Sugar-free afternoon tea at Harvey Nichols

I know what you're thinking: sugar-free afternoon tea?

Afternoon tea, that most sweet of treats? Sans sugar?

Well, yes. Sans refined sugar, anyway.

Created by Sarah Wilson of I Quit Sugar, the sugar-free afternoon tea has just launched at Harvey Nicks. And I went along to try it out.

Sugar is public enemy number one these days, and whilst I doubt I'll ever totally quit it (because hello, sugar makes things delicious), I am trying to cut down a wee bit.

And whilst naturally sweet things - you know, fruit and honey and maple syrup and whatnot - are supposedly better than refined sugar, the general consensus seems to be that they're not saintly enough to give you a free pass to scoff loads.

Still, you can make a lot of delicious things without refined sugar, so I was most looking forward to trying out the tea. It had also been far too long since I'd had afternoon tea too.

The lovely Jenny and I made our way up to the fifth floor of Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge and sat ourself down in the restaurant, tummies rumbling.

There was a little wait for our food to arrive, but fortunately we had pots of tea and champagne in the meantime so all was well in the world really.

Champagne isn't technically part of the sugar-free tea, but let's be real here: what is afternoon tea without it? (OK yes, also good. But not as good.)

I chose pink champagne because I was wearing pink which says a lot about how I make decisions in my life.

And then came out the masterpiece.

Obviously we worked from the bottom up, we're not savages.

So, the savouries: Carrot tahini burgers, which we loved; paleo veggie bread with cream cheese and cucumber - I liked the ribbon, it was a nice twist on a classic; sardine boats (no comment as je ne mange pas fish); spring vegetable pie - warm and delicious; pork and fennel sausage roll, a definite winner; and beef sandwiches, with tasty coleslaw.

It was a LOT of food, but it was great. Very creative and nice to feel a bit healthier than the standard finger sandwiches.

Whilst the sugar-free angle was pretty irrelevant with the savouries, the next level up was where it got interesting.

The strawberry scones were good. They were served with raspberry chia seed jam which was pretty tart - noticeably less sweet than real jam - and a touch lemony for my taste. There was also no cream which was a shame.

Next up was carrot cake with cinnamon frosting. They looked super cute and the flavours were great, but the texture of the cake was not good, I have to say. It was so dry and crumbly it was practically powdery, I'm not sure why. The cream cheese frosting was divine though.

On to the top tier.

The lemon posset topped with a chia seed crumble was lovely - very creamy and a particular hit with Jen. It wasn't noticeably less sweet than a regular one either.

I absolutely loved the cheesecake - it was classic vanilla with a coconut base and utterly delicious. Very sweet too.

The chocolate cherry tart was a bit meh. The base was a bit dry and bitter and the cream was fine but not super exciting. The cherries were delicious and juicy though, which was lovely. And to be fair, we were pretty gosh darn full by this point so the tart may have gone down more favourably before we'd filled our faces.

That said, we saved the best till last by finishing on the chocolate ganache tart. Rich, smooth chocolate with a hint of cardamom on a nutty base with a sprinkle of sea salt - I was so full but it was so good I ate the whole thing.

So all in all it was a slightly mixed afternoon tea, with some real winners and some not so much. To be honest though, I love the concept of a lighter, sugar-free afternoon tea. And if you are watching your sugar intake, it's a rather nice treat.

Jenny and I were guests at Harvey Nichols but all opinions are honest.

A vegetarian dinner with a view at OXO Tower Restaurant

Oh, London. You beautiful, exciting, welcoming, fearless, fun, brilliant, nutty and wonderful city.

I have loved London ever since I first visited as a young girl, and I am so proud to call the capital my home. The longer I live here, the more I love it.

And I recently had one of those evenings where the sheer beauty of the city blew me away once more.

If you look closely at the above photo, you'll see where I was fortunate enough to spend an evening: the OXO Tower Restaurant on the South Bank.

See it?

Up on the eighth floor you'll find the restaurant, and if it's a warm enough evening, you should sit outside and admire the insanely beautiful view.

Meet my date for the night, the lovely Ciara.

It was a balmy early summer's evening and the setting couldn't have been more perfect. Being Friday night, it was definitely time for cocktails (lol as if I need the excuse of Friday).

Don't they look pretty!? Mine was the Due South - vodka, elderflower liqueur with lemon, raspberry ripple and champagne. Divine.

I know it's very remiss of me but I'm afraid I can't remember the name of Ciara's cocktail. I can remember, however, that it was super delicious. We both enjoyed each other's drinks as much as our own that we had to have the other one later on.

The reason I was there was to sample the restaurant's new vegetarian menu. Whilst not strictly veggie, I do eat vegetarian about 80% of the time. I'm not actively trying to, I'm just not that fussed about meat. I love veggie food! So I was excited.

After a spot of bread each - oh my days, the rosemary potato bread was BEYOND - we tucked into our starters.

I went for the smoked burrata with grilled apricots and fresh almonds. Sweet Lord, it was tasty. The burrata was smokey and creamy and the apricots were perfectly grilled. It was a delicious summery plate.

Ciara had the sweet potato pancake with Cornish Brie, courgette flower and kumquat marmalade. To be honest it wasn't really a pancake but rather a disc of sweet potato, but to quote Ciara, it was: "So delicious I forgot what the ingredients were. A plate of deliciousness."

So there you have it.

With a glass of light white wine and the view to admire, it was heaven.

For my main, I chose the cheese crumble.

According to the menu, it was: "Walnut, tofu and Spenwood cheese crumble, pickled red cabbage, radish and spring onion salad." Now those are all foods I like.

Most peculiarly, however, the crumble turned out to be seemingly 80% mushroom. And I don't like mushrooms. Why did they not mention mushroom on the menu? I don't know. It was disappointing.

Speaking of mushrooms, Ciara went for the mushroom lasagne.

It was a huge portion, and even as a big meat-eater, Ciara loved it. It wasn't too saucy and the mushrooms were nicely sautéed.

Fortunately for me, we'd ordered a couple of sides.

Tenderstem broccoli with flaked almonds and delicious skin-on chips. Perfection.

As we ate, the sun starting making its way to bed and the view just kept getting better and better.

And the staff came round with blankets too to save us from getting chilly. Top-notch service.

Even though we were quite full, both Ciara and I definitely wanted pudding.

Behold, the OXO chocolate plate. It was pretty dreamy: a milk chocolate tart, white chocolate semifreddo, orange chocolate mousse and sour cherry chocolate fondant. It was, quite simply, excellent.

I would know because even though it was meant to be Ciara's pudding I definitely ate at least half.

I also ate my own pudding:

Rhubarb, custard and gin sorbet. It wasn't quite what I was expecting - the custard element was like a panna cotta in texture - but sweet baby Jesus it was heavenly. The slightly sharp rhubarb with the sweet vanilla custard was perfection.

We watched London light up and sat talking till late.

It had been one of the best dining experiences I'd had in a while, despite mushroom-gate.

Ciara and I were guests at the OXO Tower Restaurant but all opinions are our own.

When I had a professional massage at home with Urban Massage

One of the best things about living in London - or any big city - is being able to get pretty much anything delivered to your door.

That said, this isn't actually something I do loads. Well, except for with food. Even though a few months ago at the end of a house party at 4am all we wanted was a delivery of chips and literally nowhere would oblige us and I'm not still pissed off about it AT ALL promise.

Anyway.

Last bank holiday Monday I had my first experience of having a professional treatment at home. You've seen the adverts on the tube - there are various companies selling everything from manicures to massages, but the premise is that the experts come to you.

But let me rewind a smidge.

On bank holiday Sunday, we were doing Girls' Night Out (AKA GNO) and I was thoroughly prepared to be a shell of my former self come Monday morning.

Have you ever been out out on a bank holiday Sunday? I find it's extra fun as it's such a novelty. But I digress.

Amazingly, I woke up on Monday morning feeling, well, absolutely fine. It's almost like I'm growing up or something. But I'd decided to book a visit from Urban Massage thinking it would be the perfect relaxing experience if I was feeling a bit delicate.

I was fine, but it was still gloriously relaxing.

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Now I've never had a massage anywhere other than a spa before. You know how it is: relaxing Balinese-style music, stylish minimalist decor, a general zen-like vibe. It's perfect.

But I was sceptical as to whether the same sense of relaxation could be created in my open-plan kitchen/living/dining room, complete with bottle of orange squash, a frying pan on the drying rack and a giant metallic turquoise hula hoop hanging on the wall (don't ask).

Being in London and all, it was the only space in the flat big enough for a massage table. It was a good thing my flatmates were away for the weekend otherwise I'd have had to be like 'Um guys don't come into the living room for an hour because I am going to be naked cool thanks.'

Fortunately, Urban Massage therapists bring everything - all you have to provide is a couple of towels.

Right on time, my masseuse arrives. I feel a bit strange greeting her in loungewear that is barely better than PJs, but I figured it would be silly to change considering all I'm going to do is take my clothes off.

And yes, if you think about it, the concept is totally weird: you let a stranger into your house, remove all your clothes, then lie on a table while they rub oil on to your naked body. Best not to think about it like that.

I welcome my masseuse in and apologise profusely for all the stairs and the lingering curry smell (I'd spent the afternoon making one). I find myself wanting to apologise for the general state of my flat too but I imagine she's seen worse. In fact, I imagine the most interesting part of the job must be seeing so many different homes.

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After the massage table is set up, I'm asked to perform a few simple movements so we can work out where my body is stiff and what I'd like her to work on.

I then choose one of three different oils (I went for lavender).

Next, she leaves the room and I get naked in my living room and just pray the neighbours over the road don't look out of their windows.

She comes back into the room and asks if I have any music. "Oh shit," I think to myself. I have no music. We cannot do this in silence, surely. Fortunately, she has music and simply plays it from her phone.

And then the massage commences. It was hard, but good - I hate a massage that feels about the same as someone lightly wafting a feather over your body.

Apparently I have a really tight neck, which I did not know.

At one point she asks me if I do sport. "I dabble," I say. She says she can tell I exercise. And I am well chuffed (even though she may say that to every client).

At the start of the massage I notice the birds singing outside. Halfway through, I hear the heavens open and as it chucks it down outside, it feels all the more relaxing to be inside having a massage. Through my own stupidity, my phone also buzzes a couple of times so do be sure to put yours on 'do not disturb' mode, pals.

And all too soon, it's over. I re-dress. My delightfully polite masseuse insists on washing up her water glass. She folds up the table and off she goes! And I am left feeling delightfully zen.

My body feels a bit like it's had a workout, but in the best way.

Whilst not as relaxing as being in an actual spa - I did find it harder to switch off - it somehow did feel extra luxurious having a spa treatment come directly to my door. When you think about it that way, it's pretty awesome.

My massage was compliments of Urban Massage but my blog post is completely honest, promise.

Bottomless Bucks Fizz and brilliant brunch at Timmy Green, Victoria

Up until six months ago, I worked in Victoria. Now I've got a new job and am based in Kensington. But in the six months since I changed jobs, Victoria has suddenly blossomed in to a foodie hotspot. I mean, seriously?!

It's all down to the opening of the Nova building which has attracted a whole host of brilliant eateries. And as soon as I found out about Timmy Green I was desperate to pay them a visit. Plus I hadn't brunched in a whole two weeks so was craving my fix.

I've realised that brunch seems to have replaced afternoon tea in my life. I'm totally still down for three tiers of deliciousness, don't get me wrong, but - the millennial cliché that I am - I bloody love brunch.

And guys, Timmy Green has made it into my top three brunch spots in London I think. For reals.

I absolutely loved the vibe - floor-to-ceiling windows, two levels, plants on the ceiling, neon signs - it's bright, fun and chilled. There were fresh flowers on every table and even a very talented singer/guitar player when we visited. It was also packed.

Oh, and there's prosecco on tap so what more could you want really?

My dear friend Tasha and I decided we'd indulge and go for the bottomless brunch which entails two courses and two hours of Bucks Fizzes or prosecco (and you can switch between the two).

I was a big fan of the presentation of the Bucks Fizzes and they were freshly-made each time - whilst at some bottomless prosecco brunch spots you end up getting sloshed because the staff top up your glass before you've even drunk half, at Timmy Green it's a slightly classier affair.

They also have a cracking cocktail menu so I'm going to have to go back to make the most of that for sure.

For our first courses, we shared the banana bread and the granola.

Warm, squidgy, moist banana bread with light mascarpone cream, fresh berries and honey. It was huge, stodgy and oh-so-delicious.

Homemade maple granola, thick Greek yogurt, fresh berries, coconut flakes, honey, chia seeds, and flaked almonds. The granola was wonderfully crisp and there were chunky clusters too, which I loved. 

And to quote Tasha: "Cute plates." She was not wrong.

After a brief pause we were ready for our next courses - and let me tell you it was not an easy choice as the whole menu sounds amazing.

I ummed (my laptop just tried to correct that to bummed lol) and ahhed for a while but eventually settled on the broccoli and corn fritters. And chums, it was an excellent choice, if I do say so myself.

The fritters were fluffy and flavoursome, the avocado on top was the perfect ripeness, my egg was poached to perfection (just look at that yolk!) and I liked the courgette ribbon on the side too. I wasn't fussed about the chilli jam but that's just because I'm not a spicy gal.

I thoroughly recommend - unsurprisingly - getting a side of halloumi.

It was a rather inspired addition to the dish IMHO. Unfortunately our halloumi was actually forgotten but it didn't take long for the v friendly staff to bring it out.

As I reached three-quarters of the way through my meal, I was so full, but it was so delicious I just couldn't stop. I know there's no judgement here.

Tasha went for the avocado on charcoal bread served with homemade labneh, dukkah and spinach.

Weirdly enough, you can opt to add an egg to the dish (as you can see above), but Tasha didn't ask for one because she doesn't like eggs. So we weren't sure what happened there but hey - two eggs for Rachel!

I was really intrigued to try the charcoal bread as I'd never had it before. It was, well, rather like regular bread, but with a slightly smokier flavour. I liked it.

The trouble was - especially sans egg - the ratio of bread to toppings was a bit off, Tasha found.

But all the food was exceptionally delicious and the quality was brilliant. It's classic brunch food, with slightly creative twists. I may have just found my new fave brunch spot...

Tasha and I were guests at Timmy Green but all opinions are of course our own.

Brunch at Smith & Wollensky, London

A steak restaurant might be a slightly rogue choice for brunch, but stick with me, I think you might be swayed.

Smith & Wollensky is an American steakhouse but they opened their first branch across the pond almost two years ago. Just off the Strand, it's a brilliant central location but it's unlikely you'd have walked past.

From the outside, it looks like it's been dropped straight out of New York, and the interior is similarly cool.

Elegant and stylish with the most wonderful 20s vibe, I couldn't help but imagine how fabulous a spot Smith & Wollensky would be for a party.

I was there for brunch with my dear friend Caroline - we hadn't seen each other for months so had a hell of a lot of catching up to do, and Smith & Wollensky provided the ideal setting.

Despite them not being on the drinks menu, our craving for Buck's Fizzes was gladly satisfied.

I do love a Buck's Fizz.

As someone who actually doesn't like steak (please don't hate me), I was originally concerned that Smith & Wollensky would have nothing for me. But I was wrong, chums. Boy, was I wrong.

Helloooooo, burger!

Dayum, this was an exceptional burger. As one would expect from a fine steak restaurant, the quality was noticeably higher than your average high street burger joint. It was just so buttery!

Caroline went for the signature steak sandwich and loved it.

Oh, and by this point I'd moved on to a bellini and highly enjoyed its pinkness.

Alongside our burgers we shared some hashed brown potatoes.

It wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was utterly delicious.

And purely for the sake of health...

A spot of salad. Which was, ya know, salad.

Then we sat and chatted and explored the restaurant and generally digested our huge, meaty meals.

A little while later, we decided we could go for another bellini and Buck's Fizz. We placed our order, but a few minutes later the bartender came over and said he didn't want to make them.

Um, what? Why wouldn't he make our drinks?

Well, he said they were boring and he wanted to make something more exciting.  Now, I always trust a bartender so was happy to go with it...

We were duly brought two Old Cubans - like the lovechild of champagne and a mojito, it was ace. Did you know the drink was invented by a woman called Audrey Sanders? Well it was.

And by this point we were ready for something sweet. Don't try and tell me multiple courses for brunch isn't a thing. It's totally a thing.

 For Caroline, a rather ridiculously epic stack of blueberry pancakes.

 So fluffy and thick! Proper American pancakes.

Because I am powerless to resist, I went for the sticky toffee pudding.

Less American, equally delicious.

Ohhhhh it was so so very tasty. There's nothing worse than a dry sticky toffee, and this was far from it.

The staff and service had been absolutely delightful throughout and the food was, quite frankly, faultless. Quote Caroline: "Everything was delicious."

I'll definitely be going back (maybe for a Great Gatsby-themed party..?).

Caroline and I were guests at Smith & Wollensky but all opinions are honest.