Lela London Travel, Food, Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Blog 

. I was, too. In a city famed almost entirely on food, the “

” food can prove harder to find than the money to visit it in the first place.

I mean, sure, mainstays like Noma (renowned as one of the entire world’s best restaurants) present the,selves as obvious options but many of the city’s culinary diamonds can only truly be found in the rough.

There has been an unlikely combustion in my life caused by the start of Lent (today) and a film that changed my life (Moonlight).

It is probably easiest to start with the latter. Moonlight, the multiple Oscar-winning underdog, introduced me to a character I understood like no other in my personal cinematic experience.

– Chiron (a character easily presumed to be nothing more than a flag-flyer for the Black Lives Matter movement) and I read incredibly different on paper.

But we’re not different. Not in any way that matters. We’re so similar it ripped the the carpet beneath my feet. Chiron and I share more than I would be willing to delve too far into; struggling through adolescence in Florida, living as the yin to the yang of a parent who – whilst overbearingly affectionate publicly – chose a life drug-addled catastrophes and lacquered every painful contact in guilty fear…and then some.

Chiron’s extraordinary story chose to forgo dangerous stereotypes. It explored the masks we wear like a game of Russian Roulette. It designed every single frame in a way that could penetrate the least empathic heart. It was perfect, poetic, and it changed me.

It even encouraged me to give up a few thing for Lent. For the first time in my entire life. I started looking into Christian Aid after bawling my way through the film (their all-encompassing goal is to end poverty, regardless of religion or nationality) and noticed they were doing a “Give It Up For Lent” campaign).

It seemed as good an excuse as any to channel my response into something good.

Fairly simple logic there. Negative thoughts are scientifically proven to be toxic and, though I consider myself an incredibly happy person, I very rarely allow myself the same positive critique that I give others. That changes now.

Read: climate change 101. It’s virtually impossible to give it up everywhere (as a food critic), but making a conscious choice to enjoy a primarily vegan diet at home will hopefully encourage others to do the same.

that fall to the wayside of work, “what is expected of me“, and general forgetfulness. No more. I am now a Yes Man for every positive impulse I have. Starting with raising money for Christian Aid.

It may be all fair and good to give up chocolate…but I want to start something I can continue to do well past April 13th.

If you feel like you would like to do the same, please do. And please click here to donate to my JustGiving page if you’re able to.

I took time to visit Sorbet’s newest salon in East Finchley as a Valentine’s Day treat to myself and truthfully had a better time with my eyes closed than many of my friends did with their partners on the day.

The treatment – Environ’s HydraBoost Facial – combines a number of practices to hydrate, plump, and perfect skin in only sixty minutes.

It starts with a deep cleanse and inspection of the skin’s natural state before customizing a round of treatments (many of which combine the powerhouse duo of Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin A) to leave you with flawless, smooth skin.

The entire process entails decongesting pores, lifting dead skin cells with a mask, toning the skin, and applying the most extravagantly thick mask over the entire face (with room for nothing but breathing holes) before probing the mask – using sound waves and electrical pulses – deep into the skin’s epidermis.

Combined with light massage of the head and hands, it is undoubtedly the most luxurious way to

indulge your skin. Mine has never looked better.

When it comes to bringing that spa experience home (and away!), very little could beat 58’s Ecosoy travel candle. It is a luggage-friendly size of their ‘Balancing Ecosoy Candle’ which is hand poured using eco-friendly soy wax for a long lasting and clean burn that is free from pesticides and herbicides.

Not only are Ecosoy candles kinder to the environment (as they are produced using renewable resources and do not omit harmful fumes), but also burn a fragrance (woody, comforting) that makes me feel calm and – bizarrely – beautiful within seconds.

(If you really want to indulge – or gift someone special – their Lifestyle set is gorgeous.)

As it turns out, I have walked past Marshall Street Spa

of times and had no idea the rather gargantuan business was there until this month. On the edge of Soho, the Spa – managed by Everyone Active – is as convenient as a break from the city gets. It is literally underneath it.

For my first visit, I sweated my stresses out between their steam room and sauna, worked in my robe for an hour under the twinkling lights of the relaxation lounge, and wrapped things up with a hot stone massage.

As London has been keeping me both freezing and tightly wound, the stones worked quickly to heat all of my knots, dissolve every ounce of physical tension, and – at least with my eyes closed – transport me to somewhere with double-digit temperatures. For something that could be done on a City worker’s lunch break, it doesn’t get much better.

Dr Bronner Organic Rose Castile Liquid Soap

you’ve seen if you’ve read a magazine in the last twenty years but, if you’re like me, you may not have tried it.

Do so. Immediately. Dr Bronner’s liquid soaps (the Rose, of which, I favour) are paraben-free blends of certified Organic natural essential oils, packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, and they last

. Whether you’re cleaning your body, hair, baby, makeup brushes, or kitchen (seriously), you simply dilute a couple of drops into water and use the result to your natural beauty-loving heart’s content. With a penchant for a ‘deep clean’ without stripping the skin or “nasties”, I have yet to find anything better.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Business – and life in general – has been

over the last few months and I haven’t had as much time to share my favourite restaurant discoveries as I normally do.

still been eating behind the scenes and happening upon foodie favourites of alternative varieties.

Which brings us to this; my current food favourites. Just not before shouting about my super low-cost (but

) Shakshuka and soda bread recipe being featured in this free recipe book! I am such a supporter of all the contributors – it simply can’t go without sharing.

of meal delivery companies over the years without great success. While I love to cook, I often find the recipes offered too simple, too bland or too carby (which is just not my thing). Gousto is different. Gousto’s recipes are innovative (everything I’ve “ordered” to cook has been something I haven’t made before), fresh, and restaurant-quality (with novice chef-friendly instructions). You simply choose the pre-portioned recipes you want delivered, the date you’d like to receive them, and cook them at your convenience in the week that follows.

My healthy favourites include the Harissa Chorizo With White Bean Mash and Mediterranean Fish Stew & Sunny Aioli (but the Sticky Pomegranate Persian Halloumi is currently tickling my fancy).

The great news? If you’re interested in trying it out, the code FRESH4 will give you £22 off a 2 people box and £25 off on a 4 people box. Total no-brainer

I have been a massive fan of Sushi Shop’s French-Californian sushi menu for quite some time. It is the only place I frequent for sushi in London and meets all my creative and quality-led expectations for the Japanese cuisine.

When they announced they would be partnering with the haute cuisine genius of Kei Kobayashi, I knew I was in for a treat.

The result is a four-piece collection of aesthetic glory. I would be ashamed to reveal I’ve had at least one Gyu Special Roll a week since it launched (Beef, Avocado, Carrot, Red Pepper, Rocket, Coriander, Chives, Fried Onions, Chili, Sesame Oil Mayonnaise, Teriyaki Sauce, and Lime) if it wasn’t so utterly perfect.

This might just beat every other kind of card in existence, babe. This card is not only edible (and rich milk chocolate-ly so) but completely customizable. I received one with my name, a unicorn, and some sparkles – I love it so much I’ve only been able to take one bite from it.

The creators – Candy Mechanics – also make 3D chocolate lollipops of your/your partner’s face, to boot. Ingenious.

The lifestyle blog of Lela London. Be it a travel blog, fashion blog, food blog, beauty blog, music blog, or something entirely different...I just like to think of it as a place where I can jam my tongue in my cheek, spread love, inspire adventure, and make you giggle.

Half British. Half American. Presenter. Globetrotter. Mad love for hashtags, party planning, underused adjectives, and making you smile. Yes, you.

@lelalondon across all social media (except for Snapchat, which is a typo-tastic

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...write for: The Hunger, The Huffington Post, Apparel Insiders, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Access-Fashion, Crafty Magazine, She Said Beauty.