Tea and Cake at Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair

In recent years I have developed a massive appreciation for all things vintage. I especially enjoy trawling through pictures of fashion from the 1960’s - I just love all the quirky jewellery and vibrant clothing. The other thing that comes to mind when I think of vintage shopping is of course, cute Victorian inspired tea pots and cake stands (what a surprise).

I have to confess though I've never actually brought anything vintage or been to a vintage fair before. When I happened to see an announcement advertising Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair coming to Albert Hall in Nottingham this September, I was super excited and decided I really wanted to go! So last Sunday my mum (who has an amazing eye for a bargain) and I took a trip down to the Albert Hall for our first vintage fair experience. In today’s post I thought I would share a few pictures from our mother daughter outing :)

So first impressions - it was very hectic! I really wasn't expecting so many people! Luckily we got there just as the fair was opening (we were incredibly eager) and were able to have a first look round before it became really crowded.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the sheer variety of stalls and bargains waiting to be snapped up – from cute floral tableware to vintage suitcases and gorgeous handbags – there really was something for everyone.

At one point I managed to lose my mum in the crowd…tracked her down a few minutes later though eying up some gorgeous cake stands - I don’t think she even noticed we’d lost each other! Someone was clearly enjoying themselves :) 

I thought these plates were just adorable – really wish I’d brought one now!!

For the clothing, there’s definitely a bit of rummaging through piles needed but it’s so worth it, as there were lots of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered…

It's a shame it’s not sunny anymore :(

So what did we buy…..

I picked up this cute top from ‘Mrs Bird Vintage’ for only £10. My sister asked me to keep an eye out for a good quality little handbag for her and after sending endless whatsapp pictures of what felt like every bag at the fair, she finally chose the miniscule but very cute bag in the picture above. The lady on the stall informed me that it was from the 1940’s and genuine leather. The bag was only £8… a bargain!  I sort of want to keep it for myself now…(shhh) 

All the jewellery at the fair was beautiful and there was just so much to choose from. I picked up this cute tea pot necklace, which I fell in love with at first sight for £5. I would definitely check out this shop (www.madamecherry.com) it has some amazing other pieces too. Also, I purchased a pair of scrabble piece earrings for £2.00.

And finally something to add a bit of elegance to my bedroom wall…

I am a huge fan of Audrey Hepburn!!

My mum purchased a gorgeous cake stand for only £5. We took ages deliberating between the array of unique designs, but finally chose this lovely one…

What we ate…

No post of mine would be complete without some reference to my love of tea and cake. In fact the first thing we spotted when we entered the fair was the vintage tea party area. It was tempting to make a beeline straight for the cake stall, especially as all the cakes looked so scrummy and enticing. I managed to control my cravings until after we’d trawled around the rest of the fair though, by which time the cakes were looking even more appealing to my tired eyes!

Unfortunately, however while the cakes looked amazing I was highly disappointed with the taste. We had a slice of the Victoria Sponge - it was too sweet and crumbly: I just didn’t like it :(

Despite the disappointing tea and cake, overall we had a great day and really enjoyed our first vintage fair experience :) Lou Lou’s vintage fair will be back in Nottingham on 26^th October I believe if you want to check it out. In fact it travels to lots of cities in the UK so you can click here to see when it's near you! The entry is £2 and under 12’s are free.

Hope you enjoyed today's post :) 

See you next week for more of my ramblings!

xx

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8 random facts about tea...

In today’s post I thought I would give my belly a rest from the indulgence of afternoon tea and share some random and (mostly useless) facts about the world’s most popular drink and my favourite pastime – tea drinking…

Now in my opinion there is nothing better than sitting down with a steaming cup of tea (even better if it’s accompanied by a slice of cake!) and I am clearly not the only one…

Fact One: We Brits seriously love a good old cuppa! It is estimated that in the UK we get through around 130,000 tonnes of tea a year!

And this love of tea is definitely not a new indulgence…

Fact Two: Tea has been a favourite beverage in Britain since the 18th century (blimey)

I am a firm believer that there is nothing more therapeutic than a cup of tea and a good girly gossip, but tea can actually do a lot more than make you feel better after a long week…..

If you stay up late studying or (like me) watching netflix’s when you’re meant to be studying, you have probably at some point experienced those unsightly bags - carrier bags as I like to call them, under your eyes (sigh) -

Fact Three: Placing a cold tea bag on the eyelids can help to refresh tired eyes. Caffeine helps reduce puffiness by shrinking the blood vessels around your eyes. Not sure if this will work on my colossal bags but I might just give it a go at some point!

Fact Four: Cold tea bags can also help to take the sting out of sunburn.

Fact Five: Forget about an apple a day to keep the dentist away…who would have thought a cup of tea would! Tea can protect your teeth from tooth decay and gum disease , as it is a natural source of fluoride!

And finally here are couple of other random nuggets of information that I’ve learnt about tea recently:

Fact Six: *please place the item into the bag* 96% of all cups of tea drunk in the UK are brewed from tea bags!

Fact Seven: Tea bags know days come in all shapes; round, square and pyramid! If you just thought the different shapes of tea bags were to make it look pretty (like I did) then you will be surprised to hear that the shape of the tea bag is actually very significant. Pyramid shaped tea bags allow the tea to move more freely, therefore releasing much more taste than round tea bags!

Fact Eight: There are estimated to be about 1,500 different varieties of tea – how many have you tried??

I hope you enjoyed these little facts!  Let me know if you come across any other weird and wonderful facts about tea ;)

See you next time for more of my ramblings! 

xx

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Liebster Award

I admit…I hadn't heard about the Liebster award until I was nominated by the amazing Melissy Goose. For those of you who don’t know this award is meant to help discover new blogs! Thank you so much Melissy for the nomination – I am very honoured that you have nominated me, as well as a tad confused as I thought my sister was the only one to read my blog!! If I was you I would defiantly check out Melissy’s blog! I hope you all enjoy reading this post…J

Here are the Rules…

1. Post 11 facts about you.

2. Answer the 11 questions set by the blogger who nominated you.

3. Nominate 11 blogs with under 200 followers.

4. Link your nominees to the post.

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

6. Let the nominees chosen know they have been tagged.

Let’s begin…(drumroll please)…

11 facts about me…

1. I live in Nottingham – what an interesting fact (not)
2. I have a VERY unhealthy obsession over New York – It’s my dream to go there one day!
3. My birthday is on 8^th November!
4. I have a ‘slight’ phobia of cats
5. I started my first year of my A levels the other day :) 
6. I love a cuppa (shock horror)
7. I refuse to go camping!
8. I am a massive procrastinator – I’m surprised I manage to get anything done!
9. I can learn how to drive this year – god help us all!!
10. I’m obsessed with the TV show Friends, no matter how many times I watch it I still hysterically laugh like I did the first time!
11. I love the winter so much; think I just love wearing my onesie!     

Melissy's Questions...

1. Tell me one thing about you not many people would know? I’m surprisingly quite adventurous!
2. Who/What inspired your blog? I feel it was bloggers in general. I wanted to start a blog for a very long time now, but I have always been scared about what people would think/say about it, especially the people I know! What inspired me was how other bloggers didn't really care about what people thought and just wanted to do something they loved and didn't let others stop them! So far I’m loving the whole experience and I’m glad I plucked up the courage to do this :)  
3. What is your favourite leisurely activity? Does watching TV count??.... :)
4. What was your favorite vacation spot and/or dream vacation spot? I would LOVE to go to New York one day!
5. Tell me 3 items on your bucket list. Experience Christmas in New York, go on a hot air balloon ride and see the Hollywood sign in person!
6. If you could only have 1 makeup product for the rest of your life, what would it be? Probably lipstick!
7. Who has inspired you in some way and how? My brother and sister!
8. Top 5 places you love to buy clothes from. New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Zara, H&M and Primark J  
9. Top 5 makeup brands you love. Rimmel, Mac, Maybeline, Urban Decay and Revlon
10. Which do you prefer: Heels, Flats, Converse, or Flip Flops (or other) I’m all for comfort, so flats! Also, I’m pretty tall and wearing heels would make me look like a giraffe – it wouldn't be very elegant to watch either!
11. Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Miranda Hart… :) 

I’m fairly new to the blogging world therefore I do not follow much blogs (sorry) so I nominate…

1. Lady Haze of Vintage
2. Life of a Trainee Journalist 
3. Megan Tansy 
4. Style with Veni 
5. Stephi Lareine 
6. Blonde-stuff  

My questions...

1. What did you want to be when you were younger?
2. What is your favourite blog?
3. Why did you start your blog?
4. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?
5. What's your favourite TV show?
6. Tea or Coffee?
7. What was your favourite film as a child?
8. Which famous person (dead or alive) would you like to spend time with?
9. If you could learn another language, what would it be?
10. What are your favourite pizza toppings?
11. What’s your favourite song at the moment?

Once again, thank you Melissy for the nomination! I really appreciate it!

See you next time for more of my ramblings!

xx

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Oriental Afternoon High Tea at Yumacha Braserrie, Nottingham

Today I will be reviewing another recent afternoon tea experience of mine, this time from my very own home town of Nottingham, for those of you who have not heard of Nottingham think…Robin Hood, Maid Marian!

I have been far and wide for afternoon tea (well…. London & York!), yet I have never sampled the delights of afternoon tea in one of my local cafes/ restaurants – until recently that is!

So a couple of weeks ago I was craving tea and cake (yet again!) and I managed to persuade my sister and brother-in-law who were visiting from London to treat themselves (and me) to a late afternoon slice of cake at Central Avenue in West Bridgford (our local hub for shops and restaurants). It was then that I discovered Yumacha for the first time…

Yumacha is a gorgeous newly opened bar/ restaurant in West Bridgford with an oriental theme to it. As soon as I walked in I was blown away by the décor, as you will see from the pictures below it really is a beautiful little place – very quirky and sophisticated. I particularly love the mismatched sofas – they looked so comfortable and add to the peaceful and relaxing vibe of the restaurant.

In the centre of each table there was this adorable flower pot  – I warn you now do not pick it up to admire it…it has a lot of water in it, which could spill all over you!! You should learn from my mistakes! - No dining experience is complete without me embarrassing myself at least once!!

On the walls there were historical photographs of how Central Avenue was in 1965, which I thought was a lovely touch!

Ok, so enough of my ramblings about the appearance of the restaurant –after a quick perusal of the menu, I discovered to my absolute delight that Yumacha serve an oriental themed afternoon tea and priced at only £10.50!!, which seems like an absolute bargain compared to the £44 I forked out for my last afternoon tea in London! So it was decided – 3 oriental afternoon teas it was J

The waiter appeared momentarily confused and a little perplexed when we asked for the afternoon tea. As Yumacha is a fairly new restaurant I’m guessing we might have been the first customers to opt for the afternoon tea! Perhaps this post will inspire a few more people to follow in our footsteps!

The waiter quickly overcame his surprise and began laying the table with the cutest mismatched cups and saucers and teapots, filled with yummy loose leaf herbal tea - ready for our afternoon tea.

While we were admiring the mismatched cups and saucers the waiter brought out our fruit scones, now as I mentioned in my previous post the scones are my favourite part of any afternoon tea and again I wasn't disappointed! I am not usually that keen on fruit scones as I feel it makes the scone really sweet, but these were delicious so I happily dolloped the cream/jam on and went forward with my usual Devonshire cream tea.

After enjoying the cream tea we moved on to the next stage…the sandwiches! There was only one sandwich type, your standard cucumber sandwich – (a little disappointing)! The oriental inspired dishes were a prawn cracker, which was surprisingly lovely - I even gobbled up my sisters when she wasn't looking! There was a duck spring roll, but thankfully also a vegetarian spring roll option, which was incidentally one of the yummiest spring rolls I have tasted!

Unfortunately, when it came to the sweet treats (my forte) I wasn't entirely impressed with the line-up. However, this really is about personal preference, I personally have an extreme dislike of banana and one of the cakes happened to be a banana and toffee loaf cake, which I didn’t go near!  

Chocolate on the other hand is one of my weaknesses and when I saw an extremely chocolaty truffle sitting on the stand I was in heaven! Before I grabbed it from the tray and gobbled it up the waitress recommended to have at the end as it was very sweet! That was certainly the case! It takes a while to eat as it is very messy and very rich. While the three of us have overactive sweet tooth’s, on this occasion we were unable to devour all the cakes and pastries, as it was a bit of a sweetness overload even for us!

In keeping with the oriental theme we were also served a fortune cookie alongside our tea! Let’s hope my fortune cookie prediction comes true….

You sort of get what you pay for in my opinion, while the whole atmosphere was brilliant, the service and décor were just as good as what you would expect from afternoon tea at a top hotel, the part I was most looking forward to…the cakes (obviously) was a slight let down as I feel it was overly sweet and the options didn't really appeal to my taste buds. Overall, the experience was pleasant and enjoyable. I loved the unique oriental twist to the usual traditional English tea so I would definitely encourage others to check it out. 

If you don’t live in Nottingham and you don’t have the good fortune to be a short journey away from Yumacha then it’s worth checking out your local cafes/restaurants as you never know they might have a quirky afternoon tea option on offer, which is just waiting for you! The perfect thing about finding a cafe/restaurant near you that offers afternoon tea is that you don’t usually have to book ages in advance, you can simply pop over whenever you fancy a special treat!

Hope you liked today's post!

See you next time for more of my ramblings! 

xx

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Wonderland Afternoon Tea Review at the Langham, London

So, time for another dose of my ramblings! As promised today's post will be a review of the ever so posh Wonderland Afternoon Tea at the Langham Hotel in Central London.

As my sister was hitting a big milestone in her life (the big 30) we thought we would celebrate (take her mind of it) by going to The Langham Hotel for a spot of Afternoon Tea! Now as much as I love afternoon tea the Langham was a serious step up from my usual cuppa in my PJ’s during an episode of eastenders!!

The Langham Hotel is located on Portland Place in Central London and has been there since its opening on 10th June 1865 (wow). We were drawn to the Langham over all the other posh afternoon teas on offer across the capital, as it is described as the birthplace of afternoon tea…oh and did I mention that it’s just a 5 minute walk from Oxford Street – perfect for a spot of retail therapy after gobbling up all those yummy treats! 

The afternoon tea is served in the Palm Court, which is really easy to find as it is on the ground floor, just opposite the main entrance. The Palm Court had a slight 1920’s, Great Gatsby vibe to it with dim lighting and a beautiful gold pattern on the walls – not quite as traditional as I’d expected but classy and elegant nonetheless. It had a very relaxed yet stylish ambience to it.

We chose the Wonderland Afternoon Tea, which is only served at 3 sitting times - 1pm, 3:15pm and 5:30pm, each lasting two hours.

We were greeted by a smiley lady at the reception who seated us right in the corner of the Palm Court. I truly believe we had the best seats in the restaurant perfect to get the whole view of the room and some privacy. Throughout our visit we were treated to live music from the pianist in the corner, which really added to the relaxing atmosphere of the room. 

Now as much as this day was meant to be relaxing me and my sister spent hours before the visit agonizing over what to wear and ruling out half our wardrobes as far too casual for the grand Langham! No one wants to be under dressed in a 5 star hotel do they?! However, all this tension turned out to be completely unnecessary as when we got there most of the people were in smart/casual dress. I even spotted a couple of men in jeans - phew! So, if you’re also worried about the dress code at the Langham, it’s safe to say you can pretty much get away with wearing anything, as long as it’s not joggers and your pajama top! 

As soon as we sat down we were presented with a menu of the selection of teas they had to offer, as I was searching the menu of over 30 tea blends (wow) for my regular breakfast tea, my sister urged me to step out of my comfort zone and try a tea I’d never tasted before, so I chose one of the scented black tea’s - the CHAI tea, which was described as “ceylon black tea with aromatic spices” My sister chose the Jasmine Green Tea, which according to the waiter was one of their most popular blends!

About 20 minutes into our tea the waiter came over and took away our tea pots – we were momentarily perplexed - WHAT? was that it…no more tea?!! However, this was not the case as about 3 minutes later we were reunited with steaming hot tea pots! In fact throughout our sitting the waiter kept an eye out to see whether our teacup was empty, if it was he would dash over and elegantly refill it. I was astonished at how attentive the service was, I must have had around 8 cups of tea as the waiter never let my cup become empty! Impressive!

Now onto the food ….while we were waiting for our tea to arrive we were presented with a sweet treat to get our tastebuds going – a tangy lime posset, it was absolutely delicious! This was followed by a wonderful selection of sandwiches. As I am a vegetarian I don’t often find the sandwich selection particularly exciting. In fact ….

I have been to afternoon teas before where there hasn't even been a vegetarian option , so I've had to just leave out the meat ones, which is usually most of the sandwiches (sigh) However, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Palm Court also caters for special dietary requirements. We were served with an impressive selection of 5 different veggie sandwich options:

• Pearl las and broccoli quiche with piquillo peppers
• Spicy humous with crispy salad
• Cream cheese and cucumber on beetroot bread
• Montgomery cheddar and sweet onion biscuit
• Burford brown egg mayonnaise with mustard cress

The sandwiches were lovely and were very very filling and and the best part is you are offered FREE refiles on your favorite sandwiches, which of course we jumped at!

After we finished gorging on the yummy sandwiches, the waiter brought out a warm selection of plain and raisin scones (2 of each) now this is my personal favorite part of any afternoon tea and I wasn't disappointed. The scones were lovely, as was the small dish of clotted cream and strawberry jam already set out on the table for us.

As you can see I had a Devon cream tea (cream first, then jam) – How do you have your cream tea?

Okay so now onto the sweet treats, this is definitely the part my sister and I were most looking forward to trying the beautiful selection of treats consisted off…

• Passion Fruit and Mango Dome
• Valrhona chocolate tart
• Lemon and poppy seed cake
• Layer Eton mess push up pop

My sisters first words when she saw the tray of treats was “Is that it?” however, our eyes were certainly bigger than our stomachs in this case! In fact we actually struggled to eat everything simply because it was all so deliciously sweet and filling. My personal favorite was the lemon and poppy seed cake, as it wasn't too sweet, but still had a lovely dollop of icing on top! The eton mess on the other hand was definitely my least favorite….after a while I sort of gave up attempting to eat it as it was so messy (and embarrassing) to eat. That was the only sweet treat I was disappointed with as it was VERY hard to eat and if you are a bit clumsy and unladylike (like me) it might be a bit of a challenge!!

Disappointingly there are no refills for the cakes and pastries - however we were well and truly stuffed by this time so perhaps that’s not such a bad thing after all.

Palm Court certainly out did themselves in terms of excellent service, as when we booked we stated it was my sisters birthday, so they brought out a special birthday cupcake for her and even sang happy birthday to her…how lovely of them!

In terms of pricing the Wonderland Afternoon Tea is one of the cheapest afternoon teas the Langham offers, at £44 per person – bit of difference to the 7p they charged back in 1865! Just like in other top hotels that offer a high quality service there is bound to be a service charge to keep in mind, at The Langham there was 12.5% (£11.00) service charge.

I had the best time celebrating my sisters birthday and I highly recommend this afternoon tea as the service is brilliant, the food is extremely filling and scrumptious. I do think this whole afternoon tea experience is well worth the money, For more information about this Afternoon Tea check out their website - http://palm-court.co.uk/#/afternoon-tea/ 

P.s If you ever go to an afternoon tea at a 5 star hotel it’s always worth checking out how posh the toilets are – you will be impressed :’)

See you next time for more of my ramblings! 

xx

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