My Day as a Tourist in London! #TravelexTourist

One of the best things about being an expat (expatriate) is still getting to play the tourist. I have been asked before, from fellow Americans, what there is to do in various cities around the UK. Of course the most popular being London.

Answering that question is hard there are three things that need to be taken into consideration. 1. How much time are you spending in London? 2. Do you have any specific interests? and 3. How many people and age groups?

If someone is not into art then I wouldn’t send them to the art museums, but I would point them in the direction of the science or history museum! If you have children with you I would suggest the same, who doesn’t want to see dinosaurs? London can be tailored to anyone! That’s how much stuff there is to do in London.

Travelex asked me to spend a day in London as a tourist with a budget of $150 (American dollars). On the day of exchange it equalled £114.53. Could I manage a day in London, on my own, with that budget? Let's find out!

Shakespeare’s Globe 

£15 adult entry + £6 gift shop

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is an open theatre and has mostly a summer season aka the Wonder Season which runs from April 30th - October 16th. So, I was unable to see a performance, but the exhibition is open all year long (see dates on the website). It was very informative and entertaining, my tour guide was funny and knew everything there was to know about Shakespeare and the history of the current globe theatre. For more information visit the website linked above! Before I left I picked myself up a couple of magnets with Shakespeare quotes.

Instead of going right next door to the Tate Modern, I took the tube from Blackfriars to Monument, (tube stations are named for a reason - Black Friar Pub and the Monument to the Great Fire of London are both right near the tube stations) in search of the Sky Garden. If you don't book a (free) ticket there are weekday walk-in tickets. They are available from 10am to 11:30am and from 2pm to 4:30pm and are given out on a first come first serve basis, so I wanted to get there before 2! I was early so I stopped to get coffee and cake. Also an excuse to get out of the rain!

Konditor & Cook 

(The Gherkin) - £9.45

This bakery has been on my “to visit” list for ages, because they have a cake called the curly wurly cake (nothing to do with Cadbury) that is suppose to be amazing! It was pretty amazing. Soft and dense dark chocolate cake covered in just enough vanilla frosting. Paired with a latte it was just what I needed after walking through the rain! The above cost also includes a take away fudge brownie that I shared with my partner when I got back.

The Sky Garden

Free (need ID)

The Sky Garden is a rival for the London Eye. Having been on the London Eye a few times, I would say that the Sky Garden is by far superior. There is no cost, you’re free to roam around, and there are places to relax, eat, and visit! The gardens are full of pleasant smelling vibrant green plants. Did I mention the view is amazing! You can literally see all of London, it was a cloudy day for me so I bet I could have seen further if it was a clear day! The observation deck was closed due to the rain, but I don’t think I would have wanted to go out there with it all wet and slippery…….

Tate Modern

Free + £5.50 gift shop

Is my favorite museum in London. There was a time I could walk into the Tate and tell you all about the artists and their time periods, but that time was when I was fresh out of college where I studied art. Also, the current exhibits are a lot more modern artists as in the last couple decades. Which I really enjoyed seeing and experiencing. I would gladly spend a whole day in the Tate! I bought another magnet and a couple of buttons for my girls.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Evensong - Free

There are many churches and chapels in London, but St. Paul’s is probably the most popular. It does sit on Ludgate Hill, which is the highest point in London. It has a deep rooted history in London having been built in 1708 and it still runs as a functioning church with daily services. Services which are open to the public aka who ever wants to attend. Tours are available, but I find the best way to experience St. Paul’s is through the Evensong. A beautiful choral service that is a great place to sit and relax after a day of sightseeing.

Burger & Lobster 

Dinner - £35.16

I was really hungry when I walked into Burger and Lobster! I had researched restaurants near St. Paul’s and Burger & Lobster isn’t right next door it’s near by. It’s also something I don’t have in the town I live. For £20 you can have a burger with bacon and cheese, a lobster, or a lobster roll; served with fries and a salad. Drinks and dessert not included. I had the lobster roll in a brioche bun that was delicious, I cleaned my whole plate and then had a lemon cheesecake for dessert. Although I wouldn’t have called it a cheesecake. It was more lemon mousse like with crumbs and a lemon jelly/jello like substance at the bottom. It was good; tart and refreshing after a rich meal is just want you need!

That was the end of my day, if I had been a proper tourist or a Londoner, not someone who had to get back to “reality” I would have seen a show, but I had a train to catch and if I had stayed for a show I would have missed my last train back!

The Verdict: With a jam packed day of mostly free events I still spent £71.11, with £43.42 leftover. The majority of what I spent was on food. As I mentioned before everyone’s priorities or interests are different. I find food, when exploring a city, is a must and something I’d always happily spend a little bit more on. Note that I did not include travel into my total spending. Because I traveled in I bought an all-day off-peak travel card prior to arriving in London. For tube/bus travel I highly recommend getting a hold of an Oyster Card, it’s the cheapest and easiest way to get around London.

Final Thoughts: I went to London with a vague plan and nothing pre-booked. Which is a great way to spend a day in London wondering around, however if there are things you want to do plan ahead. A lot of websites offer discounts if you book online, this may keep you to a time schedule, but will save money. I had a great day out and would love to do it again .... with all new things to see and do!

notes: In association with Travelex UK & Travelex USA  - #TravelexTourist and their connecting with your favorite bloggers campaign. All opinions are my own, the only compensation was what was put on the Multi-Currency Cash Passport card on the day. It was super easy to use and a great no stress way to convert and carry money abroad. Please see my contact/policy page for further information.

Follow me @unitedcakedom on Twitter and Instagram for more images and news about my day. There is also a short video on my YouTube Channel check it out! To find other bloggers and how they spent their day search #TravelexTourist

Day Out in Bath, United Kingdom

One of the reasons I love the UK is because of its history. The USA has a history too, don’t we all?? However, the history of this country is much older and it’s reflected in pretty much every town you visit.

For my birthday we went to Bath for the day and we were lucky that the weather was beautiful! We got there just in time for lunch. We ended up at Wagamama because we were all hungry and when feeding kids it’s sometimes good to go somewhere we all know and love.

Then because it was my birthday we went to The Jane Austen Centre. It is located on the same street that Jane Austen lived on when she resided in Bath. I could be wrong, but I believe they told us that Bath is mentioned in all of her books. Of course if you’re a fan like myself you know that in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion her heroine’s visit and reside in Bath. All the staff at the center wear the name of one of Jane’s many characters and they will answer any questions you have. I found a lot of the information available I already knew from reading up on her before, but there was also a bit more on her family and herself that I wasn’t aware. It was interesting and enjoyable!

Right out side The Jane Austen Centre is a little park and lucky for us that weekend there was a sort of pop up/kickstarter children’s event called Forest of Imagination. There was a lot going on and the girls had a lot of fun jumping around on space hoppers and writing their names on the giant rabbit and more! I would love to see something like this in Reading.

After that we went in search of Sally Lunn’s. Still full up from lunch we took some of the famous bun’s home with us along with some homemade cinnamon butter. We were instructed by the lady on the till to split the buns in half and gently toast them under a grill before spreading with the cinnamon butter and grilling again to get the cinnamon butter smell throughout the house! That’s what we did and we weren’t disappointed! We also stopped to get Bath buns from The Bath Bun. There are so many tea places in Bath and there is no way we would have gotten to them all in one day.

We stopped for ice cream and while we ate our ice cream listened to some street music. The human statues were also fun to see! Then before we left we stopped at an art gallery, Rostra Gallery. There were some prints in the window that drew my attention and as a fellow/former printmaker I had to have them. The simple style of imagery is inspiring and I highly admire this type of art. The best part is that Ruth Broadway, the artist, is local to Bath. I don’t know why that makes it the best part, but I like the fact that she’s a local artist.

I think that’s what I loved about Bath the most, the art. It’s everywhere including the architecture! I can see how it inspired Miss Austen to create her work.

Places I have been in Bath before:

The Roman Baths

Bath Abbey

The Royal Crescent

Hands Tea Room

Walking Tour/Bus Tour

Things I’d like to see and do next time:

Richard Bertinet Bakery and Cookery School

Jane Austen Festival (September)

The Pump Room
Alexandra Park.

notes: All opinions are my own: for more information see my contact/policy tab above.

Glam Doll Donuts in Minneapolis, Minnesota

I want to use jet lag as an excuse for not blogging and/or baking as much as I did before I left, but the reality is life has taken a priority!

For the time being anyway. Sometimes life just needs to do that.

I have a few more posts that I want to share with you what I got up to when I was in the states visiting my family and friends.

My parents moved us to Minnesota when I was 15, at that age I was not very impressed with that. However like all teenagers I managed to adapt, but I made sure my parents knew exactly how hard it was to do so.

So, when I go “home” I go to Minnesota. It is also where I tell people I am from when asked. It’s just easier.

Minnesota isn't a bad place to go home too especially as it has this place in Minneapolis called Glam Doll Dounuts.

That’s right Glam Doll Donuts and they are pretty damn Glam!

My girls loved the place immediately because as you can see it’s all pink! That and you could smell the sugar sweetness down the road!

We had a hard time choosing between all their different flavors. But the gentleman behind the counter was very patient with us while we decided. The girls finally settled on the

Darling: vanilla cake donut with sprinkles and they had the

Femme Fatale: fresh raspberry curd filled with vanilla icing. My sister choose the

Chart Topper: a peanut butter and Sriracha donut and I picked the

Daddy Dearest: a surly cake donut, surly blender glaze and bacon crumb topping.

They were all super delicious. I know because I commandeered a bite of each one! I wish I lived closer because I am sure I would be a regular, much to my jeans distress. So, it's probably a good thing I don't live closer! 

If you find yourself in Minneapolis here is their location:

2605 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55408

And if you don’t ever plan on making a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota then you can just drool over their donuts on their website where you can see the many different flavor combinations they have! Or check them out on their social media sites!

notes: All opinions are my own; my sister recommended it so we went. For further information please see my contact/policy page! If you don't know what Sriracha is... well you should! My next post is all about another place I visited in Minneapolis, so stay tuned! 

Highland Bakery Tour!

I sometimes wonder how I can call myself a food blogger when I cannot manage to take a picture of all the stuff I eat – especially the sweet stuff. I mean realistically no one would want to see my breakfast, lunch, and dinner including all snacks and drinks although, such a project might make an interesting artistic project?

Looking through my photographs, of my recent stay in Scotland, I didn’t take pictures of half of the things we did, but like a million of one day. Talk about over compensation. Needless to say after all this pointless reflection is that I didn’t get a picture of all the bakery’s and treats I tried. Sorry about that. But here is a quick overview of where I went and what I had.

Harry Gow:

dream ring: pretty tasty fresh cream in a light airy pastry

not sure what this was called, but it was a bad dry meringue thing

mini Victoria sponge: was delicious light fluffy cake with fresh cream & jam

Something Sweet:

Irn Bru icream!! What!?
And some blue stuff that was nothing to shout about.

The Storehouse of Foulis:

I had this perfect genormas meringue with a cup of chai tea.

The Cromarty Bakery:

Yummy coconut tart. Perfect after the lobster I had for lunch! ;0) 

Sweet Treats:

sorry for the poor lighting, but it was more Irn Bru ice cream
better then the one above

Irn Bru fudge: so sweet you can only eat a little at a time

Deas Bakery:

lammington: yum! I also tried a raspberry tart and a ginger and toffee tart
no pics though they were all very good

Lastly I got to try Arbroth Smokies at the Highland Games! Delicious and a good time at the games!

notes: (to self) attempt a picture food log, first see if I can keep it up and second if it gets a following. All bakery/sweet shop names are linked! PS The Cromarty Bakery is hiring!! ;0) I have a few things I want to try to make that has been inspired by my visit to the Highlands. If you haven't already seen them I did make some Cranachan Cupcakes that are inspired by a traditional Scottish dessert. 

Dear Blog, (2)

Happy 2nd Birthday!! 

I am sorry I only really write to you once a year on your birthday, but I'm usually pretty busy baking, posting my baking, taking care of kids and a husband, hanging out on social media sites (twitter, pinterest, facebook) promoting you etc... It really doesn't leave me a lot of time to have a heart to heart with you. 

As it's your birthday and all I think it's about time we had that heart to heart. Really  more of a reminiscing of the past year... here are a bakers dozen of our time together. 

1. Remember that time when I made coffee extract and I questioned if I had made it right? I made it with just coffee. Then I went to Starbucks for a freakin' lot of espresso to make it again and there was like no difference?? 

2. OMG do you remember the Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars I made for the 4th of July? They were so amazing ... I am drooling just thinking about them. 

3. Do you remember I baked a whole weeks worth of Harry Potter inspired treats? Yeah? It's a lot of work sorting out a themed weeks worth of bakes! But oh so rewarding. 

4. It seems like yesterday I hosted my first giveaway of a book I absolutely adore! 

5. Remember the Mickey Mouse cookies I made for Baby Baker's 3rd birthday? They were so cute and she loved them! She is more of a fan of Dora the Explorer at the moment. Wonder what she'll like in a half a years time? Do you also remember the sugar cookies I decorated to look like pizzas for the bigger Mini Baker?

6. Remember when I didn't win the Hummingbird Bakery Cupcake Competition? My Peach Melba Cupcakes were pretty amazing. Hey their loss, right?! However I was a runner up in the Lola's Cupcake Competition and received a voucher for 10GBP to spend at their shops. I still haven't made it to London since then...note to self: plan trip to London! 

7. I did spend the day in London with my good friend Bijal, remember that? I dragged her to bakeries I had yet to visit. It's a hard job being my friend sometimes. I make you eat cake with me. :0) Here is a link to Part 1 & Part 2 of that day! 

8. Remember when I was all nervous about attending my first (and only) Clandestine Cake Club? I thought they made you guess the location and that if you couldn't figure out a series of riddles you were just shit-out-of-luck and had to eat a cake to yourself. It's not like that. They tell you a day before the "secret" location. Was a little disappointed to find out I didn't have to figure it out by clues and riddles. Ah well, I was really happy with my Cherry Cola Bundt Cake and the group of people I met that night. Hoping to attend again in July! 

9. The majority of the cupcake recipes on here are for the Cupcake Book Club hosted by Kelly from An American Cupcake in London. Remember the everything is not as it seems Red Velvet Cupcakes and Toffee Bakewell Tart Cupcakes? They were for 2 different books, but both were good. 

10. Except these cupcakes ... Do you remember the Slo-Mo Cupcakes I made to celebrate World Book Night? I gave out a Judge Dredd graphic novel. I make a lot more cupcakes then I thought? 

11. These Raspberry & White Chocolate Celebration Brownies have been a big hit! Not sure how or why but they are my most viewed for this year. Remember my friends requested them for our dinner night? All who tried them loved them! 

12. Hey, do you remember when I bought that mini doughnut silicone pan from Lakeland's? Who knew it would get so much use? I have made a lot of fun mini doughnuts and plan to make a lot more! 

13. It only happened a month ago, but I will never forget my baking day at Cake Boy! 

So, there it is 13 memories of our year together. I'm looking forward to having another heart to heart this time next year. Same time, same place yea? 

I'm planning a few themed weeks, first one hopefully coming at the end of the month, other then that who knows where 2013/2014 will take us! 

I almost forgot to mention you're update look, remember we did that? I hope you're happier now that you look all nice and stuff. 

Love always, Lisa

Outsider Tart, Chiswick {bakery tour}

I have been a fan of the David’s the owners of Outsider Tart since I bought myself a copy of their book 2 summers ago. I have stated more then once my love for their book Baked in America. I even traveled to Oxford to get them to sign it. So it's a bit odd that this was my first visit to the shop, store, café, bakery, all of the above?  

Thursday after my day at Cake Boy (see previous entry) my friend Lauren, picked me up and to avoid rush hour traffic hung out at Outsider Tart for a bit. It was on our way back to Berkshire, not that I needed an excuse to visit!

The day before I had tweeted them @OutsiderTart and asked what I should try as my birthday treat. I had a reply saying I should ask for him (David) when I got there because he was working on an ice cream sandwich.

Before I get to the ice cream sandwich can I just say that if you are planning to visit Outsider Tart you should go on Thursday night because it’s Chili Night and the chili was amazing! It was accompanied by the best corn bread I think I have ever had. Or at least the best I have had since I left Indiana in 1998.

Back to the ice cream sandwich…it was good! It was gorgeous! The vanilla ice cream middle was the perfect balance to the rich chocolate cookie outside. I hope they decide to add it to the menu! 

Thank you so much David for letting me try it out! I hope to visit again soon!!

Soho, London {Bakery Tour: Part 2}

Finally getting around to the second part of my day in London*!!

We walked to Soho after our morning in Covent Garden and we passed a Bubbleology! Having never been I went in to try it out! I couldn't make up my mind on which flavor to get but finally settled on White Peach. The very nice Bubbleologist said it was a popular choice! I really enjoyed it. Very refreshing and flavorful! Tasted a little floral (maybe?), but it wasn't a bad thing!

Then we went to Paul.A.Young, it's a small shop with lots of chocolate. I saw somewhere (probably twitter) that he makes killer brownies so that's what I went for! I also love Pecans so choose the salted caramel and pecan brownie.

I didn't eat it right away* as it says it's good for 7 days at room temperature or 14 days in the fridge and I had already indulged a lot that day. When I finally got around to eating it I didn't even get a picture of it unwrapped! Obviously because I ate it and it was so good that the last thing I was thinking of was taking a picture of it. Now that's a good brownie. It was the right texture and very rich and extremely gorgeous! The sales lady was very nice and answered all of our questions. I always think service is important and will mention it if it's either outstanding or terrible. I will definitely be going there again! 

And last but not least the Hummingbird Bakery! It's pretty much right next door to Paul.A.Young and earlier that day on twitter I learned they started there new daily specials and that Monday's were Cadbury's Double Deckers, Mr. Knightley's favorite candy bar.

So, I stopped in there to get him one of those. I did try a bite and it was okay. I have been to Hummingbird Bakery before and then I had 2 cupcakes one really good the other only so/so. The double decker cupcake was soft and moreish. However the frosting wasn't my favorite. It was heavy literally and figuratively. So, again I feel 50/50 about the place. Love the books though. Maybe that's the problem that I have such great success from the books that I hold the actual bakery to higher standards? I don't know? I wouldn't tell you not to try the new specials, because the cake was good and the filling. It just feel a little short on the frosting for me. 

That concludes my semi-spur of the moment day trip to London. Planning to go again later in the month! Can't wait to tell you all about it!! 

Places we went:

Bubbleology: 49 Rupert St, Soho, London, W1D 7PF

Paul.A.Young: 143 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8WA

Hummingbird Bakery:  155a Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8WG

*It's been a whole week! First part here! 

*Why this post came later....

Covent Garden London {Bakery Tour: Part 1}

Yesterday was a very rare occasion in that I was able to go to London, on a week day, kid free*!! A friend, who has recently relocated to London, and I took the day to catch up and to try a few sweet treats around Covent Garden!

Our first stop The Cupcake Bakehouse (formerly known as Ella's Bakehouse). We decided to buy two cupcakes and split them in half so we could both try them! The lady at the counter was very nice and helpful and cut them for us! We tried the Raspberry & Lemon and the Black Forest Gateau. Both were very soft and moist and full of flavor. The Raspberry Lemon was a white sponge with raspberries in the cake with a lemon butter cream. The Black Forest of course was a chocolate sponge with a hint of cherry topped with white butter cream, a cherry, and cherry drizzle. Before I went I had read a few reviews about this place not being very good, but I liked it and would definitely go back next time I am in Covent Garden!

Raspberry Lemon Cupcake

Black Forest Gateau

We then stopped for lunch at Jamie's Union Jacks. We shared, again, a pizza called the Old Spot (Slow-roast shoulder of pork, quince & Bramley sauce, Cropwell Bishop Stilton, cracklings & watercress). It was different, but in a good way! 

After lunch we grabbed a macaroon from Laduree!! We both choose the salted caramel macaroon! There were so many flavors to choose from and I had a hard time just picking one. Of course I didn't have to pick just one, but I didn't want to be greedy!! They were exactly what one would expect from a French macaroon! It was just what we needed as a sweet treat after lunch! 

We had some more time, after crossing off Primrose Bakery, Candy Cakes, and a few other sweet places from our list,* so we headed to Soho! One of the reasons I can't continue the post is I brought something back that I haven't eaten yet! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming later this week!! 

Places we went: 

The Cupcake Bakehouse: 20a The Piazza, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8RB  (now closed)

Jamie's Union Jacks:  5, North Hall, Covent Garden Piazza, London, WC2E 8RA (now closed)

Laduree: 1 The Market Building, Covent Garden London, WC2E 8RB 

*Don't worry I didn't abandon them! One was at school the other with her dad, who has the week off! 

*It's not that we would never visit those places (well Candy Cakes maybe, it's reputation isn't that great) it's just there were others in Soho I wanted to visit more!