Festive Afternoon Tea at Parkers Tavern💛⛄️AD

With the festive season upon us my mind has certainly been thinking about all the fabulous Christmas foods to indulge on. When an email from Parker's Tavern dropped into my inbox inviting me to try out their new Festive Afternoon Tea I jumped at the chance to go! These three tiers of temptations are available to book from November 18th. They also have  children's, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options as well so you can all indulge!



Let's start of with the savouries tier! Starting off with three sandwiches; Cucumber, Dill & Mint Mascarpone, Smoked Salmon & Crème Fraîche,  Turkey & Cranberry. Followed by the PT Sausage Roll and Crayfish Tarts. I must say the sausage roll is the best one I have ever tasted!



Moving onto the middle tier of Plain and Fruit Scones with Spiced Jam and Lemon Curd and the obligatory cream. You just can't beat warm scones with cream and jam. The flavours Parker's Tavern have created in the spiced plum jam are so perfect with the scones.



Now for the most exciting tier of the three! Starting with the Ferrero Roche, Chestnut 'Snowman' Macaron, Paris Brest, Mincemeat & Brandy Custard Tart and Marmalade & Cardamon Financier.  The level of details and range of different flavours are the perfect treat to get you in the festive spirit.



There are also so many varieties of tea to accompany your afternoon delights, or a little festive tipple of Mulled Cider or a signature Wittgenstein's Poker cocktail. The team at Parkers Tavern were so accommodating and welcoming I can't fault anything about my experience and will certainly go back again! Tristan and his kitchen team have really nailed the perfect festive afternoon tea.

Disclaimer: I was very kindly invited to try out the afternoon tea and it was gifted to me but all views are my own. AD Press Sample

Christmas Gift Guide 2019🎅🏻

With Christmas coming up we all face the struggle with what to buy people for presents! I decided to compile a few ideas from John Lewis & Partners that I picked up myself! Disclaimer, I do work for John Lewis & Partners but this is not AD or gifted I purchased them all myself!



One of the first gift ideas I picked up was a Choose Your Favourites Customised Quality Street Tin. I love the personalisation of this and it means you don't end up with flavours you don't like! New this year were two exciting flavours; Chocolate Caramel Brownie and an exclusive flavour to John Lewis & Partners Crispy Truffle Bite! Its priced at £15 for the personalised tin with pick and mix flavours and then you can refill the tin for £10 (because we all know these tins never make it to Christmas without being eaten!). *Available in store only



Chocolate not your thing? Why not go for more adult crackers with Fevertree Gin and Tonic Crackers! There were so many options to choose from and you can buy a set of four you pick yourself for £32 or £8 per cracker. You can go in store to the Oxford Street branch to select your flavours but can can still order these online!



This next one is another foodie gift! The Kit Kat experience is perfect for chocolate lovers that want that personal touch! You can create your own eight finger Kit Kat; you first pick a chocolate for the base then three toppings and then it its made and put into a personalised box! I went for milk chocolate with chocolate brownie, mini marshmallows and caramel chunks! This service costs £14 and it available at Oxford Street. There are also Best of British Flavours or Special edition flavours you can buy in selected stores and online! These would also make great Secret Santa gifts!



Men can be notoriously difficult to shop for at Christmas time. The two gifts I picked out can always be changed for personal preference but the Chanel Bleu De Chanel Parfum is a really timeless fragrance that is a aromatic, intensely woody fragrance. It opens with powerful freshness, then lingers with a precious accord of New Caledonian sandalwood that gives it sophisticated full smell. The other thing I chose was a John Lewis & Partners RFID Blocking Leather Flip Card Wallet in Brown which I thought for £38 was really nice quality with 8 cards slots, 2 additional slots, 2 note slots, a printed lining, and flipover section complete with four extra card slots and a transparent ID slot. Again a very classic design so I'm sure it would be a good gift! 



For any accessories lovers I discovered Stackers that make all sorts of storage from tiny travel boxes to big jewellery storage. Due to my rather large collection of Olivia Burton watches I decided to gift myself this Stackers Watch Box in White. I love how I can see my watches while the box is shut and the pads to keep your watches on are so soft and secure. I think this could be a nice gift for males or females and does come in other colours! The joy of it as well is as the name might suggest you can stack it with other layers to add a jewellery one underneath!



Of course I had to get a new watch to go with the watch box! This gorgeous Olivia Burton Winter Wonderland Mesh Bracelet Strap Watch is so perfect for Christmas! With a little frosted trees and a little reindeer I couldn't think of a better watch to have for Christmas. The pale rose gold strap is also a perfect metal colour for a piece of subtle winter bling! 



Two beauty picks for the lady in your life I decided on this year are the Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise Eyeshadow Palette and Chloé Nomade perfume. I really feel like the Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes are a good investment for any beauty lover. The colour selection and pigmentation quality are just top notch, you can create so many looks from this palette and it just looks stunning. The Chloé Nomade Eau de Parfum is my go to fragrance and it is certainly popular amongst other people I know, it has an intense character of oak moss, shrouded in the sweetness of cherry plum and the freshness of freesia. 

Thats it! Just a small selection of gift ideas to either inspire you on what to get your loved ones or yourself (I'm not judging?). 

Lush Christmas 2019🎅🏻

This might just be my favourite time of the year to shop at Lush because the amount of new products that come out is far too exciting for me! I was kindly invited to the Christmas launch at my local store in Cambridge and this is what I picked out of the Christmas collection! There were so many other products but I just picked out what I thought I would like most so check out their website to see the full collection!



The first thing I picked up was the one I was drawn to most! The new Rudolph Bath Bomb was certainly the cutest reindeer design I've seen Lush do so far. This little guy has a sweet marzipan scent and makes a pretty warm orange coloured bath. You can even write on the antlers like a gift tag!



The second thing is new for the Christmas collection this year are shower bombs! They brought out a Polar Bear Nose (left pic), Rudolph Nose (right pic) and Snowman Nose. These are perfect if you're feeling left out the bath bomb club if you only have a shower, you can finally have a shower with one by simply letting them bubble up in your hands under the shower and then wash with it like you would a shower gel.



This is possibly the most exciting the Amazeballs! I picked up three of the four designs because I just couldn't decide! From left to right Snow Fairy, Holly Golightly and Don't Let The Bells End. These are bath bombs with hollow centres that are filled with bath bomb dust and bath salts and a little lid to keep it all safe inside. You can use it all at once in an epic bath or split it into three by using the filling, the lids and bath bomb shell separately. I think I shall crack one out for my Christmas Eve bath!



This little guy is the Not So Secret Santa which reveals himself as he fizzes around the bath tub releasing a citrusy scent. At £3.95 he also makes the perfect secret Santa present if you have a small budget. He creates a pretty candy cane coloured bath so leaves you feeling in the festive spirit.



The Bomb Bomb's are back and this year I decided to p-p-p pick up the Penguin Bomb Bomb. This citrusy penguin turns your bath a really pretty blue colour making it the perfect bath bomb for refreshing yourself after a long day of Christmas shopping! You can save him for one epic bath or half him to make him last!



Chris the Camel Bath Bomb will be your ride into the colder nights and keep your skin ready for winter. With spice and warming clove bud oil and black pepper oil its the perfect winter warmer and the addition of date syrup helps the skin retain moisture so this has all the skincare goodness in a cute shape of a camel!



This little Snowman Dreaming bath bomb is one for everyone. With secret colours that appear as he drifts around the bath making it perfect for bath art. The Chinese cedarwood and lavender oil its perfect for helping little ones and big ones get to sleep with all the excitement at Christmas.



This pretty emerald green bath bomb is Santa's Grotto, covered in lilac gems and plastic-free glitter.  It has a lot more of a floral scent so if spice is not your thing and you want more of a fresh bath this be more up your street.



Lush have also brought out Bath Oil Tablets with little bits of string on them so you can hang them on your tree before popping them in the bath! I went for the Santa's On His Way filled with Tangerine and Bergamot oil and it makes a pretty pink bath. You can also split it up into multiple baths so perfect for using over the festive period!



This smiley Santa is a new Bubble Bar for this Christmas with cheery notes of uplifting neroli, zingy lime and crisp lemon myrtle it all leaves you feeling uplifted and refreshed. I love combining bubble bars with bath bombs to create bath art so this one is a perfect base leaving an orangey-red water!



Wash away your winter blues with this cutie, Polar Bear Plunge Bubble Bar. With the Spearmint oil and Fine Sea Salt it'll leave you feeling fresh. It also makes a bubbly white bath so again will be a really good base for bath art. He's almost too cute for me to use!

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies🍪 🎃

It is that time of year that Pumpkin Spice becomes part of our autumnal food intake and I came across this recipe on Delish's website and gave them a go! They were super delicious so I thought I would share the recipe over here to share it with you! Disclaimer that this recipe is from Delish and not my own I'm just sharing it over here because so many people liked them I thought I'd find an easier way to share it! I've also converted the measurements into grams to make it easier for myself and UK readers!

INGREDIENTS

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g brown sugar
• 100g granulated sugar
• 170g pumpkin purée
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 350g semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 190°c and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer*, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract until combined, then add flour mixture. Beat on low until no raw flour appears, then fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
4. Scoop 1” balls onto prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed up and golden around edges, about 12 minutes.

*I used my Kitchenaid to make the cookie dough rather than a hand mixer and then used a wooden spoon to hold in the chocolate chips

Lush Halloween 2019 🎃

Its that time of year where Lush releases all of it's amazing new seasonal goodies, so of course it's time for me to pick up the new Halloween bits for this year! I was kindly invited to a pre-launch at my local store so I got to see the collection the night before it was released but I went back and purchased the new collection myself the next day! Some of my previous favourites like the Monsters Ball and Bewitched have returned again this year (see my post on them here) but I thought I would show you what's new!



The first thing I picked up really intrigued me was the Boo Shower Slime. This thick black sparkly slime is surprisingly scented like the Christmas favourite snow fairy! You simply have to scoop it out and slather it on in the shower and it smooths and cleanses with the bamboo stem extract and cornflower. I'm really excited to get using this after trying it out in the store on my hands!



The second thing I picked up was the one I was most excited to try! Pumpkin Spice Lip Scrub! Anyone that knows me knows that pumpkin spice is my weakness so the fact I can have it as a lip scrub is amazing. With a comforting mix of clove bud oil, ginger oleoresin and cinnamon powder its brings all the autumnal feels and the pumpkin butter and jojoba oil soften as the caster sugar buffs away any dry skin in the colder months!



This little Punkin Pumpkin Bath Bomb is another new addition for this year. If you are wanting a warming pumpkin, cinnamon and with a citrus kick scented soak this will be your go to! I do find this has a fresher softer scent so if your not into the really strong lush scents this will be a good one to try. He also glows in the dark so watch out for him in the night!



And finally the Mercury Retrograde Bath Bomb is a new addition to Lush this year. This is a new scent and it certainly packs a punch. With Sicilian Lemon oil and stimulating Ginger oil it will lift your senses and refresh your body. Even though it is citrusy it still has that comforting warmth coming from cinnamon leaf oil to keep you in the autumnal spirit. The coarse sea salt also helps cleanse and soften your skin which is the perfect pairing with the antibacterial properties of the ginger and antimicrobial buchu oil. This is not just a pretty bath bomb it really has some good skin benefits built in so I'm looking forward to trying this out!

So that's the end of my little round up of the new halloween Lush goodies! Let me know if you have tried any of these out as well!

My Overnight Stay At The University Arms Cambridge

A few weeks ago I decided to check into the University Arms* in Cambridge. The hotel was celebrating its 1st Birthday since it reopened last year so it seemed fitting that I should pay it a visit with the room prices being on offer! Having visited the restaurant Parkers Tavern in the hotel on multiple occasions it made me want to have the full experience of staying and dining at the hotel.



University Arms Cambridge was reborn in 2018 by architect John Simpson and interior designer Martin Brudnizki, offering 192 rooms and suites. The style is undeniably British. Classic Edwardian interiors are combined with bespoke, leather-padded writing desks, low ottomans and tiered chandeliers in playful colours and rooms full of natural light. We stayed in one of the Cosy rooms on the 6th floor of the Hotel. 



The colour scheme and attention to detail of the rooms creates a peaceful and relaxing space to wind down in after a busy day. It makes it the perfect retreat from the busy city without travelling out of it! My personal favourite part of the room was the ensuite, it couldn't have been more dreamy. With heated floors and fluffy bathrobes I was sold from first sight. The Dr Harris Perfumers toiletries smelt amazing and I wish you could buy them because I need that shower gel at home! Not forgetting to mention the marble surfaces and touches of gold.

After settling into our room we headed downstairs to Parkers Tavern to grab some dinner and a cocktail. We both decided to try out Tristan's Classic British Beef Spaghetti Bolognese and finished off with our own ice cream sundaes we customised to the final flourish. If you want to see more on my thoughts of Parker’s Tavern you can see a dedicated post to it a few months back on my blog!




After settling in after some cocktails in the bar we resided to bed, well fed and super relaxed. Though the thought of breakfast made me want morning to come around quicker! The breakfast set up was filled with so many yummy options I didn’t get many good photos of it. There were baskets filled with glorious pastries and bread for toast, on the other counter was a continental selection with cold meats and cheeses and the condiments for yoghurts and toast. We also had the option of hot buffet items under these food warmers, again I didn't manage to take my photos as I was too busy enjoying all the amazing food 😅.



After breakfast we sadly had to check out, I really didn't want to leave. We had such a lovely stay I will definitely be returning at some point! I must say that the breakfast was very kindly gifted by the Parkers Tavern team as they'd seen me posting about my stay but the rest of our stay we paid for!  

Cambridge Foodies Festival 2019

A few weeks ago I was very kindly invited along to the Foodies Festival in Cambridge. They are traveling around the UK so I would definitely recommend following on socials to see where they are heading to next. I went over three days as they kindly gifted me VIP tickets so I could explore their culinary delights. On the Thursday we were invited to an Influencer event sponsored by Just Eat and Mateus Rosé. It was so nice seeing so many familiar faces as well as some new ones!



On my first trip to the festival when it opened on the Friday I made a beeline straight for the Churros from Love Churros. Served from the back of a converted horse box these Instagram worthy sugary goodies were worth the stop! You can find them in London and pop ups so keep you eye out!



My dad who joined me on my trip took a big liking to a brewery called Small Beer Brew Co., which he discovered during one of the tasting sessions at the drinks theatre. They specialise in brewing beer that solely produces small beer 0.5-2.8% ABV. They were serving pints from the back of their Mini Bar which I thought seemed very fitting! Their brewery is based in South Bermondsey so if you are near by go check them out! 



Next up I visited my friends at Pasta Evangelist  who were serving up delicious pasta at the festival and showcasing their service. They are predominately a company that specialises if delivering pasta to homes across the UK to prepare with sauces and garnishes that all come along side the fresh pasta. You may have seen my post on them before when I ordered from them here. I devoured the Beef Shin Ragù with Tagliatelle. During my time at the festival they always seemed to be going down a storm!



The next day my first foodie find was The Meat Men. These guys know their meat, they were serving up steak in buns and let me tell you this was the best steak in a bun I think I'll ever have in my life! My sirloin was cooked to absolute perfection and I could have easily gone for seconds. If you have the chance to try their produce then do!

I followed my steak with a Duck Platter from Crispy Duck Rotisserie, which consisted of julienne cucumber, spring onion topped with crispy duck and house hoisin sauce all served with twice cooked duck fat chips. A few people with me also had the crispy duck wraps and really enjoyed them too! 

To end on a sweet note I went for a Lotus Biscuit Rolled Ice Cream from Sweet N Delish. Watching them being made is super mesmerising and I could watch them all day, but mine didn't hang around long as it nearly in the 30s and super sunny!



The Foodies Festival is heading to Edinburgh next on the 2nd-4th August! You can still get tickets here! I'm so grateful to have gotten to experience the festival and was kindly gifted the tickets.

*AD Gifted tickets but all the food at the event was paid for myself

Hola Las Iguanas Cambridge

On Tuesday I was kindly invited to go and check out the  Las Iguanas on the Quayside in Cambridge new makeover. I hadn't been a quite a few years so it was a nice way to go and try the restaurant again!

The positioning of the restaurant gives it the perfect view across the river to watch all the punts going by. The outdoor seating at the front of the restaurant is also great for any après work drinks during the summer months (especially with 2for1 cocktails!). There are so many drink options from cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine. I tried the Pink Guava Colada which was Malibu, Funkin guava, blackcurrant, coconut and pineapple. My friend Immy tried out the Raspberry Cooler mocktail, which was Funkin raspberry, bottlegreen elderflower and soda.

 

The food menu is broken down into different Latin American countries with so many different types of dishes to choose from. For my main course I went for the Marinated Steak Strip Fajita Stack which  consisted of their special mix of spices, onions & peppers. With guacamole, grated cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, roasted tomato salsa & soft wheat tortillas. I really like the options you get with having dishes you assemble yourself making it more of an experience. Immy went for the Gaucho Steak which is a 10oz sirloin steak sprinkled with ancho chilli salt, served with smoky herb chimichurri, Argentine-style roasted sweetcorn puree and she chose curly fries. 

 

After demolishing the main courses that were so delicious we moved onto the desserts. Again there were too many good options so we picked two and split them! We ordered six Churros which came with with chocolate ganache or dulce de leche and Brownie, Cookie & Ice Cream which was Warm gooey chocolate brownie pieces, vanilla ice cream & a dulce de leche cookie sandwich.

I often find the desserts can not always be the best in certain cuisines but Las Iguanas have nailed that course. All of our pudding was super delicious and could have eaten it all over again straight after we finished! The churros were so light and the chocolate dipping sauce was so moreish. I might go back soon just to have them again! 

Thank you again to the lovely team at Las Iguanas for a lovely evening! AD (It was kindly gifted) I'll definitely be back for more Churros and to try more of the cocktail menu!