The December coffee morning will be held on Friday 5th Dec from 10.45pm to 1pm at Gails on Seymour Place. 

Next year I hope to be able to run the coffee mornings twice per month, one on a Friday (as many mums who work have Friday off and its great to be able to keep in touch!), and another earlier in the week on a Weds maybe. I'm also going to try to find some suitable places for us around Marylebone High St area so if anyone knows which restaurant/cafe might not mind a gang of up to 10 mums+prams descending upon them, let me know. 

See you there!

The lovely St John's Church on Hyde Park Crescent is running a St Nicholas' Workshop on 7th December at 4pm. There will be activities and stories for children, and an opportunity to learn about the story of St Nicholas. More details can be found on the website here

St John's is also running a wednesday afternoon playgroup in addition to the morning sessions and more details are also on the website. The church is most famous for Horseman's Sunday in September, which is a lovely event that is great for children. 

The new issue of the local magazine The Portman is out now, and there is a lovely article about us Marylebone Mums in there! If you can't wait, here is a link to the article.

I'm hoping to add lots of new information to the website in the new year as well as some ideas for events and other things. And of course do let me know if you have any ideas about things to do or information you need. 

The Baker St Quarter Partnership has been working to improve the local area for a few years now and the change in Baker St and the surrounding area is apparent. They launched an app last year which gave member organisations discounts from local businesses for their employees. It seemed a shame that local residents were not eligible for the scheme even though that would be a great way to encourage locals to use the services in the neighbourhood. The Baker St team told me that it would expand to locals at some point…. and they kept to their word!

Everyone can now download the Baker St Regulars app - it has information about local businesses plus a whole heap of discounts and offers. It looks great and I have already earmarked a few good deals to use soon. 

The Partnership also send out a weekly newsletter with events and fun facts about the neighbourhood, as well as running the local food market, local walks and the summer events in Portman Square. Visit their website at 
http://www.bakerstreetquarter.co.uk

The Marylebone Christmas Lights event is this Wednesday - here for info
Chiltern Street shopping evening is the following week
Chrsitmas fairs galore at the local schools and St Cyprians…. Plus more.

And of course the last coffee morning of the year on Fri 5th December. 

Do get in touch if you hear of any fun festive events! 

The last coffee morning of the year will be on Friday 5th December from 10.45am to 1pm at a venue to be confirmed. 

Do put the date in your diaries, it will be a nice chance to all catch up before the festive season really kicks off!

An exciting new shop will be opening soon on New Quebec Street - La Petite Poissonnerie, a fantastic fishmonger. I met with the owner Nic recently to find out more about what the store will offer local residents and I am very excited that we will soon have a great shop that addresses the needs of locals. Well done to the Portman Estate for resisting the temptation of opening another boutique!

La Petite Poissonerie has a successful shop in Primrose Hill and is now going to serve Marylebone. It is not just a run-of-the-mill fishmonger - Nic has great plans. With a French and Japanese influence, they sell fresh fish (of the highest grade), pre-prepared meals and marinaded fish, as well as beers and sakes all to complement the fish. They also make their own fish fingers, which I am sure will be popular with local families - I can't wait to try them. Nic is a chef originally so really knows his stuff! 

The interior of the shop is still being completed, but it is clear that this is not traditional fishmonger. A lot of care and attention has gone into the design - check out the lovely granite work surface they have installed, and the fresh fish display idea is a great quirky one (I won't spoil it by saying too much). Importantly the shop is going to have extended opening hours so people can stop by after work or whenever is convenient. Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 7.30pm! They are very customer driven and it sounds like they will be able to deal with even the fussiest customer :)  

Christmas is expected to be a busy season, and then the January diets mean fish is a popular choice through the winter. Nic also has exciting plans to address the large business crowd at lunchtimes once 2015 is underway. I was getting hungry listening to what he plans to offer!

Nic and all his team are very knowledgable about all things fish. I know I should eat more fish, and offer it more often to my little one, but I lack imagination and confidence to try new things. With great fish and advice now on our doorstep there will be no excuse!

We also had a great discussion about cooking in general. Nic's top tips for appliances in the kitchen - a hand blender with attachments (food processors end up sitting in the cupboard!), a rice cooker (on my christmas list as I can't cook rice!), and a pressure cooker (I am a recent convert - I love mine). 

La Petite Possonnerie should be opening during the 2nd week of November - do stop by and support an exciting local business that serves the needs of locals.