06.07.2011- My Month in Pictures: June

I can't quite believe June has come to an end already! I had a lovely month, and here are some of my highlights in pictures:

2nd June- Spent the day in Hyde Park with my lovely friend Liz and trekked back to Trafalgar Square (where we bathed our aching feet in the fountains!) via Piccadilly.

14th June- Baked these yummy chocolate cookies.

15th June- The view of a particularly striking moon from my bedroom window, snapped just before I went to bed.

17th June- Spent the morning exploring the National Gallery with my bestie and afterwards we indulged in a delicious Pizza Express lunch. The Legerra pizza is my new guilt free favourite!

18th June- Picked up this beautiful vanity case in the Cath Kidston sale, the perfect excuse to organise my make up (and make room for some more!)

20th June- Caught up with some of my gorgeous college friends over noodles and frozen yogurt (another guilt free indulgence!)

23rd June- Spent a Saturday off work in London with my mum, where we went for a lovely lunch and apple crumble pudding in Covent Garden before heading to Les Misérables (review coming soon!) 

29th June- Rounded off the month by seeing Dr. Faustus at Shakespeare's Globe.

Looking back, this post mainly consists of food! Not that this is a bad thing at all. What did you get up to in June?

(Image credit: Sarah Farrell, please do not reproduce without permission. Images edited using Picnik.)

25.05.2011- Truly Scrumptious

One of my favourite places to visit in London is Covent Garden, and, as regular readers will know, I'm a massive fan of cakes (or anything sweet and edible for that matter!) So, with this in mind, imagine my joy when I found out that those lovely Parisian patisserie connoisseurs at Ladurée were opening a branch in the heart of Covent Garden's famous piazza! To say I was excited is a bit of an understatement.

Ladurée, founded in 1862, are famous for their beautiful pastries, ornate cakes and world-renowned double layer macaroons. The company already has two branches in London, one in Piccadilly's Burlington Arcade and another within the luxurious surroundings of Knightsbridge's Harrods department store, but this more centrally located location looks set to further broaden the appeal of the Ladurée brand. As well as serving the traditional macaroons, cakes and patisserie, the restaurant (which is situated across two floors within the market complex) also offers a range of main courses, all, of course, developed from the finest French cuisine. I for one can't wait to pay a visit and experience a slice of Paris in the heart of London!

You can find Ladurée Covent Garden at Unit One Covent Garden Market, London, WC2 8RF, or alternatively visit www.laduree.fr for more information.

What do you think of Ladurée opening in Covent Garden? Will you be paying a visit?

(Image credit: Google.)

02.03.2011- Tea For Two

Last week, my lovely mum and I went along to The Dorchester, where we indulged in a spot of afternoon tea at their luxurious Promenade restaurant. It really was a wonderful treat, and the food was absolutely delicious. The staff were so polite and helpful, and couldn't do enough to make sure that we enjoyed every moment of our tea sitting. And, just as we were preparing to leave, Kate Moss and Jamie Hince waltzed through the restaurant (ooooh!) However, I have to admit that I found the food that we were served more exciting, especially when we were able to take home a little goody bag filled with some of the treats we were simply too full to finish.

Our table, complete with a rose floating in water and tea strainer!

The beautiful china.

Delicious finger sandwiches (left to right: Cucumber and Cream Cheese, Salmon, Chicken and Mustard, Seafood Selection and Egg Mayonnaise, all served on freshly baked bread.)

Fresh Dorchester Blend tea- which I loved (and I'm not a tea drinker!)

The mouth-watering mango foam and mousse which we were served after our sandwiches.

Mumma! (making what I think is her debut appearance on the blog!)

Me trying my best to be posh!

Freshly baked scones which were brought to the table warm and served with clotted cream and jam.

Sweet things!

Our cake stand was topped with these beautiful French pastries.

The outside of the hotel, taken as we waddled to the bus stop!

We both had a fantastic time and would certainly go to The Dorchester for their afternoon tea again. Everything about the experience, from the service, to the surroundings and, most importantly, the food was faultless. If you ever get a chance to treat yourself, then definitely do- you won't be disappointed.

To find out more about the variety of afternoon tea experiences to be enjoyed at The Dorchester, visit thedorchester.com.

Have you ever been for afternoon tea? Did you enjoy it?

(Image credit: Sarah Farrell, do not reproduce without permission.)

20.12.2010- Birthday Tea

As promised weeks ago, a post telling you all about my lovely 21st birthday! The day of my birthday itself was fairly uneventful as I was snowed in, but I did have a lovely cake to make up for it...

My beautifully wrapped presents and birthday decorations, all thanks to my lovely mum!

I got some lovely presents, but most exciting of all were the surprise tickets I got to go and see The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre in London the Saturday after my birthday (which I had booked off work months in advance in anticipation!) After a nervous wait to see how the weather and transport would pan out, we luckily made it to the show, and it was brilliant. I'd seen it twice before when I was very young and my mum explained that she wanted to bring me back to see it so that I could re-live my childhood! It was such a touching surprise, and needless to say I was a bit of an emotional wreck from beginning to end (I can't even sit through the film without crying my eyes out!) The production is absolutely as magical as I remember it, and we had amazing seats, only a few rows from the front of the stage.

Then, the week after my birthday, my best friend Sarah and I went along to The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, to indulge in their Prêt-à-Portea; afternoon tea with a fashion twist. The hotel itself was so luxurious and we both felt extremely sophisticated! The food was served on Paul Smith designed China, and everything was stunningly presented. The sweet selection in particular was delicious, and I tried Vanilla tea for the first time, which was a lot more palatable than I was expecting!

The Menu (which may have sneakily found its way into my bag as a souvenir!)

Sarah with her tea!

Yummy sandwiches.

The sweets, with savoury spoons at the bottom.

Me pouring my tea.

Alice Temperley apple and pannacotta mousse with Manolo Blahnik high heel tuille, topped with golden blueberries (this was lovely!)

Alexander McQueen pale green pistachio dress biscuit with silver belt.

Anya Hindmarch cassis sponge tote covered in baby blue icing with iconic bow.

Philip Treacy chocolate hat cake with Monarch butterfly, probably my favourite of the lot!

Christian Louboutin sparkly high-heeled ginger show biscuit with signature red sole- how cute it this?

Every time we finished a tier from our cake stand, it was replenished with more, so it's fair to say that we both waddled rather than walked out of the hotel, each carrying our little souvenir bags with three treats each from the menu inside. 

Goodie bag!

Sarah and I.

The hotel.

If you love your cake and fashion in equal measure, then I'd definitely suggest a trip to The Berkeley for their Prêt-à-Portea, although I'd advise fasting for about a week before hand as you can literally eat as much as you want. Sarah and I have now made it our mission in life to work our way through as many sittings of afternoon tea at London's poshest hotels as we can!

All in all, I had a wonderful birthday and got some amazing presents, including 21 that were individually wrapped from Sarah, some beautiful jewellery from my family and so many other lovely thoughtful surprises: 

A selection of my lovely presents!

In spite of the snow, I really do think that this was probably the best birthday ever. It's just a shame that you only turn 21 once!

What's the best birthday you've ever had? 

(Image credit: Sarah Farrell, please do not reproduce without permission.)