Woolacombe - The Boardwalk Bar and Restaurant

This looks like the classiest establishment in the village, and it certainly didn't disappoint. We arrived to the Boardwalk approx 15 mins before opening (despite walking along the road above it for about 10 minutes, confused as we had seen it from the beach but couldn't find it along from the apartment... Just look down... Duh!) and they were more than happy to accommodate. If you have a pushchair (which we did) be aware of the steep hill up to it, but easy enough!

We had seen the boardwalk as soon as we arrived in Woolacombe, and agreed we should try it. So before D and I headed home, we did exactly that. It did not disappoint. The staff were extremely friendly, the atmosphere was good, turnaround was quick and they had a great menu, including an excellent kids menu. The only thing I would say is the portions are large, and save room for dessert! 

We were the only people in the restaurant for most of our meal, which meant, in a good way we had all of the staff fussing over us. D is currently obsessed with Camembert (and I must say I'm rather partial), so between the 4 of us, plus H who is probably the youngest person to enjoy a classy starter of Camembert, we shared two portions. Once again, eyes bigger than my belly next time I would be happy with 1 between 4, but it was delicious, and the chutney (though I'm not a lover) was just as everybody liked it. There was a good sized portion of bread, and it was crisp and light so as not to fill your stomach too quickly.  

I feel like I am becoming a burger connoisseur, but once again I went for a burger (cheese and bacon). It was perfectly cooked, crumbly and meaty and quite clearly homemade (in a good way). Although I've been informed they're not allowed to offer you burgers cooked to different levels these days, it was beautifully pink in the middle with lots of flavour and juices. The chips were lovely and crisp, and I just loved the little basket they came in, great presentation! (Are you getting used to the idea that I always want to steal kitchen accessories). 

Despite how unbelievably full I was after all this food, I couldn't resist a brownie. I never thought it would happen, but I actually managed to eat the whole thing. It was so good, gooey and squidgy in the middle and chewy and crispy on the edge, just how brownies should be. It came with thick clotted cream, and although it wasn't quite as good as my stepmums birthday, it was a close second. There was even a little crisp honeycomb scattered on top, which was a great touch. 

We had a great evening, and although we were going home that evening I'm pretty certain the others planned to go back. Everything they did was right, staff, food and atmosphere was all perfect, and of all of the places we tried in Woolacombe it was by far #1.

£15-£20 for mains

10/10

Time for bed,

SD

Paigey

Xx

Woolacombe - Woolacombe Bay Pizza Company

Okay, this is an assumption. On the Sunday evening, the boys went to get fish and chips. Naturally, being a Sunday, all fish and chip shops were shut. So they turned to pizza, and considering there are 36 restaurants in Woolacombe, and this seems to be the only pizza one, I'm assuming it's where they got it from ( I may have had a wine too many at this point to decidedly know where it came from). 

Anyhow, the pizza we got from this place made for a great night. Mainly for the company and games we played, but it was a good pizza all the same. We had a great evening whilst away that weekend, when grow ups became children, and we bought board games! Originally, the plan was to go out. But the sea air and long walks knackered us out, and we decided to stay in at the guys apartment, and get a takeaway. Sadly, I don't have a picture of the pizza, but they came home with a couple of varieties, and they were great. Not too greasy, with a good thick crust and lots of ingredients. 

But honestly the best part of it all was that the boys came home with Jenga, and Kerplunk! (All be it a much more health and safety friendly game than what I remember!). 

We spent the evening playing games, including the aforementioned as well as heads up, which if you don't have as an app on your iPhone now I urge you to download. It was one of the funniest nights I've had in a while, and I give it 10/10 (indulge me please). 

Paigey xx

Woolacombe - The Woolacombe Bay Hotel

It almost felt as if it didn't fit in this beautiful little village, which shuts down completely for winter according to the locals. However, the Woolacombe Bay hotel provides so much for the village, from the rooms with stunning views, to the lively bar which was still in full swing late at night, and the restaurant which serves up the best breakfast I've had in a hotel. 

This place has everything. It looks stunning from the beach, and likewise when you look out the window there is a gorgeous sea view. We made the most of the hotel and tried out everything! 

Having eaten a big breakfast, we weren't hungry at lunchtime, and so headed over to the hotel for a coffee in the afternoon, once we were starting to feel a little peckish. We popped into the restaurant which was advertising cream teas, and after much debate decided to order one each. In hindsight, if I was to visit again (which is likely) we would probably share one between 2, as we got 2 scones each and a lot of jam and cream. But it was delicious, the scones were light and fluffy, the cream was thick and sweet, and the jam was fresh and flavourful. I was a big fan of the pots - if only I could have taken them home! 

That evening we stayed in a beautiful deluxe sea view room. It was huge, we had the choice of both a bath and a shower, and I purposely left the window open so we could hear the sea as we slept. It was bliss. One of the coolest parts of the hotel was the old fashioned lift, with manually closing doors. I felt like I was in Downton Abbey! The room had all the little luxuries, great freebies and All the small touches made it. The art was beautiful, and I wanted to take all of the furniture home with me! We checked out the facilities, went for a swim and a sauna. There were a lot of activities to do for the kids (and a lot of kids around), but I liked the fact that for an hour a day they shut the pool to adult only. The only bad part of that area was that the jacuzzi was not hot enough, and absolutely stank, there was not enough cleaning agent in it! Needless to stay we weren't in there long. 

We went down for breakfast in the hotel and decided that as we were on holiday we could just go for it, and try a bit of everything. That we did! I started with some juice, a pot of tea and toast, followed by a cooked breakfast (which was scrumptious, although it was cheap sausages which slightly dampened the meal but you can't have everything!), then pancake with lemon and sugar. As you know, I stay in a lot of hotels, so I am always excited by something you don't get everywhere else, and pancake was a delicious novelty. I was fit to burst at the end, but we didn't leave without taking a few pieces of fruit and pastries for the road! The perfection of it all was that once again, we were sat eating our breakfast looking out at the sea.  

In the morning the boys went bodyboarding, so C and I took H (who was around 9 months old at this point) for a swim in the hotel. He is a proper little water baby, and we spent the whole time giggling and trying to hold onto him, he was desperate to go and play with the big kids in the deep end and kept trying to leap over my shoulder. The changing rooms were far too hot, they backed onto the sauna and we ended up having to take him and get dressed outside, but other than that it was an incredibly fun morning. 

Whilst a little pricey, the hotel is well worth a look, and if you aren't planning to stay in an apartment, I would highly recommend the Woolacombe Bay Hotel. Staff would meet your every need, and you are staying in pure luxury. 

9/10

Paigey xx

Woolacombe - The Captain's Table

I would just like to apologise for the slowness of my posting lately, works been a bit crazy!! 

So a few weeks ago I went down to Woolacombe, along with D, our friends and their baby (who is D's godson) and their dog. It was our first little break away together, and whilst our friends were staying at a lovely little apartment for the week, we were only there for 1 night and stayed in the most beautiful hotel ever - the Woolacombe bay hotel. 

On driving into Woolacombe, I called C to tell her we were driving down the hill into the village, and get directions. She just said "keep driving I'm on the hill, I'll see you!" That's how small a place it is. Our hotel was literally a stones throw from their apartment, on the beach front, and was exactly what we needed for a mini break with lots of food and dog walking. 

We had left Cheltenham at 6.30am and so arrived just in time for breakfast - what more could you want by the sea than a greasy fry up and a milk chocolate. We headed off to "The Captain's Table" for exactly that. I ordered a chocolate milkshake, which always goes down incredibly fast. It was just what I wanted, although could have been thickened with a little more ice cream. The food was okay, the boys loved it but I found it a bit too salty, it left me really thirsty and was far too big to finish, not that that is a bad thing. The menu, and location are both great, lots of choice and as you would expect, you can see the sea. If I was I return to Woolacombe I would most likely go back there, but try something a little different. 

Price range £5-£10 for breakfast PP

6/10

I will continue to rate the other fabulous Venues in the next few posts :) 

Paigey xx

Savory or sweet?

Personally, I don't like it when savoury and sweet are mixed. Fruit in cheese, pineapple on pizza, even Nutella on toast is a little alien to me. 

But for some reason, there is just one thing that works... Bacon and maple syrup pancakes. America I commend you for this wonderful creation, that seems to satisfy every tastebud in my mouth. 

I took a friend for lunch at Boston Tea Party in Cheltenham the other day, and whilst it is a slightly stressful environment (due to the business, and the queue at the front to order) the food is lush. It's a relatively new addition to the hundreds of restaurants in Cheltenham, one that seems to have gone down impeccably well with the locals. I understand there are a few of them dotted around the country.

D and I had tried to go there for Sunday brunch a few weeks ago, but there was an hour wait for food and we were hungry! This occasion was no different, it appears that no matter what time you visit the establishment, it is busy and there will always be a wait. Thankfully half an hour is a bit more acceptable. 

There's a good variety of drinks, both hot and cold, and an interesting menu. Whilst the breakfast items (luckily, served all day) appeal to me, the rest of the menu is a little fancy for my liking, and we all know how picky I can be! Price wise, it's quite expensive for a breakfast, but that's to be expexted with dining out in Cheltenham. 

Having had bacon and maple syrup pancakes for the first time on a spa weekend a few months back (see my earlier blog about the malvern spa), I was exceptionally excited to see them on the menu. It was around 12pm, so I thought that perhaps it was a little late for pancakes, but when A decided to go for them it was an easy choice to make. 

They were a little faster than the 30 mins anticipated, and the pancakes were perfectly cooked, with a good amount of syrup and a little bit of crunch. The bacon was also cooked just how I like it, a little overdone with not too much crisp. It was, as hoped for, a meal that I thoroughly enjoyed. Great sized portion as well, it left me satisfied but not too full, as I all to often can be after a meal out. My only disappointment was the amount of bacon; the ratio of bacon to pancakes was too small (only 2 rashers of bacon and 5 pancakes), and, as somebody who likes a little bit of everything in every mouthful, I found myself having tiny pieces of bacon so as not to sell myself short towards the end of the dish. 

So my only advice to BTP would be to add an extra ration of bacon to the dish, or offer people the option to add it on as an extra when you order, and possibly to use table service at busy times to avoid the clutter of people around the till area. 

8/10

£10-£15 per head 

Signing off

Paigey x

Finally got round to eating... Chocolate!?

So I'm someone who loves chocolate. Don't we all?! But for some reason, it can sit in my cupboard for ages without me eating it. I get lots of easter eggs, but they sit in my cupboard until around summer, I have even found some at Christmas before! So I must firstly apologise to Choc O' Clock for taking so long to eat and review their delicious treat. They are the first people to have sent me something to review, and I was like a kid at Christmas when it arrived. 

I'm not somebody who is great at trying new things, in fact I would go as far to say that a few years ago I had a bit of a food phobia. So I feel like this blog is helping me get over those fears slowly. I hadn't tried an ice cream chocolate until today, and I was pleasantly surprised. 

A friend of mine had tried one over the summer, and told me that they were a bit weird, and just tasted like ice cream that was unfrozen. So I was apprehensive. 

Boy was she wrong. I loved it. Part of the fun of a cornetto is ripping off the wrapper, which I still got to do with this one. I love the fact that on the packaging it says 'no ice cream included', a clever advertising idea. 

The mini cone looked just like a cornetto from the outside, but with a thick layer of chocolate on top. Cornetto cones are better than any other cone, and this felt exactly the same. 

When I bit into the chocolate, it was not what I expected. The centre was made of a thick chocolate mousse. All of the textures together went beautifully. There was an initial bite of chocolate, which tasted just like the chocolate through a cone of an ice cream, then a smooth, rich chocolate mousse filling, followed by the perfect crunch of the cone. 

Chocolate was throughout the centre of the cone, and at the bottom, you got the best part. The thick dark chocolate which is exactly the same as the end of a cornetto, the pinpoint of the cone filled  with solid chocolate. 

So basically, the ice cream chocolate is up there with some of my favorites, when you want something a little bit fancy to brighten your day, it comes highly recommended.

And the best part? Choc O'Clock sent me 2, so having told you all how yummy the first one is, I can devour the 2nd! 

10/10

Paigey x

A celebratory dinner

On Saturday (yes, if you hadn't already worked out it was anther weekend of dinners out!) we helped D's brother and his girlfriend move into a new flat. It was a fun day, I helped unpack the kitchen mainly, which is my favorite room in the house, I love shopping for kitchenware! 

As a thank you, they took us, and D's dad out for dinner, to Café Rouge in Reigate. We had a great evening, the company was perfect and the service was impeccable. We had a small amount of tesco vouchers to use - and I must admit this is my favorite thing, every time D and I get our vouchers through the post we order Café Rouge vouchers for a little treat - they're worth 4 times your voucher value! 

I was in a bit of a tetchy mood if I'm honest, I wanted the food to be perfect... And sadly it didn't live up to expectations. 

To start, I had chorizo. I expected it to come like it would in a tapas bar - cooked and ready to eat. Instead, it was cold, fresh out the fridge. I still enjoyed it, but was slightly disappointed and it's not a course I would choose again visiting that restaurant. 

Steak, as you will know if you have read my profile, is one of my favorite things. Café Rouge is one of those places where I thoroughly enjoy steak, and therefore tend to float towards it as my dish of choice, and this occasion was no different. I went for a sirloin, with peppercorn sauce, and chips, cooked medium rare. The thing that frustrates me the most, is that restaurants never seem to be able to cook steak to the right level, so I always go for medium rare as inevitably it will be overcooked. I was not surprised, the dish was nice but overcooked, it was more medium-well than rare, and I was very glad I didn't go for medium (which is actually how I like it!) The peppercorn sauce was perfect, not too spicy, and nice and thick, and it tasted amazing covered over the chips. 

We, once again decided to go for a dessert. I really fancied the chocolate pancakes, which came with banana... I love fresh bananas, but am not really a fan of them in puddings. So just to confuse things, I asked for the pudding, without the banana, and with salted caramel ice cream instead of vanilla. It was the perfect pudding, a great combination of hot and cold, salty and smooth, rich and sweet, it was melt in your mouth heaven. And I wasn't the only one who ordered exactly that dish! (The thing on top is crumbled white chocolate - not cheese!) 

I must mention, once again, the incredible service received by the staff. I was being a bit picky, and fussy (which I always have been with food), and he pandered to our every need. If I was being a difficult food critic on purpose, he would have scored 10/10, so for that I thank you. Your staff are excellent.

7/10

Time for bed.

SD 

Paigey x

A beautiful location

I love Cheltenham, this is a known fact among my friends. Particularly those who I grew up with in Surrey, who are always asking me when I'm moving home (never). And places like Zizzi in Cheltenham are one of the many reasons I love it here. The buildings are just beautiful (not to mention it was voted #1 place to bring up a family recently). Now I know I'm extremely fortunate to have found myself a job in the film industry outside of London, but I am so very glad that I get to stay in such a beautiful town.

Zizzi is one of a few restaurants set in an old church, but they have done it the most justice I have seen. They have kept most of the original features, and the kitchen is where the altar would have been - up high so everyone in the restaurant can see it. 

They have an upstairs which overlooks the 'church, which has a piano, and on this occasion there was someone up there playing.

As it is a church, it is very large and open, but luckily it was busy that evening creating a perfect Friday night atmosphere. The only qualm I would have is that there are a lot of tables, much like in any restaurant, so people are quite packed in. 

D and I went for dinner with another couple, big easy and B. Big easy rocked up a little late, having been looking after clients at the literature festival, so had been drinking throughout the afternoon. This made for an entertaining evening. 

We decided to be greedy, and go for three courses! I started off with Risotto balls, which I have had in a different Zizzi before, and it was my first experience of enjoying rice (although a tad different to generic rice). The ones on this occasion were good, but a little bland and dry? Not as tasteful as I remember. I enjoyed the crisp crunch on the outside, and there was plenty of filling, it just could have done with a little more seasoning. My favorite part was the tomato dip that came alongside it, it was fresh and zingy, although it came in a little plastic pot which looked like a takeaway sauce! 

For main course, D and I ummed and ahhed because deep down we both wanted the same thing, and thought we should try something different, but we both ended up going for the same, which was the right choice! We went for a Pizza Piccante, which is basically all the meats and a little spice, along with some extra cheese. The base was perfectly crunchy round the outside and soft in the middle and the toppings were a plenty. Parts of the crust were a little too thick, but other than that it was scrumptious. It did look rather funny at the end when we both had a pile of jalapeño peppers on our plates, as neither of us deal with spice well! 

As it was treat night, it was time for a dessert. D and I shared a melt in the middle pudding with pistachio ice cream (which I requested instead of vanilla). He told me he didn't want it because it tasted like almonds, but he was thinking of amaretto I think. It was great, I'm a firm believer that chocolate puddings should be hot, and this delivered exactly what I wanted. The best thing about a pudding like this is its size, after a big meal I just want a taste of something sweet to finish it off, nothing too big, this was just right. Spongy, moist pudding with a delectable middle which oozed out as soon as the spoon went in. 

All in all a fantastic evening, which ended in good old 'retreat' for some after dinner drinks.

7/10.

Have a great day,

Paigey x

Last but not least

So I've decided I'm going to change the way I blog (I'm new to this so trial and error is key). I'm going to start blogging about places individually, so this will be my last full weeks post with a variety of adventures. I hope this will make it easier for you lovely readers to see where is good to eat and stay! 

So.. I have some treats in store for you today - a bit of everything, from hotels to home baking... And while we're on the subject I was incredibly disappointed with the result of bake-off - I backed Richard all the way! 

Last week I stayed in the Village Urban Resort in Elstree, it was fantastic. I loved the way they had everything in one place, gym (the biggest I've ever seen), two restaurants and a hotel. The staff were lovely, and remembered me from the night before at breakfast. My only problem was the lighting in the bedrooms, I can't stand it when hotels use mood lighting as you can't do your make-up easily, and the rooms here were particularly dark. I imagine in the summer with the big glass windows it would be perfect, but any other time of year, aka now, it just doesn't work. 

I checked into the hotel quite late on Tuesday, and decided to eat there. I looked at the menus, and decided to go for an Italian (it was that or pub food). Perfect choice, I sat down with a book and a glass of wine and relaxed. I had a chicken Milanese (breaded chicken with a tomato sauce, pesto, pancetta and mozarella.) It was lovely and light, and I had it with a side of potatos, which were perfectly crispy. The atmosphere was perfect for me, quiet and chilled with not too many people about.

In the morning I went down for breakfast, and decided to fill up on cooked breakfast. The sausages were cheap, but the hash browns were cooked to perfection, and it kick started the day nicely. 

That evening I went to meet a friend for dinner in Smiths in Bourne, Linconshire. It was incredibly busy, clearly a popular spot for the locals. There was a lovely little bar as you walked in, followed by a variety of quirky little rooms. We sat in the front, at a booth, and both ended up eating the same meal! It was quite noisy, popular with beer drinkers, and I'm not sure I'd revisit but the food was good. There were a few flys about which concerned me, but I think that's because we were sat by the door. I had an open chicken ciabatta with chips and onion rings. The chips weren't what I'd like to see in a pub-type restaurant, they were skinny like McDonalds (I like a good thick potato in the pub) and the onion rings were pretty greasy, but the chicken ciabatta was delicious. 

One thing I always wonder in restaurants - why are they so apprehensive to give you mayonnaise?! They automatically put all other sauces out, but you have to ask for Mayo and they give you the smallest pot in the world! 

I have had a bit of a week of baking this week. We've been watching Jamie's comfort food, and I decided to attempt his shepherds pie (except mine was cottage as I used beef). D told me we are never to use mince again because it was amazing (we used chunks of beef), and the crispy potato base that Jamie Oliver suggested, by lining the oven dish with potato as well as putting it on top, was potentially one of my favorite ideas ever. 

Lemon drizzle cake is my absolute favorite, so this week I decided to attempt it for the first time. I went and bought a huge cake tin, so we could share it about, and collected some fresh eggs from the farm. I used the bbc good food recipe - simple yet effective. It was easy to make and turned out well, I was pretty proud. It was a bit dense in the middle, so in hindsight next time I would probably use a smaller tin, but the outside was moist and light. I'm rather glad there was a lot to eat! 

I was ever so excited yesterday when I got my first ever request on Twitter - from Choc O'Clock - for them to send me some chocolate to sample and blog about. This is possibly one of the most exciting things that's ever happened! So I will try them and that will be the first of my one-product only blogs.

Look forward to sharing it with you.

Paigey x

A little less travelling

I had a lovely week last week - I've been at home visiting my local cinemas! Which means not as many dinners and no hotels... However I've had a busy weekend. And of course when I say not as many, there are still SOME food visits. 

I visited the Picture House in Cambridge for the first time recently, and I must say what a quaint little cafe/bar they have. It's got great character, I had a hot chocolate (which seems to be one of my specialties) which was perfectly sweet, and very visually appealing. 

The weekend started off well... And continue throughout! On Friday, we went out for dinner as a friend of ours is moving to Dubai (jealous... Me?!). We went to the Farmer's boy near Gloucester, known for its pies. Whilst I have been there before and had a delicious burger, this time I decided to go with tradition and have a steak and ale pie, with chips and peas. It was great, you get a lot of choice in there of different pies and pastries all cooked to order. The only complaint I would have is that there genuinely is too much choice - 3 menus, a pie menu, a mains menu and a specials menu, they could do with getting rid of the specials menu. We had a card for our friend, which needed signing whilst we were there, so we sent him off for a walk and he didn't come back for ages - we had to go looking for him! I didn't have a starter, they were all a bit too fussy for me (and I think your learning, I'm a bit of a fusspot), but desert was a couldn't be missed occasion. D and I shared a chocolate fudge cake with cream, and for someone who didn't want any pudding he did a good job of sharing it with me. It was scrumptious, but as I will always say fudge cake should be warm, and it wasn't!! Staff were extremely friendly and attentive, and they have a great app for your phone which gets you discounts. 

I had a bit of a day of baking at the weekend, as we had a lot of fresh eggs to use up. I'm a big fan of Pinterest, so decided to try their Oreo cookie mini cheesecakes, which went down a treat. Add to that some chocolate butterfly cakes, and brownies and you've got a party. 

Saturday saw us heading back to Surrey as a friend of mine was having a leaving do - she's going travelling all over the place (once again, jealous, me?). We met mum for lunch in Strada in Cobham, and as per usual was disappointed with the service - strada always seem to get this wrong. We seated ourselves, had to ask for the menu, and to get drinks, and they forgot a few things. There was a family on the table next to us who seemed to get both waiters attending to them, and we had neither. Nevertheless, the food was good (pepporoni and chicken pizza) and the company was great, although they didn't have any carbonara on the menu which is always a disappointment.  D and I took great pleasure in 'playing a game of tinder' on my mums phone, which is one of my favorite hobbies on other people's phones! 

That evening I headed to L's house for her leaving do, which was great fun. My baked goods went down excellently, we had some scrumptious home-made fajitas and played a rather competitive game of articulate (to which I must add... My team won!). The plates that she had bought were adorable, perfect for the nature of the party, and we all brought wine from around the world, to add to the delicious slushy cocktails. 

I am now away for the week, and stayed in the Hilton metropole Birmingham airport on Monday. I will most certainly say I will not be returning, purely due to the outrageous prices of everything you have to add on (wifi, parking, and the tray service charge for room service was £5!). I am always happy to pay for a tray service, but I felt that was extortionate. Had a pretty big dinner as it had been a long day, and I feel that hotel food is always average. Bruschetta to start, cheese and bacon burger for main with a side of garlic bread, and a chocolate honeycomb pudding with fruit. It was all okay, fair for a hotel meal but ridiculously expensive. And when it came to the pudding, went to eat it and realised they'd left the plastic mould on - great! Had an early start in the morning so went to make a coffee, to my dismay they had forgotten to set out the milk, so at 5am I was phoning reception to get them to bring me some milk. I know mistakes are sometimes made, but that's a bit of a silly one. Also I stayed there to be out of birmingham for the traffic - what a bad idea, the design of their car park is awful and I spent ages queueing to get anywhere near the exit! 

(It looked lovely when it was fully ready!)

Signing off, will have lots to talk about in the next post.

Paigey x

Feeling sorry for myself

So today I am full of cold. And feeling very sorry for myself. I even told my boyfriend this morning that I think I have man flu - purely because I am planning to moan and milk it as much as possible! And there is nothing worse than feeling crappy and spending hours driving in your car all day. So apologies for the grump! 

Last week I stayed in the Hotel Indigo in Liverpool, which, despite my reservations (it's not the hilton) I thoroughly enjoyed. The room was big, modern, light and airy, and the breakfast was lush, and they had takeaway cups so I could take my hot chocolate with me (I was naughty and had a cooked breakfast!). The hotel has a Marco Pierre white restaurant attached so you would expect it to be good. It had a bustling environment, even when I arrived back late at night (around 12am) there were still plenty of people drinking in the bar by the reception, which was a stylish little area. 

I had been up to London for meetings for the day, where we had hired a room at The Ape and Bird in Soho. Work were holding a quiz night, and I was gutted to have to leave early to get my train back up north! We were doing pretty well in the quiz, and the main meals hadn't made it out yet (queue a stop-off at burger long at the train station - oops!) so I was starving. All I can say about the hors d'ouvres that we had was that it was all a bit too fussy for my liking - I would have been happy with typical pub grub in a London pub. The pub itself had lots of little nooks and crannys, it was miles down to the toilet and each room had it's own different atmosphere, it was pretty cool! 

Whilst in liverpool, I had the pleasure of a business meeting in Hotel Chocolat. I didn't realise they had cafe's - as there aren't any in our area, but it was incredible. I had a salted

Caramel hot chocolate, which was possibly the best thing I have ever eaten, along with a slice of my favorite lemon drizzle cake, which was perfectly moist. 

When I got back, over the weekend we had a busy time. Friday was a friends leaving do, so naturally we headed out for some drinks, starting off in The Beehive and unfortunately, once again ending up in moo moos and home via Charlie's fish and chip shop... It was lots of fun but I most certainly regretted the sausage in the morning! 

Saturday I went on a treasure hunt with the girls - Beard's jewellers had hidden 10 diamonds around cheltenham. It was a lot of fun, but sadly we didn't find any diamonds (although came pretty close!). Shattered after a late night and a lot of walking around town, we headed to get some lunch, everywhere was rammed! We ended up in ask, one of my favorites, and it was warm enough to sit outside! I got extremely excited about the glasses they were serving our drinks in, which I found out you can buy in the shop, and had one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. It was pepporoni with added chicken, scrummy! To top it all off the service was impeccable, the waitress serving us was lovely and the only problem was that we had to move inside because of the stupid wasps! 

On Sunday we went to a christening, where D became a godfather. It was a lovely day, all very exciting and I managed to (somehow) get the role of official photographer on the day. I am most certainly a novice, although I own a lovely camera I don't really know what to do with it, so this has prompted me to book onto a course in a few weeks. I really enjoyed doing it, felt quite a lot of pressure but got some lovely photos, and would really like to know how to do it properly. We had roast dinner after the service at Rodway Hill Golf Club in Highnam. Now I always love a roast dinner, and it was pretty good considering they were catering for over 60 people at once, but the beef was quite overdone and therefore a bit dry. But the rest of the food was great, we had a fair sized portion, and a great selection of pud's, I got a giant piece of chocolate fudge cake. D was a little disappointed it was pouring cream and not clotted - he's been spoilt! 

Early this week I stayed away, just for the night in Luton and managed to catch up with a friend from uni. We met halfway, in watford, where neither of us had a clue what restaurants were about. Luckily we found a street which included all of the standards that you would expect, and ended up in Chimichanga. I love Mexican, so was very happy about that! The place looked pretty new, lovely decor and the staff were friendly. I did have to ask a couple of times for my drink, but other than that the food was pretty good (I feel like in a chain you only ever get pretty good). I had some potato skins to start with cheese and bacon, of the 3 of them 2 were cooked through and nice and crispy, 1 was a little hard. Then for main i had sliders with sweet potato fries. The sliders were great, but a little too big. The buns were a lot bigger than the burgers, so it would have been better if they were smaller then I wouldn't have left so much bread. And of course - sweet potato fries - my fave, were lovely. A had swapped her rice for sweet potato fries - and their interesting take on this was to put the fries under her enchiladas - as you would rice! 

That evening I headed back to my hotel - the holiday inn luton, which was as you'd expect from a holiday inn. It's not luxury like some of the hotels I stay in, but you always know what your getting and it's to a high standard. Room was a little smaller than I usually get, but for one night it was exactly as I needed. And always a good night sleep - their beds are pretty comfy! 

Lots more to catch up on on the next post :) 

Paigey x