My weekend was filled with my Mum's baking, lots of walking and some good ol' fish & chips - just what the doctor ordered. The pictures in this post were all taken in Ross-on-Wye, just across from the Welsh border, in fact, it's so close that most of the locals speak welsh. It's around a two hours drive from London, but it feels worlds apart.


I grew up as a country girl, always living way out in the sticks, but in the year I've spent living in London, it seems I've become a complete townie. A few months back my parents got chickens so that they could have fresh eggs every morning, and whilst I've been enjoying the egg deliveries every couple of months, I hadn't actually met them. When I planned this last minute trip home, meeting the chickens was at the top of my list, however it turns out that I'm actually terrified of chickens! I couldn't stroke them or pick them up without squealing and I don't think I've ever moved as fast as I did when they all started flapping their wings, which everyone else found hilarious!


All in all, I had a lovely weekend, and the extra day made it the perfect excuse to get away, take some time out for myself and just relax. It's funny how a bit of fresh air and open space allows you to open up your mind and really reflect on your goals, wants and needs. I'm currently on my way back to London right now, stuck in the bank holiday traffic, so it's adios for now, beautiful Ross-on-Wye. 

When it comes to cute cake shops, London's got you covered, and this weekend I took a little trip down to Belgravia to visit the Peggy Porschen Parlour (a.k.a the most instagram-worthy cake shop in all of the lands). 

Painted completely pink and adored with a beautiful floral archway, this cake shop is pretty hard to miss. Situated in-between Sloane Square and Victoria, this cake heaven is just a stones throw away from the pretty boutiques of Belgravia and some of the most expensive (and pretty) houses London has to offer - so you can really make a day of it. 

For such a small shop, the cake selection wasn't bad - between three of us we managed to order five cakes (we hadn't travelled all that way for just one!). I wen't for the slice of Raspberry, Lemon and Rose cake and a Strawberry and Champagne cupcake and I have to say, it was one of the best I've ever had. The cakes are incredibly soft and all of the icing is made out of cream cheese, meaning it's not too sugary sweet. My friends picked out the Lavender and Lemon cake, Blueberry cupcake and Raspberry and Lemon cupcake - which I may have tried, and yes they were all incredible. Then again, I wouldn't have expected anything less from the brand that baked Kate Moss' wedding cake. 

Of course, while we were there we just had to try out the drinks selection. I wen't for the pink lemonade as really, who can resist a pink drink? Whilst my friends decided to test out the tea selection, going for one of the floral teas and a peppermint tea. The tea came served in our own individual tea pots in pastel colours, and they're actually great value for money as you can get around 3 cups of tea from each saucer. 

No detail has been left un-thought-of at Peggy Porschen, from the marble tables to the sweet peas and crystal chandeliers, the cake parlour is shabby chic to perfection and ever-so adorable. The walls are adorned with all of the Peggy Porschen merchandise you can get your hands on - from cookbooks to the Strawberry Champagne cake filling (I almost walked out with this!) - everything about this place is a girls dream and a bloggers paradise.



Once we were suitably stuffed (and on a major sugar high) we decided to wander off down the road to take a look into some of the nearby Boutiques before the heavens opened - it is England after all! Of course before we left we had to pose for some photos outside the cake parlour - that floral archway is just too pretty to ignore!

Every so often, the hustle and bustle of London gets to me, and I start to crave the countryside. I grew up in the countryside, I'm used to spending my summers down by the lake or playing in the fields, so it's no wonder that sometimes city life gets to me. I'd been feeling claustrophobic in London recently, probably due to the stuffy, hot weather, so I grabbed some friends and headed slightly out of town to indulge in one of my favourite childhood activities - strawberry picking. 

We didn't want to venture too far - it was baking in London that day and we didn't fancy cooking ourselves in the car for too long - so we headed to Parkside Farm, where every summer they open up their 'pick your own' section of the farm. Parkside Farm is located just outside of London (as in, just past the infamous cockfosters), but it feels a million miles away so it's perfect for us Londoners looking to escape, without actually escaping. 

The farm is huge, sprawling across 50 acres so even when it's busy there's plenty of room for you to amble through the strawberry fields undisturbed. We went on an extremely hot Saturday during summer holidays so I expected to have to fight my way to the good strawberries, but we were able to walk around largely undisturbed, even sitting down to have a quick picnic. The farm also offers so much more than strawberries. When we visited in early August, we were able to pick strawberries, raspberries, plums, blackberries, corn, beetroot, onions, spinach, french beans, courgettes and red currants - so there was absolutely no need for us to buy any fruit or veg in the supermarket for about two weeks afterwards and because everything is fresh, it tasted so much better than the stuff you find in the supermarket and also lasted so much longer. 

After we'd spend a couple of hours picking all of the fruit we could carry, we headed back to the farm shop and picnic area to indulge in some fresh strawberry ice cream - we had earned it after all! Before heading back in to London to enjoy the fruits of our labour, literally. 

London is one of my favourite places to be in summer, which is why I don't often plan my holidays in the summer months - it's often more expensive to travel, it's harder to get the time off work and I wouldn't want to miss out on the few weeks of summer we get here in the UK. That being said, London can be a little too much sometimes, and a few weekends ago I found myself craving an escape from the city. Conveniently, one of my best friends lives in Brighton and is always on-hand when I'm craving some seaside fun, so I hopped on the Thameslink which leaves from St Pancras (it cost me as little as £10!) and I was in Brighton in just over an hour. 

This was actually my first time in Brighton (first of many, I should say!) and despite doing my research, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Having lived in Bournemouth for over 4 years while I was studying, I expected it to be much the same but I was so wrong! Brighton is a much more vibrant town than Bournemouth, full of live and with quirky treasures hiding down every alley. 

We spent the first half of the day wandering down the lanes, popping into choccywoccydoodah, ducking in and out of the quirky shops and catching up. After a little wander around the North Lane, which is the quirkier of the two main lanes, we stopped off at Catwalk Cakes for some Rainbow Cake. I'd never had rainbow cake before despite lusting after it for months, and if you're going to indulge, it should definitely be in Catwalk Cakes a.k.a the cutest tearoom ever. After our little pit-stop, we carried on exploring the lanes, ducking into the cute antique shops and taking a peek at all of the vintage sweet shops, before walking down to the beach and the famous Brighton Pier. 

I've always loved the seaside, and seeing the old fashioned Brighton seaside was a dream - complete with traditional arcade games and a helter skelter! The air smells of sea water, pier donuts and ice cream and you're surrounded by happy families and young couples. The pier is such a picturesque building which takes me right back to being young and at the seaside, which I think is why I love it so much. 

After a trip down the pier and a little wander down Brighton's glorious pebble beach, we were feeling a little peckish so we headed down the lanes to Donnotello's Italian Restaurant - a surprisingly large family run restaurant, popular with locals and celebrities alike. The food was delicious and definitely easy on the purse strings - a refreshing change to the extortionate London prices I've become accustom to. 

During the afternoon we headed back down to the lanes to take a look at some of the other stores, try on a few vintage outfits and have a little catch up as it'd been a few months since we'd seen each other face to face, before catching my train back to London. 

I have to say, I absolutely loved Brighton and it's definitely been one of my favourite places to visit in the UK - everything was quirky and cute, and there's just so much to see and do. If it wasn't for work, I'd definitely consider moving down to Brighton for a slightly quieter life, but alas, for now Brighton will just be my escape from busy city life.