Mill Hill Souk Awesomeness

Had the best time at the Mill Hill Souk. Having frantically spent the previous fortnight rushing around like a headless chicken, it was a relief just to kick back on the day having done all the legwork. This was most definitely the most fun I’ve had at one of these pop-up events; it was just a wonderful group of people and we all gelled. Plus, the sun came out! How amazing was that? We resolutely ignored the hail and wind that started off the day and by noon North London was awash with bright sunlight. I think we all got a bit giddy with the excitement and there was just such a buzz. Plus, I sold loads and got to meet some of the nicest customers I’ve ever met. There is nothing better than seeing someone fall in love with something you made, right before your eyes. Pure magic. As you can see, we got a shout-out pretty much immediately on the day – those new pots of 50ml cream are super-popular and everyone liked the new eco-certified linen bags which were being used for the first time. Ultimately, I loved every minute of it so a huge thank you to Josephine who arranged it, and Irate (yes, you read that right 🙂 ) who hooked me up. We are already planning another one for May so watch this space

What else? Met a friend for dinner in Richmond. We were supposed to be going to the Ivy Cafe but couldn’t get a table till 8.30pm so ended up at Bill’s instead. Really good meal, and our waitress was really nice. Great time until we left and I realised I never looked to see which road I parked in. Richmond, how much do I hate you? It took me 50 minutes to find the car, looking like a demented woman as I kept pointing and pressing the lock button in the hope that my lights would flash. Finally found it after walking all the way back to the restaurant and trying to retrace my steps by instinct. Plus, I’d done my usual insane thing of dressing in some flimsy number as I was only walking from car to restaurant. Big mistake! So, 50 mins to find the car, 10 mins to drive to Chiswick. Blue fingers, blue lips, frozen toes.I still can’t believe I did such a pea-brained thing. Made up for it by having an epic Sunday lunch at The Lamb in Chiswick. I totally disregarded my Mother’s advice to never eat anything bigger than my own head. The roast beef was awesome; I even ate the crispy, caramelised onions which will amaze everyone who knows me. I hate onions with a passion – that weird, translucence you get with cooked onions is just plain wrong. And don’t even get me started on the slimy texture. Double eek! However, these were onion-nirvana. The Lamb, absolutely recommend it.

Well, onwards and upwards. I’m looking for a pop-up store or a shared one in London for May/June; if you know of a reasonably priced one, please drop me a line via our contact form. I’m hoping and praying that we will all have survived coronarmageddon. I can’t leave you without sharing some Coronavirus gallows humour. Bear in mind that as a pharmacist, I’m one of the front line staff; if we can’t find a laugh in our stressful workday, it’ll all go downhill pretty fast.

Take care of yourselves out there and if you take one piece of advice on board, never mind hand sanitizer, wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. It might save you from 3 weeks of nasty respiratory distress. Have a safe week.