With a long bank holiday weekend on it’s way – and another one shortly after – there can often be a pressure to go out and enjoy it by drinking all day and partying all night. Unfortunately for me, even this soon since payday I’m not wholly convinced my bank account can stretch to a 4 day drinking session so I’ve decided to share some of the recipes to my favourite home made cocktails. 

The Northern Girl’s take on Tinto Verano.

If you’ve ever spent any amount of time in the middle regions of Spain in the summer you’ll have probably discovered Tinto Verano – if you haven’t it’s sangria’s fruity and sparkling sister. Super easy to make, the fruitier the better. I was inspired to make this at home when I had some red wine left over from cooking.

The recipe:

• 150ml San Pellegrino or similar lemon based sparkling drink. I find with this drink, the better the lemon the better the drink but you could use regular lemonade and add a dash of lemon juice
• 50ml Red Wine. I’m not the biggest red wine drinker so this mix is perfect for me but feel free to add more red wine to your taste.

If gin is your drink… discover the mirrorball.

• 200ml prosecco
• 50ml Gordon’s elderflower gin
• 25ml elderflower cordial
• Top with sparkling water

Drinking out in London

It doesn’t have to be all drinking in this weekend. If you’re about in London, get yourself on to Drinki – an app that gives you free drinks in London. You can view the bars by map and it’s a great opportunity to discover new drinks. If you’re about for the Greenwich Tall Ships Festival, hit up Rum and Sugar in Canary Wharf on your way for THE best Strawberry Mojito I have ever had. Sign up with the link below and you’ll get two extra free drinks, exclusively for readers of The Northern Girl’s Guide to London! Already have the app? Input code NGGUIDE01.

http://share.drinki.com/northern-girls-guide

What are your plans for the long weekend? Leave me a comment to let me know what’s going on or what your favourite drinks at home are NG x

1. The Body Shop – Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash £7.50 – I had been using the Clinique foaming face wash and was running low, knowing how much I liked the seaweed scrub I decided to give this a try. As my skin can be blemish-prone at times, I like to use a gentle face wash to counteract the strong spot fighting treatments I apply later in my skin care routine which was why I was using the Clinique foaming wash and I have to say once again, I love the Body Shop even more which I didn’t think would be possible! It’s so creamy and doesn’t feel like it dries out my face and at £7.50 an absolute bargain. I also love knowing that The Body Shop are all natural and cruelty free.
2. The Body Shop – Seaweed Pore Cleansing Exfoliator £11 – I actually first bought this product in December because I had a 40% off voucher at Christmas and was running low on my Clinique exfoliator and I loved it. Even my sister who uses it when she visits loves it and this is the first time I’ve had to repurchase since December. I have combination skin so I like my exfoliators to be strong enough to feel like they are working but gentle enough to use every day and this definitely ticks both boxes. It foams up quite a bit which is unusual for an exfoliator but my skin definitely feels buffed afterwards, it’s easily my go-to exfoliator now and cheaper than some of the other brands I’ve tried (and a lot better too)!
3. The Body Shop – Liquid Eyeliner £9 – This was more of an add on/emergency item. At the time of placing my order, The Body Shop were doing an amazing £10 off a £25 spend and I knew I was running low on my Soap and Glory eyeliner so decided to use this to top up my order and prepare for the inevitable day of running out. I’m yet to use it properly but so far it’s excellent to keep in my handbag and top up my eyeliner during the day at work. I’m looking forward to giving it a proper go when my current eye-liner finally runs out.
4. The Body Shop – Lip Butter in Strawberry £4.50 – OK, this is a little bit of a cheat. I never actually paid £4.50 as I got it FREE! with o2 priority (o2 customers can also often get £10 off a £25 spend). I don’t wear anywhere near as much lip balm as I should and this smells divine. It’s perfect for once again keeping in my handbag and hopefully the smell with lure me in to using it more. I will say that the consistency of this is delightful, much richer and smoother than it’s “Born Lippy” cousin which in the past I have found to be a bit sticky. So if you’re in the market for a delicious smelling lip balm I would definitely opt for the lip butter for an extra couple of quid. I’ll probably write a full post at some point on my favourite store loyalty cards – I’m a sucker for them – but I love that The Body Shop have now launched one, each £1 equals 10 points and 500 points = a £5 voucher with an extra £5 voucher for your birthday!
5. Clinique anti-blemish clarifying lotion £18 – Whilst I’m doing my best to save money, my little luxuries to myself will always be my Clinique skin care. It took me so so so long to find an anti-blemish range that worked for me that I almost don’t dare steer away so I have 3 Clinique anti-blemish products I can’t live without. I always try and purchase them from Boots so I at least get points on my advantage card and because I only ever need to purchase roughly every 6 months, I nearly always have one of my ‘point booster’ vouchers at the ready.
6. Clinique anti-blemish all over treatment £21 – It had been one of those months where everything was either nearly running out or had run out already and I had been trying so so hard to live without this and use other moisturisers but as a result my skin has been suffering. Not only do I try and only purchase my Clinique stuff at boots, but I also try and hold out for a Clinique bonus time and luckily I got this during one.  Clinique run various offers throughout the year at various realtors where you qualify for a free gift with 2 or more purchases (1 being skin care or foundation), this time it was at boots and the gift set I have to say is exceptional this time round. If you’re new to Clinique and don’t want to make a huge spend commitment, the skin care sets qualify as skin care. As does the All About Eyes eye cream which has just been voted in The Evening Standard’s top eye creams for 2017. Failing that, I am a huge fan of the chubby stick lip balms in particular Super Strawberry and the darker colours. They give tint like a lip stick but in a really creamy formula, it’s my go to lip colour if I don’t want anything to fancy of committing like a liquid lipstick. They would definitely be my recommendations for finding your qualifying products for the freebies.

1. Rinse off foaming cleanser – I’d had this full sized from my last bonus time and I really really liked it. The only thing that stopped me purchasing again was discovering The Body Shop vitamin E cleanser. When it says you need a pea sized amount, you literally do. The tiniest amount foams up massively which means it lasts you ages. This will go going in my cupboard to dig out when I finish the vitamin E cleanser.
2. Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser – I had been dying to give this a go so I was extremely excited to see this included in bonus time. I’ve started using it as a primer to sort of mattify my skin on the days when I’m not wearing foundation and at the minute I’m not sure. The smell is bordering on vinegary and the texture is odd, its very thick and not completely smooth which means like you feel as though you’re dragging it over your skin as apposed to blending it in. I’m going to persist until I’ve finished the tub, but I’m almost hoping it’s a dodgy batch and not supposed to be like this…
3. Clinique Pep-Start eye cream – I had actually already purchased the full size version of this and I balance it between All About Eyes. It’s perfect for those mornings when you’ve not quite had enough sleep and haven’t had caffeine yet but I’m still undecided as to if I love it enough to purchase full sized again – luckily I don’t have to decide just yet and the miniature will be great to put in my travel bag.
4. High Impact Mascara – This is pretty much a bonus time staple and I really, really like this mascara. The thick wand means you get the right amount of product, I’ve used other mascaras with a thin rubbery wand and end up with the mascara caked all over my eyelids but this doesn’t happen with Clinique. I have quite naturally long lashes (blessed, I know) and they genuinely curly up enough to touch my eyebrows when I use this mascara. I’m yet to purchase full size but thats only because these miniatures last for ages. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I had to purchase a mascara, it must be at least 3 years and that’s simply because the various bonus time freebies have lasted that length of time.
5. Take the day off cleanser for lips, lids and lashes – Another staple in pretty much every bonus time I’ve ever received, it’s a great cleanser and as bonus time’s are always travel sizes I pretty much have one that lives in every single travel bag I own. I mostly use it when I’m travelling as a way of removing stubborn eye make up. It has quite an oily feel so I’m not sure I’d ever purchase a full size bottle but at the minute I don’t need to (I genuinely have about 6).
6. Clinique Pop, lipstick and primer in sweet pop. I really really like the formula of Clinique lipsticks, I tend to sway towards matte liquid lipsticks at the minute but I do like to mix it up. The Clinique lipsticks are always very pigmented and the fact that this is a built in primer makes the colour last and feel great on your lips. I don’t wear anywhere near as much lipstick as I should but if I was in the market for lip stuff i’d definitely look to Clinique. I’m really intrigued to try their scrub/balm combos so they might be my next beauty treat to myself.

Quite a big haul for me this month, what were your recent beauty treats to yourself? NG x

I thought I had done yoga before. I thought I was somewhat good at it so I decided to give community yoga a try and this is what I found…

1. I am terrible at yoga
2. I am not very flexible
3. I’m determined to get better at yoga
4. I live in an excellent community (but I knew that anyway)
5. After 2 sessions my posture is amazing! 

What is community yoga? – Community (or fundraising) yoga is a concept set up in my local area by the wonderful Neha Kadiyala. It takes place in the Docklands Water Sport Centre twice a week (Mondays and Wednesdays 6:45pm-7:45pm). It is known as fundraising yoga as the participants pay £5 to take part with the money going back into the centre. 

(The official poster for fundraising group yoga)
Can anyone do it? – The short answer is yes, the sessions are mixed ability and the instructor will always give an alternative stretch for those who may be struggling – like me, each session I’ve done – or a harder stretch – definitely not me after 2 sessions, but I’ll get there!

Do you have to do lots of complicated breathing activities? – Absolutely not. There are obviously some breathing exercises to relax you but then it is all about matching the stretches to your natural breaths. You will simply be told what to do on each inhale, what to do on each exhale and how many breaths you are expected to hold the stretch for – great for shallow breathers like me.

Is the group cliquey/bitchy like some group classes I’ve experienced before? Again, absolutely not. Everyone I’ve spoken to before and after the sessions has been so lovely and there’s always someone new coming along to give it a try. The instructor herself is lovely, never once feeling like you’re not doing good enough; she’s encouraging and gentle helping you to develop your yoga rather than feeling like a failure.

Do I need a yoga mat? – Yes and No. Having your own is definitely preferred and you can pick them up at a reasonable price at sports direct (I’m eyeing up the patterned one for myself) but if you don’t have one/forget to bring one Neha has a small supply available for use during the session.

(starting to get the hang of it by session 2. Photo credit Christina Wildman Mullet)
I caught up with Neha before my first session to find out what drove her to create Fundraising Yoga.

Firstly you instantly realise just how passionate she is. Her enthusiasm for health and fitness shines through, as does her excitement and pride in what she has been able to achieve so far. She gushes about future plans including PT sessions in the local parks and even yoga on a paddleboard in the summer! So I decided to get to know a little bit more about her heath journey.

She moved to London from Dubai and found it extremely difficult to adjust to this new life until she hit rock bottom. Thankfully she turned to improving and prioritising her health and was able to save herself. She began to research what was available and found a distinct lack in her local community, she knew what she wanted to do but it wasn’t out there for her to just join already. A lesser person at this stage could have easily turned and said “oh well, I tried” but not Neha; instead she founded running group Walk, Jog, Run – a local group aimed at getting people out for just 30 minutes a day to walk, jog or run at their own pace. Pets are welcome, children are welcome, even new mums with pushchairs can join the group daily at Millwall Park. The group was a HUGE success and she started bouncing around the idea of a yoga group (hailing from India, Neha was already well versed with the wonderful health benefits of yoga) and the idea was met with enthusiasm.

That’s where we are today and already she is looking to the next thing (I don’t think this woman ever stops, she credits her boundless energy to the incredible benefits of aloe vera gel). She has just launched a creche facility as some of the people interested in yoga struggle with child care, she’s in the middle of organising an international food festival as well as fundraising for cancer research, setting herself a target of hitting 10K steps EVERY SINGLE DAY of March – impressive work. It doesn’t stop there, she has a Walk, Jog, Run 5k event in the pipeline and a deal with a local catering company not to mention her work with the sailing centre and as mentioned earlier the planned PT sessions.

It’s evident that Neha’s policy is pure inclusion and she buzzes off that community spirit and I’m proud she’s converted me to a fully fledged yogi. So don your favourite yoga leggings, get practicing your “ohmmmmm” and give yoga a try.

(definitely still my favourite part – relaxing and reflecting at the end of a session. Photo credit Christina Wildman Mullet)

For more information on anything featured in this blog please use the links below or alternatively leave a comment with your question and your email address so I can personally respond. NG x

More information on the sailing centre can be found at www.dswc.org
Neha is a proud Forever business owner, more information about the work she does for community health and fitness can we found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/stayfitiodcw/
To sponsor Neha in her March 10k journey you can visit her sponsor page at https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/livehealthylovelife

Ever since I found out Andrew Scott was playing Hamlet I knew I had to get my hands on tickets – I was on a train to Paris FYI – so when a quick google told me it was all sold out I was devastated. Now, had we have not moved to London that would have been the end of that but when we read in to it in more depth we were delighted to know that the Almeida theatre hold back a small quantity of tickets for sale on the day. Tom works shifts so lucky for us (mostly me) he was able and willing to stand in a queue on every available weekday off. Day 1 (Wednesday) he arrived a little after 10 with the doors opening at 11, we missed out. Thursday, he arrived at 9am and jackpot; 2 tickets please.

The reason I was so obsessed with seeing Andrew Scott was because I had fallen in love with the Sherlock TV series. Tom was already a fan but I had seen none so in anticipation of S4 I gave them a go. I was hooked. As a result, James Moriarty (played by Andrew Scott) is now my favourite TV/Movie villain of ALL TIME. For reference also up there is Tiago Rodriguez (Skyfall) and Darth Vader (I’m a massive star wars fan).

Now I knew nothing about the story behind Hamlet all I knew was that the role is so iconic that I wanted to see how the man who became my favourite TV villain would portray this legendary character in theatre – not watching him through screens (or at least not expecting there to be screens) but experiencing him being there in front of me as Hamlet.

Whilst all this excited me, I was extremely concerned that Andrew Scott was now Moriarty to me and there wouldn’t be a lot that could change that. There are certainly similarities to be drawn from the two character profiles and it may be more that director Robert Icke wanted Andrew for that reason. The dark humour and quick wit certainly would be welcomed by Moriarty but there is no doubt at all that when he is on that stage Andrew Scott is out and out Hamlet.

I have never felt chills quite like the feeling I got from Hamlet’s moments of anguish. Think the sensation you get when you hear your favourite song and you get goosebumps, now imagine that 100x more intense and you’re almost there. Andrew’s portrayal sees him pin point the exact moments to lash out vocally and with the use of camera trickery and electronics that give an experience like no other, I certainly jumped in my skin more than I perhaps would like to admit. Although that feeling may also have been intensified by the almost claustrophobic feel of the Almeida theatre but having experienced it first hand I don’t see how any other venue would have suited this adaptation.

What caught me off guard the most however were the moments I and the rest of the audience were laughing out loud. Be it the charming playfulness of Ophelia and Laertes in Act 1 or the way Hamlet tortures and humours Ophelia’s father the way a cat would with a mouse. 

Maybe it’s because I have never studied Hamlet, maybe it’s because I’ve grown up since hating Shakespeare during my English Literature A-Level or maybe it is the stellar work of the director and actor duo but the wonderful and famous monologues are no longer exaggerated versions of the script – something Hamlet is quick to shut down himself with the players – but are emotional, thought-provoking and incredibly easy to understand. 

The relevance to adulthood finally explains why my tutors were so enthusiastic about The Bard’s work. “To be or not to be” when put into the context that it is by Andrew Scott has never been more emotionally spellbinding and it is these moments of revelation that make us experience warmth and empathy for Hamlet. The emotions that these monologues take us through are suddenly relatable on a multitude of levels. Be prepared for this adaptation of Hamlet to take you to the very dark places you try to forget; be it family bitterness, coming to terms and struggling with grief, denying yourself love because of personal issues, loneliness, a volatile temperament or simply experiencing suppression in your youth, whatever is relevant to you will reveal itself here but the audience interaction the director has created will wrap the entire theatre in a blanket of togetherness as you go through Hamlet’s journey with him.

Going into English teacher mode briefly, the symbolism of colour is very obvious. For a modern adaptation you will see very few primary colours, perhaps only really noticeably in Ophelia as the family conspire against Hamlet to seek out the source of his suffering. What you will notice however is the power of black and white. The first glimpse of this, though not really understanding until later on, is the Queen’s lack of white dress for her wedding (though this may also be used to reflect the fact that this is not her first trip down the aisle). It is also glaringly obvious when we see Hamlet in nothing but black clothing until Act 3 where he switches to white for a fencing battle and in Ophelia (also Act 3) as the colour white seems to epitomise her descent into a madness we have seen very similar before; perhaps caused by the exact same reasons.

It is without a doubt Hamlet deserves every single one of it’s stellar reviews. It is worth every single minute spent in a queue to get tickets and I only wish it was on longer so more people get to experience it. Hamlet has left me hungry for more Shakespeare and if like me, you fell out of love with him due to study, I would encourage everyone to go back and read his work as an adult (if you can’t make it to the Almeida Theatre before the 15th April).

• Room 101 
• That Thing on a Friday Night
• Tim Vine Travels in Time 
• Taskmaster 
• Unspun with Matt Forde 
• John Bishop in Conversation With… 
• Jason Manford’s Big Heads 
• Your Face or Mine 
• The Unbelievable Truth 

• Hat-trick productions – producers of shows such as Have I Got News for You and Room 101. Visit https://hat-trick-productions.tickettext.co.uk/hat-trick-productions/ to apply for specific shows currently available and when first visiting, be sure to register to their mailing list for updates when new shows are released.
• BBC Shows and Tours – shows such as Tim Vine travels in Time and A Question of Sport. Like Hat-trick productions, they have a dedicated page for all their current shows http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/ or you can also join the mailing list to get updates direct to your inbox when new shows are released.
• SRO Audiences – shows such as The Last Leg, The Graham Norton Show and Bigheads. Tickets can be found at http://www.sroaudiences.com/ with each show listed individually or alternatively their mailing list can be found on the “Contact Us” tab on their menu.                     

Getting to the studios

• Elstree studios (Room 101, Big Heads, Unspun with Matt Forde etc.). Thameslink run a direct train service from Blackfriars and London St Pancras to Elstree and Boreham Wood and the studios are only a short walk away from the station.
• Pinewood (Taskmaster etc.). Pinewood is not so easily accessible, with the nearest bus stop still being a 20 minute walk away, they do however have vast parking facilities available on site.
• The London Studios (Loose Women, Your Face or Mine, The Graham Norton Show etc.) – On London’s South Bank, the studios are a short walk to Southwark (Jubilee Line); Waterloo (Jubilee, Northern and Bakerloo); Embankment (Northern, Bakerloo, District and Circle) and Temple (District and Circle).
• Broadcasting House (BBC Radio Theatre, The One Show etc.). As one of the BBC’s HQ’s, Broadcasting House is a short walk from Oxford Circus Tube Station (Bakerloo, Central and Victoria Lines).
• There are various other theatres and minor studios throughout London with short walks to the nearest tube. All this information will be provided when you receive tickets/confirmation of the shows.

Other tips

The shows are ALWAYS looking to fill the audience so you can guarantee that they will have allocated far more tickets than seats available. Even with a barcoded ticket you’re not always guaranteed entry. I would advise applying for as much as possible to give yourself options and remember, the tickets are free so whilst it is disappointing at least you’re not out of pocket!

The majority of studios will have security checks so pack light to ensure you get through quicker.

If your ticket has a ‘tickets validated from’ or ‘doors open’ time, aim to get there at least 30 minutes before that time, even if it seems like a long wait until the actual recording. Broadcasting House and Elstree both have onsite cafes/bars where you can get snacks and drinks and sit and wait for the show (you can even watch the BBC news room whilst you drink your coffee in Broadcasting House).

For tickets that are on first come, first served basis you will need to arrive at least an hour before the scheduled time.

If you do miss out, some of the shows such as John Bishop in Conversation With will allow you to re-register with priority meaning you are guaranteed entry to the next show of your choice.

(enjoying a coffee at Broadcasting House before Tim Vine)

My social media feeds and phone notifications are a great source of inspiration for me to get out and explore. Just this weekend we were able to complete a treasure hunt inside a museum thanks to a post we’d seen online (I’ll be blogging about that later.) So I want to take you through my London apps and favourite social media pages that allow me to explore and keep costs down.

• Citymapper – A must. A great little app to help you get about, even if you only visit London it’s a great way to easily navigate your way around The City with the added bonus that you can use it in other cities such as Paris, Berlin and Barcelona making it easier to deal with any language barriers!
• Santander Cycle Hire – I’ll be writing a post later about my love of Santander Cycles but this app makes them so easy to love. It tells you where your nearest hire points are and how many bikes/free spaces there are currently. These bikes are so cheap and actually a lot of fun to ride around, especially in parks such as Hyde Park and Victoria Park.
• Fever – It’s a great little app that can tailor ‘your London’. Tell fever what you’re in to and they’ll notify you when things are happening that you’re interested in; from discounted theatre tickets to offers on Brick Lane market stalls they have so much choice all heavily discounted (chocolate strawberries for a fiver on Brick Lane!)
• Circle – A bit more of a safety conscious one than anything, circle allows you to add key contacts which you can instantly message with an SOS and your location should you feel in danger at any point.
• Drinki – My favourite of them all! Drinki basically entitles you to free drinks at a whole range of London bars. My local is Rum and Sugar at Canary Wharf and with the app you get a free Strawberry Mojito. In the app, redeem code CSPACEY1 to get an additional free drink. The app refreshes every 14 days = free drinks every couple of weeks! (Samsung users, I recommend searching “Drinki London” in GooglePlay.)

• Blue Plaques – Great for if you’re heading out for a walk, you could even create your own walking route (see previous post Walking Tours) and try and hit as many of the Blue Plaques near you.
• Time Out – I love the team at Time Out. They’re great at posting regular articles on some of best and interesting things to do in London. They do it on a weekly basis and special posts when there are events on at the weekend. Definitely worth having the app and them on social media so you don’t miss a trick.
• Londonist – This was is a bit more fun than cost saving. Like Time Out it’s a great little way to find interesting things to do from the locations inspired by Harry Potter to the best coffee shops in London, they cover a range of things. They also post regular videos with interesting features/trivia about the City (great pub quiz knowledge.)

Social Media:
In addition to the apps listed above, there are also a few more things that populate my news feed that I couldn’t live without when living in London:

• 10 ways to have more money as a student, without working (10 Ways for short) – These guys are brilliant at sharing/posting when offers are currently on-going; be it cheap lunches, bargain reductions at super markets or amazon sales and glitches. Perfect for keeping your eye out on your ‘need to have items’ and bagging them at their lowest price.
• Stylist & The Debrief – I follow both of these for the same reason, not only do they post great articles – I am a huge fan of the style of writing at The Debrief – but they also post articles on saving money, cheap and easy lunches and how to do city breaks on the cheap.
• Secret London –  Similar to both Londonist and Time Out London, Secret London updates their page with great articles with interesting and unusual things to do in The Capital, it was a post here that enabled me to discover the museum treasure hunts!

It’s certainly no secret that the North/South divide is a “thing”, the location map for Waitrose will show you that, so when I proudly skipped around my hometown of Wakefield in October smugly revealing I was moving to “The City” I wasn’t surprised to be met with the “oh I could never move to such a large city.”

What I was surprised by was just how many people seemed shocked that a young couple (I moved for my boyfriend’s work) could afford to live in London. If I had a pound for every time someone said “you’ll never have any money for anything fun” we’d be living like royalty.

What these people seem to be forgetting to factor in is that when you’re brought up in the North you’re taught a little thing or two about being frugal and growing up with a mother who worked in a bank I had picked up a thing or two about money along the way. I certainly wasn’t worried about our move.

Fast forward a few weeks and we’d arrived in this wonderful city and going about our business enjoying what LDN has to offer. The usual post weekend chats in the office were filled with all the things we had been up to. 

What I hadn’t been prepared for was the shock of my colleagues when they’d found out what we’d done on so little money. Or when it came to buying new work clothes; just how little I was spending. It seemed this Northern girl hadn’t realised just how wide the North/South divide was when it came to budgeting instincts.

With every new cost saving, came more surprise to such extremes that my boss was convinced if I put all my tips in a book, it would be a certain bestseller! 

That is what sparked this blog, I will be using this space to share my best tips and tricks to making the most of your money when in London. I will be guiding you through eating out, weekend (and weekday) drinking, some of my favourite free weekend activities and many many more because whilst it’s nice hibernating and being a hermit to save money; she really is a beautiful, beautiful place to explore…