June favourites of the month

I know it's not even the middle of June yet, let alone the end of it, but I thought I’d do my June favourites early because I already have a few!

1. Seasonal fruit - not only is it fresher and tastier than fruit that is not in season, but it also packs in more nutrients. This month's picks include strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, cherries, plums and my absolute favourite: Indian Alfonso mangoes, which are so much sweeter and more flavoursome than regular mangoes!

2. Festivals - from music festivals to colour festivals to food festivals. At the beginning of the month, I attended HOLI On The Downs in Nottingham (where I go to university), inspired by the original Indian Holi festival, where people throw coloured powder paint on each other in the afternoon sunshine with music blasting in the background. Coming up soon is the Foodies Festival at Alexandra Palace, the UK’s largest celebration of food & drink, which I am really looking forward to! Also lined up for me is Wireless Festival, where Drake is headlining, and PartyNextDoor, Major Lazer, Labrinth, Fuse ODG and Maverick Sabre are performing among lots of other stars! I'd love to go to a music festival abroad one day in the future - Benicassim, Sonar and Tomorrowland all sound great, but above all my dream is to go to Coachella!

3. I know I’m so behind the times with this one but I’ve started watching Girls, starring Lena Dunham. I’m already well into season 2 as its on my go-to binge watching list! I love all the characters; either you are one (or have aspects of them) or you know someone like them, which makes it even more relatable and funny!

4. My fourth favourite this month is Bootcamp Pilates in Notting Hill. I’ve been going for about a month and I Iove the fact that doing pilates on a reformer is so much more challenging for your whole body (especially your core) than just basic pilates on a mat. 

5. Finally, here are a few songs I've been listening to at the moment:

• I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) - Jamie xx (feat. Young Thug and Popcaan)

• Everyday - A$AP Rocky (feat. Rod Stewart, Miguel and Mark Ronson)

• Somebody - Natalie La Rose (feat. Jeremih)

• Is This Love - Bob Marley (Montmartre Remix)

That’s all from me today but let me know some of your favourites this month in the comments if you like or feel free to let me know what you thought of mine!

Salted caramel porridge

Porridge season may be coming to a close with summer quickly approaching but I had to share this recipe with you!

Dates are really useful in cooking as they develop into a deep sticky caramel flavour when heated and are a fantastic natural sweetener. The salt in this recipe is the perfect compliment to the sweetness.

My salted caramel porridge can be made in less than 5 minutes and is super healthy but tastes really indulgent.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of porridge oats (I use gluten free but normal are fine)

1 cup of almond milk

1 medjool date cut into small chunks (if you have a sweet tooth feel free to use more!)

1 pinch of sea salt

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp honey/agave nectar (for topping)

Handful of berries (for topping)

Method

In a pan heat the porridge oats, almond milk, medjool date and sea salt. Use a low heat and stir until thick. 

Pour the porridge into a bowl, top with the berries and drizzle with the honey/agave nectar.

I'd love to hear from you if you give this a go!

Ethos Foods

Last week I checked out the new vegetarian restaurant that everyone has been raving about: Ethos Foods. With a prime location on Eastcastle Street near Oxford Circus, Ethos offers abundant displays of healthy, eclectic, meat-free dishes from around the globe. 

My favourite thing about Ethos is that you don’t have to choose between dishes on the menu as you can try a bit of everything (which I did!), since it’s a self-service buffet. The combination of flavours, colours and textures is remarkable - the foods range from vibrant salads based on lentils/quinoa/brown rice, to sweet potato wedges to giant bowls of guacamole, babaganoush and hummus. I particularly liked the "antioxidant dream salad"  with mango vinaigrette, the roast cauliflower with tahini dressing and cranberries, and the Moroccan tagine with chickpeas and apricots.

All of the desserts looked amazing and I couldn't decide between the gluten-free black bean brownie and the mini "peanut butter bombs" rolled in dessicated coconut - so I had both of course! Both were absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try the other desserts next time, such as pecan pie, cherry chocolate kugelhof, raw banana and coconut slice, and power puff energy balls.

I adored the décor which made the space feel bright and open, with white brick walls, sleek marble-topped tables, glass pendant lights and silver birch tree trunks from the floor to the ceiling in the middle of the room!

Ethos opens early in the day with a short breakfast menu (avocado on toast, granola, porridge, fruit salad) and then rolls on through to lunch and dinner. I think it’s a great spot for lunch (for all those shoppers that have worked up an appetite) as well as dinner - perfect if you've just finished work in town. Ethos operates on a Pay by Weight system so the pricing is flexible and my meal cost £10 for a plate piled high with delicious food. 

If you haven't already been, you should definitely check it out!