Eat well, live happy.
From the moment I heard about The Abbey restaurant I knew it was going to be special.
Open in a type of trial phase just for select dinner services and at weekends, their initial aim is to focus on top quality rather than squeezing in as many covers as possible, which for a new restaurant (or in fact any restaurant) is truly admirable, but it’s really paid off. With a solid focus on providing both food and service of the highest quality, it’s a place we’ll be returning to time and time again.
For months before our wedding we were wondering if we were missing something. So many people had told me that planning their wedding had been the hardest and most stressful thing they’d ever done, yet we were completely relaxed and wondering what people could possibly worry about. Maybe we just got lucky that our suppliers and venue were so incredible, maybe the significance of the day didn’t really sink in (I’m still not sure it has!) or maybe it was because I’ve never been one of those who has ever pictured a “dream wedding” in my head but I wanted to post about the people/companies who really went above and beyond to make our day run so seamlessly so that they get the credit (and hopefully future business) that they deserve. This is not a sponsored post and I’m not affiliated with any of the companies or people mentioned in this post – any suppliers that we weren’t impressed with/wouldn’t recommend simply aren’t mentioned 🙂
If you go here for one thing let it be their milkshakes. Specifically their malted chocolate shake. The milkshakes are possibly the best thing about this place.. and that’s no easy feat when they’re all about waffles! Trust me, you’ll never look at milkshakes the same way again. The type that are difficult to even drink through the straw, these are so thick, creamy and delicious they will ruin all future milkshakes for you!
Afternoon tea has got to be one of my all time favourite things! Obviously I love the food (who doesn’t love warm scones with jam and cream and an endless supply of cakes!?) but it’s the whole experience that makes it so special to me. The best places make you feel as though you could sit there for hours, chatting and relaxing over endless pots of tea and delicious cakes. The food is so beautifully presented and so dainty that I actually savour every bite too rather than greedily gobbling it all down! I love how quintessentially British it is – it’s such an old-fashioned tradition and something which I always associate with good company and good service – the perfect way to spend a lazy weekend afternoon 🙂
I’ve always had a huge appetite, but I haven’t always been into food the same way that I am now. I used to be all about the quantity, and not at all bothered about the quality. When I was younger, after ice skating on a Saturday morning, sometimes my mum would give into my pestering her and she’d take me for lunch at McDonalds. I’d order two large chicken burger meals, and polish them off easily. School was no different. Some days I’d eat the packed lunch my mum had packed for me at morning break, then go to the canteen at lunch and order two meals – usually a jacket potato with cheese and beans and a bacon and cheese panini or a slice of pizza. I’m so self conscious about so many things and I remember how embarrassed I used to be embarrassed about my eating habits – all these years later I still remember pretending that I was buying lunch for a friend when I was ordering my food! Continue reading L’Italiana
