Monday 29 July 2013

Afternoon Tea Review: The Angel Hotel, Cardiff

It's time for tea once more.  On this cake mission I took my mother to The Angel Hotel in Cardiff.  Not to be confused with the Angel in Abergavenny (which does a truly superb afternoon tea - read my review here), this is a large Victorian hotel in a prime spot opposite the castle.  I had a voucher offering afternoon tea for two for £24, which sounded like a bargain as it would normally cost that each.

  
I've been into this hotel before, to meet friends or to attend conferences, but I'd never before taken afternoon tea and it was near the top of my list of Cardiff afternoon tea establishments to sample.  Our tea included sandwiches, scones, cake and a glass of champagne each.

 
Sandwiches: 4/5
The sandwiches were on a mix of white and brown bread, and included salmon, egg, ham, and grated cheese and pickle.  They were very much the standard sandwiches you get at these hotel chain teas, nothing especially exciting but they were freshly made and hit the (hungry) spot.
 
Cake: 3/5
There was only one type of cake, a lemon sponge, with the rest of the offering being patisserie.  There were cheesecake type desserts in little bowls, and sweet pastry tarts filled with creme patisserie and fruit.  It was a swelteringly hot day but the room we were served tea in was relatively cool, and as the cheesecakes and tarts had already started to wilt a bit on the plate, I suspect they had been laid out on the tiers in a hot kitchen waiting for our arrival.  The scones were nice, but didn't stand out from the many I have eaten over the years.

cardiff afternoon tea review the angel

 
Service: 4/5
The staff seated us and brought our drinks and cake-stand swiftly, but disappeared after this.  It took some time before we could attract attention just to get some water.  The waiter was polite, and apologised when he realised we'd needed water for a little while.

Ambience: 2/5
Stepping through the chandelier-lit bright hallway at the base of the sweeping staircase into the dining room and bar is an anti-climax.  The dining room is situated on the castle-facing side of the building and unfortunately in the afternoon this means it's in shadow - the sun is on the opposite side at this time of day.  The room is also decorated in the cold and bland could-be-anywhere style that pervades hotel chains.  It was mostly empty save for one other table when we arrived, and a little background music wouldn't have gone amiss to help cheer it up a little.

Crockery 2/5
Nonedescript.  It looked quite sad and boring on the veneered boring table, which didn't even have a tablecloth.  There was a cakestand, but it was one of those bare-minimum wire ones that you just put your own plates on, and unfortunately the plates were plain white in a budget rather than chic way.

Tea 3/5
I had a pot of very nice Earl Grey, and my mother had coffee, which she said wasn't anything special but it did the job.  I can't remember the full selection of tea from the menu, but it wasn't particularly extensive.

Overall 3/5
It was pleasant, but not outstanding on any level.  I think they're missing a trick in such a beautiful Victorian building not to continue the grandeur that's on the outside, on the inside.  They've got some serious competition directly opposite in the form of Pettigrew tea rooms, but that's more like sitting in your Grandma's living room - The Angel is different from Pettigrew's because it serves alcohol and is in such a grand building.  I hope someone catches on to this, redecorates, orders some fine bone china and overhauls the menu.  In the meantime, my tip would be to take tea in the sunny lounge adjacent to the hallway - you can at least enjoy nicer lighting, furniture and ambience than in the dining room.  Come on Angel, don't sell yourself short!

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Vintage Inspired Wedding Guest Dresses

How many weddings are you going to this summer?  Just the one for me, and I'm yet to decide on an outfit.  Here are two suggestions of how to do a vintage inspired look for a wedding - please don't take the two dress examples literally, I'm just illustrating how one style of dress can work for different eras if you're canny.  There are lots of choices out there of both shifts, and long sleeved dresses.

It may be the Summer but here in the UK we don't know how long this sunny spell is going to last.  A dress with sleeves is a practical option for sitting in a drafty church or open-sided marquee on those cooler - and wetter - Summer days.  Not everyone is comfortable baring their arms either.

My first suggestion is this gorgeous blue dress, £74, by Myleene for Littlewoods.  The picture on their website isn't great, so please excuse it and give me the benefit of the doubt here - I'm also including a pic of how it was featured in a magazine, where you can see the shape and colour more clearly, which makes it look so much better!  It's a classic shape that could work for different eras.  Wear with kitten heels and bow topped beehive for a '60s feel, or take it forward to the '70s with a large floppy brimmed hat and platform sandals.  Come Autumn and Winter, adding a faux fur stole, brooch, seamed stockings and heeled brogue will make it work for a 1940s look also.

wedding guest outfit


Monday 22 July 2013

"Character" Properties

My Baby and I have got houses on the brain - we're househunting!  It's really quite sickening that our budget is so restrictive, because there are some stunning homes on the market at the moment.  We both like historic buildings - I have a soft spot for the 1930s, and my Baby has a chapel obssession.  Wherever I go, I photograph buildings that I like, and I realised the other day that I should share some of my collection with you.  Do any of you live in a "character" property?

First up - somebody actually lives in this converted railway carriage by the sea!


Then of course there are the postcard-perfect cottages, Wales has lots of these.


You can't beat a classic 'villa' style property from the Victorian era - these houses looked particularly pretty in the snow.


And lastly, just for my Baby, here's a converted little chapel.

Friday 19 July 2013

Seaside Day Trips: Coves, Harbours and Dolphins

We had day trips to some lovely coves and beaches, although they were punctuated by me taking paracetamol, getting through a whole box of tissues, and sipping medicinal cognac!

It was before the current heatwave hit the UK, these two photos illustrate how much the British weather usually changes in 24 hours. 

Penbryn sands, a really lovely stretch of beach

Newquay harbour (not to be confused with Newquay in Cornwall!)

Despite the weather not being the greatest, the coastline was stunning, and sometimes it's nice to experience how beautiful a place can still be when it's blowing a gale and raining.  Right after this photo above was taken, we saw dolphins out in the bay!  It's the first time I've seen dolphins off Wales, it was very thrilling to see their fins popping up.

I won't say anymore about the beauty of the places we visited - I'm just going to show you some more photos and you can judge for yourselves!

Penbryn sands

Newquay harbour


Wild flowers

Cwmtydu cove


Llangranog




Is it too early to retire and live in a cottage by the sea?!

Tuesday 16 July 2013

The Old Woollen Mill

Time for me to share some of my photos from my minibreak in West Wales.  We are spoiled for choice in the UK for unique historic buildings, and so many of them these days are available as holiday homes.  You could stay in a castle, in a windmill, a thatched cottage, a converted barn or even a church.

Our holiday home was part of a 19th century woollen mill, with beamed ceilings, thick stone walls and a pretty stream and woodland setting.  You'll have to excuse the lack of an exciting vintage-inspired wardrobe - I was so ill, my packing did not stretch to 'outfits'.  I was very glad of the wood-burning stove in the chilly evenings, it burned nicely and kept me toasty.

The mill is now divided into two, with the owner on three floors on the left, and the holiday home being two floors on the right.


Jeans and a shirt - don't knock it, it's what Marilyn wore on her days off!

Lovely range cooker - not that I did any cooking, my Baby looked after me on this trip!




If you've fallen in love with the mill from these photos, then it could be yours!  It's currently on the market here for £575,000, including 10 acres of land.

That's all for today - my next post will share some photos of the beautiful - and sometimes wild - Welsh coastline

Wednesday 10 July 2013

A Rural Idyll


My mini-break was what I needed - unfortunately I was ill the whole time, with a heavy cold, but at least I was in nice scenery being ill rather than at home!  I've also had a night in the Gower, camping, so there are lots of pictures to come.

Bear with me, my time is not my own!  When's the next break?!

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Vintage Inspired Summer Heels Top Picks

There are some really lovely, quirky shoes out there at the moment!  Perfect for attending weddings, summer BBQs or for livening up an office outfit.  You may already be aware of brands Miss L Fire and Irregular Choice, but did you know Rocketdog and Ruby Shoo both do similar quirky shoes?

Rocketdog have a fantastic 60% off their summer range online here.  This means that these gorgeous apple print mid-heel courts were just £18!  I had to buy them.
 
Rocketdog 'Orella' heel in 'Blueberry Tart' Thai silk, £19.20 from £47.99


 

Also worth looking at for something a bit different is the Ruby Shoo brand, now available at New Look online.  The brand is worth a whole post in itself but I'm waiting for their press release about their A/W collection as I've missed the boat on the Spring/Summer one!  My top choices from their summer collection would include the following (not on sale yet, sorry!):
 
Ruby Shoo 'Ava' in black and cream, £39.99
 
Ruby Shoo 'Candice' in mint green, £44.99
 
I hope this post has given you some Summer shoe inspiration!  Happy shopping!


Monday 1 July 2013

Minibreak Time!

While you are reading this I will be in a secret countryside hide-out in West Wales with my Baby, enjoying long walks (probably in the rain, let's face it!), seaside outings, playing board games in front of a wood-burning stove, and consuming enough red wine, gin and Pimms to sink a battleship.  Yes, it's a mini-break!

If you're anything like me, you may find yourself "packing stuff in" on your usual trips away from home.  Unlike those usual trips, for this one there is no itemised itinerary or spreadsheet detailing what 'activities' are available in the local area.  I am not checking the Trip Advisor rating of every eating establishment in a 20 mile radius.  I won't be packing an entire suitcase of vintage inspired accessories and outfits.  Quite frankly it's been an incredibly stressful year so far with employment situations and so forth, and I need a rest.  This trip is about no plans, and about doing nothing in particular.

Time to put the feet up and just 'be' for a few days.

P x

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