Tag: pubgarden

Date Night Perfection; Pub Garden, Paloma Cocktail & Pasta Bolognese

June 2, 2024

This Saturday evening we kicked off date night in a local pub garden sipping cocktails and discussing plans for a trip we’re taking to Monaco in September.

It wasn’t the warmest of summer evenings, so I wore this asymmetric oatmeal sweater from Bershka paired with these Abercrombie & Fitch dark wash jeans tucked into my Stradivarius cowboy boots.

A silk neckerchief from Le Scarf and my Coach cross body signature print handbag completed the country girl chic aesthetic this ensemble was giving.

With a Paloma as a special on the aperitifs menu, I couldn’t resist one of my favourite cocktails ideal for an early summer’s evening.

Consisting of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda, a Paloma is the perfect twist of sweet and sour whilst being aesthetically pleasing with its gorgeous pastel pink hue.

Earlier that afternoon I had already cooked a beef bolognese from scratch which was waiting on the hob ready to dish up when we got home.

Leaving it to sit for a few hours allowed the flavours to develop and made for a deliciously rich bolognese sauce.

Whist the linguine boiled, I laid the table and prepared the rocket, parmesan and pickled onion salad dressed in balsamic vinegar.

The final dish went down a treat and we had plenty leftover for the fridge and freezer. I didn’t follow a recipe but I’ve cooked bolognese with my mum many times and the secret is lots of garlic, plenty of basil and a generous few splashes of red wine whilst it cooks down.

Bellies full of linguine bolognese, we reclined on the sofa to watch a movie as we enjoyed the rest of our red wine and some choccie for dessert.

A cute country pub garden, pretty pink cocktails, a hearty pasta dinner and our favourite red wine whilst cosying up on the sofa, what more could you want from date night? Cheers to the weekend ❤

Springtime Feels; Summer on the Horizon

May 12, 2024

I’m a Summer girl through and through, so nothing makes me happier than gloriously sunny Springtime days knowing Summer is just around the corner.

With little signs of Spring throughout April, here in the UK we’ve been anticipating the warmer weather for a long time now. Finally our wishes came true earlier this week and over the weekend, as we’ve been showered with stunning sunshine and temperatures we usually only get in the height of Summer.

Our local pub The Mutton opened their garden on Friday and treated us regulars to a spread of their new garden bites menu, the most delightful way to welcome in the weekend!

I was so excited to be getting the garden furniture out at home too and enjoying al fresco drinks soaking up the sun over the weekend.

Soon we’ll be going on countryside bike rides again, firing up the BBQ and celebrating the summer with friends and family; bring on those euphoric summertime vibes ❤

Life Lately; Sunshine State of Mind

June 4, 2023

English summer is well and truly here and I couldn’t be happier for my favourite season of the year ahead. There’s already lots of social events in the calendar for July and we’re kicking off our summer with a holiday to Kemar in Turkey at the end of this month, I can’t wait!

Friday evenings recently often look like this; we head to our local pub The Mutton where they have a stunning newly renovated garden overlooking the gorgeous Hampshire countryside. It really is the ideal setting for sundown drinks and the food is amazing too.

This week we celebrated my boyfriend’s mum’s birthday and so we invited his parents and grandma over to try our favourite vegan Mexican chilli bowls for a midweek dinner.

Our Mexican night went down a treat and we enjoyed a wonderful evening together as the sunset showered our dining room during golden hour.

I’ve also treated myself to some new pieces in my wardrobe this month which always gets me excited to try new outfits and looks. I’m loving my new velvet square toe mules perfect for wearing with flares, and this new taupe coloured top which is completely backless. Elevated basics are my go-to currently.

And of course next month my sister is due her baby and I’m thrilled to be an Auntie very soon. On Friday I invited her and her partner over for drinks in the garden to catchup and enjoy the evening sunshine. She’s looking radiant even now almost full term in pregnancy, I’m a very proud sister.

Today we went over to Farnham to see a car show which was a lovely weekend activity to get us up and out on a Sunday morning. It wasn’t as big as we’d anticipated, but the line up of red Ferraris basking in the sunshine was incredible.

I find summer is also a great opportunity to switch up my workout routine and get outside more. Moving my body everyday is a non-negotiable and with the warmer weather and longer days, I find myself more active with bike rides and walks as well as my daily home workouts.

So that pretty much sums up my life lately; lots of social occasions, family time, Fridays at the pub with friends, planning our summer holiday, getting outside and moving my body differently everyday, and enjoying those long summer evenings sipping a delicious drink in the garden at golden hour. You can’t go wrong with the Moth drinks for a good quality cocktail at home, perfection!

It’s a sunshine state of mind ❤

Easter Bank Holiday Weekend Scenes

April 10, 2023

It’s Easter Monday and we’re nearing the end of the long bank holiday weekend now. It’s a glorious time of year as spring is in the air, everyone slows down for the extra long weekend and we can finally look forward to the exciting summer season ahead.

Good Friday I spent the morning cleaning the house and getting the garden furniture out ready for the long weekend set to be warm and sunny. These fresh bunch of colourful tulips for the dining room looked particularly beautiful basking in the golden sunlight of the afternoon.

With the house clean and my work done for the week, I couldn’t wait to get down to a local pub garden and soak up the stunning weather with a glass of bubbly in hand.

I just love spring fashion as we can put away those winter coats and embrace layering and accessorising again. So on Friday I wore these vintage flared Stradivarius jeans, my C’est Normal strap tank top, Topshop square toe snakeskin mules, H&M Celine dupe handbag, a pair of cat eye sunnies and my current accessory obsession, a silk neck scarf – tres chic!

I then layered a denim overshirt with a long oversized cardigan on top to keep warm sat outside, as there’s still a chill in the air this time of year. Rooftop down on my Mini Cooper, tunes playing and the sun shining, bank holiday weekend vibes were in full swing and I was on a high.

That evening we went to my boyfriend’s parents for our first BBQ of the year. They also just bought this awesome fire pit for their garden, which we christened for the first time and huddled around enjoying our desserts once the sun went down.

Saturday afternoon I went to watch my boyfriend ride the jumps, before we went to the pub and ended up with his mates at the local Indian curry house for dinner. Spontaneous days like these are what the long weekends are made for.

Easter Sunday we didn’t have any plans with the family for once, so we went on a bike ride which ended up muddier than expected as we went across country fields on the way home…not good news for my brand new trainers!

After our adventure on the bikes, we enjoyed a chilled afternoon and evening at home complete with my favourite mezze nibbles, more wine and a delicious stone baked pizza from Aldi served with plenty of salad of course.

What a wonderful bank holiday weekend we had just taking it easy, being a bit spontaneous and getting outside making the most of the spring air and glorious sunshine; happy days ❤

Watch my Easter Weekend Vlog here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os5LD1tLfzQ

Cheers to my Gals; Always & Forever

July 17, 2022

This Saturday I hosted a long overdue night with my girls complete with prosecco, sunshine, delicious food, catchups and plenty of laughs as always.

We started the evening at mine with sundown drinks in the garden. I put out a few nibbles, got some tunes going and chilled the bubbles ready to pop when the girlies arrived at 6pm.

As the glistening light of golden hour was upon us, we chatted away and enjoyed the final hour of sunlight whilst grazing on yummy snacks and sipping our prosecco, the picture perfect summer evening setup.

I had booked a local pub for dinner at 8pm, so we finished up in the garden and locked the house before getting a lift to The Leather Bottle.

I booked a terrace table as the long summer evenings are heating up and an al fresco dinner is a must. We were on a high from the bubbles and now onto the red wine, so it was cheesy drunken grins all round!

It was a long wait for the food, but we were so occupied nattering away to even care. We went straight into mains and I had the prawn and chorizo salad served with harissa chickpeas. A nice light dish on such a warm summers night and super tasty too.

Following this, the other girls had desert and I had yet more wine… safe to say we were pretty tipsy by the end of the meal. It was a fabulous night with my girlies and I feel so lucky to have such close friends who keep me sane and keep me wild; always and forever love. ❤

Howdy Summer; Cowboy Boot Moment

July 10, 2022

The UK sun is here to stay as it’s set to be a scorching few weeks of glorious sunshine ahead. So with the first heatwave this weekend, I booked an al fresco dinner date with my boyfriend at the Bel and the Dragon in Odiham.

Cowboy boots are having a major comeback and I’m here for it! I finally got a pair from Stradivarius and I’m obsessed; they go with everything from jeans and shorts, to cute dresses and skirts.

With it being almost thirty degrees on Saturday, I paired my boots with denim shorts, a white tank and my oversized Jaeger blazer to keep the chill off my shoulders later into the evening.

We sat outside in the quaint courtyard of the pub which was buzzing on this stunning summers day. I enjoyed a crisp glass of white wine as we browsed the menu and soaked up the wonderful atmosphere.

For dinner I chose a delicious linguine of Devon crab served with spring onions and chopped chilli & garlic, whilst my boyfriend had the grilled 9oz Hampshire ribeye steak medium-rare served with triple-cooked chips and peppercorn sauce.

We also shared a side of roasted broccoli with chilli and garlic. The food was exquisite and the service impeccable, definitely a step-up from your average pub and it felt like such a treat. Very satisfied customers indeed.

We enjoyed another drink together there in the final hours of daylight before heading over to another pub for more drinks with friends. A perfect little summer’s date night with my boyfriend.

I just love getting dressed up and experimenting with cute outfits for our date nights. I’ve always loved my fashion and so these fun evenings out are a chance to get creative and feel fabulous in my carefully curated wardrobe of clothes – cheers to expressing yourself! ❤

Sunshine Pub Biking Days

June 19, 2022

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 ❤

Bank Holiyay Vibes

May 30, 2021

Happy May Day bank holiday babes! Currently relaxing out in the garden on this gorgeous Sunday summer’s evening as the UK finally enjoys its first post-lockdown holiday, and it sure does feel good 😀

This time of the year is always so exciting as we look forward to the summer months ahead of soaking up the sun and enjoying those long warm evenings. Of course it also means that its time to dig out my summer wardrobe once again and get playful with cute outfits without having to wrap up in coats and boots all day long!

With it being my sister’s birthday this weekend, it was an excuse to celebrate on Saturday and enjoy socialising properly again. After a boozy lunch with her best friends, I organised for us to meet at a local pub garden for another round of celebrations and plenty more bubbles too…

Now I’m enjoying my Sunday lounging in the garden on our new stunning furniture set from Next, purchased on sale reduced from £1,300 to just £325, absolute bargain!

Iced coffee, glorious sunshine and my favourite poetry books, blissful vibes ❤

Post Lockdown Pubbing

April 20, 2021

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!