When you spend a busy weekend at the o2, specifically at the jam-packed Country to Country festival, there’s not much time to sit down and enjoy a meal. There are so many fast-food outlets and restaurants to choose from at the o2 but we had heard about a new place there called the German Doner Kebab.
A franchise with outlets not just across the UK but world-wide, we just had to see what they had to offer. We weren’t disappointed.
We were greeted by Afroza who was so friendly yet professional – and that’s something that really stood out – everyone was professional, clearly knew their role and did it quickly and got on fulfilling orders quietly. The operation we could see in the open kitchen was a fine representation of that well-known German efficiency. While the queues were long, the orders were taken and swiftly turned around.
So the service was great; was the food as good? Well, yes, I think it was. If you like a dirty kebab after a night out the chances are you’ll really like the food here. If you’re not so into your dirty kebabs you’ll most likely still really like the food. It really was like enjoying a ‘clean’ kebab.
They have a good choice on the menu – including vegetarian options which I hadn’t been expecting to see. But in 2022 you can’t really not have vegetarian options. I chose the kebab burger with chips and it was a welcome and filling feast during a long day on our feet.
Definitely a refreshing change from the usual options available!
Before Covid-19 you’d be forgiven for thinking that lounging around the house and not having to go to work for weeks, possibly longer, would be lazily wonderful, but sadly it really isn’t like that. Confined to the house with just one walk a day, and said house being my parents’ home in Surrey (I didn’t fancy self-isolating alone in a two bedroom flat when there was a five bedroom house with a large garden and the company of my folks available), worrying about family members with the virus, is not an easy task. But staying at home is an essential task and we do what we can to calm and busy our restless selves.
I’m missing work terribly and was heartbroken that I couldn’t go on with the baking, making and delivering of afternoon teas. I’m missing the little things I left in my flat in London before evacuating to Surrey. I’m missing the freedom of not being able to pop out to the supermarket because I fancied making huevos a la flamenco tonight and need chorizo and serrano ham. I’m missing drinking wine and dancing on our dining room chairs to Kylie with my housemate who has escaped to his family home in Ireland. But we do what we can to get through it. I’ve been going for my daily walk (10,000 steps), enjoying the sunshine, blue sky and spring flowers as I go. I’ve picked up a book I meant to finish ages ago. And of course, I’ve been busy in the kitchen.
There is not much else that I find as calming as switching on Classic FM and rolling my sleeves up to cook or bake. Yesterday I distracted myself from some very difficult and worrying news by making bread pudding, using up some leftover end pieces with some dried fruit, some cinnamon and ginger (couldn’t just pop-out to pick up the mixed spices I’d usually use), some milk, brown sugar and a precious egg. It was simple, quick to make, and tastes delicious. We all enjoyed a slice with our morning coffee. This recipe is perfect if you have any leftover bread that’s not good enough for sandwiches anymore and if you can’t get hold of mixed dried fruit simply replace it with whatever you have (chopped apple, chunks of chocolate, raisins, glace cherries…). This lockdown is a time to get creative and try old recipes with new ingredients – let me know what you’re making and how you get on!
As many of you who follow my social media will know, I recently spent a week in Sussex at a detox retreat. Slimmeria, dubbed ‘Britain’s poshest fat camp’ by the media, is possibly as misunderstood as the loyal clients who visit it time and again. Ok, so for me my reason for going is clear – I work in a tea room baking cakes all day long. Twelve cupcakes come out of the oven and I really should try one (quality control don’t you know?). We try a new recipe; I need to taste whether it’s worked well. Someone orders a fish finger sandwich… well you get my drift. I simply can’t help myself and I’m surrounded by temptation. As Ado Annie sings in Oklahoma! “I’m just a girl who cain’t say no”. So, when I had the opportunity to escape to the beautiful Sussex countryside for a week of hiking, fitness classes and a diet of around 400 calories a day of raw, vegan food (no caffeine, no carbs, no meat, no dairy, no alcohol – what on earth could be left?!) I jumped at the chance. Another challenge I face is keeping fit. Between running my business that, at that time, saw me tied to my shop for most of the week and living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome the past year or so had seen my fitness deteriorate into a distant memory. So Galia and the team at Slimmeria were to be my saviours, or at the very least provide the intense support I needed to kick-start my journey back to health again.
When I got to Slimmeria and met the other ‘inmates’ as we affectionally referred to ourselves as, it was clear that there are many different reasons for staying there. One lady wanted to tackle her daily bottle of wine habit, someone else was hoping to embrace a healthier lifestyle after suffering from gout, another just needed peace after a family fallout and one lucky lady was preparing to move to Spain and wanted to feel better in her summer dresses. We all had our own very personal reasons for being there but were ultimately after the same goal; weight loss and increased fitness. Slimmeria doesn’t make any promises but what is clear is that if you follow the plan and do as you’re told wonderful things will happen.
We weren’t a particularly large group – around 10 of us – and we all got our own room. I loved having my own en-suite space. It was pretty and cosy and comfortable, on the top floor of the original part of the house so I got even more exercise in with two flights of stairs!
On arrival we were met by the Slim Reaper herself; Galia has been named this by the media but let me make this clear, the lady we know through the various television programmes (including Four in a Bed, Celebrity Fat Fighters and The Extreme Diet Hotel) is not the lady I know in real life. When you’re welcomed to Slimmeria you are weighed and measured and asked about challenges with food and lifestyle but there’s no judgement, just support in finding a way to a healthier you. Throughout the week Galia proved to be strict but super supportive, knowledgeable and with a sense of humour – which you need when you’re consuming just 400 calories a day! In fact, the whole team really made the stay so much easier than you might imagine.
Each morning we’d start the day with a hot lemon tonic (sadly no gin) and a thin slice of apple followed by a two-hour long and rather muddy hike through the Sussex countryside. I used my Nordic poles for the hiking because of my instability when walking, and with all that mud I’m so glad I did! The walks were tough but the feeling of achievement on returning to the Georgian manor house we were calling home for the week was huge. But there was no time to feel smug; the hike was followed by breakfast (no full English here, at Slimmeria breakfast was a glass of either grapefruit or carrot and apple juice) and then we were straight into our one-hour fitness class. The fitness classes could be anything from box-fit to circuits and for me this was the toughest part of the day. I reminded myself that I have abs! The classes were held in a room at the back of the house with a large mirror along one wall that we desperately looked in each day for signs of weight loss. However, the signs were first noticeable in how we felt rather than how we looked. My first plank of the week lasted for just 25 seconds but by the end of the week I’d managed to increase this to 45 seconds although the one-minute plank is still to be achieved… After the fitness class we enjoyed a yoga class. This was a much-needed hour of stretching, strengthening and relaxation so by the time lunchtime rolled around we were all in a place of calm. Lunch was usually a really tasty (albeit not very large) salad or soup. While portions are small, we were all encouraged to drink a glass of water before each meal, as well as throughout the day, and this really did help to keep hunger at bay for much of the time. Although in that kind of environment it’s only natural that we all talked about food – favourite dishes to eat and make.
After lunch we were treated to some spa treatments; I chose the back massage to rid myself of the post-Christmas stress and then halfway through the week I indulged in a much-needed leg massage. Between 3-4pm we enjoyed afternoon tea. Now this isn’t afternoon tea as you and I know it. No sandwiches, scones and clotted cream in sight at this detox retreat, obviously! Afternoon tea at Slimmeria is more of a light afternoon snack of a few pieces of delicious fresh fruit and a hot fruit or hebal tea. As you might expect, afternoon tea was my favourite Slimmeria meal of the day!
We were also encouraged to take independent walks during the afternoons, and a few of us would work a trip into Battle or to the seafront at Hastings into our timetable. Yes, it was challenging to be faced with fudge shops, fish and chips and the local pubs, but we all stayed strong wanting to stick to Galia’s programme and not risk achieving less than we knew we could. So mostly we were tempted by the antique shops!
After an early dinner at 6.30pm (again, salad or soup with a lot of water, followed by a much-needed hot drink) we would gather together for either a motivational talk, a nutritional talk or dancing. I feel it’s best not to talk too much about our attempt at burlesque dancing to Black Velvet…
One of the misconceptions people have about Slimmeria is that it’s a quick fix diet that won’t last. Yes, Slimmeria can help you lose that last half a stone if you have a dress to fit into, but it’s so much more than a quick fix which is why it has such a loyal client base returning time and time again. It helps us re-programme our minds so that we can make healthier choices back in the real world. In the weeks following my stay at Slimmeria I continued to lose weight with the help of Slimming World and I now continue on this healthier road to a smaller dress size. In the same way you wouldn’t go to one slimming club class and never go back, or wouldn’t go to the gym just the once and think “I’m done now”, Slimmeria is somewhere I’d recommend returning to on a regular basis (even if it’s once a year). Whether it’s weight loss, detoxing, or just a break from modern life, Slimmeria helps its clients get back on track and feel human again in just one week and for that Galia, I am truly grateful. Thank you and see you soon…!
What is so great about this salad is that its really yummy the day after, spread thickly on a piece of crusty baguette. The only thing is, it’s so delicious it may not last until the day after!
I can’t get enough of elderflower in the warm weather and this juicy apple cake is yet another delightful way to enjoy what has become a rather British taste of summertime. I would suggest enjoying a slice of this cake with a cup of black Earl Grey. Too delicious for words!
The tennis championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, more commonly known as ‘Wimbledon’, brings excitement to our little corner of south west London every summer. And for those two weeks it’s hard to venture out of our borough. But now that the tennis is over it’s worth noting that south west London has more to offer than just two weeks of tennis.
Sitting on the River Thames at Richmond, the 
Rosettes – the Bingham Riverhouse is definitely worth visiting this summer. While it has the feel of a members club as you enter – there’s no garish neon signage at this restaurant, only a discreet name plate by the door – we were told by the team that their aim is for the restaurant to be far more accessible than it was in it’s former life, so please don’t put off booking because you think it’s too posh; everyone is welcome at the Bingham Riverhouse!
I was treated to a tasting menu which included torched mackerel, raw beef with a spiced tomato relish and raw 
egg yolk (I would call this steak tartare), and delectable duck (the most beautiful slices of rose-pink duck breast). The absolute stand-out dishes for me were the pig head croquette (I’m still dreaming of that succulent meat) and the salmon with oyster mayo and crispy oyster on the side. Simply 
heavenly. We finished off our feast with a pudding of bitter chocolate with wild strawberry sorbet, which I certainly went wild for!
You can enjoy dining at the Bingham Riverhouse from just £37 (for two courses, £45 for three courses) and I would say with such fine quality food and beautiful surroundings it’s really not to be missed. Dining here may become another British summertime tradition for me!
I love working with fruits and flowers all year round but there’s something about summer that makes me want to make and bake with them all the more. My birthday seems so far back now (although it was only in May) but I’m still thinking about the beautifully rustic Pimms-inspired sandwich cake I made for my party. Yes, I still have a party, even at my age! Although at my age the cake is allowed to include my favourite tipple…
I wanted a summery cake, something that summed up British summertime, so I reached for the Pimm’s. Now I have to admit that I was originally thinking of the original – Pimm’s No 1 – but in my haste I hadn’t realised that I’d run out of this at home. However, what I did have was Pimm’s Special Edition Blackberry and Elderflower, which is super summery and just delicious! And recently I’ve been doing a lot of baking with blackberries and, in particular, elderflower, and it seemed perfect to combine these two delicious flavours. And the final magic ingredient, which I love to add to so many of my recipes, alcohol, made this the perfect summer birthday cake!
I’m a big fan of homemade gifts; to me they show far more thought (they’re so easily personalised) and are made with love and imagination (although flowers and jewellery are still gratefully accepted ). These rose creams are pretty, easy to make and are as sweet as the person you’re giving them to!
Sweet Clare 