As Mad as a Hatter

When it's someone very special's big 30th you have to celebrate it in a way that reflects their personality. So when my lovely friend Natalie reached this landmark we decided to arrange a surprise party that incorporated every aspect of life that she loves. Cue a Mad Hatter Themed Party with crazy costumes, delectable sweet treats, a good old English brew and plenty of laughter.

 

 

 

Natalie is a massive fan of the good old Afternoon tea and since she had made the trek all the way from Down Under we thought this would be the best way to celebrate. Donning our best hats (and wigs in my case) and after dressing Nat appropriately we headed off to the appropriately named Mad Hatters in Chester for her party.

 

 

I've been to Mad Hatters a couple of times and I must say the service leaves a little to be desired. The waiting on staff are great but the management not so much. That said they do a cracking afternoon tea at a reasonable price and the setting was perfect for our little celebration.

 

After panicking that Nat would arrive before we set up it all worked out ok and we cheered, clapped and drank to her success while eating some delicious goodies.

 

 

I cannot explain how hard it was to choose just one of those cupcakes but I opted for the Banoffee one in the end which turned out to be a good choice. They also do really gorgeous Macaroons and of course some killer scones!

 

 

 

My little man Riley drew the short straw and was surrounded by 10 giggling and gossiping women. As you can see he was won over with a Rolo Cupcake and even managed to muster up a kiss for the Birthday girl.

 

 

Having satisfied our sweet tooth's we took some suitably mad photo's and headed off for part two of Natalie's celebration (no camera's allowed). A fabulous afternoon for one of the most generous, loyal and beautiful women I know. Happy Birthday girl!

 

 

 

 



Eating too much in Rome - Part One

I haven't blogged in soo long, my apologies. I spent far too much time last year on dating (blog post to follow) and not enough doing the things that I love and make me happy. This is now my number one resolution for 2015.

 

Anyway May and June last year were a pretty crazy couple of months for me and one of the highlights was jumping on a plane to meet two of the best girls I know for a cheeky weekend in Rome. My friend Natalie came over from her homeland of Oz to visit us girls, have some adventures and make some amazing memories.

 

 

Part of the trip included her heading off with my sister for a rather amazing trip across Switzerland and Italy. While sadly I didn't have the time off work to join them on the entire trip I vowed to meet them in Rome for a food and fun fuelled weekend.

 

See I visited Rome back in 2006 and threw the obligatory coin in the Trevi meaning I was destined to return (at least that was my excuse)! Excited to see the city again I jumped on the plane, arriving in Rome early on Friday morning. We stayed in a little hostel by Rome's Termini which I managed to find without an Italian meltdown. Now I've never exactly been overjoyed at the thought of staying at a hostel but at £90 for 3-days and in a private triple room it was a pretty good deal.

Having meandered through the streets of Rome, reacquainting myself with the magical city (and Sephora obviously) I met the girls who were coming in from the breath taking Cinque Terre that night at Termini. Tales of a rather sweaty and stressful journey were told and we headed back to the hostel to recoup and get ready for our first day of Italian fun.

Rome is an absolutely awe inspiring city. As I've said I visited back in 2006 but never managed to make it to the Coliseum so this was top of the list for day one. After witnessing the queue for general admission we decided to pay the extra Euro's and join one of the many tours. I was a bit dubious at first but this turned out to be one of the best decisions of the holiday! Our tour guide Tiberius was one of the most welcoming, entertaining and intelligent men I have ever met. What he didn't know about the history of the city and in particular the Coliseum wasn't worth knowing.

 

 If you go to the Coliseum and Forum I would definitely recommend joining a tour not just for the queue jump but also for the vast wealth of information the tour guide can give you. Tiberius took us back to the days of the gladiators and really made us appreciate the beauty of this striking landmark.

 

 

Famished from our trek through the Coliseum and Forum we headed off in search of another amazing attraction in Italy: the food! I'd read a great review of a little restaurant called Colline Emiliane (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d696516-Reviews-Colline_Emiliane-Rome_Lazio.html) so we made a beeline for the place later on in the afternoon after the lunch time rush. The wonderful little restaurant, which serves typical fare from the Emilia region of Italy is just a stones throw for Piazza Barberini and I highly recommend it.

 

 

 

Having witnessed the vast array of mouth-watering desserts on offer as we entered the restaurant we decided to order some light pasta dishes so we could save ourselves for the main event.

 

 



 

Tortellini stuffed with butternut squash and bathed in Sage butter for Julie and I.

 

 

Along with a tomato and beef affair for Natalie. The pasta is handmade on the premises and while simple is absolutely delicious, perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.

 

 

The desserts however are where the Emilliane is really outstanding. Check out this little slice of heaven: a decadent, gooey pecan and honey pie with perfect vanilla ice cream, yum.

 

 

Oh and this indulgently rich chocolate and nut torte. It's safe to say we enjoyed every mouthful and I would personally return to this restaurant again and again. You just know the food is going to be good somewhere when it's packed with locals.

 

 

 

Being a massive street art fan I couldn't resist snapping some pics on the way back to the hotel. Like most cities the place is packed with amazing art pieces that you can enjoy without ever having to step into a gallery.

 

Check out the next post for more of our Italian adventure.

Food for Starving Artists

There's a little place loacted no International Drive called Tu Tu Tango and it is freaking amazing!

I originally visited the restaurant 8 years ago when I was on holiday with my ex. We had an amazing night there and I vowed ever since that one day I would return (dramatic I know).



Tu Tu Tango is basically a cosy little restaurant that prides itself on serving customers fantastic little small plates of Spanish style tapas to share. The food is absolutely delicious. I love tapas because I'm greedy and like to try a little bit of everything.

If this wasn't enough the restaurant also throws art into the mix. The walls are adorned with an eclectic mix of local artists work that you can purchase while dining there.

Said artists also visit regularly to create their masterpieces around you as you eat, drink and generally have a fab time. Tu Tu also has regular entertainment from bedazzled dancers to accoustic sessions.

So first lets talk about the food. There's something about being in the heat that makes you sadly less greedy than back in the cold UK. With this in mind we decided to share five of the most delectable looking dishes on the menu.

Spiced Alligator bites with a key lime mustard.

'Dynamite' Shrimp dressed in a sweet chilli aioli.

Spniach salad with strawberries, goats cheese, candied pecans and poppy seed vinigarette.

Argentinian style orange chimmichurri steak skewers with lemon-manchego grits (no picture for some reason).

And a mammoth serving of hummus served with oven toasted naan dippers.

The food was exceptional. Fresh and extremely flavoursome, the shrimp and salad were particularly good. And this place is not expensive with plates starting at just $5 and going up to $12.

I was looking to sample a cocktail but sadly I left my ID back at the villa which is a big no no in the states. In good old blighty I'm far too 'mature looking' for anyone to doubt I'm under 21!

Settling for sparkling water I checked out the multitude of art on offer. In the end, after pacing the place for what felt like an eternity I bought this little beauty.

Titled 'Learning to Stalk' by Barrows, I love the dark humour of this painting and will be proud to hang it on my wall with all the other art I have collected on my travels. I also watched this extremely talented chap painting up a monochrome storm. My favourite was undoubtedly the potrait of Dali.

On the way to the Ladies I noticed some sparkling creatures that turned out to be the dancers for the evening. Parading throught the restaurant they entertained the diners and brought another element to the night.

I wish there was a place like this in the UK that serves deilcious food  while supporting the work of local artists. If anyone knows of such a place please leave me a comment as I'd love to visit. Tu Tu Tango you have my heART. In the words of Arnie: "I'll be back!"

The Sunshine State

I can't believe we are already in June! I've been a very bad blogger recently and due to work/social commitments haven't posted anything in quite a while.

My apologies if you look forward to reading the blog and have been disappointed in the lack of content recently. I've had a crazy May and have been completely snowed under.

I have just returned from a well needed holiday, spending two blissful weeks in sunny Florida with family. This means I have plenty of amazing experiences to report on, yeah!

I arrived in Florida on 6th May and was all ready to set up a post when I realised I hadn't packed my laptop. Then to my horror my faithful Nikon had a meltdown on day two of the trip. Now this would usually send me over the edge and into a full, downward spiral of despair but I decided to embrace the time this break has allowed me to relax.

Anyway here are some of my favourite images from my holiday (taken on my iPhone and my sister's Lumix point and shoot). Mr Nikon is being repaired. More posts to follow.

Riley enjoying the plane journey.

Our lovely new home and ride for two weeks.

A very cheesy street name indeed!

Delicious Caribbean cuisine at Bahama Breeze.

Pool Time!

The sign that sums up how I feel about life.

Beautiful vintage cars.

Duff Land - I wish I could live here.

Amazing metal sculptures.

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Heaven is Discovery Cove.

Butter Beer in Harry Potter World - Florida how I miss you!!