The Royal Norfolk Show 2016

I am born and bred in Norfolk and I have never been to The Royal Norfolk Show can you believe?! It’s the UK’s largest two-day county show and aims to celebrate Norfolk’s heritage. Last year I went as a volunteer and thought it looked great but I was restricted to what I could do on site as I couldn’t gather freebies, make purchases or try the local delicacies in food and drink. This year I decided I wanted to go. The Norfolk Show ran for 2 days from Wednesday 29th June – Thursday 30th June and is around the same time every year. I decided I still wanted to volunteer so on the Wednesday I did that and scoped the place out ready to visit as a paying customer on the Thursday.

The gates open from 8am and I was keen to get there early. I don’t live too far away from the show but the traffic can get tedious! I contemplated walking but the Showground is a large area (I recently ran the race for life there) and from experience last year the miles walking around the show soon rack up! I chose to buy my tickets online at a discounted price. For the 2 of us plus parking came to £46, this would have been £60 if we paid on the day.

We arrived in good time, the traffic leading up to the show is a bit crazy and it did take us about 45 minutes to drive 3 miles but I was happy to arrive nice and early just after opening time. There is so much to see at the show from livestock to tractors, horse shows, flower shows and plenty of stalls offering freebies. My favourite place was the food hall! So many different delicious local food and drink items up for grabs! I brought my camera with me but forgot to take my memory card – blogger problems! Thankfully my boyfriend had his camera and took all of these lovely photos for me and let me borrow his camera when I saw something I liked.

As I mentioned before my favourite place was the food hall! There was cheeses, pork, chocolate, bread, brownies, drinks and everything and anything you can imagine. For lunch I decided to have something rather unhealthy from The Chocolate Fondue Company, a kebab stick with fresh strawberries and marshmallows soaked in melted milk chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate. The best £4 I have ever spent! Me and James also decided to get some Posh Pop drinks from Breckland Orchard, these were really refreshing and at 4 for £6 at the show, a great deal for such a great tasting treat.

We also had a look around all of the animal pens and saw pigs, sheep and cows. I loved looking at the pigs, pigs are great! We also watched a couple of the livestock shows that were going on throughout the day where they were judging sheep and cows. I felt like a proper Norfolk Bumpkin!

We wandered for around 7 miles in total, when my legs finally started to give up we had reached the flower show. I saw so many beautiful flowers and a large range of cactai (my favourite!). It was nice slowly wandering around and when we came to the end of the tent there was a cookery demonstration on. They were demonstrating how to make cakes and chocolates using a range of flowers in the ingredients such as lavender and hibiscus. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay to the end to have a taster as we had to leave, but they looked and smelled lovely!

Does your county have an annual show? Is this something you would go along to?

My day at the Races- Newbury Racecourse*

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to the races at Newbury Racecourse for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Day. I took along my friend and fellow blogger Kim from Romanov’s Views. We made a real day of it and set off nice and early for the 4 hour drive down. The train times were hit and miss and we would have missed the chance to be there on time and we would have had to leave really early too so driving was the easiest way. 

Newbury Racecourse is indeed a day out that cannot be topped. Spending time with friends over great food and drink and having fun watching some fantastic equine action. Centred around the £350,000 Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes will be an outstanding seven-race card worth a total of £750,000.

After nearly 4 hours of driving, we arrived nice and early and made our way to the Fred Winter Suite as VIP guests. I felt very privileged to be invited into this room and it was absolutely beautiful. We arrived quite early behind a girl who I assumed was another blogger and were given the choice of rosé champagne or virgin cocktails. As I was driving I went for a virgin mohito which was delicious. Kim went for a pomegranate cocktail which was really fruity and she enjoyed it.

The minute our drinks got low, we were immediately topped up with more. We decided to stand out on the balcony and the sun was beaming down on us. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and it was funny to hear that it was cold and wet back home! The suite got quite busy but we still managed to keep our places on the balcony and had a great view of the racecourse.

Food was served all day by waiters and waitresses that brought round trays of small food to try. There were plenty of gluten free options available too and staff were happy to find out what food were safe for Kim to eat as a coeliac. I tried so many different things. This was a tuna nicoise bowl which was delicious. We also had tandoori mango chicken with fried pita bread pieces, hoisin duck with noodles, oyster mushroom risotto and a beetroot and feta salad. Food was plentiful and the staff were bringing it round frequently.

Later on in the day, desserts were brought round. My favourite was this gorgeous chocolate brownie with clotted cream and a raspberry garnish. It was probably the best brownie I have ever had and tasted really fresh. I also had a mini crème brule. Kim could only have the crème brule and the eaton mess so she took a couple of bowls of each of those. There were also mini cupcakes!

We had such a great view of the racecourse from the balcony but later on in the day we decided to venture downstairs onto the grassed area right in front of the course. We had a walk around and saw some of the race horses up close and personal after they had made it into the top 3 of that particular race. They were so elegant and graceful and very well looked after.

We decided on the day that we wanted to make some bets, but had no idea what we were doing. Thankfully the man explained it to us and made it sort of clear and we decided to place £3 on an accumulator which would yield us great winnings. After the first race we were still in with a chance as our horse came second but after that it all went wrong. We didn’t mind too much as it meant we could leave whenever we wanted. The atmosphere when a race was on was absolutely amazing. People were cheering and shouting and there was a real buzz about the place. After the races there was live music but unfortunately with such a long journey home we had to leave before it started.

There were moments during the day where I felt a bit out of place dressed head to toe in New Look amongst the sea of Mulberry and Chanel bags and Louboutin shoes but I feel like I dressed as nicely as I could for this day at the races. No one looked down on us and as far as they knew we were paying customers too! We did feel like we were in an episode of Gossip Girl!  My feet were not used to being in heels all day and I came away with some sore blisters but it was worth it. I think if I am lucky enough to go again I will invest in a nice pair of flats. Kim kindly let me borrow a flower for my hair – the ultimate raceday accessory!

Overall I had a fantastic time at the races and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. I was extremely lucky to be given the VIP treatment and this made the experience all the more fantastic. Thank you to Kim from Romanov’s Views for coming with me (and for some of the photos of us used in this post!) and to Newbury Racecourse for having us!

*I was provided with 2 tickets and travel expenses in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

A Festive Trip to York

Way back in June for my birthday, my boyfriend surprised me with a Father Christmas Pandora charm. I thought it was random until he handed me an A4 piece of paper saying we were off to York for a few night's for the Christmas market. I was so excited! I have always wanted to visit York, and especially as Christmas is my favourite time of year I knew that this was going to be a very special trip and well worth the wait.

We set off on a Thursday, the day before my payday - typically! We stayed in a Premier Inn about a mile or two from the center. It was cheaper to stay a bit further out and our hotel had free parking so I was happy to walk 20 minutes into town every day to explore and the staff at the hotel said it wasn't worth trying to drive as it was so expensive to park.

On the first day we set off in the afternoon as we couldn't check into the hotel until 3pm. Traffic was crazy due to an accident and we arrived later than planned. We got ourselves settled in and had a picnic in the room. I fell asleep at about half 7 in the evening but felt refreshed the next day.

Day 2 was payday so we finally had money but it was also Black Friday! I had a goal that I wanted all of my Christmas shopping done by December so we had to be brave and head to the shops. I didn't actually buy much but we wandered around for hours. We walked about 6 miles. For lunch we went to Betty's Cafe and Tea Rooms. There was only a small queue which took 10 minutes to pass. I had the Afternoon Tea for one which was lovely. It came with 4 different sandwiches, a scone and 3 little desserts on top with a pot of tea. James had a fish dish. We both agreed it was nice but nowhere near as good as our afternoon tea at The Assembly House in Norwich. After lunch we walked around some more. The Christmas markets are up at the moment and I bought myself a vintage art print - I just need to get myself a frame. I then bought a couple of Christmas presents.

For dinner we headed to The Indian Lounge. We originally wanted to go to a different Indian but as we hadn't booked we couldn't get in until 10pm! The Indian Lounge was busy and staff were very attentive. We had poppadoms whilst we decided what to have for our main and they were delicious. I had a chicken rogan josh with a garlic naan and James had a lamb korma with a stuffed naan. We were both stuffed afterwards!

Day 3 was Saturday and a pretty busy day for us. We woke up and headed to town for our pre-booked visit to the York Chocolate Story which cost £18 for the two of us online (one adult, one student). I loved every minute of the tour - it was so interesting. It was a wet and windy day today and we were both freezing. Everywhere was queuing out of the door for lunch so we went to BHS cafe and had lasagne. It wasn't the best but did the job. We then did some more shopping and walked around again. We came back to the hotel for a rest and to warm up then headed back out in the evening for a ghost walk which was just a bit of fun. For dinner we went to Cote Brassier. I'd never heard of this restaurant but turns out we have one in Norwich hah. We received complimentary drinks as our table was slightly delayed which was nice and had a really delicious meal.

Day 4 we decided to go to the York Dungeons. I booked the tickets online beforehand and we ended up saving quite a bit of money which was handy. I really liked the dungeons and thankfully didn't get picked on. We had a Wagamamas for lunch and then did our final walk back to the hotel. My feet were throbbing by this point, my energy was non existent! For dinner we had a roast at The Dormouse which was opposite our hotel. James made some holiday friends. We then got an early night (well I did!)

Day 5 was our last day in York and I was sad to say goodbye. We popped to the York Designer Outlet before heading home and got some bargains.

I had a really lovely time in York, it was the perfect present and perfect time of year to go there and I am very thankful to James for taking me on such a lovely belated birthday trip. York is a beautiful city and I would love to go back someday and perhaps stay somewhere more central. There was still things we could have done but the weather restricted us a little bit.

I vlogged my trip which you can see over on my Youtube channel if you would like to see more!

Bubba Gump Review - London

I love London. I love how busy it is, I love how easy it is to get around. I haven't been in so long and I knew I had to change that considering it's not far away at all.

I wanted to surprise my boyfriend James for our anniversary so I booked a trip to London for the day. I had no itinerary as such, but wanted to get as much in as possible. I decided it would be cheaper to drive to London, and takes less than 2 hours. We park at Westfields, Stratford which is only £6.50 for the whole day. We went to the National History Museum and also had a look around Harrods.

For our evening meal, I really wanted to take him to Bubba Gump's as I loved the San Francisco one and my boyfriend loves fish dishes so I knew there would be plenty he'd like.

We visited on a Monday evening at around 5pm and it wasn't very busy. We were quickly seated in a little booth and our server explained how everything works. You get a sign on your table, if you need someone to come over you flip it to say 'Stop Forrest, Stop' and if you don't need anyone you have it say 'Run Forrest, Run'. Despite this, our server was very helpful even when we didn't have the sign down she was very attentive.

First we ordered drinks. I had Lt. Dan's Pomegranite Punch which was a Malibu and Rum flavoured cocktail. It was so refreshing but at £10.45 I wasn't going to have another. the plus point was I got to keep the glass. James also got to keep his flashing cup, he ordered the Strawberry Frozen Lemon-Up which he enjoyed.

We decided to skip starters as I remembered the portions being quite large in America, however they weren't as big here in the end. I went for the Accidental Fish & Shrimp which was Broiled Fish over a bed of Jasmine Rice, topped with grilled Shrimp, a Lemon Butter Sauce and Roma Tomatoes. This was really nice, the sauce was delicious however it had a really strong garlic taste to it which didn't bother me but James didn't want to go near me.

James ordered a similar dish to me, Grilled Fish with Cajun Shrimp which consisted Charbroiled Cajun spiced Fish with Bourbon Sauce and grilled Shrimp, served over Mashed Potatoes. He enjoyed it, it came with little crispy fries on top.

For dessert, James ordered the Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. He couldn't manage it all - thank god we didn't get starters as well. I couldn't decide what dessert I wanted so I went for the sampler which contained 3 different mini desserts. I had Mama’s warm Bread Pudding, homemade Biscuit topped with fresh Strawberries and melt in your mouth Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. I was well and truly stuffed. My favourite was probably the Bread Pudding. It tasted like Christmas.

A 10% service charge is added to your bill automatically and for the two of us our bill came to  around £76. I think this is quite expensive for what we had but at the same time I really enjoyed it and it was a nice change to go somewhere that we don't have in Norwich.

Have you ever been to Bubba Gump?

Lunch at Jarrolds in Norwich

My mum recently treated me to lunch at Jarrolds in Norwich in The Pantry which can be found on the third floor. Jarrolds is an independent department store that is only in Norwich. They sell pretty much everything ranging from food to perfume to clothing items.

We had originally planned to go somewhere different for lunch but when that place was closed we popped to Jarrolds instead which wasn't too far to walk.

I admired the range of foods available in The Pantry. They serve carveries, jacket potatoes, fresh sandwiches, salads and delicious looking cakes. Me and my mum both decided to have a sandwich made in a large granary bap. There were a range of fillings available and we both chose chicken mayonnaise with salad. The baps were filled generously! We shared a bag of Kettle's crisps too.

I couldn't visit The Pantry without sampling one of the amazing cakes on offer. I chose to have the raspberry marble sponge. This was really nice and moist and the buttercream was sweet.

My mum chose to have a chocolate brownie. She ate the whole thing so I am sure she enjoyed it!

Overally I really enjoyed my lunch at The Pantry in Jarrolds. It was very busy when we visited at 12:15pm but we easily got a seat and the queues were kept to a minimum.

Do you have a local favourite?

Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve

On my recent trip to Lincolnshire, we took a visit to the Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve. We didn't really know much about what was here but after a quick Google search we quickly discovered that Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve was a must visit destination for bird lovers. We thought it would be a good place for a nice walk to kill a few hours.

We didn't see many birds at all, but did see lots of bees and lots of beautiful flowers. There were also some cows grazing on one of the grass areas, but I was scared to take a photo.

We walked as far as we could before reaching an area of water that we couldn't cross. I think in total we walked around 4 miles. There wasn't really a dedicated path, we sort of just went as far out as we could go then came back again.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Skegness, I cannot even begin to explain how peaceful it is here. Not only did we barely see any one else, it is so quiet with only the sounds of nature and the sea. We found a lovely spot on the dunes and just sat and watched and listened to the waves. I felt so relaxed.

The car park was only £3 for the day which is very reasonable. We spent around 2-3 hours here.

My boyfriend James took the opportunity to teach me some camera skills. I took a really boring photo of the plants below, and he showed me how to make it look more interesting by leaning right down and focusing on the flowers at the front and letting the rest of the shot blur. I really like how it came out, it looks much better than the flat photo that I took previously. 

Have you ever been here? I also vlogged my day if you're interested.

A Day out in Lincoln

I recently visited Wrangle which is about 40 miles from Lincoln. I've always wanted to visit Lincoln and took the opportunity for a day trip when I was in the area.

James and I had a few ideas on what we wanted to do. We parked right near Lincoln Castle at the top of the hill and paid just over £7 for all day parking. This seemed pretty standard for most of the car parks in the area.

We then decided to go straight to the Cathedral. We bought a joint ticket for £16 each which allowed us entry to the Cathedral and the Castle and then re-entry any time within the next 6 months. This was handy because we then came back and gave the tickets to my dad and step-mum who could then visit the attractions the next day at no cost. The Cathedral was huge, in fact it is the third largest in Britain (in floor space) after St Paul's and York Minster which I hope to visit in November.

After visiting the Cathedral we headed to the Castle. I was a bit unimpressed, it was basically a wall surrounding some buildings. I’m from Norwich and our castle is huge so I did expect a bit more! We walked around the top and I started to feel a bit queasy. I’m usually not too bad with heights but a mixture of being nervous and really hungry made me feel a bit sick. We then looked around the old prison area.

The afternoon arrived and it was time for lunch. We had heard about ‘Steep Hill’ and went to look for a nice place to eat along there. The first place we noticed was ‘Bunty’s’. I had looked them up before but assumed they were closed because the website said they aren’t open on Wednesday’s but to my surprise they were open! We did speak to someone in there who said they are now open Wednesdays so I assume they just need to update the website. We were sat down in Bunty’s which was a lovely little tea shop. We decided to go for afternoon tea which was reasonably priced at £22 for the two of us.

We had the choice of 2 sandwich fillings, 2 cakes, 2 plain or fruit scones and a pot of tea. We had tuna and coronation chicken sandwiches which were really nice and packed with filling. We then both had raspberry and white chocolate cake and plain scones. James couldn’t eat all of his cake but they very kindly boxed it up for him to take home. I felt so much better after eating so we continued to walk down the Steep Hill to the main centre. There was a lovely looking fudge shop that I wish I had bought from and lots of little boutique style shops along the way.

We did a bit of window shopping, but most of the shops here we have in Norwich so I didn’t spend too long browsing. After a while we decided we had seen everything we wanted to see and headed back up Steep Hill. This hill really was steep and I took my time walking up it. When we finally got to the top and back to the car I was worn out, we had walked around 7 miles and I was definitely looking forward to resting my legs on the drive home.
 

I had a great day out in Lincoln and would love to go back one day and spend a bit more time looking at the Roman trails and sampling more cakes!

I vlogged my day in Lincoln if you would like to check it out.

Have you ever been to Lincoln?