Out & About

The Big Bakes London

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The Big London Bake

As much as I love cooking, I’m not the sort of person who feels comfortable making cakes. When I got invited to The Big London Bake I quite openly told Tanya, the blogger I went with, that I would be useless. I tried to make Yorkshire puddings for the first time yesterday and they didn’t rise (although I fully blame the gluten-free flour for that), and I realised I just hate baking because you have to follow the instructions so carefully. The thing I love about cooking as opposed to baking is that you can dash a bit of anything in there when the moment takes you.

Nonetheless, I was excited to give The Big London Bake a try, because I love trying new things. You might have seen my review of the pasta making kit from Sous Chef recently and noticed how much I do enjoy cooking. Even if I get it wrong, I still enjoy it. The Big London Bake is at the back of a pub in tooting called The Castle. Anyone who enjoys Bake Off will surely jump up and down with excitement because the tent is the same. There are two-person stations with all of the equipment you need to make whatever it is you are making that session.

The tent is so cool!

We were making “simple” sponge cakes that were Australian animals (The Big London Bake kindly donated money from these sessions to the Australian bush fires). We chose to make a Koala because it looked like the easiest one. I mean, they are pretty simple animals, right? Our class was with the head baker Nyssa and she made the session so fun! It’s fairly easy to follow, as the instructor will give you instructions in stages, and then set a time limit for you to finish that stage. Unfortunately, the reason our cake was a bit below average was that I have the attention span of a five-year-old. I had gone wrong within about four minutes of starting to be honest. If I wasn’t with Tanya, I feel we would have had no cake at all. We had an hour and a half which doesn’t sound long enough, but your time is used so efficiently that you can make an entire sponge cake AND decorate it during that time frame.

You get everything you need to make a really cool cake!

When we were cooking the sponge, I accidentally turned the oven off by leaning on it. So not only did our cake not rise, but it took ages to cook once we turned the oven back on and we also had to put a huge fan in front of it before we were able to decorate it. Another thing I have forgotten to mention is that The Big London Bake cater to food allergies. We had a gluten-free station as it is something I can’t eat during a flare-up of my endometriosis. But they didn’t just have basic gluten-free ingredients, thy had gluten-free decorations, biscuits and loads of other stuff so that you don’t miss out on anything the people making standard cakes get to use.

Ok, so our sponge wasn’t the best.

After the cake had FINALLY cooled down, we got to decorate it. This is the point where I realised how seriously un-artistic I am. I thought that our Koala was cute, in an ugly sort of way. I don’t think there is much chance of me giving up my career in advertising to work as a baker, but Nyssa said it didn’t taste too bad so maybe there is hope yet? One thing I will say is that I haven’t ever enjoyed doing something I am terrible at so much! I’ll be going back with my friends at some point.

You can book The Big London Bake online and see the prices and sessions.

*I was invited as a plus one with Tanya to review this venue for The Live Review.

 

 

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My Favourite Places in London

I have a love/hate relationship with the city. If I am in one of my favourite secret places in London I love it. Catch me on a bad day and I will moan about how rude the people are, how bad the weather is and how busy it is there. Catch me on a good day and I will happily tell you it is the best place on earth and I have always wanted to work there. The trick for me with London is to realise you need to split your work time and free time. Travelling up there for work is a nightmare, but I still go up to London in my free time, because when I do have the time to wander, there are some incredible places. I wanted to share with you some of my favourite places in the city you might not know about.

The Richmond Theatre

Image from atgtickets.com

Situated well-away from the traditional “theatre district”, The Richmond Theatre has a simplicity that is very attractive to someone who enjoys the theatre as much as me. Since I started writing for The Live Review, I have been lucky enough to visit quite a few shows there. I don’t know what it is that makes me feel really at home at the theatre, but this particular theatre makes me feel even more so. Maybe it’s just because it’s a little bit cosier than the bigger London theatres in the West End. The fact this place is so peaceful is the main reason it gets designated one of my best secret places in London.

Great for. . . feeling cultured

Mei Leaf

Mei Leaf is a little slice of heaven in otherwise-heaving Camden. I’ve always been a huge fan of herbal tea and I became an even bigger fan when I gave up alcohol. The thing that makes Mei Leaf so spectacular is that they have a small, sit-in cafe bit at the back where they will serve up a traditional Chinese tea in the pot, on the wooden tray and everything. The staff there know their stuff as well. Most years, some of the staff actually visit China and handpick the tea. Teatulia is another tea bar I really like in London, I found out about them after going to a blogging event at their London tea bar.

Great for. . . forgetting reality

Japanese Garden

When I first heard about it, the Japanese garden was something that was on my list of places to visit for ages. I think in the UK, we are constantly waiting for the “right” weather to do certain things. So I put the visit to the Japanese garden to the back of my mind because it was winter. Then, I realised how close it is to my office. Holland Park, where it is situated is just a couple of stops away from me on the central line.

If the weather is dry, this is a beautiful place for a little lunch-time walk. You can find all of the details you need to visit the Kyoto Garden here.

Great for. . . getting back to nature

Camden Lock Canal Boat Tours

I know you are probably thinking that a canal boat tour isn’t the first thing you would associate with the busy city, but a boat tour along Regents Canal is one of my favourite things to do in London. the London Waterbus Company do tours that go to London Zoo or Little Venice. They are inexpensive, and I can’t think of anything better to do on a sunny London afternoon than hop on a boat to one of the most beautiful places imaginable (Little Venice).

Great for. . . something different

The Churchill Arms

The Churchill Arms is one of the most famous pubs in London.

I’ve already written a review on The Churchill Arms, on my food section, but I thought it was worth mentioning again here. Based in Notting Hill, The Churchill Arms has quite an interesting outdoor and indoor decor. The food is really good as well. Unexpectedly, they do a fantastic Pad Thai.

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Aladdin, London

Aladdin London

To me, there are two versions of London. There is the London I work in. This is the London that centres around my office in Seven Dials, where I go for breakfast meetings at the Shard and pick up the Metro at Covent Garden station on my way home. Then theres the London I PLAY in. The London where I go to last minute art exhibitions, Bounce for some ping pong and a drink or Regents Park during the summer for some tanning. In my head having time to enjoy the city is a completely different thing to rushing down Charing Cross road to the office because you missed your tube by 30 seconds.

So when my Mum told me my 30th birthday surprise was in fact, a weekend in London, I was super excited even though it was in and around my work area. I’ve wanted to see Aladdin for ages, but until MAC or Urban Decay lower their prices I was never going to be affording that one. As someone who hates the tube she managed to plan everything avoiding it with military precision. We were staying at the St Giles Hotel, having dinner at their restaurant then seeing Aladdin at the theatre (something I have wanted to do for ages). So that was that.

I was seeing Aladdin at the theatre!

The Prince Edward theatre is really easy to find. That isn’t even just because I work there and know the area, it’s a short walk from Tottenham Court road station. I’ve been to the theatre quite a lot, but being that it was Aladdin I didn’t really know what to expect. When we got there and had read of the programme both of the best songs (Prince Ali and A Whole New World) were in the second act – so I assumed the first one would go slowly.

From the offset the genie was hilarious. He really is one of the best characters. He kept the jokes fresh and up to date and his banter with Aladdin was brilliant. Obviously it followed the story of Aladdin really closely so the first act was all about him being a thief and then meeting Jasmine. It ended with the part where he goes into the cave to find the lamp. The set for this scene was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it at the theatre. It looked like solid gold which is the effect they were going for but I wasn’t expecting it to be so good.

The second act opened with Prince Ali so if you are going to go and see it expect to have that one in your head for about three weeks after. When my Mum told me what we were doing I was seriously intrigued at how they would make the magic carpet scene work. I remember when I found out magic carpets were not actually real. I was shocked and horrified. The magic carpet at Aladdin in London actually flew. It seriously did. I was in awe. As Aladdin and Jasmine flew around the stage singing A Whole New World all I was doing was trying to figure out how they did it. After an extensive Google search I have come to the realisation that they don’t WANT you to know how they did it. In fact, the staff actually have to sign NDA’s to say they won’t tell anyone. It is ACTUAL magic.

I’ve always found the end of Aladdin a bit drawn out. I don’t know why as the film itself is quite short, but I can never remember what actually happens which means it is too long as I haven’t got a terribly long attention span. Luckily the theatre production doesn’t drag on, and the ending wraps up pretty quickly and neatly.

Depending on how many people are going, tickets can get pricey, but I can honestly say it is worth every penny. Aladdin is the most truly amazing West End show I have ever seen and I can’t wait to go again!

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The Dukes Head, Little Burstead

There’s a lot of horrific food knocking about in Basildon. Not content with having one of the poorest hospitals in the country, a giant mock “Hollywood” sign and the most unhelpful train station in the world, Basildon has a knack for taking crap chain restaurants and bunching them all together for the convenience of the inexperienced palette. If you have never heard of “Bas Vegas” or the Festival Leisure Park as it is actually called, then I am completely jealous of you. Sometime in the 90s, a board of people sat together and thought “let’s make things easy for the people of Basildon and bunch together as many cheap restaurants as possible in a car park with a cinema and a gym”.

Where to eat in Basildon?

So if you have a celebration or a special occasion in Basildon you are pretty much limited to one of the three, yes THREE Nando’s we have here, Frankie and effing Benny’s or Coast to Coast, which has changed names more time than P Diddy. If you are a bit of a foodie, like me, the outlook is pretty grim. Luckily, quite some time ago, I had an interview at a wonderful little pub called The Dukes Head in Little Burstead. A few months later while choosing somewhere to eat I remembered the charm of this place and we booked up.

The Dukes Head, Billericay

I’ve reviewed it a few times before as I love it here, and this has now become the “go to” place for nice meals out and celebrations. For anyone in Basildon, The Dukes Head is ten minutes up the road and well worth the petrol. As my Mum and I volunteer together on Christmas Day, we tend to go out for a nice meal on Boxing Day so we can actually eat together and chat, so this was the obvious choice. The hearty Christmas Menu from The Dukes Head was everything you would expect from the festive season.

When it comes to starters I am the most boring, un-adventurous person in the world. Tomato soup is always a winner for me. People may look down their nose at that but I think there is a lot to be said for a bowl of really fresh, well-made tomato soup. Consistency is key. There is nothing worse than looking forward to a bowl of thick, creamy tomato soup and being delivered a watery monstrosity that mirrors the cup-a-soups you get on a Ryanair flight for about £5. The Dukes Head served up a simple, yet elegant tomato that was thick enough without being sludgy. Sludgy soup is also a no from me. They were also kind enough to serve up some oil and balsamic vinegar to accompany the ciabatta. A welcome surprise for bread enthusiasts like myself.

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No Christmas menu would be complete without a Christmas dinner with all of the trimmings. One of the things that keep me coming back to The Dukes Head is the fact that they put so much effort into the smaller details. The clementine stuffing balls for example. A slight twist on a classic that makes all the difference taste-wise. The mouth watering gravy. Lord only knows what they put in it but I need to find their secret. The other secret to their success is the cooking in general. If you are looking to fill yourself up with overcooked or undercooked mass-produced swill then maybe you are better off going to Bas Vegas. If you want to eat something that has been cooked specifically for you by expert hand then come here.

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Following on from dinner was the great dessert debate I engage in at every dinner. As someone who has such an intense interest in all things cheese – I’ll usually go for the cheeseboard at the end of a meal. But there was one word on the menu that caught my eye: gingerbread. Yes, ladies and gentleman of the company-owning world if you want to catch a bloggers eye, just add gingerbread. Gingerbread lattes, gingerbread creme brûlée, gingerbread toilet roll, whatever. It works. So in a break from my cheese tradition, I ordered the gingerbread creme brûlée with a nice, strong Americano just so I’d have the energy to walk to the car.

Anyone who indulges in pimple popper videos will probably, also enjoy the sheer, unadulterated pleasure of cracking the top of a creme brûlée and having the creamy underneath mixture pop through like a volcano. Not a proper volcano though, a less angry volcano. Miffed or mildly annoyed if not raging. The brûlée was served with a tiny gingerbread man and in all honesty, despite my constant battle to try and get the UK population to eat like they were raised by humans and not wolves, I did pick him up with my fingers and dip him in. It was what he was there for, and were I to eat him separate from the brûlée I would have felt that I was diminishing his entire life purpose.

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Is it nice at The Dukes Head, Billericay?

As well as the delightful food, the nice atmosphere, and the friendly service, there is another thing I absolutely love about The Dukes Head. Rolling to the car absolutely full to the brim.

The Dukes Head Boxing day menu was £25.95 for three courses.

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Three Days In Iceland

Is Iceland worth the money?

Northern Lights

I’m going to start this article with an admission that is going to make me sound incredibly uncool. I LOVE the Eurovision song contest. I’ve watched it my whole life and it is very rare I will miss it unless I’m working abroad.

So, what has that got to do with Iceland?

Well ever since I started watching it, the little VT’s before each country have evoked the explorer in me. I’ve wanted to go to Iceland ever since I can remember, so this year, when my friend asked me to go for her 30th I thought “why not” and we made it happen. We did everything. People who tell you a long weekend is not enough are lying. If you are actually going to get up off of your bottom and go out and do things and worry about the tiredness after you will be able to fit in absolutely everything exciting that Iceland has to offer.

Day 1 – Reykjavik Cathedral, The Northern Lights, and a Scary Air BnB

I’ve never used Air BnB in my life, but when it turned out our flights were cheaper to go the day before we thought we’d give an Air BnB a go for the first night instead of booking an extra room in the Radisson which was quite expensive. The theory was “how bad could it be?”. Tasked with organising everything so that we didn’t need to rely on busses or taxi’s I found an Air BnB in central Reykjavik. The “how bad could it be?” theory didn’t really serve us very well.

A short, easy walk form the bus station – the location was everything they promised. Unfortunately so was the cleanliness. Although the Air BnB had described itself as “not immaculately clean”, to me, that just meant that they probably didn’t keep up hotel standards and were worried about appearing badly in a review. As it would happen this estimation was wrong. I won’t name and shame someone’s livelihood on an article the whole world can see, but all I will say is make careful choices if you are going to use an Air BnB.  It was so bad, my friend named it “the crack den”. Luckily, we were at the Northern Lights all night on the night we stayed, so once we crawled into bed after we didn’t really mind that it was filthy.

We left immediately to walk into Reykjavik and go up to the top of the Cathedral. Don’t worry, there’s a lift, so you don’t have to walk it. It was a beautiful view and it also gave us the advantage of now having seen where everything was in conjunction with each other and knowing where to walk For 900 ISK it really is worth it.

The Northern Lights were amazing. We booked through Isango and I would really recommend them. The coach picked us up from the hotel we were staying in for the next two nights so we walked up and found our way. On the way to the first stop, the tour guide informed us that we had a 0% chance of seeing the lights. She did say that we would see some cool stars and have some snacks so we weren’t really that worried. When we got to the stop, the chance of seeing the lights had increased to 1%. Wow. We found the stars amazing. While we were on the stop, we saw four shooting stars and the normal stars were so low it looked like you could pick them out of the sky.

How To See The Northern Lights

Luckily for us, we did, in fact, see the lights. They were amazing. You can’t really describe what it’s like to be standing there looking at something that occurs naturally that is so beautiful. We understood how lucky we were, and also we managed to see them on another stop and get a picture with them.

Day 2 – Checking into the Radisson and a Night Out in Reykjavik

My friend woke me up promptly around 9am and said “Wakey wake Kelly, it’s time to leave the crack den now”. We left promptly and tried to leave the room as clean as possible but my friend did admit when we were halfway down the road that she had stolen the picture of Bjork above our room. Sorry guys!

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We went for breakfast at Le Bistro which was wonderful as by this point I was craving a decent cup of coffee. Le Bistro is a lovely place for breakfast and I should imagine that the French food they serve for dinner is just as nice. After breakfast we just decided to take our chances and walk up to the Radisson Blu Saga and see if they would look after our cases for the day while we did other stuff.  This is one of the best, most helpful hotels I have ever had the pleasure of staying in. Because our room was ready they let us check in, and after the crack den it was VERY welcome. My friend went off to do some horse riding and I enjoyed the big comfy, clean bed with the view of the mountains, followed by a long bath in the lovely bathroom. The hotel even lent me and my friend some plug adaptors because we are both pretty stupid and forgot them.

Now armed with the use of 2 lovely big mirrors, we got ready for a night out in Reykjavik. The other convenient thing about the Radisson is that you can easily walk to Reykjavik town in about 10 minutes. We hadn’t booked or chosen anywhere for dinner so we ended up just going to the first place that looked busy and did food we both liked – Caruso. It turned out to be a pretty good decision. Shown upstairs to the rustic little room we were going to dine in complete with ski’s and exposed wooden beams, we realised we had made a great choice. The food matched the atmosphere and was just great, home cooked, filling winter warmers that were very welcome after a chilly walk into town. The wine was also good, according to my friend, and the guy playing the guitar completed the perfect, cute, Icelandic evening.

We went on to a bar in Reykjavik and it can’t have made a great impression on me because I forget what it was called. I can’t say it was particularly lively and I must admit even though I do not drink I am far from boring, so we moved on looking for somewhere with a bit more of a party atmosphere. This was also the evening we decided to celebrate my friends 30th as it was the next day but we were going to be out all day.

When we came across The American Bar we didn’t really want to go in, not because it didn’t look good just because we are the kinda gals that like exploring and doing different things, rather than going to American/English places while abroad. As soon as we heard the live singers we were draw straight in and it was great! The music was amazing, the drinks were not too expensive and the atmosphere was great – aside from one couple who looked like they were forced to be there at gunpoint. If you are out and about in Reykjavik on a Friday or Saturday night it’s definitely worth a visit.

Day 3 – The Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle

No trip to Iceland is complete without going to the Blue Lagoon. It is every bit as amazing as everyone makes it out to be. We got a basic admission package included with our Isango booking. All anyone else who paid more got was a towel, robe and flip flops but we took our own towels and flip flops so I can’t say we really missed out. The mud masks looked good but you can pay for them there so if we really wanted one we could have had one. When you arrive, you get a wristband and you are able to purchase extra’s including treatments, drinks outside, or drinks inside. If you are going, do what we did and go early. Watching the sun come up over the mountains while actually being in the water was an incredible experience. The main thing we were worried about was freezing to death getting in, but getting in is actually indoors and then you walk outside while in the water. There is also a sauna and a steam room that is included in the admission price, so if you do get a bit chilly it’s fine. The water is every bit as warm as people say, but it is a rather weird experience having your face get that cold.

Blue Lagoon Iceland

The changing rooms are really modern with all the amenities you need to get ready to carry on your day and most of all they are warm. If you are going to book the tour that includes the Golden Circle as well then leaving yourself about an hour to get ready will give you a good chance to get dry and warm because trust me, it’s freezing at the Golden Circle.

Visit Iceland

We went into Reykjavik to pick up the next coach and start our afternoon touring the Golden Circle. Our tour guide was a jolly, knowledgable guy who’s name escapes me because my friend insisted on calling him Boris. The first stop was Þingvellir National Park where excitingly you can walk between two continents. Unfortunately the childishness of both of us came out when we found out we would be hiking down a crevice, but it was really interesting.

The next stop was the Selfoss Gesyir. By this point it was really snowing. It isn’t that I don’t like nature, it’s just that I don’t like it when it is cold and in my face. The geyser goes off a few times every hour, and we were lucky enough to see it. It was something that was definitely worth seeing, but I am glad it was part of a tour and not just the main thing we were doing as it wasn’t exactly overwhelming.

Before the next stop the Gulfoss waterfall, we had kind of agreed we were going to look at whatever it was we needed to look at and get back indoors sharpish. I can’t really remember what I was expecting, but it wasn’t much. The Gulfoss waterfall is amazing. Standing there looking at something that incredible really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Gulfoss waterfall also has the added benefit that the amenities in that particular part of the National Park are really good and include a cafe where you can defrost.

Getting around Iceland

We flew with Norwegian Air on the way there and I was expecting great things after so many recommendations, but they were rubbish! The plane was freezing and the service was terrible. To get out and about while we were there, we booked most of our travel with Reykjavik Excursions and they were perfect! 100% book with them if you are going. On the way back we flew with Iceland Air to Heathrow. On the day we were due to fly there was a strike so we were delayed by a couple of hours. I have to admit, after being up at 2.30am and being told by them to go to the airport anyway when they KNEW the mechanics were going to be on strike we were a bit annoyed and there were a few exchanges on Twitter. They had known about the strike for months and it was really poor form not to be more prepared. Saying that, we were just being moaners. Some poor people got literally stranded there. We also got boarded a bit too soon and ended up being on the aircraft for over an hour, but Iceland Air’s aircraft to Heathrow from Keflavik are lovely. Because it is the first or second leg on some long haul flights, it is like flying long haul. Leather seats, loads of legroom, free tea and coffee and soft drinks and setback screens. Even though the trip is only 3 hours long it was like being on an Emrites flight and I loved the service and the plane itself. I would actually fly with them again despite the inconvenience of the strike, I would just hope that they have learned their lesson from the situation.

Is it as expensive as everyone says?

Short answer: yes. It is expensive, but it is just one of those things you are going to have to deal with if you are going to go. There probably are ways to do it on a budget if you don’t want to see much, but some of the trips and excursions are absolutely once in a lifetime things, so if you are going to go save up and do it properly. One thing I was surprised at was the Blue Lagoon, as the food and drink wasn’t anywhere near as rice as I thought it would be. The other thing I was surprised at was the food in general, as there really are not many cheap options for eating out.

Top travel tips for Iceland 

  • Book through Iceland Air to and from Heathrow. Because they are connecting flights you will most likely get the benefits of a lovely long haul plane. We booked through CheapOair.com and got a great deal.
  • Take flip flops, your own towel and a robe to the Blue Lagoon. Then you can just book the basic package. It’s also worth taking a spare hat you don’t mind getting wet as your face and head get really cold.
  • Book up to stay somewhere you can walk into town from. Taxi’s and busses can be hit and miss so the less you have to use them the better.
  • Check out the local swimming pools and geothermal spa’s. There are a couple dotted around Reykjavik that are a fraction of the price of the Blue Lagoon if that is too pricey for you.
  • Go up to the top of Reykjavik Cathedral on the first day. It’s really practical because you can find your way around, and it is also beautiful.
  • Eat seafood. It is REALLY fresh in Iceland as one would expect, and if you are going to try seafood anywhere it may as well be somewhere where the turnaround from catch to plate is about 24 hours.
  • Take snow boots, thermals and a proper coat, hat and gloves. When it snows, it really snows. Iceland isn’t messing about, especially when you start mooching around the Golden Circle.
  • Pay out that little extra to stay somewhere luxurious like the Radisson. It really does make all the difference when you have been walking around in the freezing cold all day.
  • Use a company like OneTravel to get a super cheap deal on a holiday to Iceland, then just convert to pounds. For some reason travel companies based abroad seem to have better deals than your native country.

 

 

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We Heart Mondays Christmas Food Festival

Haven’t you just always wanted to go to a London food festival?

Because the We Heart Mondays launch event was so good – I really didn’t need much convincing to go to their Christmas food festival. After trying all of the yummy treats on offer at the launch event, there was no way I was going to miss out on a event they were holding that was specifically about food! Based in Hackney, the We Love Monday’s HQ really isn’t that hard for me to get too and I found myself with enough time to sample everything on offer to ensure I could write an in depth review. Yep, that’s the reason I’m giving for making myself so full I felt sick and I’m sticking with it.

Afia’s Samosa Shop

Afias Samosa Shop

Occasionally, I’ll find a product or service through m blog that absolutely blows me away so much that I know I’ll end up being a customer for life. Afia’s Samosa Shop is one of those companies. Afia’s is a small company based in Birmingham that sells delicious Indian food online that is free of wheat and gluten. This is an amazing accomplishment because not only are Afia’s Samosas wheat and gluten free, they are also egg and dairy free. This means if you are a vegan or cannot have dairy (like me) you can still enjoy them. One of the things that struck me was how light and thin the pastry was. Anyone who has ever picked up one of those greasy samosa monstrosities from a garage will appreciate what I mean. Without making the pastry too thick – you can enjoy the flavour of the filling (either meat or vegetarian). I eat Indian food all the time and this is the nicest I have ever had. We also kindly got some Parathas and Onion Bhaji’s to take home which were easy to cook and delicious. I really wanted to film myself cooking them for my Youtube but unfortunately I couldn’t navigate my exceptionally rubbish phone while cooking them, so I will leave you with Afia’s video to show you how easy it is.

Biskgetz

Biskgetz

Not only were the ladies at the Biskgetz stand super fun – they were offering mocktails and vegan biscuits. Due to the dairy situation, I gravitate towards a lot of vegan food. Despite enjoying a digestive now and again, being as dairy free as possible means my days of coming home on a Friday and doing a whole packet of ginger nuts to myself are well and truly over. Not only are Biskgets vegan, delicious, and GMO free but they are available in a super handy pot so you can take them to work for your desk for a Friday treat.

Burley Fudge

Burley Fudge

Nestled in the small village of Burley in the New Forest, Burley Fudge are on a mission to take back control of mouth watering fudge treats that are packaged perfectly from all of the big brands muscling in on the market and getting it wrong. Their fudge literally melts in your mouth and if you know a fudge lover that is also keen on not eating animals they have a vegan offering which is just as tasty and packaged just as lovingly as the other offerings. They also have a “Fudge of the Month” club, which if I am being honest, sounds like a club I want to be in. They have an online shop, so you don’t need to hot foot down to the New Forest just to get your fudge fill, although I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to as it looks beautiful.

Karaway Bakery

Karaway Bread

The thing about bread is, everyone loves it. I don’t eat it too much but when I do I really enjoy it. We’ve had it drummed into us by various ‘health experts’ and fad diets that bread is the absolute devil when you want to try and be healthy but that really isn’t so. Rye bread is actually a lot more healthy than refined whitebread, and I am here to tell you that the Karaway Bakery make the most delicious rye bread you will ever put in your mouth. One of my favourites was the dark rye with nuts and raisins. The ladies were kind enough to give us some loaves to take home and I have been eating it all week. You can find them on Bourough Market, and although I haven’t had a chance yet I’ll be popping down before Christmas to stock up.

Nazani Tea

Nazani tea

If you read my blog on a regular basis you’ll know I’m an avid tea fan. So much so that I spent my last Friday night in Mei Leaf with a pot of Jade Star. Nazani Tea are cornering the tea market with the original idea of luxury herbal tea’. One of the main draws is that they put a lot of work into sourcing their tea and they can track the journey of it start to finish. Anything that passes your lips has been sourced and nurtured by Nazani directly. They grow tea in some really interesting places like Scotland and Greece and some of the brews are ones that you wouldn’t naturally appoint to herbal tea. One of the ones I liked the most was the Barley tea as it was a mild taste and really refreshing. Excited to see what they do in the future.

Pollen + Grace

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Is there anyone else out there with a food allergy and stomach condition that struggles to find stuff you can eat, remain a healthy weight and not have to eat stuff that tastes like wallpaper paste? Because, SAME. I honestly end up eating food I know for a fact that I shouldn’t for the pure fact that I just can’t find dairy free alternatives that are up to my taste test. Pollen + Grace do convenient, pre-packaged vegan food pots that will do you for breakfast, lunch and dinner without too much effort. I tried the Dahl which was absolutely amazing and then I had the Chia pot to take home with me. I really struggle to find nice things for breakfast so it was a welcome treat and certainly good for me. The great thing is they are stocked in Whole Foods, ad considering Whole Foods are popping up everywhere but the Venezuelan Amazon you are never too far away from a quick and easy vegan meal.

Seamore Food

Seamore food

The first few months I was a vegetarian I couldn’t have cared less about eating meat and it didn’t even enter my head. I’d watch my friends devouring burgers and have absolutely no feeling about it what so ever. Six months down the line – I’m struggling. Seeing as there really isn’t a way to eat meat without killing animals (believe me, I’ve looked into it), Seamore’s seaweed bacon was a completely welcome idea. The best bit? It actually does taste like bacon. They also do seaweed tagliatelle for those who want a healthier option to pasta.

Coconut Collaborative

Coconut Collaborative

Another reason I love We Heart Monday’s is that they are all about finding brands that can be enjoyed by everybody. There is always so much dairy free food on offer at the events and they are one of the only places that hold events where I don’t feel like I have to miss out. Coconut Collaborative make delicious coconut milk yoghurts and desserts, and they also have other treats available on their online store. If you want a top tip, stirring in the chocolate dessert to the vanilla yoghurt is the nicest treat you will ever give yourself for breakfast.

Gosnells

Gosnells

Gosnells mead is quite an innovative idea that stemmed from a genuine interest in mead and how it could be brewed in a way to give a different taste to products that are currently on the market. Fermented from honey, mead gives a light, crisp taste that is something more refreshing than similar products on the market. As I don’t drink I didn’t try it, but my Mum did and she thought it was awesome, which is a great testament to them as she is the fussiest woman on earth!

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Why Essex ‘ProseccoFest’ was a HUGE Rip Off

Having made my peace with the fact that I do not drink alcohol, and my friends do, I was under no illusions that going to a prosecco festival for my friends 30th birthday would grant me the same experience as everyone in the group who was drinking would have. That being said I am absolutely shocked that the event itself was so bad. I’ve always heard great things about Best Parties Ever and I’ve always loved Barleylands so I am obviously surprised either company would allow themselves to be associated with something that is quite clearly a scam.

The tickets for the event on the 18th of November set us back £19.70 each. You can get them online through Eventbrite, and as someone quite rightly pointed out – they do not profess to include anything in the ticket price. Fair enough. No one from our party was expecting anything free but the basics were not even supplied and the drinks in there were so grossly overpriced I’m not at all left wondering why no one was even remotely tipsy by the end. 

When we arrived, we were quite abruptly told that we would need to wait until 11am because we were ten minutes early. We actually ended up getting let in about 11.10am, so they can’t be that particular about timings. The venue itself was beautiful if not a bit empty. The tokens were 3 for £10 or 20 for £60 and that doesn’t sound too bad until you find out that ONE glass of prosecco is 2 tokens and a bottle is 10 to 14 tokens. If you can’t do that math that means a glass works out at £6.66 and a bottle works out to £33.30 on the lower scale.

For a non-drinker you would think that the day would be less expensive, but unfortunately a cup of flat coke from a bottle will set you back a token, and so will a water.

Staff were incredibly unhelpful on the day. We were turned away from a number of bars after asking for advertised drinks with staff either telling us to go to another bar or point blank that they did not know why they were advertised as they were not available. To be honest it’s lucky we spent so much of the day chasing things we couldn’t actually buy because there was sod all else to do.

One of the main problems only occurred to use after about an hour after we had all started to getting serious leg cramp. There was NO WHERE to sit down. Yes, customers are expected to stand for the full five hour session. We resorted to sitting on the floor. So for £20 we got a band for ten mins, some cheesy disco music and to sit on a cold hard floor in the middle of a farm. Great success.

After the event, I put across my views of the day (as did many others) on the Facebook page. Unfortunately, ProseccoFest have been snidely deleting anything negative from their page. This is an art form mastered by scammers – the reason they are doing this is because there is an event next week and they just want to scam the next lot of unsuspecting idiots out of £100s.

To make this article fair, I looked for some contact details to ask if a manager wanted to explain some of the reasons for the above complaints. There were none. You can only find their email address if you go right into their terms and conditions, and in true scammer style they have not answered me. Many people have been saying they are going to ask for a refund, but it is obvious they are just going to take everyones money and run.

Thankfully, a few people I know and who are active on the page have said they are not going now next week because of all of the negative reviews. Hopefully this will be the last time Best Parties Ever and Barleylands let themselves get associated with something that is quite clearly dodgy.

If you do not believe just my opinion, here are some of the Facebook comments I screenshotted before they get a chance to delete them. I’ve edited out names as I have not had time to contact everyone and ask if I am able to use their first name and last name in a post.

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*UPDATE*

ProseccoFest have now changed their prices and are still refusing to refund those of us that have paid full price already.

Fortunately, you CAN complain about the event. 

Had a reply from the council:
  

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We Heart Mondays Launch Event

image2-5.JPGRecently I was invited to the launch of an innovative new workspace in London that is available for female influencers to use, socialise and find out more about brands who have teamed up with the company running the space. Co-working spaces are a hugely popular idea at the moment, so I was interested to learn more about the set up and what the main idea was behind the way they were going to use the space.

The Premise

The premise of We Heart Monday’s is a group of female influencers from all different backgrounds who support each other and share ideas. In We Love Monday’s own words from their website:

“If you’re a blogger, social media influencer, freelancer, or you just love the idea of being your own boss, we are here to provide you with both virtual and physical spaces and community to help you be creative, work, grow, network, plan and accomplish your goals, collaborate, learn and provide you with the tools you need to love what you do so much, that you’ll no longer dread Mondays.”

The Workspace

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The shared workspace is a beautiful room in Hackney. The closest station is Hackney Wick and although the underground isn’t particularly close (about a 20 minute walk from Bow Road), there is a bus stop directly outside of the industrial estate that takes you to both the nearest underground and overground stations (I commute from Essex and you can get to West Ham to get the C2C).

For the launch event, the space was obviously set out so that people could make use of the tables and chairs but also still have a wander and look at all of the brands that were attending stalls. When it is a workspace there will obviously be more in the way of practical desk space, and there is also a cool room with a TV monitor that you can use to film Youtube videos.

The Launch

The launch was at the actual space in Hackney on a Monday which was perfect as I had spent the day in the city going to and from job interviews. When we arrived all of the various brands were setting up their stall’s and not only were there loads of food treats on offer but there were also opportunities to have your make up done and do a bit of blogger speed dating. I did a bit of blogger speed dating with the lovely Sammi from Always Rains Glitter and the questions were really hard! One of them was “would you rather give up showering for a month or social media?”. Seriously, how can you answer that?

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One of the things that struck me about the launch was how inclusive they made it by picking the right brands. I’m not meant to have dairy in large quantities but because some of the stuff was dairy free it meant I could enjoy a huge milkshake just like everyone else without worrying about being struck down by stomach pain on the way home. Another great thing was that all of the people on the stall representing the brands were super friendly and helpful and we were able to find out a lot about the products and how to use them.

I had my makeup done by the MLA Make Up academy and I could not be more gutted as my pictures didn’t come out too well. They did a luscious glittery nude eye though and I loved it. If you are in doubt about how good they are you only have to check out their Twitter to see how good they are. I was really thrilled that they listened to me and kept it subtle as I had to get a bus and a train home and was a bit worried about looking a bit hooker-y.

The Brands

The brands that the guys pulled together for the launch were great and from what I can gather they have ongoing relationships with them so there will be plenty more treats in store for anyone using the space.

Biotiful Dairy

Kefir is hot right now and Biotiful Dairy have loads of different products allowing you to get your fix.  Not only is it nutritionally good for you but there are loads of health benefits from drinking Kefir. They have a range of products but my favourite was definitely the Raspberry Kefir smoothie.

Bounce Foods

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You have probably seen Bounce Foods without even realising as they the makers of bounce balls. They sell these at my gym and I usually have the coconut one and I had absolutely no idea they did a peanut butter one. Packed with protein – this is one treat that actually gives you energy rather than a sugar rush and a mid-afternoon slump. I got to take a peanut butter one home and I think I’m going to harass my gym to stick these asap!

Coyo

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By far one of my favourites, Coyo create dairy free yoghurt and ice cream with coconut milk. Again, I can’t have cows milk so this immediately caught my eye. While chatting to the guy about the products he gave me a pot of the plain coconut flavour and told me it was really good in curry. this was great as although the coconut milk is fine I am usually unable to put yoghurt in my curry. Because this was a mixture of both products and dairy free, I made a korma with it a couple of days later and it was delicious!

Lucy’s Dressings

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Lucy’s Dressings had a stall where people could taste test – so I obviously went for the spicy one as that is seriously my thing. I don’t actually like mayonnaise or many of the traditional salad dressings – but I tried the Asian Dressing and it was amazing. They do cute little packets that are perfect for taking your salad dressing to work which is handy as I have had a tobacco smashing in the bag situation before and it was NOT pretty.

Pink Parcel

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The guys at Pink Parcel were another one of my favourites. This is an amazing idea – a subscription box for when you are having that time of the month. Not only does it include practical sanitary items that you can chose and personalise yourself – but it also contains treats like make up and chocolate. We got one to test and it had LOADS in it, so I looked up subscribing online and it is only £12.99 per month, which is amazing for what you get in it.

Cupcakes and Shhht

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Cupcakes and Shhht are an amazing, vegan, dairy free cupcake company that do loads of tasty treats including milkshakes. I had a freakshake with two cakes and some cream and it was amazing to me that it was fully vegan. It was so pretty and tasty! Their stand can be hired for events and special occasions like birthdays, and you know, Tuesdays.

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There were a few other brands who’s stalls I literally didn’t have a chance to get round – but they are all long term collaborators so I am sure I will at future events.

Bloggers I Met

Always Rains Glitter

Kanndiss Riley

Eat Sketch Love

Rasa Podertye (London College of Style)

All lovely ladies, give them a follow!

 

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A Trip To Greece For Under £400

Recently I took a trip to Greece to see some friends. As someone who has travelled to many of the Greek islands – I often forget just how good the mainland is. Once I had tallied up how much I had spent over my long weekend, I realised there were a few things I could have done a lot cheaper and thought that maybe it would be a great idea for a blog.

Getting there – CheapOair: £80

CheapOair LogoI will literally never book with anyone but CheapOair.com. My hand luggage only Ryanair flight to Thessaloniki only cost me £80 return which was amazing. I got a deal through them and I did actually check on the Ryanair website as they always claim to be cheaper if you book direct but that’s 100% a lie. Obviously, going with a budget airline means that you don’t get any frills, but with a just over 3 hour flight when it is low season you can probably make do. Try and get a flight on the Friday morning for your long weekend to start early.

Transfer from Thessaloniki – Suntransfer or Holiday Taxi’s: £25

I got a private transfer which was unnecessarily expensive. Get a one way with a transfer company as you won’t need it on the way back on Monday. There are loads of companies that do transfers from Thessaloniki airport and all of them are about the same price.

Where to stay – Kiwi Hotel: £143 for 3 nights

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Kiwi hotel is always my first choice when I go to this area. The price is right and it is a small family run hotel which makes it super friendly. There is a swimming pool for those hotter days and all of the rooms have a sea view. The great thing is anywhere good is about 8 euro in a taxi – but all of the hotels in these places are double the price. Setting up New Fokea as your base camp is a great way to save those pennies.

Get A Gyros In Nea Fokea: £2

Nea Fokea town is relatively small, but it is a short walk from Kiwi and no doubt you will be hungry from your flight. Wander up to the gyros shop and grab a traditional Greek kebab for about 3 euro. While you are there you can wander and get your bearings. There are some lovely little restaurants and bars on the actual beach and if you brave the climb up to the old castle you be able to see miles of the coastline from the top.

First night in Kalithea: £40

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Get a taxi into Kalithea and enjoy dinner and a couple of drinks in one of the bars. Kalithea has loads of rooftop bars with beautiful views so if the weather is pleasant enough you can spend hours here people watching.

Day 2 in Afitos: £4

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I really can’t remember how much the bus actually is to Afitos but I know it is 9.50 euro to Thessaloniki to Afitos and New Fokea is much nearer. Afitos is a beautiful, traditional Greek town with plenty of nice views and things to do. Again, it is quite high up so you can enjoy very panoramic, Instagrammable views from some of the rooftop bars. There is also a Greek folklore museum if the sort of thing takes your fancy.

Dinner in New Fokea – Ta Kymata: £15

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Ta Kymata in Nea Fokea is a cute little fish restaurant with tables right by the sea. It does loads of different things if you do not like fish and the wine is pretty good here too. Depending on what you have a meal here really does not need to be expensive – the spaghetti napolinita is only 8 euro.

Day 3 – A bus trip to Sani: £40

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Sani is the home to the world famous Sani resort and a return bus journey will set you back about 6 euros. Although the marina is reserved for guests, there is a beach bar called Anemos. Once you have had a drink at Anemos and maybe even some food you are able to wander up to Sani Marina which is more or less the focal point of the resort. It isn’t uncommon for celebrities to moor their yachts on the marina and have dinner i

n one of the restaurants. There is a great place called Mojitos which is quite inexpensive for where it is. It has wonderful views of the marina and a lot of the time they have live music.

Last day – Thessaloniki and the airport: £50

Travel Massive Thessaloniki

Get up early and crack on with going to Thessaloniki for the day for your last day. It is where the airport is anyway, so this is the best day to fit it in. It’s advisable to take a small bag to travel with if you are going to do this on the last day – rather than a suitcase. The bus into Thessaloniki is around 13 euro and it takes you into the bus station that you will need to use to get the bus onward to the airport later on – so it’s easy to get your bearings. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and it is jam packed with things to do. There is a shopping centre called Cosmos if that is what floats your boat and plenty of places to eat and drink. If history is your thing there are plenty of archaeological sites like the forum and the Byzantine walls of the city. Thessaloniki is known as quite a ‘hip’ city in Greece, which means there are plenty of restaurants and bars to pass a couple of hours in if you get bored of all of the things to see and do.

Total Spend: £399

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Bottomless Brunch At The Bad Egg, Moorgate

Over the weekend I went to The Bad Egg in Moorgate for one of my friends 30th birthdays.  I know a bottomless brunch sounds absolutely ridiculous if you don’t drink alcohol, but I’m not just going to long off everyone’s social events.

The Bad Egg is the hottest place in London. No, literally, it is the HOTTEST place in London. Maybe they crank up the temperature to get everyone out quick before they get their monies worth of prosecco. My advice before you even enter is to wear a vest top and flip flops.

The bottomless brunch consists of two courses and bottomless prosecco or mimosas. If you are alcohol free like me you can get bottomless soft drinks and tea and coffee, although I would advise against the coffee unless you want to absolutely sweat your tits off. The two courses I chose were the mac n cheese balls and the pancakes with jam and cream. I know that sounds like a really random combo but there was vegetarian stuff that wasn’t really taking my fancy on the menu and I had just found out I have lost quite a bit of weight over the last few weeks so I thought I’d treat myself.

The mac n cheese balls were basically deep fried balls of mac n cheese. They were greasy and splendid and the perfect comfort food. Let’s face it you will more than likely be going here for a special occasion so why not have a blowout and eat about 1200 calories in one go. I swear to god if I ever find out to make these I will be the size of a house, so I am deliberately not looking it up. The pancakes with maple syrup, jam and cream were absolutely delicious, if a bit sickly for me as I don’t usually eat things like this. Compared to some of the other places I have had the pleasure of eating in London – the food isn’t great here. There is also a seriously stupid toilet situation (one for the whole restaurant). But did it stop me having a good time? Absolutely not. The girls managed to do 8 prosecco’s in the two hour time slot, which is a pretty good effort if you ask me. The Bad Egg isn’t somewhere you come for fine dining or a wine list that includes a nice chateauneuf du pape. IT is, however, a place you can come for a good laugh, plenty of alcohol and some perfectly adequate food. The staff are super friendly, and the waitress didn’t even chuck me out for getting over excited and doing a party popper when she came to take our order. You can’t say fairer than that, and it certainly is a great place to celebrate a birthday. Just go to the loo before you leave the house.

The ‘bottomless brunch’ is £32.00 for the alcoholic option and £20.50 for the ‘virgin’ version. You will need to book ahead as it gets busy – especially on weekends

 

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