lockdownuk

Hotel Gotham Manchester a stylish venue

August 8, 2020

Hotel Gotham Manchester is a stylish venue for any stay in Manchester or celebration.

As you may have read in my previous post I have just celebrated my 60th birthday. My plans of a big family garden party at home was foiled by Covid19 restrictions. Mr Fitz and myself also usually have a holiday or a weekend away when we have a big occasion to celebrate and this too was affected. I then had to think of Plan B.

Mr Fitz suggested he booked us a nights stay at Hotel Gotham Manchester. It was a venue on the shortlist for his 60th birthday celebrations but I chose to surprise him with a night and a Michelin starred dining experience at Northcote Manor in Lancashire. We both had read great things about Hotel Gotham plus I ventured in for a coffee soon after it first opened and really loved the building.

We love old buildings as pubs and hotels and much prefer them to modern contemporary ones. Hotel Gotham is situated at 100 King Street and has been created from an old bank and many of the original features remain. It is an Art Deco building by Edwin Lutyens and was designated a Grade 2 Listed building in 1974.

It is a very striking building and did used to house Jamie Oliver’s restaurant underneath until it closed. The Hotel has many feature in keeping with the Art Deco period, including its Entrance Doors. There is always a Concierge to meet and greet you in fabulous livery.

Pin for Later!

Covid19 Closure

Hotel Gotham had been closed during the UK Lockdown and had reopened just a few days before our stay. My menopause has caused me to suffer from anxiety at times and Covid 19 so soon after suffering the loss of my brother to Cancer did not help me at all. However Hotel Gotham offered reassurances about the measures they had taken. Guests had their temperatures taken before entering the hotel and there were other hygiene measures within the hotel.

Accomodation

We were booked into a Standard Room and although not huge it was so luxurious. There is a small seating area when you enter the room with a wardrobe and built in bar. The large cupboard come wardrobe was so well stocked with not just the usual water, tea and coffee making equipment but other little treats to be purchased including tins that contained many remedies, such as hangovers, emergency phone chargers, antibacterial protection and a Couples pack (use your imagination here!)

Seating area

Inside Bar

Tea and Coffee making facilities

Guest extras for purchase

We stayed in Room 506 which had enormous floor to ceiling windows to 2 sides of the bed. The hotel is surrounded by offices so we were not too concerned about being overlooked. They had voile coverings to provide privacy. The bed was so comfortable. The bathroom was huge with a fabulous rain shower and toiletries from The White Company. Again this had huge windows but there were Plantation blinds in here for extra privacy. As an extra treat and as a reopening gift from the hotel we were given a complimentary bottle of house Prosecco and chocolate dipped strawberries – a lovely gesture that we truly appreciated.

Hotel Gotham bed

White Company Travel Toiletries

Gotham Prosecco and strawberries

Honey Restaurant

Hotel Gotham has its own Restaurant – Honey which is situated o the 6th floor – which is fact where the Hotel Reception is too – as I said its a fabulous quirky building. Also there is a bar area above on the 7th Floor named Club Brass which is swanky and has access to 3 outside Terraces. More about Club Brass later in the post.

As it was quiet and a Wednesday night we actually dined in Club Brass from the Honey Restaurant menu. The Restaurant was quiet as it was only open to residents due to Covid 19 but we were not the only residents. Service was exceptional and friendly. One big shout out to the staff and The Hotel is that all staff wore masks at all times. These were custom designed and made with the hotel colours and logo on. A fabulous touch and we thanked them all personally for this.

Restaurant are Club Brass

The food was delicious

Starters

Mr Fitz chose Artisan Sourdough and beetroot hummus,

Sourdough bread and beetroot hummus

my choice was Terrine -Ham hock, pickles, ham crisp, wasabi – this was the most delicious starter I have ever eaten – so many flavours on the plate

Terrine Ham Hock

Mains

It as an 8 oz fillet steak for Mr Fitz – we like our steaks well done and this seems to send many kitchens into meltdown and is rarely achieved – this steak was well done but still succulent – a big thumbs up! In our opinion best well done steak in Manchester and we have tried many!

Fillet Steak Honey Restaurant

I chose Cod – Confit fennel, samphire, caviar, vermouth, again totally delicious and tasty. In retrospect I can’t say I saw any caviar but it didn’t detract from the dish.

Cod Honey Restaurant Hotel Gotham

Desserts – Mr Fitz abstained but I decided it would be rude not I chose Chocolate fondant
Popcorn, caramel ice cream. I chose this as despite being a huge foodie I am not a chocolate fan and have never eaten a Chocolate Fondant. This one was a little disappointing – the texture of the chocolate sponge was a bit doughy! The waiter came over to see how I was finding it and when I told him what I thought he then informed me it was Gluten free, which could explain a lot. To be honest if I’d known before hand I would have chosen the Organised mess, as I love meringue.

Chocolate Fondant

But overall we loved our meal and to accompany it Mr Fitz enjoyed their bottled cider and I enjoyed the House red wine – I’m embarrassed to say I can’t remember what it was!

Bottled Cider Hotel Gotham

Following our lovely meal we then spent some time in Club Brass drinking area. We had enjoyed a pre dinner drink on one of the Terraces in daylight and now ventured out to enjoy a drink when it was darker.

Pre dinner drinks Terrace Hotel Gotham – own photo

Enjoying a post dinner drink Terrace Hotel Gotham

Club Brass

Inside Club Brass

Moolah. Lucre. Dinero. Bread. Cash. Call it what you like. Round these parts, we call it Brass, with a short, sharp ‘a’. With a nod to this building’s history as a bank and an acknowledgment of what makes the world go round, welcome to Club Brass.

Open to members and Gotham guests only, Club Brass is a VIP lounge on the 7th floor. You’ll pass through two vault-like doors on your way into a Prohibition-style speakeasy that will make you feel like a million bucks. There is a tempting bar menu and cocktails such as The King of King Street, Bellboy Barry’s Bramble and Lady Crumpsall’s Champagne Cocktail.

If Hotel Gotham is the King of King Street then Brass is the jewel in the crown. It is not a huge area but has a luxurious feel again in keeping with the Art Deco era. I enjoyed another red wine and then a nightcap of an Old Fashioned cocktail, which was well served. There are many fabulous decor features. such as mannequins dressed up.

Dressed Mannequin Club Brass Hotel Gotham

Inside Club Brass

Decor Hotel Gotham

I must also mention the toilets – I have a thing about toilets and love a nice bit of toilet decor, this one did not disappoint.

Ladies Toilets Club Brass

Textured glittery peacock wallpaper ladies toilets

We retired to bed and managed to catch a bit of Match of the Day on our well situated TV – a perfect end to the evening for a big football fan like me, especially as highlights of my beloved Manchester City’s game from the previous evening was shown. We both then settled down to a great nights sleep in the super comfy bed. Waking up on my birthday to find myself a 60 year old woman!

We had a complimentary breakfast in our room rate and this was in the actual Honey Restaurant which has magnificent low level arched windows affording great views of surrounding rooftops which have some fabulous architectural features. The continental breakfast is usually buffet style but due to Covid 19 measures we chose from the menu and it was served by our waiter. Toast was served in a novel way in a linen money sack! A great touch but the bread could have been a bit crisper. The choice of food was again excellent and service was attentive.

Swag bag toast Hotel Gotham

Summary

A fabulous break in sumptuous surroundings. Despite all the restrictions around the Pandemic I had a really enjoyable and relaxing overnight stay for my milestone birthday. We would highly recommend Hotel Gotham and its restaurant and bar. We would stay and dine again.

Our night away was so enjoyable even though it was in our home town – a novel Staycation we think it could be the future while times are difficult. We celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary at the end of September and we are planning another hotel stay in Manchester – we are researching our options.

Thanks for popping in today – have you done something similar and if so do you have any recommendations? et me know in the comments below.

5 Life lessons learned during lockdown

June 10, 2020

I thought I would share with you 5 life lessons I have learned during lockdown due to the Coronovirus Pandemic.

UK Lockdown 2020

I am a mature blogger approaching 60 next month – where did those years go????? I learned many years ago that you never know everything and that there are always new things to be learned and new challenges to be met.

As you grow older there are many life lessons that have been learned along the way but these can be changed and relearned differently again.

These have been strange times for us all. We are now in our 12th week and I have been reflecting on my time staying home. I thought I would share with you 5 lessons I have learned during this time.

Life lessons learned

1 Toilet Roll became the symbol of the pandemic. Shopping for food was initially very difficult as we all now, what was interesting to me after following my favourite youtube vloggers overseas is that the search and stockpiling of toilet rolls was a worldwide issue. It was a source of frustration but also humour. I learned some facts about why the humble loo roll became so important. Firstly toilet paper flows from paper mills to retail stores through a tight, efficient supply chain. Toilet paper is bulky and not very profitable, so retailers don’t keep a lot of inventory on hand; they just get frequent shipments and restock their shelves. Once people started to buy in bulk, which in fact first started in China in February and rapidly spread to Australia, USA, Canada and here in the UK. Shelves started to look empty panic set it and the supply chains initially struggled to keep up supplies. Secondly the psychology of it set in the FOMO instict or Fear Of Missing Out .”They think if this person is buying it, if my neighbour is buying there’s got to be a reason and I need to get in too,”

One consumer expert, Dr Rohan Miller from the University of Sydney, believes it is a reflection of an urbanised society and lifestyle where modern convenience reigns supreme.

“We’re not used to shortages and scarcity, we’re used to being able to pick and choose what we want, when we want. So the rush to get toilet paper is just this sheep mentality to maintain that status,” he says.

Soft, white squares of toilet roll – marketed with pictures of puppies and pure snow – are a daily “luxury” that Australians and others just aren’t willing to mentally part with.

“I think people want to make sure they have some comforts in their lives if they’re going to be shacked up with their family for a long time,” he says.

“Toilet paper doesn’t really matter – it’s just so far down the survival list compared to other things like food or water – but it’s just something people cling to as a minimum standard.” The thought of no loo roll filled people with dread!

2. I realised very early on how thankful I was to own a house with a garden. I’m fortunate to have always lived in a home with a garden even as a child. Neither my parents or Mr Fitz have been keen gardeners but have dabbled and enjoy having their own outdoor space. When we moved into this house nearly 5 years ago the aspect of the garden, south facing, was fairly important on our wishlist. We knew nothing about this feature when we bought our first home, but having lived in a house with a sunny aspect we felt it important to have the same again. This was only important to us so that we could sit out and enjoy time reading, contemplating whilst enjoying a beer or a glass of wine. During lockdown it was so important to have our own outdoor space whilst staying home. We caught up on a few maintenance jobs like repainting our fence and metal gates. Then we caught the gardening bug! We started to dig out flower beds and replant them. I even started my own veg patch using the square foot gardening technique. I am now the proud owner of blooming seedlings, tomato plants and potato plants! The other reason we have loved our garden is that we have been so entertained by the birds who inhabit the garden too. A family of Robins have been so fascinating to watch, they have become tame and now have us very well trained. They know when they appear in the morning and the evening we will go out and feed them! We adore them and have seen their juvenile off spring hopping around the lawn.

Enjoying time in the garden

3 How to cut my fringe! Oh how I miss my hairdresser who is also one of my closest friends. I have discussed before that my hair has taken a hit during the menopause, losing body and texture. It is also thinning. I need her talents to keep it in check and looking the best it can. My roots are emerging but I have been able to touch them up due to some great products, but like loo roll they too have been in short supply. However my fringe has become a nuisance, as it grew it became lank and lifeless. I have watched youtube videos and learned how to cut it myself. I now possess a budget pair of hairdressing scissors!

4 Cooking our own ‘treat’ meals are better than takeaways. This is something I’ve discussed before but how to reduce food waste and be creative when meal planning. As we have been social distancing we haven’t been able to indulge in old habits where if we fancy a particular meal or need an ingredient for a recipe. I have continued to reduce food waste and use up leftover produce and meals again. We used to regularly have at least 2 takeaways per week and this is something we have stopped doing now. We have had a couple of curries delivered from our favourite Indian Restaurant but his works out around £30 with delivery. We have now started buying some nice ingredients to cook ourselves and enjoy. This weekend Mr Fitz bought a leg of lamb which was around £11, before lockdown we would have thought that a lot to spend on one meal. However reflecting on the money we spent on takeaways we now don’t think it is. Add in some new potatoes, carrots from Morrisons wonky veg range and a cabbage we enjoyed a fabulous Roast dinner on Saturday evening, enjoyed with homemade mint sauce from our newly made herb garden. Sunday morning I used the leftover potatoes and vegetables to make a Bubble and Squeak for breakfast. It was truly delicious, if you’ve never tried it I suggest you do. As we are not as active everyday we don’t always want a full meal in the evening, so Sunday evening we had lamb sandwiches. Then on Monday with the remaining meat we enjoyed it with salad and pitta breads, making a kebab style dinner. All meals for much less than the price of a takeaway and all delicious. This is a life lesson learned that I will continue to follow.

5 I do not need all the clothes and accessories that I own. I have a self confessed obsession with clothes, shoes, handbags and jewellery. Last count just before lockdown was that I possess around 60 pairs of shoes, 35 handbags and a huge stash of costume jewellery. They have been no use to me whatever during these times of crisis. I have lived in the same 3 pairs of trainers and fitflops. Used 2 bags only, which are 1 handbag and a rucksack if calling at a shop on my daily walk. These items take up so much space in the house. That isn’t even without my vast collection of clothes. I have started to declutter and minimise what I own. There is an old adage that you only need 3 sets of clothing – 1 to wear, I clean to change into and 1 in the wash! Extreme I know but a reality during our time at home. My life lesson learned here is that I truly have too much stuff that has no real value in my life.

Have you learned any new life lessons during lockdown, I’m sure we all have to be honest.

Stay safe lovelies.

Fathers Day gift guide 2020 – online gifts

June 5, 2020

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Fathers Day gift guide

Fathers Day is looming, yes its that time again! I thought I would create a fathers day gift guide. I don’t know about you but I would not have got through lockdown without Amazon. It helped me stay at home and still be occupied. I managed to redecorate my home office, celebrate VE day and try out new recipes and have birthday gifts delivered to family members by having goods delivered. I fully appreciate every single member of Amazon’s team who made this happen for me. All my deliveries were delivered promptly and the delivery staff maintained social distancing.

Shops in the UK are set to reopen next week meaning you can go out and purchase gifts. But if queuing and social distancing puts you off are you wish to continue shielding or staying at home let me make some suggestions that may help you. These are products that I think the men in my life would enjoy, especially as I am possibly the same ago or older than your dad.

Monty Don gardening book. Monty Don is the regular presenter on Gardeners World and a popular figure. Written as he talks, this is Monty Don right beside you in the garden, challenging norms and sharing his advice based on years of experience.

A personalised sign for his garden shed or bar. My brother in law has made a homemade bar during lockdown and loves it, he has a personalised sign. If your dad doesn’t have his won bar, and let’s face not many do, he may enjoy having a sign on his shed. A personal gift for Fathers Day.

An outdoor wildlife Infrared camera unusual I know but often Dad’s have a lot of things they need and as we get older we like to take up different hobbies or pastimes. I have become so interested in my garden and looking at the birds and hoping for a hedgehog. I am fascinated by viewing these night time videos on social media. It’s not a cheap gift but maybe it could be a joint present, and could provide hours of interest. Surprise him this fathers day.

Here’s a lovely gift – reusable ice cubes – these are gold coloured cubes and come in a presentation box. A real indulgent gift that can help him enjoy his favourite drink or impress his friends.

If gold is a bit too much how about granite?

Extra large drinks cooler – this is great for staying home in the garden, perfect for beer and wine, also doubles as a punch bowl. Great for the man who entertains at home.

If he’s into DIY this magnetic wristband is fabulous – stops screws and nails etc annoyingly falling on the floor at the crucial moment.

If he loves cooking especially steaks and meats a food thermometer could be good. A gadget that not many people buy for themselves but would use if they had it.

How about a ManTin that you can fill with his favourite chocolate, snacks, coffees or tea. Then he can use it for storage afterwards.

And finally an Amazon gift card is always useful so he can choose his own gift. The beauty of these as they can be given as a card or sent electronically. Perfect if you do not live close by.

That seems to be quite a comprehensive list of choices. I hope I’ve provided you with some ideas and inspiration for the men in your life this fathers day.

Thanks for popping in today. I appreciate it.

Easy fruit scones – Mary Berry Recipe

May 31, 2020

I have been baking a lot during lockdown and after a few failures I searched for an easy fruit scone recipe and came across one from Mary Berry.

You may have read my earlier post about how I’ve been reducing food waste during lockdown and that I enjoy cooking my own meals from scratch.

My mum was a fabulous baker making delicious scones in minutes as well as fabulous steamed puddings. I envied how quickly she could throw ingredients together to make such delicious goodies. She taught me a lot about cooking and at school, (many moons ago), Domestic Science as it was called then was my favourite subject and one of my best!

I think I’m quite a good cook but whenever I make a batch of scones they never rise as much as I would like and just don’t taste as good as shop bought ones. Mr Fitz likes a scone and even better when they are freshly baked form the oven and still warm. Now he’s retired I decided I would search for a new recipe or technique which would improve the taste of my scones. I have many cook books but decided to Google for a recipe for easy fruit scones.

I found one from Mary Berry and I love it. It is a quick easy fruit scone recipe and I’ve used it several times now and each time they come out exactly how I want them to be. In fact during a video chat amongst a group of friends the weekend before last, one of my friends who also has baked for many years commented that she too had been baking more but her scones were not as she would like. I pointed her in the direction of the Mary Berry recipe and she too has rejoiced at how lovely they are.

Therefore I felt I wanted to share this recipe for easy fruit scones with my readers.

Mary Berry’s fruit scones

Cooking Time 10 minutes Makes 10 scones

Ingredients

75g (2 1⁄2 oz) butter, chilled and cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
350g (12oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
30g (1oz) caster sugar
75g (2 1⁄2oz) sultanas
About 150ml (5fl oz) milk
2 large eggs, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C/425°F/Gas 7). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

Put the flour and baking powder into a large chilled mixing bowl. Add the cubes of butter, keeping all the ingredients as cold as possible.

Rub in lightly and quickly with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and sultanas.

Pour 100ml (31⁄2fl oz) of the milk and all but 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg into the flour mixture.

Mix together with a round-bladed knife to a soft, but not too sticky dough, adding a bit more milk if needed to mop up any dry bits of mixture in the bottom of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, lightly knead just a few times only until gathered together, then gently roll and pat out to form a rectangle about 2cm (3⁄4in) deep.

Cut out as many rounds as possible from the first rolling with a 6cm (21⁄2in) cutter (a plain cutter is easier to use than a fluted one) and lay them on the baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.

Gather the trimmings, then roll and cut out again. Repeat until you have 10 scones.

Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden.

Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Per serving

Calories: 238
Saturated fat: 5g
Unsaturated fat: 4g
Sodium: 275mg

Fruit scones on a baking tray before cooking

Brushed with egg before baking

They are delicious easy fruit scones in fact I have baked another batch this afternoon, and we enjoyed them sat in the garden still warm with butter that was melting. We had run out of jam and to be honest we usually just prefer them with butter alone.

Fresh from the oven

But before I go I must answer the age old question if we do serve with jam and cream which way do I prefer? I’m a jam first then cream kind of a gal….

Try this recipe and let me know what you think. Do you have a tried and tested recipe for anything that you love – let me know in the comments if you do. Also please take a look at what I’ve been reading in lockdown

Keep staying safe.

Reduce waste food – forming new habits during lockdown

May 5, 2020

The aim to reduce waste food is something we all should be mindful of. I try to form good habits but during our UK lock down I feel staying home has made me make an extra effort. After all you cannot just pop to the shops for an ingredient or something you fancy to eat that you don’t have at home.

You may have read an earlier post where I described my current favourite vloggers to watch. One of them Kerry Whelpdale shows how she batch cooks and makes tomato sauces as bases for pasta and soups out of leftover veg.

Also I am reminded of a demonstration I attended hosted by Hotpoint and Jamie Oliver in London in 2018 about reducing food waste. This was a competition prize won by my friend who invited me to go along as her guest. During our prize Jamie cooked some dishes for us to eat where he used up waste food.

So with both of these experiences in mind I decided to see what I could do personally to reduce food waste in our household. Also it has the double purpose of reducing our household spend something many people are looking to do during these difficult times.

Reduce Food Waste

As I said watching Kerry Whelpdale on Youtube I decided to follow her example and use up leftovers to make a pasta sauce. I have to explain that I have always cooked from scratch, even when I worked shifts as a busy nurse. We eat very little convenience foods. I have always found it easy to prepare and cook from scratch, dishes like bolognese, lasagne, curries etc are easily put together, especially with the help of my invaluable trust slow cooker. The base of my sauces are usually passatta and tin tomatoes with added herbs and spices.

My new method following Kerrys example is to cook any left over vegetables such as carrots, peppers, celery – including the leafy tops etc then add my tomato and passatta then use my hand blender to make a smoothish sauce. This helps reduce food waste and bulks out the sauce. By doing this I was able to make my usual amount of passatta and tin tomatoes make 3 portions of sauce instead of 1.

One of my usual habits to reduce food waste is to use every part of a roast chicken. I usually cook a roast chicken to eat as a traditional roast dinner, next day I use any leftover chicken meat to make a stir fry or a pasta and then use the carcass to make a stock for a soup.

So last week by using my new found method of making a pasta sauce and my habitual chicken habits this is what I created:

3 portions of Tomato sauce were turned into a chicken pasta meal, a base for a soup which I have frozen, and the base for my favourite meatball recipe which we ate yesterday.

A collage of chopped vegetables and tomatoes to make a pasta sauce to reduce waste food

Making the pasta sauce t

The chicken made us a roast, then I added leftover meat to the pasta sauce and with the carcass I made a delicious chicken and sweetcorn soup – no recipe I just added things instinctively!

A bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup from leftovers to reduce waste food

Homemade chicken and sweetcorn soup

Next meal I made using leftovers and to reduce waste food was using some previously cooked leftover new potatoes and the uneaten surplus were frozen. I added half of these into my soup.

The remaining potatoes from the freezer were used to make a curry on Friday, we had a fresh uneaten cauliflower that needed to be ate. I made my own basic curry sauce and added the potatoes, chopped cauliflower and a tin of chick peas to the slow cooker. Using up store cupboard basics and leftovers it was delicious.

I estimate that for around £10-£12 we ate 5 delicious meals. Added to that I made my own bread to eat with the soup using my bread maker, the following evening we used the leftover bread for toast and ate cheesy beans! A super fast supper.

My homemade loaf

As Mr Fitz has taken early retirement I’m looking to carry on these good habits to save money and to reduce food waste. And talking about our visit to the Jamie Oliver demonstration lunch we were gifted a couple of reuseable silicone food storage bags.

I love them and use then to store leftovers. They stand up independently and can be used in the microwave and dishwasher. If you haven’t tried them yet I highly recommend them.

What do you do to reduce waste and save money? I’d love to hear from you and learn some new ideas and recipes

Stay home stay safe and keep washing your hands

Who are the best Vloggers? My 5 to watch in Spring 2020

April 29, 2020

Best Vloggers Spring 2020

Who are the best Vloggers? I love youtube and subscribe to many Vloggers – I change my favourites around here are my 4 to watch in Spring 2020

So Who are the best vloggers in my opinion at the moment

Clutterbug

This is owned by Cassandra Aarnssen a canadian mother. Her niche is organisation and decluttering. She can also show how to revamp areas all on a budget.

She describes people as having 4 different organisational styles, Ladybugs, Crickets, Butterflies and Bees. I tend to be a Ladybug – everywhere looks tidy but inside cupboards and drawers things are untidy and I hoard things. Her personality is so bubbly and motivating. Her posts are humorous with great easy to follow practical tips.

She also has a blog to read if this is your preference.

The Minimal Mom

Dawn is also Canadian and her blog whilst also about hints and tips to be more organised and how to declutter. Her whole reason to do this is to live with less. Living with less means there is less to worry about and take care of. This is something I subscribe to – after all I know myself and my friends love nothing more than a good declutter and trip to the tip. Although Local Authority Refuse waste depots are currently closed at the moment, I cannot wait fro them to reopen. I have been clearing cupboards etc during my time at home. Again Dawn has a lovely bubbly personality and the big plus for me personally is that she has a daughter called Adeline – which was my mother and grandmothers name! A name I never hear in the UK.

In fact I have been watching them both and then found that they have produced content in collaboration with each other!

Lucy Wyndham Read

Lucy is a fitness vlogger and as we are all trying to keep moving whilst in lockdown I like her site. If you read my post about Life in Lockdown and what I’d been up to you will have seen her videos mentioned. For many of us it’s a bit of an effort so to find this lovely young lady producing short sharp sessions that are around 7 minutes long providing a good all over body hit! She demonstrates 2 levels of each movement depending on fitness. I’m rather ashamed to say that over the past 12 months whilst caring for my late brother my previous fitness regime had got lost by the wayside so I’m definitely trying the easier option but don’t be fooled you still get a good workout.

Kerry Whelpdale

Whilst staying home I’ve been cooking more, using up leftovers, being creative with the contents of the cupboards and baking. I found Kerry whilst looking for inspiration. We love our slow cooker, or crockpot if you are overseas.

Kerry is a lovely English mum with 2 boys and a husband and she shows you how she meal plans or meal preps, often batch cooking. Again she has a sunny personality and produces some simple no nonsense nutritious meals.

Rosie Henshaw

Rosie is a delightful bubbly mother from the South of England. She has the most fabulous home and decorates and accessorises it on a budget. She has some fabulous crafty and no fuss DIY ideas to keep you home on trend and looking its’s best. As I say she’s really bubbly and often just records at her dining table, she admits that her editing skills are minimal so videos are just produced on the go. Rosie also shows fashion hauls and is proud to be described as curvy, she has no hangups and is body confident. I always finish her videos smiling as she is so friendly and chatty.

So there we have it my current 5 favourites, the best vloggers for my needs at the moment, although they are not the only ones, I have posted previously about favourites, I can go down the rabbit hole of youtube daily. I often watch whilst I’m cooking, finding new vloggers to watch by following recommendations from YouTube itself.

If you are not someone who watched youtube but prefer to watch TV – click through for recommendations.

Let me know who you are watching I always love finding new vloggers to watch. Comment below with suggestions of your best vloggers to watch or what you think of my recommendations

Stay safe, stay home and keep washing those hands

lockdownuk

Covid19 Closure

Accomodation

Honey Restaurant

Club Brass

Summary

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UK Lockdown 2020

Life lessons learned

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Fathers Day gift guide

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Mary Berry’s fruit scones

Ingredients

Method

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Reduce Food Waste

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Best Vloggers Spring 2020

Clutterbug

The Minimal Mom

Lucy Wyndham Read

Kerry Whelpdale

Rosie Henshaw

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