28 Nov 2021
In A Bit Then, London
Whilst sat on a 10pm train out of London a few weeks back, it occurred to me that it had probably been my last trip into the capital for quite some time.
I wrote a post here about saying goodbye to commuting following Covid and the move to permanent home working. Since that point, it’s been 19 months since I was last in an office and, with my maternity leave imminent, this feels unlikely to change anytime soon. In this time, London has become somewhere very different to me. Whilst we used to have a strong love hate relationship going on – the hate mostly coming from the relentless slog of commuting and the love from the people, experiences and opportunities it brought me – I now feel like our relationship has changed to one of gentle enjoyment. It’s taken me a while to accept that I can no longer just ‘pop’ into London in the way I could when we lived in St Albans, although it took several ‘sure I’ll pop in for dinner’ moments to realise how ridiculous it was that I thought that was a sensible idea (particularly when heavily pregnant). But, since leaving commuting behind, there has been a small collection of day trips and weekends and I love it. I love being in London and not feeling frazzled. I love playing tourist whilst still knowing my way around. I love feeling like I have the energy to explore new places rather then travelling all that way just to see the same street and same office on repeat. And whilst it’s likely going to be a few months before I go back into London, I’m really excited to enjoy some days on maternity leave where baby and I head in to visit my sister and my friends. Obviously never-say-never to working in London again, but I’m really here for this new and improved relationship and the better work-life balance it brings me.
A few photos from my last trip in below; my friend Ele and I spent the afternoon in various Covent Garden coffee shops (we kept getting chucked out as they closed) and then I met my friend Alice in the evening for great Indian food at Cinnamon Bazaar before heading to the theatre to see Six.
25 Nov 2021
Lemon & Elderflower Celebration Cake, To Be Eaten in The Peak District
You will need:
450g golden caster sugar
450g self-raising flour
6 eggs
100g natural yoghurt
50ml milk
450g butter, at room temp
Zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice
3 tbsp elderflower cordial
For the icing:
250g butter, softened
300g cream cheese
700g icing sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Heat your oven to 140c fan. Whisk the eggs, yogurt and milk together. Beat the butter and sugar together and when light and fluffy, add the flour, the liquid and lemon zest. Mix again until smooth. Divide the cake mixture between 3 x 20cm cake tins and bake for 40 mins, until a skewer comes out clean. Mix the lemon juice and elderflower cordial and when the cakes have cooled completely in the tins, poke all over the surface with a cocktail stick and then spoon the syrup over the cakes.
To make the icing, beat the butter until smooth, add half the icing sugar, then whisk again. Add the remaining icing sugar, cream cheese and lemon zest and whisk until smooth.
Stack the three cakes with plenty of icing between each layer. Pile most of the remaining icing on top, then spread it across the top and down the sides, covering the cake in swirls. Decorate however you want!
17 Nov 2021
An Autumnal Cabin In Norfolk
In September, Gary and I headed back to Norfolk for another ‘glamping’ experience. We went to the same place we stayed last year, only this time opting for the cabin instead of the yurts. Like the yurts, the cabin didn’t have electricity but it was just that bit more protected from the elements. And just like the yurts, there was a beautiful roll-top bath heated by a log-burning stove. It chucked it down for the majority of our two nights (although we did manage to squeeze in some star gazing and marshmallow toasting before the rain came) but this did result in some serious cosy autumnal vibes:
31 Oct 2021
24 Hours Eating & Exploring In Bristol
On our way back from our week in Cornwall, we stopped off in Bristol to stay with my friend Dan for the weekend. Thanks to blady Covid, I hadn’t seen him for over 18 months so it was a well overdue reunion. Despite living just down the road from Bristol for 3 years and popping in to see friends in the time since, I still didn’t feel like I’d properly seen the city but luckily staying with Dan always means you have a truly excellent tour guide and tasty food stops along the way.
What we did
Despite the fact that it rained unbelievably hard pretty much constantly on our one full day (at one point, we actually had to wade through a flash river that suddenly started running down the street and I had to use a hairdryer on my drenched shoes), we managed to take in most of the key sites including all the cute side streets, city hall, the harbour and the big mirror ball that sits outside the science museum. Our main highlights were the Colston statue which you’ll know – unless you’ve been living under an actual bridge – was pulled down and thrown in the river last year during the Black Lives Matter protests. We started with the empty plinth and then went to see the statue itself which is on display at the Bristol museums. Then the street art - I said I wanted to see some of the street art that Bristol is famous for and it turns out it’s bloody everywhere? Bold and colourful, it’s hard to pick a favourite but the seagull comes close (see above). And finally, the Clifton Suspension Bridge which we hiked up to and then walked across, before hiking up to see it from above. It was very atmospheric in the pouring rain!
Where we ate
As Dan was responsible for booking the restaurants during our stay, I knew wherever we ate would be good and he did not disappoint. On Friday night, we headed to Bosco Pizzeria and I can confirm that these pizzas were dreamy. I had the Ventricina – salami, tomato, mozzarella, chilli oil and honey and I would recommend. The real highlight though was the incredible food at Pasta Loco. Guys, I was not prepared for this meal. When Dan said we were going for pasta I was a happy chappy because pasta is my favourite food. However, I was taken aback when he said this restaurant sometimes had a six-month waiting list. A pasta restaurant? In hindsight, that was clearly a sign we were going to eat somewhere good. The three of us settled down at our outside table under the heater which was cosy aside from the occasional wind tunnel effect. The menu changes on a regular basis but we obviously knew to expect pasta. I started with the merlot and parmesan arancini then moved on to the butacini with courgette, mint, chilli and a ricotta courgette flower (because of course) and finished off with the almond & peach frangipani. It’s hard to explain just why it was so good but each course tasted incredible and by the time we got to the end of the meal, Gary put down his cutlery and boldly declared it was one of the best restaurants we have ever been to. I highly recommend.
22 Oct 2021
Reading Recap: The Books I Read In September
Pride and Premeditation – Tirzah Price
A re-telling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice where Lizzie works at her father’s law firm and is determined to prove herself as a lawyer. It’s not going to blow you away but it’s a fun read and I enjoyed all the different interpretations of the well-known characters thrown into a classic whodunit. 3/5
The Salt Path – Raynor Winn
A memoir about a couple who lost their home, livelihood and he diagnosed with a terminal illness in the space of one week. With nothing left, they impulsively decided to walk the 630-mile South West Coast path. It’s an extraordinary story that I found absolutely fascinating. An incredible read. 5/5
How To Kill Your Family – Bella Mackie
A hilariously dark romp, told from the perspective of brutally witty anti-hero Grace who has killed several people but currently resides in jail for a murder she didn’t commit. The social commentary will make you snort and it’s impossible not to root for Grace despite her most grisly crimes. I didn’t love the ending as much as the rest of the book but would still highly recommend. 4/5
Happy reading folks x
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