I am a huge fan of visiting London. I have come to know some of the best Gluten Free & Dairy Free Hot Spots, so couldn’t wait for a birthday weekend in London!
So on the 9th January I turned the ripe old age of 24, and with a birthday comes celebrations! Having a birthday just after Christmas has never been something I am partial to, however Mark and I always know how to celebrate, gluten and dairy free style!
I was fortunate enough to have my birthday celebrations start a week early on the 3rd January where I was surprised with a weekend in London before heading back up North for a new year at work on the 5th January.
Happy Early Birthday Weekend!
Mark booked us into one of my favourite hotels, The Hoxton in Shoreditch and we had this as our base for our weekend in London.
I could waffle on about all the little bits and pieces we got up to across the weekend in London but I thought instead I would just give you a little overview of my early birthday weekend in foodie style! I didn’t plan to do this across the weekend so photos could potentially be a bit limited and of course with age comes forgetfulness!
Once we dropped our bags off at the hotel on the Saturday morning we headed over for lunch at my favourite little place in London for food ever. Cookies and Scream is known as a Gluten Free & Vegan Cookie Bar. Based in Camden, everything they make contains no gluten, dairy or egg. From the greatest cookies known to man, to brownies, ridiculously amazing donuts and shakes to die for. I seriously cannot praise this place enough. Whether you have an intolerance to gluten, dairy, egg or are a vegan OR you are none of the previous stated, this place is the greatest. It is a MUST for any weekend in London. I have done a couple of blog posts about this place in the past so if you haven’t been before, check out my reviews to get even more of a flavour for the place – you won’t be disappointed!
Cookies and Scream – Gluten Free, Dairy Free Cinnamon Jam Donuts – The Best!
There seriously is no better place on earth to eat, so much so that we always bring our own lunch box so we can take some extra cookies, pies and donuts home with us!
Review 1 – Click Here
Review 2 – Click Here
On this occasion for lunch we sat down at the bar and had a delicious salted caramel shake each with added cookie dough balls. We followed this with a Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookie warmed up. This might not be the most conventional lunch but it was seriously the best. I would have this style lunch every day if I lived close by in Camden. I think Manchester needs its own Cookie and Scream asap! If it doesn’t I think I might have to have a weekend in London… every weekend!
We grabbed some extras for later and the next few days afterwards. A cinnamon jam donut fresh out of the oven, a chico (peanut butter cookie), a hazelnut chocolate brownie, a creepsylvanian (double chocolate & salted caramel cookie) & a chico pie (peanut butter cookie pie). I wish we could have carried more and I wish shakes and sundaes could last for days. Its a shame I don’t get to visit London more these days, but when I do I will definitely be heading back there straight away. I am certainly going to be trying to recreate some of their shakes and cookies whilst I live so far away… I need my fix!
Later that evening after a shopping trip to Westfield we grabbed some dinner at the wonderful Vietnamese gluten free heaven that is Pho. I didn’t remember to take a picture of my food but to be honest it doesn’t matter I have taken many in the past! We love this place. Vietnamese food is 99.9% naturally gluten free which is great news. The spring rolls and fried squid are delicious. The Pho soups are so flavoursome. I often go for the Pho Ga (Chicken) which is amazing. Another favourite of mine is the chicken or prawn Bun noodles. Bun Noodles dishes are essentially Vermicelli rice noodles with a lemongrass and chilli wok-fried topping. Served with chicken or prawns, fresh herbs, beansprouts, veggie spring roll and peanuts. The noodles are served at room temp just like in Vietnam. You are also given a delicious n??c ch?m sauce to mix in. The fried noodle dishes are also amazing. I can’t compliment this place enough for amazing gluten free, healthy grub. I reviewed the Pho in Brighton quite along time ago on the blog, check out the review here.
The Breakfast Club – a delicious hot gluten free breakfast was perfect on a chilly Sunday!
On Sunday Morning in London after a lovely relaxing lay in we emerged from the hotel and headed down to our favourite Breakfast spot in London, The Breakfast Club. We have been to a few different ones across London but this time chose the one just down the road from the hotel off Hoxton Square. When we arrived at about 11am there was the usual long queue outside the door which we were more than happy to join despite the chilly weather.
The Breakfast Club – Mark had Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs & Mashed Avocado – dairy free amazing for him!
The queue actually moved quite quickly and we got an awesome little table surrounded by epic retro decor. The Breakfast Club has an amazing menu. I will admit the menu is even more amazing for those without intolerances… I would love to submerge my head into their pancakes, but for now I will never stop loving what we have instead. I ordered a delicious portion of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with a huge side of mashed avocado and a bowl of home-style fried potatoes (these are a must!!) Mark had a couple of poached eggs and smoked salmon on some muffin with a side of mashed avocado as well. I have to say the mashed avocado was insanely tasty, the whole dish was just the best and really set us up well for a lovely wintery walk around Shoreditch before our train back up to Manchester. There are Breakfast Clubs across London and I would highly recommend heading to one for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner. The menu is amazing and varied, and the vibe in the place speaks for itself too.
Arriving back in Manchester brought us both mixed emotions after amazing weekend in London. It was nice to be back in our cosy home after a lovely Christmas down south. But it was also straight back to work for me on Monday! With not an ounce of energy to cook dinner that evening we opted for a tasty Nandos takeaway that night. Nandos is also a great option for gluten free and having one within a 5 minute walk of where we live means it is quite a regular place for us when we haven’t the time to cook. We opted for a whole chicken with two large sides to share of spicy rice and peri peri chips. I must say it was the perfect dinner to conclude a perfect weekend in London & back in Manc!
I hope everyone has had a great start to 2015 so far. I certainly have with a weekend in London & my actual birthday weekend across the 9th/10th/11th January was also equally a good. Maybe I will give you a gluten free update of that weekend too when I get a second. I feel I better as Mark made me an amazing gluten free and dairy free dinner. I still dream about it regularly.
Anyway thanks for reading,
