Carey Mulligan's Vogue cover shoot

As a lover of all things vintage, with the 1920's being a favourite, I was definitely excited about the release of The Great Gatsby. It may sound silly but films are my escape and a trip to the cinema is a chance to enter another wonderful world. Many of us are attracted to the glitz and glam of the era of decadence, the extravagant glamorous lifestyle and flapper fashion. So after seeing the film last week, I decided I just had to write about it as the era is all about letting go, having fun, being fearless, confident and happy!

Carey Mulligan, who plays Daisy in the film, featured in a Gatsby themed Vogue cover shoot and these shots of her in designer dresses exude the luxurious and elegant side of 1920's fashion. It's all about shiny embroidery, fun flapper dresses, feathers and silk. These designer beauties and Tiffany & Co jewels worn in the film aren't the only options, many high street shops such as Topshop and Monsoon have been inspired by the film's release.

Everyone who's seen the film will all say the same thing... Please can I attend one of Gatsby's crazy glittering parties? The Great Gatsby may be fictional but we can at least dream about the jazz era, the careless, spontaneous and captivating world of the super-rich. The characters can be seen sipping on cocktails or lots of bubbly from vintage champagne saucers, these are officially on my wish list! They can be purchased from various places such as John Lewis or plastic versions are available online if you plan on throwing a wild party. 

The Great Gatsby Warner Bros Image

I loved the glimpse of Gatsby's picture-perfect afternoon tea with scrumptious looking macaroons (I'm a little bit obsessed with afternoon tea, I do believe in the magic of a good cup of tea). 

The Great Gatsby Warner Bros Image

For your own moment of luxury, Harvey Nichols in London are offering their own Roaring 20's Afternoon Tea (available until 31st July). Indulge in summer fruit scones with clotted cream and champagne jam, a white chocolate and coconut pearl macaroon (in a jewellery box, yes a jewellery box), peanut butter cigars... I am yet to take a little trip to Harvey Nichols for this selection of quirky treats but they do look very tempting.

Roaring 20's Afternoon Tea at Harvey Nichols

I definitely think I was born in the wrong era...

Prawn Tempura

Pumpkin Korroke

Beef Tataki | Kaiso Salad

Chicken Katsu Curry

Chicken Teriyaki

Lemon Tart | Chocolate Ganache Cake

After learning that Yo! Sushi offered a variety of food (over 80 Japanese inspired dishes) with hot cooked food as well as sushi, my boyfriend and I thought why not go to a new and exciting restaurant? Having sat on our high stalls looking a little confused and overwhelmed by the choice of food on the conveyor belt and hot food to be ordered from the menu, we eventually started digging in. Each dish from the conveyor belt is a different colour which indicates it's price and you can use the menu to identify what you're eating. We were easily excited by the process and although Yo! Sushi is described as 'fun, fast, fresh' food, we managed to spend two hours carefully choosing and sharing these small dishes. If you're a fast eater and get carried away, you could easily spend a fortune but having taken our time we spent roughly £20 each, the usual for a minimum of two courses in any casual dining restaurant chains. As a big fan of Wagamama, I enjoyed the very similar dishes at Yo! Sushi such as the Prawn Tempura and the Chicken Katsu Curry, they also do rice and noodles. Be prepared for a little difficulty scooping up the last small grains of rice with chopsticks. I'll admit the rice filled rolls wrapped in seaweed with raw fish weren't the most appealing dish to me, but the Beef Tataki (black pepper seared beef) was surprisingly really tasty! I would go to this restaurant again and still be fascinated by the conveyor belt with such a wide variety of dishes, maybe I need to get out more...

MILLIE'S COOKIES TREATBOX

Having been together for two years this month, my boyfriend and I decided it was the perfect excuse for a few treats. Our treats generally consist of food and drink, we're not always little piggies I promise! I'm a chocoholic and after giving up chocolate for Lent, I joined every other chocolate lover in the Easter egg binge. I loved the Chocolate Flapjacks made by my boyfriend, he used a Cadbury cookbook which is full of heavenly sweet recipes. I had planned to purchase one of the Millie's Cookies Celebration Cookies until I realised just how huge they are and how long they take to make... So I surprised the boyfriend with a Treatbox including a variety of cookies, of which you can choose yourself, including chocolate chip, toffee and white chocolate. I can confirm that each and every cookie was very yummy (yes I ended up sharing them with him, cheeky).

CHOCOLATE FLAPJACKS

We went on a day trip to London and we were so lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful day! A scrumptious lunch at the OXO Tower Restaurant with amazing views of the city was lovely, I would definitely recommend it. On a warm sunny day you can sit on the balcony section outdoors and it was surprisingly sheltered from the wind apart from the odd brave bug (definitely make a reservation for a table with the best views of the Thames).

I had crayfish rolls to start...

Following by the lamb with couscous...

And the lemon tart with pistachio ice cream, each mouthful was a delight. The OXO Tower retweeted my shot of this dessert which can be seen here.

I left with my tummy feeling satisfied, although my sweet tooth would have loved a second dessert (but that's me being greedy). 

I am now feeling a little bit peckish...