Obama Administration: Landmark Moments and Special Visitors

The President and First Lady bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, before they departed Winfield House in London following a dinner in honor of the Queen.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President signs the health insurance reform bill. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

"Much has been made of this photograph that shows the President and Vice President and the national security team monitoring in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. Some more background on the photograph: The White House Situation Room is actually comprised of several different conference rooms. The majority of the time, the President convenes meetings in the large conference room with assigned seats. But to monitor this mission, the group moved into the much smaller conference room. The President chose to sit next to Brigadier General Marshall B. “Brad” Webb, Assistant Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command, who was point man for the communications taking place. WIth so few chairs, others just stood at the back of the room. I was jammed into a corner of the room with no room to move. During the mission itself, I made approximately 100 photographs, almost all from this cramped spot in the corner. There were several other meetings throughout the day, and we've put together a composite of several photographs (see next photo in this set) to give people a better sense of what the day was like. Seated in this picture from left to right: Vice President Biden, the President, Brig. Gen. Webb, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper."(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi pet Bo, the Obama family dog, at the conclusion of their meeting in the Oval Office, Sept. 19, 2012. Danny Russel, Senior Director for Asian Affairs, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton watch at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama pauses to look back at the scene before leaving the platform following the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. Standing behind the President are First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and Marian Robinson. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Four Presidents during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Filling in for David Lienemann, Lawrence Jackson made this photograph of the real Vice President, with Julia-Louis Dreyfus, star of the HBO show Veep', in his West Wing office of the White House.
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

The President and First Lady wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Meetings happen everywhere including on the escalator. Here, the President continues a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel following their meeting with other leaders at the NATO Summit in Newport, Wales. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President signs the H.R. 3547, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, which at the time provided fiscal year 2014 appropriations. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan walk from the Reflecting Pool toward the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama laughs with Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, in the Oval Office, April 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden discuss the Resolute Desk with Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, prior to a meeting in the Oval Office, March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Meryl Streep participate in a photo shoot for MORE magazine in the Blue Room of the White House, Feb. 24, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany participate in a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 9, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Two days after the visit of Pope Francis, the President and First Lady hosted President Xi Jinping of China and Madame Peng Liyuan for another State Visit. Before the formal State Dinner, the President showed President Xi and Madame Peng the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The President and Pope Francis walk along the Colonnade. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

A festive atmosphere as the White House was lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

December through Instagram

L'Occitane goodies | Michelle Obama graces American Vogue | Manolos for Christmas | Reliving my childhood with Sabrina | Christmas tree glory | Lots of lovely leopard | Emoji goodies | A treat from Amanda Wakeley | Ringing in the new year!

Follow me on Instagram for more photos!

New Year, New Cooking with Gousto

Let's start 2017 off the right way with some delicious, healthy food! I'm a big fan of the Gousto meal boxes, and after a long day of work and commuting, the last thing anyone wants to think about is having to prepare a meal completely from scratch.

Gousto is here to help, with a whole host of meal ideas complete with itemised ingredients. Gousto takes the hassle out of preparing food for mealtime, with speedy recipes containing healthy, good for you ingredients.

Take the Creamy Butter Chicken with Herby Rice. From prep to plate, this dish took me about thirty minutes to make. In between I was able to do other tasks like sorting my mail and clearing out my inbox, all whilst not losing my attention on the delicious dish cooking away on the stove. (This was between recording the cooking process!)

The dish was extremely tasty and fully prepared using the fresh ingredients provided by Gousto. I felt like I had consumed a decent, hearty meal and didn't need to snack or have dessert once I had finished. This is always the danger when you eat food that is quick to prepare. Eating becomes just another task to cross off the to do list, and not a period of your day where you can sit down and actually switch off from the stresses and strains of everyday life. Our friends on the continent have their attitude to mealtimes completely on point.


I also tried the Fish with Dill Mayo and Crispy Potatoes from Gousto. This was also an easy recipe to replicate, and took about twenty minutes from prep to plate. I added a courgette and some peppers to the crispy potato part of the recipe for a bit of colour and to up my veggie intake. This light and delicious meal was a firm favourite in my household, and it's one which we will be repeating in the future.


Gousto's meal boxes are definitely a helping hand on the path to healthy living. For those of us working the 9-5 or having a schedule which can be unpredictable, the boxes are a practical way to creating delicious meals without the hassle. For some of the recipes you could even prepare the vegetables or sauces ahead of time, leaving you with the easy task of cooking meat or fish or even reheating certain dishes once you are ready to eat.

If you make one resolution for 2017, make a commitment to eating healthily with the help of Gousto!

Thanks to Gousto for sending me a subscription box to try.

A winter trip to Windsor

That period between Christmas and New Year can often feel like a hazy one. You're never quite sure what day it is, what you're supposed to be doing and which shops or attractions are open. Luckily, I put one of these vague days to good use, taking a trip down the motorway to lovely Windsor.

Windsor hasn't changed much since my childhood and I was pretty excited to be visiting Windsor Castle to see some of the Queen's dresses and the Queen Mary Doll's House. The Castle was decorated for Christmas, with sparkly berry wreaths adorning many lamposts and lights, garlands around doorways and a huge Christmas tree (the gift of the Chinese Premier) standing proudly in the Great Hall. A little toy Corgi sat sweetly underneath!

I love walking through the royal palaces, imagining the many hundreds of years of history that has played out and the important figures who have come before me.

Fashioning a Reign, the exhibition of the Queen's dresses was on a smaller scale to the one in Buckingham Palace, and featured many outfits that the Queen had worn at Windsor, some from trips abroad and a selection of quirky hats. Several of the first dresses were not in glass cases, and it was great to get up really close to the pieces to see how they were made, as well as spot where insignia had once been pinned. What struck me was how tiny the Queen is- even though I have met her in real life, the clothes really echoed her petiteness.

We also visited St. George's Chapel and saw the Changing of the Guard (such a British institution!) before exploring the town of Windsor and having a delicious lunch at Byron. I also purchased a pretty cool Royal wall decoration, all of which will be revealed in due course!

Knights of the Garter- can you spot the Prime Ministers?

Amanda Wakeley Top 10 Sale Picks

The post Christmas sales are well and truly in full swing, and the one which I am perhaps most excited about is Amanda Wakeley. Some of the items are now at 60% off, so I advise you to be quick in snapping up a bargainous treat. I treated myself to a few items in the sale, and I've picked out ten top beautiful items that are my favourites.

Get your credit card ready!

Hamada Silver Cashmere Gloves

Valley Midnight Silk Dress

Palmetto Cream Jacquard Coat (a favourite of Theresa May!)

Newman Raven Leather Bag

Tapis Khaki Jacquard Jacket

Dial Black Crop Top

Nouveaux Black Lace Sleeve Dress (Theresa May wore this stunning dress to the 2016 Festival of Rembrance concert at the Royal Albert Hall.) 

Valerio Black Leopard Print Sweater

Marble Print Scarf

Springsteen Midnight Tailored Pencil Skirt

Get your wardrobe off to a chic start in 2017! 

Lookback: Obama's First 100 Days

2017 will bring a new US President, and an end to eight years of the Obama Administration. To mark President Obama's time in office, I'm looking back at the achievements and behind the scenes moments of his Administration through the fantastic photos taken by Pete Souza and his team of professionals.

To kick things off, I'm looking back at some of my favourite photos from President Obama's first 100 days.

On a tour of the State Floor of the White House, President Barack Obama looks at a portrait of John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, Jan. 24, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcome visitors to the Blue Room of the White House, Jan. 21, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama ride in a golf cart at an Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C, Jan. 20, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama walks along along the Colonnade toward the Oval Office, Feb. 26, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Close-up detail of President Obama's signature on a bill, and a pen used for the signing, aboard Air Force One on a flight from Buckley Air Force Base, Denver, Col. to Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 17, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama and his family arrive back at the White House aboard Marine One after a weekend at Camp David, Feb. 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wear 3-D glasses while watching a TV commercial during Super Bowl 43, Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, in the family theater of the White House on Feb. 1, 2009. Guests included family, friends, Cabinet members, staff members and bipartisan members of Congress. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama holds his hand on his heart as the National Anthem is played on television in the East Garden Room of the White House prior to Super Bowl game kickoff, Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Feb. 1, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Water glasses are prepared to be set in the Cabinet Room of the White House for the Economic Daily Briefing, March 23, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland attend a St. Patrick's Day lunch hosted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the Rayburn Building, U.S. Capitol, Washington D.C., March 17, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

A simple plate of cheese, crackers and carrots is set for for the table setting of the meeting of closed, off-the-record lunch with President Barack Obama and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in the President's Private Dining Room, March 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama examines the Resolute Desk on March 3, 2009, while visiting with Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg in the Oval Office. In a famous photograph, her brother John F. Kennedy Jr., peeked through the FDR panel, while his father President Kennedy worked. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

First Lady Michelle Obama waits as President Barack Obama, background, signs the guestbook upon their arrival to Prague Castle, April 5, 2009, in the Czech Republic. (White House Photo/Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are welcomed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Buckingham Palace in London, England, April 1, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Michelle Obama talks alone with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prior to President Obama's Meeting with President Hu of China. Winfield House in London, England, April 1, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)