likes Franco Manca

If you're looking for a good place to meet friends for food in London then I'd definitely recommend a sourdough pizza from Franco Manca. I visited their Brixton site this week and absolutely loved it.

Their No Logo lager was particularly good - make sure you try one!

I had their veggie special of the day with sweet potato, basil and sun dried tomato.

Really good, fresh, food and unique beer?
For just over £10?
Yes please.

www.francomanca.co.uk

had fun at Hackney City Farm

I am all about animals. Animal clothes, animal jewellery, animal animals. You name it, I love it.  I could write an epic poem about their cute little eyes and fuzzy noses but (luckily for you) I'll refrain. 

So I was excited to finally visit Hackney City Farm this weekend - after 5 years of promising myself a trip.

It was a lovely Sunny Sunday, what could be better?
 

The farm is understandably popular with families and tourists but there was a good atmosphere in the crowd- no pushing! I was just in time for a sheep sheering demonstration although I was dubious, at first. I was worried about my woolly pal but he was completely unfazed by the whole process.

There is a also cute garden for those of you with green fingers. Along with the usual flowers and vegetables came a few unexpected items that I enjoyed hunting for. 

Even my aversion to creepy crawlies was overcome by the Bug Hotel. 

 

Conservation and education are a big part of the offer from Hackney City Farm. 

I had a lovely time at Hackney City Farm, all of which was free (although donations are much appreciated). The staff were friendly and the animals were real characters, there was a particularly funny duck (maybe you had to be there). I loved the community feel of the place and will definitely be visiting again soon.

eats at La Bodega Negra

This week I sampled the Mexican delights of La Bodega Negra in London's Soho. The faux sex shop exterior may fool the unsuspecting diner and I found a group of confused people outside when I arrived. The gaudy facade isn't out of place in an area known (and loved) for the seeder side of life but it's definitely eye catching.

A Mexican restaurant with a speakeasy vibe? Where do I sign up, right? 

My high expectations took a knock when I walked into a dark corridor to face a leather clad mannequin. My disappointment wasn't caused by the plastic greeting but rather by the enveloping darkness. I'd unwittingly entered another trendy (did you really just use that word, how old are you?) restaurant that embraces the eating-in-darkness-style of dining. Call me old fashioned but I like some light when I eat, crazy, I know. 

I soon got over my aversion when my eyes grew accustomed to the dim light and I began to appreciate the strange and beautiful surroundings. We were seated in a cardboard wonderland with felt-tip houses and strange Mexican inhabitants.

The atmosphere was pretty special and only slightly marred by the later influx of rowdy tequila drinkers. Our waitress was super friendly, not that common in London, so I was more than pleased when I sat down to consider the menu. I can't say the food was anything to write home about, or blog about for that matter, which was a major disappointment. The menu was too expensive for the quality (and size) delivered and quite restrictive for me and any fellow vegetarians.

Overall, I'd recommend La Bodega Negra as a stylish location for a pre-dinner drink before moving onto somewhere with more substance. 

loves Nunhead Cemetery

I have a friend that loves nothing more than a stroll around a cemetery of a weekend. It sounds pretty morbid but I was converted a few weekends ago when I joined her for a wander around Nunhead Cemetery in South East London. It was incredibly interesting and full of walkers and their cute dogs, what more could you want on a Saturday afternoon? 

Here are a few photos of the occasion. 

Beautiful burnt out church. 

Puppy love. 

Monument for Scottish political martyrs. 

I had a great time and will definitely go back for one of their open days as I'd love to know more about it's history. 

Let me know what you think or if you have any cemetery based recommendations. 

loves Benefit and hates spiders

I'm scared of spiders, like really scared.
I know it's cliché.
I know it's irrational.
I know they are more scared of me than I am of them (although I have my doubts).
It is what it is...

So I was pretty distraught this week when I noticed a spider in my hair while getting ready for work. It was a big, brown beast and I panicked.
It was fight or flight moment.
I went with my instincts.
I ran.

It was all pretty dramatic, as you can imagine. When I had calmed down (it took a while) I realised, in my terrified state, I had thrown my absolute favourite make-up product and most of it now decorated my bathroom wall.

I had thrown my Benefit brow zings and this was the result...

Messy.

It wasn't the best way to start my day and although the spider element was traumatic, the loss of my eyebrow saviour was a deeper blow. I have quite patchy eyebrows and I've used lots of different pencils and gels but nothing has worked quite so well as brow zings. At first, I baulked at the £24.50 price tag but my kit was still going strong after a year of daily use...until it's tragic demise. 

Anyway, below is a before and after image of my unruly brows for those of you that are looking for an brow fix.   

 
I won't be so careless with my next kit.

eats Brownies

To put it simply, I LOVE FOOD. So a food market is a weekend must for me. I'm a big supporter of Brockley Market in South East London and this week I sampled some amazing local produce from their friendly bunch of traders. The highlight of my day was a large slice of brownie goodness from Kooky Bakes. This American bakery offers up stunning cakes in all manner of flavours but I opted for their Pimped Up Brownie. A rich, gooey brownie with Oreos and a cookie base, what more could you want?!

If you like brownies then I'd definitely recommend a trip South of the River.

Have you had a brilliant brownie recently? 

I'm always looking for cake related recommendations so feel free to send them my way.