Brünch in Bed this Weekend!

Nope, not trying to be all fancy with the umlaut: brünch, the über-cool (sorry!) Berlin brünch pop-up founded by my super-talented friend, Noemi, is delivering their famous Berlin-inspired spreads to London homes across Zones 1 - 3 via EatFirst.

So you can have all of this:

And even this:

Delivered to your door. Which means you could (if you wanted to - I know I would!) eat it in bed. Prosecco and Bloody Marys** available too (**order a "Virgin Mary" on the EatFirst app along with a bottle of Our/London vodka to make your own - EatFirst will provide the pickles, cucumber, and celery!).

I'm just gonna let that sit out there for a minute.

Udita and I sampled the menu last weekend at The Little Yellow Door in Notting Hill and it was - you guys - it was epic. It's also wholesome, healthy, (mostly) vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

From open-face sandwiches piled thick with avocado, beetroot, and butternut squash to rote grütze, a delicious German red fruit compote, this brünch + EatFirst collaboration is one of the best little luxuries you could wish for on a Saturday morning.

Here were my favorites:

'The Berliner' - which consists of "sliced smoked cheeses, French Brie, Cumin Gouda, German pepper salami, tender smoked pork loin (Kassler), Berlin fleischsalat,  egg, and celeriac remoulade (so good!) accompanied by fresh fruits, pickles and a selection of artisan sourdough and bread rolls".

I loved picking at this - I could totally picture myself taking it out into our garden (when it's finally overhauled this summer - fingers crossed!) and enjoying it on a warm summer's morning with a cafetiere of fresh coffee.

Sourdough topped with quark, almond butter and banana, drizzled with honey and topped with chia granola and thyme. I'm not even kidding when I say that I preferred this over my usual brunch favorites, French toast and waffles. It satisfied my sweet tooth AND is delivered pre-sliced, which means I don't even have to get out a knife and fork. L. A. Z. Y. This is something ideal to have in bed with a mug of tea balanced on a tray/nightstand.

Smoked mackerel paté with fresh horseradish, grated gala apples, créme fraiche and lemon juice served with that delicious celeriac remoulade and - here's the clincher - artisan rye bread. I probably wouldn't eat this in bed because I'm clumsy as heck and would probably end up dropping mackerel onto our White Company sheets, but I'd definitely take this out in the garden to split with John, as he'd be a big fan. It feels so fancy and indulgent to have this for breakfast/brunch!

I also loved the rote grütze as a little dessert. It's topped with sour cherries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, so that counts as my five-a-day, right?

Also featured on the menu are roasted butternut squash and feta sliders, avocado and beetroot sliders, and the (stunningly visual) goat's cheese and strawberry sliders - all made with thick slices of rustic sourdough.

Noemi gave sweet explanations of each item on the menu before offering us bottomless glasses of prosecco and Bloody Marys. Also: can we just stop for a second and appreciate how beautiful she is in this photo (and IRL)? Everytime I speak to Noemi, I'm enthralled and inspired by her enthusiasm for cooking and creating. Have a look at brünch's festival line-up this year, if you don't believe me.

After sampling every option on the brünch/EatFirst menu, I knew we had to order it to our door. The great news? No, the best news? Delivery starts tomorrow.

You're welcome.

Udita and I were generously hosted by brünch and EatFirst - thank you! Download the EatFirst app to see if they deliver brünch to you. The brünch menu launches this Saturday, May 14th. Happy brünching!

Just Did.

You know, I spend a lot of time on the internet looking at beautiful things, buying beautiful things, and pining after beautiful things. I spend a lot of time admiring other people's work, wishing I could produce such emotive writing; wishing I could take a photo that was worthy of enlarging into a poster-sized, frameable piece of art to be hung over my bed; wishing I could get an article published in this or that magazine.

Then, the other day, I was doing my usual pining after someone else's work (in this case, it was a  photograph of the beach) when I thought, 'Hey, wait a minute. I just came back from the beach. I took some nice photos at the beach. Hang on, let me - yep, they're more than nice, they're actually really good.' So, I ordered a poster-sized print to frame and put over my bed. I plan to lie there, looking up every morning, and think: 'That's my own damn photograph hanging over my own damn bed.' Yup.

Because why? Because I'm good enough. Because I'm capable of creating something that even I would pay money for.

This was a revelation.

Why did it take me so long to figure out?

It was always:

I want to start a business, but ... I don't have enough experience. I don't know what I'm doing.

I want to pitch an article to this magazine, but ... they probably get thousands of submissions every day. My writing isn't good enough. It's not precise enough, not witty enough.

I want to frame some of my photos, but ... they were edited in VSCOCam, not Photoshop, which is still sitting unopened on my counter at home.

And then I see someone do ALL these things and the results are half of what I could have achieved. And I'm all, "Oh my gosh, I could have done a much better job!" The difference? They had a shit-ton of self-belief and the audacity to just do it. And for them, it wasn't a matter of "could have done", it was a matter of "just did". That self-belief goes a long way. It goes a long way in convincing other people (people like me) that you can do it - despite all those "buts" above.

After that, I gave myself permission to believe in myself. Because if I don't do it, who will?

So, here it goes: I am an excellent writer. I am a fantastic photographer. I have a great eye for interior design. I am a talented musician. I am a "creative" (thank you, thank you, thank you, Rebecca Pitts for believing in me enough to refer to me as one in this article).

Now, your turn.

Interior Inspiration: Market Baskets (Plus, A Giveaway!)

When we were in France (I promise to stop using that as a conversation piece soon, I promise!), everyone carried a market basket to the Marché des Capucins - it looked so chic and so very French! I nearly bumped into someone carefully placing a punnet of bright red strawberries into his basket, which was already overflowing with leeks, fennel, and carrots WITH THE GREEN BITS ON THE TOP (you'd only feel my excitement on this one if you spend your time buying vegetables which come pre-packaged in cellophane wrapping).

I decided that I wanted one, then got a little depressed at the notion of taking it to my neighborhood Co-op/Tesco. But we do have a village market every Saturday, so I thought I could take it there and return with a wedge of fancy cheese and artisanal bread to enjoy with the bottles of wine we brought back from Saint-Emilion.

When I discovered that Postcards Home stocked this handwoven Moroccan market basket by Bohemia (along with a lot of other beautiful homeware and accessories), I was ecstatic.

Not only is it great for shopping and picnics, but it also makes a wonderful little storage basket for our house. I know that the founder of Postcards Home, Lucy, uses hers for storing wrapping paper but I like to throw things like towels, blankets, and magazines in mine. It's easy to forget that storage can be functional and attractive at the same time!

Alongside homeware, stationery, and gifts for children, Postcards Home also stocks a beautiful selection of accessories. I'm super excited to be hosting a giveaway for a gorgeous piece of brass jewellery from South India over on my Instagram account! All you have to do is follow me (@angloyankophile) and Postcards Home (@instapostcardshome) and either tag a friend in the comments under my photo of the giveaway or repost the photo to your account. The winner will be randomly selected on Friday, May 13th.

Good luck! And happy browsing.

p.s. this pretty, nautical-inspired quilt and these gorgeous cups - in case you're looking for gift ideas!

My pretty market basket was generously provided to me by Postcards Home, whose products I love and adore. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Angloyankophile!

Soda Folk: It Floats My Boat

Root beer was a firm staple in my American household. We had a specific, oversized glass mug reserved for root beer floats, which my dad would make for me after dinner: two scoops of vanilla ice cream, root beer filled up to the brim with a long spoon and straw stuck in the middle. I'd sit at the dinner table, my legs dangling off the chair as I swirled mixed the two together to make one, delicious iced treat.

When I moved to London nearly a decade ago, root beer didn't exist. Or, it wasn't readily available. So when Byron came on to the burger scene and started serving it on their menus, I was ecstatic. Today, they stock Soda Folk root beer and cream soda (another beverage from my American childhood) - a company with its roots in Colorado and one that was founded by an American expat like me.

I love Soda Folk's root beer because, unlike other brands on the market, it's made in small batches using natural ingredients and sweetened with cane sugar. If you've never tried root beer before, it's the best place to start: Soda Folk's cans have a lovely, maple syrup finish that lingers on the tongue long after you've taken the last swig.

After a dizzying week at work, my friend Caroline and I headed to Byron for burgers and - you guessed it - root beer and cream soda.

I'm often asked about my favorite burger in London. Fair question, since a lot of American chains have now opened in the city and other burger joints have their own cult following (and special sauces). But my friend (and fellow American expat) Jodi and I have always loved the burgers at Byron. They're simple, well made, and the staff always give me extra pickles when I ask (nicely!). Pickles that are cold, tangy, crisp, and satisfyingly crunchy - just like the ones back home.

Case in point (I'll ask for one and will normally get three or four):

I order the same thing every time I go to Byron: cheeseburger (with American cheese and extra pickles), a side of fries and a Soda Folk root beer. And it always hits the spot.

After we polished off our burgers, we headed straight for the root beer and cream soda floats. As I stirred the ice cream into my soft drink, it brought back so many memories of sharing the dessert with my dad before his diabetes prevented him from having any sweets at all. It made me a little teary!

The taste of Soda Folk's root beer makes me feel like I'm getting a little slice of "home". It's comforting and familiar.

Have you ever tried root beer or cream soda? What did you think? John doesn't like it! I prefer it to any other kind of pop (yup, I said "pop" - I'm from the Pacific Northwest! Here's a handy and hilarious map that explains it all!). I'm thinking that I should keep a supply at home. Anyway, if you haven't tried it, I'd highly recommend popping down (pun intended) to your local Byron for a burger and a root beer float. Let me know what you think!

Caroline and I were generously hosted by Byron and Soda Folk - thank you! All opinions are my own.

Interior Inspiration: 5 Tips For the Perfect "Shelfie"

We're still waiting for bookshelves to be installed in our living room, but when they're finally up, I'll be going all sorts of shelfie-crazy ... I'm all about that rainbow book organizing trend! In the meantime, I've been preoccupied with decorating the ladder shelves we bought from The Futon Company when we moved in. I love them! And if you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of changing what I display on them once in a while, depending on my mood.

Here are five tips for recreating some of my favorite "shelfie" looks:

Add depth. 

Use a framed print, photograph, or book cover as a "backdrop" for your shelf before placing other items in front. It adds interest to the shelf and prevents it from looking too neat and tidy. I've amassed quite a lot of books during my 8-year career in book publishing, so I've got a rotation of beautiful books to use as decorative pieces (after I've read them!). I love this one featuring photographs shot by Joanna Neurath at Columbia Road Flower Market, published by Hoxton Mini Press - one of my favorite indie publishers.

Add greenery.

Mini cacti and succulents are perfect for displaying on shelves. I move our plants around a lot, so sometimes I'll take the terrarium that's downstairs in the dining room and display it on the ladder shelf in the guest bedroom when someone's staying over. Or, I'll trim the stems of a few lingering roses from an old bouquet and put them in a small glass or candle jar until their leaves start dropping. I love the look of fresh flowers in my house so much that I've considered investing in some of these high-end artificial blooms from Abigail Ahern. I visited her shop in Heal's and the flowers look so incredibly real!

Switch it up.

I like to think of my shelves as window displays: they reflect my mood and might have a theme, according to the season. Sometimes I'll style a shelf using particular objects before putting them away and featuring different items a few weeks later! Around Christmas-time, I used this wreath that I made at a Geo-Fleur workshop on the top shelf. It made the room feel festive and cozy. 

Make it personal.

One of my favorite items on our ladder shelf which never moves is my original wedding bouquet. I somehow kept it intact and it survived the move with us to Walthamstow. I'm looking for a new mini-vase at the moment as this vintage Portmeirion pitcher is just a tad too small, but I love the fact that I've kept it this whole time. It reminds me of the wonderful day we eloped!

Make it practical. 

Shelves are for storage, after all. I like to fold our guest towels into thirds so that they fit perfectly on our ladder shelf. That way, they're always ready for guests, I don't have to hunt them down, and they're on the lower shelf, near the floor, so they add a soft touch that's appropriate for the bedroom.


How do you style your shelves or windowsills at home? I'd love to know! 

A Swedish Seafood Feast With the Founders of EatAbout: The New Way to Eat Out

Last week, I went to a stranger's flat for dinner, ate fresh crab caught the day before, got locked in the bathroom, didn't get home until midnight - and had the best time I'd had in a long while. The event? A seafood feast hosted by the co-founders of EatAbout, Philip Kallberg and Felix Braberg.

But wait! Before you yawn and say, "Been there, done that. Isn't this just another supperclub?" EatAbout isn't your average supperclub. Instead of being shoved into a room with randoms and forced to make awkward conversation on the edge of a communal table, EatAbout is ideal for enjoying a private dinner in a chef's home with a bunch of your closest friends or family. And that's exactly what Thursday night felt like: sitting around the table with six foodie friends I hadn't seen in ages and chatting up a storm over Chef Felix's delicious family recipes.

Instead of going to a noisy restaurant or pub, we treated the flat as if it were our own for the next few hours, plonking our bags down on the couch, mistaking the closet for a bathroom (me), getting accidentally locked in the bathroom (me, again) until Felix's reassuring voice called out, "Don't worry - this happens ALL the time!" as everyone else laughed at me when I returned to the table, red-faced.

The menu that evening was inspired by Philip's and Felix's Swedish heritage, though we started the three-course meal with a Peruvian ceviche amuse bouche and a glass of champagne. It was so delicious, I kept going back for seconds. And thirds. And fourths. Plus, Philip and Felix were so easy going and welcoming, I'd forgotten that we only just met and started chatting to them like they were good friends!

Between courses, Felix emerged from the kitchen to tell us a little bit about the next course and we were able to ask him anything. When he and Philip first started EatAbout, they used to stand outside their flat inviting passerbys upstairs for a £5 steak lunch! We laughed. Some people took them up on their offer, but I'm not sure I would have - would you? It sounded way too good to be true!

But back to the food. Our starter was an impressive platter of dressed crabs with three different seasonal dressings, including melted butter (which always tastes amazing with seafood) and a refreshing cucumber and vinegar dressing, which was my favorite.

The main course was a fragrant, creamy saffron fish soup which is the perfect kind of soup to curl up on a couch with - plus, it was so cold outside that day, we needed something to warm our stomachs!

Just when I thought I couldn't fit anything else in, Felix appeared from the kitchen with a recipe he found from his grandma's attic: caramelized apples with rosemary (magical combination, if you haven't tried it before!) and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect dessert to end the evening with. And when I looked down at my watch, I was shocked by the time: 10:30 pm! I'd had so much fun, I didn't notice that the sun had long disappeared and the sky was now pitch black.

I left Philip's and Felix's flat with a small box of homemade sweets and this adorable, personalized stone, which had been used as a place setting.

I loved all the personalised aspects of the evening - each menu had a sweet poem printed on the back written for each of us, and it was clear that Philip and Felix had visited our blogs before meeting us in person. It all felt very inclusive, laid back, and fun. We brought our own drinks (Felix recommended wines that would complement his menu) and we refilled our glasses as we chatted late into the night. There's even an option to customize the menus if you wish! I'd be eager to try another dinner at a different chef's home - I can see it being something my friends and I would love to do together.

Great news! EatAbout is offering Angloyankophile readers a £10 discount off any booking - just use the code GOEATABOUT. I'm thinking that this would be fun for a birthday or a spring/summer get-together with friends.

Huge thanks to EatAbout, Philip and Felix for hosting me. All opinions are my own.

Travel Link-Up: Learning How To Share Less

Before I became a "travel blogger", I just, um, travelled. I didn't have a Twitter or Instagram account (heck, I didn't even have an iPhone) and I took a picture when I wanted to - not because I thought it would be "shareable content" (gross). My life was a hashtag-free zone.

But then - and I can't exactly pinpoint when the shift happened - I suddenly had a few more readers. I started sharing my posts on social media and they were shared, and my writing got a little bit of attention from people other than my mom (no offense, Mom).

It made me happy. I liked being part of this community of travel enthusiasts. I'd always wanted to be a travel writer and this blog allowed me to do just that - without any pressure or pitches or expectations or rejections.

But slowly, that's exactly what happened with my blog. I started pitching to a hypothetical audience (that's you). I asked myself before writing a caption, composing a tweet, or pressing "publish" on a post - would you read this? Would you like it? Like it enough to leave a comment? Like it enough to share?

I'd be lying if I said that I wrote this blog just for myself. Sometimes, I feel like I only write it for you. So, I started obsessing over what you would want to read. What your reaction would be. What would annoy you or make you laugh or make you think. It made (still makes) me anxious and paranoid and insecure.

My vacations became all about taking photos and pre-planning blog posts (which I wrote about here). I was anything but relaxed. I was on my phone all the time and ignoring my poor husband, who simply wanted to enjoy where he was - and whom he was with.

So, before we landed in Bordeaux, I decided to do something a little different: I would take any photos I wanted to at the beginning of a meal or a hotel stay, then put my camera away for the rest of the time and give myself half an hour or so in the evening to post any images I felt like sharing.

It made all the difference. I could fully focus on savouring the flavours on my plate, or taking in my surroundings and chatting with my husband, instead of being pre-occupied with getting the right angle or light for a photo and saying, "Yep, mmm hmm," as I uploaded another photo to Instagram or Twitter.

As a result, I returned from Bordeaux feeling refreshed and inspired. The slow-living culture had appealed to me, sure, but more importantly, the self-control I practised helped me get the most out of our trip.

I'm not going to pretend that it solved all my problems. I'm still anxious. I still fret over which photo to take, which image to post, what words to share. I've just reduced that anxiety by a fraction. And that fraction has allowed me to remember why I write in the first place - not for you (sorry!), but for me. 

This month's travel link-up theme was "Travel Blogger Problems" - if you're a blogger, what tops your list? And if you're not a blogger, what do you think of it all? Have we become too preoccupied in documenting and sharing every aspect of our lives? Join in the discussion with hosts Angie, Emma, Jessi, and this month's guest host, Lauren.