Check it out!

Hey,

I’ve just started a new personal blog called Flava Magazine and would really appreciate it if you could check it out and give any feedback or comments!

https://flavamag.wordpress.com/

Thanks

peace

Content Schedule!

I have compiled a schedule of content that I will be putting out over the next 3 and a half months. As always I will be bringing you the hottest music, the freshest clothes and the most talked-about food spots so stay tuned!

If you have any suggestions for content or want me to review anything in particular let me know in the comments!

The Plan

Midweek Munch

This is the first in a series of weekly posts I will be doing to show off the meals i’m whipping up with my friend James.

This week we opted for burgers. I love burgers because there is so much you can do with them, there’s acres of room for creativity and personal touches. After a trip to the wonderful Aldi for ingredients we got down to cooking. We cooked up some pulled pork and halloumi cheese whilst the burgers fried, filling the kitchen with some beautiful aromas. The cooking time was a total of about an hour because the pulled pork took 40 minutes in the oven. However, the end product was 100% worth the wait.

As the pictures show, the burgers were incredible. James even felt inspired enough to put some bacon streak crisps on his, whilst I opted  for the tamer option of some rocket.

Let me know your staple burger topping in the comments!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Makes a Good Piece of Online Content?

FOOD:

http://iamafoodblog.com/spicy-chicken-meatballs-and-grilled-cheese-skewers/

This food blog won best in its catgory in 2014 and its easy to see why. The blog has a great aesthetic that really suits the and compliments the content of the page. The blog specialises in attractive, easy and stylish recipes. the name of the blog “i am a food blog” is simple, it doesnt make any pretenses and then delivers on just being an easy to follow and digest blog.

The layout of each post is really nice with a big picture at the top, followed by some tags to find the post, a few paragraphs about the recipe itself and then at the bottom of the page is the recipe itself. The steps are easy to follow and concise with simple language.

I think the best feature of the blog though is the clear, yet subtle placement of icons to share to social media in the top right of the page. The icons are small, but stand out and are recognizable.

MUSIC:

http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2015/10/15-free-songs-you-should-download-right-now-92/

Pigeons & Planes is my favourite music blog. The writing is knowledgeable, often funny and contains lots of references and music jokes that regular readers of the blog and fans of hip-hop and indie music will enjoy.

Every Sunday they blog a collection of new music by mostly upcoming (and sometimes established) artists and bands that is free to download. The layout is cool, with a picture of the artist or music artwork above a small bio of the artist and the story/info about the song itself. They then embed below that the song on whatever music streaming service it may be supported on. However, the whole of each post is compact enough that you can see (and listen) to it all without even having to scroll down at all. Often in the bio/info paragraph beneath the picture are links to previous posts about the artist and links to other music from them. This makes for a great way of discovering new music and learning about artists and following their music.

At the top of the post are options to share via social media platforms, plus the embedded music player has options to directly share the song to soundcloud, etc.

CLOTHES:

http://fourpins.com/style/rick-owens-los-angeles-store-details-interview/

Four Pins is my favourite fashion/menswear and womenswear blog and they put out some really great content. It is based in New York and so has a slight American focus/bias, but they do also talk frequently about European and Asian fashion. They keep their readers informed about upcoming clothing releases and collections. The writers are really relatable and have great senses of humours. They are often self-depracating and very aware of the fickle, cut-throat, constantly evolving world of fashion and the speed at which it moves.

They use a variety of different bloggers often based in different parts of the United States whoa ll write in different ways and which also gives you news, trends and clothing local to them, e.g. Detroit and it’s ongoing passion for rugged workwear. The posts have very active and friendly comment sections where the post author often interacts with the commenters, answering questions and the like. A link to the retail website or originall story is always included, as well as galleries for any picture posts or posts about a clothing collection. The site is very stylish and posts are easy to find and follow. I find that this blog makes keeping up with the crazy world of fashion a bit easier.

Chicken Wings

Wherever I go in the world I try and seek out the best food spots. Having been in Leeds for almost a month now i’ve walked past “The Library” a few times. I noticed that on Wednesday’s they do chicken wings for 25p, encouraging people to come and eat as many as they can (the record of 96 wings achieved by “Rob” is published on the wall).

Ive sampled many a chicken wings in my 19 years so far, so do like to think of myself as being a pretty good (and fair) judge on chicken wings. I like to factor in the quality of meat (obviously), how well they’ve been cooked, the size of the wings and most importantly the marinade/sauce selection + quality.

The UK is miles behind Canada and the USA when it comes to BBQ sauces and so i tend to have pretty low expections, normally expecting the standard ketchup, mayo, mustard and maybe some hot sauce or bad BBQ sauce. “The Library” however really know what they’re doing. I know the title of this post is actually “chicken wings” bus as any self-respecting wing-eater will know, the sauce is ultimately what makes or breaks a good wing. In a corner of the bar was a shrine to the international BBQ scene. There was Korean BBQ, Chipotle Tabasco, Sticky Southern and a classic marinade. Combined with the standard English sauce fare, my plate was looking like an old-school paint palette.

The sauces had exceeded my expectations big-time, so i had high-hopes for the wings themselves. Me and two mates ordered 15 each and they within 10 minutes, prompting slight fears about the quality of cooking. Damn though, they were good. They were hot, well cooked and decently sized. My only grievance was with the overly-oily skin, but this did not at all ruin the wings for me. The 15 were demolished pretty quickly in a silence that is only created when there is food on the table and some hungry students waiting impatiently. I think we may have to make it a weekly thing

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The beer wasn’t too pricey either..