Student Suppers: Baked Eggs with Black Pudding & Potatoes

We're well into autumn now, and it is getting cold out. Leaving the house without a coat is now simply not an option, so today I thought I'd sort out dinner for you with an easy, relatively quick (the only reason this does not fall into the thirty minute meal category is you need to par-boil some potatoes and slow cook some onions - both things that can be done during Sunday meal prep if that is your sort of thing) and hearty. Today I'm borrowing baked eggs from their usual tomato heavy sauces and sitting them in a bed of crisp, sautéed potatoes, rich, toasted black pudding and sweet, sticky onions. Parsley is our friend for some punch.

Places To Eat In London: El Pastor, Borough Market

I love me a good taco, so obviously since I moved back to London within walking distance of Borough Market, I have wanted to try El Pastor, the famous taco joint on Stoney Street bordering the market. It's had rave reviews, and while I won't mention it further because it is not fair for a business to be reduced to what is done to them, but there is a certain solidarity you can feel with a place when your place of work has been attacked by terrorists this year, too. They don't do reservations, so be prepared to wait around and have a few drinks, or do what we did - go for lunch towards the end of service when things are winding down on a weekday.

Recipe: Chocolate Cake with Lazy Piped Matcha Frosting

I'm not a big baker. There are those people who can do bake and cook, there are the people who are wonderful bakers but don't really feel comfortable whipping up a savoury meal, and there are people who can cook beautifully but don't really 'get' baking. Then there are the people like me, who are perfectly competent bakers who could fulfil practically all of the challenges on The Great British Bake Off who simply don't enjoy baking that much. Funny, as my Super Simple 3-Step Chocolate Brownies are the most popular recipe on this site of all time. However, sometimes the mood takes me to bake something simple, with just a little twist.

Places To Eat In London: Lupin's, Borough

My diary has been pretty full recently of exciting street food and world flavours, so when it came to choose somewhere to go to lunch on Saturday I had just two criteria: that I would not have to get on the tube to get there (something pretty easy to manage living in Borough, within walking distance of the market, Bermondsey Street, Flat Iron Square and the Southwark restaurant district), and that the chosen spot did something exciting with local ingredients in what has come to be the 'British' way, meaning that while there were some world influences and flavours in there, it was not religiously subscribed to one cuisine.

Picnic Time: Easy Almond & Apricot Sausage Rolls

With a wobbly few days at the start of the month, it looks like we are going to get to enjoy something of an Indian Summer. So, for my second post collaborating with the team at Appletiser (there is still time to make the Barbecue Pesto Prawns with Pea, Feta & Avocado Salad we made in July) I thought we'd go for a (back garden, so you can easily retreat in case of rain!) picnic together in case, like me, you have failed to get the basket out of the basement and dry clean your picnic rug to head out into the great outdoors yet this year.

Signing Books & Cooking Live at the We Love Hythe Food Festival

I love a good food festival, so on the Sunday of the Bank Holiday Weekend my family piled into the car (my aunt and uncle came too!) because it just so happened that I'd been asked to judge the cake competition, do a cooking demonstration and sign some books at the second annual We Love Hythe Food Festival run by Hythe Life Magazine - the nearest food festival to where my parents have just moved to in Kent. As well as getting to share Student Eats with the local community some of my local foodie favourites were there so it was nice to catch up, and I've fallen head over heels in love with yet another local food truck I want to show you.

Weekly Love: Week 206

Autumn is actually here, isn't it? While during the day as long as it is not raining I've been getting away with throwing a cardigan on, on Wednesday night on the way back from seeing Limehouse Golem (a rather good film, by the way) and last night trying to squeeze one more Aperol Spritz out of the summer outside a pub in Westminster I had to snuggle up in my much loved Barbour. I think later today I might put away all my summer clothes (once I've built myself up enough to actually tackle my ironing pile, that is!) and fill my wardrobe up with snuggly jumpers and through my favourite wool blanket across the bottom of my bed. 

1. Sunshine breakfasts on the House of Commons terrace. | 2. Spying Student Eats front and centre in my local Canterbury Waterstones. | 3. Epic Asian barbecue street food sandwich from Smokin Lotus at Kerb West India Quay. | 4. Signing copies of Student Eats at the We Love Hythe Food Festival - more photos from the festival to follow!  | 5. The best taco bowl I've ever had and a tasty bowlful of pesto zoodles for lunch at The Skinny Kitchen in Canterbury. | 6. Bright, end of summer blooms outside Liberty's.

Places To Eat In London: Rail House Cafe, Victoria

In years previous, I never knew the answer to the question of where to eat in Victoria. There was literally nothing good near the station. However, over the past year so many incredible new (and some old favourite) places have popped up to compliment the takeaways and chains on Victoria Street. Many of these new eateries are focused in the Nova Food complex (where I had a delicious Ahi Poke bowl and Crosstown matcha doughnut for lunch the other week), so it was obvious Sherin and I needed to choose between their two new avocado heavy brunch spots for our Sunday brunch catch up last week: Timmy Green and Rail House Cafe. Rail House had the edge because they had matcha waffles, so we booked a table and went to check it out.

Feed Your Happy: Late Summer Soft Cheeseboard

Trying to throw a dinner party in a house that only has a partial kitchen and barely other rooms suitable for guests, let alone finished is a challenge. So, while I accepted that we would have to eat inside for the main course (even though most of the food was cooked on the barbecue) for my summer party this year, I was adamant that if the weather held we'd at least have our starters in the sun trap by my parents pond. Last year at my Road to Rio themed dinner I'd had such a success with an interactive starter before we all sat down, so I settled on a soft cheeseboard everyone could help themselves to served with lots of pink champagne. 

Video: Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta

Something a bit different for you all today: I've got some cooking videos to share! I thought it was about time I posted some more video content (I'm always being asked for it, and it's only been 4 years since my last recipe video!) so I thought I'd post my favourite of a series of videos I filmed for The Student Room from my book Student Eats. We filmed them in the very old, very cramped, 80's galley kitchen at my parents new house which I think by the time you're seeing these will be half ripped out ready for our redesign. This pasta is the first thing I make myself whenever I move into a new flat, and if anything it is even better cold the next day.

Recipe: Barbecue Pineapple with Rum, Chilli & Coriander

The Notting Hill Carnival at the weekend served as a very sharp reminder that I've still not tried my hand at re-creating the simply epic jerk chicken and jerk pork with rice, beans and a cream sauce they serve in the cafeterias in the Houses of Parliament. It is simply fabulous, and has such a cult following that there is even a Twitter feed dedicated to letting you know which cafeteria has it on on any given day. I have a copy of the chef's recipe to use as guidence, but as it was a Caribbean themed dessert I needed over the Bank Holiday Weekend to follow a barbecue (rather than Jamaican street food) I settled on barbecuing a pineapple instead.

Places To Eat In London: The Gun, Docklands

When I approach reviewing a restaurant, especially in a big city such as London where people sometimes never repeat a restaurant, while I want to give you my take on some of the cities hottest new openings (mainly because I want an excuse to try them for myself!) I also like to seek out hidden treasures that no one seems to know about, and visit some old haunts you may not of thought of for dinner to see what they're doing now. When one of my usual restaurant review partners in crime and I were invited along to check out dinner at The Gun way out in London's Docklands the other week we had a funny little dinner that we could not quite form a strong opinion of, but found a few strong reasons why this pub needs to be on your radar.

Weekly Love: Week 205

Kent people! The Bank Holiday will soon be upon us and I'll be heading back down to Kent to enjoy the last few days of the summer sunshine (fingers crossed the weather will hold, and for an Indian summer in September!) and the We Love Hythe Food Festival will be running throughout the weekend at the Hythe Cricket and Squash Club (full event details here). Why am I telling you this? Because if you pop along on Sunday afternoon I'll be judging the Bake Off event at 3pm, and then signing copies of Student Eats afterwards! Do come along and say hi because it looks like it is going to be a fantastic weekend full of lovely looking local food and drink - I'm looking forward to sampling are cocktails from Beetlejuice and a Stoned Pizza!

1. Starters and oysters at The Gun in Canary Wharf - review coming soon! | 2. Aperol Spritz by the pond. | 3. View across the water to the O2/ Millenium Dome from The Gun. | 4. A sublime pork belly confit with black pudding cream at The Compasses Inn, Crundale. | 5. Building a soft cheeseboard for my summer party - blog post about the cheeseboard coming soon! | 6. Walking to the prettiest postbox set into the wall of someones home in Kent.

Recipe: Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato, Radish & Tomato Bowl

In an average week, the amount of food I eat is frankly staggering. I don't mean the usual three meals a day, but I'm talking about the amount of samples I test, many coursed meals I have, street food I graze on, just to be able to write about food and bring the best of it to you all. I'm not complaining; I'm lucky to have one of the best jobs in the world, but this means at home when I'm not testing recipes to make sure I'm not the size of a house (I hate the gym, so my main source of exercise is walking everywhere I can) I eat lighter meals at home, mostly plants, and usually vegetarian, sometimes vegan because lighter food is what I crave.

Places To Eat In Canterbury: The George, Molash

As a family after a long day, we love a good country pub for supper. As we've moved around the coast a little from our old home while we're in a familiar area close to some of our old favourites (we've had some wins and some losses with the move: thankfully we're now closer to The Compasses Inn, but now The Duke William is a little far out, so one to visit if we're in the area for something!) it is also the perfect opportunity while our kitchen is still a hole in the ground to get our and try somewhere new. Our most recent meal out? The George at Molash, just 20 minutes drive down a pretty much straight road from Canterbury city centre.

Places To Eat In London: Bó Drake, Soho

As you know, I'm always up for Korean food. However, there are not many in London that take reservations (if you know of any, hit me up with your recommendations!) so when I heard about Bó Drake in Soho that serves up Korean food inspired by Southern-style barbecue techniques obviously I had to grab a table on a sunny Sunday afternoon and someone open to Korean flavours (I don't know why, but people always seem sceptical when I wax lyrical about the virtues of kimchee and my copy of Our Korean Kitchen!)

Cocktail Hour: Cheats Piña Coladas

At the weekend I gave myself Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, because to be honest all the excitement with Student Eats being published, radio appearances, filming some recipe videos (which I can't wait to share you) and the launch party I was totally wiped out. I crashed somewhere around Thursday afternoon, so I spent the most of the next three days out on the patio with All Out War (I know I usually read heavy political books anyway, but if you're at all interested in the behind the scenes of how Brexit actually happened this is very readable and very compelling, for non-politicos too!) With my book I needed a good drink, and while I got happy on the Aperol Spritz for a bit, I was very proud of my two-ingredient Cheats Piña Coladas.

Places To Eat In London: Duck & Waffle, Liverpool Street

Duck & Waffle, on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower near Liverpool Street Station is somewhere I've wanted to eat since I was a student in London, so it is apt that it is at Duck & Waffle I secured an early lunchtime table the day after my book launch party to celebrate my student cookbook with my parents. Open 24/7, it is not a cheap spot, but the food is absolutely sublime the views are incredible, and I can't think of a restaurant I have been to in London in the years I have been reviewing them better for a special occasion.

Weekly Love: Week 204 + Ping Coombes' Brunch Club

Let's talk all things Student Eats! Yours truly has been around and about talking about the book, so if you fancy checking out my visit to the BBC London studio last week you can listen to me talk about how I took inspiration from my parents for some of the recipes in the book from the 01:08 mark. If sitting down with a long read and a cup of tea is your thing, I sat down with Study.EU to talk about my favourite recipes in the book and what it was like to study abroad in California. They're also giving away 10 (!) copies of the book over on their Facebook page. Finally, if you fancy getting into the kitchen The Happy Foodie have shared two of my favourite recipes from the book: my Banana & Nutella Muffins and my Pea, Prawn & Mushroom Egg Fried Rice!

1. Celebrating the publication of Student Eats with my parents at Duck & Waffle - look out for more pictures from our meal next week! | 2. An incredible Surf 'n' Turf and carafe of Malbec at The Butlers Wharf Chop House. | 3. Student Eats in the window of Daunt Books. | 4. Stunning, golden hour view of Tower Bridge from the terrace at The Butlers Wharf Chop House. | 5. Pink frozen champagne ice lollies from Fortnum's. | 6. Stunning flowers in my favourite colours as a publication gift from the Ebury team.

Cocktail Hour: Mango, Black Pepper & Gin Spritz

What to do when your favourite gin brand invite you to enjoy Friday night after work drinks and oysters on a rooftop overlooking the Thames, and ask you to take a bottle away with you to come up with a cocktail recipe for everyone to enjoy as we get into the swing of the final month of summer? Gin Mare have been hosting their Med Rooftops series around Europe this summer, so today I thought I'd share a few photos by way of inspiration for your own summer soirée along with my recipe for a Mango, Black Pepper & Gin Spritz today.

Places To Eat In London: Bala Baya, Southwark

I've had one of those meals again where sometimes I did not even know what I was eating, except that everything had been produced with so much imagination and attention to detail that I'll not only be raving about the restaurant, but individual plates for ages. Bala Baya opened within walking distance of my flat a few weeks before I moved back to the city, and it has everything I look for in a restaurant: small plates, Israeli cuisine and killer cocktails. I've been trying to eat there for a while (getting stuck in the lock down on during the attack on Parliament put paid to my first reservation), but it was more than worth the wait.

Cocktails in the City, Summer Edition

I have a soft spot for a perfectly crafted cocktail, so when the guys at Cocktails in the City asked if I wanted to come along to their summer edition in London I obviously jumped at the chance to have some of London's best bars (including some of my all time favourites, and places I've never been able to get in before) all in one place for me to sample. The concept is simple, everyone sets up in the park, you get a welcome drink on the £15 ticket price, and then you buy tokens at £7.50 each which you can exchange for drinks, practically all of which would cost upwards of £10 in their bricks and mortar counterparts. Each bar as their own themed seating area, and they'll be in Glasgow, Bristol, Los Angeles (so jealous) and Edinburgh later this year.

Student Eats is Published Today (!) + Hangover Cure Chilaquiles

I promise after today is over I'll try and not be gushy about this again, but I honestly can't believe this day is here. Two years ago I was lucky enough to be asked to write a cookbook for students by Ebury at Penguin Random House, one of my favourite cookbook publishers, and a year ago I submitted my photos and manuscript after probably the hardest and most challenging year producing Student Eats of my life. And now it is here. Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered the book so far; friends were texting me screenshots of their dispatch emails from Amazon yesterday, so your copies should be with you later today! 

Places To Drink In London: Merchant House, The City

Welcome to my first ever 'Places To Drink In London'! Recently I've been spending a lot more time going to bars to catch up with friends after work, but places where we can sit and have a few good cocktails and peruse an impressive wine list, somewhere with good music and a vibe but so that it is not too loud you can't talk to each other, and somewhere where the bar snacks are so on point you don't need to worry about not having dinner. First up? Merchant House in the City, just by Mansion House station which I was invited to review with my friend Eddie the other week (on what just so randomly happened to be their hula night!) 

Weekly Love: Week 203 + 20% Off Tiki Cocktails at Barsmith

So, Student Eats is out next week! I know I've already said this loads but I'm so excited for you all to get your hands on a copy! The team at Ebury have put together some really great stuff for me to do to promote the book so be sure to keep an eye on my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages because while I'll post whatever catch-up I can here in my roundups every fortnight they'll be the first places I'll post links to articles I've written, interviews I've done and radio appearences I'll be making. Don't forget to get your hands on a copy! 

1. Yesterday I had a fantastic weekend at Cocktails in the City before the rain started - these were my favourites from Aviator at Hush Mayfair. I'll throw up more of my photos and about the bars that were there on the blog in the next week or two so you can have some more London dining inspo! | 2. After work Gin Mare, mango and black pepper tonics on the roof of The Institution of Engineering with a lovely view back over to Westminster - again, more snaps to follow! | 3. Delicious Kent cherries on sale at Borough Market. | 4. Ruby Violet's special herbal Gin Mare and tonic sorbets. | 5. Eating curries and rice with our hands from a banana leaf at Ping Coombes' brunch club - you know the drill, more to follow! | 6. Testing out a few future recipes: Cajun salmon, tomato and black bean salsa, coriander and brown rice.

Celebrating Percy Pig's 25th Birthday Party

Last week someone very special requested my presence to celebrate his 25th birthday. While over the past few days we have been having fun in the office getting our American intern to try all of our favourite chocolate bars from a box of Cadbury's Heroes, in my mind there is one cult British sweet that rules them all: Marks & Spencer's Percy Pig (eaten by biting his ears off first, then eating his face, obviously!) So, of course I was going to clear everything that had been in my diary to celebrate his 25th with him!

Recipe: Roasted Nectarines with Amaretto & Vanilla Ice Cream

Today I thought I'd share a recipe and a few photos we shot the last time I was at my parents house in Kent so you could all have one of my mothers recipes for a family barbecue favourite: Roasted Nectarines (peaches also work) with Amaretto and Vanilla Ice Cream. You can do it in the oven but it is perfect on the barbecue, cooking away while you eat your main meal, and while you can serve it with whatever ice cream you happen to have stashed away, though vanilla is clearly king here. I hope you love this as much as people seem to enjoy her Classic Cheese Straws and her Soft Fruit Crumble, two of the most popular recipes here!

Places To Eat In Canterbury: The Granville, Lower Hardres

No Canterbury, I have not forgotten you! I know every time I've escaped the city recently I've spent my days barbecuing and lazing around the garden (and hitting up old favourites like The Compasses Inn and The Wife of Bath), but the other weekend I finally made it out to try somewhere new: The Granville. We must have driven past this pub just outside the city so many times but never been in, so when I was invited along for lunch I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to treat my Mum for a change.

Weekly Love: Week 202

I met Mary Berry this week. I think that is literally all that is needed to introduce this fortnight's edition of Weekly Love, but because I have obsessive tendencies about the formatting of my posts that I need a good few sentences that stretch almost the width of the post, I'm going to tell you that there are now less than three (!) weeks to go until Student Eats is published, and remind you to pre-order a copy. If you want a bit of a taster before you buy, be sure to follow me on Instagram where I have been sharing some of the recipe photos from the book (you can find these right away at the #studenteatsbook hashtag), and on my stories.

1. Testing a few recipes on the barbecue. | 2. Sunday morning Korean feasting at Bo Drake in Soho - full review coming soon! | 3. My parents new garden is full of hydrangeas at the moment and I'm slightly in love. | 4. I have found some excellent matcha soft serve in Soho by way of Tsujiri, be sure to check them out! | 5. In other soft serve news, Hotel Chocolat is serving up an incredible number from a lot of their stores nationwide (I went to Covent Garden): cocoa nib infused ice cream (which is so unusual, and so amazing) - be sure to get it with a to die for hazelnut drizzle! | 6. Celebrating all of Ebury and BBC Books' cookery authors for their 30 years of publishing cookbooks on Monday night, and Student Eats (which will be published in only 3 weeks time, have you pre-ordered yours yet?) with my amazing literary agent and editor, who really are both the reasons the book happened in the first place.

Recipe: Steak with Pickled Jalapeño Relish

Sometimes there are recipes that change your whole way of making something. In part, Julia Turshen's celebrated book Small Victories has given me two of these: I don't think I'll ever make a different veggie lasagna to her 'A Nice Lasagna' (even though it was the first lasagna I've ever made), and now I'm not sure I'll ever cook myself a steak without making some of her Pickled Jalapeño Relish to go on the side.

Recipe: Barbecue Pesto Prawns with Pea, Feta & Avocado Salad

While the inside of my parents new house needs a lot of work (seriously, as work is needed they've barely unpacked, so we can't find anything and there are entire rooms just full of boxes!), the gardens, so lovingly designed and tended by the last owner are in their prime at the moment, so I've been grabbing as many weekends as I can down in the country, sitting on the patio with a good book, and barbecuing for almost every single meal. So, when the team at Appletiser wanted to team up to throw a barbecue, I thought it made the perfect excuse to throw together something a bit more special (but just as easy as) our usual barbecued steak.

What Writing A Cookbook *Actually* Involves

The most common question I get asked when people find out I've written a book is not about the money I got paid to write Student Eats, or what qualifications I had to write a book: they asked how long the book took to write. So, for the third instalment of my posts about how this book now sitting on my bookshelf (and hopefully on yours this time next month!) came to be, I thought I'd delve into the actual process: what writing a cookbook *actually* involves. If you've missed them, click through for my posts on how I found my literary agent, and how I landed my book deal - make sure you've read those first!

Weekly Love: Week 201

Since we last spoke I've watched all 10 episodes of Sky Atlantic's Riviera. You need to get through the first episode that just sets the scene, but afterwards it is super addictive with a cliffhanger at the end of every episode, and an epic twist at the end. Watch it if you loved the glossy, super rich with a rotten core theme of The Night Manager last summer, and/ or if you have an interest in fine art. Also, if you're looking for a good deal mark your calendar's: the next Amazon Prime day will be on 11th July, where so many things will be on discount, basically a Black Friday for Prime users. From now until Monday you can get ready with a year of Prime membership for only £59, down from £79, which basically connects you with all of Prime's automatic streaming of movies, TV shows (including The Night Manager), music, books, and free next day delivery.

1. Soaking up the sun on the roof of the Palace of Westminster. | 2. Supporting some of my favourite vendors at Borough Market with my weekly shop. | 3. Weekend recipe testing: sea bass ceviche with lime, avocado, coriander, jalapeño and Kentish gooseberries. | 4. Drinking Frosé at Somerset House with the Sainsbury's press team. | 5. Traditional Brittany galettes at MAMIE'S in Covent Garden. | 6. Peonies and sunflowers outside Angel tube station.

Places To Eat In London: Mamie's, Covent Garden

As you can probably tell from my food diaries every time I visit my parents house in Brittany, I'm big on the local speciality: galettes, which are basically savoury pancakes made with buckwheat flour, and filled with all manner of savoury fillings. I usually consume these in Brittany with a few glasses of good French wine, and a crepe drenched in melted local salted butter and sugar. Mamie's in Covent Garden promised me all of these on a disastrously hot evening just down the Strand from my office, without having to sit in a car for six hours in order to reach my parent's French house. Needless to say, I was excited for the meal.

La Gelatiera x Mercante Summer Ice Cream Tasting Menu

So, you know that utterly deadly couple of days where everything was just simply too hot, there was no way to get to sleep at night, and basically if you stepped outside you were in danger of melting? Well, on Monday evening my friend Edward and I found the perfect way to escape it: by heading through Green Park in the direction of Mayfair to try Covent Garden's La Gelatiera collaborative ice cream pop up at Mercante. The concept is simple; a three course meal, put together by the restaurant chef, each dish featuring special editions of La Gelatiera's delicious ice cream and gelato. Just what you need if this weather continues!

5 Items I Travel With That Keep Me Balanced

For the latter half of 2017 (can you believe we're over half way already?) I'm going to be partnering with the guys at Yushoi (a delicious, healthy, pea based, Japanese-inspired snack) to talk about things that keep me balanced. The past few weeks have been pretty mental for me, what with almost losing my job at the polls, and things are set to get all busy again what with my book coming out in around 6 weeks, so I thought the best way to kick of my series of posts with the brand would be to talk about the things I kept around me when I was living out of a suitcase, working far from home, just to maintain a sense of normalcy and balance. 

Places To Eat In London: Bun House, Soho

I have the perfect spot for you in Soho where you can perch on a little table out in the street in the sunshine, enjoy a cooling pot of green tea and some fantastic (and cheap!) food and just relax on a Sunday morning. If you have not already been, Bun House is your new favourite weekend destination. They offer a small selection of things done well: steamed filled bao buns, imaginative sides, and Asian pickles, and if you're drinking tea not beer, two adults can easily fill themselves up for around £20. Oh, and they do takeaway too!

Weekly Love: Week 200

Welcome to the 200th edition (!) of Weekly Love! It seems like every fortnight when I sit down to write one of these something bad has happened, so today I want to focus on something positive, Borough Market (which not only is my local, but will always have a special place in my heart as my first ever paid column as a food writer, and my first print feature) which re-opened on Wednesday. Not only has the council pledged business rate relief for the businesses inside the police barrier zone who were unable to open until this week, I want to draw your attention to the Borough Market Relief Fund where you can donate to help the small traders who may be put at risk by the loss of stock and trading days. Please give what you can! 

1. Counting down, less than 7 weeks now until Student Eats is published! (Pre-order it here!) | 2. Happy to be back in my office taking in my beautiful view of the Palace of Westminster (in spite of all the scaffolding!) | 3. A superb (and super cheap) brunch in the Soho sunshine at Bun House - full review coming soon. | 4. Our favourite Rioja brand Campo Viejo has a fantastic Fiesta of Colour wine terrace in Waterloo Millennium Gardens - it's a sun trap with lots of great things to drink and a wonderful tapas food truck where we hung out after work last night - be sure to check it out, as it is only around until Sunday! | 5. Lazy Sunday Polpo Aperol Spritz. | 6. My new Deliveroo favourite: Arabica at Borough Market.

Cookbook Corner: Soy Rice Cakes from Our Korean Kitchen

As I said in the introduction to my Korean Prawn Rice Bowl with Sesame Pak Choi, the food I cook for myself when I don't have to work on any recipes for brands or the blog is Korean food. And the book that has been the most helpful to me in learning about Korean cooking and flavours, and in helping me re-produce some of my Koreatown favourites at home? The copy of Our Korean Kitchen I was gifted at the Observer Food Monthly Awards last year. So, today I thought I'd talk a bit about the book, and share a super simple, super delicious recipe I would not have even attempted if I had not been given an easy introduction to Korean cooking.

Wake Up To Organic: Bacon & Guacamole Breakfast Sandwiches

I'm back in London, and more importantly back in my kitchen where I've been enjoying over the weekend actually cooking myself some meals. However, today I'm finally back to work after the most mental 6 weeks I've experienced since I last had to fight a General Election, so it is time to go back to delicious, filling (and speedy!) breakfasts so that I don't entirely rely on Parliament cafeteria breakfast wraps for sustenance. My new favourite? Thick slices of organic bacon, stuffed in a crusty white roll with a good dollop of guacamole. And a cup of tea, of course. So much easier to eat than my old go-to of bacon and sliced avocado sandwiches.

My Publishing Journey (How I Actually Got My Book Deal!)

Okay, so in my last post on how my upcoming book, Student Eats, was made we tackled the topic of literary agents: what they do, why you might need one, how to find one and how I found mine. In case you have not read it yet, I'd recommend heading back over there now to check it out before diving into this post (it also has a mini Q&A with my own literary agent on what agents are looking for in a potential author). Today, I want to move past the process of finding my agent onto the next big hurdle I had to face: landing a book deal. 

Places To Eat In London: Casita Andina

My friend Sherin and I love Peruvian food. My partner in crime for reviews of some of our London favourites such as Senor Ceviche and Ceviche, we met up for dinner after work to try out one of London's latest (ish!) Peruvian opening, from the Ceviche and Andina (another love of mine) team: Casita Andina. Peruvian, but with a few world influences (Japanese, Middle Eastern, French) if is just the place for unique sharing plates in Soho, stepping into a different world the moment you enter, transported until it is time to leave again.

Weekly Love: Week 199

So, I'm still down in Somerset working hard so that we can all keep our jobs come polling day on Thursday (do remember to vote!), so it is just a short one today! In other news, both Great British Food Magazine and Good Housekeeping have been kind enough to nominate me for 'Best Food Blog' in their food awards this year, and I'd really appreciate it if you took a few moments out of your day to lend me your vote (because, all I seem to do these days is ask people for their vote!) You can check out the Great British Food Magazine shortlist and vote for me here, and check out the Good Housekeeping awards and cast your vote here. 

1. Beautiful country walks around my parents new house. | 2. First barbecue of the season! | 3. Enjoying the sunshine with a good glass of French rose on the patio. | 4. A perfect (as always) lunch at my favourite pub, The Compasses Inn at Crundale. | 5. Celebrating British Tomato Week with these beauties. | 6. Stunning sunny afternoons in Canterbury.

How I Found My Literary Agent (By Me and My Literary Agent)

Ever since I was about 13 years old, I wanted to write and publish a book. When I was 16 (the year I finished NaNoWriMo for the first time, the challenge where every November you take part you write a 50,000 word novel in 50 days) I read, cover to cover, that years copy of the Writers and Artists Yearbook, which clued me in all I needed to know about publishing my first book. And the biggest thing I realised I needed? I needed a first rate literary agent. So, off the back of my announcement that I'll be publishing my first book in August (!) I thought I'd put together the story of how I found my literary agent, a list of resources I found helpful, and some practical tips from my own literary agent, the wonderful Diana Beaumont at Marjacq. 

Places To Eat In London: The Gladstone Arms, Borough

I've got an absolute gem of a pub for you today, just around the corner from Borough tube station that just so happens to also be one of my locals: the newly re-furbished and re-opened under new ownership (after a battle to save the historic building from development): The Gladstone Arms. It literally has everything you'd want from a local city pub (as opposed to country pubs, where I look for totally different things): good food, delicious small sharing plates, a selection of good, independent, local beers on tap, delicious cocktails, live music in the evenings, and a roof terrace set to open over the next few weeks just in time for summer.

Student Suppers: Easy Bruschetta Salsa with Tortilla Chips

When I lived in Los Angeles, there were a few items I always used to pick up any time I went to Trader Joe's across the street so they were always in my fridge/ kitchen cupboard. I always had a bag of their lightly salted tortilla chips to hand, a tub of their fantastic soured cream which is a bit thicker than the ones we can buy in British supermarkets (and therefore perfect for scooping), and a tub of their freshly made Pico de Gallo Salsa (which I have replicated in Student Eats). This golden trio, sometimes eaten in front of the television (usually episodes of The Good Wife) formed many a last minute meal when I've not needed much. Recently, without that wonderful sour cream, I've been enjoying an Italian/ Mexican mashup: herby, slightly garlicy bruschetta topping, scooped up with blue tortilla chips (which taste the same, but look prettier!)

Weekly Love: Week 198

Happy Friday everyone! I've been enjoying the beautiful sunshine down in Kent these past two weeks after a weekend spent in London, working from home in the garden during the day, then out working on the election in my home patch in the evenings, joining the team for way too many pints and curries once it finally gets too dark to knock on everyones doors (don't be surprised if I turn into a peshwari naan before I return to London!) This sort of thing is what I live for, but the weather has already got my so excited to properly get into my first summer in the city for a while: get ready for lots of outdoor dining posts, trips out to the countryside for picnics and barbecues, and of course the publication of my first book, Student Eats!

1. When your hometown gets a Banksy. | 2. First lunch outside this year: a quickly thrown together Caprese Salad with both fresh and sun-blush tomatoes, served in the garden with lots of crusty bread. | 3. Ridiculously fragrant lilac in practically every garden I came across in Shepton Mallet, Somerset (and most of them here in East Kent, too!) | 4. Plump red strawberries coming into season at Borough Market. | 5. A good caramalised onion scotch egg and chunky chips outside The Morpeth Arms in Pimlico. | 6. Enjoying SPAR's new DOC and DOCG proseccos in the garden *ad*.

Places To Eat In London: Boundary Rooftop, Shoreditch

Summer is on its way, and as it is my first summer in the city for a couple of years, I wanted to kick things off over the last Bank Holiday with a couple of friends at somewhere I went for drinks the last time I was here during the summer months, and have kept on meaning to go back to so I could try the food: The Boundary Rooftop. Situated on top of the Boundary Hotel in Shoreditch (above The Albion Cafe, around to corner from Andina and across the street from Dishoom), aside from great views of the city, this Mediterranean-meets-Southern California space boasts a French menu, and plenty of pitcher cocktails and gin and tonic cups.

Places To Eat In London: The Stable, Whitechapel

I have found my current favourite pizza in London, and it is not where you'd expect to find it: thin, crisp pizza base lovers this one is for you. For the two years of my university degree I completed in London, I lived in Mile End, which I really disliked, which was a short walk from Whitechapel, which I disliked almost as much. However, one of my old university friends and I (who I dragged back to our old stomping ground to find that rumors of gentrification had greatly been exaggerated) have found an utter gem in the form of The Stable, the London outpost of this West Country inspired pizzeria and cider-house which is both utterly unique, and the best reason to hop on the tube (or the 20 bus) to Whitechapel/ Aldgate East.

Recipe: Korean Prawn Rice Bowl with Sesame Pak Choi

I've probably mentioned it before, but most of the food I cook for myself at home when I'm not working on new recipes is Korean food. People think this is a bit unusual (until they find out I lived in Los Angeles, then it totally makes sense), and then unattainable. Yes, learning how to work with Korean flavours can be a bit daunting (toasted sesame oil is the only core ingredient you can easily find in every supermarket), so today I thought I'd share a quick and easy weeknight I've had a couple of times over the past few weeks, that does not involve any specialist ingredients: Korean, pan fried prawns that take only minutes to do, sweet and sticky Jasmine rice, and slightly Japanese, slightly Korean sesame pak choi which is my go-to Asian side vegetable.