Weekly Love: Week 134
I honestly feel I’ve been trapped in a bit of a whirlwind of trips, meetings and deadlines over the past week or so, but over the past few days things have started to settle down a little and I feel like I’m really on top of everything. I’m back in the kitchen developing recipes and shooting a few more for you guys that I’m really excited about, and I feel like lots of good things are starting to happen. In other news, how can a week be bad, when the Great British Bake Off is back? Martha is my clear favourite so far, I wish I could have made little lemon thyme cakes like that 4 years ago. I might try my hand at them now, though!
1. An all navy ensemble for Saturday lunch down the pub. My sunglasses are from Alexander McQueen and my top is from Hobbs. You can grab my Aspinal’s Tote here, and my neoprene Whistles skirt on sale for £30 here. | 2. Another lovely lunch at The Red Lion at Stodmarsh. Their desserts are to die for. | 3. Golden hour walks along the beach at Sandwich Bay. | 4. Aperitif fizz while barbecuing is always a must. | 5. Sorting through my stationary to store in an old Glossybox. What do you use yours for? | 6. Pollo alla Cacciatora (Italian Hunter’s Chicken) from Waitrose Kitchen magazine for family dinner, served alongside a bread recipe I’m testing for my Borough Market column next month.
- Food 52’s photographer James Ransom shares some of his simple food photography tips.
- Lucy has picked out three awesome East London foodie joints with her stunning photos. She’s also posted some great photos of goings on at Camden Locks this Summer.
- PUNCH has a really fascinating piece on drinking in prison.
- The Kitchn looks at the story behind Blue Curaçao, one of the wackiest coloured liquors.
- The Top 40 Least Tried Foods In Britain.
- Do Bloggers Really Get Paid for Press Releases, Freebies or Campaigns?
- Kate has put together a great roundup of kitchen equipment you actually need, rather than all of those gimmicks catalogues are always trying to sell you!
- If you’re in Leeds, The Woods looks like a fantastic new dining spot.
- Los Angeles has a Piñata District. Who knew?
- Also, did you know it is possible to hold a vineyard hostage?
- Stephanie has written a great self-employment survival guide.
- HonestlyYUM has put together a great round up of the Bay Area’s best ice cream.
- Style Me Pretty has put together a beautiful guide to Lake Como.
- For my American readers, The Glitter Guide has put together a great affordable Rosé guide.
- Lucy went on a Carnivore’s walking tour of London, and it looks epic.
- Jessica has found the very best views of New York City in the Summertime.
- Fragrance terms, explained.
- David Lebovitz goes to Corsica.
So, if you had been standing in the yogurt aisle in Waitrose in Canterbury the other day you, and not just my Mother and my Aunt would have borne witness to my minor freak out. Mummy asked me if we needed any yogurt. I told her no, I’d only just opened a new tub. She asked me again, this time shoving a pot in my face. I’d totally forgotten that my Moroccan Chicken Goujons with Yogurt & Mint Dip was supposed to be appearing on the side of a Total 0% pot. Be sure to go pick one up, and I’d love to hear what you guys think. I have not made it over to Sainsbury’s yet, but I’ve found me in Tescos, too.
7. Sampling the first Cucamelons we’ve been growing in the greenhouse. They taste like miniature cucumbers, but with an amazing crisp melon aftertaste. | 8. I was so honoured to win the Food & Drink category at Visit California’s Dream Big Awards. I fell in love with food writing in California, so to be recognised by them means more than I could ever say. | 9. Chilling out at Granary Square by King’s Cross. They have a great little fake grass space by Regents Canal! | 10. I’ve been cooking so much from The Lemonade Cookbook recently. Full review hopefully up on the blog next week! | 11. Watching the last episode of Californication was so bitter sweet. If anyone is looking for a good Summer show to watch, I’m tempted to start right from the beginning again! | 12. Epic (but super large) Pulled Pork Sandwich at The Shakespeare for lunch. I can also really, really recommend their chips!
- Fashionista has put together a fascinating piece on the future of magazines funded via Kickstarter, which gives a great insight into Cherry Bombe, for example.
- Victoria writes about her trip to Noma, and posts a recipe for Moose Tartare.
- Eater has put together a roundup of 40 places in L.A. you can get bottomless mimosas. Also, Refinery 29 has put together a mouthwatering roundup of the best Summer cocktails in Los Angeles. They’ve also put together the ultimate guide to brunching in N.Y.C.
- 7 Forgotten Celebrity Myspace Gems Too Good To Be Deleted.
- Carrie has written a great post on confidence and blogging.
- My friend Kristabel has put together a brilliant piece that I can 100% relate to listing the 11 ays that blogging has changed her for the better. She also heads to Padstow with Boden for all things seafood & Rick Stein. And yet more from Kristabel, she’s put together a great guide to packing for short trips that I will be 101% using when I head off to Spain next month.
- The Kitchn has come up with the simply genius idea that you can use the very end of a jar of jam to make an epic and fruity jam jar vinaigrette. They’ve also put together a great guide to chillis.
- West Elm has some great tips for taking your Instagram snaps to the next level.
- Laura’s San Francisco post has cemented the city in my mind as a must visit foodie destination.
- Anthony Bourdain breaks down cinema history to explain the making of Parts Unknown.
- I really loved this piece on ‘What I Instagramed vs. What Was Really Happening, Or My Entire Life Is A Lie’. The sad and sorry thing is, that it was all totally true. (via Amy Elizabeth)
In case you had not noticed by now, I’m an avid Pinterest user. I’m also a bit of an art junkie, so I’m very excited to be taking over the Tate Modern’s Matisse inspired ‘Summer of Colour’ board today, where I’ll be pinning drink and dessert type pictures in response to Matisse’s painting The Snail. It is a great project, and I think it is inspired to use a social media platform where you’re so often just re-sharing pretty pictures as an actual response to art. You can check out and follow the board here, see you over there!
What have you been doing this week, and what do you have planned for the weekend? I’m honestly looking to have a chilled one at home catching up on some of the recipe deadlines I have in the coming weeks!
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