5 London Food Favourites

It's no secret that I enjoy a good bite, burgers, donuts, pizza, pasta, you name it, I'll eat it. My first year or so in London I was guilty of always returning to the same places for food, but over the last few years I've made a conscious effort to try a bit more, and now I have lots of hidden favourites around the city. But today I thought I'd round up my top 5, the five that if you're ever in the city, you just have to try. 

Honest Burger

I have Daphne to thank for discovering Honest Burger, one trip with her and I was hooked. There's no shortage of burger joints in London, but what Honest offers is good, delicious food that isn't full of crap. Everything you eat is fresh with no nasties, and you can tell the difference with the taste. Also unlike most burger places in London, the burgers come with rosemary fries, no paying out extra for your sides here.

My order: The Honest Burger with fresh Mint Lemonade. 

 Yumchaa

 Yumchaa is my go to for delicious tea, and a chilled atmosphere to sit and work, or catch up with friends. They have every kind of tea under the sun here, you're guaranteed to find something you like, and it's quite fun having a good sniff of all the teas in the little milk jugs too. If you're lucky, they'll give you one of the clear teapots that you pop on top of your cup to fill, and they please me far too much. They do iced tea smoothies in the summer too, that are the perfect afternoon refresher. Big thumbs up for having a good gluten free selection too.

My order: Lemon Sherbert Tea and a gluten free Brownie.

Franco Manca

I feel like the pictures speak for themselves here. Fresh handmade sourdough pizzas, made with organic ingredients, sourced locally, they even list on the menu where all the ingredients come from. The menu is super petite, only five pizzas, but they'll happily make up a pizza for you if you fancy something different. You're looking at around £6 for the best pizza you'll eat outside of Italy, and you can add as much garlic oil as you like (all of it).

My order: A number four with no ricotta, and lots of garlic oil.

Bread Ahead

I'm sure everything Bread Ahead makes is great, but all you need to know about is the donuts. Deliciously soft and fluffy donuts, filled with fresh vanilla cream that tastes exactly like Haagen Dazs Vanilla ice cream. I may be allergic to dairy, but I'll go out of my way to head to Borough Market for one of these bad boys. There is no better donut in the world.

My order: A fresh Vanilla Cream Donut.

 Dirty Bones

Saving the newest discovery for last, Dirty Bones is my latest favourite, because MAC AND CHEESE BURGER. Yup. A burger topped with pulled beef short rib, and mac and cheese. Does it get better than that? I think not. Also big props for their cocktail happy hour, because everyone wants buy one get one free cocktails. 

My order: A Mac Daddy Burger, Skinny Fries & Top Dog Cocktail.

Well now I'm hungry! Any recommendations for London Eateries? Hook me up...

5 Things: Shopping Well

I find clothes shopping really difficult, I'm pretty sure I'm not cool/hipster/skinny enough to pull off 99% of what's available on the high street, and my lowly student budget doesn't quite stretch to designer! I tend to approach clothes shopping with military precision these days, I prefer to clothes shop alone when there's something specific I need! If you struggle too, here are my top tips for making shopping a less stressful experience!

1. Know what you're looking for. It's so much easier to shop with purpose, than it is to roam store after store waiting for something to pop out. Identify your style first, and then any gaps you have in your wardrobe, for example I know that I wear fairly simple, monochrome clothes, and right now I need new jeans, and plain tshirts. It's also worth having a quick search online before you head to the shops, to give you a rough idea of what's out there. And if you're struggling to find something, ask on Twitter! I have so many pieces I love that I found via lovely people on Twitter!
2. Think about your outfits. I follow a general rule when I'm shopping for everyday clothes, if I can't think of three outfits I would wear it with, using clothes I already own, then I don't buy it. Otherwise, I buy things with good intentions, and then only wear them once!
3. Check your sizing. I always used to be guilty of buying things even if they were the wrong size, because I wanted them so bad, but you never end up wearing it! If they don't have it in your size, you're not going to wear it if it's too big or too small! And buy things the right size anyway, don't be in denial about your size, it's just a number and it doesn't matter!
4. Invest in basics. Things like black jeans, plain tees, thick knits and good boots, the things you will wear all the time! Buy cheap, buy twice! Save the Primark sprees for trend items, and invest what you can in your basics, you won't regret it! 
5. Go mad for accessories. 90% of my outfits consist of skinny jeans and oversized plain tees, but I jazz them up with giant scarves, statement necklaces, big hats and cute shoes. Keeping a variety of accessories on hand means your less likely to get bored of an outfit quickly too!