portobello road

Sundays on Portobello Road are a lot less hectic and people packed than Saturdays. The market is closed, but there are still plenty of interesting shops selling antique goods and vintage treasures, cocooned by the famously colourful walls.

Although there aren't many street food vendors out on a Sunday, there are plenty of good places to eat and drink in the area (we popped into Honest Burgers, a review will be up shortly!), as well as tempting crêpe stands and the ever popular Hummingbird Bakery.

If you're visiting London or are in the area (particularly on a sunny day, as with all places), it's a must-see spot and great for street photography.

borough market

To make his dinner, E knew exactly where he wanted to go to get top quality ingredients - Borough Market.

Neither of us had ever been before, which we had recently scolded for by our friends who love it there and go nearly every weekend.

The market itself is covered, which is a good thing in rainy London, and is heaven for foodies with pretty much anything you could want on offer, from the best parma ham to foie gras to live lobster. (All of which we bought for the meal.)

There is also a huge selection of cheeses (I'm still dreaming of the comté I tasted but sadly did not take home with me), and the most beautiful produce.

I also grabbed lunch there, a hot place of paella with seafood, chicken and chorizo - it hit the spot.

I refuelled from the shopping with a flat white from the famous Monmouth coffee - can you get a smoother coffee than this?

I should mention that although the market is wonderful, the goods they sell are not cheap. Not ridiculously expensive, but definitely not somewhere we would do our weekly shopping in. However, it is the perfect spot to pick up quality and rare ingredients for a special occasion.

Now that we know what it's like, I can see us popping in from time to time to satisfy our indulgent culinary needs!

jo malone

When the postman surprised me with the most luxurious birthday gift from my sister, I immediately lit it up and instagrammed it.

I fear that this present is the beginning of a beautiful friendship that clouds all reasonable judgement...

Because just a week after receiving it, I somehow ended up in the brand's dreamy quarters, purchasing a gorgeous bottle of perfume.

Jo Malone, you are the devil on my shoulder.

As someone who tends to be quite picky with perfume scents, I knew I was in danger zone when I sniffed around the shop and I pretty much liked every single smell I tried.

Before going to the shop, I actually knew which one I wanted, as I had got a few samples from ebay. I highly recommend doing so if you want to invest in a perfume, because I find that smelling them in a shop (especially in Duty Free!), it becomes quite overwhelming and I am never quite sure if I will like it "in real life".

I could not get over how much I loved the Blackberry & Bay scent - it smells simultaneously feminine and like a gentle man's cologne, with a fruity but not overly sweet edge.

As for the candle? It completely makes up for the fact that we don't have a Christmas tree up because it smells like a whole houseful of them.

Scent is an amazing thing - when you sniff a familiar even years later, it completely transports you back to the time you encountered it. I know that these will always remind me of this very special season.

Writing on the wall

Although the original meaning of "writing on the wall" is a little ominous, it's something I'm excited for once the paint job for our walls is done in the upcoming week or two. Not literally, of course. I'm talking wordy, or sometimes wordless, prints & quotes to decorate the walls with.

Aside from my love for Anthropologie, something I love when it comes to home decor are characterful, charming framed prints to reflect your unique household.

Predictably, I turned to Etsy for inspiration, and now my only trouble is trying to choose from the abundance of lovely prints to adorn my home with!

In particular, I've stumbled across and now fallen in love with three Etsy shops.

First up is Cosas Minimas, and I dare you not to want every single print in this shop. I'm pretty sure that if I get the thumbs up from E (it is his home too, after all) I will be swiftly putting that Underground print in my shopping basket.

For the kitchen, I'm making a beeline for HappyLetterShop. No home is complete without foodie word play. "Don't go bacon my heart"? Genius.

Last but not least, handz is what retro-lovin' dreams are made of. Each print is like sunshine on a piece of paper. 

My "for the home" wish list is getting out of control. 

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Anthropologie

If I could choose just one shop to deck out my forever home with, it would absolutely be Anthropologie. When I popped in on the weekend (the London store on Regent Street), it looked better than ever and I just have to declare my love for it on this blog.

Honestly, this place just breaks my heart (= makes me want to rob a bank).

Although they have a lot of beautiful clothes and other bits and pieces, my favourite section is the downstairs.

All the glorious kitchen and tableware.

I sadly came out empty handed, but once we have all the furniture sorted and remaining boxes unpacked, I will be marching back in there and picking up a few must haves.

Do you have a favourite place to fill your home with? I would love some recommendations!



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