Monday, February 6, 2017

A Trip to London with Virgin (feat food glorious food)

The Little Magpie Virgin Trains
Photos by O. G. Photos

Well, bonjour! A couple of weeks ago we headed down for a couple of nights in the Big Smoke (that's what people call London, right?) for a weekend full of eating and general merriment, so today's post brings to you some snaps from that. I chop and change between flying and training to London from Glasgow, but this particular time we got the train down with Virgin Trains, which is allllllways a treat. You're there in less than five hours, you don't have to worry about check-in and baggage allowance and you can sit and use the wifi to work or play... bliss. If you're used to driving down on the other hand, then there's no traffic, no need to worry about finding a toilet and no arguing over who took you in the wrong direction (cough, always me).

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We travelled by first class this time - is anyone else singing Fergie's Glamorous? - which I absolutely love. Although it may seem like a pricey way to travel, it's surprisingly not at all; if you upgrade your standard ticket on board at the weekend, you can upgrade on a Glasgow to London journey for as little as £25. Pretty wunderbar huh? You've got a constant stream of cold and hot beverages as well as your snacks and your meal, so we started the journey with a tea and a cider and planned out what we were going to do with our weekend ahead.

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We were in London to explore what's a-happenin' on the food scene - my dream - so on our first evening we headed over to East London’s Dinerama. I'd never been before but I loved it! It's a little indoor street food market filled with every kind of cuisine you could imagine. After an extensive wander, and maybe a bit of salivating, we settled on chips and pulled duck burger for starters... followed by thai food, washed down with some cocktails and dough balls and ice-cream. What more could you want from a night? Apart from maybe some Rennie's.

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The next morning we were up bright and early and headed on a food tour (The 'East of London Food Tour' by Eating London Tours if one is wondering) of London's East End. We stopped off at eight different places and tried everything you could ever imagine; from bread and butter pudding to bacon rolls to fish and chips to curry to ale. Plus they were able to accommodate for gluten free at every stop, huzzah! It lasts four hours so, as well as the food-tasting, you're given a little bit of the history of that area of London along the way. It's honestly one of my favourite things to do whenever I travel to somewhere new; it's great way to get to know a bit more about the city you're in and with some delicious food in hand, too. If you do end up doing this particular one then make sure and ask for the amazing Harry as a guide! Oh, I should also tell you, the Salt Beef Bagel at Brick Lane Beigel Bake that you might have spotted in the photos above is famous around London for being the best Salt Beef bagel in town. So that's a definite must-visit right there for you!

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After a little power nap (I'm not kidding, all that eating takes it out of you) we headed to South London to visit Brixton Village – another foodie haven in London serving up a variety of tasty cuisines - where we had a little wander round, AKA an ogle at the fairy lights, before picking up the perfect duo of a Little Bird gin and some amazing tacos and enchilladas.

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Did we rein the eating in on our last day? OH NO WE DIDN'T. We headed to one of my favourite brunch spots in London, The Breakfast Club, and stocked up on a big breakfast and poached eggs with avocado and chorizo respectively. And then finally, defeated and with bellies the size of a planet, headed back for our train.

The Little Magpie Virgin Trains

On the way back it was pure bliss to sit in first class thanks to all that extra legroom (I know my legs are smaller than a child's but it's nice to stretch out, ok) as well as - my favourite - charging points at every seat for your phone or laptop. They've also got a handy little app called BEAM which is completely free, it just connects up to the Virgin wifi through your phone and then you've got access to films and series a-plenty. They had Crazy Stupid Love on there so I was in my element. So, if you’re looking for a weekend away, and consider yourself a bit of a foodie (who doesn't), then London-town is the place for you. And a big thank you to the shamazing Virgin Trains for such a lovely, stress-free journey down!

The Little Magpie Virgin Trains

Post in collab with the wonderful Virgin Trains, all words, opinions and eating my own