Bourne to Brunch

"Dan, remember the pub that used to be opposite three corners playground? Well... you wouldn't believe the revamp it's had!" My mum, two months ago, talking about what I knew when I was growing up as Leonards, but what many people now know as the Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings!

 

 

Clerkenwell is a place a very close to my heat as it's where I lived for the most part of my life. Over the past decade Clerkenwell has realised it's potential and has become a great hub for many new restaurants and bars and witnessing it's growth in popularity has been a rather nostalgic experience for me! So of course, as a former Clerkenwell resident I took my mum's advice "you must go and see it for yourself" and one sunny Saturday morning headed to my old neighbourhood for brunch and Bellinis! 



The exterior on a glorious Spring day

Fortunate enough to get a last minute reservation, my friend Sara and I were seated up at the bar: the perfect place to soak up the atmosphere and admire the bright and quirky interior. The mismatched furniture and ornaments provided a welcoming environment and make B&H buildings a rather unique place to eat, drink and be very merry!

 

photo taken from brightshinynews.com

The menu itself is a brunch lover's idea of heaven- with everything from French toast done three ways to eggs with a slight a twist... As some of you may have realised by now I am a fan of all things eggy, so therefore decided to opt for their twist on the traditional Huevos Rancheros- named instead as Huevos Benedictos. A delicious dish of chorizo combined with avocado, topped with poached eggs and served with béarnaise sauce all on top of an English muffin.

 

 

Huevos Benedictos

Of course there was only one perfect accompaniment to this dish- a seasonal Bellini. After deciding not to go for the bottomless option (it was hard to say no) we each had a single Bellini and enjoyed every sip!

 

Just look at the temptation of that jug....

Not only was the food, environment and of course company great but the service from the staff was second to none! It's very rare (but of course understandable) that wait staff will have the time during an afternoon rush to indulge in conversation with customers, however the welcomed chattiness from the staff here was definitely the icing on the cake for a place that is clearly Bourne to do brunch! ;-)

 

Afternoon Tea at Claridges

It feels so good to be back on my laptop writing blog posts instead of school reports. With an exceptionally busy term at work my blog had to take a little bit of a breather..but I'm happy to be back writing about all my recent deelightful doings...

In my life, the only thing I have ever won is a colouring competition when I was 8 years old, and when I say won, I mean came second! So, it comes as no surprise that when the lovely Angie selected me as her Birthday Competition winner back in November, I was over the moon! As the competition was cake based the prize involved the sweetest of treats.... Afternoon Tea at Claridges! 

My winning gluten-free chocolate cake!

Claridges, a name that a number of people are familiar with... Renowned for their impeccable service, stunning art-deco interiors and of course their award-winning afternoon tea, which has been a number 1 'must do' on my list for years! As the prize was afternoon tea for two there was really only one person to share this with- my mum. So, on a typical rainy February day we headed to Claridges and I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint! 

From the minute we entered the famous doors we were treated as if we were the only two people there. We were sat in the main part of the foyer, with  a perfect view for people watching (spotted- Thandie Newton!) and handed a glass of their house champagne, Laurent-Perrier Brut, NV. What followed next were a selection of traditional sandwiches (so tasty that we had two lots each!)

Easy to drink Laurent-Perrier and delicious sandwiches

We were served smoked salmon scones, duck egg mayonnaise on perfect white bread, a very traditional cucumber and cream cheese sandwich as well as Dorringotn ham and a corn fed chicken sandwich served on tasty thyme and walnut bread! 

Now normally sandwiches are the highlight of my afternoon tea (I can never get enough), however what came next was a trolley of perfect pastries that looked almost too decadent to eat...I said almost!

To accompany the sweets there was only one choice of tea, the bespoke Claridge's Blend, created exclusively of course for Claridges. 

Among the pastries was an amazing rose-water and raspberry macaroon that had the perfect amount of chewiness, with the subtle flavour of rose coming through as well as raspberry cream topped off with fresh raspberries...always good to have an element of my five a day ;-) 

Served freshly baked was a choice of scones- fruit or plain accompanied with Cornish clotted cream and their famous Marco Polo gelee, a delicious jam. Again, we were replenished with more scones and I managed to squeeze in just one more to complete a most wonderful afternoon tea experience.

Not only was the tea one of the best, if not the best, I've ever had, the service was absolutely faultless and even if it was just for a mere two hours, my mum and I felt like absolute royalty! 

Thank you again to Angie Silverspoon for this exquisite prize... My mum and I are already planning our return!

Where is your favourite place for afternoon tea?

Unexpected Benefits of Blogging

Can't quite believe it's February already- where did January go?! However, a new month means a new  Travel Link Up post, this month's subject being- The Unexpected Benefits of Blogging! Admittedly I was a bit apprehensive about this post as I have only been blogging for a matter of months, and well I'm still learning about the wonderful world of blogging! But, with a bit of thinking I realised that in the short amount of time that my blog has been up and running, there indeed have been a number of benefits...

#1 Inspiration

For quite some time I had wanted to start a blog, but being the techno-phob that I am I was clueless as to where to begin, and then came some special inspiration from Sara at bigworldsmallme- her wise words and fab advice inspired me to get  a blog up and running and voila Deelightful Doings was born!

Photo cred: 1stlineoutsourcing.co.uk

#2 Travel 

Up until about a year ago I never really knew just how big blogging was and in particular what a great source of travel tips, travel destinations and travel writing many blogs provide! From reading numerous blogs, (catching up on my fav blogs is now one of the most common occurrences of my day) my wanderlust list has got bigger and bigger and bigger!!! Check out my Bucket List!

#3 Escapism

As a teacher my job can be rather stressful, don't get me wrong I LOVE what I do, but at times it is all too easy to get wrapped up with work and find little time for other things. Yes, on occasion that does still happen, but ever since I have started blogging I have found myself doing more things for me, having more 'me time' and more of a creative outlet! 

#4 The Blogging Community

Who knew that blogging would have the great benefit of becoming part of such a big community- having the opportunity to meet new people, share stories and discuss things that we have in common is undoubtedly a benefit shared by all bloggers, and one I'm looking forward to become more a part of!

Let the benefits continue....

Afternoon Tea at Browns Hotel

Indulging in afternoon tea and meeting lots of fabulous new people are definitely key ingredients to the perfect Sunday afternoon, of which I had a few days ago!

Kelly from aroundtheworldin80pairsofshoes orgainisined a get together for the regular bloggers of Travel Link Up. 

Destination: Browns Hotel in Mayfair

Agenda: Eat, drink and chat away!!

On arrival we were led to our own private room in the hotel, the stunning Roosevelt Room and instantly handed a glass of Ruinart champagne (who could resist!) 

The Roosevelt Room

Slowly sipping bubbles (I'd had a slightly heavy Saturday night) I got chatting to some really interesting bloggers, finding lots out about them and of course their blogs! Once we sat down our own personal wait staff (who were wonderful I might add) brought out the afternoon tea stands and with a rather rumbling tummy, I couldn't wait to get stuck in! First up was the selection of finger sandwiches, the traditional salmon, egg and cress and my favourite of the day- cucumber with cream cheese and a hint of mint! Even better still, the sandwiches were replenished a number of times during our sitting!

   

Satisfying sandwiches

Following on from the sandwiches was the sweets, which nearly looked too good to eat... I said nearly! They consisted of  a batten-burg, carrot cake, a delicious chocolate and pistachio tart and a delicate but tangy lemon macaroon! Once again, the trays of sweets just kept coming!

Such pretty sweets

Personalised Browns touch

Of course, no afternoon tea is complete without scones!  Served alongside a traditional English Breakfast blend, I opted for a fruit scone and piled it high with fresh clotted cream and chunky, home-made strawberry jam!

Not only was the afternoon filled with delicious food and plenty of champagne, it was also filled with great company and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many great bloggers! Many thanks to Kelly for orgainising such a splendid day! Already looking forward to the next one...

Favourite Travel Photos

Today I found myself reminiscing about some of the trips I have taken over the years (a result of the January blues) and armed with a pot of tea and my laptop I spent a good couple of hours sorting through and organising my travel photos!

 

On a number of blogs I have seen people share their favourite travel photos so I thought I'd put my organising to good blogging use and share some favourites of my own!

 

Some of the photos date way back to 2008 and although the quality of the pictures are not the best, they hold some very poignant memories for me!

 

 

"Memory is very important, the memory of each photo taken, flowing at the same speed as the event. During the work, you have to be sure that you haven't left any holes, that you've captured everything, because afterwards it will be too late." - Henri Cartier Bresson

 

 

Sunset over Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

Fraser Island from the air, Queensland, Australia

 

Eiffel Tower, Paris



Sunset, Ko Tao, Thailand

Brooklyn Bridge, NYC

Metro, Prague

Sunset, Palma Mallorca

Food Markets, Barcelona

Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

Bye Bye January blues... 

 

Christmas Eve at The Delaunay

For the last decade or so, my mum and I have had a Christmas Eve tradition of treating ourselves to a fancy Christmas Eve breakfast. In the past we have indulged at Richoux, Fortnum & Mason and Cecconis, to name a few. This years choice came highly recommended and I'm happy to say it did not disappoint!

After walking up and down the Kingsway, finally I found it tucked around a corner... (a native Londoner? I hear you ask) On arrival I was greeted by the hostess and taken to my table where my mum was sat sipping on a cup of coffee.. I had expected to see a glass of champagne in her!

After plenty of um-ing and ah-ing (I am rather indecisive when it comes to food) I settled upon, yep you guessed it, my favourite of Eggs Benedict while my mum choose a Delaunay special- the Viennese breakfast.

When my breakfast arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the size of it- two organic perfectly poached eggs, sat on top of thick cut ham and an English muffin topped off with a vibrant hollandaise sauce! Although I struggled to finish it, (very good value for money I might add) I was truly satisfied and set up for Christmas Eve festivities!

The Viennese special consisted of Smoked Ham, Salami, Artisan Gouda, Boiled eggs and fresh Figs- a very continental twist and one that my mum thoroughly enjoyed!

As well as the delicious food, the service at  The Delaunay was impeccable and the atmosphere was full of festive cheer! My mum and I enjoyed it so much that we have vowed to return next Christmas Eve, and guess what? I may actually have something other than Eggs Benedict!

Hope you've all had a happy holidays!

Sweet Treats and Tea at Fortnum and Mason

With the hectic time that is life lately, I haven't had  much of an opportunity to post anything to my slightly neglected blog, so forgive me as this post should've gone out weeks ago! 

Back in October during half term break, I went for a wonderful afternoon tea at London's famous Fortnum and Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.

Fortnum and Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Room

Although I have been to a number of afternoon teas before, this one was a little different as I opted for the high tea- replacing traditional finger sandwiches with the British classic of Eggs Benedict! Served on a muffin with thick cut British ham, the eggs were cooked perfectly with the most vibrant of yolks and creamy hollandaise! 

Before...

After...

Next up was the selection of sweets! Scones, macaroons, eclairs and chocolate yumminess!

There were two types of scone- plain and fruit (the latter is which I'm more partial to) which were served with Somerset clotted cream and a selection of preserves. Traditional raspberry is always my favourite- fruit scone, layered first with cream then topped with raspberry jam, delicious! I also tried lemon curd on a scone for the first time and I have to say the bitterness of the curd mixed with the sweetness of the cream was a combination to die for! The selection of sweets from the cake carriage were just as satisfying - from a rose flavoured eclair to a chocolate and gold leaf cheesecake! I was in sweet treat heaven!

Of course all of the above was washed down with Fortnum's traditional afternoon blend tea!

With such wonderful menu choices, the scummiest of cakes, the high-end setting and marvelous atmosphere (made even better by a musical interlude from the in-house pianist) Fortnum and Mason really know how to deliver an exquisite afternoon tea experience!

I am already looking forward to my next afternoon tea experience and thanks to the lovely Angie from SilverSpoon London it shall be at Claridges

Until next time...