Completed It Mate*

📝 9/10
💷 ££/£
🦉 5/5 - 1/1
GF ✔️

📝 This hidden gem is 20 miles north of Notts, nestled in a village called Kneesall. Luckily I live 20 mins away! However give yourself plenty of time as this place doesn’t take bookings & you will have to wait with a buzzer…

⏰ …& we had to wait just under an hour for our table. Now the weather was lovely so we got to sit out in the sunshine with some coffees but on a rainy day that wouldn’t have been much fun especially with having my friends baby with us as well. 

🍽️ The cafe is in a rustic barn with roughly 8 tables so hence the long wait times. But it is clear why this place is packed & that’s the amazing quality of the food & the friendly service from the staff. It is a shame that you can’t book though & I’m not sure many people would have been able to wait as long as we did.

🍳 The menu options are vast & everything is made fresh to order. There’s specials such as a hot roast pork cob & rarebit but we went with the Hay Barn Breakfast with fried bread, Eggs Benedict & Cheese & Onion Quiche. I honestly couldn’t fault a thing & nor could the others. The quiche was beautifully fluffy & a large slice. The breakfast was the perfect portion (I went minus mushrooms), the Benedict was beautifully cooked. The bacon & sausages were very tasty & eggs served runny. All in all a hugely satisfying feast.

🍰 However we couldn’t leave without having the cakes as these looked insanely delish. Luckily they also tasted as good as they looked. The coffee & walnut cake was by far the favourite of the group but the lemon & blueberry wasn’t far behind & the vanilla cheesecake with blueberry compote was rich & creamy. All 10/10. They ran out of scones but we saw another table have these & they looked 😋.

🧾 The only downside is they didn’t provide a receipt & I was in too much of a food coma to question the £95 cost until I got home - having counted it up, they’d overcharged us by £25. So the fact we all still agreed that we thoroughly enjoyed it enough to let the extra charge slide probably tells you everything you need to know. Just maybe double check before you pay up!

📝 8/10
💷 ££/£
🦉 4/5- 2/2
GF ✔️

📝 The Bridge Inn is only ten minutes down the road from us & we are lucky to have this lovely pub so close by. In the summer it transforms into an outdoor sun trap with plenty of field space for kids & dogs to enjoy too. They are also working on their stables where we’ve hosted a Baby Shower for one of my friends too, so I’m excited to see what they do with the place! Also in winter they have their famous pods which make a change from the usual pub dining too.

🍔 We made a last minute decision to not cook at home so popped in for a quick meal of scampi & a chicken burger. This was the good pub grub we were craving. Tim was hugely impressed by his scampi & practically inhaled it. Same goes for the fries, these were very well cooked & seasoned perfectly. My panko fried chicken parmiagana burger was what I had been pining for & it was a really good portion, smothered in melted mozzarella & tomato sauce to make it extra indulgent.

🍽️ I’ve included some photos from when I’d popped here over Christmas but hadn’t posted on the grid yet. This meal included starters of crispy chicken, tandoori chicken skewer & mushroom crostini. Then the sausage & mash, duck and steak. The starters were fab-u-lous but I remember thinking we’ve had better sausages here before as these seemed pretty dense in their consistency but I still thoroughly enjoyed the mash & gravy. The others enjoyed their dishes and I recall the steak was very well cooked.

📝 8/10
💷 ££££
🦉 4.5/5 - 11/68
GF ✔️

📝 Having heard great things about this place from Cleo @demicouturestylist we decided to have an impromptu Sunday Lunch trip to The Oak Room at The George in Stamford. This is a beautiful hotel that has an oldy worldly feel about it, as it should with having been around since the 1800’s & where there are nooks & crannies to suit every mood. The outdoor garden area that greets you as you walk in would be the perfect sun trap on a summers day but the fact they’ve invested in some fantastic heaters, there were even people eating outside in February.

🍽️ The restaurant itself, think sliver service & waiters in bow ties. It’s posh but it’s by no means stuck up. We had a nice warm welcome & it was efficient but not rushed. Most people come fairly dressy & men are in mainly in jackets.

🦪 I’ve summed up most of the food on the video but just to reiterate that the starters were exceptional. The menu has so many amazing options it makes it hard to choose what to go with. It was disappointing that the wellington was overdone & our only negative was that this was questioned by one of the waiters as if we were somehow imagining this to be the case. Having eaten some wonderfully pink wellingtons, I couldn’t disagree more. This did mean we ate separately but they did replace the sides when the pink wellington arrived, which I expected but it was nice we didn’t need to ask.

🍰 The desserts were fantastically indulgent & we thoroughly enjoyed these. The profiteroles were soft with a creamy centre & covered in a decadent chocolate sauce.

🧾 This meal was on the more pricey side but it was worth every penny despite the hiccup, we would throughly recommend this place & would 100% be back again. They do a very reasonable set menu option on a Sunday which starts at £39 for a main & a pudding too or £55 for three courses.

🏨 We also stayed at the Bull & Swan down the road which I’ll do a write up of separately shortly!

📝 9/10
💷 ££
GF ✔️

📝 Tonight at the Black Bull you’ll find some sensational smash burgers brought to you courtesy of Fat Nate’s which take some beating! These bad boys aren’t for the faint hearted & you will not be disappointed.

🍔 The smoky flavours really come through with every bite & the cheesiness is off the scale. The beef patties are served on a bed of thinly cut raw onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, shack sauce, ketchup & mustard. The combination is a perfect mix & make for a satisfying feast for the taste buds. There’s nothing I can fault & I’m fussy when it comes to my burgers.

🍟 We got fries & mozzarella sticks as sides. The sticks were super cheesy & honestly we didn’t really need them on top of the burgers but we were in for a penny at that point. The cheese pull shows you everything there is to say.

🧾 The price point of these start at £7.50 which is a steal when it comes to the quality & taste. These guys are normally at the Black Bull on a Monday & The Reindeer in Southwell on Wednesday’s so make sure you pop by, just be warned that these will become a very hard habit to kick!

📝 9/10
💷 £££
🦉 4.5/5 - 1/1.
GF ✔️

📝 As this quaint country pub has just received a Bib Gourmand from Michelin you know you’ll be in good hands. Head chef Andy has received a lot of love & praise from fellow foodies that have visited this restaurant & there’s no surprise why. Having had their Sunday Dinner previously I was excited to try their Saturday menu.

🍽️ The restaurant is fairly small but this is no bad thing as it makes it feel more cosy & intimate in setting. The bar area has also got a few tables for those just wanting to pop in for a drink too & my husband can highly recommend their Guinness.

📋 The menu has a good mix of options & caters to gluten free diners. We went with the cauliflower soup & mussels to start. The soup with the char-grilled focaccia was very well done & had a nice kick to it too. My husband very much loved every spoonful. The Rockefeller Shetland isle mussels were HUGE, trust me to find the most naughty looking one for the gram 🤭. I would 100% have these dishes again.

🥧 For the mains we thought we’d ordered the venison & red wine pie but what arrived was a chicken & leek one which I believe was one of their special ones instead. Although this was technically not what we’d ordered, this was spectacular & my husband was raving about how much he loved it. The pastry was beautifully cooked & there was plenty of filling to keep him satisfied. The mash was beautifully creamy & just look at the glaze on that gravy!

🐟 I’d gone for the haddock & chips which had a lovely crispy batter without being greasy which I throughly enjoyed. The fish itself was a good size & the flaky meaty chunks that fell apart when digging in were moist & cooked just right. The tartar sauce you could tell was freshly made & had a lovely consistency & tang to it. The fries were perfectly seasoned & had a great crispy exterior with a fluffy middle. The mushy peas were the only thing on the plate that I thought was just nice enough, the rest I demolished!

🧾 We were too full for dessert but they do a spectacular sticky toffee pudding which I was gutted not to have room for so I’ll tick it off my wish list next time!

📝 8/10
💷 ££
🦉 4/5 - 6/21
GF ✔️

📝 Southwell is a beautiful town with plenty of shops & cafes to keep you entertained & on a Saturday morning The Old Theatre Deli soon fills up. I rang up to make sure we got a table inside & they kindly managed to squeeze us in.

🍽️ There’s limited tables inside but there’s a large outdoor patio area, which in the summer gets very busy but even on a cool February there were plenty of people braving the elements to get their brunch fix.

📋 The menu has many options to choose from & there’s also the the deli counter where there are beautiful cakes on display. We went with the breakfast crumble & the shakahuka eggs but all the breakfasts coming out from the kitchen looked like generous portions & I was getting serious food envy until mine arrived.

🍳 Luckily for me I went with a great option. The spicy tomato & red pepper sauce worked perfectly with the beans, cherry tomatoes & the beautifully cooked poached eggs. Nothing worse than cutting into a poached egg & finding it over or under done but even Goldilocks would say these were just right. The sourdough toast was exactly what was needed to mop up the sauce & this had the perfect amount of butter on too. I would 100% order this dish again.

🥣 The breakfast crumble was a lighter option which came with natural yoghurt & winter berries on top of a large portion of granola. I would have personally preferred the ratio of granola to yoghurt to be the other way around but I think this is the style they’re going for & either way this was yummily demolished by my sister in law. Not featured here - My niece & nephew also throughly enjoyed their croissants.

🧀 If you fancy a takeaway The Larder next door does a variety of options, including ramen, Buddha bowls, jacket potatoes, chicken flatbreads, baguettes, soups, pastries & of course, coffee.

🧾 Overall this is a great deli in the heart of the town which brings in the crowds. It’s a shame the inside area isn’t a little bit bigger to fit more people but luckily the weather is warming up so only a matter of time where I’ll be fighting for a table outside!

📝 10/10
💷 ££££
🦉 4.5/- 154/809
GF ✔️

📝 You can’t improve on perfection…& as this marks our 10th visit to this stunning restaurant I’m not sure what there is left for me to say, I feel like I’ve raved about it for the last year enough already. However in case you’re new here let’s give you a bit of a taste.

🍽️ Whatever you order, you won’t be disappointed. The options are 2 courses for £40 or 3 for £50 with the wellington an extra £15pp. Starters include chicken liver parfait, wild mushroom & Jerusalem artichoke soup & miso glazed salmon. Mains are roast chicken, rolled pork belly, rump of beef or my personal favourite the beef wellington.

🐟The salmon is beautifully flavoured with the miso & flakes apart with very little effort. The parfait is smooth & rich, the soup hearty & warming on a cold February afternoon. They’re all beautifully presented & served with a smile. You can’t go wrong with any of the choices.

🥩 We went for beef wellington & the pork. The pork was juicy & well rendered. Crackling, most importantly crackly. The welly though for me is where it’s at. The pink perfection of the meat that slices like butter, the pastry that’s golden & gives a crunchy texture, the duxelles expertly diced & providing an earthy edge. Hira knows how to do a wellington fit for a king & this one is by far is over & above my favourite & takes some beating.

🧀 The cauliflower cheese deserves it own mention - it’s broiled to a golden crown on top, with plenty of cheese to satisfy any cheese lovers cravings. I like to cover mine in gravy with a generous helping of the doughy yorkie to make for an indulgent version of cheese on toast. I think I’m on to something there. When I take a bite out of that, it even gives the welly a run for its money.

🤵🏻‍♀️ The service is always second to none & always leaves us feeling like VIP’s. Everything is carefully curated to make this an experience to remember & one you’ll want to rush back to in a heartbeat. Talking of which we’re taking my Mum & Dad for the first time in March which I’m already in countdown mode for!

📝 8/10
💷 ££££
🦉 3.5/5 - 28/28
GF ✔️

📝 The latest addition to the Indian Restaurant scene is Rawsha, I’ve heard a lot of good things from others & had to check it out for myself. The 1st thing that struck me was how a fairly small space could be made to feel so opulent. The mock greenery could have been a risk that made it feel a bit overkill but it really enhances the experience in transporting you to anywhere but a gloomy & rainy night in WB. Having said that, it was a bit on the warm side & I was wishing I hadn’t worn my jumper out.

🥑 The starters were all very pleasing on the eye, vibrant colours making the plates pop & making it easy work for my 📸 skills. The portion sizes were generous, scallops in particular were very impressive & £12.95 seemed like a fair price for these. My paneer was like no paneer I’ve had, before, so much flavour & the vegetables were cooked perfectly with a bit of a bite. Would 100% order this again. Avocado chaat was fresh & light, ideal if you want more room left for the main event.

🍛 Talking of which, the butter chicken & chicken biriyani were all very much enjoyed but I thought these were on the pricey side, with the biriyani coming in at £23.95. It was enough to share between a few of you but I don’t know if I’d order it again, only as I think there’s probably more impressive dishes at that price point on the menu. Butter chicken definitely had everything I look for in a butter chicken but I’ve got to admit that the Kottaram one has the edge over this one but that’s just my personal preference. The cheesy garlic naan 🙌 - these guys win hands down compared to any other Indian I’ve had!

🧾 Overall I thought this was an enjoyable meal, we didn’t get offered dessert menus so can’t comment on these but to be fair we were too full anyway so probably a good job. The menu is leaning towards more of a special night out than a regular Friday night curry but that’s the fine dining vibe they’re going for. I’d love to try their grill dishes next time around as I’ve heard great things!

📝 9/10
💷 £££
🦉 4.5/5 - 939/15,808
GF ✔️

📝 One of my favourites in London when it comes to sushi & their sticks & at reasonable prices compared to some of the sushi restaurants nearby. I highly recommend this as a casual stop off in between theatre / shopping, with it being in the heart of Covent Garden. It works for larger groups but also couples having a date night meal here too. Or like me there’s the odd solo traveller, as I was that night. What I like is you’re placed at the sushi bar where the magic happens & as it’s downstairs you’re also tucked away so don’t feel like a lemon eating alone in between a load of packed tables. This place is never not busy so ideally I would recommend booking, but if you’re going solo then they should be able to squeeze you in.

🍤 The menu is full of photos of all the dishes, so you know exactly what to expect, which I personally love & it makes me want to order every beautiful plate they have. They have set menus which give a taste of everything or you can pick & choose your own. Dishes come when ready & I found I was done in 30 minutes, which is great if you’re in a rush too. My favourites include the prawn ebi bites, beef tataki, grilled broccoli & as for the sticks there’s too many to choose from, however I had the chicken meatballs with teriyaki, Emmental cheese wrapped in bacon & salmon teriyaki.

🧾 My eyes are always bigger than my belly & all I’ll say is some of these plates are made for sharing, so ideally grab more people so that you can all tuck in, otherwise it can get expensive quickly eating alone. The atmosphere downstairs is a little more muted compared to upstairs, so if you do book as a couple/group then ask to be seated upstairs if you can. There’s Sticks in White City, Kingston, Shoreditch, Wimbledon, Covent Garden, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Victoria, Kings Road, Soho & in Cambridge & Oxford so plenty of locations to choose from!

🐶 One last fun fact! This place is pooch friendly! So feel free to bring along your furry companions!

📝 10/10 (Drinks Only)
💷 ££££
🦉 4.5/5 - 1,059/15,808

📝 If this place looks familiar, then you may recognise it from James Bond’s Spectre or Downton Abbey. A British traditional institution, this is the oldest restaurant in London established in 1798 & is therefore likely to be on a lot of people’s bucket lists. I happened to be in London solo & googled best cocktail bars in Covent Garden for solo travellers, I was surprised that Rules was one of the first places that came up & I am so glad that it did.

🍸 I never knew this restaurant has a stunning bar upstairs, so if you do fancy just a pit stop for a refreshing cocktail (or in my case, a few) then this is the place to go. There’s a surprising addition of a beautiful winter garden that brings the wow factor or if you want to be transported back in time to all things grand & luxurious then the bar area is just the ticket (You’ll be in good company with previous patrons such as Charles Dickens & Edward VII). I can highly recommend the Bloody Mary, Rules Cocktail & the Espresso Martini as a perfect nigntcap. Brian Silva has perfected the drinks here & I can’t wait to make my way through the rest of the bar menu next time!

🤵🏻 What I will say, decor aside, what makes this place, is the wonderful knowledgable bar staff that made a solo night in London one of my most enjoyable evenings. This restaurant has many a tale which I got a front row seat to. This lot really know how to host & make everyone feel welcome, so much so you don’t want to leave & which is why I was there for 2.5 hours until last orders were called 👀. So of course we were all on first name terms by the end of the night - thank you therefore to Donaldo, Billy, Sandrinha & Sam for your incredible hospitality, you really made my night & you are all a total credit to this glamourous historic venue.

🧾 I cannot fault my experience here & wish I had only tried it sooner. My plan is to come back for the food & stay for the drinks next time I’m in London. I will also make it my mission to get someone to order the famous Black Velvet cocktail, which has a fun story all of its own!

📝 7/10
💷 £££
🦉 4/5 - 139/832
GF No Gf pasta options as far as I’m aware.

📝 Sexy Mamma has always been a favourite, so when it opened in WB I was keen to try out the new spot. There’s a lot more room & therefore doesn’t feel anywhere near as cramped as the Notts one, which is a bonus. Very light & airy with an open kitchen which is a nice touch.

📋 The menu has different options with 6 starters & mains, we only had mains on this occasion, going with the spaghetti, garlic, chilli & king prawns & the pork sage ragu macaroni. The portions were a decent size as well as the prawns but we found the sauces to be quite watery & also very hot, we had to give it some time to cool down before digging in. The pasta could have been a little more al dente but appreciate that’s down to personal preference.

🍝 I thought the plates were well presented but I was a bit underwhelmed by the pasta overall, it was nice enough but that’s about all I can say. My pork ragu didn’t feel ragooey enough, in that there was a lack of richness & depth to the dish, the pork wasn’t falling apart & needed a bit of a helping hand. The prawns were meaty on my friends dish but they weren’t blown away & we agreed 7 is about a fair rating on both. It’s a shame as I’ve definitely had much better previously at the Notts restaurant.

🧾 What I would say is the place filled up & had a lovely atmosphere. It was certainly a great little spot to spend a lunch but think their dishes just need some refining to give that extra bit of oomph & flavour. Especially when you have La Storia down the road which I had the pleasure of visiting the following week & was blown away by the quality of their pasta dishes, the wild board & duck ragu was an absolute dream in comparison, with a really hearty sauce, full of gusto & seasoned perfectly.

🙋‍♀️ Look forward to hearing your thoughts if you’ve been. I’m likely to try Notts again over the WB restaurant but pleased I’ve tried it for myself. On a side note, they cheekily used my story photos without crediting, but to top it off they then granted permission to another content creator to use it on their website...The audacity! 

📝 9/10
💷 ££££
🦉 5/5 - 47/1,568
GF ✔️

📝 Adam’s hadn’t been on my radar previously but coming to Birmingham gave me the opportunity to indulge in a bit of fine dining at this Michelin star spot.

📋 The menu gives options of 5 course - £105 / 7 course - £135 & A La Carte Option of 3 courses for £80. On this occasion we opted for the A La Carte & it was an absolute delight. You kicked off the meal with some small snacks including some macarons. However the star was the bovril croissant-like buttery pastry which I could have eaten by the dozen.

🐟 We went with the rabbit & Atlantic cod to start. The rabbit sat beautifully on top of the farro wheat giving it a rustic taste straight from the countryside & the endive bringing a bitterness to cut through the richness. My Atlantic cod in comparison brought a freshness & a trip to the ocean itself, the foam on top like it was lapping up the shore. The flavours mingling with the oyster & champagne notes which were delicately balanced.

🥩 The mains brought more richness & meatiness from the lamb which was beautifully cooked. The accompaniments on the plate brought the dish together with finesse & provided the right juxtaposition of textures to give a crunch when needed. The Cornish brill yet again bringing me back to the fresher side but with a sweet yet meaty fish this time. The bisque was a classic choice to pair the dish with & worked perfectly. The salsify root vegetable surprisingly giving an oyster like flavour was a lovely addition to have in the mix.

🍰 The pear soufflé was light, airy & sweet giving all the taste buds a lovely way to end the meal, however the top spot is still the Shaun Rankin one I had last year. The dulce chocolate was a firm mousse & looked like a work of art, indulgent & rich.

🧾 All in all this was a perfect meal & one I would happily have again. The only thing I’d change is maybe the lighting which seemed a bit bright & lacked the ambiance needed for a dinner setting. Interior in general was nothing to write home about but when the food is this good I think we can let that slide. Service was great throughout & some great wines were recommended.