peckham refreshment rooms

I’m very excited about the new Peckham Refreshment Rooms on Blenheim Grove. It’s a bar and restaurant that’s open from 7am till after midnight. Yippeeeeeee!

Opened by the same team behind Franks Bar this is a very welcome addition to area. We need a local restaurant that serves great food and we need a bar that’s for grown ups (sorry Bar Story but you’re full of kids).

I don’t think it’s going to disappoint. Food looked amazing when I popped in today. There was a lentil salad on the bar and homemade pizza. On the specials boards were gorgeous sounding sandwiches like fennel, salami and tapenade. The dinner menu can be downloaded here and is chocablock with sicilian aubergine and borlotti beans, duck confit and rosemary carrots, and for pudding how about a pot au chocolate. Yum.

I’ll report back when I’ve tasted it all.

Welcome Peckham Refreshment Rooms.

ivy’s first birthday

Forgive this post being 3 months late. Better late than never!

For Ivy’s first birthday party we had brunch for just a handful of close friends. It was perfect.

The night before we were up till the wee hours making pom poms.

I made my mum’s banana loaf and a beautifully light white chocolate gateau.

How hard is it to find a party dress that isn’t pink?

This little girl. I love her.

hers and hers

Ivy has just started walking (hooray!). I’m loving buying her (matching!) shoes.

Mine: H&M

Hers: Next

asparagus and jersey royals

Bank holiday weekend meant I got the chance to try a couple of new recipes. And with spring comes our favourite jersey royals and asparagus.

This Waitrose tart was dead easy and really tasty for Saturday lunch.

And then on Sunday I made *Jamie’s tray baked cod. I love a dish that not only looks and tastes great, but also gets cooked in one pan! Minimal washing up. Yes.

* Sorry this is the closest link I can find to the recipe I used from his app

animal magic

We’ve had these plastic animal masks in the basement for months, today I decided to put them on the wall. How good do they look?!

peckham prints

It’s no secret how amazing the Peckham art scene is, there are reports every other week about it. But I had no idea how extensive it is until I went to the Pick Me Up show at Somerset House last week. There were so many studio’s from Peckham! Here are a couple of picked out.

Day Job is an illustration collective made up of 10 recent graduates from Camberwell College of Art.

Heygate Estate by Daniel Clarke

Club Sega by Charlotte Mei

The Peckham Print Studio at The Sunday Painter is a great space that you can hire directly by the hour to produce your own works of art, or they run weekly workshops on Saturday’s if you need a bit of help in understanding the printing process. They also have a great online shop for prints.

Rob Lowe

Tom Murphy

And then I spotted a little sign at a bar within the show for these guys… Peckham Pallets

They use recycled pallets to create cool furniture.

it’s official, we’re cool

Just when you ask what’s going on… One of the best online guides to everything cool and cultured does an article on Peckham and the best it has to offer. And I think it’s a sure sign that we’re cool!

Refinery 29 has compiled a great list of who what and where to go.

Why haven’t I heard of Ellie’s Bakehouse yet?

peckham. whatago-on?

Spring is here! I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see buds on trees and bulbs in bloom. We made it through another winter!

So with this warmer weather I’ve started thinking about coming out of hibernation. What’s happening in Peckham? Fill me in??

flock & herd

Watch out. There’s some good bacon about!

Flock and Herd’s ‘Treacle Back Bacon’ has won the Overall Champion Title at the South of England Bpex Butcher Roadshow. No idea what that is, but their bacon sounds amazing! Am going to get some this Easter weekend. Here’s hoping the weather turns (dear God) so we can cook it on the bar b.

pernille corydon

I’ve got out of the habit of wearing jewellery. But check out this amazing new range from Pernille Corydon. She’s a Danish jewellery designer and I LOVE every piece. It’s simple and understated but really different too. I’ve bought earrings, necklaces and rings, somebody stop me!

I love the idea of wearing lots of her simple band rings at once. Do you think I could get away with this many? Not sure how practical it would be with my 2 kids.

Cool though hey?

Photo from here