Let's talk about this tweet

Let's discuss this tweet. After the debate it sparked a few night's ago where twitter turned into a frenzy of bloggers left right and centre arguing with others, I was one of the bloggers in the thick of it. Who would of thought it, me getting into arguments on social media....#sarcasm. 

Now I know there has been a few blog post's on this topic already but I'm not going to discuss this in a way you are expecting. Now as everyone typically writes these posts and keeps other's nameless, however I'm not going to actually talk about Zoella, I'm going to discuss something a little different. 

To fill the rest of you in, Zoella is a blogger/YouTube star who has recently revealed she is launching her own beauty line. Been the holy grail of bloggers with a staggering 5.7 million YouTube subscribers, she sparked a riot on my twitter feed when she made the announcement. When the occasional tweet like mine and a few others popped up many were accused of been jealous, negative, nasty and accused me of been un-supportive to the blogging community. 

To quickly get this point out of the way, Zoella is a huge success, I'm sure she never expected the fame, she has achieved something with what will have been hard work but mostly a lot of luck, that many bloggers will dream of. She is amongst the few to shake and revolutionise social media and create a new generation of idols for many teenagers. 

However to explain the tweet in my own views. This firstly was nothing personal to Zoella, I will always respect the success of others, the deeper meaning of the tweet was my slight anger at the greed I am constantly seeing in bloggers. Sparking this post which for me, is somewhat of a retaliation against of the constant post's I keep seeing saying the community is becoming a negative place. 

I have read numerous post's about the community becoming bitchy, yet I only once have witnessed someone been called an outright bitch on social media in the blogger community and that was a comment at myself (evidently of the back of that tweet). 

The community is not negative, blogging as many forget in the hast to post the latest lipstick review is a platform for people to express opinions.Twitter is a platform for people to express opinions. Facebook is a platform for peoples opinions (and 1000 pictures of your baby and the occasional ex stalking). Blogs in their own sense are an extension of yourself, they are in there basic form a diary, a photo album, your opinion on the things you like. I nice fact for you 77% of  internet user's are blog readers. 

For many blogging and reading blogs is an escape. With probably many sociological reasons behind this, we all try and showcase the best of ourself on our blogs. The mask theory if you will. I know for one I want my blog to only showcase my best side. 

Yet do you really think I wake up at 7 am and cook pancakes that always have neatly placed strawberry's on top. That YouTubers permanently have Yankee candles lit in their homes, or that whenever a blogger goes on a picnic they have the perfect tartan blanket, wicker picnic basket and stripy paper straws to drink from their fashionable jam jar style glasses from. Obviously you know deep down this is staged but it's an escape, with the frequent demise of magazines, more and more people are turning to blogs for entertainment or for someone to idolise or be their role model and we expect perfection. Yet blogs are not glossy pages, they are 99% of the time someone's real life. Someone who is isn't perfect, someone with an opinion to express. 

Magazines are criticized for their use of skinny minnie models or for airbrushing celebrity's. Yet as more and more people turn to blogs for advice or fashion trends, surely we need to embrace what we wanted. Real life. Real life isn't a page from cosmopolitan magazine. With the increase in blogs surely people need to start embracing the increase in difference of opinions. 

My second point before this get's too long is blogging can have a negative aspect. Regardless of name calling and petty twitter arguments, I regularly notice one thing that no one seems to talk about. Greed. The greed to go to the latest restaurant first, the greed that no one seems to able to buy one lipstick you need them all to swatch and look pretty lined up together The greed to own more mac lipsticks than said blogger, the greed to have the biggest make up collection, the greed to want the latest fashion, the greed to own the latest camera. Yet this is not considered negative, it's becoming somewhat of an aspiration for many. This should be what is negative. 

I am in no way saying I am not in this category of bloggers, or blog readers for that matter. Beauty blogging, fashion blogger or even travel blogging like magazines did will always exaggerate the effects consumer happiness, however when did buying the latest beauty product in every shade, most of which will never be used, help anyone pursuit happiness? 

The average woman owns 13 make up items. 

Now how much make up does the average blogger own?

Thoughts in comments

Sammie

Twitter

P.S fully aware of how much of a ramble this is. 

Peanut Butter Pancakes

No one like's getting out of bed in the morning (well I certainly don't), so it's nice to be able to look forward to something to stop you hitting the snooze button just one more ten more times.

I've decided to whip up some super easy peanut butter pancakes for you all this morning. Pancakes are quite possibly everyone's favourite when it comes to breakfast (you can quote me on that been an actual fact), the verdict's a little more out there with peanut butter, although it makes for a more substantial and filling breakfast. I've decided to make the more american style fluffy pancakes, as although I do much prefer traditional English style pancake day pancakes, these are a little quicker to cook on a morning. 

You will need:

1 cup self raisin flour

1 cups of milk

1/2 table spoon of caster sugar

1 1/2 table spoons of peanut butter

1 large egg

How to make the pancakes:

Whisk all the ingredients together, you may need an electric whisk as the peanut butter is a little sticky.

 Since I'm telling you how to bake here I should advise you sieve the flour, but no one has time for that on a morning, especially not me, so go ahead break the baking rules and throw your un-sieved flour in.

Gently heat a frying pan with a little oil (I personally like the spray oils) on a low heat.

Add a spoon full of mix to the pan, when the little bubbles appear on the pancakes flip them over, this should take around a minuet. 

Make sure the pancakes are golden brown on both sides and serve. 

Serving suggestions:

Fresh strawberry's, golden syrup (mines butterscotch sauce), chocolate sauce, Jam (or if you want to go all USA on me you can call it jelly and have peanut butter & jelly pancakes to sound extra cool and make your friends jealous) 

How do you like your pancakes on a morning?

Any recipe suggestions?

Sammie

Nail polish for dates

Obviously the title is a little bit of wishful thinking, but date or no date, a fresh manicure is one way to feel that little bit better about yourself. Plus I keep buying nail varnish and need some justification for the amount I own so a nail polish post it is then. 

Models Own - Polish for tans - Flip Flop £4.99

I wore this rather bright lime green to Leeds Fest this weekend which you may have seen in my outfit post here. The bright colour is certainly eye catching and you never know depending on how much your date is into his nail varnishes it may even be a conversation stater...that what people talk about on dates right?? No...ohhh. Well you will certainly catch his attention with your new bright nails anyhow. Plus if you need to make a run for it at any time I'm pretty sure flagging down a taxi won't be a problem. 

Tanya Burr - Little Duck - Superdrug £5.99

A favourite of bloggers and for good reasons too. This colour is darling and looks so cute. It's more of a pastel shade than the photo gives credit for. This polish did take me a while to track down and I managed to pick it up after 4... yes 4 visits to different Superdrug stores. The polish is nice to apply and only takes one coat (although I always use two for a better finish) so if your in a hurry I would recommend reaching for this. 

Barry M - Gelly Nail Effect - Prickly Pear £3.99

This shade looks elegant and very girlie. Although please paint your nails neater than I do, first impressions count. The beautiful pastel colour has such a nice shine and looks professional and glossy. The nail varnish is thin and does require two coats but overall the Gelly Effects range is a favourite of mine and at £3.99 is defiantly one of the cheaper polishes. 

Revlon Parfumerie - Scented nail polish - Ginger Melon £6.49

A slightly more expensive nail varnish at £6.49 although it's scented! I've never tried any scented nail varnishes before although I've bought a few in the past for other people as gifts and was a little intrigued. Firstly you will only be able to smell the scent when the nail varnish is dry...otherwise it just smells like nail varnish. The colour ginger melon is a a bright shiny pink and I'm not sure what ginger melon should smell like but to me it smells like sweets. For a glossy colour and the scent of sweets this has got to be a winning pick for a date. 

What's your favourite polish?

Sammie

What to wear and pack for a day at a festival #OOTD

Top - Primark (Current season)

Shorts: Topshop (old) 

Socks: Primark

Sunglasses: RayBan

Necklace's / Rings / Bracelets - Primark (current season)

Wellingtons - Hunter, Cloggs*

Backpack - Mi Pack, Cloggs*

Just yesterday I was partying the night away at Leeds Festival yet looking back at the photo's seems like it was last year. Festival blue's kicking in. The day went far too quick although I had an amazing time. Having been to the past 7 years for the full weekend to Leeds Fest it felt a little strange going for just the day, although I still had a fantastic time. I saw some of my favourite bands this year including Papa Roach, A Day To Remember and Blink 182.

Dressing for a festival does hold a certain difficulty, especially at Leeds Festival which is notorious for the rain. After the all mighty downpour last year I was a little worried about what to wear. The rain however held of for the day although some parts of the festival more-so in the camp site was still pretty muddy. Luckily I wore my festival staple, Hunter Wellies teamed with some denim shorts and a black chiffon top I picked up a few days ago and some accessories. 

The nights can get very chilli, typically when your stood around waiting for the headline act. Despite a few festival ciders been an obvious way to warm up, I also decided to pack my leather jacket, some gloves and a scarf. 

If your heading to a festival for a day what to pack is a little tricky.. Unlike going for the weekend where you can pop back and forth to your tent a day trip requires a little planning. Plus taking a huge backpack will only result in you getting caught in the crowds of people. Especially if your like me and like to get to the front. Wall of death anyone? 

 I took my new Mi Pac backpack which is a very nice size for a festival or any day trip. I packed a small picnic blanket which defiantly comes in handy when you want to have a sit down, a rain mac and umbrella (just in case), gloves and a scarf for the night time, tissues, face wipes, lip balm, money, phone (advisable to take an old phone), camera and of course don't forget your tickets. Although some people would recommend taking food I would defiantly not advise this. Festival food (especially Leeds) has some very nice food stalls, it is pricey (what can be expected) although there's a huge selection and something for everyone. 

Have you been to any festivals this summer?

Sammie

Almost Famous Leeds Review

Every now and then I spot things on twitter which excite me. Quite typically it's usually a new restaurant, more often than not a new burger joint. I happened to notice a few days ago Leeds was going to be joined by a new restaurant called Almost Famous. Despite burger/diner/american restaurants seem to be springing up quickly in Leeds, this one looked a little exciting. 

Obviously from this moment on when you see the pictures it will be hard to disagree with me. If your somewhat of a foodie or a simple nosey parker, you may have noticed the restaurant opened today and obviously I was quite enthusiastic to go check it out. 

Firstly the restaurant it's self if a pretty impressive retro looking place which kind of made me think, if Walt Disney went to a roller disco then decided he wanted a burger, he would of created this place. 

If you haven't already noticed my table was very unique which was covered with retro sweets, I say my table, I mean the table I made the poor waitress give me..well because it looked that freaking cool. Plus when it had the slogan "Candy is dandy, liquor is quicker" I knew it was the table for me. (getting bit deep for talks of tables). 

When it came to ordering it was a tough choice all the burgers looked good and the other options of pulled pork or steak sandwiches did catch my eye. Yet when I noticed one burger comes with a Oreo ice cream on top, the big kid in me came leaping out (like she hadn't already come out to demand the sweet table) and obviously it was the quickest I've ever decided what to order, in my life. 

Shut Up America Burger £12.00

Cheese, Bacon, Cheesestaeak, BBQ fried onions, Pickles, Chipotle ketchup, Bleu cheese sauce, Oreo ice cream sandwich on top. 

This was quite the impressive burger. I was surprised that it actually came with really large well cooked (pink in the middle) slices of real meaty steak, I was expecting more a steak burger.  I thought that was it, until later on in the burger deconstruction when I actually noticed there were two beef patty's underneath. It was quite the mammoth burger with all the burger classic additions including maple bacon, plenty of fried onions and all the burger sauces you could possibly need. 

Just when you think you can't handle any more...there comes desert in the form of the Oreo ice cream sandwich, which as your obviously curious to know....it didn't melt before I ate it. 

Bacon Bacon Fries £4.00

Winning fries, Baconnaise, Bacon Rain

I've not actually seen these done before and thought it was a nice idea. The fries were nice and crisp, although there was a bit too much seasoning on them. The baconnaise and bacon bits were nice toppings and the topping was a nice amount. Often I find when ordering fries with a topping they are practically a whole meal in themselves but this wasn't too much although I wouldn't recommend a portion to yourself. Well not with such a huge burger anyways. 

Overall I really loved this restaurant, there's some real amazing quirky features hidden away such as the retro photo-booth I noticed. The cocktail menu also looks amazing and after I noticed words such as bubblegum, salted caramel popcorn and candy syrup it defiantly looked creative. I really can't wait to return and try some. 

I genuinely don't want to spoil too much about this place, so I didn't take too many photo's...although I was stupidly eager to post this to show you all. It's defiantly worth checking it out. 

You can find Almost Famous at 23-25 Great George Street, Leeds. The doorway wasn't that obvious although I'm not sure if this was because it was the first day or not, but I do hope it stays a little hidden for added affect. 

Opinions on ice cream and burgers?

Sammie

*P.S cheat day on the diet needed*

Blanx white shock review

Hands up who wants whiter teeth? Yoohoooo, yes please. When I saw the new Blanx White Shock range it defiantly appealed to me. As an avid tea drinker, diet coke fiend and yes the occasional cigarette (naughty naughty), keeping my tooshie pegs pearly white can be a struggle. Therefore any product which offered to keep my whites whiter (is that the Daz advert?) I'm pretty much sold. I've got a few friends with incredibility white teeth and whilst I've quizzed them on more than one occasion what's there secret they all tell me there isn't one and brushing regularly and using a good toothpaste is there trick. Whilst I can't help feel disappointed there's no magical answer, it's a pretty obvious one. 

The blanx's White shock range includes the Blanx White Shock tooth paste with LED accelerator, Blanx White Shock mouth wash and the Blanx White shock gel pen. 

 Blanx White Shock tooth paste with LED accelerator

Firstly I'm 100% aware of how much of a gimmick this appears. 

The LED attachment screws onto the tube and tuns on and off when the lid is twisted. Confused as to what the benefits of the LED addition were I think for the first time in my life I read the manual (yep toothpaste with a manual). To explain in it in well, a blondes way, the light activates the toothpaste which whitens your teeth. This also carries on working after you have brushed, as it reacts to light this means the more you smile the whiter your teeth can become. If I'm honest I can't say there's been a huge whitening effect however the concept is fantastic and one thing the toothpaste does provide is a very good clean feeling. One that did surprise me, it really gives teeth the squeaky like polished feeling which is always nice. Also the lights are harmless so you can still use the toothpaste as many times as you would like in replace of your regular toothpaste for better whitening powers. One thing I did notice after a while is the toothpaste had a slight metallic taste although this wasn't something that bothered me. 

Blanx White Shock mouth wash
I use this morning and night and the taste was pleasant. Ok obviously It's pretty hard to review mouthwash. Along side the other products the small gradual whitening effect I did notice I'm obviously going to credit the toothpaste. However since it's a mouth wash aimed at whitening it's a good addition to add into your routine if your wanting whiter teeth. 

Blanx White shock gel pen
The idea behind the whitening pen is you can whiten your teeth on the go. If I'm honest I wouldn't use this product again. When I'm out and about I've yet to have a moment where I think, "I need to whiten my teeth" although I can believe some people would. Maybe after a morning coffee perhaps. Or maybe if your willing to go the extra mile for a special occasion. Instead I used this product before bed. The whitening gel pushed up through the pen in a similar way to some lip glosses, you then brush the product onto your teeth. My concern with this was the gel is touching your gums and I thought this may have a bad effect yet the gel didn't seem that strong and I didn't have any issues with this. It was also difficult to see how much product you were applying to your teeth and where about's due to the clear formula.   

Overall I would repurchase the toothpaste for the brilliant deep clean feeling, although the whitening pen wasn't for me. 

Blanx's products available at: Blanx | Boots | superdrug

Sammie

*Product provided for review purposes, all opinions remain and my and remain unbiased*

The new Lush Spa Leeds

Lush for many is a little like Marmite. Some love it some hate it. Some can't even walk past the shop without moaning about the fragrance lingering in the air. Some love the warm relaxing scent.  Some hate cleaning the bath after their explosive glittery bath bombs. Some love the unique fun-ness of the products. Some hate the staff who approach you in store. Some love the free advice and friendly attitude. I love Lush. (I also love Marmite). 

In fact whilst I go put the toaster on, as I'm now rather peckish for Marmite on toast, you go put the kettle on and we shall then adventure into the new Lush Store in Leeds.

Since I walk past the store daily on my commute to work (typically with a Marmite bagel, breakfast treat in hand) It's really caught my eye what a gorgeous building the new store is held in. Just across the road from the smaller previous Lush venue, but on the same street as venues such as the old Leeds Library, I'm quite pleased one of my favourite brands has bagged the beautiful large corner venue, in what I consider a typical old fashioned Leeds style building.  

Quite simply such a new stunning larger venue means Lush can really showcase their products to the world Leeds in a more suited deserved, shiny new MASSIVE store. Believe me bigger is better, when the new store comes with a spa twice the big as the old venue with 4 treatment rooms....one even had a bath! I'm pretty darn impressed. 

Even with the new larger venue, it feels nice going into a Lush store, knowing the vast majority of the products remain the same. For me Lush has always provided excellent quality over the many years I've shopped there, I think many people like myself continue to return back for there favourite products time after time.  

Yet spotting the new releases becomes such a exciting moment for fellow lush lovers like myself and I feel no trip to Lush is complete without spotting something new mingled in with all the oldies. With the much loved seasonal lines such as the Snow Fairy shower gel at Christmas or the cute bunny bath bombs at Easter I'm still always fascinated by the release of a new product or something new I spot. Has anyone spotted the secret ingredient yet in the Let the good times roll face cleaners? 

I was so excited to see the new spa after such an amazing visit there last year. Remember this post. The opening showcased all the new treatments including the new Hard Days night treatment, inspired by The Beatles with specially created tracks mixing in Beatles classics, for the lush store. The treatment it's self is something rather unique and is a deep massage treatment designed to help you relax after a hard days. The treatment is in the typical Lush unique fashion and includes wearing a pair of fresh pyjamas. 

At the end I was kindly gifted with a selection of products from the new ranges in Lush including my favourite D'Fluff strawberry shaving foam and the African paradise body conditioner. Designed as a shower body conditioner to use in the shower and then rinse as opposed to apply a moisturiser after of is perfect for me I'm a little lazy when it comes to moisturising. Other treats included the new Zest hair gel and one thing that really amazed me The Sunblock. A soap style sun screen designed to be used like soap yet providing the protection of a sunscreen all day long. Again perfect for me as I hate applying sunscreen. I'm also pretty sure this won't count as a liquid when trying to condense down your beauty stash in the airport for holidays. 

Have been to the new Lush store in Leeds or tried any of the new products?

Sammie

The Light Leeds Dining Event

I'm sure the majority of the people in Leeds have visited the light before. It's a wonderful hub for the socialite with restaurants, a cinema, coffee bar, hairdressers and gym all under one roof, not forgetting my favourite morning treat Bagel Nash. 

If you saw my last post from the Light dining event you will know the concept is a 3 course meal with drinks held in 4 different venues inside The Light Leeds. Therefore when an invite popped up again, I could hardly say no, could I?

Cafe Rouge  

Drinks were held in the delightful Cafe Rouge. Cafe Rouge is a favourite of mine and I've popped in for breakfast on a few occasions. The charming French setting creates such a nice escape from the busy city centre shopping environment and the red colour scheme, wooden chairs and collection of pictures and mirrors hung along all the walls creates such warm intimate atmosphere.  

Miller and Carter

Miller and Carter is a steak house relatively new to Leeds. I must admit I have wanted to visit for some time so the night gave me a great opportunity to have a little nosey. The restaurant was quite a bit bigger than I expected yet much more elegant than I anticipated. The food however suppressed my expectations and I was blown away. My friends have started to notice I'm a little food snobby now a days and in no way do I see this as a bad thing. I think I did proof this to myself somewhat when I practically jumped for joy when black pearl scallops arrived as a starter. The food was incredible here and I was treated to delights such as char-grilled chicken wings, dusted calamari, lime marinated salmon crostini and my personal favourite bourbon glazed pork belly. This is defiantly a restaurant for the food lovers of Leeds to try. 

Frankie and Benny's 

Frankie and Benny's is a great well established family restaurant. With booth style seating perfect for the whole family and the green, white and red balloons placed around the restaurant to give out to the kids (and me) takes me back to day trips with the folks as a child. I know friends with children can't compliment this place enough with their excellent value children's meals at just £4.25. Here we were treated to the family favourites of burgers, calzones and pastas and of course a cheeky glass of wine although I must admit I couldn't help eyeing up their desert menu, cinnamon waffles anyone? Is it plausible to drink the wine and still ask for a balloon? 

Browns

The evening ended in Browns for deserts. After the last event where the trio of brownies went down amazingly well I think a few of us bloggers were expecting the same desert to make a second appearance. Luckily were were treated to eton mess. I'm not normally a desert person so I loved that the option was a lighter desert. The added twist of chocolate and black cherry's added a more luxurious touch. Browns it's self is simply a gorgeous venue with a black grand piano been one of the main focuses of the bar area, It will always make the great venue for a cocktail or two. Plus it reminded me I really need to check out their afternoon tea. 

Have you visited any of the restaurants?

Sammie

Don't forget to sign up for a social light card free of charge for a huge selection of discounts at a range of venues within the Light Leeds. 

*Meals and drinks provided free of charge in return for my honest opinion. Event hosted by Carousel PR*

Monthly Shoe Wishlist | Gym Edition |

Ahh the monthly shoe wishlist. It's that time again, well for me payday, yippiee. Although I must say I spend a considerable amount of time browsing shoes (and buying them) all year round. In fact if you aren't aware, I'm now part of a new shoe blog, what's coming soon here. 

So this month it dawned on me that I've mostly lived in two pair's of shoes despite my extensive (and mostly impractical) collection. One been a pair of summer sandals, all be the great British weather has other ideas, the second been trainers. Yep if you haven't had enough of me on twitter gloating how well I'm doing at the gym I thought I'd do it in the form of a shoe wishlist. 

Since I've been doing so well at the gym (oops there I go again) then I figured I'd treat myself. It's also a good motivation boost to have some swanky new kicks and if I'm honest there aren't many other options for trying to look good whilst sweating it out at the gym. 

1. Nike Rosherun Black Hyp Trainers - ASOS £83.00 £49.00

I'm much more a fan of colourful trainers than black (yet thinking about my current trainers are mostly black). However I'm so drawn towards these. The colourful soles look fun and bright whilst the whole looks of the trainers remain sleek and stylish. 

2. Puma TX-3 Nylon Black Trainers - ASOS £65.00 £27.00

What's not to like about these? They remind me almost of pop art with the retro print and the design is brilliantly executed. I think these will be more of a weekend errands trainers than the gym however at £27.00 there a bargain. 

3. New Balance Black/Blue Suede and Mesh 430 Trainers - ASOS £60.00 £42.00

Weirdly enough when I see these I instantly think they need a pair of black skinny jeans and a silk varsity jacket. I kind of love hate these but either way I think there pretty cool so they've made the list. If it makes sense to anyone (definatly won't do) but the fact I think there a little bit tacky looking makes me like them a lot more. 

4. Nike Orange Rosherun Trainers - ASOS £70.00 £49.00

I think these are going to be my new trainers of choice. The bright orange colours should add that spring in step for the treadmill and since most my gym clothes are black and a little dull this should add a nice amount of colour to my gym attire. 

P.S I promised you I'm not been sponsored by ASOS to write this, it turns out they actually had the best sale on at the moment. 

Sammie

Afternoon tea at Wentbridge House

It feels like forever since I've blogged, if I'm honest I have become a little bit of gym freak at the moment. I actually still can't believe I'm saying that, although I suppose it's a healthy addiction. I actually found myself Friday morning working out at 7am, looking round in the gym thinking what kind of freaks are these people, up at this time doing exercise, until it suddenly dawned on me that I was one of those freaks. 

However fear not blog readers it hasn't been all work and no play, last weekend I was away at the races and this weekend I joined Hayley and Kel for a spot of afternoon tea at the rather stunning Wentbridge House. Check me out I returned from a little blogging break and come back all sophisticated. Don't worry I haven't changed too much...to pull thinks back to reality after too many glasses of wine Friday I was doing my usual spot of drunk cooked when I accidental sliced my finger in the blender trying to stop it whilst still spinning, so in case you feared you are not reading Little Blonde Life, think again, I'm still here as common as ever. 

Anyhow enough about me, I'm sure your all expecting pictures of tea and cake, so here goes. 

Arriving at Wentbridge House was rather idyllic and a refreshing change to spending my Saturday afternoons tucked up in bed. The sun was shining the birds were tweeting and I felt rather sophisticated for once. In typical Sammie style I then spent 10 minuets hobbling down the steep drive way of the hotel as my choice of footwear is forever far from sensible, however my new killer heels deserved some special attention and I had certainly arrived at the right place. 

We were all promptly greeted by the friendly staff and shown to the bar area for a quick G&T before heading into the dining room. The dining room it's self was a little hub of elegance with large bay windows looking out onto the gardens, large armed chairs and a few neatly placed tables with shiny cutlery neatly placed to perfection. The nice small number of tables created the perfect tea party atmosphere with the only missing except of a white rabbit to lead me into the intimate little space, it was pretty much afternoon tea perfection. 

The waitress came and took out tea order, I opted for a rhubarb tea at her recommendation. I'm not sure if it's the Yorkshire in me but I do love rhubarb. As delicious as the tea was and the fact it smelt like rhubarb crumble (well actually just rhubarb..but it sweet smelt quite obviously reminded me of rhubarb crumble) I was secretly more pleased by the champagne that followed. 

The first course of delicate finger sandwiches soon arrived, smoked salmon and cucumber, cream cheese, ham, egg and tuna. Been the only smoked salmon eater I got stuck in. I did feel a little pressures to eat all the smokes salmon ones however I can assure you this was a challenge I took well. 

With a slightly fuller belly and a few slips of champagne later the main event of cake arrived. I say cake when they were more like individual pieces of heaven. Firstly a slightly more unusual afternoon tea selection of pear panna cotta, however exceptional tasty, rose meringue, chocolate cake, strawberry shortbread, cream scones and the star of any afternoon tea miniature macaroons. All incredibility tasty with my favourite been the strawberry shortbread. 

We neatly picked cakes of the 3 tied stand, chatted as we sipped our champagne and I felt like such a little grown up. It was cute and a lovely experience to share with my friends. This was actually the first afternoon tea I have ever had, however the expert tea and cake lady of the group Kel assured me this was one of the nicest she has come across. 

Overall I would recommend Wentbridge house for an affordable taste of luxury with impeccable service. It's always nice to treat yourself and it was certainly nice to spend the Saturday afternoon with some of my favourite ladies. 

Have you been for afternoon tea?

Sammie