simply didn’t want cancer in my life anymore. I selfishly just wanted life to revolve around anything other than cancer.
But this changed last year when I got more involved with the charity Movember, who support Prostate and male cancers with the help of the mighty moustaches. I realised I should be doing more and also how important it is to share your story. So I decided that this year, being the fifth year anniversary should be the year I did something far more pro active! I decided I wanted to take on a physical challenge that would push me. Something I could work towards and use to drive the campaign and fundraising along the way. With so many interesting, exciting and worldwide charitable challenges you can take on, it was my boyfriend, with his new two wheeled hobby, who encouraged me to look into a cycling option. So we found the 380km cycling challenge which takes place over five days, starting in Yosemite National Park, ending up on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, setting up camp in between! The distance and endurance scares me a tad but I know I can get in training, work towards it and make it to the end. Also hoping the bears at Yosemite don’t take an interest in our tent.
I know we get endless requests for charitable causes, but the fact is people do it because in those moments of helplessness it makes them feel like they’re giving something back and making a difference. But also the real fact is you never know when you may need the next breakthrough in cancer research to benefit you, your family or friends. I recently met a cancer patient who’d been given just two years to live. Within that two years, due to research, they’d been able to try new drugs and the cancer is now manageable and should be for years to come. Lets hope in years to come science could help us or our family out in the same way.
This year my boyfriend and I are raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and Movember. Here’s our 
Any donations much appreciated.
Thank you,
Amy
Many people have enquired about the recipe for the creme egg brownies I made yesterday. I’d love to say it was a secret one I crafted all by myself but I found it online, so here’s the one I used. After seeing many variations on social media over the last few weeks I discovered one which not only incorporated the holy eggs but also recreated the fondant and chocolate topping. AMAZING. It’s a creme egg overload. And there is nothing bad about that. I’m sure it doesn’t have that many calories either. Sort of…
Makes about 20 small brownies
Ingredients
for the brownies
85 g plain flour
2tbsp cocoa powder
170g milk chocolate
113 g butter
2 eggs
140g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
10 mini creme eggs
for the creme topping
85g golden syrup
2tbsp butter
1/2tsp vanilla extract
170g icing sugar
for the chocolate topping
100g milk chocolate
50g butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Grease and line a 20cmx20cm tin.
In a heavy based pan, melt the butter and chocolate together over a low heat. Stir constantly and watch the chocolate carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the chocolate off the heat. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, then the sugar.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Fold it into the mixture until just combined. Pour into a lined tin lined with grease-proof paper (make sure paper rises up a little higher than the sides to give you space for the toppings). Stud the mixture with the mini creme-eggs, pushing them right down into the brownie mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. I like my brownies still a little gooey so I take them out juts before the look completely cooked. Let the brownies cool completely.
To make the cream, beat the golden syrup, butter and vanilla together until smooth and well combined. Slowly add in the icing sugar and beat until creamy. You might need to add a little water to help it mix. Spread over the top of the brownies and chill in the fridge for about two hours.
Finally, melt the butter and chocolate together in a heavy based pan. Pour over the top of the brownies and leave to set.
Ta-da!
Have you been watching the Winter Olympics feeling all inspired to pull out some sick frontside rodeos and a neat little triple cork down the half pipe? Probably not. But you may well have thought that a skiing or snowboarding holiday is suddenly a lot more appealing? Before I give you a little guide into some of my favourite places to ‘shred it up’ (oh dear god) then let me reassure you that I have never pulled any of those moves and barely know what they mean. I am by no means some kind of ski pro, but I do love a leisurely little ski and even dabbled with a snowboard until I realised how ridiculously painful falling over is and needed a break so strapped back on my trusty planks (not gnarly enough).
I’ve been skiing since I was a teenager and can safely say it is my favourite kind of holiday. Even if you’ve never skied before, or tried it and not actually been that good, I don’t think there is a more visually breathtaking view than sitting on a ski lift to the top of a piste then whizzing down on a pair of planks. Then of course, there’s the Apres side of it. A hard days skiing, which burns a hell of a lot of calories, quite rightly deserves a few gluhweins (basically hot mulled wine) and a few flugels (small european type red bull).
If, by the way, you’ve never skied and not sure whether to go for a snowboard or pair of skis, it’s as simple as this. Snowboarding looks cooler. And more fun. Fact. Skiing is a lot less painful when you fall over but recently have found my ski boots overwhelmingly uncomfortable, unlike snowboard boots. It’s a matter of choice and I think skiing was easier to learn but then I was a lot younger and a lot more brave…
TIGNES/VAL D’ISERE, FRANCE
My most recent visit was here and as they are right next to each other is great value as bit of a 2-4-1 as it were. A picture paints a thousand words so just look at these…
Even if you just spend the day sat on the ski lifts…
Spot of husky racing for the afternoon on the frozen lake.
One of the best mountain top bars I’ve ever been to. The infamous La Folie Douche.
MAYRHOFEN, AUSTRIA
Another resort I visited twice in one season I loved it so. In the Austrian mountains lies this delightful little town. So pretty and quaint and all this retained even when the mighty Snow festival ‘Snowbombing’ descends on it every April. Which, hosted some of the best experiences of my life.
Snowbombing Road Trip. We drove from Dover to Mayrhofen over two days, crossing through five countries (England, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria), covering 900 miles.
Video sums it up best really.
Party amongst the mountains, quite surreal. Ridiculously good.
Norman Jays infamous ‘Good Times’ bus. Still no idea how they got this on the ski lift.
I stayed on this mountain alone, refusing to leave until I could snowboard. Many bruises acquired and bad language used.
Finally got it. See you later skiing!
Mr.Motivator obviously on hand for the mornings warm up.
Mayrhofen forest run, pre Snowbombing trip. My favourite.
Weeee
Looking down at Mayrhofen. Decent view…
Ice igloo bar.
I found myself irritated this morning when I saw the new Rihanna and Shakira video. I appreciate, especially judging by the millions who’ve already viewed it, that I may be alone here. But before opening the link, I knew what was coming. At a guess-Rihanna wearing lycra dental floss dancing provocatively; Shakira the same-with maybe a slightly more ‘latino’ edge subtly letting you know that they are really sexy attractive people who have sex and look really good at it. I am, by no means a prude. It’s just that it’s SO PREDICTABLE. Ooooh now we’re gonna do something really revolutionary… we’re gonna writhe about on a bed touching each other, implying that maybe we slept together?! Imagine that thought guys! Well you don’t really need to because we’re basically showing you. Without having to do it of course, because technically we’re not porn stars, although evidently we’re quite clearly qualified. Oooh now you’re smoking a cigar suggestively, you rebels! For a start-I bet you don’t smoke them, we all know they taste rank. And also, thank you for the subtle symbolism. Maybe you could’ve eaten a banana at the end in your lingerie though in case some missed it. The fact is, you’re not lesbians. You’re a pair of very attractive pop stars who seem to lack so little imagination and creativity, the only way you can promote your pretty average pop song is to sell it with your bodies.
I’m not being naive, we obviously all know that sex sells, the music and entertainment industry is moulded by it and these are hardly the only pop stars to do this. It just feels like it’s getting so much more graphic, so much more obvious, to the point I feel like I’ve pretty much seen the majority of female pop stars genitalia. Miley Cyrus-I’m not shocked, just grossed out. It’s not sexy because it’s SO obvious. Yes, you have a vagina, congratulations. We did, however, already assume this, although thanks for pointing it out in that lovely, albeit, painful looking leotard. I appreciate I’m not their target audience and pop stars like Rihanna claim to ‘not wanting to be a role model’. But come on, for a start-grow up and take responsibility because you are whether you want to be or not. And if you can’t do that, do you not have any personal pride? Does it REALLY make you feel liberated as a woman to know that you are seen as a sex object or are you just a puppet bowing down to the pressure of competing for who can be the most sexually daring pop star? Because it seems to be down to who can push the boundaries the furthest.
This is where Beyonce has really disappointed recently. Admittedly she’s always been pretty provocative, but I think she always remained tasteful and her talent shone through more than her sexuality. Until this recent batch of videos and performances. It seems like she’s seen Rihanna and thought ‘right, I need to up my game, borrow one of Miley’s leotards for the Grammys and get Jay Z on stage so I can show everyone that despite being married and a mother I can do it too!’. She was the undoubtable Queen of pop stars before this, she didn’t need to be overtly sexual, but it appears that she’s buckled under pressure. Like she’s intimidated by the likes of Miley and Rihanna and has to compete.
There’s nothing wrong with being sexy and it’s always going to be inevitable in pop stars videos, but if you’re gonna do it, just try and do it well. It’s just got boring, predictable and in my opinion, quite frankly embarrassing. Plus you’re really doing feminism no favours. When I was a teenager I wanted to be Gwen Stefani or in All Saints or The Spice Girls. They loved a pair of combats, give it some thought.
To this day I think this is one of the sexiest music videos ever made. Yes, admittedly Helena Christensen is running about a beach in her pants, err ‘contradiction alert’ I hear you say! However it’s done with such class. I remember seeing this as a teenager and being mesmerised/obscenely jealous that I didn’t look like her or was on a beach with a man with a really high pitched voice. But she had such an allure about her, I was really quite mesmerised. I’ve been talking about Helena Christensen too much again haven’t I?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGlfpzRL2O0
If that’s still a little too steamy why don’t they take a leaf out of Imbruglia’s book. If they want the male popularity vote, the boys at school became obsessed with her after this vid and she’s wearing combats and a hoodie…
Well done to all the Mo Bros who sacrificed their face for the cause of Movember last month. Let’s be honest, you boys love it. And what’s not to love? You get to do something a little more exciting with your facial regime for a change. I often think how boring it is that you just wash your face, moisturise (depending on how metrosexual) and then you’re deprived all the benefits and fun of make up! Plus, it’s clearly a talking point. I imagine as a single man it’s a useful tool. But fact is, it’s being talked about and that’s the main thing, and for that I applaud you.
This year I was invited to Movember HQ in London to meet fellow Mo Sistas. For anyone who’s now lost on what on earth I’m talking about, Mo Sistas are simply female supporters of Movember. Whether you’ve either been personally affected by cancer or just supporting your caterpillar lipped companion. I went down to meet fellow Mo Sistas who had experienced a similar situation to me. All the ladies I met had lost their Dad or a male family member to Prostate Cancer. We met to share our stories and have a rather fun photoshoot to promote the Mo’s. The stories were frighteningly similar. The way the men were diagnosed, how they ignored symptoms, the route of different treatments and the lack of awareness until it affected us, was all incredible to hear. I think it felt very therapeutic to share such similar tales and spurred us all on to continue raising the awareness as much as possible.
So here was my story. Keep up the good work Movember!
Five working days. iphone suspended in a perspex box in the studio? It’s the social experiment David Blaine could only dream of. Plus no-one threw eggs. Here’s how it went…
MONDAY
Like a scene from Kramer Vs Kramer, iPhone was handed over. Surprisingly a lot less painful than I envisaged. New shiny £9.99 Nokia 100 handed over. Excitement of having something new then discovering it had a modern day version of SNAKE on it completely distracted me from anything else. Barely needs charging and it’s so light! Very much enjoying the solitude. Thought I’d send a panic stricken tweet/facebook status that I was without phone. Decided against letting anyone know. I feel rebellious that no-one can get hold of me. Excited to embrace the solitude!
TUESDAY
I am a LOT less distracted all the time, still not had to charge phone. Barely even think about it or miss iPhone. Although towards the end of the day did feel a bit disconnected from the world. Starting to wonder what I might be missing. FOMO alert! (Fear of missing out…) Not convinced I’m using this spare time wisely as got really, reaaaaally into snake. Today I became SNAKE MASTER. Proud. But also disappointed at the same time. Desperately wanted to instagram pic of delicious Autumn evening. Dawned on me that people probably wouldn’t mind if I don’t…
WEDNESDAY
Uh-oh, messed up today. Double booked two events. Not having my iPhone diary backfired. Created mildly stressful situation, but at the same time can’t access emails so if anyone’s annoyed I won’t know about it! Feel a lot more chilled out as a result.
Also used my BRAIN today. Instead of using Sat Nav to automatically navigate me to a location, I just figured it out in my head. Realised I knew exactly where location was. Saved a lot of faffing about & missed wrong turns. Far more rewarding, much less stressful!
THURSDAY
Well today was odd due to Sam giving out the Nokia mobile number on air. Rather enjoyed random chats throughout the day with listeners. The Nokia finally needed a charge today due to the amount of incoming calls and texts but that was the FIRST TIME. How refreshing. I’m gonna miss how lightweight phone is and also how manual it feels. Remembered that I actually hate touch screen. Not as excited as I thought I would be to get iPhone back.
FRIDAY
iPhone was released from it’s box and handed back! Wasn’t particularly excited and maybe it was just psychological but felt like I was about to take on more responsibility and stress. I liked the feeling of being a little different. Feel a little like I’m stepping back to the dark side…
It has definitely been a valuable experience and the most important things I’ve learnt and can take away from this are;
-Life goes on without instagramming it
-Using your brain gives you a sense of acheievement
-You wont miss a life altering phone call if you don’t take your phone upstairs with you
-I am the snake master.
So this started last weekend when I read an article last weekend about how our iphones/smartphones are making us tired all the time because our constant addiction to check them every 3 seconds means our brains never get a chance to rest. My daily routine does consist of a regular update check approximately every 3 minutes with the same process; Email (work account), email (personal account), Twitter, Facebook, instagram, news updates etc etc. And if in that cycle I haven’t found anything of particular interest I repeat the process to see if any of the others got good updates while I was checking the others. Wow. Reading that back I sound deranged, obsessive and quite frankly, a bit square. What brings a small sense of relief that I’m not a total lunatic is that I’m not alone. Since discussing this with all my work colleagues, friends and family, every single one of them has been guilty of doing the same. Eating dinner with i phones, sitting on the sofa ‘watching’ tv but actually tweeting throughout the whole show thus actually missing what’s really happening, even checking them whilst at traffic lights due to boredom! I’m impatient enough. It is my worst flaw. I could do without aiding that.
So I thought it would be interesting to challenge myself with a little social experiment. As much as I’m doing this on air, much to Sams amusement, I genuinely what to see if my days can be more productive, less stressful and more liberating without being a slave to my phone.
However, this could go the other way. Having realised how reliant I am on my phone could it lead to more stress? This dawned on me this week when I realised what I actually use my phone for. The thing I probably use it least for are phonecalls.
It was only when we discussed it on air, just how hard this may be…
-Diary: I was pressured to ditch my old faithful paper diary in aid of the digital and despite a romantic idea of clinging onto the paper effort, I eventually ditched it. Two diaries was tedious. Plus my online correlates with everyone at work etc etc…
-Alarm Clock: Not just for the morning, but those daily reminders to do things.
-Reminders: Having a brain like a sieve I have at least 4 daily reminders to do the simplest of tasks. How can I substitute that? Employing a PA? Although not sure PA’s exist to remind you to put a wash on.
-Notes: Delivering a daily breakfast show I am constantly making notes for ideas/content for the show. Pad and paper it is…
-Calculator: Maths is not my forte. And I don’t have Vordermans number. Can you still buy calculators?!
-Photos: How am I going to cope without taking a photo of EVERYTHING. (this has to stop…)
-Whatsapp: I constantly keep in touch with my boyfriend and friends throughout the day. It’s very handy when you don’t have enough time/can’t be bothered for a call. Hello landline, we meet again.
This list could go on and on….I don’t need to mention social media, apps and all the numerous features i use constantly.
So the rules are that the phone is being confiscated on Monday until Friday. I am allowed to use internet at work and at home, because it’s not about banning internet. That isn’t really the problem. It’s the permanent fixation with the phone. I will be presented with a simple Nokia pay as you go-CUTE! It’s gonna be an interesting week…
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