Just a trim please

August 5, 2014December 24, 2015Leave a comment

If you’re anything like me, these are the words you find yourself practising in front of the bathroom mirror before each and every trip to the hairdresser. Anyone who knows me knows that for the past 6+ years I have kept regular 6-8 week appointments with the same hairdresser because I’m more than a little precious when it comes to my bonce and I don’t let any old Edward Scissorhands run wild. I’ve even flown home so as not to break an appointment. So you might be somewhat surprised to learn that in a bid to try something new and save a few quid in the process I booked an appointment to get my hair cut at a training academy. Not just any old training academy but Vidal Sassoon‘s on Brook Street.

Continue reading →

Let’s do lunch

August 4, 2014August 5, 2014Leave a comment

Boring lunches be gone! Image courtesy of The Guardian

When I began working in Soho my eyes were opened to the culinary delights of this bustling part of town as I dashed about the streets collecting lunch orders for clients. Here are some of the most popular places I’ve been to recently – worth a visit, especially if time isn’t on your side.

* In at number 5 is Wasabi. Super popular for sushi you can eat well pretty cheaply here. A word to the wise though: it’s more expensive to eat in. The Wasabi on Wardour Street isn’t very big and on a nice day there’s no point in spending more money for no reason. Why not take your lunch across to Soho Square, pitch yourself on the grass and catch some rays. If you’re feeling sporty you can play ping pong with a pal there, too.

* Next up it’s Itsu. Also specialising in sushi – in my humble opinion it’s a better option than Wasabi – better value, great for fans of simpler fayre, (you can get a sushi or sashimi box with just salmon or tuna if that’s your favourite). Half an hour before closing they also slash their prices by 50% – pop in and pick up a bargain. And it’s not just sushi – if you fancy something a bit heartier they do noodle and rice pots guaranteed to hit the spot.

* Not a day goes by without lunch giant Pret‘s profits swelling. Known for being able to make the fastest skinny latte in town you can pick up delicious salads and soups here, with the soup menu changing daily. If you are tight on cash but need a quick fix you can buy some miso soup for £1.50 at the counter and half a sandwich if you are still hungry. All in all, you should be sated and with some change from a fiver. It’s worth keeping an eye to their Twitter page as well: a couple of Friday’s ago they ran a promotion across their London stores offering customers free smoothies between the hours of 3 and 5pm.

* Number two on my list of delectable dinners comes courtesy of Chipotle – (Belfasties think Boojum) – where you can load up on carbs and cals with a speedy trip along the production line heading Mexico way. Choose from veggies, pork, chicken and beef and pile your plate high with your choice of pinto or black beans, rice and all the usual burrito goodies wrapped up in an easy to eat – and carry – tortilla wrap. Just don’t forget to take plenty of napkins. This could get messy – don’t say I didn’t warn you!

***UPDATE*** Chipotle are giving away 14,000 FREE BURRITOS this week. Click on #BurritoWatch to find out how you can claim yours. ¡Ay, caramba!

* Claiming the top spot is Crussh. Popular with health conscious diners in a rush they offer a wide range of tasty soups, smoothies, juices and salads. You can tailor your juice to suit your needs – fat burner, skin soother with extra wheatgrass should you so desire. My only gripe is their juices aren’t very cold. That said, they still deserve their place at the top as they hold the secret to eternal youth. Right after drinking a Crussh juice I got ID’d buying a nice bottle of wine in Tesco. Now if that isn’t a ringing endorsement of Dorian Gray’s elixir of choice I just don’t know what is.

Bon appétit!xx

The 30 year old Runner

June 29, 2014June 30, 20141 Comment

It may seem like I have had something of a blogging hiatus of late but in fact I have been blogging often, just in other places like here, here and here.

Last time I posted I was nervously awaiting my 30th birthday which I had been dreading for a while. I’d been having a bit of a tough time, unable to get even an interview, let alone a job and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. My birthday itself, despite the best efforts of dear friends, was a fairly sorry affair culminating in my phone being stolen in Shoreditch at the end of my big night out. To paraphrase a well worn saying, woe was most definitely me. I had just about had enough. After wallowing over the remainder of the weekend and worrying my poor mother half to death in floods of tears I decided to give myself two more weeks in London and if I hadn’t found work by the end of that time I was going home.

It turns out that was the kick up the backside I needed. I knew I had a week’s work experience coming up which I had been looking forward to for ages but beyond that, nothing was set in stone and I was pretty on edge I wouldn’t find something. I had the best week work experience I could have hoped for where I got the opportunity to help out at a production company that makes some of my favourite TV shows. I got to try my hand at researching potential contributors for a show in development, organising contributor release forms, (the forms that give production companies contributors’ express consent to participate in the show) and organising props for a weekend shoot. At the end of the week I amazingly got invited to work on location at the very same shoot I had prepared the props for and it was brilliant! It was a super long day but I got such a buzz out of getting up early and helping out wherever I was needed. I really felt like part of the team and I can’t wait to see the end result when it is released.

On the day before my disasterous birthday I had had an interview for an internship with a documentary filmmaker I really wanted to work with (whose website you can visit via the first link at the top of this post). Interestingly when I applied for the job back in January I didn’t hear back for rather a long time. I knew Helen, the company Director, was filming in Ghana at the time so a few weeks after she returned to London I gave her a call to follow up. No answer. I left a voicemail. The next day I tried again and didn’t get through for a second time so I sent her an email. Fast forward a month later and after two interviews I was sitting in a coffee shop in Dalston with Helen on my first day of work. She told me then that she had received 100 applications for the post and missed mine by accident when I submitted it initially. It was only when I followed up that she decided to give me an interview because she admired the fact I followed up. Thank God I did! I started working for See Change Films on the last day of my two week deadline. Talk about cutting it fine!

After a wonderful 3 months writing and implementing a communications strategy and helping train inspiring young people with stories to tell through film it was time to move on and I finished there just over a week ago. I managed to get an interview with a post production house in Soho as a Runner / Receptionist but alas it wasn’t meant to be and I received the ‘thanks-but-no-thanks’ phone call a few days later. HOWEVER… even though I wasn’t right for that particular job the panel saw something in me and invited me for a trial shift as a Runner. That was last Thursday and at the end of the day they offered me the job. So that’s us up to date! I’m now a 30 year old Runner and I’m having the time of my life! 🙂

A speedy adventure in the kitchen

February 24, 20141 Comment

Afternoon folks! Today we need to talk about egg muffins. They are taking over my newsfeed! Everyone is talking about them, eating them and uploading pictures of their efforts onto Instagram and Pinterest. Not one to miss out on hurling myself on top of an already weighed down bandwagon I thought I’d give them a go for my lunch. These are pretty cheap to make and taste great, probably not as saintly as the regular type but, hey, life’s too short to spend eating bland food.

Here’s how I made them:

* Preheat your oven to 180°C / 360 °F. Cook 2 clumps of frozen spinach in the microwave. While that’s doing it’s business chop up one piece of bacon and fry in a pan. Chop it up quite small – wee fingernail size is a good guide – so you have enough for each muffin. If you want to be good fry in a low-cal spray like Frylite and discard any visible fat from the meat.

* While that’s cooking whisk 5 eggs in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and about 1 tsp of curry powder. Don’t be mean with the curry powder it’s not that strong once cooked. Chop some chives and whisk them in too.

* Grease a muffin tray. I sprayed a silicone one with Frylite.

* Chop 1/3 – 1/2 a slice of cheddar cheese or grate some of whatever cheese you have to hand.

* Assembly time: Pour your egg mix evenly into each muffin hole. Don’t fill over halfway as they rise like Yorkshire puddings when they are ready. Add your cooked and drained spinach and bacon evenly to each muffin. Decorate with your cheese and add another pinch of pepper and curry powder for good luck before popping them in the oven until they are cooked through and are desperate to get out of their moulds – (about 15 mins or until a knife comes out of the middle of each one clean).

Tip: If you are using a silicone mould be careful putting it in the oven. You probably know this already but I wasn’t expecting mine to go as wibbly wobbly as it did and I nearly dropped it on the floor in surprise. You have been warned!

Enjoy the fruits of your labour. Once cooled they should store in the fridge for a few days. Bon Appetit!

Something (sweet) for the weekend

February 21, 2014December 25, 20154 Comments

Last week I took a race back home to see loved ones, soak up some culture and eat some good food. The Northern Irish excel at good food and eating is a national past time. I’m pretty certain we invented the term ‘traybake’ though in crossing the Irish Sea these goodies appear to have shrunk and assume a rather paltry portion size that would almost certainly be sent back should one dare present its puny self in a coffee shop back home.

The dark horse leading the charge of the (possibly-not-so-) light brigade towards food nirvana is none other than Belfast-based chocolatier Co Couture. Discreetly tucked away down the steps of a basement on Chichester Street Co Couture has quietly been gathering an army of followers over the past few months and I for one am a devoted disciple to the church of chocolate.