Stoked on bacon

I love sunny Sunday adventuring.  Last weekend's Sunday adventure was based around a photo that a friend of mine posted the previous afternoon - of bacon peanut brittle.  Once I got the idea of this snack into my head, I knew I had to try it....

We actually managed to get up and out the door at a decent hour, for once, and headed across town for a day filled with lots of walking around Stoke Newington.  The sun was out, and it was not too cold, so we were finally able to abandon our winter coats for a few hours!   In retrospect, this was probably not my wisest move, as by the time we got home, I was feeling rather chilly!  I think I'm just going to have to face the fact that London is still in the midst of winter.  Sigh.

Over in Dalston, Rita's Bar and Dining are currently running the kitchen at Birthdays, and that's where we headed for the bacon brittle.  It's a modern, minimalist venue, which really reminds me of the types of brunch places you would find in the Dog Patch area of San Francisco, or even Portland.  We only stayed for long enough to grab our sustenance for the day (which was long enough to have a little smooch and dance to Howlin' Wolf...and probably put everyone off their fried chicken and waffles) and spent the rest of the day trying not to break our teeth on said sustenance.

These little crunchy pieces of sweet and salty, caramely, bacony, peanut deliciousness had hints of rosemary and sesame, and I liked them a lot.  That said, I was constantly cautious as although they were good, they were not good enough to sacrifice a tooth for.

With snacks in hand (and mouth) we walked over to Church Street, which is one of the main streets in Stoke Newington, lined with cafes, pubs, vintage shops, boutiques and lots of beautiful architecture. 

After you have made your way down the long winding street, you reach Clissold Park.  We had a wander around....*quack, quack*...

Loverboy made friends with this little fellow....

On our way back, we had a little look around Abney Park Cemetery Trust, which was full of really beautiful and ornate headstones - works of art in themselves - and unruly foliage. 

A lovely afternoon spent with my sweetheart, exploring a part of town that I rarely venture to, but really should visit more often.