This Saturday is going to be a busy one for me as I’m off to London for the annual Blogtacular conference. I’m very excited about meeting inspirational bloggers from across the UK and beyond, and the date conveniently falls on the only clear weekend in a jam-packed month (I’ve just returned from Copenhagen and fly off to Oslo next week – more on those trips to follow soon). With so much going on, I think I’ll be craving a little quiet time once Sunday rolls around, so this seems like a good opportunity to share my recipe for the perfect weekend morning…
The perfect coffee
For me, good coffee is an essential ingredient for a lazy start to the day – few things feel more indulgent than slowly working your way through a steaming cafetière while curled up in bed. I love trying different beans from independent roasters, and my current favourite is Roasted Rituals, based right here in Bristol. They source their coffee from small, sustainable farms and sell it via their website and a vintage Citroën van that’s conveniently parked up near my office. I’d highly recommend their Volcán del Fuego blend from Guatemala, which is packed with zesty citrus and chocolate notes…. Yum.
The perfect mugs
Coffee is so much more special when sipped from a beautiful mug. I adore my sea-green and terracotta Fairtrade versions from The Other Duckling, a lovely website with a beautifully curated range of homeware and vintage pieces, all handpicked by husband-and-wife team Andrew and Erica. I love the fact that each of these mugs is slightly different, with its own speckles, dimples and character; they also feel wonderfully chunky.
The perfect bedding
Lazy mornings call for wonderfully snuggly bedding. I like the soft, easy-to-care-for linen options around at the moment (they somehow look better with creases!), but at heart I’m still a sucker for the cool, crisp feel of cotton. My current bedding is a combination of plain whites (we had an odd-sized mattress to deal with!) from The White Company, Yorkshire Linen and House of Fraser’s Linea range, topped with cushions I stitched from old curtain remnants.
The perfect read
No lie-in would be complete without a good read. Depending on my mood, I alternate between flicking through magazines (Openhouse and English-language Scandinavian design mag Nordic Living are my latest finds) and delving into a novel; at the moment I’m working my way through 12 Bristol-based titles as part of the Year in Books project run by Laura of Circle of Pine Trees, and you can see my recent picks here.
What about you? What are your ingredients for the perfect weekend morning?
Photography by Abi Dare
The Other Duckling kindly supplied the mugs for this post, but words and opinions are my own. Do check out their website to see more of their gorgeous range.
Your photography is perfect Abi – I need some serious tips from you tomorrow! x
Thanks Sarah – and of course! There’s always a fair amount of trial and error involved in my photos though 😉 x
Oh how lovely to see these Other Duckling mugs on your blog. I’ve known Erica and Andrew for years and must admit I still get a thrill to see them mentioned somewhere! They have such great taste.
Lovely blog btw, I’ve been following you for a while now. Trying to gather the courage to start blogging again after years of not doing so but blogs are so different now and I feel the teeniest bit scared!
Thanks so much for your comment Shrada, and for your kind words. I really enjoyed discovering The Other Duckling – such beautiful, thoughtfully chosen items. As for blogging, I’d say go for it – it’s always scary but in a way that’s good because it challenges and pushes you x