Friends, Food and a Spot of Fashion

Would you go for the ordinary when you could get exceptional for just the same? I believe in seeking out the best and at great value. The meal at Hambleton Hall that I wrote about a couple of months ago is one such example. A group of truly exceptional restaurants around Rutland now offer 'lunch for less' deals which means you can get Michelin quality food for pub-grub prices. My friend Rosie and I with our other halves have been trying to make the most of these and we recently met up at The Olive Branch in Clipsham for some natter and posh nosh.

   

Rosie and Pete chose the Tapas option from their menu and  Ed & I chose from the Set Lunch. The food was top notch, mostly. Although the main meal tapas seemed less than generous, the dessert tapas more than made up for it. In  true 'me' style, I also opted for the weirdest item on the menu which in this case was cold pressed ox tongue with salad. It was a bit like kissing a cow that had just chomped on grass but I ate it all anyway.

The  beer garden at the Olive Branch was in full summer glory, I was wearing two of my favourite fashion pieces and Rosie was her usual chic self. Clearly, outdoor outfit shots were the natural follow-on from our meal. Rosie's style is classic chic with a dash of British prep. She is wearing a lovely turquoise dress from Warehouse, a denim jacket from Dorothy Perkins, My Flash Trash ring picked up during our day out at London Fashion Weekend and a pair of pretty ballet pumps from New Look. The air was slightly nippy and Rosie kept the chill off with  an embellished scarf bought from one of my favourite shopping haunts in Mumbai.

I've been meaning to get my X-Large Lulu Guinness Lips Clutch out to play for a while and this seemed a perfect occasion. It is much more practical than the regular lips clutch's and I bagged it for 70% off in a TK Maxx Flash Sale. One of my best buys in a long time. I'm also wearing a Vivienne Westwood Marghi Check Blouse via another online flash sale and a pair of old Levi's. My trusty M&S nude heels take me to work and play with equal ease.

What summertime adventures have you been up to? Ann x

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Photography by Edward Chandler

Marvellous Manic May!

May has been an incredible month in many ways. I worked hard and played harder. So much so that I felt the need to create a special post to capture all my favourite moments. It was a very busy month at work which meant I was constantly travelling, down in London an awful lot and getting home at silly o'clock at night. However, I made the most of that by catching up with friends after work whenever possible, trying London experiences including Bubble Tea at Bubbleology, moseying around the lovely shops at the beautiful St. Pancras Station whilst waiting for my train and simply loving the beautiful and panoramic views of London from my window seat at work.

In between rather long work days came the first bank holiday which brought with it a small dose of sunshine, just enough to get us out for a little picnic around Rutland Water. I also experimented with lots of new and interesting recipes including grape jelly that popped from our allotment produce and a myriad preparations with Rhubarb. Every week, I made the most of what our spring garden had to offer and tried quirky new flower arrangements. I also managed to nab an evening ticket to the 100th Chelsea Flower Show by way of the Saatchi Gallery and the Hermes Festival des Métiers. The flower show was lovely enough but I felt truly lucky to have been able to attend the Hermes event and watch artisans at work making those world-famous stunning scarves, the Kelly bag, painting ceramics and so on. The best bit was that the Hermes exhibition was free!

And if fitting all that in wasn't enough in a fifty something hour week, we also organsied visits to see family and friends both north and south of the country. At all times, in true blogger style, I consistently persuaded the husband to take photos at every opportunity. However, the best highlight of the month was that my ickle seven month old blog got noticed a little! I won the Dorset Cereal Little Blog Award for April which meant a lovely little egg cup and lots of posh cereal which will last us a long while. I also got shortlisted for the Company Style Blogger Awards in the top ten for Best Thrifty Blog and Best Crafting Blog categories. I was invited to a swish little awards ceremony which in true Fashion world style was more fun and drinks and very tiny portions of food (a.k.a. just sushi). I didn't win either title but I met some lovely people and had loads of fun. Laura of the Afternoon Tea Club and I got stuck into making DIY funky sunglasses with  (a bit like this but funkier), getting fake eyelashes for the first time and posing for silly pics at the photo booth.

All in all, it has been a rather eventful and rewarding little month. A quick parting note to say 'thank you' to all of you who voted for me for the Dorset Cereal Little Blog Awards and the Company Style Blogger Awards-you are the best and I am very grateful for your support! 

What adventures have you had in May? I'd love to hear! Ann x

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