The little blog that could has passed a milestone; today marks one year since we tapped fingertip to keyboard and typed the first fateful words that would begin our blogging journey…
London
Not just Westfield…
Okay, yes, it has been named a crime hotspot and a small portion of it was deemed the most dangerous area in Britain. Yes, it somewhat skipped it’s teen years and high-jumped from infancy to adulthood in the blink of an eye due to the super-construction of the Olympics, and okay, we do admit there are many, many dodgy pubs and that there really is a club called ‘Stratford’s Got Swagga XXX’… But Stratford is so much more than only Westfield, and we want to show you why we love it and call it our home.
There’s far more to behold than what’s between the walls of Westfield, not that anything within is much to complain about, but Stratford bears beautiful things within the sizeable perimeter of itself. The ‘City’ of the East End may seem like a shiny shell of newness with little substance brewing inside the proverbial teapot, but there’s places and spaces worth seeing, especially those that pay homage to the quirk and creativity of neighbouring Hackney…
Snapshots: December 2013
December saw us take two trips home, begin jobs, leave jobs, over-do it at Christmas parties and spend lots of time making and baking edible gifts. Not even a horrendous storm could keep us from returning home and now we look forward to a brand new year in our adopted hometown of London – beginning this one as seasoned residents. Keep on keepin’ on up to date with both our Instagram accounts – RussellJames91 and iPadzorz.
Chocolate bark – a perfect edible gift 
The Hanlon household tree 
Merry Gastromas! 
Travelling trips 
Christmas morning freshly-baked bread 
Caramelised onion tart 
Pantibar pints 
Snowflake truffles with coffee 
Christmas afternoon bubbles 
Love from GastroGays 
Christmas party shenanigans 
The Alford family tree 
Turkish eggs for brunch on a cold December morning 
Suited up for Little Christmas in Drogheda 
Chestnut soup, finished with creme fraiche and thyme 
Selfridges snowglobe 
Christmas dinner with all the trimmings 
Let the leftovers commence! 
Drinks with friends 
Oriental, Christmas-spiced pork belly slices
November 2013: Snapshots
It’s been a hectic November in the lives of the GastroGays. We celebrated Patrick’s birthday, hosted a couple more family and friends on trips to see us and both of us have our heads down working our ways towards Christmas and tying up ‘ting’ before we head back home to Ireland for a week at Christmas.
The new year will bring a fresh change of scenery for us. No, we’re not moving country again (once a year is more than enough for us)! But we are re-locating. Just a few streets away within our current area, all going well. So send your positive vibes please…
We have lots of Christmassy content coming your way all throughout December so keep your eyes peeled, it’s going to be a fantastic month…
October 2013: Snapshots
The Counter – An Olympic Brunch
It’s been a while since our last review, so here is one place we feel is a must-know-about in London – The Counter at the edge of Hackney.
It’s self-described as “London’s best kept secret” on their website. Coffee, cake, pies, and brunch are their specialities, all served in a happily hipster haven in the East End. This place has been on our hit list for quite some time. In fact, over a year – as far back as our trip to the Olympics last summer. A feature in The Guardian in the run up to the Games had suggestions for eating on a budget around the park while the Games were on and that originally introduced us to this place…
GastroGays 