As someone who is a relative newbie to London I’m always keen to do some exploring beyond the places I already know and spend time in… So I struck one off my list a couple of weekends ago when we spent a Sunday afternoon in Shoreditch. I live on the other side of town so it felt like a proper day out going all that way east, and what a treat it was, like a little bubble of New York cool without the plane ride.

One of the first places we stopped off was Mast Brothers which is hard to miss with their minimal shop front and amazing chocolate smells wafting out the door. A real life chocolate factory and an amazing menu of treats await inside – I’m already plotting a return to try their chocolate spread on sourdough.

Also on Redchurch Street is Monologue, an interiors concept store that was so jam-packed with beautiful things I wanted to move in. My favourite was a Carrara marble tray which I’m still thinking about, it may yet make an appearance on the wedding list.

Another reason why I wanted to come here on a Sunday was to visit Columbia Road Flower Market which was our next stop. This is a very popular spot so if crowds aren’t your thing then I suggest making an early morning visit. We battled through to secure 20 long-stemmed roses for £5 as everyone was starting to pack up for the day so if you don’t mind the crowds and are all about the bargains then definitely leave it a little later, around 3pm.

By this point we were very much in need of refreshment and stopped at Bird, a fancy fried chicken shop where we ordered completely too much (why are there always so many good sides in these places?). I’m a huge fried chicken fan and this was possibly the hottest and crispiest I’ve ever had, perfect with their buttermilk ranch dressing.

As well as all of this there’s amazing street art, a Soho House and one of the best trainer shops I’ve ever been in, I now get what ‘very Shoreditch’ means.

The Detail:

Mast Brothers: www.mastbrothers.com

Monologue: www.monologuelondon.com

Bird: www.birdrestaurants.com 

This is very much a heart post, I love going home, especially for a long weekend like we’ve just had. I moved to London from Belfast last summer so going home is always special but even more so this time as I’ve just recently become engaged and was heading back to celebrate with the husband to be in tow.

There was much eating and drinking, a blow dry, some highly impractical outfits given the weather and the discovery of House of Cards which eased Sunday’s hangover no end… but most of all there was a lot of feeling loved by friends and family who were so happy for us and who all came out on Saturday night (even in the downpour) to wish us well.

So it made me smile when we were due to fly back to London today that I started talking about ‘going home’ all over again. I feel very lucky to be someone who has two places she can call home, two little nests that I feel completely comfortable in and both of which I love going back to.

The Detail:

Saturday Dinner: www.howardstbelfast.com

Sunday Lunch: www.michaeldeane.co.uk/deanes-at-queens/

Blowdry: www.paulstafford.co.uk

Drinks: www.thenationalbelfast.com