Loulou Jane

People of Lingfield rejoice! If you follow me on Twitter then you will already know how much I love a good cup of tea and coffee. After 'The Place To Meet' shut its doors I wondered if I would ever get to enjoy tea and cake on a Friday before work, now I know I can. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across the amazing 'Loulou Jane', almost instantly I was hooked this place is just so me. 

As a nut allergy sufferer I was especially impressed at the lengths the staff went to to make sure I could enjoy a safe slice of cake - picking just one was difficult! All of the goodies on offer at Loulou Jane are homemade using locally sourced ingredients.

From the interesting decor to the scrummy looking cakes Loulou Jane has it all and then some, even down to a children's room which I am yet to experience (although I've had a couple of peeps into it)!

Having already visited twice I have to be honest and admit that I cannot wait for Friday to roll around so I can visit again.

Tom Tom

Those of you that follow me on twitter know that I have well and truly caught the running bug just recently. I'm well on target for my first big run - the Oxford half in October. I had been relying on a basic running app on my phone although recently I have been using the new Tom Tom runner cardio watch and I am in love!!

I honestly couldn't wait to get started once the watch had been delivered. It was really easy to set up and it syncs well with the tomtom app on my phone. I really like this feature as it gives more information about the runs I have completed in one easily accessible place. 

I'm always a bit dubious when purchasing a watch, I have ridiculously small wrists and always struggle to find something to fit. I didn't have to worry with the tomtom though - the strap means it fits me comfortably without the watch sliding up and down my arm. 

There are lots of features on this watch that I love - the built in heart rate monitor being one such feature. It took me a while to understand the different zones but that's more from my own lack of understanding.

I will be doing a more comprehensive round up of the watch at the end of the month but so far I am well and truly loving it!

this watch was gifted to me for review purposes, but all options are my own.

Shaving

I don't know about you guys but I seem to spend a large amount of my time shaving, this probably has something to do with my refusal to wear trousers and the fact that when I am teaching I wear strappy tops. Until recently I was spending a huge amount of money each month on razor blades - I'm a bit of a fuss pot as soon as I think a blade needs to be changed it gets changed, using this logic (?!) I tend to get through a blade a week, then my hubby happened to find out about a King of Shaves offer.

King of Shaves is the brain child of Will King, in 1993 he invented the worlds first shaving oil to minimise the pain and irritation he was left with after shaving. 20 years later KoS is a worldwide company offering razors, blades, oils, serums and gels for both men and women (the Queen of Shaves). My first experience of KoS was when my husband brought me one of their razors:

I have to be honest the design fascinated me but also left me a little confused - they look nothing like the razors I have been using for the majority of my life and I don't like change. What a revelation then when I used it for the first time - no tugging on the skin, no cuts, just an amazingly close shave that left my legs feeling wonderful. From that very first shave I was hooked!!

This blog post isn't about a razor though, it is about a subscription that KoS offer - in my opinion it is one of the best things I have ever signed up for. For £4 a month you can have 4 blades delivered to your door, once a month, every month!! I have to admit I am maybe a little bit in love with my razor - it even floats in the bath, for someone who is ridiculously clumsy this means that I can never lose it!

To sign up for the subscription simply go here. I promise you it will be one of the best things you do :)


 Small print - I purchased the above product myself and have not been asked to write a review I jut wanted too!

Chalk and Cheese -- a review

Last Thursday I went up to Norfolk to spend a few days with my husband, we wanted to eat out but couldn't decide where to go, Stuart asked some of the people at work and Chalk and Cheese came out tops, so a table was booked and off we went!

Chalk and Cheese is located in a tiny little village called Shouldham, I love villages and as we drove through this one I completely and utterly fell in love and immediately added it to my 'to view' list if we do end up moving up this way. As we drove into the car park we were greeted by this:

                               (from the website)

Chalk and Cheese used to be a Victorian School which was converted into a home in 2001 before being expanded into a farm shop, bar, restaurant and accommodation. As I walked through the front door it felt like I was walking into a friends house, from the warm welcome by the chef to the adorable dog keeping guard on the rug, I was in love! We were invited to take a seat in the bar - which was exactly how I would love my future lounge to be.

the view from our table.

the bar.

our coasters - adore them!

Our table.

The seating area.

I normally feel uncomfortable in bars, never knowing where to sit, how to act, what to order etc... however this bar was incredible, it felt like I was in a friends lounge where I was free to look around and order in my own time. Our orders were taken and they were extremely accommodating, there was so much on the menu that I wanted that I couldn't decide what to order. They offer a pizza which you can watch being made in the wood fired pizza oven. Whilst we were waiting we were given some calamari which is easily some of the best calamari I have ever eaten. I have to admit I was a bit confused about what was going on, I wasn't sure if the bar was also the restaurant or if there was somewhere else to go - all became clear though when we were escorted to our table in a beautiful conservatory.

There were 4 tables set up which I loved - it meant that Stuart and I could have a conversation with each other without competing with other people. There was a small system providing music, which provided a lovely background noise without being too much (I hate when you go out for food and are having to talk above the music in order to have a conversation). Almost immediately we were brought our starters, mine a particularly delicious Bruschetta (£4.95) and Stuart ordered Cheesy potato wedges, minus the cheese (£2.75).

(yes I took a bite before taking a picture!)

After devouring the starters there was only about a 5 minute wait for our main courses, amazing! I had ordered the Spaghetti Bolognaise (10.95) whilst Stuart had Roast leg of lamb with swede, roast parsnips and garlic and rosemary potatoes (£12.95).

I am a huge hater of lamb, the smell, the texture, everything - however, for the first time in my life I was tempted to try some, I didn't but the intent was there! This was easily the best dinner I have ever eaten in a restaurant in my life. Everything about the service was fantastic and we were left to enjoy our dinner without being asked every 5 minutes if everything was ok!

When we had finished dinner and regretfully had to turn down dessert as we were just too full, we were invited to go back into the bar area to relax and let our dinner go down. This time we took full advantage of the huge sofas which were unbelievably comfy, I could've just curled up and gone to sleep in fact! 

I adored this restaurant and would highly recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the area, even if you aren't near by it is well worth a visit, maybe stay over and take advantage of the beautiful looking rooms (yes I checked them out on the website!) Chalk and Cheese was less restaurant and more eating dinner at a friends house - it is definitely one of the better things about Stuart working up in Norfolk, i'll definitely be suggesting we go back the next time I am able to visit him!

The Gents toilet :)

The sign on leaving - love!

The restaurant at night - taken as we left.

Website - http://www.bed-and-breakfast-west-norfolk.co.uk/default.asp

Telephone - 01366 348039

Listening to - Desperate Housewives on TV catch up, waiting for hubby to come back from work

Feeling - Hungry (i'm sat opposite the specials board in the hotel!)

To do - Print off photos for my nans 90th birthday present.