Heavenly Staycations: Part Two – Salcombe and Hope Cove
Let’s keep this short and sweet. I know it’s not breaking news that Devon and Cornwall are gorgeous, especially when the sun is out but have you ventured along the South West Coast Path lately?
This Easter I visited my parents and they decided we ought to take an impromptu trip down to Devon, as you do! Actually it made a lot of sense, we all had a few extra days and the weather was forecast to be sunn… er, good oh and my husband was on a stag do! The main reason however was that my parents are doing the South West Coast path, bit by bit, in fact I joined them on a section just before I got married almost 4 years ago, so it’s been no small commitment for them.
The stretch of coast in the south west is breath taking and in some parts you can peer into stunning, seemingly untouched beaches which must only be accessible by boat if at all. There are stretches, of course, covered up in people, sheep, horses, cows, dog walkers and the odd farmer all of whom will most likely smile and say hello, moo, baa, woof.
So why am I telling you about this? We live in such a busy world and sometime we need to escape. I am developing a real passion for doing this by exploring the beauty of the country I live in and, much like Port Lympne in Part One, it makes you stop and appreciate the fact that you don’t have to board a plane or venture too far to discover something truly special. These walks along the coast path feel really exceptional and give you the opportunity to visit little towns and places that you might otherwise never know about. It is a relatively well marked path although my parents always come with a map and guide book so that always helps. A deep breathe of sea air, a bitter shandy and the sun on my face felt like a real treat!
Walking not your thing? No problem, locally to Salcombe and Hope Cove there are plenty of pubs to try, fish and chips, cosy independent shops filled with treats and gifts not to mention a tractor bus to transport you to the island that inspired at least two of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, of which I am a massive fan. Speaking of which the bed and breakfast we stayed in had a bit of an Agatha Christie feel, it had a coastal themed bar and a traditional style, if a bit chintzy and a real personal touch which just goes to show it can be more fun trying less commercial and off the beaten path accommodation.
Even if you can’t drive all the way down to the south west coast, why not venture out and visit somewhere new near you?
Next up, we’ll be taking it back to tea and maybe cake!
Bringing Prohibition America to Cambridge
Bursting with a passion for food, drink, vintage and a healthy dose of all things American we had long been desperate to fuse these all together and create a special event. So we jumped at the chance to be able to hold a fringe event for Eat Cambridge this year and got going with our application as soon as we found out about it. We were thrilled to have our application accepted, Eat Cambridge celebrates all things food and drink across Cambridge with a special focus on independent small business that are bringing exciting produce to the local foodie scene and beyond. It is currently on until 24th May so if you haven’t already checked out the events going on make sure you do now and keep an eye out for next year’s dates!
We wanted the event to combine the tradition of afternoon tea with a flight of bespoke cocktails and this brought us to the only logical conclusion, a 1920’s Prohibition Tea Party! Once we had settled on a Prohibition theme it was all systems go and we agonised over every detail.
The Food
A passion for trying new foods, experimenting with flavours and cuisines has long been a part of my life, you don’t put on 2 stone when travelling for 8 months any other way right!? Having decided to plunge into the Prohibition theme it quickly became clear that our afternoon tea needed an American make over. Half of my fabulous family being American and having spent 3 months driving across the states we have sampled a vast array of the delicious delights the States has to offer. From pizza and BBQ to soul food and grits, pancakes to fried chicken, oh I could go on forever.
We set about researching sandwiches and trying out all the meats, cheeses and garnishes to develop our takes on two classics, the Reuben and Muffuletta and introducing the Pilgrim and West Coast Crunchy. You may have noticed we do passion with passion and that includes a passion for shopping local so we sourced local and British products including delicious breads from Brown Bread who can be found at Ely and Saffron Walden markets among others. We also ordered from the devine Keevil and Keevil for cured meats, and Limoncello for Provalone oh boy what a treat! We’d love to give away all our secrets but our home made olive spread will have to remain a secret for now!
We added some quintessential American flavours to our scones offering Cranberry and Cinnamon Scones with Cheese, Jalapeno and Bacon bites. The bites were made to an American biscuit recipe, these are very similar to scones but perhaps more fluffy and served with anything from sausage gravy at breakfast or fried chicken at lunch to cheese dip as an appetiser before dinner.
Our sweet treats came with a matching cocktail, see the menu above, but we didn’t let this hold us back on flavour or surprises. We developed a delicious apple and salted caramel cupcake, a cherry pie cake pop dipped in a black chocolate candy coating and speckled with edible gold food paint to match our colour theme as well as a peach and blueberry cobbler loaf. Despite being fully aware that we already had a pretty full menu we powered on and added petit fours to include peanut butter choc chip cookies, our much loved pecan pie and finally, you probably guessed it, a chocolate brownie!
The Drinks
Please rest assured and have no doubt that we went into the research for our drinks menu with huge amounts of gusto and enthusiasm, it’s a serious subject after all. Not being officially trained in the art of cocktails, in fact just being avid drinkers of cocktails meant this part was pretty nerve wracking. My husband, it seems, has a secret array of cocktail skills tucked up his sleeve so we spent many an evening trying gins, bourbons, soaking fruits and infusing spirits with tea.
Our first cocktail quite simply had to be served in a tea pot and we discovered a hugely talented local artist, Monique at Toasted Glass, who quite by chance happens to make the perfect tea pots for this kind of event and is also a fellow Secret Tea Society member!! Her work is bespoke, hand painted and extends to all kinds of items such as vases, julep cups, bottles, and so much more.
We infused gin with our own Earl Grey loose leaf tea and lengthened with Prosecco and Cloudy Lemonade, delicious. For our other cocktails we really wanted to add a dash of something you wouldn’t necessarily find easily and also a hint of something American. Two highlights for us where the Arkensas Apple Pie Lightning, a whisky based liqueur with apple and spice and the Harry Brompton’s alcoholic Iced Tea, newly available in some Waitrose’s and in specialist shops, it tastes just like American Iced Tea. We combined these two with Salted Caramel vodka to create our own Apple Pie Moonshine and it was a hit.We served the spirits mixed together in a hip flask and allowed our guests to lengthen the cocktail at their own discretion with the iced tea.
p> We also developed our own pale ale syrup for another cocktail and sourced delectable peach and blueberry teas to create a non-alcoholic iced tea. Finally, on one advance visit to our venue, Hot Numbers, we discovered they made an Espresso Martini and once sipped it had to be on the menu. You haven’t had an Espresso Martini until you’ve tried the Hot Numbers Espresso Martini, they use their own coffee to make it which is divine in itself, gives it a beautiful roasted coffee flavour and really wakes you up, this was the perfect cocktail to end the night on.
The Venue, Decor and Entertainment
It’s all very well and good putting all this effort into the food and drink but our event really wouldn’t have had the right mood, atmosphere and Speakeasy vibe if hadn’t been for our fabulous venue, decor and entertainment. I had already been to Hot Numbers on a couple occasions, for events and a coffee, in my humble opinion they serve the most sensational coffee, certainly the best coffee I’ve ever had. It is located in a former brewery and directly next door to antique shops which we felt not only brought it directly in line with the feel we were after but also allowed us the odd cheeky antique rumage. It is a beautiful space and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. They also had some fab jazz art work on the walls, a piano and a kitchen oh and I suspect the craft beers helped lure my husband in!
We sourced a great deal of decor options and sadly couldn’t fit them all in the car on the night. Obviously our beautiful china and Toasted Glass tea pots added to the Prohibition feel. Sparkling fabric flowers by Daphne Rosa handmade in black and gold decorated the tables adding glamour and we picked up some wonderful wooden letters to spell out Prohibition.
What kind of Prohibition Tea Party would it have been without a delectable live performance of 1920s and 30s tunes!? Fortunately we knew just the person and were incredibly lucky to book the sensational Cherry Morello. Cherry has a stunning voice, she dazzled in a sparkling gown, interacted with our guests and even got them singing along.
We had a wonderful night, myself, my husband and my awesome friend Tamara loved dressing up, making food, serving and meeting our guests and were thrilled with such positive feedback. We hope we can dust of our outfits and do it again soon! The evening was captured beautifully by Anna Goodman, if you would like to use her photos please contact us in the first instance and we will pass on all requests.
Heavenly Staycations: Part One – Wild Glamping
Heavenly ‘Staycations’: Part One
For someone particularly light on holiday funds I have been very fortunate, recently, to have enjoyed several top quality ‘staycations’ on our lovely island this year alone! It just goes to show that there is actually a whole lot to discover on our own doorstep, something I have always known but not taken enough advantage of. So pack your bags and get ready to explore from the comfort of your own home and then maybe you’ll fancy heading out there too!
First up some wild glamping! I love making life long memories with my friends and what better way to do that than to head off for an adventure. Glamping is nothing new but, and this will probably come as no surprise, we were after something a bit different so we chose the Elephant Lodge at Port Lympne Safari Park near Hythe in Kent. Port Lympne is one of two wild animal parks run by the Aspinall Foundation down in Kent, this year they celebrate 30 years of conservation, and the work they do with wild animals is wonderful, more on that later.
On arrival we received a warm welcome and made ourselves at home in our new abode, the safari tent which slept 8 of us including the sofa bed. These tents are no ordinary tents, they have, first and foremost, a flushing toilet, hot shower and a kettle! Not only that but they have a log fire, bunk beds, hidden beds, a kitchen, living area and a porch. I couldn’t think of anything else we really needed in our tent, yes ladies, you can plug in your hair dryer, they even provide a mirror oh and a fridge for the Prosecco! There were plenty of logs to burn, so our men folk got to play cave man and we were all kept toasty and warm at night. We got lucky with the weather, being the last weekend in March we could have had anything but we enjoyed sunshine and even broke out the sunglasses! In addition to Elephant Lodge, elsewhere in the park, they also have Livingstone Lodge, romantic tents for two with poster beds and if you’re still not convinced about getting in a tent they also have a lovely cottage, Livingstone Cottage.
Our tents overlooked the Elephants who did a good job of hiding until our last day but we also overlooked a family of cheetahs who were beautiful to watch. Oh and did I mention the sneaky little meerkats who live in the campsite to, they have their own quarters of course and are so funny to watch!
There was so much to do we didn’t know where to start, a safari tour is included in your visit as is access to the parks but on our first evening we decided to go on the small cat feeding. This was such a treat and I recommend doing this tour if it is available. Our guide was friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, we got to [if you’re a bit squeamish/vegetarian maybe don’t read the end of this sentence] feed baby chicks to some of the wild cats and even got to see the Pallas Cats who have incredible faces and a talent for camouflage (can you spot one in the picture below?), they often hide during the day and had we not done this tour we would never have known how awesome they are! The Caracal and Ocelot are also wonderful cats to see. We didn’t see the Caracal on the other days either, which was a shame as they are beautiful, but it is their speed and agility which is so impressively displayed during the feeding that you don’t want to miss.
After our evening adventure in the park we had a table booked in the Club House Restaurant which is situated in the camp making it very handy for getting back to bed. I took advantage of the Mongolian Grill where you get to pick the ingredients and sauce for your meal and then either watch it be cooked or, if you ask nicely, they let you cook it on the hot pit yourself (excuse my excitement in the picture). Breakfast is also served here, a continental breakfast is included or you can upgrade to a cooked breakfast, we enjoyed both on separate days.
The next day we got to meet a Rhino up close and personal. They are quite simply incredible animals and it shocked me that they are so close to extinction purely due to the selfish nature of a few ignorant people increasing the demand for rhino horn. We couldn’t have been more impressed with our guide who gave us a real insight into rhino’s and is clearly passionate about the animals.
We had time to enjoy the area and lunch before our evening safari. The evening safari was a real highlight of the trip. As the park is closing and much quieter the animals came out and we saw so many of them up close and personal including a family of giraffe! It really felt like we were in the wild and we were given plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the sights. This would be a fantastic experience for young children but I know we all felt in awe of the animals and loved the safari, I would definitely do it again.
You can’t visit the Elephant Lodge and not spend time in the actual park itself, we didn’t make it to Howletts but I would love to go back. Port Lympe is a day out in itself, there are play areas and places to eat and a huge range of animals.
This would be the perfect holiday for families but let me tell you, as a group of, ahem, late twenty somethings we had an awesome weekend too. So, if you have always wanted to go on Safari but never been able to, give this a go to dip your toe in.
To give you an idea of the work and passion behind these parks, below is the Mission of the Aspinal Association, for more information visit, http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/
Our Mission
- To halt the extinction of rare and endangered species in the wild
- To continue to provide the most natural environment possible for the animals in both parks
- To re-introduce these animals back to their wild habitat where this is possible
- To continue to be world leaders in animal husbandry and breeding
- To be a partner and catalyst to conservation efforts at home and abroad
- Increasing public understanding of animals and their welfare and the issues involved in their conservation
- To manage wilderness areas
- To develop sustainable conservation-minded activities which provide economic benefits on a local and national scale.