A Girls trip to Oakley Court

A Girls trip to Oakley Court

Friday, 14 August 2026

I've spent my last few years in London, creating and cultivating female friendships and last week, one of my new friends and I decided to go for a little weekend away.

I seem to have accidentally documented the transition (here, on the blog) from meeting Alexandra at one of her creative events, to becoming friends, so she's a familiar part of my world at the moment. I made such a big effort at the start of the year to fill my life with fun, new activates and love that in doing so, I made a new friend!

It was another warm Friday so I took the afternoon off and I headed out to Windsor early to make the most of the booking. 

Oakley Court is a Victorian mansion, set on the banks of the river, in Windsor. It took less than an hour to get there from London, via a little stroll around the town. 

The room wasn't ready when I arrived so after a wander around the grounds, I went straight to the wellness centre. I had visited the Soho house pop up there last summer, but didn't realise the hotel itself was so gothic and majestic. Very cool! 

I went for a quick swim, which was wonderfully refreshing given the heatwave and then enjoyed an array of Cowshed products in the shower afterwards. 

If you know anything about me, you'll know that the river is my happy place so I was very pleased to follow it further outside of London and see it surrounded by the English countryside, rather than, erm, Fulham haha. 

I spent the next few hours on a comfy garden chair, under a tree watching the boats and the ducks go by. All very whimsy. All very content.

Alexandra arrived at about 4, which was perfect timing for a cocktail or two. I couldn't quite decide what I wanted so I tasked the barman with making me some kind of strawberry spritz and he did an excellent job. Sweet, fruity, and most importantly, cold. 

When it was time to check in, we excitedly explored the room and all the freebies (plate of cookies, more Cowshed products and a picnic basket full of snacks) before dumping our bags and heading back out to the restaurant for dinner. 

We both ordered crisp glass of white wine and the miso black cod, which happens to be my favourite dish ever - I always get excited when I see it on a menu! Our lazy afternoon, turned into a lazy evening as the sun slowly, set over the riverside. 

Back in the room, we grabbed the hotel robes, raided the box of snacks and put on a film before I fell asleep at 9pm, which is pretty on brand for me. As far as I'm aware, Alexandra stayed up and had a bath.

The speckled rays of sun, shining through the leaves and into the room was a very gentle start the next morning. We woke up to the sound of nothing, which is an absolute treat when you live in Central London.

After a few hours of faffing around in the room it was breakfast time! A little buffet, set up in the back room, opening out into the courtyard. The staff were very attentive, I seem to make a habit of ordering annoying drinks, but they were happy to oblige and got it right first time when I ordered my go to - an iced, coconut milk, hot chocolate. 

In typical Alexandra style, she had brought some arts and crafts supplies so after breakfast we took a few steps down to the river and got painting. It was so nice to really switch off for a few hours.

I had plans back in London that evening, so I dipped off for another swim and then caught the train home refreshed, and relaxed!

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Joyful June

Joyful June

Thursday, 2 July 2026

June was awesome, and not just because it was full of exciting things. It was also really balanced, which is something I’ve struggled with in the past. There were rooftop cocktails, late nights and making the most of every warm evening, but also a few slow days, resting, listening to my body and embracing the quiet in between. That being said, looking back at everything I got up to, I'm not sure how I managed to squeeze any rest days in.

Gaucho Summer Terrace Launch

I love steak, and clearly I go to Gaucho often enough to be on their invite list for cute events like this. To celebrate the arrival of summer, Gaucho Richmond have created 4 new summer serves, which tasted even better enjoyed in the sunshine on their terrace. The Pink Hugo - with a hint of pomegranate molasses - was a clear favourite for me. As the mingling and live music died down, we grabbed one last cocktail, a table by the river & a couple of blankets and stayed until the sun went down. 

The World Cup Begins
Apparently the World Cup started this month. Whilst I don't usually enjoy football, when England are doing well it completely changes the atmosphere in London and I am here for the vibes. I also got to try a new South West London spot, The Leather Bottle, which has a huge beer garden and was the perfect place to watch the match on a sunny Wednesday evening. The girls and I somehow found four chairs in front of the screen, grabbed a few jugs of Pimm's, and settled in for the evening. I may *or may not* have stayed for the whole game.

Tennis at Queens

Paige lives in West Kensington and since her road got shut down for the tournament, she got free tickets to the events. I know less about tennis than I do football, so again, I was just there for the vibes, but we had a great time eating ice cream and watching the early afternoon women's game. 

A Battersea Staycation

In an impeccable turn of events, I ended up staying at a hotel with a rooftop swimming pool on one of the hottest days of the heatwave. And as a completely unrelated coincidence, I had booked the afternoon off, which meant come midday, I was laid on a sunbed in 34 degrees next to a rooftop pool in central London. I couldn't have timed it any better!

Having spent the afternoon solo, switching between swimming lengths and hiding under a towel in the blissful heat, when Alexandra finished work, she came to join me for a cocktail. Once the sun went down, it was a luxurious night's sleep in the air-conditioned room before doing the same again on Saturday. 

Bucket List Tick

I have all sorts of things on my bucket list, but a disproportionate amount of them involve getting to experience certain types of transportation. A hot air balloon, a helicopter, a private jet, and this month, I was able to tick one off: a red ferrari, AKA super car. Tick.

A few other highlights

Drinks at Sonny's

- A rooftop, riverside (two of my favourite things) bar in Kingston with an amazing view of the river.

Sea Containers

- Dinner and drinks, followed by a stroll along the (eastern stretch, oo) of the river. 

Terrarium Workshop

 - Another creative class with Well Crafted 

M&S picky bits

- Two M&S picky bits picnics! Both times opting for a house over the park because it was so hot that I was worried about access to toilets and drinking water hahaha. 

 

Taste of London 

- Regent's Park food festival! We didn't last too long because it was very hot. 

Little house Balham

- Al Fresco dinner  

Lilibets

And finally I also managed to tick off the newest addition to my restaurant list, Lilibet's. It's been ages since I've had a big night out (eating, not partying) in Mayfair, and considering it's one of my favourite things to do, I very much enjoyed  it.

Starting the eve with a glass of champagne, the waitress seemingly underestimated us as is she was a bit unsure as we started reeling off dishes, as well as an emergency last minute order of oysters because we forgot, but alas, she was wrong. We got thought it all. 

Lilibet's was standard Mayfair vibes. Very cool, very fancy and a very enjoyable evening! I didn't take any pictures whilst I was there, but what I do have is a picture of my outfit, and it would be a shame not to share that because I wore my favourite pair of shoes! 

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April. Yay

April. Yay

Monday, 11 May 2026

April was a lovely time. There were multiple days of  20+ degree sunshine and with that, I felt the life come back into me. I had fun with my friends, met some cool new people and took every opportunity to be outside enjoying the sunshine. That meant warm afternoons at the park, dining by the river and touring SW London's many beer gardens, Yay!

Big Bank Holiday Weekend

This feels like a lifetime ago now but my early bank holiday weekend was totally packed. The Ned, the boat race, steak, family.. read all about it here

Soho Farmhouse

Early on Saturday morning, we packed up the car and headed out of London for some R&R. After lunch at Berenjak, (and a Jamie Laing sighting) we headed to the spa for a swim and sauna before finding the perfect spot in the courtyard for an afternoon of drinks and people watching.

 

Skating Lessons

Remembering how happy roller skating has made me over the years, I decided to invest in a course to learn some new skills. I had my first few group lessons this month with Roll Happy and learnt some cool new drills.

Spring Wreath Making

This was my second event with Well Crafted and I love how loosely guided they are. Rather than a controlled masterclass with instructions and processes, Alex's classes are pretty much self guided social events. Left to your own devices with all the props and crafts you need, I switch off from the world for a couple of hours and enjoyed some interesting conversations with the people around me. 

Luke visited London

I've been friends with Luke for verging on ten years now (he's been featured here many times) and whilst he was back in London, we went for lunch at Fallow. I haven't seen him in six months so it was great to catch up over oysters and fish heads. (iykyk)

New jeans 

This was an unexpectedly huge part of my month. After a lifetime of black, skinny jeans, I ordered a pair of loose fit, low rise, blue jeans and fear I may now have to rethink my entire identity.

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Easter Bank Holiday Weekend 2026

Easter Bank Holiday Weekend 2026

Friday, 10 April 2026

Aren't Bank holidays just one of life’s joys? And to add more excitement to the mix, this one just gone lined up with 5 days of sunshine. What a win.

My long weekend started after work on Thursday. I made the most of being in East London (from the office) by heading straight to The Ned at 3:30pm. The sun appeared out of nowhere and we spent a lazy afternoon by the pool with a passionfruit lemonade in hand and the warmth from the sun on our faces.

Another benefit of being in East London is that it's already halfway back to my parents, so I took the opportunity from there, to go home for a couple of nights. Friday consisted of a fresh gel manicure, a countryside dog walk, and an afternoon coffee and catchup with my mum - and dinner at the local Chinese once my dad got home from work. Very wholesome.

Saturday, I was back in Shoreditch to attend an Easter egg decoration class with LOTI & Well Crafted. It was set up a beautiful light, and airy space and just a great way to relax, unwind and be creative.

After a very zen start, I rushed across town to drop my egg back home and then went straight back out to watch the Oxford Cambridge boat race in Hammersmith, arriving just in time to see them speed past. We stayed for a jug of Pimm’s and then walked along the river, back home for a quite night in since Paige had a roller blading lesson in the morning.

I have been looking for friends to skate with since I started so it was the perfect opportunity to head to Hyde park and skate with her afterwards. A two hour lesson was pretty intense, so we first wandered into the cute back streets of Gloucester road, grabbed lunch and a coffee and then went back to the park to skate along the Serpentine in the sun. Bliss.

Monday, I didn’t have much planned so decided to go for my 2nd 5k run and somehow managed to shave 4 minutes from the first time. That came with a huge sense of satisfaction, and I enjoyed it very much.

The afternoon started with a couple of Huge spritz’s back by the water in Putney before heading further upstream to Richmond to continue our riverside afternoon at Gaucho. An extra large steak, a couple more cocktails and a very chocolaty dessert later, we were in an uber back home having enjoyed a wonderfully full bank holiday weekend.

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Matcha Masterclass with Tea PArlour

Matcha Masterclass with Tea PArlour

Monday, 23 February 2026

I've been searching out my favourite foods and making it my business to learn more about how they're made, where they come from etc so this weeks solo adventure was a matcha masterclass.

Chat gpt suggested “your readers already know you’re a matcha girly” and matcha girly I am. I first became part of the cult in 2023, when I insisted that all of my un-foodie friends, came to Taste of London (the food festival) with me. We stopped at the Blank Street stand (little did we know) which was practically unknown at the time, but they were playing very loud EDM and we were there for an absolute age just vibing and chatting to the guys running the stand. I had quite a few mutual friends with one of them, who I later discovered one of the founders of PerfectTed, who are supplying most places (blank street included) with their matcha nowadays. Anyway, whilst we were there, they were handing out cups of this new drink and we were all hooked from that point on.

Fast forward three years and with the amount of matcha I now drink, I thought it'd be interesting to learn a bit more about it and try it in a purer, less sugar spiked form. After a quick google I found Tea Parlour, which according to their website, serve London’s best ceremonial-grade matcha, sourced from Uji, Kyoto. Seemed pretty specialist to me.

Just behind Leicester Square, they hold similar events in store every few weeks, an hour before opening.

This was a better class for people on their one than my last! The couples positioned themselves at one end of the table and at the other end, there were 5 of us on our own which was great and meant a lot more chatting and social interaction.

Yay, my plan worked!

We started by trying three different types of matcha, each with different characteristics as a results of where they were grown. Each were different grades which I was most interested to understand more about, turns out I couldn't tell the difference. I learnt 100% Japanese matcha is becoming less and less common as growers are having to mix it with Chinese grown to meet demand and clearly, most people, like me, don't notice the difference. 

After inspecting their colours and tastes, we learnt about the best ratios of hot water to bring out the flavours and how to correctly use a chasen (the wooden whisk.)

Once whisked to perfection, we lined our plastic cups with whatever syrups we wanted. I went for strawberry, (although my usual order is vanilla,) filled it with ice, milk (coconut) and then carefully poured the matcha on top to get that very satisfying separation of colours.

It was a delicious matcha if ever I've tasted one, although it definitely wasn’t as sweet as I’m used to which showed me just how much syrup goes into my usual order.

Regardless, I left feeling a little bit more knowledgeable about something I consume daily, and having had a nice chat with some friendly strangers so it was a success if you ask me! 

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Lemon meringue pie masterclass at Gloria, Shoreditch

Lemon meringue pie masterclass at Gloria, Shoreditch

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

I have decided this year is going to be more fun than last, particularly my alone time. I have been signing up for all sorts of new things and this weekend, I kicked it off with a lemon meringue pie masterclass. Fun!

Although this was not just any lemon meringue pie. It was Big Mamma’s very extra, lemon meringue pie.

Gloria was Big Mamma’s first London restaurant which opened in East London in 2019. After taking over the London restaurant scene with their theatrical Italian dining rooms and OTT dishes, there are now six spots scattered across the city, with the newest recently opening in Canary Wharf.

I first spotted their famous lemon meringue pies all over Instagram during lockdown. Gloria is in East London, so I was ecstatic when they finally opened a dark kitchen serving SW London. With pizza, pasta, and pie in my basket, I expected a toned down, transport friendly version to arrive so you can image my joy when the Napoli gang delivered our food, with a sheet of stickers, and a plastic pint glass with a perfectly preserved slice of their 8” pie inside.

I don’t go to east London very often but now that I can freely travel across London again, I was happy to oblige for this. The district line was doing its usual Sunday thing, so I caught a bus to Clapham and got in the northern line direct to Shoreditch. Surprisingly more convenient actually.

Starting with a cup of tea and one of their giant cocktails, (I went for alcohol free since I didn’t need to spend Sunday morning drinking alone) we took our seats (me, between two couples) in the wine room.

Chef took us through the processes for each stage from the dough to the curd and then the meringue. We were lucky to have a bit of a know it all in the group. He was asking some very detailed and complex questions, which means I know far more than the average person about the protein content of different types of flour.

Soon, the aroma of freshly baked dough filled the room, and we were each handed a pie crust as multiple vats of different mixtures appeared from the kitchen downstairs. It was time to get to work on constricting our own pies.

My favourite stage was definitely the meringue. Filling the base with zesty curd required smooth precision but when it came to the meringue, chef demonstrated, gabbing handfuls of it and pretty much dumping it on top and pressing it down to fill any air bubbles. With the texture of sticky, but slightly more stable shaving foam, I was grinning like a kid once I got stuck in.

A real glimmer of joy on a rainy Sunday morning; and that’s what we’re chasing.

Adamant that it wasn't going to be wonky, I did also enjoy taking off my gloves and returning to the world of adult, smoothing it out with the palette knife afterwards.

Once we were happy with the shape, we took to torching our pies, one at a time, in front of everyone. Probably more of a health and safety measure - giant cocktails, small room filled with wine etc! The biggest challenge of the day, however, was getting it home on the tube afterwards.

If the rest of my solo adventurers look like this, I’ll be very happy!

This class cost £25 which was amazing value for money and was an exclusive event for LOTI members. Highly recommend! I signed up a week ago and have already made very good use of it.

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