Speed Dating at The Scolt Head

Speed dating. 2 words that have always filled me with complete fear mixed with just a sprinkling of curiosity. So when I saw on Twitter last week that there was a speed dating event at The Scolt Head I texted my single friend Mo to tell her about it. I was pretty insistent that we weren’t actually going to do it until last Thursday I went out on a hen do and woke up with an email confirming our booking. Never drink and online shop.This was worse than the time I woke up with an Itunes receipt for Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’.

I digress. Faced with the realisation that I was now attending this event, I asked for some wisdom from friends. I think my favourite was ‘Alice just please try to remember to be nice…’. The fact that this came from someone I had a brief romantic fling with made it particularly encouraging.

Mo and I stopped off at mine to have a few glasses of prosecco/ Dutch courage pre dating event. We had been told we would have 17 different 4 minute dates. 17. I can officially say I could count on 1 hand the number of proper ‘first dates’ I had been on before last night.  

The Scolt Head is actually a really nice pub. I had onlybeen once before for a birthday but the front garden in full bloom is really cute.Inside was a bunch of slightly nervous looking people desperately orderingdrinks from the bar (clearly the Dutch courage approach is a general rule forspeed daters).

After ordering a large glass of white wine, we made our way into the ‘speed dating room’ and were handed a pen and a book to make notes in and then a name badge. Name badges always make me slightly sad but a necessity in this case (and also gave 17 men an excuse to look at 17 girls breasts without having to be discreet about it).

What were the men like? Well a mixed bag but to be honest,not as bad as I was anticipating! The problem with speed dating is obviously the time limit. 4 minutes can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing if you want to move on quickly (I was praying for that bell when one guy congratulated me on being ‘skinny’). On the other hand how well can you judge someone in a 4 minute time frame? Out of the 17 dates I would probably only want to see around 2 of them again – and that was mostly because Mo and I got chatting with them during the break and had a drink with them afterwards and they were good fun.

Would I do it again? Probably not any time soon. But I am pleased I tried it. If nothing else it has ticked a box on my life to do list. I did on the other hand manage to meet someone post speed dating. As Mo said ‘How have you managed to go speed dating and be picked up by a non-speed dater?’.

I probably indulged in slightly too many ‘Dutch courage’large glasses of pinot and today am feeling slightly delicate. Quite frankly I judged myself when I came into work wearing sunglasses and holding this:

Look at for another speed dating night most probably next month:

The Scolt Head

107A Culford Road

London 

N1 4HR

The Clapton Hart - Sunday Roast

The Clapton Hart is quickly becoming a firm favourite. This was my third visit and I have a feeling now that everyone is more prepared to crawl out from under their duvets without the need for 4 pairs of thermals and some fetching long johns… it will be a more regular event.

One thing I love about this pub is the building itself. It was redone and reopened a year ago but they have left it in what I can only call extreme shabby chic – and it works. I will do a more detailed review of the place after I enjoy a few more sessions in the sun, but for today I want to talk about their roasts.

Generally speaking, I’m not a roast person. I did not grow up in a family where at 5pm on the dot, my mother carried over a bronzed chicken whilst wearing a frilly pinny. I also don’t see the big deal about roast potatoes… but anyway these are my issues.

On Sundays, The Clapton Hart offers a selection of Roasts: Roast beef, Pork Belly, Roast Chicken Breast, Roast Chicken Leg or a Nut Roast for the veggies. All of the above come served with the same sides, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, boiled new potatoes, celeriac mash, carrots and lashings of gravy. I went for the pork belly (I tend never to order chicken - as a general rule I don't order things I could do at home). 

The Hart have their kitchen organised like a well-oiled machines on Sundays. By the time I ordered at the bar and wandered back to my table about a metre away, someone had already popped to the table with cutlery and a little pot of apple sauce (horseradish for those who ordered beef). About 3 minutes later the plates appeared. I would normally be suspicious of this type of speed but when the plate in front of me looks like this I can let it go.

It was good. It was very good. The only complaint I have is that the skin on the pork wasn't quite crackling so I couldn't really cut it and it had to be left. Apart from this, the meat itself was delicious and the gravy and yorkies a success. After demolishing the whole thing I had to sit there for another hour or so rubbing my belly. Luckily I had chosen stretchy trousers for the occasion – a brilliant move on my part.

I will be back soon on a Sunday ready to take on another roast… stretchy pants and all. 

The Clapton Hart

231 Lower Clapton Rd  

London 

E5 8EG

020 8985 8124