For romantic breaks I think Cardiff is pretty hard to beat. It's the perfect base to explore South Wales, our castles, beautiful coastline and National Parks. We have our own patron Saint of lovers, St Dwynwen and on romantic breaks you can cosy up in front of a roaring fire in a country cottage, relax in a spa hotel in the city or enjoy the style of our boutique hotels & B&B's in Brecon.

MSC Cruises have asked me to chose the place that I think is the most romantic in the world and I hope my post makes you consider a visit to Wales. You can forget your overpriced Paris and crowded Rome, I love Wales and it has everything you need for a wonderfully loved-up break.  

First up on my list of reasons that Cardiff is a great base for a romantic break is Wales’ abandoned abbeys and castles. Their graceful decay inspired great artists and poets such as Turner, William Wordsworth and Dylan Thomas. Tintern is the most famous of Wales’ beautiful medieval ruins. Its setting in the Wye Valley is simply breathtaking, and its soaring Gothic arches are close enough to the road, river and footpaths to be viewed from many different angles. It's one of my favourite places to visit and is pretty close to the border so if you've from the South West it wont take you long to get there at all. Don't forget to visit Cardiff Castle, the fairytale Castell Coch and the huge Caerphilly Castle all of which are really close to Cardiff city centre or short train ride away.

With mountains and moorland, standing stones and castles and waterfalls, the Brecon Beacons National Park has plenty to offer people looking for a romatic break. If being in the great outdoors isn't your things you can explore some characterful towns, pubs, farmers markets and Michelin-starred restaurants.
There are plenty of places in the Brecon Beacons to go for a lovely drive and spots where you can park up and admire the views like the one below. It's under an hour drive from Cardiff. If you're up for something more active you can climb Pen y Fan which is the highest peak in the south of the UK and there are splendid views from the top.


Just a little further away from Cardiff is the picturesque Nash Point, a place that Martyn and I like to visit. Nash Point is the perfect spot to sit back with someone you care for and watch the sun set.


I'm really excited for my next trip here in Wales. I've picked a week in a converted train carriage on the coast of West Wales. I've already started writing my list of things to pack and I've picked up some Welsh treats which are going to be part of my lovely Welsh food hamper that I'm taking away with me.


Do you think Wales is particularly romantic place? What would you have chosen as your ultimate romantic destination?

You can't go wrong with the classic crêpe served with lemon and sugar but I fancied doing something a little different for pancake day this year. These fluffy and light American style ones are a firm favourite in my house but we keep them for special occasions. I wish I could eat a huge stack of pancakes for breakfast everyday but I don't think my body could cope with the obscene amount of maple syrup I pour on the top of mine.

If you want to try making these yourself just follow the simple instructions below.


You will need:


1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 large eggs (beaten)
30 grams butter (melted and cooled)
300 ml milk
225 grams plain flour
butter for frying

Super straightforward method:

• Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl.


• Pour the milk, eggs and butter into the flour mixture and, using a whisk, beat until you have a smooth batter. If it's lumpy keep on whisking it. It will seem really thick but that's what we're looking for. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.
  
  
• Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter. I add two/three because my pan is big and it means I can cook a few at the same time.  Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm (½in) thick.
  
  
• Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan. Once I had roughly used half of my batter I tipped in a tub of M&S Belgian Chocolate chunks so I had some plain pancakes and some with gooey chocolate in the middle.

Serve with lashings of whatever takes your fancy and enjoy. I topped mine with strawberries and flaked almonds and Martyn had chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate sauce. These would be great for a weekend breakfast treat served with maple syrup and crispy bacon


 I hope I've inspired you to try something new. What type of pancakes will you be having tonight?

Some artists feature more that others like the Manic Street Preachers. I would definitely like to own everything they released at some point. Most of these were picked up on eBay, I wait for them to not release and album for a while and the prices drop. They are touring now so interest in them is high which means prices are a bit steep for me.





Lots of my other favourite bands feature too so there's lots of Suede, Bowie, The Maccabees, New Order and The Cure but there's always room for some Taylor Swfit. Not going to lie, 1989 was totally my album of 2014. My record collection definitely isn't about investing and making money and it's not about being cool. I buy what I like, pick things up for cheap in charity shops or support the new artists that I like by buying their music.




If you want to start collecting, it's important to remember to never stack your records. Always store them standing up vertically in a dry and cool place. When you stack records, you run the risk of the vinyl warping, which will distort the sound. If a record warps, it cannot be fixed.

Do you still buy music? Do you know any good record shops I should check out in the UK?

I didn't make any New Years Resolutions in January because I wanted them to be considered and well thought out rather than a snap decision on January 1st. How many times have we all said that we will be healthier, happier and fitter in the New Year without any real thought of how we will achieve it all?
I've had some time to think "Where do I want to be in 12 months?" and I think I've come up with some do-able things which I can definitely make happen.

1. Explore more of Wales by foot and bike
I climbed Pen y Fan last year, cycled around West Wales and went on walks in the woods in Usk with my friends along with lots of other walks .I really want to continue this more in 2015 and see more of my lovely country whilst getting some fresh air and good exercise. Martyn bought me a rather nice red bike for my birthday last year and I've definitely not got enough use out of it so if I'm aiming to go on one long bike ride a month and use my bike for some short rides in the evening after work.

I'm not a ready meal kind of girl and I make all the meals in my house but I'd like to vary things a bit more and eat a more 'clean' diet. I've become a bit too reliant on a handful of trusty recipes and I'd like to try one new recipe a week. I treated myself to a Good Food subscription for inspiration. My partner likes to eat a lot of meat and things like pies and sausages but I'm hoping I can come up with a few lean dishes which we will both enjoy.


I tend to go on city breaks, weekends away with friends and cram as much in as I can which doesn't leave me very relaxed on my return to work. I've booked a week off work in March to relax on the coast in West Wales in front of a log fire and just sit and read books. I rarely get time to just sit back and I don't get to share many days with my partner because he works nights and weekends in retail whilst I'm in 10-6. I'm really looking forward to unwinding, not being surrounded by technology and it just being the two of us. I think relaxing and getting away from it all can really benefit your well being and health so it's a good excise to book lots of breaks away.

Did you set any goals for this year? How are you getting on with them?

*Legal & General asked me to share my 2015 health goals

I'M WEARING JEANS, do NOT be alarmed. I have to admit these took some getting used to. As a fully payed up member of the Dresses and Skirts Only Club (fictional ;) ) I feel like I'm betraying the dress sisterhood but these jeans are super comfortable and they got the Martyn seal of approval after I did a little spin around in them. I'll never turn my back on my beloved dresses but jeans definitely keep your legs warmer than 40 denier tights so I'll be wearing these a lot whilst the temperatures are close to zero. I like to think the ripped jeans compliment my really rock and roll image. I mean, it doesn't get much more rock and roll than a library assistant who likes to bake and dance to Taylor Swift, right?

I wore this on the weekend when Martyn took me for a long Sunday drive up to the Brecon Beacons (you can see some photos here) to admire the views and have a mini in-car picnic and I shocked everyone in work last week by wearing trousers for the first time in four years. I've only really paired them with a classic stripey top and comfortable trainers so far but I'm looking forward to trying out some different looks with jeans.

As someone who only owns one pair of jeans I need your advice, what should I wear these with next?

Cheltenham Ladies Day is famous for the dress code of women sporting fancy hats and dresses so picking something to wear for the day can be a little daunting. Try to relax though because what’s not to love about getting dressed up, sipping on a glass of champagne and enjoying the atmosphere of a live horse race?


Many women go for extremely dressy hats and matching outfits, think WAG gone mad but the best dressed are often understated.  What you wear really depends on what you’ll be getting involved in. If you're more interested in spending the day at Cheltenham watching the races and placing some bets then you could chose classy outfits with tweed or a smart suit, covered with warm (faux) fur coats if you don’t want to catch a cold on the day or spend the whole day shivering.  

I've been asked me to put a little outfit together for a day at the races and this is my selection:

*post written in collaboration with Hubert Douglas

This Baileys no-bake cheesecake makes an impressive dessert when you’re entertaining friends and it's sooo easy to make. You don't need many ingredients and there's no baking involved. But beware, each slice contains about 650 calories so don't eat half of it then go to Weight Watchers and weigh in because you will put a pound on like I did. Ooops. Make sure you have lots of people to share this with because you will keep on going back for more.


Melt the butter in a pan and add the crushed digestive biscuits. I put mine in a sealed bag and had fun bashing them with a rolling pin. Mix well until the biscuits have absorbed all the butter.

W O M E N S W E A R S P R I N G   S U M M E R ‘1 5  C O L L E C T I O N S Spring Summer 15 sees Marks & Spencer continue on its style journey; championing the contemporary and celebrating the classic through a refined and confident representation of the new season. Simplicity and pared back styling define the tone of the Spring Summer 15 collections, as the seasons key trends are elegantly presented through a considered edit.The collection has a real 70's vibe which is a trend seen on the catwalk from the likes of House of Holland, Tommy Hilfiger and Prada, I'm really looking forward to seeing more if it arrive in store. Red magazine’s editor-in-chief, Sarah Bailey chose some of her favourite items from the new collection if you want to take a look head over here but I've shared some of my top picks below.

I N T O  T H E  B L U E  Elevating the casual; denim and enriched blues are sartorially explored, as the neutral is redefined for a fresh and feminine aesthetic. AUTOGRAPH JACKET £75, AUTOGRAPH TOP £35, AUTOGRAPH SHORT £45, BAG £29.50

U N I F O R M I T Y Confident and refined with a sleek utlity edge; a tonal pallette punctuated by monochrome details illustrate the simplicity of the linear. AUTOGRAPH DRESS £49.50, SHOE £79, BAG £35 S U M M E R  O F  L O V EA fusion of relaxed tailoring and subtle florals sees a sultry retro revivial that champions tactile suedes and sunset hues; embodying the spirit of the era. LIMITED EDITION JACKET £45, LIMITED EDITION TOP £25, LIMITED EDITION SKIRT £45, BAG £29.50 & SHOE £55 T H E  O R I E N T An Eastern sensibility informs this modern silhouette as ornamental prints and sculpted separates are elegantly constructed. AUTOGRAPH JACKET, TOP & TROUSER, NECKLACE & SHOE M O D E R N  R O M A N C E A romantic narrative veers from the dramatic to the flirtatious; as heavy lace meets peek-a-boo sheers, in a vivid feminine collision. PER UNA SPEZIALE DRESS £99

Products will be arriving online and in store from February onward.