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Happy memories for Jan.

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WOW! What an amazing weekend we had of last in Arundel, retreating with our lovely 16 guests, in the gorgeous and misty West Sussex countryside. We’re sure the pictures speak for themselves but it was a truly nourishing and relaxing weekend with great food, craft and Pilates.  We super excited to be going back here in May for maybe a little bit of a warmer affair! Booking is now open so do contact us if you’d like to come along and retreat with us…but for now we’ll leave you with some kind and wise words from this year’s guests.

“I think it was half way through Saturday when I realised just how relaxed I felt.  A feeling I haven’t had in a long time.  I was almost giggly with it on Saturday evening thinking that we had a whole day to go. I came away Monday morning, relaxed, energised and calm. I’m still managing to hold on to that calm. Even after a rushed double school run, delayed train and cancelled trains, work crap and screaming kids – it’s magic!  Blimey, I even got up this morning and did the 100s first thing.”

“Soothing, relaxing and a real step away from the ‘day to day’. Tune Out offers a simple, stylish check-out from a busy routine and really does give you the physical and mental space to get back to the best version of yourself – I wouldn’t be without a Tune Out weekend at the start of each year. I am fortunate enough in my work to travel and enjoy massages in some very well-known hotels and spas. That said I consider Lisa to be one of the most in-tune and skilled massage practitioners I have had the pleasure of being treated by. She is inherently sensitive to your needs and it is inevitable that I leave feeling better, lighter, more relaxed, and – always – with a stash of her cards for friends and clients.”

“I felt completely refreshed and in a much better place ‘mentally’. I have been much more patient since the weekend with my children!”

“The retreat successfully made two extremely neurotic people unravel to such a stage that true relaxation (and de-stressing) was achieved. The level of relaxation was such that the level of discomfort normally experienced on a daily basis from irritable bowel syndrome, or chronic intractable pain was actually reduced (which was a shock to both of us who believed that this discomfort was an inevitable side-effect that cannot be soothed/cured).” 

Urban Day Retreats in London

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This morning we wanted to share an exciting new side of TUNEOUT that we launched earlier this year. Every couple of months, when we’re not retreating somewhere in the countryside with you guys, we’re going to be running day and half day urban retreats based around London. We realise, for everyone its not always possible to give up the time and money to attend a full weekend retreat but its still super important to our health and well being to take that much needed ‘you time’ even more so when you live in this crazy old city called London! This is really cool for us as it allows us to indulge in all our passions (one of those being helping you to feel better!) The idea is you join us for either a few hours or the full day, we move, we make and we definitely relax. We add in loads of little tuneout treats throughout the day to make you feel extra special and you leave feeling pretty damn fine! No experience is required in either Pilates or craft, and EVERYONE is welcome, you just turn up, as with our retreats and let us guide you through the day. So first of all make sure you subscribe to hear about it first as spaces are limited, then you book yourself in and turn up. Easy peasy. You can find the details of our next one (in November) below, and really we hope to see you there for some good quality tuneout time….

Laura and Katherine x

move,make.mend

M O V E. M A K E. M E N D.

SUNDAY 8th NOVEMBER 2-5PM

Hosted by Laura Hogg & Katherine Pentecost

Venue : East of Eden Walthamstow. London E17

We’re heading back to the lovely East of Eden studio for a breezy autumn afternoon of Pilates, crafting and relaxation. You’ll get all the best bits of one of our weekend retreats squeezed into an afternoon.

Starting the afternoon with an energising and cleansing juice/smoothie, followed by a class designed to get you to MOVE around lots and allow the creative juices to flow. The class is suitable for all levels. Then after a little break it will be time to MAKE. We’ll be getting our craft on and this time making a super cool macrame plant holder. (Similar to the one below) with of course tea and cake (of the healthy variety) Then to finish, time to MEND. A deep relaxation, stretch and mini massages.

Nice yes? We hope to see you there…

To book contact tuneoutpilatesretreats@gmail.com or call 07817604846
Cost £35 per person including all teas/juice and craft material

macrame

Balance & Biscuits.

/ laurahogg82 / 1 Comment

Hi there…How are you all on this fine sunny Tuesday in London?

So in our first blog post we gave you some ways to help you tuneout. Its feels only right that for our next post we share some cake with you (well fudge to be precise!)

You see for us its all about the balance. The Yin and the Yang. The Black and the White. 80:20 as they say… And we do love cake. Its true! Which is why its always so exciting to find new ways of indulging our sweet tooth but in a healthy way.

Healthy food blogs are everywhere right now. They’re taking over our Instagram feeds and its great to be able to access so many inspirational recipes to suit our dietary needs. We really like Deliciously Ella, Hemsley + Hemsley, NaturallyElla to name a few. But one that we’ve been using time and time again, from way back when we had Shoreditch Pilates studio in the East End of London and now on our weekend and day retreats, is the wonderful Cookie and Kate. She is by far our go to blog for something that’s not only deliciously tasty but healthy, quick and easy, plus she has a real cute dog, and this fudge doesn’t disappoint. Its a real crowd pleaser.

I have to admit, Katherine is the master baker between the 2 of us, and during our summer retreat in Aldbeburgh, she whipped these up for our lucky retreaters. Just think, post Pilates class, sun shining, little cuppa. Seriously, what could be better?

Try them out – they’re super easy (I even managed them!) plus you can have a play with the recipe too. I added some dried fruit to make them nice a chewy inside and some dark choc.

Perfect for the holidays, kids, friends, after dinners…

Thanks Kate (from @cookieandkate)  We salute you!

 

‘EASY SALTED OAT FUDGE’

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Ingredients
  • ¾ cup creamy unsalted almond butter or peanut butter
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 4 tablespoons butter, sliced into small cubes, or ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt (scale back, to taste, if your nut butter is salted)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cups oats ground into flour, see step 1
  • 1 cup whole pecans or other nuts
  • Optional: Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. Prep work: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut two strips of parchment paper to fit across the interior of an 8 to 9-inch square baker. Criss-cross the papers at the bottom of the baker and fold the ends up the sides of the baker (see photos). If you need to make your own oat flour, blend 1 and ¾ cups oats in a blender or food processor until ground into a fine flour.
  2. Toast the nuts: Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a small, rimmed baking sheet (I used parchment paper for easy clean-up). Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until fragrant (7 minutes for thinner/smaller/chopped nuts and about 10 for whole pecans). If you’re using large nuts like pecans, transfer them to a cutting board and chop them into small pieces with a chef’s knife.
  3. Make the fudge: In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the nut butter, chocolate chips, sweetener, butter, salt and cinnamon. Warm the pot over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is melted throughout. Remove the pot from heat.
  4. Stir the vanilla extract into the pot, followed by the oat flour and finally, the chopped pecans. The mixture will have thickened up at this point, so you might have to put some muscle into it to mix in those pecans. You can do it!
  5. Carefully dump the fudge mixture into your lined square baker. Use the back of a sturdy mixing spoon to push the mixture across the baker so it’s roughly evenly distributed. Cover the bottom side of a thick, heavy-bottomed drinking glass or mason jar with parchment paper and press it down on the fudge repeatedly until the fudge is evenly packed. If you’re finishing the fudge with flaky sea salt, lightly sprinkle some on top now and gently press it into place with the bottom of your parchment-covered glass.
  6. Cover and freeze the fudge for 30 to 45 minutes, until it’s firm to the touch and no longer shiny in the middle. If you’re not in a hurry, you can refrigerate the fudge for a couple of hours or longer.
  7. Use a chef’s knife to slice the fudge into 1¼-inch wide columns and rows. Fudge will keep well for a couple of days at room temperature, or for a few weeks in the freezer, sealed in an air-tight freezer bag.
Notes :
Make it dairy free and vegan: Use dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut oil in place of the butter.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oat flour or oats.
Change it up: If you want to include whole oats in the fudge for texture, use 1¼ cups old-fashioned oats and ¾ to 1 cup oat flour (add oat flour until you can hardly mix in any more).