This weekend in London

Summer is here!

If the weather forecast is to be believed we are expecting a scorching weekend here in London. Perfect for getting out there and seeing all the wonderful things we can do in this city.

Here is Lanky Girl’s picks of what you should do this weekend.

Sales, Sales, Sales!

Looking for an excuse to buy something new for yourself. Well you can now! With sale prices up to 60% off in some shops you are bound to find a bargain. Here is a list of some of the best sales this weekend.

Selfridges summer sale

Until Sun Jul 10, 400 Oxford St, W1A 1AB

Harrods summer sale

Until Sun Jul 10, 87-135 Brompton Rd, SW1X 7XL

Start summer sale

Until Fri Jul 15, 42-44 Rivington St, EC2A 3QP

Cath Kidston summer sale

Until Fri Jul 15, 28-32 Shelton St, WC2H 9JE

 

Portobello Fine Foods Market 

I love markets. I love the smell of fresh bread wafting around, tasting new treats and discovering weird and wonderful culinary delights to share with my friends. This weekend get down to the Portobello Fine Foods Market and check out lovely organic and free range produce from home grown traders.

Portobello Fine Foods Market – Every Fri & Sat,  10 am-5 pm Sun, 10 am-4 pm

Address: 4-8 Acklam Road W10 5TY

Nearest tube: Notting Hill Gate

 

Soho Food Feast

A foodie fundraiser to raise funds for Soho Parish primary school.

“This event will bring West End restaurants, clubs and bars together to enjoy a day in one of Soho’s precious green spaces and to raise money for the children”.

Some of London’s top chefs will be offering visitors the chance to taste high quality, delicious food from around the world. Look out for chefs from HIX, Michelin starred St John and Polpetto.

The Soho Food Feast will be held at St. Anne’s Church Garden, Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1D 6AF, Saturday 25th June 2011, 1pm till 6pm. Tickets are available online for £6.50 or at the Soho Parish School for £4. Children under 12 go free. More information at their website.

 

Weekend Festival Fun

Greenwich And Docklands International Festival 

Calling all East londoners! This free arts festival will be returning to your doorstep. The G & D festival covers Greenwich to Woolwich and Canary Wharf to Mile End. It is your chance to experience  outdoor street theatre, dance and will be great fun for the whole family.

From 24th june – 6th July

For more information download the plan here 

 

 

 

 

Team Green Britain Bike Week

the beautiful juliett

So if you havebeen following me on twitter you will know that last week I purchased a lovely red Viva Juliett Dutch style bike. Every day since I purchased it I have been taking my new love out for a spin around the roads where I live. I have to say so far she has been a pleasure to ride and gathers compliments everywhere I go.

What I didn’t realise until yesterday was that this week is actually Team Green Britain Bike Week. It is a nationwide initiative to encourage more people to get back on the saddle. All over the country people have been taking part in organised rides and other cycling events. It all ends on the 26th so there is still time to take part in many of the events happening around the city.

Here are two that I think will be especially good fun.

Friday, 24 June

The 7th Glamour Ride

Ride difficulty: Easy

Who says cycling is all lycra, sweat and bad hair days? Not us! Join us for this infamous fun ride – full details at glamour-ride.org.uk.

Time: 7.00pm – 10.00pm

Location: south end of the Green Bridge, Mile End Park

Contact: Betty

07973 815198

Saturday, 25 June

Richmond Park Ride

Ride difficulty: Easy

Distance: 20 miles

Ride crosstown to Richmond Park. Picnic/nibbles if good weather! Ride/train back.

Time: 10.00am – 6.00pm

Location: south end of the Green Bridge, Mile End Park

Contact: Rob

07973 815198

For more information about events please visit http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/

Daily Distraction – Charlotte Olympia Shoes

 

A girl has a right to love shoes! Charlotte Olympia is the child of Charlotte Dellal. She is a graduate of Cordwainers and the sister to London IT girl and model Alice Dellal. Her designs are inspired by the glamour of the nineteen forties and are popular because unique and eyecatching shapes. These shoes are worth saving those pennies for! Santa?

 

Charlotte Olympia is a favourite with many celebrities including, Emma Watson, Sarah jessica Parker and Olivia Palermo.

 

 

Cheats recipe – Strawberry Marscapone Tart

I have been obsessed with making a Strawberry Marscapone Tart for the last few weeks after tasting Marscapone cupcakes last month. If your are anything like me you like cooking but baking seems like hard work! Then this recipe will help you create something that your friends will be impressed by.

Ingredients:

 1 Sweet Tart Case

 I cheated a little and bought mine from M&S  for £2.25

Tart Filling

1 large free-range egg, separated

1 tbsp caster sugar

 250g/9oz mascarpone cheese

2 drops vanilla essence

250g/9oz fresh strawberries, hulled, thinly slices

1.For the filling, place the egg yolk into a bowl with the caster sugar and whisk together.

2.Add the mascarpone and beat until thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla essence.

3.In a separate bowl, beat the egg white with a clean whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Gently fold the egg white into the mascarpone mixture.

4.Remove the biscuit case from the fridge. Spoon the mascarpone mixture into the biscuit case and gently smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the mascarpone.

5.Transfer to the fridge and chill. Remove the tart from the fridge 20 minutes before serving.

Voila! a lovely dessert that you can pretend took you ages 🙂

Recipe adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/strawberrymascarpone_88973

Roof top Bars London

The sun is shining, the weather is sweet and you want to move your dancing feet! Or maybe you just want to chill out with a cool glass of champagne and look out at the beautiful London skyline. Well you are in luck, I have searched high and low for London’s best rooftop bars and pubs. See Below.

Vista – Rooftop Bar at the Trafalgar Hotel

The Trafalgar Hotel in Central London is popular with celebrities and London’s trendy folk. Vista is its roof top bar and this summer they have doubled the size to accommodate up 180 people. To accompany the Mediterranean themed bar you can enjoy ambient and chill out tunes. Of course you can also enjoy views of Trafalgar Square and other iconic landmarks from Big Ben to the London Eye. Great for an after dinner drink or for a group of friends wanting to try somewhere new. Vista is open 7 days a week with a £5 pound entry fee. Although £1 of your entry fee will be donated to Cancer Research.

The Boundary – Rooftop

The Boundary Rooftop bar in trendy Shoreditch is the place where hipsters go to be seen. The large bar has seating that surrounds a large fireplace, a 48 restaurant attached and a gorgeous little garden. The rooftop is accessed through a separate lift and you can enjoy panoramic views of Canary Wharf, round to the City’s Gherkin and Barbican, and back again to the rooftops and spires of East London. The bar also includes a large sail-like canopy, heating, festoon lighting and Welsh blankets.

Queen of Hoxton  rooftop 

Also in Shoreditch is the Queen Of Hoxton Club and rooftop bar, which now also will be hosting its own film nights.

The Queen’s “Victorian-garden inspired roof” holds up to 200, is fully decked and has a well stocked bar serving summer cocktails, draught beer and cider. The rooftop is open five days a week and after the sun goes down the real fun begins when the roof top film club opens. Lie back and watch old favourites like The Lost boys and Labyrinth on a large screen with wireless headphones. On “chick flick Tuesdays” get the girls together for a bit Bridget Jones. For film listings, tickets and further information visit http://www.rooftopfilmclub.com/

Aqua Spirit Rooftop Terrace

Aqua, just off Oxford Circus. Cafe del Mar type of music, great wines and amazing cocktails. Aqua screams exclusivity and it’s clientale is the glamorous and well-heeled. With beautiful views of Central London’s skyline and with its exotic cocktail offerings, Aqua is a great place to take someone who you want to impress.

Kensington Roof Gardens

Kensington Roof Gardens is undoubtably the king of roof gardens.  Enjoy one and a half acres of themed gardens, situated on the 6th floor some one hundred feet above Kensington High Street.  Take your pick  from one the areas; traditional English, formal Spanish and Tudor to enjoy a cocktail under the summer sun.

Free-for-all-to-attend Lovestruck Laissez Faire Drinks – Review

So yesterday a friend and I made our way to Shoreditch for the Lovestruck London’s mass mingle of singles in the Hoxton Pony. My friend had convinced me that this would be different from other singles events, as there would be no silly games to be played or speed dates. The way that it works is, that if you are single and don’t mind being approached you take a red straw for your drink. We got there around 6.30pm and the bar was fairly quiet, looking around it seemed to be mostly women. Oh dear.. I thought, guess its going to be short dip in the pool then. We got our cocktails, sat down and an hour later the bar was packed!

Looking around we didn’t see many red straws about. Maybe most of the people there were afraid to take one as we were haha! Most of the men there I have to say were either in their  late 30’s or simply not to our tastes but it was interesting to watch the unfolding connections around us. We did see two guys who I’ve nicknamed tag team, who spent the night helping each other to collect numbers. So all in all it wasn’t a bad night. I think that I would go again and it does seem like a cool, low key way to meet people. Maybe next time I will have the courage to pick up a red straw.