Run Hannah, run!

Something very strange has happened recently. If anybody who knows me in real life is reading this I would advise you to take a seat now.

I have taken up running. For those of you who don't know much about me, let me paint you a little picture. I have given up on every form of exercise I've ever tried, and I've tried quite a few over the years; gymnastics, tennis, swimming, horse-riding, trampolining... I was 'that' person in P.E. lessons who faked asthma attacks or refused to even begin to run when we were supposed to do 1500m. Since starting uni, I've made a few attempts at Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. My most recent try over last summer actually went pretty well but then I went back to uni and fell off the bandwagon as I didn't want my bouncing around to be the sole reason my (rather worringly) cracked-walled house fell down. Also it's a bit depressing when the girls in the background are smiling away having the time of their lives while you're sweating away thinking you might be about to take your last breath.

During last term something changed; I decided that it was time for me to do something about my pathetic level of fitness. The idea of going to the gym genuinely makes me feel ill, regardless of how expensive it can be, so I ruled that out. I always found it difficult to motivate myself to do the shred at home. Then somehow I stumbled across the idea of running. My older sister is pretty similar to me in that she's also never been one for much exercise but she starting running last year and now runs over 5k three times a week. Sibling rivalry kicked in and I thought if she can do it, surely I can too.

I've only been doing this a couple of weeks so by no means am I anything more than a complete beginner at this point, but I have to say I actually don't hate running. I've been using the NHS couch to 5k app which I've found very helpful; there are 9 weeks of the programme and 3 runs each week. The first week is very basic (I imagine laughably so to those of you who have been running for a while) as you run for 60 seconds then walk for 90 seconds then repeat that 8 times. Each week gets a bit harder- I've just done the second run of week 2 which involves repetitions of 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking. Whilst I have no future intention of going all 'Forrest Gump' and running for 3 years non-stop (the thought of 15 minutes non-stop worries me to be perfectly honest), I feel pretty happy to have picked up a new habit and fairly confident that I can keep it up.

I might add a little update as to how I'm getting on with running every so often- perhaps I can inspire someone else to give it a go. Who knows, maybe next year I'll be running the London marathon! Now, where's that easter egg got to...

Do you run? Any words of encouragement for beginners?

Belgrave Street Feast

Last Saturday I had another food heaven experience. I know, I keep writing about food at the moment but unfortunately while I'm revising it's one of few joys for me. This one took place at Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen; a fairly new but very popular addition to Leeds' ever-growing bar scene.

I'd heard about Belgrave's street feast and been very intrigued but I'd always still been at uni in Birmingham when they were held, so when I saw that it is now a monthly event I made it my mission to go while I was home for easter. I rounded up a group of friends and headed to Leeds' northern quarter to see what delights were on offer.

The event was held on all three floors, including the lovely roof terrace which I'll definitely be visiting again when the weather is feeling a bit more agreeable. We had a wander round first to see what we fancied. I'd heard good things about Fu Schnickens so I started off with one of their crispy panko chilli chicken Guo Bao. It wasn't like anything I'd ever tried before but it was delicious and a small enough size that I felt okay about sampling a few other things. I didn't get to take many photos which is a bit of a pain when you're describing food, but you'll just have to trust me on this. Fu Schnickens are currently calling Belgrave their home so I think I'll be popping in again for more.

While some of my friends were at the Manjit's Kitchen stall (by the way, they also described their food as amazing) I bought a pint of Symonds cider then went to ogle the delights of the Noisette Bakehouse stall. I opted for a sea-salt caramel brownie to have later as I'd heard great things about them and feared that they'd run out; I can confirm that it was indeed a very good brownie. I'd been eyeing up the Arepa!Arepa!Arepa! stall nearby and decided to check it out. An arepa is a fried maize bread-sort-of-thing. Descriptions are apparently not my strong suit. Anyway, I had one filled with spicy, beer-y beef and it was pretty darn good.

I thought this was where my food for the day would come to a halt alas I couldn't resist trying a slice of the resident Dough Boys' pizza on my way out. From 12-7 every day pizza slices are half price, meaning you get pretty much a quarter of a pizza for £1.30. Basically if you live in Leeds you have no excuse not to grab yourself a slice too.

Long story short- I'd definitely recommend the street feast and I've already convinced my parents that they need to go to the next one. I, sadly, will not be able to attend the next few due to the slightly pressing matter of my final ever exams (when did I get this old?) but I'm already looking forward to returning to Belgrave in the summer for drinks on the roof terrace and perhaps a Guo Bao or two.

Have you been to Belgrave yet?

Breakfast, burgers and Lionel Richie

Last week I went to visit my best friend Kerrie. She lives just outside London so we had a few trips into the capital and I think it's fair to say we were in food heaven for those few days. While my limited photography options (i.e. my iphone) mean that I'm unable to take any impressive photos, I thought that it's only fair to share the places where I ate food which I've genuinely been daydreaming about ever since.

First up is a lovely café/bar near Kings Cross called Drink, Shop, Do. The premise behind the 'shop' part of the name is that you can buy anything that you see there; the tables, chairs, wall decorations, you name it. This means that all the furniture is mismatched and vintage, with old milk bottles holding flowers in the middle of the table. Oh and they sell really good cake. There were plenty of options to choose from but in the end I went for a simple Victoria sponge alongside a fresh lemonade. I don't have a photo of my cake but I can offer you a peek at the décor. I'm hoping to be able to come back here on an evening to try out one of their many bizarre entertainment offerings; my favourite that I read about was 'Lionel Rich-tea' where everyone has a go at piping Lionel's face onto a biscuit and the best one wins a prize. Can you think of something better to do with your night? Personally I can't. 

Next up is Honest Burger. Two of my friends go to UCL therefore have sampled many a London burger, but they have named this amongst the best. After a long day of window shopping, we headed back to Kings Cross to the branch nearby. We both went for the namesake honest burger with a cider and we certainly were not disappointed. The burger was juicy but not too messy (something which was a slight problem for us with Psychic Burger's offering) and the chips were incredible. I'm not even a big chip fan, but these were something else. They had rosemary salt on them and my mouth is watering just thinking about them. I think the photo below speaks for itself. 

The final stop on our culinary tour came the next morning before I had to head off home. We'd both heard about The Breakfast Club many times and decided that it was time to try it out so we headed to the original Soho branch. Despite the fact it was 11.30 on a Thursday morning we still had to queue for 20 minutes but it wasn't much of an issue as we'd both spent at least an hour the night before pouring over the menu online deciding what to order. I went for bacon and banana french toast with maple syrup. I know what you're thinking, very strange combination, but I can safely say it was the best breakfast I've ever had. Kerrie agreed with her avocado and bacon on toast with a poached egg, which also looked heavenly. We both had apple juice, of which I wasn't expecting much until it arrived and was a glowing green colour. Miles better than what you get from a carton. Essentially, The Breakfast Club has ruined any future breakfasts for us both...until we can go back again. 

This photo is actually my phone background now. I know, I need to get a grip. 

Have you ever been to any of these places? Do you also dream of french toast? Please tell me I'm not alone.