Something A Bit Different
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The Big Travel Adventure: 5 stages of OMFG!
I’ve done something very uncharacteristic. Something reckless. Something bloody terrifying! I’m nearly 40 and I’ve given up my job, my home and my life here in London to set off on the travel adventure of my life. WTAF am I doing? Here’s the deal. At the beginning of August I shall vacate my beloved home and get on a plane to Sri Lanka. And that’s about all I know for certain. I don’t know where I’ll travel to after my first few nights. I don’t know how I’m going to spend my time when I arrive. But I do know that my time here in London was – sadly…
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The Best Food and Drink of 2016
Yes, everyone keeps saying that 2016 has been the worst year ever. But when it comes to food and drink, this year has been a cracker. With more new restaurants and more foodie entrepreneurs than ever, there is no excuse to eat badly. Here are the best things that I snaffled into my greedy face this year: Chicken and pistachio shish from Arabica Bar & Kitchen I wanted to eat everything on Arabica Bar & Kitchen’s menu. I’ve eaten a lot of samey mezze over the years, but these guys really know how to sex it up. It’s easy to be bamboozled by choice; however, you should definitely include the…
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Tub 4 Grub/The Collective
I have a confession to make. I hardly ever cook. For someone who writes about food, this is a little embarrassing. The thing is, I used to love cooking. I’m a total feeder. I cooked for friends, colleagues and loved ones, and I would always go crazy, making more food than they could possibly eat. I cooked for my boyfriend all the time. In fact, I became a proper little domestic goddess, enjoying nothing more than getting out of bed at the crack of dawn to cook him an amazing breakfast. We hosted parties together and I would push myself to produce fantastic dishes to impress his friends. I baked…
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Tequila, mezcal and all things agave
Hands up if you have ever had a “bad experience” with tequila. Ok, hands up if you think tequila tastes pretty nasty. Just so you know – my hand was up both times. I may like alcohol to bite back, but tequila has never floated my boat. To me, it’s just firewater with about as much subtlety as a house brick. Now, hands up if you have heard of mezcal. Until recently, this drink wasn’t even on my radar, let alone my palate. So when I had the opportunity to go to a festival celebrating all things agave, I jumped at it. I would get to do some mezcal tasting and maybe…
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A Mexican adventure with Yelp
Everyone’s a critic these days. And with so many apps and websites around, having your say on a bar, restaurant or hotel has never been easier. But how do you pick your weapon of choice? Really, what’s the difference between them all? Well, most of you have probably heard of Yelp. But what you may not know is that they also organise events and reward their members with something other than a virtual badge. If you write lots of reviews, you eventually get made into a “Yelp Elite” which gives you access to all sorts of goodies. I’m not a “Yelper” (as they like to call themselves), but I was…
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Mercato Metropolitano
Every now and then, a magical night happens in London. They are little gems, strung together like a Swarovski bracelet, that remind you why you love living in a big, chaotic city. I recently experienced one of those nights at, believe it or not, a disused factory down the road from Elephant and Castle station. Sounds a bit odd? Well, this old factory has been transformed into the most wonderful food market called Mercato Metropolitano. If Italian food is your thing, then this is the place to be. And if Italian food just makes you yawn and shrug your shoulders, then this is definitely the place to be, because your mind will be changed. Mercato…
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10 Food Brands You Need In Your Life
I’m guilty of being horribly lazy when it comes to food. There are so many new brands coming onto the market every day that working out what’s what can sometimes feel like way too much hassle. Recently, however, I’ve dragged myself out of my food rut and complied a list of speciality food brands which will amuse your bouche. Zooteek With the arrival of restaurants like Pix and Eneko, Basque food is finally having its moment here in the UK. It’s perhaps best known for pintxos – small snacks such as slices of bread topped with meat or fish and held together with a toothpick – but don’t make the mistake of thinking…
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The Big Travel Adventure: 5 stages of OMFG!
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The Polish Bakery
In the murkiness of a post-Brexit world, there is one thing for certain. Living in London has allowed me unparalleled access to a huge array of cultures and new experiences. I feel so lucky to be able to choose from cuisines as eclectic as Eritrean or Ecuadorian, Swedish or Swiss. However, I do have a weakness for food from one area in particular – and that’s Poland. I travelled to Krakow last year where I engaged in acts of unspeakable gluttony. It’s very difficult not to overindulge when you are confronted with delights such as pierogi, boar steak and apple cake. Fortunately the large Polish community within London means that I am able to…
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Gold Rush
Channelling my inner Yosemite Sam isn’t something I tend to do very often. Yet last Friday night I found myself “yee haw”-ing to my heart’s content, whilst downing shots of buffalo juice. This was not some marathon session of Looney Tunes, however. It was Gold Rush. Gold Rush is the latest pop up from Django Bango. Sounding like a cross between a Tarantino film and a 90’s dance tune, the team have previously held successful events such as Wild West Town in Shoreditch earlier this year. Gold Rush sticks to the Wild West theme; this time transforming a steel yard in Vauxhall into a gold mine worthy of the Klondike. A…
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Syrian Supper Club – Part 2
A little while ago I wrote about the Syrian Supper Club and the Hands Up Foundation; a group of young people who were motivated to start a pop-up event aimed at raising money for those affected by the crisis in Syria. Well, the sound of all that Middle Eastern food made me really hungry so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and check out one of their supper clubs. Supper clubs are very much on trend at the moment, but I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I had never been to one before. There are so many to choose from, where do you even start? So…
