Fall Fashion; Baker Boy Moment

I’ve always been a hat girl with a collection to prove it, so each season I tend to find myself purchasing yet another one to add to the wardrobe…

I love fall as an opportunity to play with fashion and layer up again in the cooler weather. It’s also the perfect time to wear a cute hat which for me these days tends to be in the form of a beret, fedora or of course, my favourite baker boy.

So my newest addition to the hat collection is this gorgeous deep khaki green wool cap from Mango, available here – https://shop.mango.com/gb/women/hats-and-gloves/wool-cap-with-visor_37064020.html

I couldn’t wait to wear this out to the pub last Friday. I styled my new baker boy with a pair of black skinny jeans, a check shirt, my classic leather jacker, a cosy scarf and my Grenson boots; effortless, cool-girl, chic vibes.

After the pub I made us a steak dinner for two back at home. We had fillet steaks cooked medium rare, my special crispy new potatoes, sautéed onions, mushrooms, broccolini and asparagus, peppercorn sauce and plenty of salad, because no meal is complete without a heap of greens. A stunning meal too good not to share with you here! Hats off to the chef, moi. 😉

Sunshine Pub Biking Days

With a mini heatwave hitting England at the end of this week, we made the most of the sunshine and rode our bikes to the pub after work on Friday evening.

I’m lucky enough to ride my boyfriend’s electric bike, which is such a luxury and certainly helps having that extra boost after a drink or two at the pub!

Of course with the glorious weather comes the inevitable hayfever which was out in full force on Friday. From the minute we got to the pub I could not stop sneezing, ugh it’s the worst!

A much needed glass of crisp white wine for me and a refreshing mojito cocktail for my boyfriend, it was the perfect summer evening aperitif whilst soaking up the sun.

Back home we enjoyed a pizza and salad in the garden whilst watching Love Island on my iPad as the sunset; a dreamy little summer setup ❤

For the Foodies; Local Gems

Being a self-confessed foodie, I always like to try new places for weekend date nights and dinners with friends. Having visited some great restaurants recently, I’m glad to have discovered some local gems just a short drive from our house.

With an extensive menu of pub classics, I was keen to try The Waterwitch pub in Odiham. I opted for an old favourite, caesar salad and it didn’t disappoint. Fresh baby gem lettuce, homemade sourdough croutons, Italian hard cheese, free-range boiled egg, anchovies and a chargrilled chicken breast, this was one of the best caesar salads I’ve ever had…and I’ve had a fair few to compare to!

This weekend we tried Menu Thai in Fleet having heard great things from my sister and her partner. As my boyfriend’s favourite cuisine, we were eager to sample this place for ourselves in hope this will become our local spot for Thai food. I had the vegetable green curry whilst my boyfriend had the chicken penang curry with coconut rice.

Authentic, wonderfully tasty and served steaming hot, this is Thai food done to perfection. A cosy restaurant with excellent service and a buzzing atmosphere too, they even deliver to our postcode. No doubt we will be visiting again very soon as well as making use of their delivery service to satisfy those Thai cravings at home.

It’s always nice to try somewhere different and even better to be supporting local businesses. Going out for dinner is something I used to take for granted before Covid, now I’m even more grateful to be able to indulge in wining and dining freely once again – Cheers to that!

Post Lockdown Pubbing

There’s nothing quite like a Friday evening trip down the pub to wind down after the working week and see in the weekend. With the easing of lockdown restrictions here in the UK last Monday, pub gardens were packed out across the country as thirsty punters were able to enjoy their usual tipple in the company of friends and family once again.

Whether it’s meeting girlfriends to share a bottle of vino or grabbing a drink with the boyfriend and soaking up the social atmosphere, I’ve most definitely missed a weekly pub outing. I was keen to get our Friday evening all booked to avoid disappointment, so we had 6pm sundown drinks at our local pub garden, followed by 8pm dinner at another gastro pub.

The sun may have been shining, but there’s no denying the April cold chill is still in the air. An open garden whilst the sun was setting was ideal, but later on I was glad to be going to The Hogget where they are fully equipped for that cold English weather. Fully enclosed marquee, faux fur covered benches, blankets and patio heaters, we were cosy!

When it came to choosing my outfit for the night, I wanted style but of course warmth too, so it was all about layers, layers, layers. I opted for a pair of black skinny jeans, classic maroon Chelsea boots and four layers up top – a vest, khaki chord shirt, knitted cream polo neck sleeve and tie waist Zara overcoat. Completing that country chic aesthetic with a black belted fedora hat, suited and booted ready for a glass of bubbly.

I’m not usually one for traditional pub food, but there was a novelty in eating that greasy pub grub once again. I had the veggie patty burger with salad and sweet potato fries, whilst my boyfriend had half a rack of ribs and chips. Impressively the food arrived steaming hot. Snuggled under a few blankets as we tucked into our feast, we thoroughly enjoyed the first slap up pub meal after so long.

Despite our Friday night fun pub garden hopping, I won’t be doing it again in a rush until the weather heats up. However with a heatwave set to treat England this week, a daytime pub outing will be on the cards for sure.

So as we continue to head in the right direction towards normality and socialising again, I think we’ll all find ourselves more grateful for the little moments of joy in life, even if that is simply heading down the pub for a pint!