Good Things: April

I love Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. I love her food, which always emphasises health without ever losing appreciation for flavour. And I also love her occasional posts about her favourite things. I love those so much that I've decided to follow her lead. Every month or so, I'm going to look back and highlight the people, places, foods and experiences that have impacted upon me and would like to recommend to you.

Here's a taster of some of the good things that have happened to me recently: 

I had a whirlwind visit to London at the end of March, during which I ate at Song Que Café and Babur. Song Que is a long-established Vietnamese north of Shoreditch and I would recommend its huge bowls of fiery pho and freshest-of-fresh spring rolls. Babur is an Indian in out-of-the-way South London but its sophisticated modern twist on traditional Indian food makes it well worth the trip.

Authentic Vietnamese food in Song Que

I also shopped at Brindisa in Brixton where I was blown away by the quality of the food and drooled over the many wonderful offerings at Brixton Village (which is now one of my favourite places in the world).

On a mission to tempt with their vegan cupcakes

All the best markets have their own cat

In non food-related London tips, I took a tour with these people. These are tours given by artists that offer a completely different and totally local insight into lesser-visited parts of the city.

Some of the great street art we saw on our tour of Shoreditch

I read this and finally read this. Both were powerful stories that revolved around how your childhood experiences shape you for the future; families and how they understand, support and damage each other; and what people will and won't do for love.

I am now reading this and it's making me reassess just how I should use fat in my diet.

I am getting excited about this. Féile na Bealtaine is a great festival that takes place in Dingle every year and is an event that brings the entire community out onto the streets of the town to celebrate. 

My god-daughter Hannah enjoyed an Easter egg hunt at our house.

And most importantly of all, I took a step into the open with my post about MS. So many people have reacted in such a warm and supportive way. I should have done it years ago.

What about you?  What good things have you liked or learned this month?