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Where to Eat in London: Fabrique Swedish Bakery

Fabrique | Swedish Bakery Cafe | Hoxton | Website
– reservations not available –

Who would have thought that one of the best Swedish bakeries in London would be located in the railway arches underneath of Hoxton station? The setting is contemporary, and might seem a little odd, but ultimately adds character to the store. It’s also pretty easy to find – just exit Hoxton station and turn right, within less than a minute you will be gazing at Fabrique’s big red doors, ready for some Fika.

The artisanal bakery is the first outside of Stockholm, making Londoners very lucky indeed. Offering Swedish coffee by Johan & Nyström, and a large selection of buns, flapjacks, brownies, rolls and more you won’t be left lonely for choice. There are only a few tables to sit at, but most customers are on the go, so there’s usually the odd table to hijack with a friend or two. My friend and I visited on a Sunday afternoon around 3pm and whereas there were a few people sat at tables, we found a seat out front and enjoyed a Cardamon Bun and an Earl Grey tea with ease. It might seem odd that I choose a Cardamon Bun rather than Fabrique’s famous Cinnamon Bun, but actually I’d tried the latter before and wanted to try something new instead. Whereas their Cinnamon Buns have earned rave reviews, and I did enjoy mine, I loved the Cardamon Bun even more. I also now go back weekly for their sourdough rye rolls – honestly the best sourdough I’ve ever had. The staff are lovely, very helpful and always up for a chat.

Fika is open Tuesday-Sunday until 6pm.
You can find out more on their website, here.

 

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Tatty Devine Neon Elephant Necklace Workshop

The necklace we would create, in our own design

Working hard: After choosing our colour scheme and decorating with crystals we put it together ourselves
My final piece: Neon ombre with gold crystal eyed elephants

When I heard Tatty Devine were holding a workshop involving neon and elephants I was excited!
I love elephants, they’re such loyal, beautiful creatures and of course I’m addicted to neon right now.
Unfortunately though I found out too late to grab tickets, as they had all already sold out.

“So how did you go then?” I hear you all ask.
Well, that is all down to the lovely Charlotte from Tatty Devine.
She had seen my dismay publicly displayed on Twitter and saved me a ticket.
I feel sad that someone pulled out of the workshop, but I was very happy to be able to attend.
It was all very last minute, as in I didn’t know I would be going until the evening before.
Still, I jumped at the chance to go and said yes, of course!
The workshop was as fun as always, and the staff as welcoming.
The lovely assistants were there to make sure everyone got on ok, and didn’t poke an eye out.
Thankfully all eyes remained intact and we all learnt how to put together a necklace, a la Tatty Devine.
For my necklace I went for an ombre neon colour scheme, to compliment my teeny tiny elephants.
After the workshop ended we all spent our 10% off (complimentary when you attend a workshop).
I enjoyed walking around the store after everyone had left and chatting with the lovely ladies.
I even love the new collection so much that I had to take some photos for another post.
Keep an eye out on Tatty Devine’s event page for future workshops.
bloomzy /

Introducing: Finchittida Finch

A selection of my favourite pieces by Finchittida Finch

Finchittida Finch is certainly a brand name that draws your attention.
The twin design duo are the South East London based Lisa & Tida Finch.
Their handmade jewellery is inspired by their traditional Lao-British heritage.
With jewellery based on their hand-drawn illustrations, these two ladies are very talented.
The Monozygotic Collection
The amazing debut collection draws from their heritage, and is inspired by Lao Temples.
Each item is uniquely intricate, with a variety of shapes and designs creating pieces that range from simple to ornately bold. There’s earrings, necklaces, bracelets and chokers, in gold, black and silver mirrored acrylic.
Each piece in the collection has been lovingly laser-cut, by hand.
I love this brand and the message behind it.
Why? Family and celebrating your heritage is very important to me.
The strikingly beautiful jewellery may have peeked my interest, but it was the emphasis on these topics and raising awareness for the people of Laos that made me stop and really pay attention. I respect a brand with a strong ethos. 
That is why I applied for an internship with them when I saw they were looking to take someone on.
And I can announce that I am very proud to be working with Finchittida Finch as their new intern!
I hope you can all help me in supporting this new amazing brand and their message.
You can browse/buy their debut collection online here.
Prices start at £10 and go up to £75.
bloomzy /

Celebrating Women: My Idol, Frida Kahlo

This may be a tad late, but in celebration of International Women’s Day I wanted to do a special post.
Of course IWD was all about celebrating women, so I decided that I wanted to celebrate one woman in particular.
A lot of you may already know this as I often tweet/tumblr about it, but my idol is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican painter who is well known worldwide for her self-portraits.
Described as surrealist, her work heavily features artefacts of her personal struggles, life in Mexico & Mexican culture.
Frida had a troubled life as she suffered from several health problems, most of which stem from a bus accident she was in as a teenager. She later went on to marry Diego Rivera, a man whom she loved deeply, but unfortunately their marriage was not stable. Diego and the affairs that occurred between the two of them are also heavily featured in her art. 
To me, Frida and her work are exceptionally beautiful.
Her paintings show the physical and psychological wounds she suffered from.
Not only that but they represent how proud she was to be a Mexican woman living through the revolution.
Even though her art is bright, bold and wonderful that isn’t the only reason she has become my idol.
She suffered greatly through her life; miscarriages, health issues, marital difficulties and yet she still remained a strong woman. She provoked what was mainstream and often discussed taboo subjects. Even though her art didn’t truly become popular until the 1980s, she was a representative of Mexico and feminists worldwide. I respect her for the decisions she made during her life, and the way she handled love and lose. 
For me, Frida is a role model; someone to admire and learn from.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Frida Kahlo I would recommend the movie ‘Frida‘.
Or the biography, which the film is based on: Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo.
Did you celebrate International Women’s Day?
Who is your idol?
Source; 1, 2, 3, 4
bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London: Fika

Fika | Scandinavian | Lunch/Dinner | Brick Lane | Website
– reservations available –

I’m a pretty big foodie, if you hadn’t already guessed, so sometimes I like to post about food in London. This is an ongoing series (you can find the series here) as my love for food and discovering new bars, restaurants etc. continues to blossom. Lately I’ve decided to do special feature posts for places that really stand out to me. Today is Fika – a Swedish ‘Bar & Grille’ that has an amazingly relaxed atmosphere.

I’ve been before for Fika (Swedish for coffee break), when I had tea, gorgonzola & ginger biscuits. We were so impressed that I decided to take my fiancé back there for a post-Valentine’s Day meal. This time we had lunch and a very special treat of Semla, which is a traditional sweet roll eaten at Lent. It’s basically the Scandinavian version of Pancakes for Pancake Day, so I wanted to reserve a couple and enjoy it. The roll is very much like a bread roll (spiced with cardamon seeds), but hollowed out and filled with almond paste & whipped cream. It was certainly something different, and I didn’t dislike it, in fact it was nice as it wasn’t too sweet, although I think I would have enjoyed it slightly more if there had been extra almond paste – but it’s a favourite of mine, so I’m biased.

Before our Semla, we indulged in some lunch where I had Swedish Meatballs and the fiance had Lax Planka Salmon both of which were wonderful, and full of flavour! The meatballs came with the oh-so Swedish traditional accompaniment of mashed potato, red wine sauce and lingonberry jam. You might think that the lingonberry and red wine would counteract each other, as they’re both strong flavours, however both complimented the other, and the dish, very well. The portion sizes were perfect and left me feeling full, but not enough that I couldn’t fit in something sweet.

Fika are offering Semla for the whole of February, but you’ll need to book.