Travel

A Michelin Star Experience – Northcote Manor

November 30, 2018

A Michelin Star dining experience has been on our wish list for a while. So we visited Northcote Manor on the night of my lovely husbands 60th birthday last month. I had booked and planned this as a surprise for the actual night itself. We are both foodies and love dining out as well as watching hours of cooking on TV. He knew I’d booked an overnight stay but not where however, as the day grew nearer I was a bit panicky about surprising him and revealed the venue and Michelin Star experience the week before.

Northcote Manor is a renowned small luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant situated on the edge of the Ribble Valley, in the heart of Lancashire. Lisa Goodwin Allen is the Executive chef after taking over from Nigel Haworth, both seen regularly on TV Cookery programmes, including the Great British Menu.

We traveled by car and the journey took less than an hour. It was easy to find and is a manor house set just off the main road in expansive gardens which include an area where they grow some of their own produce.

Our room was in the Garden Lodge set aside from the main Manor house housing the restaurant. We had booked the Tasting Break which included an overnight stay, a 6 course dinner and breakfast the following morning. We were allocated room 21, which was huge, a large double bed, sofa and doors to a private terrace fully surrounded by a hedge for privacy. The bathroom was fabulous with complimentary Temple Spa toiletries. Check in was super smooth and there was a birthday card from the hotel waiting for John in our room.

Dinner was booked for 7 and we had a pre dinner drink in the bar in the Manor House, this was so cosy and inviting. The short walk from the Garden Lodge to the Manor house is lit up and well paved, umbrellas are available in each room in the event of inclement weather. As it was October the terraces were bare but it was clear to see that there were many outdoor chairs and tables available to enjoy a drink outside in the summer admiring the surroundings and views. We were served 2 small hors d’oeuvres in the bar before being invited into the main restaurant.

The restaurant is luxurious to look at with attentive service. It is a high end experience as expected by a Michelin Star restaurant. Every course was explained to us as it was served. I chose to purchase the wine flight for myself, John stuck to beer, and the Sommelier provided a choice for a couple of courses. The service was excellent but a little too formal for our liking, after all we are only humble people who like to experience a taste of the good life and good food occasionally.

Our menu was:

AGED HAND CUT BEEF
Roasted Celeriac, Smoked Marrowbone
Maison Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Rosé Émotion, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2015 (125ml £8.50)

WEST COAST SCALLOP
Clam ”Chowder”, Bacon, Chervil
Cottanera, Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy, 2016 (125ml £10.00)

West Coast Scallop

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE
Black Truffle
Dry Sack, Amontillado, Williams & Humbert, Andalucia, Spain, NV (70ml £11.50)

Jerusalem Artichoke

CORNISH TURBOT
Orchard Apple, Watercress, Walnut
Chardonnay, Heitz Cellar, Napa Valley, USA, 2014 (125ml £15.75)

Cornish Turbot

RED LEG PARTRIDGE
Leg Bolognaise, Mushroom, Squash
Reserva, Viña Tondonia, Rioja, Spain, 2004 (125ml £15.25)

Oops! Forgot to photograph prior to eating!

FLAVOUR OF ECCLES CAKES
Muscat Grapes, Caramelised Pastry, Tea
Monastrell, Dulce, Bodegas Castaño, Murcia, Spain, 2010 (70ml £8.00)

Neither of us like pink meat, we could be classed as old fashioned as we love all meat dished ‘well done’. The Aged Hand Cut Beef was a version of steak tartare, so we asked for an alternative if possible. The request was no problem and we were given the equivalent course from their plant based menu, which was:

HAND CUT ROAST CELERIAC
Horseradish, Smoked Butter
Maison Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Rosé Émotion, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2015, 125ml £8.50.

The courses were small but very rich with fabulous mixes of flavours and textures. The Partridge wasn’t really us, although we did eat most of us. My favourite course was the Cornish Turbot, absolutely delicious.

Following dinner we had one final nightcap in the lounge bar, with its roaring fire and dimmed lighting. Before retiring back to our lovely room. We were both full and satisfied from this luxury experience.

Following a great nights sleep we returned to the main restaurant for their version of a Full English Breakfast. Service was a little slow at breakfast but the food when it arrived was just the right portion size after the previous nights hearty dinner.

Cooked English Breakfast

Overall this was a one off experience for us for a special occasion, it was expensive, costing just under £600. There are large service charges added to each aspect of service. Our after dinner drinks of a pint of cider and a Baileys cost £24! We were really pleased to be able to experience this dining experience but would not repeat in a hurry. The one downside for me was that the temperature in the restaurant both at dinner and breakfast was too warm, I appreciate that being in the throws of the menopause this was my problem, but Mr Fitz also felt uncomfortable at times in the heat.

In summary though it was a fabulous experience for a pair of foodies like us for a one off celebration. If you were looking for a top class venue with Michelin Star food I would highly recommend it.

Dining out is our favourite pastime.

Have you had a luxury dining experience or a similar treat for a special occasion let me know what you did or where you dined at. We are always looking for places to visit to stay and dine. Leave me a comment or email me, I love to hear from you.

Thanks for popping in today

I love You Tube 10 of my favourite channels

October 17, 2018

Before I retired I rarely watched You Tube, apart from watching something Manchester City related or a ‘how to’ video after googling for an answer to a particular problem.

Now I’m a little obsessed and for a while preferred to watch You tube Video’s over TV whilst at home during the day. I still treat myself to a brew in bed with YouTube one morning during the week. Often Monday as a treat for not having to go out to work anymore. Spoiled I know!

I watch so many and as well as regular You Tube channels that I am subscribed to I can get lost watching new channels that are recommended to me.

I’ve decided to share 10 and it was hard to narrow it down to only 10. So here goes!

Sparklyblonde1 – This is Faith from Michigan in USA and one of the 1st I followed regularly. I love her home, especially her office and make up room! I have 2 rooms that I can rename the same but they certainly don’t look like her. My office is full of Ebay clutter, but I’m working on the other! Faith is obsessed with Fall and Christmas this means she often posts infrequently during other times of the years. I don’t mind though as I recognise that now. Plus she has the cutest dogs!

HotandFlashy – Angie is an over 50’s Vlogger from USA and yes her channel is about age appropriate beauty products, the menopause, fashion and food. She has a lovely figure so some of her clothing looks are not suitable for my short dumpy frame – but hey I can dream. I used to love her Foundation Friday posts.

HowJenDoesIt – Jen is another US Vlogger who talks about Organisation. If you will have seen some of my earlier posts, particularly my post about moving house, you will know that since taking early retirement I have become a little obsessed with organisation. I was too knackered when working. I love it now, I do feel that an organised house does lead to calmness and a more productive life.

Clutterbug – This lovely, bubbly Vlogger is Cassandra from Canada. She is a stay at home mom who vlogs about decluttering and home organisation plus cleaning tips. She is adorable, such a sunny personality and manner about her. Rapidly becoming one of my favourites out there.

Caroline (Mrs M) – Caroline Matthews is an English Vlogger who has just turned 50. She is an Ebay reseller and a lifestyle vlogger. She appears to ahve quite an affluent lifestyle but does love a bargain and seems to like so many similar things to me. As an Ebay reseller myself I also pick up hints and tips from her.

Carla Jenkins – Carla is an absolutely hilarious and crazy Ebay reseller. I enjoy watching what she picks up to resell. She has recently been doing a live chat on a Sunday lunchtime. Never fails to make me laugh.

Nic and Andrea Hills – This lovely couple are very successful Ebay resellers and are a mine of information for other sellers starting out. I have learned and still do learn so much from them.

It’s Em – Emma is a UK based lifestyle vlogger. She posts a weekend vlog plus other regular vlogs about lifestyle and plus size fashion. I was introduced to her by Caroline Mrs, who mentioned that she liked her. She is a lovely girl and includes her husband Chris in the Vlogs too. A really enjoyable Vlogger who discusses many things and includes Travel too.

Emma Drew – Emma is another English vlogger who is a brand ambassador for Poundland. She also talks about money making and money saving plus how to build a blog. Now I’m retired I am much more money savvy. I am currently undertaking coaching sessions from Emma to help me build and grow my blog. An excellent teacher.

EECC Travel – whilst planning my recent cruise trip I was looking for cruise related video’s. A lot of the UK ones were pure information and ship tours. This lovely American couple vlog about their many cruises and there are a lot of fun clips in their vlogs as well as great hints and tips. They really promote the fun and relaxation as well as entertainment that can be had on a cruise line. Plus they have THE BEST theme tune in my opinion.

Well those are my current top 10. I hope you find at least one of these to follow too. Do you l you love You Tube? If so please recommend others that I can follow too. Also I have started my own channel but it’s been stop start as my editing and filming skill are not quite there yet maybe someone can point me in the direction of a good youtube course or editing course.

This post is part of the Blogtober18 initiative hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos please click the logo below to learn more and see other bloggers involved.

How to avoid weight gain Cruising, Eating and Exercise

October 3, 2018

This post is about avoiding excessive weight gain whilst on holiday. You may have read that I have recently returned from my first ever cruise holiday. It was my present to my husband for his 60th Birthday. We sailed with P & O on Oceana around Greece. We loved it! In fact we have booked two further cruises with the same company.

The one thing that everyone talks about with cruise holidays is the amount and quality of food available and consumed. Mr Fitz and I are real foodies and live to eat, but we are also conscious of increasing weight gain as we age. I particularly struggle, particularly with menopausal weight gain around the middle, something I describe in an earlier post. We wanted to enjoy all the food on offer but not suffer the consequences of too much weight gain to deal with on our return.

I enjoyed all the fabulous food and cocktails on offer, in fact, if I’m brutally honest the largest proportion of my calories were from the delicious cocktails. I don’t think we over indulged, enjoying a full cooked breakfast every day, only lunching or snacking in the middle of the day on a couple of days, but enjoyed a full evening dinner. We rarely had room for a dessert and only visited the late buffet on one occasion.

Here's a sample of a delicious dish on board Oceana

Fabulous food Creamy Malaysian Prawn Curry

On our return I was so pleased to weigh myself and discover that my weight gain was only 1lb – RESULT!

How did I manage this – did I have a secret weapon?

The answer is Exercise! Mr Fitz and I took measures to remain active as damage limitation.

We packed fitness clothing – I packed 1 pair of fitness leggings, my sports bra (essential for my big boobs!), 2 tops and trainers.
We used the on board gym. It was well equipped with an area for weights and lots of cardio equipment. The exercise bikes and treadmills all faced out through tinted full length windows to sea. We didn’t necessarily attend the gym together. On a couple of occasions other activities meant we attended separately.
I’ve been promising myself that I would take up yoga, not just for fitness but to help with my chronic back problem and joint problems, again something I have talked about in a precious post. There were yoga classes available and I took the opportunity to join in whilst on the cruise. I really enjoyed it and have been to a further class at my local gym since my return.
Daily we took a brisk walk around the promenade deck. There was a sign informing passengers that 3.2 laps around this deck equaled 1 mile. Most days we managed minimum 2 miles. A really enjoyable walk and one enjoyed by many other passengers.
On port days off the ship we too the opportunity to walk as much as possible around the places we visited. We visited the ports independently rather than taking organised trips. I wore my pedometer and recorded walking distances of around 4 miles on average per port.

There was a fully equippedcfitness suite on board Oceana

On board fitness suite

In summary we were eager to enjoy the fabulous food served on our Cruise but managed to counteract any excesses by planning to exercise using the facilities available and walking as much as possible to avoid any excessive weight gain. Being active and devoting time to this did not detract from our fabulous holiday.

Has anyone got any further hints on tips how to enjoy your cruise holiday to the full whilst minimising the effects of extra calories? Let me know or email me. I love to learn new strategies.

This post is part of Well Being Wednesday linky and Blogtober2018. If you like this post you may wish to read my schedule for the rest of the month

Why not take a look at some of the other sites involved in Blogtober2018

Kristine’s Blog

Big Family Organised Chaos

Sarah Beth Blogs

Tea and Cake for the Soul

Thank you for popping by

Blogtober 2018 – joining in for the first time

September 26, 2018

Blogtober 2018 will be here and starting in a weeks time. In previous years I have enjoyed reading other bloggers content. This year as I’ve started blogging in earnest I am going to get involved.

What is Blogtober 2018?

Basically, Blogtober is a month of blogging every day in the month of October. Oh yes! That’s correct, every day. The whole idea is to celebrate creativity and the concept of creating content. In an ideal world I would prepare well in advance – but as someone who works better to deadlines I’m only just starting to plan 7 days in advance.

As far as I’m aware, there are no set rules to it. You just post once every day, and that’s it. Contrary to what I used to believe , you do not need to centre the topic of your posts on things to do with October and Autumn but of course there’s nothing to stop you doing this. I think mine will be a mixture because I love autumn. See my previous post about it.

There isn’t even a need to have organised all of your 31 posts prior to the month starting; as helpful as it can be, don’t be put off if you haven’t given it much thought thus far. The whole idea is that it’s a fun way to put content out there!

So on a quick whim and after a quick brain dump here is my planned schedule of posts

October goals
5 things I love about Autumn
Well Being Wednesday #3
5 autumn fashion buys for the over 50’s
What I did in September
My thoughts on Spooky Films
Current supermarket buys to cosy up your lounge
Recipe – autumn comfort food
Books I loved in childhood
Well Being Wednesday #4
3 autumn photo’s from my memories
TV review – what am I watching in October
How to dress for chilly days at football games
An old photo – the story behind it.
Ones who couldn’t stay #babylossawarenessweek
10 of My favourite Youtubers
A day in my life – retirement joys
Well Being Wednesday #5
A review of Blackpool Illuminations
Best Halloween costumes currently on sale
Vindaloo or Korma? #nationalcurryweek
First 10 songs on my playlist on shuffle
7 Instagram accounts I love following
Why I dislike Trick or Treat
A review of an autumn walk in The Lake District
Well Being Wednesday #6
Pumpkin carving
Recipe – Pumpkin soup
5 accessories to revamp your wardrobe for autumn – looking fabulous over 50
Review of Whitby – a favourite seaside town
Well Being Wednesday #7

Well there they are – what a list! A mixture of autumn themed content and random topics. I hope there is something here for everyone – not just my peers over 50. I’d love your comments – are you taking part? Or have you been involved in previous years and giving it a break this year?

I’m looking forward to reading other bloggers posts too!

Thanks for dropping by – see you in October

September Goals Short and Sweet!

September 4, 2018

September Goals - new month new hopes

Wow! The month of August just flew by! I say that every month – they say time passes faster as you get older and that sure applies to me especially now I’m retired. I regularly comment that days never passed passed so fast when I was in work! Before I outline my September goals

Before I start with my September goals I thought I’d provide a progress report on how I did in August – if you missed them feel free to take a look now.

Declutter – I managed most of the cupboard – just the baskets on the second to bottom shelf to sort through and to tidy my handbag shelf. I feel pleased with my progress – my great nice, Gracie helped me with the top shelf. I keep props for photograph competitions in there and it was a large box that’s difficult to lift down, so together we sorted it and divided it into smaller baskets. Gracie had great fun trying on the wigs and glasses! Whilst sorting out the shelves I found some ‘lost’ items! Here’s an updated photo below – still got too many toiletries though!

Admin – I managed to gather all my receipts together and sort them into months ready for completing my Self Assessment for the tax year ending 2018.

Gym – I managed to keep visiting 3 times a week for 3 weeks of the month. My knee problem was aggravated and cased me a lot of pain and discomfort but that wasn’t the reason why I missed a week! I was dog sitting and it sort of disturbed my routine! I didn’t lose any weight though – I had lost 1.5 inches off my weight but it’s all back again after missing that week – which was the last in the month!

Cooking – that was a bit of a fail only tried one new recipe, which wasn’t completely new, but one I had not cooked for a couple of years! You can see my post and recipe about this here

Now on to September

My September goals will be quite short and sweet due to having a holiday. They are:

Holiday– Mr Fitz and I are going on our first ever Cruise holiday this month. I may have mentioned but he reaches a milestone birthday in October – 60. This is another example of time flying by so fast – to others he’s an older man losing his hair and what’s remaining is silver but to me he’s still the young lad I married 33 years ago this month. He’s not really into material possessions so this holiday is my gift to him. We really enjoy our holidays but have never been on a Cruise. Friends have glowing reports but John’s really not sure it’s for him but decided to ‘give it a go!’ For that reason we are just taking a 7 night cruise around Greece with P&O to see if we like it. I hope this will provide me with inspiration for more posts and I will tell you all about it next month!

Fitness – I hope to continue my fitness routine, even on the cruise. It has a gym and obviously large decks to walk around. I know this sounds ambitious but as foodies, we don’t intend on holding back from enjoying all the lovely food on offer. Therefore we want to plan some fitness activities into our week as damage limitation.

Admin – Continuing from last month now that my paper work is all together I intend to complete my online self assessment and submit before the end of this month.

Celebrate – it is our 33rd wedding anniversary on the 28th so we will no doubt celebrate with a nice meal somewhere but not sure where yet.

Blogging – I aim to post once a week and daily Instagram posts

In the words of Bugs Bunny – that’s all Folks! I hope September will be a month mostly of fun, relaxation and celebration. I have a huge list of things that I could add but I want to set be realistic about my activity this month.

Hope you had a good August and are planning a great September – let me know by commenting or email how you did or what you are planning. Also if you have any hints or tips for our cruise holiday I’d love to hear them too.

I’m taking part in the Monthly Goals (and updates!) Linky hosted by Charlotte over at CharlotteMusha.co.uk and Emma at MyDebtDiary.info

A Croatia holiday perfect destination – the Pearl of the Adriatic

July 13, 2016

Croatia is a fabulous holiday destination from the UK

Croatia The Pearl of the Adriatic

A holiday to Croatia in the Adriatic Sea

As usual there has been a large gap between posts – I can totally agree with all retirees who claim they are busier than ever! My OH has commented recently that he does not know how I found time to work full time! I need to put pen to paper to tell you about how fabulous a Croatia holiday is.

I have been busy with a fabulous Croatia holiday. We absolutely love this country and have only seen a small part of it. My interest in the country stems from my love of football (well that’s a surprise!). During Euro 1996 the Croatian National Team entered a team for the first time following the Baltic crisis. I thought they were a great team, some great players including Davor Suker and Slaven Bilic, once manager of West Ham.

At the time I said to John – I want to visit there some day and watch that team play!

A holiday in Croatia

It took a while but in 2010 we finally got to visit. We stayed in Dubrovnik in a fabulous hotel called The Grand Villa Argentina, just outside the iconic City walls. A beautiful hotel in a stunning location. Most hotels in Croatia are not located on beaches but have naturally formed bathing platforms on rocky outcrops next to the sea. This hotel has a fabulous pool on the edge of the Adriatic and breakfast is served on an outdoor terrace. A fabulous recommendation for a Croatia holiday.

During our trip we visited the small town of Cavtat 14km away by boat . A trip recommended by friends. On arrival it was love at first sight. A small resort built around 2 horseshoe bays, which are visited by spectacular yachts, the quay sides are edged with fabulous restaurants and cafe bars serving great local beer, wine, cocktails and produce.

Having stayed in this resort 4 times now, we find it perfect. Dubrovnik itself is very busy and crowded within the walls during the day from visiting cruise ship tourists. Cavtat in contrast is laid back, picturesque and less busy. There is a great crowd there, a mixture of the locals and tourists. Disliking karaoke and traditional English bars. I love the European laid back Cafe culture. Many of the tourists who stay here are 40 plus but that does not mean it is dull. In the bars at night a lot of the locals come out to drink and eat, many young in their 20’s. It has a real ‘trendy’ vibe and the locals are so friendly. Visitors are enthralled by their fabulous manners and chat.

Even though I am addicted to football, I really dislike the loud, brash English football shirt wearing tourist, I don’t mind seeing football shirts being worn, after all football is a great conversation opener, but I dislike the loud, drunken behaviour that sometimes goes with it.
On 3 of our visits now there has been a football tournament on. 2 Euro’s and a World Cup. In Cavtat, all the bars and restaurants put up outdoor TV screens when games are scheduled. The sound is unobtrusive but visitors and locals alike can watch games. I have enjoyed watching the Croatian National Team play whilst visiting there. The locals appear in their team colours with their flags. They are quite vocal but not too rowdy, although it is handy that you cannot tell what they are saying, but it all looks friendly enough!

They have lost 2 tournaments when we have been there, but here is the difference that makes me warm to these fabulous people even more. There are no histrionics, tears or acts of frustration, they just shrug their shoulders and carry on their normal business, continuing to enjoy their evening and chat as if nothing had happened. I commented to one of the waiters how well they took defeat. His reply was “tomorrow is another day, the sun will still shine!” A great response and attitude.
Croatia is a lovely place, with wonderful people. Don’t be put off by their dour faced exteriors – engage in conversation and they come alive – great wit and humour. Getting to know them is a highlight of any Croatia holiday.They appreciate you visiting their wonderful country – after all tourism is their biggest earner! The views and scenery are delightful, a lovely mixture of the clear Adriatic , framed by Mountains, beautiful flowers and Pine trees. Friends always comment how beautiful it looks when they see my photographs on my social media pages.

Why have a Croatia holiday?

It is an ideal destination for the over 50’s who wish to experience a chilled, relaxing holiday with beautiful scenery and a friendly welcome.

And finally I cannot end without mentioning the beer and wine! I think two of their local beers Karlovacko and Osujszco are 2 of the best I’ve ever tasted, plus their red wines aren’t bad either, Plavac and Dingac. Such a pity they don’t export, although I know M&S stocked a Plavac for a while.

I really recommend a Croatia holiday if you love fabulous scenery, Cafe Culture and clear waters.

If you’re tempted to visit how about looking at some recommendations from Trip Advisor

If you’ve visited or are planning a trip what are your thoughts – let me know your experiences I’d love to hear from you.

Consequently if you are looking to travel further afield maybe across the Pond to USA – why not hop over to The Geordie Grandma and read her review of a holiday in New Orleans

If you want to know more about how I am loving life in retirement read more