Flat white.

Zara coat: £30 (similar). Oasis turtleneck top: £13.20. Marks & Spencer skirt: £17.50 (similar). Adidas Spezial: £27. Primark fedora: £7 (similar). Marks & Spencer bag: £43.

Flat White Soho, 17 Berwick Street, W1F 0PT

One a day. We all have our limits, and whether you apply it to apples or, as in my case, coffees, there's a reason you put these rules in place. I'll always be a tea girl at heart, but nothing starts the day wired right like a cup of the good stuff - just don't let me have any more than absolutely necessary else I'll be talking your head off all day. As I'm starting a new job soon (more on that later), I'll be missing out on my weekly free Starbucks, but it's giving me plenty of opportunities to find more independent, tax-paying establishments to get my caffeine from. When oop norf, it's super easy to find local cafés which are A+ at their specialities as they line every street outside of the main shopping concourse (check out Independent Liverpool, Birmingham and Sheffield for knowledgable insider tips from the people in the know), but when it comes to London every lunchtime starts with "shall we just go to Pret?". Thankfully, my pals at CitizenM got in touch and asked if I fancied trying out one of the coffee stops in their London city guide, and I was there quicker than you could say single shot latte.

I met up with photographer extraordinaire Amber (just look at her portfolio - the girl's got photography goals written all over her) for a catch up before I head off on my Northern adventures. On CitizenM's recommendation, we headed to Flat White on Berwick Street, just a little South of Oxford Street. While Amber opted for the place's eponymous drink, I went for a latte (yeah, yeah, leave it out) and we got some savoury treats to go with. I honestly couldn't fault the service, and the guys let us chat our hearts out for a good hour before we moved on (to Topshop, naturally). It's a nice little find, just far enough away from tacky souvenir shops to not be crowded, but close enough to the west end to make getting to your next meeting easy peasy.

Are you aware of any hidden gems I need to check out before I head off on my next adventure? I think I've got most of Shoreditch down, but would love to hear about any of your must-drinks!

CitizenM covered the costs of this lunch date, but all halloumi-decisions were my own.

Read more

The sweetest thing.

Asos french bulldog jumper (I KNOW): £22. Debenhams jeans. Cath Kidston ric rac mug. Look of pure sugar-enthused delight: c/o Bettys Tea Rooms.

Me and Bettys, we go waaay back. I have no photographic evidence - shock! horror! - but I visited back in 2011 when visiting my friend Sam in York for the first time. Having zero money as students with poor life choices (we went to Willow in York - need I say more?), we shared an afternoon tea for one downstairs in the St Helen's Square team room (on the map, above) and decided that was quite enough cute for the weekend. Fast forward four years and my days have been sorrowfully Bettys-free, until an email arrived in my inbox which I replied to quick enough to give me indigestion: Bettys was popping up in Islington for one day only.

As someone who actively avoids heading into town/into full-blown pollution clouds on the weekend, it was a welcome change to my usual trips on the train as I could amble along to meet Charlotte to take these photos before heading over to the venue. Popping to Bettys was like stepping into your best friend's; plenty of smiles and plenty of sweet treats. We started off the day by learning how to ice our own french fancies before prepping for the ultimate afternoon tea/flat lay situation. It was definitely more hands on than my previous Bettys experience, but who'd mind mucking in when there are mousse mice to be eaten? The sugar crush was warded off when I got home by getting changed into my new favourite jumper (two words: French. Bulldog.) and having a little read through the 'Who's Betty?' selection of short stories.

Because, if anything's my cup of tea, it's a good slice of cake (heh).

Read more

Now you gotta deal with this glitch on your shoulder.

Oasis parka: £20, sample sale. Textured jumper: c/o Warehouse. American Apparel circle skirt: £15, ebay (this is much cheaper). Vintage leather bag: £2.29, charity shop. Bally chelsea boots: £8, charity shop. Rotary watch: gift. Barry M Cardamom gelly nail varnish. Rimmel Kate Moss 107 lipstick.

Photos by Jazmine.

Ah, weekends, you can never quite tell what they'll bring. Last week involved east London pubs, searching for The Wall (illustrated above), new brunch locations and a whole lot of booty shaking - a pretty standard day off cocktail, am I right ladies? Sleepovers with j rox are never going to be your standard marshmallows and chick flick affair, after all.

Pre-meal (obviously), we managed to snag some outfit photos by a wall which serendipitously matched my outfit. Wearing my new Warehouse knit with my old favourite circle skirt, I didn't realise just how closely this outfit resembled one from this time last year - just with better lipstick.

If you're looking for somewhere new to nibble in SW London, I'd definitely recommend Ben's Canteen. All wooden tables and enamel plates, it's a blogger's dream, and the food isn't just nice to photograph it's also amazing to eat. I went for poached eggs with pulled pork which was, admittedly, a bit of an odd combination and I'd probably stick to something more classic next time, but it's all amazing quality and you get a free bloody mary for instagramming your meal, hence the gratuitous food photo on instagram which I'm not sorry about at all.

After a suitable amount of time to let that brunch go down (a tube ride is suitable, right?), we popped over to Tottenham Court Road for possibly the most hilarious gym class I've ever attended - and that does include the time I went to Zumba and lowered the average age by about thirty years. Jazmine had spotted a Nicki Minaj Anaconda dance class, and I thought, being your standard black ghetto chick, that it'd be fun to come along too. It's safe to say I won't be bringing that routine out on a Saturday night, but it sure was fun to learn them and add a few more moves to my repertoire! 

Taking the train back to Essex didn't quite result in a "quiet night in" (namely: it wasn't quiet, it wasn't in my house, although it was night, so 2/3 isn't too bad), but getting home home in the early hours and spending my Sunday spent between home and the gym made for the perfect way to round off the weekend. Now, to see how this one will end...

Read more

I'm covering my ears like a kid.

Dress: c/o Karma Clothing. Shoes: £76.50, Topshop. Denim jacket: £63, Hobbs. Sunglasses: £2, Primark. Bag: gift from Jazmine. Lipstick: MAC Ravishing.

It's got to the time of year when I really ought to throw my weight past Primark's selection of novelty sunglasses. Thankfully I didn't purchase the pair that would result in pink glittery flamingos adorning each of my eyeballs however much I wanted to, and instead went for trusty cateyes, after I ceremoniously sat on my last ones. RIP dotties, you served me well. To tone down the in your face nature of glittery frames, I paired them with my new dress, black accessories, and my trusty denim jacket. I love the fabric and know it'll be perfect to throw on in summer, but I'd recommend you size up as the proportions of this particular piece run a little small.

On a day when I looked distinctly less glam (I was wearing jeans, okay), I went for a wander Northwards to visit the football stadiums Liverpool is a little (okay, a lot) famous for. I'm not a football girl, I go to the odd match when I'm home (I live with an ardent Leyton Orient supporter and my dad has a season ticket for Arsenal, so I've inevitably had my fair share of half-time fish and chips), but I'm yet to write up a match review other than to ask "did you see that ludicrous display last night? What was Wenger thinking putting Walcott on that early?". Living in Scouseland may not have got me glued to telly every Saturday, but I have my allegiances and thought it was only about time to visit the grounds. I, of course, paid my respects at the Hillsborough memorial erected by the Shankly Gates, and loved all the international (and even Everton!) teams' scarves showing their support and solidarity. After our seven mile round walk, we headed back to central and treated ourselves to Shipping Forecast's two for one burger offer, which I couldn't recommend more. Why do I always find the best things at the last minute?!

Read more