michellemccarthy

[michellemccarthy]

This little piggy went to Borough Market

I landed into London bright and early on a Saturday morning in April. Once I had checked into my temporary accommodation, I decided to seize the opportunity to tick something off my bucket list and headed straight for Borough Market. It was around lunchtime and as I turned the corner, the iconic sign in my sights, I knew I had arrived in London.

The streets were bustling with tourists, all there to pig out at one (or many) of the delicious stalls. A long queue of people caught my eye. All lined up to try one of Kappacasein Dairy’s dripping cheese toasties. I squeezed myself through the line and headed to explore what else was on offer. 

I wandered through the fresh produce section... Every variation of perfectly ripe tomato laid out at The Tomato Stall (inventive name), endless variations of spices at Spice Mountain and freshly made sourdough bread from Bread Ahead’s bakery. The smells spiked my hunger and I headed for the food stalls. From what I could see, some stalls were more popular than others - Richard Haward’s Oysters and Bread Ahead’s doughnuts were some of the more favoured choices.

Having assessed the many options, I joined the queue for Horn OK Please, an Indian vegetarian stall. I ordered the Aloo Tikki, spiced potatoes served with Channa Chaat and headed to find somewhere to perch myself. I managed to find an empty seat, sandwiched between two couples on a bench. It was delicious (so delicious that I’ve since gone back and ordered it again)!

Satisfied but hungry for something sweet, I found Arabica, a Turkish restaurant with a takeaway stall outside. I ordered a small bag of pomegranate and pistachio Turkish delight to take with me as a snack. (Wow!)

My top tip for anyone wanting to visit Borough Market is to go early! On Saturday’s they open at 8am and I generally head there for then to stock up on my fruit for the week (especially for the giant, juicy Pink Lady apples at Turnips). 

[michellemccarthy]

My London Bucket List

I moved to London in April when the company I worked for in Ireland offered me the opportunity to work for their UK office for 2 years. When I moved, I created a bucket list for my London Life, to make the most of my time here. London is such a vibrant, buzzing city with so much to do and explore and so many exciting experiences to be had. I have been gradually making my way through it, ticking stuff off, as well as adding to it as I get new ideas. This is my current list, with more details to come on my actual experiences...

1. Eat curry on Brick Lane

2. See a West End musical

3. Go to platform 9 and 3/4 to visit Warner Bros and enroll in Hogwarts

4. Pig out in Borough Market

5. Have a drink in the Shard, looking out over London

6. Watch the tennis live at Wimbledon (queuing up a ghastly hour to get tickets)

7. Visit the V&A to see the Dior exhibition

8. Walk across the Tower Bridge and see it lift up

9. Step back in time at the Tower of London

10. Visit Stonehenge

11. Hike the Isle of Skye and stay in a Wigwam

12. Camp out (and rock out) at Glastonbury

13. Visit Camden Market and buy a trinket to bring home

14. Explore the Imperial War Museum

15. See the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian Mummies in the British Museum

16. Visit the colourful houses of Notting Hill

17. Buy something for my apartment at Portobello Road Market

18. Go to the Graham Norton Show live (no red chair for me please)

19. Visit the Chelsea Flower Show and admire the amazing shop fronts

20. Visit the beautiful Lake District and hike Skafell Pike

21. Watch the Cambridge and Oxford boat race

22. Go to a cricket match (with a picnic and bottle of wine)

23. Dance in the streets at Notting Hill Carnival

24. Visit Hyde Park Wonderland at Christmas

25. See the lights of Kew Gardens at Christmas

26. Go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and laugh until my face hurts

27. Picnic in Hyde Park

28. Fly over London in a Helicopter (bit OTT I know - unlikely)

29. Eat in the dark at Dans le Noir

30. Go on a London Ghost Bus Tour and spook myself out

31. See the Book of Mormon live (and laugh when you feel you shouldn’t)

32. Eat Michelin star food in Mayfair

33. See Buckingham Palace and wave to the queen

34. Run along South Bank as the sun rises

35. Watch an outdoor film at an open-air cinema

36. Have afternoon tea in a posh London hotel

37. Walk across the top of the O2 Arena

38. Go salsa dancing

39. Visit the Ritz (even if it’s just walking into reception)

40. Go to a speakeasy bar

41. Roller disco in Vauxhall

42. Take an exotic cookery class

43. See a Shakespeare Play for £5 at the Globe Theatre

44. Row a boat on the Serpentine

45. Ice skate at Somerset House

46. Vintage shopping in Shoreditch

47. Snap that iconic Beatles photo at Abbey Road Studios

48. Attend at yoga class at the Sky Garden

49. Eat at Shoreditch Boxpark

50. Live it up at the Royal Ascot

51. Stand under the Oxford Street Christmas lights

52. Go to the Summer’s Underbelly festival

53. Stand on either side of the Greenwich meantime line

54. Snap the Shoreditch Street Art on a walking tour

55. Sip a cocktail at Sushi Samba

56. Cruise the River Thames

57. Experience the Chinese New Year in Chinatown

58. Go to a London music festival

59. See the battle of San Romano at the National Gallery

60. See both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in one day

61. Hike Snowdon

62. Ride the World’s fastest zip line Velocity 2

63. See the deer in Richmond Park

64. Ride on the Eurostar to Paris

65. Attend a new creative class each month

66. Look out at London from Primrose Hill

67. See a match live in Twickenham (and Wembley too)

68. Take that classic tourist photo in a red phone booth

69. Eat an ice-cream and play vintage arcade games in Brighton

70. Eat Fish & Chips (yummy)

71. See an Andy Warhol at the Tate Modern, appreciating modern art

72. Enroll in Oxford (for a day)

73. Pretend to be in the movie the Holiday in the Cotswolds

74. Visit the fairytale town of York