My University Room

Hi guys,

So...with moving to London came the challenge of packing up my room, choosing the most valuable, essential items, cramming them into my little car and preparing myself for a 6 hour drive. It wasn't easy and I know a lot of you out there can sympathise. 

It's a very exciting time of year for most people, moving schools, college or even going to University. Taking a gap year made me realise how much I wasn't ready for university last year and I'm so glad I did some travelling and applied this year. I'm living in central London in Elephant and Castle, a kind of 'up and coming' part of London. I'm in halls of residence, linked with the university i'm studying at. My floor consists of 8 other people from all over the world and I have my bedroom and shower room with a shared kitchen/diner. 

I've taken some photo's of the way that I've made my room and the little things i've brought with me to give my little space a personal stamp. If you're reading this and you've already made the move to university then you won't want to read the lists of things I feel like you need, however if you are planning on moving out and going to university then carry on reading as I feel like this list may be helpful. 

What to take to University: The question every student will ask themselves sooner or later. This list may seem really intimidating, but most of the items on there from the bedroom section you will already have. As for the kitchen and bathroom list, don't feel like you will need all of that immediately. I took the essential items and then popped to the shops to grab some of the items I didn't want to haul the full length of the country. Also a lot of people on your floor will have the same problem and they may have things you can borrow and from them and things they can lend from you. 

Bedroom

1. Duvet, duvet cover, sheets and pillow cases (blanket if you get cold)
2. Toiletries (Deodorant, aftershave/perfume etc) 
3. Books (Educational & Leisure) 
4. Desk Lamp (if not provided) 
5. Bin (if not provided) 
6. Clothes (pack for your season, coats, jackets, socks, underwear etc) 
7. Coat hangers (plenty as they wont be provided)
8. Laptop, iPad, Kindle, eReader etc
9. Pyjamas, slippers, dressing gown or loungewear
10. Shoes, trainers, boots
11. Plants (optional but look cool) 
12. Holdall/ Suitcase (for when you return home)

Kitchen: 

1. Frying pan x1
2. Pans (x1 small, x1 large)
3. Plate, side plate, bowl and cup (x1 of each)
4. Sieve/Colliander
5. Cutlery (spoon, knife, fork, teaspoon x1 of each) 
6. Wooden spoon and spatula 
7. Set of chopping knives (bread, meat and vegetables)
8. Drinking Glass (small and large)
9. Chopping Board (x1 meat, x1 vegetables)
10. Tupperware (x2 boxes) 
11. Shopping bags (so you don't have to pay for them)
12. Food labels (to save arguments if you have a shared fridge) 
13. Baking tray/Pizza tray

Bathroom:

1. Towels (x2 hand towels, x2 bath towels, x2 small towels)
2. Toilet roll (take 2 with you, trust me you'll thank me later)
3. Toiletries (Shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste etc)
4. Bathroom cleaner (bleach, shower cleaner etc)
5. Handwash 
6. Bath/Shower mat
7. Toilet brush (if not already provided)
8. Mirror (if not already provided)
9. Containers (to put your toiletries in)
10. Hairdryer (if not already provided)

Moving into halls is a bit of a mission but seriously once you're all settles you will feel right at home. The first few days I questioned if I had made the right choice and was sick with anxiety about home. Now I'm wondering what took me so long to move!

Thank you so much for reading, feel free to comment if you feel like there are things that should be on that list and help each other out. 

Luke. 

Lightbulb Lights: Gift 

Ivy Plant: Borough Market
Quote: eBay

Succulent Plant: IKEA
Calm Book: Urban Outfitters
Quote: Gift

Subway Map: Gift store
Scratch Map: Urban Outfitters

Camera: Nikon D3200
Lens Mug: Not on the highstreet
Book: Urban Outfitters

Quote: eBay
Frame: IKEA
Storage Boxes: IKEA
Plant: IKEA
Pot: Borough Market

Laptop: Macbook Pro 13" Retina
Clipboard: eBay
Quote: eBay
Peg: Primark Home
Fan: Argos
Lamp: IKEA

Coat: TOPMAN
Bag: Herschel 

Cushion: ASDA
Bedding: Primark Home
"L" light letter: Gift store
"Dont forget to be awesome" quote: Primark Home

Day at Portobello Road market

Hey guys,

Long time no speak. I've kinda vanished from the blogging world but in between quitting my job, travelling and moving to a whole new city I barely had time to blink. As some of you may know, I recently made the huge move from my little village up North to the big smoke, AKA London! I moved to start my university course at LCC, doing Magazine Journalism. Truly I still pinch myself that I am actually living here. It's all a bit surreal. But...I'm finding my feet just nicely, I start my new job soon and cannot wait get into my course and hopefully be doing something I love.

I really do plan on getting back into blogging now more than ever. I have never felt more motivated and inspired being in this city. I plan on uploading a post of my uni room and all the little touches I've put in place to make it my own. So keep an eye out for that!

Now that seriously long intro is out of the way, to the reason behind this post. I had a weekend off work (which never happens), so I thought what better than having a visit to Portobello Road Market, to doing a little bit of window shopping. Portobello Road Market is based West of Central London and on a Saturday is booming! Ever since watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks as a child I have always wanted to visit Portobello Road. It didn't disappoint. Even if the weather was a tad grey, I still managed to get some snaps of my day.

There is everything from street food, vintage antiques, furniture, flowers and everything in between. The notting hill area is amazing too! With the instagram worthy multicolour houses and fancy cars parked outside. I would highly reccomend a visit if you live in London and have never been or if you're just visiting (on a Saturday). If you're a bit of a foodie and love having an explore of a market then seriously this place is for you. It can get a little crowded so be aware.

Thank you so much for reading as ever,

Enjoy the photos,

Luke. X

Easter Rocky Road | Recipe

It's that time of year where we all have an abundance of chocolate in our homes. If you're like me, there are only so many chocolate eggs you can eat before you end up feeling physically sick. So this is a great way to use up all of your excess chocolate that you have lying around this Easter! Rocky Road is a perfect "chuck it in" recipe as I like to call it. You can completely customise the ingredients to this recipe but I kept it classic with an Easter twist of some Mini Eggs. Enjoy!

Recipe: Makes 16 Squares

-300g Milk or Dark Chocolate 

-125g Soft Butter

-3tbsp Golden Syrup

-100g Mini Marshmallows

-200g Digestive Biscuits 

-2 bags of Mini Eggs

-40g of White Chocolate to drizzle

Method:
1. Start by getting a square brownie tin or baking tin that is deep enough by about an inch. Place either some tin foil or parchment paper in the tin and set aside.
2. Place a pan on a medium heat and add in the chocolate, butter and golden syrup. Staring occasionally till all the ingredients have melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a sandwich bag or large bowl break up the biscuits and Mini Eggs (saving 1/4 of a bag of Mini Eggs for the topping). Don't break them up too much that they are crumbs but so that there are still some large chunks in there.
4. Now in the pan of cooled chocolate add the marshmallows, biscuit and mini egg mixture and stir.
5. Stir till just combines and place into the baking tin. Spread along the bottom of the tin and to the sides so the top is nice and level. Add the remaining mini eggs and push firmly into the top.
6. Place into the fridge for about 2 hours.
7. Once the two hours are up, take out the Rocky Road and set aside.
8. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second blasts.
9. When it is loose enough, drizzle with a spoon over the top in zig zag motions.
10. Cut into 16 equal squares with a sharp knife and serve.

These little bars are perfect if you fancy something sweet and you can completely customise them to whatever treats you have lying around. Cream Eggs would be amazing in this, or even Malteasers.

Thank you for reading guys, I hope you had an amazing Easter break!

Luke. 

A little day trip to London

So...it's been a while...again. It's so easy to get caught up in the world of work and to forget about what you love and for me-thats writing. So i'm going to make a more conscious effort to invest time back into my blog. 

Last Tuesday, me and a couple of friends headed out on a random 24 hour trip to London. One day to cram as much in as we possibly could into that time. Cheap train tickets meant same day return was shy of £35 so we thought why the hell not. 

We got into London Kings Cross at about 11:20. Meaning we little to no time to sort out our tube cards and get straight into central London. Note to anyone who wants to save a little with the tubes. If you have a contactless card, you can swipe and go for a capped £6.50. So much better than a £12 day travel card! 

By 11:30 is we were hungry for a big breakfast so we knew only one place for it. The Breakfast Club. Both me and Leanne are huge advocates of TBC and for good reason. Their quirky decor, classic 80's music, mouth watering food menu genuinely makes it a go to place if ever we're in London. We chose the Spitalfields just near Liverpool Street tube station purely because you can book. We all shuffled in and got deciding.

I opted for a classic Tea and Orange Juice. Danny who we went with got a tropical flavoured smoothie which tasted incredible. 

Now down to business, I am a fiend when it comes to all things pancakes, no surprise to any of you who follow my Instagram. So after some deliberation I went for the "All American" which consists of two gorgeous fluffy pancakes, a pork sausage, crispy bacon, eggs however you like them (I went scrambled) crispy potatoes and of course maple syrup. Genuinely up there with one of the nicest breakfasts i've ever had. For some reason the combination of sweet and savoury just works with breakfast and boy have they got it right. 

Leanne went for "The Breakfast Burrito", which looked amazing. Stacey opted for the classic "Eggs Benedict" with a side of potatoes and Danny went for "The Bircher" which was like a overnight oats dish with fresh fruit. I had a try of it and need to find out how they do it, it would be amazing for a quick breakfast and go. 

Stomach's full, we said our farewells to the breakfast club and hopped back on the tube to Oxford Street. To some people, Oxford Street is their idea of hell. I love the hustle and bustle of it all. Tap Coffee was next on my list to hit up. 

After visiting in July I needed to settle my cravings for some caffeine asap! My favourite shop it just off Oxford Street on Wardor Street. I just love the vibe there. Amazing choice of all things cake as you walk in, coffee aromas hitting you left right and centre it's my coffee shop of choice. 

We grabbed a window seat and I got my go to coffee, a flat white. Always envious of their latte art too, I need to master the tulip! 

Refuelled and re-enegergised we headed off to Carnaby Street. Carnaby is one of the places in London that I love too.

It's just always got something going on, and home to some amazing independent shops for food and clothes. On the way we had a meander into Crosstown Doughnuts (obviously). Guys I can't stress this enough, if you ever find yourself in this part of London please give this shop a go! 

Any doughnut lovers will cave at their choices. I went for the Salted Caramel and Banana offering and it was the best choice out of the three times I've visited. The staff are so friendly too, always helping you choose the best doughnut for you. 

Doughnut in hand we were wanting to grab a cheeky cocktail to wash it all down. Who says cocktails aren't a thing at 1pm??? We decided to hit up Kingly Court, just off Carnaby and it's such a cool hang out with amazing eateries like Pizza Pilgrims and Crumbs and Doilies. We headed for the first floor to the Rum Kitchen, known for their amazing Jamaican/Caribbean food and drink. We got a round of cocktails, amazing as always but sure did pack a punch. 

We then headed off to a place that was recommended by Leanne's friend who's a Londoner, he said that this place is a must if ever you have the chance. The Sky Garden, near the Shard in London's financial district is possibly the coolest thing I've ever done in London. It's essentially a viewing terrace/bar/garden emporium and eatery. 

With 360 views of London, it is hugely popular. We managed to get in free of charge and with little queuing. You take the elevator up where you are greeted by a lovely hostess. You are free to just wander of grab a drink if you'd like. We headed straight out to make the most of the daylight and got some amazing photos of the city. You could see for miles and it was breathtaking. 

Now who could turn down the chance of having a cocktail at these heights. I opted for the "Winter Garden" which was like a floral, herby gin based cocktail with bergamot and bitters. I appreciate so much the craftsmanship that goes into every cocktail and watching these guys make cocktails was crazy! SO much passion and energy went into every drink. Burning, shaking, stirring all to produce these exquisite drinks truly shows you the art that is cocktail making. It was possibly the nicest cocktail I've had. 

It was time to say goodbye to the Sky Garden and head off for some Dinner. I mentioned that I hadn't had a steak in ages and Leanne knew a place called Flat Iron in Covent Garden. Specialising in serving one kind of steak, however you like it and with amazing reviews, I couldn't say no. This place was booming. We were greeted by the nicest woman who asked if we had been before. She said that we got free ice cream on the way out and sorted us out some water and popcorn to snack on while we looked at the menu. The concept of this restaurant is fantastic. 

You know what you're getting and that is one perfectly cooked piece of meat, with whatever extra's you fancy. Our waiter was awesome, so friendly and appreciative when we told him how much we loved the place. I went medium/rare with winter greens, dripping fries and a spicy sauce. It just worked. Oh and a cheeky Aperol Spritz on the side. I just loved the way it was served, the ambience, the music, and most of all the taste. INCREDIBLE. Can't wait to return. We were reminded on the way out to pick up our free ice cream which was salted caramel. The man was scooping it out of this frozen stone, and then rolled it in marbled chocolate. It was unbelievable. 

We wound down the night with a few drinks in a local before heading back to the train station to get our train home. It was such a brilliant day. We had fit so much in, but were totally knackered after walking around all day. 

I can't believe London will be my home for the next three years in September. Crazy. 

Thank you so much for reading!

Luke.