Brunch at Brawn on Columbia Road

Last Sunday, my sister and I went to see our godfather for brunch. Our godfather, Justin, is rather good at spoiling us and even better at finding good places for food, so we knew we were in for a fun day!

We walked to Columbia Road Flower Market and were set a challenge. We each had twenty pounds and had to purchase flowers to make an arrangement each- I knew I had a short rectangular vase to fill and Lu had a tall one, so we off we went!

I battled my way through the crowds and perused the stalls. It was peony season and so they were piled high with fluffy pink blooms, along with just about every type of flower you can imagine! I umm-ed and ahhh-ed over what to pick before I noticed a stall stuffed with sweet peas in beautiful pastel colours. After a little bit of bartering, I walked away with five bunches in pale purple and white. The smell of them drifted through the air as a I walked away in search of the next element of my bouquet!

Then, I came across some rather unusual thistles. Before long, they were wrapped up in brown paper and added to my bunch.

I met Lu at the end of the stalls and after a quick pose in an art instillation, armed with our flowers (she'd gone for roses, canna lilies and normal lilies), we met Justin in Brawn, a restaurant that just has one set menu.

One of the great things about Brawn was that the kitchen was totally open and we could see everything going on as the chefs prepared our food. Before long, (as Lu and I subtly bigged up our flower choices,) a number of dishes to share left the kitchen and arrived at the table.

Look how tasty they look!

We happily tucked in as we chatted away.

Then out came the mains.

Needless to say, it didn't last long!

Once all the food had vanished, it was back to the house for some very competitive flower arranging. Now, flower arranging is definitely not something I've ever spent much time doing before and it was surprising difficult to put our vases together. But, some time later, we stood back and admired our creations.

Justin said he couldn't pick between our two bouquets, but I secretly knew mine was definitely better..!

Eventually it was time for us to leave. We'd had a lovely day with our wonderful godfather who always knows the best way to occupy us. I mean, who could ever say no to food and flowers?!

Innocent Unplugged Festival

This weekend, I found myself walking through a beautiful bluebell wood in Kent to the secret location of the first Innocent Unplugged festival!

The idea behind Innocent Unplugged is that everyone attending would spend a weekend 'off the grid,' away from our phones and our need for constant connection to the rest of the world. This (slightly scary) concept was aimed at forcing all attendees to live in the moment and purely enjoy what was in front of them.

Our weekend started with a twisty car journey around the Kent countryside, trying to find the secret location before pitching our tents in a field. Then, we followed a path laced with fairy lights through the woods before emerging into a beautiful garden where there were a number of tents set up.

We explored, following little paths through the bushes, coming across intriguing signs along the way...

...before discovering the stage where all the different bands would be playing that weekend.

https://open.spotify.com/user/lhinx/playlist/1l1GpCyptPihyhLSGQgNc5 << Link to some of the music at the festival!

There was also a yurt where speakers gave inspiring talks, (such as the Esc the City who talked about their journey to founding their company) people took part in laughing yoga (a truly weird thing to watch) and the Gentleman Rhymer stormed the stage.

In the evening, we could gather around a campfire and listen to (utterly hilarious) storytellers, who animatedly spun tales to the waiting crowd.

One thing I really liked about the Unplugged festival was that all the power for the festival came from the site. There were solar panels dotted around the fields; bikes, a giant hamster wheel and a see-saw hooked up to generators, through which people peddled, ran and saw-ed their way to electricity!

I was lucky enough to win tickets to Innocent Unplugged through Stylist Magazine and so on the Sunday of the festival, we were treated to some rather lovely experiences.

First up was a trip to the woodland spa, where we relaxed in toasty hot tubs while being served glasses of Prosecco. It was bliss floating in the water while the sounds of the forest (and, okay, of the festival too) washed over us.

Next, a woodland banquet. We turned up in a tent to find long tables set out with beautiful vases of flowers distributed at intervals along them. We perched ourselves on a hay bale as the food was laid before us. The idea of a banquet was unique and, frankly, brilliant- it gave us time to unwind, eat good food and meet new people!

Three hours later, the night had drawn in and it was time for us to leave. The music at Innocent Unplugged had been a fantastic mix (with a surprising number of trumpets flying around), the atmosphere wonderfully relaxed and the festival not too busy (there were only a thousand people there over the two days, although it felt like even less!), which had all lead to a truly great festival experience. I really hope they do another again soon!

The London Symphony Orchestra in Trafalgar Square

One of the things I love most about London is the fact that there is always something free going on. Events pop up left, right and centre, whether it's a free exhibition at a gallery or a public celebration of some variety. Luckily for us, another such event appeared over the weekend- a classical music concert in Trafalgar Square, staring the London Symphony Orchestra!

Jessie and I met on Sunday evening at the foot of the National Gallery (also free to enter...) and, clutching our picnic, headed into the square. There, overlooked by Nelson on his column, we settled down on a picnic blanket and tucked into our food while we waited for the music to start.

Well, us being us, we managed to demolish all of our food before even the first note was played (I mean, who can say no to strawberries and chocolate?!) and so it was with happy tummies that we settled back and let the music wash over us.

The music (all Shostakovich) was magnificent and I felt very content sitting there in the dying light as the notes swelled around us - the historical setting only made the experience all the more magnificent!

Eventually, to roaring approval from the crowd, the musicians put their instruments down. It'd been a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a beautiful way to end the weekend.

The Modern Pantry

On beautiful sunny days in the capital,  there is nothing better than sitting down for a spot of brunch. Luckily for me, I'm not the only person who thinks that and so, on Saturday, the troops rallied around and we headed to The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell for a catch up and some excellent food.

I'd never been before, but my two friends Frankie and Rebecca had recommended it and so I was rather excited to see what it was like.

After pouring over the pretty extensive menu, we eventually managed to settle on our orders. 

The moment our dishes arrived, I started getting food envy. Not because mine didn't look great (it really did!) but because everything else looked equally tasty... 

I'd gone for a passionfruit and turmeric smoothy (a brilliant combination as it turns out!) with coconut and cassava waffles, served with a pineapple and thyme salsa, salted peanut brittle and a coconut yoghurt. Cassava, as I later found out, is a root vegetable which if not prepared right, produces cyanide! Luckily however, I managed to survive long enough to enjoy my dish- the combination of flavours was unusual but definitely worked!  

Once we'd polished off our food, we moved on to drinks... Gin iced tea to be precise! 

The menu was full of interesting foods, some of which I hadn't even heard of before which just made me wish I could have had a chance to sample everything. I know sooner or later I will be returning to The Modern Pantry, even if it's just to find out what a tamarillo tastes like!