local eats :: pleased to meet you!

I don't know about you, but I love me a good gin bar. I'm actually half way through writing a post where I declare my love for said gin. So, when O and I decided to go to Newcastle for the afternoon, I knew exactly where we were headed. Pleased To Meet You is nestled on a little side street called High Bridge and looks pretty unassuming from the outside. Inside, however, it's glorious exposed brickwork and super comfy leather benches seriously woo you.

We arrived around noon, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves, which meant the service was impeccable. We started off with some beers whilst we perused the HUGE menu (it's about two feet long!). O ordered a craft beer (can't remember the name) and I got a bottle of Anchor lager, which I loved. Nothing nicer than a cold beer to start off your afternoon! Their selection of craft beers is pretty epic, even O was impressed.

After much debate we decided to order the Meat Slider sharing platter with herb fries. Oh my. Firstly, those fries were to die for. Crispy on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside. The mini burgers were so darn cute. They all had some kinda quirky flavour, not your usual run of the mill slider. We had brisket, pulled pork and salt beef to choose from, and luckily for us, they give you two of each, so no fighting over them! 

The sharing platters are just the right amount of food to line your stomach before embarking upon one of their infamous cocktails. It literally took me half an hour to choose which cocktail I wanted. The descriptions themselves leave you slightly drooling...

In the end, I went with a "Pleased To Meet You No1", which was a concoction of: Gabriel Boudier saffron gin, Yellow Chartreuse, Licor 43 and DiSaronno Amaretto. It was served ice cold with a "spray of orange blossom flower water". Hells yeah! You really need to enjoy oranges if you want to like this bad boy, which luckily, I do! It was served in a champagne saucer, which is seriously my favourite cocktail glass. I want these beauties in my wedding! I was initially planning on ordering one of their many gins, but I have a least twenty different gins at home that I can have anytime (I'm not an alcoholic, I promise! Just a collector...). 

O decided he was feeling too manly to get a cocktail, so he ordered a whisky. A Japanese Hibiki 17 year old, which was also pretty darn good. The only problem with this, is that O now wants to buy a whole bottle of it!

All in all, we pretty much fell in love with this place. Don't get me wrong, it's not the cheapest gin joint I've ever been in. But I'm a sucker for quirky places with atmosphere and PTMY definitely ticks this box for me. It covers most bases, good food, it boasts hefty whisky and gin lists, craft beer and some seriously interesting cocktail combinations. Do yourself a favour and nip into this joint for a wee dram, a slider or some lush gin. 

 

Thursday :: In burgers {it's all about the little things}

 

How cute is the little fox? I found him in Paperchase on a cute little note card. I think I'm equally in love with both foxes and stationery...

Anyway! As you've probably heard, I've been laid up all week with a dodgy back. I've never realised how difficult it is to be vertically challenged. I've had to completely rely on O to do almost everything for me. I actually miss doing housework, yeah I know, what's that all about?! This week I've realised it's all about appreciating the small things. So, before I get into all the burgers, here's a wee list of all the small things that have rocked my world lately. Oh and just a heads up, they're all mostly O related (hearty smoosh!).

1/ O buying me flowers and doughnuts to cheer me out. He knows the way to this girl's heart!

2/ We were supposed to go to Durham for the day on bank holiday Monday, but I literally couldn't walk. Instead, O got me into the car (the only place I find comfy right now) and took me for a driving tour of Durham! He said it was just a preview of the city, like a little appetiser, before we actually get to do the walking tour. How darn cute!

3/ Chatting to my Mum. Don't get me wrong, I always appreciate talking to my Mum, but this week she's been calling me every day to check on me and I love it! She listens to me rant and moan for about an hour and I don't know about you, but this always makes me feel better.

4/ Make-shift hot water bottles. We couldn't find any, so have been using SIGG bottles covered in one of O's big work socks. It's the perfect shape for wedging behind my back.

5/ Yesterday I got mad because I couldn't even take the clean washing out of the machine. Clearly I had serious cabin fever. So once again, O came to the rescue and took me out to the MetroCentre. This is where all the burger-ness happened! Oh and sweet potato fries? They make my belly so happy!

So yeah, last night this happened. We hit Gourmet Burger Kitchen hard...

Oh darn, I'm always one photo short for a full gallery...oh well, we'll cope. We had the halloumi bites, which with the slightly spicy dip, where so salty and cheesetastic. I had the Camemburger. You can never have enough cheese and hash browns, right? We both know that a burger ain't a burger without sweet potato fries along with aioli and baconnaise. That's right, baconnaise! Bacon mayonnaise, hummana hummana! Oh and O had the Don (with an extra patty) and skinny fries. GBK isn't my favourite burger joint, but last night, it seriously hit the spot.

Where are your favourite burger joints in the North East? Oh and I'm going to Newcastle tomorrow (back issues permitting), which places should I hit up??

 

 

SWIG flasks :: the classy way to transport your dram!

Last Christmas, I was looking for the perfect hip flask to buy O as a gift. As you might've guessed from previous posts, we're HUGE whisky fans. Our collection is getting slightly out of hand, but that's a post for another day. After much googling, I came across SWIG flasks. Let me tell you, it was love at first sight! The colours and the brand ethic took my breath away. It took all my will power not to buy one for myself too!

SWIG flasks were created by David Galbraith. David sold all of his stuff and moved to London to set up his dream of creating SWIG, for which I am eternally grateful. The only problem you may have is deciding which colour to choose. Honestly, I want them all! I got O this one (let's not judge me on the terrible photos!)...

A few months later, I finally caved and bought my own (the red one at the top of the page) and if you did need convincing, the packaging itself is a reason alone to purchase one!

Now, if the flask itself didn't earn you enough cool points, then the SWIG Society elevates you to the top scorer level! Each SWIG flask is engraved with a unique number on the back. This number denotes your SWIG Society membership number. Not long after you receive your flask, an email that looks a lot like this will drop into your inbox...

So, not only are you the proud new owner of a shiny flask, but you also become a member of an elite SWIG society. For me, I love it when a purchase actually turns out to be a whole lovely experience and that's what David provides when you become a SWIG owner. We take ours on all our adventures and have a new tradition of sharing some with whichever hill, mountain or castle we storm! My only issue is that I want one is every colour, especially the yellow one from the new summer range...

adventures // conquering the yorkshire matterhorn!

 

I'm pretty sure I remember telling you that O and I are training for the Speyside KiltWalk (26 mile walk...hells yes!!) in September? Well, we've been trying out different sports and walks to get ourselves physically prepared for it. This weekend we decided to climb Roseberry Topping (aka the Yorkshire Matterhorn ^^).

Before we do crazy schnizz like this, in my head I always think we'll just be going for a gentle stroll in the countryside, let's just say that I'm usually wrong.... Now, Roseberry Topping isn't the biggest hill in the world, or heck, even England, but for this hillwalking virgin, it was a BEAST! My lazy legs are used to the flat trails which we frequent during the week, boy, did they got a shock today.

We parked the car and started our adventure at the base of some steps. When I say some steps, what I actually mean is a million steps! By the time we got to the top, I'm heavy breathing and breaking a sweat already. O, however, is just taking it in his stride, like he defeats matterhorns on a daily basis. After catching my breath, we walked for a mile or so in the lovely moorland and then we were met by some helluva steep steps, but these bad boys are luckily downhill! From here, you get an awesome view of the topping, see below....

 

Once we carefully navigated down the old stone steps, we were now pretty much at the bottom of the hill. It may not look too steep from this photo, but let me tell ya, it was a mission for me to get to the top! Again, the stone steps are really old and crooked, so it was with much trepidation that we made our slow ascent to the peak.

Despite all my moaning and cursing (poor O), the thigh-burning climb was well worth the spectacular view which you're awarded with once you reach the top! All I can say is...hello Yorkshire! We raced up the finally steps and grabbed the shiny white trig point and gave it a  huge group hug! I don't know how you feel about trig points, but I LOVE them! I've kinda started collecting them...I think I've hugged four of those lovely things now!

I couldn't really get any decent shots at the top, due to the crazy amount of people who typically arrived at the same time as we did, but I'm sure they wouldn't have done the sprawling countryside any justice anyway. This is one adventure that you just need to go out and see for yourself (I've included my photos anyway, just to give you an idea...).

Needless to say, I'm now sat in the sun sipping on a well deserved, ice-filled gin and tonic. Perfection!

How was your sun-filled Sunday??

 

 

 

retail therapy!

So, I was a little naughty last week on the shopping front. You know how you just get those weeks when you have nothing better to do and before you know it, you've got like five order confirmation emails in your inbox? Well, this was me last week. A few clicks later and I had made a serious dent in the bank account. Unluckily for me, it's a joint account, so I have some explaining to do to my other half...whoopsies! We all need some retail therapy sometimes, no?

I did put some teaser photos on Instagram, so you may already know about the above purchases! But I've managed to keep the actual contents a secret until they all arrived so I could unveil them in this post. Now, I'm not going to go through everything in the boxes, I'll just give you a sneak peak of everything and some of my favourite things. If you have any questions about anything I've bought, just comment below. Let's start with a glance at what's inside...

Look at all these shiny beauty products! I'm so excited to actually try them all! I'm gonna start with the Birchbox. I've finally popped my Birchbox cherry. I've wanted to subscribe to this for absolute ages, so when I go an email offering me free shipping, I finally bit the bullet and let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed. For those of you who haven't heard of Birchbox, you complete a beauty questionnaire online and they send you samples/full size items every month tailored to your preferences. These are great if you want to test something before splashing out on the full size product. I also love the packaging this month, they've collaborated with Harper's Bazaar (you also get a discount on a HB magazine subscription). If I remember right, it only costs about £10 a month to subscibe and you can cancel at anytime. Judging from the contents of this month's, though, I won't be cancelling anytime soon! Below are my favourites from the Harper's Bazaar Birchbox.

 

Next up is the Selfridges Beauty Project Box. As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to have it. It was love at first sight! Considering the amount of swag you get, it's well worth the bucks. This box was launched to celebrate their new Beauty Project campaign, which you can read more about here. Unfortunately, the box is now sold out online, but you may be able to get one in store. My favourites are down below. How much am I in love with this NARS Deep Throat blusher?? I can't even put it into words! I'm also loving the EOS products at the moment, I already have one of their lip balms and it smells as lush as the hand lotion. The packaging of the Eyeko mascara gives me a happy heart!

 

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Benefit b.right! Radiant Skincare sample set. I've wanted to get my hands on this set for a while now. I'm a serious Benefit fan, but have never tried their skincare products before. I have only tried the Total Moisture facial cream so far and I'm loving using this at night after I've taken my make up off. I'll report back once I've tried the other five products. I'm especially looking forward to trying the It's Potent! eye cream, I've been on the hunt for a new eye cream for a while now...any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, fellow bloggers!

 

My debit card has now been safely tucked back into my purse for another month (week) much to O's delight!
Which lovely things have you been buying lately? 

 

 

Unhealthy Addictions :: Notebooks

 

My name is Louise and I'm a notebook-aholic. Is there a notebooks anonymous? Because that's where I need to be. I have countless notebooks and diaries that I haven't even written in yet, I just like looking at them. Sometimes I even smell them too, is that weird?

These are a few of my faves at the moment. I am a fickle soul though, so this list does change on a weekly basis! Starting from the top left: 

1/ Moleskine Recipe Journal :: I love noting down all the lovely recipes we find online and in magazines in here.

2/ Lisa Stickley :: this is a planner with little pockets inside. Perfect for blogging ideas.

3/ L Lighthouse :: not actually sure where this is from, maybe Waterstones? O bought me it for Christmas because I love lighthouses!

4/ Moleskine diary :: Every year I buy a new Moleskine diary. I usually stick to the black staple, but this year I couldn't resist this little pink beauty.

5/ Orla Kiely :: Orla Kiely is my favourite designer (well, her and Mulberry!). This one is another present from O and I literally use it for everything. Blog ideas, wedding planning, lists and more lists!

What are your unhealthy addictions? This is just one of many for me, but we'll save that for another post! Which stores satisfy your notebook needs?

 

 

The Wanderlust Tag!

 

I saw this post from the lovely Kloe's blog and knew it was a winner. I love travelling. I moved to Canada on my lonesome after I finished university and it was the best thing I ever did. I made so many friends who are now my bestests and a whole new outlook on life. Plus, they like drinking beer over there...a lot. Whats not to like?! We won't be going on any huge holidays this year due to O's work schedule, so I'm making do with weekends away and living vicariously through you guys. Let's go adventuring, darlings!

1. Your most treasured passport stamps?
   My Canadian work visa stamp. I was so darn happy when they let me live there!
2. Can you recite your passport # from memory if asked?
   Umm nopes. Can't even recite my NI number!
3. Preferred method of travel; planes, trains or automobiles? 
   I've clocked up the airplane miles over the years and I must admit, it's not my favourite way to travel. For me, the best way to travel is by Via Rail train throughout Canada. So comfy and you actually get to see the scenery out the window.
4. Top 3 travel items?
   A good book, my camera and my lovely Oscar!
5. Hostel or Hotel?                                                                                                                                                                         After living in a hotel for a year and backpacking...neither! Give me a nice log cabin or a cottage any day!
6. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?
   A bit of both really. Canada will always be my second home and I'll forever go back there to visit my friends and family. But I do love exploring new climes!
7. Do you read up on your destination (culture, history, safety) or do you wing it?
   Again, a bit of both. I ideally like to read up (TripAdvisor is my best buddy), but O has a naughty habit of booking spur of the moment getaways, so I usually don't get the chance!
8. Favourite travel website?
   Probably TripAdvisor. I can scroll through those reviews all damn day.
9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit? Name a city & Why.
   Toronto. Best city in the world, in my opinion. You have the best of both worlds there, city living and the beautiful beaches and islands. The food is amazingly scrummy and the people are the best I've ever met. Oh and the beer and poutine? Get yourself on that!
10. You're leaving tomorrow, money is no option, where are you going?
    A road trip through Canada and America. A total cliche, I know. Oh and Alaska and Cape Cod. So many places, such little time!

Now, you've been tagged! Please link your lists below, so I can read them and get all whimsical about running away to foreign climes!


                                                             image credit

 

 

local eats :: the mockingbird deli

 

Having just moved to the area recently, we're on the look out for a new list of favourites. Favourite restaurants, coffee shops, pubs...you get the jist. In a bid to avoid anymore unpacking, we decided to drive to the local town, Yarm, for a breather. If you've never visited Yarm, let me tell you, it's one of the quaintest little towns I've ventured to. The High street is super quaint, with lots of pretty independent stores, just begging to be shopped in. But, on this particular day, food was our priority, so we wandered into The Mockingbird Deli. Boy, am I glad we did. The deli is one of these little cozy nooks, that you want to have all to yourself all damn day. They have shelves full of tasty looking morsels and don't even get me started on the cake! After much deliberation, we decided on one of the meat and cheese deli platters. I'll let this photo speak for itself....

Are you drooling whilst you're reading this? Because I'm drooling as I type! Can you see the balsamic onions?? I think these were my favourite part! Unfortunately, my phone battery died straight after this photo, so I didn't get to show you how lovely the actual deli itself is, but I'm hoping to be back there sometime soon, so I'll fix this then!

So, if you're in the Yarm area, please give the deli a visit, even just for a coffee. You won't regret it. The staff are super friendly and I think they even have a resident dog...what more could you want? You can find them on Facebook here.

Where have you eaten in the NE recently? Tell me about your tasty adventures!

 

 

Friday {in numbers}

2:: hours driving to Manchester to see O's family (including this pretty little lady, Holly ^^).

3:: hours spent shopping in the Trafford Centre...woops!

5:: pork gyozas eaten for lunch in Tampopo. Can't get enough of gyozas at the moment...so tasty!

40:: minutes waiting for a takeaway for the whole family (there's a lot of them!)

5000:: calories consumed whilst eating said takeaway...

2:: trips to Selfridges, because let's face it, one just isn't enough!

1:: freezing cold Asahi beer guzzled in the sunshine!

25:: tennis balls thrown for Holly to fetch!

2:: squash balls purchased (more on this later!)

1:: bass guitar plucked from O's parent's loft.

50:: + pounds spent on BBQ paraphernalia for Saturday. We do love a good BBQ!

1:: happy Lou to have O off work for a long weekend <3

Now tell me, how was your Friday? 

10 things that've rocked my world this week...

 

I originally nominated Fridays for these posts, but I'm off adventuring the whole day tomorrow, so we're a little early to the party this week. Compiling this list has been a little tough this time. Mainly because there have been too many things that I've loved and have made me happy this week! Which really isn't too much of a problem, is it? So, let's see what we've got...

1:: Nashville! Umm, you may have been bombarded on my social media accounts this week by me proclaiming my love for this show! What can I say? I'm a little bit country! This has filled the little Friday Night Lights shaped hole in my heart. I have a serious girl crush on Connie Britton. If you don't know who she is, we are no longer buddies! Now, I'm not a huge fan of Hayden Panettiere, but even I love to hate her in this show. Did I mention how awesome the soundtrack is? Get that schnizz on your iTunes, stat.

2:: My new (old) digital SLR camera. Oh yes! O bought me a second hand Sony α200! I didn't want a new shiny one until I've mastered the basics. So, bloggers, help me out here...where do I begin with a digital SLR? I hear "depth of field", "shutter speed" and "aperture" being thrown around the blogger world, but I'm clueless! Help!

3:: Birchbox! I've just subscribed and I am ridiculously excited about receiving the May box. If it doesn't land through my door today, my head will truly explode!

4:: The infamous Tangle Teezer. Now, I've been coveting one of these for months now after reading, what feels like, hundreds of reviews. To be honest, I was dubious that it was going to tease my seriously tangled wet hair...but I was not disappointed! Even O uses it, because he "likes the scratchy feeling"! So it's definitely a new staple in the O & L household.

5:: Crazy thunderstorms! We've had a few of them this week and there's nothing nicer than sitting inside watching the downpour outside our patio doors and listening to the thunder blasting away.

6:: Late night dinners with O at the actual dining table. We get so lazy these days and end up sat on the sofa, with our plates on our laps, watching TV. I love the nights that we clear the mess (usually mine) of the table, switch the TV off and listen to the radio whilst munching away. Usually I like them better with some red wine on the side...

7:: Getting comments on my blog! You have no idea how happy this makes me! It's nice to know that some people enjoy reading my nonsense!

8:: Inspiring others to start blogging. Two of my Essex buddies have just starting their own blogs after reading mine. I love this. Go have a mooch around and see what you think. Danni's is here and you can find Amy's here.

9:: O having three-day-long weekends! It makes the weekends that he working seem much more worthwhile. So, today is his Friday. Which means a tasty dinner this eve...and mayhap some wine! I think we're also roadtripping to Manchester tomorrow to visit O's family (love Manchester, FYI).

10:: West Wing! Oh lordy! We finally finished all seven seasons this week. West Wing: it's been emotional! I think it's taken us roughly over a year to get all the way through, with a few rest stops in-between. I think this may be the best TV show I've ever watched. Bold statement, I know. I am usually pretty fickle with these things, but seriously. Josiah Bartlet will always be my president (Santos, you are pretty awesome too, but you're no Bartlet). We're now left with a big empty space in our DVD player. What should we tackle next?

Wow. I did ramble on a bit in this post, didn't I? Ah well, what has made you happy this week?

 

                                                            image credit

 

 

 

adventures // micro-barning!

I'm not sure if you know this, but O and I lived in a hotel in Kent for the best part of a year. It ain't as rock n roll as it sounds, trust me! Why am I telling you this, I hear you ask? Well, when we go away for the weekend or go on holiday, we like to lay our heads somewhere slightly different from the generic hotel scene. So, a month or two ago, I was searching for somewhere to go adventuring and I discovered this micro barn!!

The Crown at Mickleton is in the idealic town of Barnard Castle, which in itself is quite beautiful. There are castles to storm and rivers to stroll by. Plus, it was less than an hours drive away from home. It still amazes me that we are now surrounded by so much mind blowing countryside and scenery up here. Lordy, I'm in love with the North East. There, I finally said it! And this means a lot coming from a die hard Scottish girl, trust me!

Anyway, after that confession of love, let's get back to the barn, shall we? To be honest, the photos speak for themselves, but let me fill you in anyhoo. We checked in at the bar in the Crown and we got a little tour. They didn't lie when they said the barn was micro, it's teeny tiny! But oh so cozy and snug. The open plan sitting room and kitchen are full of little trinkets, the comfiest couch and the obligatory tartan shawl (I love tartan shawls). The bathroom is seriously compact, but in the loveliest of ways...I wanted to take the gorgeous sink home with me!  The bed is snoozily comfy and they supply a TV and heater just in case you get cold or bored!

Now, the barn is a shining jewel in the Crown (see what I did there?!), but it's not the main prize. The restaurant...oh my! You'll meet Andrew, the chef (and possibly the owner, should've asked more questions before I started on the wine!) who, if you're lucky will tell you about his bangers (awesome story) and if you're luckier, you may even get the pleasure of tasting them! The Crown was recently refurbished and it shows. They have a roaring fire and amazing high-backed chairs along side many packed tables. What's next...oh the food and the beer! Heavenly! The specials board is stuffed with tasty looking morsels and let me tell you, it was tough choosing my main, but in the end I went with the homemade chicken kiev with wild garlic. Holy! Words can't even describe how scrummy this bad boy was! The portions are huge as well, no scrimping at the Crown!

Did I mention that you also get a full English breakfast included in the seriously modest price? This is where I got the opportunity to try Andrew's bangers :)

If you're looking for something a wee bit different to do at the weekend, I would highly recommend the Crown at Mickleton. The barn is snug as a bug, the food is fantastic and the staff are super friendly and welcoming...what are you waiting for?? We booked through booking.com.

Tell me about your adventures...

Monday :: Plans

                                                                      image credit

Good morning campers!

Hope everyone had a grand weekend? It went by super fast, as usual. I have so many things on my to do list today, but struggling to put my MacBook away and actually start ticking some of them off. So here we go, plans for this week are:

1. Buy and post a birthday present for my lovely Mumsa. Her birthday is on Friday and as of yet, I have nada. I'm rubbish at posting things, so will really need to get my ass in gear!
   
2. House chores. Yuck. The lawn needs mowing (O's job!), the kitchen needs cleaning and the carpets need hoovering.
3. I need to figure out how to use my new DSLR camera! Particularly excited about checking this item of my list!
4. Gotta get some training in for the KiltWalk today. O has made a training plan for us and I think today is just more walking. Might have to invest in some new trainers, my Nike Free Runs hurt my tootsies when we go on long walks (which is sad because I love them). Have I mentioned that you can sponsor me here?!
5. Today I must find some pretty stationery. Have I mentioned that I have a new pen pal? I've joined Snail Mail Revival on Instagram. They pair you up with a like minded person and you...y'know, write to each other! So new stationery is a necessity!

Hmmm, I think that's all I've got on my list. Well for today, at least. What are we all munching on today? I need some scrummy food ideas for lunch. I'm thinking something pesto related. I have a serious pesto obsession right now, much to O's dismay as he hates the stuff. What's that about?? Who hates pesto??

What are your plans for today? :)

PS How lovely is this photo that I found on Pinterest? This is what I actually want to be doing today, planning a holiday or a long overdue road trip!! 

 

 

Our Weekend, as told by my camera roll...

 

How is it Sunday evening already? Why do weekends always fly by? Too many questions for a Sunday eve? Mayhap! So we didn't have much of a weekend due to O working, but we managed to fit some lovely stuff in!  On Friday night we had an awesome date night with flowers (tulips, my faves!), steak and wine. I love date nights! No tv allowed, just the radio and good banter! O worked most of Saturday, so I just pottered about for most of the morning and afternoon. I baked some banana bread, had the most amazing soup (sweet potato, coconut, lime and chilli...oh hiii Tesco Finest!) and read some lovely blogs.  Saturday night was mainly spent sitting on the sofa watching trashy tv (we are grannies). Today we went for a nice leisurely walk in a nearby country park. We just managed to make it back to the car before a torrential downpour, which went on for over an hour! Then the bestest thing happened...O had found a second hand digital SLR camera on Gumtree and had sneakily arranged for us to go pick it up! BESTEST surprise ever! I have no idea how to use it, but I'm hoping to discover the basics tomorrow...any help/tips would be appreciated!

Currently, we're sat watching Big Bang Theory and waiting for some chicken shawarma to arrive (naughty, I know, but we didn't fancy the out of date stirfry beef in the fridge!). I seem to have said "lovely" a lot in this post...I guess that can't be a bad thing really!

How was your weekend? Hope you managed to escape the rain!