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To self build or not to self build
Bristol’s been a wonderful home for the last 6 years, especially the central spot we have with its easy access to all Bristol has to offer. Living in the middle of one of the most popular cities in the country comes with its compromises though, and the main one is space- both inside and out. So for a while now (nearly 4 years) we’ve been looking for a new home in a slightly more rural setting. We’ve viewed dozens of houses and with each viewing we honed our view of what’s important to us, seeing features we loved as well as those we’d rather not have. If you had a…
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The Coconut Tree, Gloucester Road
I first heard about The Coconut Tree from a friend who lived on the doorstep of the original Cheltenham establishment, from her Instagram feed I could tell she went probably far more often than she cared to admit. I’m a bit hopeless and have yet to visit the Cheltenham one but have since checked out the Bristol one on Gloucester Road. I was told by someone at work, who also raved about it, that I’d need to book ahead so I got us a table for one evening after work. This place is obviously doing something right if a lot of it’s growth is based on word-of-mouth. The food is inspired…
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Brace yourselves for a great Sunday Roast
Now this may disappoint a few people or make you question my reliability as a food blogger but I have to confess; I’m not a huge fan of roast dinners. There are some exceptions of course like Christmas dinner, or my Mum’s Sunday roasts that we grew up with but I can’t say I’ve ever craved them. If we ever went out for a family meal on a Sunday I’d always go off piste and have the burger as opposed to a roast, just because I think a roast can go so easily wrong and leave you feeling disappointed. This does mean when I discover a good one, that gets…
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I’m fondue of you
James and I don’t venture to North Street enough, it’s only a short walk from us and has a great selection of places to eat. We have managed to try out most of the establishments but there was one I had my eye on for a while. Every time we passed The Malago, I’d say to James, we need to try this one. I’m not going to lie it was mainly the ‘buy two mains and get a free bottle of wine’ that initially had me interested but after a little more homework we discovered they also do Cheese Fondue Mondays. We booked ourselves a table pronto. I’d never had…
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So you’ve turned 30
When you tell people you’re turning 30 you almost feel the need to grit your teeth and act as though it’s a big deal, or that life is being unkind making you say goodbye to your 20s, but in all honesty I wasn’t that bothered and it turns out I feel exactly the same as I did at 29. Perhaps when you have far more important things going on in your life, starting a new decade becomes quite insignificant. I have listened to podcasts by women talking about turning 30 and how it really got them down, a lot of it was due to losing the innocence of their 20s…
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Le Champignon Sauvage
For years we’ve been meaning to visit one of Cheltenham’s most celebrated, and highly decorated restaurants, Le Champignon Sauvage, which translates to ‘the wild mushroom’ (if, like me, you’re not a big mushroom fan, don’t worry – there are plenty of non-mushroomy options!). Recently we finally got around to a long overdue visit! So was it worth the wait…? Tucked away in the quiet Suffolk Place suburb of Cheltenham, the very modest and understated frontage gives little away. Enter and you feel like you’re walking into the front room of a private house; it has a warm and homely feeling with sofas and a wonderful range of art. We were…
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Pinkmans, Bristol
Bristol’s got dozens of bakeries, pizza places and coffee shops. If you want a fantastic bakery Harts or Hobbs will see you right. If you want great pizza head along to Bertha’s or Pizzarova. If you want coffee I can’t help you with specifics as I don’t drink the muck, but there’s plenty of coffee shops in town so I’m sure you’ll find somewhere which’ll willingly take your hard-earned money, grind it up, stew it with hot water and give you a cup of bitter liquid. Did I mention I’m not a fan? What Bristol’s been missing until recently now though is somewhere which does all three – breads/bakes, pizza…
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Getting the most out of your first NYC trip
Recently it was Steph’s 30th and to celebrate the start of her 4th decade I knew expectations would be high; a trip to Nando’s and a new top wasn’t going to cut it this time! Steph’s love of travel and exploring makes things a bit easier, but where to go?! It’d felt like a long Winter so a bit of sun was considered, but in the end I decided on a trip to New York. We had a full week out there and packed a heck of a lot in, but I thought rather than give a blow by blow account of our visit, I’d share some of our key…
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A long overdue bike ride
Living in the center of Bristol I get around on foot, by bike and by car. Doing a bit of everything I see hostility from each group towards the others; in such a busy environment there’ll always be conflict (especially when the roads in the center of town are constantly being dug up, diverting at least one group into the regular territory of the other). I feel like cyclists get the worst deal: They’re not welcomed onto pavements by pedestrians, and they’re not welcomed onto roads by drivers, so on the many roads and routes where there isn’t a cycle path then it’s not much fun being on a bike.…
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Holidaying on a boat
Last month James and I went away to Falmouth for a long weekend with some friends. We had been talking about going away together for months and finally got something pretty special booked up. We scoured the internet before stumbling upon a spot just on the outskirts of Falmouth town centre. What made it so special you ask? Well, it was in fact a boat. A boat with all the necessities: the top floor was all open plan with a big kitchen, dining area, and a large lounging space with lots of glass to enjoy the views. It gave the impression that you could almost walk out onto the outdoor…
