Tag: romantic

Staycation Vacation

September 19, 2021

Whilst I would much rather be writing about a holiday abroad to sunny Ibiza right now, I have had a lovely weekend staycation just relaxing and chilling out enjoying quality time with my boyfriend. And although on this occasion we’ve had to stay in the UK, we have now rebooked our trip to Dubai early next year, as well as getting tickets for an Ocean Alley gig in March and Secret Garden Party festival next summer with the girls!

Following an intense and busy first five months at my new job as a PA, it was certainly time for a well deserved proper break. Taking a long weekend holiday from work, me and my boyfriend booked for a night’s stay at a local spa hotel which we had a gift voucher for, bonus!

The Crowne Plaza in Reading East is a 4 star hotel featuring a stunning spa, gym, cocktail bar and a 2AA rosette restaurant and terrace. Arriving in the early afternoon on Friday, we made the most of the hotel facilities and headed straight for the gym and pool.

After a steam in the sauna and dip in the pool, it was time to head back to the room and get ready for drinks and dinner. I felt like getting a little dressed up for our dinner date in this backless leopard print blouse, black wrap mini skirt and my gorgeous smoky blue square toe mules – the perfect opportunity to wear these towering stilettos as it was only room to bar in a matter of a few steps!

Starting in Monty’s Bar & Lounge, we had an aperitif before our dinner reservations at 8pm in the Caprice Restaurant. And as part of our gift voucher we had a full three course dinner and glass of fizz each all included.

I started with the Super Salad; a delicious flavour combination of spinach, charred tender-stem broccoli, quinoa, chia seeds, candied walnuts, pickled wild mushroom, golden raisins and an avocado ranch dressing. My boyfriend had the Chicken Satay served with peanut sauce, lime gel and watercress.

For our main course I opted for the Cod Fillet on a bed of mash potato accompanied with samphire, cucumber spring onion and Verjus Beurre Blanc. This dish was absolutely exquisite and cooked to perfection, I couldn’t fault it. My boyfriend also really enjoyed his classic Sirloin Steak with cherry tomatoes and triple cooked chips.

To finish the meal I had a simple fruit platter with a refreshing sorbet and delicate sweet chocolate soil. The warm chocolate brownie served with white chocolate and pistachio ice cream was my boyfriend’s desert of choice. Needless to say, we both cleaned our plates and went to bed feeling content and satisfied from such a fantastic three course dinner at Caprice Restaurant.

After a nice long sleep, we awoke rested and ready for the the weekend ahead. I went for a quick gym session before we headed down for brekky at 10:30am. I do love a hotel breakfast buffet and this one didn’t disappoint. The fruit salad and pineapple was so fresh and I was set for the day following a yummy little bowl of granola with all that fruit! My boyfriend opted for a full English which from the happy look on his face, was also very good indeed 🙂

So despite not jetting off abroad this summer, I was grateful for some timeout from work and an indulgent little staycation at a lovely hotel with my boyfriend. I am super excited to have some holiday plans and events in the diary for next year now, but this relaxing weekend without the stress of travelling was actually just what I needed to recharge my batteries.

I may have been in cloudy old England, but here I am envisioning Ibiza and manifesting future holiday plans to come…my moto is ‘go to bed with a dream, wake up with a purpose.’ ❤

Date Night, Steak Night

May 4, 2021

As the weather here in the UK took a rather miserable turn this weekend, the idea of sitting outside in the blustering winds at a local pub wasn’t the most enticing of ways to spend our Saturday evening. So instead we decided to bring date night to us and enjoy the comfort of our beautiful new dining room with a romantic candle lit dinner.

It was the perfect occasion to try out our new black crockery dinner set complete with gorgeous copper cutlery and our Dartington crystal wine glasses. I wanted to keep our table layout simple with those subtle touches of pattern in the Moroccan style coasters and abstract print mini dip bowls.

My look for the evening was casual yet classic, wearing a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and cute leopard print asymmetric crop top to add a little glam. Feeling fresh and flirty with my post lockdown short haircut, I was ready for a cosy date night at home.

Although I eat a predomenantly pescatarian diet, as a treat I do like to indulge in a good piece of chicken or steak every so often to top up those essential vitamins. We got these filet steaks from Lidl which I plated up alongside my special crispy roast new potatoes, charred broccolini, caramelised onions, mushrooms and a rocket salad. These steaks were top quality and cooked to perfection medium-rare, I would call this restaurant standard grub!

Paired with a fruity Merlot French red wine and our favourite chilled tunes playing in the background, this is how date night should be done ❤

Winter Date Night; Cheese Platter Goals

December 9, 2020

It’s always fun to mix things up when it comes to date night and being in the events industry, there’s nothing I love more than playing the part of hostess of course! Taking a cosy corner of my bedroom, I lay down a fluffy throw, scattered plenty of cushions, setup my fairy lights, lit some candles, got the chilled tunes playing on Spotify… and voila, the cutest setting for an evening with the boyf. ❤

Whether it’s a night with the girls, entertaining family at Christmas or relaxing with your partner, a cheese board is the perfect winter essential to share and enjoy amongst friends and family.

Having had plenty of practice making numerous grazing platters on the weekly at my old PR agency in Australia, I have become quite the pro at putting together a good spread. The concept is pretty straight forward – take your board and ensemble starting with the basics: a variety of cheeses of your choice, crackers and biscuits, chutney, fresh fruits including grapes, dried fruits such as dates, olives, pickles and a sprinkling of nuts.

Now the benefit of doing this at home is that you can personalise everything to your taste, so feel free to swap and change accordingly and embellish your board however you wish. My favourite cheese this time of year is the Wensleydale with Cranberry and I’ve also recently discovered the delicious combo of honey with cheese, a must if you have a sweet tooth! The key is to fill your board as much as possible and then have extra little bowls or platters for anything which doesn’t quite fit on.

Our wine of choice had to be a French red Cotes Du Rhone to perfectly pair with all the cheese. We felt super cosy and festive as we sipped our wine and indulged in the wonderful platter packed full of so many different tastes to savour.

So grab your boyfriend, housemate, sister or whoever you live with, and treat them to the ultimate night-in together featuring wine, cheese, nibbles and even a snuggly den for those aesthetic goals.