Author: Sarah Kemp

Fika, Brick Lane

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‘I feel like I’m on holiday’, said Lucy whilst sipping on her Life Aquatic cocktail, which consisted of dill vodka, elderflower and bitters topped with lemonade. Meanwhile, I was tackling my Inventory cocktail head on. A squeeze of vanilla vodka here, a dash of chilli caramel liquor there and a splash of Cognac, not to forget adding a bit of bubblegum candyfloss for good measure. It did feel like we were on holiday. Sadly, we were only sat on the quaint roof terrace on Brick Lane. We were at Fika, a Swedish haven nestled on one of London’s most famous streets, Brick Lane, next to bagel shops and curry houses galore. I had been to Fika before but a long while ago ande it was in the winter months so the terrace wasn’t an option. We unraveled the place mat menu and picked a few dishes to share – Lucy plumped for the Tomato Kingdom (heirloom tomatoe carpaccio, pickled wild mushroom and popcorn) and Campfire Steak. I went Swedish and ordered the Gravadlax followed by …

Smokey Tails Pop Up, Hackney Wick

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A few weeks ago I was invited to try Smokey Tails, an amazing summertime eating and drinking venue on the River Lea in Hackney Wick. The restaurant is the brainchild of DJ Seth Troxler and his partner Ryan Crosson, Jo Vidler (Secret Productions) and Ben Pound (Futureline Productions). We went on the Sunday of Hackney Wicked and enjoyed delicious frozen watermelon cocktails (boozey!) and feasted on ribs with Seth Troxler’s barbeque sauce, which I learnt has been passed down from his grandfather and developed over the years as new ingredients were added with each generation. As soon as I walked in I could feel the Ibiza vibes – amazing music, sunshine and clubbers that were squeezing the last out of the weekend. The food on offer at Smokey Tails consists of smoked meats, salads, frozen cocktails, independent guest ales and amazing desserts. I was really impressed by the home made cakes, lovingly baked by the mum of one of the promoters. As long as the summer stays in London, I’ll be heading down to Smokey …

Samsung S4 Zoom at The Big Feastival

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Ask anyone who has known me since I was a young whipper snapper and they will tell you that I have been a lifelong technology geek, mobile phones in particular. I remember getting my first mobile phone so clearly. It was a Sony Ericsson brick with a clear orange back. I was 13 and it was really really cool. Mobile phones have come a long way since then. Nowadays, a phone isn’t just a phone – it’s your calendar, inbox, mp3 player, camera, you name it, your phone does it. The last phone I upgraded to was the Samsung Galaxy S3 but I still have just under a year to go on my contract so I have been eagerly awaiting an upgrade. But last Thursday I was contacted by the Samsung press office to ask if I wanted to take one of the brand new Samsung S4 Zoom handsets to The Big Feastival on Sunday to take a load of pictures and report back. How could I say no? So off I set with Gabriela …

WIN a Pair of Tickets to the Big Feastival

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Lavazza and Food for Think are giving you the chance to win one of two pairs of Sunday tickets to the Big Feastival, which is taking place this weekend. Visit the Lavazza stand at the Big Feastival for a taste of the authentic Italian coffee experience. To share the culture of real Italian coffee, Lavazza will be holding an array of fun festival activities, where guests can take part in giant Lavazza Jenga and coffee capsule tombola, with the chance to win a year’s supply of Lavazza coffee each day! Open between 10am-7pm, delicious Lavazza coffees will be served throughout the day and attendees can purchase Lavazza’s stylish range of innovative A Modo Mio machines at exclusive festival prices. To win, simply comment on this post to tell me which ex Blur musician’s farm the Big Feastival takes place at. Please read the T & C’s carefully. The competition closes at 3pm on Wednesday 28th August and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards. TERMS & CONDITIONS The winner is randomly chosen by the Random …

Crab Linguine – The Potted Fish Company

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I’m a busy girl but despite being pretty time poor on weekday evenings, I will never settle for a ready meal. So I was glad when I was sent a few pots of potted fish to try at home. Founded by Devon based Jonathan Bailey at the age of 22, The Potted Fish company produces a small but well formed range of potted fish using no additives or preservatives. I went to see Franz Ferdinand on Tuesday evening in Brixton but had some time to quickly go home and make myself some dinner beforehand so decided to use my pot of Old English Crab to make crab linguine. I used a recipe card that I was sent as a guideline but made a couple of my own additions. This dinner takes literally 15 minutes to eat and is totally delicious. Crab Linguine (Serves 2) Ingredients 160g dried linguine 1 pot of Old English Crab 4 spring onions, finely chopped Handful of parsley, finely chopped One tso chilli flakes Handful of rocket Parmesan shaving Splash of …