Sophs blog

London means a lot of things to me. It's where I grew up Hornsey It's where I am now Hornsey It's where I want to live in the future North London It's where I've found some of the most amazing people A ll over It's where I've found some of the worst people All over It's where the majority of my friends are Haringey, Tottenham, Bethnal Green, Muswell Hill, Newcross, Hackney etc...   It's where people are always moving to All over It's where my favorite photography gallery is Oxford Circus It's where my favorite museums are Bloomsbury and Kensington It's where my favorite art is Grafton Street and the Tate Modern It's where I have so much more to explore South London It's where I know best Green Lanes, Finsbury Park, Islington, Moorgate,  Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia etc...  It's where my favorite green spaces are Ally Pally, Regents Park, Primrose Hill  It's where my favorite food is Kings Cross, Shoreditch, Isl...

Christmas in London pops up pretty quickly and I personally love it. After an outstandingly hot summer I think we're all ready for a bit of cozying up and crisp winter air. This post outlines my favorite Christmas activities in the big city as there's so much on offer and a lot of these aren't too expensive either. The Winter Forest at Broadgate Tucked away behind Liverpool Street station, this winter forest is the perfect pine scented Christmas activity. Expect to be surrounded by Christmas trees and indulge in mulled wine, rum cocktails and blankets. I went last year after coming back from Norwich and it was the perfect welcome back into the city. Skylight London  Based in Tobacco Dock, this winter oasis is perfect for those looking for a winter rooftop. With an ice rink, ice hockey, street food and a killer view of the city, Skylight is an incredibly impressive and unique evening out. Lights, lights and more lights  One of the most magical things about Christ...

Flat Iron, where to begin? I've heard so much about this restaurant and been meaning to go for a while. I tried once but they said it was going to be a two hour wait and my hunger couldn't hack it. Luckily this time I went around 1.30 with my mum and we were told the wait was only 20 minutes and I couldn't say no to that. Upon arrival the staff take you to your table, stopping off at the popcorn machine to give you some free beef dripping and thyme popcorn. Personally, popcorn has never really been my thing but this was just what I fancied and was the perfect introduction to the beautiful beef that was about to grace our table. In terms of gluten free, most of the menu is gluten free and the staff simply crossed out what I couldn't eat, making it a really clear and an easy ordering process. I went for the medium rare flat iron steak with bernaise sauce, beef dripping chips and creamed spinach. The meat was melt in the mouth and you're given a cleaver to cut i...

When I first moved back to London after uni I was on Cloud 9. I felt like the world was my oyster and I was going to fall into my dream job by September latest. Well it's now October and the realities of graduate life have hit home. It's not that I was necessarily arrogant, but more so ignorant. I was living in a bubble of uni life where my parents, extended family and all of their friends would praise me for studying at university and I didn't anticipate that once my graduation ceremony was out of the way, I was just an unemployed person doing very little. I've spent months applying for so many dream jobs, applying for rubbish jobs, random jobs, looking to sack it all off and move abroad for a bit and feeling too emotionally exhausted to apply for any jobs and diverting all conversations in that region to something else, or about someone else. You can see my emotional rut. At the start of summer people would ask me what it is I want to do and I would be bursting...

This wonderful memory of my friends came to mind this morning and I just thought I'd write it down along with a few others. My friends are fantastic. I'm sure everyone can say that about their nearest and dearest and when I think back memories from school and sixth form with them I can't help but laugh. Earlier this morning when I was thinking about some funny times I just had to say something about it, so here's a list of a few favorite moments. The Middle Class Antics - Amber, Esme and Lucia brought me granola and yogurt when I had the flu - Me, Amber, Esme and Lucia used to eat olives and chocolate Alpro Soya milk from Budgens after school in the park - Tapas was our Friday night - Esme taught me how to cut an avocado and I did a terrible job - Wednesday dips for lunch with Tilda - Antonio and Tilda's hot tub party Pure Hilarity - Attempting to rap for Georgie and getting attacked by thorns - Drunkenly screaming with laughter with Esme so many times ...

When I was first diagnosed with coeliac disease I thought it literally meant that I couldn't eat bread, but as time went on I realised how much more there is to it. Generally eating out in restaurants is ok but only if I grill the staff about cross contamination.  For coeliacs cross contamination comes down to surfaces not being wiped properly, fryers mixing gluten/non-gluten ingredients, sharing toasters and the way food is made in a factory.  One of the most irritating cross contamination things is chips. When chips are fried in the same oil as something breaded e.g onion rings, I can't eat them. This feels so stupid to me as there is no reason for them to have gluten on them, however some restaurants just don't think that they could be taking away a staple part of a meal for a lot of people.  I also used to work in a cafe where they advertised gluten free toast but failed to mention that they toast it in the same toaster as regular toast. They also put e...

Ahhh Porto, where to begin? The people were lovely, the place was stunning and the food was exceptional. This was a much needed break after university and the realities of grad life. We started our trip flying with TAP Portugal which is one of the nicest airlines I've ever used.. we got free wine! Once we'd landed we got on the metro to our hotel in Balhou. Porto's metro is like a much nicer tube; it's spacious, air conned and very easy to understand. When coming up the stairs of Balhou station we were greeted by this stunning church (one I'd been hoping to see from my Instagram research) which was breathtaking and set a great tone for the holiday.  Our hotel was alright, but its location was why we chose it; it was nice to be in the heart of Porto and made travelling around so easy. On our first evening we went for a glass of wine (standard) and then a concert of Fado and Flamenco which offered a festive introduction to Portuguese culture. We then wen...