Old-Fashioned Lemonade

Another spell of sticky weather calls for another refreshing summer drink recipe. This one from Rachel Allen’s book Rachel’s Food for Living is a delicious and effective thirst-quencher that takes mere minutes to make. Easy peasy lemon squeezy? Oh, yes.

Ingredients: 150g honey, 600ml water, juice of 4 lemons

1.       Place the honey and 60ml of the water in a saucepan. Heat up just enough to liquefy the honey, stirring all the time. Pour into a jug and allow to cool slightly.

2.       Add the lemon juice to the jug along with the rest of the water and serve with ice...lots of ice! 

                                                                        Enjoy!

A Retro Day Out: Smithfield Market Fair

A day spent leisurely browsing market stalls brimming with treasures and trinkets is a day well spent in my eyes. As a lover of all things vintage I’ve been to several vintage fairs and flea markets. There’s something enchanting about sifting through rails of brightly coloured garments hoping to find a gem in your size, discovering your favourite band amongst the stacks of pre-loved vinyl, trying on glittering rings and necklaces and chatting to the stall owners about their carefully selected stock - every item with its own story. Now there’s a new fair in town and this one is like no other. The first Smithfield Market Fair was held on Sunday June 15^th in Generator in Smithfield Square. Generator is a hostel with a difference; it boasts a bar, a café, a cinema room, and can be used as a music venue…or a market!

                                                       Vintage clothing at Vertigo Vintage

The fair kicked off at 1 p.m. and by the time my two friends and I made it in at 1.30 p.m., the place was a hive of activity. Over thirty stalls were dotted around the split-level venue. Not only was there genuine vintage clothing but also upcycled vintage pieces, vintage reproduction, handmade and second-hand clothes. There was also a lot of handcrafted gifts including cards, jewellery, art, contemporary art, hair bows, headscarves, hats and painted tiles. The cinema room was showing cult classics and a band were starting to set up in the bar. I couldn’t stay for long as it was Father’s Day but I believe there was live jazz, skiffle and hip hop until the wee hours. That’s why Smithfield Market Fair stands out from the crowd; it’s the bad boy of fairs. While other fairs are packing up at 6 p.m. and trotting off home, Smithfield Market Fair is pulling an all-nighter. Food was available in the café but we couldn’t find a table. We did however find an Italian restaurant across the square; Bel Cibo serves reasonably priced, tasty food. Perfect for ravenous bargain hunters!
 

                            Handmade jewellery, headscarves & bowties at A Little Idea

                                                 Vintage reproduction clothing at FiftyFive65

                                                          Handmade jewellery at WhimsyJig

Lovely Maeve of Vertigo Vintage with her beautiful clothes & bags

 

 

What I wore:

 

 

Dress – Vintage 1960s from The 3rd Policeman

Shoes – Mel

Sunglasses – Tiger Stores

 

 

What I bought:

 

Upcycled 1970s top from Dottie & Pearl & 1960s skirt from Vertigo Vintage

 

 

 The next Smithfield Market Fair is August 10^th. Check out their Facebook page for updates.