Durham Part Two

After an evening of amazing food, of course the only natural thing to do was follow it up with, well, more food. So, on Sunday afternoon I was introduced to Tango where we tucked into a couple of burgers and I drank the prettiest drink I think I've ever seen!

I was presented with a wine glass with a shrivelled brown ball in the bottom. My glass was filled up with hot water and I watched as before my eyes, the ball opened up and flowered in my glass, infusing the water with a mixture of jasmine, marigold and globe amaranth tea. 

Not long after I'd stopped staring at my tea, our burgers arrived and we dove in. They were deliciously juicy and so I happily tucked away the whole thing. 

Once we'd gobbled up every last crumb, we went for another little wander around town. The light was beautiful so I snapped a couple of pictures to show you just how pretty Durham is! 

I really enjoyed visiting Durham- it's always interesting visiting a new part of the country- for such a small place, England really does vary so much from city to city. Hopefully, with any luck I'll be back soon! 

Picnic in the Park

When the sun is shining and the days are gloriously long, there is nothing better than grabbing a picnic and heading outside for a touch of alfresco dining. There's just something about munching your way through an entire pallet of strawberries (a picnic essential) in the open air makes them taste so much sweeter!

 So yesterday this is exactly what we did. Marcus and I grabbed an armful of food, a couple of wicker baskets (one just wasn't big enough!) and a rug, then headed for the nearest country park, Wandlebury.

Typical of English weather, the moment we parked the car the heavens opened and our beautiful sunny day turned into an undisputedly soggy one. It rained so hard it sounded more like we'd parked up under a waterfall! However, undeterred, we scanned the sky for patches of blue and deduced this torrent of water couldn't possibly last for long. Luckily we were right. The downpour lasted for around twenty minutes before petering to a sprinkle and then stopping all together. Bravely, we dared out into the open, umbrella clutched in hand.

Since the ground was decidedly waterlogged we opted to go for a wander before setting up food. The grounds of Wandlebury were beautiful and came complete with their own flock of sheep, herd of yak-like cows and heavily laden orchard. The recently departed rain storm made all the vegetation sparkle and the air smelt of that special freshness that air-freshener companies long to recreate.

Before long our growling bellies got the better of us and we returned to the car for the picnic goodies. Everywhere was a bit damp for a proper 'down in the grass' spread, but we'd spotted a lovely secluded bench on our stroll and so set up camp here.

Now I have to say, I know how to picnic. We had a range of yummy food including sticky honey and soy sausages, camembert, hummus with pepper dipping sticks, crusty bread, Neapolitan mousse, salted caramel sauce and of course, handfuls of strawberries.We dived in and started devouring the banquet.

Before long we were full and decided to retire to the rug. We lay it out on the (still slightly damp) grass and cloud watched before drifting into contented naps.

Picnicking is full of nostalgia. Memories of playing in the woods as children shadow the days events. Of building dams in rivers and hideouts in the trees before being called to heel, muddy and exhausted, only to be fed overripe fruit and sandwiches fresh from the cool box. Yesterday's events may have been a slightly more sophisticated affair but the childish excitement that accompanies eating 'in the wild' is still there.

Kensington Roof Gardens - Lulu's Birthday Part One

Recently it was my little sister's birthday and to celebrate her achievement of surviving one more year, we went for lunch at the Babylon restaurant at Kensington Roof Gardens. The Roof Gardens are somewhere my sister and I have been wanting to visit for some time now and so we were both rather excited as we arrived.

Meet my sister!

Our little party started off with a round of cocktails- mine was a delicious lemongrass and lychee martini, while everyone else went for longer drinks.

The cute couple

After a couple of sips (and Lu getting a little tipsy!) food arrived. The menu was fairly limited, but everything we ordered was tasty and artfully presented. I had the vegetarian dish which is unusual for me (I'm a complete carnivore, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!).  Everyone nabbed a little nibble off each other's plates and the general consensus was everything was yummy. Then the puddings came and everyone guarded their dishes rather more closely! I had a delicious lemon meringue moose on top of a thin chocolate cake base, with a dainty scoop of pistachio ice-cream on the side which I'd definitely recommend.

Yum!

All gobbled up!

The atmosphere at the Babylon was chilled but busy and the staff were all friendly. They even brought my sister a little birthday surprise at the end of our meal which was a nice touch!

After our food had settled, we went exploring! The Roof Gardens are delightful to run around after a tasty meal and the view over London is spectacular (even if it was a bit cloudy!).  I tried to make friends with a flamingo, but he was more interested in sticking his head in a pond...

Almost like being in the wild...

The Roof Gardens and Babylon definitely lived up to my expectations and I really enjoyed my time at both so would happily recommend them to anyone looking for a casual, fun place to eat and explore!

Catching a Bite to Eat

A week or so ago, my mother let me in on one of her closely guarded secrets and I, being a blabber mouth, am going to share it with you. (I won't tell if you don't!)

So what's this secret? Well, it involves delectable food in a luxury environment and if you go for lunch (especially before the end of march), all for an affordable price. It's Roux at the Landeau! This restaurant is located just inside the five star Langham Hotel near Regent Street, London, and truly is a gem.

I found the service to be wonderful, the food beautifully presented and the atmosphere one of quiet sophistication. The best bit however had to be the little unexpected extras. We were presented with some tiny mouth watering canapés before our starters arrived and dainty petit fours just before we left as well as a delicious selections of bread throughout our meal (none of this whisking away the side plates nonsense!)

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and left with a full stomach, ready to brace the snowy weather out side!