All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Burley Manor – An Autumn Weekend Escape

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Burley Manor entrance

This was a gifted stay and meal.

A night away is a real treat; one where you have gone far enough that you’re away from home but not so far that you get bored of driving. The New Forest is much closer to me than I had previously realised (how I’ve not recognised this before is quite astounding) and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life so I was really looking forward to a stay at Burley Manor.

The hotel

Based in Burley, in the New Forest, Burley Manor is a wonderful, big old house that has been transformed into a modern hotel. There have been some new bits added so there are more rooms but as they are no taller than one story and red brick like the main house you don’t even notice they’re new. Throughout the lounges, dining room and conservatory (and most of the rooms too) you have an uninterrupted view of the beautiful New Forest countryside; which when we arrived was straight out of a Countryfile calendar complete with deer and everything. read more

Bar Centro Gothenburg

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First and foremost I must start by telling you that all the food in Gothenburg is really rather good. My top tip is to make sure you eat out with as many people as possible so you can nick food off their plate to try everything. Luckily we were travelling in a pack of four (the OH, his sister and her husband, and me of course). We ate out for almost every meal and whether you are in a coffee shop with some excellent kanelbullar, an Italian deli (Fratelli Gridelli) which makes just three pasta dishes (all of which were incredible) or a restaurant with a view (Gothia Towers I’m thinking of you) they know what they’re doing. The meal which stood out the most for me was the one we had on the first night at Bar Centro. Coffee shop by day, bar and tapas by night. read more

An Adventure Right on Your Doorstep

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I thought I knew my local area pretty well, thought I’d trodden all its paths and roads and could take you to all the best places. Turns out I was wrong as a spontaneous left turn took me to all sorts of corners of Hampshire that I didn’t even know were there. We were planning on doing a bit of local exploring but hadn’t set our expectations too high as we were so convinced we’d already seen it all; we were amazed at all the new places we went and what we saw. I thoroughly advise you should all undertake an adventure right on your doorstep. read more

A Weekend in Southend

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This was a gifted stay and meal.

When I hear a town name that ends in ‘on-Sea’ I can’t help but think it’ll be a place full of fish a chip shops, candyfloss and rock, stripy deck chairs and 99s with a flake. It conjures up images of 1950’s his and hers matching striped bathing suits, an afternoon watching Punch and Judy and a cream tea or two. If you can’t tell already I’m a big fan of a British seaside town, there’s something about them you don’t find anywhere else, so I was really looking forward to my weekend in Southend. read more

North Cornwall Coast Road Trip

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North Cornwall Coast Road Trip - Lanhydrock

We’ve all done it. Looked through various travel magazines and wondered why all these amazing places are so far away, took one look out of the window and decided that our own surroundings are rubbish. Just me? I decided that I want to explore more of what’s on my doorstep; to visit more of my own backyard as it were. One way of doing this, and certainly the way I have decided to go about it, is to visit all the UNESCO World Heritage sites in the UK. There are 29 of them in total (at the moment). Three of them are islands in the middle of the ocean and as this is about what’s on my home turf I am discounting those. So I’ve got 26 to visit before the big birthday, which just over two years away and I had already ticked off five before embarking on our North Cornwall Coast road trip.
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Five Days in New York: How To Do Everything

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So you’ve booked your flights and hotel to the Big Apple and it’s a little while until you go, plenty of time to plan. You start looking online for ideas and inspiration for where to go and what to see; it’s all a bit overwhelming and you tell yourself you’ll come back to it. You buy a guidebook, thicker than you thought, and start trying to narrow down what to do. Again, it’s so full of ideas you don’t know whether to start at the back or the front. Have no fear. I had five days in New York and I have been through the process for you; here’s how I did it all. read more

The Guardhouse Cafe Brixham

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Maybe it’s just me but whenever I go somewhere for a day, perhaps a wander round an estate, to the beach or for a tree climbing, rope swinging experience I always expect much more from the on-site café than it delivers. I never learn and take my own food though, I just wash the cardboard sandwich down with terrible coffee and have done with it. However, don’t despair and think all is lost because I have good news. There is a café which could rival any of the best and it’s located at a popular walking spot in Brixham, Devon. read more

A Trip to Derbyshire

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I have to admit I’m a bit of a last minute getaway planner. I could spend forever finding somewhere to go or stay but when it’s two days before I’m meant to be leaving I have to make a decision and just book. I think I quite like the uncertainty and mystery, all is unveiled a few days before and the anticipation begins.

Getting far enough away that you feel you’re somewhere different but not too far that you spend more time in the car than on holiday is a bit of a tricky balance. I am a big fan of getting away somewhere in the UK and this time Derbyshire was to be the destination, more specifically Youlgreave. For those of you who read my blog from overseas, one of the most British occurrences happened before we’d even got in the car to leave. It turns out Youlgreave is not only spelled like that but also: Youlgrave and Youlegreave. Because why not. read more

The Maytime Inn at Asthall

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This was a gifted meal.

A few Fridays ago I headed off for a one night stay at The Maytime Inn at Asthall (near Burford, Oxfordshire). Sometimes I think a weekend away is better than a week away. Taking a Friday afternoon off to escape somewhere, far enough away that you’re somewhere different but not so far away that you’re forever travelling, to spend a short time relaxing or doing something new is always good idea as far as I’m concerned. Asthall is a very picturesque Cotswold village at the heart of which is The Maytime Inn. read more

A week in Wales

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I have just come back from a week in Wales. We went to a place where there is no phone signal and not even a hope of connecting to the internet so you have no choice but to properly relax and get away. Holidaying with the family is always good fun; lots of meals in, walks and catching up on silly things. This is what I got up to over the week and, if you’re heading off to mighty Wales, I hope it gives you some ideas for what to do.

We started up in Snowdonia National Park staying in possibly the strangest hotel I’ve ever been to. It was one of those hotels that time forgot; apparently the cleaner forgot some of it too but when has dust ever hurt anyone? The room was nice but it was like a gadget bomb had exploded in there and each individual piece of technology had adhered itself to a socket or wall. No idea what any of it was for. The shower deserves a special mention for being (literally) out of this world weird. There were lights on the outside, inside and all over the place; nozzles, knobs and buttons everywhere and doors that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a spaceship air locker. On the plus there was a radio in there but it would only tune to white noise. Never mind. Despite its many, many options for water temperature, angle and point of exit it was a surprising disappointment; not much more aggressive than a thick fog. read more

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