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Overnight stay, The Baraset Barn, Alveston

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Mid July we headed ‘up North’ to visit friends and family for the weekend. As we have a 3-month-old baby, we decided to break up the journey by stopping off at The Baraset Barn, Alveston. We picked The Baraset Barn because it was quick and easy to access from the M40 and meant we could be on the M6 nice and early ahead of the morning rush. There are just 16 rooms This was our first hotel stay with a baby so we were feeling a little nervous. From the website, the rooms looked large enough to accommodate a travel cot or a pram. The room did not disappoint, we had ample space for setting up little man.  Sometimes hotels can make rooms look large on their website then you turn up to something tiny; this was not the case. If anything, it was actually the opposite as the room was much larger than I had anticipated. There is a small mini-fridge in the room that had bottled water and fresh milk for the coffee machine. The room also comes with two dressing gowns, an iron and ironing board....
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Summer Garden Afternoon Tea, The Ivy, Winchester

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Last week I headed into Winchester (with my 11-week old baby) to try the Summer Garden Afternoon Tea. It was my mums birthday, so her partner and I arranged to surprise her. My mum is gluten intolerant, so I’ll show you what the ‘normal’ afternoon tea is like vs the gluten-free offering. Afternoon Tea at The Ivy, Winchester is served between 3-5pm. As we had baby G with us, we opted to eat at 3pm to ensure we were home in plenty of time for the bath routine (how things have changed!).  The first course of sandwiches and scones was promptly bought to the table alongside our glass of champagne. Our savoury selection included: Truffled chicken brioche roll  Marinated cucumber and dill finger sandwich on basil bread  Smoked salmon on beetroot bread with cream cheese and chives  I love that the cucumber and salmon sandwiches were served on flavoured bread. This made them seem a bit more special than your average afternoon tea and delivered a deeper complexity of flavour. ...
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Afternoon Tea, Cafe Binghams, Hampshire

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Who else has missed eating in restaurants? As you’re reading this blog, I think it’s safe to assume you are also excited to be able to enjoy a meal inside with your nearest and dearest again.  This week, we were invited to Cafe Binghams to try their menu. For transparency, this meal was complimentary, however, this does not affect our review.  Going for Afternoon Tea is one of my favourite things to do, especially when I’m with friends. In my eyes, nothing suits a long overdue catch up like a tasty selection of cakes and a good cup of tea. For me, this was also my first experience eating in a restaurant with my little boy, who was 7 weeks old at the time.  What’s on the menu? Savoury  Coronation chicken wrap  Maybe the best coronation chicken I’ve had. Messy but delicious. Rosary goats’ cheese, sweet pepper piperade wrap   I know goats cheese can be a bit of a marmite option, but I absolutely love goats cheese. It was nice to have something a little bit dif...
Location: Ampfield, Romsey SO51, UK
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The Jetty, Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa

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During our stay at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel we were lucky enough to enjoy two evening meals at their beautiful restaurant, The Jetty.   The Jetty is the only restaurant at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel and as you can imagine, has a focus on fish dishes. They do also have a grill menu so if you are travelling with someone who isn't overly keen on fish, there are a number of alternatives on offer such as steak, burgers, chicken etc.  As we were visiting in October, we weren't able to enjoy the beautiful estuary views during our dinner as it was pitch black, but I can imagine that during summer the restaurant has the most spectacular views over the water.   Starters Simple Scallop Grilled, Garlic Butter  One of my all-time favourite starters, scallops cooked in garlic butter. Such a simple dish but unbelievably delicious, especially with fresh bread. You can choose how many you want, but for me, 3 was more than enough. Twice Baked Cheese Souffle   It's not...
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Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa, Salcombe

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 This week’s update and proposed timeline from Boris has bought about a lot of excitement for everyone in the UK. It feels like we are finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and we can start thinking about how to enjoy summer...if all goes to plan. As you know, back in October we were lucky enough to squeeze in a visit to the Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa for my 30 th birthday and we’ve had so many people private messaging us to ask about our stay and if we would recommend the hotel. So with a new lease of life after the announcement on Monday and the hope that summer getaways will go ahead, here it is, our review of the Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa. This was only my second visit to Salcombe and it had been well over a decade since my last visit. I had really fond memories of the town and was so excited to be able to get away from home for a few nights. When booking, we opted for the flexible room rate with breakfast and dinner, meaning that our breakfast ...
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Overnight stay, The Grosvenor, Stockbridge

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Last weekend we had the most amazing night away at The Grosvenor Hotel in Stockbridge, Hampshire. For the sake of transparency, I won the night away through a competition. The views in this blog are my own and have not been affected or influenced by the hotel staff.  The Grosvenor Hotel is prominently situated in the centre of the Stockbridge high street and has the most beautiful entrance, which can be seen below. At the moment, they have playfully placed two deck chairs and sand just outside the front door. The room we stayed in was 'The Cannon', named after Tom Cannon, a local horse jockey turned trainer who also lived at the Grosvenor until he died in 1917.  The room is decorated in a relaxing pale pink with pops of colour here and there. I can honestly say that the photos do not do this room justice. I feel like it looks really girly in the photos, but it didn't feel that girly in person.  Opposite the bed, a TV hides behind a mirror/frame. I thought this was a ...
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