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