Luck Lust Liquor & Burn, Manchester

Do you know those days when you sit back, take a little time and then suddenly think,

"Oh my god, I didn't write that post that I intended to?!"

Yeah, well that seems to be happening to me quite a lot at the moment, and today was certainly no different.

A fair few months ago now, I attended an event in Manchester with a group of lovely ladies (which I thankfully did write about in good time - find post here) and we took ourselves off to a lovely little eatery beforehand...which I fully intended to write all about...

...but obviously never did

I want to try to rectify this today though, and although my memory on specific tastes may not serve me as well as if I wrote this post the day after my visit I do know that I very much enjoyed what I snaffled, I do have the photographic evidence to back up my claims, and really, do we ever forget the details of a good meal...?

I reckon I'm still good to go.

So, on the day in question, upon hitting Manchester, we all decided that we would eat in the rather quirky, rather laid-back, very busy (always a good sign) venue that is Luck Lust Liquor & Burn...

I'd never heard of this place before, but from what I was hearing from the others I knew I wouldn't be disappointed, and I really wasn't at all.

It was lovely - really chilled out with fantastic, friendly members of staff who all thought that our food-picture-taking was brilliant and not strange or weird in the slightest.
(we were onto a winner straight away)

We were seated upstairs and were promptly given a menu which we had time to ponder over whilst our drinks arrived
(a boring diet coke for me...well...it wasn't that long ago, alcohol still wasn't allowed...)

The menu I was given was just as quirky as the venue itself and it took me so long to decide on anything - there just seemed to be so much choice available, from burgers to burritos to nachos - the choice was endless.

In the end I settled on a starter of "Chicken Blasts" smothered in a hot buffalo sauce...

...and my oh my, hot they certainly were...

I'm not a fan or celery or creamy dipping sauces so these were left untouched, but the five pieces of boneless chicken were really tasty - very tender meat covered in a really crispy batter and then absolutely smothered in the hottest of hot hot-sauces.

A starter that was right up my street

And yes, I did eat the lot despite me initially thinking I wouldn't manage it
(who was I kidding!)

For my main, well, this was what took me the longest to decide upon, but as the sign above the door insisted, the venue was a "Burrito Heaven" so I knew this was what I would have to go with.

But which one to choose...

There was one name that jumped straight off of the menu for me -

A "Baddabing" it had to be.

And oh my word - Baddabing indeed!

This burrito was blooming huge - and I was surprised to find that there were fries actually wrapped up on the inside of it.

I had seen them on the menu but I assumed that they would be served on the side, but nope, on the inside they were.

I actually sat for a moment and just looked at the plate in front of me simply contemplating how on earth I was going to eat this...but that didn't last too long - I couldn't wait to tuck in.

~ It was amazing ~

All of the flavours complemented each other so well.

I particularly enjoyed all of the different meats crammed inside - lovely beef, bacon and chorizo - yum - and then there were those fries, which, well, they just really worked.

I thoroughly enjoyed the burrito, but I knew after the first half that it was going to defeat me.

As lovely as it was, especially after a fairly large starter I was just too full to finish everything.

I did give it my best shot though and continued to plough on (obviously!) through another quarter before I had to admit defeat and give up.

My stomach couldn't handle any more.

It turns out rice, potato, wraps, a combination of meats, all bound together with cheese and covered in rich sauces is a whole lot for my stomach to manage...

...really yum, but a tad too much for me to finish.

Unfortunately.

Luck Lust Liquor & Burn, it was a pleasure.

I certainly did find myself in "Burrito Heaven"

Baby Baker Friday - Some Heavenly Bump Pieces

I've decided that Friday's on the blog are now going to be dedicated to my new found pregnancy status.

Whilst I know this won't please everyone, it's something I really want to do - after all being pregnant is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really want to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

I've got to admit, I'm not an overly massive fan of the clothing designed  to accommodate this whole pregnancy lark I'm afraid.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are some fab things out there and I totally see the need for maternity clothes - squeezing my now quite large bump into my size 10 pencil skirt for work has seriously bordered on painful at times.

But I just can't seem to get it right...

I know it's all down to me being daft but I just don't think I've managed to get to grips with the whole maternity clothes sizing thing yet.

In my head, having a bigger body still means I need bigger clothes, and, as I've discovered, this isn't always the case...

The fabulous people over at Heavenly Bump sent me four pieces of their range fairly early on in my pregnancy but I'm only writing abut them now - and not even showcasing outfit posts yet - because, even though the pieces are really well made, are of good quality and are really quite pretty I haven't actually wore them out yet - which does nothing but frustrate me.

So why is this?

Well, up until a short while ago I wasn't really "showing" and I didn't have that much of a bump to fill all of the extra space maternity clothing gives you - if I'm honest, I just looked a little bit silly when I put them on.

Then add this to the fact that I stupidly ordered all of the clothes in a size up to my usual clothing size because, obviously I would need to - hmmm obviously not - it just meant there was even more excess material that I couldn't fill.

It wasn't a good look at all.

But now, well Baby Baker is certainly a-growing so I am able to start wearing the clothes a little more - now that I fill them out better that is - so I'll make sure I pop some outfit posts up soon, but for now, I'll show you the things I was sent...

For me, jeans are such a staple piece in my wardrobe - they go with everything, can be dressed up or down and I love them - so a decent pair obviously needed to be a part of my pregnancy wardrobe.

The pair I was sent from Heavenly Bump are great - a really lovely dark denim colour which I think are really quite flattering
(always a bonus when every part of the body seems to be expanding!)

Also, really importantly for me, they don't have that huge, ugly, stretchy waist band either - the stretch section to accommodate bump is concealed within both of the front pockets (which can still be used as pockets) and I really do like this...

...but ordering a size 12 was such a mistake...

They have felt uncomfortably big for so long now - even a belt couldn't help.

And now, when the waist is beginning to fit better - not completely, but better - the leg area is still a tad baggy and really gets on my nerves...

If only I'd gone for my usual size 10...

* s i g h *

Anyway, despite all being a size 12 too, the two tops and one dress I chose do seem to fit much better, although they really do make me look very pregnant...

...which isn't a bad thing at all, I just feel really massive in them and I think a lot of that again is to do with there being all that added material around the back  - again, all my fault.

Sizing aside, I really like the simplicity of this grey polka dot dress and it is really comfortable to wear too.

It looks great with opaque black tights or cropped leggings and simple black ballet flats...

Length wise, it sits just slightly above the knee, making it work-wear appropriate, which is fab as I really will need some nice things to wear after the holidays.

I find the cross over neckline flattering too and whenever I have tried this on at home my son always tells me he really likes it - which is always a good sign

As far as the tops go, I think this peach dragonfly one has to be my favourite - I really do love the summery colour...

...and I think the print is really pretty and a little different too.

Ideally I would really like to wear this for work but I have struggled to find things to team it with.

I have found that the raised hem at the front makes it a tad too short to wear just with leggings, yet the dipped hem at the back means it looks a little "too much" if worn with a pencil skirt.

I think I need to invest in a smart pair of skinny maternity trousers or I'll just keep this for a more casual, weekend look, pairing it with the jeans above.

Something else I'm yet to wear for work but know it will be perfect is this white wrap-around shirt...

Plain, simple and classic - it really would help to keep me looking professional.

The shirt fastens with two simple ties - one on the inside of the shirt...

...the other on the outside...

...making it perfectly adjustable to fit my bump inside as it gets bigger...and bigger.

Fabulous for when I return to work after the summer and resemble a weeble...

I do like the items I have from Heavenly Bump and am very grateful for them helping sort out my un-pregnancy friendly wardrobe, however there is certainly a moral to this blog post...

"Make sure you order your correct clothing size and don't feel a need to automatically size up"

Thank you for the lovely items Heavenly Bump and for being so patient with me

Outfit posts are sure to follow...

* items sent to wear and review - all words, pictures, thoughts & opinions are my own

And So The Summer Fun Commences For 2015...

It is officially the third day of the summer holidays for me today and typically I was up, as with any other day, before 5.30am.

~ Urgh ~

I've cleaned and tidied as much of the house as I can get away with at such a crazy-early hour, so I thought I'd sit down and write a little bit of a post.

...seeing as how I've been neglecting my blogging duties again this week...

~ Ooops ~

Anyway, as it is the hols, I thought I'd put a few ideas together of things I intend to do over the next six weeks - if nothing else it will act as a little bit of a reminder to me that rather than slobbing out on the sofa (although a few or those kind of days are permitted too!) there are places that need exploring and re-visiting this summer.

And what better way to start than with a trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

My excitement levels hold no bounds at having the opportunity to be going to visit this amazing place for the second time - this time in aid of their #SweetsAndTreats exhibition.

My first visit during last year's summer holiday was amazing (full details are here) and I think I had more fun than the kiddies, so what a way to start this years activities eh.

~ I can not wait ~

I would also like to get a few seaside days in too, probably heading over to Scarborough to get my son down onto the beach...not that he'll need much persuading...I really love these kind of days - if the weather is nice that is - particularly because they are the most fun, the give me time to have a little relaxation and  they don't tend to cost the earth either.

Just the price of a few arcade games, a few sticks of rock and a nice seaside fish & chip lunch (followed by seaside donuts of course) all makes for a fabulous kind of a day.

Now a seaside trip that I've found can cost the earth is a visit to Blackpool and although we are visiting again, fairly soon actually, this will just be to venture into my son's favourite place in the world - The Sandcastle Water Park.

He had a ball last year when we went for his birthday (full details here) and it is the only place he has really asked to go to again this year...so...well, I had to oblige didn't I...

Hmmm...now what else...?

Oh yes, we...and when I say "we" for this one I obviously just mean the Hubby and the son...are also popping along to a nearby Aerial Extreme venue for some crazy-heights climbing and zip-wire sliding, which has got to be such much fun...and totally terrifying - watch this space for details on that one!

I'm also desperate to get back to The York Maize this year - we went a few years ago, before my blogging days in fact, and it was fab, fun and very hot...

The Forbidden Corner on the other hand was toe-numbingly freezing cold on our first visit so I would love to go back this year and hopefully experience the fun in a little more of an enjoyable temperature...

Also, fund depending, I think I'd like to go to the Alton Towers Splashpark (my son loves water-parks more than anything), Legoland Windsor and maybe to Blackpool Pleasure Beach again (see our last visit here) - I know he would have so much fun at them all...

But six weeks of fun activities does not come cheap and really takes it's toll on the old bank balance so I have made sure to pop a few more low cost places onto my list too.

A few we haven't been to before, like The Ilkley Lido (a local outdoor swimming pool) so exploring them will be a new experience, but most are old favourites that we need to try out again, places such as The Cow & Calf rocks for some climbing, moor walking fun or our local cinema to take advantage of their £1.99 kids movie morning offers and of course there will be a few (free) scooter park visits thrown in too.

Let's just hope the sun decides to play nice for us.

And what activity are we partaking in today?

Well today is a play-gym kind of a day I'm thinking - they are always good for a few hours of letting the kiddies rid themselves of a bit of excess energy aren't they.

If there's anywhere else you can suggest that needs adding to my list, please let me know

Baby Baker Friday - A Third Trimester Update

I've decided that Friday's on the blog are now going to be dedicated to my new found pregnancy status.

Whilst I know this won't please everyone, it's something I really want to do - after all being pregnant is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really want to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

I did fancy showing you some maternity clothes I have in my possession today, but due to not having any opportunities to take decent photographs (be that due to the weather or me not having enough time) I'm going to put that back one more week and have it ready for you for next week.

I decided that today's Baby Baker Friday post would be just a short, sweet catch up on where I am at the moment and how I've been getting along.

I really hope that's OK...

So, how am I doing?

Well, this weekend I will be 27 weeks pregnant which marks the start of the third trimester.

Where does time go!

It means that I have 13 weeks left to go, possibly only 12 as it it more than likely the hospital will take me in sometime in my 39th week...

Eek - it feels a little scary when I actually see it there like that...scary but very exciting.

I'm growing...obviously...but I kind of seem to have just "puffed out" overnight and gone from having hardly any bump to the fairly noticeable one that I have now.

Don't get me wrong, it's great - it shows baby is doing as should be done - but I have to be honest, it's taking a little getting used to.

Over the past six or so years I have been so used to thinking a certain way about my shape, have been mega active - be that at the gym, running or literally zooming around the corridors at work - and now, all of that is suddenly in reverse.

My arms are flabbier, my bum is bigger (it's bloody massive!), so is my face, my thighs...everything is just larger than I've become used to.

I certainly can't street run, or run up the seven flights of stairs at work like I used to and the gym - pah - forget that.

I do try to walk further and faster than "normal" but I have to admit, it is a whole lot more difficult at the moment.

I'm trying not to stress over it though - I've waited for this little bump for a l-o-n-g time - near on three years in fact and there was a point where I thought it would never happen - so I'm over the moon it is happening now and will worry about the other stuff later.

I will be making sure I'm back on Slimming World as soon as the baby is born though...and I'll be making sure I'm out exercising as soon as I can manage it...which actually may take a little while...

I'm having an elective section this time around you see and I know I won't be doing too many star-jumps or squat thrusts for about six weeks after the op, but I'll get there.

So what else has been happening...

Well, I've had a few lovely, very well timed surprises at work too - they have totally made my week.

If you don't know already, I'm one half of a year team in a secondary school and my current year group - Year 9 (soon to be Year 10) - are so brilliant with me and I've been so spoilt this week...and I'm not even leaving yet.

Three of the girls came into my office laden down with pink gifts one day...

They bought me a lovely cellophane wrapped, teddy shaped money box and pillow set; a huge box filled with a helium balloon (I LOVE helium balloons); a pretty, sparkly door plaque, a bunch of pretty flowers and three very beautiful baby outfits...

They have such good taste

And that wasn't all either - the next day I was presented with yet another gift from one of my students which was two more mega cute outfits...

~ Spoilt ~

I had started this week feeling a tad uncomfortable, very moany and in a bit of a foul mood...not to mention huge...but now, now I feel a lot more appreciated and it really does makes me smile.

Cheers (with a lemonade) to pregnancy rants and moans!

Patisserie Valerie's Afternoon Tea

I do love a good cuppa - even more so when if it is accompanied with a few sweet treats on the side.

However, I can't say I've ever purposefully gone way out of my way to get either of these things before...but times a-changing and a few Sunday's ago myself and the Hubby took a little trip over to Manchester...

...for some tea...

...and some cake...

In all fairness we could have made a full day of it and indulged in a little pre-tea-drinking shopping spree, but due to our rugby-parent commitments we had to make do with a leisurely drive over to the city later on in the afternoon.

But where exactly were we heading?

We were off the Deansgate Patisserie Valerie on St Ann Street.

And our reasons for heading there?

(like any reason is really required!)

Well, being the lucky so-and-so's that we are, we were invited along to sample their fabulous Afternoon Tea For Two menu.

~ Great stuff ~

I can't say I've had many afternoon tea experiences really - there have been a couple, but not lots.

However, even with my limited tea/cake experience I have to say that this one did impress me, and at a cost of £25 for two, it would make the perfect treat to finish off a lovely, indulgent afternoon.

When we arrived, we were seated downstairs away from all of the usual daytime hustle and bustle within the man cafe and it was here that we met six other blogging ladies and wasted no time in getting a drinks order placed.

~ a frothy cappuccino for the Husband...

...and...

~ a lovely, comforting pot of English Tea for me...

It certainly did the trick at warming us up after our earlier dash through the rainy streets of Manchester.

So after a bit of chatting time, our afternoon tea crammed stands arrived in front of us...

...cue the crazy amounts of picture taking...

I was pleased to see a selection of finger sandwich choices on the menu.

We had cucumber; smoked salmon and cream cheese; egg mayonnaise and cress; ham, spinach and mustard; and then my favourite, which was a chicken, pesto and sunblazed tomato offering - it was packed full of flavour and I could certainly have eaten another (two!)

I actually did really enjoy all of the sandwiches and even though I'm not particularly a mustard fan I still braved the ham and mustard one - simply for research purposes of course - and I found that it wasn't all that bad at all really.

The teeny vegetable quiche was very yum too - it was still slightly warm when it arrived and was very flavoursome...I actually wished I'd had another one...

Very nice indeed.

Naturally, the sweet things followed the savoury, and the mini scones - one plain, one fruit-packed each - were simply amazing

Still slightly warm, then topped with strawberry jam and clotted cream, I can safely say that I could have eaten these all day long...or at least until I developed a stomach ache...

They were perfect - not stodgy or too filling at all, and the Hubby agreed with me too - they have certainly helped to create two scone fans over this way that's for sure.

After a drinks re-fill it was time to tackle the top tier of the stand...

...THE CAKES...

Everything was miniature sized which I thought was perfect and a brilliant way to prevent us feeling too over-faced and all "sugared out".

We shared everything so neither of us missed out on sampling something and again, I really couldn't fault anything.

They were all just so tasty - I particularly enjoyed the mini Victoria sandwich cake, it was light, moist and reminded me of my childhood and eating cakes at my Nan's.

~ Perfect ~

My only niggle with these was that I didn't fall too much in love with the mini chocolate eclairs - I thought they were a little, well, bland really - or maybe it was just that they weren't as sweet as everything else on the plate...either way, it was only down to my own personal choice that I didn't favour them...and...well, I still wolfed it all down...

We managed to clear our entire stand of Afternoon Tea goodness - the only twosome in the group that did - and I have to say I really enjoyed the afternoon...

~ the food and tea were spot on

~ the venue was clean, tidy and very pretty

~ the staff were all friendly and helpful

~ Very impressive ~

Thanks for having us Patisserie Valerie

Manchester now has two new regular visitors

* Afternoon Tea provided free of charge. Words, thoughts & photos are all my own

Baby Baker Friday - A Huge George Haul

I've decided that Friday's on the blog are now going to be dedicated to my new found pregnancy status.

Whilst I know this won't please everyone, it's something I really want to do - after all being pregnant is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really want to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

Wowsers

It's certainly looking like we could be in for another lovely-weather-packed-weekend doesn't it.

But no matter how much I love the sun, I have to admit I'm really rather pleased at the moment that things have cooled down a little bit since the mega heat-wave we had last week - that was heat and humidity on a whole new level.

A level that was certainly not comfortable for pregnant ladies.

(melting much!)

Anyway, boring weather chat out of the way, what did I want to speak to you about today?

Well, I thought I'd bring you a little bit of a...

~ Baby Baker George Haul ~

Yay - baby shopping - my absolute favourite thing to do at the moment.

You may have noticed that we "did up" our bedroom quite a lot recently in preparation for The Baby Arrival - the post is here if you fancy a recap.

What you also may have noticed is that because of an amazingly lovely lady named Erica, George Clothing provided a whole load of things to help us with this transformation and really got us baby ready.

We are very nearly sorted now in fact which is beyond fantastic, but what on earth did our haul consist of?

Well you need not wonder anymore - this post contains all of those mega important shopping details...

First things first, any new baby requires a bed, and Baby Baker is obviously no different, so this was one of the first things on my "we must have" lists.

Now we were already all set up with a cot (thanks Mum-in-law!), but we desperately needed a first little baby bed - a cute moses basket type bed - and one with a stand too of course...

...and how cute is the one we settled on, this, from Daisy Boo Lucy, Colin and Bumble

I contemplated investing in a rocking stand for the basket - for all of a few seconds - until I remembered having one for my son many moons ago and it being a total pain.

It always seemed to "thud" in the direction of the heavier, bottom side of the basket which is not something you want when you're trying to settle a teeny baby, so I ruled one of those out almost as soon as I thought about it, and I think this one is just perfect.

I also decided that a changing table was a must-have this time round too.

I've never had one before but I'm planning on only changing dirty nappies upstairs on this white East Coast "Clara" unit...

Oh, and I added a little bit of colour too with a cute, star-adorned changing mat...

Now a few things that I'll be using religiously didn't really feature in my DIY post but they are going to be very useful and are very much needed...

~ a Tomy Digital Monitor...

...it has inbuilt night-lights, a lullaby and room thermometer option, and it looks rather nice and fancy too.

~ Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Essentials Pack...

...which has everything possibly needed to help with bottle-feeding...and it was down to half price too which is an offer I really couldn't pass up.

Although I do want to give breastfeeding a go, having this set will mean that the Hubby and other family members can be involved with feeding baby too.

~ Tommee Tippee Six Feeding Bottles...

...because it never hurts to have a few spare stashed in the cupboard and baby is certainly going to need more than one fed ready at a time.

~ Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Manual Breast Pump...

...to help with the all important boobie-milk-expressing.

I didn't think spending a fortune on one of these was a wise idea, just in case I find breastfeeding difficult, but then again I figured having one handy would be a good idea - and this one has it's own little steriliser container too which is very useful.

~ Red Kite 4 way Baby Carrier...

...I have never actually had one of these before but I really see the use in them, especially on exploring-the-wilderness kind of days where a pram will just not do.

~ Bright Stars Little Explorer Vibrating Bouncer...

...well...Baby Baker does need a little bit of relaxation and comfort don't ya know!

~ Mamas and Papas Octopus Playmat...

...now in hindsight perhaps this is a tad too blue for me (I like to be colour co-ordinated!)...but I'm thinking it will still be OK...I mean an octopus does live in the "deep blue sea" after all...

Regardless of the colour, I do really like this mat - it is a real comfy place which will encourage lots of fun, baby-type education - I love that it is the perfect shape to help support the "tummy time" stage too.

~ a Widgey Plus Pregnancy Pillow...

...this is literally amazing - so soft, so comfortable and whilst it is useful for me now (it helps me get settled in bed) it is going to be brilliant for helping comfortably feed Baby Baker in a few months time

A whole lot of uses - I love it!

~ a lot of vests and babygrows...

I chose these in neutral tones because I ordered them before I found out the sex of Baby Baker (take a peek here if you want to find out!) and I got so carried away and just picked everything!

They were all reasonably priced and are such good quality...so much so that I've since popped back to George "a few" times and picked up more bits, infused with a tad more with colour...

And that's the lot - didn't Baby Baker do well.

I love everything and I know that in the next fourteen weeks it is all going to come in very, very handy.

Thanks lots George - you certainly made me smile!

* all items sent via PR to review - all words, thoughts, ideas, pictures are 100% my own