2 days - 2 adventures!

Well this is becoming rather familiar... I've had enough food over the last 24 hours to warrant another post (which is slightly worrying).

Before I get started, I must just say how much I love the amount of freebies you can pick up at train stations. On my way home this evening I managed to get 4

Cans of cloudy lemon fosters - this did mean looping round 4 times to speak to different people handing them out but who doesn't love a freebie! Especially when it's a free beer :) (I must admit though, my bag is a tad on the heavy side). 

So I am now sat on a train back home from my meetings in London, and time for another blog. This is a far more pleasant journey than the one on the way there as firstly were running on time (hopefully I haven't jinxed it now!) and secondly I'm in first class - woop woop! I love it when a plan comes together. 

Last night I stayed in 'The California' hotel in Kings Cross, which was a little boutique hotel literally opposite the train station. Extremely reasonably priced for London (£99 including breakfast), I was unsure what to expect but the reviews on hotels.com were 'outstanding' so I thought I'd give it a try. And boy were those reviews right. It was uniquely decorated, with a 'tatty modern' feel to it and despite the fact that the rooms were small, I'd expect no bigger in London. The wallpaper was awesome (particularly if you were a tourist), you got a free drink in their bar/restaurant for filling in a little survey (I did my good deed of the day when I didn't get the chance to use it, so gave it to a family of 4 who were having to share theirs), and the staff were lovely. My favorite part was how compact and cleverly designed the rooms were, with the beds in the centre of the room and a fitted wardrobe either side, my pillows couldn't fall on the floor! On first appearance of the room I didn't think it had it's own bathroom, until I went into the little long, thin room I thought was wardrobe space - a shower and a toilet - how clever. And I do rate my rooms a little on the toiletries they provide - perfect! 3 little tubes of shower gel, shampoo and body lotion. The other thing I thought was pretty cool were the door signs, that used shadows to show what number room you were at. The only let down was breakfast - not particularly varied and the staff at breakfast were not very attentive, the cooked breakfast a little greasy, so I think next time I would just get breakfast elsewhere. But all in all I loved it, and would most certainly book there again whether it be for business or pleasure. 

Last night, I was meeting a friend for dinner. The thing I love about London is that no matter how late you want to eat, restaurants are always serving. We didn't get to All Bar One at Euston until after 9pm, but the staff were extremely welcoming and even had a bit of a joke with us from behind the bar. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the food. Generally I enjoy All Bar One, and have some of the tapas to share, but I decided to go for nachos. Some people may love them, but they were fried tortillas rather than tortilla chips, and I felt they just did have enough crunch. The spices on them as well were extremely strong, and I don't do well with spice, but I enjoyed the polenta chips and my glass of rose, and of course the company gets 10/10. 

Today, we went for a work lunch with my boss, who, through being on the road so much I've not seen in person since January!! Craziness. We went for a lovely pub lunch at 'The Fox and Goose' in perivale, and it was warm and sunny enough to sit outside - hooray! It was truly scrumptious, out of the five of us 2 had cod and chips (me being one of them) and the other 3 had fish finger sandwiches (anyone would have thought it was as my nan used to say - fish Friday). I've not had cod and chips for ages, months even, and I was extremely satisfied. The batter was perfectly crispy and not too greasy, and the chips were crunchy yet soft in the middle - just as I like them. And it was lovely to catch up with our little dream team, before planning the rest of the year. 

On the way home, I was lucky enough to have first class tickets on the train. It was the first time I've ever had the time to go into the first class lounge - which was incredibly exciting! I hate paying for toilets at train stations so had resolved to wait until I got on the train - until I went into the first class lounge - free toilets! Wahey! Not only that but free drinks, an extensive selection, and some very tasty and perfectly baked Victoria sponge cake - one of my faves. And of course a pleasant journey home with tea and biscuits, and a free magazine. I just must try to get a first class train in the morning so I get this breakky I've heard all about. 

So now it's time for another exciting (4 day weekend - thank you bank holiday) which I'm sure will bring more adventures (another spa day tomorrow). 

So I shall be updating you very soon.

SD 

Paigey x

Sometimes we eat at home...

This week we have tried to eat at home as much as possible! Eating out seems to be a little bit of a habit, which I thoroughly enjoy but it is indeed expensive, and sometimes home cooked meals can be just as yummy.

So whilst cooking some of these yummy dishes, I thought it would be good to share some of them. I must admit, we are a fan of marks and spencer meals - particularly their 2 can dine for £10 and am always incredibly disappointed to arrive there and find that the deal isn't on. However this week we decided to try something different on finding that 2 for £10 wasn't available. We bought lots of meat!! One of the things we decided to try was their pulled pork - in the 3 packs for £10 deal, and it's was truly scrumptious. Along with homemade sweet potato wedges, salad (with one of my favorite dressings - pizza express light dressing) and some guacamole, it was possibly better than some of the pulled pork I have had in restaurants. Tender and moist (for lack of a better word - moist is one I truly detest but it definitely describes it well) it fell apart in your mouth, and we all know about my obsession for sweet potatos (although I was slightly surprised when I cut open 2 sweet potatos - one was orange as expected and one was white, but a quick search on google assured me this was okay). 

A couple of nights later and we went for an old faithful - old El Paso's enchilada kits, which is most certainly one of my favorite home meals. A piece of advice though - they suggest simply adding chicken and cheese, we also include onion, peppers, tomatoes - a bit of veg goes a long way. And I was impressed that because it was for 3-4 people, my boyfriend and I made it last not only dinner, but 2 lunches each as well! 

Before: 

After: 

Now I must tell you about our favorite little coffee shop, so special that we will call it 'the secret coffee shop' (as I most certainly don't want our little haunt getting over-crowded on a Sunday) Forget all the chains, although I am partial to a costa there is a coffee shop in gloucestershire that knocks the socks off all the rest. Personally, I don't drink coffee, but my boyfriend loves it. We go in there every Sunday morning for a frappe - and it is the best hangover cure you could ask for. This Sunday I was extremely excited to see they had made homemade cupcakes, so along with my usual chocolate frappe - the best I have ever tried, we split a salted caramel cupcake - delish! 

Lots of photos today - how exciting. You know when you get something in your head and you have to eat it or you won't be satisfied until you get one - that was me this week. I really wanted a roast dinner. And good ol' mum just lives too far away (and happened to be camping this weekend), so a carvery would just have to do. Except we didn't get there on Sunday, or even Monday, I had to wait until last night!! But my goodness did it satisfy. Some may turn their noses up to a Toby Carvery (in gloucester, near where some friends of ours live), but I am always impressed, it's extremely reasonable and you know what your getting. My only dilemma is always which meat to pick (this week I went for beef and gammon). It was fab, although I must admit I was slightly disappointed with the beef (not enough flavour) the rest of the meal was perfecto. We went with some good friends of ours and their 8 month old son, who was rather entertaining as he discovered his love for Yorkshire puddings and decided he wanted everyone's, but who doesn't love Yorkshire puddings! 

I now write this sat on an extremely delayed train to London(yes I will be putting in a complaint, one thing to know about me is that I will always put in a complaint if I receive bad service, but am always quick to compliment if the service warrants it) quite enjoying the time I've had to relax and catch up on emails. I did see a lady sat outside the trainstation by a pub on my trip to the station, who at first glimpse (and second!) I thought was praying (outside a pub - what a strange sight) but I quickly realised as I got closer she was actually just on her phone shielding the screen from the sun.

Out for dinner in London this evening, and lunch tomorrow so there will most certainly be a blog on my way back tomorrow evening on the train. 

Paigey x

Wedding, wine and wakeboarding!

Wow... What a week! I've had lots of excitement and had a great time catching up with some friends, nothing like a wedding for a big reunion.

On Thursday I went for what must have been the BEST hot chocolate in the world, at 'The a Curious Cafe' on Bath Road in Cheltenham. I've been there before for breakfast (which also comes highly recommended), but the hot chocolate was immense. It came in a mug - just how it should be, with a mountain of whipped cream, a dusting of chocolate, mini marshmallows AND giant chocolate buttons! Calorific, but splendid! And as always, from The Curious Cafe, reasonable prices. 

On Friday it was time for a wedding. We were invited to the ceremony and the evening to, and had some time to kill in the middle of the day. So what do you do between a wedding with 6 hours to kill... Go wakeboarding of course! I decided that it was not a good idea for me to mess up the already done hair and make up, so left it to the boys, but it was great fun to watch! They went to 'Thorpe Water Ski', which was a lovely setting with reasonable prices, however the instructors weren't great. My boyfriend asked a few times for tips, as he had only been once before a long time ago, and they were not really offering anything. So I think next time we would try somewhere else (in the middle of a wedding of course!).

On our way back to the evening ceremony, we went to 'The Queen's Head' in Send, Surrey, which was such a great shout. The chips were incredible,  and I had a burger with cheese and bacon which was rather yummy! The burger was homemade, with a lovely strong cheddar and minimal fat on the bacon, perfect! It is definitely somewhere I would like to revisit and spend an evening at, there's lovely views and great food, although it is a little pricey (approx £15-£20 per main course, not huge amounts but higher end for pub food). The wedding was great, it was in a field with a huge teepee tent, felt like a mini festival and there was lots of drinking and dancing, exactly what you want from a wedding. Portaloo toilets topped it all off! The tent looked like about 3 huge tents made together, with a dance floor, bar and lots of tables. And what an original idea for a wedding cake - a cake of cheese! It had lots of different layers which were all different cheeses, which were great as everyone had a cheese board at their table (although I imagine they now have lots left over!) the bride, naturally, looked stunning, and the groom was wearing his family tartan which suited him to perfection. 

So today I sit here writing this, slightly tired and hung over, eating the healthiest food in the world (a sandwich and hash browns!) watching the kardashians. Sounds like a perfect hangover Sunday, except it's not Sunday at all, it's Saturday night and in approx 2 hours I need to be glammed up for a cocktail evening with the girls... Agh! Looks like I'm in for an unhealthy, long weekend. Ahh well, gin here I come!

Paigey xx 

Great food and great company... Not so sure on the service!

Once again lunch out - at this rate I will have spent my entire monthly wages over the course of a weekend!! 

Had a large group of friends catching up for lunch today, which made for a lack of enthusiasm from the management team at the pub we went to today. It was called The Cowdray Arms in Worth, Crawley, which I can imagine on a sunny day would be a perfect setting. Unfortunately it was raining today, but that certainly didn't dampen our moods. 

We all arrived at the pub gradually, within an hour of each other, and immediately the staff started moaning that we hadn't pre booked a table (I'm sorry - do you want my money or not!!). Drinks we sporadic, on occasions they arrived about half an hour after we'd ordered them, sometimes not at all. We all ordered our food, and it came about an hour after we had ordered - they couldn't cope with a full restaurant. They had one member of staff who was great (although slightly unprofessional as she kept moaning about her manager to us) and seemed to be doing all of the running around, and then her manager who was the grumpiest person I have ever come across in that industry, and just kept telling her off. She was not impressed that we were all there, and even tried not to give us feedback cards (as she knew we would complain!). However, I must say that the atmosphere in the pub, apart from the manager, was perfect. It was jolly, fun and noisy, just what we were after. 

They slightly messed up the dishes, as I had chips and my friend had sweet potato fries, which was the wrong way round but easily swappable. A couple of people's meals were cold, probably because they'd been sat waiting for too long, and there was certainly no consistency with what was in 'The Ultimate Burger'.  The southern fried chicken burger was a little spicy but to a good extent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The one thing I really don't get in restaurants, is how stingy they are with mayonnaise! What is with the tiny pots they give you, yet ketchup is going begging. I'm pretty sure they're around the same price in supermarkets!! 

A few of us ordered deserts, one of which (Victoria sponge cake) came for 50p extra with a coffee which was a steal. Although it was a bit too sweet, it complimented the brownies which were really rich, and the dish would easily have been big enough with half what was on the plate, only due to it's richness. 

All in all a successful day, and a great way to finish the weekend (before a 3 hour drive back home). 

So once again, shattered and in need of a lot of sleep (and hopefully some healthy home-cooked meals this week). 

SD

Paigey x

Dad's birthday

This weekend I have realised that perhaps I eat out too much - I'm struggling to keep on top of all these reviews!! 

Went for a lovely girls lunch yesterday to The Medicine Garden in Cobham, Surrey. What a beautiful find! I felt like I was in a secret garden, they had deck chairs and a metal caravan (which I've now decided I want), along with a beautiful little garden cafe. The food was to die for, if a little pricey, but so worth it just to experience the lovely setting. I had a sausage and bacon panini - locally sourced meat, my favorite drink of elderflower cordial, and who can leave a cafe like that without scones with jam and cream? (I had originally ordered a brownie, but unfortunately it was the last one and was a little stale - the only disappointment, but they were more than happy to replace). Most certainly somewhere to put on a list of places to visit! 

So last night I went out for my dads birthday to a lovely little pub in Horsely, called The Duke of Wellington. It has been recently done up, and has a lovely modern atmosphere inside. The food was a dream, my dad said it was one of the best steaks he's ever had - and trust me that's saying something! The wine was flowing and it ended up being a rather late night (3am to be precise), and I think in all my years of drinking it was the first time ever I have stayed up later than dad. At the restaurant I had a pulled pork burger, which was one of the best pieces of pulled pork I'd ever had. I was only disappointed that I scanned the menu too quickly and didn't order sweet potato fries, which seem to be extremely in fashion at the moment! The pork had not too much BBQ sauce on, was lovely and sweet and complimented the perfectly tender beef burger it came with. Once again (and this seems to be a pattern), the thing that let the meal down was the desert. I am yet to find somewhere that does perfect deserts! 4 of us on the table ordered a 'hot chocolate fudge sundae', and were all equally disappointed when on the table arrived a small bowl with 2 scoops of ice cream and some (cold) chocolate fudge sauce. It was most certainly not a sundae, and on mentioning this to the waiter he apologised and said that he has heard that from customers before!! Clearly then it should be rectified. Luckily the main courses had been so good we could let that one slide. 

SD

Paigey x

What a week!

I feel as though about a year has passed since my first post, as so much has happened. I keep telling people I'm now a blogger - despite the fact I'm still not really sure what I'm doing.

On Thursday evening we went to some friends for dinner, and it ended up being a rather hilarious evening. Had a new food which I hadn't heard of (to which all my friends were shocked) - coca-cola ham. It was lovely and moist! The guys were extremely enthused by the fact that we spend the evening painting our nails - due to the fact that my friend had been given a gel nail kit. They are holding up extremely well! The best part was when she decided to paint her husbands toe - with what he thought was a pale colour but when he saw it was bright red! For some strange reason we all ended up doing a Weetabix challenge, which I can safely say is disgusting - never try it. We basically raced to eat a dry Weetabix, not a great idea but if you ever try it my recommendation is small mouthfuls :). 

I arrived back from my travels this week early - as I had a day off on Friday so myself and the boyfriend had booked a spa day - lovely! So on Thursday evening we went to Worcester and had booked a hotel - The Hadley Bowling Green Inn. What a gem! It was in the middle of nowhere and from the outside just looked like your regular pub, but it had stunning views and when you stepped inside it was extremely modern and they had clearly put a lot of care into the place. An extremely reasonable price, which included breakfast (which was delish - I felt extremely American ordering bacon, waffles and syrup!) for a deluxe room which was probably bigger than my entire flat! The only downside was no air con, which I've come to expect in hotels now but that didn't let it down too much. 

That evening we went to dinner at The Olive Branch in Worcester, as recommended on Trip Advisor (one of our 'go to' apps). The service was quite slow, but other than that it was lovely. We shared bread and oils to start - which came with your own bottles of oils to add to when needed. Then went for tapas which we shared, including; Polpette (meatballs), paella, chorizo, patatas bravas, their own take on Spanish omelette and haloumi. The food was quite rich, but lovely all the same and I was full to a perfect level at the end. Prices were around £6 per dish - and we shared a jug of extremely yummy Sangria too, so all in all the meal came to just over £50, not too bad considering we had no vouchers! (And I am the voucher queen). I would most certainly recommend it, lovely atmosphere, great food. Definitely don't go there if you are in a rush. 

After our lovely evening out and night in the hotel we headed to The Malvern Spa, for an offer which included a day at the spa, massage each, drinks on arrival and lunch. It was a great deal, and my first ever spa day. The spa itself was perfectly relaxing, despite the fact that it's on an industrial estate do not let that fool you. They have an indoor to outdoor pool (I got a little excited about going through the flaps from one to the other), state of the art gym (which, yes, I did use, pat on the back for me) a lovely brasserie and treatment rooms. But my favourite place in the entire spa was by far the relaxation room! It was the sort of place I wanted my bedroom to look like, and it did exactly as it said on the tin. We both went for our full body massage, which was incredible, the girl who did mine had magic hands (what is the etiquette though - do you talk to them or are you supposed to be quiet?!) Then we were sent there afterwards to relax. And boy did I relax, we had our massages at the end of the day which was the perfect way to do it, as we ended in the relaxation room and gained an extra half an hour (people were thrown out at 5.30 from the spa, but because our treatments finished then we had until 6 to use the room). Another highlight of my day was the changing rooms, not only did they have hair dryers, but also curling tongs and straighteners! I can't wait for the day when that becomes the norm in all gyms and hotels how much lighter my bag will be. 

My only qualms would be the guy serving in the outside bar - he was extremely unfriendly which is not ideal in a customer facing environment, and everytime somebody went to the bar for a drink he seemed to say, "oh sorry I've not got any out here, you'll have to go inside" (you would think he'd take the initiative and go inside and get it for you). And in the afternoon I had a hot chocolate which was to die for, and a brownie. Brownies a tricky one to please with me, as my stepmum makes the best brownies (Hazel's brownies - it should be a thing!) and having been given her secret recipe I can now make them almost as well as her. Therefore I'm difficult to please. The brownies were okay, but a bit too dark and not moist enough.

All in all I would say it's a great location, extremely friendly staff and reasonable offers, definitely somewhere to check out if your looking for a spa day!! 

SD (sweet dreams) 

Paigey x

Creepy crawlies...

As per usual, today had some interesting moments. I woke up in my hotel, showered and changed. When I returned to the bathroom to brush my teeth, there was a giant spider crawling across the floor. So what do I do? Being terrified of spiders, I went to get a magazine to squash it, but quickly decided it was too big for me to deal with. So I called reception and a lovely handyman came to my rescue. 

This reminded me of a hilarious event that happened in my own home a few weeks ago. I was hoovering, and as I lifted up the sofa I saw a huge black thing. Thinking it was a spider, I called my landlord who lives upstairs, knowing his wife is also scared and he would understand. He graciously came to help me, and as he lifted up the sofa whilst I cowered in the corner, he picked up the "spider" and asked me "is this what you meant". To my horror - it was an elastic band!! Thankfully we all laughed about it for days! 

The night before, I had a lovely 'healthy dinner' from the hotels room service. I say healthy light-heartedley, because it was quite greasy. I enjoyed it, but it was clearly cooked in a lot of oils. Grilled chicken breast, with new potatoes and roasted vegetables. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however I don't believe it was as good for me as I would have hoped - I have quickly learnt in this business that it is important not to divulge every time I eat out! 

As I left the hotel, already having had a not so pleasant start to the day, I drive up to the barrier of the hotel gate and realise I've not picked up the code from reception. I can see where today is going! Yet as I start to reverse away from the barrier a lovely man walks over and tells me the code - thank goodness for nice people!! 

Having headed out for my daily meetings, I realised I needed petrol. So I stop at the petrol station to fill up, and a creepy older man from a lorry decided to look me up and down and say "nice" as he walks past. No, this is not acceptable! Take me back to the days of gentlemen please! 

In the evening I once again went to eat as healthily as possible, so stopped at Prezzo in Haverhill. I do laugh to myself when I go to restaurants alone, I am always treated like royalty, as are all the guests around me as I think they see me as a mystery shopper. Definitely not something to complain about, the service was impeccable. My only comment would be I wish there was a little more bolognaise sauce, and a little less pasta. (I ate mozarella in carozza which is one of my faves, followed by spaghetti bolognaise). 

After a long day which included many cinema meetings, a lovely meal followed by my first gym session in weeks (which lead to me collapsing on the bed as my legs no longer wanted to work), I am shattered. 

And so to bed. 

SD 

Paigey 

So here goes!

A blog is not something I've ever considered before now, but I am most certainly a memory maker, a keeper of ticket Stubbs, somebody who likes to take note of what I have done. So this seems like the next perfect thing to continue in my diary writing ways. 

I am a film girl, I spend my life driving up and down the country visiting cinemas and film events for my job. And on my travels I come across some interesting things, stay in hotels and eat lots of yummy food. So I thought i'd write all of this down, in a way for myself to have something to do on lonely nights in hotels, but also to tell people the good, the bad and the ugly! 

Happy reading

Paigey