Spring 2015 Wish List

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I have been browsing the new arrivals of loads of websites wanting to update my wardrobe so I thought I would put together a wish list of the items I am lusting over this Spring!




Let me know if you have your eye on anything! I especially love those flats, the floral cup and I have seen a lot of people talking about the Max Factor blushes. Now I just need to stop myself from buying everything...

Adams Restaurant, My First Time!

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The Adams Restaurant is located in the Adams building in the Lace Market area of Nottingham City Centre. It is housed in a stunning building that was previously a factory but is now one of the buildings which New College Nottingham operate in. The restaurant is open Monday - Friday for lunch and coffee and in the evenings on Wednesday and Thursday for dinner. Each week the menu changes according to the seasons and to fit in with any special events such as, St Patricks Day. The menu's range from 3 courses for £15.95 to a 5 course tasting menu for £19.95. 

The great thing about Adams restaurant though is that it is ran by students who are currently studying at the college, whether that be doing an NVQ or helping out in-between their studies for their degree. Assisted by a supervising teacher in front of house and also in the kitchen the students aren't completely alone but have the opportunity to experience a real life restaurant whilst studying in the industry. I decided to book for their Vegetarian Themed Evening where the 5 course menu looked simple but sounded delicious.

We had already looked over the menu before we got there (otherwise it would have taken an hour to decide what we want!) and therefore had an idea of what to order. The wine list is varied and there is definitely something for everyone. We chose a lovely bottle of red and enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere before our first course arrived. The restaurant wasn't busy but we had indirectly been made aware of this because of  the half price offer they advertised on social media during the day! This was fine by us though as we were in the mood for a quiet evening and fast paced service.

First up was the Amuse Bouche of "Watercress and spring onion soup finished with truffle oil". This was the perfect starter and was full of flavour, accompanied with this was your choice of a white or brown homemade bread roll - again the bread was warm, soft and so tasty! Then came the starter of "Moroccan spiced vegetable kebabs, red onion salad and coriander dressing" this was pleasant but I felt like the kebab was laking in vegetables funnily enough. A really nice spice and dressing but there could have been just a little bit more.

For the third out of five dishes came the intermediate small palette cleanser - "Cucumber and mint sorbet". I can definitely see how this would have been a lovely cleanser before the main course however, there was definitely too much sugar used to make this and therefore it was more like a sweet dessert than a refreshing sorbet. Main course for me was the "Vegetable thai curry, coconut milk, pak choi, jasmine rice and shaved coconut". I was so glad I chose this as my main as the rice was full of flavour the curry was creamy but had a lovely thai spiced taste and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.




Finally, dessert - who can say no to a "Chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake, dark chocolate ice-cream and hazelnut praline"?? After 4 other courses this could have been the perfect finish but unfortunately didn't quite make it. The cheesecake mixture was just plain cheesecake on top of a hazelnut base and topped with a very hard chocolate ganache. I ended up, and from looking around the room so did others, separating each element of the cheesecake as I just couldn't get my fork through the chocolate. The ice-cream was delicious and the praline was lovely but the cheesecake could have been better.

An overall decadent and satisfying meal and I would be happy to return to try another themed taster menu! The waiter we had was obviously quite new but served us so well and was very generous and a great host for the evening. Well done to the team for the night and I would recommend everyone to go and try their lunch or dinner menu!

Adams Restaurant, The Adams Building, Stoney Street NG1 1NG - Tel: (0115) 910 4510

Twitter: @ncn_Adams


Visit To Langar Hall Country House Hotel

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It was Jensen's birthday last month so I decided to treat him to a night away somewhere not too far but that felt far enough to enjoy some time together. After searching through websites for independent hotels I came across Langar Hall, I had heard some good things previously and I don't know why it took me so long to think of staying here. They had a Dinner, Bed and Breakfast offer available and it was just too tempting to pass on! 

Pulling up to the hotel down the tree lined road we were greeted by a gorgeous honey coloured country house and some welcoming receptionists. It seemed we were the first guests checking in so far that day right on time at 2pm; unfortunately there was a wake due to start within the next hour and we were advised to stay in the room until around 5pm whilst the 200 or so guests were there. A little disappointing as this meant we were almost imprisoned in the room and couldn't take a leisurely walk around the hotel to see what it had to offer. We didn't mind too much as the bed was so comfortable we made ourselves some tea and got cozy until the event had finished.



To our delight a couple of hours later we were given a small complimentary afternoon tea (food from the wake but absolutely lovely) and this tied us over until our evening meal. This offer included the best available room also and we were not disappointed by the lovely Lilac Room they allocated us. The room had all of the essentials and was decorated beautifully with white walls and accents of green and lilac. Our room was on the second floor and the view out of the window was of lovely peaceful greenland and the tree lined road that leads to the hotel.



Time went by and we were ready for our dinner! We got changed and headed down to the restaurant where we were given some Prosecco (courtesy of Imogen the owner) and some popcorn to snack on whilst we looked over the menus in the lounge area next to a beautiful log burning fire. We finally decided what to have and were taken to our lovely table in the restaurant to enjoy our evening.


I started with the Langar Game Terrine, followed by the Cornish Bass served with purple sprouting broccoli, potato terrine, mussels and squid. Both were absolutely delicious and I could have eaten it all over again, the terrine was meaty but not dry and the fish was so delicate accompanied by some lovely creamy potatoes. Jensen chose the Smoked Salmon to start and then a lovely Assiette of Lamb for mains. This was a lovely meal for us to share for Jensen's birthday and the wine list has something for everyone. Even though we both had fish we chose the 2011 Beaujolais as we love our red wine!
Next came dessert and I couldn't stop myself from ordering the Rhubarb Soufflé served with vanilla panna cotta, ginger beer sorbet and poached ruhbarb. The dessert was so big in came in to dishes! A side of the rhubarb and sorbet with a huge, perfectly cooked rhubarb soufflé! All of the dishes were impeccable and I couldn't fault any of it, hats off to the chef! After our lovely meal we had some coffee with mini macaroons and took a seat back in the lounge area to finish our wine before heading back to the room.

After having a wonderful nights sleep in the huge comfortable bed we got ready and headed down for breakfast. Imogen, the owner, was there once again and it made me think she must never leave for the day except to sleep. She greeted us on arrival, was there at dinner and came to say 'Hello' to us at breakfast. Service was incredible again and the breakfast was lovely with fresh baked croissants and local produce we definitely appreciated the delicious food. I opted for Poached Eggs, Black Pudding and Mushroom whilst Jensen went for the Full English. With a pot of Green Tea and some lovely continental items the breakfast room was truly heavenly.

It was then time to leave Langar Hall but not before we had a stroll through the grounds and by the frozen lake in front of the hotel. This really was a beautiful setting and I could only imagine even more so in the Summer. Imogen was there once again to say 'Goodbye' and have a little chat before we left.



Overall, we really enjoyed our time but were a little disappointed by the lack of communication before we arrived that the wake was being held, it would have been nice to look around the communal area. I would definitely recommend the hotel and the food really made our evening special.


Langar Hall, Langar Village, NG13 9HG Tel: 01949 860559



Dinner Bed and Breakfast was £185 for 2 people sharing. Although the afternoon tea and prosecco was complimentary everything else was paid for and all views are my own.


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