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!
This is the shade Dolly which looks quite dark in the pan but once applied to the cheeks it actually gives you more of a light coral dewy glow. The formula is very creamy and easy to blend, dab it on with your fingers or I like to use a small stippling brush to apply my cream blushers for streak-free application.
