Play your part, act accordingly...

It is rare these days that I find myself in Liverpool on a Sunday, but since I was back here this weekend I decided to make the most of it and plan a relaxing day. I suppose the very definition of a relaxing day implies that it should not be planned, so apart from a general idea of heading in to town after a lazy breakfast of pastries and coffee, I did not know where the day would lead. 

Last year I got this gorgeous black faux fur jacket from Primark and  I wore it so often because it is cosy and stylish plus it looks great just 'thrown on' with jeans and a top. I was debating what to wear on Sunday morning (well actually, by that  point it was more like afternoon...!) and I saw it hanging up and decided that it was time to rediscover this fuzzy piece of attire! 

We did not really do anything too strenuous during the afternoon, in the end we just walked around town, went for a coffee at Caffe Nero and did some shopping. We were toying with the idea of going for a pizza, but later we decided that we would order a Chinese take away when we got home, which we washed down with a gorgeous full bodied Shiraz. Perfect! I got some really cute pieces at Forever 21 and Primark which I look forward to sharing with you in my upcoming outfit posts! 

Outfit details:

Jacket, top, boots, jeans and bag- Primark

Sunglasses-Balmain 

Delicious! I hope that you all had a lovely weekend. Please let me know, what is your ideal way to spend a relaxing Sunday? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

The Club House Liverpool...

I am sure many readers would agree that January feels like time for a holiday, with grey skies reminding us that spring is still a way off. Unfortunately, most of us can’t go away at this time of the year which is why I was delighted to hear that somewhere new was coming to Liverpool which promises to evoke the classy ambience of a Hamptons beach house without us even having to leave the city. This may sound too good to be true, but my wish was granted for a little touch of that holiday feeling when I was invited to the media preview evening for The Club House, a vast and imposing new restaurant and bar located in the heart of Liverpool One and operated by the award winning New World Trading Company.

The beautiful building has been created with a more than a little nod to the crisp neoclassical style which dominates the Hamptons and New England. Walking up the pathway lined with trees festooned with fairy lights makes you feel like you have stumbled on to a film set. The deckchairs outside made me feel like sipping a long island iced tea, and I loved the innovative outdoor kitchen area where rotisserie chickens were browning and chefs whirled around with impressive poise under pressure.

Upon entering the stately building, a lofty ceiling opens above the staircase where a huge sparkling chandelier made from reclaimed glasses conjures up a fairytale charm. Hints of nautical themes are to be found everywhere, with replica sailing boats and life rings displayed here and there alongside floral patterned armchairs, bookcases and potted trees as well as the odd alligator…! I was fortunate enough to meet Paul Danson of Paul Danson Imagineering, the amazing architect and designer responsible for this stunning and visionary design.

After a guided tour around the restaurant and the terraces outside courtesy of the lovely Carolyn Hughes , we took our seats for dinner. I sipped a Pina Colada to continue the holiday feeling and we enjoyed flatbread and olives before devouring a deli board of cous cous, hummus, chorizo and coronation chicken, all of which was delicious with flavours which reminded me of al fresco dining in summer. There was also an ale tasting on offer during the evening, which will be a regular fixture for beer aficionados to enjoy in the cute ale tasting area.

 For the main course I could not resist the cauliflower cheese pie which had crusty pastry and an irresistible cheese flavour with the tangy addition of gherkins and pickled onions which offset the cheese  well. The accompaniments of mashed potatoes, mushy peas and HP sauce rounded off this hearty plate of comfort food perfectly.

My dining companion chose the chicken hanging kebab drizzled with an indulgent butter and served with crispy fries. The hanging kebabs are always a great choice as they are a delight to the eyes as well as the palate! We also chose indulgent side orders of battered onion rings (which were a perfect mixture of sweet onion and crispy batter) and a bowl of cheesy chips. Who can ever resist cheesy chips after all?!

I sipped the excellent house white which was dry and refreshing, whilst we enjoyed the meal and soaked up the ambience and the strains of soft piano music floating up from the downstairs bar which made me feel as if I was in a colonial mansion in Barbados…I could almost feel the soft ocean breeze lulling my senses away from chilly January in Liverpool!
After our main courses were but a memory we cast our eye over the dessert menu before settling on a duo of decadence. My sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream was a classic done really well with a springy and tasty sponge topped with rivers of divine toffee sauce. My dining companion enjoyed an equally delightful wedge of warm chocolate fudge cake drizzled in chocolate sauce and served with vanilla ice cream.

After another look around the amazing interior we sashayed down that exquisite staircase once more and settled at the bar where we chatted to many of the friendly team and I sipped a sweet and refreshing mojito with plenty of fresh mint and a good kick of rum. We heard all about the process of creating cocktails on draught and how popular they were already proving to be. The grandiose bar area will be the ideal place to dress up and head to for a few cocktails before sweeping upstairs for dinner.

The sprawling restaurant manages the rare feat of being spacious yet cosy and intimate at the same time, a conjuring trick indeed. Furthermore, even though it is brand new, the whole place felt welcoming and inviting with a genuine warmth which speaks of a bygone era. I know where I will be heading whenever I want a sense of escape without having to reach for my passport! With delicious food and drinks, live music and a stunning interior design aesthetic, The Club House ticks every single box with a flourish.

The Club House 

Chavasse Park 

Liverpool One 

L2 9SQ

0151 709 5366

http://theclubhouse.uk.com/

We had such a lovely evening trying The Club House for the first time, I cannot wait to visit again soon. What do you all think, do you like the idea of a restaurant which delivers that holiday feeling all year round and which of these dishes and drinks would you choose to sample?  As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

Cocktail tasting at The Alchemist Spinningfields

It is always a pleasure to visit Spinningfields in Manchester, which is packed to the rafters with amazing bars and restaurants. It is one of my favourite places for an evening out because there is just so much choice of where to go, so I was pleased when an invitation to attend a cocktail tasting at The Alchemist landed in my inbox recently. The Alchemist is one of the many successful concepts by Living Ventures and they specialise in amazing cocktails as well as a varied food menu.
I have been to The Alchemist several times before and it is always extremely busy with a great atmosphere. I arrived a little early so I decided to relax at the bar for a while before the event, where I sipped a crisp Pinot Grigio and had a nice chat to the bar staff who are always so friendly and welcoming.

After a while I made my way over to the table where we would be enjoying a taste of the recent additions to The Alchemist cocktail menu. After a warm welcome from Caroline and saying hello to the other guests, we were put in the capable hands of Cameron who would be mixing the cocktails for us to try!
We were thoroughly spoiled during the evening, getting the chance to try several delicious cocktails. I loved the Beetroot and Rosemary, which I think it is safe to say we were all a little sceptical about at first having never come across beetroot in a cocktail before.

This is an ideal detox cocktail for January since it contains such healthy ingredients and it tasted really sweet and smooth. It was surprisingly palatable even though I am not usually a fan of beetroot. Well, perhaps this is not strictly speaking a detox drink since it contains Bombay dry gin and rose liqueur, but the addition of rosemary, lemon juice and beetroot foam makes it seem a little less guilt inducing! This also looked spectacular, with a bold pinkish colour which looked great served in a martini glass and topped with a sprig of rosemary.
Drug Rummer was deliciously different to the cocktails I usually drink, as I rarely order rum based ones. This was a blend of Appleton’s VX Rum, citrus and coffee vanilla cinnamon syrup, served smoked and garnished with sage, which was expertly torched at the table using a blowtorch! This was served in a cool vintage style bottle and it was really tasty. I usually go for sweeter cocktails but this one convinced me to order rum based ones more often.

We were whisked off for a night at the movies in cocktail form, when we tried The Kernel, a tasty blend of Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum, Disaronno and lemon and served with a popcorn garnish. This lulled the senses with a combination of sweet and strong flavours and the popcorn garnish was a cute and whimsical touch. I really loved this and I would happily order it again.

Lady Marmalade was my kind of cocktail, a really moreish blend of Chase Marmalade Vodka, Belsazar Red, lemon juice and sugar which is mixed with bergamot flavour drops then boiled up and served over dry ice.

The theatre of this was incredible, as huge clouds of dry ice billowed up from the beakers. This is billed as The Alchemist take on a classic tea and I have to say I would rather sip this any day over a cup of Earl Grey! It was sweet and refreshing whilst the marmalade vodka added an irresistible tang of citrus. There were also refreshing mocktails available during the evening, garnished with sweets in case any of us were not drinking! These were served in cute milk bottle style containers, which was a fun touch.

As if all of that cocktail goodness was not enough, we were also lucky enough to be served some delicious platters of Alchemist food to complement the drinks. These gorgeous nibbles included potato skins, nachos, felafel, tempura prawns and chicken wings. These tasty platters went down a storm, I love sharing food like this with drinks as I think that it is a really convivial style of dining.

We had such a fun evening and it was great to try so many of the cocktails which have appeared on the Alchemist menu. I loved them all and they all had such different flavours which introduced me to several new types of cocktails and steered me away from my usual orders. When it comes to cocktails, I usually have a few favourites which I stick to, such as French Martini, Kir Royal, Bellini and Espresso Martini. The Alchemist event definitely taught me to be a little bit more adventurous in future when it comes to trying new cocktails and I am already looking forward to going back again soon.

The Alchemist  

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3HF

0161 817 2950

http://thealchemist.uk.com/

What do you all think, do you like the idea of these new cocktails and which of them would you prefer to try first? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

Until next  time, 

Camille 

xo 

The things I'll say to make you mine...

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. For me, winter always presents a dilemma of how to be warm and remain stylish at the same time. One of the worst winter style dilemmas is how to wear a woolly hat without getting the dreaded ‘hat hair’, alias frizzy and unruly hair as soon as you remove the hat! This is especially tough for those of us with long and unruly hair like mine.With this in mind, it was music to my ears when I was asked to collaborate with Chidora*, who make stylish hats which are silk lined to combat that dreaded hat hair effect. I was invited to style one of their many beautiful hats and this weekend gave me the ideal opportunity to do so. I went to see my family in Derbyshire and we decided to head out for some shopping and a bite to eat, so I thought that I would style my Chidora hat in to a casual look which ticks all the Sunday boxes of being casual, warm and stylish. 

The hat I chose is the wool bobble hat in black, which I thought would go with everything, plus you all know how much I love black clothing and accessories! When I received the hat I was impressed by the thick and chunky quality and the silk lining, it is so well made and it will be something I will get plenty of wear out of.
I had no idea what to wear so I threw on this grey dress I got a while ago. I like the fact that it has a high neck and sleeves and a slightly 1960’s shape. It looks cute paired with black opaque tights and these chunky heeled shoes. I layered my black faux leather jacket from Select over the top and grabbed my black snakeskin effect tote bag which fits in everything you could possibly want to carry around. I have been living in these Balmain sunglasses ever since I got them, so they were the ideal finishing touch to round off this casual weekend outfit. It was the perfect look to go shopping and then to head for a quick bite to eat and a catch up.

As you can see I had a cute little helper for some of these photographs, our family dog Minnie. She is such a beautiful dog and she has a loving temperament. I love walking her and I miss her so much when I am away. Our family farmhouse is a real haven for animals, we have a cat called Iona, two pet sheep called Nelson and Salt and my Irish Cob horse Joaquin. They are an adorable bunch with so much personality! Anyway, back to style! I love the proportions of this outfit and how casual and 'thrown together' it looks. I prefer effortless style like this on the weekend as I dress in a slightly more formal way during the week for work meetings. This dress is so flattering and I think it goes well with the faux leather jacket. The hat just adds a warm and stylish finishing touch, I have never been a woolly hat person before, but Chidora have convinced me otherwise. This hat is soft and easy to wear as well as being excellent quality. It is made from 100% British wool and the silk lining is so luxurious. 

I feel sad that the weekend flies past so quickly but I am very fortunate that I can visit my family as often as I do. My parents do not live too far away from me and I love going home and seeing them and spending time at their farmhouse with our pets. The fresh air and the scenery in Derbyshire always makes me feel more alive and I am always rejuvenated and ready to throw myself in to the work and events I have coming up when I get back. Anyway, I went off on a slight tangent there, but it is always nice to let you know a little more about me as a person. I am a country girl born and raised and as such I like the simple pleasures in life and seeing my family and the pets is definitely one of my favourite things to do (as well as eating and drinking, but I do not need to tell you that!) I can always get so much writing done at home in Derbyshire too, as it is peaceful and the rolling hills and unspoiled landscapes are very inspirational.

~

Outfit details:

Black Bobble Hat-Chidora
Sunglasses-Balmain

Faux leather jacket-Select Fashion

Dress, bag and shoes-Primark

I hope that you all had a lovely weekend and please tell me what you have been up to lately. What do you think, do you like the idea of a silk lined woollen hat and how would you have styled this piece from Chidora? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

http://www.chidora.co.uk/

Until next time,

Camille

xo 

*Disclaimer

The hat featured in this style post was sent to me on a complimentary basis for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest.