Context Travel

I have been interning at Context Travel for a while, it's a touring company that I initially came across in Rome. They organize amazing walks and tours in 15 cities worldwide. The people giving the tours really know what they are talking about, always make it fun, and that's why it has been so successful. I have been going on their tours and taking photographs for their website, it's been really fun and have also learnt a lot about the city I'm living in. Here are some pictures I took on a few walks around London, enjoy!

Sophie Minchilli in London is back!

So I've been gone for a while, busy working, traveling back home to Rome and interning for Context Travel. But I am back and settled in London, so i will be posting some new blogs very soon, in the meantime here are some pictures I took when back in the lovely Roma, Enjoy!

My favourite pasta: Amatriciana

Also managed to spend a couple of days by the sea in Bari:

Pasta Broccoli and Sausage

I have a slight obsession with vegetables, and while in London I feel like I truly miss my dear Roman vegetables. The other day I was in Waitrose and made a huge discovery: Romanesco Broccoli! This is one of my absolute favorite vegetables, it has a very bright, light green color and is almost cone-shaped. It has a very creamy and nutty taste compared to normal broccoli, and in Italy is used for a lot of different recipes. I decided to make pasta with broccoli and sausage.
Here is the recipe: (Didn't really follow one from a book)

- Pasta
- Garlic
- Sausage
- Romanesco Broccoli
- Olive oil
- Hot pepper
- Parmigiano (Pecorino Romano would be better, and they do sell it at Waitrose, I saw it!)

Cut the Broccoli in pieces, cutting off the tough parts
Cut the Sausage in small pieces

In a pan, let some oil, garlic and hot pepper heat.
When the Garlic starts to turn golden, toss in the sausage.

When sausage starts turning slightly brown, add the pieces of broccoli.
Put a lid ont he pan, and let cook. If it looks dry you can add some water, or I sometimes like to add some white wine.

In the meantime, let the pasta cook in boiling water.

When broccoli is cooked, toss pasta in the pan and mix all together, if needed you can add some more olive oil, and later grate some cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Kenwood House in Highgate Village

It's been about a year and a half now that I've been living in North London, and I've heard a lot of people mention "Highgate Village". Apparently, it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in London, and after taking a walk through it with a friend the other day, I can confirm that it is. It's called 'village', because  it actually used to be a small town a long long time ago, and today, even though it's ten minutes from Archway station, it actually still feels like one. Right next to Highgate Village is Kenwood House, a beautiful 17th century estate, surrounded by amazing land and garden. The rooms inside the house are beautifully decorated and there are quite a few impressive art pieces, including a self-portrait by Rembrandt, which was my personal favorite. The gardens around the house made it feel like I was out in the countryside and for an afternoon made me forget I was actually within the city of London. There is a gazebo in the house's gardens from which you can see a breathtaking view of London's skyline. We found a cute Italian bakery (there are so many cute shops and bakeries) on the high street and had a short apple cake stop. The whole day was beautiful and with a 10 minute bus ride I was able to have a breath of fresh air and forget about London's chaos.

Helping Anissa cook dinner

A while ago I was lucky enough to help Anissa cook a meal for her Arab Supper club night, as part of my internship. She hosted this beautiful Emirati-inspired meal at her lovely home and I was so fortunate to be able to help. I had never really assisted anyone preparing and cooking food from this part of the world and was completely amazed by the amount, beauty and smell of al the spices. The menu started off with two different kinds of kofthas, one of fish and one of meat. The main was a baby goat that we let marinate in a mixture of spices and rose water, accompanied by a beautiful biryani rice. On the side, there was a simple green salad dressed with quite a lot of mint, wich really refreshed everything, delicious.
The dessert was a saffron milk pudding with some amazing pistachios (hand-peeled by me). It was truly amazing to be able to help Anissa prepare this meal, and really learnt a lot in just one meal, cant wait for the next one!
(Pictures of the baby goat may be disturbing to some)

Weekend in Madrid

Plaza Mayor

This weekend I made my way for the first time to Madrid. I really didn't know what to expect but I can say that I fell in love with this amazing city. One of the things I was excited about was the food of course, and the famous Spanish Tapas. The weather was amazing, sunny and hot. I found the 'Madrilenos' to be amazing people, they are extremely friendly and really made an effort to understand my embarrassing efforts to speak Spanish. While walking around the city I found a few "Museo del Jamon', which literally means 'Ham Museum'; this was my paradise. An entire store selling exclusively pork products, and sandwiches stuffed with any kind of ham you could possibly imagine.
I loved the Spanish lifestyle, people were so relaxed during the day, and so active at night, it was really amazing. Pan y Tomate for breakfast, Jamon sandwich for lunch, Patatas Bravas for dinner, and the warmth of the sun on my face made this weekend a truly memorable one. I will definitely make my way back to Madrid!

Croquetas y Patatas Bravas 

Amazing Tapas Bar/Cervezeria in Plaza del Tirso de Molina

Amazing night-life

Haggle Vinyl

I recently just happened to walk into this store, trying to find a place to hide from the rain, not knowing exactly what I was going to find inside. I am not a vinyl collector, but I always love looking at them, and this is the place for vinyl lovers, and was a lovely discovery to make while hiding from the rain. The first thing I noticed when walking inside is the owner, an extremely charismatic and friendly man who started talking to me as if he had known me for years. The store itself is a real treat, packed with records that span entire genres and decades, I can easily see how someone could end up spending hours in there, chatting with the owner and looking at records. It's very easy to get to and only minutes away from Islington.

Haggle Vinyl

114 Essex Road

N1 8LX London