The best of 2013

I’m not one to update Facebook with a soppy status reflecting on the past year but I would like to take a look back at my culinary highlights of 2013. It’s been a whirlwind year which started with a new job in social media and ended with the decision to move to the other side of the world. Once again, London has opened my eyes to many new food finds and experiences including experimental cocktails at Talented Mr Fox and campfire dining at Flesh and Buns.

The number of food trends to hit the capital has soared with some of my favourites being the street food scene, sharing menus and late night treats like gelato at La Gelateria. We’ve been lucky enough to have been invited to a number of events with the chance to sample the new menu at the Cumberland Hotel and bake a cake with Eric Lanlard at Total Greek Yogurt’s birthday party.

This has not only allowed me to sample fantastic food and drink but also meet some very good friends along the way. Twitter has helped me to keep in contact with fellow foodies and up-to-date with the restaurant scene and with what my favourite brands are doing. I often spot a “Twitter friend” in a busy restaurant, who I feel I already know without us ever speaking in the “real world”, this I find odd but it just highlights the power of social media in bringing foodies together.

2013 saw the long awaited purchase of an Ipad Air and I couldn’t be more pleased with it as it gives me the ability to blog on the go. It even takes awesome photos much to my dismay as we all know what we think of those who take photos with an ipad! Another year older and a few more changes to my list of loves and loaths. I now love red wine with a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon being preferred, sushi has become a favourite and I’ve grown to enjoy red meat. Surprisingly I’ve gone slightly off chocolate and am beginning to go off sweet treats in general but fear not, the other half of livelifelovecake, my mother has sustained a sweet tooth in her old age.

Trips to Spain, Turkey and Brazil has opened my eyes to new foods from around the world like banana and passion fruit fish, sticky almond Bravia and mountains of condensed milk pudding. My mum has visited Austria and France both offering fantastic food like the gala dinner at the Gartenhotel Theresia in Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Le Petite Fontaine in Carpentras.

Together we’ve put together a small list of our favourite food, drink and travel experiences of 2013 so you have the chance to enjoy them in 2014.

• Favourite meal: The Five Fields in Chelsea, London
• Favourite drink: Hot buttered rum at Street Feast’s Hawker House, London
• Favourite sweet treat: Biskies by Cutter & Squidge
• Favourite product: The Chocolatier’s water ganache chocolates
• Favourite cake stop: Manna Tea Rooms in Old Portsmouth
• Favourite new find: Brickwood Coffee and Bread in Clapham, London
• Favourite travel destination: Ilha Grande in Brazil
• Favourite event: Total Yogurt’s birthday party with Eric Lanlard
• Favourite hotel stay: Gartenhotel Theresia in Austria
• Favourite venue: half way up The Shard at Aqua Shard in London

So there it is, the very best of 2013 and what a year it’s been. It doesn’t end there though, we have more adventures planned for 2014 which sees myself and Sam backpacking our way through Asia for six months before moving to Sydney in July. Mum plans to return to France to attempt a new cycling challenge with the help of red wine and croissants and also hopes to visit me in Australia where no doubt we will spend the whole time sampling delights down under.

In the meantime I will be keeping you up-to-date with where I am in the world and the best food and drink I find along the way. Not a lover of spice, rice and noodles, South East Asia will be interesting when it comes to food but I’m sure I will grow to love it as I continue my hunt for sweet treats across the globe.

Lastly, we would both like to say a big thank you to everyone who has read our blog over the past year and hope you continue to follow our lives into 2014. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year and may it be filled with enjoyable food, drink and travel.

Living life, loving cake

H x