Exploring the UK: Maltby Street Market, Bermondsey, South London

There's nothing I love more than strolling around a food market, sampling all the delicious treats on offer and trying new dishes. After trying Borough, Greenwich and Brockley, it was time to tick another one off my list. This time it was Maltby Street Market in Bermondsey, South London. Not too far from the famous Borough Market.

Ropewalk is a lively street food market located on Maltby Street in Bermondsey, South London. It has food stalls, wine bars in the arches and pop-up restaurants, perfect for foodies to get their fix. It's open from 9am - 4pm on a Saturday, making it the perfect place to whittle away a lazy day. It does get very busy so if crowds aren't your thing then make sure you get there early. The early bird catches the worm after all.

With many well-known street food traders such as Waffle On, The Cheese Truck and Finest Fayre all on offer, there's something to suit even the fussiest of eaters. With gin connoisseurs Little Bird Gin and wine bar St John, it'll be rude not to stop for a while for a little drink. If the hoards of tourists at Borough Market are a bit too much, then Maltby Street will be just the ticket.

Read more

Review: Flesh and Buns, Covent Garden, London

Flesh and Buns had been on my list for a while but I'd never really made it there. That's what happens when you work in a city where numerous new restaurants open each week - you can hardly keep up! But when I wanted to celebrate my birthday with my internet friends back in January and Hannah casually dropped in the famous Sunday Japanese brunch, my mind was made up. I finally had my chance to visit.

For £46 you were given a delicious cocktail on arrival, chips, dips and edamane, unlimited hot and cold dishes, signature flesh and buns, unlimited prosecco and dessert for the table. When a plate of mixed sashimi is £12, this works out to be one hell of a deal. So of course we went to town and ordered one of everything off the menu. You gotta try it all right?!

Everything was absolutely delicious and we were still talking about the meal a week later. Personal highlights for me was the crispy, spicy Korean fried chicken wings, the fresh soft shell sushi, the tender flat iron steak in a soft steamed bun and peppery fried squid. I could have order so much more. - especially those juicy chicken wings. The sweet and sour sauce was so addictive.

No indulgent brunch is ever complete without a little dessert. We had the famous s'mores with passionfruit marshmallows, almond chocolate and crumbly biscuits. There's something that make you feel a bit like you've regressed to a child when you have to create your own food! Next up for the gooey chocolate fondant with matcha ice cream. Delicious!

It was honestly one of my favourite meals I've had in the city and can't wait to book my next trip back. Despite the bill coming to over £50 a head, it really was such great value for money. We ate until we were fit to burst and certainly took lots of advantage of the unlimited fizz. Definitely a great way to spend a lazy Sunday.

Read more

Exploring the UK: Freeport Outlet Centre, Braintree, Essex

As much as I love the Big Smoke, I'm a little partial to my home county of Essex. Despite our reputation among others... I love exploring old favourites and new to me parts - it's home to some cracking places. One old favourite is the Freeport outlet centre in Braintree so when they got in touch to see if I fancied a day out, I quickly said yes.

Armed with a very generous voucher, I set off shop until I dropped. Freeport is home to a whole host of shops from homeware to beauty and fashion to electrical, there really is something for everyone. Lots of well-known retailers boast a shop at the outlet village. Ted baker, Adidas, Barbour, French Connection, Vans, M&S, Karen Millen and Hobbs are to name but a few. Thanks to my trip to Cologne coming up in a few days, I was on the hunt for some new bits and pieces to take there. Luckily I had no trouble finding things for my trip.

On the hunt for some comfortable shoes, something I don't own much of, I headed to Vans to treat myself to some plimsols. I was greeted with such a huge selection of different colours and styles and finally settled on a pair of plain black slim fit shoes. Then off to The Body Shop I went to stock up on some beauty bits and bobs for my holidays. The hand luggage restrictions get me every time. Finally I decided to treat my boyfriend to a new adidas zip up jumper to say thank you for being the chauffeur for the day. Not bad right?

Freeport really is a great day out, it's less than a hour from London on the train and savings can be up to 60% off the retail price. It's a fantastic place to get all your favourite fashion brands at a good discount. It means you can buy more right?! There's such a great selection of shops and new ones are opening all the time. It's easy to navigate and thanks to the industrial estate opposite, there's some fantastic places to eat - and even a cinema if you fancy relaxing after all that shopping!

Read more

Recipe: Ultimate mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is one of my all-time favourite comfort dishes. It's so hard to get right but when it's cook to perfectly, it tastes heavenly. Just not the most photogenic of food dishes! So when I was kindly sent some Norwegian Jarlsberg cheese I decided to attempt it for the first time. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe as a base. Jarlsberg is a great cheese to use because it still keeps it's intense nutty flavour when it's melted.

Feeds 4

Ingredients:
20g butter
1.5 heaped tbsp plain flour
4 tsp of lazy garlic
3 bay leaves
1 pint of semi-skimmed milk
300g macaroni pasta
1 pack of cherry tomatoes
4 rashers of bacon
Splash of Worcester sauce
150g grated Jarlsberg cheese*
100g grated parmesan cheese
1 big handful of breadcrumbs
Olive oil

Method:

1. Grill the bacon under the grill until it is nice and crispy. Once cooked, put aside to cool down.

2. While the bacon is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat, add the flour then turn the heat up to medium. Keep staring until you get a paste like mixture.

3. Add the garlic and keep stirring until the garlic is nice and golden. Add the bay leaves.

4. Slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce is lovely and smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and then leave it to simmer. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Preheat the oven to around 200 degrees.

5. Boil some water and add the pasta. Cook to the packet instructions.

6. Meanwhile roughly chop the tomatoes and bacon. Season them with salt and pepper to your taste.

7. Once the pasts is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Then add the grated cheeses, tomatoes, bacon and Worcester sauce.

8. Make sure the sauce isn't too thick as it will thicken in the oven. Add some water if you need too.

9. Transfer the mixture into a oven-proof casserole pan before popping in the oven for around 30 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and golden brown.

10. Whilst it cooked, heat some olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat before popping in the breadcrumbs. Stir and toss the breadcrumbs around until they're crispy but not too burnt!

11. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the finished mac and cheese for a lovely cranky topping before tucking in. Enjoy!

As always, please do let me me know if you give this a whirl and drop me a tweet!

Read more

Hotel review: Qbic Hotel London City, Aldgate East, East London

I love a staycation in London so when my boyfriend and I booked ourselves gig tickets on our anniversary night I decided to throw caution to the wind and look for a hotel for the night. I came across Qbic Hotel London City. Based in Aldgate East, it was the perfect location from home. Only about 45 minutes on the tube and ridiculously close to Duck and Waffle for our brunch the next day. Brick Lane is one of my favourite areas in London so it was a good excuse to have a wander around the markets the next day.

For just over £100 a night per room, we opted for the second cheapest. Gotta have some luxury on an anniversary night right! I wanted something that looked a little quirky, stylish and had character. Chain hotels can feel sterile and boring. I think Qbic ticked all the boxes. I loved all the fun little touches hidden around the hotel such as the teddy do not disturb sign, the hosepipe lamp at the end of the bed, postcards of the local area and the slightly awkward lady above the bed - her eyes felt like they followed me around the room.

The bed was enormous and the room was spacious and light - something that some city hotels fail to get right. They can feel cramped and gloomy. I had a great nights sleep and it was a struggle to get up in the morning.

I couldn't fault the staff and they were even kind enough to let us leave our suitcases there the next while we explored the city - without charge! Checking in and out was a breeze and the free coffee machine on each floor was a lovely touch. I'd definitely recommend booking a room if you're ever visiting London - it's nice to have somewhere a little bit cool to head home after a day in the city.

Read more

OOTD: The everyday brown ankle boots

Outfit:
Grey multi colour roll neck: New Look (similar)
Khaki blanket coat: TK Maxx (similar)
Grey ripped knee jeans: New Look
Tan suede ankle boots: Next (similar)
Poppy red Lily: Mulberry

Gosh the temperature seems to have dropped this last few days eh? I thought Spring was suppose to be making an appearance now! The cold snap has meant layers are keys to keeping warm. Luckily a chunky roll neck jumper and oversized blanket coat have been helping. A pair of tan ankle boots are such staple in any wardrobe and these ones feel like wearing slippers. So comfy. Definitely no blisters from these. Just as well really as I walked a staggering 14km that day!

I wore this at the weekend for a day of exploring South London with Lily, Sarah and expert photographer Hannah. It was a day of eating. Lots of eating. We stumbled across these almshouses in Bermondsey during a wander down to Maltby Street market. It's amazing what you can find once you wander of the beaten track. London is full of surprises.

Read more

February Social

I've decided to start a monthly series featuring what I've been doing. The weeks are going past so fast that I just don't have time to blog about everything individually. Just how is it nearly March already? But I've had fun so I feel my shenanigans don't deserve to go undocumented. Here is what I managed to do in February - it seems I spent a lot of time in Brixton!

Strada, London Bridge
At the end of January - it's nearly February! - I was invited to an evening with Strada at London Bridge. They were celebrating the end of Dry January and showcasing their selection of non-alcoholic drinks. And lots and lots of delicious nibbles. I was very impressed! I didn't even know there was such a wide selection at the restaurant and drinking them make me realise that you really don't miss out when you opt out of wine. I'll definitely be looking out for the sparkling non-alcoholic prosecco next time I'm there!

Bloc Party, o2 Academy, Brixton
Bloc Party are my favourite band in the world. 11 years this 50 Cent and Sean Paul loving, Von Dutch hat wearing girl stumbled across Silent Alarm - stolen from her brother - at my friends house. We put it on and it changed my life. This fast and furious band with fierce political lyrics and cracking riffs just spoke to me. Even now Helicopter still gives me all the feels as it did when I was 16. Silent Alarm is my all time favourite album - nothing beats it for me. As always the band were a pleasure to watch. This now skinny jean wearer, guitar loving, converse wearing and indie girl owes them a lot.

Fish, Wings and Tings, Brixton
This Caribbean restaurant in Brixton Market has been on my to-try list for a very long time. Afro-Caribbean food is by far my favourite cuisine so I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to try this place. We had a spare hour of so before a gig so decided to finally tick it off the list. I opted for incredible codfish fritters with a milky sauce - so soft and addictive - with curried goat for my main course. Served with homemade slaw and a pineapple chutney-type sauce, it was pure comfort food. I'm desperate to go back and order that jerk chicken - just look at that sauce!

The Lion King, West End
My sister-in-law got extra brownies points this year when she took me to see The Lion King for my birthday. Can you believe it's been at the west End for 17 years?! Crazy. It. Was. Incredible. Emotional, entertaining and awe-inspiring. Within minutes I'd completely forgot I was watching actor in costumes and was transfixed. It felt like I was watching real animals in Africa. I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Bukowski, Brixton
With our first choice for dinner fully booked, we picked this burger joint on a whim. While it's not the best burger I've ever had, it was a good shout. The puck nuggets were the best thing about the meal - I could have eaten them until I went pop. Deep fried duck and pork nuggets smothered in Korean spices with a spicy Kimchi dip. Yeah like I said, I could have eaten them forever. Keeping in with my recent avocado obsession, I pumped for The Californian. A juicy beef patty was piled high with crunchy lettuce, spicy chipotle mayo, Monterey Jack cheese, crispy bacon, a tomato, red onion and creamy avocado. Just as good as it sounds! The avocado was a revelation in a burger and something I'm keen to repeat soon!

Hozier, o2 Academy, Brixton
On the same night as Bukowski, we had a date at the Academy to see Hozier. Take Me To Church was one of my favourite songs of last year. The Irish star has such a haunting, soulful voice that sounds absolutely beautiful live. It was such a chilled out, enjoyable gig and I'd definitely be booking up tickets again next time he tours.

Read more