As someone who usually gets excited about Christmas in October, I just hadn't been feeling it this year. I had listened to festive songs, done my Christmas shopping and even broken my tradition of wrapping on Christmas Eve, all in an effort to feel more festive. Even after all this though, I still wasn't feeling it! I decided it was time to visit somewhere that would help get me in the Christmas spirit and when I thought about where would have little Christmas gifts, cute and unique shops and of course great places to eat, I decided upon Angel.
Walking around Angel is a different experience each time. You may think you have seen all the interesting shops and the hidden gems of restaurant and coffee shops but the next time you go, you will discover so much more. This visit was no exception and the Christmas stalls and seasonal products in the shops meant that there was even more to discover.
This shop called 'Angel Flowers' was so sweet and had a wide range of plants and potted flowers. I loved the giant wreaths and could imagine how beautiful they would look when they were fully decorated.
I love small and seldom coffee businesses and 'Giddy' is a stall in the park which is open for business all year round and when we spoke to the man working on it during the summer, it was clear that they take pride in their coffee and it is of a very high standard.
When we grew hungry for lunch, we popped into 'Chilango' which is a small Mexican restaurant which serves burritos, wraps and salads. It is similar to a fast food place in the sense that you choose what you want to eat and they serve you there and then. I chose pork as my meat which was cooked to perfection and had a mild salsa. I then chose from my an array of added extras which consisted of rice, cheese, beans, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and onion which were all complimenting flavours. The burrito tortilla was also quite doughy which was a huge factor in me wanting to return again - I love doughiness!
After strolling around Angel, we decided to jump on the tube and head to central London. Our first stop was Carnaby street which is always my favourite place for Christmas lights.
Horns playing Christmas songs never fails to get me in the festive mood as it reminds me of when I used to sing Christmas carols in the choir at school and also play my saxophone at Christmas carol shows!
A quick browse in Lush had to be done and if you were wondering, the festive bath bomb I buy each year without fail is the 'butter bear'. The reason I love this particular product so much is because of it's vanilla scent and how soft it leaves your skin feeling because of the cocoa butter in it. I have enjoyed a couple of baths already with this and will be stocking up on a few more of the little bears before the year is over.
We took an obligatory trip to Liberty's, purely to look at the Christmas decorations. I love browsing the Christmas floor but wont be buying anything until I have my own house and Christmas tree!
After being told they have no room for us in The Diner, we went for a wander down the back streets of Carnaby street that we've never walked down before.We ended up in Grillshack on Beak Street.
I ordered the buttermilk chicken and Miles ordered the pulled pork and beef burger which came with fries so we went for a mix of normal fries and sweet potato fries. We also had barbecue chicken wings and onion rings on the side.
We then walked off our dinner on Oxford street and Regent street, mainly just looking in the windows of all the lovely shops but I did pick up a pair of jeans in Forever 21 as they are so good and so affordable! Plus you can never have enough black skinny jeans.
I had such a lovely day in London and my festive spirit has definitely risen ever since. Honestly, how could the lights of London not get you feeling festive?
Hope you're having a festive weekend,
Hayley x
Hope you're having a festive weekend,
Hayley x