24 on the 24th

This past Saturday, January 24th, was my 24th birthday. It was a great birthday and perhaps the best in recent memory. That's not to say that other birthdays have been bad. In fact all of my birthdays have been quite nice (even the one where I hyper-extended my left elbow); 24 just felt even more so. :o)

We celebrated rather simply, enjoying a lovely, relaxing day full of my favorite things. We slept in, a rare treat. We ate delicious muffins purchased from our local Caribbean muffin man for breakfast. I was even able to take my time getting pretty before we had to leave to catch our train for London.

We spent the afternoon in the city, for we had three very important birthday errands to attend to. First, my birthday lunch. Will had made reservations at Moro, a Spanish restaurant in north London, for lunch. Having heard good things about the Moorish-inspired cuisine, I had high hopes. We were not disappointed; Moro exceeded my expectations and earned a spot on my List-of-Places-You-Should-Eat-When-Visiting-London. It was a perfect birthday lunch, from the amazing dishes (hearth baked bread, jamon croquettas, grilled lamb, almond chicken tagine...) and cosy atmosphere to the wonderful company and leisurely conversation. We are not only planning to go back at some point, but are also considering buying the cookbook.

The second birthday errand took us from Exmouth Market in Islington across the city to one of our favorite neighborhoods: South Kensington. Here, we stopped by the hummingbird bakery an American-style bakery to pick up a few birthday cupcakes (Carrot and Nutella to share, Red Velvet for Will, and Vanilla with Pink Frosting + Sprinkles for me) to enjoy that evening. It was our first visit to hummingbird despite the fact that we are always in South Kensington and I am almost always wanting something sweet. How we missed this place I have no idea (particularly since it's two shops down from the Lambourghini showroom which we *must* walk past whenever we are in the neighborhood), but I am very happy to have found it. The line might have been out the door and down the sidewalk when we arrived, but we took that as evidence that this place was just that good. And it was.

For the third and final birthday errand, we headed back up the Piccadilly line to the West End. Our destination? 181 Piccadilly. If the story of my 24th birthday had a climax, this would be it: the purchasing of the birthday gift. A couple of months ago I had decided that I wanted to purchase a very special souvenir that would always remind me -for better or worse- of living in the UK. I wanted something entirely unique (an increasingly difficult task in today's flat world) that I would not be able to find anywhere else. I wanted, I decided after much thought, a tea set. Not just any tea set, however. I wanted a tea set from Fortnum + Mason, the most British store there was and is and ever will be. A store over 300 years old, that supplies the Queen with her tea and biscuits, and sells the best products Made in England and throughout the vestiges of her former empire. Hence our visit to 181 Piccadilly, the Fortnum + Mason store. Thanks to the incredible generosity of my parents and grandparents, I was able to purchase my tea set. Made in England, exclusive to Fortnum + Mason, and absolutely beautiful, it satisfied all the requirements for a very special souvenir. Thank you.

High Tea Set for Two.
Includes: teapot, sugar bowl, creamer, bon bon plate, 2 cups, 2 saucers, 2 22cm dessert plates, tea strainer, and two-tier cake stand.
At home that evening, after a simple dinner of more favorite things (butternut squash soup, beet and goat cheese salad), we watched a movie and had a little tea party. A simple ending to a simply lovely birthday.