New Year, New Job, New Start in the Big Smoke @capitalliving #placestorent #london #wheretolive #propertysearch

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Happy New Year to all of you wonderful readers, we hope you’ve had a great night celebrating and are optimistic and excited about all that 2014 has to bring. If, after you’ve recovered from your hangovers, you’re starting a brand new job (and life) in London, then hopefully this post will be very helpful to you.

 

Like many before you, the prospect of starting a new job and life in our Capital may be a little daunting, with its busy lifestyle, super savvy Londoners and endless string of bars, nightclubs, cultural sites and so on. So, when we met up with Capital Living owner Adam Goff, we finally found something that might just make the adjustment to city living that little bit easier.

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What is Capital Living?

Well, in short it’s the answer to all your London living needs. If you’re a professional coming to London to live, there is always the risk of paying a fortune for living somewhere not so nice, and with Capital living, they run a professional house share which provides everything that is needed for you to enjoy minimum fuss and maximum lifestyle in London.

Sounds good, tell me more…

Ok, so to keep it simple you pay one monthly bill which basically includes everything except your laundry and food. Which is great because you get the highlights of things like Sky TV +HD Flatscreen TV thrown in, your Council Tax paid for, a weekly housekeeper and there are no hidden charges. Capital Living also position its properties a short walk from the nearest tube stations, so your commuting time is efficient for wherever you have to get to! It really does almost sound too good to be true, and that’s what we thought until we actually visited Adam in one of the properties, which was incredibly impressive! Screen Shot 2013-12-31 at 15.48.33

But who do I live with?

Well, this is the clever part, sometimes you just have to uproot and head to the Big Smoke all on your own, and that often means you’ll know little or no one which can again be a hugely daunting prospect! We’ve all been there and in fact Adam has been there himself too, which is why as well as the property renting side of things, he knew that it was important that he built communities. This is a really nice personal touch, as you are placed in properties which fit to not only your financial capabilities and location specifics, but also your compatibility with other ‘members.’

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Capital Living doesn’t like to refer to its tenants as ‘tenants’, to help build this community and make you as the consumer feel that you’re getting the service you’re paying for, everyone is treated like part of a members club, which may sound a bit odd from the outset, but actually fits the abode you are renting. There are also social mixers which take place on a regular basis which allow you to instantly meet new people, which can often be quite difficult in London, and all members have access to an active and engaging online forum on Facebook where you can share stories, photos from some of the mixers and generally stay in touch with the rest of the community.

Where did the idea come from?

Screen Shot 2013-12-31 at 15.48.03Well, its founder Adam Goff has always been a savvy entrepreneur ever since he left university. From a humble online student ticketing service through to mobile phone assistance and eventually property, he’s gained knowledge and know how along all of his entrepreneurial journeys, making each business a little bigger and better than the last. The real turning point to kick start Capital Living however, came from his own experience of moving to London from the Midlands, the idea of huge rent and bills in the most sort after locations came hand in hand with small dingy flats with dodgy landlords. Thinking about what he would want out of living in London, Adam carved out his ideal renting plan and got to work. Soon after, Capital Living was born, and with his team, like his other projects its just seems to be getting bigger and better.

The Big Snoochie Summary

So, you live in these lovely properties with like minded people, who following careful research from Capital Living, seem to have similar interests and lifestyles to you, there are no hidden charges so you can manage your money wisely, so what’s the catch?Screen Shot 2013-12-31 at 15.55.33

Well, we struggled to find a catch really, its like being placed in an up market house share, which if you’ve dreamed of living in London gives you the setting and lifestyle that you can only imagine comes with a big city rather than the over priced nightmare flatshare dives which happen far too often.

The only real catch is that to maintain this standard of living, you initially have to meet Capital Living’s criteria for application, which first and foremost starts by being a professional in London.

So if you think that Capital Living might be right up your street, we would definitely encourage you to try a new way of flat hunting in London, its unique, luxurious and comes with an affordable price tag too, so give it a whirl and get in contact with Adam and the team here.

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We can all be Made in Chelsea darling! @e4chelsea #realitytv

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Its back…! That show we love to hate but cant help watch (no not just TOWIE), the hour long show where a quarter of the time is made up of awkward pauses and longing looks… why oh why do we love it so much? Well, maybe there isn’t a definitive answer, and perhaps its something that we’ll just keep as our Monday night guilty pleasure secret – but what we can’t deny is that yet again, reality TV has made stars out of a bunch of people picked from obscurity. In this case however, unlike the debatable X Factor, or other reality talent shows, in this case, we’re just not sure if these stars actually have any ahem, talent….

What they do have and what they all share is their lavish lifestyles. So for those who are new to this phenomenon, those who can’t bring themselves to watch the actual show, and those who love it so much they don’t mind reading this type of information time and time again, here’s our bluffers guide to Made in Chelsea.

Made in where? 

For anyone planning on visiting this area as a natural mecca to the show, then you’ll want to look at this area! Just across the river from beautiful Battersea and charismatic Clapham, is the wonder of Chelsea, the home of sloaney ponies and the pashmina parade, make sure you’re dressed appropriately if you’re planning a day trip!

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And whilst onto your holiday to the London Borough of “Cash”, if you fancy a spot of lunch, you might want to try popular Made in Chelsea hot spots such as The Bluebird Cafe which sits quite proudly on the Kings Road. Snoochie Boochie ate there quite recently (ooh darling!) and if you cant cough up the cash for a full blown all out meal, then it does supply a set menu where 2 courses are only £20. Not bad and allows you to people watch to your hearts content, however we’d advise you to stay away from the steak as its a little too tough.

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In addition, if you like to follow in Hugo’s footsteps, then why not head to The Phene. It’s a short walk from the Kings Road so perfect to pop in for a pint after your lunch at the Bluebird. The Phene is a clubhouse-style venue, housing a traditional saloon bar, conservatory restaurant and 1st Floor Lounge. Again, perfect for people watching but not necessarily somewhere to go out of your way for unless you’re in the area or a die-hard MIC fan.

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Its all about the fashion…

Well, whether you have legs that go on for miles for like Millie Mackintosh (soon to be Prof. Millie Green!) Or feel that like Caggie Dunlop, denim on um… denim actually works, why not go straight to the horses mouth for all your Made in Chelsea fashion. MIC regular Rosie Fortescue, has her own style blog which shows lots of photographs of her in her favourite outfits telling you where you can buy the hottest Chelsea trends. Its worth a quick look and you can find it here: Rosies MIC Blog


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But what we all really want to know is – what are they worth? Well thanks to www.csclifestyle.com (the luxury living resource) we can find out, here’s some of our highlights:

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SPENCER MATTHEWS

As far as exotic holiday hook-ups go, Spencer has it made. Not only did he try his chances at finding love on the French Riveria as the manufactured babe magnet on Channel 5′s The Bachelor, but his parents own one of the most luxurious hotels in St Barts; Eden Rock. With villas in abundance, (including one named ‘Rockstar’ complete with its own recording studio) there is certainly no shortage of last-minute getaway options for this MIC cast member. When swanning around London, Spencer works as hard as he plays as an ICAP Forward Foreign Exchange Broker.

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MILLIE MACINTOSH

This ex-Made in Chelsea star (and loved-up rap WAG) Millie Mackintosh is best-known as the heiress to the Quality Street fortune. Despite the fact that the Makintosh family, toffee-inventors though they were, sold the Quality Street business many years ago, there has evidently been no ramifications for Millie’s extravagant lifestyle. Now engaged to the British rapper Professor Green, Millie has developed a keen following from both ends of the social spectrum. The most popular by far, she is no longer simply “Millie from Made in Chelsea”.

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JAIMIE LAING

Probably the most well-know heir is the heir to the McVities throne.

Yes, those who bought you the perfectly sweet yet savoury allure of the digestive biscuit also bought you the peroxide blonde playboy with a penchant for sexy candy. Keen to use his inheritance to further strengthen his economic security, Mr Laing has developed his own brand of edible goodies under the name Candy Kittens. His womanising flair apparently comes naturally as he expects his sweet shops to be run by “beautiful, sexy, fun, flirty girls”. We wonder what proud offspring will be receiving this business in years to come.

So we hope you’re ready to don your fur coat and swan into Chanel like you own the shop, no? Ok, well the new series has just kicked off, so why not live your rich fantasies through this lucky lot!

Made in Chelsea is showing on E4, Mondays at 10pm!

Happy TV watching!

A celebration of food review at the @realfoodfestival #Food #Freshfood #market

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Deep in the heart of London’s Southbank, you’ll find a gem of a food festival which takes place on a weekly basis and on special occasions (like Easter weekend) extends to the banks of the Thames itself. Its called the Real Food Festival and is one of the best ongoing food festivals in London at the moment.

Bringing together a fusion of food from around the world, the Real Food Festival is starting to establish itself as the affordable, fresh, go-to food market for foodies and those who just fancy something different for lunch.  What we really liked about it is that there is so much variety available. This is probably our third trip and every time we go there is something new. On this occasion we went for the full three course meal, starter, main and desert, and were not disappointed!

Unconventionally our starter was a cup of yummy Jasmine Tea from Bunta which is a Vietnamese inspired street food stall which is as colourful in colour as it is in flavour…From prawn skewers to sweet potato crisps and noodle salads, this was the perfect starting place to get an education in worldwide food.

Vietnamese Street Food stall Bunta

Vietnamese Street Food stall Bunta

Next up was a pit-stop via the Community Kitchen Project which uses fresh food produce to create North African inspired food… this stall was always busy and very helpful to explain where the food comes from, definitely worth checking out… We absolutely loved its philosophy being based on the old idea of having a central kitchen space where everyone from the village comes to cook, chat and share recipes and resources – its a commercial business with a social purpose – so really does have people at the heart of what it does.

Cheese and freshly baked cakes all on show at the Real Food Festival

Cheese and freshly baked cakes all on show at the Real Food Festival

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We also wondered around the stalls and settled on a tasty Paella cooked in a stall aptly named Paella! As the stall holder said, whilst battling the gigantic paella pans “its worth the wait” and it really was, a generous portion of healthy seafood paella cooked to perfection, absolutely divine… its just a shame that they haven’t developed their online marketing strategy just yet otherwise we’d be more than happy to point all you lovely people straight in its direction!

Finally, continuing the Spanish theme, (we just couldn’t resist) it was Churros! Churros! Churros! and if you didn’t have a chance to sample any there, here’s a fantastic video showing you how to make it at home!

Remember its not just these few stalls that are on show at the Real Food Festival. Some of our other recommendations are:

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 Craft Beer Rising which is traditionally a festival at its brewery in Brick Lane but hosted a number of yummy beers at this festival too…well worth a sample or seven!

Battersea Pie  which is great British pies using traditional pastry and free range meat – British street food dining at its finest with food sourced from our fair Isles.

Grays and Feather a delightful taster of some fantastic world wines sold in quirky bottles and fantastic additions to any dinner table… all you winos out there will relish in this treat!

So there you have it an action packed food festival full of tasters from worldwide cuisine ready to get your mouth watering!

The Real Food Festival runs every Friday – Sunday right next to the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank, so make sure you check it out!