Category: Food blog

B340 – Happy Friday 

joshfspearLeave a comment

Yesterday after work it was all abit go go, I had to get from the studio back to my flat and pack ready for a weekend in Norfolk. I did manage to sit on my sofa if a bit while I’ll took my shoes off but was then back up and out the door heading for Liverpool Street station. 
But now we have made it here and really enjoying our Saturday sat surrounded by baby twins and a girlfriend who can’t leave them alone.  

My idea of the photos today was to just have some fun with my iPhone and camera on the way up to Norfolk, however the photos you see below are only from my iPhone as I want to show you my other camera photos later on this week. And I know I’ve said it before but I love the iPhone camera, it is so handy for just capturing moments on the fly. And yes the Samsung camera is amazing but for me the iPhone just does the job perfectly, I suppose in a way it’s like comparing a canon to a Nikon camera. 

In other news, I think the plan for today is just to relax and chill out before heading out later to Cromer and going to my favourite pub, the Welly. I’m even taking a day off from using my Laptop normally I would set up in a corner of the room somewhere and edit / write these posts on my laptop but today I’m just doing this from my phone and not thinking about life too much. My plan each day is always to write at least 300 words and I’m not even sure if this is 300 words but to be honest I’m not even going to check. I think it’s best if you just enjoy my photos and briefly read this. 

Anyway, hope everyone is having a good weekend. And enjoy these photos. 

– arriving in Norwich last night, happy Friday –
– the train on the way up, you know it’s been a busy week when your enjoying a 2 hour train journey –

– I wonder where he got his ballon from? –

B338 – HEATHROW 4 STARS – PREMIER INN

joshfspearLeave a comment

Tonight Im sleeping in the new premier inn at Heathrow Terminal 4, im not going to any amazing country or evening flying abroad, this was just the closest hotel to where I need to be at 6:45am tomorrow morning. I’ve definitely shared with you guys before my love for a Premier inn, they do excatly what they say on the advert and to be honest they are pretty clean which is always a bonus when your on location. Some times you end up in those hotels where its best to sleep fully dressed and wearing some kind of face protection, but honestly Ive never had a stay like that in a Premier inn.

Back to this new hotel at Heathrow, I would have to give this one a 7/10, its got everything need in a short 12 hour hotel stay, we have a bar, a nice sized bed and a room that can fit all my stuff in. The bed sheets are clean and they have that nice tumble dryer smell. If you ever end up planning a trip which involves staying at this Premier Inn, do be neverous or even apprehensive just got with it and your guaranteed a good nights sleep.

The one thing that does catch me out each time at these places is the shower gel that they give you attached to the wall, Im not sure if anyone has used this stuff more than once, I say once because Im pretty sure everyone tries it once but quickly realised that its probably doing more damage than good when it comes to skin care. I would love to say that premier inn use a good quality wall attached shower gel but unfortunately that would be a lie, why don’t they just give out small bottles of shower gel instead? that would solve their biggest problem. sorry if this sounds like a moan but I quite regularly forget my shower gel and its never good being met but wall soap.

anyway, this is a solid 7/10 and I give it a 4 star quick trip rating another strong reason for staying here would be todo with the 24 hour costa coffee shop at reception. Perfect if you’ve got an early start or late arrival. this is my hotel review, I hope you like it.

B338-1-2
– This would have been a good photo if I used the right lens, but unfortunatly Im in bed now and have to be up in like 5 hours, so think this will just have todo –
B338-1
– I did how ever really like the embroiled sleepy moon picture on the side of my pillow –
B338-1-3
– this soap on the wall, I really dont like this stuff. does anyone use it and like?

 

 

 

B334 – SO UNDERWELMING!!!

joshfspearLeave a comment

So this is a post about something I thought would have worked out completely different. If you’ve ever been to my flat you would know that a lot of the time you seem to find cables and camera gear in the most random places, under the sofa, in the bed room and sometime even in the Bath room. Its not my fault its just what happens, no one know how is happens it just does. I think its Amy, she seems to be the one who finds most of the cables and gear so it must be her that leaves it around the flat.

Well today I woke up and went to the sofa, under a cushion to my disbelief there was a CF card, the said card is the same as the one that my camera uses. for those of you that dont know what a CF card is, they are basically bigger SD cards and its what my camera uses to record the images too. This got me exicted, could this CF card be from a few years ago and contain amazing photos that I completely forgot about? could it have evidence of a past flat party or maybe a christmas I forgot about? Well the answer is no where near as exciting as this, its a CF card I lost earlier this week and only really had some photos of a shower head from a hotel, a photo of my dog and some shots of the beast from the east. it coudnt of been more disheartening. I was really hoping for some amazing shots I hadn’t seen for years.

As this has really let me down I feel that I should still post these photos to show you what I went through this morning and to make up for it Im going to quickly jump in the shower and then head out and do my best to take some amazing photos in West London! thats my aim for today!

B334-1
– THIS IS MY DOG MOONEY AND SHE LIKES TO SLEEP –
B334-1-2
– this is my last photo from the beast of the east I promise –
B334-1-3
– a shower head in a hotel I stayed in a few week back. I took this picture to see if my 50mm lens still worked, not because I like showers –

 

 

B330 – DAY TWO AND STILL IN BED

joshfspear4 Comments

Day two of virus: I think its fair to say that the virus I have caught must be something never discovered before because im pretty much knocked out, Ive slept for 25 hours of the past 30 hours with only the fair few emergency bathroom breaks. Im supposed to be going in to work today but with the snow, minus 10 temperature I dont think im  going to make it. my plan is to see how I feel in a few hours and then make a call about it.

its definitely days like today where keeping up with this blogging life style is nearly impossible, but with just over a month togo I cant cave in now. for those of you that are new to this website Ill explain a little bit about what im doing here, my plan from April last year was to post three photos a day for a whole year and to go along with that I have to write 300 words, the idea behind this is to improve my photography skills and to also hopefully to improve my writing skills (Which I kind of think Ive managed todo).

when I first started I didn’t realise how much is was going to become part of my daily life and to be honest the idea of skipping a day or just giving up and quitting has been pretty strong but I’m refusing to give in and like to think that i can make it and then in a few years time Ill be able to look back and know exactly what I did on possibly one of the busiest years of my life so far.

So again I think I need to apologies for the lack of photo content these past few days, I know its snowing in london and that can make for some great photos and I wish I could get out there but I need to kick this illness first!

Heres some shots from my flat windows!

B330-1-2
– A view from the spare bedroom, I cant wait till this room has been finished so we can spend more time in here –
B330-1
– yep we still have our christmas tree, the plan is to hold onto it till next year, thats what takes up this foreground shot – –
B330-1-3
– I went out last night to get fresh air and some bread, this shot is from inside the apartment complex –

 

B328 – CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES HOTEL ROOM REVIEW

joshfspearLeave a comment

Last night I slept in a bunkbed. I had the choice of a double bed but I chose the bunkbed all for the content of this post, tonight Im staying at Chessington World of Adventures and its pretty cool. Not only do they have Bunk beds but they also have a Lizzard in the reception and the lifts look like your in a hot air ballon. If I was a kid this would be where I would want to stay.

I suppose this post is my kind of review of this hotel and straight of the bat it gets a 6.5/10, I would give it higher but then thats probably unfair to all the 5 star hotels out there, but if I was coming to the theme park of a day out then yea I probably would stay here first and make life easier. For in room entertainment I feel a bit let down, no nice tv and the themed rooms aren’t that themed im in the jungle room and it doesnt feel too much like a jungle. chuck some themed wallpaper up and make it feel like im in the Lion king. There are two pats to this hotel so may be the other half is more themed. One major flaw is the temperature of my room, i would have to say its probably the same temperature as the Sun or maybe a big bon fire it just wont go colder. Climate control in a hotel room is the difference between a good nights sleep and a few hours broken kip. not that Im complaining or anything because there is a lizard in reception!

If we were to judge the food here I would probably give it a 5/10, my reason for a kind of low number is because I didn’t order an adult meal, Danny (this guy I work with) and I went half on the kids menu, we literally ordered everything they had on that menu and at one point it was hard to tell the fish fingers from the chicken dippers so not great and the beer here, not a massive choice and premium prices which you just have to accept at hotels.

This place is perfect if you want to pack a full day of Chessington in and dont feel like an early start but maybe a night or two would be enough, anymore and I would probably think about going somewhere else. but the bunk bed is comfy and the rooms are a nice size, I also apparently have a few of the animals but its dark now and Im leaving the room before it gets light so Ill just have to take their word on that.

Heres my photos.

B328-1-2
– this is the cool reception, i would take a photo of the lizzard but it was asleep and I couldnt get a good photo of it –
B328-1-3
– the room and my bunk bed for the night –
B328-1-4
– the kids meals were actually a good shout £18 for four kids meals, cant really beat that –

 

 

B322 – YOU HAVE FOOLED THE NATION. GRANDE BIG MAC.

joshfspearLeave a comment

Since the whole Brexit thing began and whether your pro Brexit or against the whole situation or maybe your confused, theres one question we can all ask. Is the Grande Big Mac actually worth it? Ive heard a lot of people complain about bread to meat ratio and size and now I’m confused but rather than make a irrational decision, i thought I would investigate.

Ive decided that I would take this into my own hands and find out if its something I would buy or avoid. My plan is judge the  whole process. And first off theres the counter, you arrive and your met by this massive picture of a grand burger and your eyes that you down to the boxes sitting in the heat self, the boxes are pretty much the same size as a size 11 shoe box. No joke they are gigantic. Excitement has started to kick in and now all I want todo is sit down and enjoy this box of pure joy.

So now I have the burger in my hands and its time to dig in, but first we need to put a story to bed, is the actual meat in the burger the same size as the other burgers or has Maccy Dees properly upped the game…

I can tell you with a heavy heart that the burger meat inside is no different, what Mcdonalds have done is just make a bigger bun and sell the country a lie. for me a burger cannot be judged on its size, but rather the contents and favour. If your going to sell me a “grand Big Mac” and call it your extra large burger then please give me the burger to match.

As far as a burger at Mcdonalds goes, a Large Big Mac meal is £5.09 and a Grand Big Mac is £5.49. Thats a hole extra 40p and for that you get more bread. Im not going to talk about health facts or calorie count, because you can eat what you want but in proportion in my eyes. I can tell you now that Im sat on the sofa and my stomach feels like its going to explode.

Congratulations Mcdonalds on a really smart publicity stunt to apparently celebrate 50 years of the Big Mac and that seems to have worked for the first few weeks but now your plan has been uncovered and the people aren’t being fooled. I think we should name your Grand Big Mac, MacBrexit. We understand that they never look like they do on the adverts but this is a step too far,  You may fool the people once, but you will not fool them again. (hopefully).

But on the other hand, Junior Big Mac. That is a great idea, people love your Big Mac Sauce and everyone loves a cheese burger, on that front you have given the people what they want and combined the two and for that Ronald Mcdonald, I thank you.

B322-1
– As we can see, this burger box is pretty much taller than the fries box
B322-1-3
– the area of bread is impressive, its basically a mini loaf –
B322-1-2
– I made this picture black and white to help you compare the size of the actual burgers. please, make your own decisions. the Grand is on the Left, Junior on the right  –

B321 – HYDE PARK IN THE MORNING, NOTHING BEATS IT.

joshfspearLeave a comment

So today Im at the Baftas working not partying I should mention, my plan was probably to show you some photos from before my day, during it and after. but then something happened that I really didnt expect, it was my walk to work. I did what I always do when im at the Royal Albert Hall, I get off at Lancaster Gate and walk through Hyde Park to the stage door. Nothing crazy.

Well this morning as I got off at Lancaster Gate and noticed that the sun was just coming up, it was roughly 7:35 or something (My call time was 7:30 so I was running a but late) As I entered into Hyde park it was unbelievable, the sun was hitting the sides of everything and the water was still, it was literally magical. I felt like I had just walked onto a set of a feature film which was going to win a BAFTA for its lighting, I instantly when for my 5d and then realised I had left my beautiful camera at home, my only choice was to pull out the iphone, and my god Im happy i did. For some reason it just feels right that I took these photos on my Iphone, it gives the photos a feel of just an average londoner walking through the park if that makes any sense. No special lens used, no expensive camera, just amazing light and a bog standard 29mm f2.9 iphone lens. Im definetly a fan of mobile phone cameras and the photography they are capable of.

If I was to give people one top tip about using a phone to get good shots, it would be not to worry about how good the Iphone X is and how amazing the camera is, Im pretty happy with my Iphone 6s right now and definitely don’t think that for an extra £50 a month the Iphone x will improve my photos that much.  If you was to buy an Iphone X on an £80 a month contract, then over the course of 24 months you would spend an extra £1200 on the phone, that means that for the same price you could get a Sony RX100 or Fuji X100f and still have cash left over, now trust me they are some powerful pocket rockets. I personally think Iphone X is over rated, its good but its not life changing. With camera sensors I just think that each sensor model creates its own feel and vibe, at the moment I love the iphone 6s picture quality, thats not to say in a few months or years ill be in love with the iphone X, because I probably will be.

its now coming to the end of my dinner break at work, so Ill stop the rant and if you were hoping to see a photo of my at the BAFTA’s heres one from a few years ago.

Heres my photos from today.

B321-1-3
– I hope Will and Kate are happy with his view –
B321-1-4
– I know I say it most days but the light this time of year is definetly something to rant about –
B321-1-5
– living in East london, you forget how good Hyde Park is –
B321-1-2
– I bloody love london and my Iphone –
Screen Shot 2018-02-18 at 13.31.46
– me in a rare occasion of wearing a suit, I think this photo was taken in 2015 or something. Look at that hand gesture –

 

 

B318 – TAKING PHOTOS WITHOUT WALKING ANYWHERE?

joshfspearLeave a comment

After the shoot today my plan involved rushing back to east london to try and catch a demo of the New fujifilm camera, it looks pretty sick and I think I may be in love but on my arrival to Wex Photo in Whitechapel I was met with the news that I was 30 minutes late and as a result missed the demo and the camera. Coming away from the shop feeling like a had completely failed on my post shoot mission I decided that instead of heading straight home, that I should now try and finish on a high and take some cool photos.\

The only problem with that was for the fact that since 5am I had been on my feet and running around carrying peli cases and tripods, so I needed a plan which involved taking cool photos and not really moving a whole lot. Thats when my idea came to me, theres so many cool artists around brick lane, that spend hours and hundreds of pounds painting the walls and adding some colour to this city, its almost becoming an accepted part of modern day society. if you have a nice clean wall, then someone going to put some art on it free of charge. there comes my mini plan for today. Why don’t I find a really cool wall and just photograph people walking past it and see if they even acknowledge it?

Apart from the guy that swore at me and polity told me todo one, it was pretty successful I think. after coming home and looking at the photos, I really like the choice of wall but I’m not sure what I think about the people being out of focus. I would love to say that was a choice but it really wasn’t, I wanted them to be in focus. so maybe I need to re-think my strategy a bit. I think the idea is there, I just need to now concentrate on the delivery now, I will be back and Im now thinking of this idea a lot more. Im not going to say anymore because I dont want someone to steel my idea, but if you do give it a try please send me some of your photos so i can see if you do it better than me.

Heres my favourite photos from today.

B318-1
– this is what the wall looked like when no one was standing in front of it –
B318-1-2
– probably my favourite photo from today, hes in my picture and maybe I made it into his –
B318-1-3
– she likes the art –
B318-1-4
– they look like they’ve seen something happening up ahead –

 

 

B316 – ITS A NATIONAL PRIDE

joshfspearLeave a comment

With the internet being somewhere I am posting about everyday of my life for a whole year its hard not to reveal things, but there is definitely one topic that is forbidden and will not be spoken about in public or private, in fact its probably my biggest secrete, its something which I feel needs to be left between maybe my closest friends and family.  Ive been doubted and belittled by many and mis understood by a few but one thing is for sure, they may take the piss but they will never take my pancake recipe!!

And then once a year we have a whole day dedicated to this amazing dish and then because tradition dictates, we then get to throw them round our kitchens till we’ve run out of lemon juice and sugar. Im not sure on a lot of things but one thing I know for a fact is that no matter what you go through as soon as you throw that little sizzling mixture of carbs and dairy in the air, nothing else matters, you know you just need to nail the landing, no half flips, no folds, just land the pancake the other way up and you have successfully achieved what probably half the country will fail todo.

its a human right to have a great pancake day and enjoy the fruits of our labour, everyone should have the right to a “flippin” good night and I hope that everyone got in the sprite and showed that shrove Tuesday is something which makes Britain Great. We are a country of culture and diversity and a love for Pancakes. that should be celebrated and enjoyed indulged. So please think of thy neighbour on this holiest of days and celebrate the wonderful thing of flipping pancakes in a kitchen, just don’t try and copy my recipe.

B316-1-5
– Amy doing a flippin good job –
B316-1-4
– I will never reveal my recipe –
B316-1
– the early morning call time yesterday, up and out the door by 6am –

B312 – SHOREDITCH HOUSE

joshfspearLeave a comment

Firstly I think its important for me to say how good last night was and also apologies for the lack of quality in the photos taken, I did my best with an iPhone but the low light and quantity of beer consumed meant that the photos weren’t my main focus. the night was more about good conversation and just enjoying good company. the all started with a plan to go out and get some food last night with amy but after a call from Anders he was quickly coming along and the next mission was to find somewhere to eat. then it happened, we ended up at a restaurant Ive wanted to go back to for ages. Andina, this place in Shoreditch which serves Peruvian ceviche.

Its that kind of place where you go in and just order random things that you have no idea about, all the dishes are pretty small but pack a punch when it comes to flavour, I think we had some sort of beetroot salad with cous cous (maybe) and also some sort of boiled ham in a broth, but by far the winning dish was aubergine and bbq spicy beef with feta cheese thing. theres something fun about sitting down with friends and sharing loads of dishes and not just having your own plate, it makes eating out so much more fun and you find that you eat so many new favours. I really think sharing food is the way forward, especially on nights out.

After the food we went on to Shoreditch House for some ping pong and to carry on with the night, it was my first time at this place and as Anders has now become a member I think I will be attending a lot more. its basically this place for “creative” people to network which in London basically drink alcohol.  we just went along for a kind of chilled night out and to be honest I definitely think its somewhere I can see us spending a lot more time and probably a lot more money.

Its now Saturday and sorry this post is late but we are up early having a power day, its time to move all of Micheles (My super aunties) stuff out of the flat and get it back to her. Something that is long over due,  and now means we can go out and get a wardrobe for the millions of clothes at Amy owns!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I LOVE SATURDAYS!

B312-1
– This was not our bottle of champagne, I just turned up to the table and thought it would make a cool photo –
B312-1-2
– the view for Shoreditch house is pretty cool as well –
B312-1-3
– I forgot to take a photo of the food in Andina so I made everyone stop half way through their food so I could take this shot –