Feeling proud to be Scottish? With the possibility of leaving Edinburgh forever at the forefront of my mind, I'm rediscovering my love of all things Scottish. Did you see my post about falling in love with your city again (check it out here)? I'm rediscovering Edinburgh but at the same time, finding new places to love as well.

A coffee shop is the perfect haven for when life becomes a little too stressful, and a new environment is what is needed. A break from the library is every students wish, and the cafes surrounding new town are quick to grant it. Offering mouth watering treats and drinks, it's easy to give into the lull of coffee shops. It's easy to call these places home, when you get to know the staff, have a favourite seat and when they're actually warmer than your own flat.

Whether on a busy day and in desperate need of a break, or on a slower relaxing weekend, when a brunch helps to wake you up, these cafes are perfect. So I've compiled a little list of a few of my favourites for you to hit up too, whether its to escape the cold, have a good chin wag or as wee pick me up.

Ever hard week of deadlines, readings (and halloween celebrations) deserves a wind down at a nice cafe right? And especially now that its November - you wouldn't believe how happy this fact makes me! - a flavoured hot chocolate was top of my to do list.

So I used the zomato app to find a cafe that I haven't been to, perused the menus and settled on Love Crumbs, where a selection of home made cakes were begging to be tasted...



Love Crumbs is situated just outside of the Grassmarket, on West Port Street. So only a short walk from my flat, and the perfect detour from the vintage shops of the Grassmarket. The decor is super sweet, with window seats and tables packed into a small room, giving it a bit of hustle and bustle, while maintaining a cool relaxed scene. With plant pots, pianos and shelves full of cake - this is the quirky little cafe that is worth a visit.



Drinks are served in mix matched crockery, masonry jars and coffee is even served in a flask to keep it nice and warm. The drink of choice for this time of year was, of course, hot chocolate. Stepping outside of my usual comfort zone of classic - I went wild and ordered an orange and chilli hot chocolate. It seemed a bit daring, considering my taste buds are a little sensitive to any type of spice, but the mix was perfect. Sweet enough to balance out the spice of the chilli, but still with a little kick to it. And the orange came through perfectly, making it taste like a Terry's Chocolate Orange - only spicier. The other flavoured hot chocolate was Rose and Cardamon, which was deliciously creamy with the subtle taste of the cardamon and rose.



As it was late afternoon - and come on, I had just finished my essay - I had a taste of the Mint Chocolate Cake. It was a difficult choice - the shelves were brimming full of beautiful cakes, with gorgeous colours and designs, and the counter top displayed donuts and party rings. It was heaven for someone with a sweet tooth. The mint chocolate cake was delightful - not too chocolatey, and the perfect amount of mint icing.



This was the perfect place for a quiet catch up in the city centre, with a chilled out of atmosphere.

Check out my last foodie friday post: Coro - The Chocolate Cafe

Love,
Emily
xxx

How many times will I mention the new schedule that I'm posting to, eh? One of the old features of my blog that I've been wanting to bring back is Foodie Fridays. I used to love writing about all my favourite food places and food adventures - I'm a big food lover if you didn't already know. All you need to do is take one look at my instagram feed and you'll see every second / third picture is one with food in it. What can I say - food is a big part of my life.

Emily
xxx

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Its become somewhat a tradition or a routine that when I finish my Friday morning class, myself and a friend take a short walk to Peter's Yard. Its fast become one of my favourite places to go, and I find myself there at least once a week.



Usually I treat myself to hot chocolate, and sometimes one of their fancy pieces. I love to try out different pieces from their table full of goodness - but find myself always coming back to the vanilla and blueberry buns!





Peter's Yard has such a cool atmosphere to it. Whenever I'm there I always feel sophisticated and grown up - even bumping into some of my lectures in the queue. Their display of bakery goods and sandwiches will make your eyes water and mouth drool - its always so tempting! The staff here are delightful. They always greet us with a smile as we arrive, and always stop to chat as they deliver our drinks and food. Its this reason that I find myself returning again and again.



Today, as it was my last lecture of the semester, and we've finished all our course work, we decided to treat ourselves to one of the breakfast options. The sweet breakfast tray - the Frukostbricka (don't ask me to pronounce that!) - instantly caught my eye and I bit the bullet, ordering it straight away.
It was to die for, each component was tasty, and altogether was very filling. It also beckoned to be photographed, so I really couldn't resist adding it to today's blog post.




I can't recommend this place enough. And what's better is that if you're in a rush you can pop to their take away shop just round the corner and miss the queues, as this place is quite popular!

Love ,
Emily
xxx

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I was invited along to a blogger event at a macaron shop in Edinbugh's West End - Mademoiselle Macaron - to celebrate the cute little shop turning one year old. The owner of the shop, Rachel, couldn't have been lovelier as she made her way around the bunch of bloggers chatting about her passion.




The shop itself is very adorable, and was decorated with balloons and bunting, adding a very homely feel to it. There's an area in the front where you can buy some macarons or cakes and have a drink, and a section in the back where she leads workshops. Because there were so many of us, we spilled into both of these areas, although I tended to stay around the table where all the macarons were laid out.





The macarons were AMAZING. Never have I even considered trying a savoury macaron but the details that they added to make them all look absolutely delicious made it impossible to resist. After trying them all (and going back for seconds) I think I've come to the conclusion that the macarons with cream cheese, rocket and parma ham were my favourite, although it's hard to pick a favourite when there's options like gin & tonic, raspberry & jam, scottish tablet and mini burgers. (YES, mini burger macarons- such an ingenious idea!)






While working my way around the table, with a glass of prosecco in hand, I chatted away to lots of other Edinburgh bloggers. I love events like this where I can walk in - without knowing anyone else there - and still have a blast. It's always so lovely getting to chat away to people who have the same hobby as I do. It was also fascinating talking to Rachel, and she explained how her love for macarons came about, as well as her love for France.


I thoroughly enjoyed this event, and can't thank Mademoiselle Macaron for inviting me to celebrate in style. I can't wait to head back over and try more of their fantastic flavours!

Love,
Emily
xxx

A couple of weeks ago I was very kindly invited by Zomato to go to a bloggers event at Halo Coffee Company in Edinburgh. Life sometimes runs away with you, and I've found myself 3 weeks down the line without sharing how the evening went - and because I had such a great time, a post is definitely needed.

Halo Coffee Company is set in Edinburgh's New Town, just behind the St. James centre and only a (slightly behind schedule) bus ride from my flat. The exterior is super cute, with fairy lights around the fencing. Walking down the stairs and into the cosy coffee shop, I was met with the faces of fellow Edinburgh bloggers - non of whom I had met but all of whom I got on great with - as well as the welcoming faces of Andrea and Claudio, from Zomato.



The inside of the coffee shop is very chic, I loved the little touches added to the simple decor - such as the bath room door sign (I know its lame that I took a pic, but that's just me). It felt like a very relaxing place, and definitely somewhere I will be returning to - especially after seeing the lunch menu!


After a few greetings, we started off on the event itself. Laid on the counter were lots of treats, alongside rows of little coffee cups ready to be filled. Excited was an understatement.



Michael, the owner, stood behind the counter as he talked us through the different flavours of teas we were going to be tasting. After letting us all smell the dried tea leaves, as well as the leaves after boiling, we were given a cup full of each flavour. I've never really been into tea before, but after tasting the different flavours that were offered I have now uncovered a whole new bed time drink option, instead of my hot chocolates. Although I wasn't a huge lover of the coffee - a personal preference -  I appreciated the way in which Michael made each brew, and did have a taste of the mocha and cappuccino. Michael was so enthusiastic, demonstrating the right way to make all these drinks and explaining each step to us. He's obviously very passionate about his shop, and this came through when he was talking to us.







It was such an enjoyable evening - and I've met so many new people, who I hope to stay in touch with and will hopefully be seeing them at future events. And of course, before we all started leaving, there was an opportunity for a group selfie / zelfie (which I've stolen from Andrea - I hope this is okay!).

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