tea & scones

going through the photos from our high tea at kensington made me wish I was still over there. so I thought I'd bring some london to florida. last weekend I made a clotted cream with this recipe (ok I cheated; real clotted cream takes like days to make & let's face it- I don't have the skill or patience). and scones with this recipe - and then threw in a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I just closed my eyes & pretended it wasn't 100 degrees. 

tea at kensington palace

one of my favorite parts of our trip to england was having high tea at the orangery at kensington palace. the gardens were so beautiful & manicured. and tea in the greenhouse was splendid. I ordered the chocolate tea & robert had darjeeling tea (plus some champagne!). they served it with three-tiered trays of delicious pastries & tarts, orange scones with cornish clotted cream & delicate little finger sandwiches. I totally felt like marie antoinette. it was a lovely afternoon.

portobello road

this is the soundtrack that played on repeat in my head the entire time we meandered down portobello road. if it wasn't so crowded, I'd probably have been skipping. the street was buzzing with activity; everywhere I looked there was something beautiful or interesting. giant piles of handmade breads and pastries, tightly bound croquet balls that smelled of leather, white flowers that appeared to be dripping off the buildings. portobello road is certainly one of a kind. 

macarons

while in london, we made a point to stop by ladurée in covent gardens for some macarons.  my sister bought me this cute book awhile back but I had never made or even tried a macron! and I gotta be honest...they are beautiful, but don't really look like they would actually taste good. boy was I wrong. they are heavenly! the outside is slightly crispy, but when you bite into it, it's super soft & light -almost chewy- with the most refreshing, sweet flavor. they are to-die-for & were totally worth the ridiculous £

the streets of london