Weekly Love: Week 128

Yes, I am fully aware that the only picture in the first six shots in this post that is not of or related to food is a shot of Santa Monica Pier and the surrounding beach. I'm also aware that if I am to be perfectly honest with you all that shot is sort of about food too. I used my (I think it is 2 miles) walk from Venice boardwalk to Santa Monica Pier (it is one of my favourites to do on a hot weekend) to think about up coming food related projects for the blog, and other ideas for more ways I can squeeze food into my content. When I started this blog four years ago there was no doubt it was a fashion blog, and while I still love to ohh and ahh at pretty dresses, cover fashion week and put together outfit posts. I am fully aware that I now write a food blog, just with the other stuff thrown in, rather than the food being thrown into a fashion blog as has become the new fashion. I'm happy I decided to move to this incredible city for the last few months of my teens and the first few of my twenties as it has helped me realise what direction I want to go in next. 

1. Santa Monica Pier on a gloriously warm and sunny Friday afternoon. I love you, Los Angeles. | 2. Upholding my Shrove Tuesday tradition with real pancakes (crepes) for lunch, not those things America *thinks* are pancakes served with wedges of fresh lemon (it is a crime to put the horrible bottled Jiff stuff that should ever have been invented on pancakes) and granulated sugar. As I'm apparently a grown up now (who knew?) this year the sugar had a delicious addition of fresh thyme leaves, the idea courtesy of Emma at Poires au Chocolat, one of my favourite British food blogs. | 3. On Saturday in Beverly Hills I had one of the best culinary experiences of my entire life, and all I actually ate was a spoonful of (mouthwatering) scrambled eggs. French, LA based chef Ludo Lefebvre (yes, the one from The Taste but to only credit him with that is frankly an insult) who is the guy we have to thank for pop up restaurants gave a mini cooking lesson to the 30 or so of us at his book signing for his new book, Ludo Bites. You only need to read a couple of recipes in it to know the man is a genius, but to be able to have someone so creative with food, so skilled and so highly trained put together a couple of dishes in front of you, and to be able to ask questions is a simply magical experience. | 4. Loving how it is now hot enough here to have lunch and work out on the balcony. | 5. Weeknight recipe experimentation. The poached cod and tomatoes were a bust, but look out for a recipe for the greens soon! | 6. Lemon sorbet from Joan's on Third. It is pretty great, but not as good as my mothers homemade version!

• Emily Schuman from Cupcakes and Cashmere has been Coveteured. Words do not describe how excited I am about this!
• The Taste drinking game. I will be doing this next week!
• My favourite blogger, Rose from The Londoner has written a fantastic Lifestyle Blogging 101.
• A fascinating article on female journalists getting hate mail on the internet.
• Manet is showing at he Royal Academy of Art in London until April 14 - I've seen some of his work in Paris and they are simply fantastic to view in person; I urge you to go and check the exhibition out; I'm a little bit gutted that I won't be able to!
• I love Hudson Jeans new Instagram inspired Spring 2013 campaign shot all over London.
• How to write a killer about page for your blog.
• If you have a friend with an anxiety disorder or who suffers from panic attacks, but you don't have one yourself, this is an article you need to read. 
• I love A Beautiful Mess' new 'Halfway Homemade' cooking series, using a mixture of pre-made and homemade elements to make quick and delicious meals. These mini quiches are happening.
• Garance Dore talks about how bizarre it is to live in New York. 
• Apparently some of my American readers may not be familiar with Fairy Cakes. Here is all about them.

A little bit of content from over at The Glossy Guide: I get a lot of questions about my skincare routine, so last week I put together a full and comprehensive post over there about what products I like to use every day, or once or twice a week. Also, I know quite a lot of you enjoy my roundups from the London Press days so you can see what collections are going to be on the British high street in the coming season. While I can hardly attend and put these together from Los Angeles, my partner in crime Kathryn has done a little roundup of her picks from the coming shopping season which I recommend you all head over and check out instead!

Returning to food for a moment, I think it must be something to do with my age that I'd never actually read a book by iconic British culinary writer Nigel Slater. I've been reading Eating For England, a wonderful diary style book on our great nations various food habits and fancies and his wonderful prose, seductive way of writing about food and hilarious anecdotes have me absolutely entranced. I've reviewed the book over at Judging Covers, and I have another of his books; Toast lined up to read next.

7. If you're in LA and you need a 'trim' I'd recommend Amanda at Trim on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice; she worked her magic on her hair and it is now in much better condition than it was before! | 8.  Feeding my TLT Food addiction with takeaway super spicy chicken wings (they were so hot they sensitised the inside of my mouth!) and bacon/ pork sliders. | 9. While most bloggers have their heels and their handbags, while I don't wear it in outfit posts I thought I'd give you a little snapshot of how I'm dressed most of the time; in the kitchen wearing stripes and a Cath Kidston apron!

• Okay, so I need to be making myself some oven mitts with awesome fabrics.
• I love Nubby Twiglet's photos from her recent trip to Paris, and her tips for visiting the city.
• Gala Darling talks about creating regular features for your blog; I love putting together my Weekly Love posts every two weeks, they have to be one of my favourite features!
• Emily has put together a great video of how to shuck oysters. 
• A Beautiful Mess' Guide To Shopping At Flea Markets.
• Every blogger not necessarily feeling great about her blog at the moment needs to read Joy's Real-Talk Blogging tips - they will get you out of your rut, promise! 
• This article on people banning baby names is simply fascinating.
• Lucy's photos from Paris make me want to head over there right now!
• Sometimes, someone needs to take the piss out of something such as a celebrity beauty routine.
• The car parking hierarchy of Hollywood. This article is a little easier to understand if you've ever tried to find a parking space on a busy day, pretty much anywhere in Los Angeles!
• Did you know it has only just officially become legal for French women to wear trousers?
• This Waistland editorial perfectly captures SoCal spirit and was shot at Venice Beach skate park.

Finally, a little peek behind into the total madness that is Team Tea, the wonderful and amazing team behind The High Tea Cast, which I am so honoured and thankful to be a part of. Lots of our more mad ideas come from our team Facebook page (which we honestly mostly use to share amusing cat pictures) and the random conversation snippets that bloom there. A thread that started with us deciding which Hogwarts houses we could have been sorted in if we'd attended Hogwarts somehow ended with my volunteering to write an alternative ending to the Harry Potter books. I must be mad, but here you are! Enjoy (and please don't shoot me!)

What have you been enjoying this week, and what do you have planned for the weekend? It is set to be another beautiful weekend here in Los Angeles so I might go for another walk along the beach and hang around the beauty counters in Bloomingdales and Nordstrom on 3rd Street Santa Monica; I'm getting to the end of my Body Shop Bronzer and while I do love it the compact gets very chipped in my makeup bag which has been irritating me!