A Look Back at Christmas 2013

I have had one of the best Christmasses I can remember for a long time.

I think partly because I actually took a proper break from work and put down the laptop for a change.

We also got lots of lie-ins thanks to family visits and doting grandparents that 'wanted' to be the first up with Stan.

Here's Stan by Grand-dads tree in Paris.


We had our annual Eggnog party. I made homemade mince pies, lemon cupcakes and this Merry Kissmas Chocolate Devil's Food cake with marshamallow icing & topped with Dr Oetker edible gold shimmer spray.

I also got everything on my list from Santa including a beautiful rose quartz ring from SVP jewellery (thank you hubby) & my Christmas onesie - which I am finding hard to take off. It's sooooo comfy!


Happy New Year everybody.

Ape & Bird

I visited Ape & Bird this week - Russell Norman's (Polpo) first pub!

I loved everything about it. The bar area, the ground floor dining room, and the sultry downstairs cocktail 'Den'.

I had a delish 'Damson Sour' cocktail when I arrived, waiting for my pals.

The lighting was just right throughout (very important) and the multi-coloured fairy lights in the windows were there to stay, as confirmed by Russell himself who was there as we were leaving. He seems like such a genuinely nice bloke!

Here's what we ate:

Blood pudding hash, sprouts & poached egg
Pig trotter Scotch egg with celeriac fries
Penny buns, squash and roasted garlic (my favourite dish and pictured above)
Winter chowder, Scottish mussels & black cabbage
Wild mushroom & chestnut cottage pie (Bec's main. See her blog for a verdict)
Cheeseburger (Paul's main)

The mussels were a bit too cold for my liking and tasteless in the chowder (I prefer it when they are cooked in sauce) but everything else was really enjoyable. 

We washed it all down with a couple of bottles of very nice Pinot Noir.

The whole evening was great fun (thanks in part to exceptional company) and a definite highlight of my week. I skipped off a little tipsily to the tube feeling festive. I just hope it doesn't get completely rammed once the PR machine is in full swing as we luckily visited during the first week of opening.

Keep up the good work Russell. ;)

http://www.apeandbird.com/

One of my favourite #52StanleyThursdays of the year.

Ayla & Stan.

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