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.

It's always darkest before the dawn

As most of you may know, the past week marked a turning point in my life: I started my new job.

I love Hobbs but the past few months have been far from happy ones for me and I had come to the conclusion long ago that maybe it was time for a change. Luckily for me, one of my favourite brands, All Saints, were looking for an Assistant Store Planner and wanted little old me for the role. It's still early days but so far I'm loving it, the people are great and the role has reignited my passion for branch merchandising which Caroline (my old manager, now friend) started all those years ago.

No longer am I working in the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, instead I'm based in the heart of east London. Which is bound to be good for my bank balance (and my sanity), as no longer will I be tempted by bargain basement stores, or have to battle though the shoppers they attract on my nightly commute. I'm really enjoying exploring the area and spent my day off last Monday taking a look around. Here's what I've found so far.

 Rough Trade - a perfect spot to while away my lunch break.

 Beyond Retro - a vintage mecca for me to explore, the only thing missing was Zsa Zsa and Rebeccs to keep me focussed (and away from the leopard print).

I can already sense that the bagel shops are going to become my weakness - this salt beef, pickle and mustard bad boy will definitely be happening again.

Unexpected graffiti has long been a favourite spot of mine - now there's almost up-to-the-minute artworks being created right on my doorstep.

The advertising for Margiela with H&M was really innovative and once I'd spotted one I couldn't help but find more - I hope to see more exciting retail innovations going on in the area.

We finished the afternoon in The Craft Beer Co (somewhere I know The Boy is anxious to get back to) which I loved as it reminded me of some of the many, many, pubs I've been to with Dad over the years.

What are your highlights and recommendations for East London?