A Street Food Extravaganza at Deptford’s Job Centre

May 13, 2015May 13, 201528 Comments

An employment job centre isn’t usually somewhere I’d consider spending an evening, but Deptford’s Job Centre isn’t exactly what you’d expect. Having been turned into a quirky relaxed bar, it now attracts a whole host of people, not just those who are on benefits or looking for a job. Every Thursday to Saturday evenings, Kitchen Hijack takes over with a mouth-watering selection of street foods from some of London’s best pop-up vendors.

As soon as I heard about this place from Kasha I knew it was somewhere I just had to try out. Street food and cocktails in a quirky bar? It sounded like my perfect place to spend an evening!

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The Best of Florence with Walks of Italy

April 23, 2015October 8, 201522 Comments

The smaller and cuter version of me used to be a bit of a history and art buff, always eager to visit museums and learn as much as I could, devotedly listening to my nan’s history lessons whenever we explored anywhere new. Now, when I explore somewhere new, I prefer getting to know the place I’m in by trying the local food and meeting people, sitting and watching the city come to life and getting lost off the beaten track. Museums don’t interest me as much and there’s a limit to the amount of history, facts and figures my brain can take before my eyes start to droop with boredom.

But our trip to Florence threw us headfirst into a city bursting with a rich history, some of the world’s greatest art, more churches and cathedrals than we could possibly visit in 2 days, and all at the centre of the Italian Renaissance. Even though simply eating our way around Florence would have sufficed for the whole trip (seriously, the food is amazing), I didn’t want to leave without learning more about this beautiful city.

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The Perfect Way To Start A Holiday: Bloc Hotel Gatwick

March 10, 2015March 10, 201517 Comments

Ever since I was a little girl, the start of a holiday has always been getting up at stupid o’clock in the middle of the night, the sky still pitch black outside and not a sound to be heard as we pack up the car to head off to the airport. When I book holidays now I will always pick the earliest morning flight there is, not only because it means we get more time away, but also because my older self still loves starting holidays in this way.

Mr Ayla, on the other hand, isn’t such a massive fan of the early starts. He moans and groans about only getting a nap for a night’s sleep and he hates having to wake himself up properly if he’s the one to drive to the airport while I relax in the passenger seat.

So ahead of our long flight to Cuba I thought it only fair that he get a good night’s sleep and we decided to try out an airport hotel for the first time.

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The Book of Everyone

February 9, 20158 Comments

While I wouldn’t call myself spoilt, I do like being treated to a gift or two. Something as simple as a little box of chocolates or something more extravagant (hint hint) will always make my day. Everyone loves receiving gifts; even those people who say they don’t want anything for their birthday, we all know you’re lying and would be secretly devastated if you ended up with no presents.

I also love giving gifts – not the standard body wash or socks present – that’s not my kind of style. I tend to go on the hunt for something more quirky and individual which I know the person I’m buying for will love. Watching them tear open the shiny wrapping paper, eagerly looking inside, and the look of glee (I hope!) on their face as they find out what they’ve got.

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Afternoon Tea with a Twist at BRGR.CO

January 15, 2015January 19, 201515 Comments

Afternoon tea is one of those quintessentially English things that everyone has to do at least once in their life. Or preferably once every few months if you become addicted to it, much like I have.

London is chock-a-block full of a huge variety of places serving afternoon tea. From a fancy high tea, traditional afternoon tea or a more modern tea with a unique theme; whichever one it is, I love them all. Savoury snacks, warm scones smothered with clotted cream, different flavours of tea from all over the world, and enough sweet nibbles to leave you well and truly satisfied.

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New Year Adventures…

January 6, 2015January 19, 201515 Comments

I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog and social media front lately as, to put it simply, I was just having too much fun over the holidays. Relaxing, playing board games, eating way too many pigs in blankets and chocolate Roses, and enjoying some time just switching off. Seeing as we pretty much skipped Christmas last year as we were travelling around India, I wanted to make the most of this one with my family and friends, and the last couple of weeks couldn’t have been better if they’d tried!

Wherever you were in the world, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year too!

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Afternoon Tea and Cocktail Making at Hush, London

October 21, 2014January 20, 201517 Comments

I’m ashamed to say that, despite living in London for the whole 26 years of my life, I had never been to afternoon tea before. I find this hard to even believe myself as I have so much love for tea, cake, chocolate, scones, pretty much all food really, that this sort of thing should have been high on my to-do list. When I finally had my first afternoon tea experience earlier this year, I’m pretty happy to say that it exceeded all expectations and I now seem to have become quite addicted. A pretty good addiction to have though wouldn’t you agree?

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48 Hours in Bath

October 8, 2014October 8, 201526 Comments

Bath was the first stop on our little road trip; somewhere we had heard so many good things about but had never had the chance to visit despite only living a couple of hours away.

From the moment we arrived both of us loved the city, its streets lined with Georgian buildings, with pretty courtyards and squares where people sat outside pavement cafes listening to buskers playing music and watching the sun set over the city. Bath is only small so walking around was easy and gave us a chance to stumble across little side streets full of cute tea houses (which there are lots of) and quirky independent shops.

We arrived in the evening and, after checking into our gorgeous hotel, headed straight out to explore the city.

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Sotto Sotto, Bath: Restaurant Review

September 28, 2014January 20, 20159 Comments

I don’t often write reviews on restaurants but, when I do, it’s because I’ve found somewhere too fabulous not to tell you about!

As we were celebrating our anniversary during our weekend trip to Bath, we decided to book a table at the Italian restaurant Sotto Sotto, as it seemed to be highly recommended as one of the best places to eat. While I may not have been to every restaurant in the city, I truly believe that it is THE best place to eat in Bath, as every single moment of our evening and every single mouthful of food was simply wonderful.

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Cats and Cake at Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium

August 17, 2014January 20, 201517 Comments

I know I talk about animals a lot but there is a reason for that…animals are simply great. There is no doubt about it that every single animal is fascinating in its own way and even though I spend a lot of my spare time with them when I volunteer at London Zoo and with my own pets at home, there is still some sort of magnetic pull wherever I am in the world that has me heading straight for the nearest fluffy nosed creature around.

So when I heard that Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, the UK’s first cat cafe, opened up in London earlier this year there was no doubt that I had to go.

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