January Days

I have to admit I'm usually not a fan of January, the dark days and freezing cold nights tend to leave me feeling pretty miserable. Luckily this year we have something to look forward to and as we started back at work we were happy in the knowledge that it was only 10 weeks to go until we head off on Honeymoon!

Here's what we've been up to this month that didn't quite make the blog.

Loungewear for Life!

I live in my PJs! The first thing I do when I get in from work is take off my makeup and climb into my comfies. I can't fully relax until I'm wearing something cosy! Loungewear is a pretty new concept to me but this month I decided to give it a go when I found a tracksuit in the Next sale. I haven't looked back! I can't believe I didn't try it sooner.

The latest addition to my loungewear wardrobe are these gorgeous jumpers created for Look Good Feel Better by YouTube stars Lily and Anna. Something tells me I'm soon going to need an entire drawer just for loungewear!  Let me know if you have any recommendations of where to go for great loungewear.

This Girl Can Run

I'm sure I'm not the only person who woke up on 1 January feeling pretty gross and tired. Having been injured since October and then over indulging over Christmas I've packed on a fair few extra lbs and I'm not happy.

We head off to the Caribbean in mid March and I want to shed a few lbs by then so I feel at my best when we head off on Honeymoon. Unfortunately my injury still lingers but I'm easing myself back in with one run a fortnight, it's all I can manage but even that is doing wonders for my waistline and mood.

Playing with Palettes

I got these beautiful Zoeva palettes for Christmas and they are so beautiful I don't want to make a dent in them (silly I know!) This gorgeous trio came in a set for only £48.00. Such a bargain for so many beautiful colours. My mission next month is to stop staring at them and actually dig my brushes in.

National Trust

We are officially National Trust members and I couldn't be more excited! Simon's Mum bought us a couples membership for Christmas and I've already read through the handbook several times plotting great adventures. So far we've only made it to Wallington in Northumberland but I'm planning on loads more trips and hopefully convincing Simon to explore some places outside of the area so please let me know all of your recommendations.  Where are your favourite National Trust sites?

Sale Haul

Although I haven't been able to blitz the sales properly this year I've been enjoying picking up a few bits for our Honeymoon.  I'm desperate to pack light so I can stuff my suitcase with loads of Sephora and Bath & Bodyworks goodies in Miami  so am on the hunt for lightweight evening wear for the cruise. I found some beautiful pieces in Oasis including this V&A print dress - I can't wait to sashay round the ship in it!

Going La La!

My Dad introduced me to the wonderful world of the musicals at an early age. I'm a huge fan of the 1950s classics that made me so happy as a little girl and am forever searching for the modern musical to compete. I was insanely excited about La La Land arriving at cinemas and it did not let me down. A beautiful story with gorgeous costumes and tunes that got stuck in my head. I was so happy that Simon also enjoyed it - I'm very lucky to have a husband who really appreciates a well made film! We are the biggest movie geeks!

Newcastle Loving!

In an attempt to beat the bulge I've spent quite a lot of the month power walking my way round Newcastle. Bundled up in my hat and gloves, it's so lovely to get out in the fresh air during the Winter months and there have been some beautiful days. I took this Quayside photo on a particularly cold Tuesday lunchtime and I love it. If you've never been to Newcastle make this the year you visit!

For more adventures from New Girl in Toon make sure you follow me on Instagram. I post a new photo every day.

Intu Eldon Square: Grey's Quarter - Chaophraya

One restaurant in Eldon Square's Grey Quarter got so much local press that I was itching to go months before it even opened! Chaophraya sits on the very top floor of Eldon Square and with its luxury interior, stunning view and beautiful menu, it can only be described as the Penthouse of Grey's Quarter.

I was invited along to VIP opening night for an evening of menu exploring and cocktail testing in what promised to be the party of the year!

Important business first - how on earth do you pronounce Chaophraya? After months of calling it "the Thai restaurant at the top of Eldon Square" I really need to learn how to pronounce its name to save myself a red face. Any help is gratefully received.

Making our way up the "secret staircase" (not that secret really, you'll find it next to TGI Fridays!) we made our way into the restaurant and were immediately met by a real treat for the senses. Delicious smells were drifting out of the kitchen, happy chatter was in the air and everywhere we looked were plush booths, beautiful flowers and excited faces.

The restaurant is huge with ornate water features, black granite and opulent décor - Chaophraya made quite an impression before we even got to our table.

Photo by Chaophraya

Our party of four were shown to a plush white leather booth in the main restaurant which made us feel extra fancy and we quickly set to work at browsing the extensive menu whilst snacking on prawn crackers.

As a nut allergy sufferer I have to be so careful when I dine in Thai restaurants but I immediately felt at ease when I noticed that the menu was marked with little "n" symbols so I could see what I was able to have. Living with a food allergy isn't fun and it was great to be able to relax.

Photo by Chaophraya

The starter menu is extensive and, if you're eating in traditional Thai style, it's a fun idea to eat "family style" by ordering a few dishes and sharing them with your nearest and dearest - one of my favourite ways to eat!

We decided to order our own dishes on this visit and I chose the Chaophraya Ka Nom Jeeb (£7.00) - steamed pork dumplings topped with fried garlic and sweet soy sauce. Beautifully presented and equally delicious I eagerly tucked into these little treats and loved them.

Choosing a main course was hard work with so many dishes catching my eye. Curries, Noodles, Stir Fry, Steamed Fish - my eyes were out on stalks going through the menu.  After much mind changing I decided to order Goong Pad Khing & Het Horm (£15.00) - King Prawns sautéed with shitake mushrooms, Thai ginger, spring onion and red bell peppers. Never one to eat without a side dish I also ordered a dish of Sticky Rice (£3.50).

I have to admit I was expecting my main course to arrive with chopsticks but in Thailand meals are eaten with forks and spoons, something that I was pretty thankful for as I'm not the best at eating with chopsticks and tend to end up flinging things round the restaurant. My food was delicious and vanished in minutes, I only wish I could have tried more of the menu.

We were keen to try out some cocktails and made our way through a couple on the menu. I started with a delicious Mango Passion (£8.00) - Absolut Mango Vodka mixed with Mango, Coconut, Lime and Vanilla.  Then finished with the Rubies and Diamonds (£7.50) - Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, Cranberry Juice and Pinot Grigiot White Wine.  The cocktails were beautiful and it's great to have somewhere so fancy in Eldon Square to enjoy a drink.  I love the idea of popping up to the roof when I'm tired from shopping to enjoy one or two (providing it's pay day of course, those prices aren't cheap!)

Before taking a look at the dessert menu we were invited to join in the Thai tradition of honouring Buddha by decorating the statue at Chaophraya with gold leaf. Traditionally people place gold on the parts of the statue that they want blessed with good health so I decided to put my gold on the Achilles which has been injured for months now. Fingers crossed!

After such a delicious meal we all decided that desserts had to be tried and we'd somehow make the room! I decided to order the White Chocolate Box (£7.50) - white chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis on butter shortbread served with a mini macaron and passion fruit syrup. It was the most beautifully presented dessert that I have ever seen and tasted just as good as it looked.

I've read a few reviews since our visit that have said that the service at Chaophraya is slow with some saying they've had very long waits between courses. Luckily we didn't experience this ourselves and had a fantastic night, I realise however that this could be because we dined on "VIP" night so I'll be looking forward to returning to give the restaurant another go. I'm really hoping that any complaints have just been teething problems as we loved our visit and I'm eager to return.

With my three course meal costing a slightly eye watering £33.00 Chaophraya is definitely somewhere that I'll be saving for special occasions. As delicious as the food was I couldn't afford to be eating out like that on a regular basis and it's easily the most expensive restaurant in Grey's Quarter. A treat for birthdays and anniversaries rather than a quick bite to eat after a day of shopping.

Photo by Chaophraya

As we left we couldn't resist a little look at the Roof Top Terrace which has to be one of the loveliest ways to dine. Offering beautiful views overlooking Monument, I think Chaophraya is going to be a very popular addition to Newcastle.

We enjoyed complimentary food and drinks as part of the VIP launch.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fat Hippo Loyalty Card - Join the Herd!

Earlier this month I went to a very special birthday party. Fat Hippo, the North East's favourite burger restaurant, turned six and to celebrate invited some of their most loyal customers to the Fat Hippo Underground to enjoy a night of beer, burgers, birthday cake and a very special announcement. Yes, it's finally here, the Fat Hippo loyalty card and we were about to become the first to Join the Herd!

Join the Fat Hippo Herd

You probably already know how obsessed I am with Fat Hippo (or Fippo as I like to call them!). I've been talking about their epic Christmas Burgers to anyone that will listen, spent far too much of my Summer gorging on burgers at their Newcastle Quayside popup and have ended every drunken night with a cheeky Candy Man (the best Fippo Burger on the menu!)

I am a huge Fippo fan and I know that you probably are too!

So, what does any group of obsessive fans need? Something to keep in their wallet to show off what a big fan they are of course! Yes, Fat Hippo have finally launched their loyalty scheme and are inviting you to join their exclusive club and become a member of the Herd.

Membership to the Herd is completely free and available to everyone who loves Fat Hippo, giving you loads of perks that wont be available to anyone else.

Members of the Herd can earn points every time they dine and save them up to climb up the Herd. At the moment I am a very proud "Salad Dodger" (story of my life!) but of course my ultimate aim is to collect 5000 points to become Head of the Herd, because who wouldn't want to be the most important Hippo in the Herd?

Points can be exchanged for loads of great rewards including meals, drinks and even fashion forward Fat Hippo clothing to add to your wardrobe.

Fat Hippo Secret Menu

When you're in the Herd you'll be able to access an exclusive part of the Fat Hippo website where you'll be able to check your points total, receive notification of any exclusive events and, the part I'm most excited about, be able to access a secret menu!

Yes, I SAID SECRET MENU!  Shhhhhhhhhh! It's hard not to shout too loud about this part cos I'm that excited about it! You wont find details of the secret menu anywhere in the restaurant and it'll only be available to view when you log into the Herd website. Simply go into the restaurant, order your secret burger and flash that all important Herd card!

The secret menu will change regularly, giving us all the perfect excuse to eat far more Fippo burgers than we ever have before - hurrah! The first secret menu is here and it features some old returning favourites!

I don't want to give it all away but there's one particular secret burger that I can't resist sharing with you.  Check out Danger Mouse - a double 4oz Patty topped with Monterary Jack Cheese, Mozzarella and Blue Cheese. Impossible to eat without dropping cheese all over yourself, the table and your dining partner it's a heavenly burger that reminds you exactly why you fell in love with Fat Hippo in the first place.

Of course every great birthday celebration has to end with cake (expertly made by the Pudding Parlour) and we ended our night by having a little sing song as we lit the candles and wished our favourite burger joint many many more happy years of serving up fabulous burgers.

To sign up to the Herd click here and order your membership card. If, like us, you're super impatient waiting for it to arrive in the post just be sure to let staff at Fat Hippo know your e-mail address when you order to access the Herd benefits.

Let me know if you're signing up and what your favourite Fat Hippo Burger is (anyone else love the Candy Man?!)

The Grange B&B, Northumberland - Luxury Staycation

I have always loved staying in a Bed and Breakfast, there's just something so charming about them. As children my Mum would quite often check us into a B&B when we went away so it's no surprise that I've grown up much preferring them to hotels. So when I was invited to enjoy a luxury country staycation at the Grange Bed and Breakfast in Northumberland I was packing my bag before I'd even checked with the husband!

I'm often asked on Twitter for accommodation recommendations and happily share some of my favourite hotels in the centre of Newcastle but what about those people who prefer an idyllic luxury escape to the countryside? Somewhere that's not just close to the city but also the coastline and countryside that the North East is famed for?

The Grange Bed and Breakfast - Ideal Northumberland Location

You'll find The Grange Bed and Breakfast just off the A1, only 7 miles from Newcastle yet snuggled just inside the countryside of Northumberland.  Close to the buzz of the city, a short drive from the Metrocentre and only a few miles from Newcastle Airport, the Grange is ideally located and the perfect spot for a short stopover, long weekend or even a weeks holiday.

A great base for the explorer The Grange B&B is driving distance to Hadrian's Wall, a few miles from the breathtaking Northumberland coastline and close to the market town of Morpeth.

For lazy days there's even great adventure to be found right on the doorstep with The Parlour at Blagdon (one of our favourite tearooms) a few doors away, the wonderful shops of the Blagdon Estate across the road and round the corner from the stunning Northumberlandia.

The Grange is a great base not only for a weekend stay but also for a week long visit with free car parking and even organised airport transfers!

Owners, Penny and Paul have a huge amount of love for the North East and their enthusiasm is infectious.  If you're a visitor to the North East you'll definitely be in good hands at The Grange B&B and you'll even find "Paul and Penny's Guide" in your bedroom, setting out plenty of recommendations on places to visit in the area. I read it cover to cover and found myself feeling quite jealous of visitors who get to experience the North East for the first time. I'm planning on following a lot of their guides myself this year.

Welcome to The Grange Bed and Breakfast

There's something so charming about staying in a Bed and Breakfast and when our car pulled into the drive I immediately knew we were in for a treat.

The Grange is stunning! Built in 1817, the Grade II listed Georgian building is part of the Blagdon Estate, home of Lord Ridley. The Ridley family have  lived at Blagdon for over 300 years and the house is full of history.

Comfortable and luxurious is a great way to describe The Grange, the B&B pride themselves as being a place to experience a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget and as that's pretty much my life motto, I knew this really would be a home away from home.

Warmly greeted by Penny and Paul we stepped into the house and immediately noticed how warm and homely the place felt, the beautiful smells and the perfect interiors.

If I could design my dream house this would be it.

Cosy Bedrooms and Guest Lounge

We were shown to the Northumberland, our room for the night, and I was so happy at how beautiful our bedroom looked. A large comfy bed, a pretty window seat, a fully loaded tea and coffee tray (Simon was thrilled with the hot chocolate!), 32" TV, hairdryer and the most beautiful Egyptian cotton towels for that added little taste of luxury.

Our room was beautifully cosy and so peaceful. We had the most fantastic night's sleep snuggled up in our comfy bed. I'll admit when we woke up in the morning my first thought was how much I didn't want to have to hand the keys back.

Our ensuite bathroom was a great size with a lovely hot shower to refresh us in the morning. I enjoyed using the indulgent products that were left out for us and I just wish that I'd had the time to take a nice luxurious soak in the bath.

The other bedrooms at the Grange are equally beautiful, each individually styled with a comfortable and luxurious feel with plenty of space to accommodate families, couples or groups of friends.

If our beautiful bedroom wasn't enough guests also have exclusive use of a lounge with a feature fireplace, two huge sofas covered in the kind of cushions you get lost in, cosy armchairs and a wooden table scattered with plenty of my favourite local magazines. I made it my mission to read them all in one evening!

Although it was tempting to hide away in our room all evening we were so glad that we made use of the Guest Lounge and if you're planning to stay yourself I'd definitely recommend using the lounge as it's the perfect place for an evening of rest and relaxation.

The Grounds

There are four acres of private grounds at The Grange for guests to enjoy.

The beautiful walled garden is a peaceful place to escape and unwind during your stay. We were lucky that we'd had a sprinkling of snow the day before that made the garden look truly magical.

With lush lawns, a wall of brightly coloured bird houses, chickens to chat to and a picture perfect summerhouse to enjoy, I can only imagine how idyllic it must be during the Summer months and I'm definitely heading back in Spring to take a look at the impressive display of flowers that will be in bloom.

For those lucky enough to be visiting during the warmer weather there's a BBQ available for guests to borrow and you could even enjoy Penny's Afternoon Tea in the summerhouse.

A Northumberland Breakfast

Breakfast time at The Grange is a real treat. Served in the pretty Breakfast Room, we felt like we were dining in a beautiful country kitchen - we couldn't have asked for a more relaxing start to our day.

We began with a visit to the buffet where we found a great spread of fruit, cereals and yoghurt.

When you're away from home it is, of course, perfectly acceptable to have a long leisurely breakfast that stretches over several courses.

Normally in this kind of situation I'd be straight for the Coco Pops but the colourful display of fruits on offer made me crave a healthier kind of start to breakfast so I happily made myself up a fruit salad which I covered in a generous dollop of yoghurt.

The Grange have actually inspired me to start eating more fruit at home and since our stay I've started making my own fruit salads as a mid morning snack.

Enjoyed with a glass of fruit juice we settled down to read the breakfast menu. There was plenty on offer but it was the Blagdon Breakfast that caught our eye - we were in the mood for a full cooked breakfast to start our day so put our order in.

As we waited we happily munched on doorstep slices of toast which I covered in far too much butter and jam - when you're away on staycation calories just don't count!

A short while later our Blagdon Breakfasts appeared, served on piping hot plates. Being someone who loves to photograph food I quite often end up eating meals cold but the Breakfast at the Grange stayed hot even after I'd photographed it from every angle. What a dream!

The Breakfasts at the Grange B&B are made with delicious local produce including fresh eggs from the hens in the walled garden, sausages from the Blagdon Butcher and coffee from Pumphreys. Simon and I have enjoyed many breakfasts over the years but the Blagdon Breakfast was one of the very best we've ever had.

We've since been wondering if Penny and Paul would mind if we popped round for breakfast every day!

Booking the Grange B&B

The biggest surprise of all at the Grange is how little it costs to stay. Rooms are priced from only £100 per night so you really are getting a taste of luxury for a very reasonable price.

For those celebrating a special occasion there are also some great additional packages including Penny's Afternoon Tea (£15.00 per person) for guests checking in between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm and the Opulence Package (£40.00 per person) which includes a plush bathrobe and slippers for use during your stay, flowers, Champagne and hand crafted chocolates.

Click here to book your stay at The Grange Bed and Breakfast or alternatively call 01670 789 666.

We left the Grange Bed and Breakfast feeling completely relaxed and like we'd made some great new friends. When you leave a B&B feeling like that you know you've found somewhere truly special.

It may only be down the road from our house but we're already planning another visit before the year is out.  We're so happy that we've found somewhere so beautiful to spend staycations.

We received a complimentary night's stay at the Grange Bed and Breakfast. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

An Evening at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Newcastle

Being away from Newcastle over the festive period I really missed my friends so was eager to organise lots of dinner dates on my return starting with an evening at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse in Newcastle with my friend Sarah.

I may be a self confessed foodie and spend quite a lot of time eating my way round the Toon but I have to confess that I sometimes forget about Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, probably because it's hidden away in Hotel Indigo on Fenkle Street. Walking through the doors and into the beautiful plush restaurant I was immediately kicking myself for having not returned sooner. It is the perfect spot for a dinner date.

The menu at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse is a full on foodie affair with pages crammed full of dishes to share, tempting starters, fine quality steaks, belly warming mains and indulgent desserts.

Forget the January diet, things were about to get serious!

I'm not usually too fussed with starters (I prefer to save myself for dessert), but the starters at Marco Pierre White had my attention immediately. With delicious treats like Welsh Rarebit with Poached Egg (one of my absolute favourites), Marco's Lobster Maccaroni (oh wow!) and Warm Baked Camembert all appearing on the menu, my biggest problem became what to order. Luckily as soon as I mentioned my dilemma to Sarah she came up with the idea of ordering two different starters and sharing them - what a great friend!

Sarah and I are both obsessed with cheese so decided to go for two cheesy dishes, starting with the Warm Baked Camembert (£8.95) - served with toasted sourdough, roasted vine tomatoes and vintage balsamico. We knew it'd be a pretty hefty way to start our meal but how on earth could we resist.

We eagerly dipped our bread into the molten cheese and it was heaven! Our only criticism was a problem that happens too often in restaurants, there just wasn't enough bread for dipping. We resisted spooning the rest of the cheese out to eat on its own until our brilliant waiter gave us the go ahead. He didn't need to tell us twice.

To accompany our Camembert we chose the Welsh Rarebit with Poached Egg (£7.95). This was my kind of dish. We popped the egg, the yolk mixed with the stringy cheese and suddenly all guilt over breaking New Year's diets were forgotten.

The naughty things always taste the best!

Healthy eating for January forgotten and salad left, our night was off to a great start.

As Sarah had her car with her we had an alcohol free evening so our waiter helpfully pointed us in the direction of the mocktails. I never think to order mocktails and tend to just automatically order a diet coke so I was very thankful to be reminded that there is more to a drink menu for drivers than fizzy pop! There was a great selection of delicious fruity drinks and I will certainly be ordering one again next time I visit.

When it came to main course I decided that I really did have to order a steak seeing as the restaurant is famed for them. I ordered the 10oz Sirloin (£28.50) which came served with homemade pommes frites and a classic steakhouse green salad with merlot dressing. The dish didn't include a sauce but there's no way that I could eat steak without anything for pouring and dipping so I ordered a Peppercorn Sauce (£3.50) on the side.

I love steak but will admit that I'm quite nervous to order it in restaurants, it's hard to get right and as it can be expensive I hate the idea of wasting money on something that isn't perfectly prepared. I'd ordered my Sirloin rare and was really hoping for a beautifully pink and tender cut of meat that melted in my mouth.

There was no need to worry as it was perfect. In fact it was one of the best steaks I've ever had in Newcastle so I'm adding it to my list of places in the Toon that I can trust to serve up a great steak.

The chips on the side (served in an instagram worthy copper saucepan) were a little disappointing with far too much salt on them for my liking - bit of a shame as they had such a lovely crisp.

You may be surprised to hear that we were far too full to even consider having dessert so we quickly closed the tempting menu and slouched down into our seats to rest our full tummies. Our waiter was having none of it though and said that the Chef wanted to make us a special dessert platter.

A whole plate of delicious mini desserts, how could we resist!

You may think that we stopped there but our lovely Waiter, who had clearly decided that we hadn't had enough, insisted that we try his favourite dessert on the menu, Mr White's Rice Pudding served with apricot compote (£5.95) alongside a smaller version of the Knickerbocker Glory (£6.75)

Send help, this was never going to end well!

I will admit that Rice Pudding is something that I would never consider ordering. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that when it's sitting on a menu surrounded by tempting cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding it's never going to get a look in.

Our waiter was adamant that this was going to be the best rice pudding we had ever had so I sunk my spoon in and got to work.  He was not wrong!  It was beautifully creamy yet not too heavy. I certainly wont be overlooking rice pudding next time I see it on a menu.

Our evening at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse was over and feeling very full we collected our coats and waddled out into Newcastle to make the journey home with very happy tummies. 

I definitely wont be leaving it so long until my next visit!

We received complimentary meals for the purposes of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.