My Birthday

Gees, Oxford

This year, for my birthday I hadn't planned to do much, I just wanted to spent some time with my family and boyfriend and have some fun. So the day before we went to a trampoline park in Milton Keynes, which was so much fun! Then on the following day, my sister booked for us to go to Gees in Summerton, Oxford. Gees is a restaurant that use to be a garden shop so with a glass conservatory, it really is such a pretty place to look into. Every time I've passed it, I've wanted to go there and finally I got the chance! And I got to say...it definitely didn't fall short of my expectations. 

When we arrived, we seated to our table that was just in the middle with the conservatory to our left on the kitchen on our right, which was nice as we got to see a bit of everything. The menu was already laid out and I noticed that it was printed for Sunday 8th February so I had to make sure I kept a copy for memory sake. 

To get us started we ordered a couple of drinks and I decided to go for an elderflower presse, thinking that it was the ordinary glass bottled ones. But I was glad when they were brought to our table and they were presented all lovely in glasses. 

We don't usually eat starters but we decided to try some out, so we ordered a couple to get us going but not too much so we could still enjoy our main meals. We tried out the squid, mussels and aubergine falafel. I'm a big fan of falafel so I really wanted to try it out and I enjoyed it just as much as original falafel. It had a hint of aubergine but enough to make the taste really nice.

Then our mains came and we got quite a variety of different dishes. This meant more sharing which is great for me and my greedy appetite!
I ordered the pollock with saffron mash and there was also grilled tuna steak, rabbit (which I was really against!) and a roast! They all looked great and more importantly tasted absolutely amazing. A successful meal as everyone managed to polish off their plates, which is another sign of how delicious it was!

Afterwards, they brought out my cute birthday cake that my mum personally made and sang happy birthday. The cake was such a perfect size, it was easy to take and we managed to finish it all between us too!
I've always loved my mum's cakes because she's made these for us our whole lives.

I honestly had such a lovely birthday this year and I am so happy that I got to spend it with my family and my boyfriend. I was so spoilt in terms of what I got to do, my birthday wishes and my birthday gifts so I'm very grateful for it all and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend! Thank you all to those who wished me happy birthday, to all those that I got to see and to all those who were crazy enough to buy me the best presents ever, you made it a memorable day for me <3

Love Anna x

maze, London

Tasting Lunch at Maze, London

Over the summer it was my boyfriend and I's 3rd year anniversary but due to busy schedules we never got to celebrate properly. So as a belated celebration (on the 3 and a half years day) he planned to take me to a 5 course tasting lunch at maze in London.

It was raining on the day but this didn't dampen our excitement. After nearly walking straight past the michelin star restaurant by Gordan Ramsay, we managed to our way  inside and it really was a different world! We were seated to our reserved white sofa corner table and served champagne whilst we browsed the tasting menu. As it was a 5 course tasting menu, we only have to make a choice out of 2 of the plates and this made it easy for us because I picked one and my boyfriend ordered the other. This meant that we got to taste every single dish on the set menu.

Each time the food arrived, I took so many pictures so that I could share them all on my blog and I can't wait for you all to drool over your keyboards as you scroll through!

Whilst we waited for our many courses to come, we were given miniature puff pastry cheese biscuits and a very unique breadstick dish, which had prawn crackers, sesame and herb biscuits, squid ink biscuits, a chocolate biscuit and white bean paste seasoned with paprike. It really just looked incredible!

Not long after, our English Breakfast starter arrived and this had to be by far the best breakfast I've ever had! It looks so amazing as it arrived to our table and after taking loads of pictures, we took a taste and it definitely surprised us both. The dippy-styled egg had beans, mushrooms, tomato and egg all stuffed into the eggshell and then was topped off with a crispy pancetta. It was hard to believe considering the size of the egg.

Following that we received our first course: I had a cured salmon with pickled onion beneath and tempura crisp and mango and wasabi balls decorated on top. Sam had octopus with tomatoes, rocket and drops of squid ink, lime and gel. As you can probably understand from the pictures, our jaws literally dropped when they arrived at the table. The presentation was so on-point and the textures of the food were the best combinations. 

Next on the menu was lobster, tiger prawn and salmon dumplings and sea bream with enoki mushroom, ginger and dashi. These dishes had an asian style to them and looked so elegant as they arrived. 

The last savoury course was pork belly and tiger prawn in a miso broth and duck breast served with romanesco and wild mushroom. My duck was such a beautiful contrast on the plate and was cooked so perfectly that the meat was tender. Sam's pork belly had a perfect crispy top over the tender meat and the broth complimented it so well. 

By this point, we were really getting quite full but desserts were next and I knew my second stomach had already kicked in. We were firstly given crumble sundaes and they were served in cute shot glasses. Then our white chocolate cheesecakes with sliced pineapple and szechuan powder arrived and it was a lot different to what I imagined. The different shapes made it look so much more interesting.

As I was so immersed in taking photographs of my dessert, we were surprised when our waiter presented us with a celebration plate to commemorate our anniversary. It was such a lovely touch from them and really made our time very special. 

We devoured our desserts and shared our mini cake as we slowly slipped into food comas. But even after that, that wasn't the end of our amazing tasting meal. We were given cute madeleines with cream and as first I didn't know whether I could eat mine, but after one bite it all disappeared before I knew it.  

The whole menu at maze was truly incredibly in terms of plating, taste and textures. I could try and begin to describe the tastes of each dish but I seriously think that its something that needs to be experienced personally! I couldn't even pick a favourite because it would be a list of them all.
We had such a wonderful time and it really was an unforgettable visit. The price of the set menu was steep but it was so worth it as a one off treat! Also going to a michelin star restaurant is unquestionably something to tick off my currently non-existent bucket list so I'm so happy we went. 

To top it all off, we also taken around the kitchen, where we got to see some of the behind-the-scenes and I got to speak to one of the chefs. 

The tasting set menu lunch was such a fun and delicious experience and I loved every moment spent there. It's a place that needs to be tried out so if you are looking for that occasion to indulge then this is the place.

If anyone has been to a Gordan Ramsay or michelin star restaurant, please do link me! I'd love to check out photos and read your reviews. 

Love, Anna x

Serialing

This post is one I cannot not post. It's about a podcast called Serial, recommended to me by my boyfriend. He had listened to a couple of episodes before he told me about it and this is when I decided to try it with an open mind. 

All I can say is after 1 episode...I was hooked!

I was constantly serial-ing before and after work or whenever I could and in less than a week I finished all the episodes. Currently there is only series 1, which has 12 episodes, but I'm hoping for series 2 because it is just so addictive.

I really don't want to give any spoilers or say too much information that's in the podcast, although that kills me since I want to blurt out all my suspicions, but its because I seriously feel like you all need to listen to this. It honestly creates so many thoughts and feelings when you hear them and you end up getting to tied up and involved. So I would love to discuss about it if any of you have listened to them!

If you want to find out more information or you want to listen to the podcast, visit http://serialpodcast.org/.

If you have an iPhone, you can also download the podcasts so you can listen to them on your way to work/school/anywhere because seriously you'll want to be serial-ing all the time once you start!

As I mentioned, I would love to hear all your viewpoints on it, so if you have listened/are listening to the podcasts please do comment down below :) 

Love Anna x

The Perch, Oxford

Winter Walk & Lunch at The Perch, Oxford

It was recently my boyfriend's birthday and for his birthday we took a stroll through Port Meadow then had lunch at The Perch in Oxford, which is a historic and rustic pub that is tucked away behind the meadow. It was my first time there and I was so impressed with the food that was served and the environment. 

When the food was served I just couldn't resist snapping up a few photographs for my blog because the food and plating was just so lovely. 

First up was starters, I shared my boyfriend's because I made a silly mistake of eating quite a lot for breakfast, so wanted to make sure I wasn't too full for my main. His was a really delicious parnsip soup served with bread on the side. 

For my main I ordered leek and parsnip cakes with cider and rosemary sauce. I was so pleasantly surprised when it arrived because the cakes had strips of parsnip on top that really decorated it well. It tasted so amazing too and the sauce complemented it perfectly. I definitely recommend this dish to anyone visiting The Perch. 

My boyfriend went for the burger and even that looked very cute on its plate. The tomato relish was such a good dipping sauce for the chips. 

Finally, dessert...and I'm a girl who definitely cannot go without having something sweet to finish off, so dessert was a must. I ordered something I had never tried before and usually this backfires for me, however when the Hedgerow Fool arrived, I knew I had picked well. It was a mixture of berries and yoghurt served in a glass with a shortbread biscuit on the side. 

All in all, it was a wonderful lunch and the perfect place to visit on a cold winters afternoon. I love going for walks and visiting new, hidden away places. The Perch is such a rustic place with some of the most appetising food I had ever tasted. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting Oxford or near.

Have you recently come across any hidden gems around your town/city? I know I love finding new ones, so please do recommend any in the comments below! 

Love Anna, x

Costa's Seasonal Drinks

Costa's Christmas Drinks

I want to begin my post by firstly apologising for the lack of posts especially over the Christmas period. It has been so busy with family (as you all may know) so I hope you have all had an amazing festive period.
Something I've been meaning to blog about is my recent obsession with Costa's seasonal drinks! I first got hooked when I had a white hot chocolate last winter and when I heard their seasonal drinks were back I was excited to try all the different drinks. 

The festive range included:

White Hot Chocolate with Cherry Sauce

Brownie Hot Chocolate

Black Forest Hot Chocolate

Orange Hot Chocolate

Hot Spiced Apple

Even though I can't really drink milk, I have the soy versions and it's been the best! So glad that they can make soy versions because this means I can enjoy them without reacting badly to the milk. It's also been very fun going for Costa runs with my boyfriend who loves to drink lattes and especially because I don't usually get hot drinks out, its been extra special.

The cute cups are an additional bonus because they are so fitting for Christmas.

The Reindeer Cup

The Snowman Cup

The Santa Cup

Hot Spiced Apple

Orange Hot Chocolate

The flavours are just so delicious and because I loved them all I don't think I could pick a favourite! So if they are still around and you fancy a warm drink, make sure to try one. I promise you won't regret it! I'm definitely going to be sad when they go, however having them only at Christmas, makes them that extra special. 

Have you tried Costa's seasonal drinks? Which ones are your favourite?

Love Anna x