Bimbling in Bath

My boyfriend was treated to a weekend in beautiful Bath by his parents for completing his Masters degree and luckily for me he couldn't really go alone.

We stayed at The County Hotel and I can't begin to explain how lovely it was. From the location to the view from our window, everything was perfect.

It was only a 5 minute stroll to the main part of town and there we were spoilt for choice on places to eat. Having said that we ate at Bill's which although now a trendy place to dine, neither of us had been before so we decided to give it a go! The burger (surprise, surprise) didn't disappoint and neither did the sneaky little glass of wine.

It was a beautiful evening and we saw Bath in all it's pretty glory. The next day it poured down so it's a good job we took photographs when we did.

The following morning we went to the famous baths. They were right in the centre of the town which isn't at all how I imagined them. They didn't disappoint though and we spent hours wondering around listening to the audio describing each section of the historical setting. It's crazy to think that they haven't yet discovered all of the baths and they could still be lying beneath the streets of the city. I'd like to go back in years to come and see what else has been excavated.

We couldn't go to Bath and not walk to see the Royal Crescent. I didn't realise it would be such a climb but it was worth it as the Red Arrows flew over in formation just as we collapsed on the green in the photo above. I didn't manage to get a photo of them but they seemed to arrive just in time as the sky took a turn for the worse.

That night we went for a dinner at a place called The Stable which had been recommended to us. They have a few restaurants that are mainly located on the South Coast. Heading downstairs into what felt like a cosy basement we were lucky enough to get the last table. Jonny was over the moon at the idea of getting 5 randomly selected ciders to taste while I was more interested in the crazy pizza toppings on offer. In the end I went with roast lamb with sweet potato and caramelised onions. Pretty much a roast dinner on a pizza, it doesn't get much better than that.

I would definitely recommend The Stable if you're visiting Bath, great location and even better grub.

All in all a beautiful city which I would recommend to everyone and I'm hoping for another visit next summer.

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!