Snack and Drink Cheat Sheet: May 2013

skinny popcorn
As a food writer I often get the impression that people expect me to whip up a culinary delight for myself at each and every meal which takes place outside of a restaurant. The reality is quite the contrary. Throw a massive house move into the mix and you will barely have me touching a kettle, let alone a saucepan.

To stay healthy I do consume a lot of raw food and salad, but these three grocery ‘cheats’ have definitely made their way into my body amidst weeks of organising and packing.

Metcalfe’s Skinny Topcorn
Though I was first introduced to Topcorn at Fashion Week (it is a true backstage staple), I had yet to get the hype over it until trying their brand new Sweet Cinnamon Spice flavour. The 25g packs contain only 117 calories but are packed with enough flavour to satisfy any sweet tooth. Their original Wasabi popcorn has turned into ‘Wasabi Glaze’ – also a tiny bit sweeter – and is equally addictive.

Emmi Caffe Latte
While my beloved coffee machine was still boxed away, I ran out looking for a quick caffeine fix and was rather surprised that Emmi’s ‘skinny’ cafe latte only had 90 calories and tasted like a latte (let’s face it, most store bought latte’s taste like sugar). I have since started using a multitude of their flavours in cocktail mixes – the ultimate cheat – when friends drop in unannounced. Fact: An Emmi latte with Bailey’s is the quickest and most delicious booze-shake around.

itsu Miso Soups
As a judgemental miso consumer, I have fallen tongue over head for itsu’s miso soups. Unlike other miso soup products, both versions – veg and fish – are made from a smooth paste rather than a powder. Nowhere near as salty as their predecessors and shockingly filling for only 44 calories.

emmi caffe latte
itsu soups

Food, Lifestyle

Travel Blog: Eurotrip Road Trip (Lille, Bruges, Ostend)

eutrotrip 9
Bank Holiday weekends mean nothing to me. As a freelancer/interminable workaholic, public holidays often turn into a marathon of work on my end.

Until, of course, I nab myself a very handsome man with a 9-5. That’s when public holidays turn into excuses for a jam-packed road trip in Europe. The plan? Rental car to Dover, ferry to Calais, Day One in Lille, Day Two in Bruges (Brugge), and Day Three in Ostend (Oostende) before ferrying back to Good Ol’ GB.

It was all kinds of magic. With no real plan to speak of, we relied on the suggestions of our phenomenal AirBnB hosts and fateful wandering around the different cities to dictate each day’s activities.

Highlights included: A gargantuan prix fixe menu at Le Broc fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol and Frenglish, a rather peculiar trip to Historium (resulting in pimp faces, seen below), flicking through Encyclopaedia-sized menus with 400 types of beer, trying to steal ducks on a Bruges canal boat tour, and finally getting my paws on some mussels at Danny’s Brasserie in Ostend before falling asleep and earning myself a Snuggle Tan on the beach.

eutrotrip 27
eutrotrip 43
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Hotels, In Review, Lifestyle, Travel Blog

The Weekend Wonder – Wilfred Peterson

weekend wonder

“Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it.”
- Wilfred Peterson

Inspire Board, The Weekend Wonder

In Review – Fenwick’s Affogato Bar, London

fenwick affogato
For all the times I have visited Bond & Brook I am rather ashamed to say that, until this week, I had no idea Fenwick also had an Affogato Bar under it’s designer wings.

A best kept secret by any fashionista’s standards, The Affogato Bar is tucked away in a quiet corner on the third floor at Fenwick Bond Street and conveniently overlooks designer favourites including Orla Kiely. Modelled on an original Milanese coffee bar, their celebrated namesake are their Affogatos (espresso poured onto a scoop of vanilla ice cream) though their fresh mint teas, juices (apple and ginger, in particular), and light bites are what happened to beckon me up a floor from Bond & Brook.

H Forman’s and Son smoked salmon plate was the catch of the day for me and included sliced smoked Scottish salmon with herb cream cheese and capers, lemon cheeks and toasted soldiers. When paired with a few glasses of champagne, a girly catch-up, and a slice of rich chocolate cake to finish, both the salmon plate and my dining partner’s ‘salad of the day’ offered wonderfully simple and light sustenance among our naughtier lunch choices. Molto buono.

fenwick affogato
fenwick affogato
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Fashion Blog, Food, In Review, Lela loves London, Lifestyle