
My Perfect Winter Weekend: Milli Taylor
FRIDAY
I often get dragged into having a bigger night out on Fridays. I genuinely prefer the energy of bars to pubs, and after a long week at work, I want to move my body and shake off a bit of that stress.
I love to host friends for drinks in the winter. Even in the cold, I'm more inclined to drink something that evokes sunshine and happiness like a piña colada or a rum and ginger. I had a party in December where we made penicillins, a fun whisky cocktail made with honey, ginger and lemon. We also had a big bowl of rum punch which, before my friends arrived, was a very carefully considered recipe with just the right balance of ingredients and a grating of nutmeg. A few hours in, however, it became a bit of a free for all.
If I’m staying in, I’ll be watching Andrew Scott in Ripley – although I'm a bit late to the party, I'm so happy it was recommended to me. The cinematography is stunning, you could pause it anytime and the still frame would look like a beautifully captured photograph.
I tend to reread a lot of my favourite books. I'm currently rereading The Muse by Nell Dunn. I have ADHD and find it hard to get into a book or stay interested. So, when I finish one and I've enjoyed it, I'll pick it back up a few years later, knowing I've loved it before and it's worth sticking with.
SATURDAY
I live in Stoke Newington, so I don’t see the seasons change in the same way as if I lived in the country. Luckily, we have JUMI cheese shop, which always kicks off fondue nights and raclette season. For me, it’s more about the ritual than the dish itself. On a crisp winter walk, it’s toasties and coffee from Lizzy’s across the park. I try to get some exercise in at the weekend but, because swimming feels tougher in winter, I make sure to reward myself with a lahmacun (Turkish pizza) from Ustun on the way home.
With coffee prices soaring, I’m more into low-key spots with a blend I love. I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many great bakeries. Often, at the weekends, my friend Kate and I grab a pain au chocolat at Finks or Spence.
Growing up in London, you learn to appreciate any slice of green. My best friend lives in Clapton with her dog, and for the last decade, we’ve walked the Hackney Marshes. It’s crucial to step out of the concrete bubble and into nature if you can. I love getting wrapped up in my Uniqlo thermals, fleece and puffer. Otherwise, I enjoy spending time with my sister and her family – she had her kids young, so they’re teenagers now and I love being around all that silly energy.
I always prefer doing things with friends to create memories rather than just opting for a catch-up coffee. My friend recently took me to Camden Art Centre which I had never been to. I loved the space and the exhibition, but the café is one of the main attractions. It felt like a chilled oasis – a hidden gem where you could sit and read the paper with an inside-outside, plant-filled conservatory feel.
For a Saturday night dinner, one of my favourites is Noble Rot – it has a dark and cosy feel, perfect for winter. But anywhere small where you can perch on a bar for dinner gets my vote. An older favourite is Soho’s Duck Soup; you know it’s a good restaurant when you can still remember what you ate there years later. Its skate wing dish lingers in my memory. For a bit more of a vibe, try Bébé Bob. The food is simple but brilliantly done, the décor is fun, and it feels intimate but with a buzz.
Sometimes I like going off-grid and escaping the city for a weekend. Last year I spent a weekend in a Re Cabin. It was only a short train ride outside of London, but I felt like I was a million miles away. The evening I arrived, I built a fire, and all the end-of-work stress just disappeared. I also managed to cook a pizza and smores in the wood burner, and crisped up some salmon skin into crackers on a – precariously placed – hot shovel in the coals.
I also try to see my family in Andalusia during the winter. It’s warm and sunny by day, the sun sets later, and it’s citrus season, so I preserve lemons and pick clementines. Another of my favourite winter treats is roast chestnuts. The stalls move around, so you just follow the smoke, grab a paper bag of chestnuts and stroll home, popping into whichever bars and restaurants take your fancy along the way.
SUNDAY
Winter is the season to spend more time in the kitchen. It's easy in the summer to meet friends after work, sit in a beer garden or grab a pizza and sit in the park. But at this time of year, especially on Sundays, I like to pick up a chicken and let it simmer in stock, so I’ve got something nourishing to add to my meals throughout the week.
I’m all about comfort food right now. I was lucky enough to join Ottolenghi the same month they shot the Comfort cookbook, so I had a sneak peek and tasted all the recipes. I know exactly which ones I’ll be recreating over the winter. If there’s one cookbook I associate with winter though, it’s Nigel Slater’s Appetite. With dishes like 'creamy calming pasta', how could you resist on a chilly evening? It was one of the first cookbooks I owned; my mum gave it to me because he teaches you so much about ingredients, seasoning and building a meal. It’s the kind of book that holds your hand through it all, but there are no rules, it’s just cooking by instinct.
Pumpkin is something I like to make the most of during winter. I’ll roast one and use it in everything – salads, soups, pastas, soba noodles. Sometimes, I’ll add it to ginger and vanilla syrup for a quick dessert with thick yogurt. Any pumpkin with dense flesh gets my vote.
I went to Blacklock recently and had completely forgotten how good their roasts are. They are so generous with their gravy – so important in my book – and every component feels like it's been cooked with a lot of care.
Finally, I have to mention Lagom in Hackney Church Brewery. It’s hard to get a table at the weekend, but it’s worth a bit of forward-thinking to snag one. Elliot really knows how to cook, and the meat that comes out of his smoker is on another level.
Follow @MILLITAYLOR
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com.