Columbia Road and Lilli Vanilli

Every Sunday come rain, shine (or hangover), I wander around the corner to Columbia Road.  We weave through a few narrow streets past an old pub and some antique stalls until we hear the shouts of the flower traders and the music of the buskers along the street.

Conveniently one of my favourite local bakery/cafes Lily Vanilli is just off Columbia Road and open every Sunday. They bake the most amazing cakes, slices and muffins, but most importantly have the BEST sausage rolls I've ever had. They are crunchy, cripsy, and deliciously rich with hunks of bacon the way through.

It's always packed so you'd be lucky to get a table, but even when you are standing under shelter from the rain trying to balance a coffee, a sausage roll and an armfull of flowers it's still amazing.

At the moment the markets are full of Christmas trees and flower wreaths, and they are doing Christmas night markets every Wednesday. This weekend will be your last chance to enjoy the Christmas madness on Columbia Road so if you haven't been already then hot-foot it there this Sunday!

Winter Wonderland

It's finally summer in New Zealand, and while you've all been working on tans and bikini bodies I've been buying coats and scarves and bundling up in preperation for my first London winter (god help me).

The thing is, and I know this sounds stupid, but Christmas in winter time feels completely right. Snowflakes and Santa, roasted chestnuts and mulled wine...you get my drift. So getting into the festive swing of things, Alice and I decided to go to Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park.

It is possibly the most magical Christmassy place I've ever been. You can wander around sipping on mulled wine, riding roller coasters, and perusing the market stalls.

We obviously had to get hot dogs, and it seems like there about 30 vendors to choose from, but for a great atmosphere head to the Bavarian Beer Hall.

Beer, hot dogs and Christmas... It doesn't get much better!

Alice and the Palace

I'm a little bit of a Royalist- blame my mother. Luckily, I have a partner in crime by the name of Alice. In fact I think she's even more obsessed than me.

After watching the movie The Young Victoria (over and over and oveeeeeer again), we beelined for Kensington Palace; the place where she, among many other members of the Royal Family have lived (and where some still do!).

Saying we were excited would be an understatement.

We wandered through each room, stood where Victoria and Albert first met, and danced our way through the halls.

At the moment they are showing the Fashion Rules exhibition, where you can see some of the Royal Family's most famous dresses from the fabulously fashion forward gowns of Princess Margaret to the iconic puffy sleeved dresses of Princess Di. 

After you've tired youself out pop down to the cafe for some tea and scones with clotted cream and jam.

 

You know, just incase going to a palace isn't Londony enough.

Bluebird - Chelsea

We spent our first two glorious weeks in London in Fulham; with strolls up to Kings Road, pub lunches in Parsons Green, and trips to Wholefoods (but that's another story). 

On this sunny Saturday we set off for a trip to Bluebird cafe in Chelsea, arriving just before a line started to queue up outside.

We ordered a mish-mash of meals at the awkward after-brunch-but-before-lunch time; eggs benedict, hot dogs, and a 'fish finger' sandwich for me.

To be honest- the service left alot to be desired, but the food and location make up for it.

After a few leisurely hours at Bluebird we continued our walk up towards Sloane Square and stumbled accross the weekend markets. Admittedly we had just finished lunch, but there was no harm in a little prosecco...right?

Oh, and a few oysters...

All topped off by a rest on the steps of the Saatchi Gallery - it's a tough life.

MEATliquor

I've arrived in burger heaven. London has been perfecting the art of the burger for many years, and you can barely round a street corner without finding a new place to indulge in one.

MEATliquor was one of the first places I visited. It was dark and glowing red (so apologies for the dark and red photos), and more like a bar than any burger joint I've seen.

I went straight for the Dead Hippie; the signature burger full of two mustard fried beef patties, dead hippie sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and minced white onions. Tat went for the cheeseburger, and to share we had a gluttonous plate of cheese and onion fries.

We weren't particularly hungry to start off with, so it was an ambitious meal, but with some dogged determination we managed to finish our meals. It helped that the burgers were delicious - cooked perfectly medium rare (though that could have been the red lighting), on soft brioche buns, and absolutely dripping with cheese. 

It's only the beginning of my burger tour of London, but it was a pretty good start and I'll be impressed with anything that can top this.