Saturday 28 July 2018

REVIEW: Santi Pizzeria, Watford

Santi Pizzeria review - an authentic Italian Pizzeria in Watford, Hertfordshire with pizza, pasta, mains and calzone
Santi Pizzeria review - an authentic Italian Pizzeria in Watford, Hertfordshire with pizza, pasta, mains and calzone

I haven't talked much yet about our minimoon in Italy, but guys - it was so perfect. An incredible, epic week. We ate fantastic food, we saw absolutely tons and we somehow managed to find the time to relax, too. It was fabulous. We started off with a couple of nights in Rome, then spent the rest of the week in Naples. I have so much to say about it, and I will. But for now, let's talk about the pizza.

Proper Italian pizza is something special. The ingredients used are so fresh, so high-quality that even a simple margherita will blow your mind. And while no pizza I've had in the UK has quite compared to the pizzas I've had in Italy - I blame those epic tomatoes - a few have come close. Because lots of places are springing up to emulate proper, Neopolitan pizzas. Most of the ones I know of are in London, so I was pleasantly surprised to find one round the corner from work, in Watford.

Santi Pizzeria has two restaurants - one in Stratford and one in Watford. The Watford branch has only been open a few months, but is already super popular - the TripAdvisor reviews are absolutely glowing. And good news for locals - they deliver, too!

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Wednesday 25 July 2018

INTERIORS: Living room update

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We've been in our house for over a year and a half now, and there's still so much that we haven't got round to doing. It's amazing how long you can live with things when you see them every day. The good news is that there's nothing major - a little bit of peeling paint after a leak that we haven't got round to sorting (we sorted the leaks, we're not animals), a few shelves we want to put up, painting and wallpapering and whatnot.

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Saturday 21 July 2018

REVIEW: Cinnabar, Hertford

Review of Cinnabar in Hertford, tapas, pizza, burgers and more
Review of Cinnabar in Hertford, tapas, pizza, burgers and more
Review of Cinnabar in Hertford, tapas, pizza, burgers and more

I'm pretty familiar with my part of Hertfordshire, and every now and then I realise that there's a whole chunk of my county that I haven't explored much. Which is something that blogging locally is great for, because sometimes I get invited to review somewhere a little further afield. So when the nice people at Cinnabar Hertford got in touch, asking if I wanted to sample their menu, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to explore Hertford.

Cinnabar is a restaurant and cocktail bar combo, that does great cocktails plus hearty food, including burgers, tapas, pizzas and brunch. We went for lunch, but I imagine it's heaving at night - with the plentiful drinks menu, it's a spot where I could see myself having an excellent night out. There are Cinnabars in Hertford and Old Stevenage - funnily enough, the Old Stevenage one is literally opposite where I stayed at the Cromwell Hotel.

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Wednesday 18 July 2018

WEDDING: Getting ready

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I woke up early. Not too early, thankfully – although I had woken up a few hours before at 3am and was terrified that I wouldn’t get back to sleep. I'd popped some earplugs in and counted sheep to clear my mind, and thankfully it worked. The next time I woke, I could hear the house beginning to stir, but I took my time getting up, enjoying being by myself for a few extra minutes. I cleaned my teeth, had a quick shower, popped on the comfortable, soft and silky satin bridal kimono the lovely folk at Hunkemoller had sent me to review especially for the day and wrote out some cards.

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Saturday 14 July 2018

TRAVEL: It's time to plan our megamoon!


Image from The Blonde Abroad

I've been sulking since we got back from our minimoon in Italy, because it was so wonderful that I wanted a new holiday pretty much immediately. But we haven't been able to squeeze in anything - even a weekend somewhere - and after feeling disappointed, I realised I needed to man the eff up because our megamoon is coming up at the end of next month.

Did you know, by the way, that if you have a minimoon and a longer honeymoon, the longer honeymoon is a megamoon? It's an excellent word, and I plan to use it a LOT.

I've talked on here before about our plans for our megamoon, but now I'm at the point where I actually get to PLAN it. And you guys know I love a plan! I'm ordering packing cubes and eyeing new suitcases (I really want this purple Samsonite one from Spartoo) and spending my lunch hours googling for inspiration.

And, as is tradition, I'm popping down some of my planning here, because hopefully it will help someone else planning a similar route... and if nothing else, it'll be handy for me to refer back to.

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Wednesday 11 July 2018

REVIEW: Rump and Wade and the Cromwell Hotel, Stevenage

Rump and Wade and Cromwell Hotel review - minibreak gastro staycation in Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Rump and Wade and Cromwell Hotel review - minibreak gastro staycation in Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Rump and Wade and Cromwell Hotel review - minibreak gastro staycation in Stevenage, Hertfordshire

After taking so long off, I’ve actually been pretty excited to get back into the habit of blogging regularly again. I always feel like I have room in my life for one other thing aside from work, and for the last year or so, that other thing has been wedding planning. But the planning is completed, so back to blogging I go! I’ve missed it. Hi! How are you all?

I had a few emails about reviews and whatnot before the wedding, and asked very nicely if I could put them off until June. Organising a wedding is kind of crazy, you guys. I felt like it made ME kind of crazy. There’s so much pressure on that one day, and it’s really hard to find space in your brain for anything else. But booking fun stuff in for afterwards has definitely helped me feel more like me – because eating delicious food is a pretty crucial part of what makes me ME.

I was invited to try out the Cromwell Hotel along with its adjoining restaurant, Rump and Wade, and so I trotted off to Stevenage for a little staycation with the husband in tow. I used to work in Stevenage, many years ago, but I’d never actually ventured into the old town. Turns out it’s really nice! Lots of cool bars and shops, and very pretty. We got in a few hours before our dinner reservation, so had a little potter then went upstairs for a nap and a shower.

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