Weekly Love: Week 135
I know that I am very, very late to the party but I feel that I need to talk about True Detective. For some reason it slipped through my ‘new shows’ radar right at the beginning, and then nothing I heard about it made me think that I ought to jump right onto the bandwagon. I’ve got to that dead time before mid-September when all the shows start again where I have nothing to watch as I’ve caught up on everything, so I thought that I’d give it a try. The first two episodes muddled me up a bit, but I had nothing else to watch and I’m a bit of a sucker for Southern drama, so I hung on. When you start to get into it, and all the pieces fit together? And the acting? It is honestly the best thing I have seen on television in a very, very long time. The presence of Matthew McConaughey doesn’t hurt, either. If you’re into clever crime drama, this one is for you.
![Weekly Love 220814[1]](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3868/14969633346_1efdb109ea_z.jpg)
1. Required reading (the Boden Autumn Winter catalogue) with a steaming cup of raspberry tea. You can find the items I’ve put on my wish list over on my Tumblr. | 2. Sweet Peas from the vegetable garden for the kitchen window sill. | 3. When in doubt, choose either Milk or Sea Salt Green & Black’s (2 for £3 at Waitrose at the moment!) | 4. A little preview of a dish inspired by my Polpo meal that will be up on the blog on Monday. | 5. A few little treats from L’Occitane on a little shopping trip to Canterbury. You don’t want to know what happened in the Jack Will’s sale! Left to right: Angelica Exfoliating Face Gel, Special Edition Frisson de Verveine Fresh Shower Gel, Lavander Foaming Bath, Rose Shower Gel. | 6. My Cucumber Mint Lemonade recipe, adapted from The Lemonade Cookbook is fantastic with a good dash of gin in.
- I’ve contributed to a piece over at Wannabe Hacks comparing the expectations you have starting out as a journalist to the reality of working in the industry.
- I’ve also written a piece over at The Loveliest Food sharing some of my favourite local food spots both in Canterbury and the surrounding area – a few on there I have not shared before!
- London? There is a free Break-Fest festival in Brockwell Park in Brixton on the 30th August. You can find more information about the free food & music, and get free tickets here.
- If you’re based in the USA and you’re a small maker or designer, you can enter West Elm Local’s competition to win a $25,000 small business grant.
- Also for my American readers The TIG has put together a great Summer wine guide.
- Okay, so I have just discovered that I like peeking into other peoples morning routines. Tania shares hers in the latest instalment of this great series.
- General Assembly has written a fascinating piece on the 3 most promising careers of 2020.
- Carin’s photos from her recent trip to Rome are giving me serious wanderlust.
- My Life As A Magnolia Bakery Cupcake Bouncer.
- Wacky and Weird Food and Drink Laws Around the World.
- 31 Important (And Totally True) Things You Learn When You Move Across The World.
- I always love Rose’s Paris posts, but her first from her recent trip so so full of recommendations I’m going to have to take up when I finally get my trip there I’ve been talking about planned!
- New Orleans? Joy has found the ultimate spot for baked goods.
- I have so much love for Claire’s review of The Chiltern Firehouse. There is a reason why she’s one of my favourite blog discoveries this year.
Last Thursday I spent the day in London, and after morning meetings and dinner at Polpo in Notting Hill, I popped around the corner to meet up with my favourite bloggers at Bubbleology. Aside from the fact it was lovely to catch up with Michelle whom I had not seen in forever, the fact I got to meet her lovely sister/ photographer for the first time, and to meet Amy for the first time in real life, it was great to get to know a bit more about my favourite bubble tea brand. When I first tried Bubble Tea as a 17 year old on my first trip to Camden Locks (teenage hang out!) I could not stand the tapioca pearls, preferring fruit juice filled boba instead. However, I tried the pearls again, and it turns out I do rather like the chewy little spheres mixed in with my usual order of peach tea and lychee boba. Next time you grab a cup, be sure to give them another go if you were not already a fan! Photo of us living up to the blogger stereotype by Tom Joy.
![Weekly Love 220814[2]](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3893/14806012518_7a4a4b35ac_z.jpg)
7. Country walks after lunch to clear my head. | 8. Barbecuing during a British Summertime. | 9. Lovely scallops cooked in their shells with garlic breadcrumbs at Chapman’s in Canterbury. They do half price lobster on a Thursday, too. Great service, solid food, but don’t mention any problems with the booking system to the owner unless you want attitude! | 10. Friday night in with Pretty Little Liars and homemade strawberry ice cream. | 11. Whole trout cooks fantastically on the barbecue. | 12. The Heirloom Tomato, Basil Vinaigrette & Fleur de Sel salad from The Lemonade Cookbook is fantastic, especially with home grown tomatoes, but I honestly can’t stress how obsessed I am with the vinaigrette enough. I’ve been having it over salads and caprese. Best salad dressing I’ve ever made, hands down.
- A Beautiful Mess runs us through how to make your own porch swing. They have also written the second instalment of their series on small industries on app creation, which is a great insight.
- When I finally make it to D.C., I need to eat at Blue Duck Tavern.
- 5 links to read before baking at high altitudes.
- Usually I’m not into looking at other peoples weddings online, but Sophie was such, such a stunning bride. I can’t wait for her to do a full post with more of the photos!
- Camille Styles has put together a beautiful piece on creating the ultimate bagel bar.
- PUNCH has published a fascinating piece by Lawrence Osborne about the time he went in search of a bar in Islamabad while on assignment for Playboy.
- 26 Of The Greatest Book Dedications Of All Time.
- Cara shows us how to buy and use beef and duck hearts.
- One Kings Lane takes us on a tour of Claire Vivier’s L.A. studio and interviews here about the background of her brand. I’m obsessed with her bags, and I’ve already chosen my next tote bag from her collection for the moment my beloved Aspinal’s one wears out!
- A rundown on building your own Pinterest e-commerce strategy. This post is primarily directed at brands, but it also works great for personal blog branding and affiliates.
- Racked takes an in-depth look at Conde Nast’s problems in embracing digital content.
- Jessica went swimming with stingrays, and her photos are absolutely amazing.
- I think Molly needs a medal or something for creating the ‘Eggs Benedict Cumberbatch’.
- Kate takes us behind the scened on a photoshoot for her first cookbook, out next year.
- Thoughts after blogging for 8 years.
Finally, I wanted to leave you with one of the most hauntingly beautiful visions of Los Angeles I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched this so many times since I stumbled across it in the last week or so, and while I know lots of people have a love/ hate relationship with the City of the Angeles, I honestly can’t see how you can’t find at least some beauty and wonder in the city that I’m truly, madly, deeply in love with.
What have you been enjoying this week, and what do you have planned for the long Bank Holiday weekend? I’m just planning to spend it at home with my family, hopefully trying out some final Summer recipes I want to cook just because, rather than recipes I have to do for ‘work’.
Hi, I'm Rachel!
I'm a food writer living in the English Countryside. Welcome to my online diary where I share easy, weeknight recipes, foodie travel diaries and some of the best places I've eaten out recently.
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