My July Days

I think we will always remember July 2018 as that time we finally got a proper Summer and England almost won the World Cup! This month has certainly been a special one and life admin has very much taken a back seat as we've been out and about enjoying the sunshine.

Here are just a few of the things that didn't make the blog this month!

Druridge Bay Country Park

The never ending heatwave meant we have spent almost every weekend exploring the coastal route of Northumberland and when our friends came to stay on a particularly hot weekend we knew a road trip along the coast would impress them. Our first stop was Druridge Bay Country Park, somewhere that Simon and I were yet to explore. We were so impressed with our little walk around the lake, it very much reminded us of a mini Kielder and I've made a note of it as a potential future picnic spot.

Drinks By The River

This month the whole of Newcastle has become obsessed with By The River Brewery - the new container park on the banks of the River Tyne has quickly become the coolest place to hang out in the Toon. With loads of outdoors seating, amazing views, buzzing atmosphere and a weekend street food market it ticks every box! The amazing weather has lead to many many hours sitting out with friends enjoying the sunshine by the river. If you haven't been yet what on earth are you waiting for?

Breakfast at Dil and The Bear

It's been a long time since I last had breakfast at Dil and The Bear so when we found ourselves in Tynemouth early on a Saturday morning it seemed like the ideal opportunity to rediscover the beautiful little cafe. My Coconut Bread with Poached Plums and Yoghurt really hit the spot and reminded me how wonderful this place is! If you want a truly delicious breakfast by the coast you need to get yourself here.

Great Northumberland

Great Northumberland is in full swing with a whole Summer of events planned across the county. We went to the launch day in Hexham earlier this month where we were greeted by a carnival atmosphere, crazy hot temperatures and a chance to top up our tan whilst watching previews by some of the events representatives. Safe to say our Summer is now fully planned and we don't have a weekend to spare!

Fish n Chips at Pantrinis

We spent a fair amount of time this month exploring the North Tyneside coastline which inevitability meant a chippy tea was going to happen at some point! The good weather was the perfect excuse to finally try Pantrinis in Whitley Bay (can you believe this was our first visit!) Serving the good folk of Whitley Bay the most delicious menu of homemade, locally sourced food I can see why this place is so popular and why they have won so many awards.

Solo Adventures

When I lived in London I spent a fair amount of time out and about on solo adventures and used to love nothing more than exploring on my lonesome. For some reason this is something I haven't really done since moving to the North East so I loved the opportunity of two days of solo time in Newcastle this month and had the most fantastic time ticking places off my foodie list and discovering streets I'd never seen before. I enjoyed myself so much I'm thinking I should perhaps set aside a day in my diary every month to spend some quality time with myself!

Red Heads Mac N Cheese

Food discovery of the month has to be Red Heads Mac n Cheese which I finally got to try on Quayside Market Day and I haven't stopped talking about since. Pots stuffed full of the most delicious cheesy goodness, it's hard to believe that as a child I didn't even like mac n cheese! If you haven't tried these guys yet, make it your mission to find them and have a pot!

Sangria Time 

The lovely weather has meant seeking out refreshing beverages at every available opportunity and has given me the perfect excuse to become hooked on Sangria. I've become a regular visitor to Tapas Revolution at Intu Eldon Square whose bar area at the back of the restaurant seems to be undiscovered by most! So I'll let you into my secret, they have a rather lovely bar, serve five different types of homemade sangria and you can get half price jugs between 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm every Sunday to Friday. You're welcome!

Mate Date at Cote Brasserie

Last time I went to Cote Brasserie I ordered the completely wrong dish and spent my entire meal eyeing up this delicious Roast Duck Breast so when I visited there last week on a mate date with the lovely Sarah I knew exactly what I had to order (I WILL be ordering this every time I visit now, it's that good!) - we gossiped over glasses of delicious Pampelle Spritz and for a brief glorious moment I thought I was in Paris!

Fore more adventures from New Girl in Toon make sure you follow me on Instagram. I post a new photo every day and you'll find videos of my favourite North East adventures on my highlights.