Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon

It's very rare these days that we actually get some time to hang out together, usually we're frantically catching up in-between yoga moves at Ella & Fleur (see blog post here) but it's a real treat when we have girlie time to blog together. So, we took full advantage of two days off before the Christmas chaos really began. We started our Monday with hot yoga, then lunch at The Stable, the new pizza and cider restaurant in Cheltenham (blog post coming soon!)... we figured we earned it after yoga, plus it's Christmas! Then we were lucky enough to be invited to see the Audrey Hepburn exhibition at The Wilson Museum. 

Audrey Hepburn photographed by Norman Parkinson for Glamour Magazine, 1955. © Norman Parkinson Ltd/Courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive (taken from The Wilson website)

The Porch House

Totally ashamed to say after living just around the corner from Stow-on-the-Wold for 15 years I had no idea we were in the midst of England's oldest Inn! C947AD no less! Although brought into the 21st century now, the charm and history of The Porch House, still remains a constant reminder of the Inn past. Beautiful checked and leather dining chairs, roaring fires, etchings on the fireplace to ward off evil spirits, rustic antler chandeliers and dinner by candle light. Quirky rooms that flow effortlessly, despite one being a grand dining room, another being a conservatory, laid back bar and private dining parlour, making use out of a space that used to be two buildings.

AquaVitae

Well cocktails are our water of life, especially when they are gin based. So we were really pleased to hear that AquaVitae, a new and very cool cocktail bar was flinging open its doors last week. 

The Old Dame

We were lucky enough to start off November with an invitation to the reopening of the stunning Queens Hotel in Cheltenham.

The Only Way is Chelts...

 With four weeks to go until the big 'I Do' it was time to head back to the 1920's, complete with my hens, nay, flappers for a jolly hen do darling.

Bottle Green

Recently we were very kindly asked to become Bottle Green Ambassadors - an opportunity which we jumped at because we LOVE Bottle Green elderflower cordial. Shameless to say, we never actually knew they were a Cotswold based company and that that they are so much more then just elderflower cordial. But they are, in fact they've been based in Stroud since they first started picking their own elderflower on hedge rows. Now, not much has changed but the company has certainly gone from strength to strength. However their values, their recipes and the way in which they make their drinks hasn't change much. Bottle Green bringing out new ranges and limited edition products every year and that's where us Ambassadors come in! We've been invited to test some of their new flavours, give our feedback and promote their delicious products. Not a bad gig, hey? 

Supper Club at Brew And Bake

I always talk about opening a café in a little Cotswold town holding an exclusive supper club on a Friday night. Crazy business idea when you've never even been to a supper club. But I love the mysterious underworld vibe that the title gives out and have been obsessed with likes of Rachel Koo for a few years. 

So when our friends mentioned a Thursday evening supper club at our fave café in Cheltenham, we were in!

Deliveroo

Deliveroo have finally cycled their way to Cheltenham! We were warmly invited to welcome them with open arms and hungry stomachs.

The Old Stocks Inn

Nestled away in our nearest Cotswold town, Stow-on-the-Wold, is a new look Inn, The Old Stocks. It's a far and very welcomed cry from the many Cotswold pubs we all know and love. Instead of Cotswold green Farrow & Ball, The Old Stocks has had a Scandinavian face lift. It's a fresh and exciting style, different to the boutique hotels we know, yet The Old Stocks still has the same cosy Cotswold cuddle we all need sometimes. 

Kings Head Subterranean Spa

So just before Meg wet off on Holiday, we headed over to the capital of the Cotswolds for some end of the working week styled pampering. Yes, we were back at our favourite new find The Kings Head Hotel in the beautiful market town of Cirencester. We have been wanting to try out this new subterranean spa from the moment we were shown the build in progress back in November 2014. Walking down the steps from the plush hotel reception and bar, into the converted wine cellars, a Roman Spa awaits. Exposed Cotswold bricks, soft yellow lighting, a tropical warmth and the smell of those ever delightful Lubatti products, lure you in as soon as the doors open.

The Chef's Pantry

Our favourite go to for dinner, jazz and cocktails (and of course engagements), The Daffodil, has opened it's doors to their latest venture. Aptly named The Chefs Pantry, this new, trendy and modern deli offers produce made by their very own chefs in addition to some of owner, Marks', favourite produce from across the country and further afield. 

A magical night at Moon Songs - Giffords Circus

“I held the jewel of my childhood up to my eye, and through it I saw ponies and a dressing-up box and a tent, and that was Giffords Circus.” - Nell Gifford

(Nell Gifford)

Cotswold Caterers

We have been lucky enough over the past few years to attend many a party, festival or market with good food, good drink and good fun! As we get deeper into our wedding planning we have started to realise that mobile caterers found in the Cotswolds are some of the best. We are truly spoilt for choice! The following six are some of our faves and we think you will be able to see why. They all cater for way more options that we have spoken about below, so give them a call. We like them because they are friendly, knowledgeable and passionate. Just what you need in the stresses and excitement of party planning.

 

Simpsons Fish and Chips

 
We love Simpsons fish and chips! We have a tradition of picking up a Simpsons take away and taking it up to Cleeve Hill on bonfire night (best view of fireworks in the Cotswolds!). So we were delighted to attend a party at Donnington Brewery last week to find Simpsons have gone mobile! Fish and chip vans seems to have become popular at events in the last decade but Simpsons are different. The van is no more. Replaced by a gorgeous rustic set up of a wooden bar tastefully decorated with Union jacks, festoon lights and apple boxes full of lemons and potatoes. We love the nod to the rock and roll past of husband and wife owners, found in the decor and uniform. Especially the girls wearing red bandanas and a rouge lip, Bonnie's trademark accessory. I haven't even mentioned the fish and chips! They are crunchy, tasty, not greasy and Award winning. Non of this inner city, fish and chip replicas, one taste of a portion of Simpsons finest and you could be by the  Great British sea side! Delicious. 

Summer Feasting at The Kings Head

Food envy. A crippling condition that takes over the stomach, mind and sometimes hands, when your fellow diners' food looks too good to miss. This is, unfortunately, something we both seem to suffer from, on at least a weekly basis, much to the infuriation of our chaps who bare the brunt of this terrible take over! Alas, we have found the cure! The new foodie concept at The Kings Head Hotel. Two words... Oh wow.

Lazy Monday at The Ox House

 

 

Well Meg and Harry brought us to this place for a celebratory glass of wine when we got engaged last year. So on a Bank Holiday Monday, with all our spring cleaning jobs done and a long stroll in the fresh air conquered we decided to pop through to Northleach for another visit.

All You Can Eat Sushi at WholeFoods

When I was in Australia, Sushi became part of my staple diet. With a little sushi bar on every corner it was hard to resist. Not exactly the same vibes in The Cotswolds however, we are really lucky to have a few amazing sushi restaurants in Gloucestershire but our go to when we get a sushi craving is always WholeFoods Market in Chelteham - actually, WholeFoods in our go to for all food cravings! Seriously love it there. Don't even get us started on the coffee and peanut butter. As you know we love local produce and WholeFoods Cheltenham has an incredible range of Cotswold goodies! But when we spotted an 'All You Can Eat Sushi' Event on Twitter, our excitement hit a new level! 

The Wild Rabbit - Kingham

The Wild Rabbit, My new favourite find! I had heard about this place from so many people and passed it many times on our way through Kingham to see family. 

The Wild Rabbit was taken over by the Bamfords (Owners of Daylesford organics and Farm) and boy can you tell. Their vision for creativity and style makes this pub so much more than your average pub with Guinness limited edition sketches on the walls, quirky natural tables, arms chairs, log fires and a well styled and inviting bar. This pub oozes cool and you know you are going to get quality everything when you walk through the door.  

30 days with Ella & Fleur

Happy baby, pigeon, rotated chair, warrior II, cobra... a few months ago, none of this would have made any sense to us. & if you mentioned a good 'hip opener', we would have run a mile! But now, all of this has become part of our weekly routine and we love it! 

If you remember, we went to our first Ella & Fleur Hot Yoga session back in July 2014. We were complete yoga virgins back then but loved it from the word go. Over the last month we decided to give it another real go & signed up for a 30 day trial. We are now completed obsessed! and here's why. 

The Cotswold Table

Do you love food?

Do you like it local?

BINGO

Let me introduce you to, or remind you of, The Cotswold Table.

The Cotswold table is a seasonal market held in the gorgeous Village of Kingham. I love having the excuse to visit the Oxfordshire side of the cotswolds and The Cotswold Table definitely gives me that excuse. 

The Cotswold Table is about finding 'everything for the perfect table' from local suppliers of the finest Cotswold fare.

We purchased lots (seriously love our food) but my favourite find was Cotswold Honey again... Not just any honey... Creamed honey. Ridiculously delicious! James wanted to make dinner that night so bought some wild duck and pheasant which made an immense game stew and a delicious smoked trout starter from the Donnington Farm chaps.

So are you tempted? Well here is some good news... there is a Cotswold Table THIS Sunday! 

I've got my fingers cross that Cotswold honey is back with some of his delicious honeycomb that we ran out of cash to buy last time. So here's my biggest tip... Take plenty of dosh... You are going to want to spend it.

See you there. 

Millie and Meg x

The Montpellier Cafe

If you read our blog regularly or follow us on Twitter & Instagram, you'll know by now, we like to eat! & drink coffee. A lot! We're so lucky living in Cheltenham (well, just outside now) that we have an abundance of brilliant coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. We're spoilt for choice. But when we saw a foodie snap taken by friend Angie B on Instagram, we were excited to try out the newest cafe in town. The Montpellier Cafe. 

The Feathered Nest

Valentines Day isn't for everyone. But for us, we get reminded how lucky we are in love and it's a brillaint excuse to eat out. Not that we ever need one.

This Valentines Day was extra special as Harry popped the big question and of course, Meg said yes! Ta da!

We already had dinner reservations booked at our favourite Cotswold restaurant, The Feathered Nest in Nether Westcote, a little village which sits in between Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford and has stunning views over the Evenlode Valley. Not that we got to enjoy them this time - we had a 8.30pm table booked and we couldn't wait to start celebrating our engagement. 

Photos by Stef

Well, James wasn't keen and I have to admit I was feeling a bit nervous. But for two people that resemble Chandler Bing of FRIENDS fame every time we have photos taken (you may have noticed our healthy friends obsession by now) we thought it would be good practice for our wedding photos. Also it was a great excuse to take my new straight teeth for a test drive!

So we headed out on a frosty and windy (get a load of James's hair in the last photo!) Saturday morning to a farm just outside of Chipping Campden. The night before Stef told us to bring props, to which we started racking our brains on what we could take. Our favourite thing to do is to spend time with friends and family and we figured we couldn't really take them as props on our engagement shoot! The next on our list was food! Good, yummy, local food. But again photos of us stuffing our faces probably wouldn't be one for the wall! We decided we would don our comfy walking clothes and get all country, seeing as we were going to a farm and it was a cold Cotswold morning. We were really pleased with this decision.

We walked around the farm acting as natural as possible! It does help that we spend most of our time together laughing. Stef pointed out some cracking places to have photos taken (even though we didn't realise what she was doing at the time, for example the sun shot!) we especially love the industrial look of the barn door. 

Stef brought a slate and chalk to do some fun written messages to each other. We clearly left our creativity at the door when she asked us to write something on it. All we could think of were innapriorate or offensive messages to each other, so Stef suggested our pet names. Cue major cringe... chicken and Bear. My brother-in-law on seeing the photos said at first he thought that we had written a Ludicrus album title on the slate 'Chicken and Beer', James wished we had been that cool! Nope, just our super cringe pet names. It didn't matter though because it actually turned out to be one of our favourite photos. 

You may have seen Stef's own blog on Our engagement shoot here. She mentions the unexpected...she's right there. Here are the things we didn't expect:

~We didn't expect to enjoy it

~We didn't expect for the photos to be so wonderful ( and that's not a reflection on Stef but ourselves)

~ we didn't expect to find as many wonderful places to have photos taken at this old farm and renovated barn

And most of all...

~We didn't expect to find a new friend. 

We love Stef and how she manages to inject personality and intimate moments into photos, whilst retaining her style. Whether it is a wedding photo, a picture she takes on her camera phone, photos of her holidays or a photo shoot for Cotswold Style Magazine, you can tell it is a Stefanie Calleja-Gera photo. Seriously iconic. 

Stef says: 

'A really great way to get to know your photographer is a pre-wedding shoot - not only does it really help to calm any camera-shy nerves, it also gives me a brilliant insight to what you’re all about as a couple, so that I can reflect a little piece of your personal style through the images I create; be it free-spirited and fun-loving or refined and elegant, whatever the weather, I’ll beat to your drum.'

We would completely recommend a pre wedding photo shoot. We feel really calm about having obits taken on the big day but we also know we have chosen the right photographer for us. These photos will be around forever, so they gave to be right! No pressure Stef.

We can't wait to spend some more time with you Stef, and we have total faith that our Wedding photo's will be keepers! 

Stef has also worked with Meg, taking professional photos of Meggie's. The website is coming soon! 

Millie and Meg xxx (and James!) 

Hotel No.131

For the two years we lived next door to each other in Montpellier, our daily walks into Cheltenham to shop, eat, drink and see were met with this old Georgian, empty, sad looking building. We used to say if we had the money we would buy it and turn it into an exclusive members club or just a really good jazz club and bar, something Cheltenham is missing!

Alas, 3 years later, the brilliant Lucky Onion chaps have worked their magic again. Transforming a huge empty regency building into the luxury and very trendy Hotel No.131 and Crazy Eights club and bar. 

So we decided to try it out for Soph's Birthday. She fancied something different so she booked 12 of us in for a brunch. We met at 11 and had a big table down in the conservatory room, complete with feature fireplace, heaters and a real indoor outdoor feel. We ordered Bucks fizz, served in  champagne sauces, sharp bloody Mary's (Meg was hung over...hair of the dog!) and although 11am the boys couldn't resist some classic Bobby Beer.

The menu choice was a mixture of classic breakfast dishes, done in the typical style of the Lucky Onion group...a bit rustic, locally sourced ingredients and good sized portions!

Most of us went for the English Breakfast. Deliciously thick bacon, creamy scrambled eggs and a slice of sour dough fried bread to go with the rest of the dish. Scrummy! Others went for something a little different including smoked haddock and poached eggs, avocado on buckwheat risotto with poached eggs. For those real adventurous types Oysters or steak were also contenders!

We loved the crockery they were served on, each plate being totally unique...and there were 12 of us! The coffee cups we recognised from cosy stop off's at the Wheatsheaf in Northleach, another one of our faves from The Lucky onion.

 

 

 

We spent a couple of hours in our little indoor/outdoor nook of the building. Listening to the array of jazz they had on the sound system, drinking coffee and a few more glasses of fizz, eating a birthday cake brought to us by the staff for Soph and in general spending a perfect Sunday morning together in a beautiful Georgian hotel that we once dreamed of owning!

The food was delicious, the atmosphere relaxing, the décor enticing... this is fast becoming one of our favourite places to be!