It’s all about Cahoots!

Soho’s new underground, tube themed bar has officially opened. So last night I headed back to the 1940’s to see what all the fuss was about. 

In an old air raid shelter in soho, you will find a secretive yet stylish, post war bar. That is, IF you can find it.

It's hard to get in without a reservation because the bar has only just opened and it's still extremely popular but we tried anyway and luckily we made our way underground. 

Take your ticket to the ticket inspector who will buzz you through to the train. 

Inside, it’s pretty cool but I don’t want to spoil too much because I think the beauty about this place is that it’s different, quirky and almost a bit taboo. You do feel like you’re in a speakeasy.

Apart from the atmosphere being electric, the cocktails are incredible.

Drinks can be served in Thermos flasks, milk bottles and goblets with drink ingredients ranging from oxo cubes to the sweetest mouth-watering cocktails I have ever tried.

Feeling peckish, we even ordered something from the rations menu.

Cheese and pickle sandwiches and crisp and salad cream ones too.

This bar is great but hats off must also go to the staff as well who are brilliant. Attentive and friendly they whizz around the place always in character and ensuring that you are having a ‘swinging’ good time. 

My advice is to try and book a reservation as early as you can. They don’t really let you in without one.
It's only been open for 2 weeks and already the waiting list extends until the end of May

However, I was still advised to try on the day and I’m so glad I did. Eventually the kind chap on the door let us through and even managed to find us a table.

So if you can’t get a reservation, just show up and smile sweetly at the man on the door. 

And don’t forget to ‘Follow the Trains’. 

V Festival Day 2

Yesterday I left you, somewhere on the main stage, dancing away to Bob Marley's band.
On Sunday morning, I grabbed us a coffee and some bacon sandwiches to help us start our day.

Sunday provided us with another great line up with performances from Train, Rizzle Kicks, Tinie Tempah, Jason Derulo, Chase and Status and Rita Ora. Not forgetting 'The Killers' who were head lining on the main stage.

After a spot of rain we made our way to the main stage to watch Train.

And by this point the sun was finally making it's way through the clouds.

We spent most of sunday, running from stage to stage, trying to see as many artists as possible.

Back at the MTV Stage, a huge crowd had gathered to watch Tinie Tempah.
I really don't think I can physically put into words how incredible the atmosphere here was. Everyone in the crowd seemed to move as one. Now I am not exactly Tinie's biggest fan but there is no denying how incredible a performer he is.
He had everyone in the palm of his hand during his set, the crowd moving like a wave rather than individuals.

The great thing about V or any festival is that you get to see so many artists (I know that's stating the obvious) but for anyone who thinks that festivals are expensive; just think about how many artists you can see and compare that to what they would charge for their individual concerts.
Doesn't seem too much anymore.

Back on the main stage, 'The Killers's wowed us with old classics like 'Somebody told me', 'Smile like you mean it' and 'Human' but I'm sure you know what everyone was really waiting for.

Just after the final song, the lights went down and slowly but surely the crowd started to cheer....'Brightside, Brightside.' Getting louder until finally the lights came up and Jimmy Carr was standing centre stage.
It wasn't until after that I realised, The Killers always have a special guest. This time,  Jimmy Carr took to the stage and introduced the song we had been waiting all night to hear.......'Mr Brightside'.

It was an amazing end to what has been one of the best weekends.
I think it's safe to say that my first festival was a success and what a great one to start with. I'm hooked to say the least and a couple of us are already planning where and what to do next year.

Of course, suggestions are always welcome.

V festival

At the start of the year I made some resolutions and rather than do the usual ‘give up this, give up that’ I decided to make the list a bit more of a ‘bucket list', filling it with things to do, adventures to be had and first experiences to enjoy. 

Going to a festival was on the top of my list and I finally got to tick that off when a few of us went to V Festival this summer.

We arrived early on the Friday and pitched our tents, making sure we had a good spot. After greeting our neighbours and having a few cheeky drinks we decided to explore.

I was surprised at how big V Festival was and how many little stalls, fairground rides and food carts there were. 

As there is no live music on the Friday evening, V hold a silent disco in one of the larger tents.

After partying in the Silent Disco tent till the early hours of the morning we retreated back to our tents for the night.

On Saturday morning we woke up a little worse for wear, grabbed a coffee and planned who we wanted to see that day.

We grabbed some food, a few beers and made our way into the arena.
Stopping off at the different fancy dress tents to try on some of their very silly hats.

 Dancing along to 'The Wailer's, Bob Marley's band.

On the Saturday we saw Pixie Lott, Kaiser Chiefs, Blondie, The Wailers, Justin Timberlake who I thought stole the show. He might not be everyone's cup of tea but boy did he put on a show.

More on the V Fest shenanigans tomorrow. 

Take me to the Water

When I last saw you, we were quad biking through the dusty roads and getting rather muddy, so on our next day in Turkey we decided we needed something a little more relaxing….a boat trip.

Up fairly early again, we wandered down to the beach and boarded a boat for the day. We were surprised at how quiet our boat was and so took to sunbathing on the top deck.

The water was crystal clear and it reflected the brightest shade of blue I've ever seen.
It wasn't long before we were sailing along to our first stop.

As the sun in Turkey reached almost 40 degrees, you did not have to tell us twice to jump in.

The water was cold but fresh.

For our next stop, we went to a place called 'Butterfly Island'.
Our driver told us you could trek half an hour up to the waterfall to see the butterflies but as we had only an hour, we decided to snorkel instead. 

And relax too. 

The chef on board cooked some lunch on the barbecue and we eat happily, knowing we had nothing to do for the rest of the day.

Our next stop was at 'St Nicholas Island'. We were told that the view from the top was worth the steep climb and that on a clear day you could see the island of Rhodes.
Naturally I had to see this view.

On the way, we stopped to take pictures of the church ruins and got a little carried away shall we say....

These are some of my favourites photos I took on the holiday.
Our last stop of the day was to a little cove, where because of a natural spring, the water was meant to be quite cold.
Let me tell you now that cold was an understatement......it was freezing.

I promise you I'm in there somewhere.
After a wonderful day at sea, we went back to our favourite restaurant by the beach.

I thoroughly recommend Turkey for any kind of Summer Holiday. Whether you are looking
for a bit of adventure or simply want to relax on the beach, there is something here for everyone.

The question is, where will we go next?

Oscar Wilde Afternoon Tea

Tea consumption increased quite dramatically during the early nineteenth century when Anna, the 7^th Duchess of Bedford is said to have complained of ‘having that sinking feeling’ during the late afternoon.

  The solution was for the Duchess to have a pot of tea and a light snack in her boudoir during the afternoon.
After returning to London the Duchess would invite her friends round for “tea and a walking the fields”. It wasn’t long before other social hostesses quickly picked up on the idea and all of the fashionable society were sipping tea and nibbling sandwiches.

Many people who visit the UK still image that we are a nation where ‘at half-past three, everything stops for tea’. Sadly Afternoon Tea in London is quite expensive and is usually reserved as an occasional luxury, a Birthday Treat and so on. 

However my Mum and I feel that Afternoon Tea is our treat to one another.
We love deciding where we will go next, which hotel’s tea we haven’t tried and even though it can be expensive; The Ritz charges £58 per person for traditional afternoon tea (not including champagne) There are still offers to be had and other hotels that are worth trying.

   So with that in mind, Mum and I decided to visit ‘The Café Royal’ for an Oscar Wilde themed tea. 

Inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and in celebration of it’s return to the West End, Café Royal have created a witty and rather interesting menu. 

The sandwiches were very different to anything I've had before.
They included:
Smoked Wild Boar, Crackling, pickled apple and English Mustard Bun
Gold Puff Goats Cheese and wine jelly engagement
Onion and Chorizo Wellington
Smoked Salmon, quail's egg and cress Prism
Original 'Cucumber' sandwiches

Followed by my absolute favourite....scones

Nothing beats a delicious warm scone with clotted cream and jam. These ones even came with lemon curd.

Shortly afterwards, this arrived.......

Again, what tea is complete without an entire tier of cakes and pastries.
I won't bore you by explaining what each and every one was. Instead, you'll have to go and find out for yourself.

You can find them Here

I do recommend that you book to avoid disappointment. 

If you are thinking of booking an afternoon tea, I always try to look at the offers on the Afternoon Tea website, which you can find Here

You can often find 2 for 1 offers or Champagne deals and the website also tells you which hotel has won the prestigious ‘Tea of the Year’ Awards. 

I hope you've enjoyed my little post about Tea. I'll try and do another post soon about a different hotel. 

Where have you been for Afternoon Tea? Have you been to the Cafe Royal?

Let me know in the comments. 

Share the Love

I’ve seen this done a few times on other people’s blogs so I thought it was a good idea to share with you what bloggers I have been loving this month. There are so many bloggers out there who deserve recognition for what they do, so here I go……

Em Talks: I’ve been reading Em Sheldon’s blog for a while now and I have become totally addicted. Everything about her blog from her style, clothes, fitness regime and hair tips, inspires me.
I have been particularly enjoying her lifestyle posts recently. She goes to some amazing locations, Jamaica, Paris, Thailand.....giving you handy travelling tips along the way too. 

The Londoner: Was the first blog I ever read. This is probably my favourite blog to read and I am always inspired and intrigued to see what Rosie has been up to. Her lifestyle is envious but not in a bad way. You crave the lifestyle she lives and writes about but really what she blogs about is so easy and simple. Locations in London to have brunch, long summer picnics in the park, punting in Cambridge and her amazing Slutty Brownies recipe is an absolute must!

Milk Bubble Tea: I've picked this one because not only are her posts enjoyable to read but her blog layout is one of the most beautiful. It's so clean and fresh looking and perfectly symmetrical. Her regular 'life lately' posts are my favourites and if you like dogs, you better watch out for Oscar. He will win you heart in a moment.

Nouvelle Daily:  Is a Beauty and style blog but I find it can be so much more than that too. Some of my favourite posts of hers are: The Holiday Essentials, Coconut and Caramel Iced Lattes and her Gym Bag Essential post. She reviews products and introduces new little items into your life such as the Benefit Erase paste which is now a firm favourite in my make up.
I like the fact that she posts regularly and there is variety in her posts….you never know what you might fall in love with when you read Kate’s blog.

Bakerella: Food, Food and more incredibly delicious food. Bakerella probably has some of the cutest and yummiest looking recipes. I'm yet to attempt one but they honestly look amazing, I could ogle the pictures for hours. These whale cookies look simply delicious and I can't help but think these Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls would be perfect for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast.

There are so many blogs out there that I enjoy reading and this is only a small handful. If you've enjoyed this post, please let me know and I can update my list with more blogs that I think you will enjoy. 

Happy Blogging.