On Sundays, We Feast

Today's post is long, long, long overdue. Three weeks to be exact. 

But oh well, with all this sunshine comes many an excuse for a nap/ice cream/shower so blogging has taken somewhat of a backseat. Again.

A few weekends back, it was pretty much the first hot day of the heatwave that currently has London in its grips, so I slathered myself in sunscreen and headed East with The Boy. We wound our way to Brick Lane to meet Sasha and Ben, our two favourite foodies, to try out all the delights on offer at Feast, a regular London food festival.

I was moaning before we'd even got inside, it was simply too hot I tell you, but overall uncomfortableness aside, we dashed in and grabbed the nearest table with a patch of shade and did what we do best: eat.

First, The Boy rushed off and bought coconuts for us all to cool off, whilst Ben went on a whistle stop tour of the East End in search of a cashpoint (standard).

 We started off with these little morsels of deliciousness from Yum Bun - handmade steamed buns filled with slow-roasted Blythburgh belly pork, spring onions, cucumber and hoi sin sauce. One word: yum.

 The setting was really cute and kitsch, but far too hot for me.

 I finally got to try the delicious When Mac Met Cheese (more of that later).

 Tempting rainbow-coloured treats by Meringue Girls

 The Boy gobbled down a ginormous hot dog from Big Apple Hot Dogs, surprisingly similar to the ones we had on holiday in March.

The Carlos the Cactus by When Mac Met Cheese - mature cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella and jalapenos, definitely worth waiting more than a year to try...

...even more so the deep fried oreos and macancini's.

 Zsa mentioned that it's impossible to take a picture of her and Ben where they are both actually posing... I guess that's still true.

My little beaut contemplating her next snack.

 Getting hot and bothered at Patty and Bun.

 A Black Pudding Scotch Egg from Monikers - a tasty treat.

 The Boy has found his calling.

 Desperately trying to keep my cool...and failing miserably.

 All finished off with a lamb wrap from....somewhere that I can't remember! Clearly my memory deserted me after my belly reached a certain level of overindulgence.

We rounded the day off with full bellies, another paper hat, a spot of heatstroke and a Wimbledon win. All in all, the perfect Sunday - even if it was a few degrees too hot for my liking.

Feast is a London food experience - bringing together the capitals street food favourites, all in one unique venue. I'd definitely go again, it was a great opportunity to try food from some of the cities hot cafe's and kitchens without the 3 hour queue, which can only be a good thing. Find out more about Feast here.

A place in my heart for Hobbs

With all this warm weather, naturally I can only think of one thing: when is Autumn coming? 

Sure I love nothing more than lounging outside when it's warm (albeit you'll find me in whatever patch of shade I can find) but working in this heat? No no no. Beachwear is not workwear ladies.

Therefore most day's you'll find me dreaming of what type of coat I'll buy in September or what shade of wool I'll buy to persuade Mother to knit me another snood, so these AW13 press images from Hobbs have got me even more excited about the prospect of colder weather.

Hobbs has seen a real change of pace over the past year or so, creating even more gorgeous pieces that would fit into many a women's wardrobe (and I'm addicted to their instagram account for style inspiration).

Here are some of my favourite looks for the upcoming season.

To be the first to know about the release of all these upcoming looks and more, sign up for the mailing list or visit the Hobbs website (there's still many a bargain to be found in the sale if you're quick!).

Anniversary dinner at The Laughing Gravy

Last weekend marked three years since The Boy and I first caught sight of each other (on an idyllic food-filled holiday in France, no less) so what better way to celebrate this occasion than with one of our favourite past times: eating.

As usual, I had been charged with organising this event and immediately started mentally compiling a wish list of venues, mainly revolving around delicious meals I'd spied on Instagram and reviews I'd read on eat.street.edit and the like.

But as it turned out TripAdvisor saved the day with a little gem of a restaurant hidden away in Southwark, ladies and gentlemen I give you The Laughing Gravy.

Currently ranked number 55 out of all the restaurants in London (ahead of some serious big guns), The Laughing Gravy completely changed my plans for the evening, and I'm so glad it did.

But lets start from the beginning...

As the afternoon was nice and sunny we decided to get the tube as far as Embankment and then wander across Hungerford Bridge and through Southbank, an area which The Boy and I consider to be "our place" following many a meeting there before I moved to London.

Since my Mum and Dad gave The Boy a vintage cocktail making book at Christmas he has been really interested in the art of cocktail making, so we headed to sample some of London's finest at The Cut. We sat on the terrace, talked and watched the world go by whilst building up an appetite for dinner.

Tucked around the corner from Southwark tube station, The Laughing Gravy is a gorgeous little restaurant with a relaxed yet buzzing vibe and food to die for. As I've said I stumbled upon The Laughing Gravy purely by accident but as it turned out the food, atmosphere and service were all right up my street - my only complaint would be that we weren't sat at the table by the piano (but there's always next time).

The Boy went for a cocktail and I had a glass of Prosecco whilst we mulled over our choices. The menu is small with each dish being fresh and seasonal, cooked by head chef Micheal Facey, who has a talent for updating traditional British fare and has worked for the likes of Scotts and Chinawhites.

We went for...

 Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousse in Black Cherry Jelly

 The Monkfish Trio

 The Boy, clearly happy with his selection.

 West-country Organic Cider-marinated Lamb Rump

 The Aberdeen Angus Beef Burger

 ...and a side of Roast Cauliflower and Three Cheese Macaroni

All finished off with Blueberry Cheesecake and Lime Doughnuts for me, whilst The Boy enjoyed a glass of port.

We strolled to the tube full and happy, whilst enjoying an unexpected view of The Shard. It was a wonderful evening and a great way to celebrate three blissful years together.

If you would like to find out more about The Laughing Gravy you can do so on their website, which can be found here.

A month in my wardrobe

Since I started my new job I have been taking pictures (or rather, The Boy has) of my ensemble for the day every morning before I leave for work. This has meant The Boy doesn't get to enjoy his morning lie in quite so much and I ultimately have to open my eyes a little wider before throwing on the first outfit that comes to hand, but all in all I've been really enjoying the whole process.

Mostly I decided to take an OOTD* picture every morning to try and encourage me to make more of an effort, be more creative with my dressing and as my Mother so nicely put it recently: "wear less black".

Here's what I've learned and some of my favourite images from along the way.

• I need to go into black blazer rehab. No question. A black blazer everyday does not a stylish outfit make.

• In the words of my Mother: "Maybe sometimes you should wear more colour" I'm a fan of leopard. I'm a fan of denim. I'm a fan of black. But real, vibrant, eye popping colour? Rarely does it grace my wardrobe and really, it should.

• A centre parting is definitely the way forward.

• If your ensemble doesn't make you feel amazing, why are you wearing it? Special pieces shouldn't be saved for "best" in favour of that tired old jumper (or black blazer as the case may be).

• Heels are so much more flattering than flats...but they simply won't do when you spend most of your days running all over town.

• And finally... My hair is getting long! At last!

*Outfit of the day (for your benefit, Dad)