I’m in London! The sun is out, everything is delicious and the walls of my British stereotypes are crumbling before me.

I spent my first weekend on the Isle of Wight, in the south of England. It’s a small island dotted with villages, sea side bars, farm land, and lovely people in nautical sweaters. It reminded me a lot of coastal Massachusetts, where I spent a lot of my childhood summers. We spent the days taking walks through the hills, playing with dogs, chasing kids around, and stuffing our faces with fresh strawberries.

So many boats.

The not-at-all-overrated English Rose.

Dogs, dogs, happy dogs.

Garden bounty.

The most indulgent detail of the weekend was the food. It was a special occasion, so the weekend was catered by Alex, from The Little Pickle. I am convinced that he has been sent by the British government to change perceptions of British food around the world. It might work, too, because there were some pretty heavy pleas for him to come to Cambodia for work, and I am pretty sure I offered him the guest room. Everything was fresh from the garden, courtesy of the amazing hostess, and I honestly haven’t eaten that well since mom food at Christmas.

Eton mess (-all-over-my-face.)

This was the warmest welcome possible, and I can’t think of a better way to start my time in the U.K. Probably just more Eton Mess.