Review: Haymarket Kitchen #takeonthetiger Burger Challenge, London

If you've been reading this blog regularly, you'll know burgers are what makes my world go round. As a result I've turned into a bit of a burger snob and am constantly trying out the next big thing. You can never eat too many burgers right? So when an email pinged in my inbox asking me if I was willing to undergo the #takeonthetiger challenge at the new Haymarket Kitchen in the uni favourite Tiger Tiger, I obviously emailed back a hell yeah!

I like to think I'm a greedy little monkey and can stuff my face with a whole array of different dishes without even flinching. But when this burger arrived? I did a little nervous gulp. It was huge, literally a monster! Filled with a juicy beef burger, succulent chicken breast, gooey cheese, crispy bacon, hot chilli sauce and a crunchy onion ring. Pretty spectacular right?

If you were still feeling peckish, the burger came with a side of yummy chips, a shot of Jack Daniels and a bottle of beer to wash it down. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. Tuck into some delicious pancakes for dessert if you're feeling brave enough!

So how did I do? Well I managed to scoff every single bite. Just. I have to be honest and admit I dissected it to eat it bit by bit. There was no way I could eat it like a normal burger. I'm so glad I decided to have an very early, light lunch that day.

For £25, the burger isn't the cheapest in the city but for two drinks as well, the price point isn't too bad. It's a really fun challenge to take on with friends - so easy to get competitive! It's not the best burger I've tasted but certainly not the worst. To be honest, you pay more for the novelty factor of the dish so it's worth doing.

Thanks for letting me tackle the burger Tiger Tiger!

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Learning your self-worth

Confidence is a funny old thing. We often get our confidence from other people. Someone compliments our dress? We beam with pride. Someone notices we've lost a little bit of weight? Suddenly the soup diet seems worth it. But really everything is subjective. Different people like different things. That's what makes life worthwhile. You're never going to be everyone's cup of tea so why bother?

Your self worth isn't based solely on the number on the scales or how you look in a body con dress. Happiness isn't based on if you can fit into a size 8. It's based on what you can get out of this wonderful life we've been given. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to lose 20lbs and get back to my pre-20 year old weight. But I've also discovered the delights of the London food scene. So alas I'm not sure if that's entirely possible. We place far too much of our self-worth in other people. We thrive on how people perceive us. When really all that should matter is how you perceive yourself. No one should dictate how we feel inside.

We should strive to be the person we want to be. If people have something negative to say? Cut them loose. Don't get me wrong, it's hard. It's bloody hard. After being bombarded with magazines telling us what we can do to loose that stubborn five pounds and how life is much better when you're skinner, it can take it's toll on anyones confidence. Most people don't actually care what size jeans you wear, it's all in your head. So get that little gremlin out of your head. Start acting like a queen bee and soon other people will start treating you like one.

You should be proud to be you.

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Celebrating Diwali Festival with Sainsbury's

Indian cuisine has to be one of my favourite type of dish to eat - it's ranked at the top with Caribbean. I like my food to have a bit of a kick! To help celebrate the Hindu Festival of Light Diwali on November 11, Sainsbury's invited me down to have a curry masterclass with Masterchef winner Dhruv Baker and show off their range of Indian ready made dishes. How could I resist?

Sainsbury's has a whole range of different, delicious Indian ready made dishes. From crispy onion bhajis to spicy chicken biryani, the range is all made by hand in one factory. Amazing right? I know I'm guilty of assuming any type of fast, convenience food is mass produced without a care in the world. But Sainsbury's try really hard to ensure their food is of a high standard. As always, it's so interesting to hear the process behind how the dishes are created and how passionate the chefs and product developers are.

After sampling the yummy Taste The Difference Chicken Biryani above, it was time to save some room for one of Dhruv's dishes. This I was looking forward too. After stuffing myself on many poppodoms as I watched the demonstration, I very nearly didn't have enough room to sample his curry. But of course, I took one for the team!

The okra and baby aubergine curry was fantastic. Usually vegetarian curries are a let down. But this was rich and creamy with just the right amount of spice. The unusual okra really gave it a certain something. I may have had two helpings of this before squeezing in the mango sorbet.

Thanks for such a great evening Sainsbury's!

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