hackney hear

Technology is so cool. For those local to East London, or those thinking about wandering through my lovely neighboorhood, check out this very cool app from Hackney Hear. The app is free to download, and once it's installed you can wander around the streets of London Fields and Broadway Market listening to stories from Iain Sinclair, poems by Shane Solanki and secrets shared by local residents.

The app is activated by GPS location so you can stand still to hear a story that interests you or move on to hear something new. Isn't this a great way to explore a neighboorhood? I think it would be perfect for a first date!

Download Hackney Hear from iTunes here.

e5 bake house

 

 

Call me clueless, but I don't know how to make bread. It seems like it should be so simple, just a few ingredents, a lovely warm kitchen and lots of time and presto! an amazing loaf of freshly baked delcisouness.

Enter the E5 Bake House - a farily new addition to east London - this bakery established itself in the arches at London Fields and has quickly become one of my favourite hangouts. And recently, I discovered they are now offering bread making classes! Running on Saturdays from 11am until about 5:30pm, the class teaches you how to bake four different types of bread, all using the E5's famous wild sourdough and teaches you how to make and maintain a 'mother' for your own bread.

They are fully booked through May, but I'm on the wait list and come fall, you can bet that I will be a master bread maker.

E5 Bake House, Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH

borough wines

Borough Wines has come to Hackney! Firmly established in Borough Market, this lovely wine shop has opened it's doors just around the corner on Wilton Way. They stock a interesting list of wines in addition to my favourite, a refillable glass bottle(!) you can top up with either white or red wines from the barrel. The weekends usually finds a pop up tasting bar, so there is no excuse not to head down and check them out.

Borough Wines, 67 Wilton Way, London E8 1BG

beer in hackney

I am sure I wax lyrical about why Hackney is amazing often enough...but just one!more!thing!

London Fields Brewery. Need I say more? Started by business partners Jules Whiteway and Ian Burgess (who already runs Climpson & Sons coffee shop on Broadway Market), this brewery opened in August. They are looking to provide beers - not ales - to local homes and pubs and you can bet I'll be first in line.

Located just off London Fields, they are joining an ever growing group of local traders and suppliers who are constantly enriching this area.

London Fields Brewery, 374 Helmsley Place, London E8 3SB

from our flat

It's odd being in the centre of something that has now reached international prominence, but sadly the rioting in London hit our neighbourhood in Hackney yesterday. These pictures were taken from our kitchen window and looking back at them now feels me with anger and sadness. Four shops were looted on my street - picked not to protest against any establishment, but to satisfy the wants of disrespectful kids. Whilst I appreciate and understand the numerous deep seated issues that young people in London face, I don't understand or respect their decision to ruin the community they live in. Thankfully we have been surrounded by numerous police officers who have helped to restore order in our little neighbourhood.

Pictures thanks to Sam O'Brien

happy friday

Happy Friday kids! I am so looking forward to the weekend. We have loads planned but thankfully it's all fun stuff with friends. I've been doing quite a bit of yoga lately and tomorrow morning I thought I would check out my latest find - a local yoga class in London Fields. Yoga in the Park runs every Saturday morning from 9am and I've been watching with jealously the last few weeks as a small group gathers to practice in the morning sun. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain for my first session tomorrow! What are you doing this weekend?

hello friends

Sorry I have been away. We been busy the last two weekends enjoying the Great British Summer. First up was Lovebox, a great local festival at Victoria Park where we saw Metronomy, Santigold, De La Soul, Blondie, Scissor Sister and Snoop Dogg. Even the monsoon like rain didn't dampen our spirits.

Last weekend was Secret Garden Party, by far my most favourite festival. We spent our days exploring the gorgeous grounds and the nights running amok in the music tents. It took the better part of last week to get caught up on work, life and laundry (it's amazing how many clothes you get through at a muddy festival!) but I'm back on track now and thought I'd get this week started with some pictures of our latest escapades...

Happy days kids, happy days!

And Secret Garden Party pics after the jump...

the floating cinema

Another cinema has come to the East End. And this one is on a boat!

The narrow boats dotting the canals of East London are famous in their own right. But this summer, the Floating Cinema will make one particular narrow boat more interesting than the rest. Created by Hackney based architects Studio Weave and artist duo Somewhere as part of the CREATE11 summer festival, the Floating Cinema will host on-board film screenings, canal tours and workshops. Additionally, (and what I’m most excited about), they will also host film nights under the stars. Movies will be projected from the boat onto canal-side architecture allowing audiences to watch them from the banks of the canal. I can just imagine watching a film, projected onto a beautiful old brick warehouse, as the moonlight glitters across the water. Absolutely delightful!

For events and film dates, check out the Floating Cinema.

folly for a flyover

If you live in East London, you’ll know about the vast amount of regeneration we’re experiencing in the run up to the Olympics. Various projects have taken over our streets and for the most part, they have made East London a better and more interesting place to live.

One such project is recently opened Folly for a Flyover. Created by Assemble, this not for profit collective made up of East London artists, architects and designers won £40,000 in March to create a cultural and artistic space in the gap between the east and westbound traffic of the A12.

Working with local volunteers, they spent more than a month building a cinema by hand. Materials were sourced locally in Hackney in addition to using refuse from the nearby Olympic Park. Now complete, the Folly will host a café and workshops during the day with (the most exciting part!) being films, light shows and performances shown at their cinema at night.

The project runs until the 24^th of July after which the cinema will be broken down and the supplies will be reused again elsewhere in the community. Information about what’s showing when can be found here. I’d make an effort to get East quick as many shows are already sold out.

Folly For a Flyover

the 1-2-3-4

Have you heard about The 1-2-3-4? It's a one day music festival taking place in Shoreditch Park on Saturday July 9th. Early bird tickets have sold out but you can still get full price tickets here. Line up includes The Raveonettes, Black Lips, The King Blues and Lydia Lunch - the festival celebrates all things rock 'n' roll. I think this is another one to add to the list...

lovebox

Lovebox - yes? Yes! It would be rude not too.

Lovebox has become a bit of a tradition for us as it is located practically on our doorstep in Victoria Park. The festival runs for three days and this year there are so many acts I don't want to miss! Snoop Dogg, Phoenix, Robyn, Jesse J, Beth Ditto and Blondie are at the top of my list and I can't wait to dance the night away to 2ManyDJs, Horse Meat Disco and of course Groove Armada.

The husband and I will be hosting a brunch before the festivities start on Sat 16th July - and if you would like to pop by leave a comment in the section below. Just make sure you book tickets quickly as it is sure to sell out. Hope to see you there!

hackney homemade

There is a new market coming to Hackney! Starting on Saturday and running throughout the summer, Hackney Homemade is being held in the gardens of St Johns Church (off Mare Street). In addition to a normal Farmer's Market with fresh fruit & veg, this market specialises in high quality handmade and vintage goods. Created by local resident Jane MacIntyre, the idea is to promote local traders and small businesses and to celebrate the great community we have in Hackney. See you there on Sat!

hackney picture house

Have you heard the news?

Hackney is getting a new cinema! Set to open in Autumn 2011, the Hackney Picture House will be taking over the council-owned Hackney Ocean. The four screen cinema will show independent and foreign films along side more traditional Hollywood blockbusters.

They are offering Founder Memberships for £30 a year which gives you access to free tickets, discounted food and drink, no booking fee and invites to free previews. As the Ocean is literally across the street from our flat, becoming a founding member seems like a good deal to me!

Hackney Picture House

too many things, so little time

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a huge amount of fun, new places to check out in London?! Club nights, supper clubs, underground bars, the list is endless. Here are some of the places I'll be checking out this summer...

The Baby Bathhouse, 125 Church Street, N16

Recently opened in Stoke Newington is The Baby Bathhouse. Decorated with skeleton wallpaper and gilded birdcages, this bar promises prohibition era-style cocktails alongside classic American favourites like mac and cheese. Amazing? I hope so.

The Clove Club, Dalston

Private dining club, good food, good music and good fun. Yes?

The Candlelight Club, a secret location

A venue completely lit by candles, a 1920s speakeasy, a one-off bespoke cocktail menu...what more do you want?

for the boys

I don’t know about the boys in your life, but my other half is a cycling nut. He is not only a super enthusiastic rider, but is constantly trying to convince me that cycling is THE only way to travel around London. And while I enjoy the leisurely ride on the weekend, his fast-paced, taxi-racing, light-jumping, daily-commute mode of travel is still a bit much.

Regardless, I love how excited he gets when he beats his own personal best home; he is adorable when he boasts about beating whoever was silly enough to try and pass him on the road and even I can’t wait to see his new bike that’s coming home later today.

So for all those cycling boys out there, here is some awesome stuff just for you. And for the ladies who love them, a little something to help us cope with the multiple bikes in the flat (we have 4!), the scuffed walls and the endless gear.

A beautiful fixed gear:

Jeans from Rapha; they are cut with a higher back so bums stays hidden, they’ve added a reflective logo on the inside leg which is visible when you roll the leg and they are made of fast-drying, durable and stretchy fabric to make cycling easier.

The DZR shoes are also great; basically made to look like normal walking shoes, they include a hidden clip in on the bottom sole. They are easy to walk in, comfortable and much more practical than carrying around a spare pair of shoes to change into.

And for that lovely weekend ride, to enjoy at the park, for a special night out...

Bike - Single Speed
Jeans - Rapha
Shoes - DZR
Bike Wine Rack - via Cup of Jo - SwissMiss

house of hackney

dalston rose 

queen bee

hackney empire

How amazing are these rooms? Over the weekend, I went to check out the new interiors shop, House of Hackney. To launch their ridiculous first collection they created a pop up shop inside an old Victorian town house! It meant you could wander through each of the rooms and see the pieces as they would be used. The attention to detail was just crazy, the shop girls were wearing customised outfits fashioned from the fabric used in each of the collections!

My two favourites pieces were the ombre wallpaper in the Dalston Rose Room and the super lush bed sheets, complete with detailed bees, in the Queen Bee Room. And even though most of of the pieces are way outside my budget, the fantasy and spectacle of the collections make them more than worth checking out.

Photos via House of Hackney and Style Bubble.

print club

Print Club London is a new studio/workshop on Brick Lane that has recently started offering screen printing lessons. The studio space is impressive & the art for sale is both affordable and incredibly striking. Think graphic prints, bold colours & one off designs.

The beginner workshops run twice a week and are booking up quickly. I'm definitely going to check it out!