My blog domain and site hosting are up for renewal in the next month, and while it should be a given that I’ll be renewing them, renewal is something that I’ve been debating for weeks… More
A taste of the Alps in London | Fondue at 28-50 Covent Garden
I was kindly invited to the launch of the ‘Fondue Festival’ at 28-50 Covent Garden by Love Pop Ups London in exchange for content, but as ever all views are my own. Disclaimer here.
It’s pretty evident to see that cheese is having a bit of a moment. There’s pop up cheese events appearing regularly in London, cheese-pun themed Christmas cards were all the rage last festive season, and there was a whole cheese stand at Taste of London last year (yep, I spent far too long at that stall). People in my office are even now opting for a cheeseboard and crackers rather than a Colin the Caterpillar or cupcakes on their birthday. So when I was kindly invited to the launch of the new ‘Fondue Festival’ at 28-50 Covent Garden, who was I to say no to an evening of great cheese and wine?
A typical ‘mountain meal’, fondue originates from the Swiss Alps and is popular in all ski resorts across alpine countries. Having been skiing twice and with a trip planned for next month, trust me I know (and love) a good fondue. It could be the mixture of Beaufort, Comteé and Abondance cheese melted in Apremont wine and Kirsch, or the fact that 28-50 own a chateau in France so are experts in the field; but if I closed my eyes I could almost imagine that I was in my Helly Hansen coat, with helmet hair and a mild fear that someone would steal my rented skis from the restaurant’s ski rack… Hands down the best fondue that I have had in London.
The menu
- A Kir (sparkling wine with blackcurrant liqueur)
- or Chateau de Candie Viognier wine
- Fondue Savoyarde
- Bread and new potatoes for dipping
- Charcuterie Platter
- Walnut salad
- Tarte Tatin
Now I couldn’t give a fair review if I didn’t try the whole menu could I? So yep, I just had to try both the Kir and the wine, what a shame. Being a girl that’s drunk a lot of prosecco, the Kir was right up my street. A little sweet, but I prefer fruity to dry bubbly so all groovy with me. The surprise however, came with the white wine. White vino is not my usual choice so I was apprehensive, but the Viognier was a delight. Is it any surprise when the wines (and there were a lot on display) at 28-50 Covent Garden are from around the world, and the Viognier made from the vineyards at their French chateau?
By the time the fondue was bought out I was salivating. SO hungry. Anyone can heat up cheese and give some bread with it, but this was something else. Tangy, creamy cheese without being overpowering or sickly. With the addition of the charcuterie, new potatoes and salad there was more than enough to keep you grazing if a cheese break was necessary. Also I need to take a minute for the new potatoes, I don’t know what was on them besides salt and garlic but I wish I could make them taste like that at home.
Call me a little piggy should you wish, but does your food ever come out and your instant thought is ‘I’m gonna need dessert’. Classic case of eyes bigger than belly over here. No worries about this at 28-50 Covent Garden’s Fondue Festival; the food goes a long way and more bread can be supplied if there’s a surplus of cheese at the end. I had a food baby for a good day afterwards.
Dessert comes in the form of tarte tatin (an upside down apple cake). Not my usual choice of dessert – you’re looking at the girl that usually orders anything chocolate related – but this was delicious. I love trying things that I wouldn’t usually order and being pleasntly surprised. The perfect mix of sweet and tangy, with a good layer of pastry and loads of cream.
28-50 Covent Garden is your destination if an instagrammable location is high in your priorities. Pink and blue velvet chairs, a chandelier made of champagne glasses and angel wings formed of wine corks make the resturant oh so easy on the eye.
If you’re now dreaming about cheese then the ‘Fondue Festival’ at 28-50 needs to be added to your restaurant bucket list. Located on Upper St Martins Lane, the fondue menu costs £34.95 per person and is available every Tuesday from 5pm, until the end of March. More info here.
Have you ever tried fondue? Let me know in the comments what your favourite cheese dish is!
Becca x
How to get a reservation in the Coppa Club pods | Coppa Club Tower Bridge
Way back last May, when the air was warming up and summer was still an anticipation of long balmy evenings, mum and I had a girly day of London fun. It began with a half day at work then a leisurely lunch at Coppa Club in one of their paradise pods (the summer version of the Coppa Club igloos), and culminated in most mums’ favourite activity, a Take That concert.
As everyone knows, it’s a bit of a mission to get a reservation in a pod at Coppa Club which made me even more excited to visit. Is there any better girly day than a nice lunch, cocktails, getting ready together, then a concert? This Friday was a really sunny spring day which gave us gorgeous views over the Thames and Tower Bridge from our pod.
The pods: an explanation
Coppa Club is a restaurant and bar in Tower Bridge, set on the north bank of the Thames just West of Tower Bridge (hence the gorgeous views from the Coppa Club pods; Tower Bridge looks glorious all year round, day and night).
You can eat inside the restaurant, however outside facing the river is where Coppa Club really comes into its own. Half a dozen or so transparent plastic ‘pods’ line the Thames pathway, which are themed each season.
When I visited in spring, the ‘paradise pods’ were surfer shack themed, complete with bunting, disco balls and a VW camper transformed into an outside bar. However in the winter the theme shifts to igloos, with furry throws to keep warm, fairy lights aplenty and patio heaters. The pods are well insulated and face away from the river, so can be like a greenhouse on a hot day but well insulated in the chilly British winter.
If you’re a larger group (you can book for up to eight people) then you will have the whole pod, with a round table; my mum and I had two other tables of two in our pod but it was in no way cramped or noisy.
How to get a reservation in a Coppa Club pod / igloo
To put it simply, sign up for their emails! You need to get in quick when the bookings open in order to get a pod at Coppa Club, so having a date in mind that you’d like to go in advance is the way forward. A handy way is to work out when you’re going to be in London anyway, for a concert or show maybe, so you can search for that specific date and know you’ll have somewhere cool to eat beforehand.
I still can’t quite believe that I got a booking as easily as I did. I had looked at the reservation system a couple of weeks prior and was met with the classic ‘all booked up unless you want breakfast at 7am on a Tuesday’. However I then signed up for Coppa Club’s emails to be notified when there were more reservations opening.
When the booking system opened on a Friday morning I sat in a two hour online queue, which I remember saying to a colleague was laughable for a restaurant reservation. However I was at work so just left the tab open whilst I worked, and checked on it intermittently to see where I was in the queue.
By the time I got through there were loads of pods available so I could easily choose the time that I wanted a pod for the day that I wanted! However if you’re trying to book on a whim after the bookings have opened then good luck to ya mate. (This doesn’t apply to the main restaurant, a group of six of us walked in with no reservation on a Wednesday night just before Christmas and got a table straight away).
What’s on the menu?
The menu is extensive, with main dishes such as burgers, steak and lamb chops, a pizza and pasta section and small plates and nibbles. As we were having an early-ish dinner, mum and I opted for a few of the small plates between us, making a tapas style lunch which was delicious and just the right amount for lunchtime:
- Butermilk fried chicken
- Crispy fried squid
- Smoked haddock arancini
- Sticky chorizo sausages
- Skinny fries
What’s a girls’ lunch without a cocktail and something sweet afterwards? I love restaurants that offer mini desserts; you still get the treat but without stuffing yourself. Mum and I were planning to get an ice cream or fancy doughnut in the afternoon but with the option of a mini butterscotch pot on the menu we couldn’t say no!
Are the Coppa Club pods worth the hype?
Absolutely; if you can get a reservation in a Coppa Club pod, take it! There’s something special about sitting in your own little space and the decor and views are gorgeous. With the amount of coverage that the pods get on social media, paired with how difficult they are to book, I assumed that the menu would be pretty expensive but the food and drinks are really reasonably priced. What a bonus!
Have you visited, or do you prefer a more traditional restaurant? Let me know in the comments!
Becca x
Read about other London restaurants here.
New year, new mindset
Hello first post of 2020!
I want to better my mindset and positivity this year. I also want to write more ‘from the heart’ posts; just brain dumping what my mind’s thinking, so two birds with one stone hey? I love to read thought provoking posts from others, so with the aim of running a blog similar to the ones I like to read, here we are.
I’m not gonna bore you with a list of my new year’s resolutions as, let’s be honest, most people’s are pretty similar. Eat more healthily; lose weight or exercise more; spend less money; travel more; get more sleep etc etc. And like every other basic bitch on the internet, I am also aiming to save more money, tone up and fit my butt into my Levi shorts that I’ve not been able to wear since 2017, and stop buying coffee and snacks from the work canteen, so who wants to read a whole post about those?
However, being generally a bit grumpy during the working week became a part of my personality during 2019, and I want to shake that this year. You know the people at work that always have time to make small talk while you’re making a cup of tea, say hi when you get in the lift, or ask questions about things they’ve seen on your insta or your weekend. Well that weren’t me. It used to be, when I started and was making new friends, but it’s all too easy to get into the ‘I hate commuting on the tube, I’m tired’ mindset and get into a habit of moaning every day. I wasn’t unhappy in myself by any means, I’d just become one of the people that wasn’t a lil ray of sunshine all the time, like I feel I used to be pre full time work.
Disclaimer that this post has nothing to do with my job role! I’m an Account Manager for a national radio brand in central London and I love the job and the company. It’s the rigamarole of being squashed under a city worker’s armpit as some knobhead’s wearing their rucksack and taking up your personal space on the tube, having to make lunch every evening in order to not spend £7 a day on a mediocre meal, sitting in the same seat all day, every day compared to the freedom of uni that I want to address.
A colleague and I always used to joke that full-time work has turned us into miserable old men. How we had much more of a zest for life and were generally friendlier pre the nine to five office life. Working as a waitress and barmaid for seven years, smiling at strangers and making small talk was ingrained in my soul, yet I seem to have lost some of that desire to chat to anyone in the past couple of years.
It’s true what they say, repeating the same things become a habit. You know when you’re a bit tired, had a rubbish commute and when asked how you are the automatic response is ‘yeah fine, only two more days till the weekend’ with a laugh? I know for me it only takes a couple of days of that until you can’t be bothered to make conversation, so the not-so-cheerful response becomes a bit of a habit.
Routine is part of life. I remember when I started work after uni and every day was an adventure; what was I going to wear, where could I go at lunchtime, what would I have for lunch? It’s understandable that nobody’s still going to feel like that two and a half years in, but in 2020 I’m going to find the joy in every day. Even boring Tuesdays when work is manic, it’s raining and you realise your chicken’s not defrosted in time for dinner. Phrases like that make my skin crawl, but sometimes you just gotta remind yourself to embrace the cringey cliche.
Almost two weeks of annual leave over Christmas was the perfect time to have a complete break from work, London, commuting and routine. I really do feel like a new woman on my return to ‘normal’ life. I’ve made the effort so far to make lunches every night, keep my room clean, and put out an outfit before bed, and it’s made the world of difference. Sure, there will be days that I’m shattered and will sit in my Little Mermaid PJs watching re-runs of Police Interceptors rather than do any of the above, but I’m really hoping that I’m currently manifesting and creating a habit of this positivity to become my ‘new normal’ in 2020.
I now feel a bit weird posting this as it comes across that I’ve been unhappy in the past year, which isn’t the case at all. I just want to work on (another cringey cliche alert) being the best version of myself, and being the kind of person that I want to interact with. I no longer want to admire the smiley, chatty girl that everyone says ‘is just so nice’; I want to BE her.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, positive 2020.
Becca x
God’s Own Junkyard London
Last Sunday, with a completely free day ahead and fuelled by a desire to explore, I jumped on the Victoria line towards God’s Own Junkyard, London. You know some days sitting on the sofa in PJ bottoms and an old hoodie seems like the most appealing thing ever, whereas others you wake up with a need to get up and out and make something of your day? Well this Sunday was the latter. I’ve got a ‘London bucket list’ on my phone and right down at the bottom was God’s Own Junkyard in Walthamstow. This neon light haven has been on my to-visit list forever so I was pumped.
What is God’s Own Junkyard?
In the depths of an industrial estate in Walthamstow, E17, hides a container full of neon gems and film props. It is truly a spectacular sight to see. But maybe don’t visit when you’re hungover as I imagine it probably wouldn’t be as enchanting if your head was a bit delicate. The personal collection of late owner Chris Bracey; salvaged signs, reclaimed neon lights, old movie props and retro displays light up every corner of the warehouse-type space. There’s nothing “to do” there as such, it’s a place to take it all in, marvel in the art, and obviously get loads of snaps. Although they don’t look as good on a screen as they do in real life which is sad (well they don’t on my iPhone, on a fancy camera they might!).
What else is there to do?
In the back corner of God’s Own Junkyard is the ‘Rolling Scones’ cafe, selling cream tea, cakes and hot drinks. Sadly we had lunch just before we arrived but there were loads of cosy sofas and people taking advantage of the opportunity to chill amongst the lights. Also on the industrial estate was a gin palace, brewery and tap room so plenty of opportunities to have a lil’ afternoon drink. I’m wondering whether Harry and I were in our right minds when we visited as we’re not usually ones to pass up a drink!
So, is God’s Own Junkyard worth it?
This is a really hard one to explain. I’m glad that I went as it’s been on my ‘London to-do’ list for so long. However, Walthamstow is pretty long to get to, even though I live east to start with. We spent about half an hour there, as I had to wait for spaces to become clear of other people taking photos to get snaps myself. Obviously if you used the Rolling Scones cafe then that would make your trip longer, but sadly we had eaten just before we arrived.
We tied God’s Own Junkyard into a whole day out; after wandering up and down Walthamstow high street and popping in a couple of shops we headed to Turtle Bay for lunch. I used to work at Turtle Bay in Chelmsford and am sad that there’s no branches in central London, I miss their jerk chicken and 2 for 1 cocktails! From there we walked the fifteen minutes or so to God’s Own Junkyard. Be sure to follow maps as I don’t think you would just stumble across the industrial estate otherwise!
After exploring the lights we walked the 1.5 miles to Leytonstone to jump on the central line to get home. The weather had just started to turn so it was a pretty walk with autumnal leaves and trees everywhere, despite my new Timberlands giving me the biggest blister I think I’ve ever had!
Overall I’m so glad that I have visited, and would definitely recommend seeing God’s Own Junkyard. I defy anyone to not be impressed. However, I would tie it in with a day out as explained above; if I had travelled just to see God’s Own Junkyard then I worry it might have felt a long journey just to take a few photos.
Have you visited God’s Own Junkyard, or been anywhere like this? Let me know below!
Becca x
Find other inspo of things to do in London here.
Two easy weeknight dinners | Dinner ideas
Food. I was going to say that I don’t know if there’s a word that excites me more but that would be a complete lie; ‘prosecco’ ‘free taster’ and ‘shoe sale’ definitely light a lil’ spark within me. Nevertheless, I am definitely one of those people that is thinking about what I’m having for dinner the minute I’ve finished my breakfast, and asks my colleagues what they’re having. Why is what other people are having for dinner so interesting?! Hopefully these easy weeknight dinners will give you some inspo for next time you’re stuck for what to cook…
However, since moving to London I’m finding that I have less and less free time in the evenings. Harry is a fan of cooking everything from scratch and not using packets or jars, which is great for being healthy but often means that with prep and cooking, dinner can easily take an hour out of our evenings. And that’s before cleaning and washing up… So, this girl is on a mission. A mission to find quick, easy weeknight dinner ideas with maybe a couple of shortcuts, without compromising on healthiness. And if there’s enough left over for lunches the next day, we’re onto an absolute winner.
Dinner one : Schwartz carbonara
Number one on the list of easy weeknight dinners is Schwartz carbonara mix. So unbelievably easy for a ‘proper’ dinner. All instructions are on the packet, but it’s as simple as chopping up four rashers of bacon (or one pack of lardons), slicing as many mushrooms as you would like and mixing the sachet with 450ml milk (or alternative). I also added half a diced onion, and would probably add a crushed clove of garlic next time.
Cook your spaghetti and in another pan fry the bacon and mushrooms. When they’re browned, add the sachet/milk mix and stir until it boils and thickens. And you’re done! Once you’ve mixed the sauce with the cooked spaghetti, obviously. We had it with garlic bread, becuase what even is a pasta dinner without garlic bread? Next time I would add grated chese on top too, the only way to make pasta and garlic bread even better. Check out Schwartz official instructions here.
The results? A very decent weeknight dinner. I can’t lie, it’s not as good as my homemade carbonara with eggs and parmesan, but did anyone expect it to be? And it took a fraction of the time to make, perfect for when you’re starving and don’t have the patience to make an elaborate dinner. Buy Schwartz carbonara here.
*Schwartz have kindly gifted me the packet mix as part of a paid collaboration, but as usual all views are my own.
Dinner two : chicken thighs and roasted veg
This has become a winter easy dinner staple, a bold statement considering we’re only at the beginning of November. I give it until 13th December until we don’t want to see a chicken thigh for another year. Cost effective, healthy (if you don’t eat the chicken skin, but why wouldn’t you eat the skin; the tastiest part?) and minimal washing up. Everyone’s a winner.
This is so easy that don’t really feel the need for an ingredients list, but for those of you that like a list here ya go:
- Chicken thighs; if you buy a big pack then you can have leftovers for lunch
- Courgette
- 1 onion
- Carrots
- Red, yellow or green pepper (or one of each)
- For a dinner so easy it pretty much cannot go wrong (mum, I’m looking at you), buy a bag of frozen medditerranean vegetables
- Baby potatoes
Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees/gas mark 6 and if using fresh vegetables, now is the time to chop them. I like to go chunky for less chance of them burning.
Put chicken thighs on a baking tray (covered in foil for easier cleaning, just call me Mrs Hinch) or in a pyrex dish. Season with garlic salt and paprika, or leave plain if you’re covering your dinner in gravy.
Vegetables and new potatoes also go on a baking tray or Pyrex dish. Cover both in olive oil and give a shake so the oil isn’t just sitting on top, before sprinkling over rosemary, salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken and veg for around 40 minutes, occasionally mixing up the veg so that all sides brown and the tops don’t burn. If the potatoes look like they’re burning then remove them and put them back in the oven for the last few minutes so they’re warm when served.
Serve with gravy and a yorkshire pudding, keeping the leftovers for lunch the next day.
And there we have two easy weeknight dinners to inspire you for your next food shop! It’s so easy to get stuck in a food rut ordering the same meals every week; I keep a list on my phone when I get ideas of dinners so when I don’t know what to make, inspiration is right there.
Let me know what your easy weeknight dinners are, or if you try any of these!
Becca x
Like this? Check out my last post here.
Brunch at Loyal Tavern Bermondsey| How I celebrated my 25th birthday
We all knew my birthday was going to include lots of food and alcohol, didn’t we? Despite feeling like ages ago now, I had the greatest day celebrating turning twenty-five; including brunch at Loyal Tavern Bermondsey and a lovely family evening. Thoroughly spoilt!
I love birthdays. At the grand old age of twenty-five I was still as excited as a child; I think Harry’s relieved it’s over now as I asked him at least once daily what he had bought me. Although I wouldn’t actually have wanted to know, I’m all about the surprises and there’s only been a couple of times that I’ve known what my parents have bought me. If there’s a reason to celebrate then I’m going to celebrate; I just love the cards, messages from friends and family, being able to eat whatever you want and just feeling like a princess for the day. Just wanna disclaim now that this post is in no way to ‘show off’; these are the type of others’ posts that I love to read, and I had such a lovely day that I want it documented.
This year my birthday fell on a Saturday, 12th October, so my first treat was just not being at work. I arrived home from my friends’ house at just past midnight the night before, so entered the flat to Harry singing ‘happy birthday’ and showing me my pile of presents in the living room (with strict instructions to not start poking them) as it was technically my birth date.
Saturday 12th October
No matter how excited I am, I never wake up early for birthdays, Christmas, holidays or anything so it was still a mission to wake me up on the Saturday morning. Harry brought my presents and cards through for me to open in bed, along with a cup of tea. No matter what’s in them, why are huge boxes still so exciting to open as an adult?! In said huge box were the Timberlands that I really wanted, which was a great surprise from Harry; I was planning to buy them myself with the help of any birthday money I received. Just need to get some suede protector before I can wear them out; this miserable London weather we’re having is a recipe for disaster with new suede boots.
I am also now the proud owner of an Ipswich Town scarf, which everyone thought was hilarious as they’re Harry’s beloved team which I’m ‘dragged’ along to. With so many teams in and around London, I go to so many games now that I wanted something to look the part, it genuinely wasn’t a present for him to push his team on me!
Brunch at Loyal Tavern, Bermondsey
As birthdays are mainly about how much good food you can eat in a day, we headed out to brunch at eleven. I wanted to make the most of not being at work so Harry booked somewhere and kept it a secret. Getting the tube and not knowing where we were going was much more fun than my usual work journey. Loyal Tavern Bermondsey was the perfect place for a special brunch, nice but not overly fancy and headed up by the ex head chef of Duck & Waffle. The place was packed so you definitely need to book.
We shared a side of chicken skin crackling to start, which was flavourful and spicy but quite greasy (what did we expect from chicken skin?!) and ordered drinks. Chocolate truffles are served with the hot drinks, which are made in house and were incredible. They made a normal chunk of Cadburys taste rubbish and that’s coming from a self-confessed chocaholic. After deliberating for ages I ordered the bacon chop, Lincolnshire pork sausage, fried eggs and beef dripping toast. I’m drooling just thinking about it. Going to refuse to eat normal toast from now on, beef dripping toast is the only way. Harry ordered scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast, with a side of streaky bacon which I demanded to taste and was also really good.
To celebrate the occasion we ordered drinks afterwards; the Snow Comparison vodka cocktail and a rosé for me. Which I thought was going to be champagne and orange but turned up as a rosé, as stupid head here misread the menu. I loved it though, probably because it wasn’t a cheap Aldi bottle like I used to drink at uni, and a great birthday treat to have “breakfast wine”. Loyal Tavern Bermondsey, I’ll definitely be visiting again.
Back to Essex
Later in the afternoon we headed to my grandparents’ house as my mum and dad were on holiday. You’re never too old for ‘birthday girl’ banners, my nan went all out with them on the front door and walls. As we all know, nans have to feed you at any given opportunity, so sausage rolls, chicken dippers, crisps, nuts and dips were spread on the dining table, although we were going out for dinner in a couple of hours. But God forbid you go an hour without eating in your grandparents’ house!
Then it was time for the rest of my family presents which had been laid out nicely on the table. My brother bought me a bottle of Jack Daniels (legend!) and a mermaid notebook. When asked if he’d chosen them his response was ‘I did pay for them’, so we all know that means mum bought them and he transferred her the cash. From my nan and grandad I was given cash to buy myself something nice, and a pair of the most ugly clompy shoes, which I love so much. Every single male in my family hates them with a passion which makes me love them even more. I’ve worn them since and the levels of comfort are real.
Parents’ presents
We attempted to FaceTime my parents in Tenerife so that they could see me open my presents from them. But their wifi was dodgy, (or so they say; I just don’t think they’re technologically comfortable with FaceTime tbh). So we abandoned the idea after numerous tries and I was getting desperate to rip them open.
- Dorothy Perkins black blazer
- Khaki leather skirt
- Remington Pro Luxe hair curlers
- Urban Decay Primer Potion & All Nighter setting spray
- Metal Straws (I finally own some, yay!)
- Mermaid shower gel
- Mermaid Smarties (definitely taste better being Mermaid branded)
- Groovy Chick socks
- Pastel highlighters (requested as I need more for work)
- ‘Made in the 90’s’ tote bag (New Look – no longer in stock)
My Grandad had saved a bottle of prosecco for the evening, which he popped out of the back doors into the garden (with a warning from my nan to not hit any of the neighbours’ windows with the cork!) which we drank whilst I opened my presents and was an unexpected lovely touch. Another complete surprise was my birthday cake, the traditional kind with jam in the middle and thick white icing. Twenty-five candles were on it, a great idea until the wax dripped onto the cake and Grandad had to scrape it off of the icing with a knife.
To end the perfect day we headed to a pub for dinner, the ideal cosy atmosphere on a rainy evening. Incredibly stuffed and a few red wines down, we spent the rest of the evening eating cake and watching tv. Bliss. I feel so grateful for my family, I had the best day and felt so loved.
What does your perfect birthday look like – let me know below!
Becca x
Read my previous post here.
Heliot Steak House London | How to get steak & champagne for £15
Heliot Steak House London- located in the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square.
I’ll admit that I don’t have a clue what’s going on in a casino most of the time, but watching people play fascinates me and if there’s good food and maybe some prosecco knocking around, then I’m sold. My younger brother however, loves the atmosphere of a casino and a lads night out for him often consists of drinks and a few games of roulette in Westfield casino
So what better present for my brother’s twenty-first birthday than a fancy lunch at the Heliot Steak House in London, followed by a few goes (is that what you call it? I clearly don’t know the gambling lingo!) on the machines. Him and Harry weren’t brave enough to play on the tables with croupiers in fear of accidentally betting away their life savings.
Price
When there’s an event that I’m looking to book a restaurant for, Bookatable is my ultimate go-to; their star deals can be insane.
For this occasion I used the star deal which was £15 each for steak, lobster tail, fries and a glass of champagne in the Heliot Steak House within the casino. Absolute bargain. I spend more than that popping out at lunchtime to pick up a few essentials! Disclaimer, I’m not being a cheapskate, I did buy my brother a present while we were on holiday on his actual birthday.
Ordering off the a-la-carte, I can see this mounting up to a fair amount; steak is always pretty pricey and every element has to be ordered separately. Mains (burgers, salmon, ribs, chicken) were from around £14 – £20, steaks started at £16 for a rump, then sides £3 and sauces £2.50. Not Hawksmoor or Gaucho prices, but not chain restaurant prices either and totally worth it for the atmosphere in my opinion, as the restaurant overlooks the main gambling tables.
Food
Yum. The steak was great, a few fatty bits on mine but we were given the option to upgrade our cuts to fillet or sirloin for a surcharge, so the option was there for a fancier cut. I had never eaten lobster with steak before, and now I can totally see why surf & turf is a thing; and my brother who had never tried lobster before loved his first taste.
The boys don’t like champagne and no alternatives were listed on the deal, however the waitress kindly swapped theirs for a Corona which was a nice touch. Though I wouldn’t have been complaining had I ended up with three glasses of champers to polish off…
Casino
Also included in the deal was a £50 win chip. I had no idea what that meant when I booked the table, and wasn’t really that bothered about it. We were told that you could place it on one number on a roulette table, and if that came in then bingo, the fifty squids were yours.
I guess it was karma’s way of saying how kind I am to have paid for my brother and boyfriends’ dinner and drinks…my chip only went and bloody won! Thirteen, unlucky for some…but not me. Harry’s now telling me that I should start doing the lottery.
Dotted around the casino are various bars so you’ll never go thirsty – and the cocktail menu is great! Top tip: on the third floor is the Havana Club Terrace which is a little outdoor floral haven in the middle of the casino. Obviously I had to have a pina colada while we chilled up there, when in Cuba n all that. Granted, it is also a smoking area so you may be accompanied by the whiff of nicotine, but it’s a gorgeous place for a drink.
And that pretty much concludes my overview of Heliot Steak House London. Even if you’re not into gambling, it was a really fun afternoon and is great to have a nosey around (we watched a lady betting with £400 on roulette) and a drink at one of the many bars if you’re in the area.
Becca x
P.S. Let me know where the best steak you’ve eaten was in the comments!
There’ll be much more in ‘BeccaLois Eats’ very soon, but for now why not check out my previous post?
How to make pornstar martinis | We built a garden bar
Think your parents are cool? I arrived home two weeks ago to find that mine have built a fully stocked bar in our back garden; wine fridge, wall mounted spirit dispensers, sound system and all. Goals or what? Currently wondering how much of a bar the property manager would allow us to build on our ten foot wide balcony… Read on for how to make pornstar martinis or coconut rum punch at home.
Anyone that follows me on Instagram will know that my parents love trying different spirits and experimenting with cocktail making; they definitely have more spirits than some pubs, which I am certainly not complaining about. Some would argue that you don’t need eleven variations of vodka but apparently the Grey Goose goes better with some mixers than the Chase vodka does, and Smirnoff is only used for cocktails… if only I had known that there are nicer vodkas than Glen’s out there when I was at uni hey.
After playing around with logistical ideas, they settled on using a shed as the shell of the bar, with a large pull down hatch at the front to serve as a table for those (aka me) perched on the tall chairs outside. Under the ‘window’ inside is a counter to prepare drinks / garnishes on, with shelves, dispensers, cupboards and fridges on the back wall. My parents’ friend owns a bar so they’ve kindly been well equipped with wall mounted bottle openers, rubber bar mats, ice scoops and plastic cocktail glasses, making it really feel like an establishment you would normally be paying to drink in (Dad, please don’t start charging me for my consumptions though!).
Obviously it would have been completely rude of me to not give the bar a thorough testing, self proclaimed queen of cocktails n all that. We tried coconut rum punches on holiday in Boston and my dad has done a great job of recreating those; and it wouldn’t be a visit home without one of my all time favourites, pornstar martinis. Drop me a tweet if you use either of the below recipes!
Coconut rum punch (for one)
50ml white rum
50ml Bacardi coconut rum
75ml pineapple juice
75ml orange juice
Dash of angostura bitters
- Chuck all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with some cubes of ice
- Shake, shake, shake
- Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice cubes
Pornstar martini (for one)
25ml vanilla vodka
25ml Passoa
15ml vanilla syrup
15ml lime juice
1 passion fruit per cocktail
- Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop all of the seeds out to put in the cocktail shaker
- Muddle the passion fruit seeds with the vodka
- Add Passoa, vanilla syrup, lime juice & ice cubes
- Shake, shake, shake!
- Strain into a martini glass, making sure there are no stray passion fruit seeds in there
- Serve with a shot of prosecco on the side (or poured into the glass if you’d prefer)
My top tip is to make sure that you’re holding the top of the cocktail shaker when you start throwing it around and pretending you’re a cocktail waiter in a swanky bar. Last time we made pornstar martinis at home they contained edible glitter, and guess whose darling boyfriend sent that orange, glittery, sticky stuff flying all over our wooden floor? I was still catching bits of glitter when the sun shone in weeks later.
Let me know in the comments what your favourite cocktails are. Also, do you shot your prosecco or pour it into your pornstar martini….?
Becca x
I tried Primark nails…did they stay on? | Primark false nails review.
I, Becca Lois, am a nail addict. There, I said it. The longer and sparklier the better in my eyes. These are my all time favourite nails, to give you an insight into my nail choices; safe to say that I’m not the type to go for muted or ‘sensible’ colours. Since getting so many comments on my recent Instagram, today’s post is a Primark false nails review.
In the past three years or so there’s rarely been a time that I’ve had nothing on, and I just don’t feel ‘me’ with bare nails. That said, I’m not usually a fake nails person. I’ve had acrylics once and found that they ruined my natural nails, plus I didn’t like that I couldn’t remove them myself. I also hate normal nail varnish which I find chips after one day and just doesn’t look as ‘finished’ and shiny. Not wanting to spend £30 every few weeks on getting my nails gelled professionally, I bought a UV lamp and set of gel colours on Amazon so that I could do them myself, which I’ll post about imminently.
However, there are occasions that you just don’t have the time to do your nails. Such as last week when I was out on Tuesday & Wednesday evening, had errands to do on Thursday evening then was away from Friday evening for a wedding. Or there are times when all your nails are at the perfect length, then of course one breaks super short and ruins the rest. And sod’s law is, they’re always going to be the times that you want your nails to look good.
Which is where Primark’s false nails save the day! Even the smaller stores that I’ve been in have stocked tons of designs and there really is something for everyone: shapes range from shorter and square, stiletto, almond or coffin shapes, and there is every colour and pattern under the sun. They range from £1 for plain up to £4 for the more extravagant designs, so are a steal compared to even the branded DIY falsies in Boots or Superdrug, let alone having them done in a salon.
How to apply Primark nails?
- All instructions say to ensure that your nails are clean and without any residue on, however I wanted them on to cover bits of stubborn gel that I just couldn’t remove and they still stuck fine! Now’s the time to push your cuticles back also.
- Cutting the top off the tube of glue is the hardest part; make sure that you have some strong scissors and cut around half way down the nozzle so that the glue can come out.
- Then time to choose which falsies will fit which nail. My thumb nail is quite big and my little nail quite small so the range suits me fine, but I do think if you had all smaller or all larger nails then there wouldn’t be enough of a range included.
- The key to these sticking well is to put a dot of glue on your nail, as well as the back of the false one.
- Press on, making sure that you’ve lined them up correctly on the first go, this glue sets quickly! I tend to line them up against my cuticle first then press them down from the bottom upwards.
How well do they stay on?
The longest I’ve had these on for is eight days, which were the below set over Christmas – they lasted perfectly through the festivities (aka a lot of prosecco uncorking and opening of chocolate wrappers). I always find that one or two ping off in the first couple of days and just need a bit more glue on them to keep them stuck. I keep the glue in my bag as they usually ping off while I’m doing something like getting dressed or rummaging in a bag so are easily found.
How to remove them?
I usually feel when they start to get a bit wobbly (around the six day mark) and can slide a nail under one of the edges and ‘pop’ them off. Those that are a bit more stubborn I hold in a pot of gel polish remover for a few minutes and find that they slide right off. However, the set that I had on last week did not want to budge. Gel remover did nothing, so I ended up soaking them in acetone for around fifteen minutes each which melted the nails enough that I could then scrape the residue off. I don’t know if it was because I used too much glue, the formula has changed, or if it was because I’d only had them on for a couple of days. However I won’t let this put me off, as they were still easier to remove than gel polish.
Overall Primark false nails review?
Love love love! I’ve had people at work ask where I got them done so they must look semi-decent. Up close they don’t look as neat as salon done acrylics, although they probably would if you took the time to file them to your exact nail bed shape. And I wouldn’t trust wearing them on a week’s holiday unless I had back ups with me.
But as a quick fix for an event or night out? I highly recommend. Primark false nails review, over and out ✌🏻
Becca x
7 things that will surprise your boyfriend when you move in together
- When you’ve covered every inch of your body from hairline to toes in half a bottle of St Moritz dark mousse. It’ll take him six months to stop laughing at you every single time you’ve fake tanned. At least.
- That your hair moults like a dog and is EVERYWHERE. Nope, I don’t know how it does either; yes it drives me equally insane. And no, I don’t pull it out in handfuls to sprinkle over the carpet just to annoy you.
- He’ll be even more freaked out when it’s one of your false eyelashes on the floor. Is it a bug? A spider? Nope, just one of my Girls With Attitude ultra fluttery strips that’s rudely made its way off my face and onto the carpet when I’ve crashed in at 3am.
- That girls being hangry is a really real thing. Suddenly irrationally angry? Getting one word answers out of nowhere around dinnertime? Try shoving getting some food in her gob ASAP and chances are she might snap back to normality as quick as that mood came over.
- How many clothes/shoes/bags/general things you have. Even if you really definitely don’t have that many. Thing is, they don’t remember what you’ve got, so wear something that you’ve had for ages but not worn in a couple of months? They’ll think it’s new and accuse you of shopping again.
- Similarly how many toiletries a girl needs. Yes, needs. Gone are the days of just shower gel, shampoo & conditioner standing on the side of the bath. Bathroom cabinets will be overflowing with various moisturisers, body moisturisers, bubble baths and hairsprays. They’ll moan that your bathroom has turned into a mini Holland & Barrett. But they’ll be grateful when they’ve got a stomach ache and you’ve got something other than paracetamol to offer.
- Just how quickly you can fall asleep after taking ages to choose a film. May as well not have any discussion and let him pick what he wants, as chances are you’ll be snoring ten minutes in.
So there are my seven things that surprised my boyfriend when we moved in together (he STILL laughs at me when I’ve fake tanned); if you’ve moved in with a partner let me know below what took you by surprise!
Becca x
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