Afternoon Tea by the Sea

I love Afternoon Tea. What's better than having a pot of tea followed by sandwiches and scones and then more sandwiches if you're feeling particularly peckish and finally finished off with some mini desserts. All whilst served on pretty China with minute jam pots and a sweet little cake stand that I have to resist not taking home with me. It's ok, I settle with taking all the desserts I couldn't quite manage home with me instead. It's so quintessentially British and quaint. 

My Grandmother treated my mum on her birthday to Afternoon Tea at The Roslin Hotel by the sea. Luckily for my brother and I we were invited along too. It was during the heat wave we had last week and we had a perfect spot by the window with a beautiful view. Plus we decided to throw a bottle of champagne into the proceedings too. As my mum put it, 'it would be rude not to!'. 

 

If anyone lives in the area I would highly recommend this hotel especially on a sunny day with a glass of bubbly. The location and choice of food, not to mention the spa treatments is has to offer is brilliant. The only minor gripe I had with the selection of tasty miniature offerings was the raisins in the scones. My plate looked like a raisin graveyard. Please think of those who like their scones sans raisins - Thanking you kindly.

Afternoon Tea wasn't the only sweet treat of the day. I ensured my Mum started her day with cake too as I bought her some delicious Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes.  Red Velvet, Black Bottom and Carrot Cake. It's safe to say we were full to the brim by the end of the day but definitely worth it. If not on your birthday then when can you? 

On a fashion side note, I made the most of the unusually hot weather and wore a Topshop floral midi dress with tie side detail . Unfortunately I didn't get a successful shot of the dress (Mother dearest isn't too snap happy but as it was her birthday I forgave her!) so please excuse this candid photograph. It's slightly out of my comfort zone as I wouldn't normally choose something quite so bold but I absolutely love the side detail with the contrasting pretty print.

Where would you recommend I go to Afternoon Tea next? I've got my eyes on the Mad Hatter's Tea at The Sanderson in London.

 

Alex x

The Drift Bar | Review

For me, going out in 'the city' on a Friday night is a pretty novel experience. I only work in London on the occasional Friday so it's nice to make the most of being in that neck of the woods. When my colleagues Gemma and Clare suggested we venture to a nice restaurant for dinner and drinks as a belated birthday do for me I couldn't wait.

After a few ideas were thrown around by Gemma we decided on The Drift Bar in Heron Tower - A quirky bar and restaurant not far from Liverpool Street. I would definitely recommend booking a table in advance as it was jam packed with young city workers looking for a cocktail to ease themselves into the weekend.

After ordering a bottle of Prosecco, it was a special occasion afterall, we set about the difficult task of ordering mains. I say difficult but I'm a big fan of the burger, wherever I go I can never stray away from either a chicken or beef burger and it seems this day was no exception. I had initially set my sights on the Club Sandwhich because that's oh so different. But alas no I went for the classic beef burger and I'm sad to say I was disappointed. It was a bit greasy and soggy and the brioche bun collapsed in my hands. Thank heavens this wasn't a first date scenario.

Three out of four of us decided on a sandwich/ burger and for being so adventurous(!) we accompanied our order with a trio of delicious fries. These weren't just any fries, oh no, they were as fancy as they come. Roman Fries with parmesan, truffle and rosemary, Cowboy Fries with honey, chili and garlic and Katsu Fries with Japanese curry sauce. I soon shotgunned the Roman Fries and kept them close by during the soggy burger fiasco. They were truly delicious and I'd quite like these with every burger I ever have.

The atmosphere was brilliant although I definitely found myself shouting at points. The general buzz of the place made it the perfect place for cocktails which is exactly what we did next. I do enjoy a dessert and my guilty pleasure of Creme Brulee was on the menu but the Love Potion cocktail served in a sweet little jug was a pretty good alternative so I soon got over the lack of pud.

I would definitely recommend The Drift Bar for evening drinks and for food during the quieter periods so you can make conversation with the person across the table from you.

Top Tip - Avoid the burger and go for one of the other mains, someone should be adventurous!

Please excuse the quality of these photos, my iPhone was not a good substitute for my usual digital camera!

Birthday Wishlist: 23

My birthday is fast approaching and to sooth the pain of turning 23 I decided to put together a birthday wish list. I'm such a trooper.
It feels like Christmas has only just been and gone so there isn't a great deal I'm loving at the moment. Instead there are a few bits that I 'need'. Floral suitcases and nude heels are definitely needed at this time of year what are you talking about?

Gold Frame Pinboard

I'm forever wanting to stick things on my walls - tickets, Polaroid photographs, memos and keep sakes but as my bedroom is still only newly decorated I don't want to ruin the walls with blu tac. I'm still scarred from having to painstakingly peel off a whole wall's worth of blue tac from my uni room.
So hurrah! I have found this brilliant alternative. A cork board is ideal for pinning anything up but when I stumbled across this on the 'New In' section on ASOS I immediately added it to my 'I must have this' list in my mind. It's such a cool twist on a classic pin board and makes a cluster of West End and Harry Potter Studio Tour tickets far neater!

Floral Suitcases

Bare with me here. They may seem like a ridiculous request on a birthday list but to convince myself I need them I have come up with two uses for these pretty kitsch cases! For one I need a new memory box. The one I have had since I was about 14 is full to the brim so the mini suitcase would be ideal for that. And secondly, the larger two are perfect for storing hair and make up products. See told you they were a necessity...

Mom Jeans

I have been wanting these jeans for a while now but I am very much a skinny jeans kind of girl. I think they'll be great when the weather gets a bit warmer to wear with little flats and a cropped striped top.

Real Techniques Make Up Brushes

I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about make-up but I do know that the Real Techniques brushes are amazing plus the whole blogging world rave about them so they must be good. I already own the Powder Brush and can't get over how soft it is so I feel I need to experience the rest of the collection!

Office Jitter Bug Heels

These shoes have been calling me for a while now but I already had a pair of nude heels that I loved so I couldn't justify it. Now, however, my beloved heels have suffered death by mud and dirt so it's definitely time to replace them. I love the height of them but the platform will make them easy (ish) to stride along in and the ankle strap adds extra support.

So there are a few things on my wishlist, I also would like an electric toothbrush but that's a little less exciting for you all...

Roll on March!