The Tavern, Cheltenham

Having lived practically just around the corner from The Tavern, in the centre of Cheltenham for many years, weirdly enough we had never visited. Now, you all know we are big fans of The Wheatsheaf in Northleach (see our blog post here) so thought it was about time to try out The Lucky Onion's little sister. 

Our Week #4

We hadn't seen each other all week with Meg being busy with the shop and Emily busy at work too. So we planned to meet up with our lovely group of friends on Saturday night where we sat in The Langton beer garden drinking tequila and feasting on sharing boards. 

It's the end of September and the sun is still shining! So I am continuing to take full advantage of our garden and the odd beer garden or 2! We met with Stef at The Langton (can you tell this is a popular abode for us?), who we've booked as our photographer for our wedding next year. We sat outside chatting with her like we'd known her for years. Exactly what you want from someone who us going to be taking the most important photos of your life. We had Kate and Sophie to stay midweek so we popped into our nearest fish and chip shop, Mr Plaice in Charlton Kings for their infamous extra crispy chips (Only on Mondays and Wednesdays) for a very indulgent, extra fattening dinner! 

To carry on the theme of putting on my winter spread, I did a spot of baking at the weekend, conjuring up a little banana cake for James cousin Sam and we sat in the garden all afternoon with a roast dinner,James'  homemade lemonade and a big slice of cake. 

I started the week with a pretty nightmare visit to IKEA so we treated ourselves to Monday Night Burger Night at The Tavern in Cheltenham (blog post to follow soon). THE MOST delicious burgers I've ever had and we love The Lucky Onion's style. 

I've been super busy with Meggie's this week too. Dleiveries are arriving every day now full of stock. It's like Christmas Day!! I'm getting so excited now. I just want to start unpacking everything, displaying everything and start trading. I've finished ordering all my stocking now, adding lots of lovely locals to the mix, including La De Da Living, Cotswold Soap Co and Truly Lovely Candles. I also met with Angie this week, who created the Meggie's logo about stocking her beautiful prints and cards. We met at Bill's Restaurant for breakfast, a new spot in Cheltenham we've wanted to try for ages. I know understand what all the fuss has been about. Fun, fresh, friendly, great coffee and yummy breakfast! 

Millie and Meg x

Ryder Cup Fever

With the ultimate date in the Golfing diary giving everybody golfing fever, our boys are no different! The Ryder Cup is taking over our households and the boys are regularly leaving us at the weekends to play a round or 2. 

#themandrawer 

 

Our favourite place to play in The Cotswolds is just down the road at Naunton Downs Golf Club. A traditional, 18 hole, 71 par golf course. 

 

It's a challenging course with a mixed variety of holes, with some great par 5's and a particularly stunning par 3 where you play over the valley.  The Green Keepers are clearly good at their jobs with the green conditions being very good, creating fast play and adding to the challenge! 

You can purchase a membership or play as a visitor for £34 over Friday and the weekend. We usually go for a Twilight visitors round, on a Sunday afternoon for £24. The clubhouse is a great place to grab a bite to eat afterwards particularly on a sunny day. Eating burger and chips and sipping on a cold beer outside whilst looking over the course...Man heaven!
 

 

Alternatively we pop down to Shipton Oliffe Golf Course, which is a great practice course as it allows you to play a wide variety of shots making use of all the clubs in your bag. This is unusual for a cheaper practice course and so we would highly recommend it! We say cheaper as it costs £12 for 18 holes on a weekday evening... Giving us the excuse to go for a pint at a The Frogmill afterwards, without getting into trouble with the girls!
 

Where is your favourite Cotswold spot to play golf?



The Sunday Vibes | Bibury

There are some Sundays where all you want to do in snuggle up on the sofa, watch silly films and eat all day. Other Sundays, usually the sunny ones, you fancy going out, exploring, walking and enjoy the great outdoors. This was one of those Sundays. 

It's rare that we should be seeing bright blue skies and glorious sunshine at the end of September, why not enjoy it! It's also starting to feel like Autumn, the colours in the trees are changing, the mornings are misty and a fire is needed in the evening. The perfect time of year for us! So, on one of these rare sunny Autumn Sundays we decided to make the most of the weather and give our old dog a much needed long walk. So, we headed to beautiful Bibury, for just that.

Our Week #3

This week Meg got a stunning view from 120ft high swinging from a crane at Batsford Arboretum. Just a normal day in The Cotswolds, hey? A sad day at Batsford though, one of their Giant Red Woods grew rot at the base so needed to be taken down for safety reasons. After local tree surgeons had finished what they do best, they offered me a little tour. How could I resist!? Such beautiful views of Moreton, the Arboretum and beyond. 

Harry and I made some time in our busy weeks to take a morning off together and go for a long walk while the Autumn sunshine was in full force. How lucky are we to still have this glorious, summer like weather at the end of September? It's too good to waste. So, we headed to Bibury for a walk and a pint. Blog post to follow soon. 

This week has been manic. Work is incredibly busy but James and I have been enjoying the rest of the Autumn sunshine and the wonders our favourite season has to offer! We've been to ANOTHER food festival in Shipston and met The Wild Oven to do a taste test for a certain celebration next year. We also went to meet the Reverand who will be marrying us, which has made things very real. Talking about weddings we went to our friends engagement party and I drank far too much wine. We have had cosy fires on the cooler nights, sat outside on the sunnier nights and popped into my parents for a classic roast dinner! We also found time for a Latte at Huxley's, our new favourite place in Chipping Campden. Told you it was a busy week! 

We loved having the dogs this weekend which meant long walks and blackberry picking! We also did some apple picking ready for our guest blogger to take to Painswick Apple Festival, blog to follow! And finally... Happy Birthday to my gorgeous Nephew who was 2 this week! 

Huxley's Bar and Bistro

It's so nice to see Huxley's back up and running as one of the staple restaurants in Chipping Campden. I say again as just a couple of years ago this place was on the market, again, and not operating as a business at all. Until Andre, the owner came along and found a way of creatively using the unusual small space that is Huxley's restaurant. Managed by Marco Porta, this place is sheer cosiness even on the hot summers day we ventured out on. Outside you'll find a gorgeous courtyard with wooden tables and large parasols complete with a mix of acoustic italian and modern music playing.

You maybe in the heart of Chipping Campden but Huxley's courtyard transports you to Southern Italy for an hour or 2. Bliss!  

The menu is easy to navigate with a mix of choices to help build your experience. Four types of Bruschetta for a light nibble at lunch, sharing boards and authentic antipasti for the social ones or soup of the day for something cosy. We both (I met up with my lovely mum for lunch) chose the delicious goats cheese salad and we were so pleasantly surprised when it arrived. A really generous amount of melt in your mouth goats cheese served with oil soaked peppers, crostini and beautiful rustic green leaves.

I also had a locally pressed juice made from Gloucestershire apples to wash my lunch down with. I can honestly say I enjoyed every mouthful. 

  

Not got the time for a meal? The coffee is the best I've tasted in Chipping Campden in 10 years and comes with a gorgeous little biscuit or for that extra naughty treat beautiful homemade cakes, I think I was told they are made by the managers Mum? 

Everything is served on beautiful rustic crockery, made in England too which I always think is a treat! 

  

The staff are a team of local friendly faces which if you have lived in Chipping Campden all your life you will recognise, but if not you'll appreciate the comfortable atmosphere they create. Not forgetting Percy the regular house guest, or is that pest? Either way we giggled at the notice that was on the table we happened to pick!

I can't wait to visit in the winter (by the way if you haven't been to Chipping Campden around Christmas...GO!)  and eat inside where the teeny cosy restaurant, sit by the fire and read a complimentary newspaper, with another one of those yummy biscuits served on the side of my coffee! 

Thank you Huxley's, we'll be back soon!

Millie and Meg x

Our Week #2

As you saw on last weeks post meg has an exciting new project coming up. This week we happily revealed via the wonderful world of social media that Meg is opening her own Gift & lifestyle boutique, Meggie's, at her family's pub, The Falcon Inn, in beautiful Painswick. The official date is still to be announced but she will be trading as of October. Get the latest news and updates on Meggie's Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram account.

Meg also started work at Batsford Arboretum this week. Working every Tuesday to edit their website and run their social media outlets. Such a beautiful place to be based one day a week! Like Batsford on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

Emily has spent a family and friends oriented week mainly eating, standard! 

Soph who you will have seen on #theguestlist comes to spend a night in cosy cottage, along with James' cousin Sam, regulary and we fill the evening with food. This week a big free range roast chicken complete with Yorkies, not bad for a Wednesday eve! I met up with my Mum for a scrummy goats cheese salad at Huxley's restaurant in Chipping Campden, blog to follow. James made a naughty pavlova mid week and then pancakes with homegrown raspberries for breakfast on Saturday! Not to mention a day of eating at Broadway Food Festival. 

I'm also so proud of my family this week with my gorgeous niece, another star of #theguestlist starting school and my Brother doing his country proud by leading  team GB on at the opening ceremony to the Invictus Games on Wednesday. James also won gold along with his collegues at Cheltenham in Bloom.  

Next week we really want to go blackberry picking AND we are planning on going to the Painswick Apple Harvest.

Millie and Meg x

Coffee with Lynda #2

Coffee with Lynda #2

Very Verity, very lovely, very happy!

 

 

Back in Broadway this week, we decided to do something a little different with our coffee time and so made our way to a new venture in The Cotswold Court, Very Verity is a home, gift and interiors shop with a difference, while browsing the loveliness of the stock; you can book yourself in for a manicure or pedicure, with coffee and a scrummy biscuit thrown in. Verity Murphy opened this lovely little treasure trove just two weeks ago, we feel very lucky to have been some of the first customers through the door. 

 

This tastefully decorated little gem, offers lovely gifts, gorgeous scarves, beautiful finishing touches for the home, a chance to giggle at a selection of very funny cards or buy a bespoke and exquisitely comfortable chair or sofa. Upstairs you can beautify yourself, sip a coffee and chat to lovely Debbie, the nail beautician.

 

 

As I said in my last post, our venues have to be friendly, we tend to have lively conversations, Very Verity did not disappoint, much more sophisticated than a nail bar, not as intimidating as a spa, we felt totally at home. The whole experience was wonderfully relaxing and the lovely Debbie (who bears a certain similarity to Miranda Hart, although, as she said, she’s funnier) made a superb job of tackling our gardening-damaged nails! They were perfect!

 

 

We shall definitely go back very soon!

Very Verity – Website Coming Soon

01386 852629

 

Earls and Co. ... Again

After the boys raved about Earls and Co. Cheltenham, in #TheManDrawer (see their post here.) we got an invite to try out the champagne and nails bar situated at the top of the building. As her eyebrows are wild after a month in France and not caring who saw her, Emily opted to have an eyebrow waxing!

 

Our Week #1

This week has been busy. 

 

Emily is back to work after a lovely 6 week summer holiday, spending lots of time at her family home in France, celebrating her recent engagement to James and becoming Auntie Em once again to 2 week old Jacob. 

Meg is working hard at The Falcon, not only because the pub is as busy as always but also starting her own exciting little project, Meggie's (all will be revealed soon).  

We have still been buzzing from last weekends amazing Saturday at Big Feastival. Did you see Jamie Oliver commented on our Facebook page? We were chuffed! Here is the blog post Jamie commented about.

We hope you all had a great week too! Millie and Meg x

Gorgeous baby Jacob Emily's brand new, teeny tiny nephew! 

Great British Bake Off has inspired our household this week. Banana and raspberry cake... Could we class this as one of our 5 a day??? 

Working hard at Meggie's - clearing, cleaning, stripping old paint, sanding and so much more. Watch this space! 

Meg & Harry celebrated their four year anniversary this week. Harry sent Meg this beautiful bunch of flowers from The Lily Pad in Stroud.
 

 

Coffee With Lynda

"Coffee with Lynda"  is a new feature for The Millie and Meg Blog found in #theguestlist. Emily's Mum, Jill, is a coffee lover, retired English teacher and naturally a beautiful writer and so we couldn't think of a better person to write for us regularly!

Coffee with Lynda

The Broadway Hotel, Broadway

Thursday the 4^th of September

Lynda and I meet for coffee and a catch up a couple of times a month and so when asked to write down our views on local haunts, we were very happy to oblige. It means we now have an extra excuse, more coffee, more setting the world to rights and laughing about our respective families’ latest escapades, and as we have eight children between us we always have plenty to chat about. We are always very animated and prone to fits of giggles and so our chosen coffee shops have to be tolerant!!

This week we went to The Broadway Hotel, which is a favourite of ours. Neither of us had had time for breakfast, so we had bacon sandwiches, tea and a lovely shortbread and, as we hadn’t finished chatting, a coffee accompanied by another lovely shortbread!  

We usually sit in the sitting room, which is a cosy place to sit and chat and, in the winter months, there’s a log fire. The staff are always friendly and the coffee, with a shortbread, is always good.

Big Feastival 2014

Having grown up in The Cotswolds and only living down the road from Kingham, we are ashamed to say we had never been to local festival The Big Feastival, hosted by Jamie Oliver and Alex James at Alex's Cotswold Farm. Well, 2014 was our year to see what all the fuss has been about.