Where do Londoners go when they temporarily tire of being Londoners? That’s a tricky one. We want a break from the business, but still require stimulus. We crave sea air and unobstructed views, but still need our daily fix of bubble tea and Quinoa (it’s our life juice). What’s a city dweller to do? The answer: London-by-the-Sea. Yes, I’m sure the proud residents of Brighton and Hove would bulk at my glib declaration that their East Sussex gem was considered by prats like me to be the thirty-third London borough, but to me that is the ultimate compliment. I adore it.
Tag: Cafe
Oh, You Little Teas! Tea Darling – Acton
Afternoon, folks. I came across this sweet spot during a rare trip to replenish my biscuit collection and thought I would report in (I usually pay over the odds for a cousin of The Stig to deliver groceries on the back of his Deliveroo bike, but I was passing through on the bus and had a sudden hankering for double cream Oreos. I think we’ve all been there). So, I made a detour into the main shopping area of Acton which is… er, it’s quite… er, I mean, it’s very… er… Look, no one visiting London is going to make a beeline for Acton. There isn’t an Acton tourist centre. It isn’t overburdened with blue plaques or historical sites or a faded grandeur which can characterise other districts of London (hiya, Streatham!). Acton High Street is a fully functioning, practical, utilitarian street where you can buy a shower hose, a bottle of Tixylix and a box of Mieszko Michaszki chocolates without having to take three separate tube journeys to find them.
Oh, You Little Teas! Aux Merveilleux de Fred review – Leadenhall Market
Hello again, folks. Apologies for my absence. I have been experiencing my 19th nervous breakdown of the year and developed a theory that barely leaving the house and not having any fun was sure to make me feel better. Strangely enough, it didn’t, so I’ve decided to follow in the footsteps of Charles Dickens and go for lots of 10-mile walks to get the endorphins flowing (worked well for Dickens. With all that fresh air and exercise Charley lived to the ripe old age of… er, 58. Well, he had ten children and there was a lot of arsenic in the wallpaper back then).
Afternoon Tea Review at The Wedgwood Tea Room, World of Wedgwood, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent
Howdy, folks. I was going to add this to my mega post about the delights of Stoke-on-Trent and the sweeping vistas of Hanley town center, but it occurred to me that if this was in London I would devote an entire post to its quality and elegance. This is on a par with the best afternoon tea’s available in the capital, and to tag it to the end of my last post as an afterthought would be to do it an injustice. This is a great place. Who doesn’t love a good pot?
Afternoon Tea Review: The Rolling Scones Café, God’s Own Junkyard – Walthamstow
Welcome back, folks. You find me today at God’s Own Junkyard, Walthamstow. I was here back in the halcyon days of 2019, when all we thought we had to worry about was whether we’d pay roaming charges if we made a call in Benidorm after January 31st 2020. What an amazing time that was. Brexit. Donald Trump. Seems rather quaint now. I was a mere slip of a 32-year-old with a job I felt ill-suited for living in accommodation I didn’t like with a love life stuck in reverse gear. Now I’m… exactly the bloody same!
No Scones, Just the City: A Glorious Glutton’s Food Guide to Columbia Road Flower Market, Bethnal Green
Welcome back, folks. I know what you’re thinking. A flower market? I thought this was an outlet for inner turmoil masquerading as a food/travel blog. Why am I suddenly looking at Chrysanthemums? Where’re the scones? Well, firstly, I already have an outlet for my inner turmoil, thank you very much. She’s called mum and she is the only person I know who owns a tumble dryer that can make all my towels fluffy, so I’ll stay on good terms with her for that reason if nothing else.
Scones In The City 