Afternoon drinks with Funkin Cocktails...

Cocktails in the garden is something I always like the sound of, so I was hoping for sunshine last weekend when I had the opportunity to collaborate with Funkin Cocktails* and try out some of their products for an impromptu cocktail party. Luckily, the sun decided to shine as we gathered in the garden at my family home in Derbyshire for a few afternoon drinks. I love making cocktails, but I have to confess that the amount of ingredients involved in making some of them puts me off, so I was happy to get the chance to try these quick and easy cocktail mixers. 

 I love the fact that these cocktail mixes are so easy to use, so even if like me you are not a skilled cocktail mixologist, you can still have fun making everything from an Elderflower Collins to a Passionfruit Martini in no time at all. These are ideal for parties, barbecues or dinner gatherings because they are so fuss-free. 

I picked out three of the mixes to road test during the afternoon, the Passionfruit Martini, Hollywood Berry and Strawberry Woo Woo. Funkin Cocktails had thoughtfully included a cocktail shaker and stirrer, so I got busy mixing up the goods. It was an informal and chilled out vibe as we relaxed in the sunshine, reading and grazing on snacks including salted caramel popcorn.

First up was the Strawberry Woo Woo which was a hit with everybody, a sweet and tasty strawberry mix which tasted so good with a shot of vodka shaken in the mixer and served over ice with a garnish of fresh strawberries. This is the ideal drink for a sunny afternoon.

Next up was the Passionfruit Martini, a tropical treat evocative of white sand beaches and turquoise waters. Sigh. This was dangerously moreish and I loved that it was sweet but not overly so. There was a real holiday feeling in the air with all of the cocktails flowing, and as the sun started to dip we decided to have one last drink.

The sun miraculously continued to shine as I got to grips with the third cocktail of the afternoon, the Hollywood Berry cocktail. This was refreshing and again went perfectly with vodka, but it can also be mixed with gin if you prefer. I could easily imagine a big pitcher of this on a hazy afternoon with friends, with the barbecue sizzling away in the background it would make the perfect summer drink to share.

https://www.funkincocktails.co.uk/

What do you all think, have you ever tried any Funkin Cocktail mixers and which of these cocktails would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille

xo

*Disclaimer

I was sent a selection of samples by Funkin Cocktails. Opinions expressed herein are my own. 

MNDA lunch at 60 Hope Street

This week I was fortunate to attend a lunch which was held in aid of a very worthy cause. I went along to one of my favourite restaurants 60 Hope Street in Liverpool for the lunch they were hosting in partnership with the Merseyside Motor Neurone Disease Association and it was super to attend an occasion held for such an important cause. We were welcomed with champagne and we chatted in the downstairs bar before being whisked upstairs to take our seats for the three course lunch.

We enjoyed artisan bread with butter before the starter of salmon fishcakes with garlic and herb aioli. I heard all about the incredible work the Merseyside Motor Neurone Disease Association does, supporting those affected by the condition as well as their families and carers.

The main course of roast breast of Goosnargh chicken with sweet potato champ and pepper sauce was so satisfying, with a wealth of simple flavours which really complemented each other.

Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream rounded off the delicious meal as we sipped our coffee and enjoyed  the drawing of the winning tickets for the raffle, with amazing prizes including a three course lunch at 60 Hope Street, an overnight hotel stay, champagne and wine.

I had such a good time and it was so humbling to hear about the work of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. What do you all think, have you ever attended a charity lunch and which of these dishes would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

60 Hope Street 

 Liverpool 

L1 9BZ

http://www.60hopestreet.com/

Merseyside Motor Neurone Disease Association:
http://www.mnda-merseyside.org.uk/

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

The Brow Club Liverpool...

Today I went along to The Secret Warehouse, a unique concept which is based on the law of attraction. A collective of businesses all work within the warehouse space in Liverpool which is based around the law of attraction principle. I was lucky enough to go along to check out The Brow Club and have my eyebrows transformed by the lovely Kate, Director of The Brow Club.

To be honest my eyebrows were in an unkempt state before my appointment as I usually don’t do much to them, so Kate assured me that I would soon be completely transformed and have a thicker and fuller brow with a great shape to complement my face and enhance my features. My eyebrows before were much thinner in shape:

I loved the fun and contemporary design aesthetic of The Brow Bar. It was so relaxing being there, with mellow tunes playing and vases of flowers to create a relaxing ambience. 

I relaxed with a coffee before my appointment and explored the quirky cool surroundings of The Secret Warehouse which has several different businesses working within it and there is even a meditation room too.

Kate put me completely at ease by telling me all about the different steps she was taking to transform my eyebrows. She started off by tinting my brows in their natural colour, to enhance the existing shape and then she moved on to waxing, trimming and lastly threading to blend the new and improved brows. I could not wait to see the results and I was so happy when I looked in the mirror at the end to see I suddenly had eyebrows which were shaped to perfection and much fuller than they were before. Kate offers a range of brow treatments from simply waxing and shaping, to full HD Brow treatments. I felt so much more confident after my transformation and I would definitely recommend The Brow Club to anybody who needs a little bit of eyebrow magic. From the unruly brows I had before, I now have neat and shapely arches!

Thank you very much to Kate for my transformation! What do you all think, do you like the idea of a Secret Warehouse based on the law of attraction and would you like to visit The Brow Club?

You can follow The Brow Club on social media:

Instagram @thebrowclub_

Twitter @thebrowclub_

Email: thebrowshack@gmail.com

You can follow The Secret Warehouse on social media:
Instagram @thesecretwh

Twitter @thesecretwh 

www.thesecretwarehouse.co.uk

As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time,

Camille

xo

Dinner at The Botanist Knutsford...

It is always good to get the opportunity to go somewhere slightly further afield for dinner and that is exactly what I did recently when I was invited to dine at The Botanist* which has just opened its doors in the quaint town of Knutsford, Cheshire.
We wandered down the hill past a church and fragrant cherry blossom trees, before finding that the restaurant was conveniently located right at the bottom of the hill. A cheery green striped canopy bearing The Botanist name greeted us along with an outdoor area with a wooden barrow full of plants and a red post box.

We were welcomed by the friendly team and led to a window table, allowing us to watch the world go by. The bar area was busy and the reclaimed glass chandelier shimmered in the fading daylight as groups sipped wine and cocktails. 

We nibbled on salt and pepper onion petals with sour cream which were piquant and tasty as well as some moreish Cumberland and pork chipolatas with honey grain mustard, whilst we perused the menu. 

I sipped a crisp Pinot Grigio and settled on spiced parsnip soup with crusty bread for my starter. This was a thick homemade soup with bags of flavour and a peppery kick, perfect with the two wedges of crusty farmhouse style bread. Meanwhile my dining companion dived in to his baked Camembert with fruit and flatbread; the creamy richness of the cheese was counterbalanced by the fresh array of fruit and the doughy flatbread.

On to mains and there could be only one winner for me which I order most times I see it on the menu, the cauliflower cheese pie with chips, HP sauce and mushy peas. As always this was comfort food heaven, with a generously proportioned crusty pie with plenty of cheese flavour competing for space on the plate with the heaps of crunchy chips and smooth mushy peas. The HP sauce, gherkins and pickled onions added a sharp tang to this hearty main.

My dining companion enjoyed a juicy 9oz rib eye which was cooked to tender perfection, dripping with garlic butter and served with his choice of cheesy chips on the side. As usual I hardly got a word out of him until he set down his cutlery and proclaimed it was every bit as delicious as it looked. 

After a pause to chat, soak up the surroundings and enjoy the live music, we moved on to dessert. I went for the apple crumble with custard, a crumble topped apple tart full of zesty flavour offset by the custard. This is a classic pudding which is hard to beat and I was pleased the apples had that lovely sharpness which I think makes crumble even tastier. 

My dining companion had again fallen into muffled raptures as he devoured a large slab of warm chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream. I managed to salvage a spoonful for myself and I can confirm that it was a treat with rivers of chocolate sauce atop the springy sponge cake. 

We enjoyed relaxing over a coffee to round off our meal as the lights were lowered and the hubbub of music and chatter filled the air. The Botanist Knutsford is a great new choice for dining in the area, with the traditional aesthetic of The Botanist including art work and gardening ephemera and a cosy bar area as well as restaurant covers across two floors. 

The menu has something for everybody with hearty comfort food classics alongside options such as Malaysian chicken curry and Mediterranean style deli boards. The cocktail list has an impressive array of options and the live music really added to the ambience. I did not want to leave, but we finally went on our way after an extended evening of fun.

The Botanist 

41A King St, 

Knutsford, 

Cheshire 

WA16 6DW

http://thebotanist.uk.com/

What do you all think, would you like to dine at The Botanist and which of these dishes would you choose? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Please watch my YouTube vlog of the evening here:

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo



*Disclaimer
I was invited to dine at The Botanist Knutsford as their guest. Opinions stated herein are my own. 

Brunch at Gusto Albert Dock...

I love going out for breakfast or brunch, it is a fairly rare treat for me as work takes over during the week and I am not generally known for being a morning person on the weekend! I was therefore so pleased to hear that one of my favourite restaurants in Liverpool, Gusto Albert Dock, was introducing a brunch menu which launched this weekend. When I received an invitation to sample it I could not wait. It was a beautiful sunny morning as we arrived at Gusto and took our seats at a table with excellent views of the Albert Dock.

Of course, we just had to start off with some coffees, a smooth latte for me and a double espresso to wake up my dining companion! We perused the menu at length, tempted by choices including oven baked waffles with crispy bacon and syrup, eggs Benedict, full English breakfast and bacon or sausage sandwich on toasted tiger bread. Decisions, decisions...! Alongside the great selection of brunch dishes, there is also a choice of breakfast cocktails and smoothies on the menu. I chose a very berry smoothie, a mix of strawberries, raspberries, cherry preserve and cranberry juice blended with ice.

This was a burst of summer, so sharp, sweet and refreshing. My dining companion had the tropical smoothie, with peach, passionfruit and pineapple. This was aptly named as I could have imagined drinking it on an exotic beach in the shade of a palm tree.

 I love having pancakes for breakfast, so I chose the warm buttermilk pancakes with fruit compote, honey and yogurt for brunch. The pancakes were fluffy and light and the berry compote and honey added sweetness whilst the yoghurt balanced the decadence out nicely.

My dining companion ordered the full English breakfast, he chose to switch the eggs for extra sausage instead and the plate was groaning under the weight of smoked bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, sausages and toasted rustic bread. Judging by his silence as he devoured every morsel, I assumed he was enjoying it, an assumption he confirmed after he finally finished.

There is nothing like a hearty full English breakfast made with great ingredients and this was the ideal breakfast and lunch hybrid. We sipped Mimosas garnished with a twist of orange as we enjoyed the views.

There was a further treat still to come as we were presented with the dessert menu. We chose the Bombolini, a favourite of mine at Gusto (along with the Nutella and mascarpone calzone which is amazing) these house made mini doughnuts are served with whipped cream and chocolate dipping sauce and they are ideal to share. I ended up sampling a few even though I initially declared I was too full...well a girl can change her mind when faced with a bowl of sugary doughnuts! 

We really enjoyed brunch at Gusto and I think this will quickly become a firm favourite on the Liverpool dining scene. There is something for everyone on the menu, from a simple toasted sandwich to a full English and I think this is the perfect way to either start or finish your weekend in style. I am really pleased that more restaurants are now offering breakfast and brunch, one of the things I always love about visiting America is the popularity of going out for breakfast and I am pleased that it is more readily available in restaurants now. I love the idea of a leisurely meal, reading the newspaper over a table heaped with delicious brunch dishes and drinks. I felt so relaxed after brunch and we headed across to the Tate gallery to see the Matisse in Focus exhibition which was fascinating with some incredible pieces on display.

Please watch my vlog of brunch at Gusto:

What do you all think, do you like going out for brunch and which of these dishes would you order? As always, I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Gusto
Edward Pavillion,
Albert Dock,
Liverpool
L3 4AF

http://gustorestaurants.uk.com/restaurants/liverpool/

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo