Photography Test Run at the Broadway Market

This is the first day of the new and improved London Zest. Saturday was the day of my photography workshop at Studio Time at London Fields. I could not vouch for this place enough. If you're a photo-blogger, this is a great place to start. A full day's learnings and practice gave me the small bit of confidence I would never have obtained had I just stuck to reading my camera manual. 

Photography is a tougher hobby than I anticipated though. So many variables to factor in: lights, focus, angles, shadows and depth of field are some of the things you constantly have to think about as you're handling your camera. It's a constant strive to improve and enhance the quality of your photographs. It's a challenge to ensure that each shot is more precise, more "on purpose" than the previous one; richer, and with more texture. Because at the end of the day, that's the hard bit: getting exactly what you want. It hardly ever happens.

The morning at the studio felt long and tedious, going over the innumerable techniques of photography, understanding the various settings of the SLR, finding my way around the menu page. It also felt strange to be in class again. Soaking it all in, I was desperately trying to remember all of the details the teacher had just mentioned. I struggled to understand the theory without the practice. You see, I've usually been more of a "trial and error" kind of learner.

London Fields is a mad and crazy place on a sunny Spring Saturday. But it's an even crazier and exciting place to go for your first test drive. That was when the fun began. People wearing strange outfits, walking about, playing around and dancing to drums and guitar. Plenty of great material.

A short while after that the teacher took us to Broadway Market, instructing us to capture a variety of depths of field and focus angles as possible. The exercise was simple enough: the market has a great many colourful bits about it; take it all in. It's gonna be hard to screw it up. Here was my first attempt at capturing the wonderfully exciting Broadway Market.

The Everything Stall

The Junk & Jewelry Stall

The Cheese & Sausage Man

The Hamburger Man

The Cupcake Stall

The Cake Stall

The Carrot & Banana Cake stall

The Panty & Bra stall

That was a restrospective of my day of fun in photography land. I would love to hear your feedback on these shots. Please indulge me a little. This was a practice run. And it's just a start! If you're also into photography, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the hobby and how difficult you found it. Is it always this hard or does it become second nature?

Like the Scrooge on Bank Rob Day

East London still seems like such a daunting place in my puny narrow mind. Not because it has so many fantastic secrets to offer, and it does, but because it will take someone like me ages to discover even a third of them. Everything is so spread out. Shoreditch, Faringdon, Hackney, and that's just a fraction of it. And my legs are not what you would call short and stubby. They have taken me places before, and I still believe that they will take me to see the world on other zesty adventures. But there are still so many places to see, so much to discover, and I still now, after many escapades East, will have my eyes glued to my stupid iPhone Google maps like paparazzi to Kate Moss.

But my adventure out to Columbia Road Market last month was so much more than the discovery of another open market. It was yet another daunting realisation that there is more to London than the W11 and W1 postcodes. At least in terms of secrets to discover. That time, when I was wandering down Columbia Road Flower Market, I kept hoping to stumble upon that gem that would prove me wrong again in my assumptions about the East. And that it did. Yet again.

A treasure chest full of jewels, L'Orangerie is that magical place, in which the owner Caroline, a relentless European traveler, manages to bring an ecclectic flavour of European delights into one place. Necklaces, bangles, big fat rings, long chains and vintage pieces of furniture and knick knacks alike, you'll feel like the Scrooge on bank rob day. You'll want to take it all, all of it. And then you'll bathe in it, like there is no happier moment in life.

    

 

As you walk in, you'll find yourself ducking under dangling tree branches and bopping oranges. You'll suddenly smell perfumes and fragrances from Spain, Italy and Portugal, which will then magically turn into much cooler scents from the pine trees of northern Europe. You'll hear things scintillate as you slip your fingers through them, play with them and try them on. First make your way to Columbia Road Market if you haven't already. Then, step into a world of all things magical at L'Orangerie. You'll want it all. And you can, it's affordable. It's East London.

Catch of the Day

Next on my list: set off on an adventure so kooky, no one will want to go along with me. I'm talking about an adventure so fishy, I'll stink up my flat, my fingers, my skin and my hair for days on end and no one will want to kiss me or come anywhere near me. Any takers? Maybe not quite yet...I'm talking about going on a Fish-cooking course, at the Billingsgate Seafood Training School.

If you're passionate about food and cooking, and you sit on your bumm at night watching Jamie Oliver cook miraculously easy dishes right before eyes on your telly, but never dare to bother trying them out on your own...and you need a little push, this is the place for you. Now, if you're into fish, you're thinking about including more fish into your diet, and believe fish oils and omega 3s will protect you against some types of cancer, or if you just plain love fish dishes, this is the place for you. If you're looking for a little fun and adventure in your life, this is THE place for you. How about now? Are you joining me yet?

The Billingsgate Seafood Training School, located at Billingsgate Fish Market right off Canary Wharf, offers 3 to 5 hour classes on weeknights and Saturdays from £80-165 depending on the time, depth and resources used for the class you're attending. You'll learn great things and skills from cleaning and cutting the fish open, which utensils to use for different types of fish and shellfish, to delicious and original recipes to take home with you. You'll also have the pleasure of enjoying one of the dishes you prepared for lunch or dinner, like this amazing looking fish pie (this is Britain after all).

If you ask me, it sounds like the perfect London-style evening or Saturday activity. Your Valentine may even fancy a fishy romance with his or her plus one. Wink. Think about it.

Columbia Road Flower Market-London's Not So Secret Gem

Columbia Road Flower Market was the one thing on my list I was dying to do for months and hadn't come around to doing yet in my quest for London Zest. Which is strange considering I love markets and I love flowers, and lately I have come to love Hoxton and Shoreditch. Yesterday, I broke the spell once more and ventured out to East London, camera in hand, huge empty grocery bags on each arm, an empty stomach dying to be fed, and a big smile on my face. Apparently that was enough to prepare me for my colourful little adventure on Columbia Road.

And colourful it truly was. I was surprised at how many different types of flowers could actually be sold at flower market and how many of those I had never seen before or didn't know the name of. I picked out a few bunches of tropical and local bouquets and filled my Sainsbury's bags enough to make me keel over from the weight. I kept walking and noticing the variety of corners and angles that would catch my camera-ready eye. Some little spots made me think I was in the midst of some tropical open market, and all I needed was a cool and icy guava juice to quench my thirst and tide me over til lunch. Others were just plain London: funky, colorful and unique.

 

 

There is something quite cute and cozy about the fact that Columbia Road is actually a regular road on regular days without flowers everywhere and that normal people actually live in this adorable street dotted with cute stores and bakeries.

And each little store, each little corner, each little food joint has something quite quirky about it, sells God knows what, but still manages to attract a couple tourists and curious eyes, like this trinket/junk store below.

 

That's the magic of open markets I guess.

3 Things You Must Try This Holiday Season At Borough Market

There's something quite special and unique about Borough Market. First of all, there's breathing in all the wonderful scents of cheeses, baked breads and freshly roasted coffee and getting your nostrils all confused and perked up. Snacking and picking off sample trays from a random food stand when you're not even hungry. Standing in a mile-long queue for a sandwich containing some mysterious bird meat with lukewarm gravy and chunks of black pepper inside of it. Yeah, there's something quite special about Borough Market. No kidding though. I really love it. It's got some crazy quirks, and that's why it's in my good books.

Let me tell you this, though. Borough Market at Christmas time, is even special-er. Here are 3 things that make Borough Market a must-go-to destination during the Holiday season. So bundle up, time to go on an exotic Holiday field trip!  

Holiday treat # 1: The Thai Green and Red Curries. There's nothing like a little spice to make your Christmas extra exotic. Biiiig buckets o' curry, yummy yummy yummy!

Borough Market Green Curry

Borough Market Red Curry

Holiday treat # 2: The Ostrich Sandwich. The queue takes forever, but this is a delicacy you'll want to try at least once in your lifetime. So be patient, wait for your turn.

Borough Market Ostrich Sandwich

Holiday treat # 3: The mulled wine at BM is sweet and vicious. Again, this heavenly beverage is just the right amount of spices, cinnamon and alcohol. You'll sing hallelujas and hail marys all the way back home. Enjoy it with a brownie from the stand next door. If you're feeling particularly kooky, you might want to go for the good ol' dunk & eat combo. Brownie and warm wine! Yummmmmmy!

London Cheese!

I woke up this morning with an odd craving for cheese. I'm talking big, rich, smelly, rotting, runny cheese, with some blue stuff in it and thick crust enveloping it. Man, I could write a novel about cheese! Let's see, chapter 1: Gorgonzola, chapter 2: Brie, Camembert, chapter 3: Emmental, Comte, Gruyere, chapter 4: ok, stop. I could go on for ages, and my mouth is salavating with nothing but some miserable babybels in my meager little fridge. I know, this post may seem odd, gross, and unglamorous to some of you, but this is my French side coming out, and every once in a while, well, I just need to explore it. And I know, some of you do too. So, needless to say, since I've arrived in London, I've been hunting for the best, and the most full-of-character cheese shops. I found them! I'm not talking about the Food Halls of Harrods and Selfridges, though I must say, Harrods' goat's cheese, topped with a smidgen of fig jam on a small piece of nutty toast...oh Yum! But, let's get serious here. I am talking high quality pro-stuff that just makes your head spin it is so bloody smelly. SO where was I. Oh yes, London cheese shops.

The first one that comes to mind is Neal's Yard Dairy at Borough Market.

Now these guys are cheese champs, they really know what they're doing. And what I love about these cheeses is that they're British! Let me tell you that I was born with preconceived notions that good cheeses hail from France and from France only. Let me tell you now: I was wrong. This cheese is so so smelly, it hurts. And I love it! These little stinkers are brought to the market all the way from the British isles, where the farm goats and cows are the happiest living beings in the universe. And you can get everything from Cashel blue and Ragstone Goat, to Montgomery Cheddar and yummy yummy Stilton. The presentation is so British, so perfect, it makes the French cheese shops look like my grandmother's attic.

                               The Grand Entrance of Borough Market

        A Gruyere Pyramid at Neal's Yard Dairy stand at Borough Market

My next stop on this cheesy journey is La Fromagerie in Highbury and it is an adorable spot. While I'm here, I might as well pitch La Fromagerie in Marylebone, since it is the same awesome shop, but just a tad bigger populated by a tad fancier customers. If I were to live in a house made of cheese, I would live in La Fromagerie. During my first three months in London, my flat was located stone-throws away from Highbury, and walking to class entailed passing by this slice of heaven everyday and not getting tempted by the devilish smells of my home country's delicious treasures. Imagine that. We Frenchies live and relish in the stinkiness. Smelliness is good. Smelliness is sexy. Anyways, needless to say, I've made some very sexy and fruitful stops there and ended up stocking up my fridge with inhuman amounts of comte, emmental and smelly camembert. Oh and did I mention that these cheeses are imported all the way from the farms of France, where our cows and goats are as happy if not happier than the British cows and goats? I didn't think so. You can even find some of the shadiest and obscure cheeses in the world at La Fromagerie. The world-renowned Trou du Cru for example, has me spinning right round like a record baby, and it stinks up an entire room leaving me feeling quite woozy. Plus in contrast to their sister shop in Marylebone, theirs has a third the surface but as many delicious if not more delicious chunks of heaven. Go get happy!


                                    La Fromagerie in Highbury

                                    La Fromagerie in Marylebone