24hrs in The Peak District

I knew that I wanted a quick getaway right before the kids broke up for school, I also knew that this getaway would be in the country somewhere, so after hours and hours of scrawling through Airbnb, I finally found a gem of a place in the cute village of Storrs (complete with hot tub - a review on this will be coming soon!).

Arriving at 2pm, we were slightly early for our check-in, so we stopped off at the nearby village of Bradfield and had a leisurely stroll. I had previously found a nice 1 mile route on the internet which I had printed off - it had snippets of history and we learnt about the floods that happened years ago as we made our way round. I've never really been one for history but found this really interesting - I definitely know I'm getting older! After this we headed back to the car and onto our Airbnb. After dumping our bags and having a quick rest, we freshened up and drove 10 minutes to a local pub, The Old Horns Inn, which had the best views of the countryside.. the photos really don't do it justice. Unfortunately there were grey clouds looming, so I didn't want to risk dining alfresco so we opted to eat inside.

After devouring 2 gorgeous courses I couldn't wait to get back so I could get in the hot tub. It was so peaceful and the views of the rolling hills were stunning. It was away from our cottage and was private, so there was not a soul in sight.. absolute bliss. We watched the sun set then made our way to the summer house. Damp from the hot tub, we got a little chilly so popped the fire on in there and it was so cosy, completely disconnected from technology and social media. We chatted - something that we don't do often because our heads are always into something, whether it be the TV or our phones. It was lovely to just switch off for an hour, recharge and connect.

The next morning we drove 30 minutes to Treak Cliff Cavern where we went underground to learn about stalagmites/stalactites etc. We then headed another 30 minutes to check out Bakewell - somewhere that I've always wanted to go! We had lunch in the famous Bakewell Pudding shop, then took a walk to the love-lock bridge and ate our Bakewell slices (I couldn't not buy one!).

We popped in a few shops before tiredness got the better of Mike (he had a rough nights sleep with his hayfever!) so began our 2hr drive back home.
We were only away just over 24hrs but managed to cram so much in and feel relaxed at the same time. We said we'd come back in September for a day trip which I'm already looking forward to!

Have you ever been to the Peak District?

Father's Day with Cheerz

Wow, I can't believe its Father's Day already! I find myself saying this more and more but time really does go too fast!

When it comes to present buying, men are renown for being more difficult to buy for, however this year I've got it sorted. My dad was talking about not really having many recent memories of us round his house - he and my mum divorced years ago, so he doesn't have a woman's touch in the house to help him out! My brother and (now) sister-in-law got married a few years ago, so he has fairly recent ones of them, but the ones of me are from when I was a kid, and lets be honest, they're always really cringe-worthy, and something you definitely would rather not have on show! So I came up with the bright idea of having a more recent photo of me and my other half to make up for the others!

Cheerz have some great Fathers day ideas that are a little more sentimental and something that will last instead of the usual beer and chocolate. I opted for this 20cm x 20cm photo frame that is small enough to fit anywhere, or even stand freely on a shelf, but big enough not to be missed. There are 3 different coloured frames to choose from which will help to fit nicely into the necessary decor, and really give the illusion that your dad knows what he's doing with that interior design! I opted for a photo of me and my fiance (wow, still seems strange saying that!) for my dad to hang proudly on his wall... I might even encourage him to start a collage wall! And hopefully the next photo I give him after this will be of my wedding day! This is currently on offer alongside the retro prints for a mere £15, but grab them quickly before Father's day!

If you prefer something a little more unusual, but still a good keepsake, how about this hardcover photo book? I have something similar to this and I love it... its the perfect coffee table book that guests can flick through whilst your dad is in the kitchen making that cuppa! You could fill it with a journey of your life and make it into a story almost...

If your dad likes his magnets then these retro magnets is the perfect thing for him.. and at £15 a pop for 12 magnets (that you can personalise as well with a caption) I think that's a steal!

source - cheerz

I've ordered from Cheerz before and their print quality is always on top form and I've always been happy with my order.. so much so that I'm using a lot of their prints as part of my wedding day.

As we all know, Father's Day is a matter of days away, and I know so many people who leave present buying to the last minute, purely because they are out of ideas. Take the stress away and let Cheerz do the hard work for you.. it takes a matter of minutes to design your order, and that print will be arriving on your doorstep in no time! Hurry though, because standard shipping times for Father's Day is 11th June, and express is 13th... so don't put it off any longer! And to help you even more, I have a discount code for you to give you another 10% off! Enter the code 10PRETTY at checkout (offer expires 17th June).

If making orders via apps is your jam, for apple users you will need this link and if you're in the Android club like me, you will want this link.

Now all there is to say is... have a wonderful Father's Day with those close.. enjoy!

Top 5 Tips when visiting Corfu

So I've just come back from a week in Corfu, Greece. I actually visited there many years ago when I was 15, but can't remember a thing. Low and behold this time round, we ended up staying in exactly the same village as last time, or so my Dad tells me.

After an amazing visit to Skiathos last year, I was so excited to explore another Greek island and tick it off my list!

Here are my top 5 tips when visiting Corfu....

1. Visit Corfu old Town
So there's a difference between Corfu town, and Corfu old town. I was worried that I wouldn't know the difference once I was there, but after a quick google, I knew I was in the right place. Corfu old town is where the real traditional quaint Greek streets are, full of little shops, selling an array of items from jewellery to handbags and soaps. Some of the streets are really narrow but add so much character to the place - I could have photographed every street if I had the chance! There's a slightly different vibe there to the actual new town - it feels less cosmopolitan and more laid back and a slower-paced vibe.

Corfu Old Town

2. Choose wisely on where you stay
We ended up staying in a cute village called Moraitika. It had enough taverna's and supermarkets to meet your needs, with a handful of shops amongst them, and a beach to go with it, but there wasn't much more going on. To get to Corfu town was approx 30 minutes on the bus each way, which after a few trips got a little tedious. Although our hotel was amazing, I would definitely look at staying closer to the town if I was to return.

Hotel Grounds

3. If you are into culture, avoid Kavos!
On our last day we spontaneously decided to take a trip to Kavos on the bus, mostly because Mike had visited here on an 18-30 holiday when he was 18, so he wanted to reminisce and see what had changed. I envisioned a rather cosmopolitan place with lots of swanky beach bars (I was thinking Ibiza style), white sands, and lots going on. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was a complete let down and just reminded me of an English seaside resort that just couldn't quite get it right. There was no atmosphere, it lacked the traditional Greek touches such as the tavernas and all the lovely bright flowers they have everywhere. The main 'stretch' of Kavos just looked so tacky and cheap, and I'm so glad I've never chosen to go there as a holiday destination. Luckily though, Mike found his old hotel he stayed at, and even spotted the kebab guy that served him all those 17 years ago after all those drunken nights out! All was not lost!

4. Avoid going all inclusive/half board.
I feel that Greece is a place that has to be explored on all levels, including their restaurants/food. It's not often that we go half board/all inclusive, but I found a really good deal at the time, so on this particular trip we had our breakfast and tea included, which is something I regret. On the night of my birthday we ventured away from the hotel and visited a taverna in the mountains that had really good reviews. When we sat down and had our food brought to us it was then that I realised how much I've missed this side of things. Being able to sample different restaurants is a big thing for me when I'm on holiday, so being half board can get quite repetitive. Greek food is to die for, and their meats literally fall off the bone, and I really missed the excitement of knowing I was dining out every night.

Birthday meal with a view

5. Book a boat trip!
Because we were away for my birthday, I wanted to do something a little different, so we booked a boat trip. These enable you to visit gorgeous lagoons and caves that you wouldn't have been able to get to otherwise. The colours of the water are mesmerising and we had the opportunity to sample another Greek cafe up in the hills with a great view over the ocean. These little nooks and crannies you wouldn't have known about if not for the boat trip. It's a really good way of seeing more of the island and I always make a point of doing at least 1 boat trip on our Greek holidays now. There are of course lots of different boat trips to book, itineraries varying slightly, so you have the opportunity to pick whatever suits you. 

Blue Lagoon

Have you been to Corfu before?

Mother's Day Cake, by BakerDays

As the years pass by, there's more and more items that you can order from the internet to have delivered to your door, through your letterbox, so no annoying red 'sorry you were out' cards are needed (bain of my life!).

Baker Days offer a service to have cake posted through your day.... Cake! Amazing right?

They kindly sent me one in aid of Mothers Day, so I had the joys of customising my own cake. There were so many gorgeous designs and colours to choose from, with the option of having a photograph on the icing too. I couldn't find a good enough photo of both me and my mum so I opted for a bright floral design as I felt that fitted perfectly with the theme of Mothers Day. After about half an hour of deciding which design to go for, I finally settled on the vintage Mother's Day cake. The next step was to personalise it with writing. Again, I'm not one for soppy words so I kept this nice and simple, but you can be as extravagant as you want with this, just have a play around on their website.

The cake arrived in a circular tin (which is perfect for keeping afterwards for storage!). The only negative I have about this is I didn't feel the colours of my tin fitted very well with the theming of Mothers Day, because of how harsh they were in comparison to my pretty floral coloured cake.

The cake itself isn't that thick (it does have to fit through the letterbox after all!) but its the perfect size to have with a cup of tea on Mothers Day. The cake serves approximately 4 people (if you was to all get a good-sized portion!). However if you prefer a larger size, there are others to pick from (however this might effect the 'letterbox' cake!). The cake was placed in a sealed air-tight bag inside the tin to maintain freshness, which I felt it did perfectly. There are various flavours to choose from, from traditional sponge, to red velvet and lemon drizzle etc. There are also options for those intolerant to gluten and dairy.
The cake itself is light and fluffy, with buttercream at the bottom of the cake to add moisture. In the package also came a few balloons, a party blower and 2 candles to make it extra special.

Bakerday cakes offer next day delivery if ordered before 2pm. This is perfect for all you late-shoppers, and whats even better is if you don't want to mess around with wrapping, just get it delivered to your mums house, a hassle-free gift!

Bakerdays creates cakes for all occasions, from birthday, to christenings, to good luck and halloween cakes, to 'just because' cakes that involve humour and emoji's, the list really is endless. They even do personalised cupcakes which look super cute too! They've even branched out and now do personalised balloons.. I'm looking for some wedding balloons for our venue so these might be on my list!

So if you're still stuck for ideas on what to get your mum, or maybe for another occasion that's upcoming in your diary, bakerdays are perfect for that person who has a sweet tooth!

Asian Afternoon Tea at Australasia, Manchester

During December I was lucky enough to win Asian afternoon tea in Manchester at Australasia. It's definitely not something I would have gone for normally, because I do like my traditional afternoon tea, however I'm so glad I gave this a chance!

Firstly, the interior of Australasia was stunning. From the iconic glass pyramid entrance on The Avenue in Spinningfields, to the beautuful restaurant downstairs with its white interior (I swear I need to revisit just so I can sit in those booths!) to the terrace and bar area upstairs with its unique shell theming and statement pieces, everywhere oozed luxurious and the interior definitely ticked all boxes for me.

We decided to sit in the terrace area outside - it had vibes of being abroad out there, with its mint green cushioned seats, and leafy walls, adorned with fairy lights. The terrace was heated, however with it still being a blustery February day, it did get a little chilly towards the end, but I can imagine this area to be divine on a warmer day, and even prettier by dusk.

The Asian afternoon tea came in 2 'waves' - savoury, followed by dessert on a different tier. The service was impeccable; both friendly and informative, and each item was explained to us so we knew what we were eating! Fresh wasabi was made in front of us which I liked. The afternoon tea usually comes with Chardonnay, however because Mike was driving later on, we both passed on the alcohol, and went for mocktails instead. I had a coconut and mango cocktail, whereas Mike had an Apple, Kiwi and Lime cocktail. They were both so refreshing and tasty.

The top tier consisted of 'salad' and pork. The pork was full of flavour and reminded me of something from a Chinese dish.

I couldn't tell you what the second tier was, but there was something on there that reminded me of the battered dumplings from Wagamamas, however this one had avocado in.. I'm not normally a fan of this but it worked perfectly with this concoction. This was teamed with a small salad and edamane beans which I'm a huge fan of. I think the cracker was a take on prawn crackers, however this had a slightly different taste to it, but was still just as nice.

The fresh sushi was on the bottom tier, and the one I was least looking forward to, simply because I don't eat raw fish, however I was pleasantly surprised. I will admit, there were a couple I slid across to Mike but for any fish/sushi fans out there, you'd appreciate this tier! There was a range of prawn, tuna and salmon, each on a bed of rice. The soya sauce really complimented these and definitely got that palette going!

After taking a moment, we then went in for the second tier - desserts! The majority of each one is bite-size, and were really tasty!

On the top tier lay 2 good-sized chocolate brownie type cakes. These were quite rich for me (but I managed to eat it all, obviously!). The chocolate was smooth and it was topped with a fresh blackberry and cream. 

The second tier came with these little glass pots of can only be described as a contrast between vanilla yogurt and blancmange. They werent my favourite but were definitely asthetically pleasing! The cute pink merringues that sat next to them were nice and crunchy, topped with a blueberry.

The third tier came with these 3 little beauties. The one on the left bizarrely reminded me a little of a bakewell tart, even though the colour doesn't resemble this! The middle was pastry with what tasted like lemon curd inside (my favourite!), topped off with a blueberry. The final one reminded me of an almond slice, and this too was lovely.

After our desserts, the wind had really upped its game, so we moved inside to the bar area to wrap up the last of our afternoon tea. Here we were presented with tea - we were given a small selection of teas to choose from; English Breakfast, Earl Grey or a few fruit/herbal flavours. I opted for the English Grey and it was presented on a small wooden tray and everything was made from glass which really pleased me!

Overall, an absolutely lovely experience and a place that I'm definitely going to revisit on our next trip to Manchester, this time to sit in the restaurant and experience their food menu and more of their cocktails!

UK Staycation Bucket List

There's something I want to start doing more of, and that's seeing my own country. I've been a bit of a traitor over the years and have visited more countries outside of UK than I have in. However there are so many beautiful places within England that I long to visit, and that list is ever-growing. Here are my top 5 places that I would love to visit within the next year or so..


Bath

I love the look of bath, and how it holds a lot of history. I remember learning all about the Roman Baths as a kid in school, so I'd love to be able to visit them one day! It's a slight trek from us, at a 4+hr drive, but I'm determined to get there at some point. I'd love to visit whilst they had their Christmas market on!


Edinburgh

I've never visited Scotland but again, Edinburgh really appeals to me because it has the perfect mixture of city life and history, with countryside being on your doorstep. I'd love to see Edinburgh castle too, and I can imagine the military tattoo festival would be amazing to watch!


The Lake District

Now this one I've been to on several occasions, moreso when I was a teenager though so I can't remember it too much (and definitely wouldn't have appreciated it back then). My last trip was with work in 2010 for a sponsored hike. We didn't really get to explore too much and 8 years have passed since then, so I think another trip is in order! I'd love to get a cottage with a hot tub and just enjoy lots of walks in the countryside and getting in touch with nature.

The Cotswolds


I'm a sucker for quaint little villages, and this looks like somewhere I'd love to live (how could you not think those houses are cute?!). I don't really know too much about the place but I can imagine walking down all the country lanes on a summers day and admiring all the cute thatched medieval villages and sitting by a lake whilst enjoying a picnic... dreamy.

Cambridge













This one is closest to us, but still a 2.5hr drive, yet somewhere that I've never visited. I like the fact that this is predominantely a university city, but has that quaintness to it. I want to see the boats/punters and I'd find a cute little tea shop and have afternoon tea whilst people watching. My perfect afternoon!

We have started to save for our wedding (yes, he finally popped the question on New Years Day!) so unfortunately a lot of travel plans are having to go on the back burner for a while, so it may take me a while to get through this list!

  

Where would you like to visit this year?

Frezyderm Hydrating & Repairing Facial Cream

It's been a long time since I last made a blog post about a beauty product, but this one deserves a mention.

A couple of weeks ago I won a competition, and the prize consisted of a bundle of skincare. I'll be honest, I'd never heard of the skincare brand before and was quite shocked when I realised how much these products were retailing at on their website.

A bit of background on my skincare routine (or lack of..) - It's basic, like really basic. I don't have lotions and potions that I apply every morning and evening, and to be honest, I've only recently in the past year or so been using moisturising cream. Yes, I know, its really bad. But I've just not found a moisturiser that's right for my skin. I'd either break out, or apply it under my foundation and my make-up just wouldn't 'sit' well on top of it. I gave it up as a bad job and around 6 months ago, finally settled on one particular day moisturiser that suited me well, but I used it at night instead. I've always received compliments on how 'youthful' and 'glowing' my skin looks, so I was always happy with how I did things.

After receiving my prize bundle, I gave the moisturiser a whirl. Being sceptical because of my relationship with moisturisers, I wasn't all that hopeful, however there are a few key things I would like from a moituriser, the first one being how well it absorbs into the skin. I hate how after applying moisturiser, half an hour later and the face still feels tacky, however I was amazed at how quickly my skin drank this up. Not only that, but how velvety soft my skin felt within minutes after applying. I couldn't stop touching it! It had the same effect that a favourite primer of mine has, so it definitely got a huge tick in this area!

An hour after applying, I was getting ready to go out for a meal, and begun applying my foundation. After nearing the end of applying my make-up, I noticed my skin looked different, like I had applied a brand new foundation. I looked closer in the mirror and was baffled as to why my make-up looked flawless - I had only used the same products that I always do. The appearance reminded me of an old favourite foundation of mine, Estee Lauder, that I hadn't used in years! Then I realised... it was the Frezyderm Moisturiser I had used earlier! I was amazed! It is worth noting that this moisturiser is targeted for ages 30+, so is designed to target areas where the skin (sadly) starts its ageing process.

This product claims to hydrate and restructure skin and has collagen boosting and elasticity improving properties. It's obviously early days in order to comment on this but I have definitely noticed a change in the appearance of my skin under make-up and that alone I am happy with.

The packaging is rather unique too. The bottle comes in a perspex 'capsule' almost, which can either be kept in this or taken apart. This gives the product a more luxurious feel. I occasionally find the pump applicator a little difficult to use, but it definitely doesn't effect my opinion of the product overall.

I've been using this a few days and haven'd had any break outs. Is it going to be a repurchase at some point? I think so!

Love is in the air at Cheerz

I've been to lots of people's houses over the past few years and they all seem to have one thing in common; a photo canvas hung proudly on their wall - something I've never owned. It's quite apt really, considering how 'into' photography I am, but with the likes of social media, all these lovely photos stay on my phone, or get broadcasted on facebook, but never see the light of day in physical format.

I finally got round to ordering a lovely 40cm x 40cm canvas photo print from Cheerz which now hangs proudly in my living room, and I love it. 

I've always been a bit fussy when it comes to the quality of photos; if a photo is slightly out of focus (unintentional) then I'll spot it. The very few photos I have had developed in supermarkets or Max Spielman, I've been so disappointed when they've been printed because of the quality, so I was a little apprehensive when ordering this canvas, however I really had nothing to worry about. The quality is absolutely beautiful, and is the perfect replica of the original photo, if not better because of the size! If you have the wall space, there is an option to go even larger with a 45cm x 60cm canvas - this would look great over a fireplace! 

The canvas' offers premium photo printing onto the material, which is mounted on a wooden frame. What I also loved about this product was how secure the packaging was when it arrived. It was almost vacuum-packed into the box which made no room for manoeuvre, so no risk of the canvas getting damaged in transit.  

You also get the option of adding a velcro fastener (for a small additional fee). Can I just say I've never come across these before but they are a complete game changer! I was in awe of their method/capability and I can safely say I'll definitely be repurchasing these for future wall hangings! So simple yet effective - if you dislike nails/hooks/marks in/on your wall, then these are for you! Marvellous little things which allow you to hang things and leave no trace on the walls afterwards... genius!  

Cheerz are currently getting into the spirit of Valentines day by offering a small range of romantic photo-themed items for your loved ones. 

These adorable heart magnets are the perfect little gift for those sentimental ones in your life...personalise them with not only a photo but a short message too.. maybe leave them round the house so they can go on a treasure hunt and collect them all!

source

These personalised Valentines Photo Albums are a great way to store memories for your loved one to reflect over. How about showcasing all of your 'firsts' ... first date.. first holiday together.. it would make a great coffee table book too! 

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With only 2 weeks to go until Valentines Day, how are you going to show your loved one that you appreciate them? Cheerz are kindly offering all of my readers £5 discount on all orders over £20 when using the code Q1GXNX. This can be used on both the website and Cheerz App (which is also so easy to use!).

Get snapping and make someones day this Valentines! 

Afternoon Tea Review: Relish, Cleethorpes

For those that know me well will know I'm rather partial to an afternoon tea. Both my friend and I recently visited Relish in Cleethorpes to sample out theirs.

We were initially provided with a pot of tea each, alongside an ice cold jar of water which is always appreciated.
The afternoon tea arrived, which was presented on a small picnic bench. The tea was categorised into 3 sections; savoury, sandwiches and sweets. These were chosen by us a few days before (booking and a small deposit is required when having afternoon tea here). Although this may be a hassle to some, it guarantees that you aren't being presented with sandwich fillings that you don't like and end up leaving (salmon, I'm looking at you!), or desserts that you aren't keen on (Tiramisu I'm also looking at you!).

Because the savouries consisted of warm foods that had been freshly cooked, I dug into those first. I opted for Mozzarella sticks, which I imagined to be something different to what they came out like, but nevertheless, these were gorgeous. The pastry was so flaky and the cheese oozed out. The sausage roll was pretty much the same, no shop-bought ones here, and they were really decent-sized portions.
Next up was a small bucket of homemade chips, and although nice, I found them to be a little dry, which was a shame.

Once the warm foods were out of the way we moved onto the sandwiches. We opted for 3 fillings; Roast Pepper and Goats Cheese with Balsamic Butter. This was nice however the goats cheese was a little too much for me, but this is personal preference. Next up was Parma ham and tomato with baby gem. I've never experienced parma ham in a sandwich before, and because of the sometimes 'stringy' texture of parma ham, I found this to be a little annoying when trying to eat, but again, personal preference. The last filling was chicken & bacon with red onion. This was by far my favourite and I would have been happy if all 3 of my sandwiches were this.

After the sandwiches the fullness began to set in, but I wanted to give the desserts a shot, so we went straight in for the shortbread biscuit. This was small, but it was just a 'filler' dessert amongst the main 3 that we had previously selected. I'm not sure if this was home-baked or not but it was absolutely gorgeous. The texture was lovely and it really did melt in the mouth. We then moved onto the white chocolate chip brownie which although nice, was a little too rich for me. I forget that most brownies are 'too much' for me, but proceed to order them anyway! The lemon posset was presented in a cute copper jar, and it was lovely, although it definitely woke those taste buds up even more through its tangy-ness! The last 'main' pudding was the cheesecake, which happened to be cherry for that day. I'll be honest - I wasn't overly keen on this. The texture for me didn't match up to what a cheesecake should taste like. It was very tough, like it had been stored in a fridge for numerous days. This definitely didn't win me over. The other 'fillers' on the bench were a small slab of honeycomb, fresh strawberries, and a small spoonful of chocolate mousse, which was lovely.

The amount of food that is provided for £15pp is definitely worth it. Would I go again? Yes, I would. Although there were some cons, the pros definitely outweigh them. I'm all about giving places a second chance so next time I'd switch up my sandwich filling, and maybe try a different flavour cheesecake!