Caro, Somerset

A weekend break in the UK can often be just as lovely as a city break elsewhere; skipping out the super-busy and touristy Paris or Rome and making some time for seeing the country you live in is in my opinion, invaluable.

We decided to journey down to Bruton, Somerset. It's a little farming town near to Yeovil, and has become something of a 'celebrity hangout' since the Hauser and Wirth gallery opened there. Big names in fashion such as Phoebe Philo, Alice Temperley and Stella McCartney are said to enjoy their time in this unexpected area of coolness, and when visiting it's easy to see why they are charmed.

Whilst the biggest hotel in Bruton and possibly the one that has received most attention is At the Chapel, Caro Somerset is far more intimate and special in my eyes. The B&B has just one bedroom, and the owners of it and its adjacent shop are impeccably welcoming and warm, greeting us with fresh coffee and a relaxed and friendly vibe. 

Whilst there is no breakfast in the B&B itself, Natalie (the owner) gave us a voucher for £20 to spend at At the Chapel- which we could spend on breakfast, dinner, or a few cocktails which we did decide to sample. 

The room itself is decorated to a T, drawing on Scandi-style furnishings and neutral tones with a few splashes of vibrant primary colours. The bathroom has a huge stand-alone bath and open shower, with Aesop toiletries provided and potted plants creating a serene environment for unwinding after a long country walk.

As for activities within the surrounding area, we managed to fit quite a lot in within the two days we spent there. We visited the famous Hauser and Wirth gallery to peruse its collection of modern art which was fascinating. Attached to the gallery is the Roth Bar and Grill, where we attended a St. Patricks Day feast on the Saturday night, followed by a live band and lots of dancing.

The surrounding pubs are fantastic, and we embarked upon a 5 mile walk to The Three Horseshoes pub in Batcombe, which was well worth the walk as we sat beside a roaring fire and consumed all the calories we had burned during our hill-climb to reach the pub.

Overall, I would highly recommend Caro for a place to stay in Somerset. It's a perfect mix of being ever so cool yet warm and familial, exactly the right mix for a country retreat that is growing increasingly popular with the celebs.

Links:

Caro Somerset

Hauser and Wirth

Roth Bar and Grill

At the Chapel

The Three Horseshoes

Making Scents of Cologne

Entering into the final year of university and having my boyfriend start a new job away from Oxford made us both want something to look forward to. It seemed that the dreary days of November were going to last forever, with nothing to provide a break between trudging to the library every day, trudging back and eating a cheap pasta-based meal every evening.

Despite it now being April and this being written in hindsight, the monotony of library days is still the same, so I thought I would share with you our little Christmas getaway, from the Oxford spires to the brutalist architecture of Cologne.

We stayed in this Airbnb, a perfect size for the two of us in a really cute neighbourhood. Being slightly out of the centre meant that we got to explore far more than just the touristy sights, which is always good when you visit a new city.

On our first evening there, we went to a pizza place that was recommended in this book, called 485°- after a long day of travelling, pizza always seems like the best idea.

The pizzas were laden with toppings- almost too many actually. I gave some of my ham to Barney as it made the pizza so salty, but delicious otherwise. Would recommend!

You can find the place here: http://www.485grad.de/ 

And here: Kyffhäuserstraße 44, 50674 Cologne 

We ventured to scout out the Christmas markets the next day- and there are SO many Christmas markets. All of them pretty similar, selling glühwein, hot chocolates and lots of meats and sausages. 

We turned to the Wallpaper guide for Cologne/Dusseldorf for our next dinner spot. Wallpaper guides are usually a holiday essential for us, but this one is out of print so we had to make do with the app. We chose a 70s-looking bar/restaurant for that night, called Hallmackenreuther.

The decor was really cool, with retro lighting and vintage vending machines on the walls. 

The food in this place was slightly disappointing- I ordered the goat's cheese ravioli which was beyond rich, meaning I could only get halfway through. And with my fondness for pasta, that says a lot!

We decided we also wanted to venture into the slightly more touristy side of activities, so took a trip to the chocolate museum.

This place was really fun- it smelled incredible, you got free samples of molten chocolate from a massive fountain and the gift shop at the end was a chocolate-lover's dream.

For our last evening, we went off-piste without the guide books and went to a restaurant called Tanica, which we had passed every day and each time were intrigued. 

The atmosphere was really good- it was really busy which is always a great sign, and big groups of Cologne-dwellers were passing through the doors (another good sign). 

The food here was the best we had in Cologne- so delicately presented and everything we tried was delicious. If you're ever in Cologne, I would recommend this place highly!

We had a late flight, so had almost an entire day at the end of the trip to make any other trips we wanted to. We ventured into another area of Cologne, Ehrenfeld. The Wallpaper guide labels each of the districts with a different description, Ehrenfeld being characterised by its shopping streets, artistic cultural scene and residential areas.

After a lengthy walk in the park, we went for a quick spot of lunch, followed by a beer in what seemed like a British-esque pub, but turned out to be a very German drinking house where apparently tourists were not exactly warmly welcomed.

On our way back to the train station to get to the airport, I got the only photos of what Cologne is perhaps most famous for- its cathedral. In fact, we only passed the cathedral twice during the whole trip- once on the way out of the train station, and once on the way back in.

The Christmas market below was definitely the busiest, but the lights really did make the scene very pretty.

Cologne was a trip that was mainly hopping from cafe to beer-hall and back to cafe again, which is exactly why it was the perfect winter-break. It had a great festive spirit, loads of cool bars and cafes to try out, and seemingly endless little streets to explore.

If you're keen to explore the Christmas markets of Germany, definitely consider Cologne as an alternative to the ever-popular Berlin. 

New Room, Old Me

I moved back to university this weekend. With third and final year comes a new, improved room as we finalists get top pick of college rooms, as well as the stress and panic of exams and coursework. Swings and roundabouts.

I thought I'd do a quick post with some pictures of how I decorated my rooms (yes, I get TWO rooms) and managed to make a pretty bare space into something that felt like home.

This is pretty much the view when you walk in through the door to my study, and one of my favourite things about the room. I love the glow that the fairy lights create, especially as I'll be sitting at my desk working an awful lot this year.

I got a new desk lamp to come back this year, this one actually from Sainsbury's home section for only £25 which I thought was great.

Speakers are also an essential for this year- the radio built in on these ones make getting up early in the morning that bit more bearable!

The fairy lights are bendable copper wire ones- I got them extra long so I could drape them all around like I have done. Find them here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterproof-Adapter-Included-Wedding-Festival/dp/B0196JNQYC/ref=pd_nav_hcs_bia_t_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QQKJ2CAG5KVWE6QC9RT3

The chairs in my room were really not that nice, in a lovely shade of green. I brought plenty of throws, blankets and scarves to drape across uglier or bare surfaces in my room, as well as this cushion, which is also from Sainsbury's.

My sister bought me this cute magnet which sits above my little tea-station- my friends come over and sit in the chairs either side of the coffee table, and it's such a nice place to catch up and relax.

Having pretty notebooks is essential for me- the two below my planner are from TK Maxx and Accessorize. The planner was an amazing birthday present from my mum- it is genuinely one of my most prized possessions. Find it here: http://www.johnlewis.com/ban-do-i-am-very-busy-academic-diary-2016-17-pink/p2437469?sku=235556349&s_kwcid=2dx92700013364821854&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=CKDKvJ2ry88CFRE2cgodCSsH2A&gclsrc=ds

My noticeboard in a bit more detail- the bottom row is a collection of cards that I like the design of, as well as a little drawing I traced from one I liked online. The poster came with a bag my boyfriend got for me, and I used wrapping paper as a background to put my pictures on, the effect of which I really like. 

I bought some gingham ribbon from Tiger to decorate my room with, but so far hanging up this picture is the only use I've found for it! I think this looks really pretty though. 

This is the window of my study, where I can look out into the street below. I have a bookcase below the window, and this teacup, photo album and birthday card lined along my shelf. The album is from Urban Outfitters, about two years ago.

This is the door that leads into my bedroom. Please excuse my pyjamas. I hung an over-door mirror that I found in Matalan, because university rooms never come with a full length mirror. The little backpack on the door was also a birthday gift, from Brandy Melville. 

I feel very lucky to get a double bed this year! I don't know what the line going down the middle is, but the polka dot bedding is from Marks and Spencer, and the crochet throw is from Sainsbury's (again). I also have some plain white broderie Anglaise bedding to switch with the polka dot over term time. 

This is the little faux-fire place that sits behind my chest of drawers. I put my make up, jewellery, hair stuff and perfume on my chest of drawers, as well as storing my lipsticks in a cute John Lewis teacup.

These are the pictures I propped up above the drawers- the middle frame is from Tiger, with the prints either side of it coming from a charity shop near me. These pictures are one of my favourite things about my room!

Finally, this is my window seat where I can look out on to the courtyard where the rest of my friends live, make my phone calls or read my books. I put a couple of blankets on it to make it a bit more cosy, one of which my grandma crocheted. This little seat feels very homely.

That's pretty much a full tour of the room! I hope it gave a few of you some ideas on how to make yours feel more like 'yours', especially if you've just moved into university halls and can't seem to make your bleak student room feel a little better!

Jess x

Birthday Brunching

A few weeks ago, my sister and I wanted to take our mum out for her birthday. A natural choice was brunch- the best meal of the day, the time when anything goes and true meal freedom comes to play.

Amelia (said sister) booked us a table at Christopher's, a rather fancy brunch spot just off Covent Garden. We coupled the brunch with a day of shopping and tea and cake, which of course suited me just fine.

Christopher's is probably the grandest place I could envisage for somewhere to have brunch. It is not your typical cosy café with cushions and teapots galore- instead, the interior is something you would see Blair Waldorf elegantly gliding through in a ball gown. Spiralling staircases, marbled floors, and a cocktail bar aimed at the creme de la creme of cocktail consumers. 

We sat down to brunch and I of course opted for my favourite- Eggs Benedict. This version was ramped up slightly by being made with Parma ham, which I did not object to. 

You can see in the photos below how frothy and light the hollandaise sauce is, something I wouldn't usually expect from it. 

See that froth? See it?

The eggs were cooked perfectly as the yolk oozed out- something I didn't manage to capture on film. I was just too hungry.

Mum went for the same as me, whilst Amelia chose the healthier alternative of an egg-white, tomato and avocado omelette from the 'super-food' menu. 

A photo of me, sipping water and completely unaware of any photo being taken. 

THIS was one of the coolest things about Christopher's, and something that I very very nearly was persuaded to go for instead of the Eggs Benedict- build your own pancakes. In case you were wondering, I definitely would have gone for the buttermilk pancakes with Nutella and salted caramel ice cream. 

Aaaand the exterior, complete with columns and ornate archway. 

Christopher's really is a brunch-lover's paradise. A little on the pricey side in my opinion, so an option for a special occasion or a one-off treat, but the food really was delicious. The selection of menus meant there was something for everyone, even the super-health conscious, and the waiting staff were so eager to please. Next time, I think I'll be seated at the bar ordering from their martini menu whilst sampling each option on the pancake builder.

http://www.christophersgrill.com/