A Guide to Christmas Shopping in London

Christmas shopping can the stressful, especially if you are visiting the capital to bag some bargains.

London transforms into a magical place at Christmas. Like any other city, the lights go up, the Christmas trees get decorated and the shops go overboard with promotions and discounts. It can also transform into one of the busiest places where you feel like you are cattle being herded into a tiny confined space.

I decided to go and see the Christmas lights (and shops) myself, before the busy crowds hit one of the busiest shopping streets in the UK. It was the emptiest I've seen it in a long time, which gave me the idea that it would be really handy to combine a miniature guide to the main shopping destinations in London, and also the places to go to see the best decorations.

I started off in Covent Garden which was going with a sweet mistletoe theme.

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is the place to go for seeing the pretty decorations whilst having a stroll around. It is always scattered with street performers to entertain and provide a break for the shoppers, plus there is a vast array of food places which make it the perfect place for a bite to eat. My recommendations are Shake Shack for your American burger fix or the famous paella which they cook in huge dishes in the courtyard of Covent Garden. Many other coffee chains and restaurants are dotted around the area as well for a nice break.

The shops here are quite specific, with a lot of high designer brands such as Chanel, Burberry and Mac owning stores here. No high street shops so for something special, this is the place to go.

My next location was Leicester Square, which is almost always busy. If you are not bothered about seeing the square, avoid! Take a detour through China town which is just off the side roads, and you can experience some oriental cuisine.

They had a Christmas set up going on, although I didn't have time to look closely. It resembled Christmas market huts. Various restaurants and bars are located around here, however there is a lack of shops so it's quite nice to walk through on your way to the big shops. One highlight though is the M&M store though! Overpriced but fun to look around, and the personalised M&Ms make great gifts!

The next stop is Piccadilly Circus, I couldn't help but have a look around Whole Foods market. Another American import, they have the best deli area for a bite to eat. You can have anything from pizza to curries, and you know it will all be fresh. I had a quick look at their Christmas selection, which is really good for those with allergies and food intolerances, but overpriced otherwise. Shops around here aren't high in numbers but do include Boots, souvenir shops and lots of restaurants.

This will be packed with tourists, but it is the start of Regent Street which has an array of shops like Hamley's, Banana Republic, Mango, Michael Kors and many other upmarket brands. The Christmas lights always have a theme every year and make a great photo when lit up.

One place you must visit is Carnaby Street. It's tucked away on a side street from Regent Street, but the decorations are always so pretty and there are a section of popular shops and restaurants there. It tends to be a nice break from the busy regent street, and I use it to make my way to Oxford Street whilst avoiding the crowds on Regent Street.

Carnaby Street

The famous department store Liberty's is found here, which you should definitely visit if it's your first time in London. Its history is really nice to see when you look around, and again it offers unique gifts.

I finally reached Oxford Street, which was busy as you can probably guess. This is the place with the big stores. The Topshop is really good, with three floors of clothes and even a brow bar and Bleach salon. Urban Outfitters is also a good store to visit. As you travel further along the road, many big chains pop up like Forever 21, Boots, Zara, H&M, M&S, John Lewis and the famous Selfridges. Plenty of choice for any type of Christmas present. For cheap clothes and accessories, visit the famous Primark. Be warned, you will get hot and flustered here as it is very hard to manoeuvre around the crowds, and is almost always full of tourists.

Oxford Street

My favourite store here is Pull and Bear, a clothes shop that has a unique style and is relatively inexpensive and I really recommend having a look in.

There are plenty of food and drink places. Ben's Cookies is situated on the street and they honestly do the best cookies I've ever tasted. Seriously, when you eat them they are still warm! My top tip is to explore down the side streets if you are looking for a bite to eat, as they are busier nearer the main street, and get emptier the further away you go.

The lights are always so pretty here as well, with the big stores lighting up the entire exterior of the buildings.

Food Recommendation:

I went to Tortilla for the first time, a Mexican burrito place that resembles Chipotle. I've always wanted to try Tortilla, so when I stumbled across it I thought I would give it a try.

I went for the naked burrito bowl, with lots of Guac!

It's really good value for money and the food is delicious. You can eat in as well so if you are looking for a filling meal that is quick and cheap, give this a try!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is the ultimate festive place to visit in the run up to Christmas.

Traditional German huts line the pavements selling goods that range from decorative candle holders to Christmas smelling bath bombs.

Since I first visited this place 5 years ago, it has expanded so much. Walking around this place takes a good 2 hours if you wanted to have a look at everything.

Sweet stalls

Fridays evenings and weekends are the peak times, so expect heavy crowds and feeling like cattle. It is very hard to look at everything when there are so many people packed into confined spaces. Also, look out for other members of your party!

I arrived early Thursday evening, just as it was getting dark and the lights were turning on, and walked straight in. It was so much more pleasant being able to look at all the stalls. My favourite was the cupcake shaped bath bombs that smelt absolutely amazing!

Food and drink places are plentiful here. You can try everything from a German hot dog, donuts, pretzels, crepes, churros, waffles, sweets, burgers, mac n cheese, fries... the list could go on!

Apple and Cinnamon Crepe

Various sit in bars are scattered around where you can enjoy a hot drink or my favourite, a cup of mulled wine whilst sitting around a fire. They also have live music which is the perfect chance to have a little rest. 

Enjoying mulled wine by the fire

The stalls and food here are overpriced as you would expect, but it's perfect as a weekend treat and really gets you in a festive mood.

You can upgrade your experience by booking tickets online to ice skate, or visit the ice bar.

Ice Rink

If that's not your thing, you can test you fear factor by going on the many funfair style rides. I recommend the fun houses as they are good value for the amount you pay to go on them. Some rides were asking for nearly 10 tokens (equivalent to £10) for one ride!

Fun House

I definitely recommend having a look around this place. In the run up to Christmas, it's the perfect place to grab some unique gifts, just be warned about the crowds! If you can visit off peak, do it!

A few of my favourite things...

Another day, another blog post!

This time I am going to share with you what I have been loving recently!

1. Breakfast

I love breakfast, I think it is actually my favourite meal of the day as you can have savoury, sweet, a bit of both and endless possibilities for breakfast. That includes cake as well! I go through phases of having the same breakfast everyday, then going of it for a few weeks then craving it again. At the moment I'm obsessed with toast topped with crunchy peanut butter and jam! Basically peanut butter and jelly! It's amazing and the flavours just go so well together! Simple, yet so delicious.

2. Christmas Songs

I walk to uni everyday and listen to my iPod, but recently I've added every kind of Christmas song I had in my iTunes. These are all I listen to at the moment. As you can probably tell, I am and have been feeling very festive since September really, so I am savouring every moment I can listen to Christmas songs. It really puts me in the festive mood and makes me feel warm and fuzzy! Michael Buble will forever be my favourite.

3. Imperial Leather Fruit Salad Shower Cream

This smells amazing! It's like being transported back to my childhood where I used to get fruit salad sweets in my pick n mix. Plus it was on offer for only £1!

4. Miniature Mince Pies

These are amazing because you can have your daily fix of mince pie goodness without the excess of sugar and calories. Mince pies are not the healthiest things in the world but I still crave one everyday. Now I can have these up until Christmas and still eat other chocolate as well (oh yes, priorities!)

5. Cosying up in winter coats

The weather has actually been quite mild for November but that hasn't stopped me from wearing my hat, scarf, gloves and thick winter coat everyday. Even if it does mean I turn up to lectures sweating from all the layers, I still love the cosiness you feel from wrapping up!

6. Baking

I've been making up for the lack of baking I did this summer by taking every spare moment I have to experiment with new recipes. In fact, I made another blog (which you can visit here... ) that is solely for my baking recipes! Recently I've baked brownies, raw millionaires shortbread, cheese biscuits and apple and cinnamon fairy cakes. I can't wait to start festive baking as well!

Apple and Cinnamon Fairy Cakes

7. Glittery Nail Polish

Nothing screams Christmas than wearing the most sparkling nail polish you can find. I've recently been wearing all sorts of colours as the base coat and layering the glitter over, and it looks so cool! My favourite so far is wearing black and layering with gold glitter.






8. London

I love London anytime of the year but seeing it at Christmas with all the lights on is so magical! When I went recently it was freezing which just made it so much better, as I was able to snuggle in my cosy hat and walk around the markets looking at all the festive gifts!

Portobello Road Market

BBC Good Food Show

Last weekend I got the chance to go to the BBC Good Food Show as well as the Bakes and Cakes show.

Now these are two of my favourite things: Baking and Food.

So as I arrived in Olympia in London, I was immediately greeted to free samples of kinder chocolates! From then on, I knew I was going to enjoy this!

The Good Food show has a huge variety a stalls, selling everything from local food to the latest culinary products. The main motto of this event is try before you buy! There was no need for lunch as I filled my stomach up on everything from fudge, chocolate to curry and falafel. Don't forget the vast array of wine, beer and cider to sample as well!

Of course these food stalls are selling there products, many of which aren't easily available in supermarkets. Also, they are all of high quality and are not excessively priced which means you are getting your moneys worth.


Unfortunately I was too full to fit anything in, but the things that caught my eye were the homemade sausage rolls which looked amazing, as well as the unique flavours of fudge. Also, in the smaller yet still amazing cakes and bakes section, there were so many delicious cake stands selling everything from giant donuts, cupcakes to macarons. Think borough food market but all sweet things!

The ticket also included a chance to watch many well known TV foodies participate in cooking demonstrations and interview panels. It gives you the chance to find out their tips and tricks, as well as gaining an insight into their favourite foods and how they got into cooking/baking.

Of course, the main man of the show was Paul Hollywood, who showed us how to bake bread and make a chocolate and cherry roulade in the supertheatre. I believe Mary Berry was there on the other days it was on, so if you are a fan of the Great British Bake Off, this is definitely the event to attend!

If you are a foodie, this is the place to go and I highly recommend it. I love baking so this was the part I enjoyed the most, seeing all the decorated cakes that looked like pieces of art! It also gives you the chance to receive so many discounts on baking equipment and accessories from independent brands as well as bigger companies like Lakeland.

You could easily spend the whole day here and it was a really valuable experience for anyone who has a passion for cooking or baking. The BBC also hosts a winter and festive show, as well as various other themed ones around the country. And best of all, they are great value for money.

Feeling Festive

Welcome to Christmas!

As the evenings get darker and Halloween has passed, we have now officially entered the countdown to Christmas (in my eyes)!

Yes, I am one of those people who is obsessed with Christmas and gets ridiculously excited over anything christmassy.
Last year I had all the christmas spirit sucked out of me, and I was miserable and a bit down over Christmas.

This year, I refuse to let that happen, and I will saviour every last detail.

Christmas candle from Primark

Since being away all summer, I have missed all things British, and nothing sums up being British than a traditional Christmas day spent with your family eating too much, drinking too much and watching too much TV.

As we are in November, I thought it would be acceptable to post my Christmas bucket list now, and then I can slowly tick them off as we progress through to Christmas Day.
This is the ultimate guide to get yourself to feel more christmassy, and if this doesn't work then I don't know what will!

- Get yourself a Christmas candle

A simple and cheap way to practically smell Christmas. This year, I've chosen a Cinnamon and Maple scented candle from Primark. At a mere £2.50, I've already got this burning and making my room smell like Christmas baking!

- Watch as many Christmas films as possible

There are the classics like Elf, The Holiday, Love Actually, Santa Clause but this year I am going to make myself watch one I've heard of but never seen, and that is It's A Wonderful Life. Grab yourself a cup of cocoa, marshmallows and all, and snuggle down on the sofa in a onesie to make yourself feel  the Christmas spirit.

- Go to a Carol Concert/Midnight Mass

I say it every year but I never go. This year I am going to force myself to wonder down to my local church and sit through a carol concert on Christmas Eve. These remind me of my primary school days when we had to participate in them, so I'm hoping it will bring a sense of nostalgia as well.

- Buy some Christmas PJ's

Again, another simple one but they have a huuuge selection in Primark, including Disney themed ones, and I will adorn these whilst baking homemade mince pies, which by the way will feature in another post of my own recipe!

- Visit a Christmassy place

Not to go shopping as this takes all the fun out of Christmas. I will be going to London and various Christmas markets as well as ice skating just to take in all the lights, and the sights and sounds. Of course, I will treat myself to Christmas food and drink, especially the mulled wine! I will also be going to DISNEYLAND PARIS the week before Christmas! I'M SOO EXCITED! What better way to feel Christmassy than to visit Disneyland!

- Buy a Christmas jumper

I will wear this everyday in the lead up to Christmas. It has the added bonus of keeping you warm and snug as well. Again, visit Primark for their amazing selection!

Last but not least, I will be buying and trying every Christmas hot drink there is, as well as all the Christmas chocolate! This is a time for indulgence, so eat till you cannot physically fit in anymore and drink till your head is spinning! You can hit the gym in January, but my philosophy is that extra bit of tub is going to make you warmer through the colder days!

My First Mince Pie of 2015!

If you're still feeling cynical, remember that this is one of the only times of the year that many people get to actually relax and see their friends and family.
So enjoy spending time with your siblings and parents, as I've realised that growing up takes the fun out of a lot of things, so it's up to you to inject some of your own effort into making it more enjoyable and memorable to you.

Oh and... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!