London South Bank

Last weekend we jumped on the train from the East Midlands and headed down to the big smoke. The main point of this trip was for my husbands (early) birthday present. I'd booked us tickets for the Silent Disco at the top of The Shard on the Saturday evening. We normally stick to the main Central London areas or Camden so it made a nice change to stay and explore the South Bank area. 

On arrival we had a wander around Borough Market. It's a foodie heaven. We'd been a few years ago so we knew what to expect, it's a fab place for fresh produce and has a huge array of different foods. From research I did before the trip I knew a company called The Free From Bakehouse had a stall on the market so I had to find it. They sell lots of different allergy friendly treats, not all of them cover the same allergens so you do have to be a bit careful but all items are clearly labelled. I chose a spiced plumb cupcake and a banana chocolate chip loaf. The banana loaf was definitely my favourite out of the two. It's was moist and delicious. Whilst walking round I also picked up an organic iced tea and a fresh watermelon juice. 

After walking down the side of the river taking in the sights it soon became lunch time. I'd found a Leon in the area so it was a perfect lunch stop. I love their Meatball Lunch Box as it's so tasty and a perfect size. I did on this occasion have a side of the baked fries too as I love them. My husband had a pecan pie for dessert, this was gluten free but sadly not dairy or egg free so I sat and watched him enjoy it :) I'm also loving their white tea & peach drink. Very refreshing.

Early evening after having a bit of a relax at the hotel (CitizenM is highly recommended if your staying on the South Bank) we headed back down to the backside for an even meal before going to The Shard. I'd picked The Real Greek as it has lots of safe options. We both ordered a few items each. I had the hummus with crudites and the boiled potatoes and chicken wings. It was nice to sit outside and watch the world go by (you have to people watch in London it's a rule).

*Silent disco at the top of The Shard is much fun*

The following day we visited HMS Belfast and then headed over to Carnaby Street. My husband wanted to visit SAID chocolate shop. Very nice little shop and had a few dairy free options too (and did mention they could order in GF cake options with notice). I got a posh bar of dark chocolate. 

It was lunch time again and our train was 3pm so we stopped off at Whole Foods Piccadilly for our lunch. I opted for a salad box with salmon. Just wish I'd have found some sort of dressing to put on it but it filled a hole. 

I couldn't spend too much time browsing round Whole Foods so I did a supermarket sweep and grabbed a few old faves that I can't get near me and a few new finds. I love the veggie chips and the blue chips so we got those to eat with some fresh guacamole (forgot to put in pic but is delish). Also picked up the Lazy Days shortbread as I love those but not in our supermarkets. I'd never seen the ice cream tubs so look forward to some summer ice creams in those. I tried the kale chips but I ate one piece and threw them away. I like kale chips when I do them in the oven but I've come to realise that I don't like the air dried ones. 

Now onto the CUPCAKES, they deserve a section on their own. Now I've had cupcakes in the past from Whole Foods and some haven't been that great. I'm always a bit dubious of buying ones that are not freshly made or have been refrigerated. I spotted these and couldn't resist the descriptions. I didn't eat them until I got home but they travelled well. They are made by a company called Vujuria Vegana and from what I can make out are a company in Barcelona. Well theses were the BEST cupcakes I've ever purchased from a shop. The toppings were nothing like I'd ever tasted before. The blueberry one had a cream cheese style topping and was so smooth, creamy and delicious. The chocolate was more like a dense chocolate mousse and very rich but it had a sharp raspberry centre so was well balanced. I'd definitely get them again when I'm in London.