Girls day at the Broadway Market.

On Saturday afternoon Vanessa and I thought an afternoon at Broadway Market was in order. I do love that I have been twice now, and neither of those times were with Ben.. Just means I get to go back, again!

We arrived at about 2:30pm and we had a wander around, we stumbled across the stall with the heart shaped tarts.. I had been regretting not buying one of the fruit ones last time I went. Much to my dismay they had sold out!! A busy day they said, not good enough I thought!! Oh well have to get their earlier next time!

We planned our feast well! Vanessa started with an amazing slice of lemon tart, and I chose a super moist chocolate cake with salted caramel icing. Sadly we were so excited about our choices that we scoffed them before I managed a photo.. But they were both absolutely delicious.

Next we decided on something savoury, burgers. We both got the bacon+cheese and they were amazing! I chose the tomato and red pepper salsa and English mustard, though my choice in FULL English mustard blew my head, off they too were fantastic.

I also brought some Tamarillo Chutney from a kiwi lady in the school yard market, I went there for the Feijoa, but the Tamarillo stole the show.. Cant wait to get some yummy cheeses and dig in.

My yummy burger

Tamarillo Chutney

After our burgers we needed another sweet treat to end the day. What better way than to enjoy a milkshake, this little man in his little comby van has changed milkshakes forever! You could mix and match the flavours, so I chose strawberry and chocolate brownie, and Vanessa chose strawberry and Oreo!

It was a lovely afternoon, it's nice to be able to have a bit of girl time, get out into the fresh air and sunlight and just relax..

We only spent about 2 hours in the afternoon stuffing our face with food, and having a wander around, but it was just what the doctor ordered! Another market, another great day with more great company!!
Soon we will be back! and I will get my fruit tart! Next weekend Ben and I are off out of London, having a bit of quality time in the English country side. I cant wait!

Southend-On-Sea

This weekend I wanted to go back to Broadway market, I wanted to take Ben there, because it’s my favourite market yet and he hasn’t been.

We were going to get ready and head off at about lunch time when our flat mate Marc had a different idea. He had his work van for the weekend and said we should go for a drive.

We decided on Southend- On- Sea. It was about an hour and a half’s drive from our place, one similar to Brighton, and was absolutely amazing!

The esplanade was filled with bars, food stands and amusement parlours. They had a theme park called Adventure Island, where I will definitely be returning to go on the rides, and eat candyfloss!! Was a great people watching spot too! Spotted a TOWIE star, wasn’t hard to forget we were in Essex!

The sun was shining and it was beautifully warm. We had to sit in traffic for a while to get to the esplanade so headed for a pub once we got there, we got a table outside in the sun, and I let the pearly whites out to get a tan (not my teeth, my legs, though they are the same shade of white at the moment!)

The afternoon consisted of ciders, the best fish and chips and making new friends. We stayed for about 6 hours, we just didn’t want to leave.

We sat down at the first pub and after about half an hour we made friends with a local Essex couple. They were such good fun, and took us up to a hotel for a few drinks to visit an old friend they were going to see.. The hotel was hosting a wedding! Talk about awkward having sat in the sun drinking for hours.. it was safe to say we didn’t really blend in!

One the sun started to disappear, and the temperature dropped we headed off home, by far one of the best days I have had since living here!

It really is amazing what the sun can do. It makes you feel so carefree and happy! Which is a lovely change from having to wear 100 layers and never really feeling warm.

I didn’t manage to get many photos cos my phone died- I certainly wasn’t expecting to stay 6 hours!

opps.

Today is Monday, that means that the weekend has just happened. That should.. and I say should mean that we have been to another market for another fun day out.

Sadly we missed this weekends adventure. Not that there were no adventures, just none of the market-going kind.

On Saturday, I woke up with a severe hangover after Friday night work drinks, and went to meet Vanessa, with Alana for a cheese platter picnic. It was terrible weather so we had a lounge picnic and boy it was delicious, we had three cheeses, salmon, everything you need! After finding myself in a cheese coma we had to head home for a nap!

 

On Sunday it was as predicted a warm 19 degrees! I wore my jandals! and a thin jacket with a T-shirt underneath... Whaat! Crazy!

It was delightful weather so Ben and I headed to a mall to go shopping- obviously the right thing to do when the sun is shining! But Ben needed a new suit for today so it had so be done.

I have fun no matter what I am doing when I am with Ben, so it was a lovely weekend.

Next weekend I promise we will be back into the market scene- I think we are aloud a weekend off every now and then because this is about having fun and I certainly don't want to make it a chore.

Spring is here, so the sun is out, and so will we be. To enjoy London even more than we have in the cold! 

 xx

Chatsworth Road Market

The weekend has been and gone, and with each weekend comes another adventure.

This weekends adventure was the Chatsworth Road Market, it's a tiny market in the Borough of Hackney... on the way home we walked past a shop window with 2 bullet holes in the windows- which was crazy because it was a beautiful sunny day and it felt so good out there, had a really chilled out happy vibe to it.

We wandered the street lined with stalls, there was a selection of home made gifts, books, vintage and hot food. Everything you need in a market really.

On the corner of the street there was an old dentist where a band had set up shop and were playing some fantastic tunes, market with music is just that little bit more fun!

Ben and I of course had to taste the delicacies, we weren't brave enough for the haggis toasties so we got some arancini balls (the same i got from Broadway markets last week), some tempura prawns and we both got a pulled pork roll with crackling and apple sauce! it was devine and an absolutely delicious lunch!

We ate in the sun, and boy it was an amazing change from the bitter cold we have been dealing with.

Overall it was a great afternoon, we caught the bus so got to sit in the warm sun and peer out the window at the delights Hackney has to offer..

I am glad we managed to enjoy this little market, unfortunately it may not be around much longer, in its heyday (over 70 years ago) it had over 200 stalls and this has dwindled to about 20.


The awesome band in the old Dentist Shop








Delicious Arancini Balls



Ben's Tempura Prawns

Pulled Pork Bap

 

New Traditions.

I get up to a fair bit that I don’t blog about on here, I don’t want this to be a boring journal of drunken nights out and every little thing that happens here. I want to use it to update those who want to know, and be able to look back on all the trips and exciting things we did while living here.

The last month Ben and I have been spending our weekends going to markets around London, and we love it. It’s becoming a tradition and we are going to try to find a new market, every weekend for us to go and explore.

It’s a great way to explore London, even Greater London, make the most of the yummy food, clothing stalls and spend some quality time together.

A month ago our tradition started, we went and spent the day at Camden Markets, it’s such an awesome market one which we will definitely be returning too. We made extremely bad food choices but has a great day out, looking through vintage furs, buying prints to decorate our room and just having fun together. 

Enjoying a chocolate filled churro at Camden Markets



The weekend after that we went to Bricklane and Spitalfield markets, we had a wander around through all the cute stalls, and the amazing food market, we stopped off in a pub for burgers and beers.

The weekend before last we went to the Columbia Road flower market, I brought some gorgeous Tulips for £1 a bunch, we got some calamari and tempura prawns, and some old fashioned sweets. Unfortunately we had to get home before we froze to death! So will definitely be going back when it gets warmer- if it ever does.



Old Fashioned Sweet Store at Columbia Road Market

Last weekend I broke the tradition, I went without Ben- Annie was over for the week (which was amazing having a bestie visit!) so I met her at Broadway markets.. Only the most amazing food market I have seen yet! I brought myself a scallop and bacon bap, had some arancini balls which were both amazing! I am taking Ben back this weekend so I can get some Fejioa relish, delicious cheese, another of the baps and let Ben experience the goodness!

My Scallop and Bacon Bap

Some gorgeous tarts at Broadway Market

And so, I am going to start blogging weekly, blogging about each market we go to, all the yummy food we enjoy and the fun we have together, because if we do this every weekend for the next 1.5 years that’s a whole lot of memories that I don’t want to forget!

p.s Yes,I am definitely just as obsessed with food as I sound



xxx