If travel were a menu…

When I saw the topic for this month’s travel linkup, I knew that I had to get involved. The prompt was super creative, and definitely got me thinking: if travel were a menu, what would be my ideal trip? What would be my starter, a short-haul location that would be the perfect start to a trip? What would be my main, a long-haul destination that was worth spending a little longer exploring? And finally, what would be my dessert, a place that really leaves a lasting impression every time I visit?

Choosing my perfect travel menu turned out to be surprisingly easy: made up of two places I know well and one bucket-list spot I’ve yet to tick off, this is definitely my dream trip. So, shall we dig in?

Eat, Porridge, Love: a foodie guide to oatmeal-only cafes around the world

I’ll admit it: this post is a little niche. Cafes that serve nothing but oats sound almost like an impossible business idea, and this is definitely what I thought the first time I heard about Grød, Copenhagen’s porridge bar. At the time, I wasn’t even sure I liked porridge – how could a cafe that serves nothing else survive in a city so full of exciting brunch options?

However, upon my first visit I was completely sold: not only was an oatmeal-only café an unusual idea, it was a great one, and a spot I would end up returning to time and time again during my time living in the Danish capital. It’s one of my favourite cafes in the world.

Since leaving Copenhagen, I’ve found myself pining for a bowl of porridge from Grød, and have missed being able to swing by whenever I fancied. When I visited New York earlier this year and started to research some foodie options for my trip, I found out about another oatmeal-only café with a similar concept, and I was excited to see how the New York café measured up.  Having assumed Grød was the only oatmeal-only cafe in the world, I expanded my research, and I found out about a third oatmeal-only café, this time in my new home of London. What else could I do than head on a pilgrimage to these two cafes, and check out which served up the best gourmet porridge?

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on three oatmeal-only cafes around the world.

A foodie guide to bringing the outside in

Maybe you clicked on this article hoping for tips on pruning pretty plants, keeping your space green and beautiful. Unfortunately, I’m the least green-fingered person I know: the plants in my flat consist of a succulent that it’s almost impossible to kill and the basil plant that I have to replace sporadically when I accidentally let it die. Whoops.

When it comes to bringing the outside in, I’m talking about something slightly different. Inspired by Angloyankophile‘s recent post on how she uses items she’s collected around the world to design unique interiors for her home, I’ve been thinking about writing a post on how the bits and pieces I’ve picked up on my travels help my place feel as homely as possible, something that’s sometimes difficult when living in a rented apartment. Here are a few of my favourite items that help me bring the outside world in…

An A-Z of London Coffee Shops Part 1

When it comes to coffee, London is one of the most exciting cities in the world. Since the first espresso-only coffee shops started to appear in the city around a decade ago, coffee shop culture has gone from strength to strength in the British capital, causing waves of new cafes to open all over the city. If anything, one could argue that there is too much choice: here I break down some of my favourites with an A-Z of London coffee shops. Mine’ll be a flat white, please!

A foodie guide to 24 hours in Amsterdam

Until visiting, I wasn’t really sure about Amsterdam as a destination. With its party reputation and infamous red light district, I think I had categorized the city as being purely a bachelor party destination, and not somewhere I was interested in exploring. However, after a few friends had convinced my girlfriend and I that, as ex-residents of beautiful Copenhagen, Amsterdam would be right up our, ahem, bike lane, we decided we’d give the city a chance. With Beth’s birthday approaching last December, we booked a couple of days off work and some cheap flights to Amsterdam: it was time to see what this city was all about! As it happened, our friends were completely right. Amsterdam is a gorgeous city, with lots to offer aside from being an obvious party capital. While it has a brilliant cultural offering, we decided to take it easy for the weekend and skipped the museums as well as the red light district, grabbing some rental bikes to explore the city the way its residents do: on two wheels. I’m glad we did, because with all the eating we did during our stay we needed to burn off some serious calories: here are my recommendations for the perfect foodie day in Amsterdam.

A foodie guide to NYC’s sweetest treats

Ever since writing a blog post about the best sweet treats in London, I’ve been thinking about writing this one. If any city can compete with the amazing array of sugary snacks on offer in the English capital, it’s NYC: famous for sugar emporiums like the M&M store and Dylan’s Candy Bar, this is the city of cupcakes, cookies and doughnuts galore. Here’s my round up of some of the best sweet treats New York has to offer – hope you’re hungry!

A foodie guide to researching your next trip

There’s nothing like the exhilarating feeling you get when you book  tickets for a holiday and the excitement really kicks in. However, visiting a place for the first time can be overwhelming – there seems to be so much to see, do and photograph that it’s hard to work out how to fit everything in and really make the most of your trip! With so much information out there, it’s hard to choose which articles to read and where to find all the information and advice you need – here I break down the ways in which I like to prepare for a trip away, and make sure that I have a solid list of recommendations to try out during my visit. Let’s go!

A foodie guide to 24 hours in Clifton, Bristol

Clifton is one of Bristol’s most popular and picturesque areas, home to the famous Clifton Suspension bridge, the gorgeous Georgian architecture of Clifton Village and the bustling Whiteladies Road. With the University of Bristol located just minutes away, this area is always buzzing with both students and locals, and with good reason: Clifton is bursting with great foodie spots. Here’s my guide to a perfect foodie day out in this beautiful part of the city.

A foodie guide to the best breakfasts in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is one of my favourite cities in the whole world. After being lucky enough to live there for almost a year, I fell in love with Copenhagen’s streets, style, hygge, and even cycling (despite arriving in the city with absolutely zero knowledge of how to ride). However, one thing really blew me away, and that was Copenhagen’s food scene. With 15 Michelin-starred restaurants in the city, the city’s foodie undercurrents can be felt far and wide, from the smallest little cafes right through to the spots owned by some of the best chefs in the world, and breakfast and brunch spots are no exception to this rule.  Yep, the Danish capital has far more to offer than the Danish pastry (although I am a big fan of that particular item…).  Read on for a foodie guide to the best breakfasts in Copenhagen – after all, it’s the most important meal of the day.

A foodie guide to the best gelato in Rome

When in Rome, they say, do as the Romans do. In my case, this roughly translates to eat as the Romans eat, a commandment that I am all too happy to oblige when visiting the Italian capital: any excuse to start a strict diet of coffee, pizza, pasta and gelato. However, in a city seemingly overflowing with gorgeous cafes, restaurants and gelaterias at every turn, it can be hard to choose where to go, and even harder to avoid the more touristy spots and seek out the true local gems. Never fear: here at a foodie guide we’ve done the hard work for you (you’re welcome) and scouted out the best gelaterias in the city. In reverse order, here are my top three choices for a scoop (or three) of top-notch gelato in Rome.