What We Did | 16th - 23rd May

Relaxing Breaks

Lauren
So to beautiful West Sussex for the weekend. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend celebrating my boyfriends mums birthday at the stunning South Lodge Hotel in Lower Beeding, including afternoon tea and a Michelin star experience at Matt Gillan at The Pass restaurant in the hotel. Having visited the hotel a couple of times before for celebration afternoon teas, I was very excited to stay overnight.

We kicked off with a delicious afternoon tea, and I couldn't have asked me more in terms of how accommodating they were of my dairy intolerance- nothing was too much hassle and I dived in to my own  special tower of DF sandwiches, scones with local jam (definitely the hardest to resist that clotted cream!) and yummy pastries and handmade cakes including whimsical coloured meringues and fruit tarts.

For dinner we headed to The Pass for a Michelin Star 8 Course Gourmet Taster Menu each matched with a specific wine by our very knowledgable sommelier. Course after course of (again no-hassle Dairy Free) delicious and well thought out taste combinations left us excited for the next one to arrive! My favourites had to be a Crab Mayonnaise course and the Strawberry Cannelloni, which were both incredibly tasty and I could have eaten 10 times more of! All of the courses were utterly incredible and I would highly recommend trying The Pass if you were in the area, we were eating for near on 4 hours which was reflective of how relaxed and sociable the experience was!

The hotel and room also didn't disappoint! The old country Manor House stands in acres of unspoiled land and looks out across the downs of Sussex towards Brighton. We were both upgraded which was a lovely touch as it was a birthday celebration and our master suite had every fine detail well thought out. Tea and coffee caddy to die for, a TV in our bedroom, the separate lounge area and also the bathroom (yes the bathroom, I 100% watched Friends in the tub with a cuppa!) and super soft and comfy dressing gowns. Other amenities included a pillow menu, in room iPad, Sky TV, a vase with a note saying that you can pick any flowers from the grounds to fill and the comfiest bed I have ever had. It was total luxury and the relaxing break I needed!

Thanks to the birthday girl Teresa for the gorgeous break and for spoiling us!

Felicity
On Thursday my boyfriend and I went to Canterbury for a few days to relax and spend a little time in the sunshine before the inevitable bank holiday rain came along! It's quite funny reading these through, as Lauren and I had equally relaxing but different countryside breaks!

Steve and I stayed in a beautiful little guesthouse just outside the city, with pigs and geese! Run by a couple who cook and run everything themselves, it was a real home from home. Five acres of woodland surrounded the property, and it was so nice to just wander into the woods and find a little quiet - and pretty idyllic going to say hello to the pigs every morning.

We spent a day in Canterbury on Thursday, then on Friday had a spa treat (which yes I was treated to, thank you Steve) and then went to Whitstable. I've never been before and it's just delightful - lots of quaint cottages, pastels houses, amazing shops and yummy food. I tried my very first oyster (I’d rather have pearls, if I’m really honest) and more than one ice cream. After a tumultuous couple of months, it was just what I needed and I feel really recharged.

Health & Fitness

Felicity
I’ve been better diet wise this week (let’s just ignore the ice cream bit), and even went for the healthier options when dining out, but exercise… It took me four days to stop aching and actually regain normal mobility from tag rugby last Friday (I know, I know) so I only managed one Barre Core session. Normal service to resume next week!

Lauren
It's been a weird week again for fitness. Sadly no dedicated work out time was squeezed in, but I have filled my week with fresh vegetables and fruit along with delicious fish too. This was amongst several giant eat outs too but I do feel proud for the conscious effort made!

In addition, I walked around 10 miles at the PGA Golf Championship which I was attending for work leaving me knackered and aching the next day- lots of tricky terrain in 20degree heat!

In addition to this, I've signed up to run 10K in July with my brothers, sister and boyfriend. We are running for a charity close to our hearts and I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the training progress! 10K isn't hugely far, but it's double what I can currently comfortably run, so there is work to be done!

Press Days

Liz Earle
With Flic out of town, I (Lauren) headed to the Liz Earle store in Sloane Square with my sister to enjoy their RHS Chelsea Flower Show activation and hear more about their 20 years special launches.

The special new products include the eternal favourite Cleanse & Polish in a Trio Tin. The gorgeous turquoise tin holds three perfectly thought out limited editions of the iconic Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser along with two pure muslin cloths. The new limited edition scents include calming Rose & Lavender, zesty Grapefruit & Patchouli and soothing Orange Flower & Chamomile- all utter perfection to suit any mood.

We also were spoilt to manicures and hung out in the Liz Earle Secret Garden installation which had been created especially for the flower show. The new hot cloth cleansers will be in June's Beauty review so keep an eye out!

We’ve both got a busy week next week, with a couple of days out and an upcoming holiday. See you on the other side!

Felicity & Lauren