Doing some digging into the Potting Shed at Northallerton

This week I was kindly invited along to the VIP Launch of The Potting Shed in Northallerton. Formerly The Old Rutson Hospital, the venue has been transformed into The Potting Shed's third location, which sits in an ideal spot on the main high street.

When we arrived there were already lots of people inside ready to explore this rabbit warren, which boasts around six different inside areas, a garden filled with 'potting sheds' and a roof terrace. The decor of the building was extremely well designed and fitted with the theme so beautifully. The amount of time and money that must have gone into the wallpaper choice is staggering as they are all stunning. I'd have them in my house in an instant.

As VVIPs for the night, myself and my friend started trying out their drinks menu. The bar was extremely busy on the night but we managed to bag ourselves an Elderflower Bellini each, which we loved. The waitresses brought round a selection of canapés which were a taster of their menu including pizza, mini cottage pies, garlic bread, fish finger sandwiches and beef wraps.

Each room at The Potting Shed has its own charm and atmosphere. Some are cosy and cute, whereas others are eccentric and grand. On the top floor, there is a large room which even has it's own bar for private functions. Definitely, a venue to consider for your next party.

Having not really been to Northallerton for anything else than Betty's Afternoon Tea, The Potting Shed has definitely become a reason for me to return. I'm excited to be back to try their full menu, and maybe a few more cocktails. 

It's only 30 minutes away from Middlesbrough, so why not try it out.

- Press photos included in this post.

Can you keep a secret? - Yarm's newest hotspot - Lost Property Restaurant

I'm going to tell you about the upcoming place for drinks and nibbles in Yarm, but it is a secret, okay? Well the fact that it exists isn't a secret, but how you access it, now that's where you keep your lips sealed, right? 

I was recently tagged in a picture of a delicious spread of meats and cheeses accompanied by a host of cocktails by my good friend as a subtle nod that she wanted to visit. The Easter weekend crept upon us and we decided it was the best time to visit.

Lost Property is a new spot for a civilised night out with your friends. Nothing like anything on Yarm high street already, Lost Property is something else. You may have noticed that you can't find it from the main road and that the Facebook page gives nothing away. Where is this magical place of mystery? Do you enter through a wall like Harry Potter, or is it simply a place of fiction? I can tell you right now that it's real because I've been.

The secret to getting into Lost Property is in it's Facebook description referencing a taxi company that you may never have heard of. If you have a nosy at the shop fronts in Yarm, you'll soon come across it. A very unassuming taxi rank, ready to get you from A to B. Well walk in here, order your taxi and you'll be let into this secret spot.

Inside this place is visually gorgeous. They've used lots of wood, leather and dim lights to make this place feel like a speakeasy, and the vibe is brilliant.

The cocktail list in here is small but varied offering a variety of sweet, fruity and smoky drinks. There are however special drinks that can be explained to you if you fancy something off-menu. For our second drink, we did just that and I got the amazing candy floss cocktail you can see in the pictures. For our first drink we both selected off the main menu, I chose a Jailbird which was very floral covered in flowers, and Rachel chose a French Floosie which was very fruity and a little bit tart.

If you come into Lost Property you will have to order some food in order to get drinks, I think it's just the license that they have. This shouldn't be a problem for you as they have some delicious bits to pick from. We chose the Meat and Cheese Taster platter and picked three of each from their selection. It all came very well presented with a basket of bread, pots of chutneys, olives, grapes and other veggies. We really enjoyed our platter of treats, feeling very full as we worked out way through it.

We thought we were done after this and placed our order for an off-the-menu cocktail. We then saw a small plate of desserts making our way over that we weren't going to turn down. We were told that these were new and they'd like our feedback on the various treats. Of course, we obliged trying to half each iddybiddy sweet so we could both have a taste. All were very nice but our joint-favourite was the chocolate pistachio tart, it was filled with melted chocolate. We agreed we could eat five of these each...

When we left, coming out of the taxi rank, we both felt like we had a secret. A tasty, alcoholic secret that we were dying to let slip.

If you're looking for a quiet spot for delicious food and drinks in Yarm, this is for you.

Back in time for some nibbles with friends - Alchemy & Co, Middlesbrough

In an effort to prove that I'm very much an adult and enjoy being civilised, I ventured out again to try another antipasto platter. My first experience of this was at No.34 and I very much enjoyed it. This might have been helped by the abundance of cocktails I had, which were also very dreamy, but overall I had a really nice time. 

We ventured out again, but this time trying out what Alchemy & Co have to offer in Middlesbrough. We visited in July (I know sorry this is late) when it was their 'birthday month' this meant, as well as getting one cocktail with our platter each, we got an extra one! Bonus!

Alchemy & Co is most known as a bar, more specifically a prohibition bar bringing you back to the 1920s. They even have a lock of the door which you can only access if you have the code. Very secret. We heard about their platters on Facebook and as we got an extra cocktail with the deal, we couldn't very well turn it down.

One Friday night we booked ourselves in and popped down to Middlesbrough's Southfield Road to try out luck. As I've only ever had one, very lovely, antipasto platter, this one had expectations to live up to. When it was brought out it was full to the brim with meats and cheeses with lots of peppery accompaniments. Compared to the last one it was really missing some good dips. We did have some lovely tasting meats, fresh salad, a good wedge of cheese, bread and grapes.

The cocktails really live up to the 1920's vibe with only proper ones on the menu. Forget the Woo-woo and your Sex on the Beach, Alchemy & Co sell old fashion cocktails that you'd expect to get in the era. I can't recall what the first drink I picked but it was prosecco-based and tasted yummy. The second one I chose was a good old-fashioned Cosmopolitan.

I'm a big fan of Alchemy & Co as I love small, quiet, exclusive bars where you can't fit too many people. I'm too old for the night scene in Middlesbrough now, so Alchemy & Co is a breath of fresh air. It is very chilled and relaxing whilst selling some great cocktails and liquors.
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Sticky Fingers, Middlesbrough and PieMinister Pies!

A few days before Christmas Matt's parents told us about some amazing pies they'd had from a place in Middlesbrough. We'd heard of the place before, Sticky Fingers, but never had the chance to visit. Now with this glowing review, we decided to venture out and see what they had to offer.

We went on Boxing Day, which also happened to collide with a Boro home match (meaning town was busy!), about lunchtime to sample a pie! As we got there just as they'd opened, the pies took a while to warm but we didn't complain just waited patiently to fill our hungry stomachs!

There was a selection of pies on the menu all made by a Brighton based company called PieMinister, specialising in good quality pies! I chose 'Moo' which is basically steak, and Matt had 'Moo and Blue' which was steak with Long Clawson Stilton. I had mash, peas and gravy with mine whilst Matt went with the peas!

The pie was delicious, just as a pie should be. Packed with flavour, gravy, meat and veg it was yum! Matt felt the same but added that with his you could taste the cheese but it wasn't overpowering.

Before this Matt hasn't had a pie in around 4 years, and after this one, he went back a few days later with a friend for another! Shows how highly he thought of the pie.

Sticky Fingers is a nice quaint bar with a rock and roll vibe. It's nice to find somewhere a little different and I think adding these pies to the menu was a great shout as the word is spreading across Middlesbrough.

Have you been before? What's your fave pie?!

Ice Bar by Ice Hotel, London

When we planned our trip to London we planned to be there for Mum’s birthday so we had to think of a few things to occupy her special day. She came across the ice bar and thought it would be a good place to visit.

The Ice Bar by Ice Hotel is, as you can imagine, a bar made completely of ice with a temperature of -5C, even the personal glasses we were given were made out of ice. Before we went in to the bar we were each given a huge thermal cape with gloves attached to keep us warm. There is a 40 minute time limit to ensure no one gets too cold and this time whizzed by as we were busy sipping our drinks and snapping photos of each other.

We opted to get the champagne cocktail which cost a bit extra but it was lovely. I chose the Mission Revival which was Pommery Champagne, Absolut Blue and strawberry puree served in my ice glass. Drinking from a glass made of ice was pretty weird as it was melting where your lips had touched it but at least it kept your drink chilled.

The experience overall was very strange but very fun. We all had a laugh at how silly we looked in our capes and equally how cold we all were sitting on furniture made of ice. On the wall a timer is projected so you know how much time you have left. We stayed until the timer ran out and happened to be the last ones there, everyone else left earlier which I think is strange as you may as well enjoy all the time you have. I’d definitely recommend visiting the ice bar even if you only go once in your life to say you’ve been, you will enjoy it.