Coffee With Lynda #3| New England Coffee House

Thursday 19^th  September 2014

Stow- on-the-Wold

New England Coffee House

This week we headed for Stow-on-the-Wold, our colourful nails had lasted the week out, unlike us, we were ready for our weekly coffee treat and maybe even a cake.

Stow has an abundance of coffee shops, most are good, some are excellent, so it’s difficult to make a choice, we thought we would try The New England Coffee House and it certainly has to be one of the best.

Set over four floors (I hope I counted correctly!) each floor has a characterful  and comfy lounge in which to sip your smooth, silky, freshly ground–and–roasted–on-the–premises coffee and nibble on a tasty sweet treat, there were plenty to choose from, Lynda had cake and I had a croissant, both delicious. All in all, a lovely, not so little, place for a catch up; with interesting interiors to feast your eyes on and tasteful background music. The lounges are charming and homely and each floor has its own character.

  

  

The coffee house has a really welcoming atmosphere, created by owners Alison and Dave Cunliffe who took over the New England Coffee House in Stow-on-the-Wold in Spring 2010. We spent a relaxing hour, but certainly could have lingered longer, and can see this lovely find fast becoming a favourite for a wonderful coffee or a tea and of course, cake!

Visit their website: Newenglandcoffeehouse.co.uk

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

 

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.

Mary Arden's Farm

Meet Lydia, Emily's 4 year old niece.

Liddy is from Ashbourne but loves visiting her Aunty Em, Uncle James, Nannie and Grandad in the Cotswolds. She has been to Evesham Country Park and Steam Train, Hatton Country Park, Adam Hensons' Farm Park among others. She loves to sample the local playgrounds and go for picnics with her dollies in the park.

Liddy's most recent visit was Mary Arden's Farm in Stratford Upon Avon:

#theguestlist


First a rainy bus ride with Stratford Upon Avon's bus tour company, which we caught outside the Stratford Tourist Information Centre. Nannie says the bus ticket was £25 but it is valid for 24 hours which lets you have 3 visits to Shakespeare houses. The bus might be valid for 24 hours BUT the houses are valid for up to a year! Even better I went for free because I am under 5.

It rained so badly on the bus that we kept on wiping the windows to see outside. But when we got to Mary Arden's Farm the sun came out and we could enjoy all the activities. First stop was a good photo opportunity with Nannie!

 

Daily activities around the farm:

10.00 Geese led out and horse led in

10.30-12.30 Tudor Games (summer holidays only)

11.00 Working animal display

11.30 Falconry display

12.00 Horse work

1.00 Tudor dinner

1.30 Falconry display

1.30-3.30 Tudor games (summer holidays only)

2.00 Join in with Tudor activities

3.00 Tudor housewives (demonstrating traditional skills)

3.30 Falconry display

4.00 Milking the goat  

(Source: www.shakespeare.org)

 

We arrived at 1:15pm just in time for the 1:30pm Falconry display! We met The Golden Eagle and Milly the Owl.

Then Nannie treated me to a drink and a bowl of chips in the café, I couldn't resist! It was naughty though as we were having dinner in Stratford later that day. After my chips I wanted to sit down for a bit so it was perfect timing when we came across Story Time. A Lady in costume read us A Midsummers Nights Dream. It was brilliant.

After watching the archery in The Tudor Games, the people in costumes showed us what Tudor people ate and that they didn't throw anything away! We arrived a little to late to watch them cooking it though.

We had a brilliant afternoon seeing some of Stratford-Upon-Avon. I would recommend Mary Arden's Farm House to any kiddies on their summer holidays! Don't forget Kids under 5 go free.

See you again soon.

Liddy x


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Our visit to Gloucester Services M5

Remember our lovely friend Sophie? She wrote a brilliant review of The Bell in Sapperton, find it here. Well, Sophie is back again with her experience visiting the new Gloucester Services on the M5. Believe us, its not just your average pit stop!

Millie and Meg x #TheGuestList

5 places in London that remind me of The Cotswolds

We have known Alice since secondary school. Alice and Emily bonded over a new found love for Jamie Cullum and a lack of knowledge of maths in Year 9 and she went travelling with Meg in 2008.  Alice lives in Brixton, South London, and so will be writing about her adventures there and how being brought up in The Cotswolds has shaped the way she sees London.  Alice currently works in the events team at a private members club in Marylebone and the thing she misses most about The Cotswolds are that she can't see her friends everyday.  

Photo taken by Anna Clarke 

Awwww! We miss you too Alice #TheGuestList

Sunny Sunday Lunch in Sapperton

This is our wonderful friend Sophie! Again, we've been friends since school, 14 years. Emily used to live with Soph when they first moved to Cheltenham and not long after, Meg & Harry followed and lived only 2 doors down. Soph now lives in beautiful Painswick with her boyfriend, Owen and her family and works for Cheltenham's leading independent estate agent, Peter Ball & Co, at their Charlton Kings Office. 

Take it away Soph! #TheGuestList 

This Sunday bought us gorgeous sunshine and how better to spend the day than in a beautiful pub garden in the middle of The Cotswolds!

Owen (my lovely man) and I met some friends for lunch at The Bell at Sapperton. We had visited the pub for dinner previously so expected good things and I really was not disappointed.

The Bell is situated in the sleepy cotswold village of Sapperton. The stone building is full of  character in keeping with its stunning rural surroundings boasting beams and huge log fires and also, a beautiful cottage garden so a perfect place to dine all year round.

We were lucky enough to find a table in the garden- we sat down ordered a round of gin and tonics and studied the menu. We were restricted to a Sunday menu but there was still pleanty of choice including 3 roast dinners!

The meal was absolutely fantastic! I chose a Smoked haddock fishcake with black pudding and curry mayo to start and a whole sea bass for my main which were both absolutly delicious- some of the best sea bass I've ever had.

Owen had roast beef for his main with a huge yorkshire pudding and lashings of gravy plus a bubbling bowl of cauliflower cheese on the side. He was in heaven! He said the meat was tender and there was plenty of it too… in fact we were all too full for dessert!

The service is friendly and casual but very attentive, the wine selction is varied and very well priced and there is a complete focus on homemade fresh food! I would go again and again and really can't recommend this pub highly enough- a real Cotswold gem!

Sophie x