Our week in Edinburrrrrrr!

Well hello again!

I know I did an exclusive post about The Newsroom in Edinburgh a week or two ago, but I felt I needed to do a little round up of the lovely trip hubby and me took to gorgeous Edinburgh recently.

I have family up in Scotland and lived in Newcastle for a time but somehow neither of us have ever been to Edinburgh. We wanted a mini break somewhere in the UK and after looking online and speaking to our lovely friends, Edinburgh came out firmly on top!

So, we booked our return flights out of Bristol and set about looking for a hotel to act as our exploration base. We didn't want to spend too much as we didn't plan on spending much time in the room, and wanted a good location rather than plush interior. We struck a happy balance with The Parliament House Hotel just off Leith Street. It has a nice intimate feel with a cosy lounge complete with fire and whiskey tasting menu, and also a restaurant (which we admittedly didn't try. The double room was comfy enough, with a gorgeous soft king sized bed and soft sheets. 

The en suite bathroom was well equipped but the towels were more like serviettes which would be my chief moan about the place. However the free toiletries made up for that and were genuinely nice products to use!

So, we set off exploring. The hotel was a stones throw from the shops of Queen Street and only a short walk to the old city with Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket and all the fabulous architecture that you just seem to stumble upon every time you turn a corner. 

As we didn't really have a clue where to start, we hopped on one of the City sight-seeing bus tours to get an idea of the layout and where we wanted to focus on over the next couple of days. We even braved the open top section for a few minutes, although at 6 degrees with added wind chill we chickened out fairly quickly! We rolled past the 'New' Scottish Parliament building, The Palace of Holyrood House, New town, Old Town, The National Museum of Scotland and many others, learning from the audio guide as we went. Maybe not a lot of points for the street-cred bank, but a good use of £13 for our 24 hour ticket.

On the walk back to the hotel we stumbled across The Newsroom which was so lovely it has a blog post all of it's own on here. After a relaxed afternoon tipple we headed back to the hotel for a lie down in preparation for our first evening in the city. 

An old school friend of mine lives in Edinburgh and kindly offered to act as our unofficial food and drink guide for the evening. We met for drinks at Jeremiah's Tap Room on Elm Row which had a great range of cask ales, international bottled beers and lagers and a lovely stripped back ambiance to sit, chat and catch up. We then moved on to Phuket Pavilion for a Thai feast of hot jungle curry, coconut rice and a host of tasty sundries. We also had a lovely bottle of Chablis, which is partly responsible for the fact that in spite of the gorgeous and beautifully presented food, this is the only photo I took in the restaurant- an amusingly shaped cactus.

We then took up refuge in the cool and quirky Joseph Pearce where we settled in for the rest of the night, trying some craft beers and, at times, modelling them for your enjoyment...

A little tired but still chuckling for the night before, we awoke the next morning and decided to amble down to the Shore and take a tour around The Royal Yacht Britannia. I am a huge royal family fan and hubby loves sailing and anything maritime, so it ticked both of our boxes. It was fabulous wandering around the huge state dining room and seeing where Queenie used to sleep when on board. The Britannia Bell was a high point for me...

For someone who isn't really a fan of museums or long tours, I LOVED the Britannia- you go at your own pace, learn a lot and there's always an opportunity to take a break with a cuppa at The Royal Deck Tea Room on board. We had a scrumptious lunch in its elegant and relaxed ambiance, admiring the view and my lovely Britannia emblazoned cappuccino!

The next day after a relaxed breakfast at Pep and Fodder (great staff, simple but tasty fare and lovely interior), we headed to The Palace at Holyrood House.

Pep and Fodder

We wandered around the Palace, taking in the wonderful architecture alongside the somewhat grisly history or Anglo-Scottish relations over the centuries. As a working Royal Palace it was a fabulous insight into how the other half live! I would definitely recommend a visit there. Unfortunately they're pretty militant in enforcing their no photography rule, so I don't have anything to show you, but Mary Queen of Scott's original bed is on display in all it's restored glory, which really is something to behold.

My absolute highlight of the trip was the champagne afternoon tea we treated ourselves to at The Balmoral Hotel. The Palm Court is a gorgeous, light, airy and elegant affair and the staff made us feel like the most important people in the room. After a wonderful selection of simple yet delicious finger sandwiches, we were spoilt with fresh scones complete with clotted cream and preserves, followed by mini lemon curd sponges, Spiced plum mousse with ginger bread (Hubby's favourite), caramel and pecan brownie, all washed down with a beautiful glass of champers. We even made room for some hand made chocolates to finish off. Bliss.

Palm Court at The Balmoral Hotel

The waistbands were definitely groaning after that, so we had a light dinner and headed to Stac Polly, a gin and wine bar for a drink. Unfortunately the weather was horrendous, so we were pretty much the only ones in there, meaning there wasn't a great deal of ambiance and the bar man had to keep running from the restaurant down stairs to serve us which was a little odd. But the drinks were lovely, with a good range of gins (I plumped for my favourite, Hendricks). It would be nice to try it again with a few more punters in to get a real feel for it.

G&T at Stac Polly

We headed to bed for an early night as running around this exciting, diverse and contrasting city for 3 days had started to take it's toll! The next day we headed to the airport to come home, happily tired but with one very clear thought in mind- we will certainly be going back very soon.
Cheers Edinburgh!
Lots of love
Mrs T
xxx

Hints and tips for wedding belles (and beaus) in Devon

Hello you lovely lot!

As you may have noticed from previous posts, me and hubby only got married a couple of months ago. I didn't want to write a post droning on and on about our 'special day', but really wanted to share information on some amazing individuals and suppliers we met along the way who made our wedding (and even the planning) a real joy.

We got engaged on 28th December 2012 and after knowing each other for 12 years and being together for nearly 4, we knew we didn't want too long an engagement. We both LOVE wintertime with the log fires, comforting food and of course CHRISTMAS! We went to a stunning christmas wedding a year or two ago at Polhawn Fort, Cornwall with carol singing around the tree and mulled wine which inspired us to do something similar. After thinking about it for a week or two though, we didn't want to feel like we HAD to adopt a christmas theme or like we were intentionally ignoring it if we chose not to. So we opted for late November where we could have a cosy, intimate affair with mulled cider and fires and soft candlelight but no christmassy overtones.

So.... where should we choose to kick off this shin-dig?!

Well we both decided we wanted a church wedding, but with so many stunning and varied churches around the county, how do you choose?!

After talking to my mum, we realised that my grandparents were married in the stunning St Mary with St Andrew Church in Rockbeare, a village of beautiful thatched cottages and the amazing Jack in the Green Gastropub (where we had a wonderful meal after the rehearsal), just outside of Exeter. It's a beautiful church dating back to the 1600's and the vicar Jeremy is welcoming and very approachable and agreed to marry us there, much to our delight. So the wedding ceremony and venue- tick!

Now, where to eat, drink and be merry?

Devon plays home to some stunning wedding reception venues. We recently attended weddings at the beautiful Dartington Hall in the South Hams and also The Great Barn at Higher Ashton which is a gorgeous, elegant venue. As we were having a winter wedding we were looking for a cosy, intimate venue that was big enough to accommodate our 105 guests which was harder to find than we first thought! However after some looking we found the wonderful Muddifords Court Country House in Willand, Cullompton. A Georgian Farmhouse with two renovated barns, it's own mini pub, 5 boutique B&B rooms and a thatched cottage, it ticked all our boxes of an intimate yet impressive venue. Also, with the capacity for the bridal party to stay on sight and the freedom to bring in our own decorative touches, drink and entertainment it was the perfect choice in allowing us to make the day unique to us. The owners Nicky and Pip are some of the nicest people I've ever met and could not do enough to help us, which made the process of bringing together lots of independent suppliers a lot easier than it otherwise could have been. Pip's breakfasts are legendary and have even won their own award, so our first morning as man and wife was made even more scrummy!

Now here are some of the people and suppliers who helped make our day truly 'ours'.

Picture perfect

Now, hubby will be the first to admit that he is not a keen nor willing photography subject. In fact, as soon as a lens is pointed in his direction he gets flustered, stressed and beats a hasty retreat in the opposite direction. I, however,love photography and was desperate to have a beautiful, unique record of our day to look back on over the years. So how did we reconcile these opposite extremes? With the amazing Rebecca Roundhill. She had photographed our friends' wedding a few years before and came highly recommended. They key element that attracted us to her was her focus on 'reportage' style photography, meaning she captures unposed, natural moments rather than organised or contrived shots (perfect for camera shy hubby).She was an absolute dream from the moment we made contact with her, and I think her photographs speak for themselves (all but the bottom two on this post are hers). She put us at ease, didn't take us away from our reception and guests for hours to get our 'couple's shots' and documented moments I hadn't even been aware of until I saw the images. She covered the service, reception and even some of the (questionable) dancing in the evening, giving us over 500 beautiful shots on disc to reproduce to our hearts content! She was a fabulous lady to spend time with and I honestly couldn't have wished for anything more from our wedding photos. So, happy hubby, happy me! 

Silver Screen

The one thing we hadn’t planned on but that a number of people encouraged us to include was a videographer. There is so much of the day you miss, don’t see or simply forget (i.e. Speeches etc) so a video is the perfect way of preserving the day for the years to come. Again, I’m not a fan of run-of-the-mill when it comes to photography and film, so when I found Cupcake videos, based in South Devon I was over the moon. Milos and his team specialise in individual wedding videos, beautifully and artistically edited and set to beautiful soundtracks. They tailor their approach to what you want and we barely noticed the cameras or that Milos was even there! He was relaxed, unobtrusive and a joy to have around as he filmed me getting ready. Have a browse through their material here: www.cupcakevideos.co.uk

All dressed up...

I bought my beautiful Pronovias dress at The Wedding Company in Plympton. The service here is second to none and I felt doted on and valued as I tried on gown after gown! They stock some wonderful designers including Charlotte Balbier and Sophia Tolli and I have to personally mention the wonderful Hayley who guided me through the choosing, fitting and general stresses/emotional breakdowns of wedding dress shopping! They also have a wide range of  mens wedding wear and bridesmaid dresses. After having some underwhelming experiences at other dress shops I would strongly urge you to visit the fabulous team here.

Fix up look sharp!

I usually enjoy doing my hair and make up ahead of an evening out, however I knew I was going to be stressed on the day and didn't want a bad hair day or dodge eyeliner to send me into melt down! After lots of searching I found Lucy Milton who was an absolute god send. She did a hair and makeup trial for me, my bridesmaids and mum beforehand to make sure we were all happy. On the day she helped me stay calm and was lovely to have around as the nerves started to rise! We were all really pleased with our hair and make up and felt gorgeous. I would urge you to check out her website for more details.

Coming up roses

The wonderful Jenny Rose Flowers created our low- key but beautiful table arrangements and bouquets. Jenny was very tolerant of multiple emails and calls from me, and even took a total colour scheme change in her stride! The flowers enhanced the venue and day beautifully.

Dance the night away!

We opted for a live band rather than disco for our evening entertainment and had seen The Pookas numerous times in Exeter venues. They are a 5 piece outfit headed up by lead singer Kat, and describe themselves as a 'soul swing funk Lindy hop band' and never fail to disappoint and bring a real vibrancy and energy to any event. They are very reasonably priced and got everyone up on the dance floor (even my nan)! They even offered to learn our first dance song (although we chose the original recording for nostalgic reasons). Big thumbs up to them.

Shaken, not stirred...

I am a bit of a cocktail worshipper and as such thought this should feature a little in our celebrations. We therefore had Samsvan, a 1978 VW camper van which had been lovingly converted to a cool cocktail bar complete with seating and lighting. We selected 4 cocktails and then had a signature drink created named after our new married name. They were incredibly reasonable to hire and charged £5 a drink. I have to say the cocktails were absolutely delicious and VERY popular with our guests, beautifully served in jam jar style glasses and in no way scrimping on the booze. The guys running it were fab too, a real credit to the Sams' team, Fowey. 

He put a ring on it!

One last mention has to go to Coopers Couture Jewellers in Barnstaple. Hubby bought my emerald and diamond engagement ring from a Jeweller in Hatton gardens, London (it's a real stunner even if I say so myself), however the design meant I couldn't get a normal wedding ring to sit beneath it. Enter Coopers who designed and made a diamond and platinum wedding band which fits around the design of the engagement ring, making them look like one single finished piece (see my very amateur photo below). The initial consultation in their showroom in Barnstaple was a wonderful experience completed with a chilled glass (or two) of champagne. The team were impeccable in their communication with us and also supplied hubby's palladium ring at a very competitive price which he is thrilled with. Even got the original sketch of the ring as a beautiful and thoughtful momento to keep (which I still haven't got round to framing). I cannot recommend then highly enough. 

All in all we had a fabulous day and want to thank all involved for helping it to be such! 

For any of you getting married the only advice I can give is this: things may not go according to plan, stress may rear it's head and the sun may not shine, but I promise you will have a truly wonderful day, whatever goes right or wrong, because after all the organising, you get to spend the rest of your life with your best friend.

That's all for now!
Love
Mrs T
xxx

All Images (except the bottom two) Copyright Rebecca Roundhill

Post nights lunch at The Cosy Club, Exeter

After a set of night shifts I like to have a proper, comforting and hearty lunch to try and get the body clock back on schedule. The Cosy Club, with it's varied lunch menu and kooky, fun interior was the obvious choice, so hubby and I headed down there to start our week off together with a good old feast!

The Cosy Club describes it's decor and atmosphere as "Gentlemans club meets village hall meets cricket pavilion". It's located in the old Southernhay hospital, with echoes of the buildings past worked cleverly into the interior styling, from medical anatomical posters to surgical lighting over the bar. It has a warm and inviting ambience whilst being a large open space, aided by the helpful and attentive staff. 

It was a dreary Monday, so to kick off the holiday I ordered a Bloody Mary (extra spicy to pep me up!) from their fairly extensive cocktail menu. There is a fabulous outside Terrace which is wonderful when the sun is shining- hopefully in the next couple of months we'll be able to venture out there!

We perused the menu and after umming and ahhhing, hubby plumped for the prawn cocktail sandwich, upgrading his thick cut crisps to skin on fries, and I chose the Mushrooms on toast from their brunch menu. Their lunch and evening meal has a broad range of dishes and is reasonably priced. My Bloody Mary arrived and was beautifully piquant and tasty. Deeeelish!

The service was efficient without making you feel rushed, and when the food arrived it was truly a sight for sore (and tired) eyes!

Hubby enjoyed his sandwich and their skin on fries really are great- crispy yet fluffy, served in a tin mug. Yummy. My mushrooms on toast was quite simply one of the tastiest and satisfying meals I've had in recent years! Rather than garlic overwhelming the dish, the button and portabello mushrooms were cooked in brandy, Dijon mustard, creme fraiche and tarragon. It was creamy but sooo flavoursome! The doorstop sized slice of farmhouse white bread was perfect for soaking up the delicious sauce. I rarely leave food in the plate, but the portion was so generous and the flavours so rich that I had to admit defeat, but it would definitely be a dish I'd order again. 

The place has a different feel in the evening with young professionals and students sipping from pitchers of cocktails, craft beers and ciders, giving it a cosmopolitan air, but still delightfully quirky. 

So an all round thumbs up for The Cosy Club, both for food and drink, day and night. Give it a whirl! 

http://www.cosyclub.co.uk/exeter

Lots of love

Mrs T

xxx

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