Dinner at The Brackenborough Hotel, Louth | Food

Every so often I get the delightful task of travelling up north to work for a couple of days and I am usually based in the Lincolnshire countryside in a place called Louth. Now, there ain't much in Louth but it is a BEAUTIFUL northern town. So if you ever get a chance to do, please do! 

I was fortunate to stay in the Brackenborough Hotel and whilst I didn't actually take enough pictures of the room I thought I would just share with you my rather delicious meal in The lounge at the Brackenborough. Also, so about the pictures, the lighting was tricky! 

To be honest, I didn't have started but they brought out this rather impressive bread and butter. Not only was it presented beautifully but they gave me 3 different types of butter. I have to be honest, I have actually forgotten what one was called but they other two were Honey butter and Cayenne Pepper butter and oh my god!! I'm not gonna lie, I was obsessed with the Honey butter, delicately sweet but nit sickly! Basically I was really happy, it was just the perfect little thing to have before the meal! 

Moving onto the bigger piece of batter haddock I ever did see! I mean just look at that bad boy! If you go anywhere in Louth and are having fish and chips the restaurants will pride themselves on the locally sources fish from Grimsby which I think is a lovely thing. It was possibily the best fish and chips I have had in a very long time. It was a beer batter but not beer like at all, it was light and super crispy and the fish was so fresh and beautifuly cooked. The only problem was there was just too much of it, I left like a 3rd of it purely because my body couldn't in a scrap more! The chips were double cooked and as you can see, portion wise, there wasn't a huge portion but it was the perfct amount because the haddock is the real winner here. I would have liked the chips to be a fraction more crispy but other than that they were rather yummy! 

I did actually have dessert but the lighting wasn't in my favour so I can't show you what I had but I will just mention a few lines about it. I opted for the Dark Chocolate and Caramel Fondant with pistachio ice cream and beetroot puffed rice (...?) so a little random but chocolatey and gooey like just what you need after any meal. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ice cream because it had more of a perfumed flavour which I just didn't get and the puffed rice was weird but kind worked to give the dessert another dimention to the soft gooey fondant. 

Having dinner in the Brackenborough lounge was delightful, the staff were SO friendly and professional they really helped make the whole dining experience a luxurious one. 

What are your favourite hotel bars/restaurants?    

How to Style a Trench Coat* | Fashion

I genuinely believe that everyone should own a trench coat, bold statement but bear with me here guys.... It's a versatile piece of outerwear is that not only comes in a variety of different cuts and styles but you can wear it in so many different ways. There are a lot of brands like Jack Wills offering some beautiful women's trench coat options but you also have brands like H&M where I got mine (pictured) for a great price and Zara if you are looking for something a little less traditional. 

The reason why I think the trench coat is a classic staple is because it's a coat that you can easily dress up for formal occasions or keep it a little casual. I actually bought mine two sizes too big for me, but I have tied the belt up at the back to cinch in my waist a little it creates a much nicer silhouette on my body shape. As with most trench coats they are rather lightweight, perfect for the summer but let's face it in England we don't get much of a summer which is why I always wear a scarf with mine. 

I wear a lot of black but I tend to add an injection of colour into my outfit with the accessories. If I am wearing my blue Gucci bag then I like to keep the rest of my outfit in muted tones so I'll wear a plain grey scarf. If I'm feeling a bit fierce then I'll wear my McQueen scarf but wear my nude Mulberry bag! 

Even when I want to dress it super casual with my sneakers, the coat actually makes the entire outfit. I haven't included any clothes in these pictures purely because the coat and the accessories are what makes the outfit, you could be wearing a simple black dress, or some jeans, or even a jumper underneath it but if you accessorise correctly it immediately makes a statement. I often get complimented on my coat, even though I have had mine at least 2 years because I change it up with the accessories, it's like a new coat!

How do you style your trench coat?


*Sponsored Post 

31 Thoughts I have in the Gym | Health

Now I have joined the gym again I thought I would do a little fun post about 31 random thoughts I have whilst I work out..

1. I need all of the weights

2. Do I have enough space?

3. When did my thighs get so big???

4. Is that ANOTHER chin I see forming?

5. Man I'm soooo unfit

6. Oh god don't face the mirror, I definitely don't need to see what I look like when I squat

7. Why are my legs **shaking** after 2 lunges? Man up! 

8. My thighs better ache tomorrow 

9. Oh shit, I've lost count? Just do an extra rep for luck

10. Only another set left...I think...

11. I like her leggings...

12. She is lifting more than me - need to up my game

13. Ooo that exercise looks good, I'm gonna try that

14. I wish I had her butt

15. Ya know, underneath the flab - I'm not THAT bad

16. I have potential!!! 

17. Oh god don't look in the mirror - you look like a sweaty potato

18. Stairmaster now

19. Why am I paying to walk on a machine when I could just walk up and down my steps at home?

20. Step, step, step

21. Must look where I am stepping otherwise I will trip...again!

22. Water! I need water!

23. Never knew the back of my hand could sweat - fab!

24. Am I panting too loudly? I can't hear myself because of my music

25. Oooo this is my jam though

26. God! How have I only done 5 minutes on this flippin' stairmaster

27. I need to vom - why is my body punishing me for trying to make it better

28. 26 flights of stairs - I don't care how it's calculated it sounds like a lot

29. Never ending flights of stairs this is a form of torture surely?

30. Finished! Woooo! 

31. Oh no my legs have turned to jelly!

Tell me one random thought you have when working out? 

Sleek MakeUp | Beauty

You guys know just HOW obsessed I am with the Sleek MakeUp CC Cream, it's the only foundation I use, super lightweight, photographs well, wears well during the day, just perfect! This post comes as no surprise that I already love the brand but one thing that has made me think a lot is Cruelty Free make up which, from what I can understand, Sleek MakeUp are. 

Now, I just want to say that I'm not a vegan, in the past I've never solely used products from Cruelty Free brands but I guess my opinion changed a little when I saw a very sad video of a monkey being tested on by L'Oreal and it was just heartbreaking. I know it's a bit of a grey area and it's hard finding things that are cruelty free but I think if I am at least trying then that's better than nothing. 

It's made me rethink a few things and I use L'Oreal a lot, so moving forward, I will not be buying beauty products from this brand, among others. As I have used the L'Oreal liquid eyeliner for literally years this has meant I had to find something else and because I already love and trust Sleek MakeUp I thought why not start there! 

Whilst Sleek MakeUp do a vast array of liquid eyeliners much to my joy, but in my local Boots they only had the Dip It Eyeliner which to be honest I wasn't that fussed about as I just wanted to try it out regardless. The style of the applicator actually reminded me of an old skool Collection 2000 eyeliner I had back in the day but better, obvs! 

The nib of the pen bit is a bit harder than what I am used to because the L'Oreal one is quite soft but I actually found applying the eyeliner was absolutely fine. I would even go as far to say that it lasts better than others I have used recently so I was really impressed.  

Moving onto a new mascara which was the Lethal Length Mascara and I have to admit I really like this one, again it reminds me of the Benefit Rollerlash Mascara with the design of the brush. As you can see, one side has short bristles and the other side is considerably longer. I'm fortunate in the sense that I have quite long, curly lashes anyway so I can actually wear most mascaras but I do lack volume. The lethal length mascara definitely gives you long luscious lashes but I would say you need two coats to ad a bit of thickness to the lashes but you can't do any more coats than this. 

Overall, I am literally thrilled with my new Sleek MakeUp purchases, it just goes to show there are some many brands out there and it's worth trying other options. 

What are your favourite products from Sleek MakeUp? 

5 Things I Miss About Italy | Lifestyle

To be honest, I've had this post in my drafts for a while and whilst I do miss Italy, I definitely don't want to go back, you can miss something and not actually want it back or whatever. I guess recently I have seen a couple of TV programmes that are based in Italy or it's about Italy and I can't help but smile. Again, going to Italy was one of my best decisions of my life and since I have been back there are just a couple of things I miss so let's talk about the most obvious one...

The Weather
I mean, Florence can get bloody cold but those blue skies are one thing that is pretty much constant. They do have awful thunderstorms which seem to last for months, but once that is over it's back to that bright Tuscan sky.The days a longer, you feel like you have go more energy and want to more!  It's amazing what a bit of blue sky can do to anyone's mood. 

The Food 
Let's be honest, the Italians REALLY know their food and I kind of miss the simplicity of it all. Over here everything is heavily processed and smothered in sauce which....of course I love but my body hates it. I've frickin' put more weight on being at home than what I did when I was in Italy. I miss that chilled out afternoon snacking with a glass of good quality wine.

Aperol Spritz
When I first tried this drink I thought it was bloody disgusting, some bitter fizzy thing that looks like Lucozade but tastes like disappointment! The Italians on the other hand bloody love it and the more I gave it a go the more I kinda got it! There is something quite wonderful about sitting in the sun with an Aperol Spritz in your hand chatting with a pal! 

The Apartment 
Whilst I rather disliked my actual apartment but loved having my own space at least. Since I have moved back I always feel like I'm in people's way, which isn't actually their fault it's just a feeling I personally have. I mean, this is something that is easily fixed once I have enough money to move out. I do find myself missing just fuss-potting around my own place. 

Wisteria in the Spring 

It's something I can't quite describe but in the spring there is a purple haze over the city of Florence, where places really seem to come to life after an indifferent winter. It's actually the smell I miss the most you could be walking anywhere and all of a sudden this strong and imediately recogniseable scent decends on you, you don't even have to see it to know it's the Wisteria. I don't want to get too poetic here but when I think of it, I can't help but smile!

That's kind of it! I do miss one to two people from Italy but I'm generally speaking really happy to be back in the UK.Some times it really feels like it was a dream, that I can't quite believe I lived there for just over a year but there are a lot of home comforts I had missed. 

Have you ever been to Florence or Italy?