A Festive Afternoon Tea At Boringdon Hall

I was about to say about how bloomin' wonderful and festive the weekend has been, but HELLO Wednesday, how did that one happen. Only another 8 working days to get through now until Christmas. We can do this.

So yeah, last weekend was great. I got a real Christmas tree, decorated it, went to London and even had a snow day. I also had the most wonderful afternoon off having a rather festive little afternoon tea at Boringdon Hall Plymouth. I mean, I like cake and tea anyway, so what's not to love? 

My colleagues joke about it, but I really don't drive further outside of Plymouth. Not even into Plympton which is, LOL Plymouth still. So I'd never even been to Boringdon Hall before which I'm not gonna lie about I'm mad about. It's situated in the most hidden yet stunning location, it's easy to find and the grounds are from something of a fairytale. I knew I was gonna like it there.

It's the type of place I always dream I'll book myself into for a few days of R&R, fascinating company and country walks. Yet to happen, but maybe for Christmas hey?

Boringdon Hall are renown for their amazing afternoon teas, a home away from home. They even did a Beauty and the Beast themed afternoon tea earlier in the year which was an obvious hit. The grounds themselves are breathtaking, but the actual dining rooms are something else. Think Hogwarts, but for muggles.

We were led into a huge, high ceiling hall which felt more like a cosy country lodge than a dining room. There's me imagining there being tables and seats like the school canteen. It was home to cosy sofas, roaring fires, and Christmas decorations to top all Christmas decorations. You can promise to get all the festive feels by the time you leave.

Once we were seated it was time to get ready for the festive offering. Do wear soft pants, because that top button of your jeans won't be staying done up for long.

This special edition afternoon tea has been individually designed to melt our hearts and warm our bellies during Christmas time. The afternoon tea had a real mixture of your classic Christmas favourites, with an alternative twist.

Working from the bottom tier up, the savoury selection included the cutest finger sandwiches, a classic ham sandwich which easily pleased the fussy eater within me, a salmon blini, coronation chicken sandwich and a cucumber sandwich. What more could you want? Let's face it, for me the afternoon tea is all about the sweet treats. 

The next layer is a total classic, but favourite in my eyes, a plain and fruit scone with plenty of jam and cream. There's nothing to see here, apart from the debate that inevitably will unveil, jam or cream first?

Saving the best for last. A slice of traditional Christmas cake, which is honestly one of my favourite things about Christmas food, after the mince pies and tubs of cheeselets. Marzipan, icing and all.  I loved the twist on the traditional Yule log, which posed as Santa's belly, fat and chocolatey, just how I like my Yule logs.

Without a doubt the real star of the show after the 'figgy pudding' was the Snowman macaroon. Ugh, can we just take a moment to appreciate this little guy. It's something that I wouldn't have even thought of adding to an afternoon tea. But it bloody works.

With our tummy's full of festive food, we could have sat there for hours on end with our mulled wine and tea (there's at least 61748 different teas to choose from, well, almost). 

The member of staff was so attentive during our time at Boringdon and the atmosphere was amazing. The time felt so precious there, I would never have thought I was 5 minutes away from the dual carriageway in Plymouth. It was peaceful, beautiful and just everything you need from a relaxing afternoon. It was a mini escape from daily life that I didn't think was possible at 2pm on a Thursday afternoon.

The festive afternoon tea at Boringdon Hall is only here until the 31st December. It's £30 per person and includes the full feast, with a glass of mulled wine and tea. However, they do a different themed afternoon tea every month, as they understand that we take afternoon tea just as seriously as they do!

Let the festivities commence! 

Have you been to Boringdon Hall before? Do you like going for Afternoon tea?

*I was invited to Boringdon Hall for afternoon tea, however, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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Unboxing Plymouth & VLOG

When I was younger, I wanted everything BUT to live in Plymouth. My ambitions and goals for my future were far too big for such a small city, and I grew bored of doing the same things each weekend. I never appreciated the small things in life back then, we never do when we're young and are just dreaming about our next milestone. When we're 14 we want to be 16, we then want to be 18 and we then want to be at uni. Before you know it you're 30, up to your eyeballs in stress, have 10 dogs, one kid and you wish for nothing but to be young again. 

It wasn't until I'd spent 3 years away at Southampton and in Finland that I realised just how great Plymouth was. I'd worked out that living by the sea is possibly the greatest thing in the world, and sure London is great, but nothing beats the slower pace of life, listening to the waves hitting the shore and grabbing an ice cream by the sea, even on the rainiest and windiest day of the year. 

Just because I love Plymouth SO much, I teamed up with Watchshop to Unbox The City of Plymouth for the day, documenting it with a series of photos and a vlog. There is sooo many things to get up to in Plymouth, so I crammed together a few of my favourite places and things to do that should definitely be on your list to complete if you're ever in my home town <3

The first stop of the day was Mount Edgecumbe. This will forever be my favourite place to head to in Plymouth, with a 5 minute ferry trip from Stonehouse to Cornwall, it's like a secret escape from reality for the day, and I love it.

Despite being a favourite among many people, a lot still don't know about this little secret getaway in Plymouth. It costs £1.50 to get across, and there's plenty to do and explore when you get to Mount Edegcumbe.

Is there really a better sight to see on a Saturday morning? 

Once stepping off the ferry you're greeted by the most gorgeous gardens, The Orangery Cafe (perfect place to head for afternoon tea!), and plenty of paths for long walks. In the summer I love to walk the 6 mile round trip to Cawsand Beach, the coastal cottages are all but a dream, and there's nothing better than tucking into a picnic on the beach and a cheeky ice cream.

After a lovely morning at Mount Edgecumbe we caught the ferry back and walked over to Royal William Yard (only a 5 min walk away from where you catch the ferry). The RWY is probably my favourite place in Plymouth to grab some food and take in the views, again, it's by the sea so of course I'm gong to love it. 

There is so many yummy food places to choose from, but we only fancied a snack and Seco Lounge was perfect for this. Anywhere that does marmite on toast is a winner in my eyes though, we'd already decided we would save ourselves for a sweet treat from our favourite bakery on the Barbican too!

My favourite spot in Royal William Yard, with views like that on a sunny day you could be anywhere else in the world.

We then walked down to the Barbican which took about 15 minutes from RWY, once you're in the centre of Plymouth everything really is within walking distance. There's no denying that I love the cobbled streets of the Barbican, besides the fact that it's the perfect backdrop for outfit pictures! I love the winding streets, cobbled lanes and quirky shops and cafes. We stopped off at Jacka Bakery which is the oldest working bakery in the UK for some sweet treats. I love it so much that it made it into my 10 of the best places for breakfast in Plymouth post!

Full to the brim of flapjacks and pastries, we slowly made our way up to The Hoe. The Barbican and The Hoe go hand in hand, and is what lends Plymouth the name of Ocean City. If you're just looking for some sea views and a leisurely walk The Hoe is the place to be. Being by the sea always help to restore a sense of calm in me and ever since I swam the breakwater last year I can't help but walk past in excitement, point and utter 'did I really swim that far?'. I'll probably still be telling my grandchildren about this when I'm 90.

Once we made it to the top of the hoe we coincidentally bumped into my friend Ben who had his shiny VW camper van with him, isn't it beautiful?! It's hard not to raise a smile when you see this trundling along by the sea front, I personally can't wait to head to the seaside in it in the summer and eat fish and chips from inside whilst watching the waves roll in!

After waving goodbye we headed to our final location for the day, Smeatons Tower! For me, this is the iconic landmark of Plymouth, and a must visit! I honestly couldn't remember the last time I went up the lighthouse so I was excited to refresh my memory of it. It costs £3 to go to the top and the spectacular views are 100% worth it! If you don't mind a lot of narrow stairs, it's definitely worth the climb. It was a great way to end the day in one of my favourite places in Plymouth, looking out over a city that I'll probably always call home, and I'm totally okay with that.

As you can see, there wasn't really any part of my day that didn't involve the sea, but it is the Ocean City of the UK, and as long as I'm by the sea I know everything's going to be okay. Plymouth might not be perfect, but it is to me and I'll just simply never tire of living so close to the sea!

Take a peep at the full vlog below to see what I got up to on my touristy day in Plymouth! I'm still fairly new to the vlog scene, but I love making them and want to do more like this in the future, so please let me know what you think and also subscribe if you want to keep an eye out for my future vlogs!

Would you like to visit Plymouth? What's your favourite thing to do in Plymouth? How would you spend 24 hours in your own city?

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10 Of The Best Places For Breakfast In Plymouth

After the success of my 10 of the best independent coffee shops in Plymouth post I thought it was about time I did the same for breakfast places in Plymouth! After all, who doesn't love a good leisurely brunch on a Sunday?! Going out for breakfast wasn't actually something I ever used to do until earlier this year. I guess I got bored of evening meals in the same restaurants, and with so many places that serve breakfast in Plymouth, it's definitely something I look forward to on the weekend! A sunday well spent brings a week of content right? Especially when it involves fluffy pancakes and copious amounts of tea! You'll probably be like 'surely this is just the best places for pancakes in Plymouth?' I like pancakes, OK? But I think it still gives you an idea of how nice their other breakfasts are too, and if you like pancakes you're onto a winner with this post! If you're a local, new to the area or popping down for a holiday, this really is the definitive list of the best places to tuck into breakfast in Plymouth! In no particular order...

#1. The Bakery - Royal William Yard

I write this with a solemn heart, as unfortunately The Bakery shut down about 2 weeks ago, which is so sad as I loved the concept of The Bakery, the location and the delicious breakfast pastries. Even though it has closed, I'm still including it as I'm holding my hopes out that they may reopen again? The Bakery served up a fine selection of pastries and a selection of hot dishes, you just help yourself, get your drinks, and pay at the end - it's really that simple! Think croissants the size of a dinner plate and pain au chocolats oozing with chocolate, and the atmospehere of this place is the best bit, set in the heart of the industrialised buildings of Royal William Yard, I'm certainly sad to see this place go. There's proof that I really do love this place so much as I devoted a whole post to The Bakery a couple of years ago! 

#2. Boston Tea Party

You've probably come across a BTP Cafe somewhere on your travels, and I know it's not an independent restaurant, but they have that quirky edge, industrial interior and a breakfast menu to die for. There is plenty of seats both inside and outside, so you don't need to worry about it being full up on a Sunday morning. I've had porridge and pancakes in BTP Plymouth, and they were both delicious. They definitely cater to those who want to have a nice breakfast out that is still healthy. There's lot of different toppings that you can choose for your porridge too, so it definitely makes it more exciting than your every day porridge routine at home. 

#3. The Dock

Situated in the ferry port, The Dock has a delicious brunch menu and breathtaking views. I would recommend visiting on a sunny day as you can also sit outside and take in the stunning sea views. Their menu caters for everything, from healthy granola dishes and pancakes, to full English breakfasts. The granola comes with yoghurt and fruit that is more filling than you would think. I was a little pig and got a croissant to go with it too! They also have a Danish basket which only costs £5 and is filled with lots of yummy, buttery pastries - you can't really go wrong with that! 

#4. Rumpus Cosy

I've lost count of the amount of times that I have proclaimed my love for Rumpus Cosy. It goes without saying that it is my go to place for tea, cake and a little bit of peace and quiet. Situated in the city centre, you can't miss Rumpus Cosy and it's the perfect place to grab some brunch on a Saturday morning. They only started serving breakfast earlier this year and their compact offering really works. I of course stick to the pancakes in Rumpus Cosy as they're insta friendly (OBV) and they taste amazing. It's nice to be able to get traditional pancakes for once as most places just serve American style pancakes which don't get me wrong I also love! The prices are pretty reasonable for a delicious brunch and I couldn't think of a better place to start the day!

#5. Seco Lounge

Royal William Yard is actually home to 3 of the places mentioned in this post, the yard really is the place to be when the weekend comes around. Whether you want some tea and cake, breakfast or an evening meal, Seco Lounge caters to everything and there is plenty of seating inside. Like most restaurants in the yard, they still have the original stone walls, and high ceilings - filled with lots of cosy chairs and wooden tables that are perfect for flatlaying your food! The pancakes at Seco Lounge are some of my favourite, and they're not the type that make you feel sick from feeling so full afterwards!

#6. Monty's

You can find Monty's on the cobbled streets of the Barbican which has been a favourite among people in Plymouth for years. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved Monty's, but it's not the place for you if you're looking for a dish that's instagrammable. I may sound obsessed, but this is a big deal for me. The lighting, table and presentation of the dish is imperative to me, as well as how it tastes!If you like full English breakfasts then you'll love Monty's, and I hear they're a great hangover cure! I actually love the pancake/bacon combo and this was the first place that I actually tried it. Presentation skills for me were a 3, but the pancakes were delicious, and I would definitely recommend.

#7. Bistrot Pierre

Bistrot Pierre was one of my favourites for pancakes, it was also the first time I'd ever tried out this restaurant and it's definitely the slightly more upper class, refined place for breakfast. It's not all about full english breakfasts here! Situated in the historic Royal William Yard, we had one of the best seats by the window and I could have stayed there all day watching the world go by. As far as drinks go, tea and coffee are such a great choice as they offer unlimited refills, really justifying being able to take your time and relax with your breakfast. The pancakes were beautifully presented and they even brought out a massive jug of maple syrup which a lot of other restaurants don't offer unless your pancakes come with bacon!

#8. Rocksalt

Rocksalt was one of the first places that I sarted on my breakfast tour of Plymouth, and of course in true fashion I started off with their American pancakes that I had heard so much about. Rocksalt is really tucked away, I didn't even know it existed until I started seeing rave reviews about the restaurant. It also has a sister restaurant in Plymouth called Salumi. They have an extensive breakfast menu with lots of hot options. Hats off to Rocksalt for creating such an insta friendly restaurant, table setup and presentation of the food was spot on. The American pancakes were like nothing I had ever tried before, the stack of 3 was wayyyy too much for me too eat as they were almost thick enough to be doughnuts! Despite being defeated, I'll definitely be popping back, but maybe to share a stack next time?

#9. Jacka Bakery

Oh Jacka Bakery <3 I have been meaning to visit this quaint little bakery on the Barbican for quite some time, it is in fact the oldest commercially working bakery in Great Britain, and I just love the history, charm and character that this bakery has. As expected, they have quite a selection of homemade breads, cakes, pastries and a few hot breakfast dishes. It was a similar selection to The Bakery and I went for a fail safe hot chocolate and pain au chocolate, a winning combo for a cold Sunday morning. Jacka Bakery is very small inside with only a few tables, they also recommend coming early during the day as their produce sells out quickly, which is no surprise when they've built up a fantastic reputation in Plymouth, and their baked goods are second to none. This was one of my favourite places for breakfast, as it really offered it all. So simple, SO tasty and tucked away in one of my favourite places in Plymouth.

#10. The Boathouse Cafe

The Boathouse Cafe is a great all rounder for me, they also made it into my top 10 independent cafes post! This was also my last stop on my breakfast tour, and what a way to finish. Situated next to the harbour on the Barbican, it really is breakfast goals, especially when the sun is shining! They have a really good breakfast menu, and it is probably one of the most extensive out of all of the places. Their bacon baps are also amazing, and of course the pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, mmmm! I had to end as I started after all...

So there we have it, 10 of the best places for breakfast in Plymouth, what a great bunch! I think it's important to point out that I wasn't sponsored or invited to any of these to review, I generally just love trying out and discovering new places in Plymouth, and I loved writing my best cafe's post so much so that I wanted to delve into the brunching world, and boyyyy do I love it! I love how Plymouth is home to some of the cutest and most quaint places for breakfast, and it's even better when it's in the sun on a Sunday morning, Plymouth really is rather special isn't it?

Have you been to any of these places before? Do you have any other recommendations for places to eat breakfast in Plymouth?

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Open Water Swimming Series: Plymouth Breakwater Swim & VLOG!

I DID IT! In case you hadn't been following my open water swimming series from the beginning, 2 weeks ago I took part in the 2.2 mile open water swim in Plymouth from the breakwater into Tinside beach, I was told it's only swimming in a straight line for 90 minutes, so it couldn't be that bad?! Since I began my training back at the start of the year I have been hindered by an ongoing shoulder injury, the flu and a diagnosis of asthma, so pretty much every obstacle possible tried to get in my way. The swim was initially meant to happen in August, but due to bad weather it was postponed to October which actually really worked in my favour as I hadn't been on my asthma medication for long and the sea was rife with jellyfish in August. Fast forward to two weekends ago and the weather literally could not have been any better, the sea was a mill pond and the conditions were perfect. It was the biggest challenge that I set myself for 2016 as it was 100% out of my comfort zone, but I can honestly say that although I had lots of obstacles and the 'fear' of the sea to overcome, the actual day of the breakwater swim was one of the best days of my life, and something that would never have happened if I didn't push myself.

I'd been awake since 6am with nerves and excitement on the day of the swim, so I was so ready to head down to register at 10:30am, as we approached the Barbican and went to sign up it all suddenly started to feel real, and I was damn scared! But seeing how still the sea was and how beautiful the day was definitely helped to calm my nerves. 

Number 197 will now forever be my lucky number. Each swimmer had to wear a Selkie cap and wristband along with the number written on our hand so we could easily be identified as we came into shore.

The CEO of my work and co-owner of House of Harris, one of our clients also took part in the swim, it was nice to see some familiar faces before the swim. For the record, yes I did beat them!

I owe everything that I did in the lead up and on the day to The Wild Swimming group that I stumbled upon on Facebook. They are the nicest community that I have ever encountered and they are a massive pool of advice about all things wild swimming. I wouldn't have had a clue about anything before meeting them, and I would never have gotten over my fear of sea swimming. Most of the all weather, all season wild swimmers wear skins in the sea all year round, because the boat trip over would be a bit breezy they had a bin bag fashion show, apparently bin bags are quite warm and it meant that it didn't matter if they got chucked away after the boat left us!

As the time drew closer I got changed into my wetsuit, it only took 15 minutes! This was going to be the longest time I'd ever swam with a wetsuit on, looking back it would have been a good idea to rub vaseline all over my neck to stop the wetsuit rubbing...

The waiting around was the worst bit, but it quickly approached 12pm and we all made our way down to the 2 boats that were taking 280 swimmers out into the sound, it finally started to get real as we boarded, and I was not scared one bit...

At 12:30pm we waved goodbye to our loved ones and hoped that we would all make it back in one piece. It took 20 minutes to reach the breakwater, and it wasn't until we arrived that I realised just how far away it was. It looks even further away once you even get into the water! We had to wait almost another 30 minutes for the damn brittany ferries boat to pull in which only fuelled my nerves more.

As usual I was worried about all the trivial things about the swim like 'what if I can't jump off?' 'what if my ear plus fall out?' or 'what if my swim cap falls off?'. I should have been worried about the distance itself, but nope. But of course, none of those worries actually came to fruition. After jumping off the boat and positioning ourselves in the sea, it was one of the most beautiful sights that I will never forget. In the middle of the sea, surrounded by a sea of blue hats, unfortuntaly I don't have any other pictures from this part of the swim for obvious reasons, but I'll always be able to remember that temporary moment before the swim of how I felt, the conditions and what my surroundings looked like. After counting down, the swim began, the start of races is always the worst, but it slowly filtered out after 5 minutes, and I was always one stroke closer to finishing this epic challenge.

Prior to the swim I was petrified of the sea, what was beneath me, and potentially what could hurt me or eat me.. I'd been in the sea before, but never for longer than 30 minutes and it was always a rushed thing that scared me if I was alone, I did 90% of my training in the pool with the idea that I would just get it out of the way on the day and it would be done. Everything I had worried about never bothered me on the day, I felt incredibly peaceful and tranquil swimming in the sea, there was few waves and there was even a period of time where there was no one near me for about 25 minutes, I did panic whether I was going the wrong way, but smeatons tower lighthouse led me in alongside the colourful beach huts!

The distance itself was perfect, it wasn't a challenge for me in that sense as I swim long distances in the pool regularly, nor was it the conditions or the sea, but the worst thing was realising you'd only been swimming for 10 minutes and it didnt look like you'd made any progress. The first marker for me was 2 massive yellow buoys and every time I looked up I felt like I was close, when realistically I didn't reach it for another 20 minutes. I also didn't look directly at land to start with as it was too unsettling realising just how far I had left to go!

I didn't have a watch with me, so I had no sense of time and really didn't know how long I had been swimming for. The thoughts of a lush bath and pizza afterwards quickly increased my speed, and when I could start to make out all the people on land I knew I was on the home strecth, and it was the best feeling!

I wore a pink tow float for the swim mostly for identification purposes, as most people have orange ones and without this my family would never have been able to spot me as everone looks the same in wetsuits!

Reaching land for the first time was the best feeling ever, that I really had completed this huge challenge. I don't think there was one person that didn't fall or slip over when they got in as it's really strange to feel ground beneath your feet after swimming for so long.

I remarkably finished the swim in 53 minutes, although it's not a timed event as it was for charity, and most importantly raising money for The Chestnut Appeal. For someone who's always been competitive it was nice to know though that I made it in in under one hour which is what I was aiming for.

Coming into the crowds was just the best feeling.

Upon taking off my wetsuit I instantly regretted not using vaseline, my neck was red raw from the wetsuit rubbing and it took about a week to heal, never again!

10 minutes after having a series of pictures and posting one on instagram, my mum told me I had a dirt beard - it was literally disgusting!! If you zoom in on my instagram picture that I posted you'll be able to see it, how embarrassing. You'll also spot it if you watch my breakwater VLOG (linked below!). It just proves how incredibly dirty the sea is, and I'm just so happy it never made me ill, as again this was one of my main worries about sea swimming.

Did I enjoy it? 100%! I never in a million years thought I would ever take up open water swimming, do a challenge like this and partially enjoy it. It was my main goal for 2016, to really get out of my comfort zone and try something new, and you know what? It felt amazing! You don't realise what you can achieve until you put your mind to it, and this day will stay with me for the rest of my life. Now everytime I go down to Plymouth Hoe I have a smile on my face as I stare out to the breakwater and think, did I really do that?

This is the end of my wild swimming journey for now and I may not do it again, but I'll never say never. As my favourite wild swimming quote goes, 'Wild Swimming is like a metaphor for life, daunting to consider, the first step is the hardest, once youre in it feels fine, and afterwards you look back at it glowing, excited and proud'. 

If you want to see more from the breakwater swim, please have a look at my first EVER VLOG and subscribe if you want to see more! It will hopefully give you more of an insight into the whole day! 

What do you think of my first VLOG, eek?! What has your biggest challenge for 2016 been?

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