Top ten reasons I fell in love with Sri Lanka

I can't believe I have been back from holiday for over a month and have still not written a blog about it.  I feel like I have just been reeling from how incredible it all was, and trying to get my head around normal life again.

Our resort in The Maldives was absolute paradise. It was just like heaven with the bright blue water, beautiful environment and endless sunshine. But it was Sri Lanka that really surprised me...

Prior to this holiday I had never travelled outside of Europe and America, so I always knew it would be a bit of a shock to the system, but for me the real shock was how much I fell in love with the place.

So, without further ado, here are the top ten reasons I fell in love with Sri Lanka:

1. The pace of life
Maybe it is because the quality of the road surface is poor, but people never seem to be going anywhere in a hurry in Sri Lanka. Similarly, people seem to sit and eat together, with no "meals on the go" to be seen. It was actually really refreshing and a stark contrast to daily life in the UK.

2. The smells
Strange thing to mention I know, but the smells of Sri Lanka are intoxicating. Incense seemed to be constantly drifting past, and the temples in particular smelt heavenly as people brought offerings of lotus flowers that added to the warm, scented air.

3. The people
We were constantly surprised by how wonderful the people we met were. We travelled over Sinhalese New Year which is a time when many people go on holiday. This meant we were staying in hotels with many Sri Lankan families and it was really lovely to get to speak to local people and find out more about their lifestyles. Without exception, we were made extremely welcome wherever we went.

4. The animals
From the elephants we saw wandering down a high street for their daily bath, to the water buffalo at the side of the road - the animals alone let you know you are in Sri Lanka! It was also a constant source of entertainment how much the locals liked the grey langur monkeys, but all HATED the macaques. Monkey politics!

5. The weather
Although the island is pretty small, the "hill country" is pretty reliably rainy while the coast remains balmy and tropical. This contrast really adds to the personality of the place and creates the lush green tea fields that Sri Lanka is renowned for.

6.  The environment
Sri Lankan people obviously rely heavily on the land for much of their commerce, but one thing that was extremely apparent was the real respect that they had for it. We were also lucky enough to stay in one of the island's top eco-friendly resorts. The Heritance Kandalama is built on its own eco-park and has a dedicated water recycling plant on site. The hotel was hands down the most beautiful place I have ever stayed and the good work they are doing to conserve the environment just added to the experience.

7. The history
Many countries I have visited have fantastically interesting histories, but Sri Lanka was really different. The background of the country was palpable. From the colonial post boxes and railway stations, to the dutch towns that had had canals imposed upon them. The whole country had a real sense of personality - as if many cultures had tried to organise it in the ways they knew best, but hadn't quite managed it. Modern Sri Lanka is proud to be dancing to the beat of its own drum.

8. The scenery
Just WOW. From the tea fields, the mountains, Sigiriya rock fortress or the stunning coastal scenery - Sri Lanka has buckets of jaw-dropping gorgeousness!

9. The tea
Unsurprisingly perhaps, any cup of tea we tried was about ten times better than a British brew. These guys really know what they are doing when it comes to a cuppa.

10.  The sea
The finale of our holiday took us to a coastal town called Negombo. We arrived early evening and immediately ran and jumped in the sea. And what a sea it was. It must have been about 30 degrees centigrade with rolling waves crashing on the shore. At sunset all the locals came out to join us, playing in the bath-warm sea, waiting for the nightly show of the sinking sun. That is one moment, I will never forget!

Celebrating Northern Power Women

Today I was lucky enough to attend the first ever Northern Power Women conference.

The event took place at the Hilton in Liverpool and was organised by the lovely Simone Roche to encourage women from across the North to celebrate and champion equality. The event welcomed speakers from the heads of large corporate giants, to local MPs, to passionate youngsters who were making a real difference in their own communities.

The day was themed around the idea of "making it happen" and the Guardian's Harriet Minter who chaired the event was fantastic at encouraging all of the day's speakers to share a tangible "take away" from the day - something I think really helped make the themes of the day more meaningful.

Although the day was packed with fantastic speakers, here are just three of my favourites:

Founder and MD of New Collective, Emily Karatay 
An entrepreneur and social activist, Emily spoke passionately and insightfully about the value that the younger generation can bring to organisations. Her experience to date is testament itself to why young women should never be overlooked or under estimated.

Founder and Chair of Inspirational Journey, Heather Jackson
Taking part in one of the day's panel discussions, Heather was asked what one piece of advice she would have given to her younger self. She said "Stop being Joan of Arc" - she wished she had stopped thinking of everything as a compromise and instead wished she had had the confidence to make the choices she did and not to let guilt of self-doubt turn her into a matyr. I thought this was an extremely insightful one and one I am sure a lot of the women in the room could relate to!

Minister for Women and Equality, Jo Swinson MP 
Jo spoke passionately and knowledgeably on how the family unit is changing and the vision she had for the parental leave changes that she has been able to implement from April this year. Although each of the MPs who spoke at the event were extremely inspirational, Jo applied her real life struggles into the conversation and represented exactly what I feel we need in modern day politics - intelligent, relatable and truly inspiring female role models.

So what was my main "take home" of the day?

I think it was advice that came from Sodexo CEO Debbie White, who said that each day and every day, we should try to do something that helps to empower and encourage another woman. This struck me as a simple but effective way to be the change you want to see!

And in the words of Madeleine Albright, and many of the North's most powerful women who I heard from today...

Best places for a vegetarian to eat in Chorlton

Now I have lived in the delightful suburban idyl of Chorlton for nearly a year and sampled an embarrassingly vast array of restaurants, I feel (almost) qualified to provide some pointers on the best places to eat.

One of the reasons I love Chorlton is because of the eclectic mix of food available within such a small radius, however this does mean you can really have your work cut out for you when trying to choose where to eat.

Here are my five current favourites, chosen based on: choice of vegetarian options, taste, customer service and value. 

5. The Lead Station

This one is a contentious one for me. The food here is the thing that has earned it it's place on the list and the brunch menu in particular is amazing - you really can't make a bad choice. HOWEVER, the service has never been impressive here. I always feel like I am inconveniencing the staff by trying to spend money there. It is such a shame because if they could just improve their customer service, they could be a serious contender for the top spot.

4. Olive and Thyme

This is a wonderful Turkish restaurant. I avoided Olive and Thyme for a while as the outside of the place does not do it any favours - it looks like some kind of characterless chain, which is certainly is not. The standard of the food here is simply fantastic.  With a range of veggie mains and platters to choose from and a complementary steamed bread and garlic butter to welcome all guests, they really have their menu sorted.

3.  The Laundrette

I visited the Laundrette on the day I first looked round my flat and it has been a firm favourite ever since. It is everything a Chorlton eatery should be; trendy, quirky and plenty of good honest grub. It should also be noted, that the cocktails from here are insane! From a chocolate lime cocktail, to a tipsy fish in a bag to my absolute favourite - the Raspberry Flossi that comes complete with a ball of candy floss :)

A Tipsy Fish from The Laundrette

2. Chapati Cafe

This place is one of the best kept secrets in Chorlton. It is only open until 8pm so it is more of a lunchtime or early tea time kind of place. However, the food on offer here is fantastic. It is all served on steel Thalis, and a mixture of three vegetarian curries served with salad, rice and chapati is available from just £4.50! The food is all authentic, wholesome and probably pretty healthy too. My personal favourite is the chickpea and spinach curry, but I have yet to be served something here that I didn't like. Win for value and win for flavour and veggie variety too.

A vegetarian Thali at Chapati Cafe

1. Tibetan Kitchen

This place, is quite simply brilliant. It is everything that a Chorlton eatery should be. The owners are so friendly and offer complementary chai tea while you wait for your food. The food is fantastic - an authentic mix of flavours and a wealth of vegetarian options that can be bought as individual mains or  as a mix...and all for very reasonable prices (around £6.50!) Their vegetable momo's and homemade chilli sauce are the perfect side dish too.

In festival season, they often have extra drinks and treats left over from recent events which they just leave on the counter top and people just help themselves. 

Although the dining area is a little more "rustic" than some of the other places on the list, the atmosphere of the place and the friendly, communal feel all add to the experience and make for a fantastic meal out!

Tibetan Kitchen - The best restaurant in Chorlton

Top ten cruelty-free toiletries

In tandem with my new eating habits, I am trying to buy animal friendly products wherever I can these days. However I have found it really difficult to find out which are "safe".

I have had to do quite a bit of research on the big brands in the UK who do or do not test and animals. And I have to say, I have been pretty shocked.

According to the website NotTested.co.uk, there are scarily few brands that are able to make this claim. Instead, it seems that it is own brand high street products that are leading the way with ethical toiletries.

Although there are lots of cosmetic companies seem to say that they don't test on animals, in actual fact, the same can't be said for their component parts.

Anyway, to try and help others where I have struggled, here is my list of top ten high street brands that don't test on animals:

1. Asda own brand
2. The Body Shop
3. Burts Bees
4. Lush
5. Morrisons own brand
6. Neals Yard
7. Superdrug own brand
8. Waitrose own brand
9. Neals Yard
10. The Sanctuary

And if you are trawling the high street yourself for animal-friendly products, the best option is to look for the PETA sign...

Diet schmiet...

Diet. The word of the month.

The word that we beat ourselves round the face with after Christmas along with "resolution" and "dry". And maybe this is why it is always associated with going without and general misery...

I for one have been in an extremely bad yo yo cycle - that old classic: Getting into shape and eating well, followed by "I'm just gonna forget being healthy for a while" and piling the pounds back on...

So this January, I have decided not to go on a diet as such, but rather to change the way I eat, change and change the things I eat. So nothing too radical then...

In April 2014 I made a decision to start eating meat again. This was a big one for me as I had been veggie for five years. However at the time I was diagnosed with anaemia and my hair had started falling out, so I was willing to try anything to sort it out!

However, for 2015 I have decided I want to go back to my veggie ways - after all, I had chosen that way of life for a reason.

This time though I am going to do things slightly differently. I am cutting out meat altogether, but will keep eating ethically-sourced fish to keep getting my protein and healthy oils. In recompense for this I am also going to try and cut down on dairy and buy more PETA approved products too.

Rather convoluted I know...

At first, I worried that this wasn't "proper vegetarianism" so it "didn't count" and to some extent I suppose I still am, but my reasoning is - at least I am doing something...I am doing what I can. Even if it doesn't fit neatly into an established category.

And without sounding over the top about it, in today's society of political apathy, I think it is better to be voting with my pound again - to be making a conscious choice about what I buy and what I put in my body.

So there you go - I will stop rambling now, but just to let you know, my blog will no doubt soon be littered with veggie recipes and other hippy shit...

You have been warned!

A New Year and a new start

Well, another year is over. And what a year it was...

I can't really believe how much has changed in just 12 months. I do know however that in January 2014, I was not a happy girl at all. I had a horrendous chest infection, my hair had started falling out and to some extent, it seemed that a lot of things were falling apart.

However, 2014 was a year of change, and I needless to say, I am extremely happy to be where I am now.

In the last year I went to Portugal with my bestie...

I have been to Belgium and Slovenia with work...

Bought a beautiful flat of my own...

Headed to Paris for a long weekend with one of my favourite people...

and went to Spain with my awesome family...

2014 was also the year that I started seeing a certain someone who has made me smile a lot along the way, as did my brilliant friends and the best family in the world! :)

So, when it comes to 2015, I am not sure what resolutions are left to make.

I would like to get fit and healtht ahead of a rather exciting holiday I am planning in April. I also want to make sure I cook more, and would like to become more adventurous with food - which no doubt will become apparent in my future posts.

Other than that I just want to do more of the same - be brave, make decisions, see the world and keep those I love close by!

Happy New Year to all :)