Matcha Masterclass with Tea PArlour

Matcha Masterclass with Tea PArlour

Monday, 23 February 2026

I've been searching out my favourite foods and making it my business to learn more about how they're made, where they come from etc so this weeks solo adventure was a matcha masterclass.

Chat gpt suggested “your readers already know you’re a matcha girly” and matcha girly I am. I first became part of the cult in 2023, when I insisted that all of my un-foodie friends, came to Taste of London (the food festival) with me. We stopped at the Blank Street stand (little did we know) which was practically unknown at the time, but they were playing very loud EDM and we were there for an absolute age just vibing and chatting to the guys running the stand. I had quite a few mutual friends with one of them, who I later discovered one of the founders of PerfectTed, who are supplying most places (blank street included) with their matcha nowadays. Anyway, whilst we were there, they were handing out cups of this new drink and we were all hooked from that point on.

Fast forward three years and with the amount of matcha I now drink, I thought it'd be interesting to learn a bit more about it and try it in a purer, less sugar spiked form. After a quick google I found Tea Parlour, which according to their website, serve London’s best ceremonial-grade matcha, sourced from Uji, Kyoto. Seemed pretty specialist to me.

Just behind Leicester Square, they hold similar events in store every few weeks, an hour before opening.

This was a better class for people on their one than my last! The couples positioned themselves at one end of the table and at the other end, there were 5 of us on our own which was great and meant a lot more chatting and social interaction.

Yay, my plan worked!

We started by trying three different types of matcha, each with different characteristics as a results of where they were grown. Each were different grades which I was most interested to understand more about, turns out I couldn't tell the difference. I learnt 100% Japanese matcha is becoming less and less common as growers are having to mix it with Chinese grown to meet demand and clearly, most people, like me, don't notice the difference. 

After inspecting their colours and tastes, we learnt about the best ratios of hot water to bring out the flavours and how to correctly use a chasen (the wooden whisk.)

Once whisked to perfection, we lined our plastic cups with whatever syrups we wanted. I went for strawberry, (although my usual order is vanilla,) filled it with ice, milk (coconut) and then carefully poured the matcha on top to get that very satisfying separation of colours.

It was a delicious matcha if ever I've tasted one, although it definitely wasn’t as sweet as I’m used to which showed me just how much syrup goes into my usual order.

Regardless, I left feeling a little bit more knowledgeable about something I consume daily, and having had a nice chat with some friendly strangers so it was a success if you ask me! 

Read more »

Lemon meringue pie masterclass at Gloria, Shoreditch

Lemon meringue pie masterclass at Gloria, Shoreditch

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

I have decided this year is going to be more fun than last, particularly my alone time. I have been signing up for all sorts of new things and this weekend, I kicked it off with a lemon meringue pie masterclass. Fun!

Although this was not just any lemon meringue pie. It was Big Mamma’s very extra, lemon meringue pie.

Gloria was Big Mamma’s first London restaurant which opened in East London in 2019. After taking over the London restaurant scene with their theatrical Italian dining rooms and OTT dishes, there are now six spots scattered across the city, with the newest recently opening in Canary Wharf.

I first spotted their famous lemon meringue pies all over Instagram during lockdown. Gloria is in East London, so I was ecstatic when they finally opened a dark kitchen serving SW London. With pizza, pasta, and pie in my basket, I expected a toned down, transport friendly version to arrive so you can image my joy when the Napoli gang delivered our food, with a sheet of stickers, and a plastic pint glass with a perfectly preserved slice of their 8” pie inside.

I don’t go to east London very often but now that I can freely travel across London again, I was happy to oblige for this. The district line was doing its usual Sunday thing, so I caught a bus to Clapham and got in the northern line direct to Shoreditch. Surprisingly more convenient actually.

Starting with a cup of tea and one of their giant cocktails, (I went for alcohol free since I didn’t need to spend Sunday morning drinking alone) we took our seats (me, between two couples) in the wine room.

Chef took us through the processes for each stage from the dough to the curd and then the meringue. We were lucky to have a bit of a know it all in the group. He was asking some very detailed and complex questions, which means I know far more than the average person about the protein content of different types of flour.

Soon, the aroma of freshly baked dough filled the room, and we were each handed a pie crust as multiple vats of different mixtures appeared from the kitchen downstairs. It was time to get to work on constricting our own pies.

My favourite stage was definitely the meringue. Filling the base with zesty curd required smooth precision but when it came to the meringue, chef demonstrated, gabbing handfuls of it and pretty much dumping it on top and pressing it down to fill any air bubbles. With the texture of sticky, but slightly more stable shaving foam, I was grinning like a kid once I got stuck in.

A real glimmer of joy on a rainy Sunday morning; and that’s what we’re chasing.

Adamant that it wasn't going to be wonky, I did also enjoy taking off my gloves and returning to the world of adult, smoothing it out with the palette knife afterwards.

Once we were happy with the shape, we took to torching our pies, one at a time, in front of everyone. Probably more of a health and safety measure - giant cocktails, small room filled with wine etc! The biggest challenge of the day, however, was getting it home on the tube afterwards.

If the rest of my solo adventurers look like this, I’ll be very happy!

This class cost £25 which was amazing value for money and was an exclusive event for LOTI members. Highly recommend! I signed up a week ago and have already made very good use of it.

Read more »

Bali Highlights

Bali Highlights

Monday, 12 January 2026

And with that, another Bali trip comes to an end. I worked out that my recent Christmas visit was my 7th trip to Bali and I'm still not quite bored of it yet. Here were this times highlights:

The White Palm Boutique Hotel

Three of the four hotels I stayed at were amazing but the room at The White Palm particularly stands out as a favourite. It's a small boutique hotel with just a few rooms bordering a pool. The aesthetic was very black and white which is right p my street and the rooms themselves were super simple and very clean. I was upgraded to the suite which had a lot more space and added a lot to my overall enjoyment of the place! Sadly, there was construction next door so whilst the room was perfect for outside the hours of 9-5, spending time by there pool was a no go as not only way it loud, but it was very overlooked by the builders.

Lazy pool days

I didn't let that stop me enjoying my pool days however. I love to swim whilst I'm on holiday, and that was all I really wanted out of this trip so I spent most of my days lazing around the pool at the previous hotel I'd stayed at which was a 3 minute walk away. 

It was more of a traditional, island resort type place with two pools and a restaurant so I picked my favourite of the two and set up on a shady sun lounger. Between swimming, sleeping, reading and drinking one iced tea after another, whole days disappeared. 

Hiring a photographer

This was a case of serendipity I think, because usually I really enjoy taking my own photos on holiday, but this time around, I just couldn't be bothered. 

The first hotel I stayed at offered a free photographer session and I was really happy with the outcome. A week later when I realised I hadn't taken any holiday photos, I reached out and asked if she'd come to my new location and take some photos for me. 

The results was a fun afternoon activity, and some great, professional looking memories!

Spring Spa

I usually like to find new, niche salons and I did a couple this time around but often, I'm disappointed so I've realised that sometimes, it's best stick with what you know. 

Spring Spa is a popular chain in both Bali and NZ and have never failed me before. They'd opened a new location in Bingin since my last visit so I got the benefit of trying somewhere new paired with the quality I have come to expect from them. 

I booked in for a reflexology session on my penultimate day and it was great. I had a male therapist and his thumbs were so strong. After a bit of research, I now understand why I enjoy reflexology so much - it's all about nervous system regulation. Fine, makes sense. Anyway, it was so good that I went back the next day for another half hour on my feet and a wonderful facial just before I left for the airport. I'll definitely be doing that again next time. 

Flight upgrade 

I was adamant that I was going to fly business at some point on this trip and it was a definite highlight; of the year, not just the trip. I've flown upper classes before but I was so proud of myself for the first business class flight I had bought for myself. 

Ice tea

I get hyper fixated on food in Bali. In the past it's been smoothie bowls, but this time around, it was iced tea. You never know what you're going to get when your order an ice tea in Indonesia, sometimes it'd get sugary, sweet milk tea, other times it was refreshing lemon iced tea and quite often it tasted like jasmine. I'm not quire sure what that one was but either way. I enjoy them very much.

Yoga Class

I did three yoga classes whilst I was away and I probably would have done a couple more if I felt like my back could handle it. My favourite class was Morning Light Yoga at Uluwatu surf villas. Their open air shala was overlooking the ocean and surrounded by palm trees which meant gentle stretching to the sound of the waves!

Read more »

Jetlag

Jetlag

I'm back from my trip to Bali and jetlag has been kicking my butt this week. 

I always struggle with it, but this time was bad. Coming back to dark, snowy London probably didn't help and of course forgetting to eat (something I've been doing over and over) makes everything worse. That being said, going away for Christmas was one of the best ideas I've ever had so I won't let it put me off. 

With all the Christmas and New Year holidays, it worked out that I had five days to recover before life officially started again in 2026 but we're almost two weeks down and I'm only just starting to feel normal again. 

My biggest learning is this: upon return, I was completely out of whack on my day to day routines. Working from bed, afternoon naps and random headaches; but I'm taking this self awareness as a good thing. Before my trip, I was understanding more and more how important my routines are so this experience has simply reinforced that. With this knowledge, I've been making an effort to listen to my body and do all the little things I know will help.

I did a big food shop yesterday and have been making sure to eat breakfast before 10am. I took a couple of mornings off of work which really helped and have made sure to get out of the house at least once a day, even if its cold. Yoga on Sundays, Volunteering on Wednesday and Therapy on Thursdays. Slowly but surely, I feel like I'm coming back to life!

Read more »

Volunteering with Age UK

Volunteering with Age UK

Monday, 1 December 2025

In an effort to expand my life and do something good, I decided to sign up for some volunteering.

"Age UK offers a Telephone Friendship service that connects older individuals with volunteers for regular phone calls, helping to combat loneliness and social isolation."

I'm only four calls in but I've just put down the phone for this weeks call and felt a genuine glimmer of happiness. I signed up to do something good for someone else, but it's been really good for me too - more than I'd have ever expected.

A lot of the old structure of my life has fallen away recently and whilst spending a lot of time soul searching, I’ve realised that connection is at the centre of who I am. Meeting new people, listening to their stories, understanding their feelings and their emotions; it's all I want out of life at the moment, and in doing this, I've gained a very wholesome, new connection.

The application process was very simple. Just a few questions and some online training. I was a little bit nervous before our first call and had written a list of conversations starters but I needn't have bothered. Steve and I got paired up because we have a lot in common so the conversation flows easily. We have already bonded over our love of food, plus he is full of useful advice for me.

This tiny routine with someone I’ve never met has given me a little anchor to base my week around. It's one of few things that allows me to escape from my day. Particularly as my phone is at my ear so I can't mindlessly scroll. Instead I’m fully in the moment, invested in someone else’s world for half an hour.

I don’t know how long we’ll be telephone friends for, but while it lasts, I’m enjoying every call.

Read more »