Weekly Update!

Domestic Goddessing, Spa Days & Nights In!

This week has been quite fun, as I had stuff to do on a couple of the nights for a change. Monday and Tuesday were quiet, except the usual meal at Hale Country Club on Tuesday, where I had mackerel, orange and chilli nigiri sushi, accompanied by baked cod in miso-yuzu with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and spring onion. I am not usually a fan of mixing sweet and savoury things, but the orange added a really nice flavour to the mackerel sushi, and the miso-yuzu sauce on the cod was incredible, it gave a new twist to the normally common and plain tasting fish.

On Wednesday I fancied playing domestic goddess after work, so made a Greek lamb pie with Greek salad followed by crème brulee, for Mum, Mo and I. The pie was basically lamb mince, ratatouille (home-made of course!) and a few other vegetables that were lying around all chucked together in a pie to fry off, and then put in a dish and topped with puff pastry. It was quick and simple to make, yet felt like I had made an effort, and got good feedback from the taste testers! Unfortunately the brulees didn't go quite as well, as I failed to make them in advance as planned, so had to put them in at the same time as the pie, and the oven was too hot for them, resulting in a slightly scrambled consistency. Luckily they still tasted fine, and the top was perfectly crackable with blow-torched sugar, which is my favourite part!

On Thursday evening after work Emily, Ellie and Jason came round to mine for some predrinks and then we went out to Factory in Manchester. It was Emily's and Jason's day off, and Ellie had handed her dissertation in that day, so everyone was pretty drunk, I felt like the sensible one for a change! I had tea and crumpets before bed when I got in, so felt positively peachy the following morning, even if I did struggle to stay awake in my (really dull and totally unenergetic)Pilates class. 

After my class I went to look around the flat I've been coveting since I saw it last week, and signed the contract to reserve it, so I am now an official homeowner, very exciting! That evening Mo and I stayed in and had a little feast including cheesy nachos, Krispy Kremes and jelly sweets - I've not had a night with so much bad food in for ages, it was bliss!

On Saturday I paid to take Mo as a guest to the country club - we both did separate workouts, and then met up to do all of the sauna, steamroom, jacuzzi etc which was fun, and a cool different thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. We stayed in again that evening and had a bottle of wine and watched a film, I think because I went out on Thursday I felt like I had an extended weekend, so wasn't too bothered about not going out again.

Today we have been to the point to point horse racing at Tabley House (see previous post) which was been loads of fun; the rest of the gang have just left after an amazing Indian feast courtesy of mum including home-made onion bhajis, poppadoms, and two types of curry. A genuinely really enjoyable weekend!

Days Out...

The Cheshire Hunt Point To Point, Tabley House

Today we've had a really good day out at the races. Although not a 'proper' meet, it was a Point to Point, where amateur riders and those involved in local hunts race over jumps to the finish. It is a little less formal than a traditional race meet (no hats or heels here - wellies and Barbours all the way!) but you still win the same, so it's all good!

We took a little picnic and set up a table with the goodies on. It was pretty chilly, but luckily a kind gentleman strategically parked his Jeep as a windbreak for us. There were six races in total, but it started pouring down before the last one, so we skipped that and went home for a curry.

The first and second races Dad and I split on, choosing Bleu Run and Fineas Finn, neither of whom won, despite the latter being second for the whole course, obviously peaked too early. The third race I went for Our Jim, who was first the whole way and then fell at the last post! The horse that Mo backed, Ganbei, won though, so I'll let mine off. I had a big win on Natural Action in the next race, as it was 14/1 so I came away with £39, giving me a £20 profit on bets, woop!  Finally I chose Joe's A Boy, who was at 6/1, but didn't come anywhere near. Can't complain after my decent win though, everyone else about broke even, though Mo was in the minus. It's always a great day out, loads of fun, and you get to have a few bevvies and some nibbles. Shame about the weather not being that nice!

Candid Article 28

Here is a link to my latest Candid piece, a review of a documentary called 'Planet Ocean':
http://candidonline.com/dvd-review-planet-ocean/

Weekly Update!

A Pub Reunion, Tatton Walk & Flat Viewing!

It was nice to ease back into routine this week with Aum being back at school, certainly gave me more time to myself! Aside from that though, it also meant I could get back into the gym properly, I have just three weeks left now until my triathlon, so training is in full swing. On Monday I did a Body Pump class, and then caught up with a few errands that got neglected last week as I was so busy at work. The following day I did an hour long cycle, though unfortunately the film was Saving Private Ryan, which isn't the most motivational, or easy to just see an hour in the middle of! 

That evening Aum and I ate at Hale Country Club; this week I chose a quinoa, green bean and teriyaki beef salad, with a side of edamame beans in a chilli dressing. The salad was very nicely presented, and had a surprising amount of meat in it, I never know what to expect with the dishes there, as some have been tiny and others too much for me to eat! It also had spring onion, pepper, chilli and lime juice on it so felt quite summery and refreshing. 

As I am there every week, the staff always chat to me and are very friendly, and this week I was brought out a sample of some edamame beans in a new lime, ginger and honey dressing. I actually preferred them to the ones I had ordered, as the sweetness of the honey was counteracted with the zestiness of the lime, and they were much more flavoursome than the chilli version. I suppose it would depend on how subtle you like the dressing to be.

On Wednesday I had a meeting with my building society about obtaining a mortgage, which is all very exciting. Though I can't get the amount I initially wanted, it is enough for a flat (as opposed to my plan of a terraced house) so when I met my parents afterwards for a coffee we had a look at what was available, and I set up a couple of viewings. It will be very strange looking around somewhere as a potential buyer rather than just giving a second opinion on somewhere my parents are thinking of getting. That evening after an amazing chocolate summer berry pavlova made by mum, I did another cycle and reached a personal best which is always an accomplishment, this time the film was Invictus, which was surprisingly gripping for a film on rugby, which I have absolutely no interest in!

Thursday was a lovely day, I went for a relaxing sauna and jacuzzi at the gym in the morning, followed by my first swim in ages, which actually went pretty well. Then I met my friend Kirsty for cake and a catchup (see previous post) and in the evening I had my nails done (as I was having both done I went for a contrast, with pale pink fingers and neon pink toes) and then went to The Little B in Sale to do the pub quiz. As is usually the case we didn't do amazingly, but it's always the taking part that's the fun bit anyway!

On Friday I felt a bit ill so skipped my Body Combat class, which is a shame as it is one of my favourites. I perked up in the afternoon though, and by the evening was ready for a couple of drinks with two of the girls I used to work with at the pub. We went to Hogan's in Hale, which was dead when we arrived at 8pm, but livened up as the night went on, and I bumped into Tasha there which was pretty funny - we shouted at each other and practically the whole place turned to look at us, whoops! I wasn't out too late, and got a lift home from Mo who then stayed at mine.

Yesterday was my favourite day of the week, as not only was the sun shining, but after a good brunch of fried eggs and toast, I went for a lovely walk around Tatton Park with Mo, (stopping for an ice lolly halfway) and then on the way home we called into The Bells Of Peover, a gorgeous pub set next to a church in really beautiful surroundings. I got a glass of wine and we sat on a table in a secluded little bit of grass next to a pagoda and some weeping willows and just soaked up the sun and had a natter. I've got quite a lot done this week, so I felt like I could completely chill out and not have to worry about anything. In the evening after I had driven us home I went to watch a good production of Spring Awakening with Hannah (see previous post) and then we grabbed a quick drink at Hale Bar and Grill before I stayed at Mo's for the night.

Today has been quite a lazy day, I left Mo's just after midday, and came home as I had my first flat viewing. I tried to keep an open mind with it being the first one, but I love it! I've got a few more next week though, so I'll wait until I've got ones to compare it to before making a decision. Afterwards I came home and chilled out, I attempted to write an article on a documentary I had been given to watch, but my internet was playing up and after I had only seen three minutes in an hour, I decided to give it a miss! I'm just about to go round to Mo's to watch Wreck It Ralph, aided with chocolate buttons, good end to a good week!

Spring Performances...

Spring Awakening

Last night my friend Hannah and I went to The Kings Arms in Salford to watch a performance of Spring Awakening by Assembled Junk productions, Directed by James Baker. I heard about it as my friend Rick (who directed me in a performance of Twelfth Night at university) was one of the cast members, playing Georg, and as Hannah is a massive fan of the musical, she came along with me to support him.

I'll be honest, I am not a lover of musicals. I usually find them a bit twee and awkward, and I also had no idea about the storyline in Spring Awakening, so I didn't really know what to expect. Hannah gave me a brief breakdown before we went in, informing me that it was quite rocky and had a lot of sex in it, so sounded like my kind of thing!

The space it took place in was very small, there were only 40 members in the audience, and a live band took up most of one end of the room. The cast was made up of thirteen, who were on stage altogether at various points throughout, so you can imagine that it was quite an intimate show - at one point characters were sat on audiences knees, and singing right in their faces which was entertaining!

The plot is basically about a group of teenagers coming to terms with growing up and discovering their sexuality; and ambitiously tackles topics such as suicide, domestic and sexual abuse, self harm, masturbation and homosexuality, amongst others. It is set in Germany in 1935, and the attitudes to such issues reflect this - the leading girl Wendla Bergmann (played by Francesca Swarbrick) begs her mother in the first scene to tell her how babies are made, to which she is told that a woman must love her husband with all of her heart. Wendla later is completely confused when she becomes pregnant after having sex with lead boy Melchior Gabor (Matthew Kirk), and tragically dies when a backstreet abortion she is forced into by her mother, goes wrong.

This is not the only tragic occurrence in the musical, there are many heart wrenching examples of when the teenagers closeted lives cause them suffering, and all were performed with utmost sincerity and really evoked empathy with the audience. This performance of Spring Awakening was both hilariously funny, and desperately sad, and was a testament to why independent theatre companies really should get more praise and coverage than they do. I would definitely attend another musical or play if I saw it was by the same team, and I was hugely impressed with Rick's portrayal of his character - I didn't know he was such an awesome singer!

New Tastes...

And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon - Didsbury

Yesterday I went to see my friend Kirsty in Didsbury, as she has just moved into a new flat there. We have been meaning to get together for a while, as we are friends through mutual friends, and have never actually met up just the two of us. She recommended a cafe on Burton Road that we could go to that specialises in cakes and afternoon teas, and never one to turn down some baked goodies, I was looking forward to it all morning.

We arrived at about half past one, and were the only people in there. The cafe is fairly small, with four little tables, and has a cosy vintage feel, with chequered tablecloths and decorative glass cake stands displaying the wares available to buy, and various mismatched jars of tea leaves and sweets along the walls. We had a look at what was on offer, and I eventually went for a salted caramel hot chocolate and a cupcake named 'The Nutty Professor'. The hot chocolate was delicious, very creamy with a tantalising froth on the surface, sprinkled with salt flakes (don't knock it until you've tried it!) and was the perfect temperature to dive straight in. The cake was chocolate flavoured, with a Nutella filling in the centre, topped with  Nutella buttercream and sprinkled with chopped nuts. The actual sponge was slightly smaller than in previous establishments I have visited, but it was the perfect portion as combined with the topping and centre would have been too sickly any larger.

Kirsty had a pot of Fruit Punch tea, which was very pretty as it was served in a glass teapot, displaying the bright pink brew inside with dried fruit floating in it. She accompanied the tea with a slice of Chocolate Beetroot Cake, which despite the name apparently didn't taste of beetroot, nor was it pink, yet the addition of the vegetable made the sponge very moist. 

After finishing and chatting for a while, we decided to be naughty and opt for a second treat. We both chose the Lemon Bakewell slice, which was exactly the same as a traditional Bakewell (pastry, jam, and almond sponge topped with icing and almonds) except for the replacement of the usual raspberry jam for lemon curd. It made for a more refreshing version of the classic, with a pleasant zingy aftertaste. I ordered a pot of English Breakfast tea to accompany the slice, which complimented the flavour really well.

I realised that we had got carried away and had to dash off to collect Aum from school, but I was very impressed with the quaint little tea room. Despite it's emptiness initially, a number of people came whilst we were there, some for takeaway orders, and a couple who sat in as well. The waiter behind the counter was continually busy cooking in the kitchen in the back, so even alone we didn't feel intruded upon at all. 

Overall mine came to £9.20 which I thought very reasonable for two cakes, a drink and a full pot of tea (I got nearly 3 cups out of it), though I did have to pay 50p to use my card - not that that is worthy of grumbling! It's a lovely place to meet with friends, I think I'll take my mum here sometime, especially as I am currently flathunting, and one potential is conveniently around the corner...

Weekly Update!

Skating, Pizzas & Takeaway

This week Aum has been off school, so we've had some fun. On Monday we went ice skating which was quite an experience! I have been a few times before, but it was Aum's first go, so it was pretty difficult as I had to skate really slowly next to him, and stay stable if he fell to pick him up. After a couple of hours he had got the hang of it quite a bit though, so it will be interesting to take him again sometime to see how much he can improve. 

On Tuesday he had golf in the morning so I had chance to get to the gym. In the afternoon I picked him up and collected his friend and we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. I had the buffet which I have never done before, it's such good value! It was £6.99 for all you can eat, and includes two types of pasta, four types of pizza and a decent salad buffet too. Afterwards I took them home and they just played on the Wii until his friend was collected.

On Wednesday my mum was off work and my grandpa had come to stay, so with them and Aum I went through to my Aunty Sarah's house in Chorley, where my two cousins were off school and were being looked after my my grandparents - proper family reunion! We had some lunch and then went to Worley Park which is huge and has mini golf and a miniature train as well. Afterwards we went to Puddletown Pirates, a play area at Botany Bay, which was really good and only £3.50 which I thought was brilliant. That evening I forced myself to the gym and got a personal best on my cycling, so it was worth the effort!

On Thursday Aum had golf again and then he had another friend round, this time I took them to Pizza Express. It was awful for me as I was dining out in Manchester that night, so had to sit through them eating tasty pizza with nothing in front of me! It was worth the wait though, as Australasia was really tasty (see previous post). I also had a bit of a shopping splurge and bought a gorgeous leather jacket (£71.50 from £225), and some lace up Kurt Geigers (£29 from £150) in the Asos sale - bargains!

On Friday I had a lazy day at work and then in the evening I went out for some drinks at Costello's in Goose Green with Rick A. We had a good catchup and a laugh, and I got far too drunk, to the extent that my neighbour who is 18 had to walk me home when she bumped into me getting out of the taxi!

Yesterday I saw Mo for a while during the day, and then went for a run and Lydia popped round in the evening. We watched rubbish TV and got a Chinese takeaway, and just chilled out which was nice, and good for my purse as I am so skint at the moment! Today I have done lots of little jobs, such as setting up my charity donation page (www.virginmoneygiving.com/SophiaMiles), cleaning my room and the rabbit, and I made a tasty cherry clafoutis, even if we had to salvage it to begin with as mum put it under the grill by mistake!

New Tastes...

Australasia, Manchester

Last night Hannah, Abi, Tasha and I went to Australasia in Spinningfields in Manchester. I have wanted to go for ages, especially as Aum has been a few times and told me about some of the tasty things he has had there. It is a bit more highly priced than a standard restaurant so we wanted to go for a slightly special occasion. Abi is about to move to London for a while, so we thought a 'last supper' would be an appropriate reason to venture there.

We booked a table a week in advance (places go quickly) for 8pm, and got the metro there as it is a short walk from either Deansgate-Castlefield or St Peters Square. The doorway is a glass pyramid that opens to reveal a stairway down underground, and we had our coats taken and were given a table at the foot of the stairs, right in the centre of the bar and restaurant areas, which was a great position. The table and chairs are in quite a relaxed, almost outdoor style, with pale wickerwork and big squishy cushions to sink into.

We were given the food and drinks menus, and shortly afterwards brought an iPad to show us the expansive wine and champagne list, which could be organised by price, region, or colour. This was a pretty novel idea and at first I thought it seemed a little show-offy, but when I saw the amount available it did make sense rather than printing a 20 page menu for each table. We opted for a bottle of an Italian white, which was one of the cheapest, but not the house, priced at £20. It was medium dry, and had a really lovely subtle fresh taste that was perfect when sampling lots of different food as we were.

The waiter was very attentive, and explained the concept of the dishes to us; there is the choice of getting a small plate and a large one (equivalent to a starter and main) as in a traditional restaurant, or if there as a group as we were, it is recommended that each person chooses two or three small dishes as a main and they are brought out all at once and shared in a tapas style.

We decided to do this and get a starter as well, so chose a big sharing platter of fourteen pieces of mixed sushi, the contents of which vary everyday dependent on the chefs' recommendations. Ours included California rolls and nigiri with salmon, yellowfin tuna, and kingfish, garnished with vegetables made to look like flowers. It arrived after about twenty minutes which I thought was perfect, and was an ideal size for four of us to have a nibble yet not get too full.

About fifteen minutes after that had been cleared away our 'mains' arrived. I got soft shell crab tempura with courgette flowers which was beautiful! There were four crab legs and then a few deep fried flowers, so it wouldn't have been enough on its own, but together with the bok choi (I love this stuff!) in oyster sauce that I chose as well it was spot on.

The girls got a variety of other small dishes including teriyaki beef skewers, prawn tempura, squid tempura, spicy chicken skewers, chilli edamame beans and pork wontons. Noone had any complaints, it was all gorgeous.

The others got another bottle of wine, but I was driving so got a fruit juice instead. Not wanting to ruin my experimental streak so far, I went for apple, carrot and ginger juice, which was unlike anything I have had before. I drank it all but wasn't too sure of the taste, I think it was slightly too gingery for me.

Abi and I shared a dessert of sweet sushi which was incredible, the rice was sweetened like rice pudding and rolled with fruit in the middle, garnished with a peanut brittle type horn filled with cream and fruit. There were also two pieces that tasted like apple pie; pastry rolled with chopped apple in the centre dusted with cinnamon.

We sat and chatted for a while after we had finished eating and then asked for the bill, my section of which came to £38 with a tip, which I was more than satisfied with for what I had eaten. Unlike a few other high end restaurants I have been to, we were not made to feel like we were being rushed so they could reuse the table, they simply waited for us to go over to collect our coats and bid us farewell.

Overall this was a very pleasurable dining experience, luxurious yet comfortable surroundings, great service and delicious food, I can't wait to have another occasion to go back for. On a weekend it turns into a 'club' later on, which I can't imagine, but I am definitely willing to give it a try, especially as some of the cocktails on the menu looked very tempting!

Candid Article 27

Photography Focus: Eric Bascoul

Recently I was lucky enough to find myself in Paris, and went along to an exhibition by French photographer Eric Bascoul with a friend who had been invited by him at a previous meeting. As the result of the artist winning a competition, he was given the use of the Centre Des Arts Holistiques accueil on Rue Paradis in which to showcase some of his work. The environment was very relaxed and informal (we took our shoes off upon entry!)and the man himself was wandering around telling people about his interests and experiences, which produced a welcoming vibe.  

Bascoul’s style is very simple, modern and fresh, using local people and places as inspiration for his pieces. In his photographs such as my personal favourite, ‘Flux’, he uses bright injections of colour and blurring techniques to make mundane, everyday occurrences like using an escalator, riding a bike or jumping on a train appear interesting and beautiful. He makes a point of not individualising the subjects that appear, by taking their picture from behind, or blurring out their faces. Rather than for issues of privacy, he commented that this was to stress the anonymity of the public to observers, and also produces a more natural result, as when using a subway for example; it is only the back of people that a person sees.

Another of his projects focuses on the reflections of things and people created in puddles and areas of water in the city. He joked that he was very lucky with the success of these, as he had a limited number of shots available due to his battery pack freezing in the -15 degree temperatures that he worked in!

Drawing a conclusion on his work from these two examples, it could be assumed that all of Bascoul’s photographs appear rather abstract and obscure, but that is not to say that that is the case for his entire portfolio. His piece entitled ‘Fata Morgana’ is more impressionistic in style, and shows a man viewing a bridge from the riverbank.

Upon chatting with him about his methods, Eric said that he doesn’t look through the lens whilst taking his photos, as then it gives his work a freedom that wouldn’t be achieved if he was trying too hard to get the perfect shot.

The photographer, who is from South-West France originally, has recently been awarded a prize by Nike and the magazine ‘Photo’ for his work, meaning collaborations with French publication ‘Liberation’ as well as ‘Cosmopolitan’ are currently in the pipeline. All of the pictures portrayed here are available to view in collections at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. 

Weekly Update!

Triathlon Attempts & Poptastic!

This week's post is going to be rather short, mainly due to the fact that I was struggling to come up with anything to write about previously this week, so had to use things I would normally natter on about in my Weekly Update as individual entries. However, on Monday evening I watched the new Game Of Thrones (very good) and on Tuesday I attempted my first try at the full distance cycle/ run for my triathlon. I did the 23km cycle but couldn't complete the run, though I still managed 4km out of 5.6km so was happy with my performance. In the afternoon I went for a nice coffee with Abi as she was off to Spain on holiday on Wednesday.

On Wednesday I had a really tasty tea of black pudding with chorizo, potatoes with bacon, and a fried egg, and then Mo came round for the evening. On Thursday I had my nails done a nice dark grey with metallic glitter over the top, and then drove down South for a couple of days (see previous post).

I got back yesterday and had time to get ready fairly speedily before heading out for the night. A massive group of us went round to my friend Ellie's for pre drinks, and then we got a minibus to Poptastic in town. I genuinely had one of the best nights in a long time, it was lovely catching up with people I don't see very often, and then Poptastic was playing some really old school songs and drinks were only £1.80. Definitely can't complain! 

Today I stayed in bed until 1pm, then lounged around this afternoon before Mo came round and we had an amazing roast dinner complete with rhubarb crumble and custard for dessert. I may be back at work tomorrow, but that took my mind off it for a good half an hour!

Traveller's Tales...

Oxfordshire & The Cotswolds

I have just returned from a lovely couple of days in Sibford Ferris and Kingham in Oxfordshire and the Cotwolds. As is practically tradition now I was staying with university friends, and arrived at Timna's in the early evening on Thursday. She had a couple of old school friends round, and we were originally intending to go out in Banbury, but the energy levels were low, so we decided to stay in and have some food and drinks at home instead. I got pretty drunk actually, and we went through some bizarre concoctions due to running out of booze, including brandy and lemonade, and ginger wine!

The following morning I had a pleasant lie in and then we lounged about for pretty much the whole day! It is really nice to chill out though, especially as Timna's house is a cottage with a lovely open fire, so it always feels nice and homely and cosy. We eventually got dressed and presentable, and I went with Timna, her brother Laurie and her friend Sam to her old school to play squash. After previous attempts at uni, I made the sensible decision to sit out the playing and partake in a bit of observation, which was definitely less tiring too!

I left at about half seven and drove to Daylesford, a gorgeous cafe/ deli/ farm shop that I have been to a couple of times before as it is a Laura Lane favourite (who I was meeting). This time was different though as it was for an evening meal, which they only serve on a Friday and Saturday, and it was a really nice experience. The menu is kept very simple with a minimal choice of starters and mains, and you have to book as at times it can get very busy due to its exclusivity. This night we were lucky as there weren't many people there, and because the clocks recently changed the lighting was dimmed which is really pretty in the main dining hall as it has huge windows and high ceilings with beams. 

We got a mixture of bread to share (I had one with dates and walnuts in, which was incredible!) and they were served with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I chose a steak for my main course so opted for red wine to accompany it, and the meat was served with broccoli, roast potatoes and a gorgeous creamy mushroom sauce on the side in a jug. Portions were very generous and staff attentive to our every need. I chose not to get a dessert as nothing took my fancy (although the Christmas pudding baked alaska did pique my curiousity) but Laura and her fiancé Dickon got an espresso each, and with a tip mine came to £28 which I thought was very reasonable for the quality of my meal. I was actually quite surprised as I had been warned it would be pricey.

Afterwards we went back to Laura's and watched a film accompanied by Dickon's famous Caipirinha's and sweet and salty popcorn (it's a revolution, try it!). The following morning we went for a nice stroll around the grounds of the boarding school that Laura's parents reside in, and then I set off at 2pm after some lunch in the sunshine. A lovely jaunt as usual!

New Tastes...

Gusto, Didsbury

With it being a Bank Holiday yesterday, Tasha, Lydia, Abi and I decided to go out for lunch. A few places were suggested before we decided on Gusto in Didsbury for a change of scene. We ate in the Knutsford one back on the August Bank Hol, so it seemed appropriate too! We parked nearby and sat in a high booth which was cosy, and the atmosphere in there was really nice, busy but not so heaving that we found it difficult to flag a waiter down when needed.

We got a glass of wine each (a little pricey at £7 a go), and ordered some starters to share. Abi and I had king prawns in a creamy tomato sauce served with crunchy bruchetta, while Tasha and Lydia opted for the garlic bread with cheese, which was a pizza style one. We were served at a nice pace, and it was all really well presented. We were asked if we needed anything, and then checked back upon to make sure it was all up to scratch, which I always like in a restaurant.

We waited fifteen minutes in between starter and main, which I thought was a good length of time to have a bit of a rest and get your mouth watering for the next course. I chose a mushroom risotto with added pancetta which was delicious, although given that I had a starter I wish I had stuck to my original decision and got a small portion, as it was pretty dense so super filling. Tasha had roast duck with white beans, Abi had a scallop and pancetta salad and Lydia had spaghetti carbonara, and all said it was really good, although Abi did comment that her salad had a little too much vinaigrette on it.

Afterwards we were tempted by dessert, but I settled for a cup of tea instead. All in all with a tip mine came to £27 which I thought was perfectly satisfactory, and we all left thoroughly stuffed and suitably tipsy (the non-drivers of course!)