Celebrate Halloween With Bakerdays*

 Long time readers of my blog may remember I've spoken about Bakerdays a few times before and each time I've been so impressed. Bakerdays deliver celebration cakes & letterbox cakes all over the UK and they've even branched out into brownies and cupcakes too since I last worked with them so whatever the occasion, they have you covered. I was recently sent their Haunted House Small Party Cake & couldn't wait to share my thoughts.What I love about Bakerdays is how you can personalise your order in a number of ways. Whether you want to include a special message or photo or want to celebrate with a certain theme, there's so many options. You can also choose which flavour you'd like if opting for cake including Chocolate Chip, Lemon Drizzle, Fruit or Classic Victoria Sponge just to name a few. There's even a Vegan Sponge option and Dairy Free! When it comes to the size of the cake, you could opt for a simple letterbox cake which I've spoken about before, these serve 2-4 people and are ideal if you want to surprise someone or want to send a unique gift. Always securely wrapped, there's no need to worry about the condition it could arrive in as Bakerdays have thought of everything. You can get bigger sized cakes too if you'd prefer ranging from a small cake which serves 10-12 all the way upto a large cake which serves 40-55 people! Ideal for a party or large celebration.Now onto the Haunted House Cake I received. With Halloween literally just round the corner, I thought this was perfect to showcase and it fits the theme brilliantly. I was so happy with the design of this and it stayed perfectly intact on it's journey to me. It was securely wrapped and boxed up on arrival ensuring not only protection but also freshness. We've tried several flavours from Bakerdays but this time we went for the Classic Sponge which had a layer of jam and a layer of vanilla cream between plain sponge, covered in a rich icing. What always impresses me with these cakes is just how moist they are. The cake is so soft and even days later still tastes just as fresh. The jam wasn't too overpowering which I sometimes find with a Victoria Sponge style cake and the icing was lovely. Surprisingly not too sweet and it went really well with the cake.The size of the cake is perfect for around 10 people and we still have plenty left to enjoy over Halloween. Now onto the cost. If you're going for a letterbox cake they're priced from £14.99 which I think is really reasonable for the size and quality of cake you're getting and the convenience of delivery. A small party cake is £39.99, medium £49.99 and finally large £69.99. Delivery can be as quick as the next day in the UK for £4.99 and you can also add extras to your order including balloons, candles and gifts which is such a lovely added touch.These cakes are ideal for all sorts of events and make a really special gift so are definitely worth considering in the future. They're available all year round but have lots of themed bakes at various points so with Christmas coming up, maybe it's the perfect opportunity to check them out!

Thanks so much to Bakerdays for working with me again on this post. Let me know if you've tried anything from Bakerdays before or feel inspired too now!

*Cake provided for purpose of this review

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Bath Travel Guide

 It's been quite a while since I last wrote a travel guide but I thought it was about time I share my tips and ideas for the beautiful city of Bath. We've been 4 times now which may seem excessive but it's almost becoming tradition to visit around our anniversary now which is what we did just a few months ago. It's become a bit like London for me now in that sometimes you just find a place that you connect with and have lots of happy memories so why wouldn't we want to keep going back? As we've been quite a lot, here are some of my recommendations which I hope will help if you'd like to visit in future.

Where to Stay

Let's start with the hotel I'd personally recommend whilst in bath, Hotel Indigo. We've stayed here every trip so far because it's just a really nice hotel. The interiors are gorgeous, as soon as you walk into reception you're hit with the scent of basically a spa and the whole check in area is just lovely. The rooms are all designed so uniquely and I love seeing what kind of room we end up with each time. It's in a great location, literally round the corner from Bath Abbey and an array of restaurants and shops and it's directly across from a car park and just down the road from the train station so ideal however you're travelling. It can be pricey depending on time of year but I'd recommend regularly checking in the run upto your trip as prices do come down and you can easily rebook at the cheaper price. Another hotel I see recommended a lot is The Abbey Hotel which is in a similar area and there's also several Premier Inns dotted in and around the centre if you're looking for a more budget friendly option. 

What to See/Do

Bath Abbey

The most obvious attraction I'm sure but one I do really recommend. It's such a focal point of the centre of Bath. It's really special inside and I love having a chilled walk around mid afternoon taking in all of the information and sights. I'm not religious but it's quite nice sitting and listening too when there is something going on inside. It's around £8 per person to visit.

The Royal Crescent

Another of the main attractions in Bath, the Circus and Royal Crescent. It's such a lovely area, especially in the summer as there are benches dotted around and a huge patch of grass so you can sit and enjoy the sun. If you're a Bridgerton fan you'll spot a few places from the show here including the home of the Featheringtons.

Victoria Falls Adventure Golf

Just down from the Royal Crescent, you can find Victoria Falls Adventure Golf. We love a game of mini golf and we've been coming back to this for the last few summers. It's an 18 hole course so can take a little while, especially when it's busy but take your time and have fun! I'd recommend booking in advance if you can.

Toppings & Company Book Shop

If you're a book lover, you must visit Toppings & Company! It is the most incredible book shop and we visit pretty much everyday when we're there. You'll find every book you could imagine here, there are several floors and you can even get free hot drinks so you can sit and read whilst you're there. Just love it.

Roman Baths

This feels like something you have to do in Bath at one point or another. We did this during our first trip in 2022 and I'm sure we'll go again one day. It's full of history and they have some really cool interactive ways of showing you what life was like once. You can go through at your own pace so I'd recommend freeing up 1-2 hours in your day for it. It's around £28 per person to visit.

Independent Shops

Whilst you can find most of your favourite chain shops in Bath, it's also full of lovely, independent businesses and it's always great to support them isn't it. The homeware shops in particular are brilliant and there are a few I always make sure I return to when we're there. Vinegar Hill and Sam Wilson Studio are two I recommend for all things decor.

Food

Mrs Potts Chocolate Shop

The absolute #1 recommendation when it comes to food. Mrs Potts is a chocolate cafe where you can get all manner of decadent cakes, brownies, cookies, milkshakes and so much more. The Matilda cake is pure chocolate heaven but honestly everything we've ever tried there has been delicious. This is a must for us every single trip!

Bertinet Bakery

I love pastry. Especially croissants and pain au chocolate which Bertinet Bakery do incredibly well. We found this place on a whim but it's become another staple for us now. Their pastries are so buttery and flaky and they also do some incredible babkas in a variety of flavours aswell as mini loaf cakes, cookies and even things like mince pies at christmas.

Joya

If there is one restaurant you must try whilst in Bath, it's Joya. An Italian Steakhouse with a menu full of choice, from things like Steak which you can opt to cook yourself on a hot stone, to a range of gorgeous pasta and risotto and they also do some amazing desserts - we particularly love the Tiramisu. The service is always great too and if it's a special occasion they'll often throw in free prosecco or do something to help you celebrate which is such a bonus.

Bandook

Another must of ours, usually on the last night as it always feels like such a special way to end each trip - Bandook. An Indian restaurant which I genuinely couldn't recommend enough. We like to get a variety of small plates, we particularly love the Samosa Chaat, Pocket Kebab & Kerala Chicken but they have a huge menu to choose from so you're spoilt for choice. The cocktails/mocktails are beautiful too!

A few other places worth a mention, Dough for delicious pizza, Bakervee for NYC style cookies and Rosarios for coffee!

Travel

When you're in Bath, most things are really walkable and as it's such a picturesque city it's a perfect way to take everything in, aswell as lots of photo opportunities. That being said I always recommend the Big Bus Tours when they're available in a city as they're such a great way of getting your bearings and are a convenient hop on/hop off option. You can usually get 48 hour tickets so no need to cram everything into one day either. There's even a boat tour you can do too but we've yet to tick that off our list. In terms of travelling into Bath, it all depends on where you're coming from but if driving, there's convenient parking dotted around the city centre and the train station is less than 10 minutes walk away from the centre.So, that wraps up my Bath travel guide. Just some of my tips and highlights of a beautiful city that I already can't wait to go back to again one day! Whenever you go, whether the peak of Summer or the during the Christmas period, there's something for everyone and so much to discover.

Have you visited Bath?

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Our Recent Trip To Cambridge

 A few months ago now George and I went to Cambridge for the first time and as it was such a lovely trip, I really wanted to write about it on here. Even though I rarely blog nowadays I still love looking back on old posts, especially our travel ones so why not share our Cambridge trip too? Even if just for me at least but maybe it will also give you some ideas too.We love a UK break, it's the main trips we do as there are so many beautiful places in the UK and it just works out a bit easier for us with the dogs now. Cambridge had been on our list for a while and this Spring seemed a perfect time. We were blessed with good weather while we were there which only made it even better and pretty much as soon as we left, I was thinking about when we'd return!

First things first, the hotel. I've really struggled in the past to find hotels in Cambridge that either didn't cost loads or just weren't the best location wise but by the time planning for this trip came around, a brand new Premier Inn had opened right in the centre. It's the Corn Exchange/Lion Yard hotel. This hotel was pretty much perfect. It was affordable, absolutely ideal location wise, had everything you need and I loved the check in process as you don't even need to speak to anyone, it can all be done via a touch screen. We'd definitely stay there again. We stayed for 3 nights but didn't arrive til around 7pm on the first night so even though we got a quick walk around in, it was basically 2 full days in the end which really, was a great amount of time. On the Monday, our first proper day, we started with breakfast at Dishoom. We had breakfast at Dishoom in London last year and it was incredible so I've been desperate to go again. The Dishoom in Cambridge is a Permit Room so more of a bar-cafe rather than just a restaurant so the menu was a little smaller but that was no problem, we both still found something delicious. I'd love to return in the evening next time. 

We walked round some of the lovely streets nearby afterwards and found Heffers Bookshop. I'm sure you know by now I love a bookshop and this was really interesting inside, the layout was so unique. We then headed down to Bould Brothers Coffee which I've only seen rave reviews about and now I totally understand why. We ended up returning everyday as it was so good. It's just across from The Round Church too which has a few benches dotted around so it was really lovely sitting there in the sun sipping our coffees. I recommend the mocha if you go!After a spot of shopping we headed for lunch at Aromi. You can sit in or get food to go so we went for one of their huge pizza slices so we could find a place to enjoy it in the sun. The classic Margarita slice was delicious but did take absolutely ages to cool down! We grabbed some ice cream from Jack's Gelato afterwards which is pretty much next door to Aromi and that was amazing. The baked vanilla flavour in particular! Around here you'll find The Corpus Clock and King's College so it's a nice spot for sightseeing too.The rest of the day was pretty chill, we took some time to cool down in the hotel and read our books before heading out for a meal that evening. We chose Flat Iron as we love a steak and it's not something we have loads at home. This was a beautiful meal, the steak was cooked perfectly, the chips were so nice and crisp, the mac & cheese lovely and cheesy and the drinks were super refreshing.Our next full day started with breakfast at Bill's. We both went for the pancakes which were so filling and the perfect start to the day and the hash browns on the side, wow, they were perfect.

We then tried to find some of the Dinky Doors that are dotted around Cambridge which are highly detailed mini sculptures. There's an official website where you can get a map to help you find them all but we just spotted them randomly while walking around. We only found 2 in the end but both are so unique. I think it's such a cool idea.That afternoon we finally properly browsed the market which is right in the centre of Cambridge and grabbed some lunch. You'll find all sorts of food stalls here so there's something for everyone aswell as stalls selling homemade bits and bobs, a sweet stall and more. The juices from one stall in particular were lovely and refreshing on a warm day.The rest of the day consisted of more book shopping, yet more coffee from Bould Brothers and some bakery hopping. I have to recommend the ricotta chocolate cake from Aromi which I mentioned earlier, absolutely delicious and I think about it most days. That evening we went for our final meal of the trip and enjoyed some mocktails then it was time to pack to head home the next day. We really loved our first trip to Cambridge and I can easily see it becoming another place we want to return to again and again. I'm already thinking of things we can do next time.

Have you ever been to Cambridge for a city break?

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My Top London Bakery Recommendations

 It's no secret if you've been reading my blog over the years or even following me on Instagram, that I love London. It is probably my all time favourite city & luckily we tend to go at least once a year so we're always finding new places to explore. One thing we love is discovering new bakeries and when we went earlier this year we decided to do a little bakery crawl. We included some places we wanted to revisit but also tried a few new ones which had been on our list for a while so I thought I'd share them with you!

Gail's Bakery

We did actually start off at Gail's Bakery for breakfast as it was close to our hotel. These are dotted around London so you're pretty much always near one and I always enjoy going to them when we're in London. Their cinnamon buns in particular are to die for but I also recommend their blueberry muffins, banana & pecan cake & flourless chocolate cake in particular! They also do simple pastries like croissants & pain au chocolates really well, so buttery and flaky, just everything you could possibly want them to taste like.

Bageriet Bakery

This had been at the top of my list for SO long! Bageriet Bakery is a swedish Bakery tucked away on Rose Street near Covent Garden & it is an absolute hidden gem. It's really cosy inside with limited seating and their bakes are all sort of dotted around the room in a really cool way. We were spoilt for choice but the main thing I wanted to try was the Sockerkringlor, a sugared brioche pretzel. I have no words for how delicious this was, I instantly regretted not buying more & I've thought about it a lot since. Soft, fluffy, the perfect sweetness, spectacular give me 14 of them. We also got a Notgrotta which is a shortbread cave filled with hazelnut chocolate & this was also incredible. They had one filled with jam too which I'm really keen to get next time. 

Buns From Home

Literally across the road from Bageriet Bakery, you'll find Buns From Home. Another bakery you'll find on most corners of London, I can't believe how long it took us to try them. Buns From Home specialise in hand rolled laminated buns & they have an array of flavours. Not only will you find their classic cinnamon bun but they also have pistachio, almond, hazelnut, cardamom and more aswell as a range of dessert filled buns! We got the chocolate custard filled bun which was delicious, surprisingly not too sweet but definitely filling. The pastry was lovely too. I really want to try their cheesecake bun one time as that looks amazing!

Barnaby Bars

Just around the corner from Buns From Home, we found Barnaby Bars, a relatively new bakery specialising in handmade chocolate bars. We got 3 to try, if I remember correctly they were TipTap which is peanut butter, salted caramel & peanut crunch, Cinema which is popcorn & toffee and finally Dollar which is a millionaire shortcake. The TipTap bar was like a fancy snickers and you can't go wrong with a millionaires shortbread. The chocolate on the bars wasn't too thick and none of the bars were overly sweet, I'd definitely try more flavours in future.

Crumbs & Doilies

I'd spotted Crumbs & Doilies on Instagram so many times so I was desperate to try their bakes. Based in Kingly Court, they sell a range of baked goods like cookies, brownies, cupcakes & more. We were going specifically to try their cookies but I regret not getting a cupcake too as they looked so good! Their New York cookies are thick, chunky & gooey and they have a range of flavours to choose from like Bueno, Biscoff, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, just to name a few. I got the Birthday Cake cookie & OMG it was divine. It was still a little warm so they clearly regularly have bakes fresh out of the oven as we were definitely there later in the day. The white chocolate chips & caramelised white chocolate were a little melty & the rainbow sprinkles weren't super crunchy so it was perfect in every way. Can't wait to go back!

Bread Ahead

Last but not least, there had to be a doughnut bakery on this list! We're big doughnut fans in this house and whilst our ultimate fave is Doh'hut in Leeds (who do actually have a shop in Spitalfields Market too!) Bread Ahead is one we've been going to since our earlier trips to London years ago. Based in Borough Market they seem to constantly be coming up with new variations of fillings & toppings and it's always hard to choose what to go for. This time we went for the blackcurrant cheesecake and it tasted exactly how it should, lovely and creamy cheesecake filling with a not too tart blackcurrant coulis drizzled on top. Be prepared to queue at Borough Market for these but they're definitely worth it.So that's the bakeries we managed to tick off our list during our last visit to London. I definitely want to do another bakery crawl next year as there are just so many more on our list. If you have any recommendations, please let me know as I'm always after new places to visit!

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