Free State Kitchen

I've become a foodie. It crept out of nowhere. I was the child who ate bread and butter sandwiches and insisted the fish be scraped from my fish fingers. These days, though, I'm quite the gourmand.

A couple of weeks ago when the skies were grey and my mood was greyer, I indulged in some hearty comfort food at Free State Kitchen after seeing countless rumblings on Twitter about Liverpool's new burger joint. 

I knew I was on to a winner when the waitress promptly plonked a bowl of pretzels and a huge jar of pickles down on my table. As a vegetarian, going out for a burger is often something of a damp squib, but FSK's seasonal garden burger with rosemary chips had me at hello. 

Its simple, fuss-free interior compliments the food rather than detracts. I'm not a big fan of restaurants that focus more on their aesthetic than their menu. Nor am I a big fan of restaurants that claim to be American-themed, but only serve burgers. FSK serve cornbread, soda floats and real coleslaw. Amen to that.

FSK is a wholly worthy addition to Liverpool's impressive landscape of local eateries. So much so, I'm almost tempted to keep this place under my hat but in the spirit of championing independent businesses, I beseech locals and visitors alike to wrap their chops around an FSK 'handheld' and wash it down with a root beer as a matter of some urgency.

Not just yet

Last week's warmer temperatures had me all hot and bothered. 

As is the British way, I spend a whole lot of time bemoaning the cold but when the sun actually emerges from hibernation, my pasty legs and I are perplexed by what to wear. My style consists of layering one dark garment over another, which doesn't a happy bed partner for the heat make.

So if you're reading this summer, please stay away a little longer while I wrap my head around you and squeeze all the remaining novelty out of my current uniform of khaki jacket, faux fur stole and heavy-duty black boots. 

Urban Outfitters jacket - Topshop wet look leggings and boots - Monki shirt - H&M stole

Urban Outfitters jacket - Topshop dress - Zara bag - Tesco boots - H&M stole

Urban Outfitters jacket - Primark cardigan, leggings and t-shirt - H&M stole and bag - Topshop boots

Frances Baker

Here's a little piece I did about Frances Baker, a Melbourne-based label, for Oh Comely.

Incidentally, Josie, the lovely lady at its helm, sure knows how to make a decent blog.

The 'Virgins' Dress from Frances Baker's Summer 2011 Collection

Splish, splash, splosh

Whenever I buy a pair of shoes, I'm reminded of one of my favourite children's books, Alfie's Feet, by Shirley Hughes. Our cheeky protagonist tends to get a little too splash-happy when he encounters a puddle, so his Mum decides it's time to replace his boring, brown lace-ups with shiny, yellow wellington boots. 

With every new pair I take home, I still feel that rush of excitement as I fumble with the tissue paper and steadfastly refuse to take them off until bedtime.  

I settled on these Adonis boots from Topshop after finding myself in a similar situation to Alfie - It seems all of my shoes have seen better days and I couldn't bear the squelching any longer. 

I'm off to find a puddle so I can splish, splash, splosh, all day long.

I used to blog here, but now I blog here.