I loved this glimpse I was giving G and it made me realise in the same moment that I don’t think I ask my friends who live in other cities enough questions about their lives. In fact, I probably don’t ask enough questions to my friends who live in the same city as me. I love knowing what people eat for dinner, what they cook for themselves when no one is watching, I love the mundane. I want to know what my friends do when its sunny outside but they don’t feel like being social. Where do they go? What do my friends do when they need to be alone to recharge.

So here you have a list of things I like to do in the Summer in London. You can do them probably in most cities or can do a version of them. But this is how I spend majority of my time. They range from the most simple everyday activity, to a simple recipe, a glimpse into my routine. Enjoy!

1. Explore your neighbourhood.

I lived in the same house up until I was 21 years old in New Zealand and spent half of my childhood outside. What that meant was I knew every single road, dead end, alleyway which connected my neighbourhood. I knew the strength of most tree branches and who wasn’t home based on how much post they had stuffed in their mail boxes. I love that I knew my neighbourhood so much and I try to do the same in the area of North London that I live in now.

I treat every walk like I’m trying to find a secret tape in GTA Vice City. If there’s a road I don’t know, i’ll walk down it. If theres an estate I haven’t walked through, I’ll walk through it. I walk into shops I don’t think I’ll like just to have a look. You never know what you come across. One day I walked into a grocery store on Blackstock Road and there was a jewellery counter inside it and a rotisserie chicken machine outside it.

My favourite thing to do is make a day of it: if I’m in a new area for an appointment or to meet a friend, I like to go early and google second-hand or new bookshops, charity shops (to check their jigsaw puzzle selection), and any international supermarkets nearby. I always try to buy something small to remind me of the walk, it can be as small as a packet of crisps I’ve never tried before or a new packet of dish sponges.

2. Iceland Frozen Southern Fried Tenders at a BBQ

Chances are, if its summer, you’re going to go to someones house for a bbq and you’ll be asked to bring something for the BBQ. Everyone else will do the same thing, buy a packet of sausages and some crisps but you can do something different. A couple of people will bring an Ottolenghi salad brought in a lovely bowl of theirs, cling filmed and Ubered over on their laps or perhaps some really lovely lamb ribs or chops put on the grill. If you can do that, you probably should do that. But if not, the best thing you can bring is the food before the main event. My suggestion is buy 3 bags of southern fried chicken tenders for £10 at Iceland. You can buy 6 bags for £20 if you feel like providing the ultimate showstopper. Buy a couple of fun sauces and you’re off. They take 15 minutes in the oven and really no effort. This is my go to when I’m hungover and it has never failed.

3. My drink of the Summer

1 tall glass, fill it with ice. A shot of vodka goes in. Fill it up 2/3 with a cherry white claw and top up with your choice of Coka or Pepsi. It’s like a healthy BuzzBall. It’s so childish but its so refreshing and fun.

4. Ham and cheese toastie + tater tots and Ellies in Dalston

I have always thought that you can eat whatever you want for breakfast lunch or dinner. Your stomach doesn’t know what meal it is! It only knows what energy it needs to burn and unless you’re about to run a marathon or sit in a board room all day, I think you can eat whatever you want. I’ve been known to have breakfast for dinner (bacon and egg sandwich) and dinner for breakfast (lasagne) and I also think when you go out for dinner you can have something you’d have for lunch. (Toastie and chips)

I low key wish caff’s were open at dinner time cos I would always suggest to my friends to eat dinner at a caff. Caff lasagna and chips for dinner? Awesome. A fry up? My dream. The next best thing: Ellie’s on Kingsland Road do ham and cheese toasties as part of their bar snacks. The cheese toastie uses the softest tin loaf and is toasted in so much butter. The plate of tater tots is bigger than it needs to be. I ate them when I was starving and filled me up perfectly. Best part? It cost £13.00

5. Camping Chairs.

I can’t sit at the park for long because my posture goes full 45 degrees and I’m tossing and turning trying to find a comfortable position. Every option ends up in pins and needles in some part of my body. However, this all changed when I bought a camping chair set for £25.00 from Argos. (x2 chairs). They fold up, are super light weight and are so easy to carry under your arm. My park experience has changed 150% and I now spend many extra hours in either Highbury Fields or Clissold Park.

In the summer, you must make a massive sandwich out of 1 whole baguette and cut it up into little sandwiches. My favourite is a deli meat grinder salad sandwich or jamon buerre. Pack a chess / backgammon / pack of cards. Whatever you wish. Bring an assortment of books. I like x2 magazines and 1 paperback so you can go between the 3. Bring a few ice cold drinks, a cooler bag is great if you have one. You ideally want to be within distance of an ice cream shop / van and public toilet. Bring a nice blanket so when you eat your sandwich you can have a nap. You can stay in the park until it’s too cold without a sweater or long trousers.

6. Chicken / Beef / Lamb / whatever meat you want laab

Buy a kilo of whatever meat mince you like and make a massive batch of laab. I add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chilli into mine. It’s awesome cos when you’re hungry you can just eat it out of the fridge with a spoon. I know you can technically do this with any meal, but laab in the summer is best. You can then eat it everyday. I put it on rice noodles, sushi rice or just in a lettuce cup with heaps of Thai basil and coriander and make a simple salad of shredded carrot cucumber and iceberg with a shit ton of Nước chấm The best news, if you cant be arsed making Nước chấm (I think its SO hard to get the balance right. You can buy this one thats already made from M&S.

7. Food delivered to the park

To make this successful, try to make sure that you’re sat towards the edge of a park where you can make a nearby house the meeting point as many delivery drivers refuse to actually deliver in said park. (I also would absolutely hate it if I was a delivery driver). The other week I wanted to have lunch with a friend but didn’t want to sit in a restaurant as I wanted to make the most of the sun. We got a sushi platter delivered from Fujimama on Blackstock Road. I met the Uber Eats driver at the edge of Clissold Park, next to Finks Pump house and made sure I was there before he arrived. It absolutely ruled. I have also done this with turkish food. Just make sure that they deliver cutlery or else you’re a bit screwed. (I always call the restaurant to triple check)

8. Thorpe Park

Take a day off work with a friend and go and ride some roller coasters. Make sure its not school holidays or a day where theres heaps of school trips booked. Eat a hotdog, drink a few pints of soda. I did it two weeks ago and it was truly an unforgettable day.

9. Green goddess dressing

I always have a tub of this in my fridge. I always use the remainder of all the old soft herbs from the week prior and the last bit of yoghurt. I add garlic, lemon, capers salt and pepper and blend it up. I use it so many ways. As a binder for tuna / chicken salad. I dip vegetables into it. I dip crisps into it. Its so fresh and herby, you only really want it in the summer cos in winter it would suck.

10. Chinese in the park (with camping chairs)

Friday night - get your camping chairs and a blanket and pack a couple of plates, plastic bags and 1 set of serving spoons. Walk to your local Chinese takeaway and then serve up on your picnic blanket and eat whilst sitting on your camping chair. Have a little lay down after. Put all the dirty dishes into your plastic bags and tie them up and walk on home. Chinese take out isn’t just for the sofa on a rainy evening my friends!

11. De Beauvoir Deli Sandwiches

I think DBD have a very good selection of sandwiches. I never really browse a menu of sandwiches and get stuck between 3-4 options. Usually there is 1 or 2 stand outs but not here. Chicken Salad BLT, White Tuna Salad, a vegetarian Reuben that replaces corned beef with aubergine, Russian dressing and sauerkraut. Most of them are made with dusty knuckle sourdough which is my favourite bread for sandwiches. They are on Uber Eats so you can also get them delivered to a park.

12. Read a whole book in one day

I am so good at binging (shite) tv shows (RHOBH/ Love Island/ Summer House) but never thought to binge a book in the same way unless I am on holidays. I got deep into booktok via TikTok and saw this one girl read Stephen Kings IT in one day. (1092 pages by the way) She woke up at 6am and read for 14 hours non stop. She did also eat meals, drink water and use the bathroom but it did make me want to try it. So last week when I had no work on, I read the entirety of Eddie Huangs Fresh off The Boat. It was 276 pages so only took a few hours but it felt like a master reset. I really want to try it with like a 500 page book. Maybe one day I too will read Stephen King’s IT in one day.

13. Club sandwiches

Not sure why we only eat these on holidays in the summer but I think we need to be eating them at the same rate as ‘no cook salads’ in the summer. Maybe I am not going to the right places but I never really see them on a menu. My favourite combo is chicken, bacon, aioli, cheese, lettuce, tomato. I think pubs should make club sandwiches that are served with chips. I would order it and I think everyone else would too.

14. Frozen watermelon sorbet (?)

Buy a watermelon, take the rind off, chop it into cubes and freeze it over night. The next day add it to a blender with ice and a smidge of cold water. Blend it until it turns into a sorbet. I don’t know if scientifically if I’m allowed to call blended frozen fruit sorbet but the texture is great. I do the same with pineapple, other types of melons. It’s not very good with raspberries because too many little seeds. I think it would be awesome with blueberries but maybe expensive. Very delicious and no effort.

15. Pool / Sun lounger in 1

This is like the TikTok shop final boss but if theres one thing I really dislike about London in the Summer it’s the fact that there is no where to swim. Before you tell me about the Lidos, I know they exist but I don’t actually want to swim. I want to float. I want to lay on my back like a starfish and day dream. I want to dive under small waves. I don’t want to swim laps.

Before you also try to tell me about how magical the Hampstead Heath Woman’s ponds are - save it. You will never catch me swimming in stagnant pond water. My TikTok algorithm is so good it can read my mind because I kept being the target for this product. A small pool that can fit x1 person in it with a angled pillow so you can lay and read. My garden is on a hill so it doesnt work to its full potential BUT those hot days it has saved me.

16. Make a batch of schnitzels

I think schnitzels or any form of breaded chicken are one of the best things to eat, especially in summer. I know no one wants to fry in the heat but its 1 hour of your time from start to finish and you can chuck on some telly on your laptop whilst you do it. Everyone thinks schnittys are a faff to make but I don’t think so. Make double / triple the amount and keep them in the fridge. I love eating them straight out of the fridge with different sauces, or putting them into a sandwich. You can make a slaw, a potato salad, whatever you want. After a long hot day, knowing you have cold schnittys in the fridge is lovely.

17. Buying good fruit

Okay this feels like a real mum take, cos if my mum told me to buy some fruit as something to do when I was bored I would have lost it. But now I’m an adult I love it. I’m not saying go to a fruit shop and spend £12 on a kilo of fruit but buy 1 or 2 pieces and eat them on your way home. Wipe them on your t shirt to clean em. I did this the other day with an apricot and a plum and it was just divine.

18. Puzzles outside

I know puzzles aren’t for everyone but if you have a table outside, and a brolly, and theres not too much wind, its the perfect activity for the sun. This one I might be so biased because no one loves a jigsaw more than me but I can’t think of anything more calming and a great way to enjoy the warmer days. Also make sure there are no cats around! (!!!)

19. Call your friend and go for a walk

Somedays I want to talk to friends but I don’t actually feel like seeing them face to face. Seeing friends in person is a minimum 2 hour commitment, but a phone call can be as long as 45 minutes. Grab an alcoholic beverage on the way and you’re laughing. Exercise, a gas bag and a drink all in one? If I was a Sim its all bars green.

20. Make a drink and take your laptop outside

One of my favourite things to do is making a strong drink (recipe included above at point 3) sit at an outdoor table, it can be in your backyard, a park and just write. This is how I write most of my writing. In fact this is how I’m writing this “article” right now. I am sat in Highbury Fields with a Kinto full of vodka, ice and sprite. I prefer writing in public places because it makes me more productive. At home I get much too distracted. You don’t even have to do writing, you can do admin. I love to write shopping lists, to do lists, type out birthday cards before I write them into physical cards on my laptop. Online shopping. Literally anything you want to do on your laptop, is better outside. You definitely can’t do this in the park in the winter.

I never thought I’d tell anyone about this version of living in a city. My little rituals, the mundane everyday, but I would love reading what others do it this big old city. I wouldn’t do half of these things if I lived back in Auckland. No one went to the park unless you had a pet dog. I’d always be dinners at the beach with your friends. Summers felt longer in the southern hemisphere, brighter. London has made me work a little harder for the same feeling, which might be why I love it more. I still think about G’s questions and next we talk, I’m excited to ask her the same questions back.

PS: Bringing this back, the option to pay for my writing. I still don’t want to put anything behind a paywall, I want as many people reading as possible.

I can’t afford to support all the writers I love on Substack but sometimes I wish they all had options for one off payments. Here’s that option for TFAH. If you liked this post why not buy me a cuppa / glass of vino. Next time I’m sat in my local caff / pub writing, it’ll be on you :)

Cuppa / Vino Fund

So whilst I was on my flight to Greece, I went through my camera roll and saved photos from my favourite meals. Some are menu staples, some are seasonal dishes. I’ve included a few grocery items too. They are from all over London and range in prices starting from £2.50 all the way to the £90 mark.

Buon Appetite!

1. Grilled Pork and Short rib at Shu La La, Holloway

I love grilled meats, and the pork belly and short rib at Shu La La are some of my favourites. Juicy, fatty, tender and spicy, all rolled up in a little lettuce leaf. There isn't even a dipping sauce, it's that good.

2. Full English at Regency Cafe, Westminster

I am quite particular with my fry ups. I don't like them being too big. You know how some places have two eggs, two bacon, two sausages and all the works like tomatoes and mushrooms? I really dislike that. I think Regency Cafe does it really well: one sausage, two bacon, one egg, beans and toast. I added a hash brown and black pudding and shared them with Joel. I was the perfect level of full when finished.

3. Salmon & Tuna Box from Fujimama, Finsbury Park. (Eaten at my dining table)

I had walked past Fujimama dozens of times before I decided to try it. Once I tried it, I was really annoyed that I had walked past it so much. It's very small inside, three tables from my memory. I usually order by phone, walk down to get it and eat it on my dining table whilst I watch telly. The salmon and tuna box is my go-to order because I love salmon and tuna sushi the most. Everything is super fresh and honestly just delicious. Wakame salad is my favourite, so I order it every time. On this occasion I added spicy salmon and prawn gunkan, both a lovely addition.

4. Mixed Grill for 2, 01 Adana, Newington Green

This is my most frequently eaten meal in the city. My photo app tells me fourteen times this year. It takes me sixteen minutes door to door on foot. I love the simplicity. Buttery rice, a selection of chicken adana, lamb adana, lamb ribs, chicken and lamb pieces, all cooked over smoke. Salad and bread come with it and we always add an ezme and cacık. I really could eat it every day.

5. Italian Green and White Bean Soup at Cafe Deco, Bloomsbury

I grew up starting every single meal with a bowl of soup. It was never a massive bowl, but my mum said it was good for your digestion. If I see a soup on the menu and I'm with Joel, I always order it and ask if they can put one soup into two bowls so Joel and I can start with soup. This soup was exceptional. It was so garlicky, the greens and beans perfectly cooked, bright. Truly delicious.

6. Citrus Salad, Café Deco, Bloomsbury

Blood orange, black olives, parsley, mint, pickled onions, olive oil, salt. God, it is the perfect bite if you get a bit of everything. Cafe Deco can do no wrong in my eyes and I love the way they cook (or don't cook, in this case).

7. Nerds Gummy Clusters

Man, these little shits are so good. I think a perfect sweet, because they are crunchy and soft. It's like a little soft, fruity gummy centre covered in Nerds. I ate two bags in two days and then banned them from my household. If you see them, please get them. They are crazy and delicious.

8. Braised Beef Noodles from The Noodle Inn, Soho

The Noodle Inn is known to have a queue out the door, so when I walked past one Tuesday afternoon and there was no queue, I wandered on in. I ordered a braised beef noodle soup and the scale of the photo doesn't really show you, but it's absolutely huge. There was so much beef I was genuinely shocked every time I kept fishing out huge pieces with my chopsticks. I ate it whilst I watched the staff behind the glass hand-pull noodles and wrap dumplings. A really lovely dining experience.

9. The Corn Bread from Rita’s, Soho

Corn is my favourite vegetable, I really love it so much. This cornbread is next level. It's doused in so much butter and every single edge is crispy and crunchy, the inside is pillowy. I wish I could go to Rita's and just drink two glasses of wine, eat two cornbreads and then head out.

10. Mango & Grapefruit Sago Pudding from Gold Mine, Queensway

I went for lunch with my friend G at Gold Mine and afterwards she ordered the mango pudding for us to share. I'd never had one before and had no idea what to expect. I don't really like bitter foods so I thought it wouldn't be for me. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this dessert. So sweet from the mango, texturally perfect with little tapioca pearls and grapefruit threads. I order this every single time I go to a Chinese restaurant if it's on the menu, and this has been my favourite so far.

11. Ham Hock and Chicory Salad from Café Deco in Bloomsbury

Three meals from Cafe Deco, I know, I know! But this salad was exceptional. Just beautiful ham, chicory, croutons and a remoulade-esque dressing.

12. Everything Cutlet Sandwich from Cafe Mondo in Camberwell

Right, let's talk about this sandwich. Texturally perfect. The breading on the chicken is the best I've eaten. Thick and crunchy, not thick and claggy. The bread is toasted and buttered, it's soft and toasted, not hard so it tears your mouth. The Red Leicester is the perfect addition, a mild, cheddar-esque cheese. Then it's got a kale salad that's absolutely doused in ranch. The kale is soft, it's been massaged properly. It is a very big sandwich too, I get full after eating both halves, and I can eat a fair bit.

13. Beef Ho Fun from Tao Tao Ju in Chinatown

Honestly, just look at it. I love the textures in this dish. Crunchy bean sprouts, soft chewy noodles, tender charred beef. I can eat this dish any time of day. Hot or cold, whatever.

14. Butter Chicken Masala and Vension Biryani from Gymkhana, Mayfair

I have nothing really to say apart from it really is that good. My new favourite place to go for a really special occasion. The food and service are exceptional, but the people-watching here is something else. I observed a lady and her daughter order £75.00 lamb chops and they left two on the plate and told the server they were full. Another tip: ordering three martinis is cheaper than half a bottle of wine here.

15. Bean Curd Skin Prawn Cheung Fun from Dimsum & Duck, Kings Cross

Whenever I leave London, this will be the bite of food that I wake up craving. It might just be my favourite. I think what I've realised writing this is that I love texture contrasts. Crunchy and gelatinous together. The texture of the perfectly cooked prawn with the crunch of the tofu skin, all wrapped up in the softest rice paper roll, is just the best thing.

16. Cosmopolitan and Fries from Quo Vadis, Soho

Quo Vadis do an exceptional cosmopolitan. I know I had eaten all the fries already, but you must trust me that they are fantastic. Sitting out the front, drinking a few cosmos and having a bowl of chips, is one for the books.

17. Tacos from Acme Fire Cult, Walthamstow

Every single taco was really delicious. We ordered beef, pork and chicken, and a bean quesadilla which had absolutely no business being that good. I don't really like eating or drinking in breweries because they're usually full of drunk lads on stag dos and lots of dogs and prams, and I'm always scared I'm going to trip on a pram or a dog. Neither of those happened this time. They also make very good frozen margaritas.

18. Soft Serve with Nuts from a ice cream van, Walthamstow

This was eaten after I ate too many tacos and was just really good, you know.

19. Thai Beef Salad from Kiln, Soho

I love a herb salad, and this to me is an exemplary version of one, with the addition of really well-cooked beef. Kiln is one of my favourite restaurants in the city and just looking at this salad makes me want to go back this weekend. Lots of fresh aromatics and a very sweet and salty dressing to mix it all together with. I could eat one now, and it's 9:19am on a Thursday morning.

20. Chopped Liver and Ritz Cracker from Panzers Deli, St Johns Wood

My favourite thing about going to Lord's is to absolutely abuse your credit card at Panzer's Deli beforehand. Watching the cricket is awesome because you can bring in a bottle of wine each and any food items. The food they sell there is also good, but my new favourite thing is a container of chopped liver and a box of Ritz crackers. I ate it like crisps and dip and avoided taking my blood pressure for the next seven days.

21. Black Pudding Scotch Egg from The George, Soho

It was just a really, really good Scotch egg. The black pudding-riddled mince was so tasty. Perfectly fried. Egg soft. Served with Oxford sauce, which I had never tried before. It's made with anchovies, dates, tamarind and molasses.

22. Krispy Kreme Soft Serve and Ube Blueberry Ice Cream from Big Kid Ice Cream, Soho

Krispy Kreme-flavoured soft serve is crazy and I am obsessed with it. It really tasted like it! The blueberry ube ice cream was just as good. I will be going back, because on the menu was olive oil baklava ice cream as well as Hong Kong French toast, and I'm too nosy and greedy and need to know what they taste like.

22. Steak, Roast Chicken, Mash and Chips from Brasserie Lipp, Paris

Mashed potatoes in Paris are otherworldly and I love them here. I always order the same thing: roast chicken and mash, and beef fillet and chips, to share. What you end up eating is what you see in the photo. The gravy from the chicken is the most delicious gravy and I pour it over both forms of potato. Steak comes with bearnaise, so a few chips get dunked into that as well. When I cook Christmas lunch this year, this will be my inspiration.

23. Profiteroles from Brasserie Lipp, Paris

I don't know anywhere that gives you a whole jug of chocolate sauce for your profiteroles. One would think it's too much, but this chocolate is so light that you end up scraping the plate, wishing there was more. They are filled with vanilla ice cream and I let it melt a bit and mix the ice cream with the chocolate sauce.

24. Fried Chicken Pad Thai from Street Bangkok, Paris

You know when you're on holiday and you've eaten out so much you just want to eat at home but also don't want to cook. I found Bangkok Kitchen on Google Maps as I was craving noodles and the menu looked amazing. Grilled Thai meats, pineapple rice, Thai fried chicken. I wanted everything. But when I saw the fried chicken Pad Thai I knew I had to try it. Served with a little satay sauce on the side. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

25. Ebi Prawn Sando from Carré Pain de Mie, Paris

Prawn is one of my favourite proteins. I think steak will always be number one and prawns are number two. A fried prawn is unbeatable for me. In a sandwich, with egg salad tartare on Japanese milk bread, it's mind-altering for me. I love that they cut it into six little bites. You can choose chips or salad, I obviously chose chips.

Each morning I wake up slowly, and head to the rooftop of my accommodation and look at the ocean for awhile whilst I drink some water. Today it’s 27 degrees and there is a cool(ish) breeze. I think I would struggle without it. I can hear the waves crash on the concrete platform a few metres below and the ocean is sparkling. A sparkling ocean is one of my favourite things.

I just finished eating some Greek yoghurt, honey and banana and cherries. There are people sprawled out on the rocks a few metres from my accommodation and around eight people already in the water. Some are swimming, some are floating, and some are chatting to their friends. A load of laundry is swaying on the washing line. It is so warm, I think laundry will dry in 30 minutes.

It’s the first time in what feels like a very long time I’ve had mental capacity to sit down and write. There’s a lot I want to talk about that’s not necessarily about what I’ve eaten but it’s intertwined with what I’ve cooked and what I do.

For my new subscribers who might not be across what I do, I run a bespoke catering business in London, working predominantly for brands and corporate offices. My work is split between cooking homemade lunches for offices, developing menus for brands, and doing private jobs such as weddings and birthdays in peoples homes. In between that, I also love to assist other chefs and stylists for food styling and prop styling jobs. I love assisting others, because it gives me a chance to learn from people as well as meet new people.

I started my business just over two years ago and whilst I have worked super hard to get it to the point that it’s in, at the same time I never thought it would get to where it is, especially so quickly. I absolutely love my job, it goes without saying. It is my biggest dream come true that I turned what I’ve always dreamt of doing into a career. But I was pretty naive in thinking that if you loved what you did, you’d never work a day in your life. Turns out, if you love what you do, you’ll probably work everyday in your life instead if you’re not careful. It’s what I’ve learnt the hard way.

Around halfway through April, I started feeling a bit of a wobble. I wasn’t physically tired per se, but more mentally tired. I was finding it a little bit harder to get motivation to start the day. At first I blamed it on my cycle, thinking maybe the month was just a bit harder on me than others. But the next month I felt worse.

By the time I was finishing work for the day, which usually consists of a few hours of admin, 5+ hours of cooking, a few hours of cleaning, I had nothing left. I couldn’t do the things that even take me out of a funk. I would read the same page of a book I loved over and over but nothing was being absorbed. I dreaded hanging out with friends because I didn’t want anyone to ask about how work was going, simply because I didn’t know how to talk about how I was feeling.

It felt like my brain was trying to drive with the handbrake up. The smallest job felt like the biggest task. Decisions and processes that I had never questioned in 2+ years, I was suddenly trying to find faults in. What if something bad happens / what if people hate it / what if I’m just not good at this / what if my time is up?

When I woke up each morning I could feel the sadness in my cheeks and I was just waiting for the sadness and anxiety to burst. I couldn’t really explain where it was coming from and what was causing it, but it was always present when I thought about work. Every day I pushed on because I loved my job and my job couldn’t possibly be making me feel like this. I really didn’t even consider that I was going through burn out it until I read this Substack which stopped me in my tracks.

I felt totally seen. Everything Chloe spoke about I was feeling. The guilt. How could I feel so tired when I loved every part of my job. I loved what I did so much, I was lucky to do what I did, and I was so happy with the way my career was going, but somewhere down the line, I just got so caught up in it. I forgot to look after myself because I was scared that if an opportunity came once, it wouldn’t come again if I said no.

I spoke to my mum and she picked up that I hadn’t been myself in a while. She asked when was the last time I had a whole week off. I looked at my calendar and saw my holiday in Marseille last July. July 2025 was the last week I had off and we were in April 2026. No wonder I was feeling how I was feeling.

I decided in that moment that I was going to take all of June off. I was so scared to pull the trigger. What if I didn’t feel better after some time off? What if I never felt better? What if my clients found other people to use whilst I was off and decided to not use me moving forward. I knew work could wait and decided to just finish up May.

The only thing was, May was fully booked. I had 14 large events in the space of 24 days. My biggest event to date was my last event in my calendar before I went offline. I realised I had to make changes to the way I worked pretty quickly.

I decided I was only going to work in two day blocks. I couldn’t mentally think about more than a week ahead. I knew I had to bring other people in to come and assist me with these events and so I did. It was the best thing I ever did and I will continue to work this way.

One Sunday evening in the middle of May, I was walking home after picking up some groceries. I had finally decided to cook something fun for myself, something I hadn’t done in weeks. Whilst walking I received a call from my uncle telling me that my grandmother had just passed away. In that moment, it felt like every single built up piece of sadness was leaving my body. I cried and cried and cried and realised in that moment I had to do something I had never done before and cancel a week of work. I needed to be with my mum and attend my grandmother’s funeral in Slovakia.

I left for Slovakia two days later and I felt this pressure leave my body. I think in that moment, I realised that whilst I was so tired and so exhausted, nothing mattered as much as being with my family. My work stresses dissolved the minute I saw my mum and uncle waiting for me at Bratislava airport. I sat in the back seat of my uncles car whist they were in the front seats. We laughed, we cried, we talked absolute dribble and we ate sour candies until we arrived at my grandmothers house three hours later.

The whole week we just were there for each other and it is a week of my life I will treasure forever. I remember thinking it was the ‘worst time’ for something like that to happen after I hung up the phone to my uncle when he broke the news. Turns out, it happened in a time of my life, where I got the clearest perspective I could have ever asked for.

I headed back to London to start prep for my last event before my break. I was cooking a dinner for 84 people at the Aēsop HQ in London. It was two days of nonstop cooking and I remember sitting in the cab on my way back home after cleaning the prep kitchen, thinking about how I had dreamt of this moment for weeks and genuinely didn’t know how I was going to get there. I grinned the whole way home, genuinely so proud of myself that I finished it.

I’ve had three weeks off now, coming up to four since that last job.

I put on an out of office on my first day of holidays and all I did was travel around Paris, Athens, London and Hydra. I read, ate, walked and did jigsaw puzzles. I feel excited to go back to work. I feel inspired by the places I’ve travelled and the food I’ve eaten and the books I have read.

I have a few jobs peppered into July, August and September but right now I’m content with running my business at 75% rather than 120%. I feel lucky that all I needed was a month off and also grateful and lucky that I am financially able to take a month off, more if needed.

I wanted to write this because I wanted to share how I was feeling in the hope that someone else might be feeling like I was; driving up a big hill with the hand break up. Everything just feeling so hard. I love what I do and I can only keep loving what I do if I looking after myself.

I’m not really sure how to end this post other than I’m gonna hit publish soon and I’ll feel pretty nervous. I’m going to go for a walk and get some sushi from Fujimama on Blackstock Road. They do sushi platters and they remind me of my childhood when my mum would get sushi platters for my birthday parties. My favourite flavour was salmon and avocado and it still is.

Speak soon,

Kelly x

*It is 16:21PM on Sunday afternoon at the point of finishing this post and I am back in London, sitting in my living room on the sofa. It is warm, 25 degrees. There is a breeze coming through the window. My laundry from Hydra is hanging up on the clothing horse and I can hear a airplane thats flying over my house. The laundry will be dry soon. It didn’t take 30 minutes to dry, like it did in Hydra.

This newsletter isn't going to be about me talking about what happens when you don't take more than five days off in 10 months because I actually can't be arsed right now. But what I can be arsed doing is showing you some photos about meals I have eaten and cooked in the last two months or so. I'm excited to come back and write as I am taking a month off, maybe more, I’ll see how I’m feeling. In no order, and not much context, here ya go.

As promised, on this edition of “A few things I’ve eaten and cooked in the last few weeks” I’m going to tell you about (semi non food related) a little morning explore I had in Piccadilly, a very good supermarket chicken korma, my crazy toasted sandwich I made when I was so drunk that I don’t know if I should actually be embarrassed by it, and finally, my new favourite local Chinese BBQ spot.

A few weeks ago, Joel had a meeting at Piccadilly at 9am on a Saturday and asked if I wanted to come. I’d have to keep myself busy for around 60 to 90 minutes, as technically none of the shops would be open yet. Originally I said no, but then I thought, what a perfect time to walk around a part of town I’m not so familiar with when it will be relatively quiet. Also, it was bright blue skies, the perfect spring morning, so it was a no brainer than I get out of bed as early as possible.

Over the past few years I’ve taken inspiration from my friend Isaac, who writes the Substack Wooden City about London. One of his posts, named “100 random old things to look out for in London”, has quite literally changed the way I observe this city.

There is so much history everywhere you look, and a lot of it I'm not even aware of. I know there is still so much more for me to discover which makes me so excited to keep living here. I've been walking around London for a decade, but now I see it in a completely different way. I notice the old shops dealing in the obscure and particular, the historical road signs, murals, water pumps and cattle troughs. It feels like I’m collecting hidden packages in GTA Vice City or discovering Floo Flames in Hogwarts Legacy eat time I notice something from the past.

All of this was running through my head as I got off at Piccadilly. I knew I only really had 60 solid minutes before I had to start looking at the clock, so I had to stick to a small(ish) area. I’ve highlighted it in green below. I didn't take many photos because, in all honesty, I was just going for a little wander. Writing about it hadn't even crossed my mind. But after such a lovely morning, I couldn’t wait to write. I’ve subbed photos with screenshots I’ve taken from Google Maps.

I started on the corner of St James’ St and Piccadilly and slowly walked down the hill. I remember it was so sunny and I wished I had packed my sunglasses. I saw barely any cars and only one older man walked past me who looked like he was having an intense conversation over the phone.

I walked past a chemist called D.R Harris & Co and I registered how beautiful it was after I had walked past it, so I walked back and went inside. It was visibly Victorian. It was covered in ceiling to floor mahogany shelving, which was covered in glass bottles and apothecary jars. There was a wall of products that were beautifully designed that D.R Harris & Co manufactured themselves. Almond oil bar soaps, Vetiver soap on a rope, multipacks of ‘guest soaps’ which all came in different scents. I wish I had taken a photo of the interiors but you’ll have to visit yourself.

I ended up buying a bar of almond oil soap as a little relic of my morning. I spoke to the bloke behind the counter and he explained to be that they were founded in 1790, being the oldest pharmacy in London. I walked out and turned left, bewildered that my first stop was the oldest pharmacy in the city.

I turned left onto Ryder Street and then right onto Bury Street. Where the two streets meet, in the window of Arnold Wiggons and Sons was a 18th century dining table, in my eyes, it looked like it was out of a museum. Across the street, Daniel Crouch rare books, sadly closed on the weekend but standing outside it I read that it is one of the rarest map / atlas/ books shops in the country. I can’t pretend to know too much about rare maps or atlases’ and considering how rare they are in the shop, I probably wouldn’t have been too welcome. I look up at the shop signage and notice how gorgeous each one is, heavy gold lettering, some in sans sarif and some in sarif.

I then turned left onto where Ryder Street continues which is lined with art dealers. None were open at 9AM, and to be honest, even if they were, I would feel too intimidated to walk in, but I did peer into the windows.

I turn left onto Kings Street when I notice a really decorative pub, The Golden Lion. A Victorian pub frontage thats being squeezed vertically from either side by huge concrete buildings.

To the right of The Golden Lion I see a tiny alleyway, which I quickly notice has a street sign. Angel Court. It leads me through a tiny court where I read this signage and stare at this ladder that’s coming down from the pub and I wonder where it leads. I walked for another 30 meters and notice this concrete mural.

I figured it’s not here by coincidence. After getting into a massive rabbit hole about the history of St James Theatre and the surrounding area, I learnt that in the 1700s half of Angel Court was a private garden, which was then cleared to be the site of the St James Theatre. In 1954 the site was bought and seized by a property developer and destroyed to make office buildings. (Yay!) And this sculptural frieze is the only part of the theatre that remains.

Angel Court brings me onto Pall Mall, where I turn onto the next left so I don’t stray too far from the little area I want to explore. I end up at St James’s Square and am sad to know it’s not open on the weekends. It looked like the perfect little square where I could have a drink of water and figure out what else was around here.

On the east side of St James’s Square, I come across the London Library. I am pleasantly surprised! After looking at so many gorgeous buildings, I wonder what the interiors of a library in this area could be like.

I enter and notice there’s no way to get in without a membership card. The lady behind the reception desk asks if I need help and I ask if I can come in to have a browse for about 10 to 15 minutes. At this point I do not realise it is a members library. I look around and notice there are 3 older men, all in beautifully tailored tweed suits reading the paper, they look at me over their papers. She mentions I can join as a member, but I tell her it’s no trouble and walk out. I instantly Google how much a membership costs: £600 a year. If I did a bit more writing, perhaps my vino fund could become my London Library fund.

At this point I walk west for a couple of blocks and end up behind Leicester Square. I’m a little hungry and realise I’m just behind the Japan Centre. I have never been inside there without there being a minimum of 150 people inside. On this morning, it’s empty. Just me. Perfect.

I pick up some sushi (salmon & avocado and a few inari) that’s just been made, and an iced jasmine tea. I sit at the bench by the fountain in Leicester Square and eat my sushi. At this point it’s at latest 10am. The Lego store has just opened. There is no queue yet.

Joel arrives at 10:25am and I feel like I have just lived in 10 different worlds. London can feel so overwhelming, there is so much to look at, but this was my favourite morning in a long time. I saved the last piece of inari for Joel and we had a little mooch around Soho and then headed back north.

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t tell you about what I ate or cooked in that same week.

My favourite supermarket curry:

Last October I did a job for Sainsbury’s, helping style their new Taste the Difference range in a massive room full of influencers. The best part was that at the end there were about 500 leftover frozen ready meals up for grabs. Now, as someone with an empty spare freezer in their shed, this was the best thing that could have happened to me. I loaded up an Uber with two massive crates and took home 50ish ready meals which included everything from beef shin cottage pies to butter chicken wings to beef short ribs.

A huge chunk of what I grabbed was currys because I love curry. I had around 10 chicken kormas alone and I was shocked how good it was after I ate the first one. I know this is a crazy thing to say but I went to Gymkhana two weeks ago and if this was served without me knowing it was from Sainos, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. (Huge call, might regret)

The korma doesn’t come with rice, so I make the rice myself and chuck a handful of green beans into a hot frying pan with tons of shaved garlic. (Honestly maybe 2 to 3 cloves worth.) I pop the lid on the pan to let them soften. I’ve got one korma left in the freezer and I’m saving it for a special occasion.

A few weeks ago I had been drinking all day and at 11pm, whilst I was mid margarita, I decided that I had to go home to make a particular sandwich. I was so hungry and had the ultimate craving for either Buldak Carbonara Ramen or a toasted cheese sandwich. I then thought 1 packet of ramen wouldn’t be enough because I was about 12 drinks in and I was pretty much blind from how hungry I was. Somewhere between Dalston and Highbury I knew I had to make a ramen toasted sandwich.

If there is something I am phenomenal at, and all of my friends can agree, if I feel like going home, I will just get up and go. I will usually say goodbye, but once that thought hits my brain, I am outta there. My Uber home and the memory of constructing this sandwich is hazy, but I remember being like woaaah when I took it out of the sandwich press. I don’t even want to think about what this sandwich did to my cholesterol. I think you’re only allowed one a year, but I’m already looking forward to 2027.

I’ve walked past Shu La La on Holloway Road a minimum of 400 times and each of those times I’ve thought, damn, I wanna go there. But alas, I have never ended up dining in. Well readers, a few Sundays ago Joel and I were laying on our bed deciding what hungover Deliveroo to get when Shu La La came up as an option and we realised it was a short walk away.

8 minutes after closing our front door we were sat at our booth. I was there for the BBQ skewers and the waitress told us the non negotiables (pork belly & short rib). We opted for the Chinese spring onion tofu skin skewers, but they were just okay.

The spicy pork belly and short ribs were outta this world. Eaten with a little dipping sauce and butter head lettuce, it ruled. We ordered a plate of beef ho fun, some rice and some chilli chicken wings. Joel had a beer and I had a pint of Coke. God, we were grinning from ear to ear eating that meal.

The best part is the buzzer.

To the left of our table was a stopwatch with a buzzer and you can press it after your meal. If you can press it at exactly 10 seconds, you get your meal for free. 9.99 and you get your drinks for half price, and 8.88 you get your meal for half price. The first attempt is the only attempt that counts.

This little kid who was sitting at the table behind us did the buzzer honestly 35 times and never got close to 10 seconds. After our meal Joel got up and on his first attempt got 9.99. Awesome. The kids dad jumped up and congratulated Joel from across the table, we all ended up laughing together.

The only downside to the buzzer is that Gangnam Style plays whilst it’s on. The upside to Shu La La is that I can be there within eight minutes of leaving my flat.

Next week I want to tell you about my trip to Vauxhall, my 2 wine pre dinner rule, eating at Gymkhana, and my Easter Weekend. Can’t wait!

I started writing this email around three weeks ago and every time I could only get through about 10 sentences before I either 1) got too hungry and had to cook dinner, after which all I wanted to do was watch MAFS and build my jigsaw or 2) was busy with work (boring).

But alas, I realised you don’t need to have everything at once and I can just write about a few things and a few days later do it all again.

In this edition you’ll read about some tarragon vinegar parsley pesto I made, a good citrus salad I ate and then re-created, my love for steak and instant ramen / pasta, a very vague recipe (actually not a recipe at all) for a cauliflower soup, my forgotten love for french toast, what I bought at the asian supermarket when I was hungover, and what I ate at Rita’s, Mondo and Toad Bakery.

I over ordered on parsley for a job I did by about 500 grams. To give you context, those measly little packets of herbs you get at the supermarket weigh 25 grams. I had a goal to not throw out any of this parsley but I honestly didn’t know what the hell to do with it.

Joel mentioned a pesto and I kind of rolled my eyes because it was so obvious. Nevertheless, I had a look around the fridge and pantry and realised that I had everything to make a fantastic pesto. I found 200ml of tarragon vinegar that I had made for a previous job, 3 half packets of pine nuts, I had just been gifted 1.5L of very good olive oil and I had parmesan, salt, pepper and lemons.

It sounds like a regular pesto but the tarragon vinegar completely transformed it. (To make tarragon vinegar just pour any sort of white vinegar over a bunch of tarragon and leave it overnight.) I learnt this from my friend Nil and since she taught me I cannot stop making it. It was so vibrant from the tarragon but the parmesan and nuts muted the sharpness from the vinegar. I ate a decent amount of it that week. Simple meals, pesto pasta and roasted chicken with garlic green beans and cherry tomatoes with heaps of pepper on them. The rest went to the freezer.

I went to Café Deco a few months ago and ordered a citrus salad. I’ll be honest and say a citrus salad in theory does absolutely nothing for me but Café Deco in my eyes can do no wrong so I ordered it. What came out was a salad so good I have been making it for the past 2 to 3 months. Blood oranges, mint, black olives, pickled onions, parsley, olive oil, salt. It is the most perfectly balanced salad and one I am excited to make again next winter when citrus is at its best.

I love instant ramen so much, specifically those Buldak carbonara ones. I don’t add all the spicy sauce because I’m not a masochist. One of my favourite childhood meals was made by my best friend’s mum, V. She used to bbq steak and we would eat it with Continental instant Alfredo and a classic Australian / NZ green salad with red onion, avocado, tomato wedges and grated carrot

The other night I had a bunch of bavette in the fridge and felt like cooking for a maximum of 15 minutes so I got the pan really hot, added the steak, got an intense crust on it. Whilst it was resting I made some instant ramen. I didn’t have buldak which I was gutted about but I had shin ramen. I actually didn’t use the flavour packet because I wanted a very simple flavour. I cooked the noodles and added some parmesan, Trader Joe’s cheese powder, white pepper and a splash of double cream. I air fried some broccoli on the side for some health.

I know people think soups are boring and think the only reason to eat them is with a grilled cheese or 40 slices of buttered toast and whilst I don’t think that’s wrong, I made a soup so good I only ate one slice of toast with it. I didn’t go to the shops and only used what was in the fridge and I was pleasantly surprised with how truly delicious it was. I fried off onions, leeks and garlic on a low heat and then added 3/4 of a head of cauliflower, covered it in water, boiled it, added a veggie stock cube and half a bunch of sage. I boiled it for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower was really soft, removed the sage, blitzed it up and added lemon, salt, pepper, olive oil and a splash of double cream. Heavy on the cauliflower and just enough sage that it didn’t over power it. Hazelnuts for a bit of crunch and flavour. Really really good.

I had a loaf of brioche in the house that I had to buy because I was trying to test if a egg salad sandwich is good in brioche (its not). I then realised that I had a whole loaf of brioche to get through. I don’t actually love brioche for savoury foods because it is just too sweet. However, lucky for me, every evening at around 7:45pm I get an absolute pang for something sweet. French toast it was. I covered it in Greek yoghurt, maple syrup and blueberry compote and I remembered how much french toast rules. I never eat it and I must eat it more often. I didn’t take a photo, apologies!

Two weeks ago I was very hungover and all I wanted was Chinese food but I really didn’t feel like sitting in a restaurant, so I had a shower and walked down to Hing Yip on Holloway Road and bought an absolutely smorgasbord of food so I could eat it on the sofa. I bought air fryer Karaage chicken, some prawn mandu, instant ramen (Buldak carbo) and some pork buns. I sat on the sofa drinking a mental mango drink with massive chunks of mango in it and it was honestly heavenly. Cost me like £20 for everything and I had 3 to 4 meals out of it. If you’re hungover, get off your sofa, walk down to your local Asian supermarket and then cause some havoc in your kitchen and get back on your sofa.

I had never been to Rita’s and have always wanted to go. We ate dinner before we went to a comedy show in Soho theatre (Saw Ed Night - very very funny). I had four martinis and let me say, four martinis at dinner with no wine RULES. We ate a lot of delicious food. I thought the devilled eggs were good but I would prefer them in a sandwich and to eat them for lunch instead. We ate prawns, (not pictured) a very good porchetta (pictured) very good lamb (pictured) and star of the show was the corn bread (picutred) Dessert was a frozen marg at Soho Theatre.

My friends live in South London and I’ve been to South London maybe 10 times in 10 years because I am lazy and a dickhead. Anyways, my friend G and A told me and Joel to come down for the day and they took us to Mondo Cafe and Toad. (Also South London Gallery, The Kerfield Arms, LALA books, walked across the main strip in Camberwell , and had dinner at A & G’s house).

I’ve been to Toad Bakery before but never to Mondo Cafe. Sandwiches and bread is very similar to pasta sauces and pasta for me. Not every sandwich filling goes with every type of bread and not every pasta sauce goes with every pasta shape. Mondo do this very well.

We got the Mondo Frango which was peri-peri chicken thigh, pea salsa verde, matchstick fries, shredded iceberg on a hoagie roll. The ratios were perfect. I loved the peas / chicken / crisp combo. Texturally it was perfect too. I love a bread roll covered in sesame seeds.

We also got the everything chicken cutlet - everything seasoning breaded chicken cutlet, grated red leicester, kale and pickle salad, ranch dressing, on toasted tin loaf. The coating on the chicken was some of the most tasty breaded chicken I’ve ever had. The tin loaf was so soft and slightly toasted. The ranch with the kale and the cheese was honestly divine together. It’s very good that I don’t live near Mondo because if it was within walking distance I’d be getting that breaded chicken sandwich weekly. I’m sure of it.

After our day out we went back to A and G’s house where they made the most turbo cottage pie. We then ate our treats from Toad and it was the end to a perfect day.

Thank you for reading! There is no coffee vino fund this week because I frankly don’t deserve it after not posting for 3 weeks. However, in the next few days I will write the next edition of ‘A few things I’ve eaten and cooked in the last few weeks.’

I will share which supermarket chain curry is my favourite (riveting!) a summary of a morning spent in Piccadilly, the most insane meal I made when I was blind drunk and only remember it because of photos on my phone (it rhymes with kuldak pamen goasted lamwich) and finally, my new favourite Chinese BBQ restaurant in Holloway.

Today is a new day. It’s Sunday 2nd March. I just spent 34 minutes (I timed it) tidying my living room. I opened every cupboard and organised everything, and it felt good. I found a 10-pack of hand warmers that I bought for Glastonbury and put them in my handbag. I can’t wait until I’m at the pub next and remember those puppies. Now I’m sitting on the sofa typing this. Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones is playing at about 4/10 volume-wise, the football is on the TV (on mute) (Arsenal vs Chelsea), a stick of incense is burning, and I’m drinking a vodka, soda and lemonade. (I squeezed about eight lemons, mixed in a little bit of sugar, and I’m using this as the base for my vodkas.)

I’m excited to tell you about what I’ve eaten and cooked over the last few weeks.

Milk Buns – I thought these were going to be easy to make because I always think, if you have a recipe, how hard can it actually be? Someone has literally written the ingredients, measurements and method for you. Turns out these took three attempts to get right.

My dough was not proving or doubling in size in the time that it should have. After a few attempts, I realised that the recipe I was following wasn’t correct. Salt was mixed directly with the yeast. The yeast wasn’t bloomed. The milk wasn’t warmed. I went back to my trusted faithful (BBC), and the milk bun recipe I followed for the third time was perfect.

After they came out of the oven, I had one straight away with butter and salt. Delicious. The next day for breakfast, we made bacon, egg and ketchup buns. I heated the milk buns in the microwave for around 20 seconds and they came out perfectly soft and warm.

The other day I put some aloo chaat in a milk bun with some coriander yoghurt and crispy onions. It was like a lazy vada pav. Another time I had them with butter and pear jam. A very delicious little treat, I’ve got to say.

Torres – Pickle Flavour

If you see these crisps, you should buy them. The off-licence across the road from Emirates Stadium (next to Highbury Library) sells them for £3.50. I think I’ve mentioned this before. Anyway, they taste exactly like Big Macs.

Roasted Butternut Squash – I’ve been roasting a lot of butternut squash recently. I love it so much. I cut the skin off and chop it into maybe 2–3cm chunks. Into the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. I coat it with a little bit of salt, pepper and olive oil. Some days, some harissa if I have any in the fridge. (The Belazu smoked harissa is really, really good.) I let it cool so it’s room temperature, then I put it in a bowl and eat it with a fork like it’s melon.

It’s also really lovely if you toast some fennel, coriander and cumin seeds and grind them slightly, so there are still a few chunks, not a full powder. Sprinkle that on after you’ve roasted it. Divine.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese – I was going to say I love those three ingredients in a sandwich, but I actually like them in everything. Muffins, milk buns, bagels, baguettes (haven’t actually tried that, but I reckon it would be amazing). I was properly hungover for the first time in 3–4 weeks and Joel made me a BE&C for breakfast with some hash browns. My favourite breakfast, I think.

Apple Fine Tarte – I think it’s the easiest dessert and the tastiest. Literally all you need is a sheet of puff pastry, three apples, some sugar and apricot jam. I use this recipe, but I brush the apples with apricot jam mixed with water after it’s come out of the oven. (Matthew does this in the recipe from his book, but for some reason it’s different on the website.) I will only be making this recipe for the foreseeable future when anyone comes to my house for dinner. I could easily eat the whole tart to myself. It’s not heavy at all and honestly 10/10.

Mango and Grapefruit Sago Pudding – I’ve eaten Chinese food on a Sunday for the past three Sundays. I’ve been to Hong Kong Restaurant on Upper Street, Gold Mine in Queensway and China’s Taste in Highbury.

Two weekends ago at Gold Mine, my friend G requested we get dessert. I don’t usually eat dessert at Chinese restaurants because I’ve absolutely gorged myself on so much cheung fun that I can’t eat another bite. However, on this occasion we hadn’t eaten too much and G ordered a mango and grapefruit sago pudding. Bloody hell. My new favourite dessert. I’m so happy I’ve discovered it — I’ll be making sure I make room for it every single time now. (It’s exceptional at Gold Mine in Queensway.)

Beef Tacos – I had around 1.2kg of beef shin in my freezer. It was there because I was going to make Slovakian beef soup but realised after defrosting it that I’d bought beef shin without the bone, and for this soup it really needs to be on the bone. So we pivoted. I told Joel we were having beef tacos for dinner instead.

I seared the beef really well and then made a marinade with ingredients I had in the pantry and fridge.

In my blender I added around 15 garlic cloves, half a jar of ancho chilli paste, a quarter of a jar of chipotle chilli paste, coriander, white onion, the end of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, cumin and cinnamon, and gave it a blitz. I then added the marinade to the beef, put it in the pot, and added one can of lager and a few cups of water. It cooked in the oven for about six hours and then we shredded the beef into smaller chunks.

I bought some masa tortillas and we ate the tacos with sour cream, coriander, white onion, pickled onions and jalapeños, with a side of corn chips covered in cheddar and grilled in the oven.

It was really good and the next day I added the leftover beef into a milk bun with butter and coriander and it was a delicious little snack.

Dough Hands – To me, it is the perfect pizza. I love it so much. The only downside is you have to the go to The Spurstowe Arms to get it.

I’m finishing writing this on Monday evening. Joel made the most delicious lamb curry from Hugh Corcoran’s book Two Dozen Eggs last night and we have a lot of leftovers, so I’m going to reheat a bowl of that and eat it while I watch the latest Bald and Bankrupt ep on Youtube. (Easily my fav youtube channel.)

See you next time x

When we came home, I drank a glass of water over the sink and then sat down to do some work. I don’t usually work without showering or eating, but our shower has been broken and I was waiting for the plumber to arrive. I have also been a little bit stressed with the number of menus I need to develop, so I wanted to get a head start this morning. Once I sat down and got started, it didn’t actually take me very long at all, and I got a little bit annoyed at myself for winding myself up about it.

The plumber arrived not too long after I finished working, and he was in and out within 20 minutes. I was relieved because I have been showering at my friends’ house, who live directly under my flat for the past eight days.

I went for another big walk and started thinking about how, after nearly two years, I’m finally starting to enjoy the quiet days. Two days ago, I woke up, worked out, and went to the National Portrait Gallery. I have lived in London for a decade and had only been once before, not too long after I had arrived.

When I arrived, I went straight to the top floor, as I like to work my way down at a gallery. Just as I arrived, a free hour-long tour was starting, so I decided to join. The tour ruled. It was based around the Tudor and Victorian eras and the most important portraits of those times. I never studied British history at school and never really took an interest in it until just recently. I’ve always found that I don’t love learning about things that are forced onto me.

Below are a few of my favourite rooms / doorways.

Below are my favourite paintings from the NPG. I realise that taking photos of these paintings on my shitty iPhone is like recording videos at gigs and showing them back to your mates, expecting them to have a great viewing experience. The reason why I really liked these paintings was either to do with how the light fell or the scale. I really loved the pub sign that had Queen Victoria on it. Kinda crack up to me that the queen at the time had a portrait of herself on a pub sign.

At around 1pm I started to get super hungry. I still wanted to go to the National Gallery but my stomach was rumbling big time so I decided to head off to get lunch.

I’ve walked past The Noodle Inn many times on Old Compton Street, and there’s always been a queue so long that it’s snaked across both sides of the footpath. As I walked past this time, there was no queue. It was peak lunchtime on a Tuesday afternoon. I was confused but decided to take advantage. I looked at the menu and saw that their wide hand-cut noodles with braised beef rib were £19.80. Phwwoar. I texted Joel a series of sporadic texts:

“It’s pricey”

“£20 for a bowl of noodles”

“Is it worth it??”

“I suppose I am in SoHo”

“I could just go to Xi’an Impression on my way home”

Joel replied: “Only one way to find out, Kelly.”

I was sat instantly and had one of the best seats in the house, behind a glass window where the three chefs swapped between folding dumplings, slapping noodles, and pouring hot oil onto the cooked noodles. I chatted to the waitress for a while. She was heading to China tomorrow to celebrate the Lunar New Year. She was excited for her shift to finish so she could go home and pack. She was also grateful that it was a quiet afternoon, so she didn’t have to work so hard.

I ordered the beef noodle soup with braised rib of beef. It arrived about 10 minutes after I ordered it. I actually watched them make it from start to finish. Noodles were cut, broth and beef rib went in, and then a big handful of coriander and spring onions went on top.

The same waitress came over to serve my food and asked if I wanted her to slice up the rib. I said yes, and she returned with a pair of scissors and some chopsticks and got to work. Within 15 seconds, she had removed the massive beef rib bone and chopped the piece of meat into 15 bite-sized pieces.

The bowl of soup was bigger than my head. I saw a text from Joel pop up on my phone: “How is it?”

I tried a piece of beef and had a slurp of soup. The meat was very tender. The soup was light, just a very clean beef broth laced with coriander and spring onions. I texted Joel 10 minutes later: “There is so much beef in this soup, pretty mad” It was true. I was starting to get full just from the beef and broth and I had barely touched the noodles. The beef rib had the perfect ratio of fatty and lean beef, all super soft and juicy. I ordered a jasmine tea to finish my meal with and asked for the bill; the total, including service charge, was £25.00.

I walked back down Charing Cross Road and walked into the National Gallery. I’ve never been into this gallery before.

When I went through bag search, the security guard laughed after checking my bag. He said he’s never seen a lady’s bag that was so empty. I laughed but also looked into my bag: a book, my keys, wallet, and phone. In that second, I thought of my mum’s handbag, he would have had an absolute nightmare searching that. Full of everything you might need: small packets of tissues, a makeup bag with mirror, spare plastic bags, a fan, three lipsticks, snacks.

For some reason, I had read the map of the museum wrong and spent 10 minutes trying to find the third floor. I finally gave in and asked a member of staff where the third floor was, and he replied, “There is no third floor.” Sick. I didn’t know what else to say apart from “well, no wonder I couldn’t find it hey” to which he laughed. I turned around and headed for the Monet room.

When I was a kid, my favourite artist was Monet. We studied him in my year six art class and always had to try to replicate his water lilies. The room was packed and full of people taking selfies in front of the lily pads. I waited for them to finish and looked at the paintings but couldn’t stop thinking about the fact there were people behind me waiting for me to finish looking, so they could take their selfies next. I left the room and decided to head for the wing that was the furtherest side of the gallery.

I suddenly started to pay attention to the playlist blasting through my ears. As I was walking through the rooms, “Watch Me Shine” by Joanna Pacitti was blaring through my headphones. If you’re not familiar with that song, it’s the one that plays in Legally Blonde, where Elle is buying her new MacBook and starts to get serious with her studies to get revenge on Warner. I texted my group chat: “Do you think I’m the first person to listen to the Legally Blonde soundtrack whilst looking at Rembrandt at The National Gallery?”

Below, a few of my favourite paintings I saw:

One thing I couldn’t get over was how grand each room was. I don’t know, for some reason I didn’t think that the rooms would be so big in scale and so opulent. I sound like I haven’t been to an art gallery before. I texted Joel, “I need to come back properly, this place rules.”

By this point, I’m pretty galleried out. It’s getting dark outside, and I want to be home before rush hour starts. I leave and realise I’m just across the road from The Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields. St Martin’s is very special to me for a lot of reasons. I was very involved with their volunteering programme for many years, as it’s built to protect the city’s most vulnerable women. I wish I still was but it was tied to my previous job.

St Martin’s is a church and space that most people walk past and never give a second glance. I know I did before I learnt about it. The church sits on the west side of Trafalgar Square. I popped in and couldn’t help but laugh to myself as there was someone sound asleep, snoring away. The best part was that you couldn’t see them, you could just hear the loudest echo of snores.

To the left of the church is a glass crypt that looks a little out of place. Go down the stairs and you’ll see the café and gift shop. The café is open every day, though times do change. The café is built on a graveyard, and you can see the gravestones that have become part of the floors, all from the 16th century. All the profits from the café and gift shop go towards the church’s outreach programmes to support homeless women in London.

Whilst I haven’t eaten at the cafe before, it is always packed and everyone is eating. It’s always warm and feels like a respite from busy Trafalgar Square above you. I usually sit down, read their music programme for the upcoming month, read my book and do some people watching.I also stock up on gift cards from the gift shop, they always have cute cards of flowers that are around £2. I find them way nicer than anything you can pick up on the high street and you’re supporting a very important cause.

Until next time

P.S. Thank you to everyone who subscribed this week or donated to the coffee/vino fund. I feel very grateful and it’s lovely to see people reading my work and engaging in different ways x

I did a cooking job two weeks ago where I was left with 1 kg of cherry tomatoes on the vine, half a kilo of peeled garlic, and a bunch of onions. I decided to make a roasted tomato soup. I know this is going to sound like I’m lying, but I’ve never eaten a roasted tomato soup before. I told Joel, and he said, “Not even with a grilled cheese?” “Not even with a grilled cheese, my guy.” Roasted tomato sauce? Sure. Litres of the stuff. But never a soup.

I didn’t really use a recipe because I wanted to use up as many ingredients from the pantry as possible. I washed my tomatoes and added them to a roasting tray with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I cut two red onions in half and added them to the tray. I didn’t bother peeling the onions, as they would come out of their skins super easily once roasted. I roasted everything for around an hour at 120 °C.

Whilst that was roasting, I added around 35 garlic cloves to a small pot and added enough olive oil to just cover them. I let them sizzle on a very low setting until they were soft — around 50 minutes.

While the tomatoes and onions were roasting and the garlic was sizzling, I did some chores and drank a miso soup.

Around an hour later, I got back to work on the soup. I added the tomatoes, onions, and garlic to a pot (not all the garlic, maybe 10 cloves; I saved the rest to have on toast). I then added more salt and pepper and toasted off some fennel seeds. I added around 1 L of chicken stock, a splash of sherry vinegar, and some butter. I then used my stick blender to blend it all together and added around 100 mL of double cream to finish.

I was worried there would be a lot of tomato skin in the soup, but my stick blender did a very good job of blitzing through it. I thought about passing it through a sieve, but honestly, because it was just Joel and me eating it, I couldn’t be bothered with the faff, and we didn’t notice it anyway.

I ate it with a piece of cheesy toast dipped into it, which reminded me a lot of eating garlic bread with tomato pasta.

Poached Pears

Pears are easily in my top five fruits. I love them when they’re really soft. Some might say too soft or overripe, but I love them that way. Same with kiwifruits and red plums. I also love a bruised banana.

I mostly eat pears on their own, but my other favourite way to eat them is poached. My mum used to stew them a lot when I was a child. We used to eat them on pancakes (almost crepe-like) with the cream that comes out of a canister.

I cook a lot by eye and never follow recipes unless I’m specifically following a recipe to cook something new.

On this occasion, I peeled six pears and put them in a pot. I also added the peels to the pot for extra pear flavour. I put in enough water to cover the pears and added around 4–5 tablespoons of sugar. I also added four star anise, 10 cloves, the juice of two lemons, and the carcass of one. A cinnamon stick would be great here too; I just didn’t have any. I brought the pears to a boil, and once they were boiling, I reduced the heat to a simmer. They simmered for around 20 minutes, then I turned the heat off completely. They stayed in the water until completely cool, and then I transferred them into the fridge.

I like to eat them just by themselves, chopped into small pieces and eaten with a dessert fork. This morning, I ate them with maple porridge, banana, and pumpkin seeds.

There is not much I love more than opening every cupboard door in my kitchen and figuring out what I want to cook. Everything that catches my eye goes on the kitchen bench, and it becomes a process of elimination.

I always start in the fridge. On this occasion: carrots, some leftover short-grain rice, chilli crunch (more on that later), coriander and mint.

Out of the pantry: salted cashews, silken tofu and golden raisins.

I thought, hmm, I think we might be onto something. But this part was the most important: which oils, condiments and spices did I want to add? I went with olive oil, honey and the zest of a lime. In the fruit bowl I found a tiny piece of ginger that looked a bit sad but was definitely still usable, as well as a clove of garlic. From the spice cupboard, I used curry powder and salt.

I hate grating anything because it always makes my wrists hurt, and I always prefer my food processor, so I used the grating attachment and grated around three to four carrots. I put a handful of golden raisins into boiling water to rehydrate them, as I prefer the texture. I picked the coriander and mint leaves and added them to the bowl. I grated half a clove of garlic and about a teaspoon of ginger, and finally roughly chopped the cashews and added those too. (You can sub cashews for peanuts or almonds I reckon.)

I eyeballed the oils and condiments so everything was nicely coated, then added about a teaspoon of lime zest, around two teaspoons of curry powder, and a pinch of salt. When I tasted it, I couldn’t get over how delicious it was.

I’ve eaten it with silken tofu, with daal, in a sandwich with aloo gobi, and in a salmon rice bowl. I could also name plenty of meals you shouldn’t eat it with — like beef bourguignon or a chicken pie. I make the salad with everything except the herbs and add those when I want to eat it, so they don’t go sad. The salad will honestly last five days in your fridge, easy.

Whilst the rice was getting nuked in the microwave, I opened the silken tofu and padded any excess moisture from it and cut three slices from it. Once the rice was out of the microwave I put the tofu next to it and added a big dollop of my chilli crunch. On the side, a massive portion of carrot salad. I ate it on the sofa whilst I watched some bad television. I like to mix everything together and eat it with a spoon.

Chilli Crunch - (I really don’t know what to call this?)

My favourite chilli crisp is Lao Gan Ma. I find the spice, sweetness and saltiness levels perfect. I add around a tablespoon to a bowl and mix in the following: peanuts, garlic (half a clove!), roasted sesame seeds, spring onion, a tiny bit of sesame oil, a tiny bit of Maggi seasoning sauce, and a tiny bit of white pepper. I also add quite a lot of coriander and crispy onions, but I don’t include these if I’m making a big batch because I don’t want the onions to go soggy or the coriander to go bad. In fairness, I always make a big batch so the base is around 3-4 tablespoons of Lao Gan Ma.

You can use this condiment on so many meals. If I’m making anything Asian, served with chicken, beef, rice, noodles, prawns etc it’s going on top. I like to dip dumplings into it. For the fastest dinner you can make, I cook short-grain rice, add two very crispy fried eggs, this sauce, and some mayo, then mix it all up.

You know what else goes with it? The carrot salad.

PS: I’ve now added the option of you being able to pay for my work. I don’t want to put my writing behind a paywall, because I want as many people to read it as possible. I can’t afford to support as many creators on a monthly basis as I want too, but I know if people gave the option of doing a one off payment for a few quid, I’d definitely take that option.

So I thought I’d do the same. You don’t need to pay me monthly, but I thought if you want to send me a couple of quid for my time, the option is there. If you enjoyed this piece, why not buy me a cuppa / glass of vino. The next time I sit in my local caff / pub to write it, it’ll be on you :)

cuppa / vino fund

See you next week!

K x

Mine have kind of stayed the same since 2023. I had a few chore-based yearly intentions, like ensuring the kitchen is clean before I go to sleep, making sure that my clothes are put away before I sleep, and filling up my ice trays straight away. (GOD, I sound like a ball of fun, eh) I’m pretty good at all three of these things now. What I chose to leave behind was eating small plates with more than four people and staying out when I just want to be at home.

There were a few bigger contenders, which are both very big commitments.

The first thing was committing to my vegetable garden. I have four massive plots in the yard, and no one in our flats uses them. I am lucky that all my friends live in the same building as me, so I hope if they see me grafting in the yard, they will also join. During the Black Friday sales, I bought everything I need to make our garden flourish in the summer: polytunnels, tomato cages, fertiliser, flower seeds, etc. I know that I will beat myself up whenever I leave this flat and think, “Why the hell did you not grow vegetables when you had the time and space?” This is the year!

Secondly, I’m thinking about the media that I consume and how it affects my output. I’ll be honest and say I don’t know much about movies, music or art. I have seen maybe 80 movies in my entire life and only really listen to ’80s synth-pop, Tracy Chapman, and Akon. In terms of art, I really only know the really obvious ones that you learn about it school; Monet, O’Keeffe, Pollock etc. If you asked me about someone who makes art in the last 15 years, I sadly couldn’t tell you much.

But I really want to change this because I know it will affect every part of my life — my conversations, my work, my drawing, my cooking, my inspiration. To make sure I do something about this, I have given myself a goal of one movie a week at home, two movies a month at the cinema (I bought a Curzon membership where I can watch seven movies a week for £25.00 a month). I’d love to also like to go to a show / gig / exhibition once a month but I reckon let’s start with baby steps.

Finally, I’m trying to be more intentional with the time I spend on the internet. Most people say they spend too much time online, and I know I do. The one thing I want to change is making sure the time I spend on it is intentional.

I am the queen of scrolling when I don’t feel stimulated. Movie got boring? I’ll play a few rounds of some stupid game on my phone. Friend gone to the loo at the pub? I’ll scroll whilst I wait for them to come back. Uber 2 minutes away? Oh yeah I’ll scroll those minutes away too. I hate this trait so much, that I’ve gone out of my way to stop it.

Maybe embarrassing to admit, but I pay for an app that blocks my social media apps during set times of the day / night. For the past two weeks, I haven’t been on any apps between 8PM and 9:30AM. This is huge for me. I used to scroll sometimes for an hour before I went to bed and for an hour as soon as I woke up. I’m also only allowed to open each app (Instagram & TikTok) x5 a day max, for ten minutes at a time.

As a result, my screen time has halved, and I’m no longer picking up my phone during anything else I do because I can’t open any app at anytime. I feel like I’m only looking at things I want to look at, and I feel more inspired by the things I’m seeing. Sometimes I don’t even get to the end of the ten minutes before I like log off myself. I wish I could tell you I have enough willpower to just ‘not open the apps’ or ‘only have instagram on your desktop’ but I just don’t.

There was one really nice swap that I did for the mornings because, when I woke up, I felt a bit lost without my phone. I didn’t want to get up straight away, but I also didn’t want to stay in bed and just do nothing. I went to Good News in Soho one day and bought seven new magazines: 3–4 I am familiar with, (Vogue UK, Apartamento, Noble Rot, The New Yorker) and 2–3 I had never read before (World of Interiors, EE72 and Cake Zine). They sit on my bedside table, and when I wake up I read a few articles, look at some pictures, and this has replaced my morning scroll. I just finished the January issue of EE72 and I feel like a teenager again. It ruled.

I wanted to share a few very good puzzles I have done in the past few weeks. My friend S asked me, “What even makes a good puzzle, Kelly?”, and I’ll spare you a paragraph about it, but below you can see some absolute belters. I do jigsaws because they keep my racing thoughts at bay. It is important to never continue a jigsaw puzzle that’s too hard. It’s the same as reading a book you don’t enjoy. Just admit defeat, you’re not having a good time, and sod it off.

I’ve read some very good books and magazines recently. I won’t tell you their synopsis because you can research them yourself, but I love stories based on true events, biographies, I love anything historical, and extra points if it’s WW2. I love David Sedaris, and I love stories about people’s parents, and I love stories about grief. I gave all of the below 5 stars on Goodreads: (apart from EE72, I hate that you can’t include magazines on Goodreads so much)

Joel and I made burgers for NYE — Peter Luger-esque. Very simple. 200gram beef patties, burger cheese, diced white onion and pickles, mayo, mustard, ketchup. We had them with McCain oven fries (but we put them in the deep fryer). I realised I actually prefer a thinner meat patty (not smashed) more of a quarter pounder vibe, but they were still delicious.

There is a pub in Camden called The Pineapple, and I really love it. I love it because they serve Thai food instead of classic pub food. There is something that is just so awesome about being in a pub and eating spring rolls and green curry over crisps or a roast. It’s like you’re in a restaurant, but you’re not cos you can play a board game. We went last weekend before we watched Marty Supreme (as someone whose movie opinion you will not trust, I just wanted to tell you I thought it was fantastic). We had prawn toast, pork and prawn money bags, chips (lol Joel wanted chips, ok!), chicken and cashew stir-fry with coconut rice, and a pad Thai. I know it’s the most basic order, but it really just hit the spot. Next time I want to try their sweetcorn fritters and Penang curry.

Joel and I were thinking about what we can do in the week to not make it feel so “sleep, work, eat, sleep, work, etc.,” especially in Jan and Feb when we’re busy being hermits. We own 100+ cookbooks and never reaaaally use them apart from when I need work inspo, so we thought each Monday, one of us has to choose a recipe from a cookbook we have never cooked or eaten before, and cook for the other person.

Monday night is best because no one ever does anything on a Monday, and it means you can do the grocery shop on the Sunday. So far we have made the Vermicelli Chicken Soup from Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East by Noor Murad, and Ditalini and Lentils from An A-Z of Pasta: Stories, Shapes, Sauces, Recipes by Rachel Roddy. Both have been so delicious and fun to cook. The flavours in the chicken soup were next level. Cinnamon stick included in the chicken broth, with kefir added at the end. Next week it’s my turn, and all signs are pointing to the Mutton Pepper Fry from the Dishoom cookbook.

I just had a really nice lunch at The Canton Arms in Vauxhall. We had roast lamb shoulder, potato gratin, buttered cabbage, and a green salad for five of us, and it was just a perfect meal. I took two full containers home of leftover lamb. It’s in the freezer, and I’m still thinking about what we can make from it.

See you next time :-)

PS: I’ve now added the option of you being able to pay for my work. I don’t want to put my writing behind a paywall, because I want as many people to read it as possible. I can’t afford to support as many creators on a monthly basis as I want too, but I know if people gave the option of doing a one off payment for a few quid, I’d definitely take that option.

So I thought I’d do the same. You don’t need to pay me monthly, but I thought if you want to send me a couple of quid for my time, the option is there. If you enjoyed this piece, why not buy me a cuppa / glass of vino. The next time I sit in my local caff / pub to write it, it’ll be on you :)

cuppa / vino fund

I had a lot of fun writing this. It’s a little long, but the paragraphs are short. I hope you enjoy reading it, and that it maybe makes you want to try cook or eat something new.

January

Dim Sum and Duck - I’ve learnt through a lot of trial and error that the best time to go to Dim Sum and Duck and avoid the queue is between 4 and 4:30 pm, roughly an hour before the kitchen closes between lunch and dinner. My first visit of the year was mid January and I went with five friends. We hadn’t seen each other in awhile so we were ready to gas bag and eat. I remember that there was so much food on the table that I felt pure joy knowing no one would go without. Har gow, xiao long bao, prawn and tofu skin cheung fun, and salt and pepper chicken wings are always on my order. I love their roast duck, and the sauce and cabbage that comes underneath it.

Making Won Ton Soup - A staple in my household. This is such a simple soup to make and this is my go-to recipe for it. 1 batch of it will make about 4 meals and you know whats better than having won ton soup for dinner? Having it for lunch the next day too.

Jupiter Burger - I really love a simple burger. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, lettuce, burger cheese and white raw onion. This is a really good burger. I always add a double patty. I think it’s the perfect size and I also really rate their fries.

V&A Library - Hey, so not a place I bought food from, but I signed up to study (work) at the library at the V&A, and it’s the most beautiful room I’ve ever been in. I don’t go as often as I’d like to, but if you’re freelance, it’s so great. The cafeteria is also beautiful, and you can eat your own food in there.

February

Jin Kichi - I went to Jin Kichi a handful of times this year (and I think wrote about it every time), and it is so delicious. It’s my favourite place in the city for Japanese food, but I can’t go as often as I’d like as it puts a pretty hefty dent in your wallet. The perfect day out is a walk around Hampstead Heath, finished with Jin Kichi, or vice versa. Everything is fresh and delicious, but I especially love the tuna rolls and anything from the grill.

Cabbage Rolls alla Frontières: -My boyfriend is obsessed with Alex Jackson’s cookbook Frontières, and this recipe is from the book. Pork mince and chicken livers are wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves and topped with a buttery tomato sauce. A little pilau rice, the rolls, and some of the tomato sauce make the perfect mouthful.

Steak au poivre - A Valentine’s tradition every year is to make Steak au poivre at home. We go to our butcher and get a ribeye on the bone, enough for two. We set the table together, then one of us is on steak duty and the other on salad and fries duty. I think these are the best fries, I don’t bother making my own.

We like to fry them in a deep fryer, though a pot works too. I make extra sauce so we can dip the fries in it as well. The salad dressing is honey mustard, heavy on the mustard.

Butter Chicken - One of the things I miss the most about New Zealand is the butter chicken you can buy at every Westfield food court. It’s bright orange, so sweet and creamy and probably not a curry at all. I’ve tried to recreate it so many times. Funnily enough a recipe that is SO close to it is by Matty Mathewson. I made it for 15 friends back in Feb and all agreed it was bang on.

Spaghetti and Prawn Sandwiches - I went to Penzance and wrote about it here. If I think about my most memorable food moment from that trip, it would be eating prawn sandwiches by the water from Stevenson W & Sons or buying crab meat from the same fishmongers and making a garlic / lemon / crab / chilli spaghetti later that same evening. Also to mention is Townsend Farm Discovery Apple juice. It is the best apple juice I have ever had and everyone I introduce it to also agrees.

March

Ixta Belfrage Roast Chicken Curry with Crispy Curry Leaves - I’m aware of how much I’ve talked about Ixta Belfrage’s cookbook Mezcla. It’s my favourite cookbook, and my favourite recipe in it might just be the most delicious chicken you’ll ever cook at home. It’s a curried roast chicken with curry leaves, ginger, tomatoes, and so many other yummy bits. I love making it with coconut rice and her turmeric tomatoes. At first it can feel complicated to make, but once you’ve done it a few times, it’s super easy. It’s so good that I always make double quantities, and there are STILL never any leftovers.

OOBATZ pizza - Just to give you an idea of how good this pizza is: Joel and I were in Paris and were due at OOBATZ at 7 pm, but at 5:30 pm I stupidly ate an entire bag of crisps (Brets Aioli flavour) and then felt that sickly, overfull feeling that only happens when you eat too many crisps. I didn’t have the nerve to tell Joel I wasn’t hungry because I knew he would be shattered. It’s very important for you to know that this pizza was so good I ate the entire thing, completely forgetting how awful I had felt before arriving. (The three glasses of wine may have helped a little here.) The pizza of note was the beef ragu with ricotta.

Chicken / Tuna Rice Bowls - I always try to prioritise an hour for lunch, even on really busy prep days. It’s very important to me that I step away from whatever I’m doing and take the time to make my lunch, rather than rush it and treat it as an afterthought. I got into a really fun habit of making either leftover roast chicken or tuna rice bowls, but only using ingredients that were already in the house. I’d make little ginger and sesame pea salads, always adding different types of pickles or mixing in different aromatics into my rice.

April

Dalla - One of my favourite special-occasion restaurants, for sure. I’ve had exceptional meals here. I love their puntarelle salad, steak tartare and every single pasta. I always have to order two pastas because, while the portions are cute, they’re not big enough for me. I also always walk out completely hammered because their martinis are very good and I don’t know how to only have one.

Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria -I love this ice cream shop, but I didn’t go as much as I wanted to. I remember having an incredible double scoop of black cherry cheesecake and vanilla, and on another occasion, pistachio and dark chocolate. Next year, I want to go on more walks that end with ice cream.

Marcela Hazan Tomato Pasta - In the top five of home-cooked meals in our house. I love this recipe so much because it’s the tastiest pasta sauce, and it’s only three ingredients that I always have: one onion, one tablespoon of butter, and one can of tomatoes. When I have things to do around the house, I put it on to bubble away and leave it for an hour while I do chores. When I’m feeling frisky, I add some fennel seeds. I eat it with spaghetti and an inhumane amount of parmesan.

01 Adana - This may have been my most-visited dine-in restaurant of 2025. There’s nothing better than getting a lamb adana wrap and a Uludağ Orange, sitting on a bench in Newington Green soaked in sunshine, and just watching the world go by. And by watching the world go by I mean watching toddlers run into 250 pigeons being fed by someone really elderly who has a sack of bread the size of a 10kg bag of onions.

Xi’an Impression - I am lucky that I live within walking distance of Xi’an Impression in Arsenal. I don’t take for granted that if I walk over and it’s a full house that I can just order and walk it back home, sit on the sofa and watching telly. From memory, I would say my most ordered dishes are: beef biang biang noodles, sweet and sour pork, salt and pepper squid, egg fried rice, smacked cucumbers and the chicken & mushroom potstickers.

May:

Towpath - I don’t think much beats Towpath on a sunny day. I don’t go near as much as I’d like as I no longer live within walking distance but each time I go I tell myself I must visit more. Everything on the menu is so simple which I love and you know what I love more than a simple breakfast? Finishing breakfast with an ice cream, one of the only places in town where this is possible.

Dusty Knuckle -I understand that I’m extremely late to the party, but Dusty Knuckle’s Orange and Poppyseed and Fennel Seed, Honey and Feta scrolls are top-tier pieces of pastry. On the off chance that someone is even later than me, a gentle note: you must try either one or both. I always thought a scroll meant dense dough, almost like that feta and spinach pull-apart bread everyone loved in the ’90s (I still do), but these are made almost from croissant-like dough. The best thing you can do if you own an air fryer is pop a scroll in for 2–3 minutes at 180 °C. It’s like it’s just come out of the oven — a total game changer.

Peanut Noodles - One of my favourite things to do is to go to Hing Yip on Holloway Road and browse their noodle aisle. This year I became obsessed with the texture of knife cut noodles and made sure I always had some in the pantry. I’d come home and make new sauces and toppings for them. My go to in the summer became cold peanut noodles which I would eat with lots of cucumbers, coriander and roast chicken.

E-Mono - There’s a certain type of Friday night that calls for doner meat on chips for dinner in front of the telly, with a massive glass of ice-cold lemon Fanta. My go-to is from E-Mono, on the corner of Hornsey Road and Holloway Road. I usually opt for chicken, I love it from here. I don’t go crazy with the salad toppings — just lettuce, tomato, and onion and a bit of burger sauce in the corner for good measure.

Bake Street - Bake Street is easily the most annoying cafe for me to get to from my house. It takes longer to get public transport (the only option is the 236 which I argue is the worst bus in the city) and walking is easily 55 minutes. It takes real dedication for me to get there but I think that’s a good thing because I know I would be the size of a house if it was easy to get to. I have only ever eaten perfect food from Bake Street. Their ratios are always perfect. Items are fried perfectly. Every drink that I’ve ordered is delicious. They have the more fun soft serve flavours. Awhile ago I went and shared a patty melt, chicken caesar wrap, tatter tots and a iced tea and there was nothing that could have made it better.

June:

Ravneet Gill Lemon Loaf - Ravneet Gill’s book Pastry Chef’s Guide is my go-to baking book. There is a recipe in there for a lemon loaf that is just awesome. It’s lemony but not too sweet. The crust has a perfect texture. The inside is fluffy and always moist. I’ve started baking it not as a loaf (I’ve changed the baking times and temperature for this), but every time I make it for someone, they say it’s the best lemon cake they’ve ever had — and they’re right. I cover mine in a blanket of strawberries and cream but I always make sure there’s a mountain of strawberries on the side too because you can never have enough.

Chicken Salad - I eat a lot of roast chicken. I have one at least once a week as I get a few meals out of it. One thing about me: I love a chicken Caesar salad, but a lot of the time I can’t be arsed making one properly. I just want the chicken, leaves, croutons, and cheese. A lot of the time I skip the anchovy too. I use panko instead of bread when I don’t have any to make croutons with and I add an entire bunch of dill into my dressing.

This sounds insane, but if you add these ingredients into a food processor or blender, you will have the best chicken salad dressing. Dijon mustard, mayo (can use vegan — I’ve tried, makes no difference), a garlic clove, capers, lemon juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, white vinegar, and an entire bunch of dill.

Ixta Belfrage Chicken with Pineapple & Nduja. - from page 112 of her book Mezcla. Do yourself a favour, honestly.

Miga - I think I went to Miga about a year after everyone else had. Every time I tried to get a booking, they were full, and I didn’t have the energy to work out when reservations went live. One of my dearest friends, J, was in London from NYC, and over lunch drinks he told me he had a reservation for two at Miga and asked if I could join him. It was the best of both worlds: I got to enjoy the meal with one of my favourite people to eat with, without the stress of booking. Joel ended up joining us too, so it really was the perfect evening.

I remember the staff there were so friendly. I also remember eating the most tender beef short ribs and pork, and a very crispy Yachaejeon dipped in a delicious sauce. I’m excited to go back this year if I can get a booking.

Mangal 1 - I didn’t eat in at Mangal 1 many times this year but ohhhh boy did I get it delivered. Getting Mangal 1 delivered to the park on a sunny afternoon is the best thing you can do. I also got it delivered the day I got back from Glastonbury and I still remember the grin I wore eating it. I always order the mixed grill for two. It comes with rice and salad and it can easily feed three. I always order a side of Cacık for good measure.

July

Bouchon Racine - Another of my top restaurants in this city that I just adore. My friend L called one day to say she was styling Henry Harris’ book about Bouchon Racine and needed someone who knew how to eat to go with her and try as many dishes as possible, so she could familiarise herself with them for styling. I was honoured. I felt like an imposter on the day because I wasn’t there to assist with the book — I was just there to eat and fuel L’s inspiration. Henry brought out every dish, wine matched every plate, and it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. We ate through the lunch service and left only when the restaurant was ready for dinner. We had steak tartare, œufs, skate, salads, and the most delicious red wine strawberries, just to name a few.

Spaghetti Bolognese - Okay an obvious one because I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love a spag bol but I’ve started eating it with heaps of different pasta shapes. Trofie, Orecchiette, Conchiglie, Farfalle, you name it. I think it is one of the only pasta sauces that goes with every shape. (Prove me wrong.) I also started adding a very unnecessary lemon and parsley panko crumb because I love a crunchy texture and it was just so delicious.

Bread and Butter - In Paris specifically. I never really just eat bread and butter in any other city and feel excitement over it. But in Paris I am excited to wake up just so I can have it for breakfast. You don’t need a photo for this.

Le Cornichon - My friend D lives in Paris and has never given me a bad recommendation. When I go to Paris, I share my itinerary with D, and she either says “oui kel” or raises an eyebrow. One day I told her I wanted to eat a steak in a relaxed environment, and she said, “Have you been to Le Cornichon ?” I now can’t think of a more perfect place to eat steak with friends: a portion of côte de bœuf, Béarnaise, and fries for, if I remember correctly, €30 per person. They have the most fun drinks in slushy form that actually get you drunk. The food is fantastic, and it’s become a new staple for me.

ANGIOLO - My favourite ice cream in Paris that I discovered. It’s in the 6th by the river and I love their coconut and lime / 4 vanilla flavours.

August:

Bonnies - Bonnie’s in Marseille was definitely in my top five meals of the year. Simple, clever cooking: steak tartare with crisps, beans and mussels, olive tapenade and sardines, crème brûlée tart, and chocolate mousse. I will go back to Marseille for the third time in three years just for that meal.

Rotisserie Chickens - Specifically in France. I love them because all the chicken shops sells dauphinois potatoes and you can make chicken, mayonnaise, lettuce and dauphinois sandwiches. I make this sandwich every time.

Tuba Club - God I know it’s obvious but I just love this place. There is no where else in the world that I’ve been that you can drink a glass of rose on the rocks, jump into the water, dry off, and eat the best risotto of your life.

Café Deco - Café Deco was my most-visited semi- posh restaurant of the year. If I’m correct, I went six times. Augusta, the head chef, cooks some of my favourite food. Just this year, I’ve eaten the most beautiful girolle and baby gem salad, basically a Caesar without the meat, just perfectly buttered girolles. On another occasion? Girolles, cream, and dumplings — a dish I wish I could eat on every stormy evening.

BBQ Potlucks - I just need to preface this by saying I hate a potluck that isn’t controlled. I think it’s insane when people ask others to bring a plate with no direction. I’m not even sure you can call my method a potluck anymore, but I write a list of mains, sides, cuts of meat, drinks, and desserts, and then all my friends pick from the list. I think it’s the safest way to make sure that on the day, you’re not all eating three different potato salads, bags of crisps, warm beers, and sausages.

September:

Kakki Katsu - I’ve talked about my beloved Kakki Katsu before, and hopefully this will be the last time. There’s no better value-for-money food option on the delivery apps that’s also this delicious, in my opinion. One portion could feed two if you make your own little side salad or something, but I love to go the whole hog and eat an entire Katsu myself. My favourite combo is the Ebi prawn/pumpkin croquette and fried chicken cutlet. I order it, have a shower, dry my hair, and one I’m done, it’s with me. It’s also another fantastic option to get delivered to the park.

Gyudon - I’m always trying to think of easy, healthy recipes of the mid week. For me, I love east asian cooking and Joel said he wanted to try beef Gyudon. It’s a new staple and its just thinly sliced beef and onions cooked in mirin and dashi. We eat it with steamed rice and a fried egg and a big sesame cabbage on the side.

Dill and Garlic Cream Cheese - I went to my dearest friend M’s wedding this year and ate the most incredibly delicious dip for crudités. It was a dill and garlic cream cheese, heavy on dill and garlic. Labneh is also added. I make it all the time now but I’m not really allowed to because it means I eat a whole tub of cream cheese and labneh in one go.

Spaniards Inn -I’ve tried going for lunch at the Spaniards Inn in Hampstead for, honestly, three years and never been successful. The reason is that I always try to book on the day. I never really plan a walk around Hampstead until the day itself — I know this is my fault. My friend S was in town from NYC and wanted a British pub lunch, so we went on a Tuesday afternoon, and the place was empty: just us and four elderly couples. It was the best fish and chips I’ve ever had at a pub, and the steak was also very juicy and tender.

Sausage and Mash - Just a reminder that sausage and mash is very delicious. These sausages were beef and horseradish from my one true loves, McKanna Meats. Buttery mash, onion gravy, peas, can’t beat it.

October:

Da Mario - I love this deli in Highbury so much but I love it even more since I discovered that their chicken liver pate is incredibly delicious. It’s sold by weight and it’s now a staple to have when I have visitors. It’s decently priced and it’s always the first thing to go on the cheese board. When my mum came to visit she bought a 500 gram slab and we ate it in two days. Whoops.

Kipferl - I asked my instagram followers awhile back asking where did decent veal schnitzel in London. Most people said Fischers or Daquise and one person (who I trust 100% in terms of their recommendation) said Kipferl. Fischers and Daquise are in Marylebone / Kensington and Kipferl is in Angel, so naturally I went to the place that’s a 25 minute walk from my front door. Tell you what, it was decent. Really good actually. As someone who ate schnitzel on every single family members birthday for the first 22 years of my life, I know my stuff. There was so much schnitzel I couldn’t actually finish it and Joel made a sandwich out of the leftovers. The potato salad as a side was also decent.

The Shaston Arms - I get funny about going to places when they first open these days. I like to give them a few months to find their feet and let the booking system relax. Joel said we were going to a new pub in Soho which made me raise an eyebrow but honestly there was no need for it. We ate just really, really well cooked pub food. Onion rings with taramasalata. Tender pork chops with delicious fat caps. Juicy roast chickens and perfect fries.

La Barca - I think that even a bad pizza is a good pizza. Let me explain. On paper, an oven pizza is “bad”, but I love an oven pizza. I think oven pizzas serve a purpose and are good. I also think a “bad” pizza from a kebab shop is good — in fact, that might be my favourite type of pizza.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a “good” pizza, like one you get at Dough Hands, somewhere in Italy, or Crisp, or whatever. Maybe it’s about travel time. All these “good” pizzas basically need to be eaten straight out of the oven, which means you can’t eat them at home. But a Hawaiian (add mushrooms, onion, and green peppers) from La Barca travels beautifully. Put each slice in the air fryer for a few minutes and it’s like it’s just come out of the oven.

Ps. La Barca is next to The Shakespeare in Stoke Newington. The Shakespeare doesn’t do food but allows you to bring pizza in from La Barca. The amount of times I’ve gone to The Shakespeare only so I can get a pizza is 10x +

Sushi Show - My friend T introduced me to Sushi Show a few years ago. I’d walked past it dozens of times before but, for some reason, never really stopped to check it out. I think I just assumed all sushi in London was like Itsu. It’s vital for you to know that I love Sushi Show now. I love sitting out front on a really sunny afternoon, eating sushi.

If I’m with another person, my favourite way to eat there is in courses. They go in first and order two small things, and we eat them. Then, when course one is done, I go in and do the same. We keep doing that until we physically can’t eat any more sushi. I think it adds excitement to the meal, rather than eating everything at once.

November:

LahmaCino - I still can’t believe that I can spend £7.00 (dine in btw) and eat a bowl of perfectly fried chips, the most delicious lamb lahmacun, drink a can of coke and only pay £7.00 including service. I do quite a bit of work in Archway so it’s always the go-to when I’m there. I would say its the perfect place to eat if you’re going to the Odeon Lux that’s around 200M down on Holloway Road.

Planque - This is my favourite very, very special occasion restaurant. The first time I went a few years ago I had the best dessert I’ve ever had to this day. It was a mushroom ice cream with miso caramel and rice crispies. I ordered it twice and nearly went for round three, since then I knew Planque wasn’t one to mess with. I went recently and had a wigmore ice cream with meringue which was like marshmellow, tuna belly toasts, steak tartare with peppercorn sauce and crisps, and the most delicious crab rice.

December:

Abri Soba - A very cosy soba spot in Paris that I discovered this last trip but will be a staple from now on, especially in the colder months. We had perfect soba with tofu skins and tempura vegetables. Everything was so delicate and the service was so sweet.

Lucky Dog - Lucky Dog on Brick Lane rules. My friend C told me about it and we went for lunch with 6 friends. We ordered so many dishes, I would say an average of 1.5 dishes (mains) per person, and we walked out of there so full. Everything was insanely delicious. The cumin lamb skewers, the dry fried sweet and sour pork (one of the best versions of this dish I’ve ever had) sweet potato noodles and braised red pork. The best part was it was £28.00 each and everyone had a beer.

Regency Cafe - I went to Regency Cafe for the first time in 10 years. I’ve always wanted to go but the thought of going to Pimcilo to eat breakfast always put me off. During the Christmas break Joel told me we were going as he’s always wanted to go too. I never went with the previous owners so I can’t comment on what it used to be like but as someone who went for the first time with new management I would say it ran flawlessly. The full english I had was perfect. 1 egg, 1 sausage, 2 bacon, beans. We added hash brown and black pudding and shared both. The sausages, bacon and black pudding were cooked beautifully. I think it was the perfect size because I didn’t walk out of there feeling bloated or too full, Joel also agreed.

Christmas Ham and Potato Salad - I was raised on his dish. I’ve eaten it every Christmas / special occasion since I could eat solids. Recently I havnt’t eaten it as much because I don’t live with my family anymore. However, I made it on Boxing Day and I forgot how much it absolutely rules. The potato salad is Slovakian style. Boiled potatoes, corn, peas, corn, cornichons, mayo, salt and pepper and that’s it.

You’ve made it to the end! :-)

I wrote about Bloomsbury and Holborn last week, and I just wanted to enjoy the feeling of having completed it rather than having to think of what’s next. A week passed, and I didn’t feel like writing; a new week started, and nothing came to mind that I felt really excited about. I recognise that for many this is a job, and I also want to add that I am in awe of those who have the discipline to write weekly. I don’t know how you do it.

This morning I woke up with nowhere to be until 10AM, when I had to be in Marylebone. I woke up, opened the curtain, and laughed at how absolutely miserable it was outside. I always make the same joke to my boyfriend and say, “Another day in paradise!” J laughs every single time, even though it hasn’t been funny since the first time I said it nearly six years ago. I read approximately 30 pages of my book (A Waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm – it took about three chapters for me to get into it, but now I can’t put it down), tidied the living room, bedroom and kitchen, made a banana smoothie, showered, and headed out.

For someone who hasn’t seen many movies (I have a problem where I fall asleep very easily), I have listened to so many movie scores. My friend J and I both share a love for movie scores, and every so often I will receive a message from him with a link to a new score saying something along the lines of, “Listening now – you will love.” Yesterday he sent me the movie score by Randy Newman for the film Awakenings, directed by Penny Marshall. J had no idea that one of my biggest inspirations is Oliver Sacks, so it felt like a bit of a serendipitous moment. I’ve been listening to this soundtrack since he sent it yesterday, and it was the background to my morning.

I walked through Highbury Fields, and the skies had turned from grey to bright blue. The leaves were golden, and it felt like a perfect autumnal morning.

My boyfriend J told me that I should go to Paul Rothe & Son after my meeting, as it was around the corner. The reasons why I adore J so much come through every day, in little moments like this. How could I not have thought of that myself? An opportunity so great that was so easily nearly lost. When I eat by myself, I always send J the menu, and we discuss what we would both order. We both settled on the same sandwich.

Post-meeting, I walked 12 minutes to Paul Rothe & Son. I ordered the pastrami, mustard, pickle, mayo and cheese on brown bread. I was asked if I wanted it fresh or toasted, and I opted for toasted, as I instantly thought about how melted cheese would be better than non-melted cheese. I ordered a breakfast tea too, which is kind of a big deal for me.

The reason why it’s kind of a big deal is because I’m not a hot-drinks type of person, but I am getting there. My whole life I’ve struggled to finish a hot drink. It’s the same as finishing a lip balm for me – I abandon ship 20% into completion. I feel as though hot drinks are never cool enough, and I always get a fright at how much hotter the drink is than I think it is; the amount of time it takes to check if it’s ready to drink; and by the time I check for the last time, it’s cold. Recently, I’ve started to appreciate the calm that comes with a hot drink. My tune is starting to change.

My sandwich came within a few minutes, as did my tea, and I sat and ate and drank and read my book for around 45 minutes. I couldn’t hold back my smile when I saw my sandwich was cut into four pieces. This, for me, is the perfect way to cut a sandwich. Four perfect bites. I people-watched and looked at all the jams and chutneys that were covering the walls. I wanted to take photos to show you, but it didn’t feel right.

I walked around Marylebone for about 20 minutes, then got the train back home and wrote a little to-do list for the rest of my afternoon. It includes doing my expenses, changing my bed sheets, making some stewed fruit with the apples and pears sitting at the bottom of the fridge and planning three upcoming events. The first thing I wanted to do was write about my morning, and it felt like I couldn’t type the words fast enough. It’s made me realise this is my favourite way to write. I will never think of what to write about when I’m not relaxed, when there are time pressures. So I hope you have patience with me — my writing is sporadic and comes when it’s ready, just like a small plate.

I’m going to take some time to write about my favourite places to eat, drink, sit, and shop in Highbury and Islington. It will take me a while, but I feel so excited and motivated about it. In the interim, when ideas for little stories appear, I will sit and write them too.

Over the years, I’ve discovered some really incredible shops, pubs, and restaurants simply by walking around. Some are well-known, and some I think are hidden gems. Whenever friends visit London, I always dedicate a full day to showing them a museum, taking them to lunch at an old favourite, and wandering with them through beautiful mews and hidden parks.

I’ll start at the centre of it all, Lamb’s Conduit Street. This is my favourite street in the city for many reasons. It’s almost entirely independent, lined with the most beautiful shops, restaurants, and cafés. It seems to absorb every season, but nothing beats it in spring, when the first rays of sun bring everyone outside after months of hibernation.

Below is a list of my favourites:

Ciao Bella: I worked next to Ciao Bella for over half a decade, and it became a staple for me very quickly. Don’t go there expecting the best Italian food you’ll ever eat, but I promise you, you will have a lot of fun. The waitstaff are so funny, they’ll come out with giant pepper grinder if you ask for pepper, scoff if you want Parmesan with your seafood, or refuse the request of ordering a Hawaiian pizza. You will hear a minimum of 20 Aloooorraaaa’s during your visit. To my knowledge, there is no bigger or stronger Negroni in town, you could run a lawnmower on theirs.

The menu is overwhelming, but I have perfected my order:

• 2 Negronis per person

• Garlic and cheese pizza bread for the table

• Lasagne for the table

• Chicken escalope with a side portion of carbonara

Ciao Bella

86-90 Lamb’s Conduit St, London WC1N 3LZ

Noble Rot - Noble Rot, in my opinion, has the most delicious bread plate in the city. They give you six slices: 2 focaccia, 2 sourdough, and 2 soda bread, with room-temperature butter, and all three are exquisite.

Not only is it an incredible restaurant with an even better wine list, Noble Rot also do an incredible set lunch menu: 2 courses for £24 and 3 courses for £28. Considering a main during dinner service can cost £30–£45, it really is the deal of the century. The only thing is, you’ll need to take a day off as it’s weekdays only. It’s worth it. Pull a sickie. Go on.

Noble Rot

51 Lamb’s Conduit St, London WC1N 3NB

Pentreath & Hall- It’s the perfect shop for a mooch. It sells beautiful items: long matches in illustrated matchboxes, long tapered candles in dozens of colours, and hand-drawn gift paper. Things you probably wouldn’t buy for yourself, but might for someone else.

Pentreath & Hall

7 Lamb’s Conduit St, London WC1N 3NB

Knockbox Coffee- From 2016–2023, I cannot tell you how many toasted sandwiches I’ve eaten from this café. They are all really delicious, served on St John sourdough. My favourites were the tuna melt and, for breakfast — especially if you’re hungover — the bacon, egg, chilli jam, and cheddar sandwich. If you ask nicely, they’ll make it extra crispy and put extra cheddar on top for a crispy cheesy finish.

Knockbox Coffee

29 Lamb’s Conduit St, London WC1N 3NG

A few others of note that I also love:

• Shrine to the Vine - A great wine shop owned by Noble Rot

• Honey & Co - A very delicious middle eastern restaurant that also has a incredible bakery across the street. I love their chocolate hazelnut babka and any almond based fruit cakes.

• Oliver Spencer - Mens clothing store that I really love. They sell really nice Snow Peak items and Paraboots.

• La Fromagerie - A favourite cheese shop of mine but they also have a kitchen in this location and do really delicious lunches. Lots of pastas using their amazing cheese selection.

• The Lamb - A boozer that is so cosy in the winter.

Off the beaten track: (2–3 streets from Lamb’s Conduit Street)

The Duke
A pub I guarantee you would never find unless you work in the area or spend time wandering around like I did. The Duke feels cinematic for me, maybe like Midnight in Paris if it were set in London.

From Lamb’s Conduit Street, walk to the bottom of the street (outside the Zayed Centre for Research), turn right onto Guildford Street for around 40 seconds, then turn right into Doughty Mews. It’s one of the most beautiful and intact Georgian mews in London. In the 19th century, it was filled with horse stables and carriage houses; now they’ve been converted into really gorgeous architect studios and homes. I always used to walk slowly to avoid looking too obviously into people’s workspaces or homes. At the end, where Doughty Mews meets Roger Street, you’ll find The Duke and also this insane house.

The Duke has 3–4 outside tables, they are all perfect sun traps. Take a book, order a large glass of wine and some pork scratchings and enjoy.

The Duke

7 Roger St, London WC1N 2PB

At the top of Lamb’s Conduit Street is Theobald’s Road. From this intersection, within a minute, you’ll find four of my favourites: McKanna Meats, Dapur, The Fryers Delight and The Dolphin.

Dapur – This is my favourite Malaysian spot in the city. Only open 11:30 - 3 on weekdays, theres a queue by 12. Most of the good stuff will be sold out by 1. Theres usually 3-4 meat options and 5-6 vegetarian options and every single one I have tried have been delicious. Some can be on the spicier side if you’re not good with spice, a little warning to you. I never know what any of the food items are but I always ask and they explain each dish. (They are in bain marie’s so you can see everything up front.) The format is 1/2/3/4 options on rice. 2 options with rice means you’ll be full as a bull so make sure you don’t get 4 options on rice for 1 person or else you’ll be there for dinner too.

Dapur

13 Lamb’s Conduit Passage, London WC1R 4RH

McKanna Meats – McKanna Meats is the butchers I’ve been going to for nearly a decade. I wrote a piece about it on Wooden City a few weeks ago. You can read it here.

McKanna Meats

21 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8SL

The Fryers Delight – This place is nostalgic for me. I used to go fairly often between 2016-2018 after work where it got dark early. I remember it being 6PM but it feeling like 9PM and I’d go in and get myself a chippy tea. The windows were always full of condensation because it was so warm in and so cold out. It’s not the best fish and chips, I would even say far from it, but it’s a time warp and it brings me back to those times. The fish and chips are fried in beef dripping which is quite rare these days, the bloke behind the counter is never not the grumpiest person in the world and the fit out is straight from 1950’s. I order the plaice with chips and a battered sausage for good measure.

The Fryers Delight

19 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8SL

The Dolphin Tavern - It is honestly just such a good pub. It’s so cosy in the winter and the staff are so nice. It’s so tiny, that’s half of the reason why I love it so much.

The Dolphin Tavern

44 Red Lion St, London WC1R 4PF

Great Ormond Street Hospital (G.O.S.H) - This one is a bit random but I thought it was nice to include it. G.O.S.H is one of the oldest, biggest and most advanced children’s hospital in the world and not many people know that is also owns the rights to Peter Pan, it has an original Banksy piece in the hallway and also has one of the most beautiful 2nd grade listed churches right in the middle of it.

J.M Barrie was the author of Peter Pan and lived a stones throw away from the hospital. (There is a blue plaque on the corner of Grenville Street and Bernard Street) He frequently visited the hospital and over time really grew to love it and wanted to provide it with a lasting source of income . When he died in 1937, he passed on the copyright of Peter Pan to the hospital. This means that any stage performances, adaptations, or certain uses of the story would go to the hospital.

In 2000 the hospital commemorated the generous gift from J.M Barrie with a sculpture of Peter Pan made by Diarmuid Byron O’Connor. It’s a really nice sculpture and I think it’s even nicer once you know the backstory.

I know most people think Banksy is a bit naff, but if you wanted to go look at one, Game Changer is in the main foyer of the hospital. (It's now most likely been moved due to construction.) It was gifted to the hospital in 2023 during the covid-19 pandemic and is dedicated to the nurses and doctors.

St Christopher’s Chapel is hidden from street view and was built in 1875. Because of its heritage listing, the hospital always had to build around the chapel and could never alter / remove / move it. The hospital was bombed heavily during WW2 and the chapel was never damaged. It’s super small but one of the most beautiful spaces I’ve been into. Filled with Victorian decoration, mosaics, stained glass, it genuinely feels like you’re walking into a jewel box.

When anyone in the office said they had hit a wall at work, I’d walk them over and show them all 3 artefacts. In return they would say they loved whatever was wrong with me.

The following places are all within a 15 minute walk of Lambs Conduit Street and are some of my all time favourites:

Café Deco - I discovered Cafe Deco during lockdown where they were making sandwiches to take away as they couldn’t open to the public due to lockdown but had to keep the show on the road. I remember it being the best part of my day as I was holed up in the office. I used to eat the most amazing sandwiches, cauliflower fritter with curried aioli and salad was my favourite. Five years on and it’s my favourite restaurant in the city. The food feels so familiar to me because they often have eastern European food items but cooked in a very modern British way. I’ve been three times in the last four weeks and I might just make it four out of four.

Café Deco

43 Store St, London WC1E 7DB

-Skoob Books - I discovered Skoob Books through Isaac’s Substack Wooden City which I mentioned earlier. When he wrote that this bookshop was behind the Waitrose in Brunswick Center I felt so confused because I thought I knew Brunswick Center like the back of my hand. It was in an area that I thought I knew and was stumped that I had never seen it in so many years. It’s a cosy second hand book store that I really love and have never walked out of there without buying at least two books.

Skoob Books

66 The Brunswick off, Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AE

Master Wei Xi’an - The sister to Xi’an Impression that I talk about every week to anyone who will listen. I remember when I got paid I’d come here for lunch and eat a whole bowl of noodles with a side of fried squid and have the lay in Coram’s Fields for 20 minutes to digest before I went back to my computer. If you’re solo dining my favourite things to eat are:

Boneless Chicken in Ginger Sauce with Egg Fried Rice

OR

Cucumber Salad with Xi’an Special Lamb Hand-Pulled Noodles

Or

Salt and Pepper Squid with Beef BiangBiang Noodles

St George’s Garden - I would also say a park that you would easily miss if you weren’t just wandering around aimlessly. It’s an old burial ground that stopped being a burial ground due to overcrowding (probably like every other park in London) but it’s now a really beautiful park. It has a bunch of 18th century monuments like chest tombs and obelisks that reflect how how rich the area probably used to be. It’s kinda spooky but a really nice place to eat your lunch / read a book in.

St George’s Garden

Wakefield St, London WC1H 8HZ

Huntarian Museum - I visited this museum on my third day in London when I moved here in 2016. It’s the Museum of Surgery and has Englands largest display of human anatomy which I wasn’t aware of when I visited. It was pretty brutal and I remember I had to leave because I felt so nauseous. It was closed for six years and reopened in 2023. I revisited around a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt like it wasn’t as brutal as it was in 2016 and upon reading about it for this post, I read that they removed a lot of their collection from the public view as they wanted to be more mindful of ethical implications. A two minute walk away is the best museum in the world if you’re not up for human remains.

Hunterian Museum

The Royal College of Surgeons of England 38, 43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE

Sir John Soane Museum - I’ve saved the best for last. The Sir John Soane Museum. If you only visit one museum in London let this be it. It’s full of 30,000 treasures owned by John Soane who was one of Britian’s most innovative architects. He designed the Bank of England, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Pitzhanger Manor and many more of the most beautiful spaces. To summarise quickly it’s the most gorgeous 3 story house when John lived, and it’s been left untouched since he died over 100 years ago. I really, really, really recommended you try to book the highlight and private apartments tours. There’s one every day at 12PM and the tour only has space for 8 people. You get to see the top floor where he slept and studied and you can only view these rooms on these tours. They are £25.00 per person and are worth every cent.

Sir John Soane Museum

13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP

The best part of this guide is that everything is 20 minutes from each other. You could technically go to every single spot in one day although you might be a bit full / two museums in one day could be a bit overkill. But if you wanted a nice day out I suggest you start with a breakfast toastie at Knockbox, wander down Lambs Conduit, walk to Skoob Books and then walk to Sir John Soane, after the museum grab lunch at Ciao Bella or Noble Rot / Master Wei and finish the day with a pint at The Duke.

This is how I make it, I do it all by eye and it’s so easy that you can too.

I use sushi rice because I prefer short grain. You can use any type of rice you like. For 2 people, I do around 1 cup of rice. You can rinse it if you like, I personally don’t as i’ve never really noticed a difference. I mix the rice with the sauerkraut so its evenly distributed. I add salt and caraway seeds to this. I say about a tablespoon of caraway and salt to your liking.

I then spatchcock a chicken. It cooks quickly and evenly this method. Don’t be scared to do this, it’s very easy. You just need a sharp pair of scissors or a small serrated knife also works well here. I then spread the chicken across the rice and cover the chicken in salt, sweet paprika and olive oil and rub it all in. In terms of paprika, sweet is best for this. Hungarian if you can find it. Smokey paprika can be a bit too strong.

I then add the water to the base of the tray so the rice is covered. My ratio is 2:1. I make sure the oven is preheated to 180 degrees celsius. I cover the tray with foil and put the chicken in for around 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I raise the oven temperature to 220 degrees celsius for around another 15-20 minutes and then remove the foil. I always use a meat thermometer for chicken because I find it so easy to overcook. Once it’s at 72 degrees internal temp, I take it out to rest.

I like it when the rice is super crispy on the top and a bit gooey on the bottom. The chicken is always crispy and moist. I eat it with a big crunchy salad. It reheats so well and is the perfect next day lunch. It’s perfect for summer or winter.

I went to work at All Press in Dalston the other week and my friend B told me that the trout and avocado sandwich is good. She was right. It was really good. A lot of cured trout, avocado, tomato. One of those sandwiches where it might be a tiny bit too big to get your mouth around because the bread is cut a bit thick but it’s okay because the fillings are plentiful. If you’re ever there, I recommend you try it too.

I often walk to Newington Green to go to All Greens, one of my favourite fruit & vegetable shops. I love their selection of fruits, salad leaves and mushrooms. Next to the till they sell Nagua brand corn tortillas and I always grab a packet whilst I’m there. They are the perfect item to have in your pantry when you want to make a quick breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. (Dessert yet to be attempted.) I reheat them on the gas stove and make sure they get some char. A little quick breakfast taco with some scrambled eggs, panfried mushrooms or coriander. Maybe a fried egg, sour cream, hot sauce and pickled onions. You can literally put anything you have in your fridge into them and it feels more fun that having toast.

Next week, I will write a little guide about my favourite district in London: Bloomsbury. I can spend whole days there, and when my friends come to town, it’s the area we spend the most time in. They always tell me it’s an area they would have never explored if it weren’t for me showing them around.

I’ll introduce you to my favourite streets to wander down, my favourite park, pub, and bookshop — places I’d put money on you never finding unless you already knew about them.

Usually I take a few days to start writing the next post, but this one I’m so excited by, I’m going to start straight away.

See you next week!

My uncle Majo is my only uncle. I was always so excited when his car pulled up in my mum’s driveway. When I was a child, he used to live a five-minute drive, or a fifteen-minute rollerblade, from my mum’s house. I used to stay the night a lot because he had SKY TV, and my mum didn’t. He used to let me watch Rocket Power and Double Dare 2000 for hours. We used to go to the butcher in the morning and buy pork kransky sausages, grill them on his BBQ, and eat them with warm bread rolls and mustard. I remember the first time I discovered aioli was at his house, and I used to eat salted tomato and aioli sandwiches until I felt sick. Some of my most favourite treasured memories are with him, and I feel very lucky that twenty years on, nothing has changed, except we’ve swapped the cartoons for slivovitz (booze) and joliky (rummy in card game form)

My uncle lives in a very small village, forty minutes’ drive from Prague airport. Google tells me 129 people live there; I believe it. My uncle lives with his girlfriend and her children. Her mum and dad live across the road and have lived there since they were born. Their family alone makes up 5% of the village population. There’s not a lot to do, which is a nice change of pace when I leave London.

I like to visit my uncle at Easter because everyone has time off, and it’s easy to coordinate. A week before I visit, he asks me what I want to eat, and by the time I leave, I’ve eaten multiple plates of each of my favourites, gasping to eat a bowl of just steamed vegetables and drink 40 cups of water.

We always start with my favourite, segedínský guláš, originally from Hungary; it is now a staple in most Slovakian/Czech households. It’s a stew traditionally made with onions, pork, paprika, caraway seeds, sauerkraut, and finished with sour cream, served with knedle. The easiest way to describe knedle is to imagine a bao bun in the shape of a loaf of bread, cut into slices. I love segedínský guláš cooked with pork, but I love it even more cooked with beef which is the way my family cook it.

My uncle welcomes Joel and me into his home with a shot of slivovitz, this is a type of palenka, or schnapps. Around ten minutes later, we open the meal with another shot. We cheers to family, to a good meal, and to being in each other’s company again. My uncle never buys slivovitz from a shop; he says it’s full of crap. He has many friends and family members who distill it themselves, and he trades his smoked sausages for bottles of this rocket fuel.

The particular bottle we drank on that evening was distilled by my late grandfather Viliam in 2013 and was sitting at 72%. I felt warm and tipsy by the time I tucked into my plate of goulash. I ate three plates, was absolutely stuffed to the brim, and had another shot of slivovitz to aid digestion.

After dinner, we play rounds and rounds of Joliky. This is the Slovakian version of Rummy, and it’s a game I learned to play when I was six years old and would play with my parents, brother, and grandparents. We drink another type of palenka, meruňkovice, this time made of apricots. It’s at this point that I forget and remember at the same time that my uncle doesn’t allow there not to be food on the table. His girlfriend places a plate of smoked sausages and cheeses for us to snack on. I audibly tell them both that we are too full, but after I taste a slice of each, the plate is empty in twenty minutes.

The next morning, my uncle makes me a tea from herbs that my grandfather picked seven years ago. I think of my Viliam while I drink it.

Majo asks if I would like praženica for breakfast. This is my favourite breakfast in the whole world, and it’s something that my grandma cooked for my mum and uncle as kids. It’s something that my mum cooked for me. It’s now something that I cook for Joel.

It’s scrambled eggs, but much richer. My uncle cubes slanina, which is a type of cured pork belly. It’s different to bacon, much more fatty and rich. His favourite is from a Mangalica pig; its flavour is amazing because this type of pig only eats acorns. He slowly renders the fat and then cooks down onions for around forty minutes. They never catch any colour; they just soften until they basically fall apart. He then mixes eggs together and ensures the heat is very low. It’s then about fifteen minutes of stirring the eggs until they form a very soft, curd-like texture. He slices walnut bread, butters it, and adds it to my plate. He adds the scrambled eggs on the side and dusts with a bit of Hungarian paprika and black pepper. I cannot begin to describe to you how good this plate is.

That morning is Easter Friday. It’s raining, so we stay indoors. I read half of a book and watch a documentary with Joel and Majo. All of a sudden, we are called for lunch by my uncle’s girlfriend. It’s another one of my favourites; in fact, it’s in the all-time top five meals ever: chicken schnitzels, mashed potato (although we call it potato porridge because it’s a tad runnier), and pickled cucumber salad.

As always, we have a shot of palenka, and my uncle pours us a glass of cold white wine. My family always make our schnitzels smaller; they are easier to eat, and it’s less daunting than having a schnitzel the entire size of your dinner plate. It’s hard for me to get full from this meal because I think it’s so texturally balanced. Crispy chicken, creamy potatoes, and tart, peppery cucumbers cut through all of it. I eat two plates, pull my seat back, hands on tummy, for my uncle’s girlfriend to put another tray of schnitzels on the table. We finished all of them.

It feels crazy to write this because it shouldn’t be true or real, but thirty minutes later, another plate of sausage and cheese lands on the table. We finish it. Straight after, another plate lands. We admit defeat.

After lunch, I take a much-needed nap, and my uncle wakes me up to let me know it’s time to put the dough on Kapustníky. Kapustníky are small baked buns filled with slanina, sauerkraut, and lots of caraway seeds.

We made the dough together and proof it. While it’s slowly rising, we cook down slanina and sauerkraut with lots of paprika and caraway seeds and let it cool fully. Once the dough has doubled in size, we cut it up into little squares, add the filling, roll them up into balls, and let them rise once again under a tea towel.

These little buns are so crazy delicious: light, meaty but so pickly. I am obsessed with them. We had them for dinner with cold beers, washed down with more charcuterie, a raspberry and apricot roulade, and a traditional honey cake called medovník.

The next day is our last full day. Joel and I decide to take a big walk through the forest that surrounds my uncle’s house, as it’s finally dry enough. When we arrive home, we play a few rounds of Monopoly Deal on the back porch, drink slivovitz, and eat plates of roasted ham and potato salad. We finish the meal off with custard-filled pastries and the finale of smoked sausage.

A few hours later, just before we head to the airport, we eat a bowl of mushroom soup, a meatloaf and spinach roulade and a potato salad thats made with chicken broth, mustard and fried onions. We finish it off with a cake that is baked in the shape of a small rabbit. It is delicious and I fall into a state of delirium on the flight back home.

Until next year…

Today I want to share a few observations and meals I’ve enjoyed over the past 12 weeks. Not everything, just a small selection. If you try even one of these places or ideas, it’ll make me so happy.

This summer I’ve eaten some really exceptional meals. The kind that make you lean back in your chair, put your hands on your tummy, and grin.

The first place won’t surprise anyone. I don’t know a single person who’s been to Miga and didn’t love it. All I’d heard online and from friends was that it was thoughtful, delicious and almost impossible to book. Luck was on my side because my friend J was in town from New York. Over a few glasses of wine he told me he had a booking for the following night and asked me to come. Naturally, I was over the moon. I moved all my plans (none) so I could join him at 8:45pm the following night.

We ate kimchi, short ribs, japchae, crispy mung bean pancakes and pork chops. Everything was so textural, which is what I love most about Korean food. The kimchi and pancakes were crunchy and crisp. The short ribs were sticky, sweet and meltingly soft. I could have eaten them on repeat. The service was warm and unhurried, which I appreciated considering we had the last booking. We stumbled out full of soju and short ribs and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Miga, 1 Mare St, London E8 4RP London

On a recent trip to Paris I ate at a lot of good places, but one stood out: Le Cornichon. They serve cote de boeuf with chips and béarnaise for 35 euros a head. The best part is that if you’re three or four people, they just make the platters bigger instead of giving you separate plates. Nothing makes me happier than a giant steak and a giant bowl of fries in front of me. Their fries are perfect, thin, golden and crispy. Their frozen drinks are also delicious. I had a frozen rum punch mixed with coconut slush. If I only had one night in Paris I’d go there. I’d go because the food is fantastic the staff are kind, the drinks are fun and the whole place has great energy. I couldn’t fault it.

Le Cornichon, 2 Rue des Goncourt, 75011 Paris

In London, I’ve walked past Bellanger in Islington hundreds of times and always wondered what it was like. I knew it was from the same group as Zédel and The Wolseley, so I expected a similar feel. One day I noticed they were offering two steak frites with béarnaise and a bottle of wine for £50. (There’s a theme here I think) I had to do a double take, it felt like Parisian brasserie pricing, but in London.

Last Sunday I was craving steak frites and my friend L reminded me about Bellanger. Of course, we went for the ultimate deal. The steak and fries were beautifully cooked, even if the steak looked average in my photo. Perfect fries, tender steak, great béarnaise. My only complaint was the portion size, I needed about 40 percent more. That said, you could easily pad the meal with starters or dessert.

It also made me think: what if you went with a friend and each ordered the deal for yourself. Two people, two bottles of wine, four portions of steak frites. You’d walk out stuffed and pissed, all for £50 a head. (This excludes service etc) Honestly, sounds like my dream afternoon.

Bellanger, 9 Islington Green, London N1 2XH

Now it’s September and everyone’s saying summer is over. But it isn’t, the last day of summer is September 22. One of my favourite summer activities is lounging in the park. Recently I discovered the joy of getting dinner delivered straight there. Three times I ordered Mangal 1 to Highbury Fields. I put in a random house number on Highbury Place, waited nearby, and when the driver was two minutes away, I stood outside to collect it.

It’s the best feeling, truly. If you eat too much you can just collapse back onto your blanket. Try doing that in a restaurant. I always order the mixed grill and it’s brilliant. Just remember to ask for cutlery or bring your own, otherwise it’s hands only.

The next few things aren’t restaurants but foods I’ve been thinking about, cooking or appreciating.

Schnitzels. No one makes them better than my grandmother Gita. I’m not the only one who thinks this. She made schnitzels for my brother’s christening 32 years ago and people still talk about them. I wasn’t even born, but one of the first lessons I learned was the magic of her schnitzels.

She lives in a small town in Slovakia and I don’t see her as much as I’d like. My uncle in the Czech Republic makes amazing schnitzels too. So does my mum, but she’s in New Zealand. It makes me sad that I have to travel so far for them, but it’s always worth it. I’ve learned their tricks: cook on a low heat, salt both sides and let the salt sit for a while, and make five smaller schnitzels instead of one big one. It is by far my favourite meal. Any schnitzel, chicken, veal, pork or beef, served with potato salad and pickled cucumber with dill.

Good ham. I know it sounds obvious, but good ham is so good. Not the packet stuff from the supermarket, which has its uses, but proper ham. My joy is going to Da Mario in Highbury, buying a fresh baguette, 100 grams of smoked ham and a block of Kerrygold, then making a butter, salt and ham sandwich. Heaven.

BBQs and potlucks. I’ve hosted quite a few this summer. The trick is to curate what everyone brings. Otherwise you end up with 100 sausages. (Which isn’t the worst outcome, but still.) When Joel and I spot a sunny weekend we round up the group. A few weeks ago we did an Australian and New Zealand classic BBQ. We had sausage rolls, sausages, coleslaw, garlic bread, lamb chops, steaks, a mum-style salad with grated carrot, avocado and red onion. One friend brought ice cream, another brought mangos and watermelon.

Last weekend we did the same but with a Turkish and Greek theme. Lamb chops, ribs, chicken wings, Greek salad, onion salad, ezme, naan from Babans, merguez. If you’re hosting, don’t be afraid to give direction. People like it and it’s always better.

A bag of frozen prawns. A bit random, but I bought a kilo bag of frozen shelled prawns the other week and they’ve been a gift that keeps on giving. They thaw in 10 to 15 minutes in lukewarm water and you can have a meal ready in half an hour. I’ve made prawn rice bowls, pasta, laab, all at a moment’s notice. They’re so much cheaper too. Don’t get me wrong, I love whole prawns, but the convenience of these is unbeatable.

See you next week!

I didn’t know whether to post this because it felt personal. I don’t mind talking to people about my life when they ask, but when people don’t ask it feels self-indulgent. I started to think about people who might have felt like I felt when I quit my job. I’m not here to guide anyone or preach anything, I guess I just wanted to talk about how I was feeling for a long time. I was nervous to post this and it’s the reason why it’s three weeks late.

For those who aren’t familiar with my past, I worked at Aēsop, the luxury skincare brand, for 9 years. It was the only job I applied for when I moved to London. When I started out, my job was to package up their online orders and do customer service for the UK. Over the years I worked my way up and by the time I left in 2023, I was managing the entire digital operations/logistics operation for Europe. I quit my job because I knew I wanted to cook and had a realisation that I didn’t want to climb the corporate ladder anymore. It’s important to know here, over the last 8 years, I was cooking every night as a hobby. Over the last 3 years I was doing pop-up events, doing the odd catering job for Aēsop, and doing quite a bit of food styling assisting. In my last year at Aēsop, most of my annual leave days were used to assist people on food jobs.

I had been toying with quitting for years, but I was always too scared. I’ve always kept a diary and in 2022 I was pretty on it when it came to writing daily. At the end of 2022, I was at Joel’s parents’ house in Wagga Wagga, in New South Wales. It was Christmas Eve, it was 36 degrees outside and I was cooling down in the air-conditioned bedroom writing a journal entry. It was long and it was about how I really wanted to quit but ultimately I was too scared. The last sentence I wrote: “I really hope I’m brave enough to leave next year. But who knows, probably won’t be.” After I finished writing, I went back outside, dived into the pool knowing deep down what I’d written was most likely true. I’d probably be too scared to quit.

I guess I was scared of the main reasons everyone is scared to quit their job to pursue their passion. What if it doesn’t work? What if I make no money? What if I use up all the savings I have just to go back to square one? Is it easier to be unhappy in your job than have money stress? Surely. I tried to convince myself at one point it would just be easier to hate my job and earn good money. I knew deep down I had to give it a crack, so whilst it did take me nearly another year to get the balls to quit, on 12th December 2023, I gave my manager my letter of resignation.

When I quit I didn’t have a clear plan per se. I knew I wanted to cook good food for people to make them feel nourished. I didn’t know in what sort of capacity, to be totally honest. The day I quit I remember laying in bed, on my back staring at the ceiling, mind racing, no idea what I was going to do to earn money. I was finally earning a salary I was happy with, why did I want to risk that? I finally got to sleep but ended up waking up what felt like every 10 minutes having nightmares of me not being able to find work. I woke the next day telling Joel I was going to retract my resignation letter. He told me to not act hastily.

I had a 5-month notice period which I felt gave me a really thick layer of protection (3-month contractual and 2 were added as I started getting scared about the future). When I quit I had no plan, but I did have savings, and I wouldn’t have quit without them. I saved enough money so that if I didn’t get paid for six months I could still afford to pay my rent and live my life. I thought if this doesn’t work out, I don’t want to put any financial strain on my relationship with my boyfriend or immediate family.

My friend B, and my mum, both told me to not think about the future for a few weeks after I quit. It was the busiest few weeks of work for me so it was fairly easy to keep my mind occupied. I finished the festive period, went away to the countryside with my friends and I did all the things I love. I cooked extravagant meals, built Lego sets, built jigsaw puzzles and went for long walks. It was when I returned to the office after the Christmas break that the idea landed right in front of me.

One morning as I was eating breakfast in the kitchen in the office, someone asked me where the best place was to put the catering that had just been delivered. I showed them to the fridges and didn’t think much of it. The next day, the same thing happened and then a light switch went off in my head — why could I not do the catering?

I remember finishing my breakfast in a rush and walked to my desk, scribbled the idea in the back of my diary and when I was on my commute home I started thinking about what steps I needed to take to make it happen. I told myself that, this week, I would talk to a few people who could get the ball rolling.

Over the next few weeks, this was all I thought about. I was selective in the people that I told because I knew it was risky for this to be out in the open before I had a plan. I went straight to my friend T, who works in strategy. She wrote me a list of considerations I would need to really look into. It started at the simple things — Why? Why you? What are the benefits? Over the next few weeks, I scheduled in calls with everyone from the head of sustainability, finance, retail operations, health and safety to get the full scope. After nearly 2 months, I had a full business plan and pitch deck that I knew I would have to present to the general manager and senior heads of department.

The week leading up to the presentation, I practised in front of anyone who would listen. I made my friends and colleagues challenge me. I fine-tuned and finally presented. At the end of the presentation, I was asked when I could start and I remember crying on the train home.

A few things I have learnt and felt over the past 12 months:

• I felt guilty for a long time. Nearly a whole year. I thought I had some sort of get-out-of-jail card because people wanted to help me at the beginning. Every person I spoke to got so excited for me. Everyone that I spoke to wanted to see me succeed and all I could feel was that I didn’t deserve the help. Joel explained to me that no one helps anyone they don’t like or don’t want to see succeed. He said it was a reflection of all the help I gave others over the years and to never feel guilty.

• When I started, my mum’s good friend K told me to not try and do everything myself and pay professionals to help me over time. She was talking about accountants and insurance brokers and all the things I thought I’d never get my head around. At the beginning, I wanted to save all of my money because I was scared work wouldn’t come in the following months. As the months went on, I started to let go a little and let people help me when I needed it. For the bigger events, it’s impossible to do it all myself. I have an accountant that tells me what to do with my money and who files my tax returns. I have a little roster of assistants who I use when I have bigger jobs. Ultimately, I am better and my work is better because I focus on what I’m good at and leave the rest to other professionals.

• It can be lonely. Some days, there are weeks where the only time I see people is after work or during setting up service. There are days where I work alone and I can fill myself with self-doubt. Every single morning I start the day by talking to my mum on the phone. It’s her evening as she lives in NZ and we talk about the day she just had and the day I’m yet to have. It is by far my favourite way to start my day. I am finally reaching out to my network of people that I follow mostly on Instagram who I know are also freelance and organise coffees, lunches, or even work on jobs with them, if they need assistance.

• I’ve learnt I don’t just want to do one thing either. Whilst my clients have tripled in the last few months, I don’t just want to cook food for people in offices or their homes. I’ve started to reach out to chefs and cooks I really admire and ask to assist them. I love doing food styling assisting work and have had some amazing opportunities working with some mega brands. I’ve reached out to restaurants and have stages planned so I can understand how restaurants run and understand best practice. I was scared if I told people this, they would think I’m not busy and therefore my business is a failure. But I’ve done this on purpose. Each month I schedule out a week to make sure I put time towards these other jobs I really love to do.

• I’ve learnt to not feel guilty about the quiet days. Some days I hang out at home and all I do is jigsaw puzzles, cook, read my book and go for big walks or nap. I’ve learnt to not feel guilty because I also need to rest. The days I do work can easily be 14-hour+ days. My mum says self-care is productivity too, and she’s totally right.

Finally, my biggest learning is that this new chapter of my life isn’t linear. Just over a year ago, I knew what time I clocked in to work, I knew what time I clocked out. I knew what time lunch was. I knew what my weeks looked like months in advance. I planned my summer holidays 5 months in advance because I couldn’t go on holiday at the same time as other colleagues.

In this new life, there are weeks where there is no work. There are weeks where there is so much work I have to say no. There are weeks where jobs come through and I know they’re not aligned, so I say no. I know I am very lucky that I get to do that. There are brands that reach out and I have to double-take that they are asking me to work with them.

I don’t know exactly what the next year will look like and I openly admit that to people when they ask, “What’s next?” or “What’s the plan?” Right now, I am so happy because this is what I dreamed about doing for years and I’m finally living it. We are so quick to dream of the next steps in our careers — whether it be a promotion and/or pay rise — and once we get there, in a few months’ time we are already dreaming of the next step up. So often we forget that we used to dream of a life that we now have. I don’t know where I’ll be in 12 months’ time, but I’ve learnt to embrace the beauty of not knowing and I can’t wait to see what I’ll be writing this time next year.

Every holiday starts for me with either a McDonald’s breakfast or a Pret. I know you’ll say both are shite, but for me it’s the ultimate signifier that a holiday has begun. St Pancras has basically zero food options apart from Pret, but that works out fine for me. I got up to peruse the offering and Joel raised an eyebrow when I returned with a sausage roll, bottle of water, and a butter croissant. “Bit early for a sossi roll, you reckon?” I tell him my stomach doesn’t know what time it is. My stomach has personally requested the sausage roll. He also asks for a bite five seconds after said eyebrow raise.

My magic power, so to speak, is sleeping on public transport. Planes, buses, cars, trains—the absolute lot. I close my eyes before the train leaves the platform and wake up when we’re ten minutes out of Paris. I have committed the perfect crime.

We thought we were clever by getting the early train, but turns out there were a good four hours to kill before our Airbnb was ready. The skies were blue but the temperature was crisp. We headed to the 19th, where our accommodation was. We went to Du Pain et des Idées to grab a couple of pastries and a warm drink to sit by the canal and read our books. The bakery is known to be very good, and whilst I’m not a pastry expert, I found it to be just okay. The pastries felt dry, almost like they’d been sat out for an extra 12 hours. However, in my mind, even an average pastry is still a good pastry. Just like how an average pizza is still a good pizza.

Before we knew it, our accommodation was ready and we dropped off our bags. We each had a list of our favourite clothing shops, bookshops, record shops, supermarkets and delis, and discussed where we wanted to go. Many of the places we’d noted were in Le Marais, so we decided to head in that direction.

We grabbed a ham and cheese baguette from Caractère de Cochon, also in the 19th. It’s one of my favourite little food shops. Essentially, it’s a build-your-own ham and cheese baguette place. You choose your type of ham (there are dozens) and your cheese (also dozens). You don’t choose your bread—it’s always a baguette.

Caractère de Cochon went viral on TikTok around 18 months ago, and while I’m happy they’re constantly busy, it can be a real pain in the arse to queue. We were lucky, only three people in front of us, but by the time we left, the line was about 15 deep. It’s a two-man operation—one slices your meat and cheese and takes your money, the other assembles. Our baguettes were €15 each (expensive), but the ham and cheese quality is fantastic and, in my opinion, worth it.

I chose a simple cured French ham and 24-month aged Comté. I regretted not getting cornichons in my baguette. We sat in Square du Temple – Elie Wiesel, a one-minute walk away, and ate our sandwiches in the sunshine, kicking the pigeons away.

After we ate and people-watched, we wandered for a few hours into our favourite shops: Ofr, Librairie Galerie, The Broken Arm, Delicatessen Cave, Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges. We wandered in and out of shops, browsed, tried on clothes and shoes. When we got tired, we grabbed a table at Café Charlot, a brasserie I love for nostalgia’s sake. We shared a carafe of red wine and observed the table next to us, who ordered nachos and hot chocolates. An absolutely mental combo, but it gained my respect.

Between wandering the streets, we picked up snacks. My favourite crisps (Bret’s) and some choccy bickies. Like most people (I assume and hope), I never realise I’m full from snacking until it’s too late and I feel like pure shite. Without noticing how many Comté-flavoured crisps I was eating, I ate nearly the whole bag. I didn’t want to mention to Joel that I wasn’t hungry before dinner, because I knew he’d be bummed. We were going to O.o.b.a.t.z for dinner—one of our only reservations—and Joel was probably the most excited about this place. He’d been talking about it for weeks. I had a word with myself and decided I wasn’t going to f this up. I would push through.

We sat at the table and ordered a bottle of wine, orange. It was delicious. We didn’t really know which pizzas to order because they all looked incredible. There was puntarelle and taleggio, pepperoni, four cheese, and a mystery pizza. Basically, you tell the waiter if you eat meat or not and the chef surprises you. We went for the margherita—one of Joel’s favourites, and he believes it's the best way to judge a good pizza. No hiding behind fancy toppings. We also ordered the mystery pizza, which turned out to be oxtail ragù and ricotta. It was seriously next-level. The pizzas were so good that I forgot how full I was and demolished an entire pie—and even had room for dessert.

After dinner, Joel took me to F.o.d.e.r.o.l—O.o.b.a.t.z’s sister spot. It’s a natural wine and ice cream bar. We got four different flavours: lemon birthday cake, coffee, chocolate, and chocolate chip cookie. All were creamy and flavourful. My favourite was chocolate. I do think chocolate ice cream is my favourite flavour of them all.

Lying in bed, we were trying to figure out where to go for breakfast the next morning. We decided we wanted a slow morning and to eat at home so we could tailor it to exactly what we wanted. All we wanted was a baguette, croissant, good butter, jam, and Comté. So that’s what we did. Joel nipped out the following morning and got everything, and we sat at the table plotting the day ahead.

We spent the morning going to a few of my favourite kitchenware shops and delis (G. Detou, E. DEHILLERIN, A. Simon). We bought some mustards, jams, and a few tote bags from our favourite shops to bring home. Joel then led the way for lunch. We were going to Restaurant Kunitoraya. This place doesn’t take reservations, and there was a long queue as we’d just missed the first sitting—but we read our books while we waited. We drank lemon sake and ate perfect udon and tempura. We left with full bellies and walked to another favourite bookshop (Librairie Galignani) and a favourite homewares shop of mine. (Astier de Villatte) While I can’t afford any of the serving platters, I did buy some incense—the same one I buy every time I visit Paris.

In the evening, we were going to meet one of my oldest friends, D. D has been living in Paris for seven years now. She sent us a few wine bars she loves and Joel picked the top contender—Giclette. We shared some cured meats and bread, had a couple of wines, and then headed to dinner.

I’d always wanted to go to Le Bistrot Paul Bert. I was intrigued by the peppercorn steak I always see on people’s social media. For some reason, I’d imagined Paul Bert to be something completely different. I didn’t realise how expensive it was. I didn’t realise it could be a bit of a tourist trap—and it was pretty full of American tourists. We had bone marrow and terrine to start. Steak, chips and salad for mains. All the food was delicious but something felt off for me. I’d say go once and make up your own mind, but I probably won’t go again. (Go to Le Repaire de Cartouche instead.)

We were all ready to head home after dinner and get a good night’s sleep. I ate some choccy bickies in bed that I’d bought from the supermarket the day before and fell asleep a few pages into my book.

Our final day started like the rest—tea and breakfast at the table, followed by a few dozen pages read in bed. We walked towards Notre Dame and went to another of my favourite bookshops, Shakespeare and Company. The queue to get in was about 40 people deep, and I refuse to queue, so we kept walking. We visited two other bookshops I love with absolutely no queue. (The Abbey Bookshop, San Francisco Book Co)

This was the day we had no reservations and wanted to just walk in somewhere for lunch—but completely forgot the rugby final was on (Scotland vs France), so it wasn’t the day to wing it.

We walked to a few favourite spots—everywhere full. Joel and I both started to get hangry. We gave the Butcher of Paris a go. Somewhere we’ve wanted to go for a long time. Absolutely no chance. Packed to the gills. Our favourite ham and cheese baguette shop was around the corner, 50 people deep. We crossed the street, Café Charlot was heaving. I noticed a couple paying their bill and gathering their things. Before Joel even clocked what was happening, I was sat at the table. We had a carafe of rosé, steak frites and steak tartare within 20 minutes. I finished with a crème brûlée. Each dish was simple and delicious.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of tipsy shopping and a small nap before meeting D again, this time joined by her friends J and O. We had vinos at delicatessen cave, then headed out for dinner at Passerina. We ate delicious pasta’s, tripe in tomato sauce and salads and I took not 1 photo. Apologies.

The night ended as every last night on holiday should: eating a Big Mac and fries in bed.

On our last morning, we went and bought some nice ham and another baguette and made our perfect ham and cheese sandwiches. Mine was textbook: half a centimetre of butter, a few slices of ham, thin slices of Comté, and a generous crack of salt and pepper. I ate it within the first ten minutes on the train. Then I went to sleep and woke up ten minutes out from King’s Cross. Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice, eh?

I always think I’ve been a hermit until I look at my camera roll and realise I’ve done a bit more than I initially thought. I had every intention of doing a monthly summary for this newsletter, but I’ve been slack. I’ve found my writing groove now, which feels nice. Today’s newsletter will be a summary of the last 7 weeks (ish). It’s a bit of everything: what I’ve cooked, where I’ve eaten, and a few general thoughts. Enjoy!

I’ve been cooking a lot at home. I’ve been cooked for a lot, by Joel too. There have been lots of weekend morning walks, pub lunches, and dinners cooked at home with friends. The first 2–3 months of the year have been about visiting old favourites.

There have been a few big hangovers but no big nights. Very casual nights in my living room with friends, we end up drinking too much wine and not enough water. Everyone is talking about how time is going by too fast; no one’s booked a summer holiday yet. I’ve been reading a lot. I tried to book a driving test, but it is harder than it seems to book a driving test while learning in an automatic car.

I am slowly ticking through my lists, and it feels nice. I wrote down a few things I want to accomplish this year, and a huge chunk of the list is events I’d like to put on. I’ve started to plan them, and it feels really exciting. Joel and I will turn our backyard into a beautiful space for long lunches with friends. We will cook together and buy some portable gas hobs to make big pastas for friends. The pizza oven will come out. My ice cream churner will take a beating. I want to hand-draw the menus and choose the fabric for the tablecloths.

I have started to organise my vegetable beds in my backyard. To start, I will plant tomatoes, courgettes, and salad leaves. I have obtained a small greenhouse cover, compost bins, and I even found a big trellis that I hope to grow green beans on. I feel very excited about the next few months.

I’m not really into going to new places when they first open. I used to do that all the time in the past. I like to support my favourites, and I find if a place is worth going to, someone will bring it up. There have been a few places my friends have brought up: Miga, Bellanger in Islington Green (£50 for 2 steak frites and a bottle of wine, hello!) and Agora in Borough Market. I hope to go in the next few months.

Joel and I write little lists of what we want to cook each week. We’ve started trying to make the everyday mundane tasks more exciting and enjoyable. I try to treat my showers like a spa treatment. I try to put the same effort into my breakfasts as I do my lunches and dinners.

Finally, here are a few things I’ve cooked over the past few weeks

Hainanese Chicken
Joel and I probably cook this meal the most in our home. We split the recipe into 2 halves: one will poach the chicken and cook the rice, and the other will make the sauces. We both have slightly different techniques and recipes, which I love. I add whole garlic cloves into the poaching liquid, and Joel doesn’t. Joel paints the chicken, when it’s finished poaching, in sesame oil, I don’t. It’s one of those meals where we don’t talk much while we are eating. There are a lot of ‘mmmmm’s. Quite a few questions about, “How much ginger did you add this time? Did you do something different?” We eat, we clear the table, we both do our own activities, and reconvene in an hour or so to clean the kitchen. (One is on the dishwasher, the other is putting leftovers in the fridge and wiping down the benches.)

Kebabs at E-Mono on Holloway Road
One week in February, we both were craving a kebab. Joel was craving doner meat in a wrap, and I was craving it on fries. Our favourite place that’s local is E-Mono on Holloway Road. I don’t think I’ve ever met shop owners who are nicer than the blokes who work there. I ordered lamb doner (chicken was out) on chips with lettuce, tomato, and onions. Garlic yoghurt and chilli sauce. A little bit of burger sauce on the side to dip the odd chip into. I got a Fanta Lemon, and we ate our meals and walked back home. It was nice to get out of the house, even though the whole round trip took about 40 minutes.

Pizza Stone
Joel really loves pizza. It’s his favourite food. We got put off ordering pizza via delivery in the winter because I don’t think many types of pizza travel well. (Under no circumstance should you Deliveroo a pizza with wet mozzarella!) The last pizza I ordered and picked up had canned mushrooms on it, so we got fed up. We have a Gozney but only really use it in the warmer months. Joel’s been watching lots of videos about pizza stones, so we decided to get one. We brainstormed toppings, one rotation was margarita, salami and hawaiian. (I love it and I won’t hear any slander) They came out pretty good, the only thing is you kind of need to let the pizza stone heat back up between pizzas to keep the crispy bottom, but hey, they were delicious. By the time we put the 3rd pizza in, we were 3 glasses of vino in. A perfect Friday night in my opinion.

Jin Kichi
I went to Jin Kichi with some girlfriends a few months ago and really enjoyed it. We were going for a walk through Hampstead Heath and wanted Japanese, so my friend Larina booked Jin Kichi on a whim. We went in with no expectations, and it was such an enjoyable experience. It’s the place I now go to eat if I do a walk around Hampstead and want to follow with lunch. It can be reasonably priced (London prices!) if you order a ‘lunch box’. This usually comes with miso soup, rice, pickles and a main protein of your choice. If you add a hand roll this will come up to around £30 pp.

Saying that, it can also be bloody expensive if you’re not careful. I went with a few other friends one day for lunch and we were ordering whatever we felt like. I didn’t quite calculate how expensive the individual nigiris can get. We walked out each paying £100.00. (We did order an expensive bottle of sake and each had a cocktail!) Whilst it was expensive, it was incredibly delicious. All of the fish was very good quality. I recommend sitting at the bar so you can see the grill in action.

Cabbage Rolls
Joel loves cooking from the book Frontières by Alex Jackson. The other morning, he decided he was going to make cabbage rolls with pilaf rice and a tomato sauce after he got home from the office. I did raise an eyebrow that he was still committed after he got back from work at around 6:30 PM. Headphones on, vino in hand, he cooked non-stop for a few hours, and the result was sooooo delicious. Pork mince steamed in cabbage leaves with the most buttery rice. A sweet tomato sauce poured on top. Divine.

Chicken Salad
I love a chicken salad sandwich. It’s perfect all year round. My favourite version of it is from Hector’s in Melbourne, mostly because of the bread. They have this sesame Turkish pide, which is so soft and pillowy, but also perfectly crispy on the bottom. I roast my chicken for my chicken salad. I add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, half a cup of caramelised onions that I chop up and stir through, lots of fresh tarragon, and 30 cracks of fresh black pepper. I slather it into a baguette or soft white turkish bread with fresh, crunchy salad leaves. I love adding crisps into the sandwich too. The other day, I added Cool Original Doritos, and it was great.

Valentine's Day Meal
Every Valentine’s Day for the past five years, Joel and I have made steak, fries, and salad at home. I don’t like going out for dinner on Valentine’s Day because it’s a faff trying to get a booking, and it’s always so expensive. I go to my butcher and pick up a rib-eye on the bone, that’s our favourite cut. We go to the supermarket and buy beef tallow and frozen shoestring fries, and everything for a simple green salad. Our favourite steak is steak au poivre. I love the sauce so much. We make more than we need so we can dip the chips into it. We don’t usually fry chips in beef fat, but for a special occasion, we do because it’s so much more delicious.

Butter Chicken
It’s no secret that I love butter chicken. Specifically the butter chicken you can get in any food court in New Zealand. It is very different from any butter chicken in the UK. It’s quite sweet. Very creamy. Tomatoey. It’s also fluorescent orange. I love it so much. When I was at university, there was a place next to my uni that sold just butter chicken sauce and rice for $2.00. (That’s £1.) Insane value. A place in my uni food court also sold butter chicken sauce on fries, and when I used to come into uni hungover, sometimes I’d get it for breakfast. Unreal.

Fry-Ups
I’ve always known this, but similar to a roast dinner at the pub, a fry-up is always better at home. I went to meet a friend for breakfast, and we decided to get a fry-up. The bacon was like leather and a sheet of glass at the same time. The eggs were too gooey. The beans were watery. £16.00. Ah, dear. Made one at home the other morning and it was so good. 1 crispy fried egg, 1 toast, 2 bacon, 1 sausage, and one slow-roasted tomato and some buttered mushrooms. I love beans but don’t need them on a fry-up. The only downside was I had to do the dishes.

Chocolate Mousse
I always thought that chocolate mousse was really hard to make. The reason why was I once watched a friend make it for a dinner party, and it split twice in a row. Since then, I was always put off making it. Turns out it is very easy, but you just need to make sure your ingredients are at the right temperature. I made it a few times (four) in March, and I had to stop because I kept eating so much of it as I was making it. (Scraping the bowl.) I used this recipe. I love Nagi’s recipes. They are so easy to follow, and she doesn’t complicate anything for the sake of it.

Hogwarts Legacy
Okay, not food-related, but I can’t stop playing this game. I bought it around a year ago and didn’t commit to playing it. One day, when I was hungover, I watched some bloke do a walkthrough on YouTube, and so I decided to restart it, and it’s one of the highlights of my day. I try to only play an hour, but sometimes it’s so good I must play for 2–3 hours. Naughty, I know, but it’s so relaxing, and there’s so much to do, you couldn’t possibly get bored. I was actually very hungover yesterday and played it for 7 hours. I’ve never done that before in my life. Anyways, I played it so hard I think I have a sprained thumb, and now I must not play until my hand heals because I cook for my job, and I cannot let it get worse.

Mezcla Feast
I have cooked more Mezcla recipes!!! 6 to be exact! Guess what?! They were all so delicious I had no words apart from ‘holy shit, this is so good!' The first cook, I cooked lunch for 3 girlfriends: Curried roast chicken, coconut sticky rice with ginger turmeric tomatoes, and the roasted/raw cabbage salad. The combo of these 3 recipes was insane. I told Joel I could eat that plate of food every day for a month, and I wouldn’t get sick of it. If you have the book, you must cook this.

The second cook-up I did was the bavette resting over tomatoes with black lime and maple butter, the tomatoes stuffed with sticky porcini and chestnut rice, and the limey cucumber salad with charred spring onion salsa. I made extra rice so I could eat it with some roast chicken I’m making tonight for dinner. I’m really looking forward to summer so I can cook more of these recipes! They are all so heavy with summer produce, it would be a waste to cook them in winter/early spring.

Next week I will write about my trip to Paris. I’m looking forward to it!