One Week of Office Outfit Inspiration

I've been working full time since May and when I started my wardrobe needed a bit of a refresh. While it was great to be able to wear some of the blouses that I already owned but didn't give a lot of love I also like keeping my wardrobe varies so it was time to treat myself. I had to buy trousers for my first job interview and I still wear them to work everyday, however, with my first pay check I treated myself to some new blouses too. Hopefully today I can share some casual but professional office outfit ideas with you.

Blouse: Debenhams | Trousers: Next | Shoes: Matalan

This polka dot blouse is my favourite, bought from Debenhams, it was the perfect style for summer. How autumn has arrived I've been wearing it with different scarfs and because of the neutral colour it goes with everything.

It took me months to find a pair of shoes to wear to work. I walk 30 minutes each way everyday but I don't wear them a lot in the office because I have safety boots. I knew a pair of trainers would be the way to go but it wasn't until I saw this pair on eBay (brand new) that I finally took the plunge. Really happy I did and I've been wearing them everyday since.

Shirt: Next | Trousers: Next | Shoes: Clarks

As my office isn't too formal I took the gamble on this t-shirt from Next with leopards and luckily it is more blouse than t-shirt and it adds a bit of fun to my week. I'm definitely starting to need a cardigan though because it can get a little chilly.

Shirt: Next | Trousers: Next | Shoes: Clarks | Jacket: Jack Wolfskin

Maybe it's obvious which style of shirt I like - nothing too tight or formal so this striped number is perfect. My boyfriend commented that I look like Andy Pandy which was nice... regardless this one has been another summer staple. 

Dress: F&F | Shoes: Matalan | Tights: The Leg Wear Co.*

I'm a dedicated dress wearer and if I had enough I'd never wear trousers but I feel like only a few of my dresses are suitable for the office (and the workshop...). This floral one that I've had since I was at school is one of them so any opportunity to wear it then I will. More work suitable dresses is something that I'm still hunting for.

Dressing for work is totally new to me and because I'm in and out of the workshop everyday it's been a bit of a learning curve. I've done well so far though and I wanted to document my summer work outfits on my blog and maybe inspire some other people. I have a feeling it's going to need a shake up now we are approaching winter... any advice for some nice jumpers for the office when it's freezing outside?

Gousto Recipe Box Review

We love a recipe box in our house – it takes the hassle out of having to meal plan and shop on a Sunday when we both work full time. I’ve written reviews before for 'Hello Fresh' but another service we’ve been using for a couple of years now is Gousto. A similar concept you pick four meals and receive your pre-portioned raw ingredients in a box each week. I feel like the four meals suits our lifestyle better and there is normally a discount code floating around but full price the box is £34.99.

When you choose your meals there are various ways of filtering the recipes – choose from ones they’ve selected for you or chicken, beef, fish ect. I really like this way of doing it because you can pick varied proteins each week without having to sort through each recipe. The only downside compared to Hello Fresh (and it's minor) is the ingredients aren't separated into their own bags so it takes a little longer to get the ingredients together. However, with Gousto you can order one off boxes so no need to remember to cancel your subscription – bonus!

Paprika Chicken With Tomato & Coconut Dal

I love a dal and the chicken on this one made it look extra tasty and it didn’t disappoint. My only fault with it was the water took longer to boil off than the recipe stated so when I make it again I’ll add less water but I’ll be having it again soon I’m sure.

Simply Perfect Spag Bol

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of my favourite dishes to make so I’ve always avoided it when it popped up on Gousto – after all it’s so easy to make on my own I’ve been missing out though because this one is DELICIOUS. There are lots more ingredients in it than the one I make but it still involves very little skill to pull together.

Pink Pesto, Prawn & Pepper Linguine

It was this pink pesto dish that drew me to order the whole box. I love pesto and it just looked really good. Without much prep and just 20 minutes later I was tucking into my tea – while this isn’t as rapid as some other recipes it was still pretty quick and perfect for when I can’t be bothered after work.

Fragrant Chicken Saag Masala & Pilau Rice

Again, curries are a staple in our house. While the pulled chicken is kind of fiddly it came together quickly and was really flavoursome. I was eating on my own the night I cooked this so the second portion is in the freezer waiting to be demolished one night this week!

This post isn’t sponsored, although they are collaborating with Wagamama so Gousto if your reading this I’d love to review those recipes, but if you follow my referral link you get 60% off your first box and 30% off your first month. Plus I get a cheeky £15 credit. Just follow the link here.

An August Catch Up

I fell off the blogging band waggon - I just didn't have the bandwidth for blogging. It's good to take a break sometimes but instead I just felt frustrated that I wasn't getting to sit down and write posts and take photos which is one of my favourite things to do. I'm doing well this week so hopefully the spark is back - I don't want to be one of these bloggers constantly apologising and promising to be more consistent. 

Today I thought I'd share some of the things I did in August and some snaps I've taken on my phone.  We have been out and about most weekends enjoying the last of the summer warmth which has been nice.

Booking Our Florida Holiday

We couldn't resist the lure of some Florida sunshine so we are going back this November - just under a year since our last trip. We are flying into Miami, driving up to Orlando then spending the last part of our holiday in Miami. I don't think we are going to do the parks this time unless we get any good deals on day tickets but any Miami recommendations would be appreciated. 

A Trip To The Devenick Dairy

I love the burgers and sausages from a local farm called the Devenick Dairy - they have a stall at the farmers market so I always make sure to stock up but one Saturday we decided to go to their farm shop 'The Tin Coo' near Portlethen. We stocked up on some goodies - the strawberry jam and black pudding sausages are particularly good - and said hello to the animals!

A Weekend Away in Newcastle

One Friday we were sitting at work trying to decide what to do at the weekend... a few hours later we were in the car on the way to Newcastle. We booked the Staybridge Suits in the car on the way down and honestly it was the perfect weekend. We visited the Baltic, drank cider in the sunshine and had a lovely meal at Gusto but most importantly we chilled. 

A Trip To Crathes Castle

Crathes Castle is another favourite place of Aberdeenshire locals when the sun is shining. We decided to visit one Sunday for a wander round the grounds because the weather was so glorious. Then we visited 'Fits the Scoop' in Peterculter for the most delicious ice cream because we deserved a treat. 

Lobster Searching in Johnshaven

I've already mentioned this in my weekend post but on the final day of the month we got up early and went searching for Lobsters in the holes in the rocks at Johnshaven. Sadly we only found small ones but it's a fun thing to do anyway - I just need to get more confident climbing over the rocks. I'll have to wait until next year now though.