Mrs T and hubby on tour- The Newsroom, Edinburgh

Greetings from Bonny Edinburgh! 

Hubby and I are on a well earned break and thought it was about time we checked out this fantastic city! We arrived at 8 am this morning and have already been wowed by the stunning architecture and friendly locals. 

We've also already found a fabulous bar and eatery a stones throw from our lovely hotel (post to follow) that I just had to write about as it's originality and flair are just wonderful.

The Newsroom (freshly refurbished) on Leith Street prides itself on it's extensive beer and cocktail menu, and also its kitchen offerings with hearty burgers ranging from simple beef, to halloumi and roast vegetables to haggis and onion! Hubby and I just nipped in for a cheeky afternoon cocktail but we'll hopefully try the food before we go too!

So, first impressions....umm pretty ace to be honest! Newspaper headline front pages from history line the back wall which contrasts neatly with the limed wood and stripped back decor, beautifully enhanced by rows of lightbulb lit glass jars. It feels warm and cosy whilst maintaining a slickness and edge to it. So far, so good.

So, what to drink?! The cocktail menu is very extensive for a bar of its size. My only slight disappointment was there was no option for any champagne by the glass, although they do offer prosecco. 

So, cocktails it was!

We decided on a couple of classics, a Cosmopolitan for me and Whiskey Sour for the gentleman.

They were great value too, mine being just £4.95! Hubby's was a bit more at £6.95 but still well worth it.

My Cosmo was zesty, sharp without being sour and incredibly well balanced overall. Hubby's was equally good, although I'm not a whiskey fan (I've clearly come to the wrong country!) so will have to take his word for it- he's usually pretty reliable though, so you're in safe hands!

The service was prompt and polite and the overall experience was great- chic, rustic and something just a bit different. Had we not have been meeting a friend a bit later, we would definitely have stayed for another round (or two)! 

We went at about 3pm so can only give a daytime account but we loved what we saw and tasted! I'll update you if we get chance to try the food, but if you happen to be in the neighbourhood I whole heartedly recommend you give this place a go.

That's all for now you lovely lot, but stay tuned for more to come...

So far Edinburgh you're doing grand!

Lots of love

Mrs T

X

Amanda Marsden Salon and Spa

I've not had the best couple of weeks, so my lovely mum offered to treat me to a massage/beauty treatment to help me feel a bit more human. She has been going to the Amanda Marsden Salon in Totnes, South Devon, for a while now for pretty much all of her beauty needs. So when I noticed that the vacant beautiful sandstone building near RAMM had recently been taken over by Amanda Marsden's Exeter branch I thought I'd use this opportunity to check it out. 

Amanda brands her venture as a 'Lifestyle salon & spa' and as soon as you walk in you don't really feel like you're in a salon, more like a hub of wellness and calm with an urban edge.  Near the entrance there is a table with newspapers and books where you can sit and read with a cup of tea or coffee. The whole place is decked out in bare wood, earthy tones with an industrial twist but it still feels welcoming. The beautiful carved windows let in light-a-plenty making it feel spacious and open.

The table at the entrance of the salon

Lots of lovely Aveda products to peruse...

 There is lots of space walking in between the hair counters so you don't have people's blow dried locks flying into your face as you make your way past. 

View from the front of the salon

Towards the back of the salon there is a relaxation area with tables, chairs, a sofa, and again ample reading material where you can sit as your colour is taking or after your beauty treatment. There's also a lovely private outdoor patio area which I didn't brave given the recent crackers weather, but you can imagine in Spring/Summer it would be a little oasis of tranquility. 

After being given time to enjoy a lovely cup of tea presented beautifully on a contemporary little wooden tray with some scrummy biscuits, I was met by Leanne, my beauty therapist who took me through to their therapy room. This is a temporary space as they are building a full dry spa on site, due to be completed by Autumn 2014, however they've still decorated it to feel like a little candlelit cocoon of relaxing loveliness. 

Surrounded by music from the orient, Leanne talked me through my 'Aqua Polish' treatment. This involved vigorous exfolitaion of the arms, legs and back, washed off with beautifully warm cloths and then finished off with a light massage using a blend of essential oils to soften the skin. At £35 for 1 hr 15 minutes I think it was fabulous value for money. I felt truly relaxed yet at the same time like I was embarking on some serious bodily maintenance! Afterwards I was brought a glass of iced water with lemon (none of that plastic cup nonsense!) and given time to gather myself, get dressed and meet Leanne back in the relaxation area. 

View of the salon from the relaxation area

Given how fabulous the experience was and finding out that Leanne's gorgeous hair had actually been done at the salon, I booked myself in for a cut and colour later in the afternoon! Karma must have been smiling on me as there was 30% off colouring until the end of February so I even saved a few pennies! Jade did an amazing job at giving me a shining mane of red locks, done up to the nines with bounce from a blow dry and heated rollers (no automatic straightening with irons without asking which I HATE). £51 for colour and cut- not a bad deal at all!

All of the staff were courteous, chatty, generally lovely and they hugely enhanced the experience. Special shout out to Leanne and Jade who are real ambassadors for this high quality outfit.

I will definitely be back very soon!

Lots of love
Mrs T
xxx

Artigiano- another little newbie gem!

Exeter saw the 3rd branch of Artigiano, a plush yet rustic Espresso and wine bar open this winter and as I love a bit or originality on the high street, I popped in to see what it was all about. It's the first branch to open outside of London and it seems to be going down a storm with the fine people of Exeter.

The interior mixes slick tiling and styling with industrial feeling bare brick walls and rustic wood panelling. It feels edgy, urban yet cosy, but not in a way that makes you feel you need to have an arts or media degree to step inside. 

Having been there for both coffee in the day and wine in the evening the atmosphere adjusts accordingly as the day winds on. Having said that, when Hubby and I went for a pre-dinner drink at 7pm a while ago there were still small groups and individuals tapping away on laptops whilst sipping the stunningly good coffee, alongside dressed up couples sampling glasses of wine and even a couple of high fliers toasting with bubbles. But it doesn't feel incongruous to have this mix in Artigiano- along with the blend of juxtaposed styling, it just seems to work and add to the eclectic ambience.

Hubby is a big Sandford Orchards Cider fan and Artigiano offer their fabulous Devon Red bottled offering which kept him very happy. I opted for an Estonian beer called Viru which I hadn't had before, but it's always nice to try something new (and keeps me feeling at least a bit 'current'!). I can highly recommend it by the way.

The coffee is first rate, served beautifully and tastes far superior to the stuff they serve up in the chain coffee bars. 

Their range of cakes, sandwiches and other snacks is fairly exhaustive and although I've only tried the lemon and poppyseed muffin I will definitely be going back to sample more. 

All in all Artigiano is a lovely place to start or end the day and the staff are lovely and engaging, keen to chat and they show a genuine interest in you. It's so nice to have another option for an evening drink other than a straight forward pub, bar or restaurant, and also another fabulous, interesting place for a really good cup of coffee. 
A big thumbs up to Artigiano!

Love
Mrs T
xxx

About Me

I am a 29 year old living in Exmouth with my hubby and little Jack Russell, Louis. I love shabby chic living, baking, eating and drinking and this blog is a way of sharing it all with you! I am learning to crochet and am aiming to be able to use my sewing machine alone without having to have my mum in the house on standby with plasters/bandages/other first aid equipment before the year is out.

I have just bought a new vintage style Bobbin bike which I am utterly obsessed with although have forgotten any cycling proficiency I once had, so am still a little nervous, but undeterred!

I hope you enjoy having a browse around these posts.

Enjoy!

Love 
Mrs T

x

Hub Box, Exeter- where have you been all my life?!

A new burger heaven has landed in my fair city of Exeter- Hub Box on Sidwell Street is a small but bustling refuge to grab an amazing burger, root beer and have a chitter- chatter!

Hubby and me first became Hub fans on our honeymoon in St Ives during November last year. It was cold and we wanted a decedent meal that wasn't going to blow our spending money in the first 24 hours. We found Hub on the Harbour front and it's rustic yet welcoming interior guided us in like a scrummy beacon. I actually only eat chicken and fish usually however hubby's pulled pork burger looked so amazing I had to try a bit, and now I'm a total convert! The meal was so good we went twice for dinner in 7 nights. They also made me an off-menu frozen Margarita which I have to say was up there with Margaritaville's comparable offering we had in Las Vegas. So imagine our delight when a mini version in the form of Hub Box followed us home to Exeter.

This is from Hub in St Ives- you
unfortuantely can't get the mac
and cheese at Hub Box

Myself and 3 friends hit Hub Box a few weeks ago after a drink or two beforehand at the wonderfully quirky Bikeshed Theatre on Fore Street. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table (the place is quite small, but turnaround time is pretty rapid) but we had a drink whilst we were waiting and we were seated before we'd made much of an impact on them. The burgers were immense (I half-and-halved a 'hot chick' and 'boston butt', the infamous pulled pork legend, with a friend) and we added sides of fries (mmmmmmm!) and onions rings (mmmmmmmmmmm! No greasy heavy batter in sight- more like tempura). They don't offer the full Hub menu here, but what they do have is epic! They also have some fab craft Beers from the Bristol Beer Factory. Altogether a gastronomic delight-fest!

It's nice to see Exeter getting some more original eateries and shops into the town centre. The high street was hit hard by the recession (as everywhere was) and it seemed like the empty shop units would never be filled, but it seems to be getting more unique retail and food/drink offerings in the abandoned spaces which I am a big supporter of. Chains are all well and good, but it's always nice to have the opportunity to try something new, right?

I was born here and before moving back 4 years ago lived in cities, suburbs and just outside of London, but this place will always have my heart. An eclectic mix of hundreds of years farming, urban reminders of the blitz and subsequent regeneration, a heavy dash of (sometimes irritatingly hip) student culture, a genuine smorgasbord of shops ranging from high end fashion to bargain basement vintage, a stunning cathedral, and all this plonked amongst rolling hills left right and centre! It's a truly unique little city and I really hope I get to stay here and raise a family of my own who will love it just as much.

So, in short after that rambling- Hub Box, I commend you. Feel free to buy up some more space and become a fully menu'd, big daddy Hub! 

Love

Mrs T

x

Oreo Cheesecake winner!

For some reason I have an intense fear of trying to make a baked cheesecake- I think it stems from a worry that my lack of decent baking equipment will cause the home made bain-marie that most recipes demand to leak and create a soggy mess. So when I offered to make a cheesecake for a dinner party recently I found an AMAZING no-bake Oreo based recipe that I had to share- it was ridiculously easy, and tasted great according to all the diners. All credit to PeriPeri1984 on grouprecipes.com where I found it. 

I actually used a simple pie dish rather than a spring form tin and it worked perfectly well.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/86114/oreo-cheesecake.html

Enjoy :-)
Mrs T
x

Eeek, here we go!

Well hello to you there! 

Thanks for taking time to look (whether intentionally or accidentally) at my blog. I've never done anything like this before- in fact I'm still feeling reasonably intimidated by the 'hipness' of it all- but I've made a resolution to try new things, so here goes it....

I am a newly married 28 year old living in the South West and working in healthcare. My husband (still very odd to write that!) is a teacher and we have a lovely, if not fairly precious little Jack Russell called Louis. 

Louis-doo relaxing

I love eating great food, have to be forced to exercise,  and enjoy film, music and dance. It's lovely to meet you!

Why am I blogging? 

Well, a lot has happened in my life (albeit the 'normal' stuff like buying a house, getting married etc) which has prompted me to look at the world around me a bit more and think about what I want from life, rather than what's always expected. I also love living in my gorgeous little city of Exeter and wanted to spread the word about some amazing stuff we have going on here and the surrounding areas.
I can't promise much, if any of the contents will be ground breaking, insightful or revolutionary, but if it sparks a discussion with friends, makes you think on your commute to work or just makes you feel a little more at ease with your own worries/thoughts then that'd be pretty sweet! 

I'm also very much into the 1950's woman revival of baking, sewing and crafting (although not hugely productive as of yet) so thought this would be a nice platform for sharing recipes and tips etc. :-)

So have a look around. Feel free to post comments and ideas for improvement (though please try and steer clear of nastiness or abuse).

Cheers

Mrs T

xxx