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Welcome to Britpakgirl.com !

I am a 30-something busy Muslim mother of three blogging about current affairs, travel, food and a lot more. Based in Surrey, I like to write about all the fun things I get up to with and without the fam. Yes my blog is a bit of a mish mash of everything I’m interested in but hey that’s me!

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Another Eid with many rules & restrictions in plac

Another Eid with many rules & restrictions in place. Whether you’re able to celebrate properly or not, know that the Almighty knows all our struggles whether we say them out loud or in silence.

It’s a strange time but today more than any other day I want to pray for justice for oppressed people all over the world from Kashmir to Yemen to Xinjiang to Palestine to Sudan and really all over the world.

I pray that everyone receives God’s blessings and the wrongdoers are rightly guided.

Eid Mubarak 💕💕💕

Jummah Mubarak & Happy Weekend... here I was tryin

Jummah Mubarak & Happy Weekend... here I was trying a flat lay and failing! Oh well - this was the tres leche cake I made last week. It’s a bit of a long winded recipe but worth the mammoth sized portion that we got at the end. Fruit salad and crockery belongs to my friend!

And now Eid is upon us, I’m looking forward to cooking up some goodies! What are you guys making ... Give me some ideas?

We are a cake-mad family and for all my children’s birthdays I like to make the cake myself - unless of course we’re expecting lots of people in which case I always outsource!

Over the years I’ve ordered many cakes from local bakers, baker friends, Costco, Sainsbury’s, M&S & my personal favourites @paul_bakeryuk & @konditorcakes !

For this cake I chose some of my 8-year-old daughter’s favourite fruit and chocolates and she totally loved it.

Looking forward to going out and having a piece of cake and coffee not made by me!

If you have any favourite bakeries, let me know below! 👇🏼

What an absolute gorgeous day! So blessed to be ab

What an absolute gorgeous day! So blessed to be able to go for a family hike today in the Devil’s Punchbowl, something I’ve wanted to do for ages but like so many other plans, postponed due to Covid-19!

The other photos are me playing with this purple filter, I love so much.

Things are slowly returning to a new ‘normal’ - what can you do now that you couldn’t because of the pandemic?

Throwback from Devon last summer! Coastal walks

Throwback from Devon last summer!

Coastal walks are amazing and by far the most fun thing we do as a family. I’ve heard lots of people are booking staycations but what if the government enforce a last minute lockdown like in Leicester ?

Anyway holidays are cancelled for me for 2020... have you got any holidays booked that you could go on or have you booked anything for the end of the year?

The other fear being - not being able to come back if you go abroad! 😬

Is it worth it?!

One of the yummiest deserts ever! Yes it’s Om A

One of the yummiest deserts ever!
Yes it’s Om Ali, which I’ve only really had on holiday. I loosely used @mybigfathalalblog_ recipe and it is mighty delicious but hugely calorific, so definitely one for a special occasion.
It’s my favourite version of bread & butter pudding! There’s the desi version of Shahi Tukre and the traditional English one with raisins.
How do you like yours?

What a luxury to be able to buy ice cream! All th

What a luxury to be able to buy ice cream!
All the little things that make kids (and adults) happy, we took for granted.

I queued 15 minutes for these, but it was worth it! Usually I’d eat my youngest’s leftovers but now she’s almost 8 she actually finishes her ice cream. 😳

Anyway who can guess what the pinky/lilac flavour is? A prize for the first person who guesses correctly!

This was the Eid cake I made! It went down a treat

This was the Eid cake I made! It went down a treat. Recipe @shelinacooks
I wanted to talk about Islam and Africa. I’ve been listening to some very knowledgable people talk about so many related subjects and I’m in awe.

Did you know there are more Muslims in Africa than ANY OTHER CONTINENT?! This is the time to come together. It’s time for Muslims to learn about how black Muslims helped with abolishment movements within Africa. It’s time to learn our history.

Don’t listen to me, listen to people like @mustafabriggs and @butchware and prepare to be amazed!
I would love to hear about anything you’ve learnt about black history over the last few weeks because I know you guys have been listening and learning! Please share below 🖤

As an Asian person living in the UK, not only do I

As an Asian person living in the UK, not only do I have privilege but I have also experienced racism. I think this would apply to the majority of south Asians, although I could be wrong.

This could be the reason why I’ve been hearing feelings of confusion from some Asians, who might be feeling a bit lost during the #blacklivesmatter movement.

Although we are often classed in the broad bracket of BAME, there is a difference. Different prejudices are applied to different races. But discrimination of all forms hurt.

As an Asian and a Muslim I want to have some honest conversations about what our role is in #blacklivesmatter ?

First thing is addressing the very real anti-black sentiment within Asian communities.

But what else? Answers below please!

PS. This my coffee from a few days ago when the sun was shining!

#blackouttuesday was a day where many of us took t

#blackouttuesday was a day where many of us took time to listen to those voices who need to be heard right now. 💠There were also lots of different viewpoints flying around about whether a blackout was a good idea but the whole point was for the rest of us to shush and only watch and listen to people speak about their experiences as a black person. 💠I’m not deleting my black square yet but instead posting a new photo on the grid (of my kids in the park yesterday) to lessen the black square impact. 💠Whilst the black community has been fighting against injustice for decades, only now have South Asians seriously got behind them. 💠We need to sort our own house out too before having a go at white privilege and white supremacy. 💠We have a HUGE problem with skin colour in Asian circles and there’s no way that we can 100% support #blacklivesmatter without questioning our own prejudices. 💠You can read my article on this I wrote a few days ago - link is in my bio or just go to britpakgirl.com 💠We need to step up as a community and we need to start now.
If you’re Asian, do you agree?

The least we can do #blackouttuesday

The least we can do #blackouttuesday

It’s been an eventful weekend! Which makes a cha

It’s been an eventful weekend! Which makes a change really. Highlight was being on @paulchowdhry ‘s Saturday night live!

Hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine (safely of course) because you know it’s going to rain next weekend!
This is me in the park trying to not absorb UV rays! How did you enjoy this beautiful day, at home, in the garden or in the park?

The world sucks right now. As a commentator said,

The world sucks right now. As a commentator said, America has two viruses to deal with - Covid-19 and racism. Racism is centuries old, now we just have the ability to record it, document and share it. There is no way that I as a person of colour can sit quietly and not talk about what’s happening in the States right now. It is not ok.
Anti-blank racism is rife in the Asian community too, let’s not deny that. We need to cut it off at the root and stand with our black brothers and sisters. If I was a mother of a black boy in America I don’t think I’d let him out the house, ever.
This is what black families are dealing with and it’s so sad that this is what ‘civil society’ looks like. So however small your voice or platform, speak out about injustices that don’t just affect you or your community. We are in this together and we want justice for George Floyd and all the other families who have suffered at the hands of racist figures in authority.
To all those souls who have been taken away by police brutality, may you rest in peace. ✌🏻
📷credit: @quotesbychristie

Went for a bike ride for the first time in ages. N

Went for a bike ride for the first time in ages. Now that my older two aren’t fasting I managed to drag them out of the house for our ‘daily’ exercise. It was lovely and just what I needed! The cafe was open and there was an ice cream van, both had queues so we skipped that part but and had ice cream at home instead .
Because of lockdown we are limited to what we can do but how are you enjoying this gorgeous weather?!

This is one of the last meals I had in a restauran

This is one of the last meals I had in a restaurant back in March which seems to be an eternity ago but was actually only 2-3 months back. One of my fave dishes ever - Pad Thai!
It’s a bitter sweet Jumma today. The tragedy of the PIA crash in Karachi is sobering to say the least. It’s also the last Friday of Ramadan and of course we look forward to celebrating Eid albeit strangely at home with no extended family. I’ll certainly miss getting ready for Eid Prayers but it just shows how much we took for granted!
For me the realisation that I had four trips booked this year which have all been either cancelled or postponed (until nobody knows when) is hard to come to terms with. Trips that have been dreamt about and planned for years - one had been in the planning for 20 years - I kid you not. This was going to be my year of travel! But alas we plan and Allah plans.
Wishing you all a very happy Jumma and Eid Mubarak in advance. May the Almighty bless us all, have mercy on the deceased and free us from this terrible pandemic. 💕💕💕💕

Who’s looking forward to Eid? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Who’s looking forward to Eid? 🙋🏻‍♀️
Despite it being a very strange Eid this year, I’m still looking forward to stuffing my face! Here is a showstopper you can make - check it out on my blog - link in the bio.

Hope you’ve all been having a good ‘lockdown’. Over these last few days I’ve realised how much of a bubble most of us live in. Poverty in the UK is more than we’d like to think, that’s why I’m giving most of my zakat & sadaqah locally.
Wishing you the best of the last days of Ramadan. May Allah forgive our sins and accept our good deeds.

If you’ve been fasting, how’s Ramadan been for you?

Ramadan ready! I got this idea from @imanblogs whe

Ramadan ready! I got this idea from @imanblogs where I’ve created all the important bits for me during Ramadan so I don’t have to waste time looking here and there for my prayer books. I can keep everything in one place!
So what’s on the tray?
Fortress of the Muslim - essential dua book which I think every Muslim has in their house!
Daily Wisdom - selection of verses from the Quran - one for each day of the year.
An English Quran translation.
The green book is one a dear friend gave me.. it’s called Qurani & Masnoon duas and has all the duas from the Quran in it as well as many from Hadith (prophetic narrations)
The thin black book is from Pooja Sweets who gave out this book for free - it’s simply a collection of important chapters like Surah Yaseen, Kahf, Rahman etc. from the Quran in massive font. Probably made for elderly folk but I like reading from it!
The pink notebook is for me to write prayers I need to memorise as well as any notes to self about anything spiritual I learn.
Lastly some prayer beads for when you don’t have enough energy to read!
What would you put in your Ramadan tray?
PS. Ramadan Mubarak !

How cool is this photo? It’s kind of like prayer

How cool is this photo? It’s kind of like prayer hands showing us the whole world is not only in need of prayers but unity as well. We are totally in this together and all waiting for these strange times to end and normality to return.
Where are you dreaming of travelling to after this pandemic is over? After seeing my parents and other family and friends there’s so many places I’d love to go.
I’ve listed mine in a recent blog post - my top 3 bucket list destinations. Check it out on my blog britpakgirl.com
And Jummah Mubarak everyone 💕

I’ve started a 16 day blog challenge inspired by

I’ve started a 16 day blog challenge inspired by @thetravelhack ! Which means I’ll be blogging daily using some preset prompts. As all freelance writing and radio is on hold for now, I really needed to start writing again with purpose, for my own sanity. Whilst being at home with the family 24/7 is lovely (😬) woman needs to do her own thing... who’s with me!? Link in my bio...

This was the last thing I ate out! Breakfast at @

This was the last thing I ate out!
Breakfast at @cafe.chai Feels like months ago but was actually about 3-4 weeks ago, before lockdown began.
Life has stood still and our lives have been turned upside down. However we know, much like life, this lockdown is also temporary so let’s make the most of it..... and also look forward to the future when this will all be over.
I can’t wait to go out for breakfast with my friends! What are you most looking forward to post-pandemic?

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