The perfect autumn Sunday...

Last weekend I was away with a girlfriend for some R&R in the countryside; you can read my first post about this here (link). So now onto Day 2 :) After having such a fab day full of fresh air, exercise, relaxing treatments and delicious food it's fair to say we slept like babies in our lovely room at The Olde Bell. We woke up about 9.30am, which is pretty rare for me to sleep in that late on a weekend (unless I have had quite a boozy night before that is..) so we just threw on some clothes to ensure we didn't miss the hotel breakfast buffet. And trust me, this is not one you'd want to miss. The breakfast display was rather impressive....

I had a ginormous bowl of natural yoghurt with their crunchy homemade granola topped with figs, stewed plums and a swirl of honey. I then also couldn't resist helping myself to some of the pastries and maybe even a toasted crumpet with peanut butter, yummmm!

After a our very fulfilling breakfast it was time to put on the wellies again (which were by now nicely covered in mud from the previous day's adventures) and head out into the fresh autumn weather!

Me outside our countryside retreat in the wee village of Hurley along the Thames. We walked along the Thames towpath and had fun playing around in the beautiful autumn leaves!

Jeans by Abercrombie & Fitch

Regent Savoy Wellington Boots by Hunter

White singlet & striped Blythe sweater by Abercrombie & Fitch (as seen here)

Navy waxed hooded jacket by Dorothy Perkins (as seen here)

We also made some new friends along the way....Haha approach with caution though ;)

A perfect countryside Sunday afternoon is not complete without a Sunday roast so I'd done a bit of research earlier in the week and had found that there was a fantastic gastro pub in the area. The Hinds Head in Bray is located in a cosy listed 15th-century building and is owned by UK Michelin chef Heston Blumenthal. The Hinds Head offer outstanding traditional seasonal cuisine and historic British dishes. Over the years it has received many awards for its food; in 2011 it was even named the Michelin Pub Guide’s “Pub of the Year”. So where better to go for our Sunday roast right?

The service was smooth and friendly and everything on the menu looked pretty mouth-watering but I knew pretty instantly that the pork roast had my name written all over it....

I love my Yorkshire puddings so I always order one on the side because traditionally they only come standard when you order the roast beef. But for me a Sunday roast has to include a yorkshire pudding which I then drown in lots of gravy! The roast also came with a lovely side of panfried beans and parsnip. C'mon how good does this look?

The pork was beautifully cooked and the roast potatoes were some of the best I've ever tasted. They were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the middle! And the best part?

The crackling!! Yummmmmmmmmm such a naughty treat but oh so tasty.

When our bellies were well and truly full after our delish lunch it unfortunately was time to head back to the city but we both felt super duper relaxed, refreshed and told ourselves; we should do this more often because this was really the perfect autumn Sunday!

A date with destiny...

Well said Coco....

Happy Hump Day xoxo

Jessica Biel wedding dress - hit or miss?

Ok don't get me wrong here...

1) I love Jessica Biel. She is an unbelievably beautiful woman and I usually adore her sense of style.
2) JT and her are such a great and fun couple
3) I thought their wedding photos looked amazing; a stunning romantic location in Italy and overall it looked lots of fun!

...But sorry what was shethinking with that pink, fluffy, prom style wedding gown?

It it just me or do you agree? Xoxo

A girly weekend of R&R at The Olde Bell

Occasionally we all need to escape the busy city life and spoil ourselves to bit of R&R in the country side. Fresh air, walks, massages, fireplaces in country pubs and delicious food are all good for the soul, so me and a girlfriend decided to go on a wee road trip out of London and book ourselves a room at the gorgeous The Olde Bell in Hurley. The Inn is only a 45min drive from the city; located in a wee village along the Thames and is very close to famous English countryside towns Henley on Thames, Maidenhead and Marlow.

The Olde Bell is not a hotel where the rooms dominate, but where the common spaces are the heartbeat of the place. It has a lovely pub area where you can sit down for a casual lunch or enjoy tea and cakes or a glass of wine by the fireplace.

After arriving at the hotel we checked into our room, dived onto the bed and did a big 'whoooopie we're here!' and then headed downstairs to enjoy a delicious parsnip soup with freshly baked breads in the pub.

The Modern Coaching Inns rooms are designed by the celebrated designer Ilse Crawford (portfolio includes Soho House New York, Grand Hotel Stockholm, Cecconis and more). I loved the design and style of the hotel; a perfect mix of old and new. Old beams, wooden floors, wool and fluffy blankets and modern furniture. The bathroom featured an amazing claw foot bath and lots of Aesop goodies!

After our heart-warming lunch we decided to go for a walk in the cold countryside. We had a mix of four seasons during our two and a half hour walk; sunshine, wind and rain! But I loved being in the fresh air, getting some exercise, catching up with my friend and exploring in the woods.

I think autumn is one of my favourite seasons!

See I am no princess! I don't mind getting a little muddy and luckily I had my trusted Hunter wellies!

Perfectly timed after we got back from the walk (a little windswept and wet from the rain) our room got magically transformed into a private beauty spa because through the hotel we'd booked for a mobile treatment by Flutterby. I got a full body massage and my friend a facial. After this we felt super relaxed and could have almost hopped into bed right then and there but we managed to pep ourselves up for dinner in the main restaurant of the hotel. This was my casual outfit of the night...

Jeans by Abercromby & Fitch (link)

Leopard print shoes by ALDO (link)

Green off the shoulder top (purchased in small boutique shop in Barcelona)

Black wool cardigan by Country Road

Double layer navy/beige leopard printed scarf by ZARA (recent purchase)

The main restaurant serves simple, rustic and great quality food so we decided to order from their three course menu at £29.50 per person. We both had the goats cheese and baked beets as a starter and I had the braised lamb shoulder with pearl barley and red cabbage and Katharina indulged in the sirloin steak with triple cooked chips and bone marrow gravy. It was a lovely evening; enjoying delicious food, a glass of red and wonderful company! But best part had to be...

....DESSERT!! ;) I had the Rhubarb and Apple Crumble and Katharina the Sticky Toffee Pudding ♥

After dinner we retreated to our room for some reading and a great nights sleep! To be continued.... x