Three Places to Brekkie This Month

Dickie Fitz in Fitzrovia

If you follow me on Instagram (or any social media, for that matter) you will know that I have three main obsessions: puppies, flowers and, last but not least, brunch.

Brunch is the most important made-up meal of the day, and it's big business in London. After all, what else is there to do on a Sunday morning?

I had every intention to post this at the beginning of February but life got in the way, so here you have it: three brunch spots to try this month (okay, two brunch, one brekkie), three weeks later than planned.

Better late than never, right?

SW Eats: Queenswood Battersea

Photo @SWfashion_

Every now and again, a restaurant comes along that truly has it all. Scrumptious food, clever cocktails, a relaxed atmosphere – some dinner spots simply tick all the boxes and the latest addition to my list comes with the added bonus of being just around the corner. Five stars to Queenswood!

Set up by those behind Soho's popular Damson & Co, Queenswood is a neighbourhood restaurant so good, you may be tempted to move closer. Located in Battersea Square, it's a pocket of continental loveliness moments from Clapham Junction station; go on a warm summer's evening and you'll soon feel the charm, watching the sun set with a glass of rosé in hand, surrounded by really-really-ridiculously-good-looking locals.

London Rooftops: Storeys

Image from Storeys' Facebook Page

London has no shortage of rooftop spots, but do you know what we are lacking? Decent places to drink in West London. Sure, I love a good Sally Cinnamon at The Portobello Star or an al fresco Aperol spritz on Westbourne Grove, but there's a real gap in the market for casual places with a more chilled-out vibe. Well, there was until Storeys arrived.

Just My Type = Archetype

Image from Instagram @archetypenapa

Everybody knows I love a good brunch.* In fact, the only people in the world who could possibly like brunch more than me are Americans – they can't get enough of the stuff and, let's be honest here, nobody does it better.

I, like every other basic bitch in the land, have a few top brunch spots in the world: Brickwood Clapham is number one, primarily due to proximity but also because their avo toast tastes much better than skinny feels; Holybelly in Paris is a close second and the latest addition to the list is Archetype in Napa.

Guilt Free Feasting: Ethos Review

I love nothing more than a good veggie restaurant- I would happily go meat free Monday to Sunday if I could afford to eat out every night. Experimental, exciting and packed full of flavour; today's veggie options are a million miles from plates of insipid steamed carrots and gelatinous tofu.

London has always been abundant in vegetarian restaurants, but the veggie food boom is arguably the best bi-product of the capital's wellness wave. Now, even the most ferocious of meat eaters could be tempted to veg out.

Of all the new openings worth raving about, my favourite is Ethos. On paper, it sounds hellish- it’s just by Oxford Circus, it has curry and arancini on the same menu and it is self-service- but in reality, Ethos is heaven.

The Chic List

Image from Skandilicious

From Monday morning cosies to tempt you out of bed through to warm-and-fuzzy Friday night funsies, here are a few of my favourite things for the week ahead.

A Pretty Plateful

There is much more to healthy eating than crudites and cold pressed juicing. While working on my final major project, a magazine combining health and fashion content, I have come to appreciate how exciting and diverse healthy eating can be. It is not just for budding Gwyneths or yummy mummies, nor is it just for those with pockets deep enough to splurge on 'superfood' powders and organic veg. It also isn't as London-centric as most would think.

Healthy eating is actually very easy to do, regardless of your age, location and occupation. It is just about making clever choices and allowing yourself enough time to prepare lighter meals at home. I  look to the Deliciously Ella app for balanced tasty meals, but I am also rather smitten with The Detox Kitchen.

Lily Simpson founded The Detox Kitchen in order to design and deliver meals that are as delicious as they are nutritious. Lily started off by working with chefs and nutritionists to create a range of calorie-controlled meal plans to deliver directly to her clients across London. Reacting to the restrictive nature of traditional "diets" or "cleanses", the daily packages are not ridiculously low calorie and are far more manageable than juice cleanses. They also taste great.