Category Archives: Eating Out

TOP TIER DATING SERVICE!!

JOIN FOR THE BEST DATING EXPERIENCE

TRY OUT
20131201-204520.jpg

Goat, a New York – Italian restaurant in Chelsea, serves wood-fired pizzas and peanut butter cheesecake, that was all I needed to know when we were invited down to try out their Thanksgiving Menu this weekend.

Goat Chelsea Review

Formally a pub and nightclub, 333 Fulham road is now a relaxed yet funky restaurant on the ground floor and stylish cocktail bar and lounge upstairs.

The restaurant decor, a mix of original features and modern glamour, perfectly compliments a menu that plays host to traditional American favorites such as Lemon Meringue Pie alongside dishes that are peppered with modern twists.

Upstairs the venue boasts a beautiful cocktail bar, with a DJ on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

My favourite part though, of this stylish, metropolitan, restaurant, was that children were welcomed with open arms. I love to eat out, I love good food and I love to share this with girls. Unfortunately this isn’t always possible. All too often I find myself heading back to Zizzi or Pizza Express as my first choice restaurant suddenly can’t fit us in when I mention the two and four-year old we are bringing along. Read More →

Share Button
Thanksgiving In London

As much as my little family is a British one, the girls heritage is half American and I don’t want them to lose that. It is important for them to understand the holidays and traditions celebrated within their American ancestry. It is part of who they are and how they got here.

Thanksgiving In London At Goat, Chelsea

We are very lucky to have been invited to celebrate Thanksgiving in London this year as a family at Goat in Chelsea. A New York-Italian style restaurant on Fulham Road, this will be the perfect location to commence their Thanksgiving education.

Goat have designed a traditional menu, running from Thursday to Sunday this week, for anyone looking to celebrate Thanksgiving In London.

Thanksgiving In London

We are very excited to be visiting Goat and celebrating Thanksgiving In London this year.  I look forward to telling you all about it on Friday.

Share Button
Date Night in Shoreditch

After having children, time alone as a couple becomes precious. Even the most simple of evenings can feel special. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just as long as you are together.

Last Friday The Essex Husband and I were heading out for his sister’s birthday when suddenly, thanks to their tardiness, we found we had a few hours to kill just the two of us.

Already on Old Street we ceased the opportunity to try out the highly acclaimed The Three Crowns. After reopening in May, to much praise from the locals and the foodie world alike, this former questionable establishment has flourished into a gem of the Old Street area.

With its big bar at the front, fantastic array of bar snacks, great selection of beers, and lots of tables in the restaurant area overlooking the huge open kitchen for a those wanting a sit down meal, this vibrant public house has something on offer for everyone.

Date Night in Shoreditch

Photo Credit the3crowns.co.uk  

Date Night in Shoreditch

Photo Credit the3crowns.co.uk

6pm on a Friday evening it was standing room only at the bar. We stood there talking like we had just met, sharing stories we must have told each other a hundred times over, but loving every moment of it.  A few drinks and many laughs later we were on our way to meet our friends and family for the birthday celebrations, safe in the knowledge, thanks to this impromptu date, that we were still more in love than ever.

Cheesy, but true.

What a perfect date night in Shoreditch.

Share Button
IMG_5374

Kesgrave Hall Review. Luxury for all the family.

If I could afford to live in any hotel it would certainly be one from the Milsoms group.  From the country house luxury of Masion Talbooth to the seaside charm of The Pier, Milsoms represents all that is great with British culture. Being invited to stay for a Kesgrave Hall review was just so exciting for us.

With one child in full-time school and the other soon to start nursery, time together as a family is more precious than ever. To celebrate Scarlett’s first full month as school, reconnect with each other, and have a weekend off from the madness that is family life, we decided a mini-break was in order.

Set in the Suffolk countryside, this boutique hotel on the outskirts of Ipswich, is full of warmth and charm. Family friendly, but not in a plastic play area and dinner in a box kind of way, Kesgrave Hall is 4 star luxury family travel at its best.

IMG_5376 IMG_5374

Our suite was set in its own private cottage, meaning we weren’t disrupting other guests if the girls woke up early or got a little noisy with all the excitement going on. This really allowed the Essex Husband and I to relax and made our break even more enjoyable.  With the girls having their own room we all got some sleep, but it also allowed us some grown up time when they hit the sack. Nothing worse than lights out at 7pm when staying in a hotel because the children needed to go to bed.

The food, well where do I start. Dinner was an informal, yet stylish, affair. The children’s menu at Kesgrave Hall is always a hit with Scarlett due to the smoked salmon starter, and The Essex Husband always eats like a king with Milsons as the menu really does favor the carnivore palette. Even for me though, not really a meat lover, the food is always exquisite, as is the service. Friendly staff, swift service and great chefs – what more could you ask for?

Kesgrave Hall Review Kesgrave Hall Review

Kesgrave Hall Review

The grounds of Kesgrave Hall are perfect for families.  Large open space, footballs, goals, woods and (weather permitting) deck-chairs on the lawn.  You really do feel welcome as family here, no ‘children should be seen and not heard’ vibes at all.  Even fellow, child free, patrons appreciate that it is a family venue. I have never been so proud as when an elderly gentleman approached our table on the first night at dinner to tell us what well-behaved young ladies we have, I may have even shed a tear at the table once he returned to his meal.

Is their any greater compliment than one paid to your children?

Family days out are plentiful and within easy reach of Kesgarve Hall too, we had two wonderful adventures when staying with them at Jimmys Farm and BeWILDerwood.

If you are looking for a half term family break or a pre-Christmas treat, and are tempted by this Kesgrave Hall review, then take a look at the special offers on the Milsons website. They have a wonderful offer on at the moment specially for visitors to Kesgrave Hall.

 Autumn In Suffolk  

Hopefully the sunshine will continue throughout October and November. So we’ve put together a great overnight break at milsoms Kesgrave Hall to tempt you to indulge in a night away before the autumn.

What’s included?
• Three course dinner (free choice from the a la carte menu, so no hidden supplements)
• Overnight accommodation in the best available room when you book
• Full breakfast

£100 per person any day of the week from Tuesday1st – Friday 29th November 2013.
This offer is based on double occupancy and is subject to availability.

For full information and more offers please visit www.milsomhotels.com. We simply cant wait to go back.

Kesgrave Hall Review

Disclaimer – we were treated to a complimentary two night stay at Kesgrave Hall to review their facilities however all views expressed are our own.

 

 

Share Button
20130904-093017.jpg

Recently we were invited to experience Afternoon Tea At Hanbury Manor…here is how we got on.

A Jacobean style country house within 200 acres of Herfordshire countryside, Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club is a wonderful 5 star country house resort within easy reach of Stansted, Heathrow, Luton and Gatwick airports, London and Cambridge. Perfect for a taste of rural life while maintaining the luxurious standards you would expect from such a well-respected international hotel chain.

Afternoon Tea At Hanbury Manor

Afternoon Tea At Hanbury ManorIf I won the lottery I would eat out every day. Sharing food and drink, putting the worlds to rights, trying something new, people watching and best of all, not having to do the washing up.

Until then I will make the most of the days and nights out I get in-between my stints of Nigella-esq domesticity at home.

My Mother-in-law is one of my very favorite people to spend time with, she is at least 50% of the reason I married my husband (I may be joking about that last bit, but she is a wonderful lady), and I always look for any excuse to spoil her.

We loved our Afternoon Tea At Hanbury Manor, Marriott Hotel & Country Club from the moment we arrived. The grounds are stunning, it oozes the finesse that so many resorts try to achieve but so few manage to execute, Hanbury has effortless style down to a fine art. The house, built-in 1890 by designers Ernest Geroge and Harold Peto, was in the Hanbury family until the early 1920′s when it became home to Henery King and his family who added the first golf course to the land. Passing through a few more owners it was finally acquired by developers and the luxury resort known today was built.

Afternoon Tea At Hanbury Manor

Afternoon Tea at Hanbury Manor, served in The Oak Hall priced at £25pp, will keep me coming back again and again. Unique in its use of flavored breads to compliment the fillings, and brimming with sweet delights, this is a british institution at its finest. Afternoon tea is one of my favourite pastimes, and this was up there with the best I’ve ever had.

Our cups were of course bone china, its tradition all the way here, and filled with hand selected teas chosen from an impressive menu. Flavoured teas and infusions are a love of mine, so I was highly impressed with the knowledge of our server, Chris Holdys, regarding tea selections and their range on offer. If you are lucky enough to meet Chris when visiting Hanbury Manor then do take time to talk to him about tea and his traveling plans, such a delightfully wise and interesting young man. He made our visit all the more special.

20130904-093038.jpg

20130904-093049.jpg

Alongside their culinary delights Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club has a prestigious 18-hole Championship Hanbury Course designed by Jack Nicklaus II, spa and leisure facilities and 5 star accommodation. I cannot wait to try out the Spa, if it half as good as the food I’ll be in for a treat.

disclaimer – we were provided Afternoon Tea At Hanbury Manor free of charge but all views are my own

 

Share Button
20130810-075718.jpg

Fed up with having to travel into London every time he wanted a good steak Rare Cow owner Richard Lester decided that he would open up a restaurant on his doorstep. With a background in both the cruise and food industries he has found himself well placed in the picture perfect village of Writtle to create a brand that is sure to take Essex foodies by storm.

Rare Cow promises that your food will be ‘served to your table with happiness and passion‘; well they certainly lived up to that claim.

Our waitresses were attentive and informative, owner Richard is one of the friendliest (and steak loving) men you’d ever be lucky enough to meet and the food, well that surpassed all expectations we arrived with.

Rare Cow, Writtle

My starter of Scallops with fried quails egg with caper balsamic reduction was divine and The Essex Husband couldn’t stop raving about his fried calamari with Maldon salt and micro sliced naga chili (well once he could talk again anyway, after the burning in his mouth had subsided).

For mains we opted for steak and a chicken burger. The steak, the best my husband had ever eaten, was huge, and my burger (I’m not really a big meat eater so having a steak wasn’t for me) was delicious, and fully loaded to say the least.

20130810-075736.jpg

Alongside their regular menus Rare Cow have two stand-out exclusive packages that are simply too good to miss.

Rare Cow The Chefs Table. Starting from £39 a head you get a starter, unlimited selections of steak cooked to perfection, sides and a choice of dessert with soft drinks, unlimited house wine and a selection of bottle beers to wash it down with.

Rare Cow BBQ Weekends

lp-6-300x194

Rare Cow was summed up perfectly on the night by my husband when he announced ‘I love a restaurant where you can get high-end food that’s relaxed enough I don’t have to wear socks’.

I do love that man!

www.rarecow.co.uk

Disclaimer – we were given our meal as a gift from Rare Cow, but all views expressed are our own.

 

 

Share Button